Behind the Bluff
Behind the Bluff is where wellness meets community. Through conversations with experts, leaders, and members, we explore health, longevity, leadership, and the intentional choices that help us live with purpose. Every episode closes with Healthy Momentum—practical inspiration to help you live with greater intention.
Episodes
138 episodes
Small Details Turn Service Into Care | Yesi Barrientos
Great service is table stakes. What people remember is how you made them feel when nobody “had to” do anything extra. We’re joined by Yesi Barrientos, Director of Food and Beverage Service at Palmetto Bluff, for a grounded conversation about ho...
What's Your Eating Personality? | Lindsay Ford
Food can turn into a test you either “pass” or “fail” and that pressure shows up in ways most of us don’t notice until we’re exhausted by it. Jeffrey Ford is joined by registered dietitian Lindsay Ford to talk about the part of nutrition that g...
Making Big Events Feel Small | Stephanie Sekula
A 2,000-person Fourth of July party with limited power and no kitchen sounds like a nightmare on paper, yet at Palmetto Bluff it can still feel strangely personal. I’m joined by Stephanie Sekula, our Director of Special Events, to talk about wh...
Why Leg Strength Matters More Than You Think
One fall can change everything, and that’s why we’re putting the spotlight where it belongs: your legs. After months away from recording together, we’re back in a new space and diving into a topic that hits home for anyone who wants to stay act...
Great Experiences Don't Happen By Accident | Ashley Turner
Something always goes sideways when you’re running an outdoor event, and that’s exactly why this conversation matters. I’m joined by Ashley Turner, golf tournament and events director at Palmetto Bluff, to unpack the behind the scenes reality o...
Constant Corrections | Pete Cawley
Flying a plane is not about locking the controls and hoping for the best. It’s about noticing drift and making constant, small corrections, and that single idea turned into one of my favorite metaphors for wellness, discipline, and living with ...
Happy, Never Satisfied | Michael Gardner
Retirement is supposed to be the finish line, but what happens when the freedom starts to feel like you’re drifting? We’re joined by Michael Gardner, Director of Retail Operations at Palmetto Bluff, to talk about purpose, progress, and the real...
A Sound Bath Can Teach You To Slow Down | Sydney Donaldson
Your body might be tired, but your brain is still sprinting and that’s the problem. We sit down with Palmetto Bluff yoga teacher Sydney Donaldson to talk about why sound baths have become a surprisingly powerful doorway into real rest, especial...
Wellness Built Together | Jason Alexiou
They moved 15 bikes into a chapel, opened the doors, taped out spacing, and kept a community training when the world shut down. That story is just the start of my conversation with Jason Alexio, a coach and leader who helped shape the wellness ...
Design Today. Don't Assume Tomorrow. | Dr. Michael Brown
Tomorrow feels guaranteed right up until it isn’t, and that quiet assumption shapes everything from our health habits to our closest relationships. Jeff Ford sits down with Dr. Michael Brown, executive coach and host of the Three Words Podcast,...
Oral Health Is A Missing Piece of Longevity | Dr. Jeffrey Solomon
Your mouth is not separate from your body, and it might be the most overlooked “dashboard” for long-term health. We’re joined by Dr. Jeffrey Solomon, founder of Old Moreland Dental, to talk about how oral health connects to longevity, inflammat...
Healthy Momentum: The Power of Perspective
A new fitness center can feel like the headline, but the real story is what happens around it. We pause for a short solo reflection before Behind the Bluff returns to long-form guest interviews, and I share why one word keeps surfacing for me r...
Inside Look: PBCardio - Building Endurance and Power
Cardio has a branding problem. Too many of us still picture long, steady treadmill miles and call it a day, even though our bodies adapt best when we train across different intensities. Jeff Ford closes out the Inside Look series by unpacking P...
Inside Look: PB Mixed - Where Strength Meets Conditioning
You can work hard and still train smart, and PB Mixed is our clearest proof. We’re pulling back the curtain on the Palmetto Bluff Club Fitness Center format that blends functional strength and conditioning into one dynamic, full-body session bu...
Inside Look: PBStrong - Building Strength For Life
Strength has a PR problem. For years, it’s been sold as something you do for looks or for sport, but most of us want something much more meaningful: the ability to live with confidence. Getting up from the floor, carrying groceries, lifting lug...
Why Movement Control Changes Everything | Maria Lucey
Life moves fast, and most of us respond by moving faster right along with it, in the gym and everywhere else. Jeff Ford sits down with Palmetto Bluff fitness specialist Maria Lucy to slow the whole thing down and get specific about what actuall...
Travel Pulls Us Out of Autopilot And Back Into Life | Debbie Haas
Travel can do more than change your scenery. It can change your physiology, your mood, and the way you show up in your relationships. I sit down with travel industry leader Debbie Haas to unpack the real connection between travel and wellness, ...
Inside Look: New Fitness Center FAQs
The new Palmetto Bluff Club Fitness Center is close enough to feel real, and far enough out to raise a lot of fair questions. I’m Jeff Ford, and this quick bonus FAQ gives you a clean, no-spin update on where we are right now, what’s happening ...
Strength Is Built When You Decide To Change | Mike Ruppert
One of the hardest moments in life is realizing you are not ready when it matters most. Palmetto Bluff member Michael Ruppert takes us back to being a 5'8", 129-pound teenager in EMT and firefighter training, struggling to lift patients and ope...
Inside Look: The New Fitness Center
A wellness program can grow in two directions: more noise, or more purpose. We’re choosing purpose, and we’re sharing the full member presentation so you can understand exactly why Palmetto Bluff is expanding, what’s changing inside the new Clu...
Pilates for People Who Think Pilates Doesn't Work | Maura Clifford
Pilates has a reputation problem. Some people think it’s “just stretching,” others think it’s only for certain bodies, and plenty of strong lifters try one class, feel nothing, and write it off. We sit down with Maura Clifford, an NPCP certifie...
Same Standard, Different Season | Mitchell Wendling
We sit down with Mitchell Wendling to unpack how a former college athlete becomes a wellness leader by leaning on discipline, seasons of training, and simple systems. We keep coming back to one idea that cuts through the noise: train hard, then...
Wellness Isn't Complicated - We Just Forgot the Recipe | Lynn De Witte
Wellness didn’t used to feel like homework. It used to look like a garden out back, a pot simmering on the stove, and neighbors who actually knew each other. I’m joined by Lynn De Witte, creator of Le Petit Jardin, to talk about what we’ve lost...