Shows
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastEpisode 107- Kami YoungJoin Frank and Mere for a delightful conversation with Echelon Rider, Strider, Rower, and Fitpasser, Kami Young! Learn valuable tips for outdoor riding and bike commuting, hear how Kami and her family made history in the best way, and find out Buddy's origin story. We delve into a major health issue that Kami faced and her experiences with all that was involved including an Echelon comeback.After the interview, Frank and Mere discuss pupdates and TV, along with an enthralling tale about a Donut Run!Thanks for listening!2025-02-241h 19
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastEpisode 106 We're Back!Frank Truong and Meredith Willis head up this new season of the podcast. We're bringing new segments including pupdates and have a list of Echelon community, instructors, and team members a mile long to interview.This episode reminds you a little bit about who we are (Frank & Mere) and why we're doing this (we're mad for all things Echelon). Many thanks to Sheldon Young for re-recording our amazing theme song that he wrote, played, and sang and to Abe Kelledjian for helping us get up and running and assisting...2025-02-1743 min
The Jay Sheldon ShowYoung Americans flocking to the Republican PartyEp 635SHOW NOTESGet the best “wake up and kick butt” coffee from BLACKOUT COFFEE https://www.blackoutcoffee.com/?p=HyctD1sS3Use promo code JAY20 at check out for 20% off Be Prepared with JASE Medicalhttps://jasemedical.com/?rstr=21099Use Promo code SHELDON10 for a $10 Discount! Keep your online activity hidden with the best VPN. Get a HUGE DISCOUNT at NordVPN with this special link! https://bit.ly/NordVPN-JaySheldon2024-07-1255 min
NashtyvilleFrom the Court to the Screen: Sheldon Bailey's JourneyWelcome to the debut episode of the Nashtyville Podcast! In this inaugural show, we're tipping off with an incredible guest who has pivoted from professional basketball courts to the bright lights of Hollywood - the towering talent, Sheldon "Shel" Bailey.Join us as we dive into Shel’s unique life story, starting with his childhood in a military family, living in places as diverse as Germany, Texas, and North Carolina. We'll hear about the determination and discipline it took to play professional basketball across the globe in countries like China, Taiwan, and Ecuador, and how th...2023-11-1025 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastPizza Cakes - Juniors S7E9 Desserts Heat BSheldon talks about making Christina Tosi's (Milk Bar) Cornflake Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookie - - one word "yum" and talks about the next step of making his own recipe.
Where are they now with Nancy Birtwhistle - Season 5 winner.
Rav's dress looked amazing!
No new bake off news yet...was hoping for contestants.
Technical "Rainbow baked Alaska". Banana ice cream... eww. Biggest challenge was getting ice cream to set. Gabriel's forgot butter and flour in the cake... so added it after. Salma and Fraser nailed it. Gabriel and Mia and Aisya...2023-09-1143 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastWhat's in the (Cookie) box - Juniors S7E7 - Head B BiscuitsEpisode reviewed: Juniors S7E7 - Heat B Biscuit Week
Start off with bakes - It was Ghirardelli baking week for Sheldon. Brownies, White chocolate macadamia / cashew cookies, and straight up chocolate chip. Oh and Ovens are the devil.
11:37: where are they now. S12 finalist - Crystelle Pereira IG: @crystellepereira has been doing great it appears since her finalist appearance on season 12 of GBBO whee she, Giuseppe, and Chigs battled for the win. Her instagram is full of fun and tips - most recently she has been doing unique fruits and veggies. She has a new...2023-08-2841 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastCake Face Off - Juniors S7E6 - Heat B Cake WeekEpisode reviewed: Juniors S7E6 - Heat B Cake Week
Start off with bakes - Sheldon takes on Bundt and the return of Choux - hear how it turned out.
12:35: where are they now. Former host Sandi Tosvig. So many interesting things I learned about her - I spend more time than I normally would on this segment, but she is fascinating and up to some very cool things.
19:30 - Covering of the episode.
8 new kids in the tent from 9 year old Olivia to 15 year old Fraser and Mia. The have a...2023-08-2144 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE43 - Junior S7E1 Heat A - Cake Walk!Cupcake win! Had a great result using Bob's Red Mill buttermilk for my cakes. Nice buttercream color as well from the Ann Clark food coloring I picked up and the 1M piping tip! Nice to finally report on a triumph hahah! Couple of news stories - Network ITV has given new GBBO host Alison Hammond a very nice contract to lock her into the network. In another article (both of these from the Irish Mirror) Prue talks about how nice it is to have another woman on the show and that she didn't get a lot of the jokes...2023-07-1740 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE42 - S4E12 Masterclass and Vanilla Harvest!Food coloring is the kick off topic - imagine wanting patriotic red and Blue and ending up with Baby blue and pink?! So Sheldon invested in some of the "good stuff". Details coming forth! Also - it was finally time to "harvest" the homemade vanilla started last November. This looks to be delightful - hope to test some out soon.
We do a quick "where are they now" with Jurgen (or is it Juergen?) Krauss from season 12. In a recent interview he stated had it not been for the "fully sequestered" nature of his season, he probably...2023-07-1048 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE41 - Sheldon's Croissant Beatdown and S4E11 MasterclassCroissants. It's been on Sheldon's list to try. Well, he did. we discuss this and the lessons learned. There were many. The experience required a cupcake recovery bake. I find a nice buttercream recipe from natashaskitchen.com We also talk "mixers".
We dive into the Masterclasses of season 4 with the first one today. Five bakes:
Spiced orange cake with orange buttercream. Mary boiled a whole orange. Victoria sponge with self rising flour AND baking powder - why both? Key - keep oven doors CLOSED - we saw the debacle from a contestant on the show...2023-07-0357 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE40 - I do ... love cake - S1 Wedding Cakes BonusFollow us on Instagram: Scrummyhandshakes
Lots of baking - cookies 3 ways and an 8 egg yolk vanilla cake with swiss buttercream... Sheldon gives himself a B to B-
New Season of The Professionals! No Tom! New host is Ellie Jane Taylor - a comedian, TV host, and author joins Liam, Cherish and Benoit. I am not familiar with her, but she looks like she could be a lot of fun! Follow her on IG: @elliejanetaylor
In this episode the three finalists from Season 1 take on a wedding cake challenge. SPOILER ALERT - we reveal...2023-06-2649 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE39 - Dough, Dough, Dough - S3E15 Christmas MasterclassFollow us on Instagram: Scrummyhandshakes
Houston's tortillas, Cookie madness, and Sheldon tackles puff pastry!
Where are they now: Season 1 winner - Edd Kimber (Theboywhobakes)
Season 3 E15 - Christmas Masterclass
Christmas cake: like a fruitcake. Tips on treacle. Mary Origami. So much TIME. Want more visuals when discussing the "crossroads" of a bake.
