Breaking Trail

Rene is an awesome and inspirational woman. She is a running coach, a race director for a fantastic race series in Western Canada. She is now on the communications team for the Gore-Tex Trans Alpine Race, a race she has been chronicling via Instagram for as long as I've known her. It has, in turn, intrigued me because of my love for Europe. Trail running, the Alps, eating, drinking… what more is there? The Gore-Tex Trans Alpine Race, an eight day stage race from Germany to Italy, passing through Austria and Switzerland along the way.

Rene has competed in the race 7 times, and is now on their communication team.

We talk about:

• Running in the Alps
• Stage races
• The dynamic of running with a partner
• How to train for TAR
• Even a novice runner could do it…. (and that's where I get into some trouble.

With that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next!

LINKS and RESOURCES

• Tran Selkirks Run
• Golden Ultra
• Gore-Tex Trans Alpine Race (registration opens November 15)

Where to find Rene:

• Pace Trail Fitness - coaching, camps and clinics
• Pace Trail Series - races
• 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.

A huge reason I do this podcast is that I get to speak to people who are living their version of success; defining how we want to do life.

Brendan Leonard embodies this perfectly. His message is a reminder to each and every one of us pushing ourselves each day to be better and to do better, that there is joy in every day. That morning trail run before a day sitting in front of the computer. An afternoon dog walk, a glass of wine with a good friend that you kinda sorta didn't want to go do because you wanted to get that "project done" so you could, what, make it big? And sacrifice enjoyment along the way.

Brendan is a writer of adventure and travel, and the human experiences that lies within. He is a contributing editor at Adventure Journal and a columnist at Outside. His stories have appeared in Backpacker, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Men's Journal, Sierra, Adventure Cyclist, and other publications. He is a public speaker, and an author of books like Sixty Meters to Anywhere and the New American Road Trip Mix Tape.

Like many of us, our rock bottom informs who we are now and rock bottoms have varying degrees of lows. For Brendan, it was alcohol and jail. He made a choice at his rock bottom. he stopped drinking, found journalism, and the mountains and the rest is history

Today we discuss:

• Starting from rock bottom and pushing through adversity
• The not so glamorous side of creativity
• The rewards in putting your work out there and a lot more.

If you have been enjoying this podcast, I hope you'll subscribe, share and review wherever you listen to your podcasts. Don't forget to visit gearshow dot com to learn more about us. Until then, don't play it too small, but don't worry about playing so big.

Resources mentioned and where to find Brendan.

• Dirtbag Diaries Podcast
• The Joy of Making it Small
• Brendan's website
• Semi-rad

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.

Kikkan Randall is an Olympic champion cross-country skier. She has won 17 U.S. National titles, taken home 17 U.S. Championships, made 16 podiums in the Stage World Cup, made five trips to the Winter Olympic Games and had the highest finish by an individual U.S. woman at the World Championships (2nd in the Sprint FS at Liberec, CZE in 2009). She was the first American female cross-country skier to take a top ten finish in World Cup competition, to win a World Cup race and to win a World Cup discipline title.[2] She won the silver medal in the individual sprint at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, becoming the first American woman to win a medal in cross country skiing at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and in 2013 teamed up with Jessica Diggins to win the first ever American FIS Nordic World Ski Championships gold medal in the team sprint. She and Diggins won the United States' first ever cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympics in women's team sprint at Pyeongchang in 2018.

If you have not seen that race, I encourage you to go check it out before you listen. It is off the hook dramatic and awesome! Kikkan has had quite a year. Shortly after winning Olympic Gold, at the peak of her career, she learned she will have to wage a new battle: breast cancer.

We cover a lot in this conversation. I was curious to know how she handles big performance days. What is it like the morning before an Olympic Gold medal win, ya know? I get butterflies just heading out to our local trail race. She walks us through her training program at a high level. We talk about her battle with breast cancer, her pledge to stay active, focused and positive through it. Lastly, I asked Kikkan about her community engagement. So many athletes inspired her as a kid. She pays it forward now.

With that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next!

Resources mentioned and where to find Kikkan.

• NBC coverage of Kikkan and Jessie bringing home the Gold for the U.S.
• Kikkan's video blog
• Fast and female
• Website

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.

"I took risks because progression requires risk and because risk is the price of admission to the only game I ever cared about: improvement." - Amanda Batty

Amanda is a former professional mountain bike racer, Bike giver-away-er, firestarter, former pastry chef, current industry troublemaker and forever interested in good business.

Today we're going to talk about ego and what fills that ego. For some it's mountain bike racing, and for Amanda, it was. for a while, until it wasn't. And then, she decided she wanted to be the "bike Oprah" and she tweeted about that, and became integral to a huge bike giveaway. We discussed how one can use giving to fill a hole, perhaps the hole created by leaving racing.

We also might talk about getting kids on bikes and active at a young age, baking with rage and emotional eating. Lots and lots of fun stuff.

Resources mentioned:

NICA

Little Bellas

Hong Quan - Karmic Bikes

rage-baking.com

Where to find Amanda

www.amandabatty.com

IG: @abattycakes

Twitter: @theamandabatty

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.

Elinor Fish is the former editor of Trail Runner Magazine. She made the leap in 2010 from her career to start Wild Run Retreats with the mission to help people reduce stress and live a healthier life through mindful running. To do this, her business model was tweaked over time, and we'll talk about that. She eventually found the sweet spot and is now offering retreats to fantastic destinations such as Iceland, the Dolomites and coast of Spain where she coaches the mindful running practice. We're going to talk about mindful running, what it is and how it benefits you as well.

You're also going to learn what kept her going in times of uncertainty, how to deal with your own stress while running, and how to put together a training program that works for you.

