Michael Ockrim on Gina Gardiner & Friends

Episode: "A Common Sense Guide To Live Long & Drop Dead Healthy"
Released: November 4, 2026 · 58 minutes · Season 3, Episode 149
Listen: Episode page

Gina Gardiner has spent more than thirty years coaching leaders around the world, has written more than thirty books, and learned to walk twice as an adult after a serious ski accident and two failed back surgeries. On this episode of Gina Gardiner & Friends she sat down with Michael Ockrim, founder and head strength coach of Mighty Oak Athletic in Westmont, Illinois, and author of Death Resistant, for an hour on a simple question: what does it actually take to live a long life and stay healthy for all of it?

What the conversation covers

Live long, drop dead healthy. The subtitle of Death Resistant is the whole idea. The goal isn't more years. It's more healthy years. Michael and Gina talk about the difference between a long life and a long decline.

Recovery, movement, nutrition. The Death Resistant framework is three circles, and the order is deliberate. Most people start with food. Michael starts with sleep and recovery, then movement, then nutrition, because the first two make the third one possible.

Common sense over complexity. No supplements, no apps, no protocols. The habits that work are the ones you can keep for forty years.

About Gina Gardiner

Gina Gardiner is a UK-based motivational speaker, leadership coach, and multiple No. 1 international bestselling author of more than thirty books, including Thriving Not Surviving. For over twenty years she ran an award-winning school, much of it from a wheelchair. More at linktr.ee/ginagardiner.

About Michael Ockrim and Mighty Oak Athletic

Michael Ockrim, CSCS, is the founder and head strength coach of Mighty Oak Athletic, a strength and conditioning gym at 6424 S. Cass Ave. in Westmont, IL. Founded in 2013, MOA trains kids and student athletes ages 6 to 18, plus adults, using barbells, kettlebells, and bodyweight in every session. He is the author of Death Resistant: A Common Sense Guide to Live Long and Drop Dead Healthy (also in Spanish), 13 Pounds in 30 Days, and MOA Nutrition.

Coach Mike gives the Death Resistant talk to senior centers, libraries, and community groups at no charge. Speaking details

Every new athlete's first session is free. Book it here

Media and podcast inquiries: coach@mightyoakathletic.com

More appearances: Big Questions with Cal Fussman