Grow the Good

Paula Woodward is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  In addition to her impactful life experiences, she has also spent time China with rotations in many medical departments, a lot of educational experience in Psychology, and a passion for personal development.  I first found Paula when my friend who was suffering from a "hard to treat" skin condition started drinking some Chinese...

The Cape Epic is an 8-day Mountain Bike Stage Race across the terrain surrounding Capetown’s greater mountains.  The Cape Epic is touted as the “World’s Premier Stage Race,” attracted around 2000 people each year.  There are several distances of stage races, and the Cape Epic certainly focuses on endurance with most stages taking 5+ hours. This was my second trip to South Africa and my first time...

Dan Waldschmidt is about action.  From a young age, he believed in extreme effort.  So much so that he pushed himself over the edge and found himself holding a gun to his own head.  Contemplating suicide got Dan to turn his life around and focus on what really mattered.  Dan is an accomplished speaker, best selling author of the book Edgy Conversations, an ultra-runner, and a podcast host. His goa...

Stacey Shand might be the most experienced ultra athlete on the planet. Not only has she ran over 100 marathons, but she has raced Ironman Triathlons, podiumed at Ultraman, Badwater... twice, won Double Ironman Triathlons and taken overall fastest times on running segments (faster than any man as well), raced a road bike for 508 miles straight at the Silver Stage 508, done races in the Arctic Circ...

What would you do if you went from being known as the energizer bunny to having declining health, so much so that you are diagnosed as terminally ill, idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension, heart failure, sleep apnea, lung failure, and blindness?  That was the reality for Kate McGoey-Smith.  It wasn't until she watched the popular documentary, Forks Over Knives that she realized there wa...

Courtenay McFadden is a force to be reckoned with in the cyclocross world.  You may have seen her racing World Cups in Europe, on podiums at the biggest races in the United States, and also on the mountain bike.  Courtenay's success has had its share of setbacks and comebacks.  Many of us have had the experience of dealing with injuries that prevent us from riding, and it's always a chal...

Today's guests are highly experienced in both designing heat training protocols and racing in the heat themselves!  With me today is Luke Way and Stacey Shand.  Luke Way is a master bike fitter (he does all my fits), physiology enthusiast, and coach.  Luke performs the Balance Point Assessments you might have heard about in previous episodes which in my experience, is the most informative and...

This is a 2 part series on heat adaptation training.  I'm racing the Cape Epic in a few weeks and got a late entry.  The heat and the length are the two main challenges I hear with this race (and also staying healthy as with any foreign stage race).  I don't have enough time to change my training or even do a training camp somewhere, but I do have time to train for the heat.  Fortunately...

Sometimes it's hard to have clarity around your vision or to take the big steps needed to create positive changes. There are many paths to success and I'm excited to introduce you to Andrew Sillitoe's 4 Keys. Andrew is a former professional roller hockey player turned speaker, author, and coach. His recent book, The 4 Keys is a powerful tool for implementing a unique system to be su...

This week's episode is podcast recess.  My husband, Matt Ewonus is back to co-host!  We wanted to discuss some topics that are on our minds a lot at our house.  We are both incredibly fortunate to be doing what we love for work and in our lives!  However, you can push the pendulum too far, even when you're passionate about what you're doing.  Last year, we both got really burnt-out...

Read and hear about Kate Courtney's 2018 World Championship Win and watch the full women's World Championship replay on Redbull. TV! Kate Courtney's mantra is "WORK HARD, DO WHAT YOU LOVE AND BELIEVE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE." Many people are inspired by Kate's work ethic, positive attitude, and ability to perform consistently at the world's highest level in mountain...

Have you ever felt that positive momentum when you're on the right track or that something was meant to happen? This podcast episode with NYT best-selling author, speaker, and coach Christy Whitman goes deep into the 7 Universal Laws. You might be most familiar with the Law of Attraction where you manifest your energy to make something happen and then it does. focus what you want, feel what y...

Nicolette Richer is making huge strides in the power of natural healing. She is an entrepreneur and owner of the delicious whole food, plant-based organic cafe franchise: The Green Moustache. She also is a TEDx speaker, author of her new book, Eat Real to Heal, host of the podcast Eat Real to Heal, and founder of Richer Health. She also also appeared on Dragon’s Den. Nicolette has used clean eatin...

