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When life throws challenges your way, how do you respond? For Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon, and his father, Nik, the answer is simple: you get 1% better every day.
It's the last show of the year, so what better way to round off 2024 than with a look at 2024's most memorable moments! In celebration of Sydney's 7th Star status, we've hand-picked 7 standout stories; from remarkable Six Star Finishers to blistering records, we've been treated to a stellar year for the sport. Join Martin and Deena one last time, for the very best of 2024! In this episode of Marathon Talk: 0:00 - For the final time this year, we hear how Martin and Deena are rounding off 2024 and preparing for the Christmas period - training or otherwise… 15:30 - We run down the 7 biggest moments of the running year, from Ruth's record-breaking race and Chris Nikic's heroism, to Sydney's finest hour and Sifan Hassan's incredible gold medal Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/
From sprint triathlons to Ironman glory, Chris Nikic's journey is a testament to relentless determination and incredible achievement. In this inspiring episode of Tri Beginner's Luck, Chris and his father, Nick, share the secrets to his success. Gain valuable insights into the importance of recovery, the power of positive thinking, and the unique challenges faced by athletes with Down syndrome. Discover how the "1% better" philosophy has empowered Chris to overcome obstacles and continually improve. Learn about the strategies he uses to stay in peak condition, including the unexpected roles of basketball and saunas. Chris's father, Nick, provides a deeper understanding of the physical and cognitive hurdles Chris has conquered. And get ready for an exciting glimpse into Chris's future as he reveals his plans for an upcoming race that will push his limits even further. As Chris says, "They said it couldn't be done, but I proved them wrong." Tune in to this remarkable episode and get inspired to "Tri this!" Don't forget to leave a review, share it with your friends, and follow Tri Beginner's luck on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And send any questions or feedback you have to tblpodbiz@tribeginnersluck.com.
Today on Tough As They Come, Chris is joined by Ironman Chris Nikic and his father Nick to talk 1% Better, Runner 321, and triathalons! https://patreon.com/TheRawKnucklesPodcast ⬆️ JOIN THE FIGHT CLUB ON PATREON ⬆️
The Paul Gough Audio Experience: Business Lessons for Physical Therapists
In this one, I share with you some amazing highlights from the keynote session James Lawrence gave at PPM LIVE in 2022. My favorite was when James spoke about it being ok to have a "five-minute pity party - but no more". The best thing about this Podcast is not just the content, but the story behind how James was the INSPIRATION for the amazing Chris Nikic - who happens to be the speaker at PPM LIVE 24. Turn me up nice and loud to listen to how it all works...
This episode is a few short stories and updates. Matt Stutzman was born without arms and just won a Gold Medal in Archery. Chris Nikic is the first person with Down Syndrome to complete the Ironman World Championship. Joe Whale, aka Doodle Boy has two new projects and Nebraska puts an end to their tourism slogan.
Celebrating our podcast's one-year anniversary, we reflect on the highs and lows of producing the show, sharing our favorite moments and the unexpected answers from guests that left lasting impressions. We discuss impactful episodes that pushed us beyond our limits, like the inspiring stories of Chris Nikic and Billy Mills, and share lesser-known gems that deserve more love. Looking ahead, we reveal our dream guests and personal aspirations, all while expressing immense gratitude for our listeners' support over the past year. Don't miss this heartfelt reflection on growth, gratitude, and the joy of unexpected journeys.Thanmk you for listening! We could not do this without your support. Here's to many more start lines, more finish lines and many more years of 321 Go!Send us a Text Message. Support the Show.Let Registered Dietitian Carissa Galloway lead you through a science-backed plan to transform the way you think about your diet.Visit www.GallowayCourse.com and use the code PODCAST at checkout for a great discount!Become a 321 Go! Supporter. Help us continue to create! HERENew Apparel!! Wear your support for 321 Go!Join Chris Twiggs in Galloway Customized Training 20% off! Follow us! @321GoPodcast @carissa_gway @pelkman19Email us 321GoPodcast@gmail.comOrder Carissa's New Book - Run Walk Eat Let Sara Akers with RunsOnMagic plan your next runDisney weekend! IG @runsonmagic or you can go to www.RUNSONMAGIC.com or email her runsonmagictravel@gmail.com Use Promo Code 321GO ...
March 2024 saw barriers broken at the Tokyo Marathon by a man whose dedication to being 1% better every day is utterly inspiring - Chris Nikic. The first to complete the 6 Abbott Majors as an athlete with Down's Syndrome, his outlook on resilience, progress and motivation should rouse us all, so it's a joy for Chris and his father Nik to join us on this episode of Marathon Talk. It's an episode not to be missed, as we give you the rundown on everything to look out for at the Olympics in Paris! In this episode of Marathon Talk: 0:00 - Deena kicks us off with a look back at her various vacation escapades, and Martin brings us into the mindset of feeling fast, without necessarily running it 9:55 - The Olympics are upon us, and we preview the big stories to watch out for, from Sifan Hassan's packed schedule, to Team GB's promising prospects, and of course our pick of the favourites from the marathon field - plus Deena shares just what it's like as an elite athlete to prepare for the Olympics 31:50 - The inspirational story of Chris Nikic and his father Nik is the subject of a moving new documentary, so it's high time to break down the remarkable mindset of a man whose resilience saw him become the first athlete with Down's Syndrome to become a 6 Star Finisher! Marathon Talk is proudly powered by Abbott World Marathon Majors, who create, build and support opportunities for all to discover the power of the marathon community. Learn more at https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/
Aloha und Servus ;) In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Manuel Birnbach, der kurzfristig als Triathlon Podcast Praktikant eingesprungen ist, um vom DATEV Challenge Roth 2024 zu berichten. Wen Manuel in den Tagen vor und nach dem Rennen getroffen hat, wie er den Spagat am Raceday zwischen seiner Orga und Moderationstätigkeit beim Stimmungsnest des TSV Greding Triathlon am Kalvarienberg, und der Prakti Tätigkeit hinbekommen hat, und so einiges mehr (z.B. noch ein kurzes Statement von Svenja Thoes am Tag nach dem Rennen), das erfährst Du alles in dieser mega interessanten Podcastfolge! Wo? Natürlich überall wo es gute Podcasts gibt! Danke Dir lieber Manuel für deinen Einsatz und Kopf hoch Svenja, das nächste Rennen läuft garantiert besser. P.S. Shout outs gehen raus an Benni the Microphonechecker, Wolfgang die verrückte Nachteule, Felix "ich bin überall" Walchshöfer, die gesamte TSV Greding Crew, Anne Haug und Magnus Ditlev für Eure krassen Rennzeiten, Svenja Thoes die dann halt im nächsten Jahr in Roth gewinnt (bin Optimist you know ;), alle Athletinnen und Athleten die das Roth 2024 Rennen gefinisht haben, ganz besonders an alle Helferinnen und Helfer des DATEV Challenge Roth (ihr seid die Größten!), an Jonas Deichmann (du hast schon mehr als die Hälfte deiner Challenge gepackt, den Rest packst Du auch!), Chris Nikic (true inspiration), Kai die Ehrenpflaume (come on, Staffel nächstes Jahr packst Du locker), und alle die diesen Podcast hören ;) Shownotes: TSV Greding in Instagram Website vom DATEV Challenge Roth => https://www.challenge-roth.com/de/ Website von Svenja Thoes =>https://svenja-thoes.com/ Greding Tourismus in Instagram Wenn Dir die heutige, neue Folge mit Manuel Birnbach vom TSV Greding Triathlon gefallen hat, dann teile die Folge gerne mit deinen Freunden, Vereinskollegen (denn sharing is caring!), oder folge und bewerte Triathlon Podcast überall wo es Podcasts gibt (zum Beispiel bei Apple Podcast). Vielen Dank an dieser Stelle ;) Bis zur nächsten Podcastfolge, bleib sportlich und gesund! Dein Marco Folge direkt herunterladen
Episode 334 - Fill Your Cup with The Two Fit Crazies “Your job is to fill your own cup, so it overflows into the lives of others.” Do you know what it means to “fill your cup?” In today's awesome episode of the Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast, Brian and Christine discuss the magnitude of understanding how to “fill your cup” when it comes to achieving lasting health and happiness! Listen up, because Christine is about to share some of her latest adventures on her quest to better serve the world while also filling up her cup. From her recent international retreat with the Reinventing the Woman Group in the Dominican Republic, to guiding yet another amazing neurodivergent athlete across the IRONMAN finish line with the Chris Nikic 1% Better Foundation, there is no doubt that this podcast will fuel your soul! Then, stay tuned as Brian shares how his passion for running and coaching his athletes so they can smash school records has been key to filling his cup throughout the years. And….since the Two Fit Crazies take immense pride in having fun, you DO NOT want to miss the end of this show! We guarantee you will want to sponsor one of our _______________. Stay Fit! Stay Crazie! Christine and Brian www.twofitcrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com Christine@ContiFitness.net @twofitcrazies @theChristineConti #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #marathon #onepercentbetter #run # #ICAA #Rollga #Burnalong #njshore #tfcproductions #brick #track #USTAF #NASM #FitFixNow #RTWtribe #IRONMAN #neurodivergent #downsyndrome #retreat #villaserena #fillyourcup #serve #SQUAK #trackandfield #coach #Ideafit #yesyoucan #mindset #healthcoach #laugh #golf #holeinone #giveback
Episode 327 - The Two Fit Crazies Catch Up - Christine Conti and Brian Prendergast aka Two Fit Crazies The Two Fit Crazies Take on March Madness and Youth Sports On today's episode of the Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast, it is time for a “Two Fit Crazie Catch-up!” Brian and Christine sit down to talk about their most recent crazy events and fill you in on all the latest chaos! From March Madness predictions to Brian's most recent struggles with trying to understand over-the-top youth coaches, this episode is sure to make you rethink your views on humanity! However, before you have the chance to truly second guess yourself, it's time to start getting excited! The 128th Boston Marathon is just a few short weeks away! Pretty soon, the Fit Crazies will be back on Boylston Street chasing unicorns in the name of health! Brian's superhuman speed will once again be on display while Christine seeks her 11th consecutive Boston Marathon start to raise awareness for the Alzheimer's Association and act as a guide for Chris Nikic's Team 1% Better. Catch us if you can! Stay Fit! Stay Crazy! Christine and Brian www.TwoFitCrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com TFC Sites and Links: www.TwoFitCrazies.com TFCPro@TwoFitCrazies.com Christine@ContiFitness.net www.highfivehw.com #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #IDEA #fitnessprofessional #personaltrainer #fitnessinstructor #fitpro #fitspo #conference #fitness #business #IHRSA #canfitpro #ACSM #womenshealth #baseball #basketball #wrestling #marchmadness #NCAA #GoTerps #Brackets #upsets #bracketbuster #finalfour #coaches #youthsports #Bostonmarathon #run #track #travel #schools #ProfessionalDevelopment #speaker #author #Symmetry #running #OnePercentBetter #fun
When Ellen Boyer's voice joins the conversation, the room lights up with an array of heartfelt stories and powerful messages. Together, we celebrate World Down Syndrome Day by shattering stereotypes and trumpeting the accomplishments of those with Down Syndrome. From the awe-inspiring feat of Chris Nikic, the first athlete with Down Syndrome to conquer an Ironman triathlon, to the everyday triumphs of individuals leading vibrant, fulfilling lives, our dialogue serves as a rallying cry for inclusion and appreciation of every person's inherent worth.The legacy of Brett Boyer shines on, as we discuss the foundation in her memory that advocates for CHD research and support, reminding us how one life can ripple through the hearts of many. Co-editors Megan Tones and Anna Jaworski continue reading from The Heart of a Heart Warrior: Volume 2: Endurance.Motherhood, with all its joys and challenges, takes on profound new dimensions when interwoven with congenital heart defects (CHD). The narratives of Megan Hanshew, Gwenyth Murphy, and others paint a poignant picture of resilience and transformation. We also celebrate the active lives of those like Tracie Wendorf-Salgado, living with pacemakers yet refusing to be held back, and Kimberly Russell, whose journey through CHD led to the joyous adoption of her daughter.Join us for an episode that's as much about courage as it is about compassion. Hear the raw, unfiltered experiences of those who not only survive but thrive despite the presence of CHD. Be inspired by Kimberly Russell's volunteer work in education advocacy, and be moved by Tracie Wendorf-Salgado's near-miss on the highway, a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the indomitable human spirit. This is an ode to the tenacity of the heart, both literal and metaphorical, and an invitation to walk alongside these extraordinary individuals through their remarkable journeys.Links mentioned in this episode:The Brett Boyer Foundation: https://www.thebrettboyerfoundation.org/Baby Hearts Press: https://www.babyheartspress.comSupport the showAnna's Buzzsprout Affiliate LinkBaby Blue Sound CollectiveSocial Media Pages:Apple PodcastsFacebookInstagramMeWeTwitterYouTubeWebsite
Chris Nikic (born 1999) is an American amateur triathlete. In 2020, at age 21, he became the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman triathlon.[1][2] For this accomplishment, Nikic was awarded the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance as part of the 2021 ESPY Awards. Additionally, he won the ESPY for Best Athlete with a Disability in Men's Sports.[3]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Nikic
Chris Nikic (born 1999) is an American amateur triathlete. In 2020, at age 21, he became the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman triathlon.[1][2] For this accomplishment, Nikic was awarded the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance as part of the 2021 ESPY Awards. Additionally, he won the ESPY for Best Athlete with a Disability in Men's Sports.[3]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Nikic
I've literally been waiting for this episode since June when Christine Conti won the prestigious IDEA 2023 Fitness Instructor of the Year in Los Angeles, CA. Yes, I had to wait to record this one so I could be LIVE at the Jersey Shore with my fellow Brick, NJ, fit-fam friend in her podcast studio (Two Fit Crazies & a Microphone). This episode could easily be called “2 Fire-breathing dragons (literally) and a microphone” and you will see WHY during the show. Christine Conti has one heckuva story that epitomizes her “Yes You Can” mentality, attitude, and brand. After receiving a life-changing diagnosis at age 30, this former investment banker and English teacher first transformed her life…and now she transforms others. She's a chronic disease specialist, a best-selling author, a keynote speaker, and life-transformer. She truly is a woman of IMPACT and she's determined to show the world that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! Here is specifically what I cover on this week's IMPACT SHOW: A walk-down memory lane from our cherished memories in Brick, NJ (both of our hometown's), including an interesting story when we first met and how that was part of Christine's journey to leave teaching. Hey, it's not my fault! ☺ We talk about Christine's journey, a truly inspiring and mind-blowing ascent, going from a career in investment banking to teaching, then finding her way to the Fit-Pro life! And now she's a world-recognized chronic disease wellness specialist, author, speaker, podcaster, IRONMAN, and a guide for athletes with diseases and disabilities. Why does she believe in the mantra “Yes, you can” and lives by it every day. We go through the moment in her life, her “Come to Jesus” moment, and how she, like all of us, got through challenging periods where she questioned her sanity, thinking she's crazy, but how that led her to her true purpose. A reminder that only the “crazies” can change the world! We talked about her best-selling book, SPLIT-SECOND COURAGE. What does that mean? That is “your ability to make a choice at a split second and not think back, not regret it, not hesitate, not balk. You've had enough experiences, you know how to handle the repercussions of the decision you make. You have the coping mechanisms, you have the techniques in place so that whatever decision you make, you're going to handle it.” Christine's mental toughness is a force to reckon with - she's competed in Ironman races, a 100-mile race, and many other endurance and fitness events. Where that comes from? Why she and her co-host Brian Prendergast have such a good time on their podcast, “Two Fit-Crazies & a Microphone. What's next for Christine Conti? I had a blast doing this in-person interview at the Jersey Shore. It was truly awesome to be “home” and inspiring to connect with Christine and share her story with you. Please share this episode with anyone you might know who you believe this would provide value to. Please also snap a picture on and post a picture on your IG or IG stories. Tag Christine and me at: IG: @ToddDurkin and @christine_m_conti @twofitcrazies #YesYouCan #AnythingIsPossible #IMPACT #TwoFitCrazies Don't forget to check out Christine's book and her podcast "Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone". It's all about sparking energy and spreading craziness in the world! HIRE TODD to speak at your next event or business meeting. If you would like to hire Todd to speak at your company, business, event, or conference, simply reach out to him on DM, email him at Durkin@fitnessquest10.com or you can contact him through the website. www.ToddDurkin.com READY FOR EVEN MORE ONGOING MOTIVATION & INSPIRATION? SIGN-UP FOR THE “DOSE OF DURKIN” TODAY!! If you are not signed-up for the Dose of Durkin, make sure you Sign-up NOW for your weekly “Dose” delivered every Thursday. You will simply get a Quote of Day, a weekly workout challenge, and my MINDSET HACK for the week. Sign-up today: www.ToddDurkin.com Get Your IMPACT JOURNAL today at www.ToddDurkin.com https://fitnessquest10.infusionsoft.app/app/orderForms/IMPACT-Journal It's not too late to plan - get your God-Sized Dream 2023 planner today: https://fitnessquest10.infusionsoft.com/app/manageCart/addProduct?productId=288 Join my TD Community for FREE: Simply text me “IMPACT” to (619)304.2216 and you are on your way to receiving exclusive content and even more motivation & inspiration. Sign-up TODAY! Please keep your questions coming so I can highlight you on the podcast!! If you have a burning question and want to be featured on the IMPACT show, go to www.todddurkin.com/podcast, fill out the form, and submit your questions! Don't forget that if you want more keys to unlock your potential and propel your success, you can order my book GET YOUR MIND RIGHT at www.todddurkin.com/getyourmindright or anywhere books are sold. Get Your Mind Right now available on AUDIO: https://christianaudio.com/get-your-mind-right-todd-durkin-audiobook-download Want more Motivation and Inspiration? Sign up for my newsletter The TD Times that comes out on the 10th of every month full of great content. Sign-up here… www.todddurkin.com About Christine Conti (Guest): Christine Conti believes in the “YES. YOU CAN” mindset. After receiving a life-changing diagnosis at age thirty, this former investment banker and English teacher is determined to show the world that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! Christine is an international fitness educator chronic disease wellness specialist and the recipient of the IDEA World 2023 Fitness Professional of the Year. She is the CEO of CONTI: a woman-owned enterprise that offers keynote speaking, chronic disease wellness, mindset coaching and continuing education for fitness professionals, schools and private companies. She is a best-selling author, podcast host, co-founder of REINVENTING THE WOMAN INTERNATIONAL, a 3x IRONMAN and serves as an IRONMAN guide for Special Olympics athletes with the Chris Nikic 1% Better Foundation. Christine currently resides in Brick, New Jersey with her amazing husband, Mike, and her two phenomenal children, Alexander and Lauren. ABOUT Todd Durkin (HOST): Todd Durkin is one of the world's leading coaches, trainers, and motivators. It's no secret why some of the world's top athletes have trained with him for nearly two decades. He's a best-selling author, a motivational speaker, and founded the legendary Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, CA. He currently coaches fellow trainers, coaches, and life-transformers in his Todd Durkin Mastermind group. Here, he mentors and shares his 25-years of wisdom in the industry on business, leadership, marketing, training, and personal growth. Todd was a coach on the NBC & Netflix show “STRONG.” He's a previous Jack LaLanne Award winner, a 2-time Trainer of the Year. Todd and his wife Melanie head up the Durkin IMPACT Foundation (501-c-3) that has raised over $250,000 since it started in 2013. 100% of all proceeds go back to kids and families in need. https://todddurkin.com/impact-foundation/ To learn more about Todd, visit www.ToddDurkin.com and www.FitnessQuest10.com. Join his fire-breathing dragons' community and receive regular motivational and inspirational emails. Visit www.ToddDurkin.com and opt-in to receive his value-rich content. Connect with Todd online in the following places: You can listen to Todd's podcast, The IMPACT Show, by going to www.todddurkin.com/podcast. You can get any of his books by clicking here! (Get Your Mind Right, WOW BOOK, The IMPACT Body Plan, What's Next?)
