Last weekend in Bloomington, Illinois, over 210 bodybuilders showed up to go for the glory at the NPC Mid-American Winter Classic. The competition was intense, but surprisingly friendly and juiced up with sportsmanship. Let’s Grow Big Together! The podcast that reminds you the biggest prize of all is the friends we make along the way. Today we take you to the NPC Mid-American Winter Classic, where I as a first time novice stepped onstage to compete in Men’s Classic Physique, and like all roller coaster rides, it was scary as hell and tons of fun! Plus-- • What’s it really like backstage at a bodybuilding show? • The steps you need to take if you want to compete yourself! FEATURED VIDEO: Emma Hyndman, the Posing Pro ★ https://youtu.be/v1lxXCEXebA?si=nK9UaIlGwB8jYH9z Kick your bodybuilding to the next level, fitness consultation now available for $99 (on SALE from $149) for a hour we look at your current workouts, nutrition, supplements and more, answer all your questions and set you on the right path to growth! Message me on social media: "Let's Grow Big Together." FAUSTO FERNOS: ★ instagram.com/faustofernos ★ facebook.com/faustofernos ★ twitter.com/faustofernos MARC FELION: ★ instagram.com/marcfelion ★ facebook.com/marcfelion ★ twitter.com/marcfelion

When training for any athletic event, a lot can go wrong. Even worse: your mind can start playing tricks on you. So it helps a great deal to have a great coach guide you on the road to become a legend. Let’s Grow Big Together! The podcast that climbs the Stairmaster along with you, but not on the same machine, cause people are gonna look. In this series, we’re taking a look at the passion for muscle, adventures in bodybuilding, muscle gods, muscle worship and practical advice to put on the gains. Today, I’m just a few weeks out from my first bodybuilding contest at the young age of 51, and we’re thrilled to introduce you to my coach Matt Claussen. As a powerlifter, Matt Claussen is highly regarded as a four time National Powerlifting Champion. As a bodybuilder, Matt Claussen has won five major championships including first place in the 2005 NPC East Coast Classic and guided over 75 clients to get stage ready for their own contests. COACH MATT CLAUSSEN: https://www.instagram.com/mattclaussen/ NPC WINTER CLASSIC DEC 2, BLOOMINGTON IL: https://npcmidamericanwinterclassic.com Plus-- • Getting ready for your first coach. • Coming out of the closet to your parents as a bodybuilder. • Are powerlifters really using butt plugs to stabilize their core? • Weightlifting horror stories to put a chill down your spine.

One of the deadliest drugs facing Americans these days is fentanyl, whose potency makes it a cheap way to boost the high of other recreational drugs. Even the smallest amounts of the substance can turn a good time into the last time. Thankfully the nasal inhalant Narcan can save a person’s life by quickly reversing the symptoms of a lethal drug overdose. So why aren’t more schools and public spaces making it available? Today comedian, performance artist and trauma clown John Michael joins us to look at Narcan and drug overdoses. In his new show Spank Bank Time Machine, John Michael explores drugs, sex positivity and time travel as he pays tribute to the brilliant lives of his friends who died from drug overdoses. • JOHN MICHAEL: https://www.instagram.com/jmsilly • SPANK BANK TIME MACHINE: https://neofuturists.org/events/spank-bank-time-machine/ PLUS-- ➤ How schools and public transit can save lives by making Narcan freely available to everyone.

When we think of classic spooky voices, the dictations of Hollywood's great golden age actor Vincent Price haunt our minds. Besides starring in some of Hollywood’s biggest golden age horror films, Vincent Price spent his life actively speaking out against bigotry, racism, anti-semitism and homophobia. The sounds of grizzly ghouls from every tomb that close in to seal your doom are forever immortalized also with Vincent Price’s rap from Michael Jackson’s hit song, Thriller. Today comedian Dan Cass joins us to celebrate the amazing life of queer Hollywood horror legend Vincent Price, from turning people to wax statues in House of Wax to doing TV ads for bathroom cleaners, credit cards, candy bars, Time Life books, toys, wine coolers for both non dairy creamer and the national dairy council. FOLLOW DAN CASS: https://instagram.com/dankkass Plus-- ➤ Britney Spears shocks the world with her new autobiography “The Woman in Me.” ➤ Striking actors are asked not to dress up as characters from movies and TV shows during the Hollywood writers strike.

Almost a third of American gym goers will use performance enhancing substances at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1484557/#:~:text=Current%20estimates%20indicate%20that%20there,least%20once%20in%20their%20lives.&text=Surveys%20in%20the%20American%20field,clubs%20is%2015%25-30%25. There’s always risks to consider when supplementing to get big muscles and many doctors just don't have the training or knowledge to help prevent serious complications. So what do you do? It’s the podcast that squeezes the juice to the last drop. In this series, we’re taking a look at the passion for muscle, adventures in bodybuilding, muscle gods, muscle worship and practical advice to put on the gains. Today, bodybuilding coach Tyler Fluitt joins us to look at harm reduction for anabolic steroids. Tyler specializes in training natural athletes to compete as well as helping enhanced athletes compete in safer ways. Tyler is a popular bodybuilding coach in Austin Texas and now Nashville, and is training for his 19th bodybuilding competition. TYLER FLUITT: https://instagram.com/level_up_physiques Plus-- New DEA rules could make it harder for everyone to get telemedicine for testosterone replacement therapy.

