Shows
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 71: Why the heart knows the Truth and how training helps you find itThis is another direct response episode to a conversation I started on social media about the difference between the mind searching for truth and the heart knowing the Truth.
I dive deep into why the center of your body must be the place that points towards meaning and break down why the mind cannot be the one that's providing the aim in this crucial area of your life.
The element of physically training the body from a spiritual perspective gives you a perfect way to understand how this relationship between these parts of your being mu...
2026-02-1844 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 70: Personal Transcendence through Sport Interview: The unrecognizable Jason Parker and the Oracle Rumble 50 milerThis is the second interview in my new series "Personal Transcendence Through Sport" and I'm excited for everyone to hear the story of Jason Parker who found a familiar yet unknown version of himself through conquering the Oracle Rumble 50 miles trail ultra we ran together on Jan 31, 2026 with 11 of our Tribal Training Teammates.
Hear how this one moment is the culmination of years of intentional work to improve himself as a father, husband, and fitness coach through dedicating himself to athletic pursuit.
Get inspired by his breakthrough and how it's rippling through every aspect of h...
2026-02-121h 26
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 69: Personal Transcendence Through Sport Interview - Phil Lee, Life by Design, and the Oracle Rumble 50 Mile UltraThe first interview of 2026 kicks off a new series I'm hoping to bring to the Athletic Philosopher and there's no better first guest that Phil Lee. The series aims to bring on people who have seen their lives break open through athletic pursuit, real stories of transcending themselves by taking on big physical challenges in sport.
Phil Lee is the creator and owner of ENAK Seasonings, a bi-vocational pastor, endurance athlete extraordinaire (2x IronMan), and a teammate of mine on Tribal Training. He served our team at our latest Team Ultra at the Oracle Rumble 50 milers in...
2026-02-061h 03
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 68: On Competition and why adult athletes have no choice but the competeAfter a spirited discussion on the value and utility of competition in adults athletics in my Temple coaching group I decided to bring out the big guns and make a full and passioned argument on behalf of getting into the game out of necessity.
This is especially important for adult athletes who don't want to get caught back up in the world of chasing goals, outcomes, and achievements for their own sake through athletic competition and would rather exercise as a means of personal expression, artistic creativity, and self improvement.
I discuss the ways in w...
2026-01-2352 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 67: The Meaning of Completing My First Solo UltramarathonWe're back with the first episode of 2026!
Come along for the ride as I recap the Frozen Gnome winter 50K trail race I completed on January 10, 2026 and how I'm able to use the race result as a measuring stick for personal development and character growth.
I took on my first solo race as a way to attempt to better understand and harmonize elements of selflessness and selfishness that at times battle eachother intensely inside my mind. My history in racing has seen me give away my own physical potential to help guide and coach others a...
2026-01-131h 21
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 66: The Recap of the 'off the couch' fast and smooth snow marathonIn this episode I recap the events of my 'off the couch' fast and smooth marathon attempt from December 4, 2025.
Tale of the Tape: 26.2 Miles (23 on snow) / 3 hr 57 min 11 second elapsed : 3 hr 54 min 58 second 'chip' / 18F (-8C) / Kid pickup 30 minutes after ending
Come inside the effort as I go deep into how I took down a snow marathon in my own unique style. I break down the gear, the pacing, the fueling, the logistics, the mindset, the heartstance, and the takeaway lessons from a wild training effort en route to my first solo ultra marathon, a...
2025-12-0957 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 65: Planning my 'off the couch' fast and smooth marathon (LIVE PODCAST)This was a fun experiment in podcasting, my very first LIVE podcast that was streamed on Twitter as I recorded. I wanted to bring you inside of how I think about planning and executing improvised physical challenges that are just for me.
I'm running an 'off the couch' fast and smooth marathon but winter has conspired to complicate the entire idea of why I wanted to do it. But as often happens, the true meaning emerges not in the ease but in the adversity that's in the way. Instead of lamenting that a certain 'time' can't be h...
2025-12-0446 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 64: Inventing Sports Traditions from American Thanksgiving to the NHL in UtahThis episode I fall back into professor mode and take a deep page out of my old academic expertise, the connection of certain sports to certain national identities, to mine the meaning out of two big time sporting events I experience this week. The first was a Saturday Night hockey game in Utah and the second is the wave of NFL games played on the American Thanksgiving Holiday.
Come along for a journey through history and interpretation as I discuss the meaning of both ice hockey and American football as national sports, one looking to take root...
