What do polar expeditions have to teach you about conserving energy, building resilience, and showing up with real confidence?

In this episode of The Discomfort Zone, Anna sits down with endurance performance coach Jon Fearne, who has trained record breaking solo polar explorers, Atlantic rowers, and elite endurance athletes for nearly 30 years.

This conversation isn't about heroics. It's about what builds real confidence and resilience day after day, and it's probably not what you think.

They explore:

• Why routine reduces mental strain and builds resilience

• How small energy leaks — not big mistakes — cause failure

• How to train your nervous system for high-stress environments

• The psychology of solo adventure

• What failure really teaches you

• Why waiting for perfect conditions keeps you stuck

Jon shares the unfiltered truth about elite performance: it's not built in heroic moments. It's built in daily discipline.

If you've been waiting for ideal conditions before taking action — this episode is your reminder:

Confidence comes from preparation. And preparation happens in the mundane.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to conserve energy, build resilience, and paddle with real confidence.

About Jon

Jon Fearne is an adventure performance coach who has worked with 1000's of endurance athletes all over the world from Atlantic Rowers to Record breaking Polar athletes, and multiple world endurance MTB riders.

He's worked in the endurance and adventure industry for 29 years, starting out as an Outdoor education instructor in surf and kayaking, and then studied Sports Science, co-writing a MSc Athlete development and peak performance. He runs an endurance coaching business called E3C, and his passions include time with family and being in the mountains on skis.

This is the 100th episode of The Discomfort Zone Podcast — and it almost never happened.

In this solo milestone episode, Anna reflects on the journey from sitting on the idea of a podcast for years to surpassing 50,000 downloads — and the single insight that finally helped her take the leap.

That insight came from one paragraph in Hidden Potential by Adam Grant, where he describes three kinds of courage that accelerate growth:

• The courage to abandon your tried-and-true methods

• The courage to step into the ring before you feel ready

• The courage to make more mistakes than others make attempts

Through stories from whitewater kayaking, launching her first instructional DVD for women, and navigating the fear of publishing a podcast, Anna shares how leaning into discomfort shaped not only her career — but her life.

In this episode, you'll explore:

• Why discomfort is the gateway to growth

• How to peel out of your "eddy" and take action

• Why mistakes are essential for mastery

• How paddling mirrors the way we show up in life

• Reflection questions to help you move toward what matters most

If you've ever felt stuck, hesitant, or unsure whether you're ready, this episode is your reminder that growth starts exactly there.

The river doesn't wait for you to feel ready. You peel out of the eddy anyway. And that's where transformation happens.

🌊 Reflection Questions from This Episode

• Where in your life can you abandon your tried-and-true methods?

• Where can you step into the ring before you feel ready?

• Where can you make more mistakes than others make attempts?

🎧Listen now, and peel out toward what matters — even if you don't feel ready yet.

What if the river could teach you how to stay alive — and how to truly live?

In this powerful episode of The Discomfort Zone, I sit down with Lauren Byrd — combat veteran, whitewater kayaker, and creator of PaddleCalendar — for an honest, courageous conversation about fear, grounding, and finding your way back to yourself through paddling.

Lauren shares how kayaking became more than a sport — it became a lifeline. From learning to regulate her nervous system in an eddy before a rapid, to discovering the profound boat–body–head connection, Lauren walks us through how river skills translated directly into life-saving mental agility.

We talk about:

• How grounding practices finally made sense — not in a classroom, but on the river

• Using eddies as a metaphor for pausing, breathing, and resetting in life

• Starting whitewater kayaking as an adult (in her late 30s) — and going all in

• Competing on the world stage without comparison or perfectionism

• Why being in the boat matters more than the outcome

• How playboating, presence, and progression helped shift suicidal thoughts into a desire to live

This episode is for paddlers, adventurers, and anyone navigating fear, overwhelm, or big life transitions. You don't need to be running Class V to learn from the river — sometimes the most important work happens in the eddy.

