I Could Never Do That

Well, if there was ever an “I Could Never,” this one might be it. My guest today, Raymond (@the Noodnick) is a master of what is known as artistic calisthenics - which is basically some crazy combination of pure strength, gymnastics, core work, and cirque du Soleil all done with the grace of a ballet dancer. He literally defies gravity and anyone that specializes in something called “The Human Flagpole” is superman in my book. .  What I dig about Raymond is that he is an open book — both on his training and techniques, but also about his life philosophies. You know when you’re having a wonderful dream and time means nothing? Well, through his training and art form, Raymond wants to, as he says, “Live Lucidly" - when hours feel like minutes because you’re so in the flow of love.  That’s certainly something we can all aspire to. He calls himself “The Noodnick” because it’s a play on the Yiddish word for “Boring pest,” but believe me, he's anything but boring.  Follow Raymond on Instagram @thenoodnick Follow Ray

FKT - It’s an acronym that stands for “Fastest Known Time” and if you’re completely unfamiliar with this concept, there is an official website, fastestknowntime.com, where you’ll find hundreds, if not thousands, of routes around the world where people have submitted their times to get that coveted spot of having the FKT - the Fastest Known Time.  About a year ago, my guests were searching for new adventures and noticed something when they went to the fastest known time website. The majority of the routes were submitted by men AND many of the routes (regardless of length or terrain) didn’t even have female times. So, women do what women do…They got after it and started the Women Who FKT Project. This group of women in the Oregon/Washington area set out to tackle a bunch of the FKT routes in their region. Women Who FKT started as a small project between these runners and coaches and, in the last year, has grown into a full-blown global movement. Their mission? Calling women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved

As Robine Bots says, "she may have lost her mind, but she found her soul." Robine is the founder of Harmony Farm Sanctuary, a little slice of heaven for humans and animals nestled on about 10 acres of land between Bend and Sisters, Oregon. What started out as one pet pig for her daughter (Pig Floyd!) has morphed into a forever home for over 145 beautiful souls including pigs, horses, donkeys, ducks, bunnies, an alpaca, a llama, goats, sheep, turkeys, chickens, and one awesome barn cat named Ronald Weasley.  Harmony Farm Sanctuary is just that - a sanctuary for these animals to live out their years to only know love, kindness, and compassion. For the staff and volunteers, it’s also a place to find those same things. Whether it’s brushing, feeding, or scooping , the feeling of helping another sentient being is unmatchable.  And that’s the legacy that Robine wants to leave with her guests who visit, volunteer, or stay on the on-site air-b-n-b. These animals have personalities and they have voices. These animals

Matt Whitcomb is the head coach for the US Cross Country Ski Team, where he’s coached at the past three Winter Olympic games. Even if you don’t know much about competitive cross-country skiing, you understand the value of a good coach and mentor when it comes to achieving anything in life, whether it’s athletically motivated or not.  Today, we focus a lot on the ingredients in developing a world-class athlete. Is it the number of hours you train, or is mindset the superpower of success? Does a dictatorship coaching style breed success, or does it come from a more autonomous “hands off” approach to coaching? When you’re working with a group of people at the top of their game (especially at the Olympics), how do you get that extra 1%,  and how do these athletes deal with the pressure of a glaring spotlight, where that light shines extra bright every four years?  We discuss definitions of success, failure, and the most important question: “Could Coach Whitcomb Ted Lasso his way into coaching a completely differe

Here are just a few athletic accomplishments from today's guest Deanna McCurdy: Six national championships, Four Pan-Am championships, 5th overall at ITU Cross Worlds, she’s finished as the top American female and 4th overall twice at the XTERRA World Championships. USA Triathlon awarded her Off-road Triathlete of the Year honors in 2017, 2018, and 2021.  In 2019, she competed as a Pro (at age 45), placing 2nd at XTERRA Quebec and winning XTERRA Fruita. WHEW...Even if you don’t know what any of those races are, you certainly recognize a powerhouse when you see and hear those results. BUT, what makes Deanna’s success story so incredible is that she didn’t start doing triathlons until 2009 after she had her second daughter. Yes, Deanna is also currently raising two teenage daughters (which is an “I Could Never Do That” unto itself) — one of which was diagnosed with Angelman’s Syndrome at just 16 months. Life can change in an instant. Angelman syndrome (AS) is a rare neurogenetic disorder that affects approximat