Episode 310 - Chris Nikic, IRONMAN and Nik Nikic, Proud Father “One Percent Better…a purposeful effort to be better every day…be one percent better every workout…be consistent and persistent.” “I decided to take a different approach…only positive…we taught him (Chris) differently…we had to reprogram the sub-conscious mind…achievement becomes a lifestyle.” -Nik Nikic “Who you are is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to the world.” This episode of the Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast is a MUST listen! Let's give it up for Chris and Nik Nikic, two of the most amazing humans you will ever meet! Chris, with the support of his dad, Nik, has not only completed multiple IRONMAN races and marathons, received prestigious ESPY awards, become a sponsored athlete, but also happens to be the first person to do it with Down Syndrome. Today, Chris and Nik are here to shed some light on the magnitude of their mission, to change the way the world views the capabilities of those with Down Syndrome, Autism, and other neurodivergent disabilities. Through the 1% Better Chris Nikic Foundation, this father-son team is educating parents, educators, athletes and more about the power of implementing and executing the 1% Better habit to create a lifestyle of achievement! Through their books, documentaries, keynote speeches, and unwavering belief that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, the Nikics are making huge waves in the world, and they are just getting started! To find out more about how to get involved and support the foundation, be sure to check out www.ChrisNikic.com! Stay Fit! Stay Crazie! Yes. You Can! Christine and Brian www.TwoFitCrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com Chris and Nik Nikic Sites and Links: Website: www.ChrisNikic.com Support the Foundation: 1% Better Chris Nikic Foundation (cornerstone.cc) Instagram @chrisnikic Facebook: Chris Nikic Book: 1% Better: Reaching My Full Potential and How You Can Too: Signed by C – shop.chrisnikic.com (shop-chrisnikic-com.myshopify.com)
Get ready for an immersive, inspiring, and adrenaline-pumping journey as we bring you the incredible story of Ironman Finisher and Down Syndrome Warrior, Chris Nikic. Buckle up, because this episode promises to deliver heart-pounding tales of resilience, determination, and unwavering dedication. Chris shares his extraordinary feat of completing the grueling Ironman distance race, and the obstacles he had to overcome to get there. Prepare to be moved as we uncover Chris Nickage's inspiring story of pushing himself 1% more each day to achieve his dream. He expresses his admiration for Ironman Triathlete Lucy Charles, his love for the Boston Marathon, and his favorite Disney character, Goofy! We also discuss the emotional roller coaster of a Disney race weekend and share invaluable tips on running Disney races. As we wrap up our conversation with Chris, remember this - the goal is indeed great, but don't forget to enjoy the journey!Join Jeff Galloway's Challenge program for inspiration and accountability, getting in those Dopey miles!Let Registered Dietitian Carissa Galloway lead you through a science-backed plan to transform the way you think about your diet. Each week she will motivate you to improve your nutrition and reach your weight loss goal.Visit www.GallowayCourse.com and use the code PODCAST at checkout for a great discount!Follow us!@321GoPodcast@carissa_gway@pelkman19Email us questions, comments, or your story to 321GoPodcast@gmail.comOrder Carissa's New Book - Run Walk EatReach out to Katie for help planning your next racecation or family getaway. www.travelkatiemcbride.comAG1 -Get 5 free AG1 Travel Packs and one year supply of Vitamin D3+K2 with any order here BFF buffer ...
Episode 304 - 1% Better - Christine Guides Chris Nikic and Friends at Eagleman Half-Ironman “Technically, I was Chris's guide, but he helped guide me to open my eyes and my heart out there on that course…it was definitely one of the top 10 most amazing experiences of my life!” “We made history that day…we are opening the door for athletes around-the-world!” Do you know what it means to be “1% Better” each day? In this episode of the Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast, Christine opens up about one of the top 10 most amazing experiences of her life! One Fit Crazie shares what it was like to be a part of history as she guided the one and only, Chris Nikic, to his first Half-IRONMAN 70.3 finish! Chris, who became the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an IRONMAN in 2020, has since become famous around-the-world by starting a movement to prove that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. Along with his dad, Nik, they are out to inspire the globe that anyone can “achieve more with a simple plan…build a 1% better habit” each day. Listen closely as Christine reveals what it was like to spend 3 days living with Chris and three other very special athletes, their guides, and their parents in preparation for the first ever IRONMAN 70.3 with a group of neurodivergent athletes. There was lots of hugging, laughing, smiling, and happy tears throughout the weekend as these four athletes competed and crossed the finish line in Cambridge, Maryland. Be ready for your heart to grow three sizes after hearing this episode! To learn more about Chris and 1% Better, visit www.ChrisNikic.com. If you are interested in getting more involved, email Christine at info@contifit.com! Yes. You Can! Stay Fit! Stay Crazies! Christine and Brian www.twoftcrazies.com tfcpro@twofitcrazies.com Website: www.chrisnikic.com Christine Conti and Brian Prendergast Podcasters, Endurance Athletes, Trailblazers, Fit Crazies Facebook: Two Fit Crazies and a Microphone Podcast Instagram: @twofitcrazies #twofitcrazies #podcast #wellness #fitness #onepercentbetter #ChrisNikic #IRONMAN #IronmanEagleman #Triathlete #SpecialOlympics #IronmanFoundation #Swim #Bike #Run #DownSyndrome #Autism #FAS #AnythingIsPossible #YesYouCan #Guide #Inclusion #inclusivity #neurodivergent #marathon #Bostonmarathon #Kona #IronmanWorldChampionship #cervelo #synergywetsuits #humagel #Florida #LondonMarathon #BerlinMarahon #TokyoMarathon #ChicagoMarathon #tribike #MaurtenGels #addidas #Wetsuit #IamAnIronman #Fishy #NeurodivergentAthlete #AutismAwareness #Gatorade #EFS #hydration #coach #guide #ContiFit #SplitSecondCourage #Jerseyshore #IDEAworld #SCW #canfitpro #fitasia #OnAging
Despite the Tangential Inspiration crew having the plague this week, we have a great podcast for you. We may sound a little sick, but our spirits were soaring with these great tales of inspiration. Colleen has two very interesting stories about archeology of all things- the mysterious Nazca Lines and King Tut's tomb. Teresa does a story about Chris Nikic, a young man with Down's Syndrome who has completed two Iron Man triathlons and is doing amazing things. His goal, be 1% better each day. He does it, and so can you! Come have a listen and get inspired.#WeStandwithUkraineWe would love to hear from you. Send us your comments or even your own inspirational stories at tangentialinspiration@gmail.com or give us your comments on our website, TangentialInspiration.com.Follow us on our social media:Website: https://tangentialinspiration.com/ Instagram: tangentialinspirationpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tangentialinspiration Twitter: https://twitter.com/TangentialInsp1Produced and Edited by Craig Wymetalek
Get Your Result with Dave Crenshaw: Productivity and Leadership
Chris Nikic is the world's first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. Listen in as he and his father, Nik share the story of how doing just 1% better each day helped them, and can help you, achieve the impossible. Discover the insights Nik gained as he evaluated and adjusted his parenting style to fit his son's unique needs, which included not treating him like he's special. In this interview, they reconstruct how they developed a program which helped Chris achieve his seemingly insurmountable goals, including completing the Ironman Triathlon not once, but three times now! Chris and his father have since gone on to co-write a book, start Chris' career as a public speaker, and so much more. All because he and his father focus on doing just 1% better each and every day. Join Dave as he dissects the actions they took to achieve this remarkable level of success. Action Principles Pick one to do this week: Know your motivation. Understand why you're doing something. When you have your motivation in mind, it gives you the push to keep moving forward. One action you could take: Create a visual motivation board and keep it somewhere you'll see it daily.Customize your plan. Everyone has unique needs and challenges. Figure out what works for you, and what doesn't, and make those changes. One action you could take: Find a plan that's proven to be successful for others, then make adjustments that fit your needs and lifestyle so it works for you.Ask the right questions. There's a real power in asking yourself the right questions. Whether you ask yourself, or you have a great coach, the answers you get could make a big difference. One action you could take: Rather than forcing yourself to push through, stop and ask yourself this important question: “Do I really want to quit or keep going?”Follow the 1% Better principle. Commit to getting 1% better at something that will get you a little closer to your goal every day. Over time, the 1% will compound into big results. One action you could take: Ask yourself, “What can I do to get just 1% better today that will help me get closer to my goal?” Then do it!Guest Resources:You can learn more about Chris' journey by visiting Chrisnikic.com or by following him on Facebook and Instagram. Suggested Course:Discovering Your Strengths Making Big Goals AchievableDave Crenshaw develops productive leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and organizations of every size. He has appeared in Time magazine, USA Today, FastCompany, and the BBC News. His courses on LinkedIn Learning have been viewed tens of millions of times. His five books have been published in eight languages, the most popular of which is The Myth of Multitasking—a time management bestseller. As an author, speaker, and online instructor, Dave has transformed the lives and careers of hundreds of thousands around the world. DaveCrenshaw.com
Get Your Result with Dave Crenshaw: Productivity and Leadership
Coming soon: bestselling author Dave Crenshaw's all new podcast!DCSP is the show where Dave Crenshaw teaches his children how to be successful through the stories of others, and you get to come along for the ride!Listen and learn from guests like Chris Nikic, the first person with down syndrome to complete an Iron Man, Orion Jean, Time Magazine's Kid of the Year, and Coss Marte, former drug lord turned fitness guru.Dave dives deep into their backstories stories and ask the challenged questions others don't to get beneath the surface. Then he breaks these amazing success stories into action steps that anyone can take today to achieve more. Subscribe now to receive the first full episode when it goes live in early 2023!Dave Crenshaw develops productive leaders in Fortune 500 companies, universities, and organizations of every size. He has appeared in Time magazine, USA Today, FastCompany, and the BBC News. His courses on LinkedIn Learning have been viewed tens of millions of times. His five books have been published in eight languages, the most popular of which is The Myth of Multitasking—a time management bestseller. As an author, speaker, and online instructor, Dave has transformed the lives and careers of hundreds of thousands around the world. DaveCrenshaw.com
Dean and Paula recently completed the Chicago Marathon. In this episode they share their race experience in the 2nd largest marathon in the world. Also in this episode, they discuss: Chris Nikic and the Abbot World Major Marathons Mr. T preaching the gospel Keys to reducing your chances of getting sick The importance of easy training Ludovic Chorgnon and his full distance world record attempts Filippo Ganna breaks the one hour cycling record on his 3D printed bike RyR is a team of runners and triathletes who receive comprehensive and customized coaching. The team name has dual meanings. The first is based in Hebrews 12:1 in which Christians are instructed to run the race set before us. In this context, RyR stands for Run your Race, with an emphasis on meeting you (the athlete) where you are and coming alongside you to help you reach your goals. The verse emphasizes patience, endurance, and perseverance. These qualities are essential for success as both athletes and coaches. The second meaning is based on the enduring friendship and marriage between the founding coaches, Dean and Paula Roberts. In this context, RyR stands for Roberts and Roberts. While our primary mission is to help athletes set and reach fitness and performance goals, we understand that this must occur within the context of each athlete's daily life. We strive to form an individual relationship with each athlete and make sure weekly training fits seamlessly into family life and work schedules.
The 23-year-old Central Florida man recently became the first person with Down syndrome to complete the most grueling race in the world. I chat with Chris in episode #301 of The ANEZ SEZ podcast...
He couldn't walk until he was 4 years old, but this amazing you man with Downs Syndrome just ran into the history books.More: Today ShowUPDATE: Chris competed at Kona for the Ironman World Championship! And says his next goal is running 6 marathons next year.Support the show
HA SIDO POSIBLE CREAR EL PROGRAMA “LA REUNIÓN SECRETA” GRACIAS A TU AYUDA COMO GUARDIÁN MECENAS. ***** HAZTE MECENAS EN HTTP://WWW.PATREON.COM/LAREUNIONSECRETA Esta noche vive un nuevo directo de #LaReuniónSecreta desde la 22:00 hora española. Te decimos lo que nadie dice: sin anestesia y sin edulcorantes. ¡La Reunión Secreta somos todos! No se lo digas a nadie… ¡PÁSALO! 🔁💪🤫 🎸 CARLITOS TÍNEZ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0eeuxpQ70z-Pe0rHhOq9Fg 🗿 FUROR DOMINI: LA IRA DE DIOS 📖 La 1ª novela del Dr. Gaona que puedes comprar exclusivamente aquí: https://bit.ly/FurorDomini 🍺 ALCOTEST - NEUROSALUS https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ejample.productos_app https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/alcotest-neurosalus/id1617249188 Conexiones en directo con: - Pablo Fuente (Investigador) Cómo podría terminar la guerra en Ucrania https://www.newyorker.com/culture/ann... Cómo disuadir el uso nuclear ruso en Ucrania y responder si la disuasión falla https://www-atlanticcouncil-org.trans... Chris Nikic 1% Mejor - Reto para promover la concienciación sobre el Síndrome de Down https://chrisnikic.com - Marc Vidal (Analista económico y Divulgador tecnológico) - Fernando Cocho (Analista de Inteligencia) - Jorge Gómez (Exmiembro del CNI. Analista de inteligencia. https://hsintelligence.es/ ) Con el equipo habitual de La Reunión Secreta: Dr. José Miguel Gaona, Joan Miquel MJ, Carlos Martínez, Lourdes Martínez, Marta Vim y Olga Ralló. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ SÍGUENOS EN REDES Twitter: https://twitter.com/lrsecreta Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lareunionsecreta/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LRsecreta REDES SOCIALES DEL EQUIPO | DR. JOSÉ MIGUEL GAONA | - https://twitter.com/doctorgaona | DIRECTOR | - Joan Miquel MJ - https://www.instagram.com/official_joan_miquel_mj/ | PRODUCTORA | - Lourdes Martínez - https://twitter.com/chicadelaradio | AYUDANTE DE DIRECCIÓN | - Olga Ralló - https://twitter.com/olgarallo | AYUDANTE DE PRODUCCIÓN | - Carlos Martínez - https://twitter.com/Carlitos_Tinez _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
All of us have faced times in our life that felt like a battle. Maybe you've had moments of disappointment and pain where you felt like no one understood you, or you had no support system. Perhaps someone hurt you with their words or planted a seed of doubt in your mind that you'd never get to where you want to be in life, and that trying to reach for more would be impossible. Here's some comforting news: we're not alone when we face battles in our lives. We're not left to fight by ourselves. God is greater than whatever we're facing and He has promised—He will never leave us. Our guests this week held on to the promise that they could stand strong in God's power when people or circumstances might have crushed their spirits. Samuel Rodriguez experienced situations in his young life where discrimination threatened to divert him from the path he was meant to follow to become a pastor, author, movie producer, and advisor to three of the last four U.S. presidents. Cynt Marshall endured the abuse and abandonment of her father, but her faith in the Lord and the guidance of her mother led her to thrive despite her circumstances, ultimately becoming a highly successful business woman and the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks NBA franchise. Links, Products, and Resources Mentioned: Jesus Calling Podcast Jesus Calling Jesus Always Jesus Listens Past interview: Dedee & Greg Lhamon Upcoming interview: Chris Nikic Cynt Marshall Marshalling Resources Dallas Mavericks University of California at Berkeley Teenagers protesting in Parkland, Florida Reverend Dr. Billy Graham You've Been Chosen Samuel Rodriguez New Season Church National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference 1 Peter 1:16 NIV John 17:21 NIV Matthew 5:14-16 NIV Luke 1:37 NIV https://pastorsam.com Interview Quotes: “I always saw myself as the person to help everybody and to provide resources and to be there for people.” - Cynt Marshall “My leadership philosophy is around three Ls, and it's ‘listen to, learn from, and love the people.'” - Cynt Marshall “With faith in God and with standing on His promises, you can truly thrive—not just get through it—but truly thrive through the unexpected.” - Cynt Marshall "I've learned bad things do happen to good people. And so we have to accept adversity and never give up and let the Lord guide us through it." - Cynt Marshall "Love expels fear, mercy triumphs over judgment. All things are possible." - Samuel Rodrigez “We had this crazy dream that the church can be both Billy Graham and Dr. King, and that it can be both righteousness and justice, truth and love, sanctification and service, conviction and compassion.” - Samuel Rodriguez “If you look at the cross as two pieces of wood, one vertical and horizontal, the strongest part of the cross is the nexus. The point of convergence where they intersect. This is the place where we marry the optics of redemption with the metrics of reconciliation.” - Samuel Rodriguez "If our commitment is to be light in the midst of darkness and not just whine about the darkness, doors will continue to open." - Samuel Rodriguez ________________________ Enjoy watching these additional videos from Jesus Calling YouTube channel! Audio Episodes: https://bit.ly/3zvjbK7 Bonus Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3vfLlGw Jesus Listens: Stories of Prayer: https://bit.ly/3Sd0a6C Peace for Everyday Life: https://bit.ly/3zzwFoj Peace in Uncertain Times: https://bit.ly/3cHfB6u What's Good? https://bit.ly/3vc2cKj Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3hzRCCY ________________________ Connect with Jesus Calling Instagram Facebook Twitter Pinterest YouTube Jesus Calling Website
Chris, 21, became the first person with Down syndrome to finish the IRONMAN race in November of 2020, offering lessons in perseverance and hope. Amazing athlete, even more amazing person! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/goodlifeconversations/support
It's beginner's season. Well, actually it's always beginner season for us because there is always a race to learn to TRI. For the month of June, we will highlight beginners as they share their stories. It's the modern-day race report if you digg. This week's featured beginners are: Katie G. Matthews and Kayla Edwards. Katie G. Matthews knows that if at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and tri again, thanks to Aaliyah for making those lyrics popular. First, Katie was encouraged by her Life Coach to try a tri. Then, she learned about Chris Nikic's amazing Ironman Florida finish. This one-two punch inspired Katie to uplevel (or level up?) her fitness lifestyle. Yup, she's been bit by the Tri Bug! But before she can confidently tri… she has to secure her Ph.D. (you have to listen to get it!) Kayla Edwards has found the will to tri from the power of mentorship, youtube, and sheer determination! At 14 years old, Kayla isn't letting any barrier stop her. Learning how to swim just 9 months before her first race, taking she took the initiative to find a training plan and train herself. Her “Big Brother Big Sister Mentor” loaned her a bike, and the doors have opened to a future of possibilities to tri and tri some more. When we tri beginner's luck, there are always lessons to to learn. Kayla's had to learn about a USAT rule that leveled up her age. Don't forget to leave a review, share it with your friends, and Follow Tri Beginner's luck on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. And send any questions or feedback you have to imreadyto@tribeginnersluck.com. Cheers to defying the odds and being trailblazers, Let's Tri this!
In this replay, we have one of our favorite interviews ever on the WIn Make Give Podcast. Join Chad and Bob as they talk with Ironman Chris Nikic. To win one must overcome obstacles both personally and professionally with grit and determination. In this episode, Chad and Bob talk with Ironman Chris Nikic. Chris talks about what it took to become the first down syndrome athlete to complete an Ironman Race. Chris brings his guide Dan Grieb to the conversation to reveal how they trained and grew both as people and athletes. Hear the challenges, share in the inspiration and learn what it takes to overcome anything and become 1% better each day. ---------- Join our Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/winmakegive Part of the Win Make Give Podcast Network
On this episode of Investors & Operators, Mike Alberts, Vice President at Cohere Capital flip interviewed Jordan and Jing. Together, they discuss: How Ironman and other endurance competitions motivate people to overcome challenging obstacles that at first appear completely impossible Jing's first marathon - “register first, then figure it out” The upcoming LA Marathon that both Jordan and Jing would participate ...and so much more. Jordan and Jing talked about the amazing journey they had preparing for their endurance competitions. Neither Jordan nor Jing come from an endurance sports background. However, when Jordan saw Chris Nikic, the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman, overcome the seemingly unbearable challenge in Florida back in 2019, he decided to sign up for this challenge himself. Not wanting to just sit on the sideline, Jing also embarked on her journey to race in marathons, then Ironman 70.3.
Dan Grieb, Broker and CEO of the Home to Sell Team with Keller Williams in Orlando Florida is a motivational speaker, 19 time Ironman veteran and in 2020 coached and competed with Chris Nikic who became the first person ever with Down's syndrome to finish an Ironman. The plan was to have Dan on to talk about Chris and maybe pick his brain being a fellow Realtor. But we covered that and oh so much more. Hope you enjoy it. here's our conversation.
Overview: Today host Lori Boll speaks with Chris Nikic and his father, Nic. Chris set a new world record by being the first person with Down Syndrome to complete a 140.6-mile Ironman. He is also the first person with Down Syndrome to be sponsored by Adidas. His mission is to inspire others like him to pursue their dreams and goals. His greatest achievement is showing others how shifting your focus from your disabilities to your abilities and pursuing your dreams with an unwavering tenacity, a positive attitude and a no-quit grit can help anyone achieve their goals and dreams. Connect with Chris Website Resources mentioned on today's show: Book: 1% better: The Chris Nikic Story GoFund Me for Chris' Ironman in Hawaii Special Olympics - Watch the documentary about Chris on the homepage Adidas Runner 321 Bio Chris Nikic set a new world record by being the first person with Down Syndrome to complete a 140.6-mile Ironman. His mission is to inspire others like him to pursue their dreams and goals. His greatest achievement is showing others how shifting your focus from your disabilities to your abilities and pursuing your dreams with an unwavering tenacity, a positive attitude and a no-quit grit can help anyone achieve their goals and dreams. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/seniapodcast/message
Happy first week of Spring! Today we are sitting down with Chris Nikic, the first man with down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon, and his father Nik. Together we discuss how Chris overcame the mental and physical pain of training to accomplish his goals, and the rhythms he implements to become 1% better each day. There is so much we can take away from this conversation and apply to our daily lives.If you are looking to enter the Spring season with intention, join us in a two-week tech detox. Less Scrolling More Strolling was designed to help us look up, away from our phones, and see what God has to show us in the beauty of seasons.To hear more from Gabe on this topic, you can check out his article, In Defense of Down Syndrome Children, Like My Son.You can find Chris's book out now, 1% Better: Reaching My Full Potential and How You Can Too.As we aim to live fueled by a rhythm of rest, we have partnered with Abide. Their resources are a tangible way to experience the beauty of God's Word.Join our email community for encouragement, advice, and to submit questions for the RFL podcast!Thank you for listening! Be sure to follow and leave a review so we can continue to reach others with these conversations.
