Tag: Denise Thomas Page 1 of 2

Nicole Carroll, Denise Thomas, and Craig Howard with text FORGING ELITE FITNESS IS BACK LIVE PODCAST thumbnail

[LIVE] Understanding the Return to Forging Elite Fitness® (EP. 048)

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On November 7, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

“Forging Elite Fitness®” has been part of the CrossFit brand since 2003. And now, it’s representing CrossFit front and center once again after a few years of lurking behind the scenes. But what does it really mean? And what doesn’t it mean? And why are we bringing it back? 

In this show, Denise Thomas is joined by Nicole Carroll, Craig Howard, and Jocelyn Rylee to unpack the phrase that debuted its revival tour this week in our new “Forging Elite Fitness” video and accompanying article. They’ll talk about where the misunderstanding often lies: Is it only about Games athletes? Is “elite” too aggressive? Or does it perfectly capture what CrossFit does for anyone who walks through the door, from grandparents to Games competitors?

Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com

Follow us on YouTube to join us every Thursday at 10 am PT.

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Thumbnail image of host Denise Thomas with Text #49 The Viral Teacher Who Tried CrossFit and small screen in screen image of guest Dr. Fatty Acid completing a deadlift at her gym

The Story Behind the Viral @When_Nerds_Teach – Meet Dr. Fatty Acid (EP. 049)

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On November 3, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

Dr. Fatty Acid, the viral creator behind @When_Nerds_Teach, joins Denise Thomas for a refreshingly honest conversation about finding CrossFit, battling fatty liver disease, navigating Wegovy, and rediscovering strength. A lifelong teacher, she talks about humor, vulnerability, and learning to love movement for what it gives, not how it looks.

Topics Included

  • Discovering CrossFit as a total beginner and overcoming intimidation
  • Balancing modern medicine (Wegovy) with lifestyle change
  • Teaching, burnout, and how CrossFit helps with decision fatigue
  • Managing body image, binge eating, and food anxiety

Resources Mentioned

Community Highlight

At just 16, Harrison Kennedy is already competing at the highest levels of CrossFit, but his story is about more than training.

After facing mental health struggles, Harrison found purpose again at CrossFit Delta Fox in northern England, a gym partnered with The 180 Project, which helps people rebuild their lives after prison, addiction, or trauma.

Now he’s giving back, coaching younger athletes and showing them the same thing CrossFit showed him: that community and hard work can change everything.

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Email us [podcasts@crossfit.com] or complete our survey here.

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[LIVE] Every CrossFit Gym Should Do This (EP. 042)

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On October 15, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

What does the ideal CrossFit experience look like?

In this livestream, hosts James Hobart and Denise Thomas break down the non-negotiables of a great affiliate, as well as stylistic touches that make each gym unique. From the 60-minute class to the full journey, the conversation explores what members should expect, what owners and coaches must deliver, and how the best affiliates create environments where people thrive. Whether you’re a coach, owner, or member, this episode will leave you with a clear picture of what the “ideal member experience” really means in CrossFit.

Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com

Follow us on YouTube to join future livestreams.

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[LIVE] Inside CrossFit Programming (EP. 040)

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On October 11, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

Programming is one of the most debated topics in CrossFit. On this livestream, James Hobart and Denise Thomas sit down with the guys behind both mainsite and CrossFit Affiliate Programming (CAP), Joe Alexander and Spencer Hendel. Together, they’ll dig into the philosophy and practice behind effective programming. 

They’ll cover the charter of CrossFit.com, how CAP supports affiliates, what makes programming successful (and what doesn’t), and how intensity, volume, and movement selection come into play. 

Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com

Follow us on YouTube to join future livestreams.

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Thumbnail of a live podcast from CrossFit that reads "Live Podcast, The Standard: Coaching, Judging, and Results" featuring images of Denise Thomas, Chase Ingraham, and Adrian Conway with a rig in the background

[LIVE] Why the Standard Matters (EP. 036)

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On September 17, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

We talk about “the standard” in CrossFit all the time — but what does it really mean?

In this livestream, Denise Thomas sits down with Nicole Carroll, Chase Ingraham, and Adrian Conway to get real about what it takes to hold the standard in our gyms and on the competition floor.

The crew digs into where the standard came from, why it matters, and what happens when we don’t uphold it. They’ll break down coaching, defining fitness, and the ultimate goals of health and performance longevity. 

Expect a candid conversation about what “holding the standard” actually means, why it matters, and how we’re doing on hitting the goal. 

Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com

Follow us on YouTube to join future livestreams.

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Digging into the GLP-1 Trend Live CrossFit Podcast

[LIVE] CrossFit, GLP-1s, and the Serena Williams Ad (EP. 034)

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On September 11, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

We’re sitting down to have an honest, nuanced conversation about Ozempic (semaglutide), other GLP-1 drugs, and their role in lifestyle intervention and health. We want to understand who benefits, who profits, and what the implications are for individuals, coaches, and the broader CrossFit community. 

The goal is not to provide all the answers or be the experts, but to create space for a thoughtful discussion around an important and highly visible issue, especially in light of GLP-1 provider Ro’s recent sponsored post featuring Serena Williams. 

Host Denise Thomas is joined by Dr. Tom McCoy, Jocelyn Rylee, and Joe Alexander. 

Let us know what you think –> podcasts@crossfit.com

Follow us on YouTube to join future livestreams.

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Ro & Angelo

Hanging Out With Rory McKernan and Angelo DiCicco (EP. 032)

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On September 1, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

In this episode of the CrossFit Podcast, host Denise Thomas sits down with Rory McKernan and Angelo DiCicco to talk about everything from their hopes for the CrossFit community to stories from their early days. 