2025-11-271h 00
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 63: The 'Enter the Game' Method of TrainingIn this shorter episode I take you inside one of the coolest methods of training I've created for myself as an athletic artist. This 'Enter the Game' method is a perfect way to calibrate the tension between the measures of training and the meaning of training.
It's a way to hold yourself accountable to a high standard of progressing in your sport while also taking the pressure off having to be 'on' for hard workouts when the body and life aren't priming you up for a good day in the arena.
I describe how this m...
2025-11-2034 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 62: The meaning of running my first solo raceOn January 10, 2026 I will toe the line for my first ever solo race when I take on the Frozen Gnome 50K Trail Ultra in Crystal Lake, Illinois. In this episode I go deep into my own tumultuous relationship with competition, why I believe now is the time to reengage in a world of high competitive pressures, and how this race is a situated in a long series of process related achievements in training and life.
This episode is also a guide for the person who wants to get into athletic competition as an adult but without feeling a...
2025-11-131h 06
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 61: The Year of the Race: 5 races in 2026 and why I chose to go big2026 is the Year of the Race for me and I want to bring you inside both my thought process on how this all happened but most importantly to bring you deep inside my fitness process that I've been living for over a dozen years.
I detail why I've signed up for 5 big endurance races, 1 solo and 4 team races with Tribal Training. I'm also breaking into the world of endurance triathlon, taking on both a half and full IronMan in 2026, and spill the story on what brought me into this world.
This 'year of the race' i...
2025-11-051h 03
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 60: The Collision Between Faith and Fitness with Collin BrownI'm honored to welcome Collin Brown to the podcast to discuss how faith and fitness merge in both theory and practice in this wide ranging exploratory discussion. Both Collin and I lean on theological ideas in our fitness coaching practices and I invited him to continue a discussion we started on his podcast a few weeks back.
Collin shares his experiences as a counsellor, fitness instructor, and faith leader in helping us appreciate the deep philosophical components of combining fitness and faith to truly transform people from the inside out using fitness as the primary vehicle.
2025-10-241h 28
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 59: 'The Dr. and The Soul (book)' and 'Willing To Try (doc film)' review mashupLet the experimentation begin! Episode 59 is my bold attempt to synthesize reviews from the latest book I've read and the just released Tribal Training documentary film that captured our adventure in February running a 50 mile trail ultra with 13 athletes.
The book The Doctor and the Soul by Viktor Frankl is his theoretical and practical explanation of how to treat the soul of individuals by making them conscious of their responsibility in life that produces meaning and deep purpose
The documentary Willing To Try captures the intentional mindset and spiritual preparation work Tribal Training includes in our...
2025-10-1751 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 58: The Magic of Mini-Goals in TrainingThis episode is a live demonstration of how to mine meaning from a training session. I was inspired to record my thoughts on a barefoot beach 1/2 marathon that has been anchoring my training since completing my A-Race of the year 4 weeks ago.
By going over why I set this mini-goal, I end up cycling all the way back to my initial 'falling in love' with trail running moment that has propelled my fitness consistency for the past 13 years. When you train from your heart, you are able to build on the value of each session because they a...
2025-10-071h 01
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode #57: The journey of fast marathon training with Mike DonatelliThe Great Mike Donatelli returns to the podcast to discuss his transformation in fitness and life by training for a fast marathon.
Moving from wrestling and strength training, we discuss Mike's pursuit of a sub-3 hour marathon result, why this type of training is fun and meaningful to him, how he's become a runner in body, mind, and spirit, and how training out of passion truly orients one's life towards better potential.
This is the exact type of conversation that explore the fun and meaning of sports practiced well and I hope you leave inspired t...
2025-10-011h 11
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode #56: The Interrogating of Sport Philosophy Part II with the Great 'DecafQuest'I'm delighted to welcome back my great friend Mahmoud Rasmi, aka 'DecafQuest' to the show and ever more excited to announce our monthly episode schedule. As a fellow philosopher (with actual philosophic training) Mahmoud and I are going to start once a month conversation to continue exploring the deep world of sports and how a philosophical approach can teach us more about them and how to use them for good in our lives.
In this episode, we discuss first principles of goodness, the importance of experience in the body for self knowing, how to aim ourselves properly wi...
2025-09-261h 15
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode #55: POF 25' Race Debrief with Ronald PottsPrairie on Fire 2025 marked the first time I got to meet my longest online homie Mr. Ronald Potts, and it was also his very first official race. So I needed to invite him onto the show to provide him the space needed to make sense and meaning of his race experience (he CRUSHED a brand new PR and had an amazing day!)
