Hurdle with Emily Abbate

Ariana Grande. Charlie Puth. Jessica Simpson. Harley Pasternak’s lengthy list of celebrity clientele is impressive (total understatement). But long before Pasternak was training A-listers and working with big-name brands like Reebok, Propel, Four Seasons, and more — he thought he wanted to be a doctor. In episode 77, we chat about the frightening experience that made him change his major back in c...

Recovery for many athletes — runners included — is a lot like warming up or cooling down. Most of us know the benefits of it, but many don’t take the time to put in the real work. Fact is, there are a lot of things we can do to give back to our bodies, and doing them can make a major difference. For this week’s #hurdlemoment, I sit down with Dan Giordano, DPT, CSCS, and co-founder of Bespoke Treat...

For four years, Brittany Driscoll spent her time learning everything she could from Alli Webb as the vice president of marketing at Drybar, taking the company from $30M to more than $100M. Now, she’s helping launch the brand’s newest concept — Squeeze, the DryBar for massages where treatments cost between $39 and $129, depending on the length of the session, which can run between 20 and 80 minutes...

This week's #hurdlemoment is a must-hear, regardless of if you're running a race this fall or not. Whether it’s your first or your hundredth, marathon race day gives runners the same nervous butterflies every single time. For today’s episode, I sit down with Robin Arzon, 26-time marathoner, Vice President of Fitness Programming and instructor at Peloton , and author of the New York Times bestselle...

To describe Ally Love with the word “boss” would be an understatement. She is a do-it-all kind of woman: The in-arena host for the Brooklyn Nets, founder of LoveSquad , Adidas global ambassador, and Peloton instructor (among other talents). In episode 75, she tells me all about the #hurdlemoment which framed her “I can” mindset: A horrifying car accident at age nine which landed her in critical co...

Aya Kanai is a powerhouse, at the helm of fashion content for Hearst as the publishing company’s Chief Fashion Director. In today’s special live episode, in collaboration with Trellis Health , Aya gets really vulnerable about her journey to have her daughter. We chat about how a miscarriage encouraged her to brave training for her first full marathon (a #hurdlemoment, no doubt), and what it was li...

It took me a really long time as an adult to feel good with spending time by myself. In today’s episode, I tackle a topic that I get a lot of questions about: loneliness. Important distinction: There is a difference between feeling lonely and being alone. In today’s episode, I dissect that, and offer up four strategies to help you truly embrace your time solo. SOCIAL @hurdlepodcast @emilyabbate ME...

This guy isn’t busy at all (sarcasm alert): The CEO of Los Angeles-based Five Four Group works tirelessly building a slew of fashion brands (including Menlo Club, Young & Reckless, Grand Athletic Club, New Republic). He also chimes in regularly on his own podcast, DEETOUR , as well as a thrice-weekly news show with his business partners — Chris ‘Drama’ Pfaff and his brother Anand — called Grou...

I chatted all about injury in #hurdlemoment a few weeks back, but in today's episode I'm bringing in reinforcements. Meet Blake Dircksen : a physical therapist at Bespoke Treatments in Midtown Manhattan. We're focusing on how to navigate pain as a runner, and the best way to handle the most common injuries. Spoiler alert: You can often run through it, he says. We also rap on the benefits of cross-...

These days, Betina Gozo makes a living with a side of sweat as a Nike Master Trainer. But not all that long ago, the Philippines-born bombshell was playing bass in a rock band. In episode 72, we talk about the workout class that changed her life entirely (and ultimately, her career path), and how she went from hardly being able to do exercises with 5-pound dumbbells to crushing barbell-friendly wo...

We all have bad runs. How you handle them mid-stride can make all the difference between quitting and sticking it out. In today’s #hurdlemoment — the first of a series this September dedicated to the slew of your running Qs — I talk about three strategies I use to stick out a tough go. Three. Simple. Tricks. SOCIAL @hurdlepodcast @emilyabbate MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE | WOLACO You've been asking f...

I feel pretty lucky that I’ve found my way into a career that I feel truly passionate about. David Thomas Tao feels the same way. But the journey the Harvard grad took to get to his current position at BarBend wasn’t exactly simple. In episode 71, the veteran journalist tells me about the #hurdlemoment he went through in Las Vegas that made him question his entire career. We chat about the importa...

