Born to be Barefoot | From Science to Life

Katie and Stuart talk to special guest Stephanie Mellinger, a back pain exercise specialist. She’s a certified personal trainer who's passionate about helping those with back pain find joy in movement again. After a personal journey overcoming a debilitating back injury, our guest discovered the powerful benefits of strength training in the healing process. Now a certified personal trainer and specialist in corrective exercise, mobility, and pain-free performance, Stephanie has dedicated the past five years to working with clients alongside medical professionals to optimize movement, build strength, and promote overall well-being. Tune in to hear her insights on resilience, the importance of collaboration in training, and strategies for sustainable fitness and recovery.Her injury 3:20The issue with insurance 11:30Cognitive impact on health and recovery 18:00Using insoles for a marathon 29:15A flat foot is the fastest foot 36:45Stephanie’s program 47:50“I have somebody in my program who was traveling, sat in the car for a long time, was standing up at work, and her hips were really stiff and she was feeling really down. There’s a big piece of acknowledging someone’s feelings of course, and then helping them get through that and figure out how to move through and get through to the positive end of it. There’s a huge mental coaching capacity. The mindset is huge when recovering from an injury.” 19:53@the.backpain.trainerwww.thebackpaintrainer.comhttps://www.thebackpaintrainer.com/barefoothttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221018131143.htm

On this week’s episode, Katie talks to the barefoot running sensation and “original” barefoot runner, Ken Bob Saxton. When Ken Bob began racing exclusively barefoot in 1997, he found that people had a lot of questions, so he decided to compile all his answers in one place, which led him to founding the website barefootrunning.com in 1997. Ken is someone who will go shoeless at every opportunity he can and he has even done multiple marathons while barefoot. Join us to hear the benefits and great things he has to say about barefoot running. Ken almost never wears shoes 3:50Foot structure and effects on the foot from going barefoot 10:00Practice vs training, and relax 26:00Writing a book about how to run barefoot 35:15 Some of the “secrets” to barefoot running 37:00Elevation races 46:00“The odd thing that I tell people and people have trouble with this concept, is lift your feet before it lands. Trust me, it will still land, but as you’re coming down to the ground, you’re starting to lift your feet to your body, but your body is also coming down, so all you’re really doing is slowing down the impact. You’re decelerating your foot as it lands. So you’re coming down, bending your knee, but you’re not actually bending your foot up. You’re just slowing its descent down so that it touches gently. It’s really difficult for people to get that.” 38:49barefootrunning.com

Today Katie and Stuart have a lovely guest from the United States named Heidi van Mastrigt, who is a fitness trainer that focuses massively on foot function and myofascial tissue function as well. The feet are our one point of contact with the ground. Everything starts with the feet. Heidi learned this the hard way from breaking her foot at the peak of her dance career and suffering for years with overuse injuries without realizing her foot was the root cause. Heidi works with athletes of all levels that want to improve their movement integrity and prevent injury in the long run. It is her goal for people to have longevity in their sport and do what they love for as long as possible.How Heidi got to her fascination with feet 3:15The shoes are very important 8:15Assessing clients’ feet 14:15Feet, the nervous system, and fitness 23:00Cycling shoes are terrible 29:25The shoes that Heidi wears 36:40High arches 48:00“A lot of people who have worn shoes their entire lives, are introduced to this, ‘Train barefoot!’ it’s better, you’re going to stimulate the muscles, even like up the chain, your glutes are going to fire a lot better if you don’t have socks and shoes on, and to see the light bulbs go off and see people then prefer, like ‘Oh my gosh!’ It’s like a whole new world for so many people because they’ve just kinda been locked up in socks and cushioned heeled tapered toed shoes.” 25:55www.thatbarefootcoach.com@thatbarefootcoach

