November 3, 2025 • 40 mins
In this inspiring episode of Conversations with Kris, Risa August shares her story of transformation — a journey that quite literally took her from Canada to Mexico on a bicycle.
After facing immense personal challenges, Risa chose to rebuild her life one mile at a time. Through courage, creativity, and sheer will, she turned her pain into purpose and her journey into art. Her story is a moving reminder that healing isn’t always quiet — sometimes, it’s an open road stretching thousands of miles long.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:11):
I am positively Chris Pace and you are actively listening to
Conversation with Chris. Hey everyone, what's going on?
It's Chris and we are back with another episode of Conversations
with Chris. Today my guest is Rissa with 1S
and she's going to tell you her story, which is inspiring to say
the least and I am excited. I can't wait to hear it.
(00:34):
So I am happy that I get to share it with my audience as
well. Marissa, how are you today?
I am wonderful, Chris. I am over the moon to be here
and completely honored to just be able to be on this show with
you. Thank you.
That means a lot to me because after they hear your story,
they're going to understand why that means a lot.
(00:54):
It's amazing story you have. So tell me what happened like
how you how'd your life begin? Where'd you start things at?
What's what's a key point that caught things rolling for you,
good or bad? Not that I think that either is
existing, because really, everything in life is either
educational or fun. Those are the only two options I
look at. So tell me about you.
Tell me your your summary. Yeah, well, I grew up in a
(01:18):
suburb of Cleveland, OH, and, you know, in a dysfunctional
household. I had an alcoholic father and I
would say probably narcissistic mother and or pretty darn close.
And I had an older brother and it was just a very abusive
(01:42):
upbringing. But I have to say, at a very
young age, I felt like I had a wisdom that maybe most, you
would think most children might not have.
Like I, there was always something inside of me that felt
like, wait a minute, I don't belong here.
(02:02):
Like, what am I doing in this crazy family?
Like I know there's something better out there for me.
I was very much a kid who followed the rules, was well
mannered, very polite, very shy actually.
And and I just wanted everyone to be happy and OK.
(02:24):
And, and so I do. I remember, I remember in first
grade, I was sitting on a on thebus on the way to school and it
was just another long night of fighting and family stuff.
And I just remember thinking, I got myself dressed again that
morning for school and I put on this light pink, hand me down
(02:48):
corduroy little dress with a flowery matching blouse that I
got from the neighbor who was a little bit older than me.
And she always gave me the coolest clothes.
And I just remember sitting on that in that bus seat saying, I
know there's there's better for me.
There's a better life out there.And I've never.
(03:12):
Had a positive kind attitude, huh?
Yeah, yeah. Even at a young age, you're
like, I don't fit in with these people.
That's how I kind of felt too. I was like, this guy's racist.
I don't have any racism in me atall.
Like, how am I supposed to get along with him?
You know, this person's a narcissist.
How do I get, you know, not knowing these terms?
Back then, we didn't have these words, right?
They were like, I mean, it was all new stuff.
(03:34):
But totally understand what you mean when you say you didn't
feel like you belonged in the situation you're in.
But obviously that was where youwere meant to be, right?
Had to be raised that way so youcould become who you are today.
So what happened after Cleveland?
Where'd you go from there? Yeah.
So as soon as I turned 18, graduated high school, I moved
out and I actually only moved about 45 minutes away to go to
(04:00):
college. And I put myself through college
and, and started to become independent as soon as possible.
And then when I was 21, I decided to leave college and
travel the world. So I, at that point I, I moved
to Maine and then I lived in Australia for a while and I went
(04:24):
to Europe and I was all over theUnited States and I lived in
Washington and Oregon for a while.
And I just had this, I remember loving growing up.
I loved the Indiana Jones series, those movies, and I just
had this desire to explore and see the world.
(04:47):
The best learning opportunities came along with you know that
lifestyle. 55 countries, that's where I'm at.
Oh my goodness. I've gone around the globe twice
and I've been to the southernmost point of the earth
and totally agree with you. If you really want to experience
life and understand it, you haveto go and travel and you've got
(05:09):
to go see other places, because you realize the world's a big
place, but it's also very small and the people are mostly the
same no matter where you go, give or take some luxuries.
Yeah, absolutely. And that was how you got your
education. Did you go to school or did you
decide that that was not going to work for you?
What was the process there? Yeah, so I went back to I, I
(05:31):
went back to school 10 years later and finished my degree in
geography of all things. Exactly.
And it was almost like somethingI just wanted to do for myself.
I'm kind of one of those people that likes to finish what I
start. And so I, I can't say that I've
(05:52):
actually used the degree in any way.
I, I feel like I became, I just,I've gained my wisdom just from,
you know, connecting with peoplein the world, you know,
different from me and learning about other cultures and, and
so, and you have me beat. I've been to 26 countries.
(06:14):
So you've had me beat, but. That's still up there on the
top, like 10%, I think I looked it up and there's like very
small percentage of people ever leave America.
And then the ones that do usually only go to like one or
two countries and, and they're usually like the Bahamas or
something like that. It's not anything crazy.
So, you know, kudos. That's a lot of places.
Actually. I was in the military, so I
(06:37):
didn't get a choice on most of mine.
There was a lot of that going onthe first time, but you know,
the second time around was a little more fun.
So enjoyed it. But you kind of used the
geography thing. I mean, you had to, you know,
you've been to the places, so you can talk about a lot of
them, right? Oh my gosh, yes.
And I was damn good at reading maps.
Like, you know, that's what I grew up with.
There's like Rd. Atlas like.
(07:01):
Trying to figure out where you are.
Exactly. Amazing.
I think it's funny that everybody's worried about
texting and driving. I'm like, do you guys remember
that Gen. Xers were we were driving a 5
speed with a cigarette and a case of CDs and a map?
It was, it was like texting drive.
Are you kidding me? That's the safest thing I've
ever done. I'm not encouraging that by the
(07:24):
way. I'm just saying Gen.
Xers are pretty bad ass, that's all I need.
Right. And so then coming back, you you
got into some athletics you got into, or was there something
that shifted you into that? Was that always a passion?
Yeah, so I, I, I always liked sports, but I was kind of timid
(07:45):
at team sports and stuff. There was always someone more
aggressive than me or And so it was when I went back to college
to finish my degree, I started lifeguarding part time at a pool
and I saw these people training for something.
I didn't know what it was and and I thought one of the guys
was cute. And so I just asked him.
(08:07):
I said, are you training for something?
And he said, yeah, triathlon, you should try it.
And I was like, oh, and, and that's a good.
Way to start. Yeah, so I kind of jumped into
that and I was hooked. I did my first triathlon on an
oversized mountain bike and didn't really know what I was
(08:29):
doing. But I was hooked after that and
worked my way up to Iron Man distance and got really into
CrossFit and, you know, heavy lifting and, and that was kind
of the, I almost became really obsessed with fitness and
nutrition and exercise. You know how you know somebody
(08:52):
does CrossFit? Don't worry, they'll tell you.
Right. I'm a CrossFit level 2
instructor. Oh.
My gosh, that is that's like a cult, but a really healthy one.
It's just amazing how passionatethey are.
So all this took over a period of time and while you were going
(09:13):
through this, any challenges along the way, anything that
kind of like was a roadblock that made you slow down or did
you just kind of have a cruise control?
Yeah, so I so I was into all things outdoors adventure.
I got into mountaineering and, you know, backpacking and
endurance cycling, so 500 miles,things like that.
(09:36):
And, and I remember I just finished an Iron Man race and
then signed up for a 500 mile bike tour across Oregon.
