Podcasts by Work, Play, Love with Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas
Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas are world class professional endurance athletes, authors, speakers, and co-own a nationally distributed food products business called Picky Bars. They also happen to be married, still, and are raising two small children. They use their experience, stories, writing, and humor to answer to answer listener questions about sports, family, business, and the balance between all three! It's a circus, but hey, we're all in it together!
Further podcasts by Lauren Fleshman & Jesse Thomas
Podcast on the topic Sport
All episodes
88: Book Update! Pole Pedal Paddle, Triathlon Cramps, Morton's Neuroma, Kid Fears from 2022-05-30T20:19:05
Lauren and Jesse jump on the mic after Lauren passed a major milestone with her book and Jesse's recent win at the Bend Pole Pedal Paddle. It's been a busy year, y'know?! After some life updates...
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87: Picky Bars and Laird Superfood Update, Racing Stress-Dreams, Sha’Carri Richardson, Diet Culture Lingo, Injured-Partner Activities from 2021-07-13T17:43:46
It’s been a while, and just *a few* things have happened since our last episode. Jesse and Lauren jump on the mic to talk about Laird Superfood acquiring Picky Bars and answer some of your burni...
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86: Counting Calories, The Return Of Race Season, Spontaneous vs. Responsive Desire, Achieving The “Perfect Weight” from 2021-04-19T14:03:01
Spring has sprung, there’s some light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, and race season is starting up again. Everyone’s excited to get back outside and into the world, and the Work Play Love d...
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85: Depression and Communication, Pregnancy and Body Image, Moving In Together, Primary Parenting Strategy, New Business Advice from 2021-03-29T13:34:56
You know it, we know it, vegetable lasagna knows it—communication is a huge help in finding balance in work, play, and especially love. Lauren and Jesse answer questions about navigating and com...
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84: Not Caring About Speed, Hard Conversations, Short-Term Gains vs. Long-Term Impact, Finding Time for Big Projects from 2021-03-19T16:11:56
Finding that sweet spot between work play and love means checking your relationships with each one! And that’s just what folks are curious about in this episode. When it comes to sport, how do y...
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83: Valentine's Day Interrupted, Lauren and Jesse Catch Up, Partner's Body Noises, Awkward Dates, V-Day Stories from 2021-03-17T13:19:17
It's been a while, folks! But Lauren and Jesse reach through the cobwebs in the mic closet and sit down for a (very belated, very special) Valentine's Day episode. Catch up with the WPL duo in e...
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82: Good Riddance, 2020. from 2020-12-31T13:31:16
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81: Team vs. Individual Training, Intuitive Eating, Kids and Sports from 2020-09-16T14:02:51
In another “late night” edition of the pod, Lauren and Jesse dive into the important things in life: what is the dumbest thing they’ve fought about in quarantine? When do you wear your race meda...
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80: Training Time Vs. Family Time, Primary Parent Responsibilities, Coaching During COVID, Couples And Exercise from 2020-08-03T02:20:50
You all asked for it, and Lauren and Jesse answer: just what does a “primary parent” do? The Work, Play, Love duo discuss what primary parenting means and share how they divvy up household respo...
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79: Eating While Injured, Partner Pace Differences, Marriage Advice, Social Media And Antiracism from 2020-07-20T14:46
Jesse and Lauren dust off their microphones and share what they’ve been up to this summer. Lauren’s found a rhythm writing her book and Jesse’s enjoying his new role as “primary parent” (Lauren ...
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78: Retirement, Dream Days, Managing Stress, Privilege, Fueling For Hard Workouts from 2020-06-01T18:48:17
Lauren and Jesse are finally getting used to balancing Work, Play, and Love in…is it year 9 of stay-at-home? They catch up about their past month, including Jesse’s retirement as a triathlete an...
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77. Recovering From Injuries, Moving In Together, Eating Post-Exercise, Side Hustles from 2020-04-24T16:25:06
Quarantine is dragging on and Lauren and Jesse are busy schooling their kids, having blow-ups about injuries, setting up a campground in the back yard, and dealing with the headaches of bed time...
