In this conversation, halfpipe skier Svea Irving reflects on the path that brought her from growing up at the base of Winter Park to qualifying for her first Olympic Games. She talks about skiing as a family language, learning the sport alongside her brother, and what it’s been like to move through a system that has historically been male-dominated. From early days in all-mountain programs to earning a spot on the U.S. Ski Team as a teenager, Svea shares how access, environment, and family shaped both her skiing and her sense of self.

The conversation also digs into the reality of an Olympic qualifying season—relentless travel, injuries, and the unique mental pressure of competing against your teammates for limited spots. Svea opens up about navigating a lingering knee injury, spending months on the road without being home, and learning how to manage stress when every run feels like it carries long-term consequences. She breaks down the technical side of halfpipe, explaining how athletes build runs, adapt to conditions, and why the sport can be difficult for casual viewers to fully understand.

Beyond competition, Svea talks about creative work as a way to reconnect with why she skis at all. Her short film Stasis became a chance to step outside the competition lens and show a quieter, more personal side of her relationship with skiing and the outdoors. Looking ahead to the Olympics, she reflects on staying grounded, leaning on music and routine, and reminding herself to enjoy the process. The conversation ultimately centers on balance—between pressure and joy, performance and creativity, and ambition and perspective.

Show Notes!

Svea Irving

Stasis Film

Olympic coverage & schedules

U.S. Ski & Snowboard

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⁠WANDER SUBSTACK ⁠

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In this episode, photographer Sofieke van Bilsen joins the podcast to talk about finding her way into sports photography, learning to trust her instincts, and documenting elite sport through emotion rather than spectacle.

Sofieke shares how growing up in multiple countries shaped the way she connects with people, why she’s more interested in what happens after the finish line than at it, and what it’s really like working inside massive events like the Olympics. From saying "yolo" and showing up to the European Championships without a press card, to photographing Team Germany, Breaking Four, and long-term running projects with Nike and Global Sports Communications.

We talk about care and responsibility in photographing women’s sport, navigating burnout and adrenaline highs, and why the journey matters more than the end result.

“For me, the story isn’t at the finish line — it’s the emotion that comes after.”“Sport is the holy grail for emotion.”“The journey is a lot more beautiful than the end result.”

Hope you all enoy this conversation!

Sofieke Van Bilsen

Athleta MAG interview

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A conversation with photographer and artist Kenza, reflecting on five years documenting cyclocross and the creative path that led him there. From early experiments and annual team launches to assembling a printed zine that looks back on the work, we talk about what it means to build something slowly, stay curious, and let a project evolve over time!

The conversation moves beyond outcomes and into process—where ideas come from, how they shift, and what it takes to actually follow through. Kenza shares how painting, print, and working outside traditional cycling spaces have shaped his approach to photography, and why collaborating closely with athletes often leads to more honest, engaging work.

At its core, this episode is about learning how to look. About slowing down enough to notice what catches your eye, understanding why it matters, and translating that feeling into something real. A reflection on creativity inside and outside of sport, and making work that feels alive rather than finished.

READ THIS INTERVIEW

KENZA

SAFTY PIN STUDIO

CYCLECROSS IS DEAD

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WANDER SUBSTACK

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Sydney Peterson grew up encrusted Butte Colorado which is the kind of mountain town that will shape a person into who they are before they can realize it. Sydney is a professional Trail runner for Brooks raised by ski bum parents and surrounded by Mountain culture. Sydney was initially pulled towards team sports spending her earlier years playing basketball and volleyball and then she found running later in high school and college and credits the late start to a team sports background which helped her develop as a more well-rounded athlete who was then able to come to running with more excitement than burnout.

In this episode we chat about Sydney's Journey from Colorado State's cross country and track team, her experience with Collegiate running and how her study progression was laying the foundation for what came next. that next chapter arrived unexpectedly intro running beginning with the image and pass run alongside her mom and then leading up to a breakout performance at broken arrow  showing up at  at the race with no expectations and leaving with a changed trajectory

We also get into What followed which includes joining Brooks making the World Championships team racing in Europe heading straight into the Golden Trail World Series. Sydney also talked about how important her community is and the grounding work of her world rural Health Care still plays in her life which helps the balance between being a professional athlete and career.

