#WeGotGoals by aSweatLife

I'm the kind of friend that keeps up with people through their posts. And this year, it's been pretty hard to miss what my friend AND yours Gideon Akande is up to: he committed to doing 365 consecutive days of movement. He's calling it Project 365, and it's a lot less daunting than you might think.

On this week's episode of the podcast, I asked Gideon to share the rules of his challenge - he didn't love the word "rules," but shared the guidelines nonetheless. Basically, he can do anything for exercise at any time of the day as long as it's "concentrated exercise" for a minimum of 15 minutes. So taking a walk for exercise versus taking a walk to commute and counting the multi-task.

At first, I was worried about his recovery. "He'll burn out!" I thought. But on a closer look, he's doing this in a safe and strategic way. (It's almost like he's a personal trainer or something).

So we talk about WHY he started and I found it completely relatable. As a new dad, he found himself moving less. And because movement is a big part of his life as a three-time Chicago Golden Gloves champion, trainer, and national winner of the Men’s Health Next Top Trainer competition.

He lives for movement and wanted to make sure he was walking the walk.

I loved this entire conversation, but my favorite part was hearing what Gideon has learned in more than six months of this challenge. I won't spoil it for you, but the key word is JOY.

• Gideon Akande on Instagram
• Get a 7-day trial of the get Fit with Giddy app
• Body Bar Pilates
• Gideon’s favorite Nigerian Foods: Iyan and Efo Riro 
• Restore Hyper Wellness
• According to Live Sciences, you can work out every day IF you’re strategic.
• Train moment
• Lululemon Experiential (where you can find Gideon on the schedule)
• Rise nation
• Swish house
• Communities: Movement
• Northern Lights visible in Chicago this Wednesday July 12

This week, in passing we mentioned that at the end of the aSweatLife summer intern’s time with us we would sit down and tell her everything we had to learn the hard way after college graduation. Then we realized that we should probably record it as it’s hot on our minds and is really the only thing we can think about this week.

Ever since we had the conversation as a team, I thought about the things that I learned through whisper networks or by falling on my face. They were innumerable. So, we’re not going to gatekeep it.

Work related

• How should I go about getting a job? 
• What’s the best advice you could give to someone interviewing for a job? 
• What are your musts when it comes to looking for a job?

Personal

• What’s one thing you would like your senior college self to know? 
• How should a 20 year old come about looking for friends after college? 
• How would you advice a 20 year old to get used to a 9-5pm 
• What do you guys think about a hobby as a career?

• At work -
• if someone says something IMPORTANT to you with just their voice, follow up with an email asking them to confirm. Get shit in writing.
• It's okay to quit a job if you don't have another job lined up AND find mentors
• Our advice on life:
• Ask questions.
• Have the best time with your friends - go out, go to restaurants, travel - do all the things
• Our advice as old married ladies
• Jeana: In my early 20s, I spent so much time wondering and worrying about whether the person I had been on one or two dates with liked me and very little time on whether I liked them. As soon as I started asking that question, “Do I like them? Have they earned my mindspace?” Things shifted for me. 
• Kelly: I wish I would have dated MORE And live on your own

Honestly, this was my favorite part: sourcing guidance from this group of really unique humans. Here's what they said:

• "Staying in a crappy job too long can let some good jobs get away from you, and can be detrimental to your self esteem." - Mariah B.
• "Know your worth and don’t be afraid to negotiate your salary! I was too scared to right out of college and was basically slapped with minimum wage wrapped up as a “salary” because I thought I couldn’t ask for anything else." -Sydney M.
• "More for personal life, but do what you want to do, even if it means going for it solo! I spent some years thinking I just wouldn’t do things bc my friends weren’t also interested in doing them, but now have embraced just going for it. I’ve gone to things solo and left with acquaintances with the same interests. Or just left solo with a great experience lol." -Sarah S.
• "Work is not who you are, and is not everything. You can always change things if they aren’t for you, you can always reinvent yourself, you can always advocate for yourself. Nothing has to be a linear path to the top." - CC
• "Two things ... One of them is from the Olsen twins… 1. No is a full sentence. (thanks Olsen twins). 2. You don't have to have things figured out. Like ever. There is no point in life at which you need to have the perfect job or be married or have kids or it's too late." -Tahnee L.
• "If you can afford to - you can take vacation even if you don't have paid time off available / used up." -Amy G.
• "2 bits of career advice learned the hard way. 1) Sometimes not getting the job has nothing to do with you. You met the qualifications, you interviewed well, it felt like a fit. There’s too many unknowns to you. The company culture, the culture of the team you’d be joining, internal candidates, etc. I spent a lot of time being hard on myself and it wasn’t until I became a hiring manager that I realized I could’ve saved myself some heartache by accounting for the unknowns. 2) At every job you will ever have, even if you own your own business, you are replaceable. It may not be done the same way, or as well even but, there are people who can do what you do to some degree. Keep that mindset and perhaps it’ll save you some serious abuse of work/life boundaries and burnout early in your career that I learned the hard way." -Alexis R.

• Ladies Get Paid
• Ask a Manager is a great resource for any question for your career
• Questions that Julia sourced from the Internet
• January.ai

During aSweatLife’s annual event, Sweatworking Week, we met a lot of new people. We love that about Sweatworking Week. And they had questions about where aSweatLife came from and why. We figured we might as well share the story since you’re asking.

So this week, we turned the tables and Kelly Matkovich, who leads aSweatLife's ambassador program interviewed Jeana Anderson Cohen, founder/CEO of aSweatLife.

We talk over the beginning of aSweatLife, where the ambassadorship came from, our first revenue stream and what keeps us going today.

References: 

• aSweatLife
• aSweatLife ambassadors
• Podcast episode from Jan 4th; Ambassador program
• From Fast Company: How Dabbling Helps Your Career
• Devil’s Thumb Ranch
• Oura Ring

At aSweatLife, we always say that everything is better with friends. And because of that, we get to spend time meeting entrepreneurs and tastemakers in the wellness space. Like a lot of them. But when one of the aSweatLife ambassadors mentioned the brand Literally Outside on our private slack channel, we dug into this Chicago-based brand and knew we needed to become friends. 

Joining us today is Steffan Williams, the Founder and Chief Executive Outsider at Literally Outside! Literally Outside is a lifestyle brand on a mission to empower everyone to feel comfortable exploring the great outdoors. It’s black-owned, operated by two cousins, and supported by a team of family.

Literally Outside is one of the few Black-owned outdoor lifestyle companies in the US. That brand has transparent values that you'll hear us talk about on the episode. It's conscious, soulful, accessible, and adventurous.

Literally Outside wants to change the narrative of what it looks like to be “outdoorsy” so everyone can feel like they belong in the outdoors. On the episode, we talk about the idea of their slogan, “Outsiders Welcome.”

Resources:

• Find Steffan Williams on LinkedIn
• Discover Literally Outside
• Follow Literally Outside on Instagram
• Learn more about the Collab with Cody Hudson of Struggle Inc.
• Listen to the Episode of How I Built This Featuring Ty Haney that we talked about
• We talk about SweatworkingWeek, learn more
• “A good plan today, is better than a perfect plan tomorrow” the Edge Movie
• Black people outside
• Tortugas hiking club
• Very Human Social
• Friday Morning Swim Club

To start off the month, we like to touch base as a team and bring whatever we're thinking about to the table. This week, we talked through three big questions:

Kelly had a very specific ask for shorts for running. She has a very specific need for shorts that are High waisted, have a brief liner, have a 4 inch inseam, have Storage and come in a neutral color. We didn't have a ton to offer her on that front, so we'd love your help.

Dana talked through her co-working needs. She's ready to co-work again and asked for some ideas as to where.

As for me? I wanted to know everyone's skincare routine. You'll notice in our resources that we spent a lot of time talking about our favorite brands.

We also chatted through a tiny topic: Romcoms. We talked about the best and the worst of the genre as well as some of our favorite movies to rewatch.

And a delightful addition: you'll hear from aSweatLife's summer intern Julia who has a lot to say about both skincare and romcoms. 

