In this episode of What’s the Rusch, Rebecca Rusch welcomes ultra-endurance cycling legend Jay Petervary for a conversation that moves far beyond finish lines and records. Jay, known for pioneering bikepacking, setting iconic records on the Tour Divide and Iditarod Trail Invitational, and founding events like Fat Pursuit, opens up about the deeper motivations that drive his journey. Together, Rebecca and Jay explore the art of embracing uncertainty, the quiet power of simplicity, and the importance of community in endurance sports. Jay’s story is a testament to resilience, mentorship, and the freedom found in letting go of perfection.

Show Notes:

In this episode, Rebecca and Jay explore:

1. The evolution from adventure racing to redefining ultra-endurance cycling
2. How Jay’s “Ride Forward” philosophy shapes his approach to life, sport, and mentorship
3. The role of adaptability and continuous learning in both racing and personal growth
4. Why building community and sharing knowledge matter more than medals
5. The mental and emotional challenges of self-supported racing—and the lessons found in solitude
6. Gear innovation: how tinkering and necessity led Jay to revolutionize bikepacking equipment
7. The origins and spirit behind the Fat Pursuit and Gravel Pursuit events
8. Navigating setbacks, uncertainty, and the unexpected with curiosity and grace

Transformative Insights:

1. The value of “perfect is good enough” in high-stakes environments
2. How letting go of rigid expectations opens space for discovery and joy
3. The importance of mentorship and inviting others into the wild unknown
4. Why the most meaningful achievements are often the ones shared with community

Vulnerable Moments:

1. Jay reflects on the discomfort of public recognition and the challenge of self-definition
2. Rebecca and Jay discuss the tension between solitude and connection in endurance pursuits
3. Honest stories about failure, recalibration, and the courage to keep moving forward

Practical Wisdom:

1. Approaching adversity as an opportunity for growth, not just a hurdle to overcome
2. Simple practices for staying grounded during long, uncertain journeys
3. The power of curiosity and play in sustaining motivation

Personal Growth:

1. Jay’s ongoing journey to balance ambition with presence
2. Rebecca’s reflections on learning from Jay’s mentorship and friendship
3. How both have found meaning in letting go of what no longer serves them

Helpful Links:

1. Jay Petervary’s Website: https://www.jaypetervary.com/
2. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jay_petervary/
3. Fat Pursuit: https://www.fatpursuit.com/
4. Gravel Pursuit: https://www.gravelpursuit.com/
5. Iditarod Trail Invitational

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Blood Road

In the final episode of our birthday series, Rebecca Rusch explores how timeless wisdom and cutting-edge science come together to help us grow, heal, and perform at our best. Through conversations with world-class thinkers, athletes, and teachers, this episode dives into the practices, mindsets, and research that bridge the old and the new—reminding us that the most powerful tools for transformation are often found where tradition and innovation meet.

Featured Guests & Clips:

Andy Walshe

Andy shares stories from the world of elite performance, describing how uncertainty, mindset, and ancient selection rituals are used alongside modern data to push athletes beyond their limits. He reflects on the importance of learning, shifting expectations, and the untapped frontier of the mind.

Florence Williams

Florence discusses her research into awe, resilience, and the healing power of nature. She explains how ancient practices of noticing beauty and connecting to the natural world are now being validated by science—and why we need both the data and the reminders to seek out what our ancestors knew intuitively.

Teddi Dean

Teddi, a former pro skateboarder turned mindfulness teacher, explores how meditation and Buddhist philosophy help us build a relationship with our minds and bodies. He shares practical wisdom on sitting with discomfort, tuning into our emotions, and using heart-centered practices to transform daily life.

Michael Gervais

Michael, high-performance psychologist and host of Finding Mastery, reflects on the path from high performance to true mastery. He discusses how ancient insights and modern psychology both point us toward self-knowledge, purpose, and connection as the foundation for a meaningful life.

Key Themes:

1. The intersection of ancient wisdom and modern science in personal growth and performance
2. Mindset, uncertainty, and the power of learning
3. The healing and transformative potential of nature, awe, and mindfulness
4. The importance of self-knowledge, purpose, and community

Join the Conversation:

How do you blend ancient wisdom and modern science in your own life? What practices or research have helped you grow? Share your thoughts with Rebecca on social or by leaving a review.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for celebrating a year of meaningful conversations with us. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to What’s the Rusch wherever you listen to podcasts.

