When Loree Bolin was told she’d never run again, she didn’t just defy expectations — she redefined them.

At 70, Loree completed her 11th Ironman triathlon after years of battling knee osteoarthritis. But this isn’t just a story about sport. It’s about service.

A retired dentist and lifelong endurance athlete, Loree sold her practice at 60 to launch a nonprofit bringing medical and dental care to underserved communities across Tanzania. Her work now includes safehouses for girls fleeing forced marriage, business programs for widows, and a school for over 200 kids — all in regions where access to care and education was once nonexistent.

In this episode, Loree shares how sport fuels her purpose, how she rebuilt her knees without surgery, and why your most impactful years might be the ones still ahead.

🙌 Support Loree’s Work

Want to get involved with Health & Hope Foundation — or help fund their next school, clinic, or safehouse?
 Visit healthandhopefoundation.org
to donate or volunteer.

🎧 Love the Ageless Athlete Podcast?

If this episode moved you, share it with a friend — and leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your support helps us keep telling stories like Loree’s.

🧭 Topics & Timestamps

• [00:02:00] Why she left dentistry to pursue humanitarian work full time
• [00:08:00] Her first volunteer trips — and the moment that changed everything
• [00:14:00] Grandmothers breaking rocks, and the birth of a business program
• [00:21:00] Starting a school in rural Tanzania for 200+ kids
• [00:30:00] How she manages teams and funding from Seattle
• [00:39:00] What most people misunderstand about volunteering
• [00:43:00] Training for Ironman while traveling overseas
• [00:56:00] Cultural barriers, custom inspections, and resilience
• [01:06:00] Reversing osteoarthritis and getting back to racing
• [01:13:00] What Ironman feels like at 70
• [01:22:00] Strength, recovery, and mindset for long-term health
• [01:33:00] Her vision for the next decade — and advice for those wondering what’s next

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This quarter on Ageless Athlete brought together some of the most surprising and meaningful stories of the year — from record-setting endurance swimmers to rebel skateboarders, alpinists, paddlers, big-wall climbers, and athletes redefining what’s possible in their 60s and 70s.

Across ten very different conversations, one theme kept surfacing:
 Courage in uncomfortable places.

Not the loud kind — but the quiet courage that appears at the edge of uncertainty, identity, aging, and ambition.
 This “Best of Q3” highlight reel pulls together the moments that stayed with me long after the mics were off.

Featured Guests & Clips

This episode includes curated highlights from:

• Sonnie Trotter — Precision, conviction, and breaking big goals into tiny steps
• Judi Oyama — Rebellion, falling and rising again, skating with fire at 65
• Andy Donaldson — What the ocean reveals when everything falls apart
• Jamie Whitmore — Choosing light and purpose after cancer
• Andy McVittie — Making movement safe again; rebuilding confidence through simplicity
• Susan Marie Conrad — A night with whales, weather, and the wild in Alaska
• Jim Donini (Part I and II) — Partnership, trust, grief, and a lifetime in the mountains
• Seb Berthe — Integrity over convenience; sailing to the Dawn Wall
• Joan & Doug Beyerlein — Curiosity, partnership, and staying in motion at 75
• Chris Anthony — Mongolia, humility, and finding perspective far from home

What You’ll Learn

• Why courage often shows up in small, humble decisions
• How elite and everyday athletes navigate fear
• How aging can deepen, not diminish, athletic purpose
• The role of values, integrity, and long-term devotion
• What it means to reinvent yourself without losing yourself
• The emotional cost — and reward — of chasing a life in motion

Why This Episode Matters

More than athletic stories — they’re reminders of how to live.
 Every clip is a moment where someone stepped forward despite uncertainty, discomfort, or change.
 If one of these voices resonates, go back and listen to the full episodes from Q3 — each conversation goes far deeper than this highlight reel can capture.

Listen to the Original Episodes

All full episodes from Q3, 2025 can be found in all popular podcast apps or at www.agelessathlete.co

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What happens when you mix psychedelics with some of the most fearsome waves on Earth?
 What does it take to stay curious, joyful, and deeply alive—well into your 70s?

In this wide spanning conversation, legendary surfer Jock Sutherland joins Ageless Athlete to talk about the radical experiences, deep values, and spiritual practices that shaped his life—from surfing Pipeline in the 1960s to climbing mango trees and sharing fruit with neighbors at 77.

