Breaking Trail (Lisa Gerber)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Breaking Trail
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Mar 2017 | 1: Backcountry Ski Series Part 1: How to Buy Alpine Ski Touring Boots | 00:36:15 | |
In the first in our series on backcountry ski equipment, we talk to former Exum guide, Brian Harder on the many things to consider when you do your backcountry ski research. Today we start with alpine touring boots? What features should you look for given your objectives? Do number of buckles matter? What about weight? He also shares some trusted resources and great boot shops. Because if you don't have happy feet, how can you possible be happy? Remember, it's a Gear Show so you don't have a shit show. | |||
| 30 Aug 2019 | 86: Brittany Charboneau: The Path from Average to Elite | 00:49:46 | |
Brittany Charboneau is a Denver-native and also known as The Funny Runner because she is pursuing a career in running and comedy.
Sponsored by fellow Colorado-native company OtterBox, and thanks to her coach Jenni Nettik with Mercuria Running and her entire "Dream Team" of trainers, she qualified for the Olympic Trials' A' Standard at the 2018 Los Angeles Marathon with a time of 2:36. Brittany was the 10th American finisher at the 2018 New York City Marathon and finished 11th at the 2019 New York City Half Marathon. Most recently, she has stepped into the trail running scene and her debut season saw wins at the 2019 Leadville Heavy Half, Telluride Rundola and Aspen Backcountry Heavy Half.
Her background of improv and sketch comedy stems from her training at The Second City Chicago and The Annoyance Chicago. Brittany teaches improv and performs regularly at the Bovine Metropolis Theater in Denver. She has written, performed, and directed her own one-woman sketch comedy show called "My Long Distance Relationship with Running: From the Early Miles to the Olympic Trials."
Brittany was an Olympic hopeful from childhood but was a very average runner/athlete through school and college. Eventually, she quit her job to pursue a career in running and comedy. We talk today about listening to your gut, following your path and finding the confidence or the signs to know you are on the right track.
There are many lessons in today's show. Enjoy and with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.
We talk about:
So, with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Brittany
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 08 Mar 2017 | Preview | The Hard Part of Ideas: Making Them Happen | 00:15:50 | |
It's pretty easy to come up with ideas and to, for example: register for a race or an event, an idea for a new business; even to come up with an idea for a new podcast! It's another thing altogether to make ideas happen - to get to the finish line, to launch the podcast. So why do we do this to ourselves? In the pre-pilot to The Gear Show Podcast, I introduce the concept behind the Gear Show and what to expect. | |||
| 13 Apr 2017 | 5: Cross Training for Better Performance | 00:47:16 | |
As we get older, we start to feel like a used car with nagging injuries: "I can’t run today because my knee, my achilles tendon, my shoulder.." Whatever the case may be. Today we’ll talk about one of the most important pieces of gear we have - our bodies, and the importance of strength training to prevent chronic injury and support the play we want to do in the wilderness. As our guest, Jen Fisher puts it, we need to be physically prepared and do a lot to support our bodies to be able to fully enjoy the outdoors. Jen Fisher is a personal trainer, owner of The Shed Gym in Sandpoint,race director for the Sandpoint Scenic Half Marathon. and host of Functional health radio show. | |||
| 22 Jun 2017 | 11: Trail running: Overcoming suffering and achieving "elephant moments" | 00:41:27 | |
Professional trail runner and coach, Rene Unser shares with us her training philosophy and habits and tips she incorporates into her every day life as it relates to rest, recovery, and hydration. Along the way, she shares some pretty moving stories and experiences. This is about much more than trail running - it’s about finding your “thing,” maybe hating it at first, then falling in love with it. Even if you aren’t a trail runner, Rene’s story will make you fall in love with it. As in any of my episodes, I hope there is always a bigger lesson that whatever it is you initially hate, then love, is something you can embrace and improve upon - that will eventually lead to greater adventures. | |||
| 01 Jun 2018 | 45: René Unser on Trail Running, Pushing Through Suffering and Achieving “Elephant Moments” | 00:42:24 | |
I have a rerun for you this week but we have lots of new listeners since this episode ran originally last year so I think it won’t feel like a rerun to most of you. This was one of the most popular episodes from last summer: Rene Unser, trail runner, coach and founder of Pace Sport Fitness, race director of a fantastically challenging but fun series of Canadian trail races - whose mission is to motivate others to be better runners. Sometimes we get pulled into trying something. But we suck at the beginning. we equate sucking with hating the thing. We may give up. Or, we push on because as I said, we are pulled by any number of reasons. In Rene’s example, it might be an encounter with an elephant in Thailand. You’ll have to listen on to know for sure. And if you do, you’ll learn more than how she came to be an awesome coach and race director, but also her philosophy on training and some tips for keeping all the body parts in working order. Professional trail runner and coach, Rene Unser shares with us her training philosophy and habits and tips she incorporates into her every day life as it relates to rest, recovery, and hydration. Along the way, she shares some pretty moving stories and experiences.
Links mentioned:
Where to find Rene online:
| |||
| 25 Apr 2022 | Josh Lasky: Every Step is a Gift | 00:45:57 | |
Today, I have a beautiful story for you about fatherhood, endurance, and sustainability. Josh Lasky is a father, husband, son, amateur endurance athlete, social impact professional, and author. He serves as Director of the Office of Sustainability at The George Washington University, leading the institution’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and fulfill other ambitious commitments. Lasky holds a Master’s in public administration and a Bachelor’s in political science from GW, and he serves as a board member of Climate Ride, a non-profit that organizes life-changing charitable outdoor adventures. Lasky has completed more than 6,000 miles of bicycle touring and more than 85 road and trail running races, including 50-mile, 100-kilometer, and 100-mile ultramarathons. We talk about how becoming a caretaker to his father at a relatively young age changed the trajectory of his life, how endurance sports and writing helped him through and what a year he’s having with a new job and a new baby girl, and how his experience informs both his work and his parenting. We finally got to some discussion around sustainability and I wish we had had more time, so I guess I’ll just have to invite Josh back. With that, I hope you’ll listen in and gear up for what’s next: Where to find Josh and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review, and share with your friends! | |||
| 31 May 2021 | Ryan Egan: Keeping Up with the Youngsters with Joint Mobility | 00:42:08 | |
Ryan Egan started Movement Gym, well, if we’re being honest, as a Plan B. His original plan was to be a pro snowboarder but that didn’t go well for him in many ways. And now, after years of beating and battering his body, he helps you, me and everyone, keep your body in shape so you can keep going out and doing adventures and share connection with your kids, grandkids, younger friends with a focus on joint mobility. We’re going to talk about how life led him here; about the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people; and that it’s ok to help yourself before helping others. Then we geek out on joint mobility. How it affects your life, your body, how to detect it, what to do about it. So with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Ryan and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 06 Jun 2022 | Robin Hall: A Story about Finding Purpose and Adapting | 00:42:38 | |
Things rarely go as planned and that is very much the case for Robin Hall who had a big fat wrench thrown into her and her family’s life plan. The outdoor brand she was working for relocated and she had to make some decisions. This is a story about finding purpose and adapting. It’s a story about sitting at home and deciding to take matters into your own hands. And why not, while we’re at it, launch a sustainable outdoor kids apparel brand? Some people get kicked off the ledge and are forced to change. Others aren’t that “lucky” and therefore hang out in their status quo which means they are doing work they don’t care about. Today, you’re going to learn how Robin sorted out the mess and came out living life on her own terms.
Robin Hall is the CEO and Co-Founder of Town Hall, a new sustainable kids outdoor apparel company with community and the planet at its core. With over 15 years in the outdoor industry, Robin is a seasoned and enthusiastic leader, strategist and project manager. Robin has built a career out of diving deeply into all functions of an outdoor brand and she passionately brings diverse groups together to solve problems, with her values as her guide. Robin’s #1 and #2 StrengthFinders strengths are Positivity and Achiever, which means she gets it done with a genuine smile on her face and for the love of the process. Town Hall is the epicenter of her passions, bringing together community, environmental stewardship, kids and the outdoors. Robin loves outside daily with her husband, two sons and Bernese Mountain Dog, Yeti, in the amazing community of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. So with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Robin and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review, and share with your friends! | |||
| 10 Aug 2017 | 18: What’s in Your Summer Backpack? | 00:35:38 | |
Today’s episode is going to give you gear barn envy and if you are the type to love type A organization, you are going to love the way Jeff Thompson plans his summer camping trips.
Jeff is director at Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center, a husband and a dad to a five year old girl. We’ll talk about packing lists, and lists of lists, and refining those lists. He’ll share with us what he carries in his backpack and we even talk about how to get kids stoked to love the outdoors.
Links, Resources, Further Reading: Nalgene Drink Tube and Bite Valve
Where to find Jeff: | |||
| 24 Jan 2019 | 72: Laurenne Ross on Ski Racing, Presence of Mind, Focus | 00:39:22 | |
Laurenne Ross races the World Cup alpine circuit and is ranked one of the top-ten best speed skiers in the world. She’s been to four World Championships and raced in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea. She has two World Cup podiums and many top-ten results.
But man, racing is hard. In 2017, after a top ten year, she injured her knee - seriously enough that she almost missed the Olympics. She rushed recovery to compete in 2018 but it just didn’t feel right. Laurenne took time off from ski racing last year and has just returned this season. I
Needless to say, it’s a roller coaster ride and Laurenne gives some straight talk on what it’s like to be in the world cup circuit.
To balance the intensity Laurenne also has a love for art. Today we talk about staying focused. Being really really good at one thing, being present, the downside of goal setting and we wrap it up with some inspirational talk on favorite ski destinations in the world.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Resources mentioned:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 24 May 2018 | 44: Sarah Wood on Progression: From Beginning to Kicking Ass | 00:47:53 | |
I am excited to introduce you today to Sarah Wood, director of operations for I9, or Industry Nine, makers of high-end mountain and road bike wheel sets. Everything Industry Nine does is handmade in their facility in Asheville, NC. The machine shop next door (and sister company) makes all their parts except for the rims and is owned by the father of I9’s owner, Clint. Clint's father had started that shop 50 years ago and Clint practically grew up in that shop. Sarah’s role as ops director has included everything from business strategy and development, management, restructuring, systems implementation, events, marketing...you name it! She has to know and have experienced each role to best manage and improve their operation so she chips in where needed from shipping and boxing to picking parts and running one of their assembly machines. After this episode, you might consider upgrading your bike with a new set of wheels. This is one of those things you didn’t know could be better but once it’s explained to you? Wow. And sounds like once you try them, wow. Just wait until you hear her explanation of why. Sarah is smart, even more so when she gets technical. This is a story about someone who led a varied career that might seem, to the uninitiated, sort of disjointed but turned into a very natural progression of one thing leading to the next. Sarah ended up with a unique combination of experiences and skills to land her where she is now, doing what she loves. (For those of us who feel like we are wandering aimlessly, maybe don't worry about that!) Having started in music, she moved to film festival executive director for 5point Films in Carbondale, CO, to her current position. We have a great conversation about being a beginner and being OK with that, and working through progressions not only professionally, but out there on our mountain bikes as well - All with the end goal of restoring our confidence and doing what we want to do, no excuses. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. and with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Sarah:
Resources | |||
| 19 Oct 2017 | 23: Joe Johnson on Making Choices, Taking Leaps and Getting After Life | 00:45:55 | |
Today, Joe Johnson - Salomon’s outdoor marketing manager in the Americas joins us to share his long and winding journey to a very cool job, and even cooler lifestyle. It’s a story of survival on free breakfast burritos, taking risks, and dedicating oneself to good work and good relationships.
Also discussed: How to keep work you love from keeping you from doing other things you love. Listen up, then go out, do what you want to do, make connections and be memorable.
Where to find Joe: @johnsonjoe at Twitter and Instagram Global social media for Salomon freeski (Twitter and Instagram)
Learn more at The Gear Show | |||
| 22 Aug 2019 | 85: Matt Sterbenz Blanking the Hard Drive to Innovate | 00:54:04 | |
A highly respected figure in the freeskiing industry, Matt Sterbenz has spent his career developing some of the most exciting and progressive skis in history. Matt’s life in the ski industry began when he and his peers of pro skiers began to feel underserved by large, European ski sponsors that focused solely on creating skis for racers. At the time, the freestyle skiing movement in the US was just beginning, and this new discipline demanded progressive new ski designs that the European industry simply wasn’t producing. Matt founded 4FRNT skis and worked with top athletes to create cutting-edge shapes.
After spending much of his career innovating on shape, materials were the next frontier. After 16 years at 4FRNT, Matt left his post to begin a role as GM of Wintersports at Checkerspot, expressing a strong desire to bring innovation to an industry that had relied on the same materials for decades.
So in 2019, Matt launched WNDR Alpine, a new brand utilizing biobased materials to improve product performance up and down the mountain.
