Ryan is stuck in a battle a lot of men never talk about: the fear that changing his body might change how he’s seen - by the world, by his family, and by himself.

He’s no longer chasing a six-pack for vanity. He’s chasing a bigger goal: becoming the kind of role model his daughters deserve.

But to do that, he has to wrestle down the old fears - of getting too lean, of looking "too small," of not being "enough."

This is a raw, vulnerable conversation about what it really takes to fight for growth when staying the same feels safer.

Ryan knows the man he wants to be. The question is: **can he stay in the discomfort long enough to become him?

It started with a moment of quiet shame: his girlfriend swooning over a Twilight actor’s abs while Sam sat next to her, skinny-fat and stuck. That moment sent him chasing change — first through generic magazine workouts, then into the hands of a “pro” coach who gave him abs, yes, but also exhaustion, rebound weight gain, and a deep sense of failure.

Sam rebuilt himself the hard way — through obsession, mentorship, and reps. He became the coach he once needed. But success brought its own trap: business mentors told him to prioritize profit over people. That wasn’t who he wanted to be.

In this episode, Sam shares what pulled him back to coaching for the right reasons, the personal loss that changed how he shows up for clients, and why empathy — not macros — is his real coaching superpower.

Today, I’m speaking with Danny Lennon.

Danny is the founder of Sigma Nutrition. He is the long-time host of the popular podcast Sigma Nutrition Radio, and a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardization of best practices in the sports nutrition profession.

In this conversation, we talk about the issues with interpreting research, and why, when someone is trying to persuade you of something, especially a fringe opinion, taking one or two studies they’ve linked to at face value can be a trap.

And given Danny’s background working with MMA fighters, we talk about weight-cutting, and how he makes evidence-based recommendations, despite limited research being available.

I’ve been listening to Danny’s pod for 8 years now. I consider him a good friend, and I hope you enjoy this conversation.

ABOUT THIS POD 🎙
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You’ll get the third edition of our Nutrition Setup Guide, and our email course teaching you how to avoid the 5 most common ways people screw up. We’d be honored to guide you. 🙏🏻

If you have any questions, hit me up in the comments in the articles. I've been answering daily for the last 12 years.

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👥 HOSTED BY

• Andy Morgan of RippedBody.com (Instagram 👉🏻 @andy_rippedbody)