Mince Pie: UK eat 70MM a year! Sweet short crust pastry - looks fun! No blind bake needed. Paul swears it's more robust because he uses his hands to mix.
Buche de Noel: essentially a...2023-06-1953 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE37 - Don't get "cross" with me - Easter Masterclass S3E14Follow us on Instagram: Scrummyhandshakes !
Roku app messing with my head!
Tackling Tuiles - a tale of 2 recipes. Sheldon tries one from a book... result is spotty... then recognizes some MAJOR differences from Mary's
Where are they now - Brendan Lynch Season 3
Easter Masterclass - SIX recipes!
Easter Simnel Cake - it's all about the marzipan! Crystalizing flower that are edible - it's pretty EASY! WHY Slather with butter AND line with parchment??
Hot Cross Buns - Paul's dad had a bake shop (news to me) and...2023-06-1257 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE37 Puff the Magic Pastry - S3E12 MasterclassSheldon dives into S3E12 - Masterclass where they take on the signature bakes. But first, a little baking! It’s cookies galore - some successes … but also a big fail involving getting confused about whether baking soda was added. Pro tip: too much baking soda can reallllllly toss a hand grenade on a bake. Redemption came in the form of an old standby chocolate chip.
FIVE bakes in this one, all were Paul and Mary’s takes on some of the signature challenges in the season and lots of lessons.
Flatbreads - Paul chose a recip...2023-06-0551 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE36 - "Donut be afraid" - S3E11 MasterclassBaking adventures - Cookies galore, trying some local GIANT macarons. Sheldon gets a new work surface!
5 bakes: Queens Pudding, Jam donuts, chocolate tea cakes, Fraisier cake, and fondant fancies
Couple ongoing themes: using the "Bain Marie water bath cooking seems to be a recurring theme. Caster sugar also seems to be used an awful lot - I mean it's the "same" but will it impact regular bakes?
Queens pudding key lessons: Make sure you pan fits in the Bain Marie bath before you butter it. When adding hot milk mix to eggs...2023-05-2945 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE35 - S3E10 Masterclass - What are you a braid of?Sheldon dives into S3E10 - the first of 2 Masterclasses. But first, a little baking! I had a whole lot of extra coconut lying around… it’s a long story… and then remembered I had a loaf over pie crust in the freezer! Coconut cream pie it is. Had a little issue with my crust sagging down the sides of my pie plate… might have been that this crust was maybe the “runt” of my batch fro before so I had to roll it a bit thin. Overall, my count cream seems delightful and I got to use my homemade van...2023-05-2243 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE34 - Masterclass S2E10 - Flour PowerAnother Sheldon solo - the next several weeks are going to be hit or miss for Alison as her work is needing her to focus on some things - but no fear! Sheldon will do his best to keep the squad entertained. This week we dive back into Season 2 for the second Master class episode - S2E10.
Four bakes in this one, all were technical challenges in the season and lots of lessons.
Pork Pies using Paul's hot water crust - key tips: lessons in the power of flour. Lard and butter - a...2023-05-1542 min
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE57 - Lou Lentine, CEO and Founder of Echelon returnsAll kinds of hijinks! Sheldon runs a 10K for the first time in a long time and it's a fun goal for himself. Also, he got more old this weekend as well. Meredith - so, so proud of her - she earned her Master’s degree! Shoutout to Ottawa University for their program that helped make it possible.
[13:30] Our guest is the one and only Lou Lentine - CEO and Founder of Echelon. We talk about the journey the company is on and all of the super exciting products, partnerships, and great new content being...2023-05-082h 13
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE33 - Masterclass S2 - It's a SnapWell - I lied. It's just Sheldon again this week - Alison had a last minute conflict so, with that Sheldon tackles some more learning!
First, the bakes. Sheldon went back to the well for the chocolate chunk salted shortbreads he made a couple weeks back. This time it was for a purpose though. A wedding "cookie table". He was a nervous, these would be eaten by strangers and taken home by folks. He adjusted a few things to make enough cookies and the like... but the result was pretty good!
Then we get into...2023-05-0146 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE32 - Technical Challenge - Sheldon vs. NaanThis episode is exactly as described - Sheldon takes on a technical challenge selected by Alison and you get to cheer (and laugh) with him as he tackles it!
It's on call week for Alison so Sheldon flies solo - so it's a good time for a technical! Starting off with a couple of other bakes - Sheldon got a new bundt pan. We get into the pan and the first bake in it. Results - tasty... but ... successful? You be the judge. More macaroon madness as well!
Then we get into the bake. This...2023-04-2434 min
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE56 - Trisha "Sharklover" - Echelon member, singer, and inspiration!Kicking off the episode with Sheldon talking about his bike trip and upcoming 10k and how "letting go of outcomes" has become an important part of continuing to experience joy in these activities. Meredith visits Kelli (Pig Mom on the LB) and she talks about Todd the Pig and his piano playing for grapes, working out on Kelli's "Pro" bike, and all kinds of other antics!
(10:15) Interview with Trisha. We discuss her fitness journey from Cross fit addict, to realizing that culture wasn't for her, to diving into Echelon! We talk about her lovely singing and how...2023-04-242h 03
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE31 - Celebrities - S7E1 - A Crowning AchievementIn this episode we review the Great British Baking Show (GBBO) "Stand Up to Cancer" Celebrities edition Season 7, E1. The contestants are John Lithgow (actor), Jon Richardson (comedian), Russell Brand (activist and actor), and Hannah Cockroft (paralympian).
We start off with our own antics. Sheldon's salted butter shortbreads were a hit, and this week he tackles macarOOns - this is a super easy cookie that is great for family time. He went "chocolate" variety and had a little trick to make sure he got a decent bake. Alison - she had an adventure! it was off to...2023-04-171h 13
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE55 - Manny Lopez - Echelon Instructor and hat entrepreneurInterview: 10 min mark. recap: 57:30 Industry News: 1:05:56. Echelon and Shoutouts: 1:19:05
Sheldon went to Vegas... it was meh and he talks about it including the overrated In-N-Out burger... yes ... I said it. Meredith went to her first Passover Seder and had all the things!
Manny Lopez is the guest and he has a special kind of energy. He brings "The Manny experience" and we cover his path into fitness with what started with following a dream that wasn't his own - medical school. Manny then finds his passions and today he not only instructs...2023-04-101h 49
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE30 - Sandy Steps In - Celebrities S7E3We are back! A few bakes on the books - Sheldon with some "funfetti" cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. Alison does a great job explaining why butter isn't used in them. Sheldon also tackles some popular cookies from Alison Roman (she was at Milk bar with our Alison's favorite Christina Tosi). They came out reallllly well. Alison also made some of her well tuned recipe for chocolate chip cookies, but made a slight modification that was a real crowd pleaser at her work.
