Ever struggled with finding your fitness passion and overcoming personal obstacles? Coach Karen shares her incredible journey from small-town Ancaster, Ontario to becoming an accomplished triathlete. We reminisce about her childhood as an overweight kid, her life-changing experience with the Woodland Challenge program, and her ongoing journey of self-discovery and personal growth.
Karen opens up about a pivotal injury that led her to fall in love with cycling and shares how she developed her skills and met fellow cycling enthusiasts like Karen Verk at the Flyers Cycling Club. As her passion for cycling grew, she met her riding partner, and they embarked on a new adventure together - triathlons.
From starting with a 10K bike ride to competing in sprint distance triathlons, Olympic distance, and her favourite, the half Ironman, Karen's determination and drive are truly inspiring. We discuss her first race in Syracuse, New York, the challenges she faced, and how her experiences led her to conquer a full Ironman. Join us as we explore Karen's powerful story of self-discovery, personal growth, and finding one's passion in life.
🧠 This episode and more are available now on all streaming platforms. Check it out on Spotify, iTunes or http://podcast.redleaf.fit/
'𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.
⛏️💎#KEEPGOING
Ever struggled with finding your fitness passion and overcoming personal obstacles? Coach Karen shares her incredible journey from small-town Ancaster, Ontario to becoming an accomplished triathlete. We reminisce about her childhood as an overweight kid, her life-changing experience with the Woodland Challenge program, and her ongoing journey of self-discovery and personal growth.
Karen opens up about a pivotal injury that led her to fall in love with cycling and shares how she developed her skills and met fellow cycling enthusiasts like Karen Verk at the Flyers Cycling Club. As her passion for cycling grew, she met her riding partner, and they embarked on a new adventure together - triathlons.
From starting with a 10K bike ride to competing in sprint distance triathlons, Olympic distance, and her favourite, the half Ironman, Karen's determination and drive are truly inspiring. We discuss her first race in Syracuse, New York, the challenges she faced, and how her experiences led her to conquer a full Ironman. Join us as we explore Karen's powerful story of self-discovery, personal growth, and finding one's passion in life.
🧠 This episode and more are available now on all streaming platforms. Check it out on Spotify, iTunes or http://podcast.redleaf.fit/
'𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐟 𝐅𝐢𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.
⛏️💎#KEEPGOING
Welcome back to the Red Lee Fitness podcast on Friday, june 9. I am sitting here with coach Karen Liu. Welcome, how are you doing today?
Speaker 2:Hi Sharon, i'm good, you good, yeah, how are you feeling?
Speaker 1:Are you feeling super excited and super comfortable about being on this podcast?
Speaker 2:100%. Never been more excited.
Speaker 1:Never been more excited. Yeah, for the record, karen is a little bit mad about being on this podcast right now, but she agreed to it, quite brave and quite grateful. So essentially, what we're going to do is we're going to have a good deep dive conversation, understand exactly how your path led to here to today, to Redleaf to you know you have a lot of cool things that happen along the way And I think it's pretty powerful. So I want to share, even if it's against your will, more about behind the scenes kind of person, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's jump right into it. Let's talk about where it all started, by way of where you're born.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, i was born in Hamilton, ontario, and grew up in Ancaster, the nicer part of Hamilton.
Speaker 1:Go on.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So what was so? what was childhood like? So, okay, you're growing up in Ancaster. Paid the picture for me. What is Ancaster?
Speaker 2:Ancaster is a small town. Yeah, there is one high school growing up. Yeah, maybe I'll went to and yeah. Not much goes on in Ancaster. I left there as soon as I could.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's one of those small town things where it's just like, or is it? I don't know, is it just like everybody? just you know, you either grow up and you're like get me out of here, or you're kind of growing up and you're like, no, this is where I'm going to be for the rest of my life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 100% Yeah. You either marry someone that you went to high school with and stay in Ancaster and raise your kids there, or you get out of dodge, get out of yeah, and so you chose get out of dodge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cool. So you know you have recently made an incredible career switch which I want to get into in detail. But how did the beginning? so how did the early days of Karen bake itself into sports and fitness and stuff? Can you talk a little bit about what exercise and sports and stuff was like for you as a little kid? and and and cast it.
Speaker 2:Well, i mean, i guess as a little kid I was not the most athletic, i would say, and actually hated gym class. That was my most hated day or hour of the day. And uh, yeah, i was. You know, i was a kid that you know came in last at the cross country tournament and would fake an injury. So I had a reason to come in last. And when they made you run track and field, they took attendance at the start of the race. So I take attendance and then get the heck out of there and not actually run, because I hated running.
Speaker 1:Isn't that ironic. Now as now, today, you're a runner.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So I guess I mean I was. I was an overweight kid growing up and eventually I had I guess around the age of 15, i probably lost a whole bunch of weight and found that exercise was kind of the way to do it. So in high school I joined I joined any team that didn't cut anyone from the team. So I was on the field hockey team, i was on the gymnastics team and I was on the swim team And uh yeah, and I just did it for fun. I enjoyed doing it. I got involved because my friends were involved And I mean, the biggest thing is nobody got cut, so you just had to show up. It was pretty good.
Speaker 1:So, uh, can I ask you to be a little bit more vulnerable than you probably want to be? Can? you can you talk about? so you said when you were a teenager you lost some weight. Can you talk about the period before? What were the things like? where were you as a kid? What happened?
Speaker 2:Um, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I mean, I was just just doing regular kid stuff and you just happened to have you said you, you gained some weight as a kid.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i feel like from I don't know. I was always kind of a, i guess a bigger kid, and from the ages of like six to 13, i put on more weight than I was comfortable with and and hated it Right Like um, what when you say hated it like what's? I was just. I mean, i didn't feel comfortable in my own body and you know kids are mean, girls are mean. You know comments were made and you know it hurts, right, it hurts, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not a good place to be. Yeah, um and uh, the actually the summer that I lost the whole bunch of weight. It was a. There was a program like the camp that I went to. It was called Woodland Challenge and it was basically a four week program and um, the whole, it was just the whole. The whole month was moving. It was any and all activity that you could think of. We did um canoeing and kayaking and we did a 10 day canoe trip and there was wall climbing and um whitewater kayaking and every day there was something and um, just constantly moving. And I had noticed that month that I started to lose some weight unintentionally, like that wasn't what I was trying to do, um, but it happened, and um, um, yeah, and so that's how I kind of knew that that exercise had to be part of who. I was always Um, and I loved it. I loved every minute of being outside and active and um, yeah, and so that's kind of where it um things changed for me, i guess. And then, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:That's so important, that detail to kind of go in and and you know and sort of set the stage. So, as I think many people can relate, kids are mean and that stage between, i don't know, nine and 12, it's like the worst.
