My guest for this episode of the podcast is Chris Heron, who is the Director and Head Coach of Waterski and Wakeboard Scotland. Not only is he a coach, he is also the 3 time Scottish National Waterski Champion. 

This podcast happened because I just happened to open an email that came in through my contact form on my website. Nine times out of ten, those emails are junk solicitations. In this case, it was members of Chris’s waterski team reaching out to say that they were fans of the podcast and thought he would be a good guest. I’m so glad I opened that email – because he WAS a great guest, and I had some much fun with this conversation.

We spoke about everything from the routines and rituals that he has found useful in competition to getting over fears to his philosophy of learning. Chris comes at waterskiing from both the coaching and athlete perspective, which adds depth to his viewpoints. Plus, he is STILL skiing in the winter! We talked about the benefits of cold exposure, which he takes to a whole level beyond what most do. 

Whether you are a water skier, or your performance happens in other domains, there’s something in this podcast for you. I’m sharing his slick bio below.

I hope you enjoy this episode with Chris Heron.

My guest for this episode is Chantel Prat. If her name is not already familiar to you, she is the author of the book The Neuroscience of You. What got me really excited about having her on the podcast was her willingness to play with ideas about learning from two sides of the coin: the science of it in her academic world and the experience of it in my world as a lay person. 

We met in 2023 at the Journey on Podcast Summit where we were fellow presenters. In the last year, I’ve been putting together some pieces about learning how to stay present under pressure – even when the body starts saying “danger, danger.” Some if what I’m experiencing flies in the face of the typical coaching around managing stress. It’s made me curious about how the neuroscience of it works. So at the 2024 Podcast Summit, I spontaneously asked Chantel to help me make sense of it and she agreed. After our first conversation, we said “We’ve got to do a podcast.” So that’s the backstory.

As you will hear, this episode is all about learning. In our conversation, we truly geeked out together about how we humans learn, grow and change. Chantel asks two very relevant questions about what happens when we start getting the physical signals of stress: What is the feeling for? And what is the story for? 

What most impresses me about Chantel is that she models what she teaches. She is truly a learner, which is what makes her a great teacher. 

We had many quotable moments in this episode. Perhaps my favorite was when she said: “The feeling is the fuel that catalyzes change.” If you follow any of my blog posts or social media pages, you will recognize that I couldn’t agree more!

Now here’s a little more about Chantel:

Chantel Prat, author of The Neuroscience of You, is a Professor at the University of Washington with appointments in Psychology, Neuroscience, and Linguistics, and at the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences. Her interdisciplinary research investigates how variable brain designs combine with our lifetime of experiences to shape the unique way each person learns, understands the world and operates in it. She is the recipient of a Pathway to Independence Award from the National Institute of Health, speaks internationally at events like the World Science Festival, and has appeared in a number of media outlets including PBS, Scientific American, Rolling Stone, Popular Mechanics, and Travel + Leisure.

I hope you enjoy this episode of The Creative Spirits Unleashed podcast. Please be sure to share it with anyone you think would enjoy it!

My guest for this episode is Nancy Zintsmaster, who is co-founder and master trainer in The Carolyn Resnick Method Liberty Horsemanship. I’m going to start this introduction with a question: What would your life – and leadership  - look like if you were able to partner with others using connection and harmony rather than control, force or fear? That is the core question Nan and I explored in this conversation. We got into the deep corners of what it looks like to create connection in a disconnected world, both with humans and with horses.  

In this conversation, we got into the implications for self-awareness, learning how to be congruent within ourselves, how to give up control, and what it takes to get back in touch with our natural humanity. Imagine dancing with the others in your life through connection and harmony.  