If you've ever felt stuck on the shore of your own life, this conversation is an invitation to get back in the boat, trust your process, and paddle forward — one intentional moment at a time.

🎧 Listen in and let the river remind you what's possible — on and off the water.

What if self-doubt isn't a sign to stop — but an invitation to listen more deeply?

In this episode of The Discomfort Zone Podcast, Anna Levesque sits down with packrafter, educator, and counselor Jule Harle for a thoughtful, grounded conversation about imposter syndrome, purpose, and learning to trust what's guiding you — even when your mind is loud.

Jule shares how feeling "not good enough" has shown up across her life, from moving to Alaska without knowing how to ski, to stepping into leadership roles in paddlesports, education, and community building. Rather than trying to silence that voice, she offers a different approach: non-attachment, kindness toward yourself, and staying connected to what genuinely feels meaningful.

Together, Anna and Jule explore:

• Why imposter syndrome often appears when you're on the right path

• How heart-led desire can be a compass — even when the outcome is unclear

• Letting go of results while still showing up fully for the work

• The parallels between rivers, yoga, Ayurveda, and everyday decision-making

• Why rest, sleep, and seasonal rhythms are foundational for confidence

• How service, authenticity, and joy can coexist — without burnout

This conversation weaves river wisdom, Eastern philosophy, and lived experience into a practical reminder: growth doesn't come from proving yourself — it comes from presence, curiosity, and staying kind to yourself along the way.

🎧 Press play and explore what it means to quiet the mind, open the heart, and keep choosing what feels true — on the river and in life.

What if happiness isn't something you wait for — but something you generate?

In this solo episode, Anna walks you through a moment from the start of her year that offered a clear reminder of how you can create ease — even when things don't go as planned.

Through this real-life moment, Anna unpacks one of the most powerful mindset shifts she knows:

👉 Sometimes the hardest decision is actually the most easeful one.

Using whitewater kayaking metaphors, nervous system awareness, and mental agility tools, this episode explores:

• How to stop labeling your whole day (or year) as "bad"
• Why a "bad 10 minutes" doesn't equal a bad life — or a bad paddling day
• How to interrupt unhelpful stories and return to facts
• What it really means to generate happiness moment to moment
• Why being attached to "wins" creates emotional whiplash
• How to get off the up-and-down roller coaster and into a steadier wave train of life

If you've had a rough start to the year, a missed line on the river, or a moment where plans unraveled fast — this episode is an invitation to reframe, breathe, and choose clarity over fear.

Anna also shares how these practices are taught and trained inside her Mental Agility Mastery program — a live, small-group experience designed to help paddlers and adventurers move from feeling disempowered to grounded, confident, and capable.

🎧 Listen in if you're ready to:

• Paddle past unhelpful self-talk
• Make cleaner, more self-trusting decisions
• Find ease even when life feels hard
• And remember that nothing is ever all good or all bad
• Because just like on the river — it's about learning how to paddle through rapids with skill and self-trust.

In this encore episode of The Discomfort Zone Podcast, I sit down with Heidi Walsh, one of the most dynamic all-around female kayakers in the world and a 2025 Female Paddler of the Year finalist, for a raw conversation about mindset, resilience, and learning through failure in high-consequence whitewater.

Heidi is known for charging Class V creeks, competing at the highest level of freestyle kayaking, and running massive waterfalls—including 92-foot drops. In this episode, she breaks down what it actually takes—mentally and technically—to keep progressing when the stakes are high and the beatdowns are real.

We dive into the story behind her now-viral switch freewheel off Spirit Falls, and what it was like to follow that iconic moment with a humbling swim while attempting to hand-paddle through Chaos after her paddle was ripped from her hands. Heidi shares the lessons she took from that moment—and why mistakes, when approached with awareness and safety, are essential for growth.