Speaker 1:You're feeling stuff, you know about stuff, you're you're starting to have sort of you know, mature feelings where things hit and land and they hit a bit harder and the intercore of things And, um, it's formative And uh, you know, that's the beginning of stages where you know things from that front from then on start to impact and they become who we are And we stay those people. In so many ways You're still that nine year old girl, right?
Speaker 1:Uh, in some ways, you know, i'm still that nine year old girl and no, but I mean I, i can remember being a 10 year old and just having my feelings just trample on and exploded And you, sometimes you can. You'll never forget it And so you know, sure, we grow up in our 20s, 30s, 40s and on, but things like that shape you And I think it's important to you know, be brave and go back into those days and you know we find answers there And so, um, so we're starting to get a good idea of you know how Karen's feeling, what's going on. This is starting to give us direction on how things are leading here, like we're getting a bit of a, a cool direction. So you kids are mean, girls mean, things are being said right, and you start to lose some weight. What does that mean for you?
Speaker 2:Um well, i mean, i started to feel better myself, i had a bit more confidence.
Speaker 1:Um and uh, i was happier from the inside out right To quiet inner confidence. Yeah, Yeah, What else?
Speaker 2:Um, i don't know. I mean, i guess over that time I also found um running, because that was um something I always just kind of went out and did, like I just threw on a pair of shoes and and started to run um later in high school, i guess, and um.
Speaker 1:And that funny girl from the kid who faked an injury not to run to the kid who goes out to run.
Speaker 2:I know It's kind of crazy, right, yeah, um, yeah. And running, i found, was really good for my head space as well, i feel like, more than anything else, um, it was the only time like my mind was quiet, i feel, um, which was a really good place for me. So, um, yeah, so that's kind of how I got through. I feel like my um, the end of high school and university days And, um, i mean, i guess the uh, yeah, the running eventually led to some injuries because I was just running with no, no direction, no plan, not eating properly, not not resting, not recovering. I just, oh, it's a beautiful day today, let's go run for two hours and not, you know, i wasn't fueling And there's nothing that I was doing, right.
Speaker 1:It's amazing how and I can relate to that one too, because it's amazing how you know you know so much about fueling the body now and you know things to do before you run, during the run, after your mobilization, your all all the things that lead into the going for that two hour run. Now you look back you're like what a shit show that used to be, and you probably did it all the time.
Speaker 2:So dumb all the time.
Speaker 1:You know, it's just. it's crazy how it's sort of like human in a way where it's just like you know, it's almost that. Um, I'm trying to think of the right term, but it's like naive. That's what I was thinking. It's like it's like that early young naive naive I hate the word naivete.
Speaker 2:Do you?
Speaker 1:feel awkward when you say naivete.
Speaker 2:I've never said that word.
Speaker 1:You've never said try it.
Speaker 2:Naivete. Yeah, did you feel weird? Feels weird. Yeah, naivete, it doesn't sound like a word.
Speaker 1:Naivete, anyway. So that word, our young naivete. it gets you started And so many things. And even as an adult you can have naivete to get you started in something. And then you look back you're like, oh fuck, i'm an idiot. And so you start to focus and everything. So, but yeah, so part of my interjection there. Go back to where you so. You're running, you're going out on these runs, you're starting to see some injuries and stuff. What age are you, by the way? Curious.
Speaker 2:Oh so.
Speaker 1:I guess Is this still high school, or.
Speaker 2:Late high school, yeah, end of high school, like university days, and yeah, i guess. I mean, my goals were never performance related, it was just to go out, i just like being outside, and running allowed me to do that. My first big injury came after university, i guess, and that was a pelvic stress fracture.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i went out for a run one of those days. I was like, oh, it's beautiful, i'm going to run for two hours And I got halfway out and I was like groin started to hurt And I was like, oh, i was like okay, well, you know, i didn't have any way to get back other than my feet, So it was a long haul back and I came home and I ice And I was like it'll be fine. And the next day, you know you, you got to test to make sure you have an injury, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Just like believe that you have one. You're like, oh, i'll go and let me, let me test it and see. And I got like I don't know, five steps out the door and like collapsed. I was in so much pain. So I went to the doctor and sure enough, he immediately sent me for scans and yeah.
Speaker 2:So I came back with a pelvic stress fracture which was like totally that was sticking for me Because, i mean, that was my outlet. I didn't know what else to do at that point And yeah. So it was kind of an interesting thing. I lived in the, so this was after university. I lived in High Park and there was a crappy little gym that I went to that was in the bottom of the building And there was a girl there that worked and we always kind of chatted and I always told her about my stupid little injuries all the time, and so when I came in with this one, she got so mad at me. She said I've had enough. She's like I'm gonna fix you. And I didn't know. But she was the strength and conditioning coach at U of T with the girls basketball team.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:And yeah, and so she said no running for a year at all. And she says, and you're gonna do this program? And she took me back to the beginning of like the most basic basic boring like stability work, like barely moving kind of stuff, just to kind of like reset my body and fix it and like make sure that it's like balance and moving. And yeah, and so she wrote me this program and got me back on my feet And I listened to her. I didn't run, did a lot of the elliptical, which is awful.
Speaker 1:Boring, So boring Yeah, mindless yeah.