More about Nancy:  

Co-Founder, Certified Instructor, and Master Trainer in The Carolyn Resnick Method Liberty Horsemanship. Nancy Zintsmaster embodies the transformational power of The Carolyn Resnick Method. A lifelong horse enthusiast, her love for these magnificent animals began in childhood, but it wasn’t until she discovered Carolyn Resnick’s book, Naked Liberty, that she realized the profound connection possible between humans and horses. Her journey took a pivotal turn in Costa Rica, where she rescued seven horses in dire conditions. Committed to earning their trust and respect, she embraced Carolyn’s liberty training approach. What started as a rescue mission evolved into a deeply personal transformation, revealing that these sentient beings had as much to teach her as she had to teach them. Nancy’s path eventually led her to Carolyn Resnick herself, forging a life-changing partnership. Carolyn recognized Nancy’s natural gift with horses and her passion for The Resnick Method. This collaboration solidified Nancy’s role as one of its most dedicated advocates. Today, as a Master Trainer, Nancy is committed to sharing The Resnick Method with horse lovers worldwide. She teaches this compassionate and effective communication style to promote better relationships between humans and horses, ensuring both receive mutual rewards. Nancy resides at her ranch, Dance with Horses—The Resnick Method’s Costa Rica location—perched atop a mountain with breathtaking views of Lake Arenal and the Arenal Volcano. There, she continues her mission to inspire others through her work with horses. 

I had the good fortune to be in a clinic with Nan the last September. Watching her work with horses at liberty is a sight to behold. If you are interested in her clinics, she has several clinics scheduled both in Costa Rica and in the states next year. The one I’m most interested in is the one being held down the road from me at REIN Rescue, where I’m on the board of directors. Dates for that clinic are July 22-24, 2025.  

I hope you enjoy this conversation with Nancy Zintsmaster. 

After a brief hiatus, the podcast is back with guest water skier Corey Vaughn. You may remember that we spoke in the Spring, where Corey described his 1000-day plan to see how far he could take his water ski goals if he chose to really go for it. In that conversation, he laid out some specific goals for the season, and promised to return in the Fall to review the season, regardless of the outcome. 

In this conversation, we review Corey’s season, diving into some of the high and low points. I won’t spoil the outcomes of his goals; however, I will say he ended the season ranked 3rd in the World rankings, up from 9th at the beginning of the season and 28th at the beginning of the 2023 season. 

However, Corey isn’t skiing only to gain in the rankings, or even to win tournaments. As he said in our conversation in the Spring, he said “I’m deeply curious to find that edge,” meaning to see what happens if he approaches the sport with the intention to see how far he take can it. 

Corey takes us behind the scenes of several of the highlights from this season, including the heartbreaking moment in the Master’s qualifier where the handle slipped from his grip at the juncture that would have qualified him for the prestigious tournament. It was the kind of event that gets stuck in your mind, and Corey describes how he walked himself out of the disappointment so that this “mistake” did not poison his thinking for the rest of the year. He also gives us a window into the ingredients he has found that have improved both his outcomes and the process towards achieving those goals. 

We devoted a good bit of this conversation to the subtle mindset distinctions that make a difference when operating at the tip of the spear. He was very generous in revealing what he has found the ingredients that matter most to improve his performance. 

My guest for the episode is Jessie Dowling. She is an endurance rider who just completed the Tevis Cup last month and the Mongol Derby last year. Both of these events are some of the toughest horse races in the world. Given that, you might expect that Jessie has been at this for a very long time. However, this is a relatively new endeavor for her, as you will hear in this podcast. She basically says “I’m just a girl who loves horses.”  

What I found really interesting in speaking with Jessie was how she made the shift from running her cheesemaking business to attempting these grueling races. This conversation is full of nuggets of wisdom. At the core, she values being present as one of the most important ways she shows up in the world. You will notice how she breaks things down into smaller steps. It never seems as if she is tackling a huge thing, but instead, she focuses on each step. She also has deeply cultivated her resilience and physical strength, which I find inspiring, because it shows that endurance isn’t an inborn trait - it’s a skill that can be built. 

Here’s Jessie’s biography: 

Jessie Dowling founded and ran an award winning sheep and goat dairy and farmstead creamery named Fuzzy Udder Creamery and made cheese from sheep, goat and cow's milk for 13 years in Midcoast Maine.  After 17 years in the dairy industry she decided to make a huge change and pursue her true passion, endurance riding, training horses, and helping others connect with horses. She sold her cheese business at the end of May and decided to celebrate by riding in the 2024 Tevis Cup.  Jessie also trained with Stevie Delahunt  leading up to riding and completing the 2023 Mongol Derby 

In the end, Jessie is making life choices that support her in living the life she loves. We could all use a little more of that. 

