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Episode 67: Permission to Actually Try
On Permission to Evolve, host performance and life coach Brandon Thielk and co-host/producer Holly Deschenes discuss “permission to actually try” through Holly’s recap of Unbound Gravel, a premier gravel event in Emporia, Kansas, where she and her husband Aaron completed the signature 200-mile route (about 207 miles, 11,000 feet of climbing) amid repeated severe storms, hail, lightning, heavy “peanut butter” mud conditions, steep technical descents, minimum-maintenance roads, strong headwinds, and a late-night finish just before 2:00 AM under a 3:00 AM finish-line shutdown. Holly describes staying present, doing “race math,” and never considering quitting, contrasting this calm mindset with past fear in races and a post-accident period. Brandon explains how unresolved past stress creates limiting beliefs that surface under pressure, why commitment without forcing builds self-trust, and how to distinguish intuition from escape by seeking a decision that brings peace. He shares examples from coaching a triathlete returning to racing and from his own baseball comeback attempt, and closes with where to find his coaching, newsletter, and social channels.
00:00 Podcast Introductions
00:18 Permission To Try
01:14 Unbound Gravel Overview
04:01 Training And Expectations
05:36 Stormy Start Chaos
08:10 Peanut Butter Mud Crossing
09:23 Aid Station And More Storms
11:10 Tailwind To Headwind Shift
12:40 Muddiest Middle Miles
14:35 Nightfall And Final Push
17:49 Shelter Warning And Open Range
20:12 Lights Crashes And Finish
24:02 Cutoffs and Finish Line
25:18 Staying Present to Finish
28:06 From Fear to Calm
29:14 Shadow Work for Athletes
33:51 Self Trust in Competition
37:16 Baseball Injury Wake Up
43:40 Knowing When to Stop
49:15 Greatness Needs an Event
50:48 Final Takeaways and Next Steps
53:47 Where to Find Brandon
🔗 LINKS:
Free Strategy Session: https://brandonthielk.com/
Newsletter Signup: https://brandonthielk.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonthielk/
TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@bthielk
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/permission-to-evolve/id1792609620
https://open.spotify.com/show/6HMWcqqroohupXCbf3CxOn
https://www.instagram.com/permissiontoevolvepodcast/
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By Brandon Thielk and Holly DeschenesOn Permission to Evolve, host performance and life coach Brandon Thielk and co-host/producer Holly Deschenes discuss “permission to actually try” through Holly’s recap of Unbound Gravel, a premier gravel event in Emporia, Kansas, where she and her husband Aaron completed the signature 200-mile route (about 207 miles, 11,000 feet of climbing) amid repeated severe storms, hail, lightning, heavy “peanut butter” mud conditions, steep technical descents, minimum-maintenance roads, strong headwinds, and a late-night finish just before 2:00 AM under a 3:00 AM finish-line shutdown. Holly describes staying present, doing “race math,” and never considering quitting, contrasting this calm mindset with past fear in races and a post-accident period. Brandon explains how unresolved past stress creates limiting beliefs that surface under pressure, why commitment without forcing builds self-trust, and how to distinguish intuition from escape by seeking a decision that brings peace. He shares examples from coaching a triathlete returning to racing and from his own baseball comeback attempt, and closes with where to find his coaching, newsletter, and social channels.
00:00 Podcast Introductions
00:18 Permission To Try
01:14 Unbound Gravel Overview
04:01 Training And Expectations
05:36 Stormy Start Chaos
08:10 Peanut Butter Mud Crossing
09:23 Aid Station And More Storms
11:10 Tailwind To Headwind Shift
12:40 Muddiest Middle Miles
14:35 Nightfall And Final Push
17:49 Shelter Warning And Open Range
20:12 Lights Crashes And Finish
24:02 Cutoffs and Finish Line
25:18 Staying Present to Finish
28:06 From Fear to Calm
29:14 Shadow Work for Athletes
33:51 Self Trust in Competition
37:16 Baseball Injury Wake Up
43:40 Knowing When to Stop
49:15 Greatness Needs an Event
50:48 Final Takeaways and Next Steps
53:47 Where to Find Brandon
🔗 LINKS:
Free Strategy Session: https://brandonthielk.com/
Newsletter Signup: https://brandonthielk.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonthielk/
TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@bthielk
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/permission-to-evolve/id1792609620
https://open.spotify.com/show/6HMWcqqroohupXCbf3CxOn
https://www.instagram.com/permissiontoevolvepodcast/