Ashley Brush was born and raised in a strict, religious upbringing and, by her early 20s, she was married, with a young son, and was also a stepmother to two other children. At this time, because she was playing by a strict set of rules,  she says she had no idea who she really was because she was so young and never gave herself an opportunity to find out. Resentment and depression were the norms, which led to drugs and binge eating to numb the pain.  Just a couple of years ago, Ashley went back to one joy she had as a child/teenager — running. She quietly started running again and, magically, a portal opened to happiness, joy, self-confidence, and profound freedom.  THIS is what she was meant to do…and today she’s doing it. Ashley is a coach, trainer, and ultra-endurance athlete. She runs redjasperrunning.com and the Rising Runners group in Bend, OR. She's also a coach for Team RunRun, working with runners of all levels.  By “pouring love all over herself,” she has started to discover the woman she was mean

In this episode of “I Could Never Do That,” I “shake” things up a bit to take a self-indulgent and celebratory walk down “memory lane.”  Think back to when you were 13, 14, or 15. What or who just lit your world on fire and made you believe that "Anything is Possible?" Was it a book? A Teacher? A Relative? A First Love? Was it a song, athlete, or artist that took hold and sent you on a journey of imagination and unlimited potential?  For me, as a 14-year-old songwriter wannabe in the late 80s (i.e. the best music decade ever), that person was Debbie Gibson and that album was “Out of the Blue.” In 1985-1986, I saved up some money to buy a 4-track Tascam multitrack recorder and, week after week, I would lay down pitiful keyboard tracks, hit rewind, and then lay down a drum machine, hit rewind again, and play guitar, only to top it off with some of the worst pitchy vocals you can imagine, but man oh man I was living my dream of making music. It wasn’t long after that I started hearing about this young 16-year-ol

Dan Leite is a long-time runner, multiple marathon and IRONMAN triathlon finisher, and recipient of a heart transplant recipient in 2015. His symptoms began in 2011 at the peak of his running and his condition, although treated with medication, continued to deteriorate until he was granted the ultimate gift in December 2015. His life ultimately was saved by the heart of a stranger, but the impact remains far-reaching. Today, we discuss: The onset of his symptoms Why it’s so important to be an advocate for your own health The gratitude he feels towards his donor and the medical team who saved his life Why he wanted to return to “normalcy," which included more marathons What he’s doing now to give back The great news? Dan still runs regularly and has completed a couple of marathons since his transplant. He’s also the Chairman of the Board of the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon and will be running the half distance this October. He and his family created a fund for ongoing research and support

Spencer Newell is a music writer, producer, health coach, trainer, author, and longtime endurance athlete.  He has certainly run the gamut in his 43 years - growing up as a high-level endurance athlete, battling a crippling addiction to drugs and alcohol, seeking treatment and finding sobriety, diving headfirst back into endurance sports, and unfortunately succumbing to overtraining syndrome not once, but twice. Today, we explore that fine line of being “all in” on something or being “all-out” — either by choice or force.  His journey is so packed with lessons from both extremes, but thankfully finding peace and stillness somewhere in the middle.  Follow Spencer: Instagram: @spencer.newell Facebook Novo Veritas - "Honest Change" Health Coaching Follow Spencer on Spotify Follow Spencer on Apple Music "I Could Never Do That" Website Theme Music: Your Love by Atch -License: Creative Commons License - Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) Support the podcast: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/CarrieBarrett 

