Conquer Stories

Josh Yakes
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  • Self-Improvement
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Every person is fighting something. Conquer Stories brings those fights into the open through honest conversations with people who have faced loss, change, trauma, health challenges, identity shifts, uncertainty, and more. Hosted by Josh Yakes, each story explores what happened, what it cost, what was learned, and what might help someone listening face their own fight with greater strength, clarity, and hope. NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY

Episodes

  1. Sep 25

    What If You’re Not Behind, Just on the Wrong Path? | Kyle Fasano

    What if you’re not behind? What if you’re trying to make the wrong path work? Kyle Fasano joins Josh to talk about dropping out of college, feeling lost while everyone else seemed to be moving ahead, forcing careers that never felt right, and what changed when he finally gave the thing he actually loved a chance. Kyle went to college because it felt like what he was supposed to do. He did not know what he wanted. His grades kept dropping. Baseball disappeared. University became community college. Eventually, college ended altogether. Then he tried real estate. For years, Kyle kept hoping a career he did not enjoy would eventually click. It never did. The thing he kept coming back to was fitness. He would leave the real estate office to train. People started asking him for help because they thought he was already a trainer. And eventually, Kyle stopped forcing the path he thought he should follow and gave the one he actually cared about a chance. In this episode of Conquer Stories, Kyle talks about feeling behind while other people seemed to be hitting all the milestones, working jobs that did not fit, partying through some of the uncertainty, and learning that work ethic only gets you so far when you are moving in the wrong direction. They also get into the pressure to have your life figured out early. College.Career.Money.Marriage.A house. All the things that can make you wonder what is wrong with you when everyone else seems to be moving forward. Kyle did not have it figured out. Neither did Josh. And the years that felt like detours became part of what shaped both of them. Today, Kyle is in Los Angeles, married, self-employed, and has built a career helping people through fitness. His advice to the version of himself who felt lost is simple: Find what you love. Cut out the noise. Go all in. Not because it suddenly becomes easy. Because there is a difference between working through something hard that matters to you and forcing yourself through a life you never wanted. YOUR NEXT STEP Take an honest look at where you are right now. What am I doing because I want it?What am I doing because I think I should?What am I forcing because I keep hoping it will eventually feel right?What keeps pulling me back because I actually care about it? You do not need your entire life figured out today. But you can stop pretending the wrong direction is working. Share what you are conquering with us. Someone may need to hear something you have to say. CHAPTERS00:00 What Will You Leave in the Light?00:27 Meet Kyle Fasano02:07 What Does It Mean to Conquer?02:44 Kyle’s College Dropout Story03:58 When College Wasn’t Working04:54 What Do You Do Without a Degree?05:33 Trying to Make the Wrong Career Work06:01 When Fitness Started Pulling Him In06:39 Finding a Path You Actually Want07:38 Watching Everyone Else Move Ahead08:14 Work Ethic Without Direction09:47 Going Backward Before Moving Forward10:22 Finding Something You Actually Enjoy11:04 Why Training Is About More Than Fitness12:14 What Being Lost Looked Like13:17 When the Gym Became the Escape14:08 Waiting for the Wrong Career to Click14:30 How We Cope When We Feel Lost15:55 What Changed When Josh Found His Path17:23 What Kyle Would Tell His Younger Self17:35 Stop Doing What You Think You Should18:32 What His Younger Self Would Say Now19:12 The Detour Was Part of the Path19:49 Why Your Story Can Help Someone Else20:07 What Comes Next WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOWWatch, listen and follow Conquer StoriesFollow Kyle Fasano @fasano_fitness CREDITSHosted by Josh YakesGuest: Kyle Fasano (@fasano_fitness)Produced by Mike AxeEdited by Derek Kedell Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.