This is a live coaching session, the same that I go through with my athletes and 1-1 clients after we've hit the goal of a big competition. It's a great illustration of how we use...
2025-09-171h 00
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode #54 - Prairie on Fire 2025 Race Recap: My Race ExperienceThis is deepest dive I've ever done on my own race experience after a big time competition. I've done lots of coaching reflections, but never drilled down into the specifics of my own aim, attitude, execution, and recollections of the event.
POF '25 will go down as the race that introduced my family to my world of training, racing, coaching, and mentoring. I'm forever grateful for the opportunity to share this experience with them, and it impacted my entire approach from training, to immediate race prep, the way the race unfolded, and what meant the most to m...
2025-09-161h 46
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 53: The Prairie on Fire 2025 Pre-Race PodcastA little late but better than never, this is the podcast I recorded before heading out with the family and team to take down the Prairie on Fire Backyard Ultra.
Rather than focus on physical training alone, I set up how a holistic approach to training kept me grounded during a crazy 6 weeks before race day and how I manage to keep on track with training all while aiming towards a deeper meaning than just the outcome of the race.
This is how I directly embody and practice the deep philosophy of sports I preach, t...
2025-09-0957 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 52: Interrogated on Sports by The Great 'DecafQuest'In this episode, I hand over my hosting job to the fabulous online philosopher Mahmoud Rasmi (AKA Decafquest @decafquest) to interrogate my philosophical ideas on the role and value of sport.
It's a live exhibition into a philosophical debate but also one where I'm put on the defensive and forced to present and then defend my views, similar to how an athlete subjects themselves to the rigor and outcome of the contest.
We talk about Happy Gilmore and becoming, the ideal of virtue, what is goodness, how can experience shape perception, and many other interesting p...
2025-08-2755 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 51: No man ever runs the same trail twice"No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man."
This famous quote from the Ancient Greek Philosopher Heraclitus sets the stage for a deep reflective dive into my recent experiences running trails back in Canada. I became a trail runner out of deep love of the activity and have missed the rugged forest trails since moving to the North Shore of Chicago 8 months ago.
I discuss where my love of trail running came from, how the ideas of 'change and permanence' can be...
2025-08-241h 03
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 50: Does playing sports make you holy?Episode 50! Wow team, we made it.
In this episode I dive deep into the spiritual nature of athletic training by synthesizing the classical Greek ideal of 'virtue' with the ancient Hebrew ideal of 'holiness.'
I make my argument that practicing sports towards this nature can indeed make one holy and provide historical, philosophical, and theological evidence.
This ideal forms the basis of how I practice sports, to become more righteous, to gain moral courage, and to then actualize my values through creative and truthful endeavors (the training and competing)
Listen...
2025-08-151h 09
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 49: The Creativity PodcastThis is another direct response episode where I answer a question directed at me by coaching clients, teammates, or mutuals on social media. Two of my teammates mentioned how they wanted to know my process for creating and putting together a book I have planned for a 2027 release. Perfect opportunity to describe how I'm thinking about creative output and process in 2025 and how it maps up to my successful training philosophy over the past 12 years.
I discuss how fun/enjoyment and frequency are the primary motives powering what I choose to create, how I create it, and...
2025-08-0740 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 48: Rituals Beat Routines Every Time in FitnessEpisode 48 is another direct response to a question I got on social media, this time asking for my 'professor's' take on the difference between rituals and routines.
I love this topic as it let's me talk about the importance of intention and aim when it comes to fitness, especially making it a consistent part of your life for both physical and spiritual health.
Take a listen and think about ways you can transform fitness from just a routine into a powerful ritual of self knowing, self discovery, and self mastery on the way towards your t...
2025-07-3151 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastEpisode 47: Bending Time and Space Through Physical Effort (The Deep Philosophy Episode)This is the one where I go deep into the nature of sport and it's ability to define and reshape reality.
After a good prompt from my own coach and a fellow philosopher, both of whom I'll be racing with later this summer, I needed to hit record and let my stream of consciousness flow forth freely.
I have deep ideas on the purpose of sport and one of the 'wilder' theories I have is it as the best interface with reality and consciousness because of its simultaneous ability to generate objective and subjective truths ....
2025-07-221h 09
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast: Episode 46 The Olive Wreath Wilts in a Day - The True Meaning of SportThis episode goes deep into my philosophical and historical take on the recent Scottie Scheffler press conference where he seemingly dismissed the outcomes of sport as meaningful.
After two tribal athletes I coach pinged me for my take I knew I had to hit record and let fly.