Rick goes all-in on triathlons with athletes Sam Long and Chris Nikic Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chris Nikic is a Special Olympics superstar in multiple sports. Chris decided to take his talents to the world of Iron Man. He shook off all negativity and has become a star there. Chris and his father join Lubie on After Hours today to talk about being the first person with down syndrome to excel at Iron Man. Chris is a tremendous story and someone we can all admire, check out how he has persevered time and time again! Follow Chris at https://chrisnikic.com/ Check out Defo and Lubie M-F from 7-9am ET LIVE, https://eyeonchannel.com/the-defo-show/ Follow Defo on Twitter @DefoShow, FB - https://www.facebook.com/jeff.deforrest Follow Lubie on Twitter/Ig @LubieOnAir, FB - https://www.facebook.com/mike.lubitz1
Ep. 83: When Chris became the first person with Down syndrome to complete an IRONMAN Triathlon, he etched his name in the Guinness Book of World Records and received the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance from Tim Tebow at the ESPYS. The process that got Chris over the finish line was a self-improvement model they developed called 1% Better. Today, they share this model with organizations teaching that while you may never be "the best," you can be 1% better when you stop imposing self-limitations and begin the journey to reach your goals. You will learn: The difference between a goal and a dream — and how you can achieve both. How to overcome setbacks, avoid burnout, and learn from your mistakes. How to make self-improvement a celebration of life rather than a grind. Visit https://donyaeger.com/corporate-competitor-podcast/episode-83/ for a free gift and today's show notes!
The Special Olympics Triathlete joins JR to discuss his journey along with the 1% better movement
Date: February 6, 2022 The Pitfall of Injustice The Point: Press forward in spite of injustice. Get Into the Study Use the following information to introduce Question #1. Begin by sharing this news item: Last September, the Guinness World Records 2022 book was released. Chris Nikic's name is included in the book. Chris set a […] The post Extra! Ideas for Adults – How to Avoid Life's Pitfalls – Session 3 appeared first on Bible Studies for Life.
Chris Nikic is the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman Triathlon. Today, Chris and his dad Nik share their inspirational story and why they want to help others achieve their dreams and overcome mental hurdles. --- Looking for a holiday gift idea? Order our new devotional book: "The Increase 52 Week Devotional: Inspiring Stories of Faith from the World of Pro Sports."
How do you handle stressful situations? Everyone's built a little different — some people can take their hits on the chin and come out smiling. But not everyone can take those hits. The pandemic has taken its mental toll on so many people. Others might still be struggling with past traumas and dealing with anxiety. Their situation keeps them in a state of constant worry and hypervigilance. That state of mind doesn't only harm their mental and emotional health — it can make them sick and more prone to physical diseases. More than ever, it's time to begin mental healing from past traumas, so we can better cope with our daily stresses. Dr Don Wood joins us again in this episode to talk about the TIPP program and how it facilitates mental healing. He explains how our minds are affected by traumas and how these can affect our health and performance. If we want to become more relaxed, we need to learn how to go into the alpha brainwave state. Since mental healing is not an immediate process, Dr Don also shares some coping strategies we can use in our daily lives. If you want to know more about how neuroscience can help you achieve mental healing, then this episode is for you. Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode: Learn how trauma can put you in a constant state of survival and affect your performance and daily life. Understand that it's not your fault. Achieving mental healing will require you to learn how to go into an alpha brainwave state. Discover healthy habits that will keep you from entering survival mode. Resources Gain exclusive access and bonuses to Pushing the Limits Podcast by becoming a patron! A new program, BOOSTCAMP, is coming this September at Peak Wellness! Listen to other Pushing the Limits episodes: #183: Sirtuin and NAD Supplements for Longevity with Dr Elena Seranova #189: Understanding Autophagy and Increasing Your Longevity with Dr Elena Seranova #199: How Unresolved Trauma Prevents You from Having a Healthy Life With Dr Don Wood Check out Dr Don Wood's books: Emotional Concussions: Understanding How Our Nervous System is Affected By Events and Experiences Throughout Our Life You Must Be Out Of Your Mind: We All Need A Reboot Connect with Dr Don Wood: Inspired Performance Institute I Facebook I LinkedIn Get Customised Guidance for Your Genetic Make-Up For our epigenetics health programme, all about optimising your fitness, lifestyle, nutrition and mind performance to your particular genes, go to https://www.lisatamati.com/page/epigenetics-and-health-coaching/. Customised Online Coaching for Runners CUSTOMISED RUN COACHING PLANS — How to Run Faster, Be Stronger, Run Longer Without Burnout & Injuries Have you struggled to fit in training in your busy life? Maybe you don't know where to start, or perhaps you have done a few races but keep having motivation or injury troubles? Do you want to beat last year's time or finish at the front of the pack? Want to run your first 5-km or run a 100-miler? Do you want a holistic programme that is personalised & customised to your ability, goals, and lifestyle? Go to www.runninghotcoaching.com for our online run training coaching. Health Optimisation and Life Coaching If you are struggling with a health issue and need people who look outside the square and are connected to some of the greatest science and health minds in the world, then reach out to us at support@lisatamati.com, we can jump on a call to see if we are a good fit for you. If you have a big challenge ahead, are dealing with adversity, or want to take your performance to the next level and learn how to increase your mental toughness, emotional resilience, foundational health, and more, then contact us at support@lisatamati.com. Order My Books My latest book Relentless chronicles the inspiring journey about how my mother and I defied the odds after an aneurysm left my mum Isobel with massive brain damage at age 74. The medical professionals told me there was absolutely no hope of any quality of life again. Still, I used every mindset tool, years of research and incredible tenacity to prove them wrong and bring my mother back to full health within three years. Get your copy here: https://shop.lisatamati.com/collections/books/products/relentless. For my other two best-selling books Running Hot and Running to Extremes, chronicling my ultrarunning adventures and expeditions all around the world, go to https://shop.lisatamati.com/collections/books. Lisa's Anti-Ageing and Longevity Supplements NMN: Nicotinamide Mononucleotide, an NAD+ precursor Feel Healthier and Younger* Researchers have found that Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide or NAD+, a master regulator of metabolism and a molecule essential for the functionality of all human cells, is being dramatically decreased over time. What is NMN? NMN Bio offers a cutting edge Vitamin B3 derivative named NMN (beta Nicotinamide Mononucleotide) that can boost the levels of NAD+ in muscle tissue and liver. Take charge of your energy levels, focus, metabolism and overall health so you can live a happy, fulfilling life. Founded by scientists, NMN Bio offers supplements of the highest purity and rigorously tested by an independent, third party lab. Start your cellular rejuvenation journey today. Support Your Healthy Ageing We offer powerful third party-tested, NAD+ boosting supplements so you can start your healthy ageing journey today. 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Episode Highlights [06:05] The Pandemic-Induced Mental Health Crisis The pandemic forced many people into a state of freeze mode, not the typical fight or flight response. As people get out of freeze mode, there will be a rise in mental health issues. Teenagers are robbed of the opportunity to develop social and communication skills during this time. [08:24] How Dr Don Wood Started Studying Traumas Dr Don's wife grew up in a household with an angry father who instilled fear. He used to think that she would be less anxious when they started to live together, but she struggled with mental healing. She had an inherent belief that misfortune always follows good things. Her traumas and fears also led to a lot of health issues. She also was hyper-vigilant, which she used as a protective mechanism. However, this prevented her from being relaxed and happy. A person's environment can dictate whether they go into this hyper-vigilant state, but genetics can also play a factor. [15:42] How Trauma Affects the Brain Trauma is caused by a dysregulation of the subconscious. If your brain is in survival mode, it will access data from the past and create physiological responses to them. These emotions demand action, even when it is no longer possible or necessary. This dysregulation prevents you from living in the present and initiating mental healing. In this state, people can be triggered constantly, which interferes with their day-to-day life. [21:07] The Role of the Subconscious Your conscious mind only takes up around 5%, while the subconscious takes up 95%. Your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between real and imagined. In survival mode, people will keep replaying the past and think about different scenarios and decisions. You're left stuck because the subconscious mind only lives in the now. It does not have a concept of time. This process is the brain trying to protect you. [25:04] What Happens When You're Always in Survival Mode Being in survival mode will take a physical toll since it's constantly activating the nervous system, increasing cortisol and adrenaline. When you're in this state, your body and mind cannot work on maintenance and recovery. It is more focused on escaping or fixing perceived threats. Over time, this will affect your immune system and make you sick. To truly achieve mental healing, you need to get to the root cause of your problems. However, you also have to develop coping strategies to manage your day-to-day activities. [30:18] Changing Your Brainwave State Traumatic events are usually stored in a beta brainwave state. Changing your response to traumatic events starts with going into an alpha brainwave state. The beta state is usually from 15 - 30 hertz, while the alpha is lower at 7 - 14 hertz. Anything below that is the delta state, usually when you're in deep meditation or sleep. People who have trouble sleeping are usually in that beta state, which keeps processing information. It's only in the delta state that your mind and body start the maintenance phase. This phase helps not only with mental healing but also physical recovery. Learn more about Lisa and Dr Don's personal experiences with these brainwave states in the full episode! [34:30] Mental Healing and Physical Recovery Starts with the Brain Recovery is about genetics and the environment. In sleep, your mind will always want to deal with the threats first. It can only get to the delta state once it finishes processing these dangers. Your risk for developing sickness and depression rises if your brain can't do maintenance. Living in the beta state will make it difficult to focus. [41:40] It's Not Your Fault If you have a lot of trauma, you are predisposed to respond in a certain way. It's not your fault. There's nothing wrong with your mind; you just experienced different things from others. Dr Don likened this situation to two phones having a different number of applications running. Predictably, the device that runs more applications will have its battery drained faster. [44:05] Change How You Respond Working on traumas requires changing the associative and repetitive memory, which repeats responses to threats. You cannot change a pattern and get mental healing immediately—it will take time. That's the reason why Dr Don's program has a 30-day recovery phase dedicated to changing your response pattern. Patterns form because the subconscious mind sees them as a beneficial way of coping with traumas. This function of your subconscious is how addictions form. [47:04] Why We Can Be Irrational The subconscious lives only in the present. It does not see the future nor the past. It will want to take actions that will stop the pain, even if the actions are not rational. At its core, addiction is all about trying to stop the pain or other traumatic experiences. Survival mode always overrides reason and logic because its priority is to protect you. [50:57] What to Do When You're in Survival State In this survival state, we're prone to movement or shutting down completely. The brain can stop calling for emotions to protect you, and this is how depression develops. When in a depressed state, start moving to initiate mental healing. Exercise helps burn through cortisol and adrenaline. Once your mind realises there's no action required for the perceived threats, the depression will lift. [53:24] Simple Actions Can Help There's nothing wrong with you. Don't just treat the symptom; go straight to the issue. Don't blame genetics or hormonal imbalances for finding it hard to get mental healing. Find out why. Also, seek things that will balance out your hormones. These can be as simple as walking in nature, taking a break, and self-care. [56:04] How to Find a Calming Symbol Find a symbol that will help you go back into the alpha brainwave state. Lisa shares that her symbol is the sunset or sunrise, and this helps her calm down. Meanwhile, Dr Don's are his home and the hawk. Having a symbol communicates to all parts of your brain that you're safe. [59:58] The Power of Breathing Stress may lead to irregular breathing patterns and increase your cortisol levels and blood sugar. Breathing exercises, like box breathing, can also help you calm down because the brain will take higher oxygen levels as a state of safety. If you're running out of oxygen, your brain will think you're still in danger. Make sure that you're breathing well. It's also better to do nasal breathing. 7 Powerful Quotes ‘The purpose of an emotion is a call for an action. So the purpose of fear is to run.' ‘People who have a lot of trauma have trouble sleeping. Because not only is their mind processing what it experienced during the day, it's also taking some of those old files saying “Well, okay, let's fix that now. Right. Let's get that.”' ‘I was getting maximum restorative sleep. So an injury that I would have that could heal in two or three days, my teammates would two or three weeks. Because they were living in these, which I didn't know, a lot of my friends were dealing with trauma: physical, emotional, sexual abuse.' ‘There's nothing wrong with anybody's mind. Everybody's mind is fine except you are experiencing something different than I experienced so your mind kept responding to it, and mine didn't have that.' ‘That dysregulation of the nervous system. That's what we want to stop because that is what is going to affect health, enjoyment of life, and everything else.' ‘I talked about addiction as a code. I don't believe it's a disease. Your mind has found a resource to stop pains and your subconscious mind is literal. It doesn't see things as good or bad, or right or wrong.' ‘If there's a survival threat, survival will always override reason and logic because it's designed to protect you.' About Dr Don Dr Don Wood, PhD, is the CEO of The Inspired Performance Institute. Fueled by his family's experiences, he developed the cutting-edge neuroscience approach, TIPP. The program has produced impressive results and benefited individuals all over the world. Dr Wood has helped trauma survivors achieve mental healing from the Boston Marathon bombing attack and the Las Vegas shooting. He has also helped highly successful executives and world-class athletes. Marko Cheseto, a double amputee marathon runner, broke the world record after completing TIPP. Meanwhile, Chris Nikic worked with Dr Wood and made world news by becoming the first person with Down Syndrome to finish an Ironman competition. Interested in Dr Don's work? Check out The Inspired Performance Institute. You can also reach him on Facebook and LinkedIn. Enjoyed This Podcast? If you did, be sure to subscribe and share it with your friends! Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your family and friends so they can learn steps to mental healing. Have any questions? You can contact me through email (support@lisatamati.com) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. For more episode updates, visit my website. You may also tune in on Apple Podcasts. To pushing the limits, Lisa Transcript Of Podcast Welcome to Pushing the Limits, the show that helps you reach your full potential with your host Lisa Tamati, brought to you by lisatamati.com. Lisa Tamati: Hi, everyone and welcome back to Pushing the Limits. Today, I have Dr Don Wood who, you may recognise that name if you listen to the podcast regularly. He was on the show maybe a couple of months ago, and he is the CEO and founder of The Inspired Performance Institute. He's a neuroscience guy, and he knows everything there is to know about dealing with trauma and how to get the mind back on track when you've been through big, horrible life events or some such thing. Now, when we talked last time, he shared with me his methodology, the work that he's done, how he can help people with things like addictions as well and depression, and just dealing with the stresses of life, whether they be small stressors or big stressors. We got to talking about my situation and the stuff that I've been through in the last few years, which many of you listeners know, has been pretty traumatic. From losing babies, to losing my dad, to mom's journey. So I was very privileged and lucky to have Dr Don Wood actually invite me to do his program with him. We share today my stories, how I went with that, and he explains a little bit more in-depth the neuroscience behind it all and how it all works. So if you're someone who's dealing with stress, anxiety, PTSD, depression, if you want to understand how the brain works and how you can help yourself to deal with these sorts of things, then you must listen to the show. He's an absolutely lovely, wonderful person. Now, before we get over to the show, I just love you all to do a couple of things for me. If you wouldn't mind doing a rating and review of the show on Apple, iTunes or wherever you listen to this, that would be fantastic. It helps the show get found. We also have a patron program, just a reminder if you want to check that out. Come and join the mission that we're on to bring this wonderful information to reach to people. Also, we have our BOOSTCAMP program starting on the first of September 2021. If you listen to this later, we will be holding these on a regular basis so make sure you check it out. This is an eight-week live webinar series that my business partner, my best buddy, and longtime coach Neil Wagstaff and I will be running. It's more about upgrading your life and helping you perform better, helping you be your best that you can be, helping you understand your own biology, your own neuroscience, how your brain works, how your biology works. Lots of good information that's going to help you upgrade your life, live longer, be happier, reduce stress, and be able to deal with things when life is stressful. God knows we're all dealing with that. So I'd love you to come and check that out. You can go to peakwellness.co.nz/boostcamp. I also want to remind you to check us out on Instagram. I'm quite active on Instagram. I have a couple of accounts there. We have one for the podcast that we've just started. We need a few more followers please on there. Go to @pushingthelimits for that one on Instagram, and then my main account is @lisatamati, if you want to check that one out. If you are a running fan, check us out on Instagram @runninghotcoaching and we're on Facebook under all of those as well. So @lisatamati, @pushingthelimits, and @runninghotcoaching. The last thing before we go over to Dr Don Wood, reminder check out, too, our longevity and anti-aging supplement. We've joined forces with Dr Elena Seranova and have NMN which is nicotinamide mononucleotide, and this is really some of that cooler stuff in the anti-aging, and longevity space. If you want to check out the science behind that, we have a couple of podcasts with her. Check those out and also head on over to nmnbio.nz. Right. Over to the show with Dr Don Wood. Hi, everyone and welcome back to Pushing the Limits. Today, I have a dear, dear friend again who's back on the show as a repeat offender, Dr Don Wood. Dr Don Wood: I didn't know I was a repeat offender. Oh, I'm in trouble. That's great. Lisa: Repeat offender on the show. Dr Don, for those who don't know, was on the show. Dr Don is a trauma expert and a neuroscientist, and someone who understands how the brain works, and why we struggle with anxiety, and depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. We did a deep dive last time, didn't we, into the program that you've developed. Since then, everyone, I have been through Dr Don's pro program. He kindly took me through it. Today, I want to unpack a little bit of my experiences on the other side, s the client, so to speak. Talk about what I went through. Dr Don, so firstly, welcome to the show again. How's it all over in your neck of the woods? Dr Don: Well, it's awesome over here in Florida. COVID is basically non-existent. Oh, yeah. Well, in terms of the way people are treating it, that's for sure. Very few people you see in masks now, everything is pretty much wide open. You can't even get reservations at restaurants. It's unbelievable. The economy is exploding here. There's so much going on. Yeah, I know the rest of the country, a lot of different places are still struggling with whether they're going to put mask mandates back on and all this kind of stuff but Florida seems to be doing very well. Lisa: Well, I'm very glad to hear that because any bit of good news in this scenario is good because this keeps coming and biting everybody in the bum. Dr Don: I know. Especially down there. You guys are really experiencing quite severe lockdowns and things, right? Lisa: Yeah and Australia, more so. Australia has gone back into lockdown. I've got cousins in Sydney who are experiencing really hard times in Melbourne and we've stopped the trans-Tasman bubble at the moment. Trans-Tasman was open for business, so to speak, with Australians being able to come to New Zealand without quarantine, but it's been shut down again. So yeah, we're still struggling with it, and the economy is still struggling with it but actually, in our country, we've been very lucky that we've managed to keep it out because they've had such tight controls on the borders. But yes, it's a rocky road for everybody, and it's not over yet, I think. Dr Don: Looks like it's going to continue, and that's creating a lot of stress. Lisa: Oh, yeah, perfect. Dr Don: This is what I've said. I think we're coming up to a tsunami of mental health issues because a lot of people have gone into freeze mode as opposed to fight or flight. Some people are in fight or flight. You're hearing about that on airlines: people just losing it, and getting mad, and fighting with flight attendants and passengers, and you see a lot of that. But I think that's obviously not the majority. I think most people are in that mode of just get through this, do what they ask, don't cause any waves, and just get this over with. So that's a freeze mode, and I think when people come out of freeze, you're going to start to see some of these mental health issues. Lisa: Yes, I totally agree and I'm very concerned about the young people. I think that being hit very hard especially in the places that have the hardest lockdowns. If you're going through puberty, or you're going through teenagehood, or even the younger kids, I think, they're going to be affected massively by this because it's going to be a big before and after sort of situation for them. Dr Don: And just the social. When we were teenagers, social was everything, I suppose. Learning how to communicate, and talk, and get along with other people, and good and bad. There were always struggles in school with learning how to get along with everybody but that is just sort of squashed. It's going to be fascinating to see when they do a study on the real true results of this pandemic. It's going to be a lot different than many people think. Lisa: Yes, and I think the longer you ignore stuff, is we're going to see it's not just the people are unfortunately dying and being very sick from the actual COVID, but the actual effects on society are going to be big. That's why talking about the topic that we're talking about today, dealing with anxiety, and dealing with stress, and being able to actually fix the problem instead of just managing the problem, which I know you're big on. So let's dive in there, and let's recap a little bit. Just briefly go back over your story, how you got to here, and what your method sort of entails in a helicopter perspective. Dr Don: Yeah, basically how I developed this was really because of the life that my wife led first and my daughter. My wife grew up in a very traumatic household with a very angry father that created tremendous fear. So everybody was... Just constant tension in that household. When I met her, I just realised how this was so different than my life. My life was in the complete opposite: very nurturing, loving. So I didn't experience that. I thought when she started moving in and we got married at 19, we were very young, that this would all stop for her. Because now, she's living in my world, my environment, and it didn't. She just kept continuing to feel this fear that something was going to go wrong and nothing is going to go right. She struggled with enjoying things that were going well. I would say to her, 'We've got three beautiful children. We've got a beautiful home. Everything's going pretty good; nothing's perfect. You have your ups and downs, but it's generally a pretty good life.' She couldn't enjoy that because as a child, whenever things were going okay, it would quickly end and it would end, sometimes violently. So the way she was protecting herself is don't get too excited when things are going well because you'll get this huge drop. So that was what she was doing to protect herself. I just had a lady come in here a couple months ago, who very famous athlete is her husband: millionaires, got fame, fortune, everything you want, but she had a lot of health issues because of trauma from her childhood. When I explained that to her, she said, 'That's me. Your wife is me. I should be enjoying this, and I can't get there. I want to. My husband can't understand it.' But that's really what was going on for her too. Lisa: So it's a protective mechanism, isn't it? To basically not get too relaxed and happy because you've got to be hyper-vigilant, and this is something that I've definitely struggled with my entire life. Not because I had a horrible childhood. I had a wonderful childhood but I was super sensitive. So from a genetic perspective, I'm super sensitive. I have a lot of adrenaline that makes me code for, for want of a better description, I'm very emotionally empathetic but it also makes me swung by emotional stimuli very much. So someone in my environment is unhappy, I am unhappy. I'm often anxious and upset. My mum telling me she took me to Bambi. You know the movie Bambi? From Disneyland? She had to take me out of theatre. I was in distraught. That's basically me. Because Bambi's mother got killed, right? I couldn't handle that as a four-year-old, and I still can't handle things. Things like the news and stuff, I protect myself from that because I take everything on. It's even a problem and in our business service situations because I want to save the world. I very much take on my clients' issues. I'm still learning to shut gates afterwards, so to speak, when you're done working with someone so that you're not constantly... So there's a genetic component to this as well. Dr Don: Absolutely. So yours was coming from a genetic side but that's very, very common amongst people who have had a traumatic childhood. They're super sensitive. Lisa: Yes. Hyper-vigilant. Dr Don: Hyper-vigilant. That was my wife. She was constantly looking for danger. We'd come out of the storage and go: 'Can you believe how rude that clerk was?' 