SHOW NOTES

Sydney Peterson
Brooks Running

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Sarah Diekmeyer and Maddy Nutt have spent the past few seasons chasing long days, big terrain, and the kind of races that blur the line between competition and adventure. In this episode, we catch up on everything from bikepacking across the Canary Islands to racing Gravelburn in South Africa, and why multi-day efforts continue to pull them back in.

We talk about how they first met during a Traka recon, why stage races create such strong bonds, and what it’s actually like to spend seven days racing, camping, washing kit in sinks, and surviving wild weather together. They break down the realities of rough terrain, suspension choices, comfort over long days, and the moments when things go fully nonverbal.

The conversation also dives into navigating long seasons, choosing when to race versus when to explore, and how mindset, recovery, and friendship play a huge role in staying grounded. Outside of racing, we chat about skiing in the offseason, creative routines like morning pages, and learning to protect the joy that brought them into the sport in the first place.

Hope you enjoy this conversation :)!

Sarah Diekmeyer⁠

⁠Maddy Nutt ⁠

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Jaelin Kauf has spent more than a decade on the World Cup moguls circuit and is now heading into her third Olympics as one of the most consistent and dynamic skiers in the sport. She’s a two time Olympian and a silver medalist from Beijing 2022!

In this episode, we chat about what it means to grow up in a ski family, with parents who were professional skiers themselves, a brother who is just as psyched on skiing, and how that made “pro skiing” feel like a real career path from a young age. Jaelin breaks down the progression from local comps to the Nor Am tour to a last minute World Cup start that opened the door to the next level, and how taking one year off before college gradually turned into a full season, then a full career on tour.

We get into the Olympic cycle as well: her first Games in 2018, the pressure of going in as a favorite, finishing seventh, and the heartbreak and perspective that came with that. Then we fast forward to Beijing 2022 — qualifying early, trying to add a new trick, navigating difficult off snow stress, and ultimately choosing to ski purely for herself. That shift led to her motto, Deliver the Love, a reminder to focus on joy, intention, and the parts of skiing she can actually control.

Jaelin also walks us through some of the technicalities of mogul skiing: what courses look like, how single versus dual moguls work, what judges are scoring, and why duels, making their Olympic debut this year, are such a chaotic and fun spectator event. We talk about the places this sport has taken her, from Finland’s dark December training blocks to World Cups in Japan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Chile, and home stops at Deer Valley, and what it is like to spend most of the year chasing winter across continents.

Outside of competition, we talk about burnout, building a life beyond results, and the small anchors that keep her grounded: journaling on the road, finishing her degree in environmental and sustainable studies, and knitting hats and fish sweaters for friends and family. She shares what it feels like to be more than ten years into her World Cup career and still feel like things are just starting to click, mentally and technically and emotionally, as she heads into another Olympic year with a deep love for the sport :)!

Hope you enjoy this conversation!

Episode 51.

SHOW NOTES

Jaelin Kauf

Instagram

Athlete Profile

DELIVER THE LOVE

World Cup Moguls & Dual Moguls
FIS Moguls Overview
FIS Dual Moguls Format

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A conversation with Danny Awang, a videographer and photographer whose year is basically built around race weekends, edit deadlines, and figuring out how to keep the story feeling fresh!

Danny takes us from filming skateboard edits in middle school to an early freelance chapter in Southern California (and the burnout that came with it), then into a totally random “marketing manager for bidets” era that somehow helped him level up his skills before jumping back behind the camera.

From there, everything snowballs. A road trip out West leads him to his first gravel race, cyclocross pulls him into the Mid-Atlantic scene, and a cold DM to Jeremiah Bishop opens the door to bigger projects and bigger weekends. We talk about what it looks like to actually spend time with athletes beyond race day, why the “before and after” moments are where the good stuff lives, and how he’s thinking about leveling up creatively when you’ve shot the same iconic races year after year.

We also get into a few epic moments like heading to the Tour de France Femmes with EF to help make daily YouTube episodes, the logistics of shooting a stage race, and the very real push and pull of travel.

Episode 50.

Danny on⁠ ⁠Instagram ⁠⁠

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A conversation with Roma, a content creator, cyclist, and triathlete who’s built her whole last year around saying yes to new challenges and documenting the process as she goes :)!

