Take Off Your Shoes

Happy New Year everyone! Welcome to a new epsiode of Take Off Your Shoes with my guest today: Ryan Montgomery!

This was a very open conversation with Ryan, where we touched not only on where he is now and what he’s currently focusing his energy on, but also on what drives him and what’s next for him.

I intended this conversation to be a deeper dive into who Ryan is, building on the wonderful conversations he’s already had with some amazing podcasters.

I tr...

My guest today is the incredibly thoughtful and self-reflective Abby Hall.

Our conversation was an open look into how she feels, how she acts, and what she believes.

She shared how she now finds joy in going all in on her goals and dreams, choosing when to work, when to adventure, and how to be intentional in this small window of her life. We also explored what it means to care deeply about her craft, and how falling short of her goals can reflect the depth of that care.

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Welcome to a new episode of Take Off Your Shoes, with my guest Mike McMonagle, aka shitinthewoods!

"I was looking forward to having something else be unequivocally my highest priority."

The contagious passion and love he has for the sport and his craft is dwarfed only by his love for his son Monte. This was a very special conversation, a true catch-up with some background questions thrown in for good measure to get a fuller “picture” (pun intended) of Mike.

I had a blast gett...

Welcome to another episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

Today's conversation is with the wonderful Lucy Bartholomew!

I was very inspired after our conversation with her, not because of her accomplishments but because of her attitude and how she overcomes moments of doubt and struggle while staying true to her why. She’s not one to shy away from asking and answering tough questions, and I truly appreciate her openness.

One key takeaway for me was how she defines herself not by the things sh...

Welcome back to a brand new episode of Take Off Your Shoes.

After a long summer break, I’m back and stoked to introduce my guest, Dani Aravich.

While she might be a “budding” trail runner, she’s also a Paralympian, having competed in both the Summer and Winter Paralympic Games, and now she’s preparing for the upcoming Milano Cortina Games.

Of course, she’s far beyond her athletic achievements. What stood out to me most was her encouragement of curiosity and her ability to c...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Take Off Your Shoes!I am back with a brand new episode with Zoë Rom!It would take me more than a few posts to describe all that she does, but to sum it up, she’s a very passionate, multi-talented creator, writer, and runner.I resonated a lot with juggling multiple things at the same time and how she had a period where she was putting off her well-being, thinking one day she’d pay for the consequences but that today she would spread herself thin. She then asked herself:“What does ba...

Welcome to a new episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

I’ve been taking some time away, and I’m back with a wonderful guest: Adam Merry!It was amazing getting to talk to him. Heading into it, I already knew he would be very open, and indeed he was very generous and vulnerable, which I truly appreciate.We talked about how it feels to juggle being a father of now two boys, being a partner, being a full-time employee, and chasing running at the highest level. He also explained what he’s training towards and what it mea...

Welcome to the 20th episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

My very special guest for this special episode is  Dani Moreno. 

I am very grateful for Dani’s openness and admire how self-reflected she was which showed in the beautiful ways she worded her experiences in and around the sport that she fell in love with again as well as her path of navigating injury and the myriad of emotions it brought up as well as the valuable lessons she learned. 

Some of the best parts of the c...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

My guests today are—that’s right, plural—the power couple: Tabor and Eli Hemming!

This episode was exactly what I was looking for when starting this podcast: to get to know the people in this sport, who they are beyond the sport.

We discussed the importance of being multi-dimensional, not just as athletes but as people. We explored how they’re intentional with their time, balancing friends, family, farm work, coaching, and trail ru...

Welcome to a new episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

My guest this week is Marianne Hogan.

Before anything else, she’s known for her contagiously positive attitude, and it was a pleasure getting to know her like this.

I realized that this attitude is centered in gratitude, in putting enjoyment of the moment and of the sport as a first-order condition. This mentality allowed her to keep the joy at the forefront even when becoming a full-time athlete and leaving her job in HR behind.

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Hello and thank you so much for tuning into another episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

Today I’m so happy to be sharing my conversation with Arden Young!

She was an incredible conversation partner, and I’m so grateful for her openness when talking about her ongoing struggles with the word “elite”, as well as the juggling act that is having two demanding careers: professional ultra runner for Norda and dentist!

We talked about her unconventional start to running, even though she wasn’t the most a...

This was a really fun conversation with Jessica Brazeau (who graciously accepted my invitation just a couple of days after her race in Chianti), where I not only got to know her but also got a peek behind the curtain of how she holds the Brazeau-Walmsley team together.

She opened up about her feelings surrounding the move to France. She shared the struggles of uprooting an established life, seeking a new community, and how things turned around, in large part thanks to Simon Gosselin and his partner, who helped them turn their little chalet...

Thank you for tuning in to a new episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

I'm super happy to be sharing my conversation with Hilary Yang!

You might know her as an amazing photographer, the race director of The Mammoth, or the co-founder of the Women's Trail Running Fund… just a few of the many hats she wears, all stemming from her love and passion for storytelling.

We talk about how the WTF became a reality, and the beauty and 'privilege' of being able to giv...

Hello and welcome to a new episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

I’m very happy to be sharing my conversation with Chris Andrews.

An up-and-comer for most of you, Chris has such a unique story, and it was really fun and interesting getting to learn all about it.

His excitement for the sport and his desire to help others experience what he’s getting out of running—the release, the happiness, the joy—is really inspiring. Being the same age underlined the effect of these conversations for me: While I cannot fully understa...

Welcome to another episode of Take Off Your Shoes

I am so stoked to share my conversation with Emily Hawgood!

Talking to her just lifts my mood—and I’m sure it’ll do the same for you when you listen to our conversation. 