We talk about:
So, with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Matt
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 20 Jun 2022 | Katie Harris: Turning Frustration into Opportunity | 00:47:01 | |
In his book Ecological Literacy, David Orr said we need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. He said we need people who live well in their places. People of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. These are the people who are redefining success in today’s terms and this podcast is for the peacemakers, healers, restorers and lovers of every kind. Every other week, we talk to someone who is living well in their place and doing something to contribute to the world rather than take from it. We are breaking trail. Today I am excited to introduce you to Katie Harris, who has dedicated her life’s work to connecting this country through bicycle transportation. Katie Harris (she/her) is the Director of Community Impact at Adventure Cycling Association. She is passionate about creating a future where bike travel is safe and inclusive, and sees bike advocacy at the nexus of climate change, transportation justice, and healthy communities. She provides leadership for Adventure Cycling’s advocacy work, including the U.S. Bicycle Route System, ACA’s safety program, and the organization’s newest initiative, Bike Overnights, which is focused on supporting anyone who wants to experience the joy of bicycle travel, especially BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and transgender, women, intersex and gender nonconforming cyclists. A collaborator by nature, she loves building partnerships with mission-aligned organizations and individuals to further their collective missions. Katie lives in Bellingham, WA, where she spends her free time hiking, mountain biking, skiing, fly-fishing, and poring over maps, planning the next adventure. We talk about:
So with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Katie and other links:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review, and share with your friends! | |||
| 23 May 2022 | Kevin Belanger: The Great American Rail-Trail | 00:37:16 | |
Before joining the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy team in 2016 as a trail planner, Kevin Belanger spent many years in the active-transportation world. He received master’s degrees in both Environmental Studies and Community and Regional Planning from the University of Oregon, where he wrote his thesis on walking and biking habits in suburban multifamily housing. After completing his formal education, Kevin spent time in the consulting world and then as the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for a suburb in Maryland. Lately, Kevin is focused on an exciting project I’m so excited to share with you all – it’s the Great American Rail-Trail, a signature project of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy to connect the country via a 3,700-mile-long mult-iuse trail between Washington, DC and Washington State. His favorite part of the job is seeing the light bulb go off in people’s heads when they see what this trail can do for them and their communities. Today we’ll talk about yet another human being who left a job that looked great on paper but wasn’t filling up his cup – and how he turned that around into work and a life he is passionate about. We talked about:
So with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Kevin and other links:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review, and share with your friends! | |||
| 31 Aug 2017 | 20: Staying Motivated Through Adversity to Finish Your Own Ironman | 00:40:19 | |
The Gear Show will return October 5th with all new episodes! “Encouragement doesn’t have a price”
We each have “our own Ironman.” It might be a 5k. It might be climbing Everest. Doesn’t matter.
today, my friend, Tom Garrity, owner of The Garrity Group, the leading PR Firm in New Mexico, joins us to share how he trained for and competed in the Ironman 70.3 Boulder, crossed the finish line with his arm in a sling, and still achieved a personal record.
Tom’s story of getting active didn’t even start until his late forties. From couch to marathon training, to ultras to Ironman 70.3 - that’s a Type A character if I’ve ever met one, all while running his PR agency.
There is no shortage of laughter in our conversation as well as ideas for keeping motivated for those mornings you just don’t want to get out of bed.
Links mentioned
Where to Find Tom Instagram - @tomgarrity Twitter - @tom_garrity
| |||
| 27 Jul 2017 | 16: Think Your Way from Mediocre to Elite | 00:41:02 | |
Today’s episode is going to help you summon the mental strength to not crumble under pressure.
Today, Cara Bradley, author of On The Verge: Wake Up, Show Up, and Shine, is going to give us some amazingly practical tips for calming our sorry selves down so we can not only do well, but kick ass.
Cara, a former professional skater, is a mental strength coach in bodymind training. She is the founder of the BodyMind Center in suburban Philadelphia, co-founder of the non-profit Mindfulness Through Movement, hosts practices and strategies on her On The Verge podcast series and free app and is a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen, and Mindful Magazine. She also leads unique bodymind programs for CEO’s, corporations, conferences, universities, and sports teams.
It’s not as hard as it sounds - our thoughts really do become our reality so it’s up to us to not let that impostor syndrome take over and win. We’re going to learn how to train our mind much like we train our bodies, and even the big time professional athletes are doing this stuff. So let’s take some lessons from them and do better than just OK.
Links, Resources, Further Reading: George Mumford - The Mindful Athlete
Where to find Cara: | |||
| 12 Apr 2018 | 38: Meredith Terranova on Eating Smarter for Better Performance | 00:45:02 | |
My favorite subject, food! is on the docket for today.
The last time I did a big race which for me is 25k trail mountain run, I posted on instagram (are you following me on instagram by the way?) a photo of my favorite recovery meal - Hammer Nutrition Recoverite drink, strawberry flavored, and cheddar cheese flavored Kettle Chips. Today, we’ll learn why that’s not such an awesome idea, in case you thought it was. Meredith is a sports nutritionist and an ultra athlete, in fact she competes in the Ultra Man in November - essentially a three day double ironman. Day 1 is a 10k swim and 91 mile bike, day 2 is 170 mile bike and day 3 is a double marathon. That’s over 52 miles of running on the last day.
She has a lot of great advice for those of us aspiring to improve performance or simply feel better. Time management for training is a big one. She shares her system that she and her husband have found work well for them. It’s like having a baby and you need to divvy up the chores. Lastly, she walks us through an approach to finding what works for you - throw those fad diets out the door - and how to think about nutrition during different phases of your training.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next
Resources:
Where to find Meredith: | |||
| 10 May 2018 | 42: Jeff Thompson on Wildlife Encounters and Not Being First | 00:44:49 | |
When I first scheduled Jeff to do this episode, I was thinking it was actually going to put my mind at ease. I’m not totally sure that happened. Nevertheless, it’s good to have this conversation about wildlife encounters if nothing else, to gain some respect for the outdoors. Not take certain things for granted.
Jeff Thompson is a returning guest - he is the executive director of the Idaho Panhandle avalanche center and has been a forest service ranger for decades. We’ll talk about some common sense measures one can take to mitigate the danger in the wilderness. Nothing is failsafe of course, because animals are unpredictable but do not fear, you have greater odds getting hurt commuting to work than you do playing in the woods.
What you’ll learn today:
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Jeff
Resources mentioned
| |||
| 06 Apr 2017 | 4: What's in Your Backcountry Ski Backpack? | 00:41:43 | |
Are you setting yourself up for success and preparing for worst-case scenarios? We like to think the stuff we read about in the news won't happen to us. One bad turn of events, and the game has changed. Today, we talk to Jeff Thompson, director of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center, ski patroller, and recreational backcountry skier. He shares with us what he carries in his backpack - a cumulative knowledge base of shit shows that have perfected this perfect balance of not too much and not too little in the backpack. | |||
| 03 May 2018 | 41: Eric Grace on Solving The World’s Problems with Access to Nature | 01:00:11 | |
In 2003, when I was in ski resort marketing, the snow reporters and I made a video called Powder for Peace. We had just invaded Iraq and we made a short movie where we took Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Il and George Bush, along with Henry Kissinger out skiing. We showed them how awesome it is to ski powder and they loved it so much, they all became friends and the war came to an end. So maybe Eric Grace is on to something here with his approach to land conservation. He and his team at Kaniksu Land Trust are developing innovative programming that has much broader impact to the entire population because land conservation, to be successfully implemented, must be relevant to a majority. Eric is a good friend of mine and also the Executive Director of the Kaniksu Land Trust. He’s going to share with us what a land trust is, what it does and how it benefits the public. He’ll discuss how access to the outdoors can be a huge solution to many societal issues and how we must do this work to leave a legacy for generations to come. You know, we take these things for granted right now - that we have access to land - that’s not guaranteed for future generations if land trusts and people like Eric Grace aren’t working to guarantee it.
Resources Mentioned: | |||
| 08 Nov 2018 | 64: Janette Sherman on Bikes, Women on Bikes and Marketing to Women on Bikes | 00:43:17 | |
I wanted to have Janette on the show because she has come up in conversation about three previous episodes, all by guests mentioning Janette as a huge influence on them. For example, that's Ash Bocast of Roam Events in the teaser quote at the top of the episode. Before even talking to her, it was clear she subscribes to the idea of women supporting each other and lifting each other up. Although we look at this through the lens of the mountain bike industry, it’s a great metaphor for life in general.
Janette is the marketing manager for Yeti Cycles, a high-end boutique mt bike brand. She has served as a mentor in the industry and is what a self-proclaimed semi-nerd, kind of in the vein of our recent show with Brendan Leonard of Semi-Rad, we will only slightly nerd out on bikes. Last year, we did a whole episode exploring if a better bike will make you a better rider and you better bet your ass it will. Janette is going to tell us how bike geometry and technology has evolved to make us better riders. I’d equate it to the advent of shape skis.
We talk about:
So let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Janette: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life. She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps. When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative pproblem-solving. To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 14 Mar 2022 | Scot Chisholm on Saving Farmland | 00:45:40 | |
Converting Caring to Action I invited Scot to be a guest when I saw he was working to save farmland in Whitefish, Montana. In fact, he founded a nonprofit of that name. But first, some critical background about Scott. He is the cofounder of Classy, a San Diego-based social enterprise and software company that creates fundraising tools for nonprofit organizations. They grew the company to 330 employees and have raised more than $4 billion for nonprofits. Early this year, they announced a merger with GoFundme which is exciting news in the giving space. Scot now lives in Whitefish, Montana and is the founder of Haskill Creek Farms, an herbal wellness company and Save Farmland, a nonprofit protecting & promoting small farms. I hope that piques your curiosity because it did mine, and I had many questions for Scot, with the focus on Save Farmland because I”m very interested in what is happening in the west and how lack of thoughtful planning and development is threatening our open spaces. In today’s conversation, we fill in the gaps of Scot’s story like why he started Classy and how he ended up in Whitefish. We talked:
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Hope you enjoy! Where to find Scot and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review, and share with your friends! | |||
| 14 Dec 2018 | 68- What to Carry in Your Backcountry Ski Pack | 00:42:44 | |
Are you setting yourself up for success and preparing for worst-case scenarios? We like to think the stuff we read about in the news won't happen to us. BUT! Not to sound like an alarmist or anything - one bad turn of events and the game has changed. Today, we re-run episode 4 of The Gear Show and talk to Jeff Thompson, director of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center, ski patroller, and recreational backcountry skier. He shares with us what he carries in his backpack - a cumulative knowledge base of shit shows that have perfected this perfect balance of not too much and not too little in the backpack. We will see you after the New Year, on January 3rd with brand new episodes! Where to Find Jeff: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life. She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps. When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving. To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 03 Oct 2019 | 90: Wes King Achieving Alignment | 00:42:08 | |
Today is part 2 of a long and interesting conversation I had with Wes King, founder and CEO of Tahoe Trail Bar, a plant-based, non-GMO, gluten-free line of awesome tasting energy bars. You might want to check out episode 89 if you haven’t already and then come back for the continuation but here’s a quick recap: Last week, Wes walked us through a time in his life where he was searching for something to do with himself that went beyond getting out on the trail or the snow. Now as the CEO of Tahoe Trail Bar, he has done exactly that and he talked about how he achieved distribution throughout the Western US and sales wider than that through Amazon and their own website from a small coffee shop in Tahoe.
This week, how do you manage growth so the business doesn’t consume you? What is your story and how do you tell it? How does that drive the decisions you make? When you find alignment internally and externally, in Wes’ own words, it allows you to marry the thing you love to do with your ability to make a living. And that, my friends, is what’s in store for you in this episode.
So with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Reading list:
Where to find Wes:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 30 Mar 2017 | 3: Backcountry Ski Series Part 3: How to Find True Love. In Your Backcountry Skis | 00:30:51 | |
Guest and former Exum Mountain Guide Brian Harder walks us through the different features of backcountry skis and how to understand what features matter to you based on your objectives. Brian will also provide a few pearls of advice to save the day in the backcountry - things you might not otherwise have thought of, as well as tell us about one brand of ski in particular that changed powder skiing for him forever, for the better. Can you guess which one? | |||
| 29 Nov 2018 | 67: Libby Ludlow on Finding Happiness by Accepting Change | 00:49:53 | |
A former professional ski racer and Olympian realized her destructive self talk was practically ruining her life. If we stop clinging to things that are not permanent, learn to take control of our thoughts and adapt to change, it’s pretty amazing how much happier we can be.
Libby Ludlow retired from the U.S. Ski team 10 years ago. She was in the 2006 Olympics, is the 2004 U.S. giant slalom champion, raced around the world with 45 top-30 World Cup results, three of which were finishes within the top 10. Libby was a member of the 2007 and 2003 World Championships teams. At the 2007 Alpine World Championships in Sweden, she finished ninth in super G and was ranked 10th in the world in the discipline heading into the 2007 season.
As a professional racer, Libby was hard on herself. Harder than perhaps she should be. After earning her degree at Dartmouth in philosophy modified with Eastern religion, she learned about the impermanence of things and that understanding was key to unlocking potential and opportunity. This eventually led to her co-founding ZGirls, a non-profit organization that empowers teenagers to change their own self talk and boost their self confidence.
She eventually carries these principles forward to her own child and we talk about how she worked very hard to maintain her identity as she transitioned to motherhood. We had some real talk about becoming a mom - not the kinds of unicorns and rainbows you see on Instagram - If you are considering having children (or have young babies) and you love the outdoor active lifestyle, you’ll want to hear this. Too often, you don’t get the real picture and we think it’s important you do.
Today, she is a full-time paralegal for Backcountry.com and is also a mom, and soon to be author of a children’s book called A-B-SKIS.
