Best Somewhat Committed Podcasts (2025)

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Episode 108: Goal Mapping for 2026! 1:02:40

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6h ago1:02:40

1:02:40

Happy Thanksgiving! With the end of the year fast approaching and a new season on the horizon, this week’s episode features a deep dive on goal mapping! We recap what goal mapping is, explain why it’s a great starting point for your next season, go through all of the questions we like to ask our athletes as they map out their goals, and share some …

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Episode 107: Committing to the Off Season, Imposter Syndrome, and Running in Pregnancy 56:32

9h ago56:32

56:32

We did a deep dive on a bunch of interesting topics in this episode! Katie and Elena trade insights and questions on: how to make outdoor training bearable now that it's very dark and cold out; Elena's takeaways from committing to a true three-month off season for the first time ever; life lessons from Elena's coaching experience at the Girls on th…

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Episode 106: 70.3 World Champs, Off-Season Reminders, and Indoor Trainer Cycling Tips 1:02:07

20d ago1:02:07

1:02:07

This week's episode hits a bunch of fun topics including: insights from our athletes and the pros at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Marbella, Spain; thoughts on how to get back in multisport training if you have been focusing on a single sport for a while; off-season reminders, including how to balance lack of structure with a smart progre…

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Episode 105: Balancing Family, Career, and Sport as a Parent-Athlete 1:01:09

26d ago1:01:09

1:01:09

In this week's episode, we asked some of our most inspiring community members to tell us how they make training work alongside busy family and professional lives. We were blown away by the rich insights that came back, including tips on early morning workouts, run commutes, calendar blocks, stroller jogs, home gym setups, and how to effectively tag…

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Episode 104: Women's Ironman World Champs Insights, Building Muscular Endurance, and Reflections on Outcomes vs. Process 1:02:02

1M ago1:02:02

1:02:02

In this episode we finally got to discuss our reactions to one of the craziest races we have ever seen in Ironman history: the all-women’s 2025 Ironman World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. We discuss what it means to win and lose with grace, Taylor Knibb’s incredible post-race interview, the role of heat and humidity in making or breaking an…

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Episode 103: Burnout Prevention, Pros and Cons of AI as an Athlete, and Playing the Long Game in Pregnancy 56:03

1M ago56:03

56:03

This week's episode features a deep dive on three big topics: (1) how to plan out a sustainable season in order to avoid burnout, (2) pros, cons, and use cases of AI as an athlete, and (3) playing the long game in pregnancy and postpartum—particularly with respect to new research on bone density in pregnant and postpartum runners. We also riff on h…

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Episode 102: Mental Health in Athletes with Dr. Alejandra Zamora, Psy.D 59:26

2M ago59:26

59:26

In this week's episode, we’re joined by a very special guest: clinical psychologist and triathlete extraordinaire Dr. Alejandra Zamora, Psy.D. Ale draws on her experience working with Division I athletes, as well as her own background as an endurance athlete, to answer our questions about common mental health conditions that affect athletes, includ…

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Episode 101: Getting Your Zone 2 Back, Pre-Race Injuries, Tire Dragging, and Workout Mindfulness 50:45

2M ago50:45

50:45

This week's podcast—the first in our next century of episodes—features insights and listener questions on a ton of fun topics including: how to transition back into Zone 2 running after time off, channeling the idea of "smooth" rather than specific paces or other data points in workouts, what to do if you get injured or sick right before a race, wh…

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Episode 100: Reflections From 100 Episodes of the Podcast! 57:27

2M ago57:27

57:27

Celebration episode inbound! In this episode, Katie, Jim, and Elena reflect on the lessons we’ve learned from 100 (!) episodes of the podcast. We riff on themes including connection, community, endurance principles, gratitude, vulnerability, progress, and creativity, and we share what excites us most about the next 100 episodes. Our biggest takeawa…

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Episode 99: Deep Reflections on Listening to Your Body, Athlete Identity, Pregnancy Risk Tolerance, and Doing Things for the First Time 55:51

2M ago55:51

55:51

We love a deep reflections episode! Katie and Elena hit a bunch of topics including recovery after really big races, what it actually means to listen to your body (and why listening to your body can be hard in pregnancy), mental challenges with the off season and how to manage them, athlete identity, risk tolerance for moving your body at different…