Dawn Mussallem was in medical school when she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Treatment was successful but eventually, Dr. Mussallem, who works at Mayo Clinic in Florida, began experiencing heart failure. She had a defibrillator implanted and went through myriad procedures as she navigated her medical career. As her heart worsened, she was listed for a heart transplant and on Feb. 5, 2021, “the ultimate exchange” occurred – when Dr. Mussallem received a new heart. Just one year later, Dawn also became a marathon finisher. Today, she shares her journey as a physician, mother, wife, daughter, and 20-year cancer survivor turned heart transplant recipient. Episode Resources: Episode Webpage Dawn's Journey from Cancer Survivor to Transplant Recipient Mayo News Network Story on Dawn's Marathon Journey "I Could Never Do That" Website Support Carrie and the Podcast through "Buy Me a Coffee" Theme Music: Your Love by Atch -License: Creative Commons License - Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)    

A musician and teacher by day and potato pusher by night! This is the story of Alison James, CEO of Sports Spuds. Tired of constantly feeling sick and nauseous during her marathons and races, Alison heeded the advice of a nutritionist and tried boiled potatoes - BAM!! Success! The only problem? They were messy and not portable, especially when you're reaching into your baggie with dirty hands. For 12 years, Alison and her husband researched, tested, explored and hit dead ends when trying to figure out how to package potatoes. Finally, they found a supplier with the right machine and packaging...now they just had to hone their recipe.  Sport Spuds debuted in 2021 and, through some grassroots marketing, is now making quite the impact on the endurance scene.  This is definitely a story of patience, resilience, and the determination to keep searching for solutions. Now, they have a great product and a loyal audience extolling the power of the potato!   Sport Spuds Website "I Could Never Do That" Website Theme Mus

Tracey Hulick is a plant-based ultrarunner who, at the young age of 12, became inspired to donate her kidney to a stranger.  Upon hearing a story of someone whose life was saved from a living donor, Tracey was also determined to save the lives of strangers, which she did in 2017 when she donated one of her kidneys. This also led to her creating a nonprofit and global community at kidneydonorathlete.org, which, as she writes on her website, "Promotes the gift of life through living kidney donation among active individuals and athletes, by building a community that inspires, supports, and educates people about the experience of kidney donation." As this episode drops in early March, Tracey, and 20 plus other members of Kidney Donor Athletes are in Tanzania about to summit Mount Kilimanjaro.  Today, she shares her story of how this uncommon seed was planted and how she had to endure a tremendous amount of resistance from those who she thought were her closest friends. She talks about her triumph when she returne

Lisa Hesse is a Life and Wellness Coach for Athletes. Her job is to literally change the limiting beliefs of her clients and release them from the, "I Could Nevers." She is passionate about helping women across the wellness continuum find and celebrate their best selves while unleashing their own superpowers of joyful living. Questions we explore today: What limiting beliefs do you hold onto What identities do you find yourself stuck in? What is something you’d like to see yourself doing in 3 months, 6 months, 2 years? What relationship do you have with change? Everything changes, but when the ground gets too shaky, Lisa is there to help her clients stabilize and re-find their foundation. Episode Resources: Lisa Hesse Website Live Feisty Women's Performance Summit

Anthony Masiello is co-founder and CEO of Plant Based TeleHealth, which provides medical care for patients who have chronic disease and other medical conditions, including, but not limited to, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, autoimmune diseases, inflammation, and digestive issues. These conditions are addressed through lifestyle medicine—the powerful, evidence-based practice of promoting healthy behaviors and lifestyle modification, including a whole-food, plant-based diet. Anthony shares his own journey from an overweight young adult, to a health coach and entrepreneur. He is passionate about making lifestyle medicine accessible to all and improving quality of life for all - especially as it relates to health, wellness and wellbeing, peace, freedom, accomplishment, and overall life satisfaction. Episode Resources: Plant Based TeleHealth Website "I Could Never Do That" Website Theme Music: Your Love by Atch -License: Creative Commons License - Attribution 3.0 Unported

Today, I take a dive deep on a topic that is so, so important to me. Performance as a Plant-Based athlete. I hear all of the time from friends and fellow athletes who want to increase their knowledge and education around a plant-based diet and put it into practice in their training or on the racecourse. Today I’m speaking with Certified Sports Nutritionist Elizabeth Inpyn - she has a Masters of Science (in applied Exercise Science in Sports Nutrition) and she’s also certified by the International Society Of Sports Nutrition, as well as a plant-based certification from the T.Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. Elizabeth is a nutrition coach for FuelIn, which is an online coaching service and app that takes the guesswork out of your fueling and eating and really helps to dial in your needs based on your personal training schedule. We talk through so many of the nuts and bolts of putting together a plantstrong performance plan We discuss soy (the many pros of this misunderstood food) We talk micronutri