Click the links below to listen to the full episodes mentioned in today's podcast:

1. Andy Walshe on the Future of Performance
2. Florence Williams on Healing through Nature and Heartbreak
3. Teddi Dean on Identity, Meditation, and Purposeful Pacing
4. Michael Gervais on the Dark Side of Success

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Blood Road

In this second episode of our special birthday series, Rebecca Rusch explores the theme of redefining success and identity. Over the past year, What’s the Rusch has become a space for honest conversations about what it means to grow, change, and find purpose beyond the finish line. This episode features stories from athletes and leaders who have reimagined what achievement looks like, let go of old expectations, and found new meaning in their journeys.

Featured Guests & Clips:

Caroline Buchanan

Caroline opens up about building her identity both on and off the bike, navigating reinvention, and learning to define success on her own terms. She shares how she’s found purpose beyond podiums by mentoring others and embracing new challenges.

Kate Courtney

Kate reflects on what it means to define success beyond the podium. She shares how she’s learned to measure achievement by effort and growth, not just results, and how her work with the She Sends Foundation is helping to expand opportunities and redefine what winning looks like for herself and the next generation.

Allen Lim

Allen shares how growing up as part of an immigrant family in Los Angeles shaped his sense of identity and belonging. He reflects on how the bicycle, the Olympic movement, and the power of community helped him redefine what success means—not just as winning, but as connection, dignity, and inspiring others.

Alexandera Houchin

Alexandera talks about how her identity has evolved and so has her sense of responsibility. She shares how her early drive to right past injustices and give voice to her family story has shifted toward embracing her own presence and authenticity, and creating space for others to do the same.

Key Themes:

1. Redefining what it means to succeed
2. Letting go of old expectations and embracing new identities
3. The power of community, mentorship, and giving back
4. Finding purpose and meaning beyond traditional measures of achievement

Join the Conversation:

How has your definition of success changed? What does identity mean to you? Share your thoughts with Rebecca on social or by leaving a review.

· Thank you for being part of this journey and for celebrating a year of meaningful conversations with us. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to What’s the Rusch wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Blood Road

Episode Summary:

To celebrate one year of What’s the Rusch, Rebecca Rusch brings together some of the most honest and courageous moments from the past year. This special episode is all about embracing vulnerability, slowing down, letting go, and sharing the real stories behind the highlight reels. Rebecca introduces and reflects on powerful clips from four guests who have opened up about their struggles, growth, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.

Featured Guests & Clips:

Stacy Sims

Stacy shares her experience of moving to New Zealand, facing postpartum depression, and reaching a breaking point that led to a suicide attempt. She talks about the importance of support systems, rebuilding, and the need to reach out for help—even when you feel you have to be stoic.

Jess Kimura

Jess opens up about the loss of her partner, the overwhelming grief that followed, and how she found herself again through surfing and allowing herself to be vulnerable. She discusses the pressure to appear tough in her sport and the relief of finally letting herself be seen.

Rush Sturges

Rush recounts a harrowing experience in Nepal, surviving a massive earthquake while on a river expedition. He describes the trauma and PTSD that followed, the physical symptoms he endured, and the long journey of healing through therapy, mindfulness, and learning to listen to his nervous system.

Chris Burkard

Chris reflects on a transformative darkness retreat and the power of being vulnerable with others. He shares how opening up to a stranger after the retreat changed his perspective, and how he’s learning to bring more honesty and connection into his everyday life—not just during extreme adventures.

Key Themes:

1. The strength in sharing what’s real, even when it’s uncomfortable
2. Navigating grief, trauma, and mental health challenges
3. The importance of support, community, and self-compassion
4. Redefining what it means to be strong and successful

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Blood Road

Brain Storm Podcast

Join the Conversation:

What does vulnerability mean to you? How have you learned to let go or ask for help? Share your thoughts with Rebecca on social or by leaving a review.

Thank you for being part of this journey and for celebrating a year of meaningful conversations with us. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, and subscribe to What’s the Rusch wherever you listen to podcasts.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Rebecca welcomes Dr. Jaimie Lusk, a Marine Corps veteran, clinical psychologist, and endurance athlete, whose life’s work bridges the worlds of trauma recovery, adventure, and community healing. Their conversation moves beyond the surface of resilience, exploring what it means to truly thrive after survival. Together, they unpack the messy, beautiful process of listening to your inner wisdom, honoring the body’s need for rest, and finding clarity through movement and nature. This episode is a deep dive into the art of staying open, even after life cracks you wide open, and the power of community in the healing journey.