We have a date! Great AMERICAN Bake Off starts May 5th! we are excited for...2023-04-1054 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE29 - Wrapping up "The Professionals"We reflect about the last 3 episodes for The Professionals and how the Showpieces were better than most of the other ones. We felt the judging was fair for these episodes as well.
Before that though we talk a out bakes! Meredith baked garlic knots. They were pre-made, but hey, there was an oven involved! Alison took on 2 cookie recipes - her standard lemon sugar cookies, and then a blueberry white chocolate chip cookie for her friend's son. She used the best blueberries (Maine) and they were VERY blue. Sheldon had 2 adventures - one in decorating where he...2023-03-2752 min
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE54 - Curvy Echelon Crew in the House!We kick things off with the pressures of socialization our preferences and how it can drain us! Some talk about shows we've been watching. Sheldon's 10K "training" and talk about Nicole's walk through the decades series. Meredith is hitting them all!
(9:50) Interview with 4 guests - the Curvy Echelon Crew. We learn about each member of this team that supports a community of over 4000! Each has their own story of getting to Echelon and how they found this community. Then somewhere along the way the CEC was born. Meant to be a place that was accepting to all...2023-03-272h 03
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE28 - The Pros S6 E7 - Sugar BlownLots to talk about at the beginning - Alison has some fantastic bakes in the realm of whoopie pies, but also stooped by a mini donut shop for a gift...and boy she had a fun story for us. Mere had a birthday! Her mom made the ever delicious Texas Sheet Cake so we dive into this delectable treat and what makes it unique. Sheldon tackles carrot cake and a GBBO contestant's "Cadbury Egg" cookies ...which were ok. THEN Sheldon mentions he has a protein "pop tart" he picked up to try - Alison stops the press and makes...2023-03-201h 13
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE53 - Lindsay Kaplan - Echelon Instructor and Head of TalentTimestamps: Interview - 10:55, recap - 53:10, Industry news - 1:08:40, Echelon News and shoutouts - 1:22:23
Sheldon done went and injured himself - wasn't even during a hard workout. Also a Peloton at the Doubletree only has "delta" clips so had to bail on a ride. Meredith has entered the dark side of 45 minute rides. She's loving how strong it's making her feel! She also talks about going to see her daughter play in the orchestra for Sweeny Todd. Then a little Tv talk because... well, it's our show and we wanted to hahaha. Meredith also finished her Master's...2023-03-131h 47
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE27 - GBBO The Pros S6E6 - Chocolate Horror HouseMere made hamantaschen and said her triangles were wonky… but it had three sides so by definition - perfect! Alison talks about her “pantry leftovers brownies that looked like they were straight out of a Williams Sonoma cookbook. Sheldon hurt himself, but it wasn’t baking so, who cares?
Spoilers for E6 below.
Chocolate week! To kick it off the teams were asked to create a sharing dessert that highlighted chocolate, but also black and white sesame. Ok - a little weird - but we rolled with it. There seemed to be a trick though - the...2023-03-1355 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE26 - GBBO The Pros S6E5 - Group B Illusions - Choux time for Group BWell - something is just simple to us. We just like Group B of the bakers better. We like each team in their own way, but we like them all. We all have a special affection for George and Geanina as well.
In terms of our adventures. Meredith makes some killer compote and jams, she shares it with the family and they end up keeping it all! Don’t worry she can make more :-). Alison talks about her amazing M&M cookies and how they barely last a couple of hours at the office. Sheldon makes ug...2023-03-061h 03
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE25 - GBBO The Pros S6E4 Group B Minis - A tale of lemons and crumbling crumbleIt's chaos Tom! We discuss the A and B format a bit and the struggle of having to relearn all the teams. Overall we all agree that this group just seems more put together than Group B. We discuss each team a bit and what we liked about them. We talk about Meredith's amazing lemon meringue pie, Alison's amazing quest to take on macarons... and how she is just rewriting the rules to making them. Sheldon has a journey of his own of redemption in the form of Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes - ganache flashbacks are real folks.
Ep...2023-02-271h 02
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE52 - Jim Johnson - Echelon rider, bike tour master, man of intrigue!We start today with a somber note as we recognize the loss of one of our community members, Agie Yatsko. Meredith gives a touching tribute and shares accounts from community members.
Sheldon has been traveling again and gets his hotel brands mixed up ... leading to a "no gym" situation. Meredith teases her friends with Peloton gear.
Our guest today is Echelon's own "international man of mystery" - Jim Johnson. "Chattanooga Jim" has been a staple of the community for years and he had joined even before it was a public platform. We learn about his inc...2023-02-271h 45
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE24 - The Pros S6E3 - Chocobots!No Meredith this week so Alison and Sheldon hold down the fort! We get the full update on Alison’s baking marathon last week and …wow… just wow. SIX delicious cookies and wait till you hear where they went … so proud of our friend. Sheldon had no chance to bake but we talk about the intricacies of Naan and how a great one is such a feat! We also get an update on the type of chocolate he used for his ganache… spoiler alert… the ladies were correct in their assessment.
Spoilers for E3 below.
Right out of...2023-02-2058 min
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE51 - John Mills - Advocate, connected fitness nut, Peloton rider, podcaster, and AMAZING Human!Mere has a great day with fancy boots and dog kisses. Sheldon travels and rides a Peloton and uses an Assault Treadmill.
We want to wish Crystal from the Peloton based The Clip Out podcast a fast and complete recovery as she was struck by a vehicle when out running. She will be ok, but was a bit banged up. Fast recovery, Crystal!
Our guest today was a regular on the Clip Out and quickly became known as a connected fitness expert from those that heard his passion for the topic. His Facebook group Run, Lift...2023-02-131h 58
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE23 - GBBO The Pros - S6E2 - A tale of tumbling towersWe kick off the episode with baking adventures. Sheldon’s… were not great. Choux buns, pastry cream, and chocolate ganache. The pastry cream - ok. Tasted great, but not as silky as he wanted. The choux pastry, the batter was a bit thicker than he wanted so it was a bit difficult to pipe, but he was able to form buns and out of the gate they seemed to rise nicely. Recipe called for 425F at 20 minutes, and he went to pull them at about 17-18… they were badly overdone. Sigh. Had enough for a second batch and they came o...2023-02-1355 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE22 - GBBO The professionals S6E1 - Miniature ClassicsThe full band is back together! Alison is on the mend, Mere is rockin and rolling, and yup... you still have Sheldon around. And we have started with the "new" series on Netflix in the US - Bake Off - The Professionals. This is actually season 6 of the series, and this was filmed in 2021... but it's new for us.
We kick off with some catching up with the team. Sheldon took on a classic feared dessert - the Souffle! He made a chocolate variety and it came out prettttty good!
