The Athletic Philosopher Podcast

The Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 42 Becoming Individualized with Torrey Dawley

Episode 42 is why I love hosting a sport philosophy based podcast. In this wide ranging and expansive conversation, world class brand builder Torrey Dawley and I swirl around how to realize our individual essence in the world through an understanding of physicality and passion. 
Not many conclusions but a treasure trove of golden nuggets of wisdom abound for all of us to consider. If you are in business, aspire as a high achiever, and need to  find the BEST ways to express that potential and realize it you will be in for a real treat with the knowledge and perspective Torrey drops consistently in this episode. 
Perhaps the best discussion yet about how sports wisdom applies equally well as deep life wisdom when it comes to entrepreneurship, business, and building a life of individual destiny. 
Thank you Torrey!
If you're interested in working with Torrey or inquiring about his brand building services check him out: https://www.torreydawley.com/

The Athletic Philosopher Podcast: Episode 41 Catching 'That Feeling' in Training

Episode 41 blends the 30,000ft view with the literal steps on the ground in talking about a recent run where I felt a moment of 'athletic transcendence' in my performance. 
I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to get out of the run, but I knew I wanted it to be framed by a passage in the latest Tribal Book Club selection, “The Game'“ by legendary Montreal Canadiens Goaltender Ken Dryden. It’s a feeling of flow in excellence that only physical exertion can produce in these fleeting moments of athletic perfection, what he calls 'That Feeling."
Because I was intentional in what I wanted to focus on during the run, the activity itself opened up for me and provided me the exact type of moment I was hoping to experience. This is the most detailed and personal exploration of the idea of sports as a spiritual practice I've gone into on this pod and I hope it inspires each listener to put the frame around their own exercise and fitness! 

The Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 40 Running 26.2 miles without food or water, wait WHAT?

Episode 40 takes you on the wild ride that was my Pirate King of the Suburbs Marathon. I ran 13.1 trail miles and 13.1 road miles from my front door, in a fasted state, without taking any food or water on the run with me as a way to proclaim my arrival in Suburbia. 
I go into where this challenge came from, how it materialized in my mind in January '25 when we moved to the North Shore suburbs of Chicago from rural Ontario, how I trained to take this down, and how the run itself unfolded on May 12, 2025.
I share this story to inspire you to dream big, imagine a challenge for yourself, and find the bravery and courage to go after it hard and with intimate care. 
Runs like this are big time for my spiritual confidence and physical capability and probing deep inside these efforts reveals to true beauty of sports in teaching us all the truth about ourselves and our place in the world. 

The Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 39 Team Tribal Chattanooga 70.3 Coach's Reflection

Episode 39 goes hard on Team Tribal's epic race weekend at IronMan Chattanooga 70.3 where 19 Tribal athletes, 2 coaches, and an army of family supporters showed up ready to pour our their hearts on race day. 
This is the definitive guide to my own experiences, how our team does race day differently than any other sporting organization in the world, and what I saw in each athlete over the course of our weekend together. 
Get a real behind the scenes and behind the mind insight into these team race experiences which I view as the truest manifestations of my philosophy on sports lived in action. You get a sense of how I treat these events as primary research and evidence of the sporting philosophy I love developing and living to its fullest.
Thank you team for giving me the space to tell these stories, they come from my heart!  

The Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 38 On Running with Barefoot Ken

You're in for a treat with this discussion between myself and ultra running superhero Barefoot Ken. On the day after I completed a fasted, no water, no fuel marathon I sat down with only other person I've met who didn't think it was insane and has done it himself as well. 
We dive into why we enjoy running in a spiritual way that harness adversity and eschews comfort so we can learn deep lessons about ourselves. We bring up philosophers and poets who inspire us to enter nature, challenge ourselves through running, and offer our deep experiences as evidence you should at least consider taking on big challenges. 
Follow Ken's writing on Running at his website (https://thelongbrownpath.com/) and keep an eye out for a new book on running he's releasing in the fall, at which point I'll invite him back on to discuss it. Thanks Ken! Happy Running team.  

The Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 37 On Serious Competition

This episode goes deep inside the competing pressures of competing in sports seriously as an adult. There's a paradox at play and we don't shy away from diving right into the middle of it.
Exercise and sports should be built upon a spiritual foundation, that is, a practice that ennobles character and leads to self discovery and truth, in order to experience them at their best. But does caring deeply about the outcome of a competition get in the way of these internal motivations?
If you care about competing but don't want to compete in a superficial way, I provide a deep justification that playing seriously and caring deeply about results in sports is an appropriate signal of growth and courage if you've already built your exercise foundation on spiritual grounds.
Let's GET SERIOUS ABOUT PLAY! 
 

The Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 36 A Romantic's Guide To Running with Professor Scott Parker

This episode features an open ended conversation about the subjective value of running with creative writing professor Scott Parker, of Montana State University, that he captured in his upcoming book "How to Run: A DIY Guide for Romantics"
We discuss the unique ability of running as vehicle of self-knowing and self-discovery, why you need to hit the trails in the winter, why the numbers block us out from true meaning, and how to utilize the deep connection between running and creativity to become courageous in living an authentic and meaningful life.
Thank you Scott for this incredible conversation, I can't wait to invite you back to have another one! 
Order your copy of "How To Run"
https://www.amazon.com/How-Run-DIY-Guide-Romantics/dp/B0F2B7R75W 

The Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 35 The Athletic Lessons from Reading Thoreau's 'Walden'

This episode is all about the Tribal Training Book Club I launched and how reading the first title unfolded. I picked 'Walden' by Henry David Thoreau for a few reasons and I detail all the lessons learned.
The importance of community and leadership in holding you accountable to establishing a daily practice was one big takeaway. 
Another was the value of internal knowing and how to create ease in a process that involves doing a hard thing, expressed through my own struggle to cement a daily reading habit into my lifestyle after leaving my university professor position.
Final takeaways include how to mine athletic knowledge from Thoreau's experiment in experiential philosophy and a clarion call to live the life YOU DEMAND and DREAM about living. 

The Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 34 Breaking an 'Unbreakable' Record in Sports

I'm a GIANT ice hockey fan and a couple of gigantic records have fallen in the past few weeks that made me want to reflect on the meaning of breaking through in sports.
Centered on the greatness of the legendary careers of Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, I discuss their records and the deep significance sports holds in breaking limitations in the mind by forcing us to 'watch the impossible become possible'
The athlete's are praised as heroes in the Ancient World precisely for their ability to defy expectations and soar beyond what anyone believed was once possible. I want us to understand how to understand these records so we can leverage the moment we witness athletic perfection in an elite athlete to breakthrough in our own lives.
If you just watched the impossible happen, what else could be illusory when thinking about the limits of your own potential and destiny? 

The Athletic Philosopher Podcast - Episode 33 Family Adventures Rule

This is a fun episode where I go all in on the value of going on camping adventures with your family. Part philosophy, part narrative, I dive into the past as tell a great story from the first time my wife and I took our 4 month old daughter tent camping. 
The modern world is oversaturated in comfort to the point we isolate from eachother even inside our own homes. Camping brings us into moments of close discomfort that force creative problem solving together.  Those moments are the meaningful memories that create the texture of a beautiful life and bond the family tightly together through experiences of shared struggle. 
Partly inspired by reading Walden by Henry David Thoreau, I leave you with this quote of his that captures the theme of this episode and urges you to get lost in the woods and take an adventure with those closest to you.
"We should come home from far, from adventures, and perils, and discoveries everyday, with new experience and character."