Show Notes

Rebecca and Dr. Lusk explore:

1. The difference between surviving and thriving and how to recognize when you’re ready for more than just getting by
2. How Jaimie’s experience as a Marine and psychologist shapes her approach to trauma, moral injury, and complex grief
3. The role of nature, movement, and adventure in building resilience and self-trust
4. Why healing is never a solo endeavor, and how community and purpose fuel recovery
5. The importance of tuning into your “inner knower” and honoring intuition, even when it runs counter to external expectations
6. Practical ways to integrate mind-body practices, from breathwork to outdoor experiences, into daily life

Transformative Insights

1. Healing is a practice, not a destination—one that requires both fierce compassion and honest self-reflection
2. Sometimes the nervous system needs space and movement before words can land
3. True resilience is about staying open and choosing connection, even after hardship
4. The “script” of toughness can drown out our real needs; learning to listen inward is a radical act

Vulnerable Moments

1. Jaimie shares her journey from the battlefield to the therapy room, and how her own healing informs her work
2. Rebecca and Jaimie reflect on the challenges of letting go of high-performance identities to embrace rest and recovery
3. Both discuss the ongoing process of moving from impenetrable strength to authentic vulnerability

Practical Wisdom

1. How to use nature as a co-therapist: simple ways to bring the outdoors into your healing process
2. Tools for checking in with your intuition and honoring what you need in the moment
3. The value of community, mentorship, and shared adventure in sustaining long-term growth

Personal Growth

1. Jaimie’s evolution from “mud-loving kid” to Marine, psychologist, and advocate for wild resilience
2. Rebecca’s reflections on the power of collaboration and shared values in the healing journey
3. How adventure and evidence-based psychology intersect to create new pathways for thriving

Helpful Links

1. Modern Elder Academy: Wild Resilience Retreat with Rebecca & Dr. Jaimie Lusk
2. Dr. Jaimie Lusk’s Website
3. LinkedIn: Dr. Jaimie Lusk
4. Psychology Today Blog

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Blood Road

Brain Storm Podcast

Kaya Turski’s story isn’t just about medals or firsts, it’s about what happens when the thing you love most gets taken away, and you’re forced to meet yourself without the helmet, goggles, and identity that once felt impenetrable. Kaya shares how pain shaped her from the very beginning, starting with a catastrophic crash at 18 that led to emergency pancreatic surgery, and how a lifetime of impact, whiplash, and chronic symptoms eventually pushed her out of competition before 2018, whether she was ready or not.

In this conversation, we explore what “Fly Always” really means when you can’t do your sport the way you used to, and how Kaya has rebuilt her life through honesty, values work, and learning to create space for herself and others. From the moment she told her coach, “I’m done…pull me out,” to the dark, quiet years of healing back home in Montreal, Kaya walks us through the hardest kind of courage: the kind that looks like surrender, asking for help, and choosing self-care on an 8/10 pain day.

In this episode, Rebecca and Kaya explore:

1. How rollerblading and skateparks became Kaya’s foundation for freestyle—and why she taught herself to ski at 17 by taking the Greyhound to Whistler every day
2. The misconception that elite freestyle athletes are fearless—and why fear is part of staying alive on “hundred-foot kickers”
3. The difference between chosen pain (growth) and unchosen pain (life, injury, heartbreak)—and why the second one is where “the real work” begins
4. The crash that sliced Kaya’s pancreas in half, the ICU in San Francisco, and being told to leave skiing behind before her career even began
5. How chronic headaches, cumulative impacts, and undiagnosed concussions became an invisible war that forced retirement a year before 2018
6. The moment at Worlds in Spain when Kaya finally said, “I surrender…this is enough,” and made the call to stop
7. Why identity can get dangerously fused to performance—and what it takes to become “more than one thing”
8. The question Dr. Mike Gervais asked that cracked Kaya open: “Why are you here on this earth?”
9. The real meaning of “Fly Always”: create space, take the leap, inspire—and why “creating space” starts with honesty
10. What “flying” looks like now: self-care, hard conversations, sitting with pain instead of escaping it, and “standing in the center of the fire” with yourself
11. How mindfulness “micro-breaks” and Rebecca’s “brain breaks” help regulate the nervous system and bring you back steadier, brighter, more present
12. The six-year healing chapter: moving back to Montreal, low capacity, and rebuilding from a dark period—one phone call at a time

