The Dr. Pena Podcast - The Performance Standard

Christien Pena, MD
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Health & Fitness
  • Complete

Most people settle. High performers refuse. The Dr. Peña Podcast — The Performance Standard is where discipline, ambition, and relentless standards collide. Hosted by Dr. Christien Peña, an Emergency Medicine physician, entrepreneur, and performance strategist, this show breaks down what it actually takes to excel — in business, athletics, leadership, medicine, and life. No fluff. No shortcuts. Just real conversations with people who raise the bar and never lower it. From ER medicine and high-stakes decision making to mental resilience, trauma, justice, mindset, politics, and the pursuit of personal excellence — this podcast goes deeper than motivation. It’s about the habits, systems, and principles high performers use to win. If you’re committed to becoming the strongest, sharpest, and most capable version of yourself… Welcome to The Performance Standard. 👉 Subscribe now and never miss a new episode. 🌐 Learn more: https://www.theperformancestandard.com/

Episodes

  1. The Health Framework Most Men Ignore | Sleep Hormones, Exercise, Diet

    Apr 3

    The Health Framework Most Men Ignore | Sleep Hormones, Exercise, Diet

    Performance pyramid health framework explained by an ER doctor showing why sleep hormones exercise and diet matter more than peptides supplements and advanced therapies. I see this every day. People chasing shortcuts while ignoring the foundation that actually determines performance and longevity. I’m Dr. Christien Peña - Emergency Medicine physician and founder of Covenix Health, a performance-focused telemedicine practice based in Scottsdale, Arizona. In this episode I break down the performance pyramid step by step so you finally have a clear system to follow instead of random advice from influencers. We go into the core tier that most people skip including Sleep Hormones, Exercise, Diet and why without this nothing else works. Then we move into supplements peptides and orthobiologics and I explain real risks I see in the ER including black market peptides wrong dosing and complications no one talks about. This is not hype. This is how you think when lives are on the line. If you want real optimization you need structure not trends. Are you building your foundation or chasing shortcuts? Apply to work with me https://covenix.healthInstagram @pena_md

    31 min
  2. From Green Beret to Brotherhood Leader | What Breaks Most Men?

    Feb 23

    From Green Beret to Brotherhood Leader | What Breaks Most Men?

    If you fear excellence, swipe away now. Today I sit down with Jeremy McWilliams a former Green Beret, combat veteran, entrepreneur, husband, and leader inside the Rise Up Kings community. A man who went through Special Forces selection, survived combat in Afghanistan, took grenades on a rooftop, and was dragged to a helicopter by a brother who refused to leave him behind. This is not a war story. This is a leadership story. We break down what Special Forces selection actually tests and why it is not your size, your strength, or your ego that determines whether you make it. It is what is between your ears. We talk about pressure, brotherhood, vulnerability, marriage, business, discipline, and why comfort is quietly crushing modern men. Jeremy shares what it means to be known, to build a marriage that survives ambition, to build businesses with your wife, and why radical change is sometimes the only way forward. Most men are not at rock bottom.They are sedated by comfort.The loan of comfort has an interest rate that is crushing. If you are a man over 30 building a family, building a business, building a life that matters, this conversation will challenge you.Apply to work with me - https://covenix.health Are you running from something or running toward something? Drop a comment below. Now go live it.

    52 min
  3. The Discipline Every Man Needs to Build Wealth!

    Feb 14

    The Discipline Every Man Needs to Build Wealth!

    Baseball is a game of failure.Wealth is a game of discipline.Life is a game of execution. In this episode of The Performance Standard, I sit down with Allan Kamori, founder of Correlation Advisors, to break down what high performing men get wrong about money. Most people are not investing. They are gambling. They chase trends.They react emotionally.They follow gurus.And then they wonder why they feel stressed. We talk about: • Why discipline beats talent• Why most advisors are part of the “financial machine”• Why chasing crypto or hot trends is emotional gambling• How business owners sabotage themselves by waiting too long• And why you must choose the pain of discipline over the pain of regret This isn’t about getting rich quick. It’s about execution.It’s about clarity.It’s about doing the right thing consistently over decades. If you’re a man over 30 building something in Arizona - business, career, family - this conversation matters. If you want to optimize your health the same way you optimize your finances, start here. 👉 Apply to work with me / start your labs:https://covenix.health Are you building wealth with discipline or are you reacting emotionally to trends? Comment below. I read every response.

