Maximum Enthusiasm

I am taking part in a 6-month, 200 hour Meditation Teacher Training Program, and as part of our eventual certification we'll need to demonstrate we've practiced. Recording a podcast doesn't actually count, but it does give me a chance to practice and to listen to myself doing this- and to hopefully, benefit our show listeners in the process!

Credit: this meditation is part of Radiance Sutras® School of Meditation, 2021 -course materials - and is called Your Natural Doorways Meditation

I welcome Demi back for her THIRD interview -- yes, three. She's that good, she continues to grow and stretch my thinking and I'm so thankful for her friendship, coaching and the thought-provoking conversations we have.

Awhile back she'd mentioned something to me about the leap from the hamster wheel onto the "magic carpet," or letting go of things that no longer serve us, moving on from chapters of past callings and looking ahead to the new ventures and seasons and chapters that call us, beckon us, but usually -without all of the information that we want or "need" to be "ready" to make the leap. (Yes, lots of air quotes to indicate these ephemeral things we get so wound up in our heads about)... she said to me once, there's always a gap, Megan.... there's always a gap between the leap and the landing... between leaving the shore of the known, swimming out into the vast ocean and then eventually seeing the sights of the new shore where we are headed -- perhaps that space of the magic carpet, the calling, the dharma, the Gift of our life....

There is almost always a gap - -this almost always requires a leap into the unknown, jumping and building wings on the way down...

Demi is the perfect person to unpack this for us and it's so beautiful that I happened to be re-reading "The Great Work of Your Life" at this time.

Yes, there's a lot here, but I am positive something here will land with you, will expand your awareness - will cause you to perhaps close a door behind you even as you seek the next door to open.

You can find Demi here: TheAuthenticleaderinYou.com

Take her Leadership quiz – learn more about your leader personality type !

Are you ready to make your leap of faith? To get off the fence of that analysis paralysis.... I hope this podcast helps you.

The book I mention: The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope — highly recommend!

Thanks as always to Stu at Relish Studio for editing/post-production work!

Several years ago, a very serious traumatic brain injury (TBI) landed Lauren in Craig Hospital for several months where she had to relearn basic things like how to walk. She went from being a pro cyclist to someone who said she was done with cycling forever... understandably, given the extent of her injuries.

She went back to school, getting her masters degree in epidemiology and then a short while later found herself on COVID task forces during the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Feeling that itch once again, she decided to try cycling again and actually set the women's WR for Everesting --which is where a cyclist rides the equivalent of the elevation gain of Mt Everest on their bike in one sitting/one ride.

This sparked something inside her and the desire and urge to again race at the top of the sport returned … at the same time her paths crossed with CINCH Elite when she appeared on their podcast, and the next thing you know... Lauren won Unbound Gravel (formerly known as DK), then she won Steamboat Gravel, and then she won Gravel Worlds, setting a new women's course record. She’s had several other podium finishes in there as well. It’s been an incredible season for her.

Her team offered her full support so she was able to leave her dream job to focus on racing full time. All of these things sound like reasons to celebrate - -redemption, road to recovery, comebacks, overcoming the odds and so much more... Oh yeah and in the midst of all of this, she was also married this summer, in May.

And yet--this series of successes has been clouded by much online negativity and really caustic commentary about women's gravel racing.

Regardless of who is right or wrong, or what side you align with (if that's even a thing), the online and social media vitriol surrounding these events has really been something to witness-- and it's been heartbreaking to see, also. Lauren has been subjected to some really pointed criticism.

Somehow, she seems to thrive in adversity (which I think she readily admits about herself) and she's doing her best to put one foot in front of the other as she navigates this growing -pain-season in women's gravel bike racing … a relatively new sport which historically has been one race, where all racers start together.

Hear her chime in on her thoughts about TBIs and recovery, gravel racing, the online commentary and how she is processing all of this.

You can find and follow Lauren online at: https://www.instagram.com/laurenissima/?hl=en

And the Craig Hospital ride she mentions and supports:

https://craighospital.org/events/2021-pedal-4-possible

If you’re looking for some context for the gravel racing discussion, check out her recent interview with Cycling News: https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/lauren-de-crescenzo-you-cant-fake-gravel-racing/

She also recently appeared on Groadio - The Premier Gravel Cycling & Racing Podcast— here: https://www.podcastaddict.com/episode/127793749

"it’s all about finding Your adventure…. What thing can I discover? Building up -- what else is possible? It doesn’t always have to be epic- like, today I just want to walk to the pond…. It’s all about the balance, listening to your body, doing what makes you happy TODAY."