We start with our assessments over...2023-02-061h 10
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE21 - GBBO S1E4 - Pudding in Bakewell - Forgot Eggs? You must be yolking.Well we are missing one of our faithful hosts this week as Alison is down with a bug. We missed her, but Meredith stepped up as the undersecretary of baking excellence and kept Sheldon straight on all things baking this week. Sheldon actually did bake some bread for the first time this week, but made a rookie mistake... proofed it in a room that was a bit too cold. Crust was great, crumb was dense though, but it was tasty. Meredith tries Tropical Smoothie Cafe on Alison and Sheldon's recommendation and she gives her assessment.
A very cla...2023-01-3053 min
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE50 - Amber Harper Returns! Super mom, super instructor, awesome human.It's episode 50!! We kick it off the episode with both of us (mostly) not sick! yay! Sheldon has a good doctor visit, Mere has some Oklahoma snow. We debate the merits of the Netflix show Kaleidoscope.
Amber is BACK! She is part of our 50th episode and our FIRST repeat guest. She has SO much to talk about from being a new mom to the challenges she faced during pregnancy and after. We hit a number of aspects including combating your "gremlin" with your "Smurfette" and giving yourself SPACE vs. Grace. Amber brings an electric energy that c...2023-01-302h 04
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE20 - GBBO S1E3 - Bread in Kent - That's how we rollThis week on Scrummy Handshakes we visit the breadbasket of the UK - Kent county. Excited to see what’s in store.
Out of the Gate our friend Mere is missing… we trudge on… and then she shows up… eventually… it’s funny, trust me. Alison and Sheldon talk about all of the Scones we made. Me - just getting the basics down and trying a half batch with some bacon and cheese. Not bad! Meredith nailed some traditional scones, complete with clotted cream and fruit compote, and Alison pitched a fast ball right in Sheldon’s lane with some...2023-01-231h 03
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE19 - OG GBBO S1E2 - Biscuits - It's a hard tack lifeThe team is back and the feelings are mixed on this episode! We start off with Alison giving us a rundown of her vegan red velvet cake - and reports are it was better than a normal one!! She tells us why and what helped. Mere and She had no bakes this week, but Mere talks about the scrummy chocolate bundt cake with cherries her mom made. We also learn here mom has no idea that we do a podcast called Scrummy Handshakes hahahaha!
Ok - it was biscuit week in Scotland. Biscuit with an asterisk because it...2023-01-161h 00
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE17 - The Super Duper 2023 preview- Fun For All!!!!We kick things off talking about the holiday aftermath! Meredith is on vacation and she is sending all kinds of fun pics of the scrummy delights.
Alison and Sheldon talk about the many bakes they undertook from pop tarts to pies, fudge to frostings. We also talk about the fun stuff we got as holiday gifts with Alison capitalizing with her gift card to acquire some yummy concoctions like Ugandan Vanilla! Sheldon gets some really great kitchen additions including a fantastic pan from Alison and a new ceramic bowl for the Kitchenaid.
Then we talk about...2023-01-0241 min
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE48 - Happy New Year 2023! Best of 2022While Meredith is on vacation, Sheldon gets to play! He pulls his favorite ... well, at least the ones he could remember and find .... snippets from the 2022 episodes. Little nuggets of wisdom, laughter, and joy from several of the guests we had on the show in 2022.
Thank you for supporting our podcast in 2022 and I hope we can keep on entertaining you moving forward!2023-01-021h 15The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE47 - Marie Manalo, Echelon InstructorSheldon has started his holiday vacation.... and is starting to already feel sick after spending 1 1/2 hours in the cold trying to help someone get into a care they locked their keys into. Meredith had her office holiday party and was winning ALL of the prizes!
Our guest today brought serenity and positive energy with her and delivery it for Echelon as well as for her own adventure Mother Manifestor. We learn all about Maria Manalo including her challenging journey from a difficult relationship to someone that discovered who she was and what her ultimate purpose is. We tal...2022-12-191h 36
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE14 - GBBO New Year's 2022 - Joy to The WorldOn this episode we cover the “GBBO Festive Episode” that first aired at the very beginning of 2022 (we get them later here in the U.S.) where they bring back contestants from other seasons.
First though, we talked about our scrummy baking! Alison spent most of the day making cookies and she discusses how she tackled Neapolitan sugar cookies. This takes three flavors and brings them all together (but separate looking). She then used a technique that made them looked like “scooped ice cream”! They look amazing. Meredith dove into the world gf gingerbread making some both soft and...2022-12-1258 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE13 - GBBO Christmas Episode 2022 - Tastes Like SinThe team is SO excited that the holiday episodes are here! First we kick off talking about the scrummy adventures of the week. Meredith was under the weather so most of her week was "soup based" but she had some delicious ones. Alison has a "sus" encounter with a bake sale purchase. Sheldon and Alison are also obsessed with a national chain's Gingerbread smoothie.
We discussed a couple of articles that were interesting. Sabirya discusses how proud it made her to showcase the flavors of her heritage. Another article asks Prue why she feels there will NOT be a...2022-12-0554 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE12 - The Season 13 Finals - "What on Earth was that?"The full squad is back and we are talking finals. But first - Meredith gives us a full rundown on her scrummy cruise! A couple of articles to discuss - one highlights how the GBBO judges make their decisions (article from yahoo.com) and there were a couple of surprises in this .... one of which may have come into play in the final, perhaps? The second article from People lets us know about something Janusz did that was heartwarming for all of us.
Warning: potential spoilers below
Then we get into the show. First comment... neith...2022-11-281h 00
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE11 - Signature Showdown - A scrummy take on the challengesAs we mentioned last week - we are going to be discussing the final NEXT week so today we have a special episode where Alison and Sheldon talk about what they would have done for the Signature Challenges for each episode (Meredith is enjoying a much deserved vacation this week!)
We kick things off recapping Alison's trip where she visited Sheldon and participated in the Richmond Half-Marathon... on the hottest day on record for the event. Then, lots of scrummy delights were enjoyed including a magnificent meal at one of Richmond's best restaurants - Stella's - tacos g...2022-11-2157 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE10 - Patisserie Week - A Tale of TowersAlison visiting Sheldon. meredith gearing up for a trip. Sheldon accidentally uses the wrong mic... sigh. It's ok - we salvaged it but Sheldon may sound a little different this week hahaha. For scrummy delights, well, Mere battled a little stomach bug so laid it low, but Sheldon took Alison on a Pizza tour of Richmond and it didn't disappoint.
It was the much feared patisserie week! Fancy desserts designed to be pretty and Paul and Prue expected excellence.
First though - first week that Sheldon thought Matt's shirt outshone Noel's! Meredith disagrees. We all wonder ho...2022-11-141h 00
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE9 - Pastry Week - Pie in the skyScrummy delights this week include Meredith's delightful cauliflower soup and an almost forgotten oatmeal cream pie that Alison enjoyed. We rapped a while about halloween and how the world is cruel to Alison and Sheldon by stealing the few foods that they enjoy on the reg.
Note: Episode spoilers below!