Like so many guests on this show, she had a roundabout way of getting to where she is today and each one of those experiences has informed who she is today in a fascinating way. Hope you love this conversation as much as I do and with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Libby:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 11 Oct 2018 | 60: Amanda Batty: The ROI of Mountain Bike Racing vs. Giving Shit Away | 00:45:19 | |
“I took risks because progression requires risk and because risk is the price of admission to the only game I ever cared about: improvement.” - Amanda Batty Amanda is a former professional mountain bike racer, Bike giver-away-er, firestarter, former pastry chef, current industry troublemaker and forever interested in good business. Today we’re going to talk about ego and what fills that ego. For some it’s mountain bike racing, and for Amanda, it was. for a while, until it wasn’t. And then, she decided she wanted to be the "bike Oprah" and she tweeted about that, and became integral to a huge bike giveaway. We discussed how one can use giving to fill a hole, perhaps the hole created by leaving racing. We also might talk about getting kids on bikes and active at a young age, baking with rage and emotional eating. Lots and lots of fun stuff. Resources mentioned: Where to find Amanda IG: @abattycakes Twitter: @theamandabatty About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 11 Jan 2021 | Jason Welker: Breaking Trail Literally and Figuratively | 00:52:43 | |
Jason Welker, executive director of Pend Oreille Pedalers, was an aspiring basketball player growing up in the suburbs of Indianapolis. At the age of 16, his life was pretty much up-ended when his father took a position overseas and moved his family to Malaysia. As you can imagine, this caused some angst in a teenarge but quickly turned around to change the trajectory and path of Jason's life in a very positive way. I think you'll find Jason's life story quite interesting. We talked about how life decisions both small and large can have a huge impact. And then, from a parent's perspective how exposure to a variety of experiences is just so beneficial for your children. We also got behind the scenes of a small community nonprofit and talked about his work at Pend Oreille Pedalers. We dig into the specifics of some of these projects and even if you don't live in our community, you’ll find it useful to see how a small community with limited resources can come together to make great things happen. Also, be sure and check their website for upcoming events and races which will be fun and help raise money for POP. So with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next. Where to find Jason: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 08 Mar 2018 | 33: Saying Yes to Adventure: Preparing for, Surviving, and Enjoying a Seven-Day Backcountry Ski Trip | 00:40:57 | |
Hi everyone, we are BACK. After taking the past two months off the show to take some time to interview a whole bunch of new guests, I’m excited to bring you episode 33. I have been having so much fun talking to outdoor active professionals and athletes about what makes them tick, how they overcome hurdles and make ideas happen. The only reason, after a year that I’m on episode 33 and not 52 is because of the time it takes to source and schedule interesting guests. If you know of someone who should be on the show, please send them my way. you can reach me on twitter @lisagerber or via email: lisa at big leap creative dot com. We have a great round of episodes lined up for the coming weeks. Dina Mishev, a top travel writer for magazines like Sunset, Washington Post, Ashley Rankin, the founder of Shredly mountain bike shorts, the former avalanche forecaster for the Little Cottonwood Canyon highway. lots of interesting topics and people. But first, today, it’s just me sharing an experience I had last month at Selkirk Mountain Experience, a trip that pushed me beyond my limits. It’s was scary. it was awe-inspiring. It was amazing, after I knew I would survive it. This is about more than a 7-day backcountry ski trip. It’s about how I disconnected, got outside into the great silence, found some new emotions, new ideas, raised the bar on existing, you know, big deal shit like that. If you are considering a trip like this, you’ll learn more about what to expect. Whether you are or not, there is something to be said for doing your own thing that scares the hell out of you. I do want to underscore the importance of subjectivity here. at times, it might seem like I’m making a big deal out of the impact this trip had on me. It was a big deal on me. For many. this trip would have been a cake walk. for others, it’s out of the question. These things are purely subjective. what matters is we do something that scares us, that raises the bar. If nothing else, according to a friend, it wards off dementia as you get older. So there’s that.
Resources mentioned in the episode
Leg blasters workout | |||
| 10 Jan 2019 | 70: Jeff Scott on Living Life After a Spinal Cord Injury | 00:46:04 | |
Imagine a world where adventure and outdoor recreation is accessible and affordable for everyone with a disability. That’s the vision behind the Live it Love Foundation, led by executive director Jeff Scott who is joining us today. Jeff had an accident in late 2010 that left him a quadriplegic. Thanks to Jeff and the programs offered through the Live it Love it foundation, they are working hard to empower through adventure and outdoor recreation for people with disabilities. Allow them to reconnect with sports and outdoor communities after a disabling injury or illness. Life with a disability has many layers of challenges. Jeff has no feeling below his collarbone, no triceps, no grip strength. He shares with us his accident and how he adapted to his new life, not only physically, but also mentally. If you can believe it, gratitude played a big role. Almost two years after his accident, Jeff began to sit ski. But skiing inbounds and on groomers just doesn’t have the same feel. That’s when he and his team developed the lunchbox - a trailer designed to be pulled behind a snow cat, to give four sit-skiiers access to the back country.
It’s truly a sight to see: Lunch Box Video
Where to find Jeff:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 20 Jul 2017 | 15: Science of the Mind: Training our Brains For Better Physical Performance | 00:18:27 | |
Today is part 2 in our mini series on longevity, aging and wisdom. It’s the continuation of my conversation with Dave Leffmann, physical therapist, soon to be published author, and good friend and mountain playmate - today - we talk about our mind - the fastest and most adaptable tissue in the body - our nervous system and how our thoughts and outlook on life, scientifically translate to our physical abilities.
We have the power to use our mind to do better not just mentally, but physically and it’s interesting because for many, the mind is likely the most overlooked piece of gear we own.
I don’t want to get morbid on you, but often we fail to appreciate the important things in our lives until after they are gone. Dave and I have this conversation through the lens of a loved one(s) with terminal illnesses living out their last days to the fullest, and the positive outcomes from that, the work that it has led him to do. Hopefully we all walk away from this promising ourselves to focus more on our nervous system and to live our own lives more optimistically and fully.
Links and Resources Joan Borysenko - psychoneuroimmunology
Where to find Dave: Dave isn’t really an online kind of guy. He’s an outside, offline one. Having said that, here his YouTube channel and information about his upcoming book:
Caregiving 101 YouTube Channel
Book will be coming out this fall via Summertime Publications and called: Caregiving 101: A Practical Guide to Caring for a Loved One | |||
| 14 Jun 2018 | 47: What To Pack For Summer Camping | 00:36:38 | |
I have one more rerun this week and return to original interviews next week starting with Brian Harder on ACL injuries; turning suffering into growth with Christian Little, and some insight into making outdoor adventure films from filmmaker Hilary Oliver so stick with me! But first - today, since, for many of us, summer is just beginning, I want to make sure you have what you need in your backpack. If you are type A, you are going to love the way Jeff Thompson plans his summer camping trips. Jeff is director at Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center, - he’s been on this show a few times. He is a husband and a dad to a five year old girl. We’ll talk about packing lists, and lists of lists, and refining those lists. He’ll share with us what he carries in his backpack and we even talk about how to get kids stoked to love the outdoors.
Links, Resources, Further Reading: Nalgene Drink Tube and Bite Valve
Where to find Jeff: | |||
| 07 Dec 2017 | 30: Brian Harder on Comfort Zones and AT Boots | 00:37:05 | |
Listen, the first thing when it comes to comfort zones are your feet. Because if you don't have happy feet, how can you possible be happy? Today due to some technical difficulties but far from being a “backup plan,” we are rerunning one the very first episodes of The Gear Show, a nice chat with friend and former Exum mountain guide Brian Harder about backcountry skiing, exiting out of the comfort zone and the most brutal of all tasks, finding the right alpine touring boots - What features should you look for given your objectives? Do number of buckles matter? What about weight? He also shares some trusted resources and great boot shops.
We’ll also discuss:
This is part one in a series of three so if you like it, scroll back to episode 2 and 3 for discussions on skis and bindings. With that, let’s listen up and gear up for what’s next.
Links mentioned in this episode: Skimo Co in Salt Lake City, Utah <—— these guys are awesome. I can’t say enough and that’s from personal experience.
Find Brian at:
Learn more at www.thegearshow.com | |||
| 28 Dec 2017 | 32: Ash Bocast Going All In on Business and Adventure | 00:48:05 | |
I have some year- end/year-beginning inspiration for you today! Ash started Roam Events with her savings and retirement plan. She was literally all in. And she took some calculated risks along the way to bring something new to the market - women specific bike events held around the country partnering with the top outdoor and bicycle brands. We’re going to take a peek into how she thought creatively to make things happen, what goes into creating and managing events, and building no BS, values-driven business along with a pretty rich and fulfilling life.
Life lessons in today’s conversation:
You can find Ash at Roam Events.
Social media
Podcast
Want to do me a huge favor? Reviewing and sharing are the most helpful ways to get this in front of new listeners. Also, I really want to hear from you – questions, topic and guest suggestions, anything.
Thanks! Lisa Learn more at www.thegearshow.com | |||
| 05 Oct 2017 | 21: Jill Damman on Moving Onward and Upward from Traumatic Injury | 00:42:39 | |
Jill Damman had a biking accident that would change her life forever. She could let the incident define her, or she could decide how she would let it define her. Jill shares with us a very difficult time in her life and how she made it into something better than she was before. There are so many silver linings in this story, I hope it changes what a “bad day” means to you.
We discuss:
Links:
Find Jill online at www.jilldamman.weebly.com | |||
| 04 Jul 2022 | Mary Kerrigan: Transformation through Conversation | 00:53:53 | |
“Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid.” This quote is often attributed to Goethe but it appears to be really credited to Basil King, a Canadian clergyman. As I chatted with today’s guest, Mary Kerrigan, this quote came to mind. To make a big change, you have to be bold. You have to start somewhere and when you start, “mighty forces” will come to your aid. In Mary’s case, she starts with a conversation. And today we’re going to learn from Mary how conversation leads to transformation. Mary Kerrigan is a Conversation Architect. Based in Ireland, she helps leaders, and their teams, in communities, organizations, and industry design and structure powerful conversations that change people, places, and public spaces. Mary has a background in conservation and architecture. As an advisor to Northern Ireland’s Ministerial Advisory Group for 10 years, for architecture and the built environment, she gained a great deal of insight into the impact of planning when it comes to climate change and reducing carbon footprints. This was something she observed as a young girl driving around beautiful coastal Ireland, and though she didn’t know it at the time, she shares the story with us today as it set in play much of her future. She received a Getty Scholarship in 2018 in support of her research project: A Place Well Mended – Generating Communities Full of Life and Love. She was a key driver in a project called Heritage Streets Alive, where she designed and led a public input process that transformed three historic but declining streets in Ireland. She also helped create an empowering new context that made possible the creation of Derry’s Peace Bridge – shifting the context from resistance to possibility. The consequent emergent spatial transformation there connects one war-torn community with another, also transforming mindsets. By its third birthday, 3 million people had crossed a footbridge that many said would never happen – against all odds. We talk about:
Where to find Mary and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review, and share with your friends! | |||
| 03 May 2021 | Beth Norton: Life as a Backpacking Adventure | 00:51:58 | |
Typically, I talk to people who have already sort of found their path. After things have landed together for them. Today’s conversation is a little different because with Beth Norton, things haven’t landed into place yet, but I found Beth’s story to be so remarkable I wanted to share it here. But really, if you think about it – we are all in the middle of our stories because we are all currently ALIVE. And that means we will still have a next chapter. Beth Norton currently works in Boise for state government where she is a secretary to a pool of legislators. Beth is part of the 1 to 3 percent. The 1 to 3 percent of kids who age out of the foster care system and go on to graduate college. That’s how many people manage to pull their lives together and get a degree. I’m not saying getting a college degree equates to pulling your life together but suffice it to say, getting a college education is a rare thing in Beth’s world. Many others just don’t have the opportunity to do so. Her story takes you inside childhood trauma, the foster care system and all its shortcomings, and how someone can manage to survive it. Beth talks about how comedy provided an amazing outlet for her and the clarity and focus backpacking brings to her life. Today you’ll learn about :
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Beth and other links:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 05 Sep 2019 | 87: Kate Gates Gets Real About Living the Dream | 00:53:08 | |
Today, we journey back to Georgia. We spoke with Terri Watts of Athens in episode 83. Kate Gates joins us from Ellijay, Georgia. She and her husband and their parents own and operate Mulberry Gap, a mountain bike getaway in the mountains of Northern Georgia with access to the Pinhoti Trail system.
Kate & Andrew met in high school in 2004, and their families have been close friends ever since. Their dating relationship would be the start of Mulberry Gap so many years later. During the early years of the business, Kate attended Florida State University and graduated in 2011. She and Andrew were engaged during the winter of 2013, and she's been full time with Mulberry Gap ever since.
Interestingly, Kate didn't find cycling until 2014, when she and Andrew went on their first bikepacking trip in Florida to ride the Huracan 300. Long-distance and endurance rides are now her preferred method of exploring by bike. The bikepacking experiences led her to become a lover of the gravel and experiencing places at a slower pace. We talk about the trials and tribulations of being an entrepreneur and living what many of us would call the dream. How they adapted their business through trying times; what it's like to battle with impostor syndrome like I'm sure so many of us do; and on a lighter note, what it's like to ride in Georgia.
So, with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Kate and Mulberry Gap
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 17 Jan 2019 | 71: Hilary Eisen on Working Together to Save Our Winter Playground | 01:06:29 | |
I first learned about Winter Wildlands Alliance when I attended the backcountry film festival this past fall. Turns out, that’s how today’s guest, Hilary Eisen also learned of the organization about five years prior to that. She is the policy director for Winter Wildlands Alliance, which is dedicated to preserving winter wildlands and quality human-powered snowsports experiences on public lands. Hilary is an avid backcountry skier and climber with a passion for wild landscapes. She works on National Forest winter travel management and other policy issues that affect backcountry skiers. Previously, she worked on public lands conservation in Wyoming and Montana for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition and Wilderness Society. She holds a Masters of Science degree in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana and a B.A. degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from Middlebury College.
We talk today about circuitous life paths and serendipity and how to save the playground we all enjoy. I’m always fascinated to hear how people land where they do and today we spend a fair amount of time exploring Hilary’s path. There are a few reasons for this. I have begun to discover a pattern with the guests on this podcast. They say yes to adventure, they end up taking many routes in life that might seem undirected at the time but end up being totally with purpose in hindsight as a combination of diverse experiences come together to create the perfect job/lifestyle <—- our definition of success.
