The AJK Health, Fitness, & Business Podcast

Michael Lejeune is an award-winning business coach, author, podcast host, and leading authority on winning government contracts. In this podcast, he was gracious enough to share over a decade's worth of insights on business, GovCon, and more.

Tino Reyes is an investment banker turned venture capitalist, with transactions amounting to more than $4B as the former and a multi-million dollar family fund as the latter. Tino has invested in many mega/giga/ultra successful companies including Bombas (a $1.6B sock company), SpaceX (the $125B Elon Musk thingy!), Kraken ($10B), and many others.

In this episode, he discusses he discusses how Bombas made billions selling SOCKS, goddamn socks! How he invested in SpaceX and the best way to raise funds as a startup.

Contact Tino Reyes here:

Ethan Beller is an aspiring filmmaker, digital marketer, and an extremely talented videographer, who discusses his principles for video editing 101, starter tech stack, importance of effective marketing, and how filmmakers achieve VFX effects. He's basically the next Steven Spielberg, or dare I say it, the first Ethan Beller.

You can get in touch with Ethan here:

Peter Lipari is currently pursuing a Masters in Sports Mgmt. from Arizona State University, while also working full time at Iridium Sports Agency, a leader in UFC and MMA talent management.

An Aspiring sports agent for the world of American football and the fastest growing sport on Earth, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), in this episode Pete discusses pursuing a career in Sports Mgmt. 101. In particular, working as a marketing specialist at Iridium, Pete has many invaluable insights to offer on brand building for athletes and entrepreneurs alike. In this episode, we discuss Sports Mgmt. 101, college degree and certification requirements, brand building, recruitment, and some fun MMA speculation.

It was a pleasure Pete!

You can get in touch with Peter here:

Lachlan Kirkwood is a digital marketer turned no-code developer turned entrepreneur. And perhaps most importantly, he is a really nice guy. 

The Auspicious Australian graduated from college with a degree in digital marketing and worked in the social media marketing space for a few before encountering no-code app development tools. It was herein that he had a lightbulb moment: there was this super powerful enabler for non-tech entrepreneurs but no one out there to teach the latter how to use it. And thus began a journey of entrepreneurship leading to over $20,000 income per month with all the freedom that comes with working for oneself.

In this episode, we discuss Digital Marketing for startups 101, standing apart from the crowd, how to build and scale an online business, mental health, and more. 

You can get in touch with Lachlan here:

Kirin Sawasdikosol (I just call him Kirin S. because his last name is a mouthful, lol) is as energetic as they come. Over the past 2 years that I have known him, he has gone from not knowing much about investing to learning and applying a whole lot. Never being shy of his voicing his opinions, Kirin is the kind of guy that likes to jump into the deep end. I really respect that because 95% of preparation for anything in life is usually just procrastination in disguise. Like the Nike Swoosh, just do it! Bite off more than you can chew.... you can learn to chew later.

Kirin embodies three qualities that I learned about from Warren Buffett and look for in everyone I meet: Energy, Capacity, & Integrity. His ability to take the initiative, learn quickly, and get things are perhaps his biggest qualities. In this episode, Kirin joins us to talk about how he developed a love for investing, how he got his investment club recognized by a multinational corporation, the importance of high-quality team members, recommendations for fellow investors, and as with most episodes on investing, some good ol' fashioned speculation on the markets.

Really enjoyed this one. Hope you do too!

Contact me here:

While doing this episode, this song called, I couldn't help but think about Sylvestor Stallone's Rocky series, in part because this guy, bruised and battered from his last fight but all the more gracious in defeat, still stood tall in his pursuit of a larger than life ambition --- a desire to be a UFC champion. I could see it in his eyes, the fire! And this is why I pushed him to come on the podcast for months on end... And he's finally here!

