The Progressive Resistance Podcast

The Fire That Cleared the Path with Phillip Velayo | PRP #23

Host Luke Krubeck welcomes Phil Velayo back to the podcast for episode 23, this time for the longer conversation that's been a year in the making. Phil is a former Marine Scout Sniper, founder of The Cadre Training Group and Path to Precision, and one of the most respected instructors in the precision rifle space. But this episode isn't about gun work. It's about the man behind the curriculum.Luke and Phil cover the full arc, leaving a previous business to build something built on his own standards, becoming a father for the second time, the house fire that took everything in August of 2025, and the slow rebuild of both a home and a worldview. Phil opens up about the regrets he carries from his early years of fatherhood, the way Claire has reshaped what partnership looks like for him, and why he's still figuring out what marriage means after walking through one before. If you've ever wondered what process over talent actually looks like applied to a life, not just a rifle, this is the conversation.
🗝️ Key Discussion Points:Imposter Syndrome at the Mic: Why Phil hesitates to plant a flag on personal development, even after a decade of teaching some of the highest-performing shooters in the country.The Second Rep at Fatherhood: What Phil missed with Zoe in the early years, what he's doing differently with Arisio, and the hope that both kids learn from the whole story, not just the highlight reel.August 24th, 2025: The pop, the flames, the escape, and the community that showed up. Phil walks through the fire, the GoFundMe, the raffle, and the strange clarity that comes from losing your stuff and keeping your people.Customer Journey as a Standard, Not a Slogan: How a hard conversation with Luke earlier in the year reshaped how Phil thinks about every touchpoint, from the inquiry email to the AAR after a course ends.Rewriting Marriage: Why Phil and Claire haven't gotten married yet, what he learned from the first time around, and Luke's parallel hesitation rooted in his own family history.The Progressive Realization of Worthy Ideals: Luke's working definition of success, and how both men are trying to live it without sacrificing the family at the dinner table for the business on the laptop.
📍 Episode Chapters: 0:00 – Welcome Back: Why This Conversation Needed a Round Two 3:30 – Imposter Syndrome and Why Phil Almost Didn't Say Yes 8:15 – Becoming a Father Again: the Reps You Don't Get Back 17:45 – Leaving the Old Business: Why Phil Walked 24:10 – Building The Cadre: Standards, Team, and Brand Beyond Self 33:20 – Marine Corps Leadership Principles in a Civilian Company 41:00 – The Hard Conversation: Customer Journey and Accountability 52:30 – After Action Reports, Handwritten Letters, and the Exit Experience 1:02:15 – August 24th: The House Fire 1:14:40 – Community, GoFundMe, and the Long Range Family Showing Up 1:23:50 – Rebuilding: Decision Fatigue and Family Recalibration 1:32:00 – Marriage, Claire, and Rewriting the Model 1:42:20 – Regrets, Forgiveness, and the Story Zoe Will Inherit 1:51:10 – Defining Success: The Progressive Realization of Worthy Ideals 1:58:45 – Non-Negotiables, Seasons, and Communicating with Your Partner 2:06:30 – Closing: Storytelling, Serendipity, and What's Next
Explore: Research on post-traumatic growth, the body of work pioneered by Tedeschi and Calhoun, shows that significant adversity, when paired with social support and reflective practice, can produce measurable gains in five domains: personal strength, new possibilities, deeper relationships, appreciation of life, and spiritual change. Phil's reflections on the fire, his second pass at fatherhood, and the rebuild of both home and business map directly onto that framework. This isn't a story about bouncing back. It's a story about building forward.
🔗 Connect with the Podcast:Luke Krubeck: https://www.instagram.com/lkrubeck22/ The Barbell Club: https://www.instagram.com/the.barbellclub/ Luke's Album "Ground and Center": Available on all streaming platforms.Connect with Phil and The Cadre:
Phillip Velayo: https://www.instagram.com/velayo_0317/ The Cadre Training Group: https://www.instagram.com/thecadre.training/ The Cadre on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thecadretraining Path to Precision: https://www.pathtoprecision.com Train with The Cadre: https://www.thecadretraining.com

Abundance and Dreaming - How To Find Your Wholeness and Completeness | PRP #22

Host Luke Krubeck goes solo on episode 22 to lay out the framework that drives everything he teaches at The Barbell Club — and everything he's still working on himself. This one isn't about sets and reps. It's about the internal architecture required to build a life worth living: abundance, identity, dreaming, and the daily battle to become the person your goals demand.
Luke unpacks Brian Klemmer's definition of abundance, the geometry of a life well-lived, and why the gym has always been his laboratory for personal development — not just physical output. If you've been waiting for the episode that ties it all together, this is it.
 