'What do you mean she was rude? How was she rude?' ‘You see the way she answered that question when I asked that, and then the way she stuffed the clothes in the bag?' And I'm like, 'Wow.' I never saw her like that. She was looking for it because that's how she protected herself because she had to recognise when danger was coming. So it was protection, and I hadn't experienced that so that made no sense to me; it made perfect sense to her. Lisa: Yeah, and if someone was rude to you, you would be just like, 'Well, that's their problem, not my problem, and I'm not taking it on.' Whereas for someone your wife and for me... I did have a dad who was a real hard, tough man, like old-school tough. We were very much on tenterhooks so when they came home, whether he was in a good mood today or not in a good mood. He was a wonderful, loving father but there was that tension of wanting to please dad. Mum was very calm and stable, but Dad was sort of more volatile and just up and down. It was wonderful and fun and other times, you'd be gauging all of that before he even walked in the door. That just makes you very much hyper-vigilant to everything as well. Then, you put on, on top of that, the genetic component. You've got things like your serotonin and your adrenaline. So I've got the problem with the adrenaline and a lack of dopamine. So I don't have dopamine receptors that stops me feeling satisfaction and... Well, not stops me but it limits my feeling of, 'Oh, I've done a good job today. I can relax.' Or of reward. And other people have problems, I don't have this one, but with a serotonin gene, which is they have dysregulation of their serotonin and that calm, and that sense of well-being and mood regulation is also up and down. While it's not a predisposition that you'll definitely going to have troubles because you can learn the tools to manage those neurotransmitters and things like nutrition and gut health and all that aspect. Because it's all a piece of that puzzle, but it's really just interesting, and it makes you much more understanding of people's differences. Why does one person get completely overwhelmed in a very trivial situation versus someone else who could go into war and come back and they're fine? What is it that makes one person? Then you got the whole actual neuroscience circuitry stuff, which I find fascinating, what you do. Can you explain a little bit what goes on? Say let's just pick a traumatic experience: Someone's gone through some big major trauma. What is actually going on in the brain again? Can we explain this a little bit? Dr Don: Yeah, this is one of the things that... When I did my research, I realised this is what's causing the dysregulation: is your subconscious your survival brain is fully present in the moment all the time. So everything in that part of our brain is operating in the present. which is what is supposed to be, right? They say that that's the key, that success and happiness is live in the present. Well, your survival brain does that. The problem comes in is that only humans store explicit details about events and experiences. So everything you've seen, heard, smelled, and touched in your lifetime has been recorded and stored in this tremendous memory system. Explicit memory. Animals have procedural memory or associative memory. We have that memory system too. So we have both. They only have procedural, associative. So they learn through repetition, and they learn to associate you with safety and love, but they don't store the details about it. But we store all the details about these events and experiences. So this is where this glitch is coming in. If you've got the survival brain, which is 95% of everything that's going on, operating in the present, accessing data from something that happened 10 years ago because something looks like, sounds like, smells like it again, it's creating a response to something that's not happening. It's looking at old data and creating a physiological response to it, and the purpose of an emotion is a call for an action. So the purpose of fear is to run, to escape a threat. But there's no threat. It's just information about the threat. That disrupts your nervous system and then that creates a cascade of chemical reactions in your body because your mind thinks there's an action required. Lisa: This is at the crux of the whole system really, isn't it? This is this call for action to fix a problem that is in the past that cannot be fixed in the now. So if we can dive a little bit into my story, and I'm quite open on the show. I'm sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly. When I was working with Dr Don, I've been through a very, very traumatic few years really. Lost my dad, first and foremost, last July, which was the biggest trauma of my life. And it was a very difficult process that we went through before he died as well. And there's a lift, as you can imagine, my brain in a state of every night nightmares, fighting for his life, he's dying over, and over, and over, and over again. Those memories are intruding into my daily life, whereas in anything and at any time, I could be triggered and be in a bawling state in the middle of the car park or the supermarket. Because something's triggered me that Dad liked to to buy or Dad, whatever the case was, and this was becoming... It's now a year after the event but everything was triggering me constantly. Of course, this is draining the life out of you and interfering with your ability to give focus to your business, to your family, to your friends, every other part of your life. I'd also been through the trauma of bringing Mum back from that mess of aneurysm that everyone knows about. The constant vigilance that is associated with bringing someone back and who is that far gone to where she is now, and the constant fear of her slipping backwards, and me missing something, especially in light of what I'd been through with my father. So I'd missed some things, obviously. That's why he ended up in that position and through his own choices as well. But this load, and then losing a baby as well in the middle, baby Joseph. There was just a hell of a lot to deal with in the last five years. Then, put on top of it, this genetic combination of a hot mess you got sitting before you and you've got a whole lot of trauma to get through. So when we did the process, and I was very, super excited to do this process because it was so intrusive into my life, and I realised that I was slowly killing myself because I wasn't able to stop that process from taking over my life. I could function. I was highly functional. No one would know in a daily setting, but only because I've got enough tools to keep my shit together. so to speak. But behind closed doors, there's a lot of trauma going on. So can you sort of, just in a high level, we don't want to go into the details. This is a four-hour program that I went through with Dr Don. What was going on there. and what did you actually help me with? Dr Don: So when you're describing those things that were happening to you, what was actually happening to your mind is it was not okay with any of that. It wanted it to be different, right? So it was trying to get you into a state of action to stop your father from dying: Do it differently. Because it kept reviewing the data. It was almost looking at game tape from a game and saying 'Oh, had we maybe run the play that way, we would have avoided the tackle here.' So what your mind was saying 'Okay, run that way.' Well, you can't run that way. This is game tape. Right? But your mind doesn't see it as game tape. It sees it as real now, so it's run that way. So it keeps calling you into an action. And especially with your dad because you were thinking about, 'Why didn't I do this?' Or 'Had I just done this, maybe this would have happened.' What your mind was saying is, 'Okay, let's do it. Let's do that.' What you just thought about. But you can't do that. It doesn't exist. It's information about something that happened but your mind sees it as real. That's why Hollywood have made trillions of dollars because they can convince you something on the screen is actually happening. That's why we cry in a movie or that's why we get scared in a movie. Because your mind, your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between real or imagined. So that's actually happening. You were just talking about the movie with Bambi, right? When you were little. 'Why is nobody stopping this from happening?' So your mind was not okay with a lot of these things that were happening, and it kept calling you to make a difference. That's what I never understood my wife doing. That before I really researched this, my wife would always be saying, 'Don't you wish this hadn't have happened?' Or 'Don't you wish we hadn't done this?' What I didn't understand at the time, because I used to just get like, 'Okay, whatever.' She'd go, 'Yeah, but wouldn't it have been better?' She wanted to get me into this play with her, this exercise. Lisa: This is going on in her head. Dr Don: Because it's going on in her head, and she's trying to feel better. So she's creating these scenarios that would make her feel like, 'Well, if I had just done that, gosh that would have been nice, thinking about that life.' And her mind seeing that going, 'Oh, that would be nice. Well, let's do that. Yes.' So she was what if-ing her life. And it was something that she did very early as a child because that's how she just experienced something traumatic with her father. In her mind, she'd be going, 'Well, what if I had to just left 10 minutes earlier, and I had have escaped that?' Or 'What if I hadn't done this?' So that's what she was doing. It made no sense to me because I hadn't experienced her life, but that's what she was doing. Her mind was trying to fix something. It's never tried to hurt you. It was never, at any point, trying to make you feel bad. It was trying to protect you. Lisa: Its job is to protect you from danger and it sees everything as you sit in the now so it's happening now. I love that analogy of these... What was it? Two-thirds of the car or something and... Dr Don: So goat and snowflake? Lisa: Goat and snowflake. And they're going off to a meeting and they're late. And what does the goat says to snowflake or the other way around? Dr Don: So snowflake, which is your conscious mind, your logical reasonable part of your mind, there's only 5, says the goat 95%, which is your subconscious mind. Who runs into a traffic jam says, 'Oh, we're going to be late. We should have left 15 minutes earlier.' To which goat replies 'Okay, let's do it. Let's leave 15 minutes earlier because that would solve the problem.' Lisa: That analogy is stuck in my head because you just cannot... It doesn't know that it's too late and you can't hop into the past because it only lives in the now. This is 95% of how our brain operates. That's why we can do things like, I was walking, I was at a strategy meeting in Auckland with my business partner two days ago. We were walking along the road and he suddenly tripped and fell onto the road, right? My subconscious reacted so fast, I grabbed him right, and punched him in the guts. I didn't mean to do that but my subconscious recognised in a millimeter of a second, millionth of a second, that he was falling and I had to stop him. So this is a good side of the survival network: stopping and falling into the traffic or onto the ground. But the downside of it is that brain is operating only in the now and it can't... Like with my father, it was going 'Save him. Save him. Save him. Why are you not saving him?' Then that's calling for an action, and then my body is agitated. The cortisol level's up. The adrenaline is up, and I'm trying to do something that's impossible to fix. That can drive you to absolute insanity when that's happening every hour, every day. Dr Don: Then that's taking a physical toll on your body because it's activating your nervous system, which is now, the cortisol levels are going up, adrenaline, right? So when your mind is in that constant state, it does very little on maintenance. It is not worried about fixing anything; it's worried about escaping or fixing the threat, because that's the number one priority. Lisa: It doesn't know that it's not happening. I ended up with shingles for two months. I've only just gotten over it a few weeks ago. That's a definite sign of my body's, my immune system is down. Why is it down? Why can that virus that's been sitting dormant in my body for 40-something years suddenly decide now to come out? Because it's just becoming too much. I've spent too long in the fight or flight state and then your immune system is down. This is how we end up really ill. Dr Don: We get sick. I was just actually having lunch today with a young lady and she's got some immune system issues. And I said, 'Think about it like the US Army, US military is the biggest, strongest military in the world. But if you took that military and you spread it out amongst 50 countries around the world fighting battles, and then somebody attacks the United States, I don't care how big and strong that system was, that military system was. It's going to be weakened when it gets an attack at the homefront.' So that's what was happening. So all of a sudden, now that virus that it could fight and keep dormant, it lets it pass by because it's like, 'Well, we can let that go. We'll catch that later. Right now, we got to go on the offensive and attack something else.' Lisa: Yeah, and this is where autoimmune, like your daughter experienced... Dr Don: About the Crohn's? Yep. Lisa: Yep. She experienced that at 13 or something ridiculous? Dr Don: 14, she got it. Then she also got idiopathic pulmonary hemosiderosis which is another lung autoimmune disorder where the iron in the blood would just cause the lungs to release the blood. So her lungs just starts filling up with blood. They had no idea what caused it, that's the idiopathic part of it, and they just basically said, ‘There's no cure. She just needs to live close to a hospital because she'll bleed out if she has another attack.' Only 1 in 1.2 million people ever get that. So it's very rare so there's no research being done for it. They just basically say, ‘If you get it, live close to a hospital.' That's the strategy. Lisa: That's the way of fixing it. Dr Don: And so both of those are autoimmune, and ever since we've gone to the program, she's hasn't had a flare-up of either one of those. Because I think our system is directly now able to address those things. Lisa: Yeah, and can calm down. I think even people who haven't got post-traumatic stress like I've had or whatever, they've still got the day to day grind of life, and the struggle with finances, and the mortgage to be paid, and the kids to feed, and whatever dramas we're all going through. Like we talked about with COVID and this constant change that society is undergoing, and that's going to get faster and more. So this is something that we all need to be wary of: That we're not in this. I've taught and learned a lot about the coping and managing strategies, the breathing techniques, and meditation, the things, and that's what's kept me, probably, going. Dr Don: Those are great because they're... Again, that's managing it but it's good to have that because you've got to get to the root of it, which is what we were working on. But at the same time, if you don't have any coping, managing skills, life gets very difficult. Lisa: Yeah, and this is in-the-moment, everyday things that I can do to help manage the stress levels, and this is definitely something you want to talk about as well. So with me, we went through this process, and we did... For starters, you had to get my brain into a relaxed state, and it took quite a long time to get my brainwaves into a different place. So what were we doing there? How does that work with the brainwave stuff? Dr Don: Well, when we have a traumatic event or memory, that has been stored in a very high-resolution state. So in a beta brainwave state because all your senses are heightened: sight, smell, hearing. So it's recording that and storing it in memory in a very intense state. So if I sat down with you and said, 'Okay, let's get this fixed.' And I just started trying to work directly on that memory, you're still going to be in a very high agitated state because we're going to be starting to talk about this memory. So you're going to be in a beta brainwave state trying to recalibrate a beta stored memory. That's going to be very difficult to do. So what we do is, and that's why I use the four hours because within that first an hour and a half to two hours, we're basically communicating with the subconscious part of the brain by telling stories, symbols with metaphors, goat and snowflake, all the stories, all the metaphors that are built-in because then your brain moves into an alpha state. When it's in alpha, that's where it does restoration. So it's very prepared to start restoring. And then, if you remember, by the time we got to a couple of the traumatic memories, we only work on them for two or three minutes. Because you're in alpha, and so you've got this higher state of beta, and it recalibrates it into the same state that it's in. So if it's in alpha, it can take a beta memory, reprocess it in alpha, takes all the intensity out of it. Lisa: So these brain waves, these beta states, just to briefly let people know, so this is speed, and correct me if I'm wrong, but it's the speed at which the brain waves are coming out. So in beta, like you'd see on ECG or something, it's sort of really fast. I think there's a 40 day... Dr Don: It's 15 to 30 hertz. Lisa: 15 to 30 hertz and then if you're in alpha, it's a lot lower than that? Dr Don: 7 to 14. Lisa: 7 to 14, and then below that is sort of when you're going into the sleep phase, either deep meditative or asleep. Dr Don: You're dreaming. Because what it's doing in dreaming is processing. So you're between 4 and 7 hertz. That's why people who have a lot of trauma have trouble sleeping. Because not only is their mind processing what it experienced during the day, it's also taking some of those old files saying, 'Well, okay, let's fix that now. Right. Let's get that.' That's where your nightmares are coming from. It was trying to get you into a processing to fix that. but it couldn't fix it. So it continues, and then when you go below 4 hertz, you go into delta. Delta is dreamless sleep and that's where the maintenance is getting done. Lisa: That's the physical maintenance side more than the... Dr Don: Physical maintenance. Yeah, because that's not processing what it experienced anymore. What it's really now doing is saying, 'Okay, what are the issues that need to be dealt with?' So if you're very relaxed and you've had a very... Like me, right? I played hockey, so I had six concussions, 60 stitches, and never missed a hockey game. The only reason now that I understand I could do that is because I'm getting two or three times more Delta sleep than my teammates were. Lisa: Physical recuperative sleep. Dr Don: Yeah, I was getting maximum restorative sleep. So an injury that I would have that could heal in two or three days, my teammates would two or three weeks. Because they were living in these, which I didn't know, a lot of my friends were dealing with trauma: physical, emotional, sexual abuse. I didn't know that was going on with my friends. Nobody talked about it. I didn't see it in their homes, but they were all dealing with that. Lisa: So they are not able to get... So look, I've noticed since I've been through the program. My sleep is much better, and sometimes I still occasionally dream about Dad. But the positive dreams, if that makes sense. They're more Dad as he as he was in life and I actually think Dad's come to visit me and say, ‘Hi, give me a hug' rather than the traumatic last days and hours of his life, which was the ones that were coming in before and calling for that action and stopping me from having that restorative sleep. I just did a podcast with Dr Kirk Parsley who's a sleep expert, ex-Navy SEAL and a sleep expert that's coming out shortly. Or I think by this time, it will be out, and understanding the importance, the super importance of both the delta and... What is the other one? The theta wave of sleep patterns, and what they do, and why you need both, and what parts of night do what, and just realising...Crikey, anybody who is going through trauma isn't experiencing sleep is actually this vicious cycle downwards. Because then, you've got more of the beta brainwave state, and you've got more of the stresses, and you're much less resilient when you can't sleep. You're going to... have health issues, and brain issues, and memory, and everything's going to go down south, basically. Dr Don: That's why I didn't understand at the time. They just said 'Well, you're just super healthy. You heal really fast.' They had no other explanation for it. Now, I know exactly why. But it had nothing to do with my genetics. It had to do with my environment. Lisa: Just interrupting the program briefly to let you know that we have a new patron program for the podcast. Now, if you enjoy Pushing the Limits if you get great value out of it, we would love you to come and join our patron membership program. We've been doing this now for five and a half years and we need your help to keep it on here. It's been a public service free for everybody, and we want to keep it that way but to do that, we need like-minded souls who are on this mission with us to help us out. So if you're interested in becoming a patron for Pushing the Limits podcast, then check out everything on patron.lisatamati.com. That's patron.lisatamati.com. We have two patron levels to choose from. You can do it for as little as 7 dollars a month, New Zealand or 15 dollars a month if you really want to support us. So we are grateful if you do. There are so many membership benefits you're going to get if you join us. Everything from workbooks for all the podcasts, the strength guide for runners, the power to vote on future episodes, webinars that we're