The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere Podcast

Every once in a while, we come across a brand that just speaks to us, connecting at a fundamental level.  Well, Fluffy But Fit was one of those brands.  They are a clothing and fitness brand completely dedicated to body positivity, and totally ok with mixing burgers and barbells.

We speak with the co-founder of Fluffy But Fit, Cristian Del Valle, and he takes us on a journey that many of us have known.  Ups, downs, and depriving himself of the joy of food in chase of that ever elusive "Instagram body", Cristian got ""shredded" but was miserable inside.  Finally, he snapped out of it, and he and his co-founder decided to launch a brand that made it OK to do the burpees AND eat the bacon!  We have a great time discussing his personal journey and the launching of a brand including all fo the challenges along the way.

He's got something fun here, and he's even given our listeners (or "Echelots" as some of you came up with) an EXCLUSIVE discount code!  Just put in the code "BIKE" (or "bike") at checkout and get 15% off!!   Find them at www.fluffybutfit.co (yes, it's .co NOT .com) and see their fun Instagram feed @fluffybutfit_   Who knows, if their brand really speaks to you, you might even have a chance to be part of their ambassador program!

In the rest of the show we are PACKED with things:

Sheldon goes on vacation and saves a sea turtle (well... he was THERE), Mere gets a She-Shed, we talk a lot about competitor news, and also a lot about Echelon founder Lou Lentine's interview on another podcast and all of the interesting things coming down the line (gaming on an echelon??? Oh yeah....it's coming).

We wrap it up with a new segment on the show - THE SNACKDOWN!

Today we have a guest that if you've been with Echelon a while you'll surely remember.  Megan Hanewald was our enduro leader and rowing master, teaching us how to love long rides and how to row without looking like a drunken octopus.  She is now a Hydrow personal coach, endurance athlete, and fitness/triathlon coach for athletes around the country.  In our interview,  she talks about how she was never expected to be the "athlete of the family", but found her passion and pursued it relentlessly - to the result of completing numerous triathlons as well as a a Masters National and World rowing gold medalist.

In the pre-show, Sheldon and Meredith talk about the Olympics, our favorite events, and how this year's events brought a lot of new twists and turns to sport as well as teaching us a few lessons along the way.

In the post show, we recap the lessons learned from Megan's interview and the value of having a coach that delivers that boost of energy and encouragement we need.  We discuss competitor news, what we would like to see for more community engagement, the Echelon "Pro" series, as well as how ridiculous a certain celebrity's "reward" system is.

Somewhere in there, I practice my Barry White impression... or maybe it was Barry Manilow... Meredith confused me.

Find Megan at:  IG: @meganhanewald_fitness  and www.meganhanewald.com 

In this episode we start with a big surprise - shhhhh you'll have to listen!  Then we celebrate a major milestone and give Meredith praise for some accomplishments (that turns into a bit of a theme this episode - apparently she's kinda awesome).

We then interview the amazing Richard Wilson - UK Rider, cake master, and creator of his very on in-home Echelon themed studio!  Seriously, the thing is baller.  Richard talks to us about his journey and how it started - he HATED the bike initially.... now does 3-5 rides a day!!

We talk about inspiring others, engaging the community, supporting ALL of the instructors, and creating a community filled with positivity.

Oh and CAKE - Richard's business is cake, and I am curious of his favorites and if he's ever eaten it WHILE riding.  Inquiring minds want to know... well... at lease I DO!

We also learn a foreign language - did you know the British say "maths" when talking about "math"?  Yeah, we get very cerebral on this show.

You can find Richard on IG at: @RKYW  and his cake business IG (it's amazing...) @cakeoleinsta

In the post show, we talk about Richard's amazing personality and inspiring energy, and then we praise Meredith some more, because "why not" right?

Competition - Peloton getting into the video game and rower business, All kinds of "train like Olympian" challenges, and a health insurer pays for a connected fitness membership

Echelon:  Disney Jungle Cruise ride and ALL of the shout outs to milestones, special rides (Amber's birthday and Lindsay lifting the spirits with the power of Spiderman), oh and then we praise Meredith some more.

Jama Oliver is one of Echelon's lead instructors based out of Chattanooga.  We had the privilege to speak with Jama about how she found her way to echelon, but also got to discuss some of the personal challenges she faced and overcame on her journey.

Jama doesn't hold back and is a fantastic example of how authenticity is a gift to us all, and she uses her own experiences to lift the people she coaches and to also improve herself as she continues to evolve.  

We hit a number of other topics as well including how music plays a central role in her life and mood, how to deal with motivational challenges, and she even shares a couple of her "life hacks" to save time and remove excuses for why not to work out.  

You can find Jama at: 

IG/FB/tiktok: jama_oliver_fitness 

Web: jamaoliverfitness.com

In the post show, we discuss the Jama interview, as well as all kinds of other topics including:

Competition - digital "weight" equipment, celebrity content, Sheldon thinks he might be able to beat Usain Bolt on a spin bike (correction - I said Usain Bolt had "slow twitch" muscles, he's definitely allllll fast twitch)

Echelon:  Pitbull!  Shall we rap battle?  Wonder Woman 5/10k - you can WIN an Echelon Stride!  

