PODCAST · health
Champ Up Chat
by Chris Romulo
Champ Up Chat is hosted by resilience strategist and speaker Chris Romulo and his wife, Sarah Romulo, a nutrition and lifestyle coach. Chris, a retired six-time professional Muay Thai champion, and Sarah, a former gym owner and wellness coach, began their journey together in a gritty basement boxing gym in lower Manhattan. Now, through Champ Up Chat, they share practical advice and inspiring stories about building resilience, healthy habits, and a champion mindset. They're on a mission to inspire you to rise, take ownership, and Champ Up—building resilience and health for yourself and those you care about. Because in the ring, in life, and in the darkest of times, all it takes is heart.
Episodes
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🎙 Ep. 61 — Dancing with Uncertainty: Life Lessons from the Ring For The Fight Of Life
Ever walked into something thinking you had it all figured out… only to get smacked in the face—literally or metaphorically? In this episode, we're talking about that awkward training partner we all have: uncertainty. Whether it's your job, your relationships, your health, or stepping into the…
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EP 60: 5 Ways to Keep the Discipline Muscle Strong
We've all been there—pushing hard, staying locked in, and then… hitting a wall. So how do you build real discipline without running yourself into the ground? In this episode, we're breaking down five ways to strengthen your discipline muscle—without burnout. But first—we're sharing a big update...
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Ep 59- Why Resilience Matters
Let's start the New Year strong! Listen in as Sarah and I talk about what most people get wrong about being a champion. We dive into resilience—the backbone of navigating life's set-backs and knockdowns. Also, in this episode, we're keeping it real about the highs and lows of 2024, from facing...
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Ep 58- What Are You REALLY Waiting For?
Yo, Adrian!! We're diving headfirst into the illusion of perfection and why it's time to stop waiting for the "right moment." In this episode, we reflect on lessons learned from The Rocky Run half-marathon (and conquering the infamous Drago Hill), launching our first Muay Thai gym under...
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Ep 57- Back From The (almost) Dead
After a long hiatus since July 2023, we're back in action! In this episode, we dive into what kept us away, from burnout to a whirlwind of travel and speaking engagements. We also open up about Chris's major health challenge this past summer—a blood clot scare that led to significant lifestyle...
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Ep 56- The Journey of Father Trauma
"It is such an odd thing to see your father and a stranger wrapped up into one person." -unknown In this week's episode of Champ Up Chat, we delve into the complex topic of father trauma. Chris shares his personal experience growing up with a physically present but emotionally absent father....
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Ep 55- Pet Peeves, Being In "Fight" Shape and Cringe-talk at the Gym
Welcome to another exciting episode of Champ Up Chat! In today's installment, we delve into an unexpected aspect of Muay Thai as we explore Chris's greatest frustrations as a competitor, referee, and coach. Brace yourself, because it might not be what you're anticipating! Prepare for some...
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Ep 54- Q&A: Imposter Syndrome, Having "Heart" & Emotional Mastery
Episode 54 Sarah and I are back on today with our new Champ Up Chat Q&A session. We took a few questions from you guys and gave our best thoughts and insights on how to address whatever challenges that you might be facing. We dive into putting our peers on pedestals, pre-fight tactics, confidence...
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Ep 53- Unwavering Faith- Eddie "Silky Smooth" Abasolo
Episode 53 Today, our guest is Eddie "Silky Smooth" Abasolo, a passionate fighter who has been through it all and truly emodoies the Fall 7 times, Stand up 8 philosophy. Eddie shares his unique perspective on what it takes to succeed in the fight game, covering everything from perseverance to...
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Ep 52: How To Smile, No Matter What...John Esposito Jr.
Ep 52- How To Smile No Matter What Sarah took the day off so that I could chat with an individual who is the epitome of what it means to live as a champion, John Esposito Jr. On December 20th, 2021, John met his fate in an accident at work that changed his life forever. So on today's episode of...