    59 min
  4. $400K in Debt, No Match, No Talent - How I Built the Performance Standard Anyway

    Feb 5

    $400K in Debt, No Match, No Talent - How I Built the Performance Standard Anyway

    This is the story I didn’t want to tell - but needed to. I wasn’t the most talented. I failed exams. I didn’t match. I had red flags on my record. At one point, I was over $400,000 in debt, with no residency spot and no guarantees. In this solo episode of The Dr. Peña Podcast - The Performance Standard, I break down the moments where everything could’ve ended - failing prerequisites, Caribbean medical school, not matching, SOAP, general surgery when I didn’t want it, and the mindset that kept me executing when quitting would’ve been easier. This is not a motivation talk. This is about preparation, accountability, biology, and execution - and why most men don’t fail because they lack discipline, but because they ignore their physiology. If you’re a man over 30 who feels stuck, burned out, foggy, or plateaued, this episode will challenge how you think about performance, responsibility, and what it actually takes to win. When was the moment your back was against the wall - and did you execute or hesitate? Work with me / Start your labs 🌐 https://covenix.health 📧 Contact: drpena@covenix.health 📱 Instagram: @pena_md

    31 min
  5. From Job Sites to $40M Projects! Bill Goldberg on Discipline, Grit, and the Performance Standard

    Jan 27

    From Job Sites to $40M Projects! Bill Goldberg on Discipline, Grit, and the Performance Standard

    This episode defines what The Performance Standard actually means in the real world. I sat down with Bill Goldberg, founder of Compass Construction, a high-level operator who has delivered $40M+ projects in an industry where missing the schedule or budget is considered normal. For Bill, it’s not. We talk about what it takes to build from nothing — growing up without handouts, learning construction from the ground up, making decisions without a safety net, and holding yourself to a standard where excuses don’t exist.This conversation goes deep into discipline, leadership, execution, people, systems, and why details matter when margins are razor thin. If you’re a man building a business, leading a team, or trying to raise your personal standard — this episode will challenge how you think about performance. 🌐 Learn more or apply to work with me:👉 https://covenix.health Question for you:Where in your life are you accepting missed standards — and what would change if you stopped tolerating them?

    1h 9m
  6. False Accusation Nearly Destroyed Him - Here's How He Won

    12/12/2025

    False Accusation Nearly Destroyed Him - Here's How He Won

    This episode is deeply personal. My brother Sean nearly lost his life twice — first in a catastrophic motorcycle accident, and years later when he was falsely accused, stripped of his badge, and forced to fight for his freedom with zero evidence against him. In this conversation, we break down what real performance looks like when everything is taken from you. We talk about resilience, faith, discipline, pressure, mental manipulation, spiritual warfare, responsibility, and what it means to keep moving forward when the world is telling you to quit. Sean built businesses while wearing an ankle monitor. He stood in front of a jury where one wrong sentence could have ended his life. And through it all, he chose truth, clarity, and courage as his performance standard. If you’re a man looking to raise your standard, sharpen your mindset, or understand what true adversity feels like — this episode will stay with you. If this conversation resonated with you: • Follow / Subscribe to The Performance Standard Podcast • Leave a review — it helps more men find these conversations • Share this episode with someone who needs to hear it Question for you -  What moment in your life forced you to raise your standard — and how did it change you?

    54 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

Most people settle. High performers refuse. The Dr. Peña Podcast — The Performance Standard is where discipline, ambition, and relentless standards collide. Hosted by Dr. Christien Peña, an Emergency Medicine physician, entrepreneur, and performance strategist, this show breaks down what it actually takes to excel — in business, athletics, leadership, medicine, and life. No fluff. No shortcuts. Just real conversations with people who raise the bar and never lower it. From ER medicine and high-stakes decision making to mental resilience, trauma, justice, mindset, politics, and the pursuit of personal excellence — this podcast goes deeper than motivation. It’s about the habits, systems, and principles high performers use to win. If you’re committed to becoming the strongest, sharpest, and most capable version of yourself… Welcome to The Performance Standard. 👉 Subscribe now and never miss a new episode. 🌐 Learn more: https://www.theperformancestandard.com/

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