Community Highlight

Bob Moran has been a police officer in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, for 23 years. For much of that time, he was drinking … until Jan. 1, 2023. That was his last drink.

He went cold turkey. One day at a time. And through it all, CrossFit was his anchor. His gym, RDT CrossFit, welcomed him back without judgment.

Now 18 months sober, Bob is training consistently and leading from the front. He helps run Signal 30, a weekly fitness and mental wellness program for current and retired law enforcement. Every Sunday at 8 a.m., officers show up to move, connect, and reset.

“I’m not afraid to share it,” Bob says. I was a f*ing drunk. And I want people to know that’s not the end of the line. There’s more past that.”⠀

Next up: earning his Level 1 Trainer credential and continuing to give back. Because he knows what’s at stake and what’s possible.

Celebrate his soberversary workout on Jan. 2, 2026:

10 rounds for time of: 10-calorie bike
10 back squats from floor (95/135)
10 burpees over the bar

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Let us know what you think about the podcast here or email us [podcasts@crossfit.com].

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2025 CrossFit Games Recap on the CrossFit Podcast with Denise Thomas, Adrian Conway, and James Hobart

[LIVE] 2025 CrossFit Games: Top Moments and What It Means Going Forward (EP. 027)

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On August 14, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

Catch up on this livestream from August 8th, 2025.

The 2025 CrossFit Games delivered big moments — but more than that, they offered perspective.

In this conversation, Denise Thomas, James Hobart, and Adrian Conway reflect on what stood out and what it means moving forward. The discussion goes beyond the leaderboard to focus on the connection between the Games and the larger CrossFit community — what we saw this year, how it resonated inside and outside the arena, and how we can build on it.

This conversation explores what the Games can and should mean for CrossFit’s future — not just for elite sport, but for the everyday affiliate, the larger mission, and the community that makes it all work.

Share Your Thoughts: Let us know what you think about the podcast and how we can improve here.

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CrossFit Podcast with EC Synkowski and Denise Thomas, Episode 026

CrossFit and Food Neurosis: ‘There is a Point in Nutrition at Which You Can Be Done’ (EP. 026)

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On August 5, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

EC Synkowski joins Denise Thomas to talk about CrossFit, food, and how to cut through the confusion. EC is the founder of OptimizeMe Nutrition and the creator of the 800g Challenge, but her insights go way beyond a single method. They cover why some of us slide into food neurosis, how to know when your diet is actually “done,” and the biggest mistakes people make when chasing health. 

EC also discusses the role of processed foods, challenges common rhetoric about carbs and seed oils, and breaks down her 10 principles of nutrition, which serve as the backbone of her Three Pillars Method. This is an episode about simplifying nutrition, ditching dogma, and learning to trust what works.

Episode Topics

  • Food neurosis and how to bounce back
  • How to know when your nutrition is “done”
  • The role of processed foods in modern health problems
  • The power of simplicity and sustainability in diet design
  • EC’s Three Pillars Method and how it builds on CrossFit’s foundation
  • The 10 principles of nutrition 

Resources Mentioned

Community Highlight

Aaron Hoff is using CrossFit to change more than lives — he’s changing an entire island.

Born and raised on Kauaʻi, Aaron knows the grip of addiction firsthand. By his early 20s, he was in active addiction and suicidal. But one Christmas Eve, he hit a turning point. He’s now 27 years sober.

In 2013, he opened his first CrossFit gym. Today, through the Keala Foundation, he runs two affiliates focused on keeping kids out of the cycle he escaped.

The gyms are free for youth. Each class starts and ends with a “word of the day” — like honesty or integrity — and a coach-led reflection. “Words are the tools that help you process trauma,” Aaron says. “If you don’t understand the language, you’re lost.”

He reaches over 500 kids a year. Some stay for years. Some become coaches.

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Let us know what you think about the podcast and how we can improve here or email us at podcasts@crossfit.com.

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CrossFit Podcast with James Hobart and Denise Thomas, Episode 025

“There’s No Going Back. Things are Only Moving Forward.” – James Hobart on the Future of CrossFit (EP. 025)

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On July 29, 2025

In The CrossFit Podcast

James Hobart has been part of CrossFit since the early days. He’s competed at the Games, demoed for CrossFit’s movement videos, worked on Seminar Staff, and spent nearly two decades watching the culture evolve. In this episode, he sits down with Denise Thomas to talk candidly about the state of CrossFit — and whether it’s lost its soul.

From what it felt like to walk away from competition, to the mindset shift required to keep training into middle age, James opens up about what keeps him coming back to the gym and why he still believes in the methodology. They discuss the difference between nostalgia and stagnation, why CrossFit’s messiness is part of the magic, and what it really means to “teach yourself out of a job.

TOPICS COVERED

  • Has CrossFit lost its soul?
  • The evolution of CrossFit.com and community norms
  • Competing as a masters athlete
  • The shift from performance to purpose
  • Letting go of dogma and embracing change
  • Making peace with “CrossFit Grumpy”
  • Why small goals matter more than big ones

RESOURCES MENTIONED

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHT

Mark and Dana Harris are the founders of Equip Products — a company based in rural Illinois that’s making CrossFit more accessible for adaptive and neuro athletes around the world. 

It started with a conversation at the CrossFit Games. Kevin Ogar mentioned the need for better gear to train from his wheelchair, and that led to their first product: the lap mat.
⠀
Today, Equip offers nearly 150 tools that help athletes train safely and independently, regardless of ability. 

For Mark and Dana, this isn’t just business — it’s a way to make sure no one hears, “That’s it. You’re done.” Their message is simple: You’re not done. You’re just getting started.

Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here.

Share Your Thoughts: Let us know what you think about the podcast and how we can improve here.

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