The Life Athlete Podcast with Peter Shmock

Elia Mrak is a gifted dancer, a teachers teacher of human movement and thought leader on how to enjoy moving and being in your body over a lifetime. In this episode Elia shares more of his counter intuitive wisdom about the power and relevance of dance to all physical training and movement.  Wonderfully thought provoking, he’s as engaging today as he was as my first podcast guest ever in 2017. This time he returns for another 7IN7 mini podcast. Short, sweet worth and golden.   

From his education at Stanford, Harvard and through his own internal explorations, Jonathan Marshall found his niche helping people in the role of psychotherapist, executive coach and leadership trainer.  With his passion and toolbox of skills he assists people to open into living life with greater ease and vibrancy by becoming more aware of our inner core.

Dr Brandith Irwin is a dermatologist who practices in Seattle Wa. She’s been on Oprah and the weekend Today Show. She’s an accomplished physician and on a mission to help people have their best skin ever and for their lifetime. One of her missions is helping people learn about how to take care of their skin, especially those of us who like to spend a lot of time in the sun getting our moves on.  So if you run, walk, hike, swim, surf or cycle outside, and not in a mall, you need to listen to this. Sun is fun but has it’s consequences. Smart protection is a must.

John O’Sullivan, a former high level soccer player and youth coach says youth sports are broken. He’s on a mission to change how youth sports become a ultra competitive , adult centered enterprise that has taken the fun and ‘play’ out of ‘play ball’ and how to fix it.    Kids say the want sports to first be fun. And it’s far from being that, as injury rates are skyrocketing and 70 % of kids are dropping out of organized athletics by the age of 13. John is advocating  that coaches and parents join in to shift the paradigm in youth sports by learning to listen to their kids, be more patient with them, allowing them to fail, and being more grateful. These subjects and many other make this a most listen if you have kids in sports and even if you don’t. Right on John!

Sue Bird is a sports icon. She’s now the oldest starting player in the WNBA, and the Seattle Storm star wants to keep playing at the highest level possible. She played college ball at the University of Connecticut and, during her time there, they lost only four games in four years. With the Storm, she was a key figure in winning two WNBA championships over the fifteen years she’s played there. And did I mention she’s also won four gold medals in four Olympic games?   In this episode we’ll find out Sue’s secrets to keep optimizing and evolving her training gameplan, both mentally and physically, to stay in the game at peak levels. She shares how sweeping changes in her diet led to more energy and faster recovery time. You’ll also hear her story about learning the importance of staying level-headed during times of injury and recovery.   As a result of her long career and her ability to seek out changes to keep her body and mind finely tuned and vital, she has a wealth of knowledge which is applicable to all Life Athletes who want the same results.

Sue Falsone broke a huge barrier when she became the first female head athlete trainer in the history of MLB. Her story of how she went from a consultant to the Los Angeles Dodgers to the head trainer position is not only inspiring, but a testament to the how she was accepted by the players. She got results.   In this episode we’ll find out her view on current recovery techniques, which ones work and those that don’t. You’ll also hear her story about learning the importance of sleep for feeling more energy. And her take on the new trend of the growing use of technology and data in sports to win more games.     

Joe “Stringbean“ McConaughy is an ultra marathon runner. Who would have thought that with only one ultra marathon event under his belt he’d be prepared break a world record in his next ultra event. But he did. On August 31st, 2018, he destroyed the record for covering the 2,186-mile Appalachian Trail in just over 45-days. And he did it unsupported. Yep, with no help. His story is one of the perseverance and fortitude, which is obviously required for a physically intense endurance race. But it’s also a great reminder of how the path towards realizing our deepest desires and goals never quite goes as planned. Listening to his light hearted recounting of his epic accomplishment can only re-instill the sense of “I can” in all of us, one step at a time.  

