Welcome to Part 2 of my conversation with the lovely Rebecca Soni!To recap from Monday, Reb is a two-time World Swimmer of the Year; a multiple Olympic gold medalist & World Record Holder; a six-time NCAA Champion; a giant inspiration, especially to young women across the globe; as well as a beach dweller, dog owner, basic delight & overall legend now focused on giving back to sport through Atlas Ventures– brain training young athletes on the mental aspects of peak performance along with her best friend and fellow Olympian Ariana Kukors.If you have not yet listened to Part 1 of our sit down, check that out first. Then tune in here. It just gets better as it goes.I hope you enjoy the show. Let me know what you think in the comments section below. And if you have been enjoying the show, tell a friend!Peace + Plants,Rich

When I use the word “best” in reference to my guests, I mean it.Today's guest truly earns the adjective. If you follow the sport of competitive swimming, then this woman needs no introduction. Quite simply put, Rebecca Soni is one of the most accomplished athletes in the world, period. Here are just a few of her notables:2-time Olympian (2008 / 2012)6-time Olympic medalistMultiple world record holder1st woman to earn back to back Olympic Gold Medals in the 200-meter breaststrokeBroke the World Record in the 200-meter breaststroke in consecutive Olympiads (2008 / 2012)First woman in history to break the 2:20 barrier in the 200-meter breaststroke6-time NCAA Champion at USC2x “World Swimmer Of The Year” (2010 & 2011)In other words, don't mess with Reb. But meet her on the street and you'd never know just how badass she is — her sweetNESS and genuine humility simply won't allow it.If you know me, you know swimming is my first love. So anytime I get the chance to talk on the subject, it’s going to be long — sorry just can't help it. This conversation holds true, running at around 2 ½ hours. So I'm breaking the interview up into 2 parts. Part 1 today (Sunday night — 6.1.14); Part 2 will post sometime Thursday — 6.5.14.Good stuff. A compelling journey through the the ups and downs of Rebecca’s unparalleled career, we dig deep into:The mental aspects of peak performance, including Rebecca's personal struggles;Rebecca's early years as a young swimmer in New Jersey raised by Hungarian immigrants;The important role of coaches have played in her career;Social media pressures on the global Olympic stage;Her perspective on being a positive role model for young women;Her evolving perspective on nutrition & new found embrace of the plant-based lifestyle;The performance impacts of different modalities of training (volume vs. intensity);Her transition from celebrity athlete to civilian retirement; andAtlas Ventures- Rebecca's start up with fellow Olympian Ariana Kukors devoted to “brain training” the next generation of champion athletes.“Legend” is a word that gets bandied about all too loosely these days. But Rebecca more than earns the mantle and the respect the term truly deserves. She is a legend in the truest sense and her legacy in sport will more than stand the test of time.Plus, she's super cool. After the show she hung out at our house with my kids and her dog Cody (you can hear him hanging around the pod in the background), let us play around with her gold medals and was basically just a delight.It was an honor to spend a few hours with her and couldn’t be more pleased to bring this conversation to you. I sincerely hope you enjoy it!Peace + Plants,Rich

Today we delve into an entirely new world. The world of tea.I can hear you now: Tea?? Really? Why should I care about tea? I've been enjoying the podcast a lot lately, Rich. But I'm not sure about this…I think you might have lost the thread this week. A couple years ago I would have probably said the same thing. I don't feel that way anymore. So if you are thinking of skipping this episode because on the surface it doesn't sound like something you are interested in, reconsider. Because — and as I always say — contempt prior to investigation imprisons one to everlasting ignorance.WuDe.Born in the United States as Aaron Daniel Fisher, Wude was drawn to the East from a very early age. After studying philosophy in college, he travelled the world and ultimately settled in Taiwan, where he has since become a Buddhist monk – steeped in the sutras and wisdom of that tradition – as well as a tea master – a vituoso of not just the living tradition of harvesting tea, but the living tradition of what tea means in a sort of meta sense – why it’s important and why we should care about it.Tea as medicine. Tea as healing. Tea as life.Tea Practice as Zen.The easiest way to put it is that WuDe comes from this idea that tea is a universal living, breathing thing that unifies us all — the tree of life.Think of tea as a metaphor. A foundational concept around which to structure a