Pastry week is something they do every year, so everyone should be well prepared. Well... so much for that idea. They kick off with Vol-au-vents. Normally a savory pie, the judges asked for something sweet. Key to the rough pastry shells is work fast and keep it...2022-11-0759 minThe Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE44 - Abe Kelledjian - Echelon Canada riderWe open up with Halloween hijinks. Mere watches jazz, Sheldon negotiates with the "Kit Kat" kid. We also discuss if we were the children of Gods who would our parents be. (Hey, don't judge, our podcast, our rules)
Our guest today is Monkeys' Uncle himself Abe Kelledjian, a Canadian rider and a member of The Eh Team - a group of Canadian riders that rock the house. He was a super fun guest that immediately had a "sheldon" story when he was able to see a Big Bang Theory pilot. His journey is such an interesting one where...2022-11-072h 09
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE8 - Custard Week - Spooning Out The GoodsThis week Alison joins us from on the road!she tells us about what may have been a top all time dinner for her involving an unsuspecting dipping sauce. Meredith talks apple cake and custard tarts - one fantastic, the other with a ratio that needs some work. Sheldon takes a turn at trying shortbread and delivering on a staple cookie. We also discuss the impact of butter in cookies and how maybe some more mixer time could solve an issue.
Note: The below will contain details from this weeks GBBO episode. Read at your own risk of spo...2022-10-3158 minThe Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE43 - Rowan Foggitt, Echelon UK InstructorSpooky vibes start us off! Meredith is on a LOTR kick. Sheldon took a trip to New Orleans. And the changing of the seasons is here so we retreat to the indoor equipment! We also take a dive into Meredith's candy handing out dilemma.
Rowan Foggitt is our esteemed guest from the UK. He brings a great technical and real world expertise to the bike due to all of his road cycling experience. We discuss his path to fitness and coaching and it is a reminder that not everyone discovers their passion in life right away. Rowan discover...2022-10-241h 42
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE7 - Halloween Week - Lots of Sweeping.... But No BroomsIt's Halloween Week! Something they haven't done before and we were excited! We kick off the episode talking about some halloween traditions we have and we learn about Alison's "dark side" of the neighborhood. Everyone will be heading to Meredith's for full size bars!!
Note: the below will contain episode spoilers.
The costumes this week were stellar. Noel with his awesome shirts and jumper, Prue crushing with the Jacket, Maxy's awesome hair, and Janusz rocking the eyeliner applied by Syabira.
The signature is a great fall tradition - Apple Cake. Most went for traditio...2022-10-2458 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE6 - Dessert Week - Pudding is Cake... SortaWelcome to the week that confuses Sheldon every year - Dessert Week - which are puddings... which in the UK are kinda like cake.. wet cake.
Started off talking about the scrummy delights our week as brought us. Sheldon hit up New Orleans for beignets and his mother in-law whipped up a special Chex Mix. Meredith tackles her grandma's carrot cake and learns what oleo is. Alison takes on a 4-proof bun challenge and the results are delicious!
To make things more fun for the finale, we decided to add a bonus for the winner. Rando...2022-10-171h 00
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE5 - Mexican Week - Not Your Average Taco Tuesday!We open with our scrummy delights - Mexican wedding cookies, (American biscuits), and caramelitas were all attempted by the crew with ... some mixed results (spoiler... Sheldon's were the mixed results).
We have a little chat about the articles and "controversy" of Mexican week and the use of cultural symbolism, clothing, recipes et al. Always open to thoughts and opinions on this subject - we recognize our position is one of "outside" looking in so take our thoughts with that being acknowledged by all.
Note: Spoilers below! While we don’t give away WHO won Star Baker...2022-10-1058 minThe Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE42 - Kelli Quinn, "aka Pigmom" - Echelon RiderSheldon is a star! Well, at least his video created for Echelon was shared by them on their socials. So he's Eche-famous.
Our guest is the one and only Kelli Quinn, aka "Pigmom". Yes, she has a pet pig. His name is Todd. Todd the pet pig is awesome. Kelli is an amazing member of the community, humble in her demeanor, she rocks all four pieces of Echelon equipment and is a beast on the road bike. We have a great talk about the community, accountability partners, and her very cool goal that involves traveling to every state.2022-10-101h 33
Trading Card TherapyHistoric Find of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Baseball Cards Plus Autographs from Cy Young and Honus WagnerYour host, Leighton Sheldon, tells the story of a historic find of 800 + vintage Goudey baseball cards including 22 - yes, 22 - Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Cards from the 1930's! Another amazing collection "The Doctor" purchased contains autographs from many legendary players like Cy Young and Honus Wagner. Leighton is always buying collections; reach out any time to Leighton@JustCollect.com and a for a free appraisal at JustCollect.com. You can see all of these collections on our blog at blog.JustCollect.com2022-10-0822 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE4 - Bread Week - Who will rise up??Scrummy delights the squad discuss include croissant pretzel hybrids, cherry glazed cake donuts, and homemade focaccia!
Warning: below contains spoilers from Bread Week!
Overall, the team felt like this was a pretty weak episode in terms of bakes go. The choices of what each challenge consisted of ranged from odd to downright a bit gross (at least from our American palettes point of view)
Right out of the gate - two bakers were ill so not participating, so that made it pretty likely that there would be no elimination. Some folks seemed shocked at t...2022-10-0348 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE3 - Biscuit week - "It's NOT a cookie!"Right out of the gate we were feeling like the bakers were going to be underdelivering as there was a lot of "I don't make biscuits, they are in the store" attitude. we speak about this a bit but also ask ourselves if maybe... just maybe.... this troop isn't particularly strong overall. We get into maybe some reasons why. Or is it that the bake difficulty has been amped up or "unnecessary twists" added because they are low on ideas? We discuss.
Warning: below here we discuss specific bakes so if that is a spoiler for you stop...2022-09-2655 minThe Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE41 - Sage Figueroa, Lead Instructor Echelon UKKicking things off Sheldon and Meredith had just finished a 45 minute ride - not a duration either typically enjoy, but it was an epic dual ride so they couldn't say no. Besides Sheldon is paying penance for a few days of butter burgers, cheese curds and beer in Wisconsin.
Our guest today is the amazing Sage Figueroa, lead instructor at Echelon UK. Her story inspires, and her confidence and poise make you just love her almost instantly. Her stories of seeing the world, her journey of fitness through pregnancy, and her solid advice for the importance of res...2022-09-262h 01
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE2 - Cake week and someone is claggy!Warning: This episode and the description below contain spoilers on specific bakes and individual performance - but the notes WILL NOT reveal star baker or who went out.
Great start to GBBO with an epic "Star Wars" kick off. Prewbacca and Flan Solo .... yes please. HOW MUCH WEIGHT HAS MATT LOST!? Holy heck he looks great. But did he keep his old shirts?
