It could have been my mom’s fault that I ended up on the edge of that cliff. She told me that she lifted me up to look over a railing when I was little and I got scared. All I know is that I was afraid of heights as a child and young adult.

I took extreme action to conquer my fear. And that was the first step in a long journey that led me to being a life-coach, podcaster, and ultramarathon runner.

Mandy Miller has developed a strong ultramarathon mindset in her races and adventures from all around the world. She had run everything from multi-day stage races in the Sahara desert to 100 mile self-supported ultramarathons in the Yukon in January to Iron Man competitions in Hawaii.

When I ran with Mandy for the last few miles at the Javelina, she never mentioned that she’d fallen and broken some ribs earlier in the day. So we talk about the mindset strategies she uses to deal with pain and discomfort.

The quick and easy is killing your soul!

• Short-cuts
• Life hacks
• Easy Button
• Microwave
• Instant mashed potatoes
• Fast food
• Instant download
• Convenience stores

We all get conditioned for fast and easy in everything.

Don't get me wrong. I love convenience! Don't want to do everything hard and slow.

But our conditioning for easy and comfortable = no challenge unless we go find it.

The Worlds Toughest Mudder is an obstacle course race that is a test of mental and physical endurance. Devin Nelson is my guest this week. He is both an ultramarathon runner and tests his will against the 24 hour challenge of the Tough Mudder.

The Tough Mudder community is much like the trail running community in the way participants help and encourage each other as they compete against the course. Caution, trail runners! This episode might give you ideas for new challenges.

Words people say about themselves:
I'm such a klutz.
I always mess up.
I can't do it.
I'm such an idiot.
I'm getting the flu...cold.

Because it doesn't happen immediately, we tend to be careless with our words.

My word for this year is "words." I pick a word for the year instead of resolutions.

This year I will pay even closer attention to the words I use.

I will speak as if my words will make it real . . . make it happen.

Mike Hynes was a psychotherapist who became a coach who became an author. His book is called, The Myth-Guided Mind, In this episode we talk about mindset and the importance of cultivating a healthy connection between mind and body. This is a topic I've studied for years, and I'm always excited to hear other's perspective.

This episode isn't specifically about running. But runners know that a strong mind is as important as a strong body. Mike's insights are valuable for anyone looking for a mental edge for peak performance.

Sheryl Crow sang: It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you have.

The Buddha said it: Desire and attachment is the root of all misery

But is this true? In this episode I talk about the razor thin edge that separates contentment from complacency. And, believe me, complacency does not give you contentment.

The answer is to live in a paradox of full contentment and full passion mixed with desire. There is power in this paradox. 

What does it take to be a healthy, happy human? My guest this week is health and happiness coach, Paul Levitin. He has a podcast called the Healthy, Happy Human.

His coaching centers on mindset and goal setting, and we talk extensively about the mindset it takes to be successful if you want to live a healthy and happy life.

Dustin Johnson wants to be the 7th person to officially run all the way around the world. Of course, you can’t run on the oceans, but the World Runners Association was formed to lay out rules and track the results for runners going the distance equal to the circumference of the earth and crossing set points along the way. Dustin had to abandon his previous attempt because of Covid

Brian Hoover will be supporting Dustin by riding a bicycle with all their gear and supplies. Brian has been on the show twice before talking about van life, hiking the PCT, and kayaking the entire Mississippi river.

Natalie Bickers sets big goals for herself. Soon after she started running, she got the idea to run a half-marathon in all 50 states. When she made the jump to running ultramarathons she decided to go all-in and did three 50K races in a month. 

She worked her way up to running 100 mile races. Sometimes she logged a DNF, but she didn't let that discourage her. She kept looking for challenges. She got into the Moab 240 this year (2021) to see what she could do at an even longer challenge. She finished DFL in spectacular fashion with only 2 seconds remaining before cutoff.