Anyway, if you love playing in the outdoors in the winter in a non-motorized way, we can thank people like Hilary for looking out for our interests while we’re at work. Because that’s HER work. She reads through plans and proposals and legislation and translates for the layman so we can understand how it impacts us. She then recommends and or takes action on what she learns.
You’ll learn about the Winter Wildlands’ smart approach to outdoor advocacy. - collaborating with numerous groups to create a power in numbers. “Things work better when you work together and don’t rely on your little bubble.” - Hilary Eisen
Of course, you might be wondering if her job sucks more with the current administration. And of course, I asked her.
Resources mentioned:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 02 Aug 2018 | 54: Randy Milanovic on Solving Problems, Not Checking Boxes | 00:51:23 | |
When you get a new lease on life, you stop checking boxes and do things differently. Randy Milanovic is the CEO and founder of Kayak Online Marketing. In 2009, a tough year for most of us, he had an even tougher year. He was diagnosed with cancer and I don’t mean to spoil the story but he’s here to tell us about it and how it changed the way he does business and does life. We’ll learn how he reinvented his business on the heels of an economic downturn with a fresh outlook on life and … listen to the end because you’re even going to get an invite to go kayaking.
Hope you find today’s episode inspiring.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Randy
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com.
| |||
| 04 Jul 2019 | 78: Shannon Bahrke-Happe on Raising the Bar | 00:38:58 | |
When you become the best in the entire world at something, what do you do next? How do you not let that be the high point in life, instead, keep raising the bar? I had a wonderful talk with Shannon Barke-Happe today about that, about professional racing, and life afterwards. Shannon was on the US.. Ski Team for 12 years. During that time, she brought home a silver and a bronze medal. She also won the Overall World Cup title in 2003, had seven World Cup victories, 26 World Cup podiums and her list of wins goes on from there. She is a mom, founder of Team Empower Hour and the author of a children’s book Mommy Why Is Your Hair Pink?
We talked about having conviction in your goals and how that got her to the podium and medal wins. Great insights we can all take home with us as we pursue our own goals. A big lesson in today’s show - sometimes you have to know when to fold them. The hard truth in walking away from dreams and resetting the course.
We’ll learn what it’s like to be a professional racer standing at the starting gate, and how she applied this to her business Team Empower Hour where she and her team bring these principles to the corporate environment through keynote speeches and custom experiences and workshops.
The message in her book Mommy Why is Your Hair Pink isn’t just for kids - that pursuing your dreams and knowing that everything you need to success is deep within yourself.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Shannon
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 22 Nov 2018 | 66: Kim Vinet on Resolving the Hypocrisy of Loving the Outdoors | 01:03:40 | |
Kim Vinet is a skier, an earth scientist and a public speaker. As we enter the crazy holidays here in the U.S., I hope this episode will serve as a reminder to value what matters.
Kim lives in Revelstoke, BC with her husband and two dogs. She is a sponsored athlete and competitive freerider on the Freeride World Tour Qualifying series (formerly the Freeskiing World Tour). This love of skiing and the outdoors has driven her on an exploration of the hypocrisy of loving the outdoors, possibly to death and it has driven her into a lifelong career in sustainability. She hold a B.Sc. Hons. degree in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Western Ontario. Following graduation, her specialization in Sedimentology and Sequence Stratigraphy led her to Calgary, AB to apply her skills to petroleum exploration. (We’ll talk about this)
Never feeling especially comfortable with the environmental impact of petroleum production, she turned to regulatory compliance work and project management. This experience created a solid foundation for understanding energy markets and government policy.
Kim, like many guests on this podcast, rejected social conventions and the traditional way of making a living when she left her high paying job (and it’s resulting lifestyle) to lead a more conscious existence in Revelstoke
So, we have a lot to explore and tease out of that story - things like:
She had quite the circuitous path to get to where she is now and for those of us who are in the middle of our own crazy, seemingly directionless path, maybe you’ll find some inspiration in the fact that it somehow all comes together and works out in the end.
Enough of that - let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Kim:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 05 Jul 2018 | 50: Christian Little on Turning Suffering into Growth | 00:44:53 | |
Christian Little had a mountain biking accident that would change her life forever. Honestly, it was a miracle she survived. Out of difficult times, comes a new trajectory for growth. It took physical, mental and mountain biking therapy as well as a lot of time for Christian to heal but out of that, her company Leap 2 Fly was born. Christian and her team of collaborators want to use the mountain bike to encourage and inspire others to live life to fullest on and off the bike by way of MTB retreats in the USA, Canada, and New Zealand. Previously a professor of physical therapy, Christian is a VIDA MTB Series ambassador and coach, has her IMBA Level 1 MTB Coaching Certificate, Wilderness First Responders, CPR, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy. She has competed in Xterra off road triathlon Nationals and Worlds, MTB races throughout Colorado, the Pioneer MTB Stage Race in New Zealand, and Enduros in the USA and Canada.
Listen to her fascinating story and let’s gear up for what’s next:
Have questions? We’d love to hear from you. Contact us here. If you’ve been enjoying this podcast, I hope you’ll share with your friends, subscribe and review us wherever you listen to your podcast.
Thanks again and see you next week.
References mentioned:
Where to find Christian:
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life. She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 01 Nov 2018 | 63: Rene Unser and the Allure of the Gore-Tex Trans Alpine Race | 00:47:16 | |
Rene is an awesome and inspirational woman. She is a running coach, a race director for a fantastic race series in Western Canada. She is now on the communications team for the Gore-Tex Trans Alpine Race, a race she has been chronicling via Instagram for as long as I’ve known her. It has, in turn, intrigued me because of my love for Europe. Trail running, the Alps, eating, drinking… what more is there? The Gore-Tex Trans Alpine Race, an eight day stage race from Germany to Italy, passing through Austria and Switzerland along the way.
Rene has competed in the race 7 times, and is now on their communication team.
We talk about:
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next!
LINKS and RESOURCES
Where to find Rene:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 17 May 2018 | 43: Anne Galyean Busting Stereotypes and Taking the Path of Least Resistance | 00:43:45 | |
Not that long ago, Anne Galyean was a full-time professional mountain bike racer and a full-time scientist and she had to make a choice, like being torn between two lovers. We are going to talk about that today. Anne did her graduate school research at a government research lab in Maryland. “You can imagine the people. A lot of pocket protectors,” she said. Meanwhile, she was sporting tattoos and a mohawk, and people would sort part ways when she walked down the hall, like the sea dividing. She has been called a punk to which she responds, “That’s Dr Punk to you, sir.”
That’s because Anne has a Ph.D in analytical chemistry, is a former pro mountain bike racer for Yeti Fox National Enduro Team. She won the Big Mountain Enduro Series, Scott Enduro Cup Series, and was the fastest U.S. woman at the Aspen Enduro World Series event. She is so smart, at times, I found myself not really knowing how to respond to her. You’ll notice those moments, trust me.
We’re going to talk about breaking stereotypes and the greater impact it has on society. also
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for whats next.
Where to Find Anne:
Resources: | |||
| 08 Aug 2019 | 83: Terri Watts Calm in the Midst of Uncertainty | 00:35:50 | |
Terri Watts quit her job as an occupational therapist in Athens Georgia to race the IMBA National Enduro Series for pro women. This girl from Georgia seemingly came out of nowhere to win the 2017 USA Cycling Enduro National Championship. Now, she is semi-retired from racing and back working part time as an occupational therapist and part of the time as a PMBIA Level 1 mountain bike guide and coach with Ninja Mountain Bike Performance.
We talk about taking a sabbatical - how to do it and how it changes life afterwards; the difference in racing when you have no track record compared to when you’ve become a champion and expectations are greater. But most of all, we talked about how much more successful you can be when you relax in times of uncertainty and stress. She was specifically talking about biking, but it’s an appropriate life lesson as well.
So, with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Terri
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 23 Aug 2018 | 57: David Victorson on Re-Entering Life After Cancer Treatment | 00:43:52 | |
It can take young adult cancer survivors a decade to get back into life after treatment. David Victorson is the founder of True North Treks. He, along with his family members and team at TNT want to help young adults reconnect not only with themselves but also with nature after the most unnatural of treatments. David is an associate professor at the Department of Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University in Chicago. He is licensed in clinical psychology and a PhD. One area of his research focuses on the health benefits of mindfulness meditation and yoga and their stress reducing and quality of life enhancing effects for people with cancer. Some ideas start off as a whisper and grow into a shout or a scream. Today is yet another story of making ideas happen so let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next:
Three things are left out of the healthcare equation when it comes to cancer treatment:
At True North Treks, they take kids into the outdoors and keep them safe, dry, warm, and well-fed and connect them with others, drop in some mindful training, and not be too support group like.
Here is the poem written by his grandmother shortly after she lost her son.
Forest Cathedral By Delilah Victorson
Oh how I love to walk out in the woods In it's calm and still beauty I have long understood As I look at the wonders our creator has made All the hustle and bustle of this world seems to fade Down in the meadow you hear the call of a lark While high on the hill some deer feed on bark There's winter green berries and wild onion shoots An abundance of flowers and trailing green roots Now if you go in the forest with the world you're off key And you're quiet and still and you sit and you see Here you know of God's love and you know by his grace Of all worldly issues you're able to face
Where to find David:
| |||
| 08 Mar 2021 | Kikkan Randall and the Battles of a Lifetime | 00:40:51 | |
I’m taking this week off, and we’re running a replay of an interview I did in 2018 with Kikkan Randall. Kikkan and Jessie Diggins won the gold medal in the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang exactly three years ago. They are the first-ever cross country skiing gold medal in the women’s team sprint. Kikkan Randall won 17 U.S. national titles, she’s made 16 podiums in the Stage World Cup, five trips to the Winter Olympics, and had the highest finish by an individual US woman at the World Championships. She was the first American female cross country skier to take a top 10 finish in a World Cup competition, to win a World Cup race, and to win a World Cup disciplined title. Unbelievable. It was so great to have her on. If you have not seen her and Jessie Diggins’ Olympic gold medal finish, I encourage you to check it out. It is pretty dramatic and awesome. We covered quite a bit in this episode. I was curious to know how she handles big performance days, because I know it’s pretty stressful for me when I’m taking the stage to do a talk or these days on the zoom stage. What is it like to handle that kind of pressure? She actually walked me through what the morning before an Olympic gold medal win looks like. We talked about her training program at a high level. We also talked about her battle with breast cancer, which she learned she had shortly after winning that gold medal so it was quite a year for her with some pretty serious ups and some pretty serious downs. Lastly, I asked Kikkan about her community engagement. So many athletes are inspired by her, and she really pays it forward. She was inspired by so many athletes when she was growing up, so she talks a bit about how important it is to pay that forward. So with that, I’m going to turn it over to our conversation in 2018. Whether you heard it years ago or are new to the show, you’ll enjoy it, I’m sure. Let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Kikkan and other links:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 21 Jun 2018 | 48: Brian Harder on ACL Injury: Advice from an Impatient Patient | 01:01:32 | |
We don’t want to think about it but I’m sure lots of us do. What happens if/when we blow our knee? what does it mean when that happens, what are the mechanics that contribute to it; what choices need to be made for treatment and recovery? There are many things today to consider, and today, Brian Harder, a frequent guest and good friend of mine shares his philosophy, sadly, from personal experience. Earlier this year, Brian had an ACL injury in the backcountry. Being an orthopedic physician assistant and therefore medically trained, Brian brings some interesting and debatable albeit a scientific approach to dealing with a ruptured ACL. We’ll discuss factors that led to the incident and lessons to perhaps avoid your own. Hint: that GoPro on your head might have more consequences than you realize. We’ll analyze the incident itself and best practices for getting your sorry ass out of the backcountry without making the problem worse. After that, many decisions must be made: surgery immediately or later? What type of graft? How should I choose the right surgeon? Please note, although medically trained, this is obviously not medical advice. We all present unique factors and unique cases. Brian says so himself in the show - these are his opinions in a sea of opinions. You know we all have two things in common and one of those is opinions. You should do your own due diligence and discuss your specific case. Many would disagree with his thoughts here, while others would agree. Also, for context, Brian is 56 at the time of the recording. Well? What did you think? Agree? Disagree? have questions? we’d love to hear your experience - what worked for you, what you might have done differently. please include your age and fitness level when yo do. If you have questions, you can contact me privately or include it in the comments at takeabigleap dot com/ ACL
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next:
Where to find Brian: You can find Brian at skimolife.com and on instagram at brian.skimolife | |||
| 15 Mar 2018 | 34: Brian Harder on Training Principles for Your Next Big Leap | 00:50:27 | |
I invited my friend Brian Harder back to the show to share his training advice he had for me in preparing for that 7-day backcountry ski trip I told you about in last week’s episode. Along the way we also talked about what happens when you suddenly find yourself on a career track and you wonder what else there is in life. (So, maybe you ditch it for a different lifestyle, one that makes you happier even though it might mean you have to live in a car.) You’ll also learn about skimo racing - ski mountaineer racing. Maybe it’s time for a new sport for you? If nothing else, it could become an Olympic sport and I think it will be fascinating to watch. Brian is a board-certified physician assistant working mainly in orthopaedics. He has a B.S. in exercise science and completed a year of graduate work before going to PA school. He is basically, a geek about all things exercise related and has competed in bicycle racing and skimo racing. He’s climbed and skied all over the old and is a former Exum climbing guide - he’s guided in the Tetons, Alaska, Himalaya, and South America.
Listen on and let’s gear up for what’s next.