And I, I, but I wasn't recovering like things were
changing. I was putting on a lot of weight
that I couldn't explain. And so I started going to my
(10:00):
doctor and she was like, you're an athlete.
Your blood work's fine. I, I don't think anything's
wrong with you. And, and I was like, I,
something is off. I, I'm in tune with my body.
I'm telling you, I know it got to the point where I started
thinking I was in denial. I signed up for Overeaters
(10:24):
Anonymous. I thought maybe I was in denial
about how much I was eating. I was explaining like changes in
hair growth to my Romanian heritage.
I was like finding excuses for things.
But then seven years later and many doctor appointments later,
we discovered a massive tumor atthe base of my brain that came
(10:46):
comes with a rare disease calledacromegaly, which you might be
familiar with if you know who Andre the Giant is.
Of course I do. Everyone knows, you know he was
the 8th wonder of the world. Yes, yeah.
Let's let's let's step back a second.
How long does it take to ride a bike?
(11:07):
500 miles. I think I did.
I did that one in six days. Six days, OK, Because I'll never
do that. So I just would like to know.
I think that's never going to bea thing for me, so I don't ask
and see how long it takes. And you thought maybe that you
were gaining weight and eating too much.
Is it even possible to do that when you're riding at 500 miles
(11:30):
on a bike? I mean, it was insane because I
was doing 2A days, you know, in training for Iron Man races and
weightlifting. And, you know, I, I, I was
trying to explain it. I was trying to figure it out,
'cause my doctor kept saying no,you're fine.
Wow. What caused them to go look in
(11:50):
the brain? I did.
I finally was like, something's not fine.
I had started having severe headaches and they were still
telling. My doctor was still telling me
you're overtraining, you're not drinking enough water.
And I was like, no, I'm not. I'm barely sleeping 2 hours a
night. I've resorted to CBD to try to
(12:14):
get some sleep. The pain was excruciating.
And I'm, I'm, I was a purist. So taking NSAIDs or anything
like that, I really didn't want to go that route.
So, so I asked for an MRI and mydoctor said no.
And I, I asked again and she said, no, I don't think you need
(12:38):
one and they're expensive. And I was like, what?
And, and I almost said OK and then something in me said order
me the MRI and she did. And a week later we found this
tumor and and then it all started come came crashing down
at that point, but but you know,with every crumbling comes
(13:02):
rebuilding and wonderful things.So.
Yeah. And it's crazy how many people I
know who have gotten brain tumors and they're still alive
and fine today when the doctors told them they wouldn't be.
And I have not had one. But I do have what's called a
Chiari malformation. So it's a herniation of the
brain and it leaks out the back of my skull.
And it's from my TBI that I suffered in the military.
(13:23):
But it's also like if I pinch myneck like in an MRI machine,
that's where it'll set it off and it shuts off the spinal
fluid to my nervous system. And basically you have this shut
down body that won't function and until you roll that neck out
and get it back up, which nobodyreally knows about it.
So it was kind of a fortunate blessing because I was at the
(13:45):
hospital, they were trying to figure out what was wrong.
And they put the EEG machine on me.
And then when they did, they hadto roll a towel under my neck to
lift my head up to get the EEG device on.
And when they did, I came back to wake and I was like, where am
I? What am I doing?
And I had no idea that five hours had gone by and that I had
had this episode. And then I, it looked like I was
having a stroke, but I wasn't with no stroke, no seizure.
(14:06):
It's just a crazy thing that happens to very few people, but
certainly got my attention. I'd say, Oh my gosh.
So that was very, that was frightening enough for me.
But I've had a couple of people on my show that have had brain
tumors and they're, you know, they beat them, they've come out
of them fine. And then, you know, cruising
(14:27):
through life. And so I, I think it's a
probably one of those really cool miracles that, you know,
happens for people in the world that actually believe in
positive thought. You know, I mean, I don't know
if you're actually sick unless you believe you are, because the
mind is so powerful, right? We're reshaping ourselves every
single day when we think and we talk and everything that comes
out of us. So I think there's ought to be a
(14:48):
lot of, you know, without peoplegetting to the point where they
think it's too hokey, which I don't understand that either
because we believe in Wi-Fi, butwe don't believe in energy.
Right. That's always confused me.
So yeah. And so brain tumor had to slow
down the 500K or the 500 mile rides, right?
I mean, did it kick? Did it stop you?
Did you give up on fitness or what did you decide to do?
(15:12):
Well, I, I, I didn't realize it at the time that my life would
never be the same. My body would never function the
same again because it because the disease that the tumor
causes is so destructive. And but I had such an ego back
then. I didn't realize it, You know,
(15:32):
back then I was like, you know, I would have thought differently
of myself. But like looking back,
reflecting back, and that's a gift in this kind of stuff is I
was like, Oh my God, I was kind of an asshole.
But, and, and, and so I still had that train of thought of
like, I remember thinking, OK, well, what do we need to do?
(15:54):
Like let's just get this tumor out so I can get back to my
life. I mean, I had to get, I had to
get back to CrossFit, right? Like, yeah, exactly.
So exactly. So.
And I remember telling my neurosurgeon because I I learned
I was going to have to have brain surgery.
And I remember saying, well, I have a 250 mile bike tour or
(16:15):
bike ride in Moab in six weeks following brain surgery.
Like, like, you know, can we getthis going?
Yeah. He, he's like, looked at me like
I had two heads. He was just like, am I being
punked? Like you're not even allowed to
drive. Speak English.
(16:36):
I mean, I would be a little beside myself if I actually had
someone sitting in front of me with, you know, brain tumor and
they're like, hey doc, can we get this on the road and fix
this thing real quick? Because I got to get back to
A250K bike ride. Like, don't think she's going to
die. She's going to be fine.
Like she's just ignored the whole thing, moved right on with
her life. But obviously it had to have put
(16:58):
some hiccups in there, right? Did you go through chemo and use
all the things or did you find aholistic way?
Yes. Oh gosh, this is it.
Feels like a sad story for me. So they couldn't get the entire
tumor out and it's still causingthis destructive disease.
And I think I realized about 3 months post surgery that OK,
(17:22):
this, this, I'm never going to be the same like this isn't
going to go away easily. And, and so I had, I had the
difficult decision of radiation treatment and, and I had this
decision which was really hard for being a purist.
I was actually had orthorexia atone point where I wouldn't put
(17:44):
anything synthetic into my body.And so now I'm faced with
radiation treatment or really gnarly medications.
For the rest of your life not. A good choice, not options that
you want. Yeah, I didn't want.
Something right? Yeah, So I was told that
(18:06):
radiation treatment could potentially in the long run get
me off medications, but I'm seven years in and so far the
radiation seems to be killing everything except the tumor.
So and I'm on my medications, gnarly medications.
So I'm navigating now. Well, that's incredible.
(18:29):
I've I know a lot of people havegone the holistic route like
Gersalin therapy. Have you ever heard of that in
the plant based diet down in Mexico?
It's cured hundreds of thousandsof people of cancer.
I met actually a guy many years ago who got stage 4 brain tumor.
They told him it was inoperable with nothing they could do for
him. He would probably had three to
six months left and he was fine.And I said, how long ago was
(18:52):
that? He goes, oh, 15 years ago he
said I go, well, what happened? He goes, well, they told me they
couldn't do anything. So I went down to Mexico and got
treated by this clinic called the Gerson Therapy.
GERSON. It's been around for hundreds of
years. They've cured hundreds of
thousands of people using a plant based whole food alkaline
diet. And it's very strict.