1. Pain has layers. There’s pain that expands you (chosen) and pain that humbles you (unchosen)—and the second one asks for a different kind of strength.
2. Identity isn’t a job title. Kaya reframes “who I am” as what she loves, what she values, and what lights her up—not just what she did in sport.
3. “Fly Always” is a life philosophy, not a sports slogan. For Kaya, it begins with creating space (and safety) for the whole human to show up.
4. Values work is the bridge. The journey from “be the best” to “be true” runs straight through first principles and personal philosophy.
5. Presence is built in tiny moments. Five-minute resets and micro “slices of discipline” change the nervous system—and the way you move through your day.

1. Kaya relives the crash that caused pancreatic surgery at 18—and the whiplash of being told her career might be over before it started.
2. She names the invisible suffering of chronic pain—hurting internally while the outside world encourages you to push one more year.
3. The Worlds-in-Spain moment: “I’m done…pull me out,” and the catharsis of finally leaning in.
4. The dark stretch after retirement—UCLA dreams, surrendering independence, moving home, and not working for six years because survival took everything.
5. Kaya opens up about escaping pain for a long time—and then learning to sit with it, listen, and stay with herself through it.

1. Try a 5-minute reset 2–3 times a day: breathe, notice what you’re feeling, and return with a steadier pace.
2. Build “brain breaks”: step off screens, go outside, lie down, pet the dog—then come back more regulated.
3. If you don’t know what to do next: reach out anyway. Kaya describes the power of dropping the guard and calling someone who knows you.
4. Practice “create space through honesty”: tell the truth about what you’re carrying—even when it’s messy.
5. When you see someone hurting: say something simple—“I see you.” It matters more than you think.

1. Kaya moves from “queen of slope style” armor to a more integrated identity—artist, nature-lover, community-builder, coach.
2. She redefines high performance as self-care on hard days, honesty in relationships, and staying present when the body flares.
3. Her career comes full circle: from athlete with Dr. Mike to mindset coach at Finding Mastery—turning lived experience into service.

Kaya Turski

- Kaya’s Instagram

- LinkedIn:

- Threads:

- Team Canada bio:

Finding Mastery (Dr. Michael Gervais)

- About Finding Mastery (coaches/team): https://findingmastery.com/about-us/

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Blood Road

Brain Storm Podcast

In this episode of What’s the Rusch, Rebecca welcomes explorer-author Craig Childs, a man whose life is spent listening deeply to the land. Known for tracing ancient migration routes, following water across vast deserts, flying through curtains of Virga, and biking into the darkest sky in America, Craig’s work reveals a world still full of mystery for those willing to pay attention.

This conversation moves through ghost-lit writing rooms, ritual landscapes, long bike journeys, serendipity, and the internal shifts that only happen when we slow down enough to let the world permeate us. Together Craig and Rebecca explore why immersion, not arrival, is what transforms us.

1. Why Craig must be in a place—feeling the ground, light, wind—for the story to reveal itself
2. How walking ancient routes or biking across deserts becomes a form of listening
3. The difference between reading landscape through photographs vs. letting it enter your body

Hemingway’s House & the Ghost of Influence

1. Craig’s three-week writing residency in Ernest Hemingway’s preserved home in Idaho
2. The strange, creative tension of living where Hemingway lived—and even feeling watched
3. How inhabiting another writer’s space reshaped Craig’s awareness of language and simplicity

Energy, Memory & Mystery in the Natural World

1. The ineffable sensations some landscapes hold—ritual sites, ancient paths, places marked by loss
2. How intention sharpens awareness of what we cannot explain
3. Rebecca’s story of biking 1,200 miles along the Ho Chi Minh Trail to reach her father’s crash site, and the unexpected peace found there

The Wild Dark: Riding Into the Night

1. Craig’s decision to bike—not hike or drive—from the brightest sky (Las Vegas) to the darkest sky in Nevada
2. Understanding the Bortle Scale, and how each night revealed an entirely different sky
3. What humanity loses when we stop looking upward—and the questions the night sky asks of us

