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Breaking Trail

Breaking Trail. Every other week, Lisa Gerber talks to people who are working to make the world more habitable, more humane, and more loving. In the words of author and environmentalist David Orr, they are the “peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of every kind” that this world needs so desperately. Through their stories, we cover themes of hope, courage, and action. This is a show for people who want to contribute to the world rather than take from it. We are living life on our own terms, defining our own version of success. We are breaking trail. Interested in being a guest? Learn more here. http://bigleapcreative.com/pitch-the-breaking-trail-podcast/ Let me know if you have questions!
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Now displaying: 2018
Dec 14, 2018

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: 

Website

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.

Nov 29, 2018

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.

Nov 22, 2018

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:

  • How to follow your heart and take that big leap.
  • Overcoming uncertainty along the way.
  • How to cut your carbon footprint and as we enter the holiday season, to be more conscious about the things we buy.
  • The joy in living a simpler life with fewer things.

 

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.

Nov 15, 2018

“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.

  • How does a meditation practice help us with our day to day anxieties?
  • Why is it so powerful? Discuss the science)
  • We take it further and look at it through trauma and depression.
  • For those wondering what a practice looks like, she does a brief guided practice.
  • Other ways to practice mindfulness if meditation just isn’t for you. 

 

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.

Nov 8, 2018

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: 

  • The culture and positioning at Yeti Cycles.
  • Janette's own career path - and how she, like so many other Gear Show guests, has made choices based on fulfillment and happiness rather than money. 
  • Bike geometry and technology - the evolution in the past decade.
  • Bikes and how to choose the one for you. 

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.

Nov 1, 2018

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:

  • Running in the Alps
  • Stage races
  • The dynamic of running with a partner
  • How to train for TAR
  • Even a novice runner could do it…. (and that’s where I get into some trouble.

 

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.

Oct 25, 2018

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: 

  • Starting from rock bottom and pushing through adversity
  • The not so glamorous side of creativity
  • The rewards in putting your work out there and a lot more. 

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.

Oct 18, 2018

Kikkan Randall is an Olympic champion cross-country skier. She has won 17 U.S. National titles, taken home 17 U.S. Championships, made 16 podiums in the Stage World Cup, made five trips to the Winter Olympic Games and had the highest finish by an individual U.S. woman at the World Championships (2nd in the Sprint FS at Liberec, CZE in 2009). She was the first American female cross-country skier to take a top ten finish in World Cup competition, to win a World Cup race and to win a World Cup discipline title.[2] She won the silver medal in the individual sprint at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2009 in Liberec, becoming the first American woman to win a medal in cross country skiing at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and in 2013 teamed up with Jessica Diggins to win the first ever American FIS Nordic World Ski Championships gold medal in the team sprint. She and Diggins won the United States' first ever cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympics in women's team sprint at Pyeongchang in 2018.

 

If you have not seen that race, I encourage you to go check it out before you listen. It is off the hook dramatic and awesome! Kikkan has had quite a year. Shortly after winning Olympic Gold, at the peak of her career, she learned she will have to wage a new battle: breast cancer.

 

We cover a lot in this conversation. I was curious to know how she handles big performance days. What is it like the morning before an Olympic Gold medal win, ya know? I get butterflies just heading out to our local trail race. She walks us through her training program at a high level. We talk about her battle with breast cancer, her pledge to stay active, focused and positive through it. Lastly, I asked Kikkan about her community engagement. So many athletes inspired her as a kid. She pays it forward now.

 

With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next!

 

Resources mentioned and where to find Kikkan. 

 

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.

Oct 11, 2018

“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: 

NICA 

Little Bellas

Hong Quan - Karmic Bikes

rage-baking.com

Where to find Amanda

www.amandabatty.com

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.

Sep 6, 2018

Elinor Fish is the former editor of Trail Runner Magazine. She made the leap in 2010 from her career to start Wild Run Retreats with the mission to help people reduce stress and live a healthier life through mindful running. To do this, her business model was tweaked over time, and we’ll talk about that. She eventually found the sweet spot and is now offering retreats to fantastic destinations such as Iceland, the Dolomites and coast of Spain where she coaches the mindful running practice. We’re going to talk about mindful running, what it is and how it benefits you as well. 

 

You’re also going to learn what kept her going in times of uncertainty, how to deal with your own stress while running, and how to put together a training program that works for you. 

 

Get ready for an enjoyable journey around the world, trail running from your ear buds. With that, let’s listen in and gear up for what’s next: 

 

Links

To learn more about her retreats, and the ones she didn’t speak about, specifically the U.S. retreats and to connect with Elinor:

 

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.

Aug 30, 2018

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

Instagram

http://instagram.com/2healthyfitvegans

Subscribe to their YouTube channel - it’s awesome!

Plant Positive Non-profit

 

Links:
Norwegian Dream Trip - Salomon TV

 

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.