Roma grew up as a competitive rhythmic gymnast, then found endurance sports later through a simple entry point a road bike in Seattle that turned into longer rides, brick workouts, and eventually a full send into triathlon training. She shares what it looked like to build her first real routine without a coach, fall in love with the structure of training, and find community through run clubs, track nights, and cycling groups.

We also talk about how content creation became part of the journey. From early TikTok posts she didn’t want her friends to see, to a sudden stretch of momentum in spring 2025 where videos started popping off, brands started reaching out, and she decided to commit to creating full time. Roma breaks down how she thinks about making videos that still feel like her, while also understanding what performs online.

On the racing side, we talk about her first ever triathlon and what surprised her about race day. From there, the convo shifts into bucket list thinking, why she likes year long “projects,” what she’s excited about next, and how she’s balancing training with travel, hiking, and trying new sports like gravel and trail running.

We wrap with a few favorite moments from the year's Tour de France week, a huge mountain ride, and plenty of “how is this real life?” energy plus a book rec that reshaped how she thinks about success, and her biggest takeaway: say yes and figure it out from there.

Episode 49.

Roma on Instagram 

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A conversation with Lauren Gregory, a trail runner who’s spent the last few years figuring out where she feels at home in the sport! Lauren grew up running in the foothills around Fort Collins, went on to spend six years at the University of Arkansas winning team titles and racing at the NCAA level, and eventually found herself on the start line of the 2024 Olympic Trials in the 5K. The twist: on the day she finally got there, all she really wanted was to be at Broken Arrow.

In this episode we talk about what it looks like to shift from track to trail while navigating contracts, injuries, and expectations, and why she pushed so hard to make trail part of her pro path with Nike and now ACG. Lauren shares her experience racing Golden Trail and WMRA events, the contrast between “show” and “sport,” and what happens when you build an entire block around a race like Sierre-Zinal and it just doesn’t click. We also get into travel fatigue, jet lag, team camps in Chamonix, and why she’s oddly excited about gaming airline status as part of being a pro.

More than anything, this is a conversation about staying in love with the work. Lauren talks about coming back from burnout, learning to trust a second (or third) chapter in running, and why the most powerful thing she’s found—on the track, in the Alps, and on Colorado trails—is simple, steady consistency.

Hope you all enjoy this conversation :)!

Episode 48.

SHOW NOTES

Lauren Gregory

Substack

Golden Trail Series

World Mountain Running Association (WMRA)

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A conversation with Sam Pratt, a UK based climbing photographer and lifelong climber whose work sits at the intersection of movement, creativity, and community.

Sam grew up immersed in climbing through his grandfather, spending weekends on gritstone crags, scrambling in the Peak District, and learning the rhythms of life outdoors early on. Photography came alongside climbing, introduced through film cameras and an old school approach that shaped how he sees both the sport and the people within it.

In this episode, we talk about growing into photography through the climbing community, stepping away from competition, and how injuries quietly shifted his relationship with movement and work. Sam shares what it’s been like building a career as a photographer in a small, tight knit scene, learning how to value creative work, and navigating the balance between personal projects and commercial pressure.

We also get into documenting the Paris 2024 Olympics, what it was like photographing sport climbing on the world’s biggest stage without a traditional assignment, and how that freedom shaped the way he approached the event. Sam reflects on scale, access, and storytelling, from World Cups to the controlled chaos of the Olympic press room.

Later in the conversation, we dive into Exposure, the climbing photography festival Sam founded, why print still matters, and how creating space for photographers feels like giving something back to the community that raised him.

We also talk about his recent book made with climber Hamish McArthur, a year long documentation of Hamish’s road toward the Paris Olympics. What began as a project about performance slowly became something more honest, capturing doubt, burnout, pressure, and the human side of elite sport. Sam shares what it was like photographing such an intimate season, navigating trust and boundaries, and shaping the book as a physical object that holds time, emotion, and memory.

Hope you enjoy this conversation!

Episode 47.

SHOW NOTES

Sam Pratt
https://www.instagram.com/samm_pratt/

Exposure Climbing Photography Festival
https://www.exposurefest.co.uk

https://www.instagram.com/exposurephotographyfestival/

A Season in the Shadows BOOK!

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