Get ready for an enjoyable journey around the world, trail running from your ear buds. With that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next:

Links

To learn more about her retreats, and the ones she didn't speak about, specifically the U.S. retreats and to connect with Elinor:

• runwildretreats.com
• Most active on FB - Run Wild Retreats
• Healthy Runners Community

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.

Salomon asked runners from around the world to share their #runningdreamtrip. Over 3000 people applied but only one was chosen. Katie Adams, of Sandpoint, Idaho. Katie took the trip with Emelie Forsberg and Ida Nilsson. They explored the Norwegian fjords and mountains by boat before setting off on foot and spending their days running from hut to hut.

Katie joins us today to tell us how, encouraged by her husband Gwen LeTutour, she applied for a won, and what it was like to go on the trip of her dreams. We also get into the love and awesomeness of trail running and finally talk a bit about the work they are doing to raise awareness about important causes and help people on their journey to find happiness through being outside and eating better.

Where to find Katie and Gwen

Instagram

http://instagram.com/2healthyfitvegans

Subscribe to their YouTube channel - it's awesome!

Plant Positive Non-profit

Links: Norwegian Dream Trip - Salomon TV

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.

It can take young adult cancer survivors a decade to get back into life after treatment. David Victorson is the founder of True North Treks. He, along with his family members and team at TNT want to help young adults reconnect not only with themselves but also with nature after the most unnatural of treatments.

David is an associate professor at the Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University in Chicago. He is licensed in clinical psychology and a PhD. One area of his research focuses on the health benefits of mindfulness meditation and yoga and their stress reducing and quality of life enhancing effects for people with cancer.

Some ideas start off as a whisper and grow into a shout or a scream. Today is yet another story of making ideas happen so let's listen in and gear up for what's next:

Three things are left out of the healthcare equation when it comes to cancer treatment:

• Connecting to nature after unnatural experience of cancer treatment
• Connecting to other people who have experienced the same
• Help people get to know themselves again through meditation and mindfulness practice

At True North Treks, they take kids into the outdoors and keep them safe, dry, warm, and well-fed and connect them with others, drop in some mindful training, and not be too support group like.

Here is the poem written by his grandmother shortly after she lost her son.

Forest Cathedral

By Delilah Victorson

Oh how I love to walk out in the woods

In it's calm and still beauty I have long understood

As I look at the wonders our creator has made

All the hustle and bustle of this world seems to fade

Down in the meadow you hear the call of a lark

While high on the hill some deer feed on bark

There's winter green berries and wild onion shoots

An abundance of flowers and trailing green roots

Now if you go in the forest with the world you're off key

And you're quiet and still and you sit and you see

Here you know of God's love and you know by his grace

Of all worldly issues you're able to face

Where to find David:

• www.truenorthtreks.org
• Walden Institute

There has to be a certain kind of crazy to do some of the things Mark Gibson has taken on. He's done things like skateboarded from capital to capital (Washington DC to Ottawa, Canada) with his son. He ran 276 miles across the state of Pennsylvania from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in (ten days - averaging over a marathon a day).

He's run the rim to rim to rim in the Grand Canyon and a 100-mile run along the entire length of the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West straight through) to name a few.

Mark is formally a member of the British National Gymnastics Team. He went on to become assistant coach to the U.S. Junior Olympic Team in Colorado Springs and now, teaches gymnastics to kids at his own gymnastics center in Pennsylvania. He is a keynote speaker and author of "Going For It" and "It's Not About What You Can't Do. It's About What You Can't Do Yet."

This isn't necessarily to inspire you to concoct some strange thing to take on. It's to inspire you hopefully to do the thing you want to do, whether you are 100 percent prepared or not, whether the time is right or not, whether you might fail or not. Mark quit his job one month before his son was born to launch his speaking and writing career. He has a lot to share:

Links

• Mark learning to ride the Unicycle

Where to Find Mark:

• highbarperformance.com

Let's listen in gear up for what's next.

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.

Backcountry Lifeline was founded in August 2015, following a crash on Stage 3 of the Big Mountain Enduro Series and Enduro World Series in Crested Butte, CO, in which 40-year old Will Olson died. Will was an expert rider favored to win the series, and to those who founded backcountry lifeline, he was a respected fellow rider, friend, and beloved fiancé. His death rocked the bike community, and support poured in from around the globe.

Today, his fiancé Bonnie McDonald joins the show to discuss loss and how to make some sense out of it with some purpose and drive.

Bonnie and the team at Backcountry Lifeline would like to help lead the way and shift the conversation on safety and medical support in the mountain biking community in general. There is no standard in mountain biking events and quite honestly, the mountain bike industry is behind others. It's time to change that.

Be sure and stay to the end. Just as I was about to wrap up and say good bye, Bonnie shared some of the unintended beauty, collateral beauty as it's known, in this tragedy. It's heartbreaking and beautiful. I considered editing and bringing this piece of the conversation forward into the episode but it goes exactly where it is, a fitting end.

Let's listen in gear up for what's next.

Where to Find Bonnie:

• Raffle for the SWEET bike
• backcountrylifeline.com

Sponsors:

• Maxxis
• shimano
• Yeti

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.

When you get a new lease on life, you stop checking boxes and do things differently. Randy Milanovic is the CEO and founder of Kayak Online Marketing. In 2009, a tough year for most of us, he had an even tougher year. He was diagnosed with cancer and I don't mean to spoil the story but he's here to tell us about it and how it changed the way he does business and does life. We'll learn how he reinvented his business on the heels of an economic downturn with a fresh outlook on life and … listen to the end because you're even going to get an invite to go kayaking.

Hope you find today's episode inspiring.

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

Where to Find Randy

Kayak Online Marketing

Twitter

LinkedIn

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.