Speaker 2:And towards the end of that year or maybe halfway through, it's kind of when I found cycling, because that was I needed a way to get outside and be outside for long periods of time, and so, yeah, i mean it was kind of a blessing in disguise that year. I guess It was a hard year, but I found my second love, which was cycling.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what I think is really interesting about the story that I'm smiling because I'm so glad you're telling the story is that injuries are always blessings and disguise. You know, there was moments where you're devastated is where you learn the most, and life just seems to give us these trade-offs. It's just say, okay, i'm gonna bring your entire world down, but I'm gonna give you something on the back end of it, and it's something that you don't get in anywhere else. You can't go to school, you can't take a course, you can't read a book. For that Life just literally has to kick your ass.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's a hard place to be, and so it's a hard thing to see while you're going through it as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Because you don't feel like that's a good deal when you're going. you're not nice life. Thanks for kicking my ass. I'm gonna get a good deal out of this.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:No, you're pissed. Yeah, and then later you see.
Speaker 2:Yeah, And I mean injury is a part of sport.
Speaker 1:It is.
Speaker 2:Like it comes with the territory And so you know learning the tools to deal with it and manage it. You know it's important Yeah.
Speaker 1:So pick up at the bike park, cause now I'm, really now I'm, this is cool. I wanna hear more about the bike park. So, cause I kind of have, i'm always curious and how it gets, how somebody can get to just like the rudimentary bicycle right, two wheels and some pedals to the road bike, because it's not straightforward to me. Sometimes people are like why do you ride a bike? Isn't that dangerous? And I'm like no, i ride a road bike and I go out to Stovill and I ride there. Well, that's dumb, why would you do that?
Speaker 1:You know like, because it doesn't it doesn't make the most intuitive sense. So how started at the beginning of the bike?
Speaker 2:Well, so I started on a road bike, actually.
Speaker 1:Your first thought was like I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna get a road bike.
Speaker 2:Well, Yeah.
Speaker 1:Are you that type of person where you're like, okay, if I'm going to do biking, let me learn about biking And I'm going to do the best biking.
Speaker 2:No, I just kind of jumped right in. I mean, I so my friend, had a friend who was really into cycling And so she introduced us and he sort of gave me the road bike 101 and took me to the couple of bike shops around and like helped me talk to the people at the shops and ask the questions And like, yeah, basically went through the whole process of buying like my first road bike with me. And he was part of a cycling club called the Flyers, which is where Karen Burke and I met.
Speaker 1:Here we go. Now we're picking up some speed. Shout out to Karen Burke.
Speaker 2:And yeah, so you know, I bought my first bike and Ted was his name, and he took me and a couple others out to Victoria Square and we did a Wow, i've been going there for a while. A long time, a long time. My first ride was like a 60K loop out there. It took forever, it was, it was cold and it was rainy and it was hilly Up hill both ways. Yeah, And poor Ted. He was like a very good cyclist and I think he was just like Demoralized with life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, we were so slow, but I loved it.
Speaker 1:It was great And and and this is how old are you at this point now. Oh, um this is after university. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:This is in Toronto, so okay, um, yeah, i was still young.
Speaker 1:Like are you 22? Are you?
Speaker 2:mid, mid twenties, mid twenties Yeah.
Speaker 1:Are you working on Bay Street? Yeah, okay, so you're in your career now. Yeah, okay, yeah, all right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay. So here's what I got in my mind.
Speaker 1:You are still, uh, on your year of um working on the program with the U of T strength coach. You found cycling. You're just started your career mid twenties and do I got that right?
Speaker 2:I might have been a few years into my career.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, and in the earlier stages of it Yeah, okay, cool, so you're, you found back and you love it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, i'm trying to think where to go next year.
Speaker 1:So okay. So now, how does the biking become like? how does it become the outlet? because you lost your running outlet and you're sort of waiting for it to come back, And so now you have this bike. How do those things connect?
Speaker 2:Um, well, i mean, i, i think, i think, I think, i think, i think, i think, I think, i think I started riding with a club, so that was basically, um, they used to be rides, i think too, like in the evenings. They would do weekday rides and then they would do weekend rides, Um and uh. So I just started going.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I loved it. It was fun, um, the weekend rides were always longer, um, which was appealing to me, and uh, yeah, i just started to really love it.
Speaker 1:Why.
Speaker 2:Cause I love to get at it And, um, I like to go fast. That's why I like it the way.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I can. I can attest to that. Karen likes to be fast out there. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it pisses me off Cool. So you find this new thing is it doing the outlet Like, are you feeling, like you're getting that clarity that you used to get from your running?
Speaker 2:Um, not, not in the, not the mental clarity that I did with running. Running was really different and special for me.
Speaker 1:And it is, and it always is right, and it's. It is different, yeah, but but this satisfied you, right? It gave you something.
Speaker 2:Yeah, void fill, yeah, for sure. Um, it allowed me to be outside and, um, that was, that was really the biggest thing for me.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, I just got you outside.
Speaker 1:Yeah, breathing. I just thought that you're an absolute weapon on the bike.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that helped a little bit Cool.
Speaker 1:This makes a lot of sense, so we're starting to understand some stuff. Okay, so you're, you're a working professional, you're loving the bike, you're with the Flyers Uh, shout out to them which they're still up and running right now. And I think they just they want to run probably one of the best programs in Toronto, The GTA.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Can you talk a little bit how you met Karen.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, the Flyers. That's how we met.
Speaker 1:We started riding together, yeah, i mean, I try to set that up for you. Yeah, Yeah, I knew that. So how did you guys? were you riding along? You were like I'm going to find someone else with the same name as me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, a hundred percent, that's my criteria, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, You're just no, yeah, so she knew Ted and so Ted introduced us and um, and yeah, we started riding together. I guess I can't remember how long I was riding with the Flyers before Triathlon was in the mix, but that's yeah. When I, when I decided to do, um, yeah, my first half Ironman with a tri bike, um, that's kind of when I knew I had to. I couldn't ride with the Flyers anymore because you can't ride with um, a group and a tri bike, and um, i don't really remember, like, i guess I probably just asked Karen if she wanted to come and do a ride with me, and that's, she was down, and so you hear that Karen.
Speaker 1:You hear how forgettable it was for Karen over here. You know, just just let that be. You know you don't remember the actual like spark of that relationship.