Training principles:
Resources: Find Brian: | |||
| 26 Oct 2017 | 24: Where to Find Outdoor Gear at Great Prices: The Dirtbag Shopping Network | 00:39:38 | |
Shopping season has arrived and if you’re like me, maybe you hate shopping. Not only does the change of the seasons come with the need for new gear but also? it’s time to find gifts for the holidays. I cajoled my good friend Jason Munzke, former river guide, to share with us some of his best shopping tips because he my friends, is a professional dirtbag shopper and he’s going to open up his tool kit for us today.
Links: Ski specific
Bikes
Deal and Sales sites Active Junky for rebates Clean Snipe
Learn more at www.thegearshow.com | |||
| 26 Jul 2018 | 53: Sarah Yancey on the Practicalities of Living the Dream | 00:34:53 | |
Sarah and Mark Yancey bought Boulder Hut Adventures, a remote backcountry ski hut in the stunning Purcell Mountains in Southeast British Columbia, Canada. During the ski season, they and their two kids live there hosting guests for a week of powder ski touring. The kids are homeschooled and Adventure Journal called Mark and Sarah "the most awesome parents in the history of parenting.” It sounds like a dream come true, doesn’t it? Today I talk to Sarah and she shared with us how the vision came to be, and how they made the idea happen. We talk about the practicalities of living a dream, running a business, raising kids, trends in the backcountry ski lodge industry, and the higher purpose of it all - the greater impact on the people who visit, the environment in which they operate, and their legacy of course, those lucky kids, Grace and Alden.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Sarah Adventure Journal declares the Yanceys the most awesome parents in the history of parenting
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 25 Oct 2018 | 62: Brendan Leonard on The Joy of Making it Small | 00:41:54 | |
A huge reason I do this podcast is that I get to speak to people who are living their version of success; defining how we want to do life. Brendan Leonard embodies this perfectly. His message is a reminder to each and every one of us pushing ourselves each day to be better and to do better, that there is joy in every day. That morning trail run before a day sitting in front of the computer. An afternoon dog walk, a glass of wine with a good friend that you kinda sorta didn’t want to go do because you wanted to get that “project done” so you could, what, make it big? And sacrifice enjoyment along the way. Brendan is a writer of adventure and travel, and the human experiences that lies within. He is a contributing editor at Adventure Journal and a columnist at Outside. His stories have appeared in Backpacker, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Men’s Journal, Sierra, Adventure Cyclist, and other publications. He is a public speaker, and an author of books like Sixty Meters to Anywhere and the New American Road Trip Mix Tape. Like many of us, our rock bottom informs who we are now and rock bottoms have varying degrees of lows. For Brendan, it was alcohol and jail. He made a choice at his rock bottom. he stopped drinking, found journalism, and the mountains and the rest is history Today we discuss:
If you have been enjoying this podcast, I hope you’ll subscribe, share and review wherever you listen to your podcasts. Don’t forget to visit gearshow dot com to learn more about us. Until then, don’t play it too small, but don’t worry about playing so big. Resources mentioned and where to find Brendan. About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life. She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps. When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving. To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 02 Nov 2020 | Rich Hohne: Defeating the Nagging Status Quo | 00:37:44 | |
There is a ski area in Japan called Asahidake that is essentially a summer tram they open for winter to allow for tram-served backcountry skiing. It’s not patrolled or groomed (although there are two groomed roads that serve as sort of a thoroughfare to the bottom. We couldn’t wait to check it out. pass this up. On our first tram ride to the top and exited onto a stunning mountain side. Looking above, you could see the volcano. Below and to the sides many options but hard to tell where one would end up. Skiers immediately clicked in and dispersed, some climbing higher and others descending. We hung out for a moment discussing our options since we were completely unfamiliar with the terrain. For our first descent, we made the conservative decision to follow the majority of ski tracks down and we enjoyed a good run but it wasn’t anything mind-blowing. We knew we would need to venture out. We just needed to get our bearings. Next run, we saw a tiny ski track heading off to something inviting. We took it. It dead-ended. So we backtracked. Third run, we saw an opening in the trees that looked like it might drop off into something worth exploring so we headed off the ski track altogether and enjoyed a dozen memorable, breathtaking turns in hip-deep fluffy powder before we bottomed out at a river and put our skins on to climb back up. Exhilarated and ready for more. We spend a lot of time studying people we admire and trying to follow their path. That makes sense when you are first starting out but at some point, you have to venture off the track and break your own trail. Success isn’t replicable. We each find on our own path and it can be hit or miss along the way. There are no guarantees. No signs telling you to go “this way.” And if there were, everyone would be going there and it wouldn’t be mind-blowing. Sometimes we have to backtrack with lessons learned. We find our reward when we pursue the narrow opening in the trees and break our own trail to find the goodness we’ve been working so hard for! In honor of each of us who struggles with that restlessness: The restlessness to make change for the better, I am excited to finally relaunch my podcast, formerly the Gear Show, as Breaking Trail and bring to you stories of individuals saving the planet, working for change, creating our own definition of success and breaking trail to get there. I hope it inspires you to do the same. But not in the same way. I can’t wait to hear what you think and you have a guest idea, I’m all ears. DEFEATING THE STATUS QUO Today, on Breaking Trail, Rich Hohne director of marketing at Oboz Footwear based in Bozeman, joins me today - to talk about unexpected changes, being side blinded by divorce and moving on from it. Finding lack of joy at work and moving on from it. It’s easier to just stay with the status quo, isn’t it? But at what cost?
Where to find Rich and other links:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 29 Mar 2018 | 36: Ashley Rankin on Launching an Apparel Brand - One Step at a Time | 00:43:17 | |
There are turning points in life where one decision leads to another and your path diverges from the one you had envisioned. Then, there are moments, shall we call them epiphanies? When you realize that turning point was meant to be. Ashley wanted to be a high end couture designer and live in New York City, or even Italy. She’s the founder of Shredly, a mountain bike and women’s apparel brand based in Colorado. I’m no math major but that’s a wide trajectory off the path. One day she found herself on a mountain top in Switzerland and realized she was “home.” In the mountains, that is. She realized she was doing the right thing, in other words. We only get to choose one path as it turns out and we talked about that a little bit. Hopefully, it’s a long enough path and we get to fit everything in we want. The best products and brands typically result from a unique combination of two very different concepts or ideas. In Ashley’s case, she brings high end fashion design to mountain bike shorts. Why can’t we be super cute while we’re mountain biking!? She also drew from other textiles and home decor for inspiration to create what has become a sort of cultish but highly coveted clothing line.
Some of the lessons in today’s conversation:
I hope you enjoy as much as I did. With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Ashley and Shredly: | |||
| 23 Nov 2017 | 28: Tracey Creedon, Japan Ski Guide with Skiing Beta on Japan, New Zealand and Australia | 00:58:18 | |
Who wants to dream with me of skiing in faraway places? I have a long conversation with Tracey Creedon, an Australian-born ski guide based in Hokkaido, Japan and New Zealand. And Australia depending on the time of year. Tracey is a soul sister, so to speak, who loves snow as much, if not more, than I do. Maybe more because she’s figured out a life where much of it is spent on snow. I met Tracey in Hokkaido, where she took Patrick and me on one of the best ski tours of our lives. You'll have to listen on to hear that story. Today we’ll learn about how she pursued a life on snow, overcame a battle with cancer and now works and travels the world to ski. Most of all, if you’ve been considering going to New Zealand, Australia or Japan to ski, her information is far deeper and more informative than any guide book is.
So listen on and lets gear up for what’s next:
Where to find Tracey Guides at Shinsetsu Mountain Guides
Learn more: | |||
| 21 Feb 2019 | 76: Vasu Sojitra on Finding Normality in our Differences | 00:47:18 | |
It's hard enough being a kid trying to fit in. Imagine being a brown kid with one leg growing up an affluent and very white Connecticut town. Vasu Sojitra was diagnosed with septicemia at the age of nine months which resulted in the amputation of one of his legs. He spent much of his youth finding his way in the world. In fact, His TedX Bozeman Talk is titled “What is Your Normal?” Now, Vasu is the Adaptive Sports Director for Eagle Mount Bozeman, Coordinator for Earthtone Outsideᴹᵀ, the first adaptive Athlete for The North Face. Vasu shared with me how he managed and what got him through those years. He shared with us how he started skiing, what skiing did for him and how he figured out how to engineer equipment to get him out in the backcountry. And now, now that skiing and the outdoors has restored his self-confidence and belief he can do anything, he’s advocating for all marginalized identities. He talks to us about how we can all be better, more empathetic and inclusive. All of us, no matter how we identify, can be ignorant of how our words, actions (and lack of both) affect others. For example, there is one word Vasu said people with disabilities absolutely hate. And you’ll have to listen in to find out what it is. With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to Find Vasu Resources mentioned:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life. She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps. When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving. To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 12 Jul 2018 | 51: Lindsey Richter: Mountain Biking is Life | 00:54:57 | |
Lindsey Richter is the director of inspiration (and co-creator) of Liv Ladies Allride, Her company is a by-product of a very difficult time in her own life after she was on Season 3 of Survivor. If nothing else, this episode will give you a new perspective on reality shows. Basically, Survivor creates a recipe to bring out the worst in people. That’s how they get the drama, and the eyeballs. Well, it caused a great deal of angst for Lindsey but of course, she turned that around for the better. The way you handle the stresses of mountain biking (or, even any outdoor adventure now that I think of it) translates to how you handle the stresses of life. Today, it’s going to get a little emotional and a little personal. The day I did this interview, I personally was having a difficult day and she helped turn that around pretty fast. We talk about low self-esteem, depression, and divorce. Now, she wants to teach women to mountain bike so they can get better at life too.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Resources Mentioned
Where to Find Lindsey
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 19 Apr 2021 | Raheim Robinson: How Art Can Change the World | 00:55:49 | |
Can you think of a time where you’ve tried something new and felt like you have no business being there, doing your thing. It’s intimidating, the environment feels unwelcome? Some of us have only experienced it here and there but this is a place many grow up in. Raheim didn’t let that stop him from doing the things he loves. And is now doing work to pay that forward with his work with younger adults and his filmmaking. So we talked about things like changing the story you tell yourself, the downside of comparison, learning to bring yourself into everything you do. And also how he fuels his creativity. Raheim is a creative director, producer, and climber born and based in New York City. Spending more than a decade in fashion marketing and branding as well as outdoor brand consulting, he is now using his diverse expertise and knowledge to push the outdoor industry to create safe spaces for black and brown youth in underserved communities in New York. We talked about storytelling, creativity, diversity, and inclusion in the outdoors. With that let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next – we dive in immediately in our conversation where Raheim remarks about the transition from working for so long behind the scenes and now finding himself in the spotlight and what that’s like. Where to find Raheim and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 07 Feb 2019 | 74: Erik Murdock Advocates for our Recreation Interests on Capitol Hill | 00:40:38 | |
Erik Murdock is the Policy Director for the Access Fund whose mission is to protect climbing access and conserve the environment. He represents climbers’ interests and values in Washington, DC while monitoring activities on Capitol Hill to identifying possible threats (and opportunities) to climbing access and conservation.
What draws someone to this type of work, I wondered? You’ll learn more about his journey to where he is now but let me start by saying, you never know the impact a decision or an event can have on the rest of your life. In Erik’s case, it was a cross country road bike trip at the age of 16 (and, he’ll add, a parenting decision on behalf of his mom who actually let him do the trip) that set his life on a huge trajectory.
His various experiences combined the physical sciences with the human dimension to understand how to manage lands and advocate for our interests - those of us who live to play in the wilderness.
I learned a lot talking to Erik and know you will as well, from what types of policies are currently being reviewed by our congress, to the impact of government shutdowns on our environment and how we can stay informed and get involved.
it’s great to have people like Erik advocating for our interests and I was pleasantly surprised by how optimistic he is with the current state of affairs.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Erik:
File an Access report, subscribe to the monthly policy digest, and get involved:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 31 Oct 2019 | 92: Mary Fiedler: Optimal Health EVEN Through Menopause | 00:42:44 | |
Many conventional doctors will tell women going through menopause that hormonal decline that contributes to aging is part of life. Deal with it. Well, we don’t have to totally. There is help out there.
I had a health issue this past march and I realized I knew a lot less about my body than I realized. Mary Fiedler loves what she does especially because she wants to educate clients about their bodies and their health. So, with much convincing, I got her to FINALLY come on the show and talk about bioidentical hormones for women’s health and especially through menopause. I mean, come on, we gotta live, right?
