
WHEELHOUSE RADIO
Working in the fitness industry since 2001, Luan Nguyen runs Wheelhouse Academy, a Strength & Conditioning gym in Birmingham, AL. Wheelhouse Academy was born out of the notion of building a supportive community that empowers people to learn the benefits of exercising the right way, teaching its members to balance the intensity of their workouts for maximum performance when it is needed most. Gyms should be inclusive and provide positive energy all cultivated through the social support of the community and staff. With this aim, we have attracted a group of incredibly supportive members who lift each other up and empower one another to work harder and smarter. Wheelhouse Radio is a dive into the lives of these individuals. To learn their stories, learn about their "wheelhouse" and what they do to stay on top. Of course we will have topics on fitness, strength building, olympic weightlifting, nutrition, recovery as well as community event specific to the academy.
Episodes
41 episodes
Ep 41: Josh Cosio / Cala Coffee
From rowing crew in college to planning events for USA Weightlifting...Josh began tinkering with coffee and saw an opportunity to provide great drinks and positive vibes to his neighborhood.Today, Josh, his wife Melanie and their tea...
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1:11:10

Ep 40: An American Dream Part 2 w/ Jacque Howard
Spoiler Warning: This is a sequel to episode 14 (An American Dream). Listen to that episode FIRST before diving into this one.This episode dives into greater details of Luan and his family's escape to the ...
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1:18:26

Ep 39: Branden Lower / Build Design Studio
Branden Lower is the Founder and Lead Strategist at Build Design Studio, a creative agency specializing in comprehensive branding solutions. Based in Birmingham, Branden focuses on structured creativity, ensuring that brands can fully leverage ...
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1:11:48

Ep 38: Kelsey Koehler / Pro Fit, Functional Medicine
Strap in for an incredible episode with my friend Kelsey. She's practiced Nutrition since 2011 after her degree in dietetics and Masters in Functional Medicine and Clinical Nutrition. (There's a much longer list of her accomplishments including...
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56:47

Ep 37: Eric Wallace / Firehouse Community Arts Center
Eric shares about touring the world with a band to eventually settling his roots deep in the heart of Avondale by creating a non-profit in Firehouse Community Arts Center.Firehouse CAC is dedicated to the enrichment of Birmingham's musi...
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53:41

Ep 36: Ellie Hiller / Vulcan Nutrition
Listeners, meet the incredible Ellie Hiller. A Birmingham native, former college athlete, current high end competitive CrossFitter and owner of Vulcan Nutrition (VN), a nutrition company that works with cleient's needs on a one-on-one level.&nb...
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1:01:12

Ep 35: What are the WHAMMYS?
Coach Faye and I dive into the history or our anniversary party, The Whammys. From why and how it got started to why and how it is changing for this year as we celebrate our 6 year anniversary and the people that make up this place.
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33:14

Ep 34: Micah Shoemaker / 205 Throwdown Competition, Brute Fitness and a decade of lessons along the way.
After dropping out of college, Micah moved to North Carolina to chase a dream: to open and operate a fitness facility. Looking back at his decade in the industry, we reflect on the lessons learned and how that lead to the creation of the 205...
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1:07:54

Ep 33: Movewell Team (Dakota, Aaron and Kaley)
It's been a while since we caught up with the Movewell Team so in this episode, I got to host three of the four PTs that service our community at Wheelhouse on a weekly basis: Aaron, Dakota and Kaley.Of course we dug into all thin...
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1:02:30

Ep 32: Resolutions And The Things We've Learned Along The Way
This episode was Coach Faye's idea and brainchild as she got us together to chat about Resolutions because its THAT time of year. Luan, Lori Ann and Faye dive in to their personal experiences with resolutions/goals setting from wha...
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1:10:01

Ep 31: AO Finals Recap
Several athletes from Team Wheelhouse qualified for AO Finals (because they crushed it at State Championships). On this episode, Coach Luan sits down to recap the American Open Finals shenanigans with Dakota Hooper and Jeven Sloan. ...
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51:47

