The Good Race

If you want to become healthier, spend time in nature. That's pretty much this whole episode summed up. Time outdoors was one of the biggest lifestyle changes that helped me come out of my depression and recover from burnout. And the science backs it up: two hours a week in nature is enough to make a real difference to your physical and mental health.

But it doesn't have to be complicated. I am joined by guest Roxana Martinez and here's what we talk about.

WHAT WE GET INTO

• The benefits of being in nature, and what the research actually shows
• Overcoming burnout through a relationship with the environment around her
• How to overcome the guilt tied to rest and slowing down
• Nature as medicine: cortisol, blood pressure, and mental health
• How to get the benefits of nature when you live in a city
• The importance of access to green space
• How to deal with anxiety, and action as the way through it

About our guest

Roxana built a hugely successful sustainable fashion company at 19 and sold it at 25. Today she's a director at one of Mexico's most influential environmental consulting groups, and she runs a media platform that makes climate and social environmental issues relevant to people who'd otherwise not be interested in.

She cares deeply about one idea: you can't take care of your body without taking care of the environment. And she's right, because taking care of your health isn't only about how you spend your time, it's also about where you spend it.

FIND ROXANA

Instagram: @rox_martinez
Punto de Inflexión: @punto_de_inflexion_

THE RESEARCH

Every study mentioned in this episode, plus the science we didn't get to on air and a note on the green space figures, is on our website: www.thegoodrace.co.

Some figures mentioned in the episode

The 9 m² per person figure. Roxana cites a minimum of 9 m² of green space per person, roughly the floor space of a small bedroom. This is a standard for how much green space a city should provide per resident, not a health finding, and there’s no scientific consensus on an optimal amount per person. It’s also frequently credited to the WHO, which can’t be substantiated.

What the WHO actually recommends. Green space of at least 0.5 hectares, roughly two thirds of a football pitch, within 300 metres of home. The newer “3-30-300 rule” extends this: three trees visible from every home, 30% tree canopy in every neighbourhood, and a green area of one hectare within 300 metres.

Green space in Mexico City. Published estimates of green space per resident range from around 4 m² to just under 6 m², all below the 9 m² benchmark. Research by WRI México found the wealthiest districts have access to roughly six times more public and green space than the poorest. A 2023 study in Sustainability of 1,353 publicly accessible green spaces found 74% were under one hectare and 51% sat in just three mostly middle and high income municipalities.

Keep running your good race.

[Music by Epidemic Sound]

I sat down with Dr. Bisi to talk about two of the most important relationships in our health journey: the one with our doctor and the one with our bodies. We discuss what your doctor is really for, and why knowing your own body changes everything.

For more resources, research & practical tips mentioned in this episode: check out this article on our website.

About Dr. Bisi

Doctor Bisi is a medical doctor specialising in General Practice, trained and practising in the UK within the National Health Service. She also trained as a certified health and wellness coach, bringing a holistic perspective to her work with patients navigating chronic illness, long-term health challenges and the grey areas that don't always fit neatly into a treatment pathway. Alongside medicine, she is navigating her own health, ambitions, faith, marriage and motherhood. It's from that perspective that she approaches health as more than the absence of disease.

What you'll learn

• What a family doctor is actually for, and what they're not
• How to describe your symptoms so a doctor can actually help you

• The foundations of good health, plus the one nobody talks about
• When to see a doctor, when to see a health coach, and when what you need is a therapist

• Dr.Bisi also has a few hot takes, including her honest answer on staying consistent (which I'm sure you'll love!)

For more of The Good Race

📖 Read the article for this episode with the research mentioned + some practical steps : www.thegoodrace.co

🌀 Follow us on IG @thegoodrace.co and let us know which part of this episode surprised you the most? Or just say hi :)

🔔 New episodes every second Tuesday of the month — subscribe so you never miss a launch!

Chapters

0:00 Introduction
1:37 Dr. Bisi's story: the road to medical school, and her surprising take on impostor syndrome
7:53 What a family doctor is really for
11:00 Your role in the doctor-patient relationship
16:30 The foundations of health, and the one everyone forgets about
20:32 Doctor or health coach: which one do you need?
28:21 What a health coach should never do
33:23 When your doctor gets your culture
37:59 What motherhood changed, even for a doctor
40:34 The one belief Bisi would erase about women's bodies
42:03 Bisi's controversial secret to staying consistent
44:59 Rapid fire round

A note on this episode

Bisi is a doctor, but this conversation is general information rather than medical advice, and nothing here is a substitute for speaking to your own doctor about your own health.

Keep running your good race.

[Music by Epidemic Sound.]

Two burnouts, depression, and how I learned that my health and my dreams were never meant to compete.

In this episode, I take you through my (literal) journey with burnout from China to France to Mexico, and share what recovery really looked like for me. Not the highlight reel, but the slow, messy process of rebuilding my relationship with health, ambition, and myself.

Finally, I share the three anchors that helped me rebuild a life where my health and my ambitions could finally co-exist and how this led to The Good Race.

〰️ Who is this for?

If you've ever tied your worth to what you achieve, if you keep pushing past the signals your body is sending you, or if you're in the middle of a hard season right now and wondering whether there's another way, this one is for you. By the end, I hope you'll leave with a little more hope than you came in with, and believe that pursuing a full life and take care of your wellbeing is possible.

A gentle heads up: this episode talks honestly about depression and mental health. Listen when you feel ready :)

🗂️ Full show notes & research mentioned

If this episode resonated you can find the full episode notes, learn about some steps you can try this week, and find out some of the evidence-based sources I read on burnout on our website: here 🌀

💌 Keep in touch

• Follow us on IG: @thegoodrace.co for more conversations and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode.
• Questions? Send us a DM!

[Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound.]

Keep running your good race🤍

- Bénédicte

Chapters
00:00 What burnout actually is
03:41 Growing up ambitious
06:00 Beijing, my first burnout
11:45 Paris, depression, and a surprising prescription
15:00 Three steps out of my first burnout
22:18 Mexico, the dream job, the second burnout
26:15 Breaking the cycle, and the three anchors that helped
34:52 Where I am today, and why I created The Good Race
36:50 The good takeaway
38:01 Outro

I am your host, Bénédicte King and welcome to the Good Race!

What you'll find here:

This is a space for honest conversations about taking care of our health while building a life of purpose. The aim isn't to encourage you to do more, but actually the opposite.

In this trailer, you'll hear why I created the show and what you can expect each week, from practical solo episodes to conversations with expert guests.

New episodes are coming every two weeks.

For more information visit our website: www.thegoodrace.co

Thank you for being here, I hope you'll stick around and enjoy the conversations! 🌀