#121: Making The Games - CrossFit Semi-Finalist Ellia Miller & US Army Warrior Fitness Team Athlete CPT Joe Pervall (CrossFit Games 2023)

The Jedburgh Podcast

Elite performance knows no boundaries. Whether conquering CrossFit or the battlefield, success requires the relentless pursuit of excellence. Often that relentless pursuit requires the willingness to put our bodies through pain in order for our minds to become stronger and more adaptable. It also requires us to do the dishes!

From the US Army Fitness Truck at the 2023 NOBULL CrossFit Games, Fran Racioppi and Jessie Graff are joined by Ellia Miller and CPT Joe Pervall, two leaders quickly rising in the CrossFit community and the military. Ellia spent years struggling with the perception of her body as she studied to become a doctor. She started CrossFit to lift weights and quickly lost almost 50 lbs, giving her a new take on life and putting fitness at the top of her priority list. She was one of the first women to serve in a US Army Infantry unit, where she physically dominated her male peers. She now follows her passion to compete in the CrossFit Games.

Joe is an athlete on the US Army Warrior Fitness Team and currently commands a US Army Special Forces Team where he leads our nation’s most elite soldiers in the defense of America. He also competes as an elite male in CrossFit using the mental, physical and emotional discipline he learned in Special Forces Selection and Assessment to drive him to earn results on the fitness stage.

Success in anything requires resilience, dedication, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. Tune in now to push your boundaries and reach new heights.

Learn more and read the transcript on The Jedburgh Podcast Website. Subscribe to us and follow @jedburghpodcast on all social media. Watch the full video version on YouTube.

Highlights:

• 0:00 Welcome to the CrossFit Games sauna
• 3:30 Ellia and Joe’s journey to CrossFit
• 7:17 Ellia becomes the only woman in an Infantry unit
• 14:08 Joe chooses shared suffering and training for Special Forces
• 16:03 Overcoming body perception to competing in Semifinals
• 28:28 Never fear making changes if it isn’t working
• 31:37 Balancing work, life and competing in CrossFit
• 37:59 Launching RISE Athletes
• 41:49 Ellia and Joe’s Daily Foundations to Success

Quotes:

• “The adrenaline spike came more from going into an Infantry unit as a female and feeling like I needed to prove myself.” (11:10)
• “I don’t want to be the female that sets the bad example.” (12:22)
• “You can also build a tolerance and comfortability in that place of pain.” (13:39)
• “In training you just have to put yourself in uncomfortable situations all the time.” (15:33)
• “I learned to be confident in my body for what it’s capable of instead of what it looks like.” (21:52)
• “I think it’s important to learn what you don’t like just as much as learning what you do like.” (37:36)

This episode is brought to you by US Army, Wodify, Hero Coffee, GORUCK & Compass Workforce Solutions.