Raised off-grid on Oʻahu, Jock came of age paddling rivers, spearfishing, and spending summers with the “Hermit of Kalalau.” His mother, Audrey Sutherland—a pioneering solo paddler—raised him on a handwritten list of survival skills that included everything from “save someone drowning with available equipment” to “dance with any age.”

Jock opens up about:

• His early experiments with LSD, and why surfing while high never replaced the clarity of presence
• Why he left surfing at the height of his fame to join the Army
• The life lessons he learned from injury, reinvention, and working as a roofer for over 50 years
• How community, fruit bartering, and stretching classes help him age well
• And what it means to stay in love with movement, the ocean, and learning—at any age

This is a conversation about psychedelics, surfing, reinvention, and awe—but more than anything, it’s about how to live with wonder, even as the decades pass.

🔥 Topics & Timestamps

0:00 – The sourdough, marmalade, and mango trade that fuels Jock’s mornings
 5:00 – What it means to be the “one-man fruit distributor of Oʻahu”
 13:00 – Summers with the Hermit of Kalalau and Audrey Sutherland’s list of life skills
 22:00 – Surfing Pipeline: early fear, speed, and beauty
 30:00 – LSD, consciousness, and why surfing high didn’t last
 38:00 – Leaving pro surfing to join the Army
 48:00 – Rooftops, reinvention, and building a different kind of life
 58:00 – Staying active at 76: stretching, herbs, and still surfing
 1:05:00 – On legacy, parenting, and feeling unfinished
 1:10:00 – “Too old to start?” Jock’s answer
 1:14:00 – The billboard message he’d leave for Hawaiʻi

📚 References & Mentions

• Audrey Sutherland’s list of life skills: via The New Yorker
  
  
• Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard (Patagonia
  )
• Fierce Grace – Documentary on Ram Dass
• The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship
• Thai herbal supplements mentioned by Jock (no official site – listeners should research independently)

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After 60 years in the weight room, Dan John has distilled fitness down to its essence:
Move well. Lift often. Walk every day. Recover deeply.

In this conversation, Dan joins host Kush Khandelwal to share the universal rules for staying strong and mobile through every decade — especially for climbers, runners, and outdoor athletes looking to balance performance and longevity.

They unpack how fit literally means “to knit” — body, mind, and life woven together — and how that philosophy can guide everything from how you train and eat to how you recover and show up for others.

Topics include:

• How to train for decades without breaking down or burning out
• The six fundamental movement patterns for lifelong mobility
• How to integrate mobility into your strength sessions — without extra time
• Walking as a cornerstone of strength and recovery
• How to structure strength training alongside endurance sports
• The art of recovery and “everyday strength”
• Why ritual matters more than motivation
• The difference between hurt, injury, and agony — and how to manage each
• Dan’s blunt but liberating three rules: Don’t get fat. Don’t get debt. Don’t stop walking.

This is a conversation about strength, yes — but also about meaning, consistency, and how to build a body and life that last.

📚 REFERENCES & RESOURCES MENTIONED

🧭 Dan John Resources

• Website: https://danjohnuniversity.com/
  
  
• YouTube: Dan John Strength Coach
  
  
• Articles & Programs: available through DanJohn University

📘 Books by Dan John

• 40 Years With a Whistle — Reflections on coaching, teaching, and staying curious
• Never Let Go — Essays on strength, life lessons, and long-term consistency
• Easy Strength (with Pavel Tsatsouline) — How to get stronger by doing less, smarter
• Attempts: Essays on Fitness, Health, and Long-Term Thinking
• Intervention — A framework for identifying what truly matters in training and life
• From Dad, To Grad, and Beyond — A rare personal collection mentioned during the episode

📗 Other Books & Thinkers Mentioned

• 
  
• Life Lessons from a Remarkable Coach: Percy Cerutty by Alastair Gunn — On the pioneer who inspired “Easy Strength” principles
• Original Strength by Tim Anderson — Movement resets and mobility foundations (discussed in his “Tonic Thursdays”)
• Gift of Injury by Dr. Stuart McGill — On spinal health and walking as medicine
• Gray’s Anatomy — Referenced when explaining the complexity of wrists, ankles, and small joints

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If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter ! 

