Balanced Pursuits

Balanced Pursuits

By Kristi Leskinen & Jen HudakSociety & CulturePlaces & Travel
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Balanced Pursuits episodes

  • Episode 23: Maryguenn Villenga-Hinz
    This week we sit down with Maryguenn Vellinga-Hinz, known in her circle as MG, is a boxer, entrepreneur, mother & wife. She was born and raised in Santaquin, UT, but is now based in Park City, which is where our paths first crossed. MG fought her first bout in 2010 and is now ranked #3 by USA Boxing in the 112 pound weight class and has numerous national & international titles to her name including 2018 Golden Glove National Silver Medalist and 2015 Ringside International Silver Medalist.
    In 2018, MG is founded RISE Boxing - a fitness boxing studio that utilizes all the benefits of boxing to strengthen both body & mind. Her mission is to spread her love of boxing with the community and continue to grow women’s boxing through this gym. MG is a force in and out of the ring. She has a sharp focus that allows her to maintain balance with a massively full plate comprised of training, running a business & being a mom. Excited to share this one with you all! So hope you enjoy!
    56 min
  • Episode 22: Caroline Gleich - You can’t Be What you can’t see
    Caroline Gleich is a professional ski mountaineer and adventurer based in Park City, UT. She’s graced the cover of Powder, Backcountry & Ski Magazines and appeared in a ski films. But beyond being an athlete, Caroline uses her voice to advocate for social and environmental causes to bring awareness to issues like climate change, clean air, gender equality and cyber harassment. We caught up with Caroline during one of the craziest years of her life.
    Caroline’s goal is to inspire people to get outside, live a healthy, active lifestyle and protect the places we love to play. There may not be anyone better for the job. Caroline shares so much with us in this episode from what it means to use your voice for change to how to ignore your naysayers & believe in your wildest dreams.
    1 hr 9 min
  • Episode 21: Phil Costa - Navigating Major Life Transitions
    Phil Costa is a former starting center for the Dallas Cowboys. After retiring from football, he worked as a medical device salesman, assisting heart surgeons during more than 500 operations. And in 2018, Phil graduated with an MBA from Columbia Business School. All of this makes it sound like he transitioned smoothly out of sport without struggle, but as you’ll learn in this interview, that was not the case.
    Phil faced challenges in his retirement process that he wasn’t expecting and wasn’t prepared for. After navigating the transition, he realized that there was a void in the market for resources to support athletes as they face this transition out of sport. It was then that he decided to write a book. Phil co-authored the book The Transition Playbook for ATHLETES, How Elite Athletes WIN After Sports in which he interviews 100+ athletes about their transition process and shares their best strategies & tips.
    1 hr 1 min
  • Episode 19: Kelly Clark - What An Opportunity

    This might be our favorite interview of all. Kelly Clark was an early pioneer in women’s snowboarding and a women that both Kristi & I looked toward for inspiration throughout our careers. She is incredibly wise, grounded, and committed to leaving a legacy that motivates others to live their fullest lives.

    In This Episode We Discuss:

    Kelly’s wakeup call with her strength and conditioning

    How her 2002 Olympic Gold Medal catapulted Kelly into deep reflection about what she had been seeking for her life

    Why Kelly’s work to understand her identity helped her reconnect with snowboarding

    How being internally motivated is the key to Kelly’s success

    How her motto of “what an opportunity” transformed her competitive career

    Tweetables:

    “Success won’t fulfill you.”

    “I looked my whole life to be successful, but at the end of the day, I didn’t want to just be successful I wanted to matter.”

    “Sudden success is easy, but sustained success is very difficult.”

    “I’ve learned to value the things that no one sees more than the things that everyone sees.”

    “You can’t really have a victory unless you have a fight.”

    “You value things based on what they cost you.”

    “Things are either a threat or an opportunity. I just chose over and over again to look at things as an opportunity.”

