#411 Joel Runyon: How Endurance Prepared Him to Fight a Billion Dollar Company
Joel Runyon is the founder of Impossible, a performance brand built around pushing physical and mental limits through endurance, entrepreneurship, and mindset. From running ultra-marathons on every continent to building tools that help others tackle the "impossible," Joel embodies high-agency living. He’s also the underdog in a multi-year legal battle with Impossible Foods over trademark rights—one that’s testing everything he’s built.
Joel Runyon joins the show to unpack how he built the Impossible brand from scratch—starting in his parents’ basement with nothing but a list of goals that felt out of reach. He shares how endurance sports shaped his mindset, how he turned a blog into a movement, and what it's been like facing off in court against a $2 billion food tech company. This is a deep dive into high-agency thinking, resilience in the face of adversity, and the mindset it takes to defend what you’ve built when the stakes are high.
What we cover:
- Starting Impossible from his parents' basement
- Turning a blog into a global brand
- Being sued by Impossible Foods
- Lessons from endurance applied to business
- Managing stress while building under pressure
Go check out what Joel is building at his websites:
Impossible.co and Impossible.org
*** LINKS***
Check out our supplement company - Noble Origins- 100% grass-fed beef protein with added collagen, colostrum and organs
- Use code MAFIA25 for 25% OFF your order
Check out our Newsletter - Food for Thought - to dramatically improve your health this year!
Join The Meat Mafia community Telegram group for daily conversations to keep up with what’s happening between episodes of the show.
Connect with Joel:
X
Impossible Website
Connect with Brett:
Instagram
Connect with Harry:
Instagram
X
Connect with Meat Mafia:
Instagram - Meat Mafia
X - Meat Mafia
YouTube - Meat Mafia
Connect with Noble Protein:
Website - Noble Protein
X - Noble Protein
Instagram - Noble Protein
AFFILIATES
Joel Runyon joins the show to unpack how he built the Impossible brand from scratch—starting in his parents’ basement with nothing but a list of goals that felt out of reach. He shares how endurance sports shaped his mindset, how he turned a blog into a movement, and what it's been like facing off in court against a $2 billion food tech company. This is a deep dive into high-agency thinking, resilience in the face of adversity, and the mindset it takes to defend what you’ve built when the stakes are high.
What we cover:
- Starting Impossible from his parents' basement
- Turning a blog into a global brand
- Being sued by Impossible Foods
- Lessons from endurance applied to business
- Managing stress while building under pressure
Go check out what Joel is building at his websites:
Impossible.co and Impossible.org
*** LINKS***
Check out our supplement company - Noble Origins- 100% grass-fed beef protein with added collagen, colostrum and organs
- Use code MAFIA25 for 25% OFF your order
Check out our Newsletter - Food for Thought - to dramatically improve your health this year!
Join The Meat Mafia community Telegram group for daily conversations to keep up with what’s happening between episodes of the show.
Connect with Joel:
X
Impossible Website
Connect with Brett:
Connect with Harry:
X
Connect with Meat Mafia:
Instagram - Meat Mafia
X - Meat Mafia
YouTube - Meat Mafia
Connect with Noble Protein:
Website - Noble Protein
X - Noble Protein
Instagram - Noble Protein
AFFILIATES
- LMNT - Electrolyte salts to supplement minerals on low-carb diet
- The Carnivore Bar - Use Code 'MEATMAFIA' for 10% OFF - Delicious & convenient Pemmican Bar
- Perennial Pastures - Use CODE 'MEATMAFIA' 10% OFF - Regeneratively raised, grass-fed & grass-finished beef from California & Montana
- Farrow Skincare - Use CODE 'MEATMAFIA' at checkout for 20% OFF
- Heart & Soil - CODE ‘MEATMAFIA’ for 10% OFF - enhanced nutrition to replace daily vitamins!
- Carnivore Snax - Use CODE 'MEATMAFIA' Crispy, airy meat chips that melt in your mouth. Regeneratively raised in the USA.
- Pluck Seasoning - 15% OFF - Nutrient-dense seasoning with INSANE flavor! Use CODE: MEATMAFIA
- We Feed Raw 25% OFF your first order - ancestrally consistent food for your dog! Use CODE 'MEATMAFIA'
- Fond Bone Broth - 15% OFF - REAL bone broth with HIGH-QUALITY ingredients! It’s a daily product for us! Use CODE: MAFIA
- Maui Nui- 15% OFF. Use CODE: MEATMAFIA
Creators and Guests
Host
Brett Ender 🥩⚡️
The food system is corrupt and trying to poison us... I will teach you how to fight back. Co-Host of @meatmafiamedia 🥩