At 28 years of age, Will 'Soldier of Christ' Starks, is a professional MMA fighter, two time UMMAF (USA Mixed Martial Arts Federation) National, and 2 time UMMAF World Champion with the hopes of making it to the UFC. Having fought the weekend prior and with bloodshot eyes, Will agreed to the podcast while pursuing a degree in Neuroscience & Biochemistry, and being a boyfriend, a dog owner, and much much more. 

Recently recruited by one of the largest sports agencies in the world (Paradigm Sports), Will discusses the challenges of taking the road less traveled, dealing with doubts and doubt-ers, his background, desire to fight, risks of contact sports & how to minimize them, recommendations for upcoming fighters and much much more.

Will is a fighter in the ring and in life, and I just know that he will achieve big things in whatever path he takes. In my eyes, he is already successful for daring to dream, but moreover, for trying to make that dream a reality. Thank you for being you, Will!

You can find Will Starks here:

Instagram: @willstarksmma

Contact me here:

Jared Feather is an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder who has won many bodybuilding competitions across some of the highest stages in the sport in the IFBB, IFF, and IPE. But he is not just any bodybuilder: Jared boasts a Masters (yes, Masters) of Science (M.S) in Exercise Physiology with a special focus on nutrition and training. He has OVER 10 YEARS of experience in the bodybuilding industry and has helped countless men and women alike achieve their dreams of being on the stage and/or just lead healthier lives. Now, while Jared has the knowledge and credibility to back that up, what truly sets him apart is his personal story and how he overcame tremendous challenges to forge a happy and healthy life for himself by doing what he loves most --> Bodybuilding.

In the first episode of AJK HFB Season 2 (yeahhh budayyyy), Jared Feather talks about two things: 1) overcoming challenges, importance of loving what you do, and his own story to serve as an inspiration and 2) making a living as a fitness professional. Positivity, Gratitude, genuineness, and a strong work ethic --- and whole lotta swearing (lol) --- are a running theme in Jared's story and hence, this episode. In some ways, this episode is also a tribute to his mom, who was always there for him through and through. 

I hope you're inspired, and if so, please feel free to reach out to me and tell me what you liked most. Links to reaching out to Jared, his company (RP), and/or me are at the bottom. Enjoy :)

To Jared: Thank you for agreeing to come on the podcast. I know you have big goals and dreams, and I cannot tell you how much I appreciated your time, not least because I have learned a lot from you.

'You can f*** up as many times as you want, but don't give up... don't be scared' --- Jared Feather

Learn more about Renaissance Periodization Coaching and Products here:

Mr. Ijaz is an American investor, entrepreneur, citizen diplomat, physicist, engineer, father, husband, and founder of Crescent Investment Management, a hedge fund management company that has run his proprietary trading system, CARAT, for 33 years now. He is by far one of the most influential Americans of Pakistani origin in the country. Born and raised as a kid of color in 1960s rural America, Mr. Ijaz was educated as a physicist and neuro-mechanical engineer at the University of Virginia, MIT, and Harvard Medical School. In the late 1980s, without any formal knowledge or training in business, he entered the world of high finance quite by accident. He would later adapt his human biomechanics models developed at MIT to the extreme volatility in financial markets following the 1987 stock market crash. Crescent Investment Management was born soon after in 1990. He made a substantial fortune managing other people’s money in the 1990s, and soon turned his energies to politics in troubled regions of the world – he says he felt the guilt of his wealth in wanting to right wrongs in faraway lands where disaffected people, particularly in the Islamic world, had no voice. He worked closely with the Clinton administration in opening counterterrorism channels to Sudan’s Islamist government and co-authored the blueprint that led to a historical ceasefire in the troubled region of Kashmir. Often blamed for the fall of several powerful governments in Pakistan, he has now quit global politics and spends his time managing mostly his own wealth while raising his family in the United States... oh, and lest we forget, he was also an All-American Powerlifter while at UVA.

In this episode, Mr. Ijaz takes us on a candid journey through his life from growing up as a first-generation American in Virginia in the 1960s and 70s to reaching the pinnacle of the financial and political world. He discusses the events that led him to Wall Street and opened opportunities for him to use his MIT algorithms. He shares with us the work he did with the Clinton administration, his thoughts on cryptocurrency, his time as a powerlifter, and his principles for the success he has enjoyed in life, as well as much much more.