going to be holding, all of my documentaries, and much, much more. So check out all the details: patron.lisatamati.com, and thanks very much for joining us. Dr Don: That's, at the time, we just thought it was all, must have been genetics. But I realised now that it was environment as well. So maybe a genetic component to it as well, but then you take that and put that into this very beautiful, nurturing environment, I'm going to sleep processing in beta what I experienced that day and then my mind basically, at that point, is 'What do we need to work on? Not much. Let's go. Let's start now doing some maintenance.' Because it wants to address the top of item stuff first. What is it needs to be taken care of right now? Right? Those are the threats. Once it gets the threats processed, then it can then start working on the things that are going to be the more long-term maintenance. So then it'll do that. But if it never gets out of that threat mode, it gets out for very little time. Then, if you're getting 30 minutes of delta sleep at night and I'm getting two hours, it's a no-brainer to figure out why I would heal faster. Lisa: Absolutely, and this is independent of age and things because you've got all that that comes into it as well. Your whole chemistry changes as you get older and all this. There's other compounding issues as it gets more and more important that you get these pieces of the puzzle right. Do you think that this is what leads to a lot of disease, cancers, and things like that as well? There's probably not one reason. There's a multitude of reasons, but it's definitely one that we can influence. So it's worth looking at it if you've got trauma in your life. People were saying to me 'Oh my God, you don't look good.' When you start hearing that from your friends, your people coming up to you and going, 'I can feel that you're not right.' People that are sensitive to you and know you very well, and you start hearing that over and over, and you start to think, 'Shit, something's got real. Maybe I need to start looking at this.' Because it's just taking all your energy your way, isn't it, on so many levels. The restorative side and the ability to function in your life, and your work, and all of that, and that, of course, leads into depressive thoughts and that hyper-vigilant state constantly. That's really tiresome rather than being just chill, relax, enjoying life, and being able to... Like one of the things I love in my life is this podcast because I just get into such a flow state when I'm learning from such brilliant... Dr Don: You're in alpha. Lisa: I am. I am on it because this is, 'Oh. That's how that works.' And I just get into this lovely learning in an alpha state with people because I'm just so excited and curious. This is what I need to be doing more of. And less of the, if you'd see me half an hour ago trying to work out the technology. That's definitely not an alpha state for me. Dr Don: That's where they said Albert Einstein lived. Albert Einstein lived in alpha brainwave state. That's why information just float for him because there was no stress. He could then pull information very easily to float into. But if you're in a high beta brainwave state, there's too much activity. It has trouble focusing on anything because it's multiple threats on multiple fronts. So when we have a traumatic event, that's how it's being recorded. If you remember, what we talked about was there's a 400 of a millionth of a second gap in between your subconscious mind seeing the information and it going to your consciousness. So in 400 millionths of a second, your subconscious mind has already started a response into an action even though your conscious mind is not even aware of it yet. Lisa: Yeah. Exactly what I did with rescuing my partner with the glass falling off the thing. I hadn't reached that logically. Dr Don: It's funny because that's one of the things that I talked about ,which is sort of, give us all a little bit of grace. Because if you've had a lot of trauma, you're going to respond a certain way. How could you not? If your mind's filtering into all of that, of course you're going to respond with that kind of a response because your mind is prone to go into that action very, very quickly. So we can give ourselves a little bit of grace in understanding that of course, you're going to do that, right? And not beat ourselves up. Because you know what I talked about with everybody, there's nothing wrong with anybody. There's nothing wrong with anybody's mind. Everybody's mind is fine except you are experiencing something different than I experienced so your mind kept responding to it, and mine didn't have that. So you had multiple... Think about we have a hundred percent of our energy on our phone when we wake up in the morning, right? Fully powered up. You fire the phone up and eight programs open up, right? And mine has one. Lisa: Yeah. You're just focusing on what you need to. Dr Don: Then noon comes, and you're having to plug your phone back in because you're out of energy. Lisa: That's a perfect analogy. You're just burning the battery. My all is a hundred windows open in the back of my brain that is just processing all these things and so now, I can start to heal. So having gone through this process with you, like you said, we worked on a number of traumatic experiences, and I went through them in my mind. And then you did certain things, made me follow with my eyes and track here, and my eyes did this, and then, we pulled my attention out in the middle of the story and things. That helped me stay in that alpha state, brainwave state as I probably now understand while I'm still reliving the experience. That's sort of taking the colour out of it so that it's now sort of in a black and white folder. Now, it can still be shared, and it hasn't taken away the sadness of... Dr Don: Because it is sad that these things happen but that's not the response for an action which is that fear or anger, right? That dysregulation of the nervous system. That's what we want to stop, because that is what is going to affect health, enjoyment of life and everything else. Lisa: Wow, this is so powerful. Yeah, and it's been very, very beneficial for me and helped me deal. For me, it also unfolded. Because after the four hour period with you, I had audiotapes and things that are meditations to do every day for the next 30 days. What were we doing in that phase of the recovery? What were you targeting in those sort of sessions? Dr Don: So if you remember what we talked about, we have two memory systems. The explicit memory is what we worked on on that four hours. That's detail, events, and experiences. Once we get the mind processing through that, then we have to work on the same memory animals have, which is that associative repetitive memory. So you've built a series of codes on how to respond to threats, and that has come in over repetition and associations. So the audios are designed to start getting you now to build some new neural pathways, some new ways to respond because your mind won't switch a pattern instantly. It can switch a memory instantly, but a pattern is something that got built over a period of time. So it's like a computer. If I'm coding on my computer, I can't take one key to stop that code. I have to write a new code. Yeah, so what we're doing over the 30 days is writing new code. Lisa: Helping me make new routines and new habits around new neural pathways, basically. Dr Don: You don't have that explicit memory interfering with the pathways. Because now, it's not constantly pulling you out, going back into an action call. It's basically now able to look at this information and these codes that got built and say, 'Okay, what's a better way? So do we have a better way of doing it?' Or 'Show me that code. Write that code.' If that code looks safer, then your mind will adopt that new code. Lisa: This is why, I think for me, there was an initial, there was definitely... Like the nightmares stopped, the intrusive every minute, hour triggering stopped, but the process over the time and the next... And I'm still doing a lot of the things and the meditations. It's reinforcing new habit building. This is where... Like for people dealing with addictions, this is the path for them as well, isn't it? Dr Don: Yeah. Because I talked about addiction as a code. I don't believe it's a disease. Your mind has found a resource to stop pains, and your subconscious mind is literal. It doesn't see things as good or bad, or right or wrong. It's literal. 'Did that stop the pain? Let's do that.' Because it's trying to protect you. So if you've now repeated it over and over, not only have you stopped the pain, but you've built an association with a substance that is seen as beneficial. Lisa: Because your brain sees it as medicine when you're taking, I don't know, cocaine or something. It sees it as essential to your life even though you, on a logical level, know that, ‘This is destroying me and it's a bad thing for me.' Your subconscious goes, 'No, this is a good thing and I need it right now.' Dr Don: Because it's in the present, when does it want the pain to stop? Now. So it has no ability to see a future or a past. Your subconscious is in the moment. So if you take cocaine, the logical part of your brain goes, 'Oh, this is going to create problems for me. I'm going to become addicted.' Right? Your subconscious goes, ‘Well, the pain stopped. We don't see that as a bad thing.' I always use the analogy: Why did people jump out of the buildings at 911? They weren't jumping to die. They were jumping to live because when would they die? Now, if they jump, would they die? No. They stopped the death. So even jumping, which logically makes no sense, right? But to the subconscious mind, it was going to stop the pain now. Lisa: Yeah, and even if it was two seconds in the future that they would die, your brain is going... Dr Don: It doesn't even know what two seconds are. Lisa: No. It has no time. Isn't it fascinating that we don't have a time memory or understanding in that part of the brain that runs 95% of the ship? Dr Don: It's like what Albert Einstein said, ‘There's no such thing as time.' So it's like an animal. If an animal could communicate and you say, 'What time is it?' That would make no sense to an animal. 'What do you mean? It's now.' 'What time is it now?' 'Now. Exactly.' Lisa: It's a construct that we've made to... Dr Don: Just to explain a lot of stuff, right? When something happens. Lisa: Yeah, and this is quite freeing when you think of it. But it does make a heck of a lot of sense. So people are not being destructive when they become drug addicts or addicted to nicotine, or coffee, or chocolate. They're actually trying to stop the pain that they're experiencing in some other place and fix things now. Even though the logical brain... Because the logical brain is such a tiny... Like this is the last part of our evolution, and it's not as fully... We can do incredible things with it at 5%. We've made the world that we live in, and we're sitting here on Zoom, and we've got incredible powers. But it's all about the imagination, being able to think into the future, into the past, and to make correlations, and to recognise patterns. That's where all our creativity and everything, or not just creativity, but our ability to analyse and put forth stuff into the world is happening. But in actual, we're still like the animals and the rest of it. We're still running at 95%, and that's where we can run into the problems with these two. Dr Don: Because you got two systems. You got a very advanced system operating within a very primitive system, and it hasn't integrated. It's still integrating, right? So if there's a survival threat, survival will always override reason and logic, because it's designed to protect you. So there's no reason and logic that will come in if there's a survival threat. It's just going to respond the way it knows, does this Google search, 'What do we know about this threat? How do we know to protect ourselves, and we'll go instantly into survival mode.' Again, there's the reason and logic. Why would you jump out of a building, right? If you applied reason and logic, you wouldn't have jumped, right? People will say, 'Well, but they still jumped.' Yes, because reason and logic didn't even come into the process. It was all about survival. Lisa: Yeah. When the fire is coming in it was either... Dr Don: 'Am I going to die out now or I'm going to move and not die now?' Lisa: Yeah, and we're also prone to movement when we're in agitation and in an agitated state, aren't we? Basically, all of the blood and the muscles saying, 'Run, fight, do something. Take action.' Dr Don: That's why when people get into depression, it's the absence of those emotions. Lisa: Yeah, and people feel exhaustion. Dr Don: Yeah. The mind kept calling for an action using anger, for example, but you can't do the action because it's not happening, so it shuts down to protect you and stops calling for any emotion, and that's depression. So the key to get out of depression is actions. It's to get something happening. So in a lot of people who are depressed, what do I tell them to do? 'Start moving. Start exercising. Get out. Start doing things.' Right? Lisa: So I run ultras. Dr Don: Exactly. Perfect example, right? Lisa: Yeah, because I was. I was dealing with a lot of shit in my life at the time when I started doing ultra-marathons. To run was to quiet the pain and to run was to be able to cope and to have that meditative space in order to work through the stuff that was going on in my life. And I know even in my husband's life, when he went through a difficult time, that's when he started running. So running can be a very powerful therapeutic, because there is a movement, and you're actually burning through the cortisol and the adrenaline that's pouring around in your body. Therefore, sitting still and that sort of things was just not an option for me. I had to move. And it explains what, really. It's calling the movement. Like it was a movement because I couldn't fix the other thing. Dr Don: That's what they'll tell you to do. To get out of depression is to move. What I say is the way to get out of depression is to get your mind to resolve what it's been asking for. Lisa: It's going a little deeper. Dr Don: Yeah. So it's going down and saying, 'Okay, why has it been getting you angry and now, it shut down from the anger?' Because it's been trying to get you in your situation. 'Don't let Dad die. Don't let this happen.' Right? So because you couldn't do it, it just shuts down. Makes perfect sense but when we get to the resolution that there is no action required, there's no need for the depression anymore. The depression will lift because there's no more call for an action. Lisa: I can feel that in me, that call. Anytime that anything does still pop up, I sort of acknowledge the feeling and say, 'There is no call for action here. This is in the past. This is a memory.' So I do remind myself that when things do still pop up from time to time now, as opposed to hourly. I go, 'Hey, come back into the now. This is the now. That was the then that's calling for an action. This is why you're doing thing.' Even that understanding
Chris Nikic joins me on episode 14 of Find Your Finish Line and we have a bit of fun together talking about training, racing, and life. Chris is a 21-year old with Down Syndrome and all the associated disabilities - but he doesn't let any of that stop him from achieving great things. He's an IRONMAN finisher, public speaker, and author of a Children's Book. Listen in to Chris's inspiring story. Learn more about Chris here: https://chrisnikic.com/
He set history when he became the first person with Down Syndrome to finish the Ironman Triathlon. Now, he has his sights set on the NY Times Bestseller list! It's episode #158 of The ANEZ SEZ podcast...
Chris, 21, became the first person with Down syndrome to finish the IRONMAN race in November of 2020, offering lessons in perseverance and hope. Amazing athlete, even more amazing person! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/goodlifeconversations/support
On this special edition of "Listen in With KNN '' presented by FOX Sports Radio, host Kelsey Nicole Nelson welcomed special guests Chris Nikic, a Special Olympics Florida athlete who was this year's Jimmy V Award for Perseverance award winner at the 2021 ESPYS and his father Nik Nikic to the show. Chris was the first person with Down syndrome to complete a full IRONMAN triathlon. Hear her inspiring story and learn how we can all get 1% better everyday.
He was 16 hours in. His feet ached of blisters, cuts, and bruises. His whole body was exhausted, screaming at him to stop. He had swum 2.4 miles, cycled 112 miles, and was now on his way to completing the final stage of his journey, a 26.2-mile run. Every step brought him closer to his goal, and every step forward meant ignoring the creeping self-doubt in his mind. 16 hours, 46 minutes, and 9 seconds after he began his journey, the hard work and pain paid off… He heard his name announced over the speaker as he crossed the finish line… “Chris Nikic, you are an Ironman.” On November 7th, 2020, Chris Nikic completed his first Ironman. It's an incredible feat for anyone to accomplish, but there's something about Chris's story that makes it that much more impressive — Chris was the first athlete with Down Syndrome ever to complete an Ironman.It's a powerful story that Mary Davis, the CEO of Special Olympics, tells to illustrate how the organization is trying to create an inclusion revolution. What does that mean? Find out on f Business X factors. Main Takeaways: Inclusion Revolution: Being inclusive to people with disabilities is not only the right thing to do, it is also good for business. According to the Harvard Business Review, inclusion directly enhances the workplace, and teams with inclusive leaders are 17% more likely to report high performance. It has also been found to increase work attendance by almost one day a year per employee, which reduces the cost of absenteeism. The traits that distinguish inclusive leaders from others are humility, awareness of bias, curiosity about others, cultural intelligence, visible commitment to diversity, and effective collaboration. Get Hyperlocal: It does not matter whether you are an organization that is trying to improve the world for disabled people, an awareness campaign about the environment or a business you are trying to grow, a bottoms-up instead of a top-down approach builds trust. Knowledge of local cultures can help to foster an understanding of an international agenda or an appetite for brands. It also means that big brands should change their offerings on a local level to adjust to the tastes of different cultures. Getting hyperlocal means understanding what truly matters to customers in any given location and adjusting marketing to locals tastes and preferences. Become a Storydoer: Storytelling is a powerful tool for any organization or business. In the case of non-profit organizations, it is often not hard to find stories about the great work that is being done. What is more important is to not only share the outcome-oriented stories, but to share the action that produces those results. Storydoing should mobilize people to actively support and promote a cause, or, in the case of a business, to actively promote a brand. Customers should feel they are not only buying or supporting a product, but they are also getting a story that draws them in to move beyond a product. How to Manage Public-Private Partnerships: Contracts between government and business or private organizations can be enormously complex, but they can accomplish what neither side can do alone, like expanding infrastructure where funds are limited or provide much-needed help for non-profit organizations. The process of structuring a PPP involving a large number of people often takes many years. To avoid failure, find a government champion, draw in people with expertise and take note of environmental and social considerations.---Business X factors is produced by Mission.org and brought to you by Hyland. For over a decade, Hyland has been named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Content Services Platforms, leading the way to help people get the information they need when and where they need it. More than half of 2019 Fortune 100 companies rely on Hyland to help them create more meaningful connections with the people they serve. When your focus is on the people you serve, Hyland stands behind you. Hyland is your X factor for better performance. Go to Hyland.com/insights to learn more.
In this episode I'm going to share the amazing story of Chris Nikic...and what it takes to overcome even the greatest of odds. His story is a true inspiration of what is possible when you set your mind to accomplish something. The more we focus in the right way, the more we'll move our lives forwards in the right way. There are no barriers and no lids on our success that we can't over come and break through if we adopt his method of improvement. Follow Josh on Instagram Follow the Daily Drive on Instagram Sign up for Josh's News Letter Visit the Daily Drive Website Email Josh at josh@joshdowns.com
Chris Nikic smashed a record, and stigma, as the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman competition last November. He and his father, Nik, talk about his journey so far, and his dreams for the future.
What can all of us learn from Chris Nikic? A LOT. As the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman, we have much to learn from this young man. Perseverance, goal setting, how to create daily behaviors or make incremental gains that lead to Massive Action and Massive Gains. So Much! However, we aren't going to steal Chris' thunder. He says it all in his acceptance speech from the Espy's where he won the Jimmy V Award for perseverance. Jimmy V recipient Chris Nikic's inspiring 2021 ESPYS speech “When your feet hurt, it doesn't mean you can't walk… it just means your feet will hurt less if you stop walking” Cocoon and the Struggle to emerge as a butterfly. Making the chrysalis a bit bigger to help the butterfly emerge. "I am an Ironman, Adidas athlete, public speaker, author, and as you can see ladies, I am adorable, single and available!" Nikic told the crowd as he kicked off his acceptance speech. "People ask, how did I overcome so many obstacles?" he continued. "Easy. I just got one percent better every day. Three years ago, I was 18, overweight, out of shape, excluded and isolated. But my dream was to be like you, to be included, to be independent, and to marry an amazing woman like my mom "1. Get one percent better every day. 2. I work hard and 3. As Jimmy V said, 'Don't give up... Don't ever give up,' " Nikic explained. "It's easy to make excuses and quit. I don't do excuses, and I don't quit... because my dream is bigger than my pain."
Anthony and Toral reunite for another "Let's Talk..." episode to discuss the history and impact of National Disability Independence Day on their lives. They also share a number of resources and ways that you can celebrate this day on July 26. For more information and resources about National Disability Independence Day, please visit: https://diversity.cornell.edu/our-community/dei-celebration-resources Below is a list of resources that were shared during this episode: - ESPN, "Special Olympics and Ironman athlete Chris Nikic inspires others to follow in his footsteps:" https://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/31094333/special-olympics-ironman-athlete-chris-nikic-inspires-others-follow-footsteps - NPR, "U.K. Bridal Boutique Celebrates Wedding Dresses And Wheelchairs:" https://www.npr.org/2019/01/13/684894928/small-bridal-boutique-celebrates-wedding-dresses-and-wheelchairs - Degree Inclusive Commercial #1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUecdeQw_dk - Degree Inclusive Commercial #2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuV0evL5YyQ - Cornell University's Web Accessibility Website: https://accessibility.cornell.edu/information-technology/web-accessibility/ - Implicit Bias Test, specifically on disability: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
On being an inspiration to all of us I What are his favorite parts of competing? I What are his future goals? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Topics:Great action stars of the 80's - Eddie Murphy, Bruce Willis, Stallone, Arnold, Mel Gibson etc. Where have the great action stars gone?The passing of Charlie Robinson, Mac, of Night CourtThe ESPY Awards. Maya Moore's speech & Chris Nikic's speech were the highlightsGreat law enforcement individuals - both real life and on TV such as Mannix, Matt Houston, Magnum P.I., Andy Griffith, Baretta, Starsky & Hutch, Jim Rockford, Dan Tanner....Melvin Pervis as one of the greatest lawmen EVER! Depicted in the film "Public Enemies" by Christian Bale. Bass Reeves is depicted in The Lone Ranger TV show. Donny Brasco backstory. How the old mafia standard doesn't let snitches EVER get away!
At Ironman Florida, Chris Nikic became the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman. His next goal? To finish the Ironman World Championship this October. Dan Grieb has been Chris' partner in his mission to change perceptions and reach his dreams, and he joined us to chat about their journey. WATCH the… The post Dan Grieb: Guiding Chris Nikic to Ironman History appeared first on Babbittville.