Mary Fiedler is insanely fit and awesome - a mountain biker, skate skier, and backcountry skier. She has also been a Nurse Practitioner with a subspecialty in women’s health since 1998. She works at Panhandle Health District in Sandpoint and Bonner’s Ferry providing direct patient services including women’s health, family planning, STDs and basic primary care. What she really loves about it is educating clients so they can manage their health to the fullest. Mary is all about prevention over treating symptoms. We talk about hormones, as it pertains to women’s health, sleep, bioidentical vs synthetic hormones and does it cause cancer? I hope you find this informative. with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
So with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Mary and other links:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 14 Dec 2020 | Lessons from the Outdoors in Leadership with Zoë Routh | 00:47:24 | |
I’m always fascinated by the paths we take, and how a decision here or there leads to the next thing and then on to the next thing. Of course, extra bonus points for marrying two separate passions into one successful career, and a path of happiness. Zoë Routh is UK-born, Canadian-raised and Australian resident who is a highly successful leadership expert specializing in the people stuff. She shows leaders and teams struggling with office politics and silos, how to work better together. She’s worked with individuals and teams internationally and in Australia since 1987 from the wild rivers of Northern Ontario to the remote regions of Australia. Zoë has spent the last 30 years, showing teams how to navigate the wilderness of people stuff. Her past leadership roles include Training Director at Outward Bound Australia, Chair of the Outdoor Council of Australia, President of the Chamber of Women in Business, and Program Manager at the Australian World Leadership Foundation. This month, her fourth book, The People Stuff – beyond personalities and advanced handbook for leadership won the 2020 Australian Business Book of the Year from Smart WFM Australian Book Awards. She also has a podcast called The Leadership Podcast. She’s outdoor adventurous, Telemark skier, has run six marathons, survived cancer, and loves hiking in the high country. Today, we talked about how she escaped Pluto. Kidding. Only sort of, and made it to where she is today. We talked about how she translates lessons from the wilderness into being the best leader you can be. And with that, here is our conversation. Where to find Zoë and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 28 Mar 2022 | Their Story is Our Story – Liz Jevtic-Somlai | 00:57:46 | |
Today’s story comes from Elizabeta Jevtic-Somlai. Originally from Serbia, now living in Phoenix, Arizona. Liz knows what it’s like to flee a country she loved and to find new roots, a new way in a strange and unwelcoming country. I have the privilege of working with her at Their Story is Our Story, where we are working to tell the stories of refugees to change the perception, reception, and legislation in a way that supports people fleeing violence and persecution. Liz lost a great deal when she escaped her beautiful country. But she says, she will not lose who she is or where she came from. Here is a bit more about Liz before we jump into her full story. Even in her youth, Liz understood that education can better lives, and she loves to learn. She holds a BA in International Relations, a BA, a MA in German/Holocaust Studies, and a Ph.D. in International Conflict Analysis. She is a passionate advocate for human rights, more specifically minority, refugee, women, and children’s rights, and has presented, researched, and published much on the topic of long-term (re-)integration. She comes to TSOS with extensive professional experience in operations and policy planning at the U.N. level and curriculum and course development in higher education. As a refugee herself, Liz knows that trials are part of the journey and that life is precious. She is always ready for a good laugh, loves engaging young minds in meaningful discussions, spending time with her family, and embracing new cultures, people, and food. Liz said we can educate people with personal stories - we connect to them and change our perception of that label (refugee). With that, people change their actions. Over time, we see an increase in people wanting to help with food, clothing, integration into communities. Today:
She wants you to know her story is not meant to be a sad story. It is a story of a survivor. With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Liz and other links:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review, and share with your friends! | |||
| 19 Jul 2018 | 52: Angela Vanwiemeersch on Processing Loss and Getting Out of Your Head | 00:35:36 | |
| 08 Feb 2021 | Katie Egland Cox: Land Conservation and Thinking About Our Legacy | 00:48:45 | |
Katie Cox brings her background in architecture and design to the world of land conservation and I love talking to people who find purpose through two disparate passions. As the executive director of the Kaniksu Land Trust, she brings a new approach to conservation and we talk about the impact it has on the community. It will give you thought on how it can change yours. If you are running in Sandpoint on trails early in the morning, you are likely to pass Katie Cox during her morning run. Katie’s love of nature was cultivated during her youth, growing up in the wilds of Idaho. Summers were spent swimming in lakes, backpacking into the Frank Church Wilderness and taking long drives around the Palouse wheat fields. Born and raised in Moscow and Elk City, Idaho, Katie has always believed that spending time in nature is integral to one’s growth. She and her husband, Brian, believe in cultivating these same values and traditions in their three young girls. Katie has spent her lifetime intersecting various realms of education. Her mother taught junior high in Moscow and then was a teacher and principal at the small school in Elk City. Because of this modeling, Katie highly values the role education has played in her life, grateful for the opportunities it provides for everyone. Katie received her B.S. in Education from the University of Idaho and a Masters in Architecture from the University of Washington. Thus far, Katie has focused her professional life in the fields of Education and Architecture, with a particular interest in building community. Her career started at the University of Idaho where she worked directly in support of education, focusing on organizing and supporting large capital projects and a variety of programs for the university. For the last decade she has had her own architecture practice while also wearing many hats in volunteer roles, most notably her work as co-chair of the Pine Street Woods capital campaign. The threads of Katie’s life have woven together her deepest passions — a love of the Idaho landscape, teaching and learning, bringing people together, and spending time outdoors. This makes her the ideal advocate for Kaniksu Land Trust. Katie looks forward to sharing the good work of KLT with its regional community, focusing on growing the conservation, education, and recreation programs. In her spare time, you will typically find Katie with her family running, biking, swimming, or skiing. We had a great conversation about the projects that they are working on, and how small grassroots nonprofits can work together to make really big projects happen. I am going to stop and turn it over to our conversation so we can jump right into it. So let's listen in and gear up for what's next. Where to find Katie and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 19 Apr 2018 | 39: Sarah Rawley on Making Ideas Happen and Being a Improving your Mountain Bike Skills | 00:54:12 | |
Sarah Rawley races pro in the enduro circuit, is the co-founder of Colorado’s first women’s only mountain bike race, the Yeti Beti Bike Bash, and the VIDA MTB Series, a women's mountain bike clinic. She also has a full time job with Yeti Cycles. In case you didn’t have time to get that “thing” done, I think your excuses have just been removed by Sarah’s display of Type a level achievement.
What I love about Sarah is she is a woman on a mission. A mission to grow the mountain bike community and get women into racing and mountain biking. She is that person who makes ideas happen. You might be sitting around with Sarah and casually suggest, “ we should have a mountain bike clinic for women,” and she says, “OK, let’s do it. and she does.”
We talk about launching a ideas. Overcoming challenges. We tackle other topics like partnering with the right people and knowing your strengths. Not only in work but in life. She wraps up by sharing with us aspiring to be better riders on how to use a safe profession to build your skills.
Lots of good stuff today to let’s listen in and get up for what’s next:
Resources and where to find Sarah:
| |||
| 27 Apr 2017 | 7: Yoga and Existential Crises | 00:44:03 | |
Mid-life crisis, existential crisis, epic freakout…. whatever you want to call it, we’ve all had one or more. Today’s episode is less about yoga and more about how to respond to a period of breakdown and come out better than before. For Jason Konopinski, our guest today, yoga was his savior. For you, it might be something else. | |||
| 28 Dec 2020 | Brian Harder - The Price of Admission | 00:37:17 | |
Today's guest is a return guest, my friend Brian Harder. If you're a regular listener, you know that Brian has been on the podcast many times. And today, we talk about the price of admission to the wilderness. We are not talking about permits and park fees. I should preface this by saying that we don't proclaim to be experts and most of this is simply opinion. We don't really have any solutions, but we hope that we provoke some thought and conversation the next time you're sitting around a table having a glass of wine with some friends. Brian is a former Exum Mountain Guide and is currently an orthopedic physician assistant. This is an important context to give you an idea of where his background is and where he's coming from. So we talked about ebikes as sort of a microcosm to this bigger concept of the price of admission to the wilderness, meaning that if you are willing to pay a lot of money, but maybe not put in a lot of sweat equity, you can still access some of the most remote areas of wilderness, without the effort, but with the money, but maybe you get less return less reward. And how does that make everybody else feel and how does that change the experience for everyone as a whole. We started off with the ebike situation as an example and then we launched into guided mountain climbing as well as guided backcountry skiing and what that means for the broader experience and access to the wilderness. “You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next. Where to find Brian: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 15 Jun 2017 | 10: Will a Better Mountain Bike Make Me a Better Rider? | 00:49:10 | |
I often wonder if a better or different bike would have helped me ride that section I just got off my bike and walked. Or is trust in the bike and self-confidence in my own ability? So I asked my friend Rusty Spiedel to come on and tackle this topic, and talk about what bikes can do for us. We discuss different wheel sizes and their pros and cons, different types of terrain and body types and the importance of the Adjustment Ride - do you have the right travel on your bike? Is the air in your fork enough or too much? Are you locking out the suspension at the right times? Lastly, if money were no object, what bike would you buy? Lastly, Rusty shares with us a few tips plus a bonus one, on preventing your next mountain bike shit show. Please share your added thoughts in the comments at www.gearshow.com | |||
| 15 Nov 2019 | 93: Anastasia Allison on Near Death Experiences and Living on our Own Terms | 01:14:33 | |
Anastasia Allison was an unusual kid. She was into things you and I probably were not such as volunteering at a national park as an interpretive guide wearing period costumes performing hymns and folk songs with her violin. Sounds like a super cool kid to me in many ways but sadly, Allison suffered a great deal of bullying as a child. It might be for that reason she spent a lot of her life trying to conform to this “what should we be and do with our lives.” She finally realized after a near-death experience, that she can actually do whatever she wants to and today, she owns a gear company that sells pee cloths - it’s called Kula Cloth - check it out a t kulacloth.com , she climbs mountains with her violin and performs music in the wilderness with the Musical Mountaineeers and she basically has defined what success means to her and is living it, a major prerequisite for being on this podcast.
We talk about:
So with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Anastasia and other links:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 14 Feb 2019 | 75: Adrienne Lindholm on Writing and the Wilderness | 00:48:45 | |
The long-term influence of seemingly small interactions.
Adrienne Lindholm took a life-altering trip at the age of 11 - a cross-country camping trip that expanded this Western Pennsylvania girl’s awareness of what is possible in this life. Now, she lives in Alaska with her husband and two kids is an author and land conservationist.
She has worked for the National Park Service as a backcountry ranger, park planner, compliance officer, and natural resource manager. She now oversees the Wilderness Stewardship Program for the national parks in Alaska.
Twenty years ago, she published several instructional books about backpacking as well as a memoir of her 2,100-mile hike of the Appalachian Trail. More recently, her stories and essays have appeared in a variety of journals and magazines. She recently released her new book It Happened Like This; A Life in Alaska, a beautifully written memoir. I highly recommend but after you listen to our conversation, I know you’ll want to read it too.
In today’s episode, Adrienne and I talk about writing as therapy, her evolving relationship with the wilderness over the decades, and how we tie our self worth to our performance in the outdoors.
You’re going to enjoy this one.
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Adrienne:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 30 Nov 2017 | 29: Dan Fogarty on Travel and Life: Less Overthinking, More Serendipity | 00:49:53 | |
Hiking and playing in the mountains of Europe is so civilized and Dan Fogarty is here to talk to us about it. Dan Fogarty is a brand consultant who has created a flexible lifestyle that allows him to travel the world. He has worked for brands you just might have heard of: Chipotle, Potbelly, Dig In (originally The Pump in NY) and Noodles and Company. Today we’re going to learn how overthinking is overrated and by simply letting go just a tad of control and having faith all will work out. Your career and your next adventure will be far richer for it.
Things we talk about:
What Dan forgot to mention but sent me later: The whole region (in the Dolomites in Italy) is starting to market themselves as Sud Tyrol. (South Tyrol, as opposed to Tyrol in Austria) Each has something like a ski map for summer trails, showing lifts, refugi (huts) and towns and the connections between everything. (You can see that map here.)
So listen on and lets gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Dan:
Resources:
Learn more at www.thegearshow.com | |||
| 17 Oct 2019 | 91: Amy Charity Reflects Back on that Pivotal Moment | 00:50:34 | |
The trajectory widens as you move away from that moment that changed everything. At the age of 34, Amy left the financial industry to pursue her passion and a career in professional bike racing. As an athlete, an Ironman, endurance trail running and finally cycling, consumed her time outside of the corporate workplace. Amy raced for the U.S. National Team and signed a contract with one of the top ten women’s professional racing teams in the world. Her team won a National Championship in the Team Time Trial and raced the World Championships.
In this episode we explored that pivotal moment, making the decision to leave, how she filtered it and how she managed all the head stuff that comes along with making such a decision. She describes life on the racing circuit and eventually making the decision to retire from pro racing. Because we are all a culmination of the experiences we have had, she now has parlayed all of this into a new way of living - she’s authored a book The Wrong Side of Comfortable, coaches, speaks at corporate conferences, and is a partner in SBT GRVL, a cycling race in Steamboat Springs, and coaches endurance athletes.
So with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Amy:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 18 Jul 2019 | 80: Jeannine Anders - Mountain Biking Fixes Everything | 00:47:27 | |
Jeannine Anders followed “The Call” to Colorado 15 years ago where she settled in the Vail Valley. Many of us have heard a similar call - one to the mountains, right? She held a career in sales while pursuing her passion for cycling. She’s competed in over 20 ultra-endurance mountain bike races including multiple 100-mile, 12- and 25-hour solo races as well as a multi-day stage race through the Swiss Alps. She eventually joined the board for the non-profit, Sacred Cycle, while managing their race team and helping to spread their mission which is to empower survivors of sexual abuse and sexual assault through therapy and mountain biking, creating a sacred cycle of recovery, personal development, and community impact.
Biking has had an extremely positive influence on Jeannine’s life and we talk about how it defined her - how mountain biking helps all of us in various ways and now, how it is being put to work to help survivors of sexual abuse and assault.
