Balanced Pursuits

Jim Harris sustained a spine injury in 2014 and his life was ever-changed. He's made an incredible recovery and sits down with Kristi & Jen to discuss what it has taken to return to his life in the mountains.

This week we have the pleasure of sharing Sarah Herron with all of you! If you’re a reality TV fan, her face may look familiar from her time on The Bachelor. But, that show was just the beginning for Sarah and the impact she’ll bring to this world.

Sarah Herron is a Colorado native who gained her notoriety on ABC’s The Bachelor for being the first contestant with a physical disability. Sarah was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, but it hasn’t stopped her from climbing mountains, skiing double black diamonds and even searching for love on television.

It was the outreach of young women who watched and related to Sarah on the show that inspired her to start the nonprofit, SheLift and A Course in Confidence. Sarah wants to share with other women that whether it's on the slopes, on a trail or on a show... finding love is possible, and it starts with loving yourself.

This week Kristi & Jen sit down to explore goal-setting in a way that isn’t commonly addressed. While we value the message of setting S.M.A.R.T. goals, we felt there was enough information about the technical aspect of setting goals. We wanted to dive into the underlying psychological component of pursuing & achieving your goals. Pursuing a goal that isn’t right for you will require immense will-power. But when you’ve found a compelling internal reason to pursue a goal, no will-power is required.

Kimmy Fasani is a household name in the snowboard industry. She’s set a precedent for what it means to be an athlete, advocate, and ambassador by shattering glass ceilings throughout her 16-year pro career. Kimmy was the first woman to do a double backflip in the park and in the backcountry, she is the mastermind behind the Amusement Park and Amusement MTN events, and in 2016, her talents were acknowledged as she won “Rider of the Year” for her standout video part in Absinthe Films’ 2016 film, AfterForever.

This week we interview Chris Davenport. A two-time World Champion big-mountain skier based in Aspen, Colorado. What has impressed us most about Chris is not that he’s summited Everest or skied the 100 highest peaks in Colorado or raise three-humans (all skiers) with his wife, but that he has managed to transition through numerous evolutions as skier to maintain a 25-year professional athletic career. It’s uncommon for people to have a 25-year career doing anything, let alone skiing, but Chris has figured out how.

Do you associate feminine qualities with weakness and masculine qualities with strength, even subconsciously? Do you see that as a problem? Have you ever found yourself acting a certain way because that’s how you think you’re supposed to act?

Our hope is that after listening to this episode with this week’s guest Amy Stanton, you’ll reflect on some of your own masculine and feminine qualities and think about how those traits can better serve you in reaching your goals.

Maybe it’s a simple as changing the way you think about those traits. Perhaps, if you recognize how you use those qualities, you can actually choose to tap into them differently in certain situations. And MAYBE, just maybe, you have more tools in your toolbox than you ever knew!`

This week’s guest is one-of-a-kind. Lindsey Richter is the founder and Director of Inspiration for Ladies AllRide, a women’s mountain bike clinic series that travels the US. Her larger-than-life personality may have gotten her into trouble on reality television (Season 3 of Survivor), but has allowed her to lead women into personal transformation on their mountain bikes. Lindsey goes deep in this episode and gives us a whole new perspective on growth through pain and suffering.

This week on the podcast, Kristi & I take on the task of discussing a complex topic: the pursuit of female equality in sport (and life). Our goal is to explore the path to achieving equality for women in sports. Simply put, we want more women & girls to play sports and strongly believe that fighting for equality for professional female athletes is a major part of the solution.

You ever come across one of those people that you just get wrong? Sierra Quitiquit is one of the most misunderstood women in the ski industry. All too easy to dismiss her talents and work ethic because of her stunning looks. (Shame on us.) It’s been an honor to get to know Sierra over the last couple years & it’s even more of a privilege to share her story with you.

To put it frankly, Sierra has been through some SHIT in her life. Through it all, she has managed to maintain a grounded, positive, and grateful perspective on the gift of life. She’s learned to use her heart as her compass, has worked her ass off for her successes and is here to tell us how we can too.

You know those people that you meet and you think "is this really your life?!" Alyssa is one of those people. A self-professed storyteller, Alyssa has spent her life learning to hone her curiosity and talkative nature into a successful career. It all started in elementary school with reading the morning announcements to help redirect those tendencies...

Alyssa has gone on to have a prolific career as sports writer & broadcaster for ESPN. Not only does she cover traditional ball sports, she has carved out a niche in the outdoor adventure and action sports realms. Think X-Games: skateboarding, snowboarding, freeskiing and ski-mountaineering. She's also been to seven Olympics covering both summer & winter sports.

In this episode you'll learn:

How to better yourself through failures

The value of broadening your perspective

How Alyssa got on the phone with Noam Chomsky & Bear Grylls

The real reason for the "X" in X-Games

How she learned to ask for what she wants

What stories aren't told from the Olympics