set of ancient teachings, principles, knowledge and wisdom to glean a broader truth about health, healing, community, the environment, life, life’s meaning and the unifying oneness – or undeniable interconnectedness of everythingIn Taiwan WuDe founded and runs Global Tea Hut– a school and center devoted to the education and preservation of the ancient tradition of harvesting living tea and welcomes people from all over the world to come study and practice tea preparation, meditation, tea history, tea crafting, the sutras of tea and its relevance in society, and how to cultivate the Dao of Tea as a method of spiritual expansion.I realize today's guest and these topics may be slightly off your personal reservation. That's cool – it was for me initially as well. All I ask is that you set aside whatever preconceived notions you may be harboring and enter this episode with an open mind. Do that, and I assure you will come out the other side with not only a new and informed view on the import of tea, but a greater understanding of Zen. An expanded perspective on consciousness. And a heightened awareness of the oneness that unites us all.WuDe spills over with crazy mad wisdom that more than merits your attention and contemplation.I promise this just might be the most fascinating conversation you will hear all week.I sincerely hope you enjoy the show. Let me know what you think in the comments below!Peace + Plants,Rich

People say people don’t change.Bullshit.I have the great honor of seeing and participating in lives that have changed so dramatically the people they are today bear almost no resemblance to who they once were.Weight loss, sure – I see that all the time. I'm talking more about drastic career changes; dramatic spiritual awakenings; and impossible recovery from profound addictions. I'm talking about people who change from that person you’d shuffle across the street to avoid – literal mental insanity – to becoming inspirational leaders among men. Alterations so stunning I'm left awestruck; and with a profound sense that there must be powers at work beyond the mere mortal.If this show is anything, it's an effort to share those stories to inspire that kind of hope, aspiration and possibility in you. That no matter what your circumstance or plight in life, that transcending the obstacles you face is within reach.When I recorded the introduction to this episode and wrote down these thoughts, it was 3:30 am. Jetlagged and wide awake, I just returned from a whirlwind trip across the globe – 3 weeks on the road in Canada, Beirut, Lebanon and all across Saudi Arabia. Riyadh in the heart of the Arabian desert, Al Khobar on the Persian Gulf & Jeddah on the Red Sea. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you might have seem some pictures of me running in all those places. Apologies for all the selfies, but I just wanted to share what I was experiencing with everyone. It was such a fantastic journey and privilege to see parts of the world I never in a million years thought I would ever have the opportunity to see.I gave 6 talks over the course of the trip; all in their own right amazing. Particularly in the Middle East, where the cultural divide can seem so profound and impenetrable that making a true connection seemed almost impossible.And yet to connect with people on a fundamental level over things and concerns we all share no matter what the dictates of our cultural prerogatives – our health, the health of our children, nutrition, prevention of disease, fitness and the ills of our food system ecosystem – was life altering for me. I know it made it impact on them as well.It feels really good. An experience I am immensely grateful for. An experience I won't soon forget.My point is that I have changed. Dramatically and irrevocably. Mostly in ways I didn’t expect. Could never have predicted. And certainly never dreamed, consciously plotted or specifically devised. But definitely in ways I embrace and love.For most of my life, all I wanted was to be someone else. And now I can say that I would not trade my life for anyone.It all started when I made a decision to do the inside work. As I got healthier — physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually — I learned, very slowly and stubbornly I might add, how to lean into, trust and take action on my (once dubious and self-will driven) instincts, no matter how illogical or contrary to my chosen life path they may have seemed at the time.This has made all the difference. It is the reason I enjoy the life I have today.It begins with mining your personal truth. And then embarking on the journey of living it. Something I want everyone to experience — and why I do this show.If today’s guest is anything, he is a guy who is living his truth. Living his own unique brand of passion. Walking a road less traveled, and inspiring people the world over.Timothy Shieff.

