Embodied Athlete: The Nervous System Behind My Athletic Comeback

Show Notes In this episode, I’m sharing a short somatic practice for those times when life feels especially hard — when you're really going through it and your nervous system could use a little extra care. We start with one of my favorite reminders: treat yourself like a plant. When things feel overwhelming, coming back to the basics of nourishment, hydration, daylight, movement, and rest can be surprisingly powerful. These simple acts of care help remind our bodies that even when life feels intense, we still have access to support and some foundational safety. From there, we explore the other side of the practice: letting ourselves be in the experience we're having, rather than fighting so hard to get out of it. We talk about trusting the cyclical nature of our nervous systems, making room for the uncomfortable parts of being human, and even finding little pockets of okayness inside the hard stuff. This episode is an invitation to care for yourself gently when you're going through it — and to remember that you don't have to move through the hard things alone. Timestamps 00:00 — A chilly fall day + somatic support for hard times01:00 — Treat yourself like a plant02:00 — Nourishment, hydration, daylight + rest03:00 — Movement, humming + signaling safety to the body04:00 — The power of caring and being cared for05:00 — Letting yourself be in the experience06:00 — Trusting the waves and cycles of the nervous system06:30 — Finding moments of okayness inside the hard stuff07:30 — Connection, support + letting the earth hold some of it08:00 — Closing reflections + taking good care of yourself Submit your questions for the Q&A [here] Photos and links from this episode:www.mindandmountain.co/podcast

Show Notes In this episode, I’m sharing another short somatic practice inspired by the changing seasons here in Alaska — this time exploring our relationship with cold temperatures and how our bodies respond to them. As we move toward winter, I invite you to get curious about what happens in your body when you feel cold, or even just think about being cold. We explore how our bodies often respond by bracing, tightening, or holding tension — sometimes in obvious ways, and sometimes through subtle sensations we might not even notice. Together, we practice noticing those patterns and exploring what it might feel like to soften into the cold, rather than automatically resisting it. We also touch on how movement can help us generate warmth from the inside, and how learning to trust that capacity can change our relationship with winter and being outside. This episode is an invitation to get curious about your body's habits around cold — and to explore whether there might be moments when a little less bracing and a little more softness feels possible. Timestamps 00:00 — Introducing a somatic practice for cold weather01:00 — Noticing your body's response to cold02:00 — Using sensations, images + posture to build awareness03:00 — Exploring cold through experience or memory04:00 — Recognizing bracing + tension in the body05:00 — Noticing subtle patterns of holding06:00 — Experimenting with softening into the cold07:00 — Movement + generating warmth from within08:00 — Updating our body's habitual responses08:45 — Closing reflections + noticing what changes Submit your questions for the Q&A [here] Photos and links from this episode:www.mindandmountain.co/podcast

Show Notes In this episode, I’m sharing a short somatic practice inspired by the changing seasons here in Alaska, where the days are getting shorter and darkness is becoming a bigger part of our daily lives. We explore the relationship between our eyes, our nervous systems, and darkness — and how much we rely on our vision to understand our surroundings and help us feel safe. Sometimes, especially in low light or stressful situations, our eyes can work a little harder than they need to, creating subtle tension or strain we might not even notice. Together, we practice noticing what that effort feels like and explore a different relationship with darkness: one where darkness can feel comforting, restful, and supportive. Through a simple sensory practice, we invite our eyes to soften, settle, and receive a little rest from all the work they do throughout the day. This episode is an invitation to get curious about the ways your eyes hold effort — and to explore what it might feel like to let darkness become a source of rest and nourishment. Timestamps 00:00 — Darkness + the changing seasons in Alaska  01:00 — Why our eyes matter to the nervous system  02:00 — How humans and animals use different senses  03:30 — Noticing when our eyes work harder in low light  05:00 — Eye strain, stress + subtle tension  06:00 — Exploring darkness as comfort and safety  07:00 — A sensory rest practice for the eyes  08:00 — Letting the eyes soften into support  09:00 — Closing reflections + returning to the practice Submit your questions for the Q&A [here] Photos and links from this episode:www.mindandmountain.co/podcast

