Episodes

What does it take to bet everything on a dream? To live out of a van before it was fashionable, to commit to hard lines with no guarantee of success, and to walk away from risk when the stakes are too high? For Canadian climber Sonnie Trotter, it has always come down to conviction. From iconic ascents like Cobra Crack and The Path to bold multi-pitch routes on El Capitan, Sonnie has built a career — and a life — around the power of desire and the art of going all in. In this episode, Sonni...

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 spotlight, Chris rebuilt. Physically. Mentally. Spiritually. In this episode, we explore what it really means to recover—not just to return to sport, but to reinvent yourself in the process. You’ll h...

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 optional. Getting back down is mandatory.” In this second part of our conversation, we turn from the mountains themselves to the human side of Jim’s story. At 82, Jim reflects on: The partnerships that shaped his greatest climbs — and what makes someone a great partner in the mou...

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 storms, hunger, and survival itself are never guaranteed. Now at 82, Jim is still climbing, still dreaming, and still teaching us what resilience looks like. In this first of a two-part conversation, he opens up about receiving a surprise cancer diagnosis, how he approache...

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 shares what it means to return—not just to the same wild coastline, but as a different person. We unpack what changes when you chase something bold later in life, how nature reshapes your mindset, and what happens when you open yourself up to synchronicity, generosity, and t...

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 Guiness record holder, a Hall of Fame inductee, and a pioneer who’s been breaking barriers since she first picked up a board in Santa Cruz in the early 1970s. Back then, women’s divisions barely existed. Prize money was unequal. Media crews left during women’s finals. Judi skated anyway — pus...

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 Movement Optimist: Knees, Shoulders, Elbows, Hips, Bulletproof Yourself! Never Late to Get Strong!) or Part II (Aging Joints & Grateful Bodies: Elbows, Fingers, Sleep, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves), I highly recommend going back. In those episodes, we tackled the myths abo...

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 that go beyond performance. These are reflections on resilience, identity, aging, and the human drive to keep exploring what’s possible—physically and emotionally. In this episode: Sarah Thomas reflects on childhood, potential, and joy after record-breaking swims ...

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. But this time, it's different. Andy isn’t chasing medals—he’s chasing meaning. And the path leads him through shark-infested waters, swollen throats, and swims so long and cold they push his body toward shutdown. In this episode, Andy shares: What happened during his...

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-holding swimmer Andy Donaldson. But Part One isn’t about records. It’s about the reset — the season of burnout, career shifts, mental struggle, and the slow, imperfect process of coming home to yourself. Andy was once on the edge of elite swimming. Then he left the sport e...

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 way. In this deep and wide-ranging conversation, we talk about: Why how you chase a goal matters as much as what the goal isHow living by your values can deepen the meaning of your accomplishmentsWha...

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 endurance athlete whose story is less about podiums and more about persistence. Jamie was once one of the most dominant XTERRA racers in the world—winning races across continents, climbing mountains on her bike, and chasing down competitors on foot. But when life shifted, so...

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 developed and climbed later in life. In this conversation, Neil shares the full story—from discovering the line in the Lake District to the deep personal shift that allowed him to reach a new peak, years after he thought he’d already hit it. We also talk about what it was like to suppo...

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 and disordered eating, and quietly unraveling inside a system that prized performance over well-being. This could’ve been the end of her story. Instead, it became the beginning of a much more human one. In this episode, Wendy shares how she walked away from ski racing a...

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? In this episode of Ageless Athlete, we meet Rob Matheson, a climber who recently completed one of the UK’s most legendary and serious routes: The Bells, The Bells!, a bold sea cliff climb in North Wales known for its minimal protection and high consequence. But this epi...

“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 Competitor magazine, helped popularize the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon Series, and has spent decades spotlighting athletes of all abilities through storytelling. At 73, he’s still training, still racing, and still waking up at 5:30 a.m. for his morning cold plunge. But this epi...

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 makes her story unforgettable is what came before: a breast cancer diagnosis, grueling treatment, and the slow, painful journey of rebuilding trust in a body that no longer felt like hers. In this powerful episode, Sarah opens up about more than just world-record swims. She re...

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 sending 5.14s. Bill Ramsey started climbing before sport climbing existed. He trained on treadwalls before they were popular. And today, he still maps out meticulous 8-hour training days—designed not to g...

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 of elite performance and cutting-edge science, specializing in how ketones, fasting, and metabolic flexibility can shape our ability to recover, sustain energy, and age well. This isn’t about dieting fads or silver bullets—it’s about understanding how your body fuels itsel...

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 meditation on purpose, perseverance, and the ripple effects we create when we keep showing up. In one unforgettable story, Bob recalls finishing a brutal desert race just past the official cutoff—only t...

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 talk about what it really means to face fear, rebuild after burnout, and commit to something bigger than yourself. Bianca is best known for: 🌊 Being one of the world’s top female big wave surfers 🏄‍♀️ Competing in the legendary Eddie Aikau Invitational in 2023 ⚖️ Leading th...

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, and what the human body (and spirit) can do when fully committed. You’ll hear: A nurse in her 50s swimming 30 miles through 43-degree water toward the Farallon Islands—without a wetsuit. A son running beside his father through the fog of Alzheimer’s. An ultra-runner findi...

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 of endurance itself. In this episode, Dean takes us through: What running looks like for him today Why Greece has become his spiritual and physical home The true story of the marathon, told like only he can How he stays mentally sharp and physically strong as he ages W...

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—Jerry Moffatt. Long before climbing hit the Olympics or Netflix, before Honnold and El Cap, Jerry was free soloing bold routes in Britain, training with a laser-sharp mindset, and pioneering the life of a professional climber. By the age of 20, he’d conquered the hardest ro...