Mac and I were teammates on the University of Oregon track team in the early 70s and shared the legendary coach and inventor of the Nike shoe, Bill Bowerman. A gift to both of us. Mac’s resume is impressive. He was a 4 x Olympic team member as discus thrower. He won the Gold medal in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and a Silver in the !984 Olympics in Los Angeles. After his lengthy athletic career he became a coach, a mentor and a teacher to many young track and field athletes striving to become the best athletes possible.  In this podcast he shares his wealth of knowledge, from his own pursuit of ever better physical and mental performance and his evolved skills and wisdom to guiding others  to become the best versions of themselves.  In this podcast we discuss: The life lessons learned from his track coach Bill Bowerman Discovering a more powerful way to learn to become better. His philosophy in successfully handling huge disappointments How having fun is more important than just striving to be more successful How persistence and knowing you can get better are keys to success physically and life.    Listen in to hear these life changing tips and much more

What a pleasure to speak with Elena. Not just because she espouses eating fresh and natural foods. And not because she believes in food as being the life force that makes us ready to meet each day healthily and more vibrant, which she does. It’s because she has a fresh and unregimented way of pointing people towards how to eat without so many dos’ and don'ts successfully for life. That’s fresh.         Elena Razmpoosh is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in Nutrition Sciences from the University of Washington. She grew up in a household where wholesome food and holistic medicine was the way of life which eventually led her to her nutrition career. Aside from developing new delicious, vegan recipes for Jujubeet, a Seattle based juice and tasty nutrition rich foods company, Elena is passionate about helping people change their lives through a healthy diet and lifestyle by taking small, simple steps to create lifelong habits. In this episode we talk about: How to be more intuitive in eating what your body needs How we eat can affect our genes… in a positive or negative way Learning to be in tune to what our body needs… which is often lost from childhood Letting go of rules around what you eat and to eat what need not what you think you need The impact of eating meat vs eating a plant-based diet The need to focus on eating with diversity and seasonally for a more sustainable earth healthy way.

One day in 1995 Marjolein was out for her daily run when her life took a dramatic turn for the worst.  She was hit by a car.  Her rehabilitation, as you can imagine was long and arduous but in time she recovered, in part due to her perseverance and the use of pilates as her physical therapy. She credits pilates as a big reason for her being able to run, move fluidly and be more connected to her body.  Today she still moves like someone half her age or younger… and I’ve seen her move! From there her story becomes even more fascinating and more positive as well. Being the entrepreneur she is ( and she believes entrepreneurs are born, not made…. more on that in this episode) she decided to embark on an all encompassing journey to create a home pilates machine that was affordable to the masses and could help people receive the benefits she receive during her rehab period as a fitness tool.   As a TV producer of informerials already she had the know how to marketing to those potential buyers. And that she did. She not only created the Aero Pilates machine but she marketed them through infomercials and QVC and the rest is history. The net result is that The Aero Pilates machine has been the longest selling and most successful fitness product in the history of QVC. Marjolein has creates a multimillion dollar business. Marjolein’s story is amazing one. It’s filled inspiring, insightful and nuggets of wisdom for entrepreneurs and those wanting to live their best lives. I hope you’ll be a enthralled to listen to it as I was to hear her story in person.   In this episode we’ll discuss: How her morning ritual is key to her well being and success throughout the day and in business. How her rehab and recovery from a grave injury gave her more awareness and greater connection to her body which enhanced her entire life.   Her entrepreneurship as an adolescent and how that impacted her life later on in a most positive way. Her belief in how discipline is the key ingredient in being successful in business and life!           Check out Marjolein's website for more information on what she’s up to today - https://www.lighterliving.com/

In this episode, I get to talk with Ryan Munsey on a subject I’ve always been interested in: optimizing human performance and energy through diet and supplementation. It’s a highly debated subject, but I think Ryan helps make it more precise and more straightforward. Ryan is the chief Optimizer at Natural Stacks a supplement company leading the way in brain health and optimization. He has a Dietetics degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition from Clemson University. And on top of that, he’s a podcaster, writer, speaker, and high-performance consultant. It’s great to be able to speak with someone so well informed and passionate about this subject matter and to be able to share it with you. In this episode we talk about: - How the role of creating a lifestyle of eating quality foods and exercise precedes the use of nutritional supplements - The evolution of locally sourced foods, higher quality foods, and open sourcing into the mainstream of our food culture. - The power of the cordyceps mushroom. - How he boosts his immune system during the flu season and travel. - Why the daily multivitamin is a waste of money. - And much more! You can reach Ryan at - http://ryanmunsey.com/blog/

