Hey, Captains. If you have ever been intimidated by the idea of starting a business (like many of us), then today’s episode provides some great insight and value. Taylor is talking to Joe Vennare, Founder of Fitt Insider– a community building the platform for the future of fitness and wellness. Today’s episode will take you from Joe’s very relatable childhood to where he is today in the fitness industry.

“Did you get enough to eat? Here, have some more.” These were very common statements Joe heard during his childhood that contributed to his cute, chubby Italian kid persona in school, but when the hormones started to kick in during middle school, he noticed that he did not quite fit in with his friends. This realization was enough for Joe to be thankful for finding football and strength training, where his love of fitness was born. Learning as much as he could from his rusted-out school field house equipment, even breaking in outside of school hours to make sure he got his workouts in, Joe started a physical transformation that others around him took notice of – enough notice for them to ask how he was doing it. This was Joe’s first venture into entrepreneurship where he would create workout plans and recommend certain supplements up to the late 2000’s.

Remember the height of popularity of Crossfit? Around 2009 is when Joe and his brother opened their own Crossfit gym to a starting membership count of 200 members! Now that Joe had experienced success, this was a moment in the interview where Taylor brings up the idea of recovery– how important is it? Especially in our culture today, everything is fast-paced and we want to feel like we have control over every aspect of our lives, it begs that question. Is recovery truly necessary? But, as Taylor and Joe both point out, if we do not give our bodies enough time to recover from the workouts we put them through, we are actually making ourselves weaker. Recovery is everything.

As the conversation wraps up, Joe and Taylor talk about a different range of topics including exercise being the last area of focus when it comes to a more holistic approach to fitness, the idea of getting back in tune with our bodies, and finally the most recent evolution of Joe’s business– Fitt Insider.

Tune in to learn more!

Key Quotes

“Stressors put your body in a compromised position, and if you're not doing the things from a nutrition standpoint, if you’re not doing the things from a sleep standpoint, if you’re not doing the things from a… mindset standpoint– you’re not going to be in a place where you can perform.” –Joe Vennare

“You get weaker when you workout. Your muscles are breaking down while you’re working out. And then the sleep is primarily where you recover from that workout, so if people are missing out on sleep and they’re crushing intense workouts– they might be making themselves weaker.” –Taylor Morgan

Key Timestamps

[6:32] – Episode start with Joe Vennare;

[7:38] – Did you get enough to eat? Joe’s Italian background compared to his fitness background;

[10:38] – How Joe’s time in the gym has changed;

[13:25] – The people around Joe start to take notice of his physical transformation;

[14:43] – Joe’s Crossfit venture;

[19:42] – Joe learned about nutrition and other aspects of fitness and wellbeing as he went along;

[23:00] – The importance of recovery;

[31:47] – Exercise comes up last when talking about a more holistic approach to fitness and wellbeing;

[33:50] – People need to be more in-tune with their bodies;

[35:12] – Wearable technology contributed to Joe’s sense of being out of sync with his own body;

[39:04] – Talking about Fitt Insider;

[44:57] – What is Joe most excited about in the future of the fitness industry?

Show Sponsors

Lambs EMF...

138: The Evolution of a Fitness Entrepreneur with Joe Vennare

The Captain's Lifestyle Podcast