Breaking Trail

Many conventional doctors will tell women going through menopause that hormonal decline that contributes to aging is part of life. Deal with it. Well, we don't have to totally. There is help out there.

I had a health issue this past march and I realized I knew a lot less about my body than I realized. Mary Fiedler loves what she does especially because she wants to educate clients about their bodies and their health. So, with much convincing, I got her to FINALLY come on the show and talk about bioidentical hormones for women's health and especially through menopause. I mean, come on, we gotta live, right?

Mary Fiedler is insanely fit and awesome - a mountain biker, skate skier, and backcountry skier. She has also been a Nurse Practitioner with a subspecialty in women's health since 1998. She works at Panhandle Health District in Sandpoint and Bonner's Ferry providing direct patient services including women's health, family planning, STDs and basic primary care. What she really loves about it is educating clients so they can manage their health to the fullest. Mary is all about prevention over treating symptoms.

We talk about hormones, as it pertains to women's health, sleep, bioidentical vs synthetic hormones and does it cause cancer?

I hope you find this informative. with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

So with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

Where to find Mary and other links:

• Panhandle Health

• Peter Attia, MD podcast

• An article I wrote on my own journey

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you'll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!

About Lisa Gerber:

Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.

She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.

When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.

To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.

The trajectory widens as you move away from that moment that changed everything. At the age of 34, Amy left the financial industry to pursue her passion and a career in professional bike racing. As an athlete, an Ironman, endurance trail running and finally cycling, consumed her time outside of the corporate workplace. Amy raced for the U.S. National Team and signed a contract with one of the top ten women's professional racing teams in the world. Her team won a National Championship in the Team Time Trial and raced the World Championships.

In this episode we explored that pivotal moment, making the decision to leave, how she filtered it and how she managed all the head stuff that comes along with making such a decision. She describes life on the racing circuit and eventually making the decision to retire from pro racing. Because we are all a culmination of the experiences we have had, she now has parlayed all of this into a new way of living - she's authored a book The Wrong Side of Comfortable, coaches, speaks at corporate conferences, and is a partner in SBT GRVL, a cycling race in Steamboat Springs, and coaches endurance athletes.

So with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

Where to find Amy:

• amymcharity.com - for the book and contact

• Sbt Grvl - registration opens December 3

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you'll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!

About Lisa Gerber:

Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.

She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.

When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.

To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.

Today is part 2 of a long and interesting conversation I had with Wes King, founder and CEO of Tahoe Trail Bar, a plant-based, non-GMO, gluten-free line of awesome tasting energy bars. You might want to check out episode 89 if you haven't already and then come back for the continuation but here's a quick recap: Last week, Wes walked us through a time in his life where he was searching for something to do with himself that went beyond getting out on the trail or the snow.

Now as the CEO of Tahoe Trail Bar, he has done exactly that and he talked about how he achieved distribution throughout the Western US and sales wider than that through Amazon and their own website from a small coffee shop in Tahoe.

This week, how do you manage growth so the business doesn't consume you? What is your story and how do you tell it? How does that drive the decisions you make? When you find alignment internally and externally, in Wes' own words, it allows you to marry the thing you love to do with your ability to make a living. And that, my friends, is what's in store for you in this episode.

So with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

Reading list:

• Scaling Up Verne Harnish

• Who - The A Method of Hiring

• Essentialism

• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-ck

Where to find Wes:

• Tahoe Trail Bar (Code gearshow20 for 20% off!!)

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you'll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!

About Lisa Gerber:

Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.

She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.

When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.

To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.

Today is part 2 of a long and interesting conversation I had with Wes King, founder and CEO of Tahoe Trail Bar, a plant-based, non-GMO, gluten-free line of awesome tasting energy bars. You might want to check out episode 89 if you haven't already and then come back for the continuation but here's a quick recap: Last week, Wes walked us through a time in his life where he was searching for something to do with himself that went beyond getting out on the trail or the snow.

Now as the CEO of Tahoe Trail Bar, he has done exactly that and he talked about how he achieved distribution throughout the Western US and sales wider than that through Amazon and their own website from a small coffee shop in Tahoe.

This week, how do you manage growth so the business doesn't consume you? What is your story and how do you tell it? How does that drive the decisions you make? When you find alignment internally and externally, in Wes' own words, it allows you to marry the thing you love to do with your ability to make a living. And that, my friends, is what's in store for you in this episode.