Show Notes In this episode, I’m sharing a somatic practice for exploring something I’ve been getting curious about lately: the different ways we experience working hard, and how those experiences show up in our bodies. Whether we’re pushing ourselves physically, working on a big project, or navigating everyday responsibilities, the place we’re working from can make a big difference in how that effort feels. Together, we explore four different experiences of working hard: proving ourselves, having fun, feeling pressure or obligation, and moving from a place of freedom and choice. Through a series of guided body check-ins, we practice noticing the subtle sensations, tensions, and shifts that come with each one — and what happens when we move between them. We also explore how getting to know these patterns can help us better understand our relationship with effort, motivation, and choice, without needing to change or judge what we discover. This episode is an invitation to get curious about how you work hard — and to notice what becomes possible when you bring more awareness to the different ways your body experiences effort. Timestamps 00:00 — Introducing different ways of working hard  01:00 — Checking in with your nervous system  02:00 — Finding support + coming toward neutral  03:00 — Working hard from a place of proving  04:30 — Noticing tension, posture + body sensations  06:00 — Working hard from a place of fun  07:30 — Mapping the somatic experience of enjoyment  09:00 — Returning to neutral + noticing differences  09:30 — Working hard from pressure or obligation  11:00 — How expectations show up in the body  12:00 — Working hard from freedom + choice  13:00 — Finding your own pace + the right amount of structure  14:00 — Noticing openness, release + possibility  15:00 — Closing reflections + lingering with what feels good Submit your questions for the Q&A [here] Photos and links from this episode:www.mindandmountain.co/podcast

Show Notes In this episode, I’m at the end of a long hike sharing a somatic strategy that can be especially helpful when we find ourselves a little more stretched than we expected: the resources inventory. We explore how taking stock of the resources available to us can help our nervous systems get a more accurate picture of a challenging situation. Rather than trying to convince ourselves that everything is fine, this practice is about remembering the supports we actually have — from extra layers and snacks to our skills, strength, experience, and the people we're with. I walk through the different layers of this resource inventory, including physical supplies, social support, sensory experiences, and even spiritual or imagined resources. We also explore the importance of noticing how these supports feel in our bodies, and why we sometimes need to spend a little more time with what's supportive for it to really land. This episode is an invitation to get curious about the resources you already have available — and to practice making space for both the challenges and the support that's present when things get hard. Timestamps 00:00 — Introducing the resources inventory  01:00 — When a day stretches your capacity  02:30 — Resourcing without pretending everything is fine  04:00 — Taking stock of practical, physical resources  05:30 — Noticing how support feels in the body  07:00 — The people and skills you can rely on  08:30 — Remembering your training, strength + capacity  09:30 — Sensory resources + noticing beauty  11:00 — Spiritual, imagined + ancestral resources  12:00 — Making room for both resources and challenges  13:30 — Social connection as a nervous system resource  15:00 — Why resources sometimes need more time to land  16:30 — Closing reflections + practicing your own inventory Submit your questions for the Q&A [here] Photos and links from this episode:www.mindandmountain.co/podcast

Show Notes In this episode, I’m out on a chilly fall hike in Alaska, kicking off a series of shorter episodes focused on simple somatic skills you can experiment with in everyday life. We begin with a practice for those moments when something in your body feels uncomfortable — maybe a cranky knee, an unhappy hip, or an ankle that’s bothering you on a hike. Rather than focusing all of your attention on the discomfort, I invite you to get curious about what’s happening in the same joint on the opposite side of your body. We explore how our nervous systems are often much more practiced at noticing pain and discomfort than the quieter sensations of things feeling okay. By intentionally paying attention to those subtler sensations, we can begin to expand our awareness of what’s happening in our bodies. This episode is an invitation to practice noticing the quieter signals your body is sending — and to get curious about what you might discover when you shift your attention. Timestamps 00:00 — A chilly fall hike + returning to the podcast  01:00 — Introducing a series of shorter somatic practices  01:45 — Working with discomfort in the body  02:30 — Shifting attention to the opposite joint  03:15 — Why discomfort grabs our attention  04:00 — Noticing quieter sensations of okayness  04:45 — Practicing + closing reflections Submit your questions for the Q&A [here] Photos and links from this episode:www.mindandmountain.co/podcast  

