Pursuit of Balance

Not all macros are created equal. In Episode 66, Corey ranks proteins, fats, and carbs by quality and nutrient density, explains why plant and animal proteins aren’t equal gram for gram, and shares where he lands on seed oils. You’ll also hear how food pairings like vitamin C with plant iron change what your body absorbs, how much fiber you need, the “cook and cool” trick for rice and potatoes, and whether organic produce, grass-fed beef, and pastured eggs are worth the extra cost.

I haven't trained with a fitness goal in 10 years, and I haven't stopped training in 20. In Episode 65 of Pursuit of Balance, I break down why I'm not anti-ambition, I'm anti-finish line. We cover why goals can backfire (the arrival fallacy, deferred happiness, all-or-nothing thinking), when they actually help, and how to reframe them: direction over destination, standards over targets, inputs over outputs, and identity over outcome. Plus, why the hard conditioning you want to skip is the most important mental training you do.

In Episode 64 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey breaks down the mindset side of money, inspired by Morgan Housel’s The Art of Spending Money. He covers the difference between being rich and being wealthy, why keeping up with the Joneses is a trap, the “island test” for figuring out what you actually value, and why envy guarantees misery. He also shares why he grandfathers loyal members at Functional Lifestyles, what success means to him beyond finances, and his personal list of money laws, from playing offense and defense to spending on memories.

The words you use don’t just describe your life. They shape it. In Episode 62 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey breaks down how language changes what we see, how our bodies respond, the habits we build, and how we show up for the people around us. Plus five simple word swaps you can start using today, and why body language may be the most powerful language of all. 0:00 Intro 1:37 Words shape what we see 7:07 Words shape our body (placebo and nocebo) 19:22 Words we say to ourselves 27:56 Words we say to others 34:33 Five quick swaps 35:01 Body language

Somewhere along the way, a lot of what we do became more about being seen doing it than actually doing it well. In Episode 61 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey breaks down how performance turned performative: participation trophies, highlight-reel social media, races entered for the photos, fitness content built for views instead of results, and the research showing that announcing your goals can make you less likely to reach them. He shares his own past with chasing attention through physique, selfies, and ego, why business became his competition, and a simple framework to audit, subtract, and rebuild so your motivation comes from the inside. If no one was watching, would you still do it?

Baby Leo is here! In Episode 60 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey shares the story of his son's birth, what two weeks of fatherhood have already taught him about presence, patience, and purpose, and the common parenting myths he isn't buying, from "good luck with your workouts" to "your life will revolve around the baby." Whether you're a parent now or hoping to be one, this one's for you. 0:00 Don't try to be perfect, find your perfect 0:31 Welcome back from paternity leave 6:14 The birth story 12:02 Lesson 1: Be present 14:51 Lesson 2: Control the controllables 18:00 Lesson 3: The provider and protector gear 27:52 Lesson 4: Gratitude for our village 29:14 Parenting myths I'm not buying 36:54 Come meet Leo on October 10th

In episode 59 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey breaks down a phrase he's been living by for almost a decade: never let the next thing ruin the current thing. He shares the story of nearly opening a second gym a year into Functional Lifestyles, why he cut it (and the meal prep business) in the same week, and how the same pattern still shows up in his real estate investing today. Along the way he covers the four reasons we get pulled toward the future (future focus as avoidance, a nervous system that doesn't trust calm, identity tied to trajectory, and the arrival fallacy), a client example of overtraining by chasing the next thing, and the 100 battery rule for allocating your energy. If you've ever caught yourself waiting for Friday, the finish line, or "once I get there," this one's for you.

Testosterone levels have been falling roughly 1% a year for decades, and it's not just an aging story. In episode 58, Corey digs into what testosterone actually does, why the "normal" range is so wide, and where the evidence for the decline is strong versus where it's just correlation. He breaks down what lowers it (visceral fat, poor sleep, sleep apnea, insulin resistance, chronic stress, very low fat diets, aggressive calorie restriction) and what raises it (fat loss, strength training, conditioning done correctly, whole food nutrition, vitamin D and zinc). Plus his take on TRT, why carnivore is an elimination diet and not a lifestyle, and why sleep and stress keep turning out to be the foundation underneath all of it.

Episode 57. Everything is poison at a high enough dose, and almost nothing is poison at a low enough one. Corey breaks down a three part framework for thinking about it: dose, capacity, and recovery, and applies it to sun exposure, training frequency, carbs, keto and carnivore dogma, sauna and cold plunge, alcohol, and stress. If you've ever been told to cut something out entirely, this one is for you.

Is functional training BS? In episode 56 of Pursuit of Balance, Corey breaks down why the answer depends entirely on your outcome, why the fitness internet loves to dunk on the word, and the five universal layers that belong in every single person's program regardless of their goal. Covered in this episode: Why function is defined by outcome, not by a movement style Corey's own path through sports, bodybuilding, CrossFit, physique, and corrective exercise Where the criticism of functional training is actually fair The five universal layers: breathing mechanics, gait, multi-directional movement, unilateral training, and aerobic base The seven movement patterns behind smart programming Why the goal is to stop depending on your chiropractor, PT, and massage therapist Ego versus true alignment in how you choose to train Functional Lifestyles is a semi-private training gym in Palo Alto and Mountain View, CA, built on a movement-first approach with ten members per class and two coaches on the floor. #PursuitOfBalance #FunctionalTraining #StrengthAndConditioning #MovementFirst #Hyrox #CorrectiveExercise