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76: Funny Race Stories, Being An Ally, Staying Motivated In A Pandemic, Zoom Meltdowns from 2020-04-17T15:28:37
It’s been a challenging month for everyone—including all you Work Play Lovahhhs and the Flomas duo. Some folks are losing their sh*t on Zoom. Some folks are just trying to keep their spirits up,...
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75. COVID-19, Racing With Strava, Asking For A Raise, Training In Quarantine, Deciding On Parenthood from 2020-03-23T17:14:07
One day you’re busy at work or training for your next race, the next you’re buying economy-size boxes of Lucky Charms and trying to convince yourself you need that foot massaging doormat in the ...
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74: DNF Marathon Trials, The First Picky Bar, Optimization Vs. Happiness, Past Decisions from 2020-03-11T08:00
Appearances can be deceiving and the things you don’t know can be super surprising—like the fact that Lauren used Excel spreadsheets to cook up the first Picky Bar. in this episode, Work-Play-Lo...
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73: Flirting At Work, Parenting And Diversity, Sleep Vs. Working Out, Break Ups from 2020-03-02T18:23:08
Jesse called and y’all answered! This week, Lauren and Jesse field questions that are a bit out of the work-play-love ordinary. They offer advice to a married person who finds themselves in flir...
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72: Training And Soreness, Trans Competitors, Relationships With Exes, Marathon Performance Consistency from 2020-02-24T23:10:36
How do you know when you’re overdoing it? When do your emotional, physical, and intellectual efforts start yielding diminishing returns? It’s not easy to know, especially when you’re balancing w...
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71: Valentine’s Day, Ironman Training, Running And Social Life, Sport And Libido from 2020-02-17T18:30:53
It’s pretty easy to fall in love with your sport, moving your body, and chasing athletic goals. But what happens when your love of sport affects your love life? Jesse and Lauren celebrate Valent...
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70: Ultra-Endurance Events, Racing vs. Vacationing, Constructive Fatigue vs. Overtraining, Speed Work, Wedding Planning from 2020-02-10T12:26:50
It’s been a busy few weeks for the Flomas duo. Lauren’s been laser focused on completing her book proposal (with publisher meetings on the calendar!) and coaching Listen
69: Competitive Partners, Staying Motivated Without A Coach, Training Strengths vs. Weaknesses, “Retiring” As An Amateur from 2020-01-20T14:54:29
Lauren’s got an exciting announcement about a new partnership and Jesse’s got updates about his knee (is it an injury? Is it something else??), the Picky Bars Co-exist campaign, and the all-new ...
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68: What Now? 2020, Mary Cain, Nike, And Your Team from 2020-01-13T18:28:10
Lauren are Jesse are BACK with allllll the 2020 vibes to answer your questions about the balance of work, play, and love. But first?! Rewind. Back in November, Listen
67: Asking Your Coach For Help, Standing Up To Aggression, Screen Time And Kids, Alcoholism from 2019-12-23T15:12:48
Advocating for yourself and your well-being can be challenging and intimidating—especially in the workplace, with family, or in a competitive team environment. And for many of us, setting bounda...
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66: Building A Healthy Relationship With Food, Family Dynamics and Sport, Playing Music, Training While Sick, Training “The Right Way” from 2019-12-16T19:43:09
The holiday season is in full swing and your favorite Work, Play, Love hosts are going bananas with packed schedules for Picky Bars, sport, and family. And, no. The use of “bananas” is ...
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65: Night-Time Edition - Gift Ideas For Athletes, When To Have Kids, Scheduling Workouts, Angry Partners from 2019-12-02T16:26:37
On the eve of Thanksgiving, Jesse and Lauren settle in for a late-night edition of Work, Play, Love. Around the holidays, everyone’s thinking about family, food, exercise, and work, and...