Today Stuart and Katie had the opportunity to talk with Michael Adeniran, who is a weekend warrior as they call it. A while back he got into running, and then triathlons, ultra running, iron mans, Spartan races, obstacle courses, and so forth. He’s got a lot of experience now with all these different events and with that, a substantial amount of wisdom to share with us and our listeners. How Michael got started 3:15Going back to the basic human functions 9:00Doing an Iron Man 20:30His day job 23:15The importance of strength training 29:00Obstacle course races 35:00The shoes he wears to run 36:30“The more you get into the running life, you seem to stop doing as much strength training, and that’s where the injuries start happening. I remember in the early days of running, I didn’t have any injuries whatsoever, but that’s because I was more a strength trainer doing some running, but as I’ve become a runner doing a little bit of strength training, you see the differences in your body strength, and imbalances that come.” 29:15www.instagram.com/theurbanchallengertheurbanchallenger.com

We’ve got a lovely young gentleman from Utah by the name of Reese David Jones joining us today who is a runner, a tri-athlete, an all around fitness fanatic, and has a professional career on the side making a living as a salesman. Reese ran 10 marathons in 10 days, which blew both Katie and Stuart away and is hard to fathom, but that’s just the kind of man he is. Listen to this fascinating conversation Katie and Stuart had with a guy who is young of body, but mature of mind and spirit and who had some great wisdom to share with us all. Ultra running and how he developed an interested 1:00Public speaking 7:1510 marathons in 10 days, grieving for his grandfather 12:20Injuries 14:30Charities, treating hearing loss 22:45Bubbly and taking a step back from running 30:45If you want to get into running 32:45“If you wore a cast for 20 years, your arm would obviously atrophy. When you’re wearing these shoes from the day you’re about 3 years old because your parents think they’re cute, and you’re in this foot cast, you don’t have the opportunity to use the 20+ muscles in your feet. So many problems could be solved if we had a better foundation.” 7:13@reesedjones

Today Stuart and Katie have a very quick marathon runner (sub 2:40) as a guest by the name of Jason Fitzgerald. He is an extensive writer of articles about endurance running and has his own website by the name of Strength Running. After finishing the 2008 New York City Marathon in 2:44, Jason developed a severe ITB injury. He was sidelined for six months, wondering if he would ever be able to run pain-free again. But that injury transformed his thoughts on running healthy and injury prevention. Jason’s training changed dramatically and he finally “cracked the code” of his constant injury cycle. Listen to this engaging conversation we had and learn something new with us!Becoming a marathon runner 1:10Running a lot of marathons vs a few 4:10Creating his website 10:00Trail Runner Magazine and writing articles 17:20Insoles and proprioception 20:50Common themes among the strong athletes 27:30Getting blood work done 35:50Talking about zones 42:00“Yeah I think [getting blood work done] is a really good idea, especially if you’re training really hard or maybe if you just ran a hard marathon, or ultramarathon, you kinda wanna see, ‘OK, what did this do to my body?’ A blood test is gonna really answer that question and give an insight into how much stress you experienced, what’s going on inside your body. Do you have low testosterone? High levels of cortisol? Or many other things going on in your body that could be either A, just generally unhealthy, or B, something that’s actually inhibiting your ability to train.” 35:55strengthrunning.com@jasonfitz1

This week we are delighted to welcome our guest, Jonathan Levitt, who is currently in Boulder Colorado and a fantastic endurance athlete and cyclist. Jonathan didn’t always love running, but back in 2013, he did his first half marathon and steadily started to develop a love for it. He has a podcast focused on discovering why people run and delving into the deep reasons that motivate people and push them to continue this healthy practice. People get not only physical benefits from running, but benefits from doing something hard and pushing that limit so that you have a greater capacity to do hard things in other areas of life. Developing the love for running 1:00Minimal shoes 5:55Why do people run? Jonathan’s podcast 19:45People’s attitude toward running shifted with COVID 31:00Running improves long term health 41:00“We grow via stress. Physical stress, mental stress, and we adapt to hard things. My reason, and I’ve noticed this with a lot of people, is that running is this sandbox that we get to experiment in and the stakes are pretty low. It doesn’t really matter if you don’t PR, get injured, or don’t win a race…it’s the muscle memory of getting uncomfortable that allows us to be better at getting uncomfortable in other aspects of life.” 34:38@jwlevitt

