The Relentless Project

Hosted by Ish Lopez

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150

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Aug 2026

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About the show

Exploring the art of relentless pursuit in every aspect of life. Uncovering the stories of those who refuse to settle for mediocrity, those who never give up, who strive for greatness and inspire us to push beyond our limits. Join us for motivational insights, personal development tips, and powerful conversations that will empower you to achieve your dreams. #TheRelentlessProject RSSVERIFY

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60 recent

August 16, 20261 hr 59 min

#148 - Living for Two: The Pharmacist & Pro MMA Fighter | Cheyenne Hall (Dempsey)

By day, Dr. Cheyenne Hall (Dempsey) dispenses critical medications as a full-time pharmacist, but by night, she steps into the cage as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. Raised in rural West Virginia with a strict family standard of never being average, she carries the heavy, driving purpose of living a life big enough for both herself and the little brother she tragically lost as a child. After suffering a devastating submission loss in her pro debut that almost made her quit, Cheyenne refused to play the victim, battling through severe injuries and depression to win her next four professional fights. We dive deep into the brutal reality of balancing two extreme careers and why true confidence is only built when you stop negotiating with your feelings and let discipline take over. This is a gritty conversation about building undeniable evidence that you can survive the fire when no one else is coming to save you. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

August 9, 20262 hr 21 min

#147 - 20-Sec KO to Double Pro Champion | The Ethan Hayes Story

Most people would quit after hyping up their hometown debut only to get knocked out in twenty seconds, but retired pro fighter Ethan Hayes is not most people. Despite having little natural athletic pedigree, he swallowed his pride, walked back into the fire, and spent the next decade outworking everyone in the room. He transformed that public defeat into asuccesful ten-year combat sports career, battling through devastating injuries to claim professional championship titles in both MMA and Boxing. Today, Ethan has hung up the gloves on his own terms to conquer his most important role yet: being a relentlessly present father and husband. This is a gritty conversation about surviving failure, outworking natural talent, and knowing exactly when to walk away as a champion. R eal people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

August 2, 20261 hr 29 min

#146 - Surviving Suicide & Inherited Trauma | The Ashley Puig Story

Born just twenty-three days after her decorated father died by suicide, Ashley Puig grew up carrying an inherited wound that eventually pushed her to the brink of taking her own life at just sixteen years old. Waking up on a hospital shower floor, she made a relentless promise to build a life that mattered, but she was continually tested by the loss of loved ones, severe health scares, and watching her fitness empire collapse during the pandemic. Standing in the wreckage, Ashley refused to tap out, channeling her grief into her powerful memoir, The Self Love Advocate , to attack the root cause of our mental health crisis: a fatal deficit of self-worth. We dive deep into why self-love requires immense grit, how to break the toxic habit of performing for others, and what it truly takes to be your own strongest advocate. This is a raw, unflinching conversation about surviving the darkest corners of the mind and making the daily decision to fight for your own life. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

July 26, 20261 hr 33 min

#145 - Refuse to Lose: The Amputee Green Beret Who Went Back to War | The Nick Lavery Story

In 2013, Active-Duty Green Beret CW3 Nick Lavery survived a devastating insider attack in Afghanistan, taking four machine-gun rounds to the leg at point-blank range simply because he absolutely hates to lose. After waking up at Walter Reed missing his leg above the knee, Nick did the unthinkable: he flat-out refused a full medical retirement with honor. Instead, he endured a grueling physical and tactical gauntlet to prove he wasn't a liability, making history in 2015 as the first Special Forces operator to return to full-spectrum combat as an above-the-knee amputee. Today, he continues to crush physical crucibles—from the famously brutal Combat Diver course to the BJJ mats—while serving as the CEO of Precision Components and authoring the book Objective Secure . A conversation on resilience, overcoming trauma, and refusing to accept the limits placed on you by others. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

July 19, 20261 hr 5 min

#144 - When Chaos Feels Like Home | The Damien Celaya Story

The tactical community spends a lot of time training for the chaos of war, but almost no one trains you for the deafening quiet that hits when the uniform finally comes off. Retired Army veteran and serial entrepreneur Damien Celaya knows the brutal reality of this transition, battling what he calls "Loss of Tribe Syndrome" and an addiction to stress that often led to self-sabotage. In this raw and unfiltered conversation, Damien opens up about his darkest battles during active duty, surviving multiple suicide attempts, and the immense strength it takes to swallow your pride and ask for help in an alpha-dominated culture. Today, he has taken his broken pieces and rebuilt himself as the founder of brands like Freedom Bear Coffee and Zonk Or Die, proving that your actions must be dictated by your discipline, not your mood. This is a brutally honest conversation about leaving the war behind, creating your own purpose, and rescuing yourself when no one else is coming. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