Perfect timing because I've been meditating on core concepts from the ancient greeks and also the importance of internal motivation reading 'The Game' by Ken Dryden. I attempt to create strong Gnterpretive threads to explain the depth of Scheffler's remarks and how they synch to the original id...
2025-07-171h 01
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 45 Stacking small wins and training from the heart for consistent fitnessIn this episode I peel back the curtain and discuss my practice of stacking small wins in fitness over a long time span that lead to incredible growth over that time period. I share how I've gone about staying consistent over the past 12 years that has me in the best fitness of my life as I aim at turning 40 next year.
My methods are more intuitive and feel based but are backed by expert trainers and the philosophies they've used to train the some of the world's best athletes. The aim is not to boast about myself, b...
2025-07-0458 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 44 What I Think About When I'm RunningEpisode 44 is my response to a question I get all the time from people when they find out I'm an endurance athlete who likes to run long distance "What do you think about?"
I detail the 3 main categories of thought that I oscillate between on runs to describe my beliefs on the meditative aspect of running without external distraction or stimulus. I then use those 3 categories to provide you 3 ways you can begin to use running to find that inner signal that meditation affords the consistent practitioner.
Part explanation, part coaching, part exploration, I hope y...
2025-06-2633 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 43 How I Made My Way in Online BusinessEpisode 43 takes a bit of a different turn but it's all part of the same long winding path of using athletic training to mine the depth of truth in our lives. This episode is a direct response to a fellow academic traveller I met during the free speech wars of 2017-18 when I was a university professor making enemies in the administration that likely led to me parting ways with the Ivory Tower a few years later. This friend asked me about my experiences in business after leaving my prof job. This episode is my direct response.
I...
2025-06-1858 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 42 Becoming Individualized with Torrey DawleyEpisode 42 is why I love hosting a sport philosophy based podcast. In this wide ranging and expansive conversation, world class brand builder Torrey Dawley and I swirl around how to realize our individual essence in the world through an understanding of physicality and passion.
Not many conclusions but a treasure trove of golden nuggets of wisdom abound for all of us to consider. If you are in business, aspire as a high achiever, and need to find the BEST ways to express that potential and realize it you will be in for a real treat with the kn...
2025-06-1350 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast: Episode 41 Catching 'That Feeling' in TrainingEpisode 41 blends the 30,000ft view with the literal steps on the ground in talking about a recent run where I felt a moment of 'athletic transcendence' in my performance.
I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to get out of the run, but I knew I wanted it to be framed by a passage in the latest Tribal Book Club selection, “The Game'“ by legendary Montreal Canadiens Goaltender Ken Dryden. It’s a feeling of flow in excellence that only physical exertion can produce in these fleeting moments of athletic perfection, what he calls 'That Feeling."
Bec...
2025-06-0647 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 40 Running 26.2 miles without food or water, wait WHAT?Episode 40 takes you on the wild ride that was my Pirate King of the Suburbs Marathon. I ran 13.1 trail miles and 13.1 road miles from my front door, in a fasted state, without taking any food or water on the run with me as a way to proclaim my arrival in Suburbia.
I go into where this challenge came from, how it materialized in my mind in January '25 when we moved to the North Shore suburbs of Chicago from rural Ontario, how I trained to take this down, and how the run itself unfolded on May 12, 2025.
2025-05-281h 19
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 39 Team Tribal Chattanooga 70.3 Coach's ReflectionEpisode 39 goes hard on Team Tribal's epic race weekend at IronMan Chattanooga 70.3 where 19 Tribal athletes, 2 coaches, and an army of family supporters showed up ready to pour our their hearts on race day.
This is the definitive guide to my own experiences, how our team does race day differently than any other sporting organization in the world, and what I saw in each athlete over the course of our weekend together.
Get a real behind the scenes and behind the mind insight into these team race experiences which I view as the truest manifestations of my...
2025-05-212h 04
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 38 On Running with Barefoot KenYou're in for a treat with this discussion between myself and ultra running superhero Barefoot Ken. On the day after I completed a fasted, no water, no fuel marathon I sat down with only other person I've met who didn't think it was insane and has done it himself as well.
We dive into why we enjoy running in a spiritual way that harness adversity and eschews comfort so we can learn deep lessons about ourselves. We bring up philosophers and poets who inspire us to enter nature, challenge ourselves through running, and offer our deep experiences a...
2025-05-2055 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 37 On Serious CompetitionThis episode goes deep inside the competing pressures of competing in sports seriously as an adult. There's a paradox at play and we don't shy away from diving right into the middle of it.
