“We went to a restaurant for breakfast. It was one of my favourites. I ordered pancakes. They weren’t fluffy like usual. I lost it…”

Grief consumes people in different ways. For Jassim Al Shamali, losing his father resulted in a meltdown over breakfast. It was only six months ago, but he can already look back and laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

Anyone who has lost someone understands those moments. The irrational outbursts are overlooked. Nothing personal.

Losing a parent was one of the toughest moments of Jassim’s life. Losing weight was one of the defining ones.

Jassim’s story has captivated many in the CrossFit space since he began his journey within the sport. Tipping the scales at almost 200kg, it took a long time before the Qatari social media influencer realised a change was needed.

Again, personal loss was a challenge to overcome on his journey to become a better version of himself.

“My brother was the fittest person I knew. He was a really well-known athlete in Qatar. When he died suddenly a few years ago I just gave up on my own health. If the fittest person I knew could die without warning, what chance did I have?”

It wasn’t until Jassim signed up to judge a CrossFit competition in Kuwait he decided to make a change.

“I loved CrossFit and jumped at the chance of being a judge. I got to know some of the athletes who tagged me in their social media posts. I looked at the comments on Instagram. Big mistake. There were more comments about the fat judge than the people competing. I cried my eyes out and didn’t go back the next day.”

He was down. But not out.

Jassim persevered with his CrossFit training – but changing his diet was critical. An overhaul of his nutrition was the key to incremental and sustainable weight loss. That change has been documented on his social media channels and even on the official CrossFit website. His story is a mix of heartache, courage and evolution. Like anyone chasing fitness, the journey will never be over.

Listen to the full episode here – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-4-jassim-al-shamali/id1552194835?i=1000510767096

Cancer. It’s a cold word.

As a kid I was scared to say it in case I caught it.

Scott Britton is the type of guy who can’t shout loudly enough about it. Not that he likes cancer. Like all of us, he can’t stand it.

What Scott loves is the opportunity to combine his passion for fitness with a determination to give people an opportunity to rebuild their lives and regain their fitness once they have fought off the illness.

Battle Cancer isn’t just a call to action. It’s a movement; a lifestyle choice to wake up every day and tell cancer to go fuck itself.

As co-founder of the organisation, Scott and his team are committed to mobilising people and using a unique community to raise money for charities who fight the disease. To date, they have coordinated events and initiatives which have raised around £1million.

“I’d like to raise that every year,” Scott says. You wouldn’t put it past him.

Britton has a beard that Zeus would run up Mount Olympus wearing a weighted vest to grow. He has a maze of tattoos which belong in an art gallery. He also has a heart of gold, which was evident when he gave up an hour of his precious time to speak to The Legacy Pod.

He said: “It’s very kind to say that what I do is admirable. The truth is that I get so much satisfaction from what I do. I’m inspired every day by the people I meet. I don’t need motivation. It’s all around me.”

So what is the motivation? For Scott, it’s the chance to bring some meaning to the lives of those who have fought off or are fighting off cancer. It’s a way to ensure the illness doesn’t define the individual; an opportunity to see the person beyond the patient.

“We always talk about how awesome it is when people survive cancer and they don’t die. There’s never a what next…?

“For most people the encouragement afterwards just goes. People are often just known as someone who survived cancer. We want to give people a bit of purpose back.”

When Scott agreed to come on the Legacy Pod, I knew it was going to be good. You don’t attract the personalities, the brands, the social media following without doing something special. It was a conversation which was good for the soul.

Especially when he dropped the news that early discussions with CrossFit Head Office had taken place to explore how they could help support their Battle Cancer Programme.

“I want to fund 70 locations for training. That sounds a lot, but when you have people who literally have no support it’s actually miniscule.

“We’re not asking for money. We’re not asking for a gift. We just want to tell everyone what we’re doing. I can’t contact 30,000 gyms in one go, but an organisation like CrossFit can. It’s a really positive and exciting development. Let’s see.”

The full episode with Scott can be found here – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-3-scott-britton-battle-cancer/id1552194835?i=1000509689834

For more information on Battle Cancer, visit https://www.battlecancer.com

Jason Ackerman pursued a career in fitness like a dog with a bone. Ironic, as his own pup almost choked on one when he appeared on The Legacy Pod.

More than once during our conversation, Ackerman glanced over his shoulder like a nervous cyclist battling rush-hour traffic. Eventually he ducked our of view, returning with a gnarled mess of bone, dripping in slobber.

Recording paused for a moment before we got back on topic. Legacy.

“I’ve always considered legacy to be something to look back on when you were gone,” said the co-host of the Best Hour of Their Day podcast and co-founder of the Affiliate University programme.

Yet that’s simply not true for Ackerman, who along with business partner Jason Fernandez has approximately 3,000 dedicated podcast subscribers and a hugely successful CrossFit affiliate development programme.

If you assume Ackerman and co. work with or educate 3,000 coaches help an average of 150-200 members each, then… well, that’s a lot of people. That’s a legacy lived in real time, not posthumously.

“At the end of the day we’re happy, we’re paying our bills and we’re helping people.”

Not just people. Dogs as well.

Incidentally, days after Episode #2 was recorded, Jason became a father for the first time. It’s believed he will not be using the bone once Ackerman junior begins teething.

You can listen to Episode #2 here – https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-2-jason-ackerman-best-hour-of-their-day/id1552194835?i=1000508744275

My son was still drifting to sleep when I sent the message. It was sent in hope, more than expectation.

Heber Cannon, a film-maker who created the YouTube channel The Buttery Bros with his buddy Marston Sawyers, had more than 140,000 followers on his Instagram page and the same again on their channel. He was famous; an influencer. He wouldn’t have the time nor inclination to respond to a guy who not only hadn’t launched a podcast, but wanted him to be the first guest.

With the boy sound asleep, I left his room to go downstairs for a late night cup of tea. My phone buzzed before I reached the kitchen.

“Let’s do it. Send me some dates that work.”

The Legacy Pod had its first guest.

It’s refreshing that someone with such a busy schedule agreed to do the podcast. The fact he did it straight after landing from a business trip, with barely enough time to say hello to his wife and kids, is even more impressive.

More than that, when the podcast started and my microphone wouldn’t work, Heber smiled patiently. I’m sure he thought I was an idiot. I thought I was an idiot. As a result, I started the interview like a misfiring Mustang, blurting out a couple of questions and tripping over my own tongue explaining the reasons for asking him to be a guest.

In the end, I got over it and relaxed. Heber was a brilliant guest. He talked about his career in film-making, his journey working for CrossFit (including a very public firing) and his absolute joy of making movies and content as a Buttery Bro.

Lessons learned?

Always send the message. You never know who will respond.

And always, always make sure your microphone works.

Enjoy the episode. You can find links below.

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/episode-1-heber-cannon-conversations-with-a-buttery-bro/id1552194835?i=1000507932640