Rephonic
Artwork for The Strength Connection

The Strength Connection

Michael Kurkowski
Strength Training
Personal Growth
Kettlebell Training
Mental Health
Fitness
Nutrition
Coaching
Mindset
Personal Development
Strength Coaching
Burnout
Longevity
Health
Fitness Coaching
Mindset Coaching
Personal Training
Resilience
Fitness Industry
Recovery
Loneliness

Exploring Strength: Body, Mind and Spirit.

The Strength Connection goes beyond the gym to uncover the lessons, stories, and wisdom that build resilience and purpose in every area of life.

Join host Michael Kurkowski as he connects with world-class coaches, athletes, and leaders to reveal what true strength really means.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes343Founded5 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
FitnessHealth & Fitness

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for The Strength Connection

Latest Episodes

Welcome to the Strength Connection!

Anton Marchanka is Chief Executive Officer of Zing Coach, the AI coaching company headquartered in Munich with teams across Warsaw, Cyprus, and more than a dozen other countries. Anton entered fitness through cons... more

Welcome to the Strength Connection!

Dr. Manuel Astruc is a Psychiatrist, serving as Medical Director of the Saratoga County Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services. He’s help individuals explore and treat biological roadblocks to success, including ADH... more

Welcome to the Strength Connection!

Only 3 people in the world have accomplished something JD Tremblay has done.

JD Tremblay is an ultra-endurance athlete, founder of the Hungry Warrior Academy in Canada, helping high-performing men stay discipline... more

Welcome to the Strength Connection!

Don Moxley is the Founding creator and Chief Science Officer of Mode+Method, a company bringing HRV+ to market and leading the way on HRV research for health and longevity.

In this episode, Don shares his extensi... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Similar Podcasts

People also subscribe to these shows.

Recent Guests

Anton Marchanka
Chief Executive Officer of Zing Coach with experience in consumer technology and subscription products.
Zing Coach
Episode: The Forefront of AI in Fitness w/ Anton Marchanka
Manuel Astruc
Psychiatrist, medical director, and founder of a coaching program for high-achieving entrepreneurs
Saratoga County Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services
Episode: Why Burnout is so common in 2026 w/ Dr. Manuel Astruc
JD Tremblay
Endurance athlete and author of Hunger for More in Life
Athlete/Author
Episode: Hunger for MORE in LIfe w/ JD Tremblay
Don Moxley
HRV expert, author, coach
HRV book author, trainer and researcher
Episode: Optimizing HRV for Athletes and Everyone Else w/ Don Moxley
Jim Afremow
Sports psychologist and author, collaborator on multiple books
Co-author with Phil White
Episode: The Daily Champion's Mind w/ Jim Afremow & Phil White
Phil White
Author and interviewer, collaborator on multiple books with Jim Afremow
Co-author with Jim Afremow
Episode: The Daily Champion's Mind w/ Jim Afremow & Phil White
Dr. Matt Delgado
Chiropractor and health advocate focusing on nervous system health
Dr. Matt Delgado's practice
Episode: To Succeed More, Do Less w/ Dr. Matt Delgado
Ali Gilbert
Founder of Silverback and expert in men's health and performance
Silverback
Episode: Don't Fall for the "Doing Fine" Trap w/ Ali Gilbert
Mark Valenti
Senior instructor at StrongFirst; Highland Games competitor and former pro
StrongFirst
Episode: From Highland Games to Hardstyle Strength training w/ Mark Valenti

Host

Michael Kurkowski
Host of The Strength Connection

Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars from 77 ratings
  • Covers strength from all interesting angles

    Michael does a great job with his natural flow through interesting conversations with guests covering a variety of angles on the concept of strength!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Winter Park Katie
    United Statesa year ago
  • YES!!

    Great podcast, Mike! I love learning new things with each new podcast episode.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Jenns I pod
    United States2 years ago
  • Mike Rocks!