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64: Marathon Training, Lack of Love, Burnout vs. Commitment, Metrics for Success from 2019-11-25T17:14:54
Sometimes it can take a long time (like Long-with-a-capital-“L” Long time) to achieve a goal. You might train to run a marathon for years, but persistent injuries and the balance of work, play, ...
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63: Mary Cain, Creating A Healthy Team Culture, Eating Disorders, Performance And Nutrition, Picking A Program from 2019-11-11T14:55:30
Last week, the athletic community was shaken by Mary Cain’s op-ed in the New York Times, I Was The Fastest Girl In America, Until I Joined Nike. The article outlined a culture of body s...
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62: Over-Training, Couples and Aging, 2-Hour Marathon Controversy, Tempo Workouts, Work-Life Boundaries from 2019-11-04T11:00
Fatigue, burnout, and feeling overwhelmed. That’s what can happen when you overdo it. It’s not too far off of how you feel when you…underdo it? Jesse and Lauren reply to a marathoner who may be ...
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61: Swimming Workouts, Coconut Picky Bars, Writing Practice, Caffeinated Gels, Crushes from 2019-10-21T09:53:21
After a wild week away, it’s only fitting that Jesse and Lauren sit down for a rapid-fire episode filled with your tasty bite questions. The Work Play Love duo covers some “fun” workouts to try ...
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60: Being Fast vs. Being Friends, Parenting Disagreements, Grief and Loss, Life Planning from 2019-10-14T18:51:56
To plan or not to plan? That is the question. Whether you’re training to close the gap between you and your competition, or you’re hashing out parenting disagreements with your partner, or you’r...
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59: Mental Health, Striving vs. Contentment, Solo-Parenting Tips, Breaking Up With A Coach from 2019-09-30T09:30
When you’re trying to strike the balance of Work, Play, and Love, there’s a lot of experimenting, seeking, learning, testing, and re-trying things. And that’s totally normal! Jesse and Lauren an...
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58: Staying Calm On Race Day, Why Kids Are Good, Making Races Fun For Your Partner, Setting Up Your Business For Balance from 2019-09-23T13:14:43
The leaves are starting to change, and the Work Play Love duo’s wild summer schedule is starting to settle down. So what better time than now for an episode all about calming down, acknowledging...
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57: Live From FootZone in Bend with Another Mother Runner from 2019-09-13T14:36:40
Lauren and Jesse sit down with Sarah Bowen Shea of Another Mother Runner for a live podcast recording at FootZone in Bend, OR. Sarah turns the mic around and asks the Work, Play, Love d...
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56: Tips For Racing Kona, Amenorrhea, Dealing With Disappointment, Tempo Runs from 2019-09-09T07:00
After a short hiatus, Lauren and Jesse are BACK in action. Hey, it’s summertime y’know? A family getaway filled with play was in order and sets the tone for a sport-filled show. From how to hand...
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55: The Middle Of The Race, Resentment And Family, Analysis Paralysis, Cyclocross Workouts from 2019-08-26T12:54:53
When you’re trying to achieve balance and stability in your career, on the field, or in relationships, it can be tough to take risks. Maybe you don’t have the data you need to feel confident in ...
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54: Athletes And Politics, High Mileage for Young Runners, Battling Injuries, Pros and Cons of Sales from 2019-08-19T17:48:04
Sometimes you gotta unplug to recharge so you can come back to work, play, and love on your A-game. That’s just what the Flomas duo did over the past few weeks. Fresh back from a lake vacay with...
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53: Faith and Belief, Marathon Training for Triathletes, Dad Jokes, Career Transitions, Partner Coaching from 2019-08-06T15:27:53
Belief systems have an enormous impact on work, play, and love. Cultivating a belief in yourself can impact your performance on the field, at work, and in a relationship. Believing in a new trai...
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52: Building Confidence, Cultivating a Healthy Team, the Final Weeks of Recovery, Proposing from 2019-07-22T10:00
Lauren and Jesse are just back from a hilariously disastrous family camping trip. Still, despite the nightmare of being in a poison-oak-infested campground with kids under 10, your favorite podc...
