The Art of Mountain Biking

Renowned mountain biking coach Jamie Bangerter joins journalist, coach, and human flourishing specialist Danielle LeCourt to discuss how the lessons on the trail mirror the lessons of life.

50. The Mechanics of Not Giving Up w/ Braydon Bringhurst 05/28/2024

50. The Mechanics of Not Giving Up w/ Braydon Bringhurst Using your mind to break boundaries requires skills, and Braydon has so many of them. Braydon Bringhurst joins the podcast to share his journey from competing in sports like BMX and pole vaulting in college to discovering mountain biking and, ultimately, climbing the Whole Enchilada. He discusses overcoming challenges with self-confidence and academics to graduate college, and how working with a sports psychologist helped develop important mental skills that supported his success in sport and life. Braydon is a husband, father to 3 little girls, and a professional mountain bike rider. His goal is to share his passion for riding and pushing himself to hopefully inspire people to go after their goals. CONTENT NOTICE: This conversation includes mentions of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can find help at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Visit their or call/text 988. Please keep going. Like this episode? Share it with someone who needs it! Like the podcast and want to do your part? Send us a tip or consider a recurring paid subscription. Your support helps us cover the time and resources it takes to create free long-form content. Shoutout to for helping arrange this episode! Thanks for being such a supporter, Cary. Themes and topics: Braydon's journey from competing in various sports as a youth to discovering mountain biking later in life. How working with a sports psychologist helped Braydon develop important mental skills to overcome challenges with self-confidence and academics. Braydon's climb of the iconic Whole Enchilada trail in Moab, Utah, which was documented in his film 8600’. The mental process and support system he relied on to complete the challenging climb and not give up. Using one's talents and skills to help and inspire others, which was Braydon's motivation for undertaking and filming his climb. Resources mentioned in this episode: 4 intelligences—mental, physical, emotional, spiritual at BYU trail in Moab, UT The writer Danielle mentioned a bunch of different types of research in this one, and paid subscribers will get a deeper dive into this research soon. Let’s connect! Please don’t forget to rate, subscribe, and share this if it resonates, and you can DM Danielle now directly on ! If you’ve found value in the podcast, consider sending us a tip, . /episode/index/show/3f82bd4b-af17-4fbf-a484-f7230ea608cd/id/31501622

49. Finding Meaning in Adventure: Exploring the Connection between Human Nature and Thrilling Pursuits w/ Dr. Eric Brymer 05/21/2024

49. Finding Meaning in Adventure: Exploring the Connection between Human Nature and Thrilling Pursuits w/ Dr. Eric Brymer Unpacking the transformative insights of adventure psychology. Adventure Psychologist shares insights from his research on the impact of adventure and the human-nature relationship on health and well-being, as well as effective interventions to promote personal growth and development. As a leading expert on the subject, Dr. Brymer unpacks the transformative effects of adventure psychology and discusses how thrilling pursuits can help individuals find meaning in their lives. Dr. Eric Brymer is an endorsed sport and exercise psychologist at in Australia and a chartered psychologist with the British Psychological Society. Eric is interested in the psychology of performance, wellbeing and learning in adventure and nature-based contexts. His research is particularly focused on the impact of adventure and the human-nature relationship on health and wellbeing and the design of effective interventions. Themes and topics: The impact of adventure and the human-nature relationship on health and well-being. Understanding how thrilling pursuits can lead to personal growth, development, and transformation. The connection between human nature, meaning, and the desire for adventure. Strategies and interventions that harness the benefits of adventure. The profound connections between individuals and the natural world. Insights on the process of conducting research in the field of adventure psychology. How. the findings from adventure psychology research can be applied to improve individuals' well-being and quality of life. Like this episode? Share it with someone who needs it! Like the podcast and want to do your part? Send us a tip or consider a recurring paid subscription. Your support helps us cover the time and resources it takes to create free long-form content. Resources mentioned in this episode: , which is a school of psychology that rejects cognitive psychology’s mainstream explanations of perception Listener Scott’s about the moment that was meant for him research paper (I’ve also summarized a few of the findings of that one .) Phenomenology by Dr. Eric Brymer and Robert Schweitzer David Abram’s Phenomenology and Nursing Research by Michael Crotty Let’s connect! Please don’t forget to rate, subscribe, and share this if it resonates, and you can DM Danielle now directly on ! If you’ve found value in the podcast, consider sending us a tip, . /episode/index/show/3f82bd4b-af17-4fbf-a484-f7230ea608cd/id/31390742

