Paths We Take

This Week we are joined by Locky Warner and we chat all things running from shoes, to run clubs, marathon prep. Lochy shares his path from uni to work, moving from footy to running and much more.

Thanks to this weeks sponsors

Kova Haus Running, be sure to use code jordan10 at checkout

staystrongrun.com.au in partnership with breakthrough foundation where I will be running 14 marathons over 7 days!

buymeacoffee.com/pathswetake

This week we hit rewind and re-visit a powerful episode. The road to becoming a champion is hard and the reason why so little reach the level is because the dedication needed is often too much for some. But this was not the case for Stephanie. Stephanie talks about life after the olympics, her mindset during the olympics, the importance of feedback and self reflection, playing multiple sports growing up and so much more!

Learn more about the stay strong run, 14 marathons in 7 days for mental health research. If you can donate, that would help the cause so much https://staystrongrun.com.au/

Shop the latest and greatest running apparel at Kova.haus running gear built by runners for runners! Use code Jordan10 to save

https://reyourrun.com.au/ sunnies are truely the best in the game! Bounce free, fog free and stylish! Use code Jordan10 to save!

Brady joined the military at 17 and spent 14 years in the Defence Force as a submariner medic, logging more than 4,000 days underwater. By the outside measures of the Australian dream, life after defence looked perfect: a wedding, a house, a puppy and a honeymoon in Europe. Inside, Brady was struggling.

In this honest conversation, Brady shares how strength and struggle can coexist. We talk about:

• Leaving defence at 31 with no job interview experience, no GP and nothing to wear to a wedding
• The embarrassment and stigma that kept him quiet, and why comparing trauma is a trap
• Choosing to commit to getting help, and the 10 days in a mental health facility that changed his perspective
• How running went from an unhealthy coping mechanism to something he genuinely loves
• Why commitment beats motivation, and why it’s okay if people don’t understand what you’re going through
• Preparing for the Sydney Marathon after shoulder reconstruction and seven weeks of no running
• Handling disappointment, including walking the last 8km of City to Bay
• The embarrassment of sharing big physical goals, and what’s next: a sub-90 half marathon and a Darwin to Adelaide run for men’s mental health

Brady’s message for you: be proud of yourself every day, even if that’s just making a cup of coffee, and keep showing up for yourself and others.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of mental health, suicidal thoughts and suicide. If you’re struggling, support is available. In Australia, you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or, for veterans and their families, Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

This week’s sponsors

Kova Haus Running is a brand new Adelaide-based running apparel company created to help every endurance athlete endure more, and do it together. Catch their very first pop-up on October 31 at the Gillies Market, Adelaide Showgrounds. It’s a night market from 3:00pm to 9:00pm with food vendors, breweries and plenty of good company. Shop online at Kova.Haus and use code Jordan10

https://reyourrun.com.au make the go-to running sunnies: fog-free, bounce-free and built with lens technology that adapts to changing light, so you’re not taking them on and off through shady and sunny patches. Jordan’s current go-to is the brand new Rewind Sunnies. Use code JORDAN10 at the link in the bio to save.

Support the show: If you’d like to buy Jordan a coffee (a skinny flat white), you can do so at buymeacoffee.com/pathswetake. The show keeps ads short and minimal, so every bit of support helps keep it running.

Content note: This episode includes discussion of mental health, suicide and depression. If you’ve been affected by any of these topics, please take care while listening. If you’re in Australia and need support, Lifeline is available on 13 11 14.A lot can happen in a year. Connor is back on The Paths We Take, almost to the day since his first appearance in Episode 81, to share what the last 12 months have taught him about resilience, reflection and showing up when you don’t want to.As the founder of Empower Health and Fitness, Connor has gone from leaving his 9-to-5 to building a thriving coaching community. That includes hiring Brad, his very first client, as a coach. But growth came with real tests. He opens up about nearly giving up at the start of the year, falling out of love with the gym for the first time in his life, and the sudden upheaval that forced him to call 30 to 40 clients and start again in a new space.In this conversation we talk about:Why “this too shall pass” became Connor’s mantra in the hardest momentsWhy failure is only failure if you learn nothing from it“What we don’t change, we’re choosing”The Michelangelo’s David lesson: becoming a new person by chipping away at the old oneWhy motivation fades and discipline is what carries youHow the gym changed from a place of survival to a place of purposeWhy reflection is a skill, and why it’s so hard to see your own progressTreating a major setback like a grieving process, with an end dateConnor also shares the one thing he’d leave every listener with: nothing is promised, everything is earned, and you can’t become who you’re about to be until you let go of who you used to be.Listen to Part 1 (Episode 81) if you haven’t already.Find Connor: Empower Health and Fitness on Instagram @connortarrant_healthcoachThis episode is brought to you by:Kova Haus Running: Adelaide’s new running apparel brand, built by runners for runners. Shop at kova.haus and use code jordan10Re your run: sunglasses with adaptive lenses and a bounce-free fit. Use code JORDAN10 for 10% off. https://reyourrun.com.au/Buy Me a Coffee: help keep the show running: https://buymeacoffee.com/pathswetake

At 24, Ashton Krywell has gone from nearly 150kg to racing triathlons. In this episode, he shares the full story: the tough years that led him to the gym, how weight loss turned into a love of endurance sport, and why he's now chasing a full Ironman.

Ashton is a Kova Haus athlete, and we sit down just after the City-Bay, a race he was meant to run. A stress fracture in his patella has him on the sidelines, so we talk about what that's like, including his first ever DNF just 2km into the Barossa half marathon.