(19:13):
But once the body goes into a state of alkalinity, it cannot
have disease. Disease requires acid in order
to survive. And so once you deprive the body
of any acidic anything, then nowdisease won't survive.
And then this guy was fine completely.
They could, they would scan his brain now and he has nothing
there. And they didn't understand it.
They couldn't explain it. And so I did my research and
(19:36):
looked it up. That's the way I think I would
go if I had to face down the bigC.
But I don't know. I mean, it's the only this thing
that when you're in the situation, it's a lot different,
I guess, right? Yeah, I mean, I didn't have a
lot of information when I had tomake these decisions had I had
more information and and that's why I went on to do the work I,
(19:57):
I've, I'm doing now. But I was like, why didn't they
give me all my, all the information?
I I, I like, I was led to believe like this is your only
option, Like you've got to do this.
And you know, and hindsight, I'mlike.
I probably, I probably would have made very different
(20:17):
decisions. And so now I'm out there trying
to make sure people have all theinformation and, and I've done
some of my own like self healing.
They damaged part of my pituitary during surgery and
which caused kind of sodium malfunction in my body, which
(20:38):
was actually very serious, especially as an athlete.
And, and I got myself off of the, the medication for that.
And, and I, I, my, the, the sodium issues I have are
extremely mild now and very easyto deal with.
And, and so I don't know, maybe I'm heading down to Mexico soon,
(21:00):
who knows? I mean, there's a lot of good
information out there I can share.
I can certainly share what I know, but obviously I can get
you on the right track in some directions for things that are
alternatives to chemo and radiation.
But I know that that's all we'retaught as a kid.
When you're growing up, you know, you think that if you get
cancer, that's the only way you're going to make it.
And, you know, the truth is if they're using a carcinogen to
(21:24):
try to kill a carcinogen. So it's like, I'm not sure it's
the best technique. You know, there's a lot of other
options out there. And you know, they've done a lot
of studies now on fasting and how that affects the body and,
you know, all the different vitamins, minerals, all that
kind of stuff that you can take and then, you know, peptides,
that kind of thing. And so there's a lot of really
(21:45):
healthy holistic choices. But I do know that a no disease
can survive in an alkaline body.So as long as your body stays in
alkaline state, you're going to be fine.
And you just can never let it goback.
And that's the hard part. So you're never allowed to like
cook food again. You have to eat nothing but a
raw plant based diet. But I mean, you know, that's
(22:05):
probably easier or as challenging as chemo radiation,
right? Seriously.
And then what? And then the repercussions of
that. Yeah, exactly.
So things that you don't know, like how many things are caused
by that, not by the tumor. And it's like, you know, that's
where it's hard to differentiatebetween them, you know.
But it's neither here nor there.You're meant to be here, so
(22:30):
whatever you were going to do was going to work anyway, and
now you get an opportunity to Share your story with everybody
else. And you've got a lot of things
happening going on with that, right?
Yeah, yeah. Production company?
Is that what I hear? Something about something going
on in Hollywood. Oh my gosh.
So yeah. So I went on.
So after I had surgery and radiation treatment, I, I pulled
(22:53):
out my bucket list. Like, you know, how I, I became
very reflective of my life and like, I, I grieved like I was
grieving who I can no longer be,like I was no longer ever going
to be that person again. And I had to make a conscious
decision of embracing who I wanted to become.
And, and that meant like, I started looking at my life and
(23:17):
like how many things I had on, you know, this kind of bucket
list of all the things I was going to do someday.
And they were all things of likeof this person.
I know I was, but I, you kind oftake on roles, you know, and
like, I didn't even recognize myself.
I was like, wait a minute. I was actually never even that
(23:40):
person. I just became that person maybe
for other people or for circumstances.
And it's like, but now I have this opportunity to become who I
really am, who I really want to be.
And I, So I pulled out that I see you smiling.
I see you I. Would do the same thing.
So I totally relate to you on a percent.
(24:01):
It's a, it's a strange concept to try to explain to somebody,
but it is something that you do go through where you're just
like, OK, so the new me is this way and the old me is gone, but
the new me could be better. I think, you know, so you end up
creating this new version of yourself that basically you
could have never imagined being your, that person.
(24:22):
And it, you know, it shaped. I always tell people that the
time of my TBI, it was the worstthing that ever happened to me
because it ended a bunch of opportunities.
It eliminated me from a bunch ofthings that I wanted to do.
But Fast forward 25 years, it's the best thing that ever
happened to me. I wouldn't be where I'm at
today. I wouldn't be doing the things
I'm doing today and affecting the people's lives that I
(24:43):
affect. So I, we never know the long
term effects or repercussions ofwhat happens in the now.
And so you can't really go with good or bad because you just
don't know. It could might be the best thing
that ever happened to you, just not yet.
You just don't realize it yet. So it's, you know, it's a very
(25:04):
challenging thing. I, I recently lost my little
brother and at 44 in June. And so that's what the song
brother that we have out right now, which is up for a Grammy
Award. He's about me and my brother.
And, you know, he was way too young and, you know, the, the,
the burden of life was too much for him and challenged him too
(25:25):
hard. And so, you know, alcohol ended
up taking him away from me. And I never pictured a world
without my little brother. I always thought I'm the older
brother, I'll die first, so I never have to worry about that.
And now that he's gone, I have nothing, no idea what to do with
myself because my whole life wasmeant to be spent with him in
retirement playing golf and being an old people, you know,
(25:46):
And now it's like, well, now what do I do?
You know, that was like that wasgame plan from kids, right?
So I mean, you know, it's like, anyway, that's a now a positive
story because the song that my friend Hope and mythology wrote
for us is absolutely amazing. It will touch your heart and
it'll make you feel things and it's it's healing and it's
(26:08):
beautiful. And it has my brother's voice in
the song as well as mine. And it's being considered for a
Grammy right now. So that's how that's how
powerful that song is already. And it's been heard by almost a
million people already, which isjust makes me feel so good to
know that my brother's voice andhis legacy and his name will
live on, you know? And that's something that I
(26:29):
could never be. I could never show enough
gratitude for the songwriter whoput the words together because I
had no words. I was at a loss.
And I never met a loss for words.
I'm a podcast host, so I can always talk.
But I was literally just, I didn't know what to say.
So she found the right words andshe wrote this beautiful track.
And now that's my brother. That's my brother alive here,
(26:52):
you know, And it's it's worked out in its own little way.
So I imagine 20 years from now, I won't say it's the best thing
that ever happened to me like I did with my head injury, but
I'll certainly look back and reflect and go, man, for
whatever reason that happened, it set into motion a number of
other things that ended up becoming awesome and amazing for
(27:14):
this short little period of timethat we're on the earth.
And you know as well as I do that once you're faced with that
whole diagnosis, you have a whole new appreciation for every
single day that you wake up. There is no more sad days.
There is no more bad days. It's just, OK, I got another day
(27:35):
to do it again. Let's give it our best.
And that's basically all you canreally think about once you've
you know, and they say, what do they say?
You're not really, no one ever is really living until they
realize they're dying. And it's like, you know, the
moment that you actually realizethat and it's thrown into your
face is the moment you really start to live your life because
(27:55):
you you're all up against the clock now, but we all are up
against the clock. We're just not paying attention.
Exactly. Thank you for granted.
So then you got this. You got tell me about the film.
Tell me about what you're doing that's coming out.
Tell me about all the things that you sounds like you're
helping a lot of people. You got a book.
Is that right? Yeah.
