Former NFL linebacker & Texas Congressman Colin Allred joins hosts Andrew Vontz & Jonathan Kaplan on United States of Sweat, presented by Choose the Hard Way.

Allred played at Baylor and for the Tennessee Titans before a neck injury ended his NFL career. He went on to earn a law degree from Berkeley, work in the Obama administration, and win a U.S. House seat in 2018.

After a close Senate race in 2024, he's back on the campaign trail, running again to represent Texas in the U.S. Senate.

Allred talks about the mindset it takes to survive the NFL—where, as he says, there's a 100% injury rate—and how that toughness translates to politics, parenthood, and public service. Plus: his favorite way to train and the one piece of workout gear he can't live without.

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Jonathan Kaplan is the founder of WRITE CADENCE STRATEGIES, helping individuals and organizations navigate Washington, shape policy and manage reputational risk. He also writes RIDING WITH, a newsletter and podcast exploring the intersection of pro cycling, media, business and politics. Find that at ridingwithkaplan.substack.com.---------

For senior execs, pro athletes, and political leaders, podcasts aren't optional anymore. They're mission-critical.

At One Real Voice, Andrew Vontz coaches leaders 1:1 to help them thrive as podcast guests & hosts and stand out in the long-form, open-ended conversations where real influence is built.

When you're ready to be great, DM him @hardwaypod or email [email protected].

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The number one way to support Choose the Hard Way is to become a paid subscriber to alwaysthehardway.substack.com. That's where Andrew Vontz shares his reflections on these interviews and writes about engaged mindfulness, bikes and life.

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Wherever you're listening to this podcast, please subscribe and hit 5 stars. ------------- Crypto curious? With over $1 trillion in transactions to date, https://www.blockchain.com/ is your trusted partner on your crypto journey. Create your free wallet and get up to 10% in annual rewards by putting your crypto to work. Go to Blockchain.com to get started today, no experience required. ------------- Choose the Hard Way Newsletter: https://alwaysthehardway.substack.com/ ------------- One Real Voice podcast coaching & strategy: https://www.onerealvoice.com/

Pro cyclist Dylan Johnson & Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz on why you should always finish the races you start. Choose the Hard Way is the show about how hard things build stronger humans who have more fun. This conversation explores why Dylan Johnson walked two hours in road bike shoes on gravel to get to the finish line in the Big Sugar classic, the final race in the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix.

Choose the Hard Way has big plans for 2026. We need your help to make it happen. Please help me double the Choose the Hard Way community in the next three months. Share this episode with a friend, subscribe and take a moment to hit five stars and like this wherever you listen or watch. I share my reflections on every episode on my Substack, and the number one thing you can do to help me bring you more of these conversations is to become a paid subscriber.

Find my Substack at alwaysthehardway.substack.com and you can always find the link in my bio @hardwaypod on Instagram and in the show notes.

The media landscape has changed. Scripted is out. Real is in. Being a great podcast guest or host isn't optional. It's now a mission-critical skill for senior leaders. That's why I started my consultancy, One Real Voice, to help you thrive on podcasts, panels and the high-stakes, open-ended conversations where reputations are built and business is won. When you're ready to be great, DM @hardwaypod or reach out to [email protected].

Crypto curious? With over $1 trillion in transactions to date, Blockchain.com is your trusted partner on your crypto journey. Go to Blockchain.com to get started today, no experience required.

Lauf is the Apple of bike design and they make elegant products that just work better than everything else. Check them out at laufcycles.com.

LINKS Substack: alwaysthehardway.substack.com One Real Voice – narrative, strategy and coaching for podcasts & high-stakes conversations: onerealvoice.com Instagram: instagram.com/hardwaypod LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/andrewvontz Follow Dylan: instagram.com/dylanjawnson