Unless you are a new listener to the show, then you very well may be fatigued by my show opening mantra. If so, you're out of luck, because I'm going to repeat it here anyway:Each week I bring you the best most forward thinking, paradigm busting minds in health, fitness, athleticism, creativity, diet, nutrition, art, entrepreneurship, personal growth & spirituality….The goal is simple: to empower YOU with the tools, the knowledge, the inspiration and motivation to take your life to the next level. To help you discover, unlock and unleash your BEST most AUTHENTIC self.I repeat it here because it's particularly relevant to today's guest and topic.I repeat it here because I need to remind myself that in order to make that leap to so unlock and unleash, I must say yes to experiences outside my comfort zone. I must be and remain open to new ideas that are unfamiliar. I must continue to be willing to risk. And I must be willing to experience things that still scare me.There is a truism I find myself repeating under my breath: you cannot transmit something you haven't got.In other words, if I hope to so transmit, by way of this podcast, the inspiration and tools I profess to offer, then I must walk that talk. Otherwise I strike a false chord – my words become inauthentic. And this house I bled to build becomes a mere house of cards, soon to fall in upon itself.After a rewarding 7 days in Ontario with Julie, I’m now traveling alone — in the midst of this extraordinary speaking tour across the Middle East — Beirut, Lebanon and three cities across Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar.Traveling to this part of the world intimidates me. Is it safe? Can I go outside and run without negative repercussion? And how will I and my message be received by cultures so different from my own?I love traveling. I can think of few things that excite me more than getting on a plane for a very long flight to some exotic place I have never before seen. And yet, I am definitely well outside my comfort zone. These are not places that I would ordinarily choose to visit. But that's what makes it so enthralling. I am wide open to the multitude of opportunities they potentially offer.It's about practicing “yes” to the new experiences that present themselves, irrespective of whatever feelings of fear, insecurity, doubt and anxiety that creep up and strive to keep my life small for the sake of comfort and security — emotions I know are underpinned by illusion – what the Hindus call Maya.For me, the practice of saying yes in the face of such fear and doubt has been paying dividends of late.I can't tell you what an incredible experience Beirut has been the last few days. A place in so many ways vastly different from what I expected. Imagine a mashup of old and new. Cote D’Azur meets Arabia. Parts almost indistinguishable from Milan or Paris or Tuscany – très chic European, sophisticated and urban teeming with beautiful, intelligent, curious people I had the privilege of spending time with. There's a reason it's called The Paris of the Middle East.But turn your head to peer behind my lovely hotel on the waterfront and you will see the unmistakable scars of war. The scaffold of the towering old Holiday Inn hotel – once the pride and pearl of the city — looms high yet decimated and rife with bullet indentations and gaping holes from shell fire artillery blasts. Demolished just after construction was completed when the civil war broke out on 1975, the scaffold still stands in a state of utter disreapir as a constant reminder of a different time, and the ever-present instability that underpins the city's elegant, cosmopolitan veneer.As I sit here tonight finishing up this post, I am now writing from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Today were back with Ultraman competitor and EPIC5 finisher Christian Isakson for Part 2 of our conversation.Thanks for all the great comments and feedback I received on social media this week in response to Part 1. If you haven’t listened to that one yet dial it up first before tuning in herePart 2 just gets better. We delve into Christian's racing. He walks us through his first-hand experience completing EPIC5 and what it took to put his imprimatur on last year's Ultraman World Championships.Then we turn to service. Christian's commitment to giving back through his involvement with Chris Lieto's non-profit More Than Sport and and his recent work in Kenya with Ameena Project. And how faith, family and humility are keystones to remain grounded, focused and on point.The message is this — if you want your life to have true meaning, satisfaction, fulfillment and a legacy of value, giving back in a meaningful way is essential.If you are feeling adrift, Christian's message will help right your ship. If he has inspired you to seek out a more fulfilling path for yourself but you're just not sure how to embark on your own version of his story, then — as mentioned in the introduction to this episode — you might be encouraged by my new online course on MindBodyGreen.com entitled The Art of Living With Purpose- 2+ hours of streaming video content with an array of downloadable tools I learned, honed and devised to course correct my life — tools I continue to rely on to this day to keep my life focused and on track. Give it a look if it feels right to you.I hope you enjoy Part 2 as much as Part 1. As always, let me know what you think in the comments section below and on social media.Peace + Plants,Rich