  2. Sep 17

    The Mile After You Want to Quit

    At mile 71 of a 100-mile race, Katy Duncan stopped. Later, she knew she could have kept going. That moment stayed with her, and when she reached the same point in her next 100-miler, exhausted, hurting and heading into the dark, she made a different choice. She kept moving. In this episode of Conquer Stories, Katy joins Josh Yakes to talk about how running helped her through a difficult time in her life and eventually took her from training for a half marathon to running 100 miles. They talk about what happens when your body is telling you to stop, why huge goals become easier when you stop staring at the whole distance, and how the lowest points can teach you something you carry into the next attempt. For Katy, sometimes 100 miles has to become the next aid station. Then the next one. And when the race gets dark, those miles still count. You may be moving slower. You may not feel strong. You may not feel like you are making enough progress. You are still moving forward. That applies to a lot more than running. Quitting once does not erase the work you already did. A setback does not make everything before it meaningless. And the moment you wanted to stop does not have to decide what happens the next time you get there. Sometimes the most important mile is the one after you wanted to quit. YOUR NEXT STEP Think about something in your life that feels overwhelming when you look at the whole thing. Now stop looking at the whole thing. What is your next marker? The next conversation.The next workout.The next decision.The next day.The next step. Get there first. Then find the next one. And if you have stopped before, ask yourself what that experience taught you that you can use this time. Share what you are conquering with us. Someone may need to hear something you have to say. CHAPTERS00:00 What Will You Leave in the Light?00:27 Meet Katy Duncan01:58 What Are You Conquering?02:25 Why Katy Started Running03:47 From Half Marathon to 100 Miles05:08 What Running 100 Miles Really Takes05:44 Recreational Suffering06:31 One More Step Forward07:29 Expect the Unexpected08:16 Preparing for 100 Miles09:25 Make the Impossible Smaller11:26 When Your Body Tells You to Stop11:40 Quitting at Mile 7112:25 Deciding Not to Quit Again14:35 When the Race Goes Dark15:18 The Dark Miles Still Count15:47 Progress Does Not Have to Be Fast16:34 Why a Setback Is Not the End17:45 The Message Katy Left Herself18:10 Another Reason to Stop20:13 When an Ultramarathon Starts to Look Like Life20:58 What Comes Next WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOWWatch, listen and follow ConquerFollow Katy Duncan @trainingstronger CREDITSHosted by Joshua YakesGuest: Katy Duncan (@trainingstronger)Produced by Mike AxeEdited by Derek Kedell Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.

  3. Sep 11

    When Life Forces You to Slow Down | Jordan Shipp

    What do you do when life forces you to slow down, accept help, and rebuild at a pace you did not choose? Jordan Shipp joins Josh Yakes to talk about repeated injuries, painful recoveries, losing independence, and what he learned when the only way forward was one step at a time. Jordan has lived through more than one comeback. A broken ankle in college. A major knee injury. Shoulder surgery. A reconnected bicep. Different injuries, different recoveries, and different lessons every time. In this episode of Conquer Stories, Jordan opens up about what those setbacks taught him about pain, patience, asking for help, and learning not to rush the process. He talks about going from being completely independent to needing his fiancée and friends to help with basic parts of everyday life, what it felt like to wake up after surgery in overwhelming pain, and why being the person who needs help can sometimes be much harder than being the person who gives it. Jordan also reflects on the choices that led to some of his injuries, why he now tries to move through life with more intention, and how every recovery has forced him to become more patient with himself. Because pain can take something from you. It can also teach you something. Sometimes it tells you to slow down. Sometimes it forces you to lean on people. Sometimes it shows you that the way you were moving before is not the way you need to move next. You cannot rush the comeback. But you can decide who you become while you rebuild. CHAPTERS 00:00 What Will You Leave in the Light? 00:27 Meet Jordan Shipp 01:21 The Moment Josh Never Forgot 02:59 What Are You Conquering? 03:26 When Injuries Keep Taking Things Away 04:31 What Pain Can Teach You 05:14 Losing Your Independence 05:53 Pain Has a Purpose 07:34 Every Recovery Is Different 08:01 Learning to Ask for Help 09:00 Giving Yourself Time to Heal 09:58 What Would You Tell Yourself Then? 10:30 Move With More Intention 11:51 What Would the Injured Version of You Say Now? 12:05 One of the Lowest Points 13:10 One Step at a Time 14:29 When You Still Have to Show Up 16:37 Share What You Are Conquering YOUR NEXT STEP Where in your life are you trying to rush something that needs time? Maybe you are recovering. Maybe you are rebuilding. Maybe you are carrying something alone because asking for help feels harder than struggling through it. Ask yourself: What is this season teaching me? What support do I need? What is the next step I can take today? You do not have to solve the whole thing at once. Take the next step. Then take another tomorrow. And if you are going through something right now, share your story. Someone may need to hear something you have to say. WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOW Watch, listen and follow Conquer Follow Jordan Shipp CREDITS Hosted by Joshua Yakes Guest: Jordan Shipp Produced by Mike Axe Edited by Derek Kedell Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.