Spencer Martin of Beyond the Peloton / WEDU / Peacock's Tour de France team & Andrew Vontz, co-host of the Beyond the Peloton podcast & creator of the Choose the Hard Way podcast & newsletter talk about why 15 minute training sessions count and how we get it done on the road, at the playground with the kids or at home. We're both dads, bike racers and recovering perfectionists who have found 15 minutes is plenty of time to get in an impactful workout. Marketing might persuade you to think you need an hour, a $20,000 bike, and a $12 recovery shake to stay fit. You don't. We talk about how to train when you're traveling, at your kid's soccer practice or living out of a GoRuck bag. Andrew shares why he always has a TRX and a GoRuck bag in his truck wherever he goes and brings it with him on the road. Spencer shares his Drago-style hill sprint workout secret and why carrying your child might be the ultimate force multiplier to build strength. This episode is part of an experimental series of short episodes exploring real-world functional training for real people with busy lives who are committed to staying fit. Whether you're racing Unbound, BWR, Mid South, Overland, Gravel Worlds, or just a busy parent who enjoys running, riding, lifting, hybrid training, Hyrox, or being able to get off the floor after a Netflix binge without injuring yourself, your fascia and breathwork will thank you for listening to this stunning episode. Leave a comment or DM @hardwaypod and let us know what you think of this new format. The number one way to support Choose the Hard Way is to become a paid subscriber at alwaysthehardway.substack.com. That's where I write about mindfulness, bikes, and what it takes to stay human in an optimized world. At https://www.onerealvoice.com/, Andrew Vontz coaches leaders to thrive as storytellers and stand out in the long-form podcast conversations where real influence is built. If you have a podcast — or are starting one — I can help you win from episode one and keep winning. When you're ready to be great, DM me @hardwaypod. Wherever you're listening, subscribe and do humanity a favor when you hit five stars. Crypto curious? With over $1 trillion in transactions, Blockchain.com is your trusted partner on your crypto journey. Create your free wallet and earn up to 10% in annual rewards. Choose the Hard Way Newsletter: https://alwaysthehardway.substack.com/ One Real Voice Coaching & Strategy: https://www.onerealvoice.com/ Beyond the Peloton Newsletter: https://beyondthepeloton.substack.com/

Josh Turek knows how to win. A U.S. Senate candidate, current Iowa State Legislator, and two-time Paralympic gold medalist for Team USA, Josh joins Andrew Vontz & Jonathan Kaplan on United States of Sweat presented by Choose the Hard Way. This is the show where politicians and policymakers share stories about fitness, health and the sports they love playing.

Josh has faced adversity his entire life. Born with Spina Bifida after his dad was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, he overcame 21 surgeries by the age of 12. Later he was cut from the Team USA wheelchair basketball squad six times.

Relentless in his training and as a top professional wheelchair basketball player, Josh kept coming back.

He finally made the team and went on to represent the U.S. at four Para-Olympics where he won two gold medals.

After his basketball career ended with a gold medal in Tokyo in 2021, Josh campaigned to represent his hometown of Council Bluffs in the state legislature.

Competing in a district that Donald Trump won twice, Josh pushed his chair up hills and crawled up stairs to talk to Iowans of all political stripes, eventually winning his first race by six votes.

He was re-elected by a five-point margin at the same time Trump was winning the seat by eight points, not only because of his work ethic but because he's developed a reputation as a common-sense, bipartisan legislator.

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Jonathan Kaplan is the founder of WRITE CADENCE STRATEGIES, helping individuals and organizations navigate Washington, shape policy and manage reputational risk. He also writes RIDING WITH, a newsletter and podcast exploring the intersection of pro cycling, media, business and politics. Find that at ridingwithkaplan.substack.com.

--------- The number one way to support Choose the Hard Way is to become a paid subscriber to alwaysthehardway.substack.com. That's where Andrew Vontz shares his reflections on these interviews and writes about engaged mindfulness, bikes and life.

---------

For senior execs, pro athletes, and political leaders, podcasts aren't optional anymore. They're mission-critical.

At One Real Voice, Andrew Vontz coaches leaders 1:1 to help them thrive as storytellers and stand out in the long-form podcast conversations where real influence is built.

When you're ready to be great, DM him @hardwaypod or email [email protected].

---------

Wherever you're listening to this podcast, please subscribe and hit 5 stars. ------------- Crypto curious? With over $1 trillion in transactions to date, https://www.blockchain.com/ is your trusted partner on your crypto journey. Create your free wallet and get up to 10% in annual rewards by putting your crypto to work. Go to Blockchain.com to get started today, no experience required. ------------- Choose the Hard Way Newsletter: https://alwaysthehardway.substack.com/ ------------- One Real Voice podcast coaching & strategy: https://www.onerealvoice.com/

Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz (@hardwaypod) in conversation with pro cyclist Payson McElveen (@paysonmcelveen), Red Bull athlete and creator of the With Pace podcast & Riding with Pace YouTube channel.