 It was a pleasure, and an absolute privilege, to talk to him.

After talking about the inspiration behind his company Gumbo LLC, sharing his life experiences, and giving us a brief lesson on cryptocurrency 101, cryptocurrency hedge fund manager Nolan Foster returns to AJK HFB to dive deeper into the emerging asset class. Backed by popular demand among the listeners and to commemorate Bitcoin's 12th birthday, Nolan takes us through crypto's 12-year history and what we can expect going forward. In this episode, Nolan talks about the early days of crypto; the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto; COVID's impact and bitcoin's record highs; mass adoption and some of the major criticisms/roadblocks; the book Age Of Cryptocurrency by Michael Casey and Paul Vigna; the false promise of Green/Social justice funds; and just for fun, his days as a wrestler. 

Nolan is a cryptocurrency hedge fund manager and entrepreneur. After attending Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, he founded his own company Gumbo LLC by securing funds from angel investors --- an achievement in itself. In Gumbo, Nolan operates a cryptocurrency hedge fund. Only a few years after starting out, Nolan and his team are currently working on a fund capped at over $10M. They pride themselves on the value proposition based on mutually beneficial fee structures, novel strategies centered around 'acquiring more of the asset' rather than obsessing over the link between the US dollar and cryptocurrency, and other structural/positional economic moats.

Oluwatoniloba (Toni) Abiru is the co-founder of Waves of Afro (WOA) clothing brand. After much experimentation and many failures, but ever so passionate about not working 9-to-5, he created Waves of Afro with his best friend --- at 18 years of age!! But Toni wanted it all, and given his penchant to learn, he decided to go to college (in a country more than 3000 miles away!) and manage the business remotely. With his partner managing the day-to-day operations, Toni secured funding, grew the business, attained a college education,  and became Bloomberg Certified, all the while working a minimum wage job to sustain himself. And only six years on, WOA has been recognized as an award-winning campus fashion brand. Through WOA, Toni& co. not only hope to work for themselves, but also hope to give African Culture a global platform through WOA's African tradition inspired designs. But Toni has no plans to stop here: He has enrolled in a full-time master program at the Fox School of Business at Temple University, and a major sports enthusiast, he is also a podcast host for Learn the Game where, with his friends, he covers major sports events across the globe.

In this episode, Toni shares the ups and downs WOA faced in its early years; recommendations for aspiring entrepreneurs and startups; impacts of COVID and recent protests in Nigeria on local businesses; and his podcast. Thank you, Toni, for sharing your insights. You're a personal motivation to me and I have no doubt you're gonna go on to do much much more.

Learn more about Waves Of Afro Clothing Brands here: 

Nolan Foster is a cryptocurrency hedge fund manager and entrepreneur. After attending Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, he founded his own company Gumbo LLC by securing funds from angel investors --- an achievement in itself. Through Gumbo, Nolan operates a cryptocurrency hedge fund. Only a few years after starting out, Nolan and his team already have a fund worth approximately $7M and are currently working on another fund worth $30M. They pride themselves on the value proposition based on mutually beneficial fee structures, novel strategies centered around 'acquiring more of the asset' rather than obsessing over the link between the US dollar and cryptocurrency, and other structural/positional economic moats. 

In this episode, Nolan talks about the inspiration behind Gumbo; challenges faced by and recommendations for investors/entrepreneurs (esp. during COVID-19); his work as a cryptocurrency hedge fund manager; as well as challenges, criticisms, and opportunities that come with the newest asset class that is cryptocurrency, not to mention his outlook on its future. While Gumbo currently only accepts 'high net worth (HNW) accredited' investors, feel free to reach out to him or his company to learn more (links below).

 Gumbo LLC website: www.Gumbo.fund

Nolan's email: Nolan@gumbo.fund