So yes. So yeah, shifting back is I
(28:18):
started like I stopped waiting for life to start.
I stopped waiting for the someday that was never going to
come, right. And I started checking things
off my bucket list and, and opening, opening myself up to
new things too, that I never thought I would try.
But but one of those things was writing a book.
(28:38):
And, and after I went through radiation treatment and brain
surgery, I decided to ride my bike from Canada to Mexico down
the Pacific Coast. And that's what the book is
talks about that journey. And and I have I learned I have
a dark humor. I I named my tumor Bubba and
(29:01):
he's flipping hilarious. And and yeah, I just started
looking at the world through a very different lens.
And, and I someone said to me, this should be a movie.
This your book should be a movie.
This is like, like, I couldn't put it down.
(29:21):
And I was just like, oh, no, youknow, it's just my story.
And but then I started hearing it over and over and over.
And so suddenly I was writing a screenplay and, and submitted it
earlier this year. And then it was acquired by a
production company in Hollywood,and it's set to go into
(29:41):
production in 2027. So holy can.
I can I play Bubba? Absolutely.
I feel like you'd be perfect. Actually, it would.
Be a perfect brain tumor. I'm nauseous and annoying and
painful, but also very loving and caring and sweet.
Absolutely. I don't know if that's what it's
like, but it sounds like that's the that's what I would
(30:03):
visualize. And as you know, especially the
way you phrased it. It's like a living.
Character. I think that'd be perfect.
It would certainly be my pleasure and honor to help
represent that story. I love how you just casually
said, you know, I decided I was going to go ahead and go from
Canada all the way to Mexico because, you know, that's normal
(30:26):
and that's what people do. Like you said it like I'm going
grocery shopping, you know, so casual and Blase Blase.
But I mean, how many people actually have ever driven even
from Canada to Mexico on the PCH, let alone cycled it?
Yeah, well, I mean, there was part of me that like knew I
needed some kind of soul healingjourney.
(30:47):
But then. But then I was sitting in a a
conference, a medical conference, and my flyer was
everywhere. Like, oh, this this girl with
this thing. And someone was like, hey,
doctor, there was a doctor up onthe stage and he's like, what do
you think about her doing this ride?
And he was like, well, if I was her practicing position, I'd
(31:09):
tell her she shouldn't. And I was like, challenge
accepted. And.
And that just, like, drove me more to not only prove it to
myself, but like, you know, there was some part of me that
still wanted to prove to the world that I was.
I wasn't going to let this beat me.
Like, I wasn't going to let thisdictate the choices I make in
(31:30):
life and the things I want to do.
Yeah. Exactly.
You're not going to play the victim.
I tell, I tell everybody you're either a victim or a champion.
And every day you've got to choose that over and over and
every time. And some, most people who really
choose victim, I mean, there's alot of people who have a problem
for every solution and you can never come up with anything
(31:50):
that's going to help them. They're just going to be that
way. And then there's people like you
and I who we refuse to stop no matter what, we're going to keep
going. And I've always believed, you
know, an object in motion stays in motion until it's met by an
objective equal or more force. And I'm not sure there's
anything in the universe that's as equal or more than my force.
(32:11):
So I had to know that I'll just keep on moving.
That way I can never stop, right?
Once you stop, everything just becomes too much.
So as long as you keep moving, that's why people love CrossFit,
you know, high intensity, fast workouts.
And but you feel it, you get it,you know, and it's like it's
such a powerful thing to to moveyour body that much into that
(32:33):
and be at that extent for even ashort period of time, let alone
500 miles, which is, you know, Idon't, I won't even drive that
far. Like that's crazy.
And so production, you know, when do we start filming?
I got to get my Bubba character.I know, right?
Yeah. Last I heard they were going to
start casting in a few in in thenext few months and and then
(32:57):
production begins in 2027. So I I am going to let them know
about you. I'm not kidding.
I could put that character in the real life.
I'm a total ham. So I have no issue with
anything. Like, I mean, and I honestly, I
(33:18):
laugh at these things because I find that, you know, I think
most people in life feel like they're practicing for the big
game and then one day they're going to get to play and that's
how they live their whole life. And I think that they don't
realize they're already in the 6th or 7th inning.
And the people like us that havegone through stuff that nearly
took our lives, we realized thenthat the game was coming to an
(33:40):
end in the. So it's a, you know, it's, it's
a perspective that it's very healthy to have because without
death, there is no life. And there's no reason for life
nor value in life. You know, it's because of death
that we actually appreciate lifeif we're able to stop and see
that. But most people don't, you know,
and that's where it's like, man,do you actually live ever until
(34:05):
you realize that you're actuallydying?
Because if there was no death, we would have no value on life.
We would just thank you for granted, like everything else we
do. Absolutely.
I, yeah, It really opened me up.I went on to try all kinds of
incredible things, like I tried a silks aerialist class and all
kinds of different dance classesand indoor skydiving.
(34:29):
I started to get pretty good at that.
And I hiked in across the Sulkinde Pass in Peru and biked
solo across northern Spain. And I'm working on my second
book and, you know, it's just opened me up and oh, my gosh, I
thought I was living before. Better now.
(34:50):
Yeah, that's. Crazy.
You're going through the motionsbefore, and now you're actually
feeling and living them and actually a part of them.
Exactly. I mean, even just perusing a
farmers market on a Sunday is somuch more like potent.
And I just savor, savor the moments.
Because you value every day, because you know that it could
(35:12):
have been taken. And So what do you talk about?
You said you gave your first TedTalk.
Is that right? I did, yeah.
That just happened just maybe a little over a month ago.
And I talk a little bit about myjourney and how there was really
this significant moment of post brain surgery, post like
(35:36):
radiation treatment where I was like lying on my couch six
months later for another day sitting in these tattered Gray
sweatpants. And I remember thinking, this is
no way to live. I I said, if I sit here another
day, I feel like I will die. And as a dramatic as that sound,
(35:56):
I felt like I if I sit here for one more day, I'll die.
And that was the day I signed upfor the 1800 mile bike tour from
Canada to Mexico. I and that we have to talk.
About your sanity, OK, Can we just stop and like we're going
to need to re evaluate the sanity aspect.
I'm thinking Bubba's driving that ship a lot.
(36:18):
See Badass Yeah 15. 100 mile bike, five mile, you know, like
no big deal. You're like NBD.
I just started with triathlons. I, I mean, but that was the day
I got off the couch. That was the day I got out of
those sweatpants. And, and it started with, I
actually started painting because I couldn't, I still
couldn't get back on my bike. So painting and suddenly I was
(36:40):
selling art around the world. And then eventually I was able
to walk to my mailbox and, and then take my dog for a walk
again. Like all these things I took for
granted in the past. And, and then before I knew it,
I was at the Canadian US border ready to take on 1845 miles.
So but I had to start with the simple shift.
(37:06):
In a word, I was so focused on what I can't do, and I had to
switch it to can. Well, what can I do?
And I was like, well, today I can get off this effing couch.
And that's what I did. And you know what, that's all it
is, is it's just one slight better, better, better than you
(37:27):
were yesterday. And if you can just improve a
little each day instead of looking at it as big picture,
then I think you're always goingto be on the right track.
And I think that was really wellworded.
So we will actually use that as a nice little closeout or segue
into tell everybody where they can find your information.
Tell them where they can find your book.
Tell them where they can find the production.
(37:48):
Tell them where they can see me play Bubba.
You can find all things Risa on my website, risaaugust.com and
that's Risa just like the month and and I have it all on there.