This year San Francisco made history by appointing the city’s first drag laureate, D’Arcy Drollinger, who is not only a fierce drag queen but also a theatrical dynamo. D’Arcy has created, written and performed dozens of brilliant shows over the years, including the Lohan Project, Temple of Poon, a feature film Shit and Champagne and is co-starring in the Bay Areas’ long running holiday show The Golden Girls Live. The first of its kind in the world, San Francisco’s drag laureate is not just a figurehead for the LGBTQ+ community, they are given resources to produce work that ensures that the legendary city continues to be a supportive place for queer art to grow and flourish. Today D’Arcy Drollinger joins us to look at her incredible year so far as San Francisco’s first drag laureate, creating the Oasis, the city’s first drag owned and operated bar and venue and the shocking death of Heklina. Plus- D’Arcy’s recipe for overcoming hate targeted to trans people and drag performers. FOLLOW D’ARCY DROLLINGER: ★ facebook.com/darcydrollinger ★ instagram.com/darcydrollinger ★ tiktok.com/@darcydrollinger

It’s been 21 years since Jim Verraros made TV history as the first contestant from the reality TV show American Idol to come out as gay. Although he wasn’t allowed to talk about his sexuality on the show, by coming out during the promotional tour he paved the way for other closeted gay entertainers to fearlessly be themselves. People like Clay Aiken, David Archuleta and Adam Lambert and even Neil Patrick Harris and Lance Bass owe a lot to people like Jim Verraros. Following his glow up on reality television, Jim became a queer comedy film regular with his appearances in the Eating Out and Another Gay Movie franchises, and even had a Billboard chart hit with his song "You Turn It On.” Today Jim Verraros, star of American Idol and the Eating Out franchise joins us to celebrate his return to music with his playful new single “Take My Bow” which he lip synced on Instagram during his crossfit class. CHECK OUT JIM VERRAROS: 🎵 "Take My Bow" on Apple Music: https://apple.co/44Wtfsa ❤️ Follow on Instagram: https://instagram.com/jimverraros Plus-- Drew Barrymore apologizes for being a SCAB, and suspends production of her daytime talk show until the Hollywood Writers Strike is resolved. FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM: ★ http://instagram.com/faustofernos ★ http://instagram.com/marcfelion

With semi-autobiographical books like “Whores of Lost Atlantis” actor, screenwriter, playwright and drag queen, Charles Busch has fine tuned the recipe for adding drag to your theatrical production to turn it into a comedy hit. Now Charles Busch is finally looking back on his amazing life in theater and drag in his new autobiography “Leading Lady: A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy.” FEATURED BOOK: Leading Lady: A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy by Charles Busch Get it on Amazon: https://a.co/d/651o4ze CHARLES BUSCH: https://www.charlesbusch.com Charles Busch pulls you in as he shares his wild stories of his deep friendships and encounters with some of the biggest divas in entertainment, including Joan Rivers, Liza Minelli and Julie Andrews. Today the legendary Charles Busch joins us to talk about the world's first ugly movie star, working with Boy George on Taboo the musical and the painful loss of his mother Gertie at the young age of seven.

The U.S. Department of Education’s COVID-19 relief for student loans has ended, and interest is now accruing once again. With payments due in October, many Americans expect these loans to outlive them. Since the Republican majority Supreme Court thwarted President Biden's attempt to forgive student loans, the U.S. Economy could come to a grinding halt just in time for the 2024 Presidential Election. Today comedian Matt Brown, Ms. Brown even if you’re not nasty, joins us to look at the impending doom of the student loan crisis. FOLLOW MATT BROWN: https://www.msbrowncomedy.com Plus-- - Why folks are hopping mad at Drew Barrymore for crossing the picket line during the Hollywood Writers Strike. - Scientologist and “That 70’s Show” star Danny Masterson gets 30 years to life in prison for assaulting two women. - Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are in hot water for writing letters of support for their former co-star.

For all the jobs Barbie’s had over the years, her most lucrative gig yet is now movie star, as the Barbie movie has just surpassed the billion dollar mark in worldwide box office sales. It is now Warner Brothers studio biggest money making film release in history. This widely popular feminist film, directed and co-written by filmmaker Greta Gerwig, is set to not just to shape the future of films, but how we talk about gender and sexual equality. Today, Weird Barbie in real life, performance artist Holly Hughes joins us to take a look at the Barbie movie phenomenon and why young girls love horses so much. In the early 90s, Holly Hughes became widely known as part of the NEA Four, when her solo theatrical work became a political target for conservatives and her funding was revoked by the federal government. CHECK OUT HOLLY HUGHES: ★ facebook.com/holly.hughes.7771 ★ stamps.umich.edu/people/holly-hughes Plus-- • Mattel releases its first product tie-in from the movie, the Weird Barbie Doll. • Why America Ferrrera’s monologue from the film resonates so deeply. Warning! We have a few spoilers in this podcast, so please listen with caution.