Exercise and sports should be built upon a spiritual foundation, that is, a practice that ennobles character and leads to self discovery and truth, in order to experience them at their best. But does caring deeply about the outcome of a competition get in the way of these internal motivations?
If you care about competing but don't want to compete in...
2025-05-0658 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 36 A Romantic's Guide To Running with Professor Scott ParkerThis episode features an open ended conversation about the subjective value of running with creative writing professor Scott Parker, of Montana State University, that he captured in his upcoming book "How to Run: A DIY Guide for Romantics"
We discuss the unique ability of running as vehicle of self-knowing and self-discovery, why you need to hit the trails in the winter, why the numbers block us out from true meaning, and how to utilize the deep connection between running and creativity to become courageous in living an authentic and meaningful life.
Thank you Scott for...
2025-05-011h 05
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 35 The Athletic Lessons from Reading Thoreau's 'Walden'This episode is all about the Tribal Training Book Club I launched and how reading the first title unfolded. I picked 'Walden' by Henry David Thoreau for a few reasons and I detail all the lessons learned.
The importance of community and leadership in holding you accountable to establishing a daily practice was one big takeaway.
Another was the value of internal knowing and how to create ease in a process that involves doing a hard thing, expressed through my own struggle to cement a daily reading habit into my lifestyle after leaving my university p...
2025-04-221h 00
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 34 Breaking an 'Unbreakable' Record in SportsI'm a GIANT ice hockey fan and a couple of gigantic records have fallen in the past few weeks that made me want to reflect on the meaning of breaking through in sports.
Centered on the greatness of the legendary careers of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, I discuss their records and the deep significance sports holds in breaking limitations in the mind by forcing us to 'watch the impossible become possible'
The athlete's are praised as heroes in the Ancient World precisely for their ability to defy expectations and soar beyond what anyone believed...
2025-04-0749 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 33 Family Adventures RuleThis is a fun episode where I go all in on the value of going on camping adventures with your family. Part philosophy, part narrative, I dive into the past as tell a great story from the first time my wife and I took our 4 month old daughter tent camping.
The modern world is oversaturated in comfort to the point we isolate from eachother even inside our own homes. Camping brings us into moments of close discomfort that force creative problem solving together. Those moments are the meaningful memories that create the texture of a beautiful life an...
2025-03-2848 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 32 'Elbows Up' and Canada/US Politics viewed through HockeyThis is a bit of different episode where I respond directly to a question one of my followers and friends asked me on social media. They wanted to know where the term 'elbows up' comes from in hockey and why the new Canadian Prime Minister and many Canadians are using this term to discuss their political stance against perceived American aggression.
I spent years researching and writing about Canadian national identity and it's relationship to ice hockey so I took the opportunity to respond in podcast form. Part history, part philosophy, part politics, this episode swirls around...
2025-03-2546 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 31 'Play is Serious, Work is the Distraction'Adults make the world too serious by misunderstanding play and then wonder why they lead unhappy lives empty of meaning. It's the same as a child who's told that they must always be doing serious work. This is a clarion call to stop consuming play and start creating it as an adult.
In Episode 31 I swirl hard around one of my core pillars of athletic morality, the importance of fun. Instead of just skimming the surface I wanted to really explore the simple wisdom of this phrase and how it not only guides us in fitness but...
2025-03-2144 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 30 The Race Result Exposed My Mental WeaknessEpisode 30 was tough to record because I'm forced to open up about the REAL reason I failed to hit 100 miles last year at the 2024 Prairie on Fire Backyard Ultra. After months of reflection and rethinking logistics and strategies I came face to face with the real truth of why I decided to stop running after 21 hours and 87.5 miles.
A philosopher goes to the truth, and finds the courage to face it directly and learn from it. I hold nothing back in exposing a mindset gap that cost me a chance to hit the target I'd aimed at.
2025-03-1339 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 29 The Truth is in the TrainingEpisode 29 doubles down on an emerging format for my solo podcasts I hit upon in Episode 28. Using the same conversations and concepts I preach in my coaching calls lit me up and helped me find a dramatic and passionate voice on that pod and I wanted to try it again.
"The Truth is in the Training" is a tag I've developed over the past year of coaching, training, and competing and I wanted to explore that idea first broadly and then circle back to a specific example of why it's such a good frame with some experiences...
2025-03-1148 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 28 Show Me Your HeartstanceEpisode 28 deals with a topic close to my heart. Instead of focusing on mindset in the athletic pursuit of self discovery and improvement I want us to instead aim towards our heartstance.
