The Balanced CEO Hosted by Chris Williams
What if success didn’t require sacrificing your health, your family, or your peace of mind?
Launched in 2025, The Balanced CEO is a podcast for ambitious leaders who want to grow their business while staying aligned in life. Hosted by Chris Williams, each 30-minute episode features honest, insightful conversations with entrepreneurs, creators, and professionals who are learning to lead without burning out.
Born from Chris’s personal transformation, the show dives into the real work of balancing physical health, family life, and professional goals. In 2022, Chris was a gym owner at 350 pounds, overwhelmed and disconnected from the very life he set out to build. Everything changed when he began aligning his priorities and rebuilding from the inside out.
The podcast centers on the Triangle of Strength: health, family, and career. Listeners will learn what it takes to build a strong foundation, lead with intention, and create lasting impact in every area of life.
If you're ready to level up without losing yourself, this podcast is your starting point.
Episodes
39 episodes
Discipline Formula for Health & Life | Episode 38
If you want real change in your health, your mindset, and your life, it starts with discipline.Not motivation.Not a 30-day challenge.Not a new program.Discipline.In this episode of The Balanced CEO Podcast, I bre...
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Why Small Habits Beat Motivation Every Time | Episode 7 (S4)
In this solo episode of The Balanced CEO Podcast, I get real about losing my rhythm and rebuilding it the right way.Between stress, moving, travel, business pressure, and pushing my body too far, my triangle of health, family, and busin...
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How a Tattoo Artist Built a 100K Following and Started Tattooing NBA Players | Episode 6 (S4)
In this episode, I sit down with Mark Johnson, a tattoo artist who built a powerful personal brand, grew over 100,000 followers, and went from a private studio to tattooing NBA players.We talk about what it really takes to build a high-...
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Why You Need to Break the Ceiling Today | Episode 5 (S6) with Michele Zaragoza
Some episodes are conversations. Others are reminders. This one is a reminder of what happens when you choose growth over comfort. Michele Zaragoza brings the kind of honesty and leadership that can shift the way you see your own path.M...
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How to Move On and Build Your Next Season | Episode 4
Endings are part of life and leadership. In this solo episode, I talk openly about closing a 15 year chapter, moving my family, and stepping into a new season with clarity.If you are navigating a career change, shifting relationships, or...
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The Mindset Shift That Stops Burnout for Good | Episode 3 (S4)
What if success didn’t have to come with burnout? In this episode, I sit down with Danny Lehr, founder of Caffeine and Kilos and Excel Health and Fitness, to unpack how he built a thriving brand while keeping family, fitness, and balance at the...
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Ex Cop to CrossFit Games: Bryce on Discipline, Ownership, and Culture | Episode 2 (S4)
Bryce shares how he built a gym from scratch, led a team to the CrossFit Games, and found balance between business, fitness, and faith. It is a story about discipline, purpose, and betting on yourself when the odds say don’t.Leadership s...
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Purpose Over Paycheck: Damon V on Resilience and Adaptive Fitness | Episode 1 (S4)
Season 4 kicks off with a fighter’s story turned mission. Damon V shares how the Adaptive Fitness Coalition helps gyms serve adaptive and special-needs athletes with structure, compassion, and discipline.Leadership starts here.Kee...
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Consistency, Coaching, and Community | Vinny Pelillo on Episode 9 (S3)
Talent might open the door, but strength, mindset, and consistency keep you in the room.In this episode I sit down with Vinnie Palo, strength and conditioning coach and co-founder of Altamont Performance Lab, to talk about trainin...
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Building a Business with ADHD Energy and a Heart for Service | Episode 8 with Shannen Pousada (S3)
Life doesn’t always go the way you plan, but sometimes that’s the point.Shannen’s story took her from the ER to running a CPR training business across the country all while raising kids and learning how to turn ADHD into her “special sau...
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Cutting Weight, Cutting Ties, and Building Success | Episode 7 with Khristian Avelar (S3)
Khristian Avalar went from failing his real estate test three times and grinding in restaurants to losing 110 pounds and building a brand. This is a raw look at resilience, discipline, and putting yourself first.#thebalancedceo #diginthe...
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Work Ethic, Recovery, and Finding Yourself in the Fitness Industry | Alyx Lopez on Episode 6 (S3)
Alyx’s path in the fitness industry has not been about shortcuts. It has been about showing up, putting in the work, and staying authentic. We talk daily discipline, overcoming challenges, and why the long way is the only way.Keep diggin...
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My 29029 Experience: The Balanced CEO Special Edition | Episode 5 (S3)
This is not a recap. This is a moment of clarity.In this special edition of The Balanced CEO, I talk through my 29029 experience and what it revealed about how we lead, how we prepare and how we respond.This is for anyone...
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What It Really Takes to Grow a Business Rooted in Identity and Purpose | Episode 4 (S3)
What does it take to pivot at 50 and build something that actually matters to you?Alice Heck opens up about her journey, from layoffs to leadership, and how she built a brand that speaks directly to Pacific Islander women and their stori...
Building a Family, Business, and a Life Without Losing Ourselves | Chris & Alexis on Episode 3 (S3)
21 years of growing together, and now we’re releasing something special.Alexis finally joins the podcast. We talk marriage, parenting, business, grief, and what it really takes to grow without losing each other.Real talk, no fluff...
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What Success Really Costs (And How to Stop Paying It) | Gary Walsh on Episode 2 (S3)
If you’re the engine and the engine breaks, everything breaks.In Episode 2 of The Balanced CEO, Gary Walsh lays it out. Burnout. Fatherhood. Boutique gyms that actually work. Saying no. Buying back your time. This is what it means to bui...
What It Really Takes to Lead Through Hard Seasons | Episode 1 (S3)
Jay Rhodes joins me on this first episode to talk about what most people don’t—financial struggle, seven miscarriages, burnout, and still choosing to build.We talk about what happens when your vision is bigger than your circumstances, wh...
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From CrossFit Games to Gym Owner: Candice Wagner’s Story of Grit and Growth | Episode 11 (S2)
In our Season 2 finale, I sit down with Marine veteran, CrossFit Games athlete, and gym owner Candice Wagner to talk about rebuilding when everything feels like it’s falling apart.From competing at the highest level to navigating gym own...
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From Debt to 6-Figure Sales: The Power of Ownership Mindset in Gym Apparel | Episode 10 (S2)
In this episode, I talk with Matt Albrizio of Forever Fierce about how gym owners can scale apparel sales without the stress. We discuss how apparel builds brand, boosts community, and drives serious ROI—with most gyms seeing $500–$850 per orde...
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From Military to Millions: Alex Witt on Building Battle Bars & a Fitness Empire | Episode 9 (S2)
In this episode of The Balanced CEO Podcast, we sit down with Alex Witt, founder of Battle Bars and owner of 10.40.10 Gym, to unpack his wild journey from military service to building a multi-million dollar brand.Raw, real...
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Firehouse to Gym: Matt’s Journey of Service & Strength | Episode 8 (S2)
In this episode, he shares how fitness fuels his service, why empathy and standards go hand-in-hand, and how leading with a “help first” mindset changed everything.If you’re balancing big roles in life, this one’s for you.Keep dig...
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The Mental Game of Success: Inside the Grind of Baseball and Business | Episode 7 (S2)
In this episode, Chris sits down with Tony Ciccolella, MLB agent, Ironman competitor, and founder of Sensports Group, to break down what separates those who show up from those who go all in.They talk about the mental side of success, nav...
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How Shawn Rider Built Freedom Through Real Estate, Mentorship & Money Stewardship | Episode 6 (S5)
What if freedom wasn’t a finish line but a decision?In this episode, I sit down with my mentor and friend Shawn Rider, who helped me rethink how I work, lead, and build. We dive into the systems, mindset, and money principles that helped...
How to Lead Without Burning Out: Corey Lewis on Balance, Mentorship, and Legacy | Episode 5 (S2)
What happens when you realize hustle isn’t the answer? Corey Lewis shares how he rebuilt after COVID, balanced mentorship and nonprofits, and learned to invest in himself. This is a raw, practical look at growth, leadership, and building a life...
From Scarcity to Strategy: Build Wealth, Time Freedom & a Life You Want | Episode 4 (S2)
Chris sits down with Jeff Smith to talk about building wealth, freedom, and a life you don’t need a vacation from.They dive into mindset shifts around money, the power of cash flow over net worth, and why the most important investment yo...