In this episode, we explore:

• How to fail safely while pushing your limits in kayaking

• Why beatdowns don't mean you're doing it wrong—they mean you're learning

• The mental skills required to run big drops and charge hard lines

• How to build resilience and confidence after setbacks

• What "sending it with style" really means beyond the highlight reel

Heidi's grounded, no-nonsense approach to risk, progression, and self-trust offers powerful takeaways for paddlers—and anyone navigating fear, challenge, and growth in their own life.

🎧 If you're ready to rethink failure, build real confidence, and lean into discomfort with more clarity, this episode is for you.

In this encore episode of The Discomfort Zone Podcast, I'm joined by Sophie Gilfillan, recently named U21 Female Paddler of the Year, for a powerful conversation about mindset training for kayaking, managing fear, and letting go of perfectionism—without losing the joy of paddling.

Sophie is a silver medalist at the Junior Women's World Freestyle Championships and a multi-discipline paddler across freestyle, slalom, and creeking. In this conversation, she shares how she works with pressure, self-talk, and expectations at a high level—while staying grounded and connected to why she paddles in the first place.

In this episode, we explore:

• How to tell the difference between rational and irrational fear on the river

• Why perfectionism can quietly sabotage confidence and performance

• Sophie's "rule of thirds" mindset tool for bouncing back after tough performances

• How extreme slalom is changing the culture of competition

• A refreshing definition of success that isn't tied to medals or results

With wisdom beyond her years, Sophie offers insights that apply to competitive paddlers and everyday river runners alike.

Whether this is your first listen or a return to a favorite episode, this conversation is a reminder that progress doesn't have to come at the cost of joy.

🎧 Listen in and reconnect with why you love paddling.

What if you didn't set another resolution… and instead chose a theme you could actually live into?

In this bonus re-release, I'm joined by my longtime friend and entrepreneur Michelle Tennant Nicholson for a grounded, energizing conversation about creating an annual theme that becomes a true north star — not a January idea you forget by February.

We talk about what it really takes to stay engaged in your life (especially when you're tired, busy, or tempted to drift back into the comfortable shallows). You'll hear stories, laughs, and practical frameworks you can use right away — like reverse-engineering your year from the future, using people / places / things to build momentum, and treating "failure" as feedback instead of proof you're behind.

Michelle also shares how she navigated a major life pivot after Hurricane Helene disrupted her homestead plans — and how choosing a theme helped her realign with purpose when the path got rocky.

If you're craving clarity, courage, and a simple way to steer your attention into what matters most… this episode is your eddy to reset in — before you peel out into the year ahead.

✨ Listen now, and then send me (and Michelle!) your theme for the year.

In this inspiring episode of The Discomfort Zone, I sit down with Makinley Kate Hargrove, two-time Junior World Champion, World Cup gold medalist, and six-time U.S. Junior National Champion, to explore how she leans into discomfort and finds her flow both on and off the river.

We dive deep into: 🌊 How elite athletes reframe pressure into purpose 😊 Why choosing joy is a daily practice — not a personality trait 🤝 The power of community for courage and resilience 💪 Navigating injury with patience, perspective, and grounded mindset tools ✈️ How travel and culture shape who we become as paddlers and humans 💗 The role of authenticity and vulnerability in the competitive world 🌟 What Makinley Shares in This Episode

Makinley opens up about what it was like to compete on the world stage as a teenager, including the moment she first realized that discomfort could actually fuel her growth. She reveals the grounding practices she uses before competition — including visualization and tapping into joyful memories — that help her stay centered under pressure. She also talks about how she releases expectations from others and returns to the simple joy of paddling, especially when competition and travel become intense. And in a powerful segment, McKinley walks us through her shoulder injury journey, how she stayed mentally resilient through forced rest, and the comeback she's building with clarity, patience, and purpose. If you're a paddler, adventurer, or someone learning to navigate your own discomfort zone, this conversation offers courage, clarity, and so much heart.

🎧 Tune in and learn how to paddle past fear and into confidence — one joyful moment at a time.