In a sport filled with mustaches, Payson McElveen has the most famous mustache. Payson's palmares includes a pair of wins at The Mid South, two marathon mountain bike national championship titles (2017, 2018) and his films and podcast are among the biggest in offroad cycling. His With Pace podcast is a great listen and one of the biggest in endurance sports. His adventure films are hugely popular and cover his own go-fast exploits including a White Rim FKT and an FKT for crossing Iceland under human power, not the power of lightning-bolt throwing deities. But the hardest ride is the one you don't see. There are hundreds of hours of Payson McElveen content out there and for an adventurer like Payson it seemed appropriate and more fun to go into new territory in this conversation. It was a fun one and I'm excited to share it with you.

You can find his podcast With Pace everywhere you listen and get more Payson at www.withpace.cc and @paysonmcelveen on Instagram and YouTube. -------- Whether you've been listening since 2018 or are new here, the number one thing you can do to support this project is to become a paid subscriber to the Choose the Hard Way substack, alwaysthehardway.substack.com or just search for Choose the Hard Way in the Substack app.

-------- The media landscape has changed and long-form podcasts are a mission-critical channel for anyone who wants to connect with their target audience and build influence. Former Strava executive / journalist / startup founder / podcaster Andrew Vontz started One Real Voice to coach senior leaders to meet the moment and be great podcast guests or hosts.

If you have a podcast or are starting one, I also provide strategic guidance to help you create a road map that works today and over time. Set yourself up to win from the beginning and keep on winning with every episode.

-------- When you're ready to be great, DM me @hardwaypod or email [email protected].

Crypto curious? With over $1 trillion in transactions to date, Blockchain.com is your trusted partner on your crypto journey. Go to Blockchain.com to get started today, no experience required.

-------- Lauf is the Apple of bike design and they make elegant products that just work better than everything else. Check them out at www.laufcycles.com.

-------- This podcast is also brought to you by my best-in-class partners at Palm Tree Pod Co. They're a full-service podcast studio with end-to-end services to help any brand, business or individual take a strategic approach and standout. Find them at www.palmtreepodco.com.

Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz in conversation with Steve Grant, author of the memoir MAILMAN: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home.

With rave reviews in The New York Times, the Washington Post, The New Yorker and The Atlantic, the memoir MAILMAN: My Wild Ride Delivering the Mail in Appalachia and Finally Finding Home is one of the hottest literary debuts in recent memory.

Steve is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and has been a marketing consultant and behavioral economist for more than 25 years. He's also an Eagle Scout and led the rebranding effort to transform the Boy Scouts of America into Scouting America and is the only person I have personally met who has both been shot by a mass shooter and has also made a movie about a mass shooter.

Find Steve at www.stevegrantworks.com and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/stevegrant_mailman.

A message from Andrew: Choose the Hard Way is the podcast about how hard things build stronger humans who have more fun. I am grateful to have a big audience that's growing fast and I would really appreciate it if you would take a moment to hit five stars and subscribe wherever you listen or watch.

Whether you've been listening since 2018 or are new here, the number one thing you can do to support this project is to become a paid subscriber to my substack. Find the link in bio, go to alwaysthehardway.substack.com or just search for Choose the Hard Way in the Substack app.

At One Real Voice, I coach leaders 1:1 to help them thrive as storytellers and stand out in the long-form podcast conversations where real influence is built.

If you have a podcast or are starting one, I also provide strategic guidance to help you create a road map that works today and over time. Set yourself up to win from the beginning and keep on winning with every episode.

When you're ready to be great, DM me @hardwaypod or email [email protected].

Steve and I overlapped in the early 2000s in Los Angeles when I was a journalist and Steve was working at an ad agency with my friend Emily, and many other human beings.

Like every story there's more to Steve's than what you'll read in MAILMAN.

Crypto curious? With over $1 trillion in transactions to date, Blockchain.com is your trusted partner on your crypto journey. Go to Blockchain.com to get started today, no experience required.

Lauf is the Apple of bike design and they make elegant products that just work better than everything else. Check them out at www.laufcycles.com.