Where to Find Jeannine
Other links mentioned:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 17 May 2021 | Sheryl Wiser: Moving at the Speed of Trust | 00:54:24 | |
The Director of Outreach at Tilth Alliance, and lead staff for the Eat Local First Collaborative a multi-partnership collaboration between food system organizations around the state. An established communicator and narrative storyteller, Sheryl is recognized as a builder of strategic partnerships with career experience in the non-profit, corporate, civic, and media sectors. She is a passionate advocate for sustainable agriculture and consumer education promoting local food and farms. She is also a highly regarded singer, songwriter, and musician. In 2017 she launched Pie + Persistence, a Seattle-based house-concert series that has raised over $40,000 to date for social, food, land, and environmental justice. A few of her quotes that I loved:
We talked about resilience, storytelling, music and she does it all with this writer’s voice that brings everything to life in a beautiful way. With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Sheryl and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 20 Apr 2017 | 6: Trail Running Shoes and Pragmatism | 00:37:53 | |
We talk running shoes with trail running coach, author, and speaker, Mike Ehredt. As in anything, no shoe is made for all runners. We have to take things like running conditions, the terrain you're running on and your own biomechanics to choose the right | |||
| 30 Aug 2018 | 58: Katie Adams' Dream Trip to Norway with Salomon TV | 00:44:06 | |
Salomon asked runners from around the world to share their #runningdreamtrip. Over 3000 people applied but only one was chosen. Katie Adams, of Sandpoint, Idaho. Katie took the trip with Emelie Forsberg and Ida Nilsson. They explored the Norwegian fjords and mountains by boat before setting off on foot and spending their days running from hut to hut.
Katie joins us today to tell us how, encouraged by her husband Gwen LeTutour, she applied for a won, and what it was like to go on the trip of her dreams. We also get into the love and awesomeness of trail running and finally talk a bit about the work they are doing to raise awareness about important causes and help people on their journey to find happiness through being outside and eating better.
Where to find Katie and Gwen http://instagram.com/2healthyfitvegans Subscribe to their YouTube channel - it’s awesome!
Links:
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 05 Apr 2018 | 37: Liam Fitzgerald on getting up Little Cottonwood Canyon Road Safely | 00:58:30 | |
Liam Fitzgerald’s former job sets the bar for stressful job. He was the lead avalanche forecaster for the Utah Department of Transportation (and the Little Cottonwood Canyon Highway - you know, the road that leads up to Alta and Snowbird). Every day, he decides whether it’s safe enough for the public to drive up the highway. Curious what it’s like to do that job? What goes into keeping us safe as we drive highways through mountains without giving it a second thought? Then listen on because I’m excited to have Liam with us today. You’ll find articles on Liam in New York Times. Powder Magazine, puts him in the category of iconic figures who defined skiing. He has a fascinating life story how he sort of happened into this industry, and kept getting jobs he wasn’t qualified for but worked himself into it. (not the UDOT job, don’t worry.)
Hope you have fun listening to the many stories. | |||
| 02 Nov 2017 | 25: Jordan Giarratano on Practical Self Protection and Defense in the Face of Sexual Harassment and Assault | 00:57:17 | |
Last March, Seattlite Kelly Herron fought off an attacker (a registered sex offender she later learned) in the middle of her mid-day run. I read this in the news and was rattled to the core by the story - that could have been me, that could have been any of millions of women who go for a run on any given day. It turns out, she used the skills she had just learned in a self-defense workshop she had taken the week before taught by todays guest Jordan Giarratano . You should go read the details of her fight - I was awestruck by her power and might. As I said, what happened to Kelly could have just as easily happened to any of us. And we tend to think bad things won’t happen to us. But they can. and this doesn’t mean we should instead stay home and stay up to date on Netflix. It means we should be appropriately prepared. Today’s episode is for both men and women because we all have a role to play in the conversation on sexual harassment and assault. When the #metoo campaign picked up steam with women sharing their stories, I noticed many men reacted with shock at the prevalence of abuse. Upon my own reflection, at first I thought I don’t have any stories, I have not been a victim of abuse, and then I remembered a few incidents, like the time I had to duck into a café on a late night walk home to my apartment because I was being stalked by a man who kept changing direction every time I changed direction. And that’s just one of a few I could share. I didn’t give those a thought at first because it’s become normalized. As a woman, we have to assess situations from a different perspective than men. That’s a reality that will hopefully one day go away with more conversation, listening, and action. So I’m happy to have Jordan on our episode today. I learned so much from him. We talk about the role men can play in the national conversation when it comes to awareness, empathy, and listening. Jordan will share with us his philosophy on self-defense (vs. martial arts) and the importance of empowering women rather than operating from a place of fear. About 35 minutes into it, he shares some physical tips for protecting yourself. I found myself standing up and practicing the moves. If you can, I suggest you do the same.
Other themes that came up in our conversation:
Resources mentioned:
Where to find Jordan:
Continue the conversation at The Gear Show | |||
| 11 Oct 2021 | Letting Go with Celeste Mergens | 00:47:07 | |
This is a story about not letting our circumstances define who we are. If today’s guest can do that, we can do it. She is not paying it forward. She came from a place of extreme poverty to start this global nonprofit Days for Girls International. Celeste Mergens is the founder and CEO of Days for Girls. She has led the organization since its beginning in 2008, driven by twenty years of nonprofit and business management experience. She holds a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing and Literature and audited a second in Global Sustainable Development. Days for Girls is a two-time Girl Effect Champion, won the SEED award for gender equity and entrepreneurship, and was named by the Huffington Post as a ‘Next Ten’ Organization poised to change the world in the next decade, and won the 2020 ORG of the year award. Celeste has been featured in Oprah’s O Magazine, Forbes, and Stanford Social Innovation Review. She was awarded the 2017 AARP Purpose Prize Award, named Conscious Company Global Impact Entrepreneur Top Ten Women in 2018, 2019 Global Washington Global Hero, and Women’s Economic Forum’s Woman of the Decade. She is married to her best friend Don and has six children and 15 grandchildren and was named 2015 American Mother of the Year for Washington State. Also, today is International Day of the Girl – Donate with matching funds with a goal to reach 50,000 girls. Go there now and support a girl – $10 How an idea in the middle of the night gave her profound purpose. So, with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Celeste and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 28 Jun 2018 | 49: Hilary Oliver on Giving Women in the Outdoors Voice Through Filmmaking | 00:45:29 | |
Hilary Oliver is a writer, editor and filmmaker. She makes outdoor films for brands such as REI, Outdoor Research and Yeti Cycles. Her mission is to give voice to women in the outdoors - to showcase a perspective deeper than physical achievement alone. Her work includes Above the Fray with Beth Rodden and How to Run 100 miles with Brandon Leonard for REI. She loves filmmaking and is driven to do it but the thing is, it doesn’t pay the bills. Don’t get me wrong, she makes money but it’s not her bread and butter. What is? Her work as a freelance writer and editor of the Outdoor Research blog. Today, we’re going to talk about doing your craft because you love it, not because it pays the bills. How fulfilling it is to be involved in something you love and removing the pressure of making money doing it - how that impacts the experience of making it and the outcome. Hilary will share how she broke into freelance writing and then parlayed that into film making. But we’ll also talk about finding stories and giving voice to women in the outdoors. I hope today’s episode will inspire you if you to pursue things because you want to, not because you want to get rich doing it. With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next: Where to find Hilary: Resources Mentioned: Where to link to videos: https://hilarymoliver.com/films/ Learn more at The Gear Show | |||
| 01 Aug 2019 | 82: Eric Larsen | Having a Bigger Conversation About Adventure | 00:42:21 | |
In 2006, Eric Larsen completed a 62-day expedition to the North Pole pulling a 250-pound sled for 550 miles. Men's Journal named him one of the 25 Most Adventurous Men of the Past 25 Years. Polar adventurer, expedition guide, dog musher and educator, Eric Larsen has spent a lot of time traveling to some of the most remote and wild places left on earth. He is one of only a few Americans to have skied to both the North and South Poles. In November 2009, he returned to Antarctica for the first leg of his world record Save the Poles expedition. This time he completed a 750-mile ski traverse to the geographic South arriving on January 2, 2010. Two short months later he was dropped off at northern Ellesmere Island for a winter-style North Pole Journey. The international team reached the North Pole 51 days then on Earth Day - April 22, 2010. He completed the Save the Poles expedition by reaching the summit of Mt. Everest on October 15, 2010, becoming the first person in history to reach the world's three 'poles' within 365 days.
He travels to wild and specifically cold places to cast a spotlight on climate change and the melting Arctic.
Today, we have a bigger conversation about adventure. We also talk about how the Arctic has changed over the past two decades. Eric is one of the few people who have seen this firsthand. Lastly, how do you juggle all this while being a dad?
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to find Eric
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 16 Nov 2020 | Courtney Condy: If not her, then whom? | 00:37:33 | |
Courtney Condy was a recent college grad who felt disillusioned with the corporate grind while living and working in San Francisco. A last-minute trip to Nepal in 2015 changed her life forever when her trekking group got caught in the middle of an 8.1 magnitude earthquake two days away from Everest Basecamp. Upon returning to the US she quit her job and became an Adventure Travel Guide and began leading trips all around the US and the world. In 2018, She founded Occupation Wild, a job board for the outdoor, adventure, and travel industry, based on the belief that if it’s just for a season or a lifetime, there is nothing more rewarding than working in the outdoors. How fitting is that? I love Courtney’s story - I love when people bring their idea to life. We talk about that - it’s incredible, we are a generation apart, and both had similar experiences where we weren’t exposed to all that is possible when growing up, so she pursued what she thought she was supposed to. I love it when people reconcile what they want to do with what they are supposed to do. Where to find Courtney and other links:
| |||
| 25 Jan 2021 | Mandy Evans: Same Mission, New Name | 00:44:44 | |
Today on our 100th episode, I’m doing something a little bit different. I normally don't bring my work projects into the podcast, but the day that this podcast publishes, January 25 2021 is an exciting day. We are launching the new name and brand for Panhandle Animal Shelter here in Sandpoint Idaho and so I have Executive Director, Mandy Evans, joining me. We're actually interviewing each other because this episode will also run on her podcast, which you should check out. It's called People are Animals too, Darn it. We covered a variety of things, mostly surrounding the chain of events that led to the need to rename and rebrand Panhandle Animal Shelter. Mainly, how things are changing in the world of animal welfare and I think you'll find that very interesting if you didn't know it already. We'll also talk about the creative process that went into the rebrand. Really, it's a project that I am most proud of and excited to finally get it out in public, after we've been working together, about a year and a half on this. Panhandle Animal Shelter is now called Better Together Animal Alliance. We talk not only about that whole process around it, but how Mandy and her team have managed criticisms and pushback to change along the way. We also had some interesting sidebar conversations about how assumptions that we make, how they either can or won't challenge our thinking which make us blaze new trails and think things in a different way than we had before. Which I think is a really good higher lesson to all of this. So, with that, let’s listen in to my conversation with Mandy Evans, Executive Director of Better Together Animal Alliance. Where to find Mandy and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 25 Jul 2019 | 81: Charlotte Massey is Dismantling the Pant Patriarchy | 00:42:38 | |
Charlotte Massey, Georgia Grace, and Bianca Gonzalez are redesigning pants so they work for womens’ bodies. It sounds silly that no one has addressed this issue before. Why not? Charlotte Massey joins today, and she’s going to walk us through a little fashion history, something we don’t often discuss here at the Gear Show. We’ll discover how three women in college have come together to solve a problem and take an essential step in making the outdoors more inclusive by making it easier for women to “go to the bathroom.”
It’s easy enough to come up with an idea. Charlotte will tell us how they made this idea happen. It’s something women have been waiting for - their Kickstarter campaign raised over 50 thousand dollars when their goal was 15 thousand.
Today, you’re going to see the outcome of when a dad never doubts your ability to do whatever it is you want to do.
and with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next.