I hope you enjoy this podcast with Jessie Dowling. 

For this episode, I have a returning guest in Stevie Delahunt. You may remember that she was on my podcast last November. We had just met at the Journey On Podcast Summit and realized that we were two kindred spirits. I simply had to have her back after she just completed the Tevis Cup, a 100-mile endurance ride on the Western States Trail in California. This ride is legendary, with only 50% of the entrants completing the full race. This year, only 40% of the riders made it “under the banner”. Stevie was one of those riders, along with 3 other riders competing on her horses. 

In this conversation, we explored what it takes to ride for almost 24 hours through some of the most difficult trails to be found anywhere. If you are a regular listener to this podcast, you know that we deeply explored the mental side of the game, as well as the physical preparation it takes to take on such a feat. She shared what it was like in the dark moments (literally, dark moments because about 1/3 of the ride is done in the dark) to be present with herself and her horse. She also gave her perspective on fear, intuition, and how she makes decisions when the stakes are high. 

In the end, I’ve concluded that Stevie is a teacher of grit. I know she has helped me find more resilience and courage than I knew I had. 

Here’s what Stevie says about herself: 

Stevie Delahunt graduated Michigan State University with two degrees and an intent to pursue law school at Georgetown University where she had been accepted. She switched gears and went to the French Pastry School of Chicago to learn how to do wedding cakes and set up shop in the Windy City. While in Chicago she learned of the world’s toughest horse race, the Mongol Derby, and she again let life guide her into constant change. On the other side of successfully completing the Mongol Derby she took a job with a startup company in Rhode Island and learned coding and marketing for the online business. 

The endeavor in the world of start-ups gave her strong leadership skills and an education in business models she applied to starting her second and current business of horse related retreats. 

Stevie’s current business encompasses several facets of the horse world including beginner riding instruction, advanced Bootcamp style retreats for riders wishing to participate in difficult horse riding survival races around the world, horse shoeing, and endurance racing with horses which includes doing the worlds toughest one day one hundred mile horse race; the Tevis Cup. 

Stevie believes that adversity is a necessary part of life and being prepared for adversity as well as creating it for oneself is essential and is a tool she uses in teaching both horses and humans, both young and old. 

Enjoy this podcast with Stevie Delahunt!

My guest for this episode is Chris Dolman. He is the Producing Artistic Director for the Lake Lure Music Festival, an eclectic music festival producing world class music in multiple genres with renowned musicians and bands. Based in Western North Carolina, the Festival's supports the Lake Lure Classical Academy and Hickory Nut Gorge Outreach and their respective missions. Chris started his career working in radio before becoming a professional actor and director based in New York City. Chris and his wife, Cathi now live full time in Lake Lure, North Carolina.

This conversation took many interesting turns, as has Chris’s career. One big turn in his career was shifting his focus from “what can I get from this?” to “how can I serve?” His perspective shift led him to new opportunities and challenges, many of which we explore in this wide-ranging conversation. We also dove in on authenticity, listening, improvisation and so much more. 

I hope you enjoy this conversation and please be sure to share it with your friends and colleagues!

·      Balancing work and life with a focus on gratitude and intention. (0:02)

·      Pivoting from personal ambition to community service through music festival. (5:42)

·      Manifesting change through energy and focus. (12:22)

·      The transformative power of live music. (19:41)

·      The importance of arts in society, including music and theater. (24:14)

·      Embracing stage fright and being present in performances. (28:58)

·      Embracing imperfection in music and art. (37:08)

·      Embracing creative process and avoiding self-criticism. (41:21)

·      The importance of generosity in work and life. (46:14)

·      Valuing workers and breaking cycle of cogs in organizations. (50:24)

·      Finding purpose and making a positive impact in a small community. (55:30)