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Episode 98: Ironman World Champs Insights, Norwegian Training, Managing Burnout, and Tips for Race Anxiety 48:21

3M ago48:21

48:21

This week’s episode hits a bunch of fun topics including: insights from the professional men’s race at the Ironman World Championships in Nice, France; what’s hot and what’s not in the Norwegian training protocols; our recommendations on TT bike brands; how to identify and prevent burnout as long seasons draw to a close; some additional tips for th…

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Episode 97: Physical and Mental Insights from Elena's UTMB Race Experience! 1:01:50

3M ago1:01:50

1:01:50

She did it! This episode recaps many of the physical and mental insights Elena picked up while racing for over 29 hours at the world's most competitive and well-known 100-mile ultramarathon. We cover: what the energy in Chamonix is like during race week; how Elena prepped mentally and physically in the days and hours leading up to the race start; w…

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Episode 96: Mid-Race Mental Resets, Presidential Traverse Takeaways, Weighted Vests, and Adventuring How-tos 59:00

3M ago59:00

59:00

This week's episode features plenty of insights from recent adventures and races. We cover: takeaways from Katie's recent "Pregnant Prezi" and FKT attempt on the Cannon and Kinsmans Loop, our favorite hikes and runs in New England, tips on mapping and route planning if you want to plan your own adventures (especially in a new location), insights fr…

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Episode 95: Training Insights from Elena's UTMB Prep and Katie's First Half of Pregnancy 53:03

3M ago53:03

53:03

This week's episode features a deep dive on the training principles and philosophy between two very different endurance projects: Elena's multi-year prep to race in the elite field at Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) and the first half of Katie's journey through pregnancy as an endurance athlete. We cover insights that with a surprising amount of o…

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Episode 94: When Data Isn’t Helpful, Bike Handling Tips, Training in High LSS, and Muscle Memory 59:56

3M ago59:56

59:56

This week’s episode is another grab bag full of insights! Topics include: the benefits of Zone 0 movement, good data and bad data in training and in pregnancy, why mountain adventures are so great, how to approach workouts and training in periods of high LSS (life stress score), governing effort on big days, bike handling tips, training in bad air …

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Episode 93: Mental Prep for UTMB, Pregnancy Mindset Modifications, and Reconnecting With Your Why 49:01

4M ago49:01

49:01

In this week’s episode, Elena and Katie catch up on all things training, mindset, and life as Elena wraps up the final month of prep for UTMB and Katie navigates the second trimester of pregnancy as an endurance athlete. Topics include: why “saying maybe” and listening to your body is sometimes a better training approach than saying yes; unsolicite…

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Episode 92: Minimum Effective Dose, Setting Expectations, More Racing Takeaways, and Heat Bonking 1:05:20

4M ago1:05:20

1:05:20

In this week’s insights-focused episode, we’re deep diving on a bunch of topics including: thoughts on minimum effective dose of training for marathon, triathlons of all distances, and ultras; how holding on too tightly to expectations can lead to disappointment; how fueling, mindset, pacing, and heat all interact to make or break race day; three t…

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Episode 91: Pacing, Fueling, Mindset, and More at Ironman Lake Placid 55:16

4M ago55:16

55:16

Ironman Lake Placid is done and dusted! In this episode we’re putting a bow on the IMLP journey for many of our athletes by covering the key insights we picked up on race day and immediately before and after. Topics include: avoiding panic training during race week, the importance of hiring a coach, why Ironman is so hard, how cool weather can be a…

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Episode 90: Reflections on the First Trimester of Pregnancy as an Endurance Athlete 55:54

4M ago55:54

55:54

This episode features a big life update and even more insights for the podcast! We dive into Katie’s A race for the foreseeable future: pregnancy! Topics include: why relatively limited research on endurance training during pregnancy makes individual anecdotes so powerful; how Katie thought about “planning” pregnancy in the context of training and …

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Episode 89: Building Your Endurance Capacity, Open Water Swim Confidence, and Comparing Race Performances 44:19

5M ago44:19

44:19

In this week's insights-focused episode, we're powering through a bunch of relevant training and coaching tidbits on topics including: why "time on feet" is a useful mindset shift for workouts on tough or hot days, a case study on building open water swimming confidence, why triathlons (and most other races) aren't apples-to-apples comparisons, how…