  4. Sep 4

    A Father’s Fight for His Son

    How far would you go when your child needs you and you have no idea what comes next? Jandy Tecson flew to the Philippines expecting to meet his newborn son, spend time with his family and eventually bring them home to the United States. Then his son Dylan was born with a serious heart condition. What followed was a fight Jandy could never have prepared for: doctors who could not initially give them answers, falling oxygen levels, hospital stays, procedures, overwhelming medical costs, immigration challenges and setback after setback as he tried to get his family where they needed to be. In this episode of Conquer Stories, Jandy joins Josh Yakes to talk about what happens when fatherhood asks everything of you. He opens up about leaving behind the life he had built, navigating his son’s medical care in the Philippines, fighting to bring his wife and children to the United States, finding the right surgeon for Dylan and learning to keep moving when there was no clear roadmap ahead. But this is also a story about faith, community and the people who show up when the weight becomes too heavy to carry alone. Jandy shares how his faith helped him move through fear, how years of pouring into other people came back to his family when they needed help most, and why asking for help is not weakness. Today, Dylan is walking, growing and bringing joy to the people around him. And Jandy came out of the fight understanding something about fatherhood that changed everything: You will do anything for your kids. You may not know how you are going to solve every problem in front of you. You may not be able to see where the road leads. But you can take the next step. CHAPTERS00:00 What Will You Leave in the Light?00:27 Meet Jandy Tecson01:48 What Are You Conquering?02:13 When Everything Changed for His Family04:06 The Diagnosis No Parent Expects04:29 When the Joy of a Newborn Becomes Fear05:14 Faith Before the First Procedure05:55 The Surgery Worked. The Fight Wasn’t Over.07:32 A Mission to Bring His Family Home09:04 One More Setback09:24 The Surgery That Changed Everything10:22 The Community That Helped Him Heal12:47 What Fatherhood Demands of You13:11 Letting Go of the Life He Built14:36 Why Being Good to People Matters15:40 Faith Conquers Fear16:02 What Would You Tell Yourself in the Fight?19:56 Why Jandy Finally Shared His Story22:20 You Do Not Have to Conquer Alone23:24 It Is Okay to Ask for Help25:04 Someone Needs to Hear Your Story YOUR NEXT STEPWhat are you carrying right now that you have been trying to carry alone? Think about the person, community or resource you could reach toward instead of trying to solve everything by yourself. Ask for help. Accept the help. Then take the next step in front of you. And if you have lived through something that could help another person feel less alone, share your story. Someone may need to hear something you have to say. WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOWWatch, listen and follow Conquer Follow Jandy Tecson CREDITSHosted by Josh YakesGuest: Jandy TecsonProduced by Mike AxeEdited by Derek Kedell Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.

