Treat Every Training Session Like Your Last—with Melanie Roach - EP002
Holistic High Performance Podcast
Release Date: 11/24/2020
The Intersection of Awareness and the Body - with BetsyAnn Baron - EP013
Holistic High Performance Podcast
Few people are as aware of their bodies as professional dancers are. Their bodies are not only their source of vitality and expression, but their livelihoods, and therefore need to be respected, maintained, and healed. BetsyAnn Baron has a unique view of body awareness, as a former professional dancer with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal. Her own experiences with injury and healing led her to the next phase of her life, that of a massage therapist and Structural Integrator.
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The Twists and Turns of the Pursuit of Sports- with Jennifer Wheeler - EP012
Holistic High Performance Podcast
For some athletes, their path is clear and straightforward, often laid-out for them from a young age. For the rest of us, athletics, as in life, is full of twists and turns, and forks in the road. Our next guest perfectly illustrates this non-linear road. Jennifer Wheeler was a collegiate runner, who transitioned into Roller Derby, and then into professional road cycling. Even then, she left to take a job, have a child, and returned to cycling while trying to balance it all.
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Whole Foods and Whole Body Wellness - with Mia Cara - EP011
Holistic High Performance Podcast
During the past year we’ve all been spending considerably more time at home, and have had more time to rediscover some more simple pleasures and joys.
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Using the SMART Goal Strategy to Accomplish More- with Mary Marshall - EP010
Holistic High Performance Podcast
Author, coach and instructor, Mary Marshall, is a strong proponent of upgrading the concept of mere goals to that of Smart Goals – the idea that goals should be realistically achievable, incremental, and in the case of 2020, adaptable. As in life, and as they are part of life, goals need to adjust to our changing realities and life circumstances.
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Coaching Athletes to Win On & Off the Field—with James Laurence - EP009
Holistic High Performance Podcast
Coach James Laurence is the Founder and CEO of Legerity Sports Performance, a coaching program for high-performing athletes of all ages based in Covington, Washington. James played football and ran track and field for the Antelope Valley College Marauders before earning a football scholarship to Western Washington University, where he received his bachelor’s degree in exercise science. James has 17 years of experience training a wide variety of elite youth, high school, collegiate and professional athlete
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For Next-Level Success, Question Your Beliefs—with Daniel Christofferson - EP008
Holistic High Performance Podcast
Our host, Daniel Christofferson, is the Founder and CEO of Holistic High Performance, a state-of-the-art performance and recovery center based in Seattle, Washington. He has been working in structural integration since 1996, helping thousands of clients transform their lives through the alignment of body, mind and soul. Best known for working with athletes, Daniel and his team support clients in realizing relief from pain, recovering from injury, and fulfilling their optimal athletic potential.
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What Weightlifting & Yoga Have in Common—with Wendy Spies - EP007
Holistic High Performance Podcast
Wendy joins Daniel to explain how she discovered yoga as a girl growing up in the backwoods of Louisiana. She discusses how she was introduced weightlifting later in life, describing how she came to compete and win on the world stage and what self-care practices she uses to increase her training capacity. Listen in for Wendy’s insight around the parallels between yoga and weightlifting and find out how she is navigating the pandemic—on rollerblades!
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From High School Records to the Pro Ranks—with Chloe Cunliffe - EP006
Holistic High Performance Podcast
Chloe joins Daniel to explain how she discovered her love for pole vaulting and why she chose a professional career over college. She shares what it’s like to be a pro athlete in training for the Olympic Trials, describing the drills she is doing to improve her technique and walking us through the training progression for her sport. Listen in for Chloe’s insight on recovering quickly from injury and find out why she is considering massage school as a complement to her career as an athlete.
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Making Self-Care a Priority for Athletes—with Whitney Rowe - EP005
Holistic High Performance Podcast
Whitney joins Daniel to discuss what inspired her transition from dance to track at the age of 16 and share the highlights of her career as a college sprinter at Colorado Mesa. She describes the challenge of balancing a full-time job with training for the Olympics, explaining who she goes to for support and how she is staying motivated through the pandemic. Listen in for Whitney’s insight on viewing body work and other self-care strategies as a necessary investment in yourself and your career as an athlet
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The Long Road to Healing from Physical Trauma—with Neil McCarthy - EP004
Holistic High Performance Podcast
Neil joins Daniel to discuss what happened the day of his traumatic climbing accident and describe the serious injuries he sustained as a result. He explains the elaborate healing routine he adopted post-surgery (while he was immobile) and explains why the early days of physical therapy were such an emotional experience.
info_outlineEarly in her weightlifting her career, Melanie Roach struggled to stay present on the international stage and had to withdraw from the 2000 Olympic Trials. But once she mastered the art of gratitude and started treating every training session like her last, Melanie found the joy in every day—and her performance in competition soared. Not only that, she became a better mother, wife, entrepreneur and coach.
Melanie placed fifth for Team USA in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, making every lift and setting an American record. She also set a world record in 1998 as the first woman to clean and jerk more than double her body weight and went on to compete in the 2016 Olympic Trials at the age of 41. Melanie is the mother of five children and ran her own gymnastics gym for 20-plus years.
On this episode of Holistic High Performance Podcast, Melanie joins Daniel to discuss what motivated her transition from competitive gymnastics to weightlifting and describe her struggles in international competitions early on. She explains how her son’s autism activated the mindset of gratitude she brought to the weight room in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Trials and shares the electric experience of competing in Beijing. Listen in for Melanie’s insight on returning to competition at the age of 41 and learn how YOU can apply her philosophy of 100% presence in your personal and professional life!
What You Will Learn
The injury that motivated Melanie’s transition from competitive gymnastics to weightlifting
Why Melanie had a hard time committing to weightlifting despite early success on a national stage
How a lack of mental strength caused Melanie to struggle in international competitions
How Melanie recovered from having to withdraw from the 2000 Olympic Trials
What inspired Melanie’s return to weight lifting in 2005 and the community that rallied to support her dream
How her son’s autism activated a mindset of gratitude that Melanie brought to the weight room
How treating each training session like her last, helped Melanie find the joy in every day leading up to the 2008 Olympic Trials and how she applies that 100% presence to other aspects of life
Melanie’s electric experience placing fifth at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing
The life changing accident at Melanie’s gym when gymnast Jacoby Miles was paralyzed
How Melanie came to win the 2015 American Open and compete in the 2016 Olympic Trials at the age of 41
Why Melanie credits the emotional strength she built in holistic training with helping her recognize the opportunity to sell her gym and be more present with her children