And and then we will, yeah, let you know about the movie and
(38:10):
when Chris plays Bubba. Not Bubba Gump.
I'm going to be a different typeof I got my own character in
mind so they think they would betotally wrong not to hire me for
that job. I'm starting to think the same
thing. I think you haven't begged.
I think you haven't. Begged.
You could totally see me walkingalongside your riding in the
(38:31):
bike, huh? I mean, we would be having the
best conversations and in a lot of ways you'd be learning from
me and I'd be learning from you,but there'd still be the pain
and the agony and suffering thatwe go through that is necessary
for us to appreciate this world and this life.
Yeah, A. Good fit for me.
I like it. I.
Never. I agree.
I've never wanted to play a brain tumor in my life, but.
(38:52):
I know no. Well, we have he and I have
dialogue throughout my book and he's he's hilarious.
So I think you would. I think you.
Would, I mean, I totally am likealigned with this whole idea.
I love that you named it. I love that you named it Bubba.
I like the whole concept of it. So I think it's a brilliant
idea. I can't wait to see it or be a
(39:12):
part of it. I'm really, really grateful that
you took time out and thank you for sharing your story.
No doubt people are going to be inspired and they're going to
want to learn more. So with the utmost gratitude,
thank you for taking the time out today and telling this
story. Obviously, it's not easy to talk
about these things for people, so I know what it takes to get
(39:33):
in front of a live audience and put yourself out there and keep
doing what you're doing because you're making a difference in
the world. And I think anything and anybody
that's out there that's really putting forth the effort is a
key player in today's world. So we need more people like you
and we need to keep encouraging this and keep making this thing
happen. So again, much appreciated.
(39:55):
And from me to you, let's do it again.
Thank you, Chris AKA Bubba. I'm.
So that's right. That's right.
Maybe we'll win an award. Have a wonderful day, Rosen.
Thanks again all. Right.
Take care. Bye bye.
I am positively Chris Pace and you are actively listening to
Conversation with Chris. Hey everyone, what's going on?
It's Chris and we are back with another episode of Conversations
with Chris. Today my guest is Rissa with 1S
and she's going to tell you her story, which is inspiring to say
the least and I am excited. I can't wait to hear it.
(00:34):
So I am happy that I get to share it with my audience as
well. Marissa, how are you today?
I am wonderful, Chris. I am over the moon to be here
and completely honored to just be able to be on this show with
you. Thank you.
That means a lot to me because after they hear your story,
they're going to understand why that means a lot.
(00:54):
It's amazing story you have. So tell me what happened like
how you how'd your life begin? Where'd you start things at?
What's what's a key point that caught things rolling for you,
good or bad? Not that I think that either is
existing, because really, everything in life is either
educational or fun. Those are the only two options I
look at. So tell me about you.
Tell me your your summary. Yeah, well, I grew up in a
(01:18):
suburb of Cleveland, OH, and, you know, in a dysfunctional
household. I had an alcoholic father and I
would say probably narcissistic mother and or pretty darn close.
And I had an older brother and it was just a very abusive
(01:42):
upbringing. But I have to say, at a very
young age, I felt like I had a wisdom that maybe most, you
would think most children might not have.
Like I, there was always something inside of me that felt
like, wait a minute, I don't belong here.
(02:02):
Like, what am I doing in this crazy family?
Like I know there's something better out there for me.
I was very much a kid who followed the rules, was well
mannered, very polite, very shy actually.
And and I just wanted everyone to be happy and OK.
(02:24):
And, and so I do. I remember, I remember in first
grade, I was sitting on a on thebus on the way to school and it
was just another long night of fighting and family stuff.
And I just remember thinking, I got myself dressed again that
morning for school and I put on this light pink, hand me down
(02:48):
corduroy little dress with a flowery matching blouse that I
got from the neighbor who was a little bit older than me.
And she always gave me the coolest clothes.
And I just remember sitting on that in that bus seat saying, I
know there's there's better for me.
There's a better life out there.And I've never.
(03:12):
Had a positive kind attitude, huh?
Yeah, yeah. Even at a young age, you're
like, I don't fit in with these people.
That's how I kind of felt too. I was like, this guy's racist.
I don't have any racism in me atall.
Like, how am I supposed to get along with him?
You know, this person's a narcissist.
How do I get, you know, not knowing these terms?
Back then, we didn't have these words, right?
They were like, I mean, it was all new stuff.
(03:34):
But totally understand what you mean when you say you didn't
feel like you belonged in the situation you're in.
But obviously that was where youwere meant to be, right?
Had to be raised that way so youcould become who you are today.
So what happened after Cleveland?
Where'd you go from there? Yeah.
So as soon as I turned 18, graduated high school, I moved
out and I actually only moved about 45 minutes away to go to
(04:00):
college. And I put myself through college
and, and started to become independent as soon as possible.
And then when I was 21, I decided to leave college and
travel the world. So I, at that point I, I moved
to Maine and then I lived in Australia for a while and I went
(04:24):
to Europe and I was all over theUnited States and I lived in
Washington and Oregon for a while.
And I just had this, I remember loving growing up.
I loved the Indiana Jones series, those movies, and I just
had this desire to explore and see the world.
(04:47):
The best learning opportunities came along with you know that
lifestyle. 55 countries, that's where I'm at.
Oh my goodness. I've gone around the globe twice
and I've been to the southernmost point of the earth
and totally agree with you. If you really want to experience
life and understand it, you haveto go and travel and you've got
(05:09):
to go see other places, because you realize the world's a big
place, but it's also very small and the people are mostly the
same no matter where you go, give or take some luxuries.
Yeah, absolutely. And that was how you got your
education. Did you go to school or did you
decide that that was not going to work for you?
What was the process there? Yeah, so I went back to I, I
(05:31):
went back to school 10 years later and finished my degree in
geography of all things. Exactly.
And it was almost like somethingI just wanted to do for myself.
I'm kind of one of those people that likes to finish what I
start. And so I, I can't say that I've
(05:52):
actually used the degree in any way.
I, I feel like I became, I just,I've gained my wisdom just from,
you know, connecting with peoplein the world, you know,
different from me and learning about other cultures and, and
so, and you have me beat. I've been to 26 countries.
(06:14):
So you've had me beat, but. That's still up there on the
top, like 10%, I think I looked it up and there's like very
small percentage of people ever leave America.
And then the ones that do usually only go to like one or
two countries and, and they're usually like the Bahamas or
something like that. It's not anything crazy.
So, you know, kudos. That's a lot of places.
Actually. I was in the military, so I
(06:37):
didn't get a choice on most of mine.
There was a lot of that going onthe first time, but you know,
the second time around was a little more fun.
So enjoyed it. But you kind of used the
geography thing. I mean, you had to, you know,
you've been to the places, so you can talk about a lot of
them, right? Oh my gosh, yes.
And I was damn good at reading maps.
Like, you know, that's what I grew up with.
There's like Rd. Atlas like.
(07:01):
Trying to figure out where you are.
Exactly. Amazing.
I think it's funny that everybody's worried about
texting and driving. I'm like, do you guys remember
that Gen. Xers were we were driving a 5
speed with a cigarette and a case of CDs and a map?
It was, it was like texting drive.
Are you kidding me? That's the safest thing I've
ever done. I'm not encouraging that by the
(07:24):
way. I'm just saying Gen.
Xers are pretty bad ass, that's all I need.
Right. And so then coming back, you you
got into some athletics you got into, or was there something
that shifted you into that? Was that always a passion?