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51: Wealth and Relationships, Climate Change, Business Lessons and Sport, Love Follow-Ups from 2019-07-08T14:49:35
Sometimes you gotta go all-in on business while sacrificing some play time. Sometimes you and your partner are feeling the exact opposite of one another like yin and yang. It’s not perfect, but ...
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50: All About Love – PRIDE, Polyamory, Keeping the Spark Alive, Sharing Athletic Goals from 2019-07-01T12:41:37
In celebration of PRIDE and love, Lauren and Jesse answer your burning relationship questions about love, intimacy, on-again-off-again relationships, and even how to deal with a partner playing ...
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49: Preparing For Future Athletic Goals, Aging, Supporting Your Partner, Race-Day Clothes, Hilly Runs from 2019-06-24T10:00
In your athletic career and in life, keeping your eye on the horizon can take on a few meanings. When you’re balancing your busy life today, how can you stay prepared for athletic goals in the f...
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48: The “Dad” Episode - Cycling Safety, Babies and Dads, Reconciling with a Dad, Parent Favoritism from 2019-06-17T10:30
It’s the “Dad” episode! In honor of Fathers’ Day, Lauren and Jesse field questions all about parenthood through the lens of being a dad, relationships with dads, and more. They cover topics like...
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Post-workout fuel, Mom Guilt, Dating Teammates, Racing In The Heat, Kona from 2019-06-10T15:46:42
You want tips about work play and love? We got tips. Whether you’re wondering about the best way to fuel after a workout, how to handle all-consuming “mom guilt”, how to navigate whether you sho...
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46: 5K Workouts, Hard Conversations, Sleep Before Race Day, Investing Your Time, Multi-Level Marketing from 2019-06-03T09:30
Confronting yourself or someone close to you is a major challenge, but it’s often worth it. Whether you’re approaching a tough conversation with a loved one, addressing your sleep-depriving exci...
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45: Alysia Montaño, Beginner Marathon Training, Balancing Individual Goals In A Partnership from 2019-05-27T09:30
What does it mean to step up at work, in sports, and in relationships? What does it take? Lauren and Jesse share their feelings about the rapidly developing story of former Nike athlete Alysia M...
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44: Triathletes and Pee, Racing vs. Training Better, Home Workouts, Failure, Exercising During Work from 2019-05-20T06:41:18
Worrying about how you might be perceived by others can make it challenging to make decisions, pursue your goals, or figure out your next moves. If you’re failing in a project, you might be able...
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43: Caster Semenya, Race Prep Psychology, Racing After Injury, Late-Night Baby Duties from 2019-05-13T14:12:48
Spring training is ramping up, and Lauren is riding high from recent workouts with her athletes. Meanwhile, Jesse wonders whether he set a world record for fastest 5K on crutches. This week, Jes...
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42: Performance and Alcohol, Iron Levels and Fatigue, Career Motivation, Running While Pregnant from 2019-05-06T09:30
Jesse’s training up for the Wings For Life World Run, where he plans to smash out a 5K. The catch? He’s doing it on crutches. He talks ...
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41: Racing While Grieving, First-Date Advice, Triathlon Training Commitment, Online Trolls from 2019-04-29T22:24:33
Sometimes when the going gets tough, the tough get to Work-Play-Love-ing…! Whether you’re going hard at a dance party after a long weekend of parenting (and racing) like Lauren, or you’ve got re...
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40: Heat Training, Cycling Intro, Eating When Training vs. Not, Founders’ Equity In Startups from 2019-04-23T02:32:48
Lauren and Jesse are back on the road, traveling back to Bend from San Francisco where Jesse has just had foot surgery. Their road trip entails listening to new podcasts, discussing Jesse’s reco...
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39: Supporting Competitors, Skipping Workouts, Rest Days, Moving In With Your Partner from 2019-04-15T09:30
It’s been a rough week for the Flomas family. Jesse’s down for the count with a navicular fracture that’s nearly identical to the one he suffered in the opposite foot after Wildflower. Despite g...