Negotiation is a skill and something we can all practice.  I was never particularly interested in negotiation until my entire income became based on how well I could negotiate. The first year was intimidating and to be honest, I still get nervous. I wanted to know the rules and how the experts did it. I've read a few books on negotiation, but my favorite one is called Never Split the Differen...

Have you ever wondered if you could build muscle on a plant-based diet?  This week, I sat down with Derek Simnett to talk about his shift from being more of a skateboarder, runner type to calisthenics and going to the gym.  Not only does Derek have a perfectly chiseled, muscular physique and inspires others to be healthier, but he is also a certified nutritional practitioner. Derek's YouTube...

I recently asked people on Twitter what new habits they are trying to adopt. 95% of the responses had meditation as one of the habits.  I've read a lot of articles on how meditation physically changes the brain, how it's a gamechanger not only for performance, but simply for enjoying life and how consistency is important.  But I've struggled.  I'd do it for a week and then give...

When Kikkan Randall was 5 years old, she decided she was going to the Olympics for skiing.  Most 5 year olds have lofty and cute dreams that rarely come to fruition.  That wasn't the case for Kikkan.  Not only did she make it to her first Olympics for cross-country skiing at just 19 years old, but she has 5 Olympic Games under her belt.  Kikkan's house might tip over with all the medals...

Vanessa Van Edwards is one of my heroines.  She studies what makes people tick.  More specifically- the science of people.  Vanessa is a best selling author and behavioral investigator.  She creates compelling, super helpful, and instantly applicable advice on how to be successful in any social situation.  Vanessa has been featured on NPR, the Wall Street Journal, the Today Show and USA Today. She...

You know that section of trail that you've never seen anyone ride?  That one spot where you wonder if it's even possible?  Jeff Lenosky, aka the Trail Boss is the guy to do it.  Jeff tackles the hardest seemingly "unrideable" trails, rides them, and documents it for his youtube channel.  And in case you aren't familiar with Jeff, he is a world-class freeride and trials mou...

Imagine dedicating everything to your dreams and you actually achieve them.  Professional BMX Athlete Josh Perry had this life experience.  From seeing the X Games on TV to one day competing in them, Josh's path to success was one full of hard work, dedication, and tenacity.  But at age 21, Josh went to the hospital after crashing on his head.  His MRI uncovered the unthinkable.  Brain tumors...

Have you ever driven your car 184 mph? I haven't either.  Imagine... going 184 mph on a bicycle.  Would you be scared?  "That's impossible" you might think.  I had never heard or imagined anyone going that fast on a bicycle. It seemed like you just wouldn't be able to do that.  Imagine my surprise in September when I met a woman who had done it.  Enter Denise Mueller Koren...

How well do you know your body?  Dr. Jen Esquer (DocJenFit) believes in empowering people to heal themselves through movement and body awareness.  As a Physical Therapist with a sports focus, she has the equation to our aches and pains: mobility.  Mobility or being able to use our body through its full ranges of motion is often the most overlooked element.  Mobility is what makes up the foundation...

What really motivates us and where does motivation come from?  Motivation can wear many faces.  Sometimes we are motivated by external factors - a race result, a promotion, a leaderboard, money, or a number on a scale.  Other times, we are motivated because we simply love doing something.  Going deep into why we choose to do certain things and how to stick with our habits is a fascinating topic. ...

What if I told you that there is an entire segment of training that maybe you've never considered?  When I first moved to Kelowna, I was introduced to Dr. Andrew Sellars.  Dr. Sellars is an anesthesiologist as well as a sports physiology expert.  He also is co-founder of Balance Point Racing.  When I did my first physiology assessment with Balance Point, I realized that everything I thought I...

A lot of people are surprised when they find out I have Master's Degree in Electrical Engineering.  Sometimes I even forget because I finished my Master's 11 years ago.  Time flies!  I'm excited to share this story and speech with you.  It's so hard to know what we want to do in university or even when we get out of university.  I was fortunate enough to find mountain biking ha...