Speaker 2:You don't remember the day.
Speaker 1:I have a really bad memory, Um so, either way, there was, there was riding. You know synergy, chemistry.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Yeah And then. so we broke off from the Flyers and, um, yeah, she was my. she was my riding buddy. We went out to Victoria square every weekend and she was my GPS and it still is to the state She is one She is.
Speaker 1:I swear she is connected to to a satellite. I think we've only got lost on one ride in the atmosphere and that probably pissed her right off. She's like never.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's the best. I didn't have to think about anything, Yeah.
Speaker 1:So you guys start riding now um. You guys are both weapons on your bikes and what happens for you? Are you like? I need something more like how did you discover the next big sport of your life?
Speaker 2:Um, okay, So the the whole triathlon thing started a little bit. Um, it actually started before my stress fracture.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's, interesting Okay.
Speaker 2:I had a friend who was like do you want to do this crazy thing with me? It's called a try, try and you swim, bike and you run. And I was like sure.
Speaker 1:Cause you knew how to swim. Yeah, you like to run?
Speaker 2:Yep, yep, i didn't have a bike, but I knew how to ride one. So I was like sure, why not? Like I was up for anything. Um, so we did the try, try and Guelph Lake, um and uh, it was hilarious experience. But uh, yeah, i mean, the swim was fine. I borrowed some weights weights.
Speaker 1:No, what You can't look. Yeah, care, you can't say it was a hilarious experience, and glaze over that, cause we're listening to this going. Well, how hilarious was it? Why was it hilarious? Um well did Richard prior show up.
Speaker 2:Yep.
Speaker 1:Did he tell some jokes? What happened?
Speaker 2:Um, no, it was just like I had no idea what was going on. And the for a try, try. The distance is, i don't know. The swims like 200 meters, the run is, or the bike is like I think 10 K in. The run is two and a half or something, so it's a super short race. Um and uh, i just remember this one was fine.
Speaker 2:I came out of the water and, um, trying to put on my clothes for the bike and you're soaking wet. And then you're trying to put on tight clothes and like I just I couldn't get them on. They were like twisted, my shorts were on backwards, my shirt was on the inside out And I was like I just remember standing in transition, being frustrated, laughing, being like and looking around, being like does anyone else like not, cannot dress themselves right now? Like it was just I don't know, it was absurd at the time. And then I hopped on my borrowed mountain bike that was stuck in first gear like the easiest gear, so I'm spinning like crazy, going nowhere, waiting for the hills, so I could actually have a little bit of like tension on the bike. Um, i think that 10 K bike took me like an hour.
Speaker 1:Um it reminds me, you know, when I, when I go to the you know I've only done three triathlons, but I always find it really cool when I see people who are just rocking the bike on a, on a mountain bike, or because you have all the.
Speaker 1:you have all these like performance rigs and these road bikes and stuff and you got people out there just getting after it And I always think that that's really cool. I always have a bit of a endearing respect for that And just like I love me man, like like I last year we got was Sega Jeff and I were watching Michelle competing in um and when she got off the bike bike we're waiting for her to get finish her bike leg and the amount of bikes that we saw that were just not good road bike. Like like one dude had a basket. you know for sure he's hitting groceries with that bike, you know. uh, there was another guy with, like you know, those fat, fat bikes with the tires like, just just, you know, and they're just getting after it.
Speaker 2:And that's.
Speaker 1:I love it. So there's, there's some sort of something for everybody on that. So okay, So I'll get back to your. so you're, it took you an hour to do the 10 K on the bike.
Speaker 2:Roughly. I don't really remember. It was like that long, Yeah, Um anyway, and then I had the run. the run was okay after that. It was just that whole transition and bike part, that was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cause you kind of got to your comfort zone, yeah, and that was your thing. So that was pre uh stress factor.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So you had, you kind of already had the seed planted a little bit, yeah. And then you, you met Karen, and now you're developing this, this bike portion of it, okay, so what's?
Speaker 2:next. Um, well then, i mean I started yeah, I mean I just started doing more triathlons And so I did um. I started with the sprint distance um, which is I can't remember the distances now I think it's a 750 swim uh, 20 K bike and a five camera, i don't. I can't remember the distances now It doesn't matter. Um, yeah, i started um racing those and um just the local races, and I really enjoyed them and um did pretty well.
Speaker 1:Awesome Yeah.
Speaker 2:And then, so naturally as I do, i just wanted more, and so then I did the Olympic distance, and um worked my way through those for a couple of years, and then that wasn't enough.
Speaker 1:So I just kept building, just kept building, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:I found that I was doing quite well at them and I enjoyed them. Um, yeah, i got a lot. I got a lot out of out of them And so I kept wanting. I just wanted to get better and faster and longer and um, um, no-transcript. Yeah, the half iron man was was a big one for me. That was like that's where I thought I was gonna sort of end my racing distance, because it was, it was long and hard But, yeah, definitely my favorite distance of all of them. I feel like the 70.3.
Speaker 1:Can you tell people what the distances are and what it feels like?
Speaker 2:Um, that one's a 2k swim, 90k bike and the 21k run and Yeah, i like. Why did I like that one the best? I feel like it was.
Speaker 2:Crushable it was crushable. You could still kind of race it. It wasn't like you. You're definitely not going a hundred percent the whole time like you are in a sprint or an Olympic. If you're trying to, you know, do something there. But The half iron man you had. You have time right so you can. You can pace things and you can still kind of race, race pieces of it. For me, the bike was always my favorite. So The swim, the swim. I would come out sort of mid of the pack and then I Just like to crush the bike. That was always my goal And I usually did, and then and then I just try and hang on for the run and Yeah, so that was, that was fun. That was fun for me.
Speaker 1:I'm opening, i'm getting a cliff bar. What is it that? a little ASMR for people? What does that even mean? what does that stand for it? You know I'm talking about. So ASMR, i think, is I don't know what stands for, but it's like. It's like crinkly sounds that people like People find that satisfying oh, I didn't know that. Yeah, I'm not into it but but people are into it okay you know, there's like, it's like, it's like a whole culture anyways, sorry, I know yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah yeah, what kind of eating?