Yeah, so I, I, I always liked sports, but I was kind of timid
(07:45):
at team sports and stuff. There was always someone more
aggressive than me or And so it was when I went back to college
to finish my degree, I started lifeguarding part time at a pool
and I saw these people training for something.
I didn't know what it was and and I thought one of the guys
was cute. And so I just asked him.
(08:07):
I said, are you training for something?
And he said, yeah, triathlon, you should try it.
And I was like, oh, and, and that's a good.
Way to start. Yeah, so I kind of jumped into
that and I was hooked. I did my first triathlon on an
oversized mountain bike and didn't really know what I was
(08:29):
doing. But I was hooked after that and
worked my way up to Iron Man distance and got really into
CrossFit and, you know, heavy lifting and, and that was kind
of the, I almost became really obsessed with fitness and
nutrition and exercise. You know how you know somebody
(08:52):
does CrossFit? Don't worry, they'll tell you.
Right. I'm a CrossFit level 2
instructor. Oh.
My gosh, that is that's like a cult, but a really healthy one.
It's just amazing how passionatethey are.
So all this took over a period of time and while you were going
(09:13):
through this, any challenges along the way, anything that
kind of like was a roadblock that made you slow down or did
you just kind of have a cruise control?
Yeah, so I so I was into all things outdoors adventure.
I got into mountaineering and, you know, backpacking and
endurance cycling, so 500 miles,things like that.
(09:36):
And, and I remember I just finished an Iron Man race and
then signed up for a 500 mile bike tour across Oregon.
And I, I, but I wasn't recovering like things were
changing. I was putting on a lot of weight
that I couldn't explain. And so I started going to my
(10:00):
doctor and she was like, you're an athlete.
Your blood work's fine. I, I don't think anything's
wrong with you. And, and I was like, I,
something is off. I, I'm in tune with my body.
I'm telling you, I know it got to the point where I started
thinking I was in denial. I signed up for Overeaters
(10:24):
Anonymous. I thought maybe I was in denial
about how much I was eating. I was explaining like changes in
hair growth to my Romanian heritage.
I was like finding excuses for things.
But then seven years later and many doctor appointments later,
we discovered a massive tumor atthe base of my brain that came
(10:46):
comes with a rare disease calledacromegaly, which you might be
familiar with if you know who Andre the Giant is.
Of course I do. Everyone knows, you know he was
the 8th wonder of the world. Yes, yeah.
Let's let's let's step back a second.
How long does it take to ride a bike?
(11:07):
500 miles. I think I did.
I did that one in six days. Six days, OK, Because I'll never
do that. So I just would like to know.
I think that's never going to bea thing for me, so I don't ask
and see how long it takes. And you thought maybe that you
were gaining weight and eating too much.
Is it even possible to do that when you're riding at 500 miles
(11:30):
on a bike? I mean, it was insane because I
was doing 2A days, you know, in training for Iron Man races and
weightlifting. And, you know, I, I, I was
trying to explain it. I was trying to figure it out,
'cause my doctor kept saying no,you're fine.
Wow. What caused them to go look in
(11:50):
the brain? I did.
I finally was like, something's not fine.
I had started having severe headaches and they were still
telling. My doctor was still telling me
you're overtraining, you're not drinking enough water.
And I was like, no, I'm not. I'm barely sleeping 2 hours a
night. I've resorted to CBD to try to
(12:14):
get some sleep. The pain was excruciating.
And I'm, I'm, I was a purist. So taking NSAIDs or anything
like that, I really didn't want to go that route.
So, so I asked for an MRI and mydoctor said no.
And I, I asked again and she said, no, I don't think you need
(12:38):
one and they're expensive. And I was like, what?
And, and I almost said OK and then something in me said order
me the MRI and she did. And a week later we found this
tumor and and then it all started come came crashing down
at that point, but but you know,with every crumbling comes
(13:02):
rebuilding and wonderful things.So.
Yeah. And it's crazy how many people I
know who have gotten brain tumors and they're still alive
and fine today when the doctors told them they wouldn't be.
And I have not had one. But I do have what's called a
Chiari malformation. So it's a herniation of the
brain and it leaks out the back of my skull.
And it's from my TBI that I suffered in the military.
(13:23):
But it's also like if I pinch myneck like in an MRI machine,
that's where it'll set it off and it shuts off the spinal
fluid to my nervous system. And basically you have this shut
down body that won't function and until you roll that neck out
and get it back up, which nobodyreally knows about it.
So it was kind of a fortunate blessing because I was at the
(13:45):
hospital, they were trying to figure out what was wrong.
And they put the EEG machine on me.
And then when they did, they hadto roll a towel under my neck to
lift my head up to get the EEG device on.
And when they did, I came back to wake and I was like, where am
I? What am I doing?
And I had no idea that five hours had gone by and that I had
had this episode. And then I, it looked like I was
having a stroke, but I wasn't with no stroke, no seizure.
(14:06):
It's just a crazy thing that happens to very few people, but
certainly got my attention. I'd say, Oh my gosh.
So that was very, that was frightening enough for me.
But I've had a couple of people on my show that have had brain
tumors and they're, you know, they beat them, they've come out
of them fine. And then, you know, cruising
(14:27):
through life. And so I, I think it's a
probably one of those really cool miracles that, you know,
happens for people in the world that actually believe in
positive thought. You know, I mean, I don't know
if you're actually sick unless you believe you are, because the
mind is so powerful, right? We're reshaping ourselves every
single day when we think and we talk and everything that comes
out of us. So I think there's ought to be a
(14:48):
lot of, you know, without peoplegetting to the point where they
think it's too hokey, which I don't understand that either
because we believe in Wi-Fi, butwe don't believe in energy.
Right. That's always confused me.
So yeah. And so brain tumor had to slow
down the 500K or the 500 mile rides, right?
I mean, did it kick? Did it stop you?
Did you give up on fitness or what did you decide to do?
(15:12):
Well, I, I, I didn't realize it at the time that my life would
never be the same. My body would never function the
same again because it because the disease that the tumor
causes is so destructive. And but I had such an ego back
then. I didn't realize it, You know,
(15:32):
back then I was like, you know, I would have thought differently
of myself. But like looking back,
reflecting back, and that's a gift in this kind of stuff is I
was like, Oh my God, I was kind of an asshole.
But, and, and, and so I still had that train of thought of
like, I remember thinking, OK, well, what do we need to do?
(15:54):
Like let's just get this tumor out so I can get back to my
life. I mean, I had to get, I had to
get back to CrossFit, right? Like, yeah, exactly.
So exactly. So.
And I remember telling my neurosurgeon because I I learned
I was going to have to have brain surgery.
And I remember saying, well, I have a 250 mile bike tour or
(16:15):
bike ride in Moab in six weeks following brain surgery.
Like, like, you know, can we getthis going?
Yeah. He, he's like, looked at me like
I had two heads. He was just like, am I being
punked? Like you're not even allowed to
drive. Speak English.
(16:36):
I mean, I would be a little beside myself if I actually had
someone sitting in front of me with, you know, brain tumor and
they're like, hey doc, can we get this on the road and fix
this thing real quick? Because I got to get back to
A250K bike ride. Like, don't think she's going to
die. She's going to be fine.
Like she's just ignored the whole thing, moved right on with
her life. But obviously it had to have put
(16:58):
some hiccups in there, right? Did you go through chemo and use
all the things or did you find aholistic way?
Yes. Oh gosh, this is it.
Feels like a sad story for me. So they couldn't get the entire
tumor out and it's still causingthis destructive disease.