Aug 23, 2018

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: 

  • Connecting to nature after unnatural experience of cancer treatment
  • Connecting to other people who have experienced the same
  • Help people get to know themselves again through meditation and mindfulness practice

 

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:

 

Aug 16, 2018

There has to be a certain kind of crazy to do some of the things Mark Gibson has taken on. He’s done things like skateboarded from capital to capital (Washington DC to Ottawa, Canada) with his son. He ran 276 miles across the state of Pennsylvania from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in (ten days - averaging over a marathon a day).

 

He’s run the rim to rim to rim in the Grand Canyon and a 100-mile run along the entire length of the Florida Keys from Key Largo to Key West straight through) to name a few. 

 

Mark is formally a member of the British National Gymnastics Team. He went on to become assistant coach to the U.S. Junior Olympic Team in Colorado Springs and now, teaches gymnastics to kids at his own gymnastics center in Pennsylvania. He is a keynote speaker and author of "Going For It” and “It’s Not About What You Can’t Do. It’s About What You Can’t Do Yet.” 

 

This isn’t necessarily to inspire you to concoct some strange thing to take on. It’s to inspire you hopefully to do the thing you want to do, whether you are 100 percent prepared or not, whether the time is right or not, whether you might fail or not. Mark quit his job one month before his son was born to launch his speaking and writing career. He has a lot to share: 

 

Links

 

Where to Find Mark: 

 

Let’s listen in gear up for what’s next. 

 

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.

Aug 9, 2018

Backcountry Lifeline was founded in August 2015, following a crash on Stage 3 of the Big Mountain Enduro Series and Enduro World Series in Crested Butte, CO, in which 40-year old Will Olson died. Will was an expert rider favored to win the series, and to those who founded backcountry lifeline, he was a respected fellow rider, friend, and beloved fiancé. His death rocked the bike community, and support poured in from around the globe.

 

Today, his fiancé Bonnie McDonald joins the show to discuss loss and how to make some sense out of it with some purpose and drive. 

 

Bonnie and the team at Backcountry Lifeline would like to help lead the way and shift the conversation on safety and medical support in the mountain biking community in general. There is no standard in mountain biking events and quite honestly, the mountain bike industry is behind others. It’s time to change that.

 

Be sure and stay to the end. Just as I was about to wrap up and say good bye, Bonnie shared some of the unintended beauty, collateral beauty as it’s known, in this tragedy. It’s heartbreaking and beautiful. I considered editing and bringing this piece of the conversation forward into the episode but it goes exactly where it is, a fitting end. 

 

Let’s listen in gear up for what’s next. 

 

Where to Find Bonnie:

 

Sponsors:

  • Maxxis
  • shimano
  • Yeti

 

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.

Aug 2, 2018

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

Kayak Online Marketing

Twitter

LinkedIn

 

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.

 

Jul 26, 2018

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

Boulder Hut Adventures

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.

Jul 12, 2018

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.

Jul 5, 2018

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.

Jun 28, 2018

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:

www.hilarymoliver.com

Instagram

Resources Mentioned:

Where to link to videos: https://hilarymoliver.com/films/

Learn more at The Gear Show

Jun 21, 2018

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

Jun 14, 2018

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.

 


Learn more at www.thegearshow.com

 

Links, Resources, Further Reading:

Nalgene Drink Tube and Bite Valve

 

Where to find Jeff:

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center

Jun 7, 2018

Today, we talk with USATF Certified running coach, author, and speaker, Mike Ehredt about trail running, shoes, socks, and being pragmatic in competition.

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 shoe for you. And remember, just like the best marketing can't fix product or business problems, the best shoe alone will not fix your biomechanics, or take you to first place. If only it were the easy. Also, Mike will share with us his favorite app to identify potential issues so you can not only tackle underlying things that might cause injury but also know what shoe might be best for you. Listen on.

Mike ran 4424 miles from Oregon to Maine, 30 miles a day, planting a flag every mile to honor fallen service members. That was Project America I. For Project America II, He ran 2,146 miles from Canada to Galveston, TX , a marathon a day, with no days off. Again, planting a flag every mile, building an invisible wall to honor fallen service members.

 

Topics covered:

 

  • Biomechanics
  • Terrain you're running on
  • Running conditions -
  • Learn what low drop is
  • What features to look at.
  • What happens if you don't like the shoes you bought? We have some ideas.

 

You know what? Socks matter! They slide down your feet, cause blisters, get wet (ew!) and have varying levels of breathability.

 

LINKS

 

WHERE TO FIND MIKE

  • Mike's Website
  • Run 7B - a local (north Idaho) Facebook group where we talk running and organize local runs.
Jun 1, 2018

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:

 

May 24, 2018

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 I9s owner, Clint. Clint's father had started that shop 50 years ago and Clint practically grew up in that shop.

Sarahs 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 didnt know could be better but once its 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, lets listen in and gear up for whats next. 

 

Where to Find Sarah:

Instagram

 

Resources

Industry Nine Wheel Sets

5point Films

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