Speaker 1:crunchy peanut butter.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah.
Speaker 1:Where are we? So you're doing well, you're loving, you're loving the bike portion of the 70.3 Iron Man. Yeah, where was your first one? Oh?
Speaker 2:Oh, my first one. Oh, my first one is Syracuse, new York, actually, and that was. That was Kind of a devastating race for me, not really, it was not. It was a tough one. So that was my first race.
Speaker 1:I did it on a road bike actually, and 90 on a road bike, then go after run is very hard.
Speaker 2:If, if, if you don't know about yeah, it was my first and last half Iron Man on a road bike.
Speaker 2:Yeah that that bike course actually. So we I went down there and, if I remember correctly, the bike course is like a little bit gnarly. It has this climb that literally starts as soon as you leave transition And you're climbing for, like I Want to say, like half the bike course. I don't I'm sure it's not that long, but it felt that long. And I drove the course first and And I remember sitting in the car and I remember hearing the car You know when a car is working really hard to get up a hill, you can hear it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you can feel it Yeah so I can hear that and I remember thinking to myself Oh, it's not so bad, it's gonna be fine, but like actually knowing it's just gonna be like a grind.
Speaker 2:Yeah they get up this hill, yeah and Anyway. So the Sure enough it was. It was a grind. But when I finished that bike I Came into transition, I racked my bike and I collapsed because my low back was like destroyed. And I don't know if it was, i Don't know if it was training, i don't know if it was just not the right bike fit, but my back was like So sore. Yeah and it was, like I don't know, 40 degrees that day, so I probably dehydrated a bit.
Speaker 2:Yeah, dehydrated, sore back, 40 degrees, and I started this run and That the heat just like hit me like a ton of bricks and I was like, okay, this is, this is gonna be a long day. This is I don't want to do this right now Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it was a. It was a looped, it was a looped run course, my favorite.
Speaker 1:Oh, you don't like a loop.
Speaker 2:I ate a loop and The whole first loop I was like no, i'm not, i'm not gonna do this, i'm, i'm just gonna walk off the course when I come come around second time, because this is, this is a bullshit. Then it was, it was like a walk, run like walk, run for two seconds, walk Ten minutes, run for two seconds. It was just. It was. Yeah, it was a rude awakening for me, but you know, i came, came around to that second loop and I was like no, i'm gonna finish it.
Speaker 1:And I kept going and And I finished it to me, i what I hear about that is the battle of the two mad Mads. Like you have two furies, you're furious that you're doing it, and then, when you finish that first loop, you're probably like, well, i'd be more furious if I didn't finish this. So That's what kept you under your second one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i'm a little bit stubborn, yeah, yeah. So that was my first. That was my first half iron man, but it didn't stop me yeah didn't stop me when I got myself a used tri bike.
Speaker 1:Yep.
Speaker 2:And Yeah, carried on with my, my training and.
Speaker 1:Now you and you're in really far. Can you talk a little bit about the peak of your career?
Speaker 2:I mean, i guess, my peak for that distance I had qualified for the world championships.
Speaker 1:It's pretty friggin incredible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was pretty cool. Yeah, i was pretty happy with that. I had gone to, i had gone to tromblant to qualify. So I went up with my Friend and she came with me and I was like, look, i want to qualify, it's like we got to do it in tromblant. And she was like, right, she's like I'm coming with you, we're gonna do it together. And Yeah, that was really, that was really special actually. And I had a great race and, yeah, i qualified for For the world championships, which was also held in tromblant. So I've done that race a couple of times now.
Speaker 1:Do they move it around like why?
Speaker 2:the art. Yeah, the half Ironman world championships were always. Boulder or no, they're, they were always different places.
Speaker 1:Oh, I see Okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah and so Yeah. That year it was in tromblant.
Speaker 1:Did you go race that? Yeah, Yeah and how'd it go?
Speaker 2:At the world championships, yeah, I was actually.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I should. Well, yeah, it was not the great experience that I was hoping for. Unfortunately, it was not I. I don't know if I should share this, given the, but I will. I will, but just know for all of you. I don't know if I should share this, given the, but I will, i will, but just know for all of you doing triathlons, the swim is not always like this, but That swim for that race was the only time in my entire life that I actually thought I was gonna drown in a race because it was so aggressive. It was a, it was a mass start and People were literally pulling my ankles, pulling me backwards in the water, pushing me under water, like literally under water, constantly. The whole time. I couldn't catch my breath, i couldn't get a stroke in.
Speaker 1:It was like I was so unprepared for that, which they don't do anymore like it's not it's not, it's not that way, and no other race had I experienced that kind of Aggression aggression in the water.
Speaker 2:They don't do mass starts anymore, so those of you doing a triathlon Don't don't panic. It's not like that. This was kind of a one-off experience, yeah And Yeah and anyway. That kind of set me off for the For kind of a Just not a great headspace for the rest of the rest of the race. I wasn't there. I was kind of In shock, probably in shock and super upset, like I kind of expected.
Speaker 2:I don't know a little more camaraderie, a little more like yeah, like we're all, we all got here, yeah, like we're all in this together. But it was like no, it was like I'm Gonna win at all costs and like you're going down, and I was really you die or not, and it was. I was really upset about it because I was like that's not from all the other races.
Speaker 2:I had done. That Was like not the vibe. It was never like. It was always the opposite. You're always in the water and you're kind of like everyone's nervous and you're kind of making silly chit chat with whoever's there and like, yeah, it's, yeah, it was just so different than what I'd experienced that, yeah, it was kind of a letdown. Yeah, was that your last race?
Speaker 1:That was my last half of the race. That was my last half Iron Man actually and then did you go to full Iron Man after that? Yeah, you said, let me, let me do more of this Actually.
Speaker 2:No. So I had always, i'd always said I'm never doing an Iron Man. I was like that's crazy, there's no way. But when you're in, when you're in that world and training with other triathletes, you know it's kind of always in in your ear a little bit right Like everyone's like, oh, come and do this one, come and do this one, you're like no, no, no, until one day you're just like All right, i'm gonna do this And. And that's what happened. I Actually you know what I think also, i think I had, i think I had to make a choice. I was like I'm gonna do this one. I was either gonna do like a course for work or train for an Iron Man. Which was a better option?
