In this episode, Leana sits down with Bradley Martyn — fitness pioneer, entrepreneur, and one of the earliest creators in the social media fitness space. Bradley has been doing this for over 15 years, and this conversation goes far beyond fitness. He opens up about losing his father to suicide at age six, the anxiety that sent him to the ER four times, how psychedelics reshaped his view on life and death, and why being authentically himself has been the only strategy he has ever needed.
He built Zoo Culture from the ground up, is now expanding to Miami, and has quietly been one of the most copied creators in the industry — from his coaching model to his gym concept. This one is raw, reflective, and genuinely refreshing.
This one is for anyone who has ever questioned what they're building, why they're building it, and whether any of it actually matters.
Bradley and Leana get into:
Losing his father to suicide at age six and how grief quietly shaped everything
Health anxiety so severe he went to the ER four times in a row - and how he got out of it
Why proactive mental health practices matter more than reactive ones
How he found Instagram before anyone knew what it was - and built one of the earliest fitness followings
Posting every single day for eight years and what that kind of consistency actually costs you
Getting addicted to validation and what it took to grow out of it → Why he has always winged everything - and why it worked
Building Zoo Culture, almost not doing it, and why he undershot how big it would be
Zoo Culture Miami finally happening after three years of searching
Being one of the most copied creators in the fitness space and what that did to him
Why he keeps his relationships off the internet - and when he would change that
How to tell who is actually in your corner versus what you have built
Trust, loyalty, and why he stopped expecting people to show up the way he does
His views on God, religion, karma, and whether any of it adds up
What it means to be human - and why his answer comes back to love
"Everything we do is for love — to receive love, to give love. And all the stuff we've dressed it up as, money, success, notoriety — it's all just that." — Bradley Martyn
TOPICS DISCUSSED
(00:00) — Cold Open: Losing Faith, Losing a Father
(01:05) — Life Before Social Media: The Twitter & Instagram Beginnings
(04:22) — First Bodybuilding Shows & Early Instagram Fame
(08:48) — Losing His Father at Six
(10:31) — Views on Death, the Afterlife & the Soul
(11:52) — Battling Anxiety and Learning to Cope
(20:59) — Chasing Validation, Staying Authentic & Longevity Online
(27:54) — Building Zoo Culture Gym From the Ground Up
(37:37) — Faith, Karma & Questioning Religion(54:58) — Real Friendships, Relationships & What It Means to Be HumanStay connected with Leana Deeb:
Instagram: @leanadeebb / @beinghumannpodcast
TikTok: @leanadeeb / @beinghumannpod
Stay connected with Bradley Martyn:
Instagram: @bradleymartyn
TikTok: @bradleymartyn
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