It’s really inspiring to see how she chooses to stay positive. As she put it, “The more positive you can be, the happier you will be.” 

Getting to learn about her background and her experience of moving across the glo...

Hi everyone and welcome to a new episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

I am super happy to share my conversation with Leah Yingling with you all!

It was a super fun convo where i got to not only learn about her past, her relationship with her twin sister, her husband Mike, her own podcast with Katie Asmuth, Rachel Drake and Hilary Yang Trail Network Podcast, but also about her ever evolving sense of why and her ongoing self-challenge of taking more risks and becoming ‘less even keeled’.

We also talk about (rather time...

Welcome to the 11th Episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

I am honored to share my conversation with Corrine Malcolm.

How do you even begin to describe who Corrine is? An amazing ultra runner (newly added to the Hoka roster!), a coach, a podcaster, a commentator extraordinaire, a trailblazer, and an advocate for inclusion and women in sport. Honestly, I could go on for the rest of this post just listing the countless hats she wears.As I told her in the podcast, if I were to sum her up in an unjustifiably short sentence...

Hello Everyone, and thank you for tuning in to the newest episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

My guest today is Finn Melanson, known to most of you as thehost of the Singletrack Podcast. He’s also a community creator, a father, an incredible guest and an inspiration to future creators. 

It was amazing to have such a professional conversationalist as a guest. While he doesn’t like to talk much about himself and prefers being the host, getting to know him on a deeper level taught me a lot.

We talked about how gro...

Hello Everyone!

I’m truly excited to share my conversation with Adam Peterman.

He’s probably one of the most down-to-earth people I’ve met and an all-around great conversationalist. I had so much fun that I completely lost track of time.

We talked about his background, his career arc as told by him, his engagement, and—since we were both going through sacral stress fractures at the same time—the array of emotions that brought up in us.

Oh, and there was plenty of banter, too. It felt like catching up with a...

Happy New Year, Everyone!

I wanted to kick off this year with a very special guest: Dylan Bowman.

Despite his impossibly busy schedule, Dylan carved out time for me—saying no is not (yet) in his vocabulary. He wears so many hats, but perhaps most importantly, he is the co-founder of Freetrail.

Dylan has been an inspiration to me since the very early days of ‘The Well’ and continues to be so. We touched on the ‘how and why’ of Freetrail, his future plans, being a da...

Today's guest is Ryan Thrower, the creative-genius behind Freetrail, and is responsible for the the backstage magic of producing the content they put out. His go-to mindset is incredibly inspiring. He’s “Midwest nice, East Coast driver and lives in the West Coast”.

We talked about the history and the why behind Freetrail and how it got to where it is now but we also went deep and delved into finding meaning in work, the importance of happiness, and the fragility of life.

He also turned the table on me and...

Hello everyone and welcome to the 6th episode of Take Off Your Shoes!

I’m so honored to share my conversation with Francesco Puppi. He’s not only an incredibly hardworking athlete but also a passionate advocate for the sport. He is one of the founders of PTRA, a coach, and the host of two podcasts (and I’m struggling to manage just one!), his dedication is truly inspiring.

It was wonderful to hear his thoughts on self-confidence and acceptance, hard work, body image, and more. I only wish we had...

I’m thrilled to share the 5th episode of Take Off Your Shoes with my guest, Rod Farvard!

We dive into his journey from youth navigating the desire to fit in, then embracing and seeking his uniqueness. We explore his approach to running, his openness to learning, his commitment, and the insights he shares on his blog.

And, of course, we talk about his bold, unapologetic long-term goal: landing on the podium at both Western States and UTMB in the same summer. It’s a wide-ranging, super fun conversation—I hope...

Welcome to the 4th episode of Take Off Your Shoes! My guest today is Eric LiPuma, a professional trail and ultra runner for Adidas Terrex living in Vermont.

He's already had a pedigreed career and he hopefully has a long one ahead of him. We talk about a whole host of things from graphic design which Eric used to do as a full-time job to tattoos to what he likes to do outside of running. It's a fun one and I'm curious to hear what you think about it!

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Welcome to the 3rd episode of Take off your shoes. My guest is the mastermind behind the Boulder Boys show Mr Seth Ruhling. 

In this one we dive into a whole variety of topics ranging from coffee to his first ultra race back in highschool all the way to injuries and disordered eating with which we both had our struggles with and i thank Seth for his openness and willingness to share. 

Seth has this chill vibe which he contrasts with his fierce competitiveness which i find to be a...

Welcome to the 3rd episode of Take Off Your Shoes. My guest is the mastermind behind the Boulder Boys show Mr. Seth Ruhling. 

In this one, we dive into a whole variety of topics ranging from coffee to his first ultra race back in high school, all the way to injuries and disordered eating with which we both had our struggles and I thank Seth for his openness and willingness to share. 

Seth has this chill vibe which he contrasts with his fierce competitiveness which i find to be a...

Thank you so much for tuning into the second episode of Take Off Your Shoes.

In this episode, I talk with Matt Daniels, a lifelong runner who continues to achieve incredible results (most recently a course record at Perpetua Coast just a few couple days ago!). For me, he’s a source of inspiration not only because of his pedigreed running career but also because of the openness with which he shares the wisdom he’s gained through life’s hardships. Running has been both his way of coping and his passion.

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Thank you so much for tuning into the very first episode of Take Off Your Shoes. This project stems from my passion for running and my desire to give back to the community. The goal is to get to know the people who inspire me in the sport and have candid conversations with them.

My first guest is Katie Asmuth who encouraged me to start a podcast for which I am forever grateful. She's a true beam of positivity, a loving mom of two, a deeply caring nurse practitioner, a podcast host, a matchmaker, a...