  Are you doing work you love? Are you waking up with purpose? Are you doing work that matters to you? Most, unfortunately, are not. In fact, in 2020, a whopping 65% of employees were already thinking of leaving their jobs - this was pre-pandemic.  Author, Career Coach, Radio Host and Podcaster, Ken Coleman, discusses his latest book, From Paycheck to Purpose - The Clear Path to Doing Work You Love. Coleman is heard on 70 radio stations, SiriusXM, and his podcast with over a million downloads a month, where he helps his audience discover what they were born to do and provides practical steps and advice to make that dream job a reality. His seven steps are outlined in his new book and, while they may seem simple, they are not easy. Finding your purpose requires constant work, self-evaluation, clarity and returning to your own personal mission statement about what you want and WHY. You were born to do work that matters and From Paycheck to Purpose is your personal guidebook. Episode Resources Ken Coleman Resour

Melissa Sundermann, DO, dipABLM, is board-certified in internal medicine. Dr. Sundermann has clinical interest in chronic disease management and preventive medicine through a Lifestyle Medicine approach. Lifestyle Medicine is a specialty of medicine that emphasizes increased physical activity, healthful whole food plant-based nutrition goals, improving sleep quality, avoiding risky substances, stress management and forming and maintaining supportive, healthy relationships. In caring for patients, Dr. Sundermann believes in a collaborative team approach between physician, patients and specialists.

  Betsy Hartley is an ultrarunner, health coach, and author of the book, "All Bets Are Off - My Journey of Losing 200 Pounds, A Showdown with Diabetes, and Falling in Love with Running." Today, she discusses how her rock bottom actually became her escape hatch to become absurdly brave. Cover excerpt: "From insulin shots to ultrarunning, Betsy shares, in her honest and often humorous way, the stories, advice, pitfalls, and triumphs of her very personal journey to build a healthy new life. And, what life is like today as a healthy, active, non-diabetic woman."    Episode Support Novo Veritas - Fostering Honest Change Visit "I Could Never Do That" and subscribe, rate, and review to the show 8 Greens Website - Use promo code: ICNDT for 15% off your first one-time order at 8greens.com    

  Julieanna Hever, also known as the Plant-Based Dietitian, has helped thousands of people lose weight and achieve optimal health by following a plant-based diet. Today, she discusses her journey from actress to plant-based educator, author, and podcaster and how this role bridges her three biggest passions for food, performing, and helping people. Julieanna has written six books and her seventh, The Choose You Now Diet, is being released on December 21st (available for pre-order now). In The Choose You Now Diet, Julieanna condenses the experience she has accumulated over 15 years into 10 easy-to-follow tenets for lasting weight loss and health gains. Instead of counting calories, her joyful approach to eating embraces the health benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet: one that’s focused on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. Her low-sugar, plant-based method combined with strategic time-restricted eating and mindfulness techniques has a proven record of s

Today’s episode has quite the emotional arc — from this couple's romantic adventure to becoming scrappy accidental entrepreneurs, and going from near-business COVID collapse to redemption and rebirth…Plus, a new book, Venture, that explains it all in witty, thrilling, head-shaking detail.  At the heart of it all? A love of running. I’m talking today to Allison Macsas and Gabe Steger - founders of Rogue Expeditions, a boutique adventure travel company that creates run-centric vacations around the world. You’ll find out what happened the moment Allison and Gabe learned that borders were shutting down — all while she was mid-air on an international flight to guide a trip. How have they pivoted in the time of COVID? What do they want their guests to take away from each trip? (spoiler alert - it’s more than just miles. It’s an appreciation for culture, exploration, and humanity.) And before you start thinking, I could never do that! I’m too slow, or I couldn’t keep up — stop — You CAN do that because their expedit