Top Four Podcasts As Of May 29, 2019

The Tom Rowland Podcast has grown every day since launching in February 2018. The growth is due to the incredible guests and their willingness to share their stories with my audience.

To date, the top four most popular Tom Rowland Podcast episodes are:

I pin down Capt Scott Walker, Capt Steve Rodger and Capt Jake Perry (our underwater diver) in Venice, LA for a great conversation where each of them tell the story of how they got to where they are now. Each of these guys started fishing at a young age and have spent more time above and under the water than most will ever even imagine. Stories include a Swordfish attack on Jake which happened the day of this interview and we luckily avoided a significant if not fatal injury.

People love the TV show, Into the Blue, not learn the stories of the hosts themselves.

The world of fitness, nutrition and fat loss is confusing and often simply a scam in disguise. For most of my life I have been fascinated with diet, nutrition and exercise and how it fuels everything else in my life. As a wrestler I cut weight from a young age (WAY TOO YOUNG AND I DO NOT RECOMMEND) and continued that through my senior year of high school. When I decided to not wrestle in college, I also decided to quit training and finally eat and drink whatever I wanted. It was the first time in my life that I could do this and it didn’t go well. In one year I gained over 50 pounds and loved every ounce of it. For the first time in my life I was fat…by choice. It was certainly more comfortable that cutting weight and working out all the time.

This, however, did not remain comfortable and I wanted to make a change. Even with the nutrition, exercise and diet knowledge that I had accumulated, the process of shedding that weight was not easy. My journey to fitness began and I started to read every book I could find on diet and nutrition. The end result was that I was confused, frustrated and no better off than I was a few months ago. I was told one thing and then someone else told me the exact opposite. I was just like everyone else who struggles with losing fat in a world of BS and people trying to make money off of my ignorance.

Dr Layne Norton holds a BS in Biochemistry from Eckerd College with honors (>3.5 GPA) in 2004. He went on to get his PhD in Nutritional Sciences with honors (>3.5 GPA), University of Illinois 2010. He is not just a scientist, however. Layne has an impressive Bodybuilding resume as well as an extensive Powerlifting history

BODYBUILDING CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• 2001INBF Mid America Muscle Classic overall Teen champion

• 2002SNBF Tennessee men’s open tall champion

• 2004ABA Mr. Indiana men’s open overall champion

• 2004ABA Mr. Illinois men’s open overall champion

• 2006OCB Spirit of America men’s open heavyweight runner-up

• 2006OCB Great Lakes States men’s open overall champion*

• 2006NGA Heart of America Natural Classic men’s open overall champion*

• 2010IFPA Pro International: Heavyweight Winner

• 2010IFPA Gaspari Pro Classic: 4th Place Heavyweight

• 2010IFP Yorton Cup Pro World Championships: 5th Place Heavyweight

• 2010NGA Pro Universe: 4th Place

POWERLIFTING HIGHLIGHTS

2009AAPF Illinois Raw Power Challenge 220 lb class champion2010Pro Raw Unity 220 lb class 4th place2011Raw United Tony Conyers Extravaganza 220 lb class champion and best pound for pound lifter2012APF Europa Pro Raw Challenge 220 lb class champion2014USAPL Raw Nationals 93kg Champion2014USAPL Southeastern Regionals Overall Champion2015Arnold Raw Power Challenge 93kg Champion2015IPF World Championships 93kg Overall Silver Medalist2015USAPL Raw National 93kg Runner Up

• Achieved 'Elite' Raw Total classification

• Current IPF 93 kg class World Record Squat 303 kg (668 lbs)

• Former USAPL 93 kg National Record Squat 303 kg (668 lbs)

• Former USAPL 93 kg National Record Deadlift 322.5 kg (711 lbs)

• Best total: 800kg/1763lb at 91.7kg/202lb bodyweight

More than these incredible lists of education and accomplishments, Layne has another common interest. HE LOVES TO FISH!

I went to Layne’s house to train with him and then do a podcast to ask so many of the questions I have about losing weight, gaining muscle and living a healthy life. Layne cuts straight through the BS and gives us the real information which is entirely based in science. NO BS HERE. We discussed his newest book, Fat Loss Forever Purchase HERE.

I loved this conversation and learned so much. You will too. Bottom line…if you want to live your best life, be your absolute best, achieve the potential that you have inside you AND YES…CATCH MORE FISH then you have to take care of your body and mind. This includes training and eating properly to fuel and active lifestyle. Layne tells us how it is and even uses a bunch of fishing metaphors. His advice is not just for elite athletes, it is for anyone who wants to loose a few or just be better at everything in life.

David Mangum has been described by many as a mad scientist. He is obsessive about his profession and passionate about the Tarpon. David is an innovative guide who is artistically talented and uses this in his fly designs, photography and film making. As the owner of Shallow Water Expeditions in the panhandle of Florida, David Mangum has impacted the lives of countless tarpon fishermen by guiding them to the Silver King. His influence extends farther than just the bow of his boat though, his photography and film making have inspired so many more to pursue the Tarpon with the same passion that has overcome David. We talk about the Tarpon of course, but some of the most interesting conversation in this podcast comes from trying to find balance in a profession that demands a singular focus. The passion of Tarpon and guiding has ruined many relationships, but we discuss why both of ours have withstood the difficulties of Tarpon Fever. This is a great conversation that I hope you like as much as I did.

When I was setting up this interview, I did not know how well this story might be received by my predominantly fishing audience. I had been following Jessica on social media and watching her films on YouTube and I was genuinely interested in her story. I decided that if this story was interesting to me it would probably be interesting to you as well and I scheduled time to go see her at her house in Alabama.

Jessica woke up one day and decided that she was not living the life she wanted. She quit her job in a Colorado oil field and packed everything and went back East to accomplish something she had been considering for most of her life. She was going to hike the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. Couple of problems though, she had never spent the night on a trail in her life, had no gear or experience nor did she have anyone who would do this with her. She just did it.

Of course, many lessons were learned on this trip and her life was forever changed. Once the AT was complete, she decided that was not enough and did the Pacific Crest Trail on the West Coast and completed the Triple Crown by then hiking the entire Continental Divide Trail as well. Once all three of these were complete, Jessica entered a very exclusive club of only a few people to be known as Triple Crowners. This is ~8000 miles of backpacking.

She laughs when she says she has only been on 3 backpacking trips in her life, The AT, The PCT and the CDT.

I loved this podcast so much and loved her perspective on life, inexperience and the pursuit of what you really want. This is the #1 podcast in the entire Tom Rowland Podcast library for very good reason. Jessica’s story is so interesting and meaningful that almost anyone would find great value in listening to it.

Thank you all for making the Tom Rowland Podcast such a success. I started this as an experiment to see if I would like it, if I would learn some new things and to see if the audience would also like it. It has been so much more than that for me. At just over a year old, the downloads have surpassed anything I thought was possible, the guests have taught me more than I could have ever expected and I have grown significantly as a person because of it. Thank you for listening and stand by for more great episodes.

Just a couple of final requests…if you like this project, would you take a minute and rate and review it on iTunes? Give it 5 stars and a review. Also, if you think one of your friends or family might like it, send them a link or post about it on social media. It will go a long way to getting these awesome stories in front of other people who may not be aware of the podcast. Thanks again!