Other news:  South Korea bans "fast music" in gyms

Shout outs for all!

An exciting event happened last Friday and we couldn't WAIT to talk about and we were lucky enough to be able to talk to one of the lucky winners of Fit-Toned Fridays!

Ryan Kopf wash shocked to find out he won, but was so excited to be able to join THE Joey Fatone in the Miami studio with Lindsay Gurry, Dani Dellarco, and all of the other winners.  He gives us all of the play by play, tells us about the new studio, and about a new piece of equipment he saw there as well!  Spoiler alert - Joey was absolutely delightful and kind to them all!

We also talk with Ryan about the importance of the Echelon community to him, and about how he has some great goals to connect and rally the community to support some very good causes.  

Such a fun episode and a great guest.  Don't miss this one folks!

In this week's episode we welcome Kai Laird. Kai is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant who specializes in working with athletes (which range from us average folk just trying to improve our fitness to full blown professionals) to help them find their mojo, make a plan, and achieve goals that they never felt possible. He gives us all some very simple, actionable, steps that we can use to help us in our own goals - and we talk about how Sheldon uses some of these very tactics in a goal he recently was trying to achieve. He has more certifications than you can count, a cool accent, and just a super interesting and insightful guest!

He offers FREE 15 minute consults at www.theperformancepursuitconsulting.com - please put "Bike Podcast" in the How Did You Hear About Us field on the form!

In the post-interview, Meredith and Sheldon reflect on the lessons and how we use them in our own lives.

We also talk about Meredith's adventure to Texas, Joey "Fit-Toned" contest, Pride rides, Tour de Echelon and lots of shout outs. We wrap it up talking about Echelon news about late night (well, for US) and early morning class changes.

Friendship and accountability can be a great combination when you both have goals and are working together towards them.  

The guests this week are the perfect example of this.  Nate Warwick and Debbie McLoughlin met through Echelon, and while they may not seem like they would be obvious buddies on paper, they've become key parts of each others' journeys to better health and fitness.  They talk friendship, why they needed each other, how their families have also become close, and so much more!  We learn a lot about how these "account-a-friends" can be a huge boost to success and what makes them work.

Before and after the interview, Shel and Mere have a lot to talk about. Meredith updates us on her Marvel Movie Journey, Sheldon cheats with a Peloton, LOTS of Echelon and connected fitness related news, and of course shout outs to our fellow riders!

Oh yeah - and Sheldon gets a "high 5" from Joey Fatone and Meredith gets jealous.  

What a joy it was to have an extra long and engaging conversation with the one and only Dani Dellarco!  Her fascinating journey of finding her true self and pursuing her true passion of fitness was amazing and an inspiration for anyone that is looking to relate to chasing a dream.

She has built her path with hard work, perseverance, a dedication to her craft, and courage to live her life in a genuine way.  She talks about her first "riding the podium" (which I think needs to become a thing at Echelon!) all the way up to the recent triumphs of the very popular Notorious Women ride and its popularity (you're going to be surprised how she approached this!). Despite a few technical difficulties, this "enduro length" interview is one that you don't want to miss!  Follow Dani on Instagram at @danidellarco

Meredith and Sheldon also talk Memorial Day, Pride Month, instructor/ice cream pairings and tons of new Echelon news from new studios to the new spokesperson Joey Fatone!

In this episode we start with talking about Meredith's trip to the "mothership" of the Chattanooga studio!  Meeting new riders, almost completing the full gambit of instructors, ice cream, and the world famous scented cool towels!

Then - the stars of the show - two from our rider community and the creators of the Good Vibes Spinning Tribe group, Jill Harman and Amy Cole Williams.  We talk a lot about building a community of positivity, where it came from, ransom note like birthday cards, their merch store (very cool stuff), and a lot more with these two fantastic members of this community.  Great group to join for positivity, support, and meeting new people.

In the wrap up, we discuss the interview and the topic of community (including some discussion and interactions on the community board where we had some debate about positivity vs inspiration vs boasting vs negativity).  We also share a whole list of sub-groups to help you all "find your tribes".  We also talk echelon news including a new UK studio, new instructors, and instructor promotions.

Finally - we had some fantastic milestones in the community as well as a lot of fun class stories and leaderboard humor.  

Eden Lusk is an Echelon bike, row, and fitpass instructor as well as the owner of livewellwitheden.com.  If you've ever taken a class with Eden, you'll know she always brings a unique and powerful energy and she does that for us in this interview.

We talk about her path to fitness, including how she learned to swim as an adult and immediately joined a triathlon, which has lead to multiple Ironman events and a passion for improvement that she brings to her teaching.

Eden takes us into the world of fitness nutrition and gives some fantastic advice on fueling your body for success.

In the post interview, Meredith and Sheldon touch on "compromise", new apparel lines, creepy social media algorithms, our favorite classes, and shout outs!