This podcast is also brought to you by my best-in-class partners at Palm Tree Pod Co. They're a full-service podcast studio with end-to-end services to help any brand, business or individual take a strategic approach and standout. Find them at www.palmtreepodco.com

Grab your envelopes and stamps and buckle into your right-hand drive vehicle, it's time to Mailman.

Rahm Emanuel was the U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2022 to 2025. Prior to that, he served as the White House Chief of Staff from 2009 to 2010 under President Barack Obama, and as the Mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019. He also represented Illinois in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2009.

Welcome back to United States of Sweat presented by Choose the Hard Way where politicians and policymakers join us to share stories about fitness, health and the sports they love playing.

Jonathan Kaplan is my co-host and the founder of WRITE CADENCE STRATEGIES, helping organizations navigate Washington, shape policy and manage reputational risk. He also writes RIDING WITH, a newsletter and podcast exploring the intersection of pro cycling, media, business and politics. Find that at ridingwithkaplan.substack.com. The number one way to support Choose the Hard Way is to become a paid subscriber to my substack, alwaysthehardway.substack.com. That's where I share my reflections on these interviews and write about engaged mindfulness, bikes and life.

For senior execs, pro athletes, and political leaders, podcasts aren't optional anymore. They're mission-critical.

At One Real Voice, I coach leaders 1:1 to help them thrive as storytellers and stand out in the long-form podcast conversations where real influence is built.

When you're ready to be great, DM me @hardwaypod or email [email protected].

Wherever you're listening to this podcast, please subscribe and do humanity a favor when you hit 5 stars. Crypto curious? With over $1 trillion in transactions to date, https://www.blockchain.com/ is your trusted partner on your crypto journey. Create your free wallet and get up to 10% in annual rewards by putting your crypto to work. Go to Blockchain.com to get started today, no experience required. Choose the Hard Way Newsletter: https://alwaysthehardway.substack.com/

One Real Voice podcast coaching & strategy: https://www.onerealvoice.com/ Connect with Palm Tree Pod Co.

Cameron Jones won the 2025 edition of the 205-mile Unbound Gravel, the most competitive edition ever of the most prestigious gravel race on the planet. Three months earlier, he showed up in America, walked into a used car dealership in the Bay Area, walked off the lot with a used Honda Odyssey and a dream to make this his best season ever.

But these aren't the most interesting parts of his story.

Cameron has done stints in the forestry industry and in his teens back in New Zealand was an elite mutli-sport athlete who knocked the arm warmers off the best athletes in New Zealand in the Coast to Coast, a race that combines running, cycling and kayaking to travel across New Zealand.

Cameron is from a tight family and I wanted to know more about who he is and how he came from seemingly out of nowhere to pull off a win people will be talking about for years to come.

I enjoyed getting to know him and I'd love to hear your thoughts about what he shares, DM me @hardwaypod on Instagram and let me know what you think.

The number one way to support Choose the Hard Way is to become a paid subscriber to my substack, alwaysthehardway.substack.com. That's where I share my reflections on these interviews and write about engaged mindfulness, bikes and life.

At One Real Voice, I coach leaders 1:1 to help them thrive as storytellers and stand out in the long-form podcast conversations where real influence is built.

If you have a podcast or are starting one, I also provide strategic guidance to set yourself up to win from the beginning and keep on winning with every episode.

When you're ready to be great, DM me @hardwaypod or email [email protected].

Wherever you're listening to this podcast, please subscribe and do humanity a favor when you hit 5 stars.

Crypto curious? With over $1 trillion in transactions to date, Blockchain.com is your trusted partner on your crypto journey. Create your free wallet and get up to 10% in annual rewards by putting your crypto to work. Go to Blockchain.com to get started today, no experience required.

Lauf is the Apple of bike design and they make elegant products that just work better than everything else. Follow my subtack and @hardwaypod on instagram to meet up with me at gravel events like Overland and to see what adventures I tackle on my Lauf bikes in 2025. Check them out at www.laufcycles.com.

This podcast is also brought to you by my best-in-class partners at Palm Tree Pod Co. They're a full-service podcast studio with end-to-end services to help any brand, business or individual take a strategic approach and standout. Find them at www.palmtreepodco.com

You've got an hour or less to train, what do you do?

