Becoming Human

Peter Butler builds custom skis, using art and engineering to create a medium to experience skiing. 

When you build something that people use to have an experience your work, your art, your point of view directly affects their experience doing what they love.. It’s art embodied.

Peter Butler is a Ski mountaineer, Ski Builder, and Carpenter. Peter has been refining his ski-building skills creating niche skis for a range of purposes. Peter and I talk about the process of building skis, pursuing your passion adjacent to a general skill, knowing what you prioritize as a hobby and profession and, ski mountaineering.

You can check out Peter’s photos and ski builds on Instagram @thelongride

Play is a powerful experience that connects us to another and teaches us about ourselves.

Rafe Kelley has combined his experience with meta-learning, self-development, and physical recreation to create classes, workshops, retreats, and a community that facilitates the space for self-discovery, joy, and a sense of belonging. 

As people, we crave some semblance of a challenge to connect with one another. We’re fortunate enough to live in an age where the work for and demands of survival are less severe.

We can access the same pathways of our experience by finding voluntary forms of play that stimulate us in ways reminiscent of another time. 

To learn more about Rafe’s classes and podcast go to evolvemoveplay.com

Bruce MacLachlan is a writer, rock climber, and interior designer who has launched a Kickstarter for his rock-climbing book, Let’s Rock: Washington which is a book about rock climbing routes, how to access the routes and camp nearby, local activities, and beta of the routes. 

The routes in Bruce’s book are centered around climbing and living in Seattle, Washington.

Bruce learned to climb through the rock climbing gyms in the Seattle area and he started organizing meet-ups with fellow climbers to explore climbing objectives of Washington and abroad. Bruce shares his rock climbing information from the perspective of a beginner and intermediate sport climber. Bruce provides a brief overview of his favorite areas while deferring to the crag’s guidebook for in-depth knowledge 

Bruce has received backlash from the climbing community in Washington, especially from route developers. The main contention is that he released information about areas that were still under development, no longer had legal access for anyone in the climbing community, or might of been a secret spot with limited attention. This highlights something larger which is the divergence between route setters at crags, the people that climb the routes, and the institutions in cities that teach some of those climbers. I want to learn about these relationships between everyone in the climbing communities and this tension that I stumbled into is my first go at it. You can check out route setter’s counterpoints here: Mountain Project

The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple, and love without measure.

Jodi Kuhn is a Physical Therapist at Physiocare with over 20 years of experience.

I’ve been looking forward to this conversation because of my mental and physical growth through exercise. Jodi has studied and treated patients for decades which has given her a profound insight into not only physical therapy but people’s relationship to their bodies. 

We tend to think of Physical Therapy as an authority that you visit to recover from an injury. I see a Physical Therapist as more than that. Physical Therapists are the mediators between your mind and your body. These people help you evaluate your relationship to your body while making a plan to learn and grow within. 

In this episode, we talk about how the human body adapts to our movement routines, we define overuse injuries, the types of possible injuries, a benchmark for a healthy body, general concepts for healing an injury, and the concept of meeting yourself where you are. 

Your physical health is a powerful influence on your life. Your body is the interface between your mind and reality. How much does your body influence your experience in reality? What are you capable of? What principles of life can you learn through exercise, or in other words: developing an active relationship with your body? 

Ray Zahab is an explorer, ultra-runner, and the founder of the non-profit impossible2possible which is an organization that leverages powerful adventures as a platform for interactive learning. Ray has been recognized as one of Canada’s top explorers, he has done a solo expedition across the Arctic, an expedition in Baffin island, Trans Namibia, and more. Ray shares his story of beginning as a pack-a-day smoker and then becoming a world explorer with many adventures and lessons left in his wake. Ray trains and strives to have extraordinary experiences in the world. Ray uses his knowledge to share and guide youth to have their own adventures. Ray has an interesting insight into helping other people grow by introducing them to an experience and supporting them as they face their own relative obstacles. We talk about Ray’s philosophy for raising his daughters and empowering them in their pursuits and interests. 

You can checkout ray on his website rayzahab.com and his organization at impossible2possible.com

You can find Ray on Instagram as @rayzahab

Stefan Strauch is the owner of Chakraw coffee, a personal trainer, a massage therapist, and a brown belt under the tutelage of Nathan orchard and Phil Schwartz. 

In this episode, we talk about Stefan’s stories of traveling abroad, working as head of security on a foreign island, growing your comfort zone through confronting discomfort, Stefan’s process of creating Chakraw Coffee.

Checkout Chakraw Coffee’s website wearechakraw.com and on Instagram @chakrawcoffee

You can find Stefan’s page on bodywork and conditioning on Instagram @the.jiujitsu.therapist

Checkout his girlfriend’s, @fabchipoco restaurant in Portland Oregon: Tito’s Kitchen @titaskitchenpdx and www.titaskitchenpdx.com

Jake Keenom is a wood craftsman and entrepreneur who specializes in making crossbows and recurve bows. Jake owns the company Other Worlds Archery where he sells custom recurve bows. Jake has applied his innovative ideas and eye for beauty to create one of a kind crossbows, some that have magazines and a high fire rate! Jake’s recurve bows are very beautiful and it’s clear that he’s poured hours into improving his designs. You can check out Jake’s work at Other World’s Archery on www.otherworldsarchery.com, Instagram as @other_worlds_archery, and Facebook as Jake Keenom.

Juggling kettlebells unfolds Tania’s relationship with failure and pulls her into a flow state. 

Your mind automatically fixates on the here and now of catching and releasing the kettlebell. She learns about failure through the inevitable dropping of the kettlebell then trying again and again and again...

Episode 139 features Tania George, a kettlebell instructor from Switzerland. Tania has been training with Kettlebells for 5 years and teaching people how to train with kettlebells for 2 years. 

Tania is a quality kettlebell advocate and trainer who loves to juggle kettlebells and share her passion with others. To get in touch with Tania and learn more about her Kettlebell program go to Steelworkfitness.com and you can find her on instagram; @pippa_kblifter

Dusty Gold is a canyoneer and caving guide. He has extensive knowledge of working with ropes, navigating terrain, exploring caves, mitigating risk, and leadership. Dusty has been rappelling and adventuring since he was very young. It was beautiful to see how his interests and coping skills have evolved over the decades. We talk about working with personal trauma, self-care, personal mythology, yogis, and other topics. You can checkout dusty on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dusty.k.gold

Lola (@zoozitsu) is a Jiu-Jitsu purple belt and she works at Cageside MMA and Toro BJJ

Lola has spent years practicing Jiu-Jitsu, improving her technique, and competing against other Jiu-Jitsu players. It’s fascinating and inspiring to see someone get into Jiu-Jitsu as a parent and fall so deeply in love with the sport. Let’s zoom out and reflect on her growth beyond the scope of sports as an adult. Look at the example of somebody pursuing a passion for the love of it to the point that they work for a company that revolves around her recreation, traveling for her passion, investing in the community, etc. The recreation becomes a lens through which she experiences the world. I believe it’s a beautiful thing when you witness someone who has something to really live for in addition to their children and profession. Lola’s love for Jiu-Jitsu has taken her on a powerful path that is available in recreation if we see it.