  5. Aug 28

    When Life Forces You to Pivot with Ben Giroux

    What do you do when the life you built suddenly stops working the way it used to? Maybe your body tells you to slow down. Maybe your career changes underneath you. Maybe the plan that worked for years does not work anymore. For actor, director, producer and creator Ben Giroux, both happened at once. In this episode of Conquer Stories, Ben joins Josh Yakes to talk about recovering from the most significant injury of his life while also navigating an entertainment industry that looks very different from the one he built his career in. They talk about the things other people cannot see, learning when pushing harder is no longer the answer, building a life around what you can control, creating your own opportunities, and why sometimes the only way forward is to pivot. Ben also opens up about work, relationships, the cost of always wanting to do more, learning to listen to his body, and why progress sometimes only becomes visible when you step back far enough to see how far you have actually come. CHAPTERS00:00 What Are You Conquering?02:09 When Your Body Tells You to Slow Down03:21 The Things People Cannot See06:04 Rebuilding From the Basics07:51 When You Realize Something Has to Change08:50 When Your Career Changes Underneath You11:09 What Are You Going to Do About It?11:55 Learning to Pivot13:23 Build Without Permission15:21 The Cost of Always Doing More18:42 What Did the Hard Part Teach You?19:11 Listen When Your Body Says Stop19:59 Learning to Adapt22:22 Zoom Out and See Your Progress25:39 What Josh and Ben Are Building Next YOUR NEXT STEPWhere in your life are you being asked to adapt instead of forcing the old plan to keep working? Name it. Then decide what you can control and take one step in that direction. Share your story with us. Someone else may be fighting through the same thing and need to know they are not alone. WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOWWatch, listen and follow Conquer CREDITSHosted by Joshua YakesGuest: Ben GirouxProduced by Mike AxeEdited by Derek Kedell Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.

  6. Aug 21

    How to Find Yourself Again After Everything Changes | Antonio Lopez

    Who are you when the life that defined you suddenly changes? After a heart attack, triple bypass, career loss, and the end of a 23-year relationship, Antonio Lopez had to face a question harder than survival: Who am I now? If you are trying to find yourself again after loss, heartbreak, a health crisis, career change, or another major shift you never planned for, this conversation is for you. Antonio joins Josh Yakes for an honest conversation about identity, self-worth, asking for help, letting go, trusting yourself, forgiveness, and discovering who you are when the roles that once defined you no longer do. For years, Antonio was the dependable one. The friend. The partner. The employee. The person other people needed him to be. Even when things were not okay, his answer was simple: "I'm fine." Until life forced him to stop. Because finding yourself again does not mean going backward. It can mean learning to trust yourself, letting go of what no longer belongs in your life, forgiving yourself for what you did not know then, and believing there is still more ahead of you. WHAT ARE YOU CONQUERING? If Antonio's story feels familiar, tell us: What are you enduring, overcoming, or conquering right now? No one fights alone. WATCH + FOLLOW CONQUER ALL THINGS YouTube:youtube.com/@ConquerAllThings Website:conquerallthings.com Instagram:@conquerallthings TikTok:@conquerallthings FOLLOW JOSH YAKES Instagram:@joshua.yakes TikTok:@conquerallthings FOLLOW ANTONIO LOPEZ Instagram:@antoniolopez572 CHAPTERS 00:00 Before Everything Goes Dark00:28 Meet Antonio Lopez01:30 Naming the Fight: Identity04:09 When the Life You Knew Is Gone06:02 Heart Attack + Triple Bypass09:30 When Purpose Becomes Identity10:35 The "I'm Fine" Mask15:07 Just Get Through the Day18:47 Letting Go of What Defined You24:24 What Antonio Wishes He Knew26:17 Trust Yourself Before It Is Too Late27:45 Learning to Forgive Yourself30:15 What You Need to Hear32:44 What It Means to Conquer ABOUT CONQUER STORIES Hosted by Conquer All Things founder Josh Yakes, Conquer Stories features honest one-on-one conversations with real people about the fights they have faced, the fights they are still facing, and what they are learning as they endure, overcome, and conquer. Real people. Real fights. Real stories of what it means to keep moving forward. CREDITS Host: Josh YakesGuest: Antonio LopezProducer: Mike AxeEditor: Derek KedellTheme Song: Mike Axe SHARE YOUR STORY Have a story about something you are enduring, overcoming, or conquering? We want to hear it. conquerstories.conquerallthings.com/contact

  • 6 Episodes

About

Every person is fighting something. Conquer Stories brings those fights into the open through honest conversations with people who have faced loss, change, trauma, health challenges, identity shifts, uncertainty, and more. Hosted by Josh Yakes, each story explores what happened, what it cost, what was learned, and what might help someone listening face their own fight with greater strength, clarity, and hope. NEW EPISODES EVERY THURSDAY

Information

  • Creator
    Josh Yakes
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Josh Yakes
  • Show Website
    Conquer Stories