The idea of the open and closed heart leading towards and away from the truth is an idea that's fascinated me since stumbling across the phrasing and ideal while reading the Exodus story. I've recently started applying it to myself, my endurance training teammates, and the athletes and individuals I coach and love how it's orienting us all towards the deeper spiritual truths of our...
2025-03-0636 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 27 Fitness Fun with Mike DonatelliBest Day Ever as I welcome my brother, tribal teammate, and legendary athlete, trainer, and adventurer Mike Donatelli to the show.
We discuss why fun is perhaps the most important element of a consistent fitness routine. Aimed at beginners, experts, and every one in between in the fitness world, we dive into the meaning of fun in training and how to properly orient your fitness around it.
We talk competition and life goals as ways to stay discipled even when fun is first on our minds and hearts. The positivity is off the charts, hard...
2025-02-2837 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 26 Flow With AJ LondonoThis episode I welcome AJ Londono, owner of ELVT movement, to the show to discuss broad philosophies of movement, flow, challenge, life, and the pursuit of creativity and fun through movement, exercise, and sport.
AJ teaches unique concepts of motion and ties them to a philosophy of life growth and purpose. We dive deep into his idea and how they align with ancient Greek and Taoist conceptions of competition, meaning, and aim.
Thank you for the great conversation AJ. Check him out on social and ELVT here: https://direct.me/flowwithaj
2025-02-2558 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 25 It's Impossible to Lose When You Play with Your Heart (50 mile race reflection)This podcast is a raw and unfiltered exploration of the ideas that have swirled through my mind and heart after running a 50 mile trail race with 13 of my Tribal Training Teammates. My job was to live coach athletes through the struggles and adversity nature throws you in such a demanding race.
I'm using the race experience to explore the importance of the open heart as the vehicle that aims us towards deep truths. Throwing down on creativity and passion, I unleashed my heart and what's been soaking through it following the race.
As a philosopher, yo...
2025-02-0740 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 24 Unleash the Power of Your PerceptionIn this episode I go HARD on the idea that our minds determine the quality of our experiences and the crucial role of athletics in making us believers in the power of our subjective framing of objective reality.
When you push yourself hard in sports and training, you realize how much the mind holds you back from what the body is truly capable of performing. I share a few stories of athletes I've seen recently make huge gains in performance simply by reshaping their perspectives.
The episode ends with some deep wisdom from the Old Te...
2025-01-2841 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 23 A Love Letter To Canadian SportsA special episode, the first recorded from my new home in the United States after growing up and living my whole life in Canada. As a Canadian sport historian, it felt appropriate to talk about what I love most about Canadian culture and spirit, and that means explaining why we love winter sports and why they are our best national identifier.
Come along on this broad exploration of historical facts, expert historical interpretation (I did write a book on all this!), and true sentiment around the best parts of the Canadian national spirit.
No matter w...
2025-01-1738 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 22 How I used the Endurance Mindset to manage Moving CountriesIn this episode I dive deep into the chaos of my life over the past month as my family picked up and moved from a rural Ontario village to the North Chicago suburbs.
This move has been a tremendous trial of having things be completely outside of your control while being uncertain in each important variable. Such trials swallow people and families whole. I recognized early on the true challenges due to my endurance training background and coaching and used it to successfully navigate the stress of moving countries with two young kids, without being in control o...
2025-01-061h 05
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast: Episode 21 You need to be Courage-Maxxing through sportEpisode 21 is a clarion call to action for how I want you to approach 2025. No more living behind fear and calling it a 'justification.' 2025 is the year of Courage. Instead of letting fear determine our course, let's together determine to move through fear with righteous action.
I explore the connection between daily training and competing in sports with generating real courage in our lives to become bold in living as an individuals aimed at our passion and potential. 3 Aristotle quotes on courage frame the episode and teach us that sports are perfect places to train courage...
2024-12-1327 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast Episode 20: How Sports Create Your Master Winter MindsetThis episode is a nice overview of the winter mindset I've cultivated for the past 10+ years after learning deeply about the history of winter sports in Canada as a PhD student. For me, the winter is the season of growth. I want everyone to understand how to thrive in winter instead of being ground down by it's constant challenges.
I go back to my own transformation in mindset on the winter and how early Canadian sport nationalists inspired me to stop complaining and begin adventuring in winter by playing sports and embracing the lessons the season can t...
2024-12-0529 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 19 Know Thyself Through Sport with Dennis Michael HynesFor this episode I welcome the excellent Dennis Michael Hynes (@HynesDm) onto the podcast for an open exploratory conversation. I'm inspired by Dennis' creativity in his golden years to use physical training as a place of creativity and growth. He provides deep takes on why we need to embrace challenge and I've enjoyed our online interactions immensely. This is our first time talking in person and it was like we've known each other for decades.
