The Discomfort Zone

If you need some positive inspo this week, this episode is for you!

Stephen Wright is one of the most accomplished and positive paddlers I know.

In this conversation Stephen shares how he navigates his discomfort zone in competition, squirt boating, coaching and starting his carbon boat building company, Dreamboat Kayaks.

You’ll learn about his coaching philosophy, and how he approaches inspiring and motivating his students through failure and success.

Stephen’s take on winning and creating the stoke he wants to see in the future of paddling is both refreshing and motivating.

We cover a lot of ground in this conversation, and share some laughs along the way.

Join me for an inspiring conversation with Sophie Gilfillan, recent silver medalist in Junior Women at the World Freestyle Championships, who has also excelled in slalom kayaking, and creek boating.

In this episode of the Discomfort Zone Podcast, Sophie delves into the delicate balance between rational and irrational fear, sharing how she navigates the mental challenges of paddling and competition.

She reveals how the rule of thirds has become her secret weapon for bouncing back from tough performances, allowing her to keep the joy alive in both competition and everyday paddling.

As an experienced slalom paddler, Sophie offers her insights on extreme slalom, an event recently added to the Olympics. She explains how it has made slalom more accessible and fun.

With a wisdom that exceeds her years, Sophie reminds us of the true essence of success: pursuing what you love, making a positive impact, and understanding that neither accolades nor failures define us.

Nicole Bernardin, a passionate ultra runner, reminds us to separate fact from fiction to stop ourselves from getting derailed by the lows or the highs of racing and life.

She shares her mental agility strategies for completing endurance races, and how the sport has helped her cultivate patience, resilience and confidence in all areas of her life.

Nicole also shares her story of having to face a difficult divorce after completing one of the biggest races of her career, and how her journey led her to discover the importance of giving herself personal grace in challenging times.

Imagine recovering from a catastrophic climbing accident that resulted in major multi -systems trauma, including  a skull fracture, a broken back, bruises in both lungs and 15 broken bones, to race the Green just 11 months later.

Adam Herzog, an accomplished whitewater kayaker and outdoor enthusiast, did just that.

This week, Adam shares his journey of overcoming the accident and how it has redefined his discomfort zone.

Through his recovery, Adam discovered what it means to surrender and accept help, the big power of seemingly small practices, and joy in transitioning to becoming a kayak instructor.

Adam's story is a testament to the power of resilience and determination and you don’t want to miss this conversation.

Shane Benedict, co-founder of Liquid Logic Kayaks, is one of the most confident paddlers that I know, and in this conversation he shares how he cultivated that confidence, and has sustained it for 40+ years on the water.

He also talks about his passion for designing kayaks, and what part of the design and development process feels most uncomfortable, and most satisfying.

Shane shares the strategies he uses to stay present in the moment, and the importance of keeping kayaking fun, and resisting the pressure to constantly progress.

There are many gems in this conversation, including strategies for keeping your body injury-free, the impact of female mentors on Shane’s paddling, and how he approaches breaking down hard whitewater.

Shawanna Kendrick, founder of The Hiking, Healing and Outdoors Life (H2O), shares how her recent expedition to Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania was both a personal and generational goal, and the lessons she learned along the way.

Our conversation delves into cultivating self-awareness and personal growth through adventure, the benefits of pushing through hard, both for yourself and for others, and why it’s important to live an inspiring life for yourself and for future generations.

Shawanna shares practices and strategies she uses in her own life to ensure that she gives everything she’s got to every day, while also reminding us to rest when it’s time to rest, climb when it’s time to climb and nourish ourselves when it’s time to nourish ourselves.

This conversation is full of gems of wisdom that you can apply in your own life to motivate you to keep showing up fully when life gets hard.