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Episode 88: Ironman Race Day Strategies and Lessons from 200 on 100 1:09:41

5M ago1:09:41

1:09:41

As race day in Lake Placid approaches, it’s time to shift gears from training mode to execution mode. In this episode, we offer practical, race-tested guidance for your final week and race day strategy at Ironman Lake Placid. From gear checks and fueling to pacing the marathon, we break down the dos and don’ts to help you arrive fresh and race smar…

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Episode 87: Our Top Three Endurance Principles 1:05:22

5M ago1:05:22

1:05:22

In this week’s episode, we’re diving into our top three endurance principles—how we train, how we fuel, and how we keep our minds in it. We start with some quick insights from recent training: why race simulations can sometimes feel even harder than race day, and how preparing mentally (not just physically) can make all the difference. We also touc…

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Episode 86: Four Weeks to Ironman Lake Placid 57:09

5M ago57:09

57:09

We can’t believe that we’re less than four weeks away from Ironman Lake Placid, one of our favorite races to coach! We start off this episode with a list of things you can do to eek out just a little bit more fitness in the final few weeks before the gun goes off at your A race. We also cover a bunch of fun insights related to: fueling and hydratio…

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Episode 85: Fueling for Performance with Endurance Sports Dietitian Alex Larson 57:40

6M ago57:40

57:40

In this week’s episode, Katie and Elena welcome Alex Larson, RD to the podcast to talk all things fueling and hydration. Alex’s mission is to support endurance athletes with practical and simple nutrition advice for lifelong health and performance. She shares valuable insights related to: the biggest mistakes endurance athletes make when it comes t…

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Episode 84: Racing Your Race, Channeling Positive Thoughts, and Processing DNFs 59:00

6M ago59:00

59:00

This week’s episode is full of insights from the peak of race season! Katie and Elena cover whether and how to use pacers, how to handle the overstimulating nature of race morning, what to wear for racing, how improving your aerobic base improves your top end race performance, mindset shifts in the context of race-day uncontrollables, and not writi…

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Episode 83: Race Week Tips, Avoiding Open Water Panic, and Swim-Bike Bricks 53:27

6M ago53:27

53:27

This week’s episode covers insights on lots of topics including: why you shouldn’t try anything new on race day or during race week, how to know when to push through vs. back of in periods of high life stress, panic attacks in open water swimming and how to avoid them, good data vs. bad data, rehabbing ankle sprains and other ligament injuries, min…

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Episode 82: Recovery Strategies, Periodized Strength Training, and Active Heat Training 53:33

6M ago53:33

53:33

In this week’s episode, we chat through our favorite strategies for recovery and signs of whether you are recovered or not, how we approach traditional strength training in the gym vs. cardio workouts that build strength in a periodized context, active heat training protocols to increase your blood plasma and improve performance, how we think about…

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Episode 81: Leveling Up with High-Carb Fueling, Measuring and Optimizing Hydration, and Open Water Swim Tips 1:06:36

7M ago1:06:36

1:06:36

This week’s episode covers insights across lots of topics including: how you can level up your long-distance performance quicker with high-carb fueling, how you can use hydration biosensors to optimize your fluid intake, open water swim safety tips, how visualizing the transition area can save you time on race day, why you should consider “going al…

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Episode 80: Mental Prep, Fueling the Work, and Self-Belief at the Flying Pig Marathon 59:34

7M ago59:34

59:34

In this week’s episode, we’re recapping Elena’s speedy race and “effort PR” at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati. We talk through why Elena chose to race a road marathon as part of her build for UTMB, her flexible approach to setting A/B/C goals, how she managed internal and external pressure, why feeling bad during the taper doesn’t mean you’r…

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Episode 79: Training in the Heat, Fueling Big Days, Troubleshooting Fatigue, and Building Bike Fitness 54:16

7M ago54:16

54:16

This week’s episode is jam-packed with insights across a bunch of different topics! We riff on: how to think about training during the first hot and humid days of the spring; how to plan out your fueling strategy for long workouts and races; troubleshooting low motivation and/or fatigue; the pros and cons of indoor vs. outdoor intervals on the bike…

