Maximum Enthusiasm

It's a pretty rad day when I get to accompany a friend for a solo mission- like, running rim 2 rim 2 rim... at the Grand Canyon- where I'd never been, and always wanted to visit... So it came to be that I got to join Danny, a SWA pilot and ultra-runner/insanely-talented mountain biker, for his solo r2r2r endeavor. It is a special day when a person goes out to do a big audacious thing when there are no start or finish lines, no spectators, no one at all to cheer or support - what a wonderful and fulfilling thing it is to do a big thing simply for oneself and as a personal goal. Danny absolutely crushed his goal- and had a super successful day doing r2r2r. Here, he shares his prep, as well as what he took with him and how he set himself up for the best possible day. It was such an inspiring event to observe. Read more and see more photos here also: https://www.meganhottman.com/blog/2021/4/12/97grandcanyon

“It’s not about the money...it’s about creating a lifestyle I love. I want to have something where I have a lot of fun doing it, and that helps me feel like I’m giving back, connecting our community.” — Bill Plock, 303 Endurance Today’s guest is usually the one behind the mic asking the questions. I know, because he’s hosted me on both their Garage Talk (you tube video series) and on their 303 Endurance Podcast…. He asks great, insightful questions of his show guests, and so it was fun to turn the mic back towards him and to get the chance to get to know him better. We dig into the background of how it came to be that he owns 303 Endurance, Colorado’s Front Range media source for all cycling and multi-sport related news and updates. You can learn all about it at 303Cycling.com. Living lean, and without debt, is a theme that’s been recurring in my life and is one of the base pillars to my ability to live my life by design and without being dictated by overhead - Bill talks about this too on the show, where he mentions that being debt free has given him the freedom to live his life on his terms, truly, living a life of Maximum Enthusiasm. I truly love his “go boldly” approach to life, to his media business, to racing, and more. Mentioned in my show intro: (1) Wearing a CGM - a continuous blood glucose monitor -from NutriSense: click HERE or: https://www.nutrisense.io/?code=MEGANHO Sign up for NutriSense with my discount code to get $25 off your next month of service. (2) The Big Leap — I HIGHLY recommend this book! If you order it using the link at right —-> please note, as an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission from your purchase. 3) SLEEP CHRONOTYPE: I am a bear. Take your online quiz to figure out your type, when it’s best for you to sleep, work, and exercise! Here’s ONE. 4) Masterclass- - Matthew Walker, sleep expert. HERE.

"I believe that a lot of things are within our control- I think that if we slowed down in life and worked on reconnecting human to human and supporting one another over consumerism, we’d heal a lot of problems that people are having, mostly behind closed doors….” -Adelaide Perr This is a wonderful and insightful interview with an amazing young woman —she’s an athlete, advocate, crash-survivor, triathlete, cyclist, civil engineer, all-round super-woman IMHO … please meet Adelaide Perr. I read her book DEGLOVED and was really impressed with the way she told her story, informed and educated her readers not just about the crash but also her Bipolar II diagnosis, and the ways that she does life — she’s inspired us with her grit as well as her vulnerability. With those topics in mind, I asked her questions about what fuels her fire, how she hits the reset button when she's having a bad moment or a bad day... what things she's looking forward to, and what she sees ahead for her as she currently is executing on a long-time dream she's had: buying a home and wintering in Tucson. Find her, and her book, here: Websites: https://www.adelaideperr.com/ Book: https://bookshop.org/books/degloved-every-scar-has-a-story/9781913615055 Other books she recommends: Exit West Chasing the Screen & Lost Connections Stand

An energy bar that boasts clean label, meaning … we can actually identify and pronounce the ingredients, and they make us feel good before/during/after exercise? A brand that builds community around its products? YES. YES that is an actual thing! Meet Ryan Naboshek, today’s show guest. He did the corporate job thing… and on the side, his passion kept him busy on nights and weekends while he hand-made healthy bars in his kitchen … that’s right. He started his passion project on the side and he cared about it so much, he spent his free time working on it. Until the day came when his corporate job employer laid off the bulk of its workforce - including Ryan. And instead of it being a panic moment, it was the launchpad for CRAFTED to really become a legitimate endeavor for Ryan and his two co-founders. I find this story so inspiring because it shows that when you truly love something you’re working on- it doesn’t HAVE to be your full time job, or at least, not right away. You can nurture it and experiment with it and then maybe something happens that catapults it one direction or the other. But bottom line when you’re passionate and enthusiastic about it, it feels very worthwhile… and you’ll hear that in Ryan’s energy and tone. It’s really exciting to see what they’ve done with their bars and where they want to go - -they’ve got another new flavor waiting in the wings ready to launch, in fact, and they continue to build communities of runners, cyclists and climbers with their branding and products. More than that, though, is the impact they are working to have -they are disrupting an industry replete with products filled with sugars, sugar substitutes (GROSS), preservatives for longer shelf life … and instead they’ve come to the athletic and healthy/vegan communities with legit fueling sources full of legit and REAL foods, which sit well in the tummy and which provide sustained energy…. YES PLEASE. I love the bars — the cyclist bar especially since I am a cyclist at my core. But yes I also eat the runner and climber bars too and they’re delish. I also recommend and use these bars for life activities- like hiking, courtroom and work time, travel — those times when I want to eat something that will keep my blood sugar levels constant, provide me food for fueling without a sugar/insulin spike and resulting crash…. I found this interview super inspiring and uplifting- Ryan’s energy is contagious!! I hope it boosts your day like it did mine. Happy listening! Learn more about Ryan & Crafted Energy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-naboshek-15b67834/ https://www.craftedenergy.com/