    Mike is an amazing host. I feel stronger mentally and physically after putting his strategies into practice. Love this podcast!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    GoodMoodMatt
    United States2 years ago
  • Wonderful insight

    Mike has a great presence, and brings on guests that share unique insight. Strength isn’t just about the physical meaning, it’s also about the emotional and mental aspects. This is a podcast I’d recommend anyone who cares about “strength” as a whole.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    MickeyDouble5
    United States2 years ago
  • A real gift

    Wonderful, and extremely informative!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Grand Otter
    United States4 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Mike rocks!
Loving this podcast, strengthens mentally and physically
Covers strength from all interesting angles
Great balance of science and practical coaching, wide range of guests

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

The Forefront of AI in Fitness w/ Anton Marchanka
Q: If we use it too much, is there a negative aspect of becoming codependent and not allowing that kind of free thinking for ourselves?
Marchanka agrees that overreliance can weaken independent thinking and make people dependent on AI for advice. He also warns that general-purpose AI may simply agree with users, and says fitness products need guardrails and accountability that encourage appropriate challenges.
The Forefront of AI in Fitness w/ Anton Marchanka
Q: What are the common questions that you've got from people who are in the business of coaching and fitness around this and what's that conversation been like?
Marchanka says most people are waiting to see how AI develops, while some are enthusiastic and a smaller group opposes it. He says coaches commonly worry that AI will take their jobs, but he sees it as a tool that can increase their effectiveness and reach rather than replace them.
Why Burnout is so common in 2026 w/ Dr. Manuel Astruc
Q: What were the steps for you that you took to get yourself out of this into the stage of moving past burnout into more of that state of happiness?
Astruc says recovery took more than a year. He prioritized sleep, made exercise manageable by starting with a few minutes daily, improved his meals gradually, and reduced negative media in favor of inspiring material.
Why Burnout is so common in 2026 w/ Dr. Manuel Astruc
Q: How do you define burnout?
Astruc describes it as an occupational syndrome associated with poorly managed work stress, marked by exhaustion, a shift toward bitterness or cynicism, and reduced effectiveness at work.
Optimizing HRV for Athletes and Everyone Else w/ Don Moxley
Q: When did HRV first start to be seen as more than just another data point in exercise science?
Don explains that HRV first entered mainstream awareness about thirty years ago during his time with Polar Electro, where early concepts like own zone and own index hinted at HRV-based training guidance, long before smartphones.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The Strength Connection

What is The Strength Connection about and what kind of topics does it cover?

This show centers on strength as a holistic concept, blending fitness, psychology, and real-world coaching to help listeners build resilience in body, mind, and life. Episodes feature coaches, therapists, and athletes who share practical frameworks—ranging from mindset shifts and identity work to training philosophy and sustainable routines—paired with actionable takeaways. A notable edge is the emphasis on long-term development over quick fixes, and guests span from elite athletic coaching to trauma-informed strength work, making content highly actionable for teams and individuals seeking durable performance improvements.

Where can I find podcast stats for The Strength Connection?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for The Strength Connection. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to The Strength Connection and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does The Strength Connection get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for The Strength Connection, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for The Strength Connection?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for The Strength Connection, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does The Strength Connection have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The Strength Connection has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The Strength Connection?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Strength Connection:

1. The Dan John Podcast
2. Barbell Medicine Podcast
3. Huberman Lab
4. The Peter Attia Drive
5. Perform with Dr. Andy Galpin

How many episodes of The Strength Connection are there?

The Strength Connection launched 5 years ago and published 343 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The Strength Connection?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for The Strength Connection?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for The Strength Connection from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for The Strength Connection?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of The Strength Connection. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on The Strength Connection?

Recent guests on The Strength Connection include:

1. Anton Marchanka
2. Manuel Astruc
3. JD Tremblay
4. Don Moxley
5. Jim Afremow
6. Phil White
7. Dr. Matt Delgado
8. Ali Gilbert

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

Find and pitch the right podcasts

We help savvy brands, marketers and PR professionals to find the right podcasts for any topic or niche. Get the data and contacts you need to pitch podcasts at scale and turn listeners into customers.
Try it free for 7 days