Speaker 2:Something super boring or bunch of exercise yeah, a bunch of Yeah, so I signed up for. So Muskoka.
Speaker 1:Which was a fullback then yeah, they.
Speaker 2:I think they only did it for a couple years, so I had signed up for that one and, yeah, sorry, training for a full Iron Man That was. That was pretty intense. The first, the first one I did. I had Kind of coached myself through it with a lot of help from Anyone who I could talk to about it Phil Burke He was a, yeah, resource and his friend Andrew. They did lots of Iron Man and, yeah, i talked to Andrew all the time to talk about training and but Was it called training? Was that book? there's a book triathlon by the.
Speaker 2:Bible About that and started reading and Yeah, so I kind of Got myself through the first Iron Man successfully. Yeah and Yeah I, I really loved it.
Speaker 1:It was really cool so, okay, there's two things that I want to kind of cap off. So you First question is you kind of got to a point where you just you, the training for Iron Man just really started to blow it out things in your life And you had to make a really hard decision Just sort of walk away From triathlon and Iron Man, is that right?
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:That just goes to show how much commitment and how just what these athletes have to do, like the pro athletes, the amateur athletes, the everyday person the type of thing, because everybody has to sacrifice with you. What was it like for you walking away? Was there silver lining of relief? Do you still feel like there's something there for you Like, where are you with?
Speaker 2:So yeah, the thing with the training for me is because I had, like it had grown from a triad ride to an Ironman over like eight years or something like that right. So the training gradually increased over time. So, and it's what I loved, right So I didn't. To me it was not, it didn't feel like really a sacrifice, I was just loving it, and it took up more and more time.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I mean, my peak Ironman training was like, i think, 18 hours a week on top of a full-time job. It's a lot, and you?
Speaker 1:know life Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know I was that late friend all the time right. Cause I was always I was the one trying to get in, you know, a quick run before whatever, or a quick something, and inevitably I was always late and but yeah, so when I had decided to take a step away, all of a sudden I had all this time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But I didn't really realize was taken up cause I didn't feel like that. to me It was just like what I love to do.
Speaker 1:Is there still something there for you?
Speaker 2:Um, Sean, maybe I mean I think of it fondly, I do, but That's the best place to be. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:It's so great that, like you went through all that stuff, reached the level that you did and you're still in this place where there might still be something there for you, but in even if not, you look back on it really fondly, like it was such a good time and very formative and totally wove itself into the fabric of who you are. Today You're sitting in this room, in this gym. Because of that, you've made a massive career change. Because of that, Yeah.
Speaker 1:So it's one of those things where you look back and it's like no, life doesn't happen to us, life happens for us, right, and so that's we a good way to frame it. And, and it's funny, so you know, karen laughs and and you know, what I do is I pull her out of her comfort zone and I ask her these questions, like, is there still something there? And she's not comfortable always sharing that there's still something there for her in Iron Man, right, cause she feels this pull and it's a familiar pull, but it's uncomfortable, right, and then pulls you out of the vulnerability, which is why I get the hilarious reaction of John Don't. So okay, so that was my first question. So, like you know, how did it wrap? And then my second question for you with this is can you talk a little bit about the relationship with nature and fitness and how those two things collide?
Speaker 2:Um, I don't know, I mean do you want me to?
Speaker 1:want me to elaborate?
Speaker 2:more Okay.
Speaker 1:So one of the things that I think is so special about triathlon is it's incredibly healing, it's incredibly meditative, and the reason for that is because you are outside, so there's every more and more we're starting to understand just about you know, our, our, our human need and our human connection with the, with the uh world around us, in the, in the outdoor sense, is so healthy, and what you're doing is you're taking these two things, you're taking nature and you're taking uh exercise and training uh, and you're putting them together.
Speaker 1:They're force multipliers on each other, and that is so unique and so special. And then you add this competitive element which ends up gives you and what that does for people. It gives them structure for their lives, and humans really thrive in uh structure, routine and schedule. So now you have this third force multiplier, and so you it's just this wonderful little incubator that creates this excellence within, within a human, and then this heat that you're creating such, you're creating this great thing that that can translate to other areas of your life. So can you talk a little bit about, um, some of the things that you felt like? what were some of your best feelings while you were out on a bike or out on a run or when you're in a in a swim, yeah, It just feels um.
Speaker 2:I don't know how to explain it. It's like I don't know.
Speaker 1:How about explain it in the worst possible way?
Speaker 2:That's what I do, right, i'll say something and you can make it better. It's just um, i don't know. For me, i feel like um I was just um, i was just um, i was just um, i was just. I'm at peace outside, i'm, i feel like free and um, yeah, my head is clear, i'm in the moment. I, you know, nothing else is really. Nothing else is really going on except for like where I'm at right there, yeah And uh and that's a yeah, i've always been happiest when I'm outside and, yeah, that's where my soul is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and that's the flow right When you're suspended within the pocket of that moment, that's people meditate to get there, and this is just one way for you to put yourself in that position, and the reason why I wanted to come back for that uh to that is that I hope, uh, folks that are listening to this getting to know coach Karen, they also can understand you know what brought her there and why she fell in love with it. And and maybe there's something there for you too, if you're thinking about triathlon or if you're doing this with us, shout out to the Gravenhurst crew who's racing tomorrow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so exciting.
Speaker 1:By the time this thing airs, we will have raced that already, um, and we're going to have, you know, eight other folks who are going to be able to share. Uh, just you know what we love about this, this sport, um, but I can't wait to hear those race recalculated. Yeah, i'm so excited, i know me too, and the cameras are going to be rolling to hear about it So okay.
Speaker 1:So that's, that's fantastic. Now, um, let's take, uh, i want to respect your time, make sure that we get you out, so let's, let's jump ahead in time. Okay, can you talk a little bit about, uh, um, the time between when Ironman ended? you know, you're sort of well into your career. How did you find red leaf?
