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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: March, 2018
Mar 29, 2018

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:

  • The beauty in not knowing everything that goes into launching a clothing brand. Just start, and focus on the things that matter in the moment. One step at a time, baby.
  • How to solve problems and not let them take you down, to the fetal position. which might be our tendency. 

 

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:

Mar 22, 2018

Today, travel writer Dina Mishev joins us and we’re going to talk about finding and pursuing your passion, not the direct route, but taking the scenic, if not altogether, more difficult way of getting there. Dina deferred entry to law school to move to Jackson Hole with the hopes of learning to ski and running into Harrison Ford. The detour opened new doors for her that eventually led to her becoming a travel writer for magazines and online publications such as Sunset Magazine and the Washington Post. We get to learn more about that and what the creative process is like. When the media landscape began to shift in the past decade, she shifted accordingly. When cancer struck, again, she had to adapt.   

A few things really struck me with the conversation and I think it bears repeating here. She sent out 1483 queries for her first travel writing assignment and instead of being discouraged by the single assignment she received , her reaction was “their loss” to the “NOs” and the unresponsive. I would have decided then and there I’m not good enough but there is something to be said for perseverance and self-confidence (or the naïveté of the young?)

When Dina says, on dealing with cancer and MS ”It’s crazy what your body can get used to.  

Physically, my body can get used to a new normal - much quicker than mind and emotions can.” I thought about that when I was listening to the interview during editing. I wish I had noticed it when we were talking so we could have discussed it more. It’s so true - our minds and the story we tell ourselves can be destructive. That’s something I talked about a few episodes ago in my backcountry ski trip, when I let my mind spiral myself into insanity. 

 

Listen up and gear up for what’s next!

 

Where to Find Dina

 

Resources

Mar 15, 2018

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:

  • How to get in shape for your next big event.
  • Get in shape means, “enough to have fun, not suffer. “
  • Hours of training needed to improve your performance.

Resources:

Find Brian:

Mar 8, 2018

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

Skimo co

Selkirk Mountain Experience

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