Taren Gesell started out as a complete non-athlete who was 215lbs and couldn't run to the end of the block. He later became a top 1% in the world amateur triathlete and in the process shared everything he learned on the Triathlon Taren YouTube channel, which became the second largest triathlon YouTube channel in the world. He published four books and created the MOTTIV training app which are all designed specifically for everyday amateur endurance athletes who want to reach their goals but don't know where to start. Join Stuart and Katie in this exciting interview with such an amazing individual. Taren’s transformation 1:00Training differences between elite athletes and your average person 9:00Overtraining vs casual training 14:15The MOTTIV training app 17:15Injuries 24:20Testing the insoles 33:00“About a year ago I had a pretty severe rolled ankle that exasperated a lot of the dorsiflexion issues I had and really struggled with that and had basically only gone on 6 runs since that time go figure I’m 40 and injuries don’t heal like they used to 25 years ago, but I went on a hike last saturday with the insoles and normally after a hike, that ankle I have trouble with gets achy, and I didn’t feel it at all this weekend.” 33:10www.youtube.com/c/triathlontaren@triathlontarenmymottiv.com

This week we are delighted to welcome a couple of intrepid travelers from Chattanooga, Maggie and Bruce Tate, who took 9 months off work to travel up the East Coast on something called The Great Loop. They followed this route, circling the eastern North American landmass by boat. Their decision to embark on this adventure was sparked by a book titled "From What Is to What If?" which encouraged them to embrace imagination and possibilities. Throughout their travels, they encountered challenges, forged deep connections with fellow boaters, and discovered the importance of curiosity and forbearance in fostering meaningful relationships.A bit about their East Coast journey 1:00Leaving during Winter 10:00The Covid pandemic 27:00What they did for fitness 42:00What is next 50:45Get the book: Currently Away 60:15“One of the things that really struck me is that if I want a better neighborhood, I need to be a better neighbor, and to carry some of that stuff that we got from all the community that we had daily on the loop, and to try to bring that back home in the regular life.” 18:35Discount Code for 10% off: BTBBPODCAST@currently_the_boatwww.currentlytheboat.comScho and Jo youtube channel 

In this week’s episode Katie welcomes guest Rae Reynolds, a shockwave therapist and massage practitioner, who shares insights on her profession. Rae discusses her experiences with shockwave therapy and her journey to becoming a healer, emphasizing self-healing and empowerment. Through anecdotes and discussions on topics like cellular inflammation and childhood trauma, Rae underscores the importance of balance and self-awareness in achieving overall well-being, challenging societal norms and advocating for personal responsibility in health and healing. They discuss her book and its themes of self-discovery, healing, and empowerment. The book touches on personal experiences, childhood trauma, and the journey towards self-love. It encourages readers to start a conversation with themselves, prioritize their health, and embrace their authentic selves. Rae’s experience with Barefoot Science 2:00Ondamed (Wave) Therapy 3:30Parasites 5:30Healing yourself 12:50Rae’s book “Let Us Start the Conversation” 20:30Just be you 30:45Figuring it out in a less costly way 35:20“I literally have [Barefoot Science products] in everything. I don’t put anything on my feet that doesn’t have Barefoot Science. I paddleboard in them, I ski in them, I do everything in them and every person that pretty much walks into my clinic, regardless of why they’re there, they’re gonna walk out with a pair of Barefoots.” 2:13www.raereynolds.ca

We have an interesting guest on the podcast this week by the name of Danielle “Dani” Bryant and many may know her as the founder of MAKE IT COUNT 4 Dani Foundation. Dani was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis at the age of 16, which is when life as she knew it came crashing down around her. Despite a devastating diagnosis of this disease, which dashed her dreams of continuing her athletic career, she refused to be defined by her illness. Instead, she embarked on a journey of self-discovery and resilience, confronting her disease head-on. She now dedicates herself to helping countless women around the world to deal with the same issues, and continues to live a happy and fulfilling life. About Dani 0:55Rheumatoid arthritis 2:30Treating this disease 5:45Dani’s platform to help others 10:30What helped Dani the most 16:20How Barefoot Science is helping 23:55People of all ages 33:40“I do try to not react back to people who do a lot of things to be unkind because I know what they’re feeling and going through, but I also don’t want people to live in that space. I want to motivate them to move out of it. Our minds and what we tell ourselves can be so powerful on how we move forward.” 32:00@makeitcount4danimakeitcount4dani.com