Speaker 2:Well, back to Karen Burke.
Speaker 1:Um, Karen, can we just celebrate Karen for another second? Karen's the best.
Speaker 2:Um, so After. okay, so when I had taken so, i did two Ironman after my second one. I had taken a break. Um decided I was going to run some marathons instead, because that's less than an Ironman. You thought you'd tone it down a bit.
Speaker 1:Just roll, just you know, calm down.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, um, i ran the Scotiabank. Um, after my after Trump blah my last Ironman, i ran the Scotiabank, okay. Um the Scotiabank qualified for Boston in that race Of course you did.
Speaker 2:And um, but also um. So I qualified for Boston the following, like not the next year but the following year, just because of timing, um, but uh, anyway, i was injured. After um, after that race, i was injured. I can't remember I think it was a quad, something in my quad, um, and it took again about six months to figure out what was going on. Um and uh, it was fine, i was okay for Boston. And then, after Boston, i was injured again, Um, and then um, again it was an injury that was like no one could really figure out what was going on.
Speaker 2:I had problems, um, getting resolved, and anyway, the long story short is, i sort of found this cycle of injury that I just couldn't break. And then, of course, there was COVID. So there was no practitioners, no massage, no Cairo, um and uh, yeah, i had quad stuff, i had low back stuff, i had like I just I was so frustrated, um, and you know, there was no gyms. I wasn't doing any strength training, i mean I stuff in my basement, but at that time, you know, it wasn't enough. And um, anyway, when Karen and I had decided it was safe to ride together through COVID, um, i just remember being on um a ride, a couple rides. Actually, she had been talking about CrossFit, for she was always you know. Oh, i PR'd my clean today, all right.
Speaker 2:You know, and I was so envious I was like, oh man, i miss having like a goal, i miss working towards something. I want to be like, i want to feel like I fit in, like working towards something, And um, and I don't think I said anything to her, i think I just listened and was like cool.
Speaker 1:Not surprised to hear that.
Speaker 2:Um, anyway, and then Sean started coming riding with us. Um, and I think there was one, there's one Sunday that you have asked her. She I don't think she was planning to go to the Sunday class, but you had asked her and she's like, hmm, she's like I'll go with, karen goes. I was like okay, and I think she was kind of like what, i don't want to go to Sunday class.
Speaker 1:And now I have to. I think I was teaching that class, You were.
Speaker 2:Um, and I remember I showed up and you came running over and you got all my equipment. You got the I don't know if it was the row or whatever it was. You got me all set up and took away that like scary first class where they like don't know what to do, or, um, what's going on? And uh, and I remember thinking myself I was like well, this is annoying because it's across the city. I was like it's a temporary thing, for sure, i'm not going to like it, i'll go to a couple of classes and then, you know, i'll find something else.
Speaker 1:This is the best. I was wrong, yeah, by the way, it's still across the city.
Speaker 2:It's still across the city. Yes, i commute to the gym, yeah, um, but it's the best. I fell in love with it And I fell in love with you guys Like you and Michelle were so welcoming and, like um, everyone was super, super welcoming. Um, it was just like such a nice, warm place to be. Um, and, yeah, i got to lift heavy shit at the same time, which was like super cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, i think that when, when, as an observer, looking you know, at your journey and your story, i think one of you know when I think about it. I think you know you loved lifting heavy shit. I think it, i think it made you feel like powerful. Um, you know it. Just, it has that effect. It's almost, it's almost addicting.
Speaker 2:Super addicting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, And then what I thought was cool is I remember having a conversation with you and I remember saying uh, I think you have a ton of pathology due to massive amounts of running one way, biking one way, swimming one way. And what CrossFit's going to do to you, it's going to make you strong crossplane And it's going to build you up and it's going to take a year And I'll never forget how skeptical.
Speaker 1:You're like, yeah, whatever, yeah, i've I'm just simply broken And I fell off the broken tree and hit every branch on the way down. So, yeah, thanks positivity. And I was like, yeah, okay, just, you know, keep coming and you know we'll see. Maybe I'm wrong, i don't know. And I'm like like she has no idea And I think, yeah, it was just a whole bunch of structural balance that you needed. And, uh, you know to and you know, fast forward to this day. You uh, you know everybody has things that are aches and pains and stuff that ails, but I mean, for the most part, you're pretty. You're pretty put together.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:And, uh, you know CrossFit and some really good strength training and just being patient with recovery And that's that's. The cool thing is that you have this whole ability to recover, that you married to your new sport with a new like, almost like maturity or something Right Like you, um, you would recover so well and you're you're so able to. Volume was just nothing for you because of the volume you were used to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it literally felt like nothing. I was like this is not enough for me.
Speaker 1:By comparison, this is nothing, You know, uh. So it was cool. It was almost like, uh, it was a perfect storm. When you found CrossFit, Yeah, it was like the thing you needed when you needed it, And you just happen to also be a weapon. You were really good at it right away And I remember seeing you move and I remember talking to Michelle about it. I was like, okay, if she can just get over the fact that she has to drive halfway across the city and keep coming here, she's gonna be really good at this. And she was like I know she's gonna be. And so, yeah, to be honest, I didn't know if you were gonna stick with it because of that fact how far it was. But there were other CrossFit gyms near you, but But not the same as Redleaf.
Speaker 1:None of the same as.
Speaker 2:Redleaf.
Speaker 1:The community here is incredible. Crossfit communities around the world and within the city are all wonderful, but there's something a little extra wonderful about this. So okay, so you really hit it off with CrossFit. Things are going well. You're plugged into the community. What happens with work?
Speaker 2:Yeah, work. Well, that was a Yeah, work was a lot. I was not happy at work. Yeah, i worked with a portfolio management team for 16 years And pretty much for 16 years I always wanted to do something different. But in the last I would say in the last five things really got progressively harder and more uncomfortable And I just didn't enjoy being there.