We spiraled deep around idea of presence, truth, effort, and intention in the broad world of sport. Notable conversations centered around Rene...
2024-11-271h 45
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast: Episode 18 Interrogating the truth of sports and philosophy with Brent MI'm excited to welcome Brent from the excellent @AimingUpPodcast to the show to dive deep into the connections between sport and philosophy. We circled hard around the idea that sport and philosophy both aim us towards truth as the best connection between the two. From the recent Jake Paul/Mike Tyson fight, the athletic scandals of the 2024 Olympics, and probing our own minds and experiences, this discussion touched wide and deep.
This discussion is a great example of being open and curious in pursuit of greater understanding, exactly the type of message I share all the time...
2024-11-211h 19
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 17 Unlocking the Good Life Through Sport with Keith MarquisThis is a special episode where I dive deep with my Tribal Training teammate Keith Marquis about his experience the past year building up towards IronMan Florida. It's the most intimate look I've given yet of how I coach my guys and girls towards their best selves through athletic competition.
Keith and I began talking shortly before he raced IronMan Florida in 2023 and I began helping guide him through a period of unspeakable tragedy and loss in his family and small community right after he punched through at the race. He wanted to share how conversations with...
2024-11-121h 06
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 16 IMFL '24 and the construction of personal narrative through competitionIn this episode I go over my recent race experience as a coach at IronMan Florida. Serving alongside Tribal Training head coach Ryan Dreyer, I fulfilled my role as Tribal Prof live coaching 10 of our athletes across the finish line.
Rather that just give an account of what happened, I take care to describe why these races give us a moment to investigate how we create the 'stories we tell ourselves about ourselves." It's a way to see the momentous moments in our lives as building our legend and myth in real time. My account of this...
2024-11-0736 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 15 The Most Meaningful Run of My LifeIt's not the big race, the dramatic landscape, or the personal record that make the most meaningful run. In this episode I talk about how a seemingly ordinary 4 mile road run in the country roads outside my small village turned into a powerful moment of meaning, something deeper than anything I've ever experienced on a run before.
I put on my historian hat to describe the run, why it meant so much, and how another dramatic event six years earlier set the stage for this incredible full circle moment. I promise, you will get goosebumps at how t...
2024-10-3034 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 14 Exploring The Ideal of Physical RuinI return to philosophizing in real time on this latest episode, swirling around the idea of taking yourself to and beyond physical ruin in a racing context. Inspired by two athlete coaching calls with my Tribal Training I wanted to take some space and explore what 'going to the limit' looks like for different individuals. Given that we take these athletic journey to better know ourselves and aim towards our best version, it's important to understand what drives breakthroughs in different athletes.
For some athletes, they require an overwhelming amount of physical pain in order feel transcendence t...
2024-10-2429 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 13 How to properly choose races based on values: My 2025 Race CalendarIn this episode I dive deep into my decision making process and the direction I've aimed when selecting all of my races for 2025. There are so many variables at play when choosing how many and which specific races to sign up for. Too often, people pick races based on the wrong aims and it ends up ruining the potential value of that race. Sometimes, the pick is so bad that it's the final race for good!
I want to be in this game for decades, so it's important that I establish the proper aim in deciding races n...
2024-10-1834 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast: Episode 12 3 Lessons from a 3 year old learning to skateIn this episode I look into the first organized sporting experience for my little 3 year old son. He's learning to play ice hockey and the growing pains of learning to skate have been incredible to watch. The progress he's made in just 3 sessions opened up to opportunity to talk about what's changed from his first time on the ice this year to the one last weekend which saw him smiling ear to ear the entire time.
There's such a deep wisdom in the experiences of children, and I've got 3 important lessons for adults to take from his t...
2024-10-0734 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 11 My daughter's Terry Fox run from the heartIn this episode, I get to play the proud Dad and talk about what I saw transpire in my daughter for her 3rd Terry Fox Day at her school. I also moonlight as a Canadian sport historian, with a short description of Terry Fox, his Marathon of Hope, and why he stands as the paragon of Canadian sport heroism.
It was truly inspirational to watch my daughter embody all of the great sporting virtues that I'm hoping to teach her through her own physical activity but also through important cultural heroes and community celebrations. She showed up a...