48. Push Past Your Edge: Find Growth By Challenging Limits 05/14/2024

Are Flow and Joy the Same? 05/10/2024

47. Navigating Grief through Outdoor Sports: A Timely Revisit for Mental Health Awareness Month 05/07/2024

47. Navigating Grief through Outdoor Sports: A Timely Revisit for Mental Health Awareness Month Rebroadcasting our intimate conversation with backcountry skier Melissa Gill about loss, grief, nature, and the beauty of life. May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time that calls for reflecting, learning, and engaging in meaningful dialogues about the complex world of mental health. To honor this month, we're reaching into our podcast archives to bring back a conversation that beautifully intertwines grief, mental wellbeing, and the healing power of outdoor pursuits. This is an older conversation that’s worth a re-listen. Since we last published this episode last May, the Patagonia film , which Mel references in this conversation, is now available. And it’s really beautiful, y’all. Worth a watch. Content notice: This episode contains real and honest depictions of grief and death. If you are reading this and you're grieving, know that your pain is valid, irrespective of what prompted it—be it the death of a loved one, a relationship at its end, or the loss of employment. It's a journey without a map, and what works for one person may prove futile for another. Einstein once said, "Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." That certainly has been the case for us. Melissa Gill is a woodworker, meditation teacher, Head of Operations for SimplyMTB and a lover of anything outdoors. She sees backcountry skiing as a playground for adventure and self development and in the summer months, can be found trail running or sleeping in a hammock in the middle of a forest. Of all things in life, she is most is passionate about mental health and creating safe spaces for healing for both her and her community. As a mindfulness meditation teacher, she believes most things in life can be solved, healed and made more beautiful with a heavy dose of self compassion. Like this episode? Share it with someone who needs it! Like the podcast and want to do your part? Send us a tip or consider a recurring paid subscription. Your support helps us cover the time and resources it takes to create free long-form content. Resources mentioned in this episode: Meditation teachers . Danielle has about the loss she describes in this episode for the Medium publication Age of Empathy. Let’s connect! Please don’t forget to rate, subscribe, and share this if it resonates, and you can DM Danielle now directly on ! If you’ve found value in the podcast, consider sending us a tip, . /episode/index/show/3f82bd4b-af17-4fbf-a484-f7230ea608cd/id/31180337

46. Enhancing Performance and Fitness on the Bike w/Matt Mooney 04/30/2024

45. Positioning, Revisited 04/23/2024

44. How Different Bodies Ride Bikes w/Lennard Zinn 04/16/2024

43. Holding Patterns 04/09/2024

42. Angle of Approach 04/02/2024

41. Riding the Feedback Loop: Navigating the Ups and Downs of Critique 03/26/2024

Thank You, We Love You, and We Need You 12/05/2023

40. Embracing and Working With the Seasons 11/28/2023

39. Gaining Traction: Unleashing Control, Speed, and Confidence on the Trail 11/21/2023

38. Adventure and Mental Health w/ Cary Judd 11/14/2023

37. Awe: The Profound and Transformative Power of Wonder 10/31/2023

36. Fast Is Fun: How to Build Speed with Rhianon Gelsomino 10/24/2023

35. Let Go of the Struggle 10/16/2023

34. Object Fixation: What It Is and What to Do About It 10/10/2023

33. How To Let Any Endeavor (not just mtb) Transform You 10/02/2023

32. Hold Center 09/26/2023

31. How to Brake Better 09/18/2023

30. Dexterity and Bike/Body Separation 09/11/2023

29. Why (On Earth) We Bike 09/04/2023

28. Moving Through Space 08/28/2023

27. Rest, Recovery, and Yoga Nidra w/ Scott Moore 08/21/2023

26. Wayfinding: Determining Routes and Managing Uncertainty 08/14/2023

25. A Few Unspoken Things 08/07/2023

24. The Art of Mountain Biking w/ Albert Flynn DeSilver 07/31/2023

24. The Art of Mountain Biking w/ Albert Flynn DeSilver It's easy to speak about mountain biking on the surface level. But speaking to its potential for transcendence, ecstasy, and yes, art, is another thing entirely--thus, we called in a poet to help. Albert Flynn DeSilver has been an obsessive mountain biker for over 30 years. He is a trail advocate and wilderness explorer. Albert is also an internationally published writer, speaker and teacher who has worked with thousands of kids as a California Poet in the Schools, served as a county Poet Laureate, and taught writing workshops throughout North America at places like the Esalen Institute, the Omega Institute, and the British Institute in Paris. He has given a TEDx talk and bombed spectacularly, and then dusted himself off to go on to host and share the stage with writer-luminaries like Elizabeth Gilbert, Cheryl Strayed, Maxine Hong Kingston and many others. Albert writes, rides and resides in Northern California. We talk about: Reaching a transcendent state on a bike [6:03] The taboo of ecstasy [9:33] Moving meditation [12:45] How family history/upbringing can inform our practice [14:27] Using mtb to check in or check out [20:12] The art of mountain biking [24:36] The demand of mtb to pay attention [28:20] The social component of the sport [32:30] Grief on the trail [37:42] Dancing and doodling [44:09] Referenced in this episode: by Albert Flynn DeSilver , also by Albert “” by Walt Whitman We also referenced with Melissa Gill Let’s connect! Book a lesson with or work with Danielle’s project-based growth model at . Please don’t forget to rate, subscribe, and share this if it resonates! Tips For Tips? It takes a lot of time and effort to put together this content and offer it, for free, to hopefully enhance your experience on and off the bike. If you appreciate and value the work we do on the podcast, consider sending us a tip ! /episode/index/show/3f82bd4b-af17-4fbf-a484-f7230ea608cd/id/27588510

23. The Physics of Getting Air w/ Sam Buckmiller 07/24/2023

The Art of Mountain Biking

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