Meredith bakes a cake ... with some challenges...but delicious, which was a great kick off to rolling into the week. Alison felt the whole set of challenges was a bit of a softbal...2022-09-1949 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastE1 - Meet the GBBO Bakers 2022 and Draft Picks!This is the inaugural episode of what we hope will be a fun and engaging discussion around a little obsession of ours - the Great British Bake Off.
We kick things off getting to meet our 3 hosts - Alison, Sheldon, and Meredith. Alison is out resident "ringer" she knows GBBO inside and out and will always have the facts when we need them. Meredith brings fun and quirky insights, always making us laugh. She also always has a great way of connecting the outside world to GBBO. Sheldon is the rookie. New to bake off in the last...2022-09-1235 min
Scrummy Handshakes - A Great British Bake Off Fan PodcastScrummy Handshakes Trailer - A Great British Bake Off Fan Podcast coming 9/12/22Do you love The Great British Bake Off? So do we, and if you do then this podcast may be for YOU!
When Alison, Meredith, and Sheldon first met it was in a completely virtual world of connected fitness. Taking rides together from different parts of the country they connected through mutual interests and began to chat.
Meredith and Alison began talking about this "British Baking Show" and they introduced Sheldon to it and he was hooked...the three started talking about it more and more. The banter was always funny, insightful, and together they eve...2022-09-0401 minThe Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE39 - Florian Brennecke - Echelon Instructor, Frankfurt StudioHello Echelots! Sheldon brings a festive shirt to the Friday recording... after he basically forgot they needed to record this week. Oops. Mere was on time so her podcast performance review is saved once again! Amusement park rides are still fun, but old person anxiety starting to creep in. But until it takes over - roller coasters!
Florian Brennecke is today's guest. He's an Echelon instructor in the Frankfurt studio and he just might be the hardest man in Germany! He's got his own full client base, a gym featuring muscle stimulation, and plans for more! We learn how...2022-08-291h 54The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE38 - Jaime Wilbanks, Echelon instructorMeredith and Sheldon take vacations about as far apart in the continental US as is possible. Sheldon sees Orcas and giant trees, Meredith sees Echelon people and waterfalls! There was coffee, wine, hiking and fun to be had.
Jaime Wilbanks is today's guest and we learn a lot about how she has been through some challenges including shifting her life from Nextflix and couch to rowing/running/fitness phenom! From teaching toddlers to coaching some of the toughest workouts at Echelon, Jaime delivers the goods and gives a fantastic interview. Find Jaime at FB and IG: jaime_fitf...2022-08-152h 31The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE37 - Ryn Tucker, Echelon instructor and really bendy personWe kick off today with a little chat about how useless vitamins are. So. There's that. It's still hot as Hades, the rowers lie to us (update: firmware fix seems to fix output!), and Meredith takes a road trip.
Our guest today is the incredibly kind and bendy Ryn Tucker! Ryn is an instructor on the rower, Reflect, Stride, and Fitpass with her "specialty" being yoga where she has taught thousands of Echelots to bennnnnnnd. Her classes are magnificent and even Sheldon took a couple (that's a big deal if you know Sheldon). She also has an amazin...2022-08-011h 50The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE36 - Michael Browne, Echelon instructorIt's hot in Oklahoma, and Meredith describes the misery of having her rower on the 3 season porch (spoiler alert the one of the 3 seasons is apparently NOT summer). Big news with our 20,000th episode play! Summer blah's kick in a bit for Sheldon.
Today's guest is Michael Browne who instructs on the bike, rower, and fitpass. He has a great story and the team loves interviewing him. Michael brings a lot of uniqueness to his instruction. One look at him and you know "strength" is a forte. He recently just started a kettlebell series that is amazing. He also...2022-07-181h 58
The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE35 - Daphne Palacio aka Spin DivaSheldon managed to get sick again. Fun times! We talk about 4th of July plans and how Meredith took a trip to one of our greatest national treasures, while also managing to not get gored by a bison (which apparently is something other people seem to excel at...).
Our guest today is one of the Echelon community's most recognizable and most fun members. Daphne Palacio, aka SpinDiva is always one of the very first to step up and be supportive when someone needs a boost. If there's a group ride and she's around, she's down. And on the s...2022-07-042h 02The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE34 - John Holt, Echelon InstructorSheldon and Meredith take a trip to Chattanooga with a number of the Echelon fam, and to attend the Riverbend festival. Great fun was had by all and it wasn't hot as all heck, so that's a bonus. Meredith also got to experience the joy that is Clumpie's ice cream. Happy Juneteenth to all. Meredith recommends a book: 400 Souls by Keisha M. Blaine in reference to Juneteenth as well.
Today we invite the fantastic, funny, and fit John Holt to the show. John is a fantastic coach in both Fitpass and the rower, bringing his motivation, energy, and gr...2022-06-201h 45The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE33 - Vandon Jones, Echelon InstructorSheldon was sick last week so he whines about that for a bit and then Meredith and Sheldon recap the Memorial Day weekend activities. Happy Pride Month! If you don't know about the Echelon Rainbow Army - check them out.
Today we have a relatively new instructor that feels like we've known him for ages - Vandon Jones. We talk about his challenging journey through the world of fitness, traveling all over, hitting speed bumps, and finally landing in the fantastic city of Chattanooga and the Echelon studios. Vandon just brings a special kind of energy with him an...2022-06-062h 09The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE32 - Cris Larsen, Echelon Studio ChattanoogaWe begin this episode with a harrowing tale of bravery, passion, and perseverance. Through the maelstrom of obstacles and the harsh cruelty of Mother Nature, a hero emerges that the world may never see again! ..... Ok.... maybe that's a slight exaggeration.... but Sheldon did do something he's pretty proud of! Meredith also has a couple of proud moments of her own with a graduating daughter and all the fun that comes with it!
Our guest is a member of the Chattanooga studio team and we hear her truly inspiring tale of injury, recovery, finding Echelon and loving it so much sh...2022-05-232h 02The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE31 - Janet Adams, Echelon InstructorSheldon had a birthday! We had to get a fire permit for the candles on the cake.... Meredith opens with a recap of a chat she had with a few long time Echelon riders that have, let's say "unique" leaderboard names.
We jump right in with our guest, the amazing and inspiring Janet Adams. She gives us the scoop on how fitness became such an important part of who she is and you won't believe what she did to fuel her dedication to fitness when she had a traveling job! We also talk Early morning "Weirdos", what she...2022-05-091h 45The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE30 - Mystery GuestWe kick off today's episode complaining, as usual. What's up with the false spring? Meredith of course having excellent weather in Oklahoma. She loves to spoil Sheldon's complaining. Easter happened, and Meredith has a hot take on Harry Potter Lego sets. And then - Sheldon + bib shorts = entertainment for all.
About 80% through recording almost 2 hours of material, Sheldon realizes that his computer hates him and has switched the microphone to his web cam mic.... No, he doesn't live in a cardboard box, but sounds like he does this episode. Just pretend it's a "retro" episode. K? Cool.