1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

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Imagine growing up in the conservative Deep South, where young women were expected to play it safe

Now imagine trading that world for Himalayan storms, frozen walls, and a seven-year stretch of living out of a Subaru to chase something bigger.

Kitty Calhoun did exactly that. She became the first North American woman to summit Dhaulagiri and the first woman to climb Makalu’s West Pillar—two of the hardest, highest peaks on Earth. Along the way she’s survived avalanches, eight-day storms, and the loneliness of cutting new lines where no woman had before.

But at 65, Kitty’s story isn’t about danger or glory—it’s about clarity. About the discipline, focus, and simplicity that have allowed her to keep climbing, mentoring, and living fully decades after most people would have retired their harness.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Growing up in the Deep South and breaking gender barriers in one of the world’s most male-dominated arenas
• What surviving a Himalayan storm taught her about resilience and priorities
• How seven years of minimalist living shaped her philosophy on focus and freedom
• The difference between chasing summits and finding meaning in the climb itself
• What she’s learned about longevity, humility, and living with purpose at 65

Kitty also shares how she’s passing her lessons forward—through mentoring younger women, climate advocacy, and a renewed connection to simplicity in an age of excess.

This episode is for anyone who’s ever wondered how to stay passionate, grounded, and physically vibrant as the years go by—and how courage can evolve from proving yourself to knowing yourself.

🔑 Takeaways

• Discipline is freedom; simplicity sharpens focus.
• Strength doesn’t fade with age—it refines.
• True leadership is opening doors for others, not standing on top of them.
• The outdoors isn’t an escape—it’s a mirror.

📚 References & Links

• Kitty Calhoun – Protect Our Winters
  
  
• TEDx Talk: “Last Ascents” by Kitty Calhoun
  
  
• Patagonia Profile: Kitty Calhoun
  
  

📸 Jay Smith

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Nutrition advice is everywhere — and most of it overcomplicates what should be simple.
 In this replay, EC Synkowski, founder of Optimize Me Nutrition and creator of the 800-Gram Challenge, shares a refreshingly practical approach to fueling performance, recovery, and longevity.

She’s coached CrossFit athletes, corporate teams, and everyday movers — and she’s one of the most grounded, science-based voices in nutrition today.

🧠 What You’ll Learn

• The 800-Gram Challenge: a data-driven, no-BS way to eat more fruits and vegetables
• How much protein we really need (and why “more” isn’t always better)
• Why consistency beats restriction for long-term health
• How to eat well when you’re on the road, in the mountains, or living out of a van
• What truly matters more than supplements for living long and strong

🥦 About EC Synkowski

EC is a licensed dietitian, CrossFit seminar staff alum, and the creator of The Consistency Project podcast. Through her brand Optimize Me Nutrition, she helps people cut through the noise of fad diets with simple frameworks that actually work.

🌐 optimizemenutrition.com

 📸 Instagram: @optimizemenutrition

🎙️ Podcast: The Consistency Project

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At 59, Charlotte Brynn has swum across some of the world’s most punishing channels — in pitch black, in near-freezing water, and even after being bitten by a shark. But her story is more than toughness.

It’s about what happens when you don’t reach your goal — not once, but five times. It’s about staying in the fight for 12 years to complete the English Channel. And it’s about discovering that real strength isn't just physical — it's the willingness to try again, and again, and again.

In this conversation, we cover:

• What it’s like to swim a full ice mile (41°F water, no wetsuit, no room for error)
• The shark bite during her Catalina Channel swim — and why she kept going
• Why she failed the English Channel five times — and why the sixth attempt finally worked
• How she learned to let go of outcome and embrace self-love
• Coaching insights that go far beyond swimming: discomfort, confidence jars, and showing up
• What “ageless” really means when you’ve swum through jellyfish, sewage, and self-doubt

This episode is a masterclass in resilience, identity, and choosing growth over comfort — no matter your age.

🔗 Resources + Mentions

• Charlotte’s site: brynnswim.com
  
  
• The Swimming Hole (Vermont): theswimmingholestowe.com
  
  
• International Ice Swimming Association: iceswimming.com
  
  
• Charlotte’s 28.5-mile Manhattan Island Swim: NYC Swim
  
  
• Joan Weisberg, past guest and friend of Charlotte — hear her story in [“Out of the Box at 75” → Episode #92]

---

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What does it take to climb into the unknown — when you can’t see the way forward?