Creative Curiosity & How Stories Choose Us

1. How Craig selects each new book subject: serendipity, timing, emotional bandwidth, personal readiness
2. Why some stories (such as those rooted in trauma) demand discernment, and why he sometimes says no
3. Moving from archaeology, to animals, to geology, and now to mountain lions

Internal Exploration & the Dialogue Within

1. The constant internal conversations that unfold when moving across landscapes
2. How physical exertion becomes a gateway to reflection, memory, and presence
3. Why writing is the spark—not the purpose—behind many of Craig’s journeys

Modern Disconnection & What We’re Losing

1. Craig’s experience witnessing a death on a transatlantic flight and realizing how few people noticed
2. The shrinking spaces for eye contact, curiosity, and shared humanity
3. The closing-in effect of modern life compared to the expansive awareness offered by nature

1. Immersion creates understanding—arrival alone does not.
2. Landscapes hold memory and meaning that reveal themselves when we’re quiet enough to notice.
3. Awe is not optional; it is a human requirement.
4. The night sky is one of our oldest teachers, and losing it means losing half our questions.
5. Serendipity is often guidance—if we’re paying attention.

1. Rebecca shares the emotional unraveling of reaching her father’s crash site after a long bike journey.
2. Craig opens up about choosing not to pursue certain book topics because the emotional toll would be too great.
3. Both explore the discomfort of modern loneliness and the desire for deeper connection.
4. Craig reflects on being swept into the rush of freelance life—and how he finds his way back to slower rhythms.

1. Use nature as your reset—it requires no preparation or perfection, only presence.
2. Let your curiosity—not your agenda—shape your explorations.
3. Build spaciousness into your life: dawn light, unstructured time, long walks, quiet moments.
4. Notice what your senses are telling you; they’re often wiser than your plans.
5. When life feels rushed, create friction by slowing down—sit on a boulder, look at the sky, breathe.

1. Craig’s evolution from writing about ancient worlds to exploring the immediate, living stories around him.
2. Rebecca’s ongoing shift from “rusher” to someone who seeks and protects stillness.
3. The power of long journeys—literal and internal—to peel away armor.
4. How exploration helps us remember our humanity and place in the larger world.

Craig Childs

Website: https://www.torreyhouse.org/craig-childs

Instagram: @wandercrag

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Blood Road

Brain Storm Podcast

In this episode, Rebecca welcomes her friend, author, and legendary peak-performance researcher Steven Kotler for a conversation that weaves together science, sport, creativity, and the deeper human quest for what’s possible. Steven has spent decades decoding flow, the neurobiological state where we feel our best and perform our best, but this conversation goes far beyond definitions.

Together, Rebecca and Steven explore why flow is accessible to everyone, what happens when you chase it too hard, and why recovery is a form of grit. Steven also opens up about the period of his life when Lyme disease left him bedridden, suicidal, and stripped of his identity, and how an unexpected moment in the ocean became the spark that rebuilt everything.

This is a conversation about curiosity, resilience, and how the smallest actions, walking the dog, doodling on a page, stepping outside, can literally help us find our way back to ourselves.

In this episode, Rebecca and Steven explore:

Understanding Flow & Peak Performance

1. What flow actually is from a neurobiological perspective
2. Why flow follows focus—and the 28 triggers that bring us into the present moment
3. The different forms of flow: individual, interpersonal, group, and communitas
4. Why flow operates on a four-stage cycle (and why you can’t be in flow all the time)

Chasing Flow vs. Working With It

1. The danger of using risk as a flow trigger
2. How novelty and creativity create safer, more sustainable pathways into flow
3. Why action sports athletes often “break things” chasing that feeling
4. How micro-changes—like interpreting terrain creatively—can upgrade performance without increasing danger

Recovery, Afterglow & the Science of the Come-Down

1. What happens in the brain after a massive flow state
2. Why a big flow day almost guarantees a low-performance day right after
3. The neurochemical crash that mimics the comedown of recreational drugs
4. How to use healthy recovery habits to shorten the “cost of flow”

Steven's Journey Through Illness

1. Steven recounts the years when Lyme disease left him unable to walk across a room
2. The suicidal moment when he believed he’d become a lifelong burden
3. The friend who insisted he go surfing—and the wave that triggered a full-blown, mystical macro-flow state
4. How repeated exposure to flow helped reboot his immune system and rebuild his life
5. What neuro-immunology reveals about the connection between flow, healing, and homeostasis