So with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

Reading list:

• Scaling Up Verne Harnish

• Who - The A Method of Hiring

• Essentialism

• The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F-ck

Where to find Wes:

• Tahoe Trail Bar (Code gearshow20 for 20% off!!)

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you'll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!

About Lisa Gerber:

Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.

She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.

When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.

To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.

Wes King is the CEO and founder of the Tahoe Trail Bar, a plant-based, non-GMO, gluten free line of awesome tasting energy bars. He had so much to share, I decide to make this into a two-part episode so I didn't have to edit anything out. Today, we're going to talk about finding purpose, working your ass off and taking a cottage business to the next level. Next week, we'll talk about his leadership philosopy, mindfulness and giving back to the community. I was truly inspired by our conversation and have lists of my own ideas I was jotting down as he spoke. I think you'll find the same.

More on Wes: Tahoe Trail Bar started in a coffee shop in South Lake Tahoe CA in 2010. Today, under his leadership, they have achieved distribution throughout the western US. One of his greatest achievements to date is pursuing the active balance between a laser focus on key growth outcomes and the deep enjoyment of the process of working in the business alongside his employees. Outside of leading the Tahoe Trail Bar, Wes prioritizes taking in a steady diet of continuing education, meditation, learning from mentors and other entrepreneurs, and investing his time as a mentor to other startups in his business community. Whenever he can, you will find him backcountry skiing on Mount Rose, mountain biking on the Tahoe Rim Trail, or backpacking with his wife and 2 children in Desolation Wilderness.

One quick thing before we get into the interview - you can find tahoe trail bars in many stores throughout the west but if you go online and buy them at tahotrailbar.com and enter in the code gearshow 20, you get 20% off your purchase. So go check it out and get your deal - !

So, with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

Where to find Wes:

• Tahoe Trail Bar (Code gearshow20 for 20% off!!)

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you'll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!

About Lisa Gerber:

Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.

She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.

When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.

To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.

If you're happier and more comfortable when you're outside, you'll get out and play more. That's why Big Agnes, aka, The Mother of Comfort, a Steamboat Springs-based company exists - to make you more comfortable. And Bill Gamber, one of the founders, joins us today.

In 2000, Bill Gamber and his business partner borrowed the name of a local peak in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness Area to start Big Agnes. The company launched with a simple, but revolutionary idea: "never roll off your pad again" with a unique, integrated sleeping bag and pad system. This would be the first in a long line of product "firsts" he would introduce to the outdoors. His innovations over the years have been adopted throughout the industry. (I'm reading from the official bio that was sent to me - they are kind when they say that. Others copied what he did I editorialize and digress. So back to his background:

Bill provides career opportunities and year-round employment for more than 100 people in the small mountain town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He has been influential in building Colorado's outdoor economy and shaping the state's recreational future. For 28 years, Bill has lived off-grid outside of Steamboat with his wife and three kids, in his solar and wind-powered home. Today Big Agnes has a full line of Sleeping Bags consisting of those that attached to pads and not. They also are the innovation leaders in tents and sleeping pads having won more than 14 awards like the prestigious Backpacker Magazine Editors' Choice award. Bill loves the backcountry and wants to get people where they're going – top of a peak or first family Car Camping trip. Big Agnes gear is sold and used globally.

I wish I could have had another hour with Bill. We talked about starting a company, getting distribution, and why Big Anes doesn't make car tents. I was hell-bent on finding a formula for building a brand and company culture but here's what I learned: The people at Big Agnes let their actions do the talking, and I think that makes a great story. Recently, Bill invited all employees to embark on the 740-mile hike of the Continental Divide Trail. They signed up for various segments and hiked from New Mexico to Wyoming. You'll learn more about that and how current international trade policy is affecting those in the outdoor industry.

This episode is packed -

So, with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

Where to find Bill Gamber

• Big Agnes website

• Instagram

• Facebook

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you'll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!

About Lisa Gerber:

Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.

She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.

When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.

To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.

Today, we journey back to Georgia. We spoke with Terri Watts of Athens in episode 83. Kate Gates joins us from Ellijay, Georgia. She and her husband and their parents own and operate Mulberry Gap, a mountain bike getaway in the mountains of Northern Georgia with access to the Pinhoti Trail system.

Kate & Andrew met in high school in 2004, and their families have been close friends ever since. Their dating relationship would be the start of Mulberry Gap so many years later. During the early years of the business, Kate attended Florida State University and graduated in 2011. She and Andrew were engaged during the winter of 2013, and she's been full time with Mulberry Gap ever since.

