Mind Pump Podcast Story

Sal Di Stefano’s passion for fitness began when he picked up his first barbell at 13 years old. Any other teenager would have done a set of curls, but legend has it, Sal did squats. He was always different like that – and it wasn’t long until everyone would notice.

At age 18, Sal started working as a personal trainer, becoming the youngest general manager at 24 Hour Fitness by 19. Not long after, he opened his own studio. Its reputation and success proved he was more than a personal trainer, but also a gifted businessman. And it was this entrepreneurial spirit that guided Sal to where we see him today.

He is the voice of Mind Pump, a published author, and one of the most trusted and respected faces in the fitness industry. Sal is an indispensable podcast host: the one who summarizes research when Justin and Adam trip over scientific words, the proverbial guinea pig when there’s a new peptide, and the conductor trying his best to keep conversation on track when we all know it’s headed off the rails.

You know the one guy in every room who’s taller and more jacked than everyone else? That’s Adam Schafer.

The funny thing is… he wouldn’t even know if any of that was true. He’s too busy being himself to worry about how he measures up against the crowd.

Adam’s individuality has always set him apart from the rest of the fitness industry. In a game of follow-the-leader, you can bet he’d never be staring at anyone’s back. He managed some of the largest fitness clubs in the Bay Area and along the way collected eight national certifications, a pro-card in bodybuilding, and enough Jordans to make Google Maps mistake his closet for Footlocker. But his greatest success was Mind Pump.

While mature enough now to grow organically, in the beginning it was a business born from labor. And it was Adam’s competitive drive that nudged and nurtured it to become what it is today, so successful that YouTube auto fills “Mind Pump” before “Miley Cyrus.”

At the end of the day, Adam builds businesses. He builds businesses that reach and help more people than any two hands ever could.

For every box, there’s a creative mind thinking just outside of it. But if you want to find Justin Andrews, you’ll have to search the perimeter 500 miles in every direction.

Justin’s adventurously creative intellect has shaped his fitness career into an amorphous success that the industry has never seen before. Sparked by a passion for sports and fitness, and inspired by figures like Bo Jackson and Arnold Schwarzenegger, Justin became a highly sought after trainer for his unique ability to combine exercise science with psychology and behavior – leading to over a decade of successful client transformations.

At Mind Pump, he’s best known for his signature laugh, creating conspiracy theories to conspiracy theories, and headbanging to heavy metal songs not even Shazam has heard of. While physically the three hosts are sitting side by side, in a way, Justin is floating somewhere above, below, and all the fuck around – acting as the podcast’s portal to “outside the box.”

Doug Egge’s journey into fitness was sparked by watching Rocky movies. But instead of dramatically jogging up steps in Philadelphia to Bill Conti’s “Gonna Fly Now,” he did what any sane man would do: skipped cardio and hit the weights. Doug hired Sal as his trainer, and soon after they began creating digital fitness content.

This collaboration, along with partnerships with Adam and Justin, led to the formation of Mind Pump, where Doug wears more hats than Pharrell at fashion week. If Mind Pump were to do a Behind-the-Scenes video, it would be one long shot of Doug doing Doug stuff. And even then, despite moving in the shadows – managing production, finances, and merchandise – he’s still found a way to capture the hearts of listeners.

When Doug’s not at his computer doing work no one even knew existed, he’s learning about Japanese culture, studying the language, practicing calligraphy, and collecting samurai swords that he swears (and I suppose we will all just have to hold our breath and take his word for it) are just for show.