References:

• Tracksmith
• Lululemon Align Shorts
• On running cloud ultra
• Working from
• Desk pass
• Outset skin care
• Rare beauty makeup
• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
• Cryo Spoon
• Scratch goods coffee undereye
• Indie Lee brightening face wash
• Moonjuice plump jelly
• Ilia lip mask
• Aavrani 
• ITK Skincare
• CeraVe 
• Rose water spray - NOW foods

At aSweatLife, we always say that everything is better with friends. And that's not just to be cute - high quality bonds are the clearest predictor of longevity. Not to be dramatic, but making friends and spending time with them is a matter of life or less life.

Maybe you remember, but the past couple of years have been rough from a friendship perspective - you know what I mean. And many people took the pandemic to be an opportunity to reevaluate their surroundings, their happiness, and their living situations. I can't count how many people I know who moved or took off to become digital nomads. Moving can be a challenge from a connection standpoint.

Today, on the podcast, I’m speaking to someone today who took what could have been an isolating experience and she made it friendly.

Here's what Maggie Umberger said in her article on aSweatLife about making friends during her digital nomad year.

“From my time traveling the country over the last year, I learned an unexpected lesson I didn’t set out to receive. When I packed up the car to head west, the itinerary was set for places I’d never been and where I didn’t know a soul. I left thinking this was going to be a journey into isolation. I learned it was a journey — one that’s only just beginning — towards connection."

So we talk about why she and her partner took off for adventure and what they learned along the way.

Resources:

• Follow Maggie Umberger
• Do yoga with Maggie
• Maggie's challenge to make friends on the road
• Un-steal-able bike, Fortified
• The Book about making friends as an adult, You Will Find Your People by Lane Moore
• The book Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Stop for a second and ask yourself the following: if you meet a woman who tells you she isn't drinking, do you assume she's pregnant? Don't lie to me.

I spent nearly a year as a mostly sober - ok, fine a California-mostly-sober person. I went on Lexipro last May and I liked not feeling anxious and depressed, but I did not enjoy browning out. So, out with the booze and out with the blues. After nearly a year of the pregnant pauses (that's a lazy pun) that followed explaining that I wasn't drinking, I just started saying, "and no, I'm not pregnant."

Christina Heiser, whose voice you'll hear on the podcast this week, stopped drinking in December of 2021 and kept it up. She's a journalist, and so, she's observed and written about how it felt, the impact and why she did it. After she penned 5 Things That Happened When I Quit Drinking for a Year, I knew I'd found a kindred spirit.

We spend some time on the episode talking about our gluten *stuff* and she and I connected on how easy it is to accidentally eat gluten while you are impaired.

And because she is incredibly prepared at all times, Christina also came with her own links and resources. So don't hesitate to dive into her favorite influencers, products and links.

• 5 Things That Happened When I Quit Drinking for a Year
• N/A drinks: 
• Boisson - an online N/A marketplace
• Better Rhodes - an online N/A marketplace
• Ghia
• Hoplark
• Monday
• CleanCo
• Giesen 
• Quit Lit (books about drinking less)
• Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker
• The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober by Catherine Gray
• Drinking Games by Sarah Levy
• The Dry Challenge by Hilary Sheinbaum
• Sober influencers
• @shestayssober (Sarah Pottieger)
• @noboozebabes (Shea Gomez)
• @joinsoberish (Kayla Lyons)
• @themindfulmocktail (Natalie Battaglia)

A couple of months ago, I saw the signature microweights on the Omorpho gear for the first time in the background of a workout on Bravo's Summerhouse. I thought, "What's that future-wear?" And then went on with my life. (Yes, I watch Bravo, but I wouldn't call myself a Bravo-holic. Except, please ask me about Scandoval if you see me in the wild.)

So when I got my Omorpho G-tight and G-tank for myself, I couldn't fathom how this futuristic athletic apparel weighing in at under 2 pounds could enhance my workout. That is until I wore the outfit to an Interval workout at Studio Three. The treadmill inclines and sprints were decidedly more challenging. So, when I sat down to chat with Stefan Olander - former Nike heavy-hitter and cofounder/CEO of Omorpho - I understood the insight the brand was tapping into.

