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Episodes

Sept. 10, 2025

16 Knee Surgeries to Warren Miller Stardom: The Real Secrets to Heali…

What does it take to come back after a body-breaker of an injury—not once, but sixteen times? Chris Anthony is a legendary ski athlete, filmmaker, and adventurer who has stared down more than his fair share of wipeouts, surgeries, and life-altering setbacks. But instead of fading quietly from the s…

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Sept. 3, 2025

#90 Survival Is Not Assured (Part II): Partnerships, Loss, and the Hu…

Last week in Part I, we began our journey with legendary alpinist Jim Donini — exploring his surprise cancer diagnosis, his early days in Yosemite, and the philosophy that has defined his career: “Getting to the top is option...

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Aug. 27, 2025

#89 Survival Is Not Assured: An 82-Year-Old Alpinist on Choosing the …

For more than five decades, Jim Donini has defined what it means to be an alpinist. Not by chasing the tallest mountains or summit glory, but by seeking out the hardest lines in the world’s most remote ranges — places where s...

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Aug. 20, 2025

#88 Whales, Bears, and the Will to Return: What Two Solo Voyages Thro…

At age 49, Susan Marie Conrad paddled 1,200 miles—alone—through the remote, storm-swept waters of the Alaskan Inside Passage. Twelve years later, at 61, she went back and did it again. In this powerful conversation, Susan sha...

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Aug. 12, 2025

#87 Be Badass Every Day: From 1970s Skate Rebel to World Champion at …

At 65, Judi Oyama is still lining up at the start gate — not in a “Masters” category, but shoulder-to-shoulder with athletes half, or even a quarter her age. She’s a World Champion slalom skateboarder, a Hall of Fame inductee...

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Aug. 6, 2025

The Movement Optimist Returns: Strong Hips, Stable Ankles, Happy Feet…

Physiotherapist, coach, and lifelong climber Andy McVittie is back for the final chapter of our three-part deep dive into aging well, moving well, and living without fear of injury. If you haven’t listened to Part I ( The Mov...

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July 31, 2025

#85 No Finish Line in Sight: On Pain, Joy, and the Lifelong Pursuit o…

Every few months, I pause to reflect on the conversations that left a mark—ones I keep thinking about long after the recording stops. This episode is a curated collection of those moments from Spring 2025. You’ll hear stories...

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July 24, 2025

#84 The Deep End: What Cold Oceans, Swollen Throats, and the Edge of …

In Part II of our deep conversation, Andy Donaldson takes us into the heart of open water swimming—where the body aches, the mind wanders, and sometimes… things go wrong. We pick up the story after his return to the sport. Bu...

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July 18, 2025

#83 The Comeback: A Former Accountant’s Journey Back to The Water- An…

What does it take to walk away from something you’ve trained for your entire life… and then find your way back — stronger, wiser, and with a whole new purpose? In this two-part conversation, we sit down with world-record-hold...

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July 10, 2025

#82 Climbing the World’s Hardest Big Wall by Sailboat — How Living Yo…

Seb Berthe isn't your average elite climber. He doesn’t just send 5.14s—he sails to them. Literally. When he set his sights on the Dawn Wall—the hardest big wall climb in the world—he refused to fly, instead making three ocean crossings by sailboat, living simply and training creatively along the w…

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July 4, 2025

#81 How a World Champion Found New Strength—And the Habits That Help …

What happens when your life as an elite athlete is stripped away—and you’re forced to rebuild, not just your body, but your identity? In this powerful and personal episode, we sit down with Jamie Whitmore —a world-class endur...

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June 25, 2025

#80 Lexicon, Boldness, and the Long Game: Training Smarter, Climbing …

What does it take to climb your hardest route at 50—and then hold the rope while someone else pushes that same line even further? For Neil Gresham, that moment came on Lexicon , a bold and beautiful E11 route he bolted and cl...

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June 18, 2025

From Olympian to Freeskiing Pioneer to DJ: How One Woman Rebuilt Her …

Wendy Fisher was once one of the fastest women on skis. A U.S. Ski Team racer and 1992 Olympian, she seemed destined for a long career in elite competition. But by her early 20s, she was burned out, struggling with identity a...

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June 12, 2025

#78 When the Gear Might Not Hold: Cutting-Edge Rock Climbing at 74, M…

What does it mean to stay bold — not in your 20s or 30s, but in your 70s? What does it take to trust your body, your judgment, and your preparation when the stakes are high — and there’s no one left to impress but yourself? I...

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June 4, 2025

#77 Still Racing at 73: Triathlon’s Wild Origins, Daily Rituals For R…

“I call my age group the 70 to death—and we show up early, because we still can. If you want to feel young, hang out with people chasing PRs, not prescriptions.” Bob Babbitt has raced more than 300 triathlons, co-founded Comp...

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May 28, 2025

#76 Four Times Across the English Channel: What One Impossible Swim C…

At midnight, Sarah Thomas stepped off the coast of England into darkness—swimming into history as the first person to complete a four-way crossing of the English Channel, nonstop. That alone would be astonishing. But what mak...

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May 21, 2025

#75 The Thinking Climber: What a Philosopher’s Double Life Reveals Ab…

What if your best climbing wasn’t behind you—even at 65? This episode is a masterclass in longevity, discipline, and duality. Our guest is a rare figure who has spent decades pushing hard at the edge of two very different worlds: as a tenured philosophy professor and a lifelong climber still sendin…

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May 15, 2025

#74 Ketones, Fasting, and Flexibility: The Science of Optimizing Your…

In this episode of Ageless Athlete , we dive into the metabolic engine room with Dr. Brianna Stubbs—world-class endurance athlete and leading researcher at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Brianna bridges the worlds ...

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May 8, 2025

#73 Unstoppable: The 80-Year-Old Who Runs 100+ Mile Ultramarathons—an…

Bob Becker didn’t grow up an athlete. He ran his first marathon in his 50s. Now, at 80, he’s outlasting runners half his age—competing in 100+ mile ultramarathons across deserts, through mountain passes, and deep into the unknown. But this isn’t just a story about extreme endurance. It’s a meditati…

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May 1, 2025

#72 Bianca Valenti’s Second Act: How She Won Equal Pay, Redefined Her…

What does it take to paddle into 50-foot waves — and to paddle back out again after life knocks you down? In this wide-ranging conversation, professional big wave surfer Bianca Valenti joins the Ageless Athlete podcast to tal...

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April 25, 2025

#71 When the Body Breaks Through: From Cold Oceans to Chemo Miles — B…

In this special highlight reel, we revisit the most unforgettable moments from the past few months of Ageless Athlete . These are stories that stuck with me—narratives that challenged how I think about fear, recovery, aging, ...

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April 15, 2025

#70 Dean Karnazes: Fighting Fit in His 60s, Running Ultras on Weekend…

Dean Karnazes has been called one of the fittest humans on the planet — and he’s not slowing down. In his 60s, he’s still running ultramarathons on the weekends, living part-time in Greece, and exploring the historical roots ...

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April 8, 2025

#66 Aging Joints & Grateful Bodies: Elbows, Fingers, Sleep, and the S…

Physiotherapist and coach Andy McVittie returns to the podcast for a deeper dive into the aging body — what breaks down, why it happens, and how to keep moving through it all. In this episode, we move from big-picture thinkin...

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April 1, 2025

#68 Jerry Moffatt’s Revelations: Dangerous Free Soloing Before It Was…

Dangerous Free Soloing Before It Was Cool, The Power of Obsession, and Letting Go at Your Peak In this episode of Ageless Athlete , host Kush Khandelwal sits down with one of climbing’s most iconic and introspective figures— ...

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