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38: Identifying Injury, Relationship to Food, Athena-Clydesdale Division, Sandbagging from 2019-04-08T09:30
Sometimes when you have an extended car ride with your spouse, you run out of things to talk (or fight) about, and you decide to fire up a podcast episode! Lauren and Jesse answer listener quest...
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37: Mental Toughness, Sugar, Recovery Strategies, Pushing for Business Growth from 2019-04-01T19:22:13
Jesse and Lauren are just starting to thaw out from the winter, and the signs of spring are accompanied by a mixed bag of emotions for the Flomas fam. Lauren’s got an exciting year shaping up wi...
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36: Injuries, Motivation, Setting Expectations, and Jesse’s Marathon Approach from 2019-03-25T10:30
When you’re training hard and going after a big dream, not much is more disappointing than an injury. This is especially tough when the window of opportunity to achieve your goal is small or fle...
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35: Maxing Out, Post-Race Letdown, Work Play Love Transitions from 2019-03-18T09:30
Jesse’s just back from a Natural Products show in Anaheim and Lauren’s been solo-parenting for a week at home, and the Work Play Love hosts get to hang out for the first time in a while on the s...
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34: Building Your Own Training Plan, Pooping While Racing, Baby Sleep, Jealousy from 2019-03-04T10:30
Jesse’s been at home with two sick kids for almost week straight. Lauren’s just back from an epic trip to New York for the indoor championships. And the two talk about their experiences during t...
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33: Injury, Managing Stress, Deciding to Have Kids, Marketing A Business from 2019-02-25T10:00
When it comes to balancing work, play, and love, how do you draw the lines to balance it all? Today’s show is all about drawing those lines. When you’re dealing with an injury, where do you draw...
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32: DNF, Training Through Hard Life Changes, Emotional Labor, Athlete Sponsorship from 2019-02-18T18:03:03
Today’s show is all about the tough stuff. Where’s the line between pushing through a challenging race and taking a DNF? What do you do when your training is disrupted by big life changes? How d...
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31: Weight Loss, Training for Distance, Family Play, Going Pro in Triathlon from 2019-01-31T10:00
Jesse and Lauren are fresh off of a weekend full of play. Both recount their experiences of racing the Great Nordeen Nordic race. Jesse talks about his unfortunate crash during the race, and how...
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30: Exercise vs. sleep, strength training, un-learning athletic lessons, parent-sharing duties from 2019-01-25T17:04:09
From proper snot-rocket etiquette to how to divvy up parenting duties, this episode has something for everyone. Athletes? Lauren and Jesse go deep on the habits they developed in sport that they...
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29: Balancing work, play and love, setting athletic goals that won’t burn you out, adjusting to a new child, changing an owner’s role in business from 2019-01-17T11:00
You can experience pretty awesome wins in life. You know, like professionally competing in triathlons, breaking national running records, and growing your own business from scratch. But some day...
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28: What Training Metrics to Use (and when), Growing a Niche Sport, Asking Your Partner to Slow Down from 2019-01-11T00:48:46
It’s a new year and Lauren and Jesse are back in action. They catch you up on what’s been going on since the end of 2018, and talk about what they’re looking forward to in 2019. Lauren’s been wr...
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27: Running Technique, Hunger Management, Favorite Running Shoes, and more! from 2018-12-20T10:30
The holiday break is starting and 2018 is winding down. And that means a break in childcare for Zadie and Jude! So Lauren and Jesse have been busier than usual at home. However, there’s naptime ...
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26: Conditions for Satisfaction, Supporting Your Partner Through Injury, Increasing Your Running Speed, Maintaining Self-Worth in a Group, a Day in the Life of Lauren and Jesse from 2018-12-14T19:01:02
Some days you have a great race day. That was the case for both Lauren and Jesse over the past week. Lauren had a fun and successful race both as a runner and as a coach at the club cross countr...