Spencer Martin of the Beyond the Peloton newsletter & podcast + WEDU's Outcomes / The Move takes a break from the Tour de France to join Choose the Hard Way creator Andrew Vontz to talk about what they do when life and work are at max stress and you have little time to workout.

Is Zone 2 really the right move if you have a few hours a week to train and you're a cyclist, runner or triathlete with a long training history and navigating highly stressful moments in work, family and life?

Should you follow a rigid training program or freestyle?

Vo2 max intervals every time the road goes uphill, Zwift racing, Zwift pace partners, bodyweight workouts, push-ups & pull-ups before the kids wake up at 5 a.m. are some of the methods Andrew and Spencer use to get fit when they can in the time they have.

As we age, family, parenting, work, health, wellness and just staying alive start to become higher priorities. But we all still want to go fast when it's time to run, ride or get out there and tackle that gravel monument. Andrew Huberman and Peter Attia have many great ideas about how to make that happen, this conversation focuses more on the practical versus the perfect. What gets done is what works, and many people struggle to fit it all into the day.

Whether you're racing Unbound, BWR, Mid South, Overland, Gravel Worlds or just a busy parent who enjoys running, riding, lifting, hybrid training, Hyrox or being able to get up off the floor after a Netflix binge without injuring yourself, your fascia and breathwork will thank you for listening to this stunning episode.

Leave a comment or DM @hardwaypod and let us know what you think of this new experimental episode format.

The number one way to support Choose the Hard Way is to become a paid subscriber to https://alwaysthehardway.substack.com/. That's where I share my reflections on these interviews and write about engaged mindfulness, bikes and life.

At https://www.onerealvoice.com/, Andrew Vontz coaches leaders 1:1 to help them thrive as storytellers and stand out in the long-form podcast conversations where real influence is built.

If you have a podcast or are starting one, I also provide strategic guidance to set yourself up to win from the beginning and keep on winning with every episode.

When you're ready to be great, DM me @hardwaypod or send an email to [email protected]

Wherever you're listening to this podcast, please subscribe and do humanity a favor when you hit 5 stars.

Crypto curious? With over $1 trillion in transactions to date, https://www.blockchain.com/ is your trusted partner on your crypto journey. Create your free wallet and get up to 10% in annual rewards by putting your crypto to work. Go to Blockchain.com to get started today, no experience required.

Choose the Hard Way Newsletter: https://alwaysthehardway.substack.com/

One Real Voice podcast coaching & strategy: https://www.onerealvoice.com/

Beyond the Peloton Newsletter: https://beyondthepeloton.substack.com/

Welcome back to United States of Sweat presented by Choose the Hard Way where politicians and policymakers join us to share stories about fitness, health and the sports they love playing.

In 2008 Tom Perriello won the election to represent Virginia's 5th Congressional district by fewer than 1,000 votes. He later ran for governor of Virginia and he also served as Special Envoy for Sudan and Special Envoy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo & Great Lakes among many other acts of service.

Marathons, 10-day silent retreats, Spartan Races & what happens when you're forced to operate on four hours of sleep a night for a year while making 62 country visits to end a humanitarian crisis--this episode goes deep.

Tom was also the executive director of Open Society Foundations where he met my co-host Jonathan Kaplan.

Jonathan runs Essington Road Strategies, helping organizations navigate Washington, shape policy and manage reputational risk. He also writes Riding With, a newsletter and podcast exploring the intersection of pro cycling, media, business and politics. Find that at ridingwithkaplan.substack.com.

The number one way to support Choose the Hard Way is to become a paid subscriber to my substack, alwaysthehardway.substack.com. That's where I share my reflections on these interviews and write about engaged mindfulness, bikes and life.

For senior execs, pro athletes, and political leaders, podcasts aren't optional anymore. They're mission-critical.

At One Real Voice, I coach leaders 1:1 to help them thrive as storytellers and stand out in the long-form podcast conversations where real influence is built.

When you're ready to be great, DM me @hardwaypod or email [email protected].

Wherever you're listening to this podcast, please subscribe and do humanity a favor when you hit 5 stars.

Now, let's get started with United States of Sweat. Remember, this is the beginning of this project. DM me @hardwaypod on instagram and let me know what you think.