On the episode, I reference the CrossFit workout Murph, which was my point of reference for using a weighted vest to increase intensity. You'll hear Stefan share that a Murph workout was actually a big inspiration for the company.

But weighted vests were heavy, and I didn't have any burning desire to add 10 percent of my bodyweight or more to my upper body for a workout. But Omorpho weighs much less than a typical weighted vest and its evenly distributes the weight all over your body in the tanks and tights that I tried.

On this week's episode, we dive into the science and the design of Omorpho.

• Omorpho
• Follow Omorpho on instagram
• Murph, the CrossFit workout that started it all
• Awe, the book by Dacher Keltner that I’m obsessed with and have talked about on this podcast several times
• Simulated hypergravity study (which shows that athletes got stronger and faster with added weight)
• The Omorpho App
• The study that upended what we know about calories and metabolism
• Dr. Huberman and cold 
• Wim Hof and cold
• What’s biohacking?

"When nothing is certain, anything is possible."

Heidi Zimmer, founder of Wild Rice Retreat said that on this week's episode of the podcast, and I furiously wrote it down. Because even though she was talking about the uncertainty of breaking ground on the project she'd worked on for years in March of 2020, I felt like it applied to absolutely everything.

And today, Wild Rice Rice Retreat is thriving on the shores of Bayfield, Wisconsin. With stunning views of Lake Superior (my favorite Great Lake) and access to miles of trails, this shoreline oasis is as much about being in nature as it is about integrating wellness into your life.

And its price point - around $300 a night for meals, lodging, and yoga programming - is staggeringly low compared to some of the options available. Heidi's vision is to make wellness travel accessible - and to do it all in the north woods of Wisconsin.

Hear all about it on this week's episode!

• Learn more about Wild Rice Retreat
• Follow Wild Rice Retreat on Instagram
• Meet Heidi Zimmer
• The time I visited Wild Rice Retreat
• The book: Braiding Sweet Grass
• Mary Rice of Bayfield, Wisconsin and how her memory lives on
• Wild Rice Restaurant
• The architect behind Wild Rice Retreat, David Salmela
• Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest
• The Apostle Islands
• Heidi's recommended book, Unreasonable Hospitality
• My recommended book, Awe
• Something Heidi is loving this week: Kapha Season, a concept in Ayurveda
• Something I'm loving this week: Cryospoon

Every month, we hit the record button as a team to talk about what we're loving, eating, watching, and how we're moving. This week, Head of Community at aSweatLife, Kelly Matkovich; aSweatLife's partner Dana Farber, who runs Moonstone Marketing; and I all brought three things to discuss.

Here's what came up:

• Sleep: Kelly wanted to know how we're sleeping, what we use to go to sleep, and she makes a great pitch for the Hatch alarm clock
• Pickleball: Kelly's getting really into it pickleball and she tells us why 
• A Trader Joe's snack that disappointed Dana
• Dana's current favorite workout, P.volve
• The Amazon show Jury Duty
• The Hoxton’s Working Form_ Relay desks

I accidentally gave medical advice three times. Please consult your physician before doing anything I tell Kelly and Dana to do.

• Crunchy curls from TJ’s
• Raspberry shortbread sandwich cookies
• Trader joe’s dried pineapple 
• The cut, People working multiple jobs to afford Erehwon
• The cut, outsourcing my orgasm
• Calm, the magnesium supplement
• Demon Copperhead - the book
• Pineapple Street - the book
• P.volve - the workout
• Chunky socks - the necessity
• Erica Marie - the incredible trainer
• Vuori t-shirt - Kelly's go-to workout shirt
• Cotopaxi windbreaker - Kelly's windbreaker
• Jury Duty, watch every second of it.
• The Hoxton’s _workingFrom
• HeyDay facials
• A beginner's Guide to Pickleball on aSweatLife
• An entire episode of this podcast about pickleball
• Seventh heaven tiktok recaps
• Shrinking on Apple TV
• Superglue and cuts, guidance from the Mayo Clini