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25: Solo-parenting fun, What to do in the off-season, Pooping, Recovering from a bike crash, and the comparison game from 2018-12-06T19:49:13
Jesse’s been alone for a week solo parenting, and Zadie’s transition from infant to toddler is in full swing, but he’s kept the Flomas house in check and even found down time to sneak in some lo...
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24: Adventure runs in Hawaii, Coaching&Celebrating Success, Finding Balance in the Information Age, Leaving a Coaching Relationship, Interviewing to be a Coach from 2018-11-29T10:30
Sometimes going on a family vacation means finding…adventurous ways to strike the work-play-love balance. Whether you’re karate-chopping your way through jungle-like conditions on trail during a...
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23: Seattle-y stuff, Going from Marathon to Triathlon, Climbing out of a Post-Race Runk, Managing Asthma on the Track, Maintaining Your Period While Training from 2018-11-15T10:30
Lauren and Jesse are fresh back from a work-meeting slash family-vacay slash race-day trip to Seattle where Lauren smashed out a 6k XC run. Truly work, play, and love at its finest. Tune in to h...
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22: Family Planning, Triathlon Diversity, Who You are Now vs Then, Evaluating Biz Ideas from 2018-11-05T10:30
They’re back and better than ever (at least Jesse thinks so). After a two-week hiatus for Kona and photoshoots, Lauren and Jesse dive into a solid mix of listener-submitted questions. ...
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21: Sometimes kids suck… the energy out of you. from 2018-10-11T09:30
20: Eating Disorders, Fat-phobia, and Family Planning from 2018-09-27T09:30
19: Going to School&Getting Schooled (on Strava) from 2018-09-20T09:30
18: “Take your ‘treasure it!’ and shove it.” from 2018-09-13T09:00
17: Resiliency, Running Safety, and Celebrity Shots from 2018-09-06T10:00
16: Super Advanced: Science! [w Special Guest: Jude, 5yo] from 2018-08-31T10:00
Enough about spreadsheets and triathlon and marriage and stuff - today’s podcast guest wants to get real on SCIENCE. This special edition episode covers technical topics like how the human body ...
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15: Man on Fire and the Social Implications of Sport from 2018-08-23T09:30
14: ‘Stupid Human Tricks’ and the Bars Are Back in Town! from 2018-08-16T09:30
13: "The Bigger the Ship, The Harder to Turn" from 2018-08-02T09:00
12: Burnout, Gender Stereotypes, and Goals You Can’t Afford to Catch from 2018-07-26T09:30
11: Out Of Stock: On Pushing Through Pain in Business + Sport from 2018-07-19T09:00
10: Challenge Roth [Special Episode] from 2018-07-10T20:53:44
09: Nerves, Body Image, “Happiness Differentials”, and Radiohead from 2018-06-06T09:00
08: The Energy Well, Aging in Sport, #SuperAdvanced, and the NBA Playoffs from 2018-05-31T17:31:39
07: To Our Younger, On-again, Off-again, Pre-and-postpartum, Creative Selves from 2018-05-22T16:14:34
06: "The Sky is Made of PB&J" (a.k.a. Get your head right for race day, parenting issues, nutrition, and bucket lists) from 2018-05-16T17:08:30
05: Wild Wildflower, the Intersection of Work-Play-Love at its Finest (&Ugliest) from 2018-05-10T21:46:12
04: Training Together, Taking it to the Next Level, and Having Employees from 2018-05-01T13:35:47
03: Buzzing From Desi from 2018-04-24T09:00
02: Quality Time, Getting Sponsors, Hiring People, Workplace Healthcare from 2018-04-03T16:36:03
01: Making Time, Encouraging Kids, Modifying Training, Your Biz's "Done" Line from 2018-04-02T18:08:14
After an obviously unrehearsed but awesomesauce intro, Lauren and Jesse answer these questions:
- How do you make time for each other that isn't focused around business and/or trainin... Listen