The ESPYs are like the Golden Globes – you get the best of both worlds. It's the one night of the year where athletes and celebrities gather to celebrate the achievements in the world of sports while giving us the summer red carpet we've all been missing. 1. Typically, the awards show takes place on a Wednesday in July after the MLB (Major League Baseball) All-Star Game, referred to as “Black Wednesday,” the one day a year where there are no live sports. This year, with leagues playing COVID adjusted schedules, there is no dark day to hold the event. So that means there will likely be no Olympians, MLB (Major League Baseball) or WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) players or members of the Phoenix Suns or Milwaukee Bucks who are playing in the NBA (National Basketball Association) Finals in attendance. There's a chance the Stanley Cup Finals (NHL - National Hockey League) will be over by then, but it's not a sure bet. 2. Just because there will be no Megan Rapinoe and Sue Bird sighting on the red carpet, it doesn't mean you'll be disappointed. The fashion game will undoubtedly be impressive when Lindsey Vonn, Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, Russell Wilson and Ciara and LeBron James (likely promoting Space Jam 2) step into the spotlight. 3. Unlike the Oscars, where you've never heard of most of the movies, the fans get a say who receives some of the awards like the best athlete in women's sports, best game and best team. 4. ESPN can put together a video package that'll pull at your heartstrings while leaving you inspired, and the awards at the ESPYs are no different. Here's a quick summary of each of the major awards: Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete a full IRONMAN triathlon, will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. Four-time WNBA champion and two-time Olympic medalist Maya Moore will receive the Arthur Ashe Award Courage Award. She is being recognized for her work to free Jonathan Irons, who she felt was wrongly convicted of a crime. She stepped away from her career to work to free him. (Ultimately, he was released). Manchester United (European soccer) star Marcus Rashford rallied Parliament during COVID to support children who received free lunch pre-pandemic, securing a $556 million grant to provide meals into 2021. For his work that impacted 1.7 million children, he will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service. 5. Actor Anthony Mackie, known for his many movie roles but especially in the Marvel series, will add ESPY host to his lengthy resume. Mackie is expected to poke fun at some of the best athletes on the planet in his opening monologue, which could be scarier than any script he's encountered. Unlike most red carpet events, this one will take place at The Rooftop at Pier 17 at the Seaport in New York City. Links: Website: www.lastnightsgame.com Shop at: www.lastnightsgame.com promo code SPORTSCURIOUS 7 must-read books for the summer: lastnightsgame.com/-summer-book-list-2021
Jack is joined by his buddy Dr. William Zinnanti MD, PHD. to discuss the Delta and Gamma Covid-19 Variants. // Rudy Giuliani suspended from practicing law in New York state. // Chris Nikic, first person with Down syndrome to finish Iron-man, to receive Jimmy V Award at ESPYS. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
There's a stigma associated with unresolved trauma. Many people don't talk about their traumatic experiences. Unfortunately, we're only taught short-term solutions like coping with stress and managing our emotions. With these short-term solutions, the root cause remains unresolved. The trauma is still present and can affect our everyday lives. In this episode, Dr Don Wood joins us to talk about how unresolved trauma can directly affect our health. He aims to remove the stigma around unresolved trauma, and the first step towards healing is understanding the pain we've gone through. He also talks about the power of our minds from the different stories of his past patients. Tune in to this episode if you want to learn more about how unresolved trauma can affect your health and life. 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The medical professionals told me there was absolutely no hope of any quality of life again, but I used every mindset tool, years of research and incredible tenacity to prove them wrong and bring my mother back to full health within 3 years. Get your copy here: https://shop.lisatamati.com/collections/books/products/relentless. For my other two best-selling books Running Hot and Running to Extremes chronicling my ultrarunning adventures and expeditions all around the world, go to https://shop.lisatamati.com/collections/books. Lisa's Anti-Ageing and Longevity Supplements NMN: Nicotinamide Mononucleotide, a NAD+ precursor Feel Healthier and Younger* Researchers have found that Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide or NAD+, a master regulator of metabolism and a molecule essential for the functionality of all human cells, is being dramatically decreased over time. What is NMN? 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Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode: Learn how unresolved trauma can affect your life and compromise your health. Discover Dr Don's alternative ways of how he sees addiction. Understand the power of our minds and how it can do anything to protect us from feeling pain. Resources Gain exclusive access and bonuses to Pushing the Limits Podcast by becoming a patron! You can choose between being an official or VIP patron for $7 and $15 NZD per month, respectively. Harness the power of NAD and NMN for anti-ageing and longevity with NMN Bio. More Pushing the Limits Episodes: 183: Sirtuins and NAD Supplements for Longevity with Elena Seranova 189: Increasing Your Longevity with Elena Seranova Connect with Dr Don Wood: Facebook Inspired Performance Institute – Learn more about Dr Don's books and the courses they're offering by going to their website. The Unbeatable Mind Podcast: How to Deal with Trauma with Dr Don Wood Brain Wash: Detox Your Mind for Clearer Thinking, Deeper Relationships, and Lasting Happiness by David and Austin Perlmutter Emotional Concussions: Understanding How Our Nervous System is Affected by Events and Experiences Throughout Our Life by Dr Donald Wood Episode Highlights [05:32] What Inspired Dr Don to Start His Career Dr Don founded the Inspire Performance Institute because of his wife and daughter. Dr Don shares that he had a quiet and idyllic childhood. He didn't experience any trauma. His wife had a rough childhood which contributed largely to the unresolved trauma and fear she lives with today. His daughter also inspired his research. She was diagnosed with Crohn's disease at 14. [11:10] Dr Don Shares About His Childhood He remembers he used to get bad stomach pains when he was young. They would go to their family doctor for a checkup. His grandfather mentioned that he has stomach pains because of the stress at home. Later on, Dr Don realised that he felt the pressure in their home. The stress from this manifested as stomach pains. [15:00] Impact of Unresolved Trauma in Later Life Dr Don believes that unresolved trauma creates inflammation in the body. It compromises a person's immune system and neurotransmitters. A person gets sick and starts feeling bad because of serotonin neurotransmitters. They are affected by our guts' inflammation. Unfortunately, the only things taught to us are managing and coping with the stress. We do not get to the root cause of the problem. [18:10] Dr Don's Career Before Inspired Performance Institute Dr Don has been an entrepreneur all his life. Before he founded Inspired Performance Institute, he was in financial services. He realised that committing to Inspired Performance Institute meant studying again. To add credibility to his name, he went back to school and got his Ph.D. [20:31] What Causes Addiction Dr Don doesn't believe that addiction is caused by physical dependency. It's more about how the mind connected using drugs and survival. Because people feel bad, they find a way to stop the pain and feel better temporarily. Most of them find it in using drugs. The subconscious mind tries to find a way to feel better. The conscious mind builds a habit based on it. The interaction between these two memory systems is a factor in developing addictions. [25:39] Subconscious and Conscious Mind 95% of our mind works on the subconscious survival base. The remaining 5% is concerned with logic and reason. The 5% uses reason and logic to make brilliant things in life. However, when survival needs arise, the part dedicated to survival overrides the other. To learn more about Dr Don's analysis of the Time Slice Theory and how it's connected to how we respond to our day-to-day lives, listen to the full episode. [35:08] Effects of Brain Injuries on Brain Response People with repeated brain injuries might have problems with logical and survival thinking responses. Brain injury patients have lower blood flow in the frontal part when faced with survival situations based on brain scans. [36:03] Available Help for People Who Have Brain Injuries Dr Don's son had three head injuries since he was young. The third one affected his communication skills and emotions. He believes that his son has functional damage to his brain. Once they discovered that, they got him into hyperbaric oxygen therapy. He started getting his blood flow into the areas of his brain that process his experiences. [40:18] Probable Use of fMRI Dr Don shares that fMRI can be another procedure that can help people with brain injuries. fMRI can detect abnormalities in your brain that other methods may not pick up. [42:26] The Story of Dr Don's Daughter His daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. It affected her career as an actress. His daughter's condition made him realise: inflammation responds to unresolved trauma. They managed to resolve her unresolved trauma that happened when she was six years old. Her mind understood that, and her negative response stopped. [46:01] Talking About Depression In cases of depression, the person's mind puts pressure on them to do something in the past. Depression then becomes the absence of emotion. It tries to numb you from the stress in your mind. When they get to the cause of what their mind needs and resolves it, their depression eases. [48:02] Story of Rebecca Gregory Rebecca was a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing. She came to seek help from Dr Don five years ago. She has PTSD. Dr Don helped her realise the connection between her response to daily life and the memory she has. To know more about the process on how Dr Don helped Rebecca tune in to the full episode. [51:43] Similarities of Dr Don's Approach to EMDR Dr Don shared that he also studied EMDr In his practice, he used some of the techniques in EMDr He enhanced them to become quicker and more comprehensive. Unlike EMDR, Dr Don's approach is faster and more straightforward. The patient can choose which way they would like to do it. [54:36] Dr Don on Talk Therapies He believes that talk therapy is good. You must deal with a current problem. They aim to resolve the old issues that aggravate the new experiences. [56:22] How Dr Don's Program Helped His Daughter Crohn's disease is incurable. However, since his daughter underwent their program, her Crohn's didn't flare-up. He believes his daughter's body has more energy to do maintenance and repair issues. It's possible because her unresolved trauma has been resolved. [56:22] How Stress Connects to Our Other Unresolved Traumas The daily stress that we encounter every day might pile up and affect us in the long run. They might also connect and add up to our trauma, making it harder for us to cope. We misinterpreted experiences when we were young that still affect us as we grow older. Dr Don shares stories of how unresolved childhood experiences may affect a person as they grow up. [01:08:15] People Have Different Filters Dr Don says that people have different atmospheric conditions they grew up in. These factors affect how they filter and deal with their everyday experiences. Our brain acts as the filter, and all of our experiences pass through that filter. The differences in how we operate upon those experiences are based on them. Dr Don proceeds to share different stories of his patients regarding the differences in people's minds. [01:15:06] Dr Don on Smoking Dr Don says that smokers are not addicted to nicotine. They need the sensation of feeling better. The mind of a smoker associates feeling better to smoking. This link causes addiction. You can break the habit by introducing a new, healthier factor. [01:19:17] A Better Approach Towards Addiction Many approaches to addiction make the person feel useless. They surrender to never getting better. Dr Don pushes a system that empowers people. He makes them realise they can overcome their addiction by understanding the cause. [01:24:42] How the Mind Reacts to Pain Dr Don shares that the mind is powerful enough. It will do anything for you to stop feeling pain. People who commit suicide act in desperation to stop the pain they're feeling. He shares the story of the German sniper. It can represent the power of the mind in reaction to pain. 7 Powerful Quotes ‘I really started the Inspired Performance Institute because of my wife and daughter more. Mostly my daughter than anything else.' ‘So if I had been a little frustrated with something that worked that day, or is, you know, some other thing that was nothing related to her, she could pick up on that tone change. And then, in her mind, what her mind would be doing is saying, “What do we know about men when they start to get angry?” And a whole bunch of data and information about her father would come flooding in and overstimulate her nervous system.' ‘And so when my daughter was 14, she was diagnosed with Crohn's. And they just told us that you just kind of have to, you know, learn to live with this.' ‘And that's really what led me to develop the program, is I realised that when my daughter was 16, she disclosed to us some sexual abuse that she had had when she was like six years of age that we had no idea. So my wife was, obviously both of us were devastated, but my wife was extremely, she had experienced, you know, sexual abuse as a child and thought she would never let that happen to her child.' ‘How could the body crave a substance that it doesn't know? It doesn't regulate heroin. How could it crave something that doesn't regulate? I believe it's the mind has made a connection between the heroin and survival.' ‘What's happened is your mind has been calling for an action for many, many years, that was impossible to accomplish. But your mind doesn't know that and it keeps putting pressure on you. “Do it, do it, do it.” And because you don't do it, it's using these emotions to call for the action, it stops calling for the action, it shuts off the emotions. And so now depression is the absence of emotion.' ‘I believe in a lot of cases, that's what they're doing, are trying to desensitise you to it. You know, talk about it enough, maybe it doesn't feel as dramatic. And talk therapy has its place so I'm not against it. I think where talk therapy is really good is when you're dealing with a current problem. Where I think the difference between what we do is we're able to get the talk therapy much more effective when you take out all the old stuff that keeps aggravating the new stuff.' About Dr Don Wood Dr Don Wood, Ph.D., developed the TIPP method after researching how atmospheric conditions affect our minds and impact our lives. In his search for answers for them, Dr Wood connected trauma and their health issues. He also recognised the daily stress they lived with. The only solutions provided came from medications. His experience with his family provided the determination required to develop a cutting-edge neuroscience approach. The program has benefited individuals all over the world. The results have been impressive. Dr Wood has helped trauma survivors from the Boston Marathon bombing attack and the Las Vegas shooting. He has also helped highly successful executives and world-class athletes. Marko Cheseto, a double amputee marathon runner, broke the world record after completing TIPP. Chris Nikic worked with Dr Wood and made world news by becoming the first person with Downs Syndrome to complete an Ironman competition. The Inspire Performance Institute was built on this simple phrase, ‘There's nothing wrong with you, there's nothing wrong with your mind'. Some events and experiences have created some glitches and error messages for your mind during your lifetime, and all you need is a reboot. Enjoyed This Podcast? If you did, be sure to subscribe and share it with your friends! Post a review and share it! If you enjoyed tuning in, then leave us a review. You can also share this with your family and friends so they can understand how unresolved trauma can affect our overall health and well-being. Have any questions? You can contact me through email (support@lisatamati.com) or find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. For more episode updates, visit my website. You may also tune in on Apple Podcasts. To pushing the limits, Lisa Full Transcript Of The Podcast Lisa Tamati: Welcome back, everybody to Pushing the Limits. Today I have Dr Don Wood, who is sitting in Florida. And Dr Don is a wonderful man. He is a trauma expert. He is someone who had a problem in his own family and sought about finding a solution. He is the developer of the TIPP method, T-I-P-P method. He spent years researching, and to understand how our minds affect our bodies. Dr Wood made the connection between trauma and health issues. In addition, he recognised the daily stress that people live with when they've been through trauma, and that the only solutions provided in the normal conventional world and medications. But his experience with his family provided the determination required to develop a cutting-edge neuroscience approach, a real holistic solution that provides immediate and long lasting relief for people who have been through trauma of any sort, whether it's small or large. The TIPP program developed by Dr Wood has benefited individuals all over the world. And he really wanted to create a solution that removed the stigma of trauma. Too many people are afraid to ask for help because of that stigma. And that's why he named the program around increasing performance levels. The name of his institute is the Inspired Performance Institute. I really love this episode with Dr Don Wood, he is a lovely, amazing person with a way of helping people get rid of PTSD, get rid of trauma out of their lives. So that they can get on with being the best versions of themselves. And that's what we're all about here. He's worked with everyone, from soldiers coming back from wars to victims of the Boston Marathon bombing campaign, to highly successful executives and world-class athletes. He's been there, done that. So I really hope that you enjoy this conversation with Dr Wood. Before we head over to the show, just want to remind you, we have our new premium membership for the podcast Pushing the Limits. Now out there. It's a Patron page so you can be involved with the program, with the podcast. We've been doing this now for five and a half years; it is a labor of love. And we need your help to keep this great content coming to you, and so that we can get the best experts in the world and deliver this information direct to your ears. It's a passion that's been mine now for five and a half years and you can get involved with it, you get a whole lot of premium member benefits. And you get to support this cause which we're really, really grateful for. For all those who have joined us on the Patron program. Thank you very, very much. You know, pretty much for the price of a cup of coffee a month, you can get involved. So check that out at patron.lisatamati.com. That's patron P-A-T-R-O-N dot lisatamati.com. And just reminding you too, we still have our Epigenetics Program going. And this, we have now taken hundreds and hundreds of people through this program. It's a game-changing program that really gives you insights into your genetics, and how to optimise your lifestyle to optimise your genes basically. So everything from your fitness, what types of exercise to do, what times of the day to do it. What, whether you're good at the long distance stuff or whether you be a bit more as a power base athlete, whether you need more agility, whether you need more work through the spine, all these are just information that's just so personalised to you. But it doesn't just look at your fitness, it looks at your food, the exact foods that are right for you. And it goes way beyond that as well as to what are the dominant neurotransmitters in your brain, how they affect your mood and behaviour, what your dominant hormones are, the implications of those, your predispositions for any disorders and the future so that we can hit all those off at the past. It's not deterministic, that is really giving you a heads up, ‘Hey, this could be a direction that you need to be concerned about in the future. And here's what you can do about it.' So come and check out our program. Go to lisatamati.com. And under the button ‘Work With Us', you will find our Peak Epigenetics program. Check that out today. And maybe you can come and join us on one of our live webinars or one of our pre-recorded webinars if you want to you can reach out to me, lisa@lisatamati.com, and I can send you more information about their Epigenetics Program. Right, now over to the show with Dr Don Wood. Hello, everyone and welcome back to Pushing the Limits. This week, I have another amazing guest for you. I've found some pretty big superstars over the years, and this one is going to be very important to listen to. I have Dr Don Wood, welcome to the show, Dr Don. Dr Don Wood: Thank you, Lisa. I'm excited to be here. Lisa: This is gonna be a very interesting, and it's a long-anticipated interview for me, and Dr Don is sitting in Florida, and you've got a very nice temperature of the day, isn't it? Dr Don: Oh, absolutely gorgeous- low 80s, no humidity. I mean, you just like I said, you couldn't pick a better day, it's very fast. I would have tried to sit outside and do this. But I was afraid somebody would start up a lawn mower. Lisa: Podcast life. I've just got the cat wandering, and so he's probably start meowing in a moment. Now, Dr Don, you are an author, a speaker, a trauma expert, the founder of the Inspired Performance Institute. Can you give us a little bit of background of how did you get to where you are today, and what you do? Dr Don: Well it's sort of an interesting story. I really started the Inspired Performance Institute because of my wife and daughter more. Mostly my daughter than anything else. I talked about this, is that I led this very, very quiet, idyllic kind of childhood with no trauma. Never had anything ever really happen to me. You know, bumps along the way, but nothing kind of that would be considered trauma. And I lived in a home that was so loving and nurturing, that even if I got bumped a little bit during the day, you know, was I, when I was a kid, I'm coming home to this beautiful environment that would just regulate my nervous system again. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: So I believe that that was critical in terms of having my nervous system always feeling safe. And that really resulted in amazing health. I mean, I've been healthy all my life. And as an adult, when things would happen, I could automatically go back into that nervous system regulation, because I had trained it without even knowing it. Lisa: Yeah. Dr Don: that I was able to get back into that. Well. And so when I met my wife, I realised she was not living in that world. And amazingly enough, Lisa, I thought everybody lived like, because I had no idea that a lot of my friends were being traumatised at home. That I had no idea, because everybody's on their best behaviour. If I come over, everybody's behaving themselves and you don't see it. My friends, a lot of times wouldn't share it because of either shame or guilt. I mean, my wife, nobody knew what was going on in their home. Lisa: Yeah. Dr Don: And she had one best friend that knew, that was about it. And if you met her father, who was really the bad guy in this whole thing, everybody thought he was the greatest guy. Because outwardly, he came across as this generous, hard-working, loving kind of guy. Loved his family, but he just ran his home with terror. Lisa: Wow. Terrible. Dr Don: And so, oh, it was terrible. So when I met my wife, I realised, wow, this, because we got close very quickly, because I had the chance to play professional hockey in Sweden when I was 18. So we got married at 19. So very quickly, I was around her a lot, while we were sort of getting ready for that. So I got to see the family dynamic up close very quickly. And that's when I realised, boy, she's not living in that world, which is living in fear all the time. And that's why I sat down with her one day, and I just said, ‘Tell me what's going on here. Because I can sense this tension in here. I could sense that there was a lot of fear going on. What's going on?' And she started sharing it with me, but swore me to secrecy. Like I could never tell anybody because of all that shame and guilt, because nobody really outside the home would have been aware of it. Lisa: Or probably believed it. Dr Don: Or believed it. Right. Lisa: Yeah. Dr Don: And then it was again, that ‘What will people think about me? What do they think about my family?' That's really common, when you have people who have experienced trauma like that. And so, I sort of follow along and said, ‘Okay, this will be our secret,' but I thought to myself, ‘Well, this will be great now, because I'm going to get her out of that home'. Lisa: Yeah. Dr Don: And she's going to be living in my world. So everything will just calm down, and she'll be feeling that peace that I've experienced all my life. Lisa: Not quite so simple. Dr Don: I was like, Well, how is this not helping? Like, why now? She's living in the world that I grew up in because I was very much like my father. I wasn't gonna yell at her, scream at her, do anything that would have made her feel fearful. But she was still living in fear. Lisa: Yeah. Dr Don: And if, yeah, and if I said something like, ‘No, I don't like that.' She could tear up and start going, why are you mad at me? Yeah. And I would be like, ‘Oh my God, like where did you get I was mad at you for?' I just said. That made no sense to me at the time. Now I understand it perfectly. What I didn't realise at the time was that people who have been traumatised are highly sensitive to sound— Lisa: Hypervigilant and hyperaware of noise and people raising their voice. Dr Don: Any kind of noise. And what she also, as a child, she had learned to listen very carefully to the way her father spoke, so that she could then recognise any kind of the slightest little change in my vocal tone. So if I had been a little frustrated with something at work that day, or, you know, some other thing that was nothing related to her, she could pick up on that tone change. And then, in her mind, what her mind would be doing is saying, ‘What do we know about men when they start to get angry?' And a whole bunch of data and information about her father would come flooding in and overstimulate her nervous system. Lisa: So then it's like they Google search, doing a Google search and going, ‘Hey, have I had this experience before?' Dr Don: Yeah. Lisa: And picking out, ‘Yeah, we've been here before. This is not good. This is dangerous. This is scary.' Dr Don: Yep. And that's actually what led me to the research that I did, mainly because of my daughter, though. So my wife lived with that, she developed Hashimoto's. So she had this thyroid issue with, because she was constantly in a fight or flight state. Lisa: Yeah, the cortisol. Dr Don: More flight than anything. Yeah, cortisol. And so when my daughter was 14, she was diagnosed with Crohn's. And they just told us that you just kind of have to learn to live with this. And she's going to be on medication for the rest of her life. And we'll just continue to cut out pieces of her intestines until she has nothing left and she'd have a colostomy bag. That's just the way it is. Lisa: Oh. And she's 14 years old. Dr Don: She was 14. Yeah. She ended up having for resections done, she would go down to you know, 90, 85 pounds. She'd get so sick, the poor thing. No, because she just couldn't eat. Yeah. And she couldn't hold anything down. And they just told us to have no answers. My wife did unbelievable research, trying to come up with answers and really couldn't come up with anything except this management system that they've been given her. And so, I was adopted. So we didn't know my family history. Yeah. So our family doctor was my grandfather. And I didn't know this until I was 18. Lisa: Oh wow. Dr Don: I always knew I was adopted. But my mother shared the story with me when I was 18. That he came to my parents and said, I have a special child I want you to adopt, right. Now. I guess you just knew that my parents were just amazing people. And you know, at that time, you know, unwed mothers, that was considered a shame. Right? You didn't talk about that. So that was a quiet adoption. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: In fact, his wife didn't even know about it. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: Could be my grandmother. And that's, it's interesting, the story, because I should share this too. Because what happened was, is I never understood why my birth certificate was dated two years after my birthday. And what happened was, is that my parents adopted me, like immediately upon birth. But my grandmother found out about it, his wife found out about and sued my parents to get me back. Lisa: Oh. Dr Don: And so they had to go into this legal battle for two years. Lisa: Oh, wow. Dr Don: Now I remember when I was really, really young, I used to get these really bad stomach pains. And I, and they took me, I remember going to doctors, I was really young. I remember going to doctors, but my grandfather was very holistic at the time for an MD. So you know, I was on cod liver oil, and you know, all these different things like, and so what he said to me, he says, No, he's just stressed out because of the stress in the home. You have to take the stress out of this home. He's feeling it.' Lisa: Yep. Dr Don: Right. So it's not that my parents were yelling, screaming. Lisa: He's ahead of his time. Dr Don: Oh, way ahead. But what he realised was that, because it was so hard financially for them, that had a major effect on their life. So I guess I was feeling it. And so they went out of their way to take all the stress out. Lisa: Wow. What lovely parents. Dr Don: Oh yeah. So it created this unbelievable, unusual home life. And so I never had any real tension in the home. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: Well, that was, I guess, as my wife said, we were the perfect petri dishes for this because I was living what we want to be, and she was living in the opposite world of what a lot of people do live in. And so at least I knew what the model was, what we were going for. Lisa: And when we're exposed to trauma very early in life, it has a much bigger impact on your health and everything then when it happens later in life. Is that right? Dr Don: Absolutely. Because we've never learned how to balance our systems, so then it stays, you know, in dysregulation a lot more than it did. And that's really what sort of led me to develop the program, is I realised that when my daughter was 16, she disclosed to us some sexual abuse that she had had when she was like six years of age that we had no idea. So my wife was, obviously both of us were devastated, but my wife was extremely, she had experienced, you know, sexual abuse as a child and thought she would never let that happen to her child. Lisa: Yeah. Dr Don: So now my poor wife has also got a new, you know, trauma onto her. And so that's where it really came down to, is, you know, she said to me, ‘You could research this and find out what's going on, because I have no answers.' And that's when I started to research and I made the connection between trauma and these autoimmune issues, for example, that my wife had, and my daughter. And so what I discovered is that I believe that unresolved trauma creates inflammation in the body. The inflammation compromises the immune system and your neurotransmitters. So we start getting sick, and we start feeling bad because our neurotransmitter, serotonin is produced mostly in the gut. So the serotonin is affected by the inflammation, which was from my daughter, right? She's not going to feel good. Lisa: Nope. Dr Don: And then that just leads to a host of other problems. And it's, it's really, really sad that the only solution that we currently are using is to teach people to live and manage and cope with it. Lisa: I think, yeah, so we, we know, which is, which is good. You know, we're learning things, how to cope with anxieties, and breath work and all that sort of good stuff. But it's not getting to the root cause of the problem and being able to to deal with it. So when we're in a heightened state of stress and cortisol, and when we're taking energy away from our immune system, and blood literally away from the gut, and and from a neurotransmitter production, and all that sort of thing, so is that what's going on, and why it actually affects the body? Because this mind body connection, which we're really only in the last maybe decade, or 15 years or something, really starting to dig into, isn't it? Like there's and there's still a massive disconnect in the conventional medical world where this is the mind, and this is the body. And you know, from here, up and here, and it's separate. Dr Don: And so on and so forth? Yeah. Lisa: Yeah. And it we're one thing, you know. And so this has a massive effect on our health, and it can lead to all sorts of autoimmune diseases, or even cancers, and so on. So you were at this time, so you didn't have the Inspired Performance Institute at this stage? What were you doing professionally? And then, did you go back and do a PhD? And in...? Wow. Dr Don: I've always been an entrepreneur all my life. So I was in financial services, we did a number of different things. We, my son and I, still have an energy business, we do solar energy and stuff like that. Lisa: Oh wow. Dr Don: I decided if I was going to do this, I needed to go back and really study. So I went back and got by, went back to school, got my PhD. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: And, you know, to truly, to try to add credibility, number one, to what I was doing. Because, you know, people are gonna say, ‘Well, who are you? Yeah, you know, why should we listen to you? You never had any trauma and you're supposed to be an expert? Like, how does that work?' You know, it's the same thing with addiction. You know, I help people with addiction. I've never had a drink in my life, never touched a drug in my life. Now that I say, but I know what addiction is. Lisa: Yeah. Dr Don: I don't believe addiction is a disease. I believe it's a code that gets built from pain. Lisa: Yeah, let's dig into that a little bit. And then we'll go back to your daughter's story. Because addiction, you know, it's something I know from a genetic perspective. I have a tendency towards, towards having addictive nature, personality traits. I chase dopamine a lot. I have a deficit of dopamine receptors. And so I'm constantly going after that reward. Now that's worked itself out in my life, and in running ridiculous kilometres and working ridiculous hours, and not always in negative things. Luckily, I've never had problems with drinking or drugs, but I know that if I had started down that road, I would have ended up probably doing it, you know, very well. Dr Don: You'd be a star as well. Lisa: I'd be a star in that as well. And luckily, I was sort of a little bit aware of that and my parents never drank and they, you know, made sure that we had a good relationship with things like that, and not a bad one. Have struggled with food, though. That's definitely one of the emotional sort of things. And I think a lot of people have some sort of bad relationship with food in some sort of way, shape, or form on the spectrum, so to speak. What is it that causes addiction? And is it a physical dependency? Or is there something more to it? Dr Don: Yeah, that's why I don't believe it's a physical dependency. Because here's the way I look at it is, people will say to me, ‘Well, if I stopped this heroin, the body's going to crave the heroin, and I'm going to go into withdrawal.' And my response to that is, ‘How could the body crave a substance that it doesn't know? It doesn't regulate heroin. How could it crave something that doesn't regulate?' I believe it's the mind, has made a connection between the heroin and survival. Because you have felt bad, right? Because of trauma, or whatever it is, whenever you took the heroin, you felt better. So I had a lady come in who had been on heroin. And she said to me, she's, ‘Well, I told my therapist, I'm coming to see you. And he told me, I had to let you know upfront and be honest and tell you I have self-destructive behaviour.' And I just smiled at her. And I said, ‘Really? What would make you think you're self destructive?' And she looked at me, because this is what she's been told for a year. Lisa: Brilliant. Dr Don: She says, ‘Well, I'm sticking a needle in my arm with heroin, don't you think that's self destructive?' And I said to her, I said, ‘No, I don't think it was self destructive. I think you're trying to feel better. And I bet you, when you stuck the needle in your arm, you felt better.' That nobody had ever said that to her before. And so I said, ‘Now, the substance you're using is destructive, but you're not destructive? What if I could show you another way to feel better, that didn't require you having to take a drug?' Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: And I said, ‘You're designed to feel better. And I believe that the brain, what happened is, is it because you felt bad, you found a resource that temporarily stopped that pain.' And you see your subconscious mind is fully present in the moment. So when does it want pain to stop? Right now. And if that heroin stops the pain right now, then what happened was, is that system, you have two memory systems, you have explicit memory system that records all the information in real time. So it records all the data, and stores. No other animal does that. We're the only animal that stores explicit details about events and experiences. We also have an associative procedural memory that we learned through association and repetition over time. So, because the explicit memory kept creating the pain, because we kept thinking about it, and looping through this pain cycle, you started taking heroin, then you engage your second associative memory, which learns through repetition and builds, codes, habits, and behaviours. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: Because you kept repeating it your mind built a code and connected up the pain being relieved by the substance. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: Now, your subconscious mind is literal. So it doesn't understand negation. It only understands what's happening now. And so if your mind says that substance stops the pain, it doesn't look at the future and consequences of it. It only looks at what's happening. It's only our conscious mind that can think of consequences. Your subconscious mind, which is survival-based only understands. That's why people at 911 would jump out of the buildings. They weren't jumping to die, they would jumping to stop from dying. Yeah, if they didn't jump, they would have died right now. So even if they went another two seconds, they weren't dying now. Lisa: Right? So it's really in the right now, there's really no right now. It's really in the seconds. Dr Don: And the very, very milliseconds of what's happening now. And there's no such thing as consequences, it's basically survival. So now, if you keep repeating that cycle over and over using heroin, and then somebody comes along and says, ‘Lisa, you can't do that. That's bad for you. I'm going to take that away from you.' Your survival brain will fight to keep it because it thinks it'll die without it. Lisa: Yeah. Makes a glitch. Dr Don: It's an error message. Lisa: Have you heard of Dr Austin Perlmutter on the show last week, David Perlmutter's son and they're both written a book called Brain Wash. And there they talk about disconnection syndrome. So the disconnection between the prefrontal cortex in the amygdala and the amygdala can be more powerful when we have inflammation in the brain. For example, like inflammation through bad foods, or toxins, or mercury, or whatever the case may be. And that this can also have an effect on our ability to make good long-term decisions. It makes us live in the here and now. So I want that here and fixed now; I want that chocolate bar now. And I know my logical thinking brain is going, ‘But that's not good for you. And you shouldn't be doing that.' And you, you're trying to overcome it. But you're there's this disconnect between your prefrontal cortex and your amygdala. And I've probably butchered that scenario a little bit. Dr Don: No, you got it. But 95% of your mind is working on that subconscious survival base. It's only about 5% that's logical. That logical part of your brain is brilliant, because it's been able to use reason and logic to figure stuff out. So it created the world we live in: automobiles, airplanes, right, computers, all of that was created by that 5%, part of the brain 5%. However, if there is a survival threat, survival will always override reason and logic. 100% of the time. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: So you can't stop it. And it's what I talked about was that time slice theory. Did I mention that when we were going? Lisa: No. Dr Don: When I did my research, one of the things that I found was something called the time slice theory. And what that is, is that two scientists at the University of Zurich asked the question— is consciousness streaming? So this logical conscious part of our mind that prefrontal cortex, is that information that we're, as you and I are talking now, is that real, coming in real time? And what they discovered is, it's not. Lisa: Oh. Dr Don: The 95% subconscious part of your mind, it's streaming. While let's say your survival brain churns in everything in real time, processes that information, and then only sends pieces or time slices, because your conscious mind cannot handle that detail. Lisa: Oh, wow. So they're filtering it. Dr Don: Filtering it. And yeah, so as it takes it in, processes it, and then sends time slices or some of that information to your conscious mind. Right? But there's a 400 millionth of a second gap in between your subconscious seeing it, processing it, and sending it. And when I read that, that's when I came up with the idea that what's it doing in that 400 millionth of a second? It's doing a Google search, see? And so in that 400 millionth of a second, your survival brain has already calculated a response to this information before you're consciously aware of it. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: And so the prefrontal cortex has got a filter on there to be able to stop an impulse, right? So it's the ventral lateral prefrontal cortex is sort of the gatekeeper to say, ‘Okay, let's not go into a rage and get into trouble. Let's try to stop that.' So we have that part of our brain. However, here's where the problem comes in— You're driving and traffic and somebody cuts you off. And so your first response is, you get angry, because this person is like, ‘Oh, I want to chase that guy down and give him a piece of my mind.' But that part of your brain can say, ‘Let's think about this. Hold on,' you know, even though it's 400 millionth of a second later, the first anger response, then it should be able to pull that back. Here's where the problem comes in. If getting cut off in traffic looked like you had been just disrespected. During that Google search, your now, your subconscious mind has filtered through every experience of being disrespected. And so much information comes in that it cannot stop the response. It overrides it, because now it feels threatened. And our prisons are full of people who had been so badly hurt, that that part of their brain can't do that. You and I can probably do that. Right? Lisa: Sometimes. Dr Don: Because we can say, sometimes? You know, you can run them down. You can leave the car. But that's where the problem comes in. Yeah, can't stop that, then that rage and all those things come in. And that affects your relationships could affect all kinds of things. And people would say, ‘Oh, you got an anger management problem. We're going to teach you to live with, you know, and manage that anger.' What I'm saying is ‘No, it's a glitch. We don't need all that data coming in.' Right, good response, a Google search is creating the problem. Lisa: Like there's so many questions while hearing what you just said that, and I've experienced in my own life where with my family, where the initial response is so quick, that someone's punched someone else before they've even thought about what the heck they are doing. In the, when you said that, disrespected like this is, you know, I think when I've gotten really really angry and overreacted to something, when I think about it logically later, and a couple of times were of, like, in my early adult years, I was in a very abusive relationship. Thereafter, when I would get into another relationship, and that person tried to stop me doing something, I would just go like, into an absolute fit of rage. Because I was fighting what had happened to me previously, and this poor person, who may have not even been too bad, got the full barrels of verbal assault. Because I just reacted to what had happened to me 10 years previously. And that's the sort of thing where I felt like I was being controlled, disrespected when he went in. So that Google search is happening in a millisecond. Dr Don: 400 millionths of a second. you couldn't have stopped, impossible for you to stop. And then people would say, ‘What's wrong with Lisa? She's just normally a great person, but where is that coming from?' Up until now, you may not have known that. But that's what it is. And it's impossible for you to have stopped. It was the same thing when my wife and I would say, ‘No, I don't like that.' And she would start to cry. I'd be saying, ‘Gosh, what am I doing to make this woman cry?' It wasn't what I said. It was what I said that activated her Google search, which then flooded into data about her father. She was responding to her father, not to me. We both didn't know that; we all thought that she was responding to what I just said. Lisa: Isn't this always just such complex— and if you start to dissect this, and start to think about the implications of all this, and our behaviour, and our communication and our relationships, so much pain and suffering is happening because we're not understanding, we're not, we're angry at people, we're disappointed with people, we're ashamed of things that we've done. And a lot of this is happening on a level that none of you know, none of us are actually aware of. I mean, I liken it to, like, I know that my reactions can sometimes be so quick. Like before, my, just in a positive sense, like effect glasses falling off the beach, I would have caught it with my bare hand before my brain has even registered it. I have always had a really fast reaction to things like that. That's a clear example of, like, that permanent brain that's in the here and now, has caught it before I've even realised that's happening. Dr Don: You know, and that's why I always say to people, ‘Did you choose to do that?' And they'll say, ‘Well, I guess I did.' I go, ‘No, you didn't.' Didn't just happen that happened before you could actually use the logical part of your brain. And because it was so much information, right? Even though the logical part of your brain would say, ‘Well, you know, don't lash out at this person. They didn't mean that.' It would already have happened. Yeah, I worked with a professional athlete. He was a baseball player playing in the major leagues. And I explained that concept to him. And then we were at a, one of his practice workouts, and his pitcher was throwing batting practice behind a screen. And so as he threw the ball, this guy, my client hit the ball right back at the screen, and the coach, like, hit the ground. Right? And I stopped right there. And I said, ‘Great example.' I said, Did your coach just choose to duck? Lisa: Or did he automatically do it? Dr Don: He had no, he had no time to use exactly. The logic. If you use the logical part of your brain, what would you have said? ‘This ball can hit me; there's a screen in front of me.' Lisa: Yeah, yeah. But you know— Dr Don: No way logic is going to prevail, when there's a threat like that coming at you. Yeah. Lisa: This is why it's important because we need to be able to react in that split second, if there really is a danger and there's a bullet flying in ahead or something like that or something, somebody is coming at us from, to do us harm, then we need to be able to react with split second timing. Dr Don: But you don't want that logic coming into it. Lisa: No, but we do want the logic coming in when it's an emotional response. Do you think like, when people have had repeated brain injuries, they are more likely to have problems with this, you know, the prefrontal cortex not functioning properly and even being slower to respond or not getting enough blood flow to that prefrontal cortex in order to make these good decisions? Dr Don: Yeah, absolutely. And if you look at SPECT scans or brain scans of people who have had those kinds of injuries, you'll see that that part of the brain, that frontal part of the brain, the blood flow will drop when they get into those situations. Lisa: Wow. And then they can't make a good decision. And here we are blaming them for being— Dr Don: Blaming them for being— Lisa: —and they end up in prisons, and they end up with hurt broken lives and terrible trauma. And, you know, it's not good if they react and hit somebody or kill somebody or whatever. But how can we fix this? And that one of my go-tos is the hyperbaric oxygen therapy. And I've heard you talk about that on a podcast with Mark Divine in regards to your son. And that is one way we can actually help our brains if we've had had a traumatic brain injury or PTSD or anything like that, is that right? Dr Don: Yeah, my, like I said, my son had three head injuries, one in elementary school, one in middle school, one in high school. And the first one, we didn't see as big an effect. But he did have a problem. The second one, he ended up with retrograde amnesia. And then the third one, we just saw him go downhill and just really couldn't communicate very well, didn't have any energy, had a lot of anger issues and they just kept saying he's got major depression, you need to medicate them. And I was like, ‘No, I believe we've got traumatic brain injury.' But I could not get them to give me a script for a SPECT scan or an fMRI. It was impossible. And I wasn't looking for the structure, because they'd look at an MRI and they'd say, ‘We don't see any damage.' Well, it wasn't the physical damage we're looking for, it was a functional damage that we were looking for. Lisa: Yeah, the blood flow. Yeah. Dr Don: And once we discovered that that's what it was, we got him into hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and he started getting the blood flow into the areas that he needed to process what he was experiencing. And so if you can, you can imagine how difficult that would be, somebody saying, well just go over there and do that. And you don't have the ability to process it. Lisa: Yeah. Dr Don: And so that frustration there is anger would be coming from just complete frustration. Lisa: Yeah. Dr Don: That he just couldn't do it's like, you know, you ran in somebody and you couldn't lift your right leg. Lisa: Yeah. Dr Don: Right. And somebody said, ‘Just start running.' ‘I'm trying.' Lisa: Yeah, yeah. Dr Don: It would be very, very frustrating. Lisa: Yeah, I mean, having worked with, you know, my mum with the brain injury for five and a half years, and I will tell you, man, that is so frustrating. And still, even though she's had well, you know, must be close to 280 or something hyperbaric sessions, and gone from being not much over a vegetative state to being now incredibly high functioning. But there are still some pieces missing that I cannot get to. Because obviously damage in the brain where parts of the brain cells are, have been killed off. And we, you know, I'm really having trouble with things like vestibular systems, so, or initiation of motivation, and things like that. And hyperbaric can do a heck of a lot, it can't fix areas of the brain that is actually dead. So I, you know, and we don't have SPECT scans over here, this is not available. We don't do them. Dr Don: Yeah. And they're hard to get here. I just don't understand them. Lisa: They're very frustrating, because they just are so powerful to understand. Because when you see you've got a problem in your head, that it's actual physical problem, then, you know, it takes away the blame the guilt, and you know, like, I was having this conversation with my brother, and I'm, you know, talking about Mum, and why isn't she doing this, that and the other end. And I said, ‘Because she's got brain damage, and we can't get her to do that thing.' ‘But she's normal now. She should be doing that now.' And I'm like, ‘She's much, much better. But in that part of the brain, I haven't been able to recover.' It is still a thing. That is the year. That is, I am, not that I'm giving up on it, but you know, there are just certain things that we haven't quite got the full thing back. Dr Don: The SPECT scan would show that. And you'd probably see it, or do they do fMRIs there? Lisa: I haven't checked out fMRI because yeah. Dr Don: Check out the fMRI. Lisa: I only heard you say that the other day, and I didn't, I knew about SPECT scans and I knew about. Dr Hearts and all the SPECT scans that he's done, and Dr Daniel Amen and the brilliant work on it all and I've searched the country for it. And New Zealand there's, they've got one that does research stuff down in New Zealand and I think but it's it's nobody can get access to it. And it's just, oh gosh, this is just such a tragedy because then we can actually see what's going on. Because people have been put on antidepressants. They've been put on, you know, antipsychotic drugs. Some things that are perhaps not necessary. We could have, we could have dealt with it with other other ways, like hyperbaric and like with, you know, good nutrients, and even like your program that you do that would perhaps be the first line of defense before we grab to those types of things. But— Dr Don: The fMRI would definitely probably help you. So it's, you know, a functional MRI. Yeah. So it's going to give you blood flow. I just had a young boy come in, nine years, nine years old, having real issues. And anyway, his mum's gone everywhere, tried everything. And I said, have you done an fMRI? She says, oh we've done the MRIs. But, and I said, ‘'No, you need an fMRI.' She'd never heard of it. No, I was telling her about it. Lisa: I hadn't even heard about it either. Dr Don: She didn't want to do SPECT scans, because SPECT scans are going to put something into your system, right? So she didn't want any kind of dyes, or any kind of those, you know, radioisotopes and stuff like that. So the fMRI is the other answer to try to get that. Lisa: Oh, okay. I'll see whether they've got that, they probably haven't got that either. I'd say, probably having Dark Ages with a lot of things. Dr Don: There's so many things like that, that would give you answers that they just don't do, which is surprising to me. Because when you think research, I mean, you find out how effective they are, why wouldn't they do it? You know, they just won't. Lisa: Oh, yeah, like one of those doctors who was on my podcast, and we're talking about intravenous vitamin C. And he said, I said, ‘Why is it taking so long when there's thousands of studies proving that it's really powerful when there's critical care conditions like sepsis, what I lost my father to?' And they said, ‘Yeah, because it's like turning a supertanker. There's just 20 years between what they know in the clinical studies to what's actually happening in the hospitals.' He says at least a 20-year lag. And this is just, when you live in New Zealand, probably a 30-year lag. We're just just behind the eight ball all the time, and all of these areas of what's actually currently happening. I wanted to go back to your story with your daughter. Because she's got Crohn's disease, 14 years old, diagnosed, having to hit all these restrictions, and that she's going to have to manage it for the rest of her life. And she will never be well. What actually happened? Because we didn't actually finish that story. Dr Don: Well, like I said, so she had, you know, suffered for many years with that, and she's an actress, so any kind of stress would just aggravate it. So she would constantly be getting sick, because, you know, the more stress she has, the more inflammation she's creating, and then she would just get sick and go back to the hospital. So it has really affected her career. So that's when my wife said, ‘You've got to come up with some answers.' And so I did the research. And I really believe that it was a trauma as a child that continued. Because this is when I made the connection between unresolved trauma and inflammation. Inflammation is the response to trauma, whether it's physical or emotional. And the purpose of the inflammation is to protect the integrity of the cell. So the cell gets into an enlarged space. So it sort of puffs out, gets enlarged and hardened to protect it from getting penetrated from any kind of foreign invader. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: So the idea behind it is, it's a temporary pause, because there's been an injury. So the idea is, we need to protect this area. So let's protect it and not let anything get into the cells while, until the danger has passed. So this temporary pause in the system, temporarily suspends the immune system, temporarily suspends the processing of the cell until the danger passes, and then the immune system can come in and clean up, right and take care of everything. The problem was, is that my daughter's trauma was never resolved. So those cells in her intestinal area stayed in an active cell danger response, in an inflamed response, because as far as it was concerned, she was continually being assaulted. Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: Because it kept looping through the trauma. Yeah. So once we took her through this program, and we resolved it so that we were able to stop her mind from constantly trying to protect her from this threat as a six year old, because your subconscious doesn't have any relationship to time. So if you think about something that happened to you when you were six, that's happening now. So in her mind, she was being hurt now. And until we got that updated, so it's like a computer, I say your brain is a computer. Your body is the printer. Lisa: Oh, wow. That's a good analogy. Dr Don: And so if the brain has an error message, it's going to affect the printer. Lisa: Yes. Dr Don: So in her mind, that trauma kept on looping. As soon as we got that corrected, and her mind understood that there was no memory— the memory was still there, but the activation of our nervous system stopped, the inflammation went down. Lisa: See, that's it, like your body's calling for action. I've heard you say— Dr Don: That's when it processes the emotion. Lisa: Yeah. So when you think back to a traumatic event in your life, and you start crying and you're reacting as if you were right there in the in, which, you know, I can do in a split second with some of the trauma that you know, been through. That means that there is a high-definition in your brain, that those moments in time are just locked in there, and causing this, the stress response, still now. And that's why you're crying years later, for something that happened. And it's actually calling for action. It's telling you to do something. But of course, it's a memory you can't do something. Dr Don: So action required, you know I think that's the glitch, the error message that I talked about. So if you think about something that happened to you five years ago, and you start to feel fear, or cry, your heart starts pounding in your chest, your mind is saying ‘Run,' five years ago, because it's seen it in real time. Now, it's impossible to run five years ago, but your mind doesn't know that. So it's going to continue to try to get you to run. And so a lot of times when I talk to people who have depression, one of the things I asked, I'll ask them is, ‘What are you angry about?' And they'll go, ‘Well, no, I'm not angry, I'm depressed.' And I'll say, ‘What's happened is your mind has been calling for an action for many, many years, that was impossible to accomplish. But your mind doesn't know that and it keeps putting pressure on you. Do it, do it, do it. And because you don't do it, it's using these emotions to call for the action, it stops calling for the action, it shuts off the emotions.' Lisa: Wow. Dr Don: And so now depression is the absence of emotion. Lisa: Right. Dr Don: And so what is done is to protect you, it's shut down the request. Lisa: Everything down. So you go sort of numb, numb and apathetic and just— Dr Don: Because you can't do what it's been asking you to do. And so it's been calling for that action for many, many years. You don't do it. And so it says, ‘Well, this isn't working. So let's just shut the system off for a while. We won't ask for the action anymore.' And so that's why the people are depressed. And as soon as you get to the cause of it, what has your mind been asking you to do and you resolve it, then your mind stops calling for the action. And then the depression will lift. Lisa: You had a great example of a lady that you worked with. Rebecca Gregory, was it from the Boston— can you tell us that story? Because that was a real clear example of this exact thing. Dr Don: Yeah. So Rebecca came to see me five years after the Boston Marathon. She was three feet from the first bomb that went off. And so her son was sitting at her feet. So when the bomb went off, luckily she shielded him, but she took the brunt of the blast. She lost her left leg. And five years later, she's having post-traumatic stress, right? And she says, ‘I have nightmares every night. I heard about your program. I heard that you can clear this in four hours.' She says, ‘Iy sounds too good to be true.' But she says, ‘I'm completely desperate. So I'll try anything.' And so she came in and sat down. And what I explained to her as she started to talk is, I said, ‘Rebecca, do you know why you're shaking and crying as you're talking to me right now?' And she says, ‘Well, because I'm talking about what happened to me.' And I said, ‘That's right. But your mind thinks a bomb is about to go off. And it's trying to get you to run.' And I said, ‘But there's no bomb going off. It's just information about a bomb that went off. But your mind doesn't know that.' And that, she'd never heard before. And so what we did is over the next four hours, we got her mind to reset that high-definition data that had been stored about the bombing into a regular alpha brainwave state, right, where it's very safe and peaceful. So she could recall it and she could talk about it without the emotion. Why? Because, now we're not going for happy, right? You know, it's still sad that it happened. But what we're trying to stop is that dysregulation of the fear, the call for the run. That stopped. And you can watch your testimonial on her on our site, and she just talked about, she goes, ‘I just couldn't believe that you could stop that.' Lisa: But in four hours. Dr Don: And then now she can go out and she spoke all over the country. You know, she was a very high-profile lady who did a lot of great work in trying to help people. But she was still suffering with post-traumatic stress. Yeah, trying to help people who were experiencing post-traumatic stress. Lisa: She knew what it was like. Dr Don: She was living it. Same thing. I tell the story, it's another dramatic one was a US Army sniper who had to shoot and kill a 12 year old boy. Lisa: Oh, gosh. Dr Don: And when
Lisa Tertsch und Tim Hellwig, Lucy Charles-Barclay und Alistair Brownlee, Rainer Jung und Chris Nikic – diese Episode unseres Podcasts ist facettenreich: Wir berichten über die Finals in Berlin, das Rennen der World Triathlon Championship Series in Leeds, den halben Ironman auf Hawaii und den vollen in Australien. Es ist Wettkampfsaison!
