The Nik Hawks Show

Dave is a news junkie and the author of daily email newsletter NextDraft, which he describes as a "modern day news column". He organizes the newsletter into the 10 most fascinating news items of the day, works on it for 3-4 hours in the morning and blasts it out around 1 pm PST. Dave is famous for having 75 tabs open at any one time as he scours the net for news every day.

The NextDraft perspective comes from being very well read along with being both curious and horrified by humanity, as well as offering varying perspectives on any given story. If you're looking for a daily wrap up of the most day's most fascinating stories, NextDraft is a fantastic place to start.

The real power of NextDraft comes from Dave's personality; when you read it every day it feels like Dave wrote the email just for you and not for the 75,000 email subscribers on his list plus the 120,000 NextDraft app users. Among those users are counted some of the most powerful and plugged in journalists out there, making NextDraft not just a "repeater station" but much more of a high signal to noise operation than you'd normally find.

Having always wanted to be part of the news business and the media industry, Dave says NextDraft is a joy to write and that shows in every word he types in.

In this interview, Dave talks about the genesis of one of the most popular email newsletters on the net, how much feedback he gets, and what he's proudest of.

Not only is this podcast well worth a listen, this is an email newsletter worth signing up for.

Cheers,

Nik & the PT Crew

When Nick Sloane got the call to refloat the Costa Concordia in 2012, he was in New Zealand wrapping up another job and dreaming about playing golf back home in South Africa. When he said "yes" to the job he couldn't know that it would take 30 months, 500 team members, 26 nationalities and 130 divers a day in the water to get the big cruise ship off the ground and towed to Genoa, where she would ultimately be dismantled for scrap.

On many salvage jobs, the divers present the biggest challenge, and Nick's story on how he deals with these rock stars of the salvage world is both funny and indicative of real depth in understanding human motivation.

If you've ever wondered about building a team, working under stress, or what it takes to want to go out in heavy weather and stormy seas to perform a job not many people can even imagine, let alone do, then you'll really dig listening to this master of creating calm in chaos.

Cheers!

Nik@PT

If you've paid attention to anything beyond the pages of paleo desserts on this website you won't be surprised that we've brought on another dog trainer to the Paleo Treats Podcast. The folks who are good, really good, at communicating with dogs HAVE to be in pursuit of excellence; they've developed skills the rest of us don't even know we have!

This episode with Jean Donaldson draws on her experiences with training dogs, and training dog trainers for over 15 years and specializing in aggressive dog cases at The Academy for Dog Trainers. Jean's degree is in comparative psychology and she is one of the world leaders in understanding how dogs think and how we can attempt to understand them.

If you're still smacking your dog for pissing on the floor while you work in a cubicle for 8 hours, A) you're a savage, and B) Jean may have some advice for you that'll make both of you feel a lot better.

Our sponsor for today's show is Real Roar, a local shop here in San Diego that offers raw food for your dogs & cats. We're strong proponents of healthy food for all species, and when it comes to our dogs we make sure they eat what they were designed to; raw carcasses full of bones, meat, and chewy tendons. We get the food for our dogs (Birdie, Norton, and Marvel) at Real Roar and if you'd like to learn more about 'em or pick up a case of pork neck bones for your dog and make their day, head on over to www.realroar.com

Enjoy the show, and don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes!

Cheers,

Nik

Mike Friton has been working as an innovator for over 30 years. Known for his shoe designs and his extensive work with Nike, he's also helped smaller companies like Soft Star Shoes design minimalist shoes that support a healthy foot.

Trained as an anthropologist, Mike focuses on bringing together many elements from the "fringes"; as a paper folder, weaver, and former competitive athlete (Junior National Champ and 1980 Olympic trials in the steeplechase.)

Mike shares what he's learned over the years, from observing Bill Bowerman's incredible attention to detail to the debate of health vs performance that is a part of every shoe to the state of prosthetics and how the fastest athletes in the world will soon be ones without legs.

Friton's world is fascinating, and I'm stoked to share this conversation with you!

Cheers,

Nik@PT

"You must believe nothing." So says Tim Noakes, one of the most well respected exercise scientists in the running world. Author of Lore of Running and Waterlogged, Tim has radically changed his beliefs throughout the course of his 30+ year career, always in response to his own questions and the answers (or lack thereof) found in scientific literature. From discussing why studies of 7 people aren't that useful to talking about his next big interest (infant nutrition), Tim is a wealth of information and well worth listening to on your next long drive.

Barry Murray is a sports nutritionist and coach for elite endurance athletes. His main focus is on adapting athletes to burn fat instead of carbs, and his work with Tour de France cyclists along with his own performances (several wins in ultra marathons) lend credence to his ideas. In this podcast we discuss how long it takes to fat adapt, how fat adaptation is not the only part of athletic performance, and why you shouldn't go out and run 50k on no breakfast starting tomorrow morning.

Phil Maffetone is back on the Paleo Treats Podcast, though this time we swing well away from athletic performance and into the realm of Purpose and Music. Phil has had 2 major epiphanies in his life, the first took him down the path of becoming a world class coach and doctor. The second drew him into the world of music and songwriting. In this episode, our conversation ranges widely from discussing sexuality and what sex drive can tell you to looking at the world through the lens of a naturalist and how music has been integral to our evolution.Phil is not your average running (or endurance) coach, and this podcast is a chance to see another side of the man most of us know only to be an expert in one field. Enjoy this look behind the curtain in the pursuit of excellence.

Our guest on this podcast is Dr. Phil Maffetone, coach of legendary athletes Mark Allen, Stu Mittelman, and Mario Andretti. Phil has worked with more than just sporting greats, he's been an adviser to the military on how to make B2 bomber pilots more effective, has worked with NASA and has even helped race horses improve their performance via heart rate training.

He's most well known for The Maffetone Method, which is a heart rate based method for increasing your aerobic (vs anaerobic) performance. A simple equation (train at a heart rate of 180 minus your age), it is one of the most effective training tools in any athletes repertoire.

An avid proponent of barefoot running and occasionally lifting heavy things, Dr. Maffetone's methods are most clearly distinguished by three things: His extraordinary individualization of coaching, his incredible patience, and his holistic approach that goes well beyond just one type of healing modality.

Dr. Maffetone made the transition from endurance performance coaching into music in the early 2000s, so we also talk about how music affects people, how the way we listen to music has changed, and how music can increase your athletic performance (hint: It's not with earbuds!)

Enjoy!

Matt Kuzdub from PUSH comes on the show to talk about strength training, running, and how the PUSH device can help you get better with both. PUSH is an armband that measures speed over shorter distances; you mainly use it to track bar speed while lifting, although you can also track pull ups, push ups, and medicine ball throws with it.

Training based around bar speed is called "velocity based training" or VBT. This is super exciting because bar speed is a dimension that the average athlete hasn't been able to track without going into a science lab. Tracking speed means you can train for power, not just weight, and be super accurate at getting better.

PUSH goes one step further and can advise you on how many sets and reps to do based on how quickly you can move the bar. As you slow down (or speed up) PUSH will recommend you decrease weight, increase weight, or just walk away. It's like SKYNET for weight training, but friendlier.

Tune in if you're ready to geek out on the science of velocity based training!

Brooks Kubik is one of the most prolific writers in the Iron Game and he brings an absolute wealth of experience to the table.

In this episode we talk about the mind game, when to train with (and without) partners, the importance of working out in a dingy facility, and he adds one more aspect to the Big Four of performance to make it the Big Five: Deep, focused concentration.

Listen in if you love lifting heavy and the mediation of exercise.

Enjoy!