Where to Find Charlotte
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 18 May 2017 | 9: Fighting Your Monkey Brain and a Primer in Backpacking | 00:53:01 | |
Sometimes we jump into something with such frenzy and ambition, we might not be properly prepared. We are in over our heads. It’s a theme many of us are familiar with, perhaps in our lives, perhaps from the news. Powder Matt Mosteller sets the stage for our conversation today by sharing a story of lofty teenage goals, finding himself in over his head and getting himself safely out of it. From this and many other experiences throughout his life, he helps us prevent our next shit show by giving us a full-on primer on everything you should consider for your first backpacking trip: conditioning for your trip, where to go, what kind of gear needs your consideration, personal health and safety and things to think about when you bring the kids and/or dogs along. Even if you aren’t planning a trip, it’s a good lesson on life. | |||
| 30 Nov 2020 | Jessica Johnson: Gender Inclusivity in Outdoor Sports | 00:34:56 | |
What does it mean to be a man or a woman? I bet many of you have never considered that thought. I know I haven't, I'm a female that's the end of the conversation but what if all of that came into question. What if you simply don't identify as a male or a female and what does that feel like? The stories we have been told our whole lives shape our world and what we do. What becomes so ingrained in us doesn't even prompt us to question it, we simply don't even think about it. Well, that's not the case for everyone and I spoke with Jessica Johnson, who doesn't identify one way or the other. We didn't solve any real problems today and we don't have any answers but I'm thankful to Jessica, for coming on and sharing their experience. I thought I'd put this conversation out there to question our own thinking. We talked about things like fitting in and not fitting in, finding the need for it, fitting in, and then being okay with not fitting in. We also talked about little things, many people don't think about, like ticking the M, or the F box on your race application and how that small thing actually impacts people like Jessica and keeps them from doing things they love. Hopefully, this conversation opens your eyes to gender inclusivity in sports, and maybe even to questioning things you simply take for granted. So with that, here's our conversation. Where to find Jessica and other links:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 14 Jun 2021 | Leigh Bercaw: Living Life as if it Were Short | 00:52:49 | |
What happens when you think you have eight years left to live and then you find out it’s actually probably going to be ok? Today, you’re going to learn more about where your food comes from and I hope it makes you think about the decisions you make next time you’re at the grocery store vs the farmers market. We’re going to talk about the farce that is organic farming and what we really want to see- regenerative and small-scale farming. You’ll learn about carbon sequestering and why the U.S. has a super productive, yet highly unsustainable food system right now. We need to make a change. And it starts by eating and buying local. We wrap it up by getting philosophical on life using skiing as a metaphor. It doesn’t get any better and this is where I’d like to take the show for next season – so if you have guest ideas, please send them my way. I am always looking for guests who are blazing their own path, breaking trail if you get what I mean, and finding solutions to save the world. So, with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Leigh and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 03 Jan 2019 | 69: Kaylin Richardson on Ski Racing and Living Without Regret | 01:04:15 | |
An Olympic ski racer on the art of being deliberate in choices and living without regret. Oh, do I have a fun conversation to start off your new year today. Kaylin Richardson is a ten-year U.S. Ski Team veteran, 2-time Olympian (Torino 06' and Vancouver 10'), and four-time National Alpine Champion. After retiring from the World Cup in 2010, Kaylin fell even deeper in love with the sport when she discovered backcountry skiing. As a reincarnated big-mountain skier, in addition to winning the Freeskiing World Tour's North American Championship in 2012, Kaylin has been featured in seven Warren Miller films, including this year's Face of Winter. Kaylin has also expanded her expertise as a writer, speaker, commentator, and television personality on VH1, NBC Sports, and as the Olympic Special Correspondent for The Weather Channel. She is an all-around badass at skiing and at life. She was a blast to talk to and I specifically saved this as a perfect thing to listen to as we all set new goals and new benchmarks for the new year. Once we establish our mutual joy in skiing, we talked a lot about her racing career and the difference it takes to race in the top tier - what the mental edge really looks like. And it’s interesting because she did race in the top tier but, as an example, she didn’t medal in the Olympics. Did she fall short of her potential or was she meant to go on and do other things? Kaylin’s ability to be deliberate in her choices, and not dwell on regrets has led her into a variety of endeavors before she landed herself in the Warren Miller ski films and as she said, she had no idea life could get better after her US Ski team career. My takeaways on this one - be kinder to yourself as you set goals, and have faith the most exciting stuff is yet to come. Where to find Kaylin: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life. She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps. When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving. To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 01 Mar 2019 | 77: Shelley Wood on Staying Loyal to Your Dream | 00:37:20 | |
"Blogging is like going to the word gym. I practice writing in the same I would go to a gym to get stronger muscles. Writing is a muscle and I try to stay fit for it. " Is it possible to strive to be a writer and make a living at it? Shelley knew she wanted to be a writer at a young age but how could she make a living doing it? Today is all about making dreams happen. Shelley quit her job, moved to France for a short period and wrote a book. By the way, she had never written a book of fiction before and had no idea how to do it. She’s going to tell us how she got the idea eventually and how she made it happen. Shelley's fiction, creative non-fiction, columns, and travel writing have appeared in a range of Canadian and international publications. She won the Fall 2015 Tethered by Letters fiction contest, the 2016 Frank McCourt Prize for Creative Nonfiction, the Winter 2016/2017 Nonfiction prize from Causeway Lit, and the 2017 Fiction prize from Freefall Magazine. The Quintland Sisters, her debut novel, will be published in Canada and the United States in March of 2019. You can order or pre-order depending on when you listen to this, at shelleywood.ca Born and raised in Vancouver, Shelley divides her time between a full-time home in Kelowna, Canada, and a full-time job in New York, NY, where she is the Editorial Director at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation and Managing Editor at the cardiology news website, TCTMD. With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to Find Shelley BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life. She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps. When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving. To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 26 Apr 2018 | 40: Amy Schweim: The Net Positive Effect of Low Periods in Life | 00:36:13 | |
Amy Schweim, today’s guest lives in Oaxaca, Mexico where she guides single and multi-day trips, there and in Spain and Peru. Her business, Women’s Radical Pursuits, combines mountain biking, yoga, and mindfulness designed to inspire and empower women through adventure travel trips. How she got to here, from being a school teacher in the States, is a great story with a couple catalysts; one of them being heartbreak. Amy is proof that periods of difficulty can lead to a higher trajectory. It reminds me of this awesome quote from Ariana Huffington: “I have an incredible trust in life. One of my favorite quotes is a little misquote: ‘Live life as though everything is rigged in your favor.’ I really profoundly believe that whatever has happened in my life, including the biggest heartbreaks, the biggest disappointments, was exactly what was needed to help me get to the next stage of my own personal evolution and growth. I always had a sense of that, but now I believe that so profoundly. I can literally see the hidden blessing in every bad thing that happened.” With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next: Resources
| |||
| 23 Mar 2017 | 2: Backcountry Ski Series Part 2: AT Bindings and Safety | 00:23:49 | |
Today is part 2 of three in our backcountry ski equipment series with Brian Harder, former ski mountaineer racer and Exum Mountain Guide, based in Anchorage Alaska. Your gear will make or break the day, and often we don't give much thought to our touring bindings. I learned the hard way, this is not a good way to approach that. We talk about safety in the backcountry, what factors one should consider when shopping for them.
| |||
| 28 Feb 2022 | Pam Bond: Fixing the Trail | 00:41:16 | |
Today I have a lovely conversation with Pam Bond whose story I just love. (Actually, stories are kind of like cheese. There are very few stories I don’t like. Just the stinky ones.) Anyway, Pam’s story is a classic full circle one. She was a very shy young adult who now empowers young women through women-only trail work weekends. Pam Bond is a GIS Analyst in Boise, Idaho but found her confidence and passion on the trail. Starting as a volunteer and now as a board member for the Idaho Trails Association (ITA), Pam has developed a love for trail maintenance. She has been actively involved with ITA since 2015, starting with no trail maintenance experience. Since then, she has played an integral role in developing and growing the Women-Only Weekend program which aims to empower women by teaching them traditional trail maintenance skills. Now as a crew leader, she hopes to help other women build their own confidence. Pam has paired her expertise with something she cares about. And if you’ve been following me for a while, you know I love that. We talked about:
With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Pam and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review, and share with your friends! | |||
| 06 Jul 2017 | 13: Can An Entrepreneur Run a Business, Stay Sane, and Be Fit at the Same Time? | 00:41:27 | |
Today Toni Carey and I talk about staying sane while also running a business and the common denominator is some kind of movement. Although we talk primarily about running (and yoga), it doesn’t have to be about running specifically. Toni is the founder of Black Girls Run - a hugely popular movement with running groups all over the nation. She shares with us how she started and built a community, the importance of social exercise and we both talk about the the dips (periods of destruction or crises) and the highs, (growth stages) of life in general. Toni has some tips for those of you who want to run but can’t seem to fall in love with it. Hint it doesn’t mean you have to run: but she has ideas for both sides.
I also want to thank Ralph Rivera - a friend, an owner of three businesses, and the co-host of the podcast Carbon Based Units - this is a great podcast for entrepreneurs and marketers - they talk about everything. The reason I want to thank him is that when I started recording this particular interview, I had a feeling something was awry but what did I do? I carried on with it and did nothing. At the end, I discovered the input wasn’t set properly and the audio was horrible. Ralph to the rescue. Thank you Ralph. It’s good having friends who want to help. and the lesson? be a better listener of your gut. Always.
Links mentioned: Randy Zuckerberg: The Entrepreneur’s Dilemma
Where to find Toni
You can always find more at www.thegearshow.com. | |||
| 12 Sep 2019 | 88: Bill Gamber and Big Agnes: Actions Speak Louder Than Marketing | 00:59:01 | |
If you're happier and more comfortable when you're outside, you'll get out and play more. That's why Big Agnes, aka, The Mother of Comfort, a Steamboat Springs-based company exists - to make you more comfortable. And Bill Gamber, one of the founders, joins us today.
In 2000, Bill Gamber and his business partner borrowed the name of a local peak in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness Area to start Big Agnes. The company launched with a simple, but revolutionary idea: "never roll off your pad again" with a unique, integrated sleeping bag and pad system. This would be the first in a long line of product "firsts" he would introduce to the outdoors. His innovations over the years have been adopted throughout the industry. (I'm reading from the official bio that was sent to me - they are kind when they say that. Others copied what he did I editorialize and digress. So back to his background:
Bill provides career opportunities and year-round employment for more than 100 people in the small mountain town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He has been influential in building Colorado's outdoor economy and shaping the state's recreational future. For 28 years, Bill has lived off-grid outside of Steamboat with his wife and three kids, in his solar and wind-powered home. Today Big Agnes has a full line of Sleeping Bags consisting of those that attached to pads and not. They also are the innovation leaders in tents and sleeping pads having won more than 14 awards like the prestigious Backpacker Magazine Editors' Choice award. Bill loves the backcountry and wants to get people where they're going – top of a peak or first family Car Camping trip. Big Agnes gear is sold and used globally.
I wish I could have had another hour with Bill. We talked about starting a company, getting distribution, and why Big Anes doesn't make car tents. I was hell-bent on finding a formula for building a brand and company culture but here's what I learned: The people at Big Agnes let their actions do the talking, and I think that makes a great story. Recently, Bill invited all employees to embark on the 740-mile hike of the Continental Divide Trail. They signed up for various segments and hiked from New Mexico to Wyoming. You'll learn more about that and how current international trade policy is affecting those in the outdoor industry.
This episode is packed - So, with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.
Where to find Bill Gamber
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 15 Nov 2018 | 65: Janet Curry: Finding Joy Again Through Meditation and Mindfulness | 01:03:16 | |
“Letting go of the tendency we have to want things to be different, allowing things to be as they are and allowing yourself to be as you are…” Jon Kabat Zinn on the mindfulness.
Janet Curry is the founder of Stillpoint Counseling and Mindfulness Training in Durango Colorado. She is a certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher and licensed professional counselor. She has not one, but two masters degrees.: One in Mental Health Counseling from Seattle University and the second in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy from Oxford University. Janet is one of the first 130 (MBSR) teachers around the world who has been certified by the University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness (CFM) in Medicine, Health Care, and Society. In 2017, she was one of 30 Certified MBSR teachers around the globe to complete the CFM’s year-long inaugural ‘Train the Trainer’ program. The CFM is where MBSR began, and is the oldest, largest, continually running MBSR clinic and teacher training organization in the world. Also - she is a fully trained EMDR provider and has completed the Certificate Program in Traumatic Stress Studies with the Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute. Trauma treatment is an area of personal passion and expertise.
In other words, Janet knows her stuff! And I’m so excited to have her on the show. We cover so much in this conversation.
I started a meditation practice almost two years ago. It’s helped me so much. I found a pattern where I waste my time thinking about the future and then look back on my life and think "Hey, have I been properly enjoying my life?" Every day I think and plan to the future - you know? What if I were able to actually enjoy this ordinary Tuesday for once and not start the day with a list of things longer than I can actually accomplish? and when I asked you guys what questions you had about meditation and mindfulness, the number one question I got was where to start so that’s where I started with Janet. With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find Janet:
Resources and Links:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life. She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps. When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative pproblem-solving. To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||
| 22 Mar 2021 | John Grollmus: How the Hospitality Mindset Has Served Him Well | 00:39:50 | |
John Grollmus opened his first restaurant a long time ago. Today, he and one partner have five restaurants in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene. He is also a writer and a ski guide. Here’s what I love about his story. He had to scramble hard to get funding to start that first restaurant. At one point, they had successfully grown to six restaurants and two partners. They could have kept growing. There were opportunities to do so. We talked about maintaining consistency through growth and happiness. And how he knew he wanted to pursue these other passions: writing and ski guiding, obviously not for the lucrative careers these two things provide but for the joy. We explored what that looks like, giving up some control and freeing up space. Because that’s what every guest on this show has in common. Success is based on how we define it for ourselves. It’s about breaking our own trail. So with that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next. Where to find John and other links: BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends! | |||
| 26 Sep 2019 | 89: Wes King on Finding that Inflection Point | 00:47:50 | |
Wes King is the CEO and founder of the Tahoe Trail Bar, a plant-based, non-GMO, gluten free line of awesome tasting energy bars. He had so much to share, I decide to make this into a two-part episode so I didn’t have to edit anything out. Today, we’re going to talk about finding purpose, working your ass off and taking a cottage business to the next level. Next week, we’ll talk about his leadership philosopy, mindfulness and giving back to the community. I was truly inspired by our conversation and have lists of my own ideas I was jotting down as he spoke. I think you’ll find the same.
More on Wes: Tahoe Trail Bar started in a coffee shop in South Lake Tahoe CA in 2010. Today, under his leadership, they have achieved distribution throughout the western US. One of his greatest achievements to date is pursuing the active balance between a laser focus on key growth outcomes and the deep enjoyment of the process of working in the business alongside his employees. Outside of leading the Tahoe Trail Bar, Wes prioritizes taking in a steady diet of continuing education, meditation, learning from mentors and other entrepreneurs, and investing his time as a mentor to other startups in his business community. Whenever he can, you will find him backcountry skiing on Mount Rose, mountain biking on the Tahoe Rim Trail, or backpacking with his wife and 2 children in Desolation Wilderness.
One quick thing before we get into the interview - you can find tahoe trail bars in many stores throughout the west but if you go online and buy them at tahotrailbar.com and enter in the code gearshow 20, you get 20% off your purchase. So go check it out and get your deal - !
So, with that, let's listen in and gear up for what's next.
Where to find Wes:
BEFORE YOU LEAVE - If you are enjoying the shows, I hope you’ll subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends!
About Lisa Gerber: Lisa advises CEOs and senior-level management on how to use the power of storytelling and effective communication to influence action and bring ideas to life.
She guides companies through the digital maze of constantly changing tools to build discovery, loyalty, and ultimately help them achieve their own big leaps.
When she is not in her office, she might be out skiing or trail running. This is where she does her best creative problem-solving.
To learn more about booking Lisa for consulting, speaking or workshops, visit www.bigleapcreative.com. | |||