Show Notes In this episode, I’m out on a fall hike in the Chugach exploring a question that feels central to so much of what we do here: why does being outside feel so good for our mental health and nervous systems?  We explore some of the nervous system processes that might help explain the magic — starting with orienting and the way being outside naturally asks us to use our senses, pay attention to our environment, and stay connected to what’s happening around us. I also talk about how outdoor experience itself is a skill, and why all that sensory information can sometimes feel stressful before our bodies become more practiced at interpreting it.   From there, we get into bilateral stimulation, rhythm, and coregulation — including what happens when we move both sides of our bodies, find our own rhythm, or fall into a shared rhythm with other people. And finally, we explore some of the harder-to-explain gifts of being outside: beauty, awe, connection with the land, and the ways nature can model how to move through change, intensity, and cycles. This episode is an invitation to notice what happens in your body when you spend time outside — and to get curious about all the ways the land, movement, beauty, and rhythm might be supporting you. Timestamps 00:00 — The mental health benefits of being outside 02:00 — Finding more to say after a radio interview 04:00 — Fall events + getting ready for winter training 08:00 — Somatics, winter training + upcoming community events 11:00 — Why being outside supports the nervous system 12:00 — Orienting: using our senses outside 15:00 — Outdoor experience as a nervous system skill 17:00 — Orienting + resourcing in nature 19:00 — Why modern life gives us fewer chances to orient 21:00 — Bilateral stimulation + movement 23:00 — Rhythm, shared rhythm + coregulation 25:00 — Finding safety in your own rhythm 27:00 — Nature as a model for moving through challenges 29:00 — Trees, rivers + seaweed as somatic resources 31:00 — Beauty, awe + the nervous system 33:00 — The social impulse to share awe 34:00 — Closing reflections + how does being outside support you? Submit your questions for the Q&A [here] Photos and links from this episode:www.mindandmountain.co/podcast

Show Notes In this episode, I continue last week’s conversation about the nervous system shifts that have supported the athletic breakthrough I’m experiencing this summer — and what it feels like to return to challenging days in the mountains from a very different place.  I dig deeper into four pieces of this shift: feeling safer in my body, learning to discharge stored activation, uncoupling activation from threat, and practicing settling, integration, and enoughness. We explore how these skills have helped me move into challenge without automatically overriding my body — and even find pleasure, power, and joy inside of hard physical effort.   We also talk about why this work is so much more than a cognitive understanding. Nervous system change is physiological and relational, and often requires patience, practice, and experiences of safety and coregulation as our bodies learn new patterns.   Submit your questions for the Q&A [here] Photos and links from this episode:www.mindandmountain.co/podcast This episode is an invitation to consider what might become possible when we approach fitness, adventure, and challenge from a place of greater capacity and connection with our bodies. Timestamps 00:00 — Part two + the embodied athlete 06:00 — An athletic breakthrough after a slower season 08:00 — Untangling athletic ability from worth + belonging 10:00 — Returning to long days in the mountains at 44 12:00 — Moving from capacity instead of override 15:00 — #1: Feeling safer in the body 17:00 — Orienting, resourcing + noticing safety cues 19:00 — #2: Discharging stored activation 21:00 — The gas stove metaphor + nervous system baseline 24:00 — Bottom-up discharge + the importance of coregulation 27:00 — In-the-moment vs. stored activation 29:00 — #3: Uncoupling activation from threat 31:00 — Sympathetic activation as power, momentum + motivation 33:00 — Finding pleasure inside hard physical effort 36:00 — #4: Settling, integration + enoughness 38:00 — Learning to feel safe and soft at the same time 40:00 — Titrating into deactivation + slowing down 42:30 — Patience, practice + relational healing 45:00 — Bringing the four pieces together + closing reflections