Perpetua is an executive coach, mentor and psychologist. She received her Doctorate in clinical psychology from the prestigious UCL and a Masters from Cambridge. She works mostly with high achieving women helping them become who they can they truly are to be effective leaders in the world. That said her advice and teachings are for all.   Whether helping them through toxic relationships, panic attacks and just feeling like they don’t have time for themselves, she guides people to how to blossom in their jobs and relationships by learning to love and honor themselves. On top of that she writes for The Huffington Post, MindBodyGreen and Thrive Global. Her work has been translated into 21 languages. In this podcast we talk about : How she dealt with her own panic attacks led to helping use the same approach with her clients. How she came to learn what’s ‘good enough’ and that it doesn’t have to be perfection. How not to feel like you have to over perform in every area of your life. Her journey of learning to rest and not feeling guilty over it. How to move forward by letting go of your old stories you have of yourself. She‘s a remarkable coach and teacher we all could use. 

Decades ago Dave Phillips accomplished some epic endurance events, like skiing 83 hours continuously to water skiing over 2000 km with a buddy. These intense and painful physical feats were performed to help raise money and awareness for some notable causes, like cystic fibrosis. Little did he know, another benefit would come from those events. The gift would be Dave’s clear understanding of what purpose in life should be that day forward.  From there it’s full speed ahead, living out of that purpose and helping people do the same. He’s a mentor, coach, motivational speaker, columnist and author of the book -  3 Big Questions     In this book and in his words you’ll hear in this podcast, Dave encourages people to care about standing up to be a person of virtue, purpose and meaning. In doing so he believes people will live a more satisfying and expansive life. In this podcast Dave also touches on: Why retirement is a bogus concept. Why you should choose to step up in life with courage. How to avoid shrinking back into comfort is a dead end in life. How to finding meaning in your life beyond all material goals. How to become happy and satisfied in you life.   Please listen. There is a ton of meaty subject matter in my conversation with Dave  to keep you engrossed.

Jamie Moyer had a dream like career in Major league Baseball. As a starting pitcher he spent 25 years in the Big Leagues and played on 9 different teams.  By the end of his career he had amassed 269 wins and an ERA of 4.25. A rare and remarkable achievement. But I believe his biggest most lofty accomplishment was his breaking the ML record for being the oldest player to win a game as a starter at the age of 49.  In 2015 he was inducted into the Mariner Hall of Fame to add to his resume. Though Jamie didn’t possess a blinding fast ball as many of his successful contemporaries did, he did possess many other success building assets. Jamie was as smart a pitcher as ever there ever was which was realized by endless preparation before each game. His consistent studying the opposing hitters before each game was part of his game plan. His work ethic was second to none as he took great pride in making sure he was ready for each start, physically and mentally. Listen in and I’m sure you will come away with a couple of insightful tips you can apply in any area of your life. In this episode Jamie touches on : How paying attention to his body helped him have a longer career What it took to become the oldest pitcher to win a Major league game His insights on overtraining and how it can lead to injury and keeping you out of the game. How spending time preparing for games ( or any life event ) is a cornerstone of success. How to use your mind to guide your to your goals

This week I talk with Lindsey Wilson, a dynamic and passionate mental training coach and principal of Positive Performance. She consuls athletic teams, individual athletes and organizations how go beyond their mental roadblocks to become who they can be.  I first met Lindsey years ago as a teenager who was driven to be her best physically for her beloved sport of basketball.  In that first encounter I knew she was and would be a force to be reckoned with in the future. I was right. After a stellar career playing basketball at Iowa State in which she earned honorable mention as an All American among other prestigious awards, she was drafted by the WNBA Connecticut Sun and then played another 8 years abroad in Europe and the Middle East. By many coaches she was described as “relentless” in her on the court play. Today she’s still relentless and driven to help those who wish to go beyond their minds and preconceived ideas of who they can become.  If you want to become better and learn her mental techniques to reach the next level of performance and ultimate potential please listen to this podcast with Lindsey Wilson. You won’t regret it.

