The Relentless Project

Hosted by Ish Lopez

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159

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Oct 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

October 25, 20262 hr 11 min

#158 - Become Inevitable: Treating Failure as Data | The Daniel Cohen Story

By day, Daniel Cohen is a full-time Data Engineer, but outside the office, he is a relentless Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete chasing greatness on major stages like WNO and IBJJF. Instead of letting devastating losses or tournament disqualifications break his spirit, Daniel treats failure like an engineering problem: find the flaw, make the adjustment, and run it again. We dive deep into his grueling routine, why he willingly drives four hours just to test himself in harder training rooms, and the immense discipline required to balance a demanding career with elite competition. Check your ego, refuse to disappear, and survive the fire until your success isn't just a possibility—it becomes inevitable. This is an unflinching conversation about redefining what it means to lose and putting in the daily reps to build an unbreakable mind. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

October 18, 20262 hr 1 min

#157 - Surviving a 10-Year Addiction: Extreme Ownership & Paying the Price | Andrew Riddle

Addiction doesn’t always look like sleeping on the streets; sometimes it wears a military uniform and hides behind a decade of quiet discipline. Army Veteran Andrew Riddle spent ten years fighting a losing, functional battle against opiates until a drained government credit card and a brutal ultimatum from his wife forced a massive reckoning. But getting clean was just the baseline—learning how to rebuild his shattered character required stripping away his ego and taking absolute, extreme ownership of the wreckage he caused. Today, he channels his obsessive drive into the brutal suffering of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu mats, proving that true apologies are delivered through the daily discipline of "living amends" rather than empty words. This is a raw, unapologetic conversation about the nuance of modern sobriety and the hard truth that you must either pay the price for the life you want, or stop pretending you want it. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

October 11, 20261 hr 56 min

#156 - From Cancer & Heartbreak to MSG Champion | The Jessica Haley Story

NYCDOT Plant Manager Jessica Haley has taken more devastating hits from life than most people can fathom, battling chronic illness, a tragic miscarriage, and a brutal skin cancer diagnosis all while her personal life completely crumbled. Stripped of everything and pushed to the absolute brink of suicide, she refused to let her story end in a hospital bed and walked into a boxing gym instead. Channeling her unbearable grief and trauma into the heavy bag, Jessica stepped into the ring at Madison Square Garden just four weeks after cancer surgery and walked out with a championship belt. We sit down to discuss the gritty reality of surviving profound betrayal, cutting out the toxic noise of society, and turning your darkest pain into your ultimate weapon. This is an unflinching conversation about fighting for your own fire when the world tries to extinguish it. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

October 4, 20262 hr 7 min

#155 - Heal Your Nervous System, Rebuild Your Life | The Rome Za Story

Refugee, street survivor, and BJJ Black Belt Rome Za knows what it takes to rebuild your reality when everything shatters. After pushing his body to the absolute limit, Rome suffered severe spinal and shoulder injuries, compounding the devastating loss of his business and marriage that forced him to start his entire life over from scratch. Instead of settling for a broken, average existence, he sought out elite movement and breathwork pioneers like Steve Maxwell, Ido Portal, and Wim Hof to completely reconstruct his physical and mental armor. We dive deep into his journey from the gritty streets of Brooklyn to founding VLNK Academy, breaking down his core philosophy that mastering your nervous system is the ultimate cheat code to mastering your life. A conversation about surviving total collapse, taking radical ownership of your daily habits, and re-engineering your mind from the ground up. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

September 20, 20261 hr 49 min

#153 - Surrender to Survive: From Rock Bottom to Viral Fame | The Saxboy Billy Story

Bill Stiteler, better known as Saxboy Billy , went from battling severe alcoholism thousands of miles from home in Mongolia to rebuilding his life one uncomfortable bet at a time. After getting sober and returning to Pittsburgh, he stopped being a passive participant in his own life, followed the Pirates across the country, and turned comedy, baseball, and relentless self-belief into a new purpose. Then “The Puerto Rico Song” exploded online, putting his work in front of millions and some of the biggest names in music. This is a conversation about surrender, sobriety, betting on yourself, and what can happen when you finally decide to get in the game. Real people. Real Stories. Real F**king life.

September 13, 20261 hr 34 min

#152 - Feelings Aren't Real: Surviving Grief & Homelessness | The Josh Frazier Story

Amateur MMA fighter Josh Frazier knows exactly what happens when the bottom falls out of the "safe" path in life. After losing his corporate job, his home, and suffering the devastating loss of his mother, Josh found himself with absolutely nothing left to lose. Instead of folding under the immense weight of his grief, he packed his bags, moved to a new city, and went all-in on fighting, recently capturing an MMA title via a first-round submission. We dive deep into his unique blend of brutal cage fighting and stoic philosophy, breaking down his core survival principle: never trust your thoughts and remember that your feelings aren't real. This is a raw conversation about completely separating your actions from your emotions to survive the darkest seasons of life. Real people. Real stories. Real f*cking life.

September 6, 20261 hr 54 min

#151 - From Homelessness to Hip-Hop: Surviving the Darkness | The CEE Brown Story

Award-winning hip-hop artist CEE Brown has spent his entire life fighting a brutal, exhausting war inside his own head. After losing his father at just three years old, navigating severe depression, and surviving homelessness at nineteen, he poured his pain and insecurities into a microphone to find his voice. But the darkness didn’t just vanish with the music; four years ago, he reached his absolute breaking point and attempted to take his own life. Waking up from that attempt sparked a radical realization that he was meant to be here, fueling his journey to climb out of the dark and craft his new EP, See You On The Other Side . This is a raw, unapologetic conversation about battling your inner demons, taking back the pen, and writing the story you leave behind. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

August 30, 20262 hr 11 min

#150 - The Blind Leap: Untying Identity From Performance | The Maiah Yankello Story

For many high performers, the ultimate trap is tying their entire identity and self-worth to their daily accomplishments. Former Division 1 track athlete, current BJJ Brown Belt, and high school wrestling coach Maiah Yankello knows exactly how destructive that fragile identity can be when life forces you to pivot. In this episode, Maiah opens up about her terrifying, exhilarating decision to walk away from a secure six-year corporate IT career with zero backup plan, relying completely on her faith to guide her transition into full-time entrepreneurship. We dive into the grit required to unlearn toxic self-expectations, why we must treat our failures as emotionless data points, and the immense discipline required to give yourself grace. This is a raw conversation about breaking free from the corporate safety net, rebuilding your internal programming, and stepping boldly into the unknown. R eal people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

August 23, 20261 hr 17 min

#149 - The Comeback: From Devastating Loss to Pro MMA Fighter | The Luke Martin Story

Two years ago, undefeated amateur MMA fighter Luke Martin sat down with us right before suffering a devastating first loss that nearly made him quit the sport entirely. Refusing to let his story end in a locker room, the former NCAA Wrestling Champion leaned into his relentless DNA of hitting rock bottom only to bounce back one hundred times better. Today, Luke returns to the show as a 2-0 professional fighter gearing up for war at Fury FC, proving exactly what it takes to rebuild your mind after your confidence is completely shattered. We dive deep into the anatomy of his comeback and why the true secret to greatness is learning to embrace the mundane, boring, and repetitive suffering of the daily grind. This is a raw conversation about checking your ego and refusing to stay down when the universe tests your limit. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

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.

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