🗝️ Key Discussion Points:
 
Abundance Redefined: Why wholeness and completeness have nothing to do with external circumstances — and everything to do with internal control.
Embrace the Discomfort: The gym metaphor that explains why resistance isn't the enemy of growth — it's the mechanism.
The Geometry of Life: Loving God, loving neighbor, loving self — and why you can't execute the first two without the third.
Break the Generational Curse: How investigating your own programming is the first step toward leaving a different legacy for your kids.
The Dream Exercise: What happened when Luke turned the lights off in a room full of college students and told them to write without limits.
 
📍 Episode Chapters:
0:00 – Introduction: Why Episode 22 Still Feels Like Rep One
0:23 – The Podcast as Personal Development — Not Just Content
7:04 – Embrace the Discomfort & the One More Rep Philosophy
11:10 – Build the Better You: Where the Barbell Club Came From
14:40 – Abundance: Brian Klemmer's Definition That Changed Everything
18:11 – Breaking Generational Curses & Investigating Your Programs
32:54 – Action Items, Personal Brand & the Power of Small Changes
58:40 – The Geometry of Life: God, Neighbor, Self
1:11:13 – Staying Grounded Through Gratitude
1:17:06 – Final Thoughts & Encouragement
1:18:35 – The Dream Exercise: Write Like Nothing Is Promised
1:24:47 – Abundance, Faith & Becoming Who Your Dreams Require
 
Explore
Research on habit formation consistently shows that small, repeatable actions — like making your bed, logging workouts, or starting the day with gratitude — compound into measurable identity shifts over time. Luke's "one more rep" philosophy isn't just gym talk. It maps directly to how high performers build resilience across every domain of life.
 
🔗 Connect with the Podcast:
Luke Krubeck: https://www.instagram.com/lkrubeck22/
The Barbell Club: https://www.instagram.com/the.barbellclub/
 
Luke's Album "Ground and Center": Available on all streaming platforms.

From Life-Flight to Life Lessons: Surviving Liver Failure with Joe Skorupski | PRP #21

Host Luke Krubeck sits down with Joe Skorupski, a Wyoming fish biologist and Marine-level resilient soul who recently crossed the ultimate finish line: a life-saving liver transplant. In this gripping and deeply personal episode, they trace Joe’s path from the initial shock of a rare diagnosis to the harrowing "dry runs" of the transplant list, and finally, his remarkable road to recovery.
Joe pulls back the curtain on the mental warfare of chronic pain, the "Jak2" mutation that changed everything, and how his baseline of physical fitness—built at The Barbell Club—became the very thing that saved his life when his body was at its breaking point.
🗝️ Key Discussion Points:The Biologist’s Battle: Joe’s journey from Pennsylvania woods to Wyoming waters, and the sudden medical mystery that turned a healthy outdoorsman into a critical care patient.The "Jak2" Mutation & Bud-Chiari: A deep dive into the rare blood disorder and liver clots that forced Joe into a high-stakes waiting game for a new organ.The Opioid Tightrope: A raw look at managing excruciating pain, the fear of addiction, and the critical importance of protecting kidney function when the liver is failing.Physical Capital as Insurance: Why Joe’s doctors credited his survival to his pre-existing muscle mass and "engine," proving that training isn't just for looks—it’s for life.Faith & "God Winks": Reflecting on the spiritual nudges and the community support that carried Joe’s family through the darkest nights in Denver.
📍 Episode Chapters:0:00 – Meet Joe Skorupski: Fish Biologist & Transplant Survivor11:17 – The First Signs: From "Food Poisoning" to Liver Failure11:29 – The Diagnosis: Jak2 Mutation and the Flight to Denver12:35 – The Call: Navigating "Dry Runs" and the Transplant Process12:51 – The Recovery: Pain Pumps, Family Resilience, and New Normals1:12:10 – Mental Warfare: Opioids, Sleeplessness, and Hitting Rock Bottom2:06:56 – Divine Intervention: "God Winks" and the Gift of a Second Chance2:09:09 – The Therapeutic Power of the Story
🔗 Connect with the Podcast:Luke Krubeck: https://www.instagram.com/lkrubeck22/The Barbell Club: https://www.instagram.com/the.barbellclub/Luke’s Album "Ground and Center": Available on all streaming platforms.

The Radical Shift: Moving From Why to How with Jake Hogan | PRP #20

 Host Luke Krubeck sits down with Jake Hogan, a Marine Corps veteran, cowboy, and economic visionary serving as the head of Forward Cody. In this deep and wide-ranging conversation, they explore what it truly takes to build a thriving community—not just through infrastructure, but through the character and resilience of the people within it.
Jake opens up about the "Elevated Labs" initiative, his transition from the military to entrepreneurship, and the spiritual "wrestling" that has defined his path as a leader, husband, and father.
 