On Thursday August 3, 2017, Antonio Arguelles completed the Northern channel swim from Northern Ireland to Scotland. This was his 7th and last channel swim to complete the Oceans Seven: the 7 hardest channel swims in the world. The equivalent in the climbing world is summiting the 7 peaks over 8000m. In this his final swim of 21 miles in 55 degree waters, eating steamed potatoes every 30 minutes while he treaded water he finally reached his goal over 13 hours later.  With the 7th channel swim complete, his named was emblazoned on a very short list of people who had reached this goal. Number 7th to ever swim the Oceans Seven, first Latin American, and most impressively - the oldest at 58 years old.  In this episode Antonio shares a wealth of knowledge, insights and motivation. We touch on: His mental training techniques which kept him going in the water during the tough times. The importance of a holistic dry land training program to swimming further How Tai chi and Qigong helped altered his mind body connection. His most important reasons he wants to stay fit today.

I had a bromance with Sean the moment I met him. Talented, present and passionate but most of all I was drawn to his energy and ethos of life. He lives his life with a central mantra in mind : help people become their best and most authentic selves. As a Life Coach he guides people to go beyond preconceived ideas of who they are and discover their highest and happiest selves. As an entrepreneur he created Float Seattle and Bellevue 5 years ago. Float offers  sensory deprivation tanks where you literally float in salt infused water. The benefits of stress relief, pain relief and a meditative time out from our busy lives. I think of Float as being another offering fully in alignment with Sean’s vision of offering people ways to live a richer fuller life.  In the podcast Sean touches on : His beliefs on the life changing benefits of meditation    His daily practice of weaving in downtime to get more done and becoming better in all you do. Why it’s a mistake to glorify being busy. How to maintain and optimize your ‘temple’ body. His secret to how to kick ass every day

Any time I get hang out with Dan Wilson, or Dan the Man, as his former Seattle Mariner teammates would call him, It’s a super stoked day for me. Dan spent 11 years with the Seattle Mariners as their All Star catcher and by the time he retired in 2005 he could claim a total of 13 years in the big leagues. For the last 4 years Dan has worked as a roving coach for the catchers on Mariners minor league teams. But more recently the  major league players are his students as well.  Voted into the Mariners Hall of fame in 2012. Dan today is still one of the all time sports star icons in the history of Seattle not just because of sports but because of who he is as a person and the goodness he has given to the community. In this podcast Dan shares: The key teachings he received from his mentors and how they guided him into reaching ever higher levels of physical performance. His method today for teaching young players how to reach their physical and mental potential. ( applicable to all btw ) How he deals with injuries and setbacks The notable attributes of players like Edgar Martinez and Ken Griffey Jr with whom he played with And a whole lot more!

I’ve known Jeff since the early 90s when he owned a studio in Seattle  called Inside Moves. It was home to one of his passions, Aikido, in which he was very accomplished, yoga classes, as well as his work as Feldenkrais practitioner. And as soon found out, a very gifted one at that. Jeff’s role as a teacher has had a tremendous impact on my understanding of human movement, and how I work with people today. I only wish I knew him during my own career as an athlete. In his words “Every day I am enriched by helping my clients to discover their own implicit ability to learn; helping them refine their own function, and enhancing the quality of their lives in ways that are simple yet profound.”  He studied with Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais directly, and in 1983, founded Inside Moves. He has a successful and fulfilling private practice working with a wide variety of clients ranging from those with severe disabilities to martial artists, dancers, rock climbers, PGA golfers and NHL hockey players.

Dr. Robert Schoene, aka Brownie, is a man of many talents and a vast reservoir of knowledge. Professionally, he teaches students, residents, fellows in training, athletes, and patients with heart and lung disease the importance of understanding exercise physiology in improving their own lives. A wealth of knowledge and experience which will leave listeners of this Life Athlete podcast are in for a real treat. An avid and gifted athlete, he played football at Princeton, climbed Mt. Everest (to the 24K foot level) as part of a high altitude research  expedition, and being the aerobic animal he is, he’s run a sub 3 hour marathon. In this podcast Brownie gives his take on: The effects of aging on cardiovascular capacity and how we can stay aerobically fit no matter what. Debunking myths and BS about current fitness trends. you can improve strength and cardiovascular in your 50, 60s just like you could in your 30s.  What's the most efficient way to increase your anaerobic threshold. How to get the most out of interval training without over training.  Enjoy!