And I think I realized about 3 months post surgery that OK,
(17:22):
this, this, I'm never going to be the same like this isn't
going to go away easily. And, and so I had, I had the
difficult decision of radiation treatment and, and I had this
decision which was really hard for being a purist.
I was actually had orthorexia atone point where I wouldn't put
(17:44):
anything synthetic into my body.And so now I'm faced with
radiation treatment or really gnarly medications.
For the rest of your life not. A good choice, not options that
you want. Yeah, I didn't want.
Something right? Yeah, So I was told that
(18:06):
radiation treatment could potentially in the long run get
me off medications, but I'm seven years in and so far the
radiation seems to be killing everything except the tumor.
So and I'm on my medications, gnarly medications.
So I'm navigating now. Well, that's incredible.
(18:29):
I've I know a lot of people havegone the holistic route like
Gersalin therapy. Have you ever heard of that in
the plant based diet down in Mexico?
It's cured hundreds of thousandsof people of cancer.
I met actually a guy many years ago who got stage 4 brain tumor.
They told him it was inoperable with nothing they could do for
him. He would probably had three to
six months left and he was fine.And I said, how long ago was
(18:52):
that? He goes, oh, 15 years ago he
said I go, well, what happened? He goes, well, they told me they
couldn't do anything. So I went down to Mexico and got
treated by this clinic called the Gerson Therapy.
GERSON. It's been around for hundreds of
years. They've cured hundreds of
thousands of people using a plant based whole food alkaline
diet. And it's very strict.
(19:13):
But once the body goes into a state of alkalinity, it cannot
have disease. Disease requires acid in order
to survive. And so once you deprive the body
of any acidic anything, then nowdisease won't survive.
And then this guy was fine completely.
They could, they would scan his brain now and he has nothing
there. And they didn't understand it.
They couldn't explain it. And so I did my research and
(19:36):
looked it up. That's the way I think I would
go if I had to face down the bigC.
But I don't know. I mean, it's the only this thing
that when you're in the situation, it's a lot different,
I guess, right? Yeah, I mean, I didn't have a
lot of information when I had tomake these decisions had I had
more information and and that's why I went on to do the work I,
(19:57):
I've, I'm doing now. But I was like, why didn't they
give me all my, all the information?
I I, I like, I was led to believe like this is your only
option, Like you've got to do this.
And you know, and hindsight, I'mlike.
I probably, I probably would have made very different
(20:17):
decisions. And so now I'm out there trying
to make sure people have all theinformation and, and I've done
some of my own like self healing.
They damaged part of my pituitary during surgery and
which caused kind of sodium malfunction in my body, which
(20:38):
was actually very serious, especially as an athlete.
And, and I got myself off of the, the medication for that.
And, and I, I, my, the, the sodium issues I have are
extremely mild now and very easyto deal with.
And, and so I don't know, maybe I'm heading down to Mexico soon,
(21:00):
who knows? I mean, there's a lot of good
information out there I can share.
I can certainly share what I know, but obviously I can get
you on the right track in some directions for things that are
alternatives to chemo and radiation.
But I know that that's all we'retaught as a kid.
When you're growing up, you know, you think that if you get
cancer, that's the only way you're going to make it.
And, you know, the truth is if they're using a carcinogen to
(21:24):
try to kill a carcinogen. So it's like, I'm not sure it's
the best technique. You know, there's a lot of other
options out there. And you know, they've done a lot
of studies now on fasting and how that affects the body and,
you know, all the different vitamins, minerals, all that
kind of stuff that you can take and then, you know, peptides,
that kind of thing. And so there's a lot of really
(21:45):
healthy holistic choices. But I do know that a no disease
can survive in an alkaline body.So as long as your body stays in
alkaline state, you're going to be fine.
And you just can never let it goback.
And that's the hard part. So you're never allowed to like
cook food again. You have to eat nothing but a
raw plant based diet. But I mean, you know, that's
(22:05):
probably easier or as challenging as chemo radiation,
right? Seriously.
And then what? And then the repercussions of
that. Yeah, exactly.
So things that you don't know, like how many things are caused
by that, not by the tumor. And it's like, you know, that's
where it's hard to differentiatebetween them, you know.
But it's neither here nor there.You're meant to be here, so
(22:30):
whatever you were going to do was going to work anyway, and
now you get an opportunity to Share your story with everybody
else. And you've got a lot of things
happening going on with that, right?
Yeah, yeah. Production company?
Is that what I hear? Something about something going
on in Hollywood. Oh my gosh.
So yeah. So I went on.
So after I had surgery and radiation treatment, I, I pulled
(22:53):
out my bucket list. Like, you know, how I, I became
very reflective of my life and like, I, I grieved like I was
grieving who I can no longer be,like I was no longer ever going
to be that person again. And I had to make a conscious
decision of embracing who I wanted to become.
And, and that meant like, I started looking at my life and
(23:17):
like how many things I had on, you know, this kind of bucket
list of all the things I was going to do someday.
And they were all things of likeof this person.
I know I was, but I, you kind oftake on roles, you know, and
like, I didn't even recognize myself.
I was like, wait a minute. I was actually never even that
(23:40):
person. I just became that person maybe
for other people or for circumstances.
And it's like, but now I have this opportunity to become who I
really am, who I really want to be.
And I, So I pulled out that I see you smiling.
I see you I. Would do the same thing.
So I totally relate to you on a percent.
(24:01):
It's a, it's a strange concept to try to explain to somebody,
but it is something that you do go through where you're just
like, OK, so the new me is this way and the old me is gone, but
the new me could be better. I think, you know, so you end up
creating this new version of yourself that basically you
could have never imagined being your, that person.
(24:22):
And it, you know, it shaped. I always tell people that the
time of my TBI, it was the worstthing that ever happened to me
because it ended a bunch of opportunities.
It eliminated me from a bunch ofthings that I wanted to do.
But Fast forward 25 years, it's the best thing that ever
happened to me. I wouldn't be where I'm at
today. I wouldn't be doing the things
I'm doing today and affecting the people's lives that I
(24:43):
affect. So I, we never know the long
term effects or repercussions ofwhat happens in the now.
And so you can't really go with good or bad because you just
don't know. It could might be the best thing
that ever happened to you, just not yet.
You just don't realize it yet. So it's, you know, it's a very
(25:04):
challenging thing. I, I recently lost my little
brother and at 44 in June. And so that's what the song
brother that we have out right now, which is up for a Grammy
Award. He's about me and my brother.
And, you know, he was way too young and, you know, the, the,
the burden of life was too much for him and challenged him too
(25:25):
hard. And so, you know, alcohol ended
up taking him away from me. And I never pictured a world
without my little brother. I always thought I'm the older
brother, I'll die first, so I never have to worry about that.
And now that he's gone, I have nothing, no idea what to do with
myself because my whole life wasmeant to be spent with him in
retirement playing golf and being an old people, you know,
(25:46):
And now it's like, well, now what do I do?
You know, that was like that wasgame plan from kids, right?
So I mean, you know, it's like, anyway, that's a now a positive
story because the song that my friend Hope and mythology wrote
for us is absolutely amazing. It will touch your heart and
it'll make you feel things and it's it's healing and it's
(26:08):
beautiful. And it has my brother's voice in
the song as well as mine. And it's being considered for a
Grammy right now. So that's how that's how
powerful that song is already. And it's been heard by almost a
million people already, which isjust makes me feel so good to
know that my brother's voice andhis legacy and his name will
live on, you know? And that's something that I
(26:29):
could never be. I could never show enough
gratitude for the songwriter whoput the words together because I
had no words. I was at a loss.
And I never met a loss for words.