"I know that I want to be successful -- but I know in order to get there, I have to push my limits and try things that scare me... I have to take risks when they're presented to me." On this 56th episode of Maximum Enthusiasm, I interview friend and fellow entrepreneur, Jessica Fialkovich. She's a badass. She has run multiple companies, and not only has she grown them into hugely-successful endeavors, she's done it alongside her husband, Al. I think that's pretty special and inspiring. Jess and I talk about her journey to her newest company, Exit Factor, and all of the things that business owners can be thinking of well in advance, before it's time to sell their "baby" versus winding it down at the end of its lifespan. She's also the current president of our Colorado EO (Entrepreneurs Organization) and she talks about what that has been like during the pandemic. I found this interview with Jess so motivating and inspiring. I hope you find this similarly-uplifting and intriguing. Learn more about Jess here at these links: https://www.exitfactor.com/about/ https://jessicafialkovich.com/ https://www.tworld.com/locations/centraldenver/jessica-fialkovich/ A few other links that I reference in my intro: https://wildzora.com/ https://harvesthosts.com/ https://www.elpaismotel.com/

I had this incredible honor and privilege of writing the eulogy for my beloved Grandmother, Jane Hottman. In this era of COVID, funerals are not held in churches, attended in person by all of her loved ones. Instead, they are delivered virtually, online, via a slideshow of photos, songs, and recorded eulogy audio. And so it came to be that I had the opportunity to reflect on my 41 years with my Grandmother Jane... to undertake the impossible mission of reducing her incredible life to words and to attempt to impart her lessons, wisdoms, and strengths, on anyone who may listen. I have always believed strongly in Stephen Covey's "begin with the end in mind" principle- to envision your OWN funeral, who is attending, and what you might wish they would say about you. And then- to go out and to live your life in accordance with those remembrances. If you want your spouse to say that you were a loving, kind, supportive partner -then each day, live in such a way that those sentiments are spoken authentically about you. So many people say their family comes first in their lives, and yet so few people live and act as though that is really true. My Grandma Jane truly did put family first -in everything she did and said- in the plans she made, in the way she ran her businesses, her finances, her schedule. Her family TRULY did come first -and we all knew how much she loved us. How many of us can say that will truly be our legacy? Well here's a tip: each day we can shape our legacy by the way we lead our households and the way we live our lives. Starting now. Starting TODAY. If you prefer the written word over audio to truly soak up my message about Grandma Jane, please visit MaximumEnthusiasm.com to read the eulogy. Thank you for letting me tell you about our amazing Jane- our family matriarch and guiding light. May she rest in peace.

(After riding the TransAmerica Trail), "I wouldn’t have known to even dream that big." Stephanie is a force. A FORCE, I tell you. She is inspiring, strong, spirited, bold, fierce and engaging- she has my vote for whatever future public office position she decides to run for, that's for sure. Stephanie shares with us her story- how the bike and her incredible ride as a relative-newbie on the bike, along the entire TransAmerica trail, opened her eyes - and showed her that she deserves more, that she can and should pursue more, and that her future holds more for her than she previously dared allow herself to dream -- and now she's running headfirst into it- and the exciting adventures and endeavors ahead for her. Learn more about Stephanie, follow her, read her TA trail blog, and more, here: https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/transamerica-trail/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephaniepuello/ https://www.blackgirlsdobike.com/chapters https://www.bicycling.com/culture/a34340282/transamerica-stephanie-puello/ https://www.instagram.com/istephmeister/?hl=en https://linktr.ee/spuello https://followingcairns.com/