Erik Weihenmayer is one of the most accomplished adventure athletes of our time. The first blind person to summit Mount Everest, he has since climbed the Seven Summits, led expeditions around the world, and kayaked the full 277 miles of the Grand Canyon. Now 56, Erik continues to seek awe and discomfort — from the storm-battered granite towers of the Bugaboos to the whitewater chaos of the Colorado River.

But this episode isn’t about past headlines. It’s about fire. About why Erik calls the outdoors “the greatest laboratory for learning.” About how aging reshapes goals without dimming curiosity. About the difference between fear that paralyzes and fear that sharpens. And about the daily experiments in trust, grit, and reinvention that make a life feel ageless.

If you’ve ever felt like your best adventures are behind you, Erik’s story is a reminder: the summit isn’t a peak on a map. It’s the choice to keep moving into uncertainty, one step, one breath at a time.

In This Episode:

• What the Bugaboos taught Erik about patience, fire, and partnership
• From hating hiking as a teen to discovering the outdoors as a lifelong teacher
• How he climbs by feel and trust — and the most intense “unknown” he’s faced on a wall
• The reality of kayaking blind through Class V rapids in the Grand Canyon
• How aging has shifted his goals and risk calculus at 56
• Life outside the mountains: family, home, and the small rituals that keep him grounded
• What fulfillment means now: summits vs. unlocking others’ potential
• Why “No Barriers” is more than a slogan — it’s a mindset for every season of life

References & Resources

Erik’s book: No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon — Amazon link

Erik’s organization: No Barriers USA
Erik’s website: erikweihenmayer.com

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What does it look like to age curiously, train smarter, and build a life of meaning—together?

Meet Joan Weisberg-Beyerlein and Doug Beyerlein: partners in life, love, and adventure. At 75, Joan is training for a 10-mile open water swim in Vermont. Doug is still running ultramarathons and logging 3-hour trail runs for fun. Between them, they’ve overcome addiction, burnout, injury, and the daily cultural script that says we should be slowing down by now.

In this lively, thoughtful, and often hilarious conversation, we unpack:

• How Joan went from overweight and smoking to marathon runner at 30—and then started swimming ag 65
• Doug’s journey from high school chess club president to finishing over 70 ultramarathons
• How they met later in life and built a bond rooted in adventure, reinvention, and play
• What it means to train with intention, embrace adaptive nutrition, and keep redefining yourself
• How to live so fully that you end up educating your own doctor about aging

This episode is about more than swimming or ultrarunning. It’s about living with joy, curiosity, and self-awareness—at any age.

🧠 Key Takeaways

• 🎯 You’re never too old to change your story—from addiction or burnout to high performance
• 🥗 What “adaptive nutrition” actually looks like in your 70s—and why one-size-fits-all fails us as we age
• 🧘 How injury can become a gateway to deeper self-awareness and healing
• ❤️ The joy of doing hard things together and how love itself can be an act of reinvention
• 🧪 Aging well = training the mind, body, and spirit with intention and playfulness

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What does it take to bet everything on a dream? To live out of a van before it was fashionable, to commit to hard lines with no guarantee of success, and to walk away from risk when the stakes are too high?

For Canadian climber Sonnie Trotter, it has always come down to conviction. From iconic ascents like Cobra Crack and The Path to bold multi-pitch routes on El Capitan, Sonnie has built a career — and a life — around the power of desire and the art of going all in.

In this episode, Sonnie opens up about:

• The moment on Mount Stephen with Tommy Caldwell when he chose family over risk — and why that decision shaped his climbing life.
• What it means to reverse-engineer objectives, breaking down the impossible into repeatable steps that anyone can apply to sport, career, or life.
• The reality of van life with young kids — the chaos, the beauty, and the lessons in resilience.
• Why desire matters more than talent in chasing audacious goals.
• How sleep, recovery, and health now stand as his most important climbing priorities.

This is not just a climbing story. It’s a conversation about awe, identity, and how to keep your fire alive — whether you’re chasing 5.14 cracks or simply trying to stay true to your path in midlife.

Stay to the end: Sonnie shares his philosophy on legacy, why life is shorter than we think (in the most liberating sense), and how to pursue what matters with urgency and love.

Sonnie's Instagram

Sonnie's book - Uplifted! 

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If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter ! 

1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

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