I'm a podcast host, so I can always talk.
But I was literally just, I didn't know what to say.
So she found the right words andshe wrote this beautiful track.
And now that's my brother. That's my brother alive here,
(26:52):
you know, And it's it's worked out in its own little way.
So I imagine 20 years from now, I won't say it's the best thing
that ever happened to me like I did with my head injury, but
I'll certainly look back and reflect and go, man, for
whatever reason that happened, it set into motion a number of
other things that ended up becoming awesome and amazing for
(27:14):
this short little period of timethat we're on the earth.
And you know as well as I do that once you're faced with that
whole diagnosis, you have a whole new appreciation for every
single day that you wake up. There is no more sad days.
There is no more bad days. It's just, OK, I got another day
(27:35):
to do it again. Let's give it our best.
And that's basically all you canreally think about once you've
you know, and they say, what do they say?
You're not really, no one ever is really living until they
realize they're dying. And it's like, you know, the
moment that you actually realizethat and it's thrown into your
face is the moment you really start to live your life because
(27:55):
you you're all up against the clock now, but we all are up
against the clock. We're just not paying attention.
Exactly. Thank you for granted.
So then you got this. You got tell me about the film.
Tell me about what you're doing that's coming out.
Tell me about all the things that you sounds like you're
helping a lot of people. You got a book.
Is that right? Yeah.
So yes. So yeah, shifting back is I
(28:18):
started like I stopped waiting for life to start.
I stopped waiting for the someday that was never going to
come, right. And I started checking things
off my bucket list and, and opening, opening myself up to
new things too, that I never thought I would try.
But but one of those things was writing a book.
(28:38):
And, and after I went through radiation treatment and brain
surgery, I decided to ride my bike from Canada to Mexico down
the Pacific Coast. And that's what the book is
talks about that journey. And and I have I learned I have
a dark humor. I I named my tumor Bubba and
(29:01):
he's flipping hilarious. And and yeah, I just started
looking at the world through a very different lens.
And, and I someone said to me, this should be a movie.
This your book should be a movie.
This is like, like, I couldn't put it down.
(29:21):
And I was just like, oh, no, youknow, it's just my story.
And but then I started hearing it over and over and over.
And so suddenly I was writing a screenplay and, and submitted it
earlier this year. And then it was acquired by a
production company in Hollywood,and it's set to go into
(29:41):
production in 2027. So holy can.
I can I play Bubba? Absolutely.
I feel like you'd be perfect. Actually, it would.
Be a perfect brain tumor. I'm nauseous and annoying and
painful, but also very loving and caring and sweet.
Absolutely. I don't know if that's what it's
like, but it sounds like that's the that's what I would
(30:03):
visualize. And as you know, especially the
way you phrased it. It's like a living.
Character. I think that'd be perfect.
It would certainly be my pleasure and honor to help
represent that story. I love how you just casually
said, you know, I decided I was going to go ahead and go from
Canada all the way to Mexico because, you know, that's normal
(30:26):
and that's what people do. Like you said it like I'm going
grocery shopping, you know, so casual and Blase Blase.
But I mean, how many people actually have ever driven even
from Canada to Mexico on the PCH, let alone cycled it?
Yeah, well, I mean, there was part of me that like knew I
needed some kind of soul healingjourney.
(30:47):
But then. But then I was sitting in a a
conference, a medical conference, and my flyer was
everywhere. Like, oh, this this girl with
this thing. And someone was like, hey,
doctor, there was a doctor up onthe stage and he's like, what do
you think about her doing this ride?
And he was like, well, if I was her practicing position, I'd
(31:09):
tell her she shouldn't. And I was like, challenge
accepted. And.
And that just, like, drove me more to not only prove it to
myself, but like, you know, there was some part of me that
still wanted to prove to the world that I was.
I wasn't going to let this beat me.
Like, I wasn't going to let thisdictate the choices I make in
(31:30):
life and the things I want to do.
Yeah. Exactly.
You're not going to play the victim.
I tell, I tell everybody you're either a victim or a champion.
And every day you've got to choose that over and over and
every time. And some, most people who really
choose victim, I mean, there's alot of people who have a problem
for every solution and you can never come up with anything
(31:50):
that's going to help them. They're just going to be that
way. And then there's people like you
and I who we refuse to stop no matter what, we're going to keep
going. And I've always believed, you
know, an object in motion stays in motion until it's met by an
objective equal or more force. And I'm not sure there's
anything in the universe that's as equal or more than my force.
(32:11):
So I had to know that I'll just keep on moving.
That way I can never stop, right?
Once you stop, everything just becomes too much.
So as long as you keep moving, that's why people love CrossFit,
you know, high intensity, fast workouts.
And but you feel it, you get it,you know, and it's like it's
such a powerful thing to to moveyour body that much into that
(32:33):
and be at that extent for even ashort period of time, let alone
500 miles, which is, you know, Idon't, I won't even drive that
far. Like that's crazy.
And so production, you know, when do we start filming?
I got to get my Bubba character.I know, right?
Yeah. Last I heard they were going to
start casting in a few in in thenext few months and and then
(32:57):
production begins in 2027. So I I am going to let them know
about you. I'm not kidding.
I could put that character in the real life.
I'm a total ham. So I have no issue with
anything. Like, I mean, and I honestly, I
(33:18):
laugh at these things because I find that, you know, I think
most people in life feel like they're practicing for the big
game and then one day they're going to get to play and that's
how they live their whole life. And I think that they don't
realize they're already in the 6th or 7th inning.
And the people like us that havegone through stuff that nearly
took our lives, we realized thenthat the game was coming to an
(33:40):
end in the. So it's a, you know, it's, it's
a perspective that it's very healthy to have because without
death, there is no life. And there's no reason for life
nor value in life. You know, it's because of death
that we actually appreciate lifeif we're able to stop and see
that. But most people don't, you know,
and that's where it's like, man,do you actually live ever until
(34:05):
you realize that you're actuallydying?
Because if there was no death, we would have no value on life.
We would just thank you for granted, like everything else we
do. Absolutely.
I, yeah, It really opened me up.I went on to try all kinds of
incredible things, like I tried a silks aerialist class and all
kinds of different dance classesand indoor skydiving.
(34:29):
I started to get pretty good at that.
And I hiked in across the Sulkinde Pass in Peru and biked
solo across northern Spain. And I'm working on my second
book and, you know, it's just opened me up and oh, my gosh, I
thought I was living before. Better now.
(34:50):
Yeah, that's. Crazy.
You're going through the motionsbefore, and now you're actually
feeling and living them and actually a part of them.
Exactly. I mean, even just perusing a
farmers market on a Sunday is somuch more like potent.
And I just savor, savor the moments.
Because you value every day, because you know that it could
(35:12):
have been taken. And So what do you talk about?
You said you gave your first TedTalk.
Is that right? I did, yeah.
That just happened just maybe a little over a month ago.
And I talk a little bit about myjourney and how there was really
this significant moment of post brain surgery, post like
(35:36):
radiation treatment where I was like lying on my couch six
months later for another day sitting in these tattered Gray
sweatpants. And I remember thinking, this is
no way to live. I I said, if I sit here another
day, I feel like I will die. And as a dramatic as that sound,
(35:56):
I felt like I if I sit here for one more day, I'll die.
And that was the day I signed upfor the 1800 mile bike tour from
Canada to Mexico. I and that we have to talk.
About your sanity, OK, Can we just stop and like we're going
to need to re evaluate the sanity aspect.
I'm thinking Bubba's driving that ship a lot.