Meet today's guest Micah! Aka, the REAL Micah Ling ;)

She talks about "life in the map," a literal map she's making her way through, but more broadly, her choose-your-own-adventure approach to life in Colorado. Her enthusiasm for exploring and greeting challenges and pursuits head on is contagious, you'll hear that for SURE.

Additional links and items mentioned in today's show:

Micah's website: https://www.micahelizabethling.com/

Find her on Linked In here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/micah-ling-752b6124

Alltrails.com – great app /resource - -recent reviews of a trail help when planning an adventure

Garmin INReach – GPS device to bring along

Show sponsor: Relish Studio, check them out at Relishstudio.com

As always, thanks for listening! If you're interested in being a show guest or sponsor, please contact us via our website MaximumEnthusiasm.com.

It's a pretty rad day when I get to accompany a friend for a solo mission- like, running rim 2 rim 2 rim... at the Grand Canyon- where I'd never been, and always wanted to visit...

So it came to be that I got to join Danny, a SWA pilot and ultra-runner/insanely-talented mountain biker, for his solo r2r2r endeavor. It is a special day when a person goes out to do a big audacious thing when there are no start or finish lines, no spectators, no one at all to cheer or support - what a wonderful and fulfilling thing it is to do a big thing simply for oneself and as a personal goal.

Danny absolutely crushed his goal- and had a super successful day doing r2r2r. Here, he shares his prep, as well as what he took with him and how he set himself up for the best possible day. It was such an inspiring event to observe.

Read more and see more photos here also:

https://www.meganhottman.com/blog/2021/4/12/97grandcanyon

“It’s not about the money...it’s about creating a lifestyle I love. I want to have something where I have a lot of fun doing it, and that helps me feel like I’m giving back, connecting our community.”

— Bill Plock, 303 Endurance

Today’s guest is usually the one behind the mic asking the questions. I know, because he’s hosted me on both their Garage Talk (you tube video series) and on their 303 Endurance Podcast…. He asks great, insightful questions of his show guests, and so it was fun to turn the mic back towards him and to get the chance to get to know him better. We dig into the background of how it came to be that he owns 303 Endurance, Colorado’s Front Range media source for all cycling and multi-sport related news and updates. You can learn all about it at 303Cycling.com.

Living lean, and without debt, is a theme that’s been recurring in my life and is one of the base pillars to my ability to live my life by design and without being dictated by overhead - Bill talks about this too on the show, where he mentions that being debt free has given him the freedom to live his life on his terms, truly, living a life of Maximum Enthusiasm. I truly love his “go boldly” approach to life, to his media business, to racing, and more.

Mentioned in my show intro:

(1) Wearing a CGM - a continuous blood glucose monitor -from NutriSense: click HERE or: https://www.nutrisense.io/?code=MEGANHO

Sign up for NutriSense with my discount code to get $25 off your next month of service.

(2) The Big Leap — I HIGHLY recommend this book!

If you order it using the link at right —-> please note, as an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission from your purchase.

3) SLEEP CHRONOTYPE: I am a bear. Take your online quiz to figure out your type, when it’s best for you to sleep, work, and exercise! Here’s ONE.

4) Masterclass- - Matthew Walker, sleep expert. HERE.

"I believe that a lot of things are within our control- I think that if we slowed down in life and worked on reconnecting human to human and supporting one another over consumerism, we’d heal a lot of problems that people are having, mostly behind closed doors….” -Adelaide Perr

This is a wonderful and insightful interview with an amazing young woman —she’s an athlete, advocate, crash-survivor, triathlete, cyclist, civil engineer, all-round super-woman IMHO … please meet Adelaide Perr.

I read her book DEGLOVED and was really impressed with the way she told her story, informed and educated her readers not just about the crash but also her Bipolar II diagnosis, and the ways that she does life — she’s inspired us with her grit as well as her vulnerability.

With those topics in mind, I asked her questions about what fuels her fire, how she hits the reset button when she's having a bad moment or a bad day... what things she's looking forward to, and what she sees ahead for her as she currently is executing on a long-time dream she's had: buying a home and wintering in Tucson.

Find her, and her book, here:

Websites:

https://www.adelaideperr.com/

Book: https://bookshop.org/books/degloved-every-scar-has-a-story/9781913615055

Other books she recommends:

Exit West

Chasing the Screen & Lost Connections

Stand

An energy bar that boasts clean label, meaning … we can actually identify and pronounce the ingredients, and they make us feel good before/during/after exercise? A brand that builds community around its products? YES. YES that is an actual thing!