In this episode:

• Dropping from 145kg to 88-90kg and what got him started
• Opening up about the mental health battles and the hard period behind the journey
• The pull of social media comparison and how it helps and hurts motivation
• Breaking into triathlon, and why swimming is still the hardest leg
• Tips for first-time triathletes, including why you need to get outdoors on the bike
• What went wrong at Cairns 70.3 (two punctures, a lost bottle and cramps) and what he'll change for Sydney 70.3
• Balancing FIFO life (three weeks on, one week off) with serious training
• Nutrition, sodium and sweat testing
• Strength, recovery and training around an injury
• Why having a coach matters, and why your "why" keeps changing

Ashton's message for anyone with a big goal: chase it, however ambitious or delusional it seems.

Connect with Ashton: [add his Instagram/Strava link]

Sponsors:

• Kova Haus Running: endurance apparel built by runners, for runners. Shop at kova.haus use code jordan10
• Re Your Run Sunnies: bounce-free, fog-free, glare-free sunglasses built for running. Use code JORDAN10 to save.
• Support the show: buy me a coffee buymeacoffee.com/Pathswetake

What happens when your heart doesn't play by the rules, but you keep running anyway? In this episode, I open up about living with a heart arrhythmia, and why I'm getting a minor procedure to have an implantable loop recorder inserted to finally get some answers. I talk about what it's like to train and race with an unanswered question sitting in your chest, and about the isolation that comes with it: looking fine on the outside, feeling uncertain on the inside, and not knowing who to talk to. If you've ever felt alone in a health battle nobody can see, this one's for you.

Why did probiotics make your acne worse? Why does your skin break out the moment you stop birth control? In this episode, Jordan interviews a naturopath with 17+ years Karina Hiscock specializing in acne treatment, gut health, and microbiome restoration. Learn why generic probiotics often backfire (dysbiosis explained), how microbiome testing reveals what your gut actually needs, why the pill masks but doesn't cure acne, and the exact root-cause approach that creates lasting skin clarity. If you've been stuck in the pill-to-antibiotics-to-Accutane cycle or felt worse after taking supplements, this conversation cuts through the confusion.We dive into hormonal acne vs. gut-driven acne, why disordered eating damages your microbiome long-term, the simple nutrition strategy that transforms gut health (hint: it's about plant variety, not restriction), and why quick fixes always bounce back. Whether you're dealing with adult acne, coming off hormonal birth control, or just curious about the gut-brain-skin connection—this episode offers science-backed answers and actionable steps you can start today. Root-cause health solutions for clear skin, better digestion, and optimal immunity.Buy me a coffee, it really means a lot, thanks for your support buymeacoffee.com/Pathswetake Shop the latest and greatest running gear website: Kova.Haus

In this episode, Jordan sits down to explore what happens when the training has to stop and what that reveals. After a rough week of being unable to run, Jordan opens up about the intersection of athletic identity, mental health, and a journey that most endurance athletes don't talk about openly: living with heart arrhythmia while pursuing performance at a high level.

We dig into:

• The mental toll of forced rest for a competitive runner and triathlete
• Cardiac stress test results and what they actually mean for training and performance
• Heart health as an endurance athlete: How arrhythmia affects training decisions, race planning, and long-term athletic goals
• Life beyond running: Finding meaning and managing stress when your primary outlet is off the table
• The athlete's journey with cardiac health: Navigating medical protocols while maintaining competitive drive
• Resilience, adaptation, and moving forward with uncertainty

Whether you're an endurance athlete, someone managing a cardiac condition, or just interested in the psychology of athletic identity, this conversation cuts through the surface-level fitness talk to explore what really matters when your body forces you to pause.

Perfect for: runners, triathletes, endurance sport enthusiasts, health-conscious athletes, anyone managing chronic health conditions while maintaining an active lifestyle

I blacked out during my long run on Sunday and woke up face down on the floor not knowing how I got there.
Home and more questions than answers. The only thing I learned over the last 2 days in the hospital is how little is still known about heart issues in the endurance sport space. Unfortunately there is not a lot of data or evidence in endurance athletes and heart issues, treatment, how to stay active, etc. The only thing the medical team can do is rule out that you're not dying then leave you to figure out the rest on your own and tell you not to do what you love? That doesn't seem right and with my work on mental health right now I know that is not great for athletes mental health at all! Which as a health care worker myself I understand the system. But as an endurance athlete I'm like well what now, your telling me I can't do what I love, I can't run with my friends and chat, go out for coffee with my friends after a run, I can't sign up for a road race?
I still don't know why all this is happening, if me blacking out is even related to my heart changes and what the plan is moving forwards.
I know there are others in the endurance sport space that have had heart stuff come up, I've heard stories. I just didn't know though how alone they must have felt, with no answers, not a lot of other athletes to chat about this with and not all endurance athletes get this because I think we all think, well it will never happen to me. Until a few months ago I thought that. There is not a lot of guidance that can be given.
I am working with one of SA's only sports cardiologists who did tell me himself 4 months ago that in the future we may need to look interstate as well for help.
That's the plan now. My goal is to get some answers and find a solution. I know there is one out there I think sometimes we need to be accountable when it comes to our own health and instead of waiting to be told what to do, we need to find people who can help, and keep on looking, even if that means looking outside of Adelaide.
If you know of any blogs, podcasts or articles covering heart concerns and endurance athletes please send them my way! It's time to get on top of this!

Todays episode is a reflection on starting something new like this podcast and how it took 6+ years to build, not 6 hours or overnight. Jordan talks about how he is very confident in his new business Kova Haus Running because he knows how to just keep going, year after year, while other give up over night, Jordan is prepared to keen on going.