·      Overcoming obstacles for a music festival during the pandemic and its aftermath. (1:01:33)

·      COVID-19 challenges in the entertainment industry. (1:07:02)

·      How the pandemic has changed people's habits and routines, including their preferences for dining out and attending arts events. (1:10:43)

·      Upcoming concerts and sponsorships for a music festival in a small town. (1:14:05)

·      Event planning, marketing, and social media. (1:20:22)

·      Talk radio, podcasting, and the importance of being a good listener. (1:23:59)

·      Improvisation, curiosity, and personal growth. (1:29:09)

My guest for this episode is Kerri Lake, founder of Generation of Harmony. When I share these introductions, it’s usually so that you, my listeners, can relate to the guest and find some common ground. In Kerri’s case, her title makes common ground quite simple: Human. That title really does describe the way Kerri shows up in the world. She seeks to contribute something of value to every interaction, as I discovered in this conversation. So while it may seem difficult to pin down “who is Kerri and what does she do?”, it becomes clear in a conversation like this.

We spoke about so many topics, like curiosity, harmony, feel, and love, which was the theme that ran throughout. Often our thoughts get in the way of what matters, and Kerri spoke of the inner critic as the “Mayor of Thinkytown”. It’s both a funny and effective way to keep perspective. 

One thing we didn’t talk about is her project called Compass Conversations. It’s a podcast and what I love about it is that it is peers, learning together and inviting everyone who listens to learn along with them. Here’s how they describe it: 

We are a community of collaborating professionals and peers teaching through conversation, relationship and intuition. We’re not telling you what to learn, we’re helping you nourish your passion for learning by sharing our own.

Our work and thirst for continuing education has expanded beyond our conventional fields. Self-awareness and presence have become foundational in our relationships with work, families, nature and each other.

As you listen to this conversation, I believe you will get a clear sense of just what a learner Kerri Is. 

Here’s what Kerri says in her bio: 

Kerri is masterful in many ways. Her awareness began in infancy, and included a natural ability to communicate with animals and all of life in subtle realms of consciousness, through energy and presence. She has experienced several near-death and expanded-consciousness events, each of which reminded her of the dynamic power of living wide awake as a Creator. With innate wisdom, guidance and communication from many teachers (human and non-human), she has developed her gifts to offer clarity and guidance that is relevant to everyday life. Her work helps you recognize your capacity to experience your uniqueness, connection and communication through presence, through the heart. Without dependence on a modality or system, Kerri has blazed a new trail on the road to freedom from limitations and conditioning. On this trail, all species are welcome and integrate through frequencies of communication. The greatest gift she can give to you is her own purity of expression, sharing her own journey, to help you see that if she can do it...so can you.

If you have ever doubted whether harmony had any value, this conversation is for you.

My guest for this episode of the podcast is Corey Vaughn. He’s a professional water skier who I’ve known for more than 15 years, through many of the ups and downs of our respective water ski journeys. It’s the beginning of water ski season here in the States and the end of the water ski season on the other side of the world. Corey just came back from Australia, where he finished 4th at the Moomba Masters, which was his best performance there yet. Given the timing, we debated about when to have this conversation. Should we have it later in the season, after a notable performance? Or early in the season, to talk preparation? Balancing process and performance are part of any professional athlete’s repertoire, and in the end, we both realized that that process is worth talking about, regardless of the results. 

This conversation went deep from the very beginning, when Corey mentioned the need to be honest with ourselves if we are to truly get better at anything. Yet anyone who has taken an honest look at themselves also has to find a way to do that without being too self-critical or giving up. Corey shared some of his performance secrets, such as visualization, which is trickier for water skiers than you might expect. We dove in a bit on how to make it work in such a high speed, non-forgiving sport. 

We also got into his goals for the season, and how he balances family life, his ski school business and his athletic performance. 

The listeners of this podcast are well aware of how much I love to talk about balancing acts, and I think you are going to love this one.