Meet Ryan Naboshek, today’s show guest. He did the corporate job thing… and on the side, his passion kept him busy on nights and weekends while he hand-made healthy bars in his kitchen … that’s right. He started his passion project on the side and he cared about it so much, he spent his free time working on it.

Until the day came when his corporate job employer laid off the bulk of its workforce - including Ryan. And instead of it being a panic moment, it was the launchpad for CRAFTED to really become a legitimate endeavor for Ryan and his two co-founders.

I find this story so inspiring because it shows that when you truly love something you’re working on- it doesn’t HAVE to be your full time job, or at least, not right away. You can nurture it and experiment with it and then maybe something happens that catapults it one direction or the other. But bottom line when you’re passionate and enthusiastic about it, it feels very worthwhile… and you’ll hear that in Ryan’s energy and tone.

It’s really exciting to see what they’ve done with their bars and where they want to go - -they’ve got another new flavor waiting in the wings ready to launch, in fact, and they continue to build communities of runners, cyclists and climbers with their branding and products. More than that, though, is the impact they are working to have -they are disrupting an industry replete with products filled with sugars, sugar substitutes (GROSS), preservatives for longer shelf life … and instead they’ve come to the athletic and healthy/vegan communities with legit fueling sources full of legit and REAL foods, which sit well in the tummy and which provide sustained energy…. YES PLEASE.

I love the bars — the cyclist bar especially since I am a cyclist at my core. But yes I also eat the runner and climber bars too and they’re delish. I also recommend and use these bars for life activities- like hiking, courtroom and work time, travel — those times when I want to eat something that will keep my blood sugar levels constant, provide me food for fueling without a sugar/insulin spike and resulting crash….

I found this interview super inspiring and uplifting- Ryan’s energy is contagious!! I hope it boosts your day like it did mine. Happy listening!

Learn more about Ryan & Crafted Energy:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-naboshek-15b67834/

https://www.craftedenergy.com/

"I know that I want to be successful -- but I know in order to get there, I have to push my limits and try things that scare me... I have to take risks when they're presented to me."

On this 56th episode of Maximum Enthusiasm, I interview friend and fellow entrepreneur, Jessica Fialkovich. She's a badass.

She has run multiple companies, and not only has she grown them into hugely-successful endeavors, she's done it alongside her husband, Al. I think that's pretty special and inspiring.

Jess and I talk about her journey to her newest company, Exit Factor, and all of the things that business owners can be thinking of well in advance, before it's time to sell their "baby" versus winding it down at the end of its lifespan.

She's also the current president of our Colorado EO (Entrepreneurs Organization) and she talks about what that has been like during the pandemic.

I found this interview with Jess so motivating and inspiring. I hope you find this similarly-uplifting and intriguing.

Learn more about Jess here at these links:

https://www.exitfactor.com/about/

https://jessicafialkovich.com/

https://www.tworld.com/locations/centraldenver/jessica-fialkovich/

A few other links that I reference in my intro:

https://wildzora.com/

https://harvesthosts.com/

https://www.elpaismotel.com/

I had this incredible honor and privilege of writing the eulogy for my beloved Grandmother, Jane Hottman. In this era of COVID, funerals are not held in churches, attended in person by all of her loved ones. Instead, they are delivered virtually, online, via a slideshow of photos, songs, and recorded eulogy audio.

And so it came to be that I had the opportunity to reflect on my 41 years with my Grandmother Jane... to undertake the impossible mission of reducing her incredible life to words and to attempt to impart her lessons, wisdoms, and strengths, on anyone who may listen.

I have always believed strongly in Stephen Covey's "begin with the end in mind" principle- to envision your OWN funeral, who is attending, and what you might wish they would say about you. And then- to go out and to live your life in accordance with those remembrances. If you want your spouse to say that you were a loving, kind, supportive partner -then each day, live in such a way that those sentiments are spoken authentically about you.

So many people say their family comes first in their lives, and yet so few people live and act as though that is really true. My Grandma Jane truly did put family first -in everything she did and said- in the plans she made, in the way she ran her businesses, her finances, her schedule. Her family TRULY did come first -and we all knew how much she loved us. How many of us can say that will truly be our legacy?

Well here's a tip: each day we can shape our legacy by the way we lead our households and the way we live our lives. Starting now. Starting TODAY.

If you prefer the written word over audio to truly soak up my message about Grandma Jane, please visit MaximumEnthusiasm.com to read the eulogy. Thank you for letting me tell you about our amazing Jane- our family matriarch and guiding light. May she rest in peace.