The Relentless Project

by Ish Lopez

#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.

E155

Oct 4, 2026

2:07:59

#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.

E153

Sep 20, 2026

1:49:33

#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.

E152

Sep 13, 2026

1:34:28

#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.

E151

Sep 6, 2026

1:54:27

#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. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

E150

Aug 30, 2026

2:11:35

#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.

E149

Aug 23, 2026

1:17:37

#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.

E148

Aug 16, 2026

1:59:39

#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. Real people. Real stories. Real f**king life.

E147

Aug 9, 2026

2:21:23

#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.

E146

Aug 2, 2026

1:29:20

#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.

E145

Jul 26, 2026

1:33:51

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