    Thought ExperIment:

    Kelly’s outlook on facing challenges and hard times through her life and career is incredibly powerful. She has made the choice, time and again, to see obstacles as opportunities and it seems this has played a large role in her success. So, how can you look at a challenge you’re facing and start seeking the opportunity in it? Let us know in the comments below!

    Resources:

    Follow Kelly on Instagram @thekellyclark

    Order your copy of Inspired: Pursuit of Progress

    See how Kelly is giving back to the next generation throgh the Kelly Clark Foundation

    1 hr 12 min
  • Episode 18: Jen Gurecki - Using Business as a Tool for Radical Change
    Hey friends! Welcome back to the Balanced Pursuits Podcast! This week’s guest is Jen Gurecki, the co-founder & CEO of Coalition Snow, a women’s ski and snowboard company designed to deconstruct the status quo. We have a very raw and honest discussion with Jen about the state of the outdoor industry & how to use business as a tool for radical change.
    Jen is not shy about sharing her opinion on how we, as a society, can do better for marginalized communities. She’s committed her career to this work not only through Coalition Snow, but also through Zawadisha, a social enterprise whose mission is to provide small loans to rural Kenyan women, and Sisu Magazine, a quarterly print publication whose focus is to uncover the untold stories of the outdoors.
    1 hr
  • Episode 17: Taylor Killian - Purpose is what Gets you Through
    This week we have the honor of introducing you to Taylor Killian! Taylor is the co-founder and creative director of And She’s Dope Too, a world-wide adventure collective of women that he and his wife Jenn started. Their mission is to connect people & planet with perspective & purpose. They’ve done this by completely stripping away the compare-and-compete culture that is so prevalent in our media today. ASDT encourages women from all walks of life and of every ability level to get out with them. They’ve created rendezvous & retreats that allow women to feel 100% comfortable in their own skin while trying new and exciting things.
    Taylor is also the father to four kids, a photographer & filmmaker and the Creative Director for And She’s Dope Too and Lady Wild Film Festival. We’ll dive into all the details of these endeavors in our conversation. Today’s episode may bring you to tears (as it did me), while Taylor shares how he balances family, business, community, and giving-back. He’s a true example of how to leave the world better than you found it & it’s an honor to have him on today’s show.
    56 min
  • Episode 16: Answering Your Questions!
    This week, Kristi & I sit down to answer some of the best questions we’ve received on Instagram since starting this podcast. We’re doing this podcast for you, after all, so we want to make sure you’re getting everything out of it you can!
    33 min
  • Episode 15: Lane Merrifield - Being Aligned In The Why
    We’re so excited to share our conversation with Lane Merrifield with you! Kristi & I both met Lane at Baldface Lodge separately, four years apart. But it was the same qualities in Lane that struck us both. He’s one of the most down-to-earth, welcoming, engaging, and interested people we’ve ever met. Yes, interest-ED (also interest-ing, but we’re sticking with ED for now). He truly wants to connect and learn from everyone he encounters now matter how different their respective walks-of-life may be.
    Lane has achieved a level of business and financial success that many of us could only dream of, but it’s not his success itself that we admire, but how grounded, unchanged, and unattached to it he is. Lane has maintained a level perspective and always remains focused on how he can contribute to the world around him.
    1 hr 1 min
  • Episode 14: Circe Wallace - Living a Meaningful Life
    Circe Wallace is a woman you want in your corner. She’s walked an incredibly unique path through this life and has so much to share. Circe was an early pioneer in the women’s snowboard movement as an athlete and she now represents some of the biggest names in action sports as the VP of Action Sports & Olympics for Wasserman Media Group. But that’s not all, she’s an entrepreneur (twice over), a producer, mother, and advocate for social change.
    47 min

About Balanced Pursuits

From the publisher's feed

A podcast for dreamers & doers, Balanced Pursuits is hosted by all-around badasses, extreme sport athletes and television personalities, Kristi Leskinen & Jen Hudak. Each episode, Kristi &…