Today's guest is a guy I relate to on so many levels. Like a big Venn diagram of overlapping circles — ultra-endurance multi-sport athlete, dad, husband, Ultraman competitor and EPIC5 finisher.Today's guest is unique in that he is the only guy I have ever had on the show who, like me, has competed in both the Ultraman World Championships and EPIC5 (not that there are very many of us – I think only a few).Today’s guest is also unique for his strong sense of faith, directed purpose and commitment to giving back in service to others the blessings bestowed upon him.Today’s guest is Christian Isakson.Christian and I first connected online several years ago on the eve of his 2011 attempt on EPIC5 (one year after I completed that challenge). Christian absolutely rocked it, completing the distance within the five day period I strived for, yet fell short. In the wake of that effort, I vividly recall several conversations in which I encouraged him to ply his trade at Ultraman. Ironically, Christian was unsure — at the time not yet wholly confident in his abilities despite the potential I clearly saw in him. Yet he obliged. To be clear, not because of me – I just gave him a nudge. And at this past year's World Championship in Hawaii, he proved his mettle and then some. His race was far from perfect, but Christian more than distinguished himself as a future contender for the top podium spot, putting his imprimatur on the race with a stunning Day 2 bike effort that had him leading the field for the majority of the brutal 170-mile day.Since our first Facebook exchange, Christian and I have been e-mail pen pals and phone buddies — corresponding consistently over the years about everything from balancing parenting & marriage to nutrition, training strategies, racing, the role of faith and most importantly service — how best to give this whole ultra-endurance experience greater meaning for others beyond mere race results.And yet Christian and I had never actually met in person. But no matter — from our first conversation we have been close; meeting in person existing as nothing more than a formality. All that changed a few weeks ago when Christian came down to Los Angeles for a short overnight visit with me and my family. The hug he gave me when I picked him up at the airport just made our brotherhood official.Today we sit down and sift through it all – the pain, passion, love and faith that fuels and drives him. The unique push-pull allure of ultra-distance racing. And how he balances this brutally demanding lifestyle to maintain a healthy and happy marriage, great relationship with his kids, and a rewarding career as a paramedic / firefighter.But what makes Christian really tick is his faith. His fidelity to his church. And how service plays into his success equation – from his endeavors with various church organizations to his involvement with Chris Lieto's non-profit More Than Sport and Ameena Project – an NGO which took him to Kenya recently to provide much needed medical care to underprivileged in urgent need.I can attest to the fact that Christian returned from Kenya a changed man. A better, more focused man with a keener sense of priorities. His short documentary on the experience tells the tale:In all honesty, it's rare that I get an opportunity to sit down with a guy with whom I share so many things in common. As a result, this conversation is long. Really long. 3 hours long.Enjoy!Rich

So many things wrong in the world.Melting ice caps. Greenhouse gas emissions. Global climate change. GMO Frankenfoods. Depleted soils. Poisoned fish. Rampant childhood obesity. Unsustainable food systems. Horrifying school lunch programs. Unprecedented hurricanes. Insane tsunamis. Constant forest fires. And oh yeah – how about that Texas-sized flotilla of plasticized garbage goo floating out in the Pacific somewhere?I could go on like this all day. We all could. Because in truth it's easy to identify — and become despondent (if not just altogether passive and nonplussed) about the state of the planet, the environment, our citizenship and basic humanity when you take an honest look at the havoc we have wrecked upon ourselves.F-it. I give up. It's too late.Then you meet a guy like Kyle Thiermann. Pro Surfer. Filmmaker. Public Speaker. Environmentalist. Humanitarian. 24 years old.Suddenly, all that despondency is replaced with hope – optimism for the future of the planet and humanity courtesy of the next generation.I had never heard of Kyle until a buddy of mine posted an image on Instagram a few months back that promoted Kyle's latest short film: Pro Surfers vs. GMO's :I immediately clicked to watch and was honestly moved. Sure, the film is informative and inspiring. But beyond the content, I was genuinely impressed to find such a young guy so passionate about our food system. Digging deeper I realized this doc was nothing new for this Santa Cruz kid, who was raised by documentary filmmaker parents and has been putting out short films on global health and environmental issues for years via Surfing For Change — Kyle's online YouTube series merging surf imagery & lifestyle with current global issues with focus on the power of individuals to create a better world through everyday decisions.Kyle's impact has already been substantial. Beyond speaking gigs at universities across the US and features in publications like Outside Magazine and Surfer Magazine, one of Kyle’s first film projects took a look at global bank funding and suggested that people divest from the Bank of Americas of the world and instead invest in local communities and credit unions. As a direct result of this specific project, Surfing for Change tracked over $110 million of lending power moving out of centralized banks and into local communities. That is serious impact. That is awesome.If that's not enough, Kyle gets extra cool points for being the only person I am aware of to ever deliver a TED Talk without a shirt on. That takes cajones.Be honest: if you were a handsome pro surfer in your early 20's whose job was to travel the world in search of the tastiest waves, how much time do you think you would spend on trying to make a difference in the world?Kyle doesn't have to do what he does. The fact that he chooses of his own volition to invest himself in serving a higher purpose makes his message all the more powerful and resonant.The millennial generation gets a ton of flack for allegedly being entitled and narcissistic. But Kyle upends this presumption as misplaced, if not altogether false. My experience — as both a father of two millennial teenage boys and as someone who spends quite a bit of time with people far younger than myself — is that there are countless young people out there a lot like Kyle.Enjoy!Rich

