On June 7, 2025, Oar the Rainbow will be one of just five teams losing sight of shore for an unsupported, human-powered, 2800-mile row from Monterey, CA to Kauai, HI. The team, – including the first out transgender person to row across the Pacific – are about two years into their planning and training. 

Members Taylan Stulting, Julie Warren, and Courtney Farber have inclusion, joy, and kindness at the heart of the team, with the belief that representation in sports matters, while pushing the limits of endurance.

We talk about the love of rowing, having something to prove, what to expect out there, and fundraising for Athlete Ally and Doctors Without Borders. Stick around for a bonus Q&A with ocean rower, author, and adventurer Jordan Hanssen.

QUICK LOOK

00:00 - Podcast Series Introduction

01:45 - Episode Intro: Rachel and Tara’s take on taking on an ocean

08:57 - The Huddle: A quick get to know you 

10:39 - Rowing week on a scale of 1-10

11:26 - The Hot Seat Q&A

13:58 - Rowing origin stories: For Courtney the stars aligned in her 30s; Julie got handed a flier as a college freshman; Taylan sought out a college LTR program

19:20 - Most recent training/practical session together

21:09 - The dream of rowing an ocean

26:05 - How Oar the Rainbow came to be

28:40 - Commitment and family sacrifices

30:30 - About the World’s Toughest Row

31:20 - The boat named Emma

32:30 - Training

33:37 - Extrapolating personal skills to make the teamwork work

38:03 - The “why” 

42:42 - Charities and support

44:14 - Intro to Q&A with ocean rower, author, and adventurer Jordan Hanssen

44:55 -  What is so exciting about rowing on the ocean? 

45:56 -  What piece of equipment or personal gear do you wish that you had with you? 

48:25 -  How did you feel hitting the halfway point and in the days following that milestone? 

49:44 -  What was the transition back to life on land like for you? 

51:38 -  How to plan for something unexpected?

53:10 -  Lovely nuggets

56:10 - Steady State Network news and notes

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To see photos of Oar the Rainbow, and get links to the people, clubs, and events mentioned in this episode, check out the show notes on our website.

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This episode was made possible in part by Breakwater Realty, RowSource, and our Patrons.

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Steady State Podcast is written, produced, hosted, and edited by Rachel Freedman and Tara Morgan. Tara provides additional audio engineering and is our sponsor and donor coordinator. Rachel manages the website, social media, and e-newsletter. Our theme music is by Jonas Hipper.

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Tara Morgan - @CmonBarber