The...2022-04-251h 44The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE29 - Alex Zelin PhD and Echelon RiderKicking off the podcast this week with ALLERGIES, trips to estate sales, and the excitement of Easter candy.
Today's guest is PhD in Industrial-organizational psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (which is super impressive in itself) and has also represented the U.S. at the Jewish Games in Israel in swimming - like, AWESOME! We have a great conversation with Alex about knowing your body and not allowing peer pressure or FOMO push you into activities that aren't the best for you. She gives a great example from as early as high school where she pu...2022-04-111h 50The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE28 - Demi Patience - Echelon UK InstructorWe kick off the episode with a little March Madness talk, then Meredith let's them... well let's basically EVERYONE eat cake, and Sheldon burns out he olfactory bulb with airborne powder from his favorite new drink.
The guest today is our FIRST UK Echelon instructor, Demi Patience! She brings us a great story that includes her winding, and tough journeys through the fitness and modeling worlds, but ends with landing a dream job with Echelon. She talks about her (completely unplanned) meetup in another country with one of our past guests, Richard, and how she was even re...2022-03-281h 36The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE27 - Julia Baldwin, Echelon Rider and "kneehab" queenWe kick off the episode with Sheldon's journey to ....well, you'll have to listen to find out. Meredith is winding up her birthday month and heading on a trip of her own as well.
We roll right into an interview with our dear friend Julia Baldwin who has been a long time Echelon member and has had to rehab her way through a knee replacement. We learn about her amazing feats of running a number of marathons - always with friends to a place that they want to visit (such a cool idea!) and how she finally ga...2022-03-141h 51The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE26 - Reed, Echelon InstructorOur guest today joins us from the Echelon hot spot of Miami, FL where he is an instructor, as well as owner of his own media company. We learn a lot about Reed's journey from being a model that traveled the world, to living in a hostel for a while, to his path to Echelon where he has delighted riders with his energy. Known for his fun and challenging cadence style rides, we had a great time getting to know this gem of an instructor and we hope you do too!
We kick off the episode with Me...2022-02-281h 39The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE25 - Alison Anderson, Endurance AthleteSome people's idea of fun is a nice evening on the couch with a movie. Today's guest likes to drive a few hours, sleep in the back of her station wagon, wake up and run 50+ miles, and then drive home. She is Alison Anderson, she is an endurance athlete, Echelon rider, and all around awesome person. Meredith and I have a great conversation about discipline and "finding your thing". We also talk about her podcast that she does with another rider, Norm Miller, called the Post Race Cookie Cast. if you have interest in endurance sports, you'll love it. Find i...2022-02-142h 26The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE24 - Sam Jackson, Echelon Lead InstructorYou've heard of "Snakes on a Plane", well today's guest brings you the treadmill of pain! Ok... terrible "Sam Jackson" jokes aside, we've got the one and only Sam Jackson, Echelon Lead Instructor on this week and she was a delight. From her days as a Division I distance runner to being told "You'll never run again", we hear her riveting story and her path to being that ball of energy we see on the Bike, Stride(TM) Treadmill, and Reflect(TM) fitness mirror. She's fantastic to talk with!
SO much news in the industry. Yup - more...2022-01-312h 20The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE23 - Gaby VallandinghamToday we discuss a new topic for us - managing grief. Our guest today is a mother to an angel. She shares with us her story of dealing with this tragedy and how fitness and her community helped her through it and gives her strength even to today. She carries her child with her always and uses that to motivate herself and so many others through her Instagram - @runningtoheal_ and her blog rememberingzoe.blogspot.com. Her insight and reflection are inspiring and from it we learn about how to engage people who are dealing with grief, and some ways...2022-01-171h 55The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE22 - Favorite Things 2021 and 2022 Predictions!Meredith and Sheldon talk their favorite things of 2021 and report back on the listener survey on the topic!
We hit favorite equipment, favorite class series and individual classes, as well as best innovations of 2021.
Also, we ask people what their greatest WISH was for 2022 and we get all kinds of answers from the community from technology upgrades, to new equipment, to new clothing and music ideas. Favorite non-Sponsor? Meredith wished for a new studio on the West Coast so she could win a trip to visit it.
Lots of news to hit about th...2022-01-031h 41The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE20 - Mari Espinoza - Echelon InstructorWe start the episode recapping Sheldon's trip to Chattanooga. The studio experience was magical, the people were fantastic, and the city was a ton of fun! Sheldon also owes someone a roll of paper towels to help wipe up all of the sweat he pooled when borrowing their bike. We also introduce the Echelot family to "Whamageddon". If you know, you know, but if you don't... get ready for a fun holiday tradition.
Our guest, Mari Espinoza, tells us about her amazing journey to fitness and then becoming a fitness instructor. As a mother of four, balance and...2021-12-062h 20The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE19 - Laura "LaLa" SmithToday we welcome one of Echelon rider lore and legend. She joined Echelon as it started its ascent and quickly became a mainstay on the community page .... as well as in the studio itself. Her journey is one of challenges, decisions, pain, and happiness and she lets us behind the curtain to tell us her path. Whether you are a veteran rider or new to Echelon, you will find inspiration in her story. It wasn't all fun, but she made the tough decisions to give herself the life she knew she deserved. Oh and along the way decided to take...2021-11-222h 05The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE18 - Lou Lentine - CEO, Echelon FitWell! What can we say about today's guest?! We are honored and excited to interview the CEO of Echelon Fit - the one and only Lou Lentine. We covered a wide swath of topics from Lou's journey as an entrepreneur, to the early Echelon days, to the exciting future of products, features, and content that lies ahead! We learn a LOT and it was wonderful to hear and (for us) see the passion that Lou has for Echelon and its members.
In the pre-interview we tackle Halloween and how badly Sheldon got slaughtered on the listener poll. Then...2021-11-082h 10The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE15 - John Santo - Echelon CPOMy "Echelot" friends, we have our first guest from the Echelon executive team on the show today when Chief Product Officer John Santo joins us! We talk about the origins of Echelon, the lessons learned and how they continuously adapted and learned, and how they strove to create excellent connected fitness products that were accessible to a wider audience. we also learn of some VERY exciting new things coming down the pipeline including new equipment, new content and features, and new collaborations! If being in the "know" is fun for you, then you definitely don't want to miss this int...2021-09-271h 52The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE14 - Marsha Goldberg - Echelon InstructorToday we have the Queen of barre, red lipstick, and "Sweet Baby Jesus" - the one and only Marsha Goldberg. Marsha shares with us her path to the US via Trinidad Tobago and how she found her way to sports and confidence from being immersed in youth sports. We talk about how she still gets nervous before a class (and that's a good thing), building confidence through authenticity, and about how she balances being a badass fitness instructor with being the mom of a super talented youth athlete.
