summary

In this episode of the Stronger Together podcast, host Kenny Markwardt interviews Alix Randall, a coach and jewelry maker who shares her inspiring journey of moving to Sandpoint in search of a more fulfilling life. Alix discusses her transition from a career in the Department of Defense to coaching and running a jewelry business, emphasizing the importance of community, asking for help, and embracing challenges. She reflects on her experiences in CrossFit and snowboarding, the lessons learned in parenting, and the significance of creating meaningful connections through her jewelry work.

takeaways

• Alix moved to Sandpoint seeking a more fulfilling life.
• Community support is crucial for personal growth.
• Asking for help can lead to unexpected opportunities.
• Embracing challenges in fitness builds confidence.
• Snowboarding has become a new passion for Alix.
• Parenting involves building trust and independence in children.
• Jewelry making is about creating meaningful experiences.
• Alix's journey reflects the importance of resilience.
• Struggles contribute to personal development.
• Taking risks can lead to rewarding outcomes.

In this episode of the Stronger Together podcast, Kenny and Jenn Markwardt discuss the challenges and strategies for navigating summer with kids at home. They emphasize the importance of maintaining structure and routine, teaching independence, setting realistic expectations, and incorporating fitness and nutrition into family life. The conversation highlights the need for parents to model healthy habits and empower their children to make responsible choices, ultimately making the most of the summer season.

In this conversation, Kenny Markwardt, Jonathan Riley, and Trevor Riley explore their journey into combat sports, particularly focusing on Jiu-Jitsu and its applications in self-defense and cage fighting. They discuss the misconceptions surrounding martial arts, the importance of control and technique over brute strength, and the distinction between being a fighter and a martial artist. The conversation emphasizes the supportive nature of training environments and the lifelong benefits of adopting a martial artist's mindset. In this conversation, Kenny Markwardt, Jonathan Riley, and Trevor Riley discuss the importance of self-competition, the journey of martial arts training, and the lessons learned from both victories and losses. They emphasize the significance of resilience, the value of a supportive training environment, and the long-term commitment required in martial arts and fitness. The discussion also touches on the realities of cage fighting and the mental preparation needed for such experiences.

Rick Decker came to SSC in 2013 as a summer visitor from Steamboat. He and his wife Mariah kept extending their stays until one day they just didn't leave. He credits the CrossFit Open and Kenny's gym for why they live in Sandpoint.

This conversation is about what happens when you're a goalkeeper — the last line of defense, the one who never gets carried off on anyone's shoulders — and you carry that identity into every corner of your life. It's about learning to ask for help when Mariah got her first breast cancer diagnosis. And then her second. And realizing that four of the five calls he made that day were to people from this gym.

Funny, honest, and quietly one of the best episodes in the library.

Eric ruptured a disc in 2006 at 34 years old, had surgery, and spent the next 14 years protecting his back. No deadlifts. No squats. When he walked into SSC in 2020, he started with a PVC pipe. Months later he lifted 75 pounds and felt like he'd won something.

Now at 52 he's training for an 80-100 mile solo ridge traverse along the Selkirk Crest — eight days, 30,000 vertical feet, off-trail, with grizzly bears and no rescue plan closer than hours away.

This conversation is about what it takes to rebuild confidence in a broken body, why the hardest part of any hard thing is the voice in your own head, and why sometimes the best thing you can do in the gym is put down the weight and be okay with it.

Lisa House runs Lift and Thrive — a women-only strength class at SSC for women 45 and up who are done fighting their bodies and ready to build them. The class is full of women who tried high-intensity cardio, didn't see results, and finally found something that works.

This conversation covers why strength training builds bone density, why the elliptical doesn't, what a smart women's training week actually looks like, and why one member's DEXA scan made her doctor genuinely happy for the first time in years.

If you're a woman who's been putting fitness off, or doing the wrong kind of it, this one's worth your time. The class runs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:30am.

Kenny and Jenn strapped on continuous glucose monitors from Abbott Labs for two weeks and tracked everything — tacos, oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies, alcohol, beans, tortillas, and one very unfortunate incident involving a needle that was never supposed to stay in Kenny's arm.

The results were surprising. Jenn's blood sugar was excellent. Kenny's swings were not. And both of them came away with a completely different understanding of how their individual bodies respond to food — which turned out to be very, very different from each other.

This conversation is about what they learned, why everyone's different, and why $50 and two weeks of data might be the most useful nutrition experiment most people have never tried.

In this engaging conversation, Tim Corcoran shares his journey from being a gym-averse individual to embracing fitness and health after a wake-up call from his doctor regarding high cholesterol. He discusses the importance of lifestyle changes, the nuances of understanding cholesterol, and how these changes have positively impacted his life. The conversation then shifts to his newfound passion for elk hunting, detailing the challenges and triumphs he faced in the wilderness, including a memorable first hunt that turned into a survival situation. Tim reflects on the emotional complexities of hunting, the respect for nature, and the lessons learned through these experiences. In this conversation, Tim Corcoran and Kenny Markwardt explore the profound lessons learned through outdoor experiences, emphasizing the importance of mindset, vulnerability, and the father-son bond. They discuss the significance of survival skills, the value of mentoring, and the need for human connection in an increasingly technological world. The conversation highlights how challenges in nature can lead to personal growth and deeper relationships.

In this conversation, Kenny Markwardt discusses the significance of youth fitness programs, emphasizing the importance of training, nutrition, and community building for young athletes. He highlights the evolution of training methods, the necessity of cross-training to prevent injuries, and the role of coaches in fostering a positive environment. The discussion also touches on the nutritional habits of young athletes and the long-term impact of fitness programs on their lives.

In this engaging conversation, Kenny Markwardt interviews his mother, Lissa Markwardt, reflecting on their shared experiences in fitness, adventure, and the importance of support in pursuing one's passions. Lissa shares her philosophy on staying active and embracing new challenges, driven by a strong sense of FOMO and the desire to make the most of life. They discuss the role of fitness as a means to enjoy life rather than a competitive pursuit, and the significance of encouraging independence and exploration in career choices. Lissa's unwavering support for Kenny's ventures highlights the importance of nurturing one's passions and the impact of early life lessons on personal growth. In this conversation, Lissa and Kenny Markwardt explore the themes of career transition, job satisfaction, and the importance of pursuing one's passions. They discuss the emotional and physical costs of staying in unfulfilling jobs, the challenges of navigating change, and the concept of intermittent retirement as a way to integrate work and lifestyle. Lissa emphasizes the need for self-discovery and encourages listeners to explore their interests and passions, while Kenny shares his personal journey of transitioning from a corporate job to a fulfilling career in fitness. Together, they provide valuable insights and advice for those looking to make significant changes in their lives.