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Ep 51- The Energy Never Died
We took almost a year off and completely missed sitting in the dungeon and sharing the Champ Up word! We share what it's like to shadowbox on the altar, breakdance with a bunch of 5th graders, and eat like ya mean it, amongst lots of other cool stuff. Listen in and hit us up to let us know who…
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Ep 50- Flip The Script
Welcome to Episode 50 of Champ Up Chat! Being a champion isn't for the chosen few. Being a champion is for the few that choose. In this episode, Sarah and I talked about how self-talk has created your reality and guides your subconscious. Then we turn self-talk into actions, whether it is…
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Ep 49- Action Creates Emotion
"A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. A goal is what specifically you intend to make happen. Dreams and goals should be just out of your present reach but not out of sight. Dreams and goals are coming attractions in your life." -Joseph Campbell Last episode we talked about...
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Ep 48- You Become What You See (Vision)
We're back! Today's episode was a bit choppy in the beginning for about 40 sec but all smooth sailing after that as we chat about vision boarding. It is a technique we used to build the life that we wanted for almost a decade. But after a few days of dealing with some health issues it gave me…
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Ep 47- Make Room For The Sandman
Today on the Champ Up Chat, Sarah and I, discuss one of the most vital components to deep health, fitness and overall quality of life. Sleep. Yes, it's important for proper rest and recovery from a long stressful day, but we sometimes take it for granted or we struggle with it in general. There…
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Ep 46- What Goes Around, Comes Around
In today's episode, Sarah and I talk about a concept we all are familiar with, but tend to forget about, especially when it comes to creating "positive" change in our world. We tend to think of karma in terms of when "bad" things happen. But karma doesn't exist just in a form of punishment. It...
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Ep 45- Fate vs Destiny
Fate is what life brings to you. Destiny is what you bring to life.-Will Craig Common belief is that fate and destiny are one in the same because most people aren't into semantics. You don't have to be obsessed with word definitions to know that there is a difference. Today, Sarah and I chat…
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Ep 44- How to Get Primal
We're back! Took a week off to re-group but we are glad to be back on track. In today's episode we chat about 2 ways that we can all bring some primal well-being into our lives. Grounding and forest bathing. Being born and raised in Queens, NY, getting out into nature wasn't something I grew up...
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Ep 43- The Muay Thai Project- Building a Legacy for the Youth With Liam Tarrant
This week on the Champ Up Chat, I had the privilege of talking to retired Muay Thai Champion, well-respected Muay Thai commentator, and Founder of The Muay Thai Project. We talk about his journey of becoming a champion, handling a career ending injury and how all that was sparked by an...
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Ep 42- Life is Perfect
𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘜𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘥𝘦, 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘴. 𝘈𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘨𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘭. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵,...
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Ep 41- You are Your Values
"If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything."- Malcom X This week, Sarah and I discuss the importance of having core values. This concept seems pretty well-known in the workplace but having personal core values are just as important. I was having a conversation with a coach…
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Ep 40- Love and Pain
Experiencing love, or having love for someone or something, leads us to believe that the experience will be perpetually, as Rocky put it, "all sunshine and rainbows". When we don't acknowledge the duality of love, we tend to be crushed when plans don't work out, when people exit our lives and…
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Ep 39- The Golden Buddha
"You are more than you think you are. There are dimensions of your being and a potential for realization and consciousness that are not included in your concept of yourself. Your life is much deeper and broader than you conceive it to be here. What you are living is but a fractional inkling of…
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Ep 38- You don't "have to" do anything
We've been conditioned, from a early age, to do things on a "have to" basis. "You have to make you bed or else..." "You have to do your homework or else..." "You have to eat your veggies or else..." We've heard it thousands of times. Now as adults, whether it's going to the gym or taking out the...
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Ep. 37- It's all about "WHO"
Today Sarah and chat about how as human beings, it's easier to focus on the "things" outside of us to define our success or blame when things don't go our way. Aka the HOW and WHAT of the matter. "What is the best diet for my training goals?" "How long does it take to see results?" "How often...