We also discuss how essentially if you hang out at...2021-09-131h 58The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE13 - Cristian Del Valle - Co-founder, Fluffy But FitEvery once in a while, we come across a brand that just speaks to us, connecting at a fundamental level. Well, Fluffy But Fit was one of those brands. They are a clothing and fitness brand completely dedicated to body positivity, and totally ok with mixing burgers and barbells.
We speak with the co-founder of Fluffy But Fit, Cristian Del Valle, and he takes us on a journey that many of us have known. Ups, downs, and depriving himself of the joy of food in chase of that ever elusive "Instagram body", Cristian got ""shredded" but was mis...2021-08-302h 07The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastE12 - Coach and Athlete - Megan HanewaldToday we have a guest that if you've been with Echelon a while you'll surely remember. Megan Hanewald was our enduro leader and rowing master, teaching us how to love long rides and how to row without looking like a drunken octopus. She is now a Hydrow personal coach, endurance athlete, and fitness/triathlon coach for athletes around the country. In our interview, she talks about how she was never expected to be the "athlete of the family", but found her passion and pursued it relentlessly - to the result of completing numerous triathlons as well as a a Mast...2021-08-162h 08The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastS1E10 - Jama Oliver - Echelon Lead InstructorJama Oliver is one of Echelon's lead instructors based out of Chattanooga. We had the privilege to speak with Jama about how she found her way to echelon, but also got to discuss some of the personal challenges she faced and overcame on her journey.
Jama doesn't hold back and is a fantastic example of how authenticity is a gift to us all, and she uses her own experiences to lift the people she coaches and to also improve herself as she continues to evolve.
We hit a number of other topics as well including ho...2021-07-191h 48The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastS1E9 - Kai Laird - Certified Mental Performance ConsultantIn this week's episode we welcome Kai Laird. Kai is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant who specializes in working with athletes (which range from us average folk just trying to improve our fitness to full blown professionals) to help them find their mojo, make a plan, and achieve goals that they never felt possible. He gives us all some very simple, actionable, steps that we can use to help us in our own goals - and we talk about how Sheldon uses some of these very tactics in a goal he recently was trying to achieve. He has more...2021-07-051h 56The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastS1E8 - Nate Warwick and Debbie McLoughlinFriendship and accountability can be a great combination when you both have goals and are working together towards them.
The guests this week are the perfect example of this. Nate Warwick and Debbie McLoughlin met through Echelon, and while they may not seem like they would be obvious buddies on paper, they've become key parts of each others' journeys to better health and fitness. They talk friendship, why they needed each other, how their families have also become close, and so much more! We learn a lot about how these "account-a-friends" can be a huge boost to succ...2021-06-212h 04The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastS1E7 - Dani Dellarco - The EnduroEpisodeWhat a joy it was to have an extra long and engaging conversation with the one and only Dani Dellarco! Her fascinating journey of finding her true self and pursuing her true passion of fitness was amazing and an inspiration for anyone that is looking to relate to chasing a dream.
She has built her path with hard work, perseverance, a dedication to her craft, and courage to live her life in a genuine way. She talks about her first "riding the podium" (which I think needs to become a thing at Echelon!) all the way up to...2021-06-072h 19The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastS1E5 - Eden LuskEden Lusk is an Echelon bike, row, and fitpass instructor as well as the owner of livewellwitheden.com. If you've ever taken a class with Eden, you'll know she always brings a unique and powerful energy and she does that for us in this interview.
We talk about her path to fitness, including how she learned to swim as an adult and immediately joined a triathlon, which has lead to multiple Ironman events and a passion for improvement that she brings to her teaching.
Eden takes us into the world of fitness nutrition and gives s...2021-05-101h 14The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastS1 Bonus Episode #2 - Echelon Gets Some CashIt was just announced that Echelon received $65 million in new funding this week and Meredith and Sheldon discuss how to spend the cash!
From rewarding the fantastic instructors, new content, equipment quality and expansion, new markets, to buying a monkey - we discuss and dream about all of the ways Echelon could spend this cash to continue the healthy expansion of our favorite obsession.
We also discuss new scenic rides, do a couple of shout outs, and discuss the launch of a "sister podcast" launched by our friends Alison and Norm focused on triathlon training2021-05-0340 minThe Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastS1 Bonus Episode - Leaderboard UpdateIn this special episode, Meredith and Sheldon discuss the launch of the new app/leaderboard. We hit the good and the bad and report in on everything we have seen, experienced, and heard about in the launch that happened earlier in the week.
Other topics:
News
Shoutouts
Badges
Tacos
2021-04-1940 minThe Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastS1E2 - Instructor Amber HarperSeason 1, Episode 2 - Amber Harper, Echelon instructor and owner of Amber Management Fitness join Meredith and Sheldon to talk about:
Her path to fitness and Echelon
How she almost had a different career path
Confidence. What role "Image" played in almost pushing her away from fitness as a career and what she did to overcome its power.
Living well and the importance of movement.
Building the perfect home fitness setup and what pieces of equipment she just can't live without.
In the post interview Sheldon and Meredith r...2021-04-121h 18The Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastS1E3 - Echelon Builds a SpaIn Episode 3, Meredith and Sheldon discuss Echelon's plans for a new Miami "compound" with studios, developers, poolside fitness and more.
Mere gets a new book.... about serial killers and their last meals and Sheldon doesn't understand why one ordered a single olive... and didn't eat it.
Echelon launches in France and Germany and we discuss the logistics
New instructors and the new "get to know them" sessions which leads us down the path of super heroes
Clip in shoes - do you?
New class format: All Out 10
Ne...2021-04-1239 minThe Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere PodcastEpisode 1 - Mere and Shel Spin up a PodcastIn this initial episode, Sheldon and Meredith introduce themselves to the listeners and bring them into this world of a podcast about a bike that goes nowhere. They hit on several topics:
- What the Super Excellent Not Too Serious Bike That Goes Nowhere Podcast is about
- Host "stories" - Leaderboard names, a bit about them, and their journey to Echelon and this podcast
- Echelon news and "what was interesting" this week
- Mario Lopez.... and WHY NOT MR. BELDING?!?
- Dream guests! 2021-04-0535 min
Safety Consultant with Sheldon PrimusOne young man's journey to successIn this episode, Sheldon tells a story about a young man that went from being a garbage collector to running his own business. He never gave up through no college education until as a working adult, divorce, working midnight shifts, using his 401 to start his business, and many other things. The story is tremendous and triumphant and gives hope to all that hear his story.2021-02-2227 min
Safety Consultant with Sheldon PrimusOne young man's journey to successIn this episode, Sheldon tells a story about a young man that went from being a garbage collector to running his own business. He never gave up through no college education until as a working adult, divorce, working midnight shifts, using his 401 to start his business, and many other things. The story is tremendous and triumphant and gives hope to all that hear his story.2021-02-2227 min