Ep. 87-Make room in the mouth for grass—my conversation with Layli Long Soldier

11/22/23 • 185 min

In this episode, I sat down with Layli Long Soldier in her Albuquerque studio to talk about her upbringing. I spoke with the Oglala Lakota poet, writer, artist, and activist about some of the history of broken treaties experienced by Native peoples. We discussed the 2022 documentary "Lakota Nation vs. United States," a film in which she plays a major role, and her response to the 2009 U.S. Congressional apology to all Native peoples. We talk about the craft of poetry and her approach to writing. Lastly, we discuss her latest book of poetry, titled "Whereas."

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Ep. 86-Do no harm—my conversation with John Williams

In this episode, I talk with John Williams about his unique approach to coaching, training, and mentoring athletes. At the core of his teaching is the Hippocratic oath. He discusses how he adapts and adjusts to various athletes from different athletic discipline, including NFL players, ballerinas, and even exotic dancers. He touches on his approach to building trust among his students, and how that helps him reach students with more complicated backgrounds. We land, at the end, on tennis and some of its current stars, including Novac Djokovic, Rafael Nada and current US Open champion Coco Gauff.

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Ep. 88-You're not going to pass me—my conversation with Regina Peters and Hannibal Smith

For this episode, I sat down with two incredible ultra-runners: Hannibal Smith, who has appeared on this podcast before and is a trainer and co-owner of NXPT Fitness; and Regina Peters, who is also a trainer at NXPT and, like Hannibal, has competed in 100-mile marathons. Together we discussed the preparations involved in taking on the Spartan Race, Deka, Hyrox, and many others. They described the physical and mental exertions of racing, including hallucinations, cramps, and major body pain. They talked about being African-American ultra-runners and how they hope to inspire and teach young African-Americans about resilience and perseverance. Lastly, they both shared their philosophies of success within grueling challenges. Although their perspectives on success differ somewhat, each expressed that once they start a race, they would rather die than quit.
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