Here’s what Corey has to say about himself:

I began waterskiing at age 3. It was my family's favorite summer pastime. Despite childhood dreams of becoming a professional waterskier, I never could have imagined how this sport and lifestyle would shape my life's path. At age 38, waterskiing remains a primary narrative in the story of my life. In fact, the waterski story may, indeed be reaching its climax. So I find myself, working to balance parenthood, partnership, business and my athletic endeavor at all times. There's never a dull moment.

·      Balancing work and life as a professional water skier.

·      Learning and growth through self-reflection and honesty.

·      Self-criticism and growth in water skiing.

·      How to overcome comfort zone limitations in skiing through trust and small steps.

·      The importance of regular check-ins for progress and accountability in learning new skills.

·      Skiing performance and mental preparation for Moomba.

·      Visualization techniques for skiing, incorporating tactile sensations for better timing.

·      Balancing professional waterskiing and family life while maintaining business growth.

·      Mental preparation for water skiing competitions.

·      Finding balance between perfectionism and flexibility in ski training.

·      Mental preparation for golf, focusing on mindset and confidence.

·      Cultivating internal confidence and harmony in sports performance.

·      Improvisation and staying in sync while waterskiing.

·      Improving productivity and reducing stress through mindfulness and prioritization.

·      Skiing goals and qualifying for the Masters tournament.

·      Quitting alcohol for personal growth and self-awareness.

·      The negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption and the importance of breaking the cycle.

·      Parenting, goals, and staying motivated.

·      Skiing, personal growth, and community support.

My guest for this episode of the Creative Spirits Unleashed podcast is Laurie Kaplan. I reached out to Laurie to be on the podcast after hearing her talk about her experience of the Gaucho Derby on the Greg and Dan Show in Peoria Illinois. The Gaucho Derby is a 500 km adventure race through Patagonia, and it’s billed as the world’s toughest horse race. That’s an understatement. Three of my former podcast guests were involved in the Derby, Kansas Carradine, Stevie Delahunt and Warwick Schiller, so I was paying attention to their adventures as well. In this podcast, Laurie shares her epic moments. Some were high notes and there were plenty of low notes as well. As we spoke, it’s almost as if she were reliving many of the moments, which you will hear. Listen to the whole thing, because at the end, you will hear how she puts it all together, when I ask her: What would the Laurie of today tell the Laurie that decided in August 2022 to do the race. Her answer moved me to tears.  

Here's what Laurie has to say about herself:  

Laurie is a free spirit who seeks living at a deeper level in the many things that she pursues. Whether it is raising her 2 boys who are both successfully off at university, riding horses, caring for her farm, rocking out on her drums and guiding others to their epigenetically best life. She recently experienced the Gaucho Derby in Patagonia, Argentina and is still processing the profound expansion this is opening for her.

I hope you enjoy this podcast with Laurie Kaplan and as always, please share this episode with your colleagues and friends. 

Additional Topics

·      The Gaucho Derby adventure race in Patagonia with Laurie Kaplan. (0:02)

·      Endurance horse race in Patagonia with challenging terrain and limited gear. (3:30)

·      Carrying personal items during a horseback ride. (9:59)

·      Mental preparation and overcoming obstacles in a horse race. (17:21)

·      Adventure vs. competitor in horse race. (23:48)

·      Horseback riding adventure with injuries and lessons learned. (29:35)

·      Trust, balance, and galloping in horse riding. (35:21)

·      Horseback riding adventure with highs and lows. (40:19)

·      Overcoming self-criticism and focusing on progress. (46:24)

·      Overcoming burnout and building mental strength. (51:43)

·      Hormones, burnout, and epigenetics in a horseback riding adventure. (1:00:22)

·      Outdoor adventures, hiking, and bathroom experiences. (1:08:09)

·      Visualization and manifestation in a horse riding competition. (1:14:04)

·      Dealing with disappointment after not completing a big goal. (1:20:09)

·      Self-discovery and horse riding. (1:25:52)

·      Epigenetics, genetic testing, and personalized health plans. (1:31:30)

·      Epigenetics, mindset, and adventure with Laurie Kaplan. (1:38:11)

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