Ep 30: Luke Wood / Humphrey's Dog Resort
Luke can be seen at the 4:30pm Conditioning getting his work in just about every day of the week. You've worked out beside him but did you know that he started two business on his own? His latest creation is Humphrey's Dog Resort, a fi...
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1:22:52

Ep 29: Chandler Duncan and Annie White (Jiu Jitsu Journey & Women's Self Defense Workshop)
We are hosting a Self Defense Workshop for Women this Saturday October 1st and I've brought in two of our very own Wheelhouse members (who will also help coach the workshop) to share about their journey in Jiu Jitsu and how it has impacted thei...
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55:15

Ep 28: Whammys Flashback / Behind The Scenes
This episode takes us back to earlier this year when the Whammys (our annual celebration/party) was just an idea. Should we try to resurrect an event that died during the pandemic? Could we pull it off? How do we pull it off?
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51:10

Ep 27: Eric Meyer / Cahaba Brewery
Meet "The Beer Guy", Eric Meyer. He's a husband, father, entrepreneur, and full time firefighter. You will often find Eric in the early morning strength classes, on the Jiu Jitsu mats or at happy hour at his business, Cahaba Brewery, where he l...
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58:43

Ep 26: Kristen Hall & Victor King / The Essential / Baking Bandits
We meet the creators of some of Birmingham's favorite eating spots and learn about their up and coming project as well. Victor King and Kristen Hall share how Bandit Bham and The Essential became a thing and how it almost wasn't. T...
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1:39:57

Ep 25: 535 Challenge
Luan and Rain outline the vision behind the 535 Challenge, the parameters, what we wanted it to be and what we did NOT want it to be. Use this challenge to propel you through the multiple levels of adherence in order to create heal...
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38:29

Ep 24: Nick Pihakis / Restauranteur
Nick Pihakis is with us today and shares about growing up in the food/service industry, seeing Jim N' Nicks start from the ground up and now playing a huge role in the Pihakis Hospitality Group where they have built some of our favorite restaur...
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1:21:08

Ep 23: Strength Training for Women w/ Alyssa Parten
I brought in an SME (Subject Matter Expert) to chat about the importance of strength training for women. Alyssa Parten has accomplished her Masters in Exercise Science, and is currently studying for her pHD. She has worked as a personal trainer...
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1:08:46

Ep 22: Its Goals Setting Season
Luan and the crew (aka some of the coaches at Wheelhouse) get together to share experiences that they have had when it comes to goal setting this time of year. We dive into being "sticky" when it comes to adherence to a new gym com...
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1:16:32

Ep 21: Dakota Hooper DPT / ATC
I finally get to sit down with Dakota Hooper DPT (Physical Therapist), ATC (Athletic Trainer) and Wheelhouse Olympic lifter and Strength Coach, to not only learn more about his story but also recap our experience from the American Open Finals l...
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1:04:41

Ep 20: Kenya Staples / Dear Sunday Skincare
Birmingham native, Ramsay HS alumni, Army 1st Lieutenant and 11:30am lunch class regular, Mrs Kenya Staples joins our show today to share her background and story on her pursuit into entrepreneurship. Learn how she turned her Chemistry degree i...
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50:52

Ep 19: Fears (Happy Halloween)
In the spirit of Halloween, I thought it would be fun to host an episode where we talk about our fears. But not only immediate fears. I challenges the coaches to come on air to talk about a time in their life when they have been most afra...
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1:09:58

Ep 18: Hannah Oakes / Music Therapist
Hannah Oakes is a board-certified music therapist working here in Birmingham at a local hospital. Most people enjoy music & can get behind the idea of "music as therapy", but what does this look like as an evidence-based profession? H...
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1:00:52

Ep 17: Training Program Options, Differences and how they can help YOU!
On this episode, Coach Rain and I dive into the differences of the three programs that you receive here at Wheelhouse. We share about how they differ and how they can benefit your growth and the overall direction of your journey.Listen ...
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1:08:11