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Episode 78: Boston Marathon Insights, Handling Race Nerves and Disappointment, and Optimizing Your Schedule 56:21

7M ago56:21

56:21

This week’s episode is another grab bag full of recent insights from racing, training, and spectating! Elena and Katie cover a bunch of fun topics including: insights from the Boston Marathon; how to optimize your training schedule for variables like multiple sports, good vs. bad weather, recovery, and social time; pre-race nerves and anxiety; proc…

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Episode 77: Training Camps, Buying a New Bike, Post-Race Blues, GI Issues in Running, and More! 1:01:13

7M ago1:01:13

1:01:13

This week’s episode is a grab bag full of fun insights related to: the how and why of training camps, considerations for buying a new or new used bike, navigating race-day uncontrollables, impulse control in racing, how and when to “burn a match” in workouts or races, GI issues on long runs, the post-race blues, and lessons from interval training. …

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Episode 76: The Secret Marathon Adventure 59:20

8M ago59:20

59:20

In this week’s episode, Elena and Katie recap Katie’s recent BQ marathon. We cover why Katie decided to pivot from triathlon training to marathon training, why she kept the race a secret until after she crossed the finish line, how relatively low mileage and a ton of cross training kept her injury-free throughout the build, how she integrated heavy…

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Episode 75: Managing Uncertainty, Chasing Goals, and Playing the Long Game in Endurance Training with Gina des Cognets 52:21

8M ago52:21

52:21

In this week’s episode of the podcast, Elena and Katie are welcoming on a repeat guest who always has plenty of life wisdom to share. Gina des Cognets — an executive coach for teams and individuals and a badass athlete herself — talks us through how she approaches uncertainty and risk in the pursuit of ambitious goals, practical strategies for esta…

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Episode 74: A Conversation with Ultrarunner, FKT Holder, Photographer, Author, and Coach Eli Burakian 1:04:08

8M ago1:04:08

1:04:08

In this week’s episode, we’re bringing on a very special guest and friend of the pod. Eli Burakian is an ultrarunner, coach, guidebook author, mountain photographer, dad, race director, and all-around adventurer whose love of the sport and passion for helping other people make him one of the most interesting people we know. We chat through Eli’s mo…

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Episode 73: Tapering, Race Simulations, Zone 2, and Swim Technique Cues 1:00:19

8M ago1:00:19

1:00:19

We’re starting the transition to from base season to race season fast! This episode covers a bunch of topics we’re thinking about as our athletes welcome spring, the build phase, and even some races. We talk through the what, why, and how of tapering, the common pattern we see of bad race simulations and good races, reminders on the benefits of zon…

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Episode 72: Thoughts on Creatine, Sodium Bicarbonate, Caffeine, Lactate Testing, and Coaching Styles 52:25

9M ago52:25

52:25

This week’s episode leans hard into sports science as we share some new thoughts on creatine, sodium bicarbonate, and caffeine for performance. We also talk through the why and how of lactate testing and whether this is a worthwhile thing to spend your time and money on, the “feel and stair test” as an organic and data-free way to assess your train…

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Episode 71: Grief and Training, Adaptation, Perseverance, and Super Shoes 1:01:13

9M ago1:01:13

1:01:13

In this week’s episode, we’re diving into a bunch of different thought-provoking topics: how to think about training when you’re dealing with grief or other high LSS events, how to modify bike workouts during indoor/outdoor shoulder season, when and how to use super shoes, adapting workouts, persevering through workouts, push vs. pull forces in wor…

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Episode 70: Trying New Events, Vitamin D, Fueling, and More! 49:30

9M ago49:30

49:30

In this week’s episode, Katie and Elena hit on a grab bag of topics that have been coming up from athletes and listeners recently: trying new types of athletic events, coping with winter, fueling FAQs, supplements, body image follow-ups, and more! With a mix of personal anecdotes and learnings from our community, we had a blast with this one and ho…

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Episode 69: Season Prep with Neil MacKenzie, DPT 52:38

9M ago52:38

52:38

In this week’s episode, we’re bringing back a fan-favorite repeat guest: physical therapist and athlete extraordinaire, Neil MacKenzie! Neil talks us through common training and recovery mistakes athletes make in the late winter and early spring, how to tell if a rehab plan is working, how to use pain as a useful indicator, how to support injured a…