🗝️ Key Discussion Points:
Forward Cody & Elevated Labs: Why true economic development isn't about recruiting outside corporations, but about "growing our own" through peer-to-peer mentorship and local investment.
The Cowboy & The Marine: Jake’s personal journey through service and how the discipline of the Marine Corps meets the grit of the Wyoming ranching lifestyle.
The "Golden Rule" Fallacy: A fascinating look at why "treating others how you want to be treated" fails in business and marriage, and why we must meet people where they actually are.
Wrestling with God: Jake discusses hitting rock bottom and the shift from asking "Why me?" to "How do I grow?", emphasizing the biblical analogy of Jacob's struggle.
The Power of Vision: Why dreaming doesn’t end at retirement, and the importance of having a vivid, actionable vision for your family and your business.
 
📍 Episode Chapters:
0:00 – Guest Welcome: Introducing Jake Hogan
2:23 – What is Forward Cody? Economic Development from the Inside Out
5:16 – Elevated Labs: Learn, Accelerate, Build, and Sustain
11:01 – Personal Journeys: Lessons from the Marine Corps and Entrepreneurship
16:19 – Leadership & Communication: Meeting People Where They’re At
1:16:52 – Spiritual Resilience: Wrestling with God and Finding Purpose
1:24:38 – The "No One is Coming to Save You" Mentality
1:46:08 – The Importance of Dreaming and the "Sweet Bird of Youth"
 
📊 Economic Context: The Power of Local Growth
Jake’s mission with Forward Cody is backed by the reality of Wyoming's economic landscape. Small businesses and local entrepreneurship are the lifeblood of rural economies.
In Wyoming, 99.1% of all businesses are small businesses, and they employ 62.5% of the state's private workforce. This underscores why Jake’s focus on "Elevated Labs" and local retention is critical compared to traditional "big business" recruitment.
 
🔗 Connect with the Podcast:
Luke Krubeck: https://www.instagram.com/lkrubeck22/
Forward Cody: https://www.instagram.com/forwardcodywy/
The Barbell Club: https://www.instagram.com/the.barbellclub/

From Combat to Cattle: Building the Airbnb of Local Food | PRP #19

Luke Krubeck sits down with AJ Richards, a decorated US Army veteran, serial entrepreneur, and the visionary founder of From the Farm, to discuss his incredible journey from military service and scaling fitness businesses to tackling the massive challenges in America's food supply chain.
Connect with Luke & The Movement:
Luke: https://www.instagram.com/lkrubeck22/
The Barbell Club: https://www.instagram.com/the.barbellclub
Connect with AJ Richards & From the Farm:
From the Farm Website: https://www.FromTheFarmUSA.org
AJ Richards Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@a.j_richards
From the Farm Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@fromthefarmusa

Retiring at 27: Real Estate Innovator Brenton Hayden on Rapid Scaling | PRP #18

Luke Krubeck sits down with the ultimate real estate disruptor and serial entrepreneur, Brenton Hayden (Founder of Renters Warehouse), to uncover the secrets of his meteoric rise, his early retirement at 27, and the brutal lessons learned along the way.
 
Connect with Brenton Hayden:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1YtDs14Ts7/?mibextid=wwXIfr LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brentonhayden/
RE/MAX Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1KBLZNVJ2i/?mibextid=wwXIfr
RE/MAX Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/remaxbrenton?igsh=OXplamYwdDZ6YW82
 

Team Krubeck | PRP #17

Join entrepreneurial duo Luke and Abbey Krubeck as they reveal the secrets to their 19-year relationship. From a chance meeting at Subway to building successful businesses (Pink Salon and The Barbell Club), they share how foundational principles have kept their love strong. Discover the surprising impact of their weekly business meetings on communication, Luke's seven-year pursuit of Abbey, and her eventual realization he was her soulmate. They candidly discuss the importance of being best friends, embracing your true self, and the unique challenges and triumphs of dual entrepreneurship. Plus, hear their unconventional wisdom on why not living together before marriage can preserve excitement, how assembling IKEA furniture tests your bond, and the vital roles of personal development, fitness, and intentional time in keeping the spark alive.

Discipline Through Adversity | PRP #16

In this episode, Luke Krubeck explores the power of discipline in overcoming adversity, contrasting it with motivation and highlighting his upcoming Wyoming mastermind event featuring prominent speakers, while emphasizing actionable strategies like establishing non-negotiables, practicing gratitude, and journaling for personal growth.

The Truth About Influence: Protecting Your Energy & Breaking Generational Patterns with Amanda Munn | PRP #15

In this episode, host Luke Krubeck sits down with Amanda Munn in her living room for a deep conversation about life, personal growth, and finding balance. Amanda shares her journey from Texas to Wyoming, her career transition from librarian to marketing at SayoStudio, and reflections on finding balance and gratitude in daily life.

The Business of Strength & Physical Therapy | PRP #14

Join Mike Alzheimer, gym owner and former medical student, as he shares his journey of combining strength training with physical therapy in Wyoming. Discover insights on building community, maintaining work-life balance, and transitioning from powerlifting to bodybuilding. Mike discusses business challenges, the importance of faith, and how strength training revolutionizes physical therapy outcomes. Learn how personal development and gratitude shape successful business ownership in the fitness industry.