Interestingly, Kate didn't find cycling until 2014, when she and Andrew went on their first bikepacking trip in Florida to ride the Huracan 300. Long-distance and endurance rides are now her preferred method of exploring by bike. The bikepacking experiences led her to become a lover of the gravel and experiencing places at a slower pace.

We talk about the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur and living what many of us would call the dream. How they adapted their business through trying times; what it's like to battle with impostor syndrome like I'm sure so many of us do; and on a lighter note, what it's like to ride in Georgia.

So, with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

Where to find Kate and Mulberry Gap

• Mulberry Gap website

• Instagram

• Facebook

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you'll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!

About Lisa Gerber:

Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.

She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.

When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.

To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.

Brittany Charboneau is a Denver-native and also known as The Funny Runner because she is pursuing a career in running and comedy.

Sponsored by fellow Colorado-native company OtterBox, and thanks to her coach Jenni Nettik with Mercuria Running and her entire "Dream Team" of trainers, she qualified for the Olympic Trials' A' Standard at the 2018 Los Angeles Marathon with a time of 2:36. Brittany was the 10th American finisher at the 2018 New York City Marathon and finished 11th at the 2019 New York City Half Marathon. Most recently, she has stepped into the trail running scene and her debut season saw wins at the 2019 Leadville Heavy Half, Telluride Rundola and Aspen Backcountry Heavy Half.

Her background of improv and sketch comedy stems from her training at The Second City Chicago and The Annoyance Chicago. Brittany teaches improv and performs regularly at the Bovine Metropolis Theater in Denver. She has written, performed, and directed her own one-woman sketch comedy show called "My Long Distance Relationship with Running: From the Early Miles to the Olympic Trials."

Brittany was an Olympic hopeful from childhood but was a very average runner/athlete through school and college. Eventually, she quit her job to pursue a career in running and comedy. We talk today about listening to your gut, following your path and finding the confidence or the signs to know you are on the right track.

There are many lessons in today's show. Enjoy and with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

We talk about:

• How she made the transition from the middle of the pack to an elite runner

• Taking a big leap and following your path. And wondering if it is even the right path.

• Setting small goals to achieve big wins

• Adapting to things outside of your control

• Her strategy for winning the Olympic trials

So, with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

Where to find Brittany

• The Funny Runner

• Instagram

• Blog post on trail runners. Read it. It's funny.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you'll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!

About Lisa Gerber:

Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.

She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.

When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.

To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.

A highly respected figure in the freeskiing industry, Matt Sterbenz has spent his career developing some of the most exciting and progressive skis in history. Matt's life in the ski industry began when he and his peers of pro skiers began to feel underserved by large, European ski sponsors that focused solely on creating skis for racers. At the time, the freestyle skiing movement in the US was just beginning, and this new discipline demanded progressive new ski designs that the European industry simply wasn't producing. Matt founded 4FRNT skis and worked with top athletes to create cutting-edge shapes.

After spending much of his career innovating on shape, materials were the next frontier. After 16 years at 4FRNT, Matt left his post to begin a role as GM of Wintersports at Checkerspot, expressing a strong desire to bring innovation to an industry that had relied on the same materials for decades.

So in 2019, Matt launched WNDR Alpine, a new brand utilizing biobased materials to improve product performance up and down the mountain.

We talk about:

• Where the drive to innovate came from.

• How he educated himself on the science of materials.

• How to launch a ski brand and how their model is set up so he can do work he loves and brings him joy, eliminating the stuff that drains him of joy.

So, with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

Where to find Matt

• WNDR Alpine

• Checkerspot

• Matt on Instagram

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you'll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!

About Lisa Gerber:

Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.

She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.

When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.

To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.

Jacquie Whitt joins us today. She had no intention she'd one day partner with a team of native Peruvians and become the owner of an international adventure travel business. Her partners share equity in Adios Adventure Travel. They collaborate on everything, including how to organize itineraries, where to set up service projects and how to support the communities where their groups travel. They take individuals on trips of a lifetime that go deeper than the tourist experience and learn about the people and the cultures of the places they visit.

We talk about:

• Traveling more deeply and meaningfully

• International partnerships and building trust with others

• Discovered something fascinating about the Incan civilization - how they carved huge megalithic stones.

So, with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.

Where to find Jacquie

• Adios Adventure Travel

• Facebook

BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you'll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!

About Lisa Gerber:

Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.

She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.

When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.

To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.