"I have that level of intensity around playing this game of business...at the same time, I don't want to suffer from it. I wondered, how can I stay at this level of ambition without suffering from it -without feeling like I wasn't far enough along? ...now, I know it's possible. That duality can exist in harmony." - Andy Seth This week’s guest is a FORCE. He’s the type of person I LOVE being around because of the way his energy radiates- it’s contagious, it energizes me and pumps me up and every time I talk to him, I learn more of his story and become even more inspired. I present my friend and fellow entrepreneur, Andy Seth. I wish we could’ve talked for hours. SO much goodness here. Most recently, I saw Andy in person at his book launch party (pre-COVID, and feels like ages ago!)…. his book, BLING, was newly-published, along with his accompanying playlist, and — no surprise — the book went to the top on Amazon and the party where he released it and the playlist was OFF THE HOOK. The party was RAD and there was a magical moment when his daughter referenced some of his song lyrics when she asked Andy for the mic… priceless. Magic. The book is inspiring, as is-the play list… as is Andy’s story. Learn more about him here: https://www.andyseth.com/ Learn about his business FLOW here: https://feelmeflow.com/about-us/andy/ Learn about his book (and order it) here: https://www.andyseth.com/bling/ Listen to his playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/album/1xiOOKOK5ht9uCPQmiXTHe (and more here: https://303magazine.com/2020/02/local-listen-86/) During my intro of this episode, I mention EO — the organization through which I met Andy (and many of our other business-owner guests on this show). If you are a business owner, I HIGHLY recommend you check out EO Accelerator and/or EO…. it’s a global organization and I cannot say enough about how it’s helped me in business and in life — and how addicting it is to be around fellow entrepreneurs (crazy risk-takers like me!)…. Learn more about EO here: https://www.eonetwork.org/ SPONSOR: Wild Zora (friends from EO, actually!): organic meat & veggie bars, as well as amazing oatmeal for on-the-go …. and more! Check them out here (and listen to this episode/intro for the discount code you can use to save some money!). EPISODE EDITING AND COMPILATION: provided as always by the wonderful and ever-amazing Stu at RELISH STUDIO. Check them out here: https://relishstudio.com/

"...what can be a deterrent is, when you look at these marketing pieces, there is nobody that looks like us. At all. Cycling apparel on Instagram feeds- you don’t see any black people, you don’t see any minority groups, period. I think that’s an inaccurate depiction of cycling – I don’t know why there isn’t more representation, but that’s something that motivated me. I’m going to do a photoshoot to show some nice gear and we’ll take shots to give people imagery of two dudes riding bikes- maybe cycling isn’t just for white people, maybe I can do this! It sparks inspiration. They get intrigued. They give it a shot." - Calvin Smith Today’s guest is my friend Calvin, aka C-Smith (@seesmith on IG). We met riding bikes down in Scottsdale awhile back, he’s one of those cyclists you gravitate towards in groups— smiling, energetic, friendly, engaging — and I’ve been following along in his cycling adventures and conquests ever since. A “former hooper, now cyclist,” as he says, it’s clear he has serious athletic talent and excels at anything he puts his mind to. As I began watching his IG posts closely I learned he was trying to send a far more important message than simply, “go fast on your bike” … his message: yes, cycling has black athletes in the sport— we just need to do a far better job showing them in cycling marketing pieces and online campaigns. Calvin decided to do something about it by compiling his own sponsors and photoshoots with friends, to make it more enticing and welcoming; to bring in more cyclists. He is sparking inspiration, indeed. Give him a follow and you’ll see the passion, energy, enthusiasm he exudes. He’s a joy to host on the show, I enjoyed learning even more about him and his life off the bike, and want to share his current fundraising effort here in the hopes you’ll take part: It’s called 10 for 10 (read more here). He posts, “The goal is simple: Raise $10,000 to buy 10 laptops for 10 kids from underserved communities to help close the Digital Gap. The money that is raised will go directly to The Hidden Genius Project (@hiddengeniuspro) who will purchase these computers to train them on computer technology, software development and entrepreneurship in the growing tech sector.” As of June 24, he updated by saying, “Together, WE, have raised over $6400 on Bonfire (including direct donations that were given to The Hidden Genius Project) and over $5400 on GoFundme! Exceeding our goal!” You can donate/get involved in his campaign here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/campaign-for-the-hidden-genius-project Book that Calvin mention as one of his faves: Optimism, by Helen Keller (who doesn’t need more of that these days!?). Find it on bookshop.org or your local bookstore! Read more about the apparel company that Calvin represents here: OrNot - https://www.ornotbike.com/ SPONSOR OF THIS EPISODE: Champion System cycling apparel. Visit their site at https://champ-sys.com/ and use code MEGAN10 to save 10% off your order!

If you listened to guest Walt’s episode, you know that his coach Joe played an important part in his discovery of his heart issue and need for surgery (which likely saved Walt’s life). Given all that Walt told me about Joe, I had to host him on the show! Joe’s website: https://www.summitenduranceacademy.com/about-me/ “I enjoy watching & helping people have those breakthroughs. It’s about when the light goes on and I can tell somebody just did something they didn’t think that they could do, and getting to that point where they start to question all of their other limitations – when they start to see that they did this one thing that wasn’t on their radar before, and they look around saying, what are other things I could do?!” - Joe Howdyshell Books Joe recommends: Atomic Habits: James Clear & Ryan Holiday: The obstacle is the way SPONSOR: Crafted Energy : https://www.craftedenergy.com/ EPISODE EDITING/COMPILATION: Relish Studio: https://relishstudio.com/