July 12, 20261 hr 28 min

#143 - Surviving Prison & Owning Your Past | The David Watson Story

David Watson knows firsthand that the most brutal battle you will ever fight is with the person staring back at you in the mirror. After a series of bad decisions led to him spending nearly eight years locked inside harsh prisons across the Bahamas, Mexico, and the United States, David was forced to sit in the heavy, suffocating silence of his own regret. Instead of playing the victim, he chose radical accountability, deciding to completely reconstruct his mindset and blueprint his future from inside a concrete cage. Today, he is a powerhouse entrepreneur, an international speaker, and the founder of the Redemption Club , dedicating his life to second chances and proving that action must always precede motivation. This is a raw, unapologetic story about surviving the abyss, taking absolute ownership of your failures, and refusing to let your past dictate your future. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

July 5, 20261 hr 51 min

#142 - From Teen Father to Tri-Hustler | The Michael Kessler Story

At 18 years old, Michael Kessler found himself staring down the barrel of real-world responsibility as an unexpected teen father. Instead of folding under the pressure or making excuses, he used it as rocket fuel, stepping onto a college campus just four days after his daughter was born and walking out four years later with two degrees. Today, Michael balances a relentless tri-hustle as a corporate security sales professional, a marketing ambassador for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a high school football coach. We dive deep into how the intense pressure of early parenthood forged his unbreakable mindset, the power of brutal honesty, and why true discipline is about quiet repetition rather than loud intensity. This is a raw conversation about owning your circumstances and refusing to let them dictate your future. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

June 28, 20262 hr 12 min

#141 - From Deathbed to Black Belt | The Brigitte Morris Story

As a 6th Degree Black Belt and a relentless entrepreneur, Brigitte Morris knows how to fight, but her toughest opponent has been her own body. At just 18 years old, she went from being a peak-performing athlete to fighting for her life against a devastating Crohn’s disease diagnosis that led to agonizing pain and multiple organ-removal surgeries. Refusing to play the victim on the floor of her apartment, she took absolute ownership of her healing, defying medical expectations by completely reversing her symptoms through intense discipline and dietary changes. Today, she uses that same martial arts mindset to smash glass ceilings, running the international brand Mightyfist and changing the global landscape for women in notoriously male-dominated boardrooms. This is a raw conversation in refusing to accept a death sentence, trusting your own intuition, and changing your perspective when your back is against the wall. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

June 14, 20261 hr 54 min

#140 - No Dreams in the Grave: Outworking a Death Warrant | The Luke Goozdich Story

Born with less than a one percent chance of survival, Licensed Professional Counselor and filmmaker Luke Goozdich lives every day with a congenital heart defect that acts as a literal ticking clock. After surviving a profoundly dark night in 2015 where he nearly took his own life, his body rebelled with catastrophic blood clots that forced him to stare down inevitable organ failure. Instead of playing the victim, Luke used the mats of combat sports to forge an unbreakable mindset, vowing that he would never let a single dream get trapped in the grave with him. Today, he inspires over 93,000 YouTube subscribers, writes best-selling novels, and is producing a gritty crime film right here in Pittsburgh. This is a raw, urgent conversation about refusing to break, outworking your death warrant, and completely emptying the tank before your time is up. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

June 7, 20262 hr 49 min

#139 - The Lonely Side of Success: From Homelessness to the Top 100 | The Noki Story

EDM producer and label owner Mikey Shanley, better known as Noki, knows firsthand that the road to greatness is often paved with profound isolation. Before his hometown anthems were smashing into the Top 100 dubstep charts, he had to survive being homeless on a beach, his mother's battle with cancer, and the tragic loss of his father to addiction. We dive deep into the painful reality of "leveling up," exploring how the applause of old friends often turns into toxic envy the higher you climb. Noki breaks down his relentless dedication to higher vibrational thinking, the brutal necessity of leaving toxic circles behind, and why happiness is a daily discipline you must aggressively fight for. This is a raw look at the true cost of chasing your dream and refusing to let your environment dictate your future. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

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