2024-09-3033 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 10 Exploring Sport Philosophy with Patrick FlynnVery excited to welcome Patrick Flynn to the podcast to have an open conversation on the nexus between philosophy and sport and how we can incorporate them into living 'the good life.' Patrick is a kettlebell trainer who's currently working towards a philosophy PhD and has personal and intellectual ideas on the value of sport.
We discuss Aristotelian virtue ethics, the importance of sacrifice and truth, the degradation of 'sports,' how individuals can acquire virtue through sport, and why creativity and expression are crucial ingredients to a 'good life' through sports.
...
2024-09-241h 03
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 9 2024 Backyard Ultra Race Recap 2 My Race ExperienceIn this episode I delve deeper into my own race experience as an athlete, the physical performance of the race, and the lessons I learned about competing in this specific race format and adult competition in sports in general.
I go into how I felt during the race, my race day strategy, how I executed, when things started to get tough, how I battled through adversity, what did me in by the end, and how I plan on going further next time.
Importantly, I learned the proper harmony I need to bring to competition after...
2024-09-1647 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 8 2024 Backyard Ultra Recap 1 Run to BecomeThis is the first of a few race recap podcasts from my 2024 Prairie on Fire Backyard Ultra Experience.
A backyard ultra is a race format where runners complete a 4 1/6th mile loop every hour on the hour until there is only one runner left. Last year I ran 15 laps, 100km, and wanted to bring a whole crew of guys because of this specific format. It's a race where we are always together, in camp, and on the course, and one that allows beginner and novice runners to smash distance PRs.
In th...
2024-09-101h 06
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 7 How to use love as your fitness foundationIn this episode I get deep into my coaching philosophy on how to find consistency in fitness, physical activity, and sport as an adult. I outline my 3 step process on aim and execution that's been successful for many of my coaching clients.
Learn why this simple process is the unlock you need to finally defeat the same old excuses and overcome the same external limits you feel you can't defeat.
1. Love
2. Consistency
3. Performance
I go through ideas on motivation and discipline to provide you concrete action to keep moving to...
2024-09-0329 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 6 How I philosophically prepare for competitionIn this episode of the Athletic Philosopher Podcast I take you inside my mind as I apply it to my specific race training. Using Aristotle as my inspiration, I know that if you aim at the nature of the activity it's full potential opens up to you. When I begin training for any competition I don't start with physical preparedness, I try to uncover that center. Then I aim the physical training towards it.
For the Backyard Ultra that means I've focused on two key ideals that help me prepare for a Last Man Standing Race where...
2024-08-2729 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 5 All about honesty in sportEpisode 5 dives deep into the importance of honesty in sport in outcomes, effort, and identity.
In a world of posturing, signaling, lies, manipulation, and self delusions, sports provide us honest feedback about ourselves that no other activity can match.
The honest effort of our bodies in motion, through training and competing, gives us truthful information about who we are and what we value.
You've never explored the truth through sports like this before, and it will have you wanting to train and compete as the best ways to 'know yourself.' And that's w...
2024-08-2131 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 4 Living Your Authentic Athletic Identity as an AdultThis episode was inspired by a Tribal Cafe podcast conversation on assuming our athletic identities (link below).
There are so many youth athletes who we told to give up their athletic dreams and they drift without meaning as adults. I explore why this matters and how people can rediscover that identity and let it reemerge authentically.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/79-tribal-cafe-feel-like-an-athlete-around-the-clock/id1556189673?i=1000665170333
2024-08-1627 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 3 Playing as an AdultIn this episode I dive deep into the common misunderstanding adults have around the concept of 'play' and provide a new way of thinking about its role and importance.
After spending a week playing with my daughter, it struck me that adults need to be creative, imaginative, expressive, and playful, just like kids. When it comes to sports, we find the opposite pressure from society, that we should consume them as proper 'adult' play. I propose a different way forward
2024-08-1327 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 2 Athletic Perfection is Personal Transcendence'The moment of athletic perfection is an act of personal transcendence'
I use this phrase all the time to describe incredible sports highlights that bring us out of our seat cheering with excitement.
In this podcast, I dive deep into where this idea comes from, how it makes deep sense, and how you need to think about and apply this idea in your life for deep meaning and purpose through sport.
2024-07-3124 min
The Athletic Philosopher PodcastThe Athletic Philosopher Podcast: Episode 1 - IntroductionWelcome to my new adventure into the world of podcasting.
As a former university professor I'm trained in talking about ideas, having conversations, and presenting information in a useful way.
Hosting a podcast is a natural way for me to spread my knowledge of sport in a way that's easy to access and apply directly.
This first episode is just an introduction into this evolving experiment.
Thanks for coming along on the ride!
2024-07-2603 min