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Episode 68: Body Image and Endurance Sports 1:02:09

10M ago1:02:09

1:02:09

In this week’s episode, Katie and Elena tackle a big topic that has gotten a lot of interest among our listeners — the intersection of body image and endurance sports. We talk through external and internal pressures related to body image, challenges in thinking about how bodies change over time, whether weight is a useful metric to track or not, si…

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Episode 67: Windy Training, Tracking LSS, Swim Tips, Carb Intake, and More! 1:00:34

10M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

This grab-bag episode was packed full of a ton of fun topics! We dive into how to deal with very windy conditions in deep winter training, withholding judgment from workouts, re-evaluating your goals, how to track LSS over time, gels and carb intake, dehydration in the winter, whether you actually should do your pick-ups or not, 'strain' and 'body …

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Episode 66: Integrating Skiing with Endurance, Trusting the Process, and Female Athlete Q+A! 59:51

10M ago59:51

59:51

In this grab bag episode of the podcast, Katie and Elena catch up about recent happenings in their coaching and training lives including: how to think about training if you get sick, trusting the process, the concept of being "in your body" in sports, trying new sports, what it means to fuel enough, and mental reframes in the context of body compos…

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Episode 65: Making Triathlon (Somewhat) More Economical 1:07:49

10M ago1:07:49

1:07:49

In this week’s episode, we’re talking through our top tips for making triathlon—arguably one of the most expensive recreational sports—at least somewhat more economical. We cover non-negotiable must-have gear and equipment items, nice-to-have but not necessary items, gimmicky items that you shouldn’t waste your money on, hidden costs to be aware of…

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Episode 64: Overcoming Hypothalamic Amenorrhea and Starting a Family With Coach, Elite Runner, and PT Hanna Prunty 59:27

10M ago59:27

59:27

In this week’s episode, Katie and Elena sit down with coach, elite runner, physical therapist, and friend of the pod Hanna Prunty. Hanna shares some exciting news—that she and Coach Kevin are expecting their first child in June!—and dives deep into the journey she followed in order to optimize her hormonal health for pregnancy. Hanna shares powerfu…

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Episode 63: A New Season Is Underway 1:00:59

11M ago1:00:59

1:00:59

Welcome to the new season, athletes! We are back in full swing with training and coaching, so Jim and Katie sat down for an extended insights episode all about what we are learning from our athletes (and from ourselves!) in the first couple weeks of the new year. We cover: good and bad data, going high vs. low in Z2, workout ordering, logistics of …

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Episode 62: Our Coaching Philosophy 1:08:07

11M ago1:08:07

1:08:07

We’ve spent a lot of hours sharing ‘the key principles that guide our approach to endurance training and coaching’ on this podcast, but we’ve never sat down and distilled all of those principles into a single one-stop-shop episode that covers our coaching philosophy. In this episode, we’re doing just that: talking through ten of the biggest and mos…

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Episode 61: Goals and Intentions for 2025 56:14

11M ago56:14

56:14

We're kicking off the new year with an episode all about goals and intentions for 2025! Katie and Elena reached out to our community for inspiration about what's motivating them this year and came back with a ton of physical and mental goals that span endurance, self-improvement, and everything in between. We also did a deep dive on coaching and tr…

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Episode 60: Lessons From 2024 (Part 2!) 1:07:03

12M ago1:07:03

1:07:03

We’re closing out 2024 with a recap of some of our biggest lessons learned and some coaching and training innovations we’re looking forward to in 2025. We cover the importance of mindset, why belief is crucial for performance, how goal mapping has helped us and our athletes, why comparison is the thief of joy, how to modify under high stress, the r…

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Episode 59: The Body Keeping Score, Practicing Self-Compassion, and Other Extended Insights 1:05:39

12M ago1:05:39

1:05:39

We’re in that awkward time between Thanksgiving and Christmas where life feels like equal parts joyful, dark, and downright weird, so Jim, Katie, and Elena sat down to chat through what’s been going on for us in coaching, training, and life in recent weeks. The result was a rich episode filled with our collective thoughts on topics that range from …