In this week’s episode we revisit one of our earlier conversations. We had the honor of talking to Chris Nikic and his parents, Nik and Patty last summer. In November Chris became the first person with Down syndrome to complete an IRONMAN. We discuss their 1% philosophy and how people with Down Syndrome can do more than ever expected if given the right tools and time. Chris's Website: https://chrisnikic.com Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2021/05/27/57-revisiting-the-story-of-chris-nikic-becoming-an-ironman/2/ Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.
Legacy and Character matter. This episode of BTL brings you a mentor, leader, business owner, Ironman, and most of all, devoted father and husband, Dan Grieb. One of Dan's life highlights has been leading Chris Nikic, the first person with down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon in under 17 hours. This journey has changed his life forever and taught him life lessons that he will carry with him and apply to his future coaching, professional and personal relationships. Dan has been featured on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Fox News Sports, Barstools Sports and many more, for his business and athletic accomplishments. He has been blessed with two amazing sons and a loving supportive wife who helped cofound their passion project: the One More Kid Charity. The charity steps in and saves Christmas for children and families who would otherwise fall through the cracks and be left without. They also work throughout the year to assist kids with school supplies and other needs, as well as in partnership with other charitable family organizations. Dan's other family passion project is his health and fitness; Dan culminated this journey by accomplishing his ultimate physical goal as a triathlete: completing 10 half Ironman (70.3 mi) and 6 full Ironman (140.6 mi) races, as well as completing the Disney Marathon, Dopey Challenge, OUC Half Marathon, has done ocean marathons, and traveled the world racing and traveling. Through his experiences, he has come to believe that life imitates sports and sports imitate life. The stronger you build your athletic constitution, the stronger the rest of your constitution grows. Dan is a certified leadership coach under John Maxwell. He is an Ironman certified coach, Certified Performance Coach, Master Practitioner in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and a Nationally Recognized Expert in Real Estate. Dan's coaching style is known to be very intense but with a huge focus on building and developing relationships. Join Team Nikic as a supporter for Chris Nikic and the continued journey of breaking barriers that Dan mentioned in this episode >> https://gofund.me/f9ef9374 > https://youtu.be/XsqI-BD2GMs > Use code EMERGE code $100 off your enrollment
"There is a battle going on between the pain and the dream." That is where we continue in this second half of our conversation with Chris Nikic, the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon, and Ironman veteran and coach, Dan Grieb. We talk about Chris' extra "gear for grace", the currency of hugs, the difference between being a “competitor” and a “finisher”, and how the world will forever be changed because of Chris' accomplishment on November 7, 2020. GOATs to include Chris and Dan...of course! We Serve it up in a way you can get it!
Welcome Chris Nikic, the first person with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon, and Ironman veteran and coach, Dan Grieb. Chris talks about his dream of making his own money, buying his own house and car, and marrying a “smoking hot blonde.” Dan shares his life's defining moment...including the one that brought him and Chris together. Bonus: we learn the difference between “fake pain” and “real pain.” GOATs to include Chris and Dan...of course! We serve it up in a way you can get it!
Chris Nikic is the definition of Laser Focus. He is an elite athlete and the first person to complete an Ironman with Down Syndrome. He is not just stopping there and more than that - he is living his purpose on getting 1% better everyday and helping others do the same. We talk with Chris and Dan Grieb(his coach) about his dreams, staying motivated and what it means to get 1% better everyday. Instagram: @chrisnikic Website: chrisnikic.com
On Season 3, Episode 8 of The LowDOWN: A Down Syndrome Podcast, Chris Nikic gives us the lowdown on his journey to becoming the world's first Ironman with Down syndrome.Support the show
The inspiring story of Chris Nikic, the first athlete with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman provides a great motto for you to follow to become better each day.
We are thrilled to share an incredibly inspiring story on this episode of Health Gig. Chris Nikic is the first athlete in the world with Down Syndrome to complete an Ironman. Chris is joined by his friend and coach Dan Grieb, who is the CEO of Home to Sell Team at Keller Williams and has completed 17 Ironman races himself. Together they discuss making the world a more inclusive place, where they draw their inspiration from, and how they motivate each other. Chris recently authored “1% Better: Reaching My Full Potential and How You Can Too” which will be published on October 5th, 2021. You can preorder it now on amazon here.
BONUS CONTENT! Chris Nikic became the first athlete with Down syndrome to become an Ironman in sports history. Now, Nikic is changing the world with his 1% Better mentality. After listening to the full Keep Swinging interview alongside his close friend and training partner Dan Grieb, you'll find yourself inspired, motivated, and ready to accomplish your goals. The dynamic duo plays a round of Pepper in this week's bonus content to get you pumped up!
In November 2020, Chris Nikic became the first athlete with Down syndrome to become an Ironman. Nikic's story is remarkable from beginning to end. The Ironman is joined by his close friend and training partner Dan Grieb, who is a five-time Ironman finisher himself, to detail his heroic day in sports, his %1 Better mentality and shares a powerful message for the viewers and listeners of Keep Swinging with Matt Stucko.
Dan Grieb had a successful business, he was a great husband, a great father, and a great mentor, and he still is today, but he remembers looking up one day and being 320lbs. He was constantly told that you couldn't have it all. That if you wanted to be healthy, something else had to take a hit. So what did Dan do? He changed his environment. He began surrounding himself with people who inspired him, and ended up making a commitment - To train for one year, lose 100lbs, finish an Ironman event, and then do 10 more! This commitment led Dan down a path of joy, fulfillment, and connection. One of his life highlights has been leading Chris Nikic who was the first person with down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon in under 17 hours. This journey has changed his life forever and taught him life lessons that he will carry with him and apply to his future coaching, professional and personal relationships. Dan is a certified leadership coach under John Maxwell. He is an Ironman certified coach, Certified Performance Coach, Master Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming and a Nationally Recognized Expert in Real Estate. Dan's coaching style is known to be very intense but with a huge focus on building and developing relationships. Dan has been featured on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Fox News Sports, Barstools Sports and many more, for his business and athletic accomplishments. In this episode of the Fall In Love with Fitness podcast, Dan and I discuss why he decided to commit to competing in 10 Ironman events, what it was like to coach, lead, and befriend Chris Nikic, and how he lives his everyday life today.
This episode comes at change from a bit of a different angle, as we get to chat with two of the leaders who are bringing the Special Olympic games to Orlando, FL in 2022. Amy Wise, Chief Development and Marketing Officer for the 2022 USA Special Olympics Games and Meghan McLean, SVP Sports for the Games sat down with us to talk how things like the impacts of COVID, trends in Corporate Social Responsibility and advances in data and analytics are shaping the changing approach to the upcoming games. A key shift in their planning is the keen focus on the athletes, the true stars of the games. Telling their stories, bringing leading-edge technology to the competition for them … Meghan and Amy and the entire team is focused on making the intense training and preparation of the Games pay off as they plan for a massive event with over 4000 athletes, 10000 volunteers, and over 125000 spectators in July 2022. Make sure to listen to the end as Meghan talks about the inspiring story of Chris Nikic, an athlete who recently became the first person with Downs Syndrome to complete the grueling Ironman Triathlon! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Imagine swimming 2.4 miles, riding a bike 112 miles, running 26.2 miles, and then finishing the race and making history. That's Chris Nikic, he became the first person with Down syndrome to ever complete an Ironman back in November of 2020. Today we are thrilled to chat with Chris and his coach, Dan Grieb, all about their journey to the Ironman. We're covering everything from how they met, how they trained, and how Dan's life has changed since meeting Chris. And they're detailing exactly what happened behind the scenes during the Ironman, let's just say that not even fire ants or a bike crash could stop Chris! In his words, he “tore doors open and kicked down barriers” and we are so grateful for him. -- Keep up with Chris and Dan! IG: @chrisnikic IG: @dgrieb Website: chrisnikic.com LET'S CHAT Email hello@theluckyfewpodcast.com with your questions and Good News for future episodes. HELP US SHIFT THE NARRATIVE Interested in partnering with The Lucky Few Podcast as a sponsor? Email hello@theluckyfewpodcast.com for more information! CHECK OUT HEATHER'S NEW BOOK Preorder “Different, A Great Thing To Be” by Heather Avis --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/theluckyfewpod/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theluckyfewpod/support
This episode touches on the inspiration of seeing some good guys win like Dustin Porier and Chris Nikic, my idea of the week, not having sex after 8pm, abusing my soundboard, and more! partialartistpodcast@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
On this episode of Investors & Operators, Jordan sits down with Chris and Nik Nikic. Chris is the first athlete with Down syndrome to complete an ironman triathlon. Together, they cover: training for an ironman the importance of discipline stories from the race what the future looks like for Chris ...and so much more. A few folks on the podcast may even commit to an Ironman on this episode--listen to hear for yourself. To learn more about Chris and his journey, visit www.chrisnikic.com.
Mike Reilly has called thousands of people across the finish line at Ironman races and acknowledging their greatest possession, their name when they complete the race. From inspiring people on the microphone to his day to day life, we explore how attitude is a key ingredient to enjoying life, his experience with Chris Nikic, and how he's coped with not having many Ironman races during 2020 (trust me you'll want to listen to the end to hear how his announcing voice has shown up in everyday activities in between races). Socials: https://mikereilly.net/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/ironmanvoice/ Book available on his website, Amazon, Audible If you or someone you know would be interested in being a guest, send an email to mark@markthecoach.net
En esta ocasión, nuestros anfitriones analizan todo lo que implica la hazaña lograda por Chris Nikic al convertirse en la primera persona con Síndrome de Down en completar un Ironman. Además, comentan toda la estrategia de seis puntos para ser mejor 1% cada día que se ideó para lograr esta meta. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/sportsjunkie-mx/message
Earlier this month, 21-year-old Chris Nikic made history by becoming the first person with Down Syndrome to complete the grueling Ironman triathlon event, entering the Guinness Book of World Records for that accomplishment along the way. Nikic's tale was the feel good story we all needed: An example of hard work, big dreams, and plenty of passion. I had a chance to catch up with Nikic and talk in length with his guide, Dan Grieb, who worked with him for several months, up to 8 hours a day, to get Chris ready for the big day. The journey wasn't easy, and on race day, Chris and Dan faced numerous challenges (spoiler alert: Red ants were involved!), but after 16 hours and 49 minutes, Chris indeed heard the magical words: You are an Ironman. This was one of the most special interviews I've done, and it was a surprise to talk to Chris as I had only lined up Dan. Give it a listen and you will be sure to be inspired. Follow Chris on instagram: @chrisnikic Follow Dan on instagram: @dgrieb --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/victorylaps/message
☆ ¿Piratas del Caribe matarán a Jack Sparrow? ☆ La ultima temporada de The Crown estara disponible para netflix este sabado 14 ☆ Lashana Lynch confirma que será la nueva agente 007 ☆ Anuncian una precuela de La Huérfana con Isabelle Fuhrman ☆ Netflix lanza en Francia su primer canal lineal ☆ Ticketmaster podria tener una solución para conciertos y eventos masivos ☆ Chris Nikic, primer atleta con síndrome de Down en completar un triatlón --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
On this week's Walk Around the Block, we talk about my sandwich switch-up and the inspiring story of an Ironman. Show notes: Chris Nikic on being 1 percent better: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGkAkbyBtu_/Chris Nikic's website: https://chrisnikic.com/Alma 37:6: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/37?lang=eng
Enjoy another episode of the Funny Business Podcast! Mike and Matt talk about Santa's Yumnut, GAP not reading the room for the United States Election, and play another round of Random Word Generator. On the sports side, we talk about Chris Nikic, the first with down syndrome to complete an ironman, the Notre Dame fallout with students storming the field, the new and approved NBA season, our Top 5 Sounds in Sports, and another edition of Say Whaaaaat? Find your platform to listen to our podcast here: https://linktr.ee/funnybusinessentertainment Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/funnybusinessentertainment Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funnybusinessentertainment/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/funnybusinessen Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwA7LU4-jps613RuewhWWDg/featured?view_as=subscriber --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/funnybusiness/support
Enjoy another episode of the Funny Business Podcast! Mike and Matt talk about Santa's Yumnut, GAP not reading the room for the United States Election, and play another round of Random Word Generator. On the sports side, we talk about Chris Nikic, the first with down syndrome to complete an ironman, the Notre Dame fallout with students storming the field, the new and approved NBA season, our Top 5 Sounds in Sports, and another edition of Say Whaaaaat? Find your platform to listen to our podcast here: https://linktr.ee/funnybusinessentertainment Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/funnybusinessentertainment Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funnybusinessentertainment/ Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/funnybusinessen Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwA7LU4-jps613RuewhWWDg/featured?view_as=subscriber --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/funnybusiness/support
For this weeks edition of The Beat Of Sports: Weekend Pod, Dan Grieb joins us to tell the story about helping Chris Nikic become the first Ironman finisher with Down syndrome.
WBZ's Jordan Rich shares the story of Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman Triathlon.
There aren't enough positive stories right now but this one definitely qualifies. Dan Grieb joins the show to talk about helping Chris Nikic become the first Ironman finisher with Down syndrome.
There's been a lot of talk on the station over the last couple of days about Jamal Adams, and whether the trade for him was worth it. Looking at his passer rating against... it hasn't been good. He's been useful at times for sure, but the number really stands out. The question is, has he really helped the Hawks defense? We're still on track to see the Huskies and Cougs both take the field against the Oregon teams this Saturday. Cam Cleeland tells us what we can expect from both of these games. Jon Price from Sports Information Traders with plays this weekend for the Hawks vs. Rams, and Buffalo vs. Arizona, plus he tells you how you can get the company's seven-play introductory package this weekend. On Something Good, 21-year-old Chris Nikic becomes the first person with Down syndrome to complete the Ironman triathlon.
So viel Liebe und Hass in einer Podcast-Folge zugleich: Freude und Leidenschaft in den Momenten, als Publisher Frank Wechsel, Chefredakteur Nils Flieshardt und Redakteur Marvin Weber wieder Gänsehaut bekommen, wenn sie den Ironman Florida und die die bewegende Geschichte rund um Chris Nikic Revue passieren lassen. Hass gibt es für die eine oder andere Trainingseinheit, die nur ungern absolviert wird und jedoch trotzdem in jedem Plan stehen muss. Eine Achterbahnfahrt der Gefühle in etwas mehr als 60 Minuten.
Chris Nikic recently became the first Ironman with Down syndrome. Hear his story and lessons that you can apply to your goals.
Chris Nikic made history. He is now the only person with Down syndrome to complete the arduous endeavor that is an IRONMAN competition. His feat is not only a joyous occasion, it's one that champions inclusion. He, his father Nik and coach Dan Grieb go in-depth on the journey toward this record-breaking moment. You can find more stories like this at En Fuego on Sports Illustrated as well as on Twitter at @EnFuegoNow and Instagram @EnFuegoNow More on Alberto Hernández: https://www.si.com/enfuego/news/alberto-hernandez-is-creating-profound-stories-one-hat-at-a-time More on Will Navarro: https://www.si.com/enfuego/news/kobe-bryant-rams-will-navarro-is-bringing-heart-to-sports-photography Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
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