This week Katie had the privilege of meeting with Dr. Courtney Johnson, also known as the Female Athlete Doctor. She is a doctor of physical therapy who specializes in pelvic health, women’s health, particularly in general active women in all walks of life, such as women in pregnancy, postpartum, or women who are diagnosed with some sort of pelvic floor dysfunction. Courtney helps women be active again and get back on their feet, which is often where these issues usually occur or originate from. What Dr. Courtney is all about 0:50Pregnant women 4:50The benefits of doing this while pregnant 7:20Helping athletes to relax for birth 12:00Working with C-section women 16:00“When you think of a sports team, a sports team has everything and a coach for everything. For every position in a football team. They have a recovery squad, an athletic trainer, they have a doctor on staff, they have a physical therapist, so we should approach pregnancy and postpartum with the same mindset. Who is on your team? I know when that time comes for me, I’m gonna have X-Y-Z all lined up and I’ll be ready to go.” 11:10thefemaleathletedpt.com@thefemaleathletedoc

Today we are proud to present our guest Britni, of Denver, CO. She is a doctor of physical therapy and a pain free performance strength coach. After about 3.5 years of working in the traditional outpatient clinic model Britni started to feel burnt out and began to shift outside of the traditional clinic setting. Britni started online coaching in 2022 working with active adults who are struggling to manage pain/injury. In 2023 after moving to Denver, CO, Britni also started a cash based practice which she now operates inside of two different gyms in the greater Denver area. When she's not working Britni loves being outdoors hiking, snowboarding, exploring Denver or reading a good book. Tune in this week to hear this interesting conversation. How it works 2:30Live vs online 12:30Warm ups 15:45Workout recommendations from Britni 23:15Stretches and exercises for desk workers 32:30Insoles and feet 39:40Connect with Britni 48:40“Would you say having a designed warmup might be more important than a designed workout?” “I think both are important, but I think if you have a poorly designed warmup, that’s essentially not setting you up for the best success that you could have in your workout, which kind of has a bigger impact, I guess you could say, than a poorly designed workout.” 17:20@britnib.dptriseptconsulting.comriseperformanceandpt.com

We have 2 lovely guests on the podcast today named Kristi Harrison and Matthew McKeown, who are co-owners of Highland Fitness and Wellness, a personal training studio and fitness community in Scarborough, Ontario. They fill us in on some great tactics of how they’ve been able to build their gym culture in the best way possible, and then we get into what to focus on when helping your clients in improving their physical health. Movement is very necessary for each day, especially for those who are working a sedentary job 8 hours a day and they give some good examples of how to do that.About Kristi, Matt, and their gym 0:45Creating a community 7:30Focusing on the scapula and lumbar spine 16:30The worst thing about sitting 19:50Clients want professionalism 28:45Targeting specific people and groups 41:50Looking at feet and gait 49:00“I think the hardest thing is teaching people there’s more of a mental side that this is the rest of your life. Not meaning that you have to use the rest of your life, but the goals you want to accomplish, they need to be the rest of your life, and you can’t convince them on that. You can maybe show someone that, but you have to get someone who’s pretty much there already, that they know ‘I need to make significant changes and I know this is gonna take long term.’” 17:18www.highlandfit.com@highlandfitto

We have a returning guest on the podcast this week, Jeff Browning, who is a master long distance runner. Many know Jeff as “Bronco Billy” and royalty of the ultra marathon category. He has finished around 200 ultra marathons, which includes 52 one-hundred-mile-plus ultras. He has come in first place in 30 of those races, so we are so honored to be speaking with a world champion today. Jeff and Katie talk about everything from getting in the right mindset to foot care and the importance of heart rate variability. This last race and how he won 1:30Training that mindset to do this difficult thing 6:30Foot care 20:45Heart rate variability (HRV) 29:40Staying away from seed oils 38:45“I think everything in life prepares you, I think working on your mindset all the time, and that’s being willing to embrace hard things in your life, whether that’s learning something new or figuring something out. Always having a positive attitude is important, and positive mental speak as much as possible. It’s easy to say, hard to put into practice, to really be positive daily.” 6:51@gobroncobilly www.giddyupultra.com