The past couple weeks we went deep into nutrition. Now it's time to take a new direction. To delve into spirit. Creativity. And art. All powerful vehicles for connecting with, unlocking and ultimately expressing the authentic truth of who you are — the crux of life transformation.Today we Reimagine Your Truth.Today we meet IN-Q.Rapper. Actor. Teacher. Songwriter & internationally revered spoken word artist.Wait a minute — what?? A poet? How could spoken word, rap music and this guy possibly have anything to do with the themes of this show?I can read your mind. I get it. But I ask you to please reserve whatever preconceived ideas or opinions you may have about what's to come. Because ignorance is contempt prior to investigation. I promise you this — after this interview you won’t be asking yourself that question.I first met IN-Q up at a thing called Summit Series — an organization that began in 2008 with a small group of young entrepreneurs harboring a giant collective dream to change the world. Led by an enterprising young man named Eliot Bisnow (who coincidentally went to my high school), Summit began as an annual four-day events for 1,000 of the world’s leading entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, artists, scientists, athletes, and change makers with the intention of driving positive growth and collaboration.The events were extremely successful. But Summit has since evolved far beyond a mere producer of TED-like events. Today, it stands tall as a truly unique community of compelling thought leaders who truly are changing the world. About a year ago, the Summit organization took up permanent residence in Eden, Utah — a quiet hamlet north of Salt Lake nestled in the Wasatch Mountains — when they purchased a mountain. That’s right: an entire mountain & functioning ski resort called Powder Mountain. Not just any ski resort, “PowMow” is in fact the largest ski mountain in the entire United States.Ambitious? It's just the beginning. Summit's goal is to unite thought leaders and innovators of today and tomorrow by over time growing this now small community into an international epicenter of culture and innovation across all disciplines of art, music, technology, entertainment, science, literature, social entrepreneurism and education.Eliot invited Julie and I up to Powder Mountain this past winter to speak and simply enjoy a weekend getting to know Summit. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. I had known the Summit crew for a couple years – in fact Julie taught them a yoga class back in 2008 when it was just a small group of people with big dreams cohabitating in a house in Malibu — but had yet to experience it for myself.I have to say it was a transformative experience. I left completely inspired.One of the most compelling people we met was none other than today's guest — IN-Q.I'll be upfront. I’m not a poetry guy. I’m not a hip hop guy. These are foreign worlds I know very little to nothing about. On the surface, IN-Q is therefore an unlikely choice for the podcast. But I was so impressed with this man. The moment I met him I knew instantly that I had to have him on the show.Before each group dinner up at Summit, IN-Q would deliver a poem – a true demonstration of performance art to set the energy of the evening. More prayer than poem. More inspirational panegyric than prayer even. I simply had never heard anything like it before. It was completely unique.But it's not just IN-Q's mad skills that left my jaw agape. To be sure, he is oozing with talent and displays total command over his instrument and art. It was his spirit that truly moved me.Enjoy!Rich

Wow! Last week's guest, T. Colin Campbell, got a huge response. It's only a week since publication and the episode is well on its way to becoming one of the most popular editions of the RRP to date. Glad you enjoyed it and — as always — thanks for tuning in.Because the Dr. Campbell conversation introduced a large new population to the show, thought I would take a brief moment to clarify what we do here. You may think this is just another podcast focused on running & triathlon. I love those subjects and feature plenty of guests in those arenas. But my focus is broader.In short, each week I do my best to bring to you the most forward thinking, paradigm busting minds in health, fitness, wellness, diet, nutrition, spirituality, creativity, entrepreneurship and life transformation.My goal is pure and it is simple. To help motivate and inspire you take your life to the next level. To help you discover, unlock and unleash your best, most authentic self. BOOM. If you have yet to check out last week's episode, I urge everyone to give that one a listen before checking out today’s show. Even if you think you know all there is to know about T. Colin Campbell, his research, The China Study* and the quote unquote alleged “controversy” surrounding the findings of this seminal work, you might be surprised. Dr. Campbell demonstrated tremendous candor. It was an honor to peek behind the curtain at a life well lived in service to the betterment of humankind.In any event, last week’s guest relates directly to today’s guest. As I mentioned last week, Dr. Campbell was intended as Part 1 of a 2-part series.What began with Dr. Campbell continues today with Howard Jacobson, Dr. Campbell’s contributing author on his latest book Whole: Rethinking The Science of Nutrition* – a book that picks up where The China Study* left off by addressing the inherent flaws in our “reductionist” approach to nutrition research and refocusing how we approach and begin to understand nutrition and it's impact on human physiology from a wholistic point of view – food functionality at the cellular level, working its way up to how it impacts the entire organism.Great. But who is Howard Jacobson?Well, Howard's background isn’t quite what you would think. He's not a doctor. He's not a nutritionist. physiologist or even a scientist. But he is a very smart guy. After getting his B.A. from Princeton, Howard began his career as a school teacher before becoming a successful marketing consultant, running an online marketing agency and writing the book Google AdWords for Dummies* (mental note: I should probably read this one).