I’m not trying to be negative. Rather, this week’s #hurdlemoment is all about identifying common reasons that we lack follow-through. When was the last time you had a goal that you let slip through your fingers? Could you have done something differently to impact the outcome? Well, there's good news: Failures happen to teach us something. Just like we have the opportunity to succeed and be better...

Hurdle has been getting pretty personal lately and this week’s episode with Dr. Jen Esquer is no exception. Over the past few years, everything has changed for the physical therapist known as @docjenfit to her 545K+ followers on social media. She exited a full-time job at a Santa Monica rehab facility to pursue private clients, work on online programming, and travel the world doing public speaking...

I was walking down the street the other day with Nike master trainer Kirsty Godso when we got on the topic of negative self-talk. Kirsty told me she's been having some tough conversations with herself about her body, and to be honest — I've been feeling the same way. Fact: Everyone is different, and negative self-talk doesn't discriminate. In today's episode, I sit down with Kirsty to have a super...

Autumn Calabrese is a powerhouse. As a personal trainer who found fame crafting workouts and nutrition programming for Beachbody , Autumn once thought she’d grow up to be a dancer. When injury got her down and a college dance master dissuaded her from pursuing her dancing dreams — she made lemonade out of lemons and pivoted to a new passion: Fitness.  In episode 69, the mega-trainer tells me...

There are so many people, things, experiences and obligations that flux with our energy on the regular. If you’re not careful, you could be giving too much of yourself to something (or someone!) that doesn’t deserve it — and sometimes, unknowingly. In today’s episode, I squad up with Nike master trainer Kirsty Godso to chat about empowerment, offer up some best-practice tips for protecting yo...

Jillian Michaels is a household name in the fitness industry, and she welcomed me into her home in Malibu with open arms. Surreal? A little bit. We all watched her for years on The Biggest Loser, and in today’s episode Jillian and I talk about what life was like long before making it to prime time on NBC. She tells me about being overweight as a pre-teen, weighing about 175 pounds at age 12, and h...

Being on the injured list sucks. In today's #hurdlemoment, I talk about the strategies that worked for me when I've had to take a step back in the past, the mental side of being down and out, and how to come back feeling better than you did before.  SOCIAL @hurdlepodcast @emilyabbate MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE | WOLACO was named the go-to brand for exercising on the road by Travel and Leisure....

Not all that long ago, CrossFit’s 3x “Fittest Woman On Earth” wasn’t working out at all. In 2011, she was enrolled in the nursing program at Queensland University of Technology, and felt as though she was in a total rut. “I had gained weight, I didn’t feel like I was doing what I wanted to do.” In this repost of episode 52, I sit down with Tia-Clair Toomey for a refreshingly honest conversation ab...

In Los Angeles last week I had the opportunity to sit down with Nike master trainer Kirsty Godso and model Catherine Li to chat all about the ins and outs of being a runner. The good stuff. The tough stuff. The parts that make us excited to lace up day after day, and our reasons for why we started in the first place. Huge thanks to Nike for hosting us at their first-ever store, Blue Ribbon Sports,...

For this week’s #hurdlemoment, I’m answering 10 listener questions off-the-cuff. No script. No planning. Just genuine honesty. From what I eat before a long run and my favorite Hurdle guests to the hardest part about putting out a podcast every week and how to get through a break-up. Have something else you want to ask? DM or email me, emily@hurdle.us .  SOCIAL @hurdlepodcast @emilyabbate OFF...

There was a time in Matthew Morton’s life when he was smoking three packs of cigarettes and downing up to 10 Red Bulls a day. That’s when his friend and NYU classmate Conrad Sandelman challenged him to give up the energy drink for 30 days, swapping in matcha—a finely ground green tea powder—instead. Little did the duo know that experiment would change both of their lives forever. In episode 66, th...

Teaming up with trainer Betina Gozo in Los Angeles for this week’s #hurdlemoment, where we’re dishing on our top healthy travel suggestions. From how to avoid germs on the plane to strategies for smarter eating, there’s no reason your next vacation (or work trip!) has to completely derail positive progress. Plus: We offer up our favorite in-the-air skincare suggestions and rap about the best way t...

Nicole Centeno has always loved food. Even when she was working as a media buyer at Condé Nast and other big companies, she longed to turn her love for food into a full-time career. In episode 65, we chat about how she came to start Splendid Spoon, a ready-to-eat, plant-based meal delivery service that boasts an impressive menu of soups and smoothies. We talk about the eating disorder she had in c...