Flow, Longevity & Life Design

1. Why immersion in nature is one of the most potent flow triggers
2. The role of action sports and outdoor movement in mental health and aging
3. Why walking—even slowly—is medicine for the nervous system and the brain
4. How Steven teaches older adults to park-ski using creativity instead of risk

1. Flow is trainable. With the right structure, most people can increase flow by 70–80% within eight weeks.
2. Recovery is a grit skill. High performers burn out not from doing too much—but from never shutting down.
3. Creativity microdosing between tasks keeps you in flow and prevents ego spikes that knock you out of it.
4. Tragedy can be a teleportation chamber. Sometimes the hardest experiences become the doorway to the life we wanted but couldn’t reach on our own.
5. Movement + nature = neurobiological reset. Just 20 minutes outdoors begins to flush stress hormones and restore baseline balance.

1. Steven shares in detail the physical and psychological collapse brought on by Lyme disease.
2. Rebecca reflects on her traumatic brain injury and how losing access to movement shook her identity.
3. Both discuss the terrifying experience of losing cognitive function—and the slow rebuild back to themselves.
4. Steven opens up about the friends who walked him around the block when he couldn’t walk on his own.
5. Rebecca recalls calling Steven in desperation during her recovery, and how his advice helped guide her back.

1. How to recognize the difference between microflow and macroflow
2. Why doodling, sketching, or five minutes of creative play resets the brain
3. How to transition between tasks without “waking up the ego”
4. Why meditation isn’t about quieting the mind—it’s about practicing returning
5. Why “clear goals” are a flow trigger and a cue for when to stop working for the day
6. How sauna, reading, breathwork, and small rituals can switch the nervous system from drive to recovery
7. The importance of training your brain before you “inflict yourself on your relationships”

1. Steven’s evolution from punk-rock misfit to leading voice in applied performance neuroscience
2. Rebecca’s rediscovery of writing and art during her concussion recovery—and the reminder to keep creativity in her life even when sport returns
3. The lifelong pull of curiosity as a survival mechanism and a drive toward mastery
4. Embracing novelty, humility, and the willingness to start over again and again

1. Steven Kotler Website: https://www.stevenkotler.com/
2. Flow Research Collective: https://www.flowresearchcollective.com/
3. Books by Steven Kotler: The Rise of Superman, The Art of Impossible, Gnar Country, and more
4. Zen authors discussed: John Tarrant & Joan Sutherland

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Blood Road

Brain Storm Podcast

This conversation with Cam Wurf is a deep dive into the mindset, curiosity, and longevity of one of the most relentlessly adaptable athletes on the planet. Instead of simply talking results, Cam opens the door to the many evolutions of his career,  from Olympic rowing to WorldTour cycling to Ironman racing,  and the mindset that’s allowed him to thrive for decades. What emerges is a portrait of someone who never stops learning, never stops playing, and never stops believing there’s always another layer to uncover.

We explore how setbacks nudged him toward new paths, why versatility keeps him alive in sport, and what it really takes to keep showing up at the highest level in your 40s with joy, grit, and childlike enthusiasm. It’s a masterclass in reinvention, resilience, and refusing to stay in any lane someone else draws for you.

In this episode, Rebecca and Cam explore:

1. Growing up in Tasmania and the importance of showing younger athletes what’s possible when you come from a small place
2. The mentorship moments that shaped his Olympic debut — including the mindset shift that changed everything
3. How injuries became directional markers rather than derailments
4. The surprising twists from rowing → pro cycling → finance → back to cycling → Ironman
5. Why variety has been the secret weapon behind his longevity
6. The psychology of coming back stronger after disappointment
7. What it takes to recover from one World Championship and qualify for Kona two weeks later
8. His love of training, playfulness, and why he still feels lucky every day he gets to move

1. Longevity isn’t about pushing harder, it’s about changing stimulus. Cam attributes his decades of elite performance to switching disciplines before burnout ever set in.
2. Your physiology stays; your ability to use it evolves. Cam’s VO₂ max hasn’t changed in 20+ years, but how he optimizes it has.
3. Belief is a skill. Cam shares how early wins cemented a lifelong ability to trust his capacity to come back from anything.
4. Transitions often follow hard moments. But instead of retreating, Cam uses setbacks as invitations to grow.
5. Curiosity is a performance multiplier. Training with boxers, triathletes, and cyclists expands what he thinks is possible.