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Ep 36- Good, Bad or Maybe?
"Trust that the universe is unfolding as it should."-Max Ehrmann Today Sarah and I chat about how labeling situtations in our lives can keep us from truly appreciating the moment. Life is never just a clear distinction of good vs bad and when we can be aware of that we can acknowledge and accept...
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Ep 35- Live On Purpose
"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away." - Pablo Picasso Finding your purpose is so elusive that you could spend your entire life looking for it. But on the flip side you never find what you are NOT looking for. Some people live with the attitude, "I'm...
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Ep 34- Exercise is King. Nutrition is Queen...
Exercise is King. Nutrition is Queen. Put them together and you've got a kingdom- Jack Lalane (The Godfather of fitness) Sarah has dealt with inflammation and gut health issues for most of here life and only recently has she decided to take a stance and change her world. Today we talk about how…
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Ep. 33- The Truth About Discipline
This week we explore the idea of discipline and how it applies to our journey of health, well-being and other aspects of our lives. While discipline is thought of as the most vital component to achieving anything in life, discipline thrives when it's backed by a few other essential components....
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Ep. 32- QoL The Physical Arena
Any and every great physical endeavour started out just like a plant in a garden. A seed planted in the ground, cultivated and nourished daily until maturity. Wherever we are in regards to our physical health is a result of our choices, decisions and beliefs. I'm not just talking about what the...
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Ep. 31- QoL The Social Arena
"We humans are social beings. We come into the world as the result of others' actions. We survive here in dependence on others. Whether we like it or not, there is hardly a moment of our lives when we do not benefit from others' activities. For this reason it is hardly surprising that most of our...
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Ep. 30- QoL The Emotional Arena
"The appearance of things changes according to the emotions; and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves." Khalil Gibran If our mental arena involves how we think and process our thoughts, our emotional arena is where/how we express our wide array…
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Ep. 29- QoL"Control" Your Mental Arena
"Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own unguarded thoughts." -Buddha Today, Sarah and I chat about the 3rd crucial arena that can be enhanced to improve your QoL, the mental arena. The key concept we talk about is being aware of your intake. What you absorb is what you reflect to…
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Ep. 28- QoL and the one question to ask yourself
"Building your spiritual fortitude involves committing to something that has existed before you and will exist after you." In this week's follow-up on quality of life, we dive into the spiritual arena and how crucial of a role it plays in our lives. No matter what you consider your higher power,...
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Ep. 26 Grace & Grit
This week Sarah and I discuss how in general, fighters are known to have massive amounts of grit to endure, not only what happens in the ring, in the cage or on the mats; but to endure the days, weeks, months and years of training to prepare for whats going to happen in the scrap. It is honorable...
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Ep. 25- The 7 Levels of Energy
Einstein once said, "Everything Is Energy and That's All There Is To It." If you dive a little bit into the study of energy you will find that what Einstein has stated is undeniable. In today's chat, Sarah and I talk about the concept of energy, the levels of it and how it applies to us directly...
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Ep. 24- The Set Up For The Win
In this week's episode we chat about the benefits of having, planning and implementing a wake up (morning) routine. Instead of jumping (or falling) out of bed half asleep and running face first into the hecticness of your day, developing a daily routine to "warm up" is absolutely vital.…
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Ep 23- The Habit Combo That ROCKS
This week we chat about the 2 concepts to take into your new year, whether you've fallen off track during the holidays or not. These are the two ways to distinguish or look at your habits. Impact based vs identity based habits. They should be established independently but they can also work...
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4 Pillars for 2022
As with any new year you're probably thinking about all the things that didn't go well this year. Disappointment and hardships hit us all and they will change our lives, no doubt. But what happens when you are not able to extract the lessons, insights and wisdom of those situations, events and...
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Innie vs Outie
Happy Holidays to you and yours! Today, Sarah and I chat about how much dopamine you might be craving in your life and how that dictates the way you approach your day. How do social interactions affect you? If you want to dive deeper into the subject, here the podcast that spurred on our chat......