Show Notes In this episode, I’m out on a ridgeline near Eagle River reflecting on an unexpected athletic comeback I’ve been experiencing this summer — and the nervous system work that I think helped make it possible.  At 44, I’ve found my way into trail running and longer days in the Chugach in a way that feels more joyful and sustainable than it has in the past. I share four pieces of nervous system work that have supported that shift: feeling safer in my body, releasing stored activation, uncoupling activation from threat, and learning how to recognize enoughness and settle after effort.   We also explore the difference between simply understanding these concepts and the slower physiological process of actually repatterning the body — plus why integration, rest, and the space after a big wave of experience are such important parts of the process. This episode is an invitation to get curious about your own relationship with movement, activation, and capacity — and what might become possible when feeling powerful and energized can also feel safe. Timestamps 00:00 — Trail running in the Chugach + an athletic breakthrough 03:00 — Finding trail running at 44 05:00 — Celebrating one year of Coregulation Conversations 07:00 — 10 years of Mind & Mountain 10:00 — Public lands, advocacy + protecting wild places 12:00 — Four nervous system shifts behind my athletic comeback 13:00 — #1: Feeling safer in my body 14:00 — #2: Discharging stored activation 15:00 — #3: Uncoupling activation from threat 16:00 — Activation + safety, power, play, and pleasure 17:00 — Physiological repatterning vs. cognitive understanding 18:00 — Access, investment + making somatic work more collective 19:00 — #4: Enoughness, satisfaction + settling 21:00 — Learning to feel safe slowing down 22:00 — Aftercare, integration + space after the wave 23:00 — Closing reflections + caring for ourselves, our people, and the land Submit your questions for the Q&A [here] Photos and links from this episode:www.mindandmountain.co/podcast

Show Notes In this episode, I’m up on a ridgeline in the Chugach reflecting on two big things I’ve learned about my nervous system this summer — after several years of intentionally slowing down, healing, and changing the way I approach challenge.  First, I explore the difference between moving from capacity vs. override. I’ve been having some of my biggest and strongest days in the mountains, but what feels most different isn’t necessarily what my body can do — it’s that I’m able to do hard things without relying so heavily on pushing through, overriding my body’s signals, or disconnecting from what I’m feeling.   Then, I talk about the other side of the cycle: a surprising stretch of deep fatigue that showed up in the middle of an otherwise high-energy summer. We explore what can happen when we trust those slower, more inward phases instead of rushing to get out of them — and the unexpected insight that emerged for me on the other side. This episode is an invitation to get curious about your own cycles of capacity, challenge, and rest — and to consider that the slower seasons might be doing important work, too. Timestamps 00:00 — Nervous system observations from a big summer 03:00 — Moving out of a slower season 05:00 — Athleticism without overriding the body 07:00 — Capacity vs. override 10:00 — Push/pull, freeze + the cost of pushing through 13:00 — What moving from capacity feels like 15:00 — More capacity, less fear + internal conflict 18:00 — Finding the gold in harder seasons 20:00 — An unexpected 10-day stretch of fatigue 23:00 — Trusting the body's cycles instead of linear progress 26:00 — Moving with low energy instead of fighting it 28:00 — The insight that arrived after the wave 30:00 — Slower seasons as part of nervous system processing 33:00 — Learning to trust wintering + hibernation phases 35:00 — Supporting a process vs. trying to rush it 37:00 — A preview: navigating fear with more capacity 39:00 — Closing reflections Submit your questions for the Q&A [here] Photos and links from this episode:www.mindandmountain.co/podcast