1. Reflecting on not being fully present before the World Championship in Nice, and how family stress impacted performance
2. Opening up about the emotional weight of disappointing results and the phone calls that follow
3. Discussing fatherhood, the shift in priorities, and what “winning” looks like at home
4. His young son’s broken collarbone — and how watching his resilience mirrored Cam’s own approach to setbacks

1. “If you’re going to beat me, you’re going to work for it.” The mantra that carried him through a brutal qualification race
2. Why technique, mobility, and efficiency now matter more than simply training harder
3. How to recover fast enough to race again within 14 days
4. The importance of believing in your coach and your process — otherwise the work doesn’t matter
5. A reminder that positivity costs nothing, but negativity costs everything

1. The shift from doing three sports to mastering the details within each
2. Learning to chip away the unnecessary — using Michelangelo’s “David” as a metaphor for athletic evolution
3. Building a life outside of endurance identity: partnership, fatherhood, stability
4. Finding joy again through play, humor, community, and mentorship
5. Seeing possibility in every next chapter — including future Olympic dreams

Cam Wurf Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjwurf/

Iron Man Series

YT - Cam Wurf Ep. 2 | Balancing Cycling, Triathlon & Family

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Blood Road

Brain Storm Podcast

In this episode of What’s the Rusch, Rebecca dives into the deep currents of creativity, purpose, and healing with legendary kayaker, filmmaker, and musician Rush Sturges. From first descents on the world’s most powerful rivers to producing award-winning films like The River Runner (on Netflix), Chasing Niagara, and Edge of the Unknown (on Disney+), Rush has lived his life on the edge of adventure and artistry. Together, he and Rebecca explore how nature, trauma, and creativity intertwine—and how slowing down can be the most radical act of all.

Rush shares his journey from world champion athlete to filmmaker and mentor, the lessons learned from loss and risk, and how a devastating earthquake in Nepal reshaped his understanding of fear, nervous system health, and what it really means to live fully. This is a conversation about flow, healing, and the art of coming home to yourself.

Show Notes

In this episode, Rebecca and Rush explore:

1. Growing up at his parents’ kayak school, Otter Bar, and discovering a lifelong calling on the Grand Canyon at age 14
2. The parallels between rivers and life—how chaos, calm, and flow teach us who we are
3. What expedition kayaking reveals about presence, teamwork, and vulnerability
4. The evolution from athlete to filmmaker to musician, and the importance of building creative “teams” off the river
5. The transformative impact of mentoring Indigenous youth through Ríos to Rivers and the Paddle Tribal Waters project during the historic Klamath River dam removal
6. Lessons from loss—processing death, danger, and risk in the adventure community
7. Rush’s experience with PTSD after surviving a deadly Nepal earthquake and how it forced him to confront the limits of endurance
8. The healing power of therapy, meditation, and slowing down
9. Why true mastery is learning to move—and to rest—with intention

Transformative Insights

1. The river as teacher: Its turbulence and stillness mirror the flow of life.
2. Healing the nervous system: How mindfulness, breathwork, and community restore balance after trauma.
3. Creativity as connection: Music, film, and art as extensions of nature’s flow.
4. Redefining performance: Moving from risk and recognition toward service, purpose, and self-awareness.

Vulnerable Moments

1. Rush recounts surviving a catastrophic earthquake in Nepal that triggered years of tremors and insomnia.
2. He opens up about witnessing loss in the kayaking community and how grief shaped his view of risk.
3. Rebecca shares her own recovery from brain injury and how both learned the power of stillness and surrender.

Practical Wisdom

1. Small shifts—like walking more slowly or unplugging from your phone—can reset the nervous system.
2. True strength comes from knowing when to stop pushing and start listening.
3. Building “teams” in life, art, and healing creates the support needed for real transformation.

Personal Growth

1. From adrenaline and ego to empathy and awareness—Rush’s evolution as a creator and human being.
2. How service projects like Paddle Tribal Waters reconnect purpose to passion.
3. The practice of slowing down as a daily meditation—one mindful step, one quiet breath at a time.

Helpful Links

1. Rush Sturges: Website | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify
2. Films: The River Runner | Chasing Niagara | Paddle Tribal Waters
3. Ríos to Rivers: riostorivers.org
4. Concussion Resources:  Brain Storm Podcast & Resource Book | Concussion Video Resources

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Brain Storm Podcast