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You don't know what you don't know
We're back! Took a couple weeks off as we did our best to ride the ebbs and flows of life, but as we love say...fall 7 times, stand up 8. Today we chat about a concept that we all go through with any challenge or endeavor in our lives, but we are not even aware of the process. The concept of the...
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Gratitude Through The Set-backs
In this episode, we share our experience of going through Hurricane Sandy living in Rockaway Beach, NY. Realizing that letting ego, pride and wanting to be right can back-fire when life and limb are on the line. Sarah shares 7 crucial tactics to get you through this holiday season so that you…
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Building The Dream
In this episode, Chris and Sarah exchange memories of when they started the mission of building their gym. They shared all the triumphs and downfalls of their adventure. They had a vision of being a staple in the Rockaways. Still, an unexpected situation arose that threw up many struggles, but...
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Success in the Basics
In this episode, Chris and Sarah take a little break from tripping down memory lane of the fighting days and celebrate a huge accomplishment for the H.O.G. Another stepping stone to in Sarah's life long journey towards gut health and overall well-being. They talk about how vital it is to…
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The Underdog Mindset
In this episode, Sarah and Chris talk about the importance of losing (fights and in life) in order to build your internal strength, keeping in mind, you grow through what you go through. Obstacles, setbacks, and failures are all part of the journey to go after what you want. They also talk about...
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Don't Call It A Comeback
After being side-lined for months and being stuck in his own judgements, assumptions, interpretations and limiting beliefs, Chris finally set his ego aside to move forward. And with that decision, still faced a major set-back in preparation to return to the ring. Chris and Sarah dive-in on how...
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The Trilogy Part 2
In this episode, Chris and Sarah dive back into the Trilogy that kept NYC on its toes. Canada sends their top gun to get the big payback. Also, listen in on the difference between a healthy vs unhealthy ego and how that it will make you or break you. Chris talks about how the tough guy mentality...
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The Trilogy
In this week's episode Chris and Sarah flashback to the days when the neighbors to the north crossed the border to attempt to take NYC by storm. After recapping the transition from amateur to pro, they dive into fights that led to a series of fights against a powerhouse camp from Toronto, Canada....
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A Well Placed H.O.G.
In this episode, Sarah Romulo shares her personal journey as a frustrated and unhappy shop owner in NYC that landed her in a boxing gym that changed everything. From the first time she stepped into the gym to her big moment in the ring, Sarah has a powerful story to tell. Take a trip down memory...
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The Cowboy at Church
In this episode, we take a trip down memory lane with Chris as he recalls lessons learned from a fight with an unknown UFC superstar.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Champ Up Chat is hosted by resilience strategist and speaker Chris Romulo and his wife, Sarah Romulo, a nutrition and lifestyle coach. Chris, a retired six-time professional Muay Thai champion, and Sarah, a former gym owner and wellness coach, began their journey together in a gritty basement boxing gym in lower Manhattan. Now, through Champ Up Chat, they share practical advice and inspiring stories about building resilience, healthy habits, and a champion mindset. They're on a mission to inspire you to rise, take ownership, and Champ Up—building resilience and health for yourself and those you care about. Because in the ring, in life, and in the darkest of times, all it takes is heart.
HOSTED BY
Chris Romulo
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Champ Up Chat have?
Champ Up Chat currently has 73 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Champ Up Chat about?
Champ Up Chat is hosted by resilience strategist and speaker Chris Romulo and his wife, Sarah Romulo, a nutrition and lifestyle coach. Chris, a retired six-time professional Muay Thai champion, and Sarah, a former gym owner and wellness coach, began their journey together in a gritty basement...
How often does Champ Up Chat release new episodes?
Champ Up Chat has 73 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Champ Up Chat?
You can listen to Champ Up Chat on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Champ Up Chat?
Champ Up Chat is created and hosted by Chris Romulo.
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