Speaker 1:And, yeah, i really felt that I was coming to a breaking point of needing to do something different and make a change for myself And yeah, so Another thing that's so interesting about that is that I remember you and I being on a ride And I can't remember if it was a group ride or what, but I remember asking you And I had known about how you were. You were having a hard time with work, so I had known that fact And I said so, how's work? And I remember you snapped. You snapping turtled my head off And you said Sean, we don't talk about work.
Speaker 2:That's true, that's the true story.
Speaker 1:So we circled back, went and found my head, put it back on And when I found the bravery to ask you again and I said tell me what's going on, like shut up, tell me about it. And then you sort of unloaded and you told me everything that's going on. And then I remember one of the next rides I had thought about it, i kept thinking about it. One of the next rides I remember talking to you about, like considering becoming a physiotherapist. I think you had some designs on RMT which You squashed Yes.
Speaker 1:And then I, and then I, you know, we just sort of, you know, we just sort of whiteboarded it just on a ride And just said, you know, like there's other options, you can buy a physio clinic, you can, and so you know you really considered that. But what's interesting is that, like we thought about a path but the trainer idea didn't really come into the discussion, which I find funny for me because I'm like why wouldn't I have presented that idea? So, and that was like a year ahead or longer. So you had been really thinking about this for a while. So you had been imagining yourself as, reimagining yourself as something else and wanting to reinvent. And you're, you know, you wanted to light your soul on fire or something.
Speaker 1:So can you talk a little bit about the day you decided? And, by the way, i should say that after that conversation, you and I had really cool conversations about career path, with coaching, and you had really good questions, you were really serious, you had done a shit ton of your own research on it, and so we were having really cool conversations that were very serious And you were really thinking about it. This was the thing. So can you talk a little bit about, like the day you said I'm done and I'm gonna do it.
Speaker 2:That was a scary day Yeah.
Speaker 1:I bet it.
Speaker 2:And you know there was a couple of significant things that worked that had happened in the last, in the I would say, maybe the I don't know two months leading up to, like, my decision.
Speaker 2:That really kind of pushed me over the edge And yeah. And so, you know, the prospect of you know it was kind of coming here and seeing like how you and Michelle work with everyone here and you guys are a part of their journey and you help them, like become who they are and watch them do things they didn't think they could do, and I really loved that And that really spoke to me And I, yeah, i just that's where I wanted to be, want to be, and so it kind of it highlighted that the work I was doing wasn't and was never aligned with who I was as a person And it was time. It was time for me to make that change and jump out on the limb, which is really scary to do, yeah, but I'm so glad that I did. It feels like this huge weight has just been lifted like off of me. I'm happier.
Speaker 1:Your must be three weeks into.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Four weeks, oh no.
Speaker 2:So the end of April was my last day. So six, six weeks, wow, okay, so double what I yeah.
Speaker 1:In you had gotten your CrossFit level one over daddy. Yeah, i did that.
Speaker 2:Not so much with the prospect of coaching at that time, like it was in the back of my mind, but it was more for like my personal interest And I was like, yeah, yeah, so you, you, you, you, you, you you had a bit of groundwork, So it wasn't like this It was.
Speaker 1:It was more seamless. Right It was. You had a tool to be able to make it seamless and just be okay, I'm going to do this. I have enough to get started. It's, it's, it's. I want more, but that's enough to get me started. Get my foot in the door And you, you ran with it and you're six weeks into this thing. You've got clients, You've got clients. You've got clients. You've got clients. You've got clients that have you know. You've got classes and, best of all, You enjoy it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i love it, it's so fun and the way it has been lifted.
Speaker 1:Yeah and it's You know that I just I think that story is really, really cool when, when it comes to somebody who leaves a pretty impressive career, i'm based street to go and do something and take the leap and be scary because that's what her soul is asking her to do. You know there's I'm gonna butcher a quote, but it's like, if you want to, if you want to heal yourself, help someone else. It's, it's true, and it's incredibly powerful to Shepherds somebody through a hard time in their life. Be One of the one of the key things in their corner when they need you to watch somebody Go from one point to the other. And so I understand Why someone on the outside would look at that and be like you know, that's what I'm supposed to do. That's what would light up my soul, for sure.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we have a really good Idea from beginning to today. Can you talk a little bit about and we'll sort of wrap up Can you talk a little bit about When you talked about it a little bit already? but can you talk a little bit about, like, what you're excited about with the future and and where you're gonna go with your career and courses and stuff?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, i mean there's so many courses out there to do and there's so much Yeah, there's just so many options. So I'm excited for All the learnings that they're coming my way And, yeah, i'm excited for this endurance class that that we're working on and I'm constantly talking about and and evolving. So that's exciting, yeah, and yeah, i mean, i feel like there's So much out there that That can happen. Right, i feel, yeah, for the first time, I feel like there's Things to work towards And things that I'm excited about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so You know, one of the things that I remember you saying is that you really wanted to be part of something, right When you were talking about, you know, wanting to get out of The world of finance and do something that lights you up. You wanted to be part of something and it's really interesting how Michelle and I found you at the very time that we are about to do. We're, we are creating The groundwork for our most ambitious work, yet We are at the crossroads. We are, and so we are. We are formulating the team to do What I think I was designed to do, what I was built for, why I would put on this friggin earth and to have you along, to have you sort of miraculously pop up at the very time that you know we needed someone of your You know you have a.
Speaker 1:You know you have a. You know you have a. You know you have a an incredible experience and a set of tools that you are bringing from your career that it's gonna help us. I just think it's. It's sort of I don't know what the word is, but it's kind of like.
Speaker 1:It's kind of like that the harder you work, the luckier you get, and Michelle and I are just so lucky to have found you and And have you be part of our team, and not just like be part of our team, but like flung yourself into the Into the fire with us.
Speaker 2:You know, it's, it's, uh, you know.
Speaker 1:It's really, it's really cool.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it's super cool And I'm lucky that you guys watered me on your team. You're really, really part of something. Yeah, it's gonna be exciting. Um, okay, so let's wrap it up there. Just want to thank you for taking the time.
Speaker 1:I know this is something that you didn't necessarily really want to do. It's sort of outside of your um, your comfort zone. Um, how do you feel I'm sweating a lot right now. You did good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks thanks.