#82 | Joe Khechef | Champion Athlete, Executive Coach

Joe Khechef on Muay Thai and strongman titles, a corporate career, and helping busy executives get fit. Joe Khechef is an accomplished executive and professional athlete, with a passion for helping busy corporate executives achieve their health and fitness goals. In addition to his successful career in the corporate world, Joe is also a former kickboxing and Muay Thai champion, UAE Strongman champion, national tennis champion, and held a 50-meter freestyle swim record for three years. Joe also competed in several powerlifting, CrossFit, and Judo championships. Joe's training philosophy is rooted in a holistic approach to health and wellness, emphasizing the importance of proper nutrition, form, mobility, and recovery in addition to physical exercise. To learn more about Joe: https://www.gothrive.fitness/our-story Chapters 0:00 Welcome Joe Khechef 2:34 A job offer to move from Lebanon 5:10 Early years in a bomb shelter 7:41 Training and unhealthy critics 10:12 Moving to Dubai 12:48 A Dubai resident who was never there 15:18 Figuring out what makes you happy 17:50 What if he had opened a gym in 2019? 20:23 Locked out of Dubai when the world closed 22:55 Stressed, not eating well, not exercising 25:30 No regrets 28:06 A pill for everything 30:41 Most people would benefit 33:12 Specialists go deep but not wide 35:48 Pizza is his weakness 38:24 An MBA and Shanghai 41:00 Ryan's TV shows around China 43:33 Riding a motorcycle in LA 46:03 Turning people into fitness lovers 48:34 Burning out in the family business 51:08 Good income but not happy 53:41 Testing the entrepreneurial waters 56:14 An inspiring brother 58:46 Scared as hell, but trying anyway 1:01:16 You only get one life 1:03:48 Making things happen 1:06:21 Fully booked 1:08:52 Raising prices and running out of savings 1:11:25 Paid ads and social media 1:13:59 Falling for a marketing retainer 1:16:30 Grateful for guests' time 1:19:07 Family help 1:21:41 The philosophy of Thrive 1:24:16 Look strong or be strong? 1:26:49 Fitness for everyday life 1:29:21 Training women and men 1:31:52 Muscle mass, heart health and VO2 max 1:34:26 Service over equipment 1:36:59 Can I talk to the trainer? 1:39:33 What he dislikes about the fitness industry 1:42:05 Personalising every session 1:44:36 Energy and inspiration 1:47:11 Thank you for coming by The Ryan Pyle Podcast is ad-free by choice. If you enjoy these conversations, you can buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/ryanpyle Ryan's TV series are streaming around the world. Follow the Podcast X: https://x.com/RyanPylePodcast Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpylepodcast Follow Ryan Pyle YouTube: https://youtube.com/@ryanjpyle Instagram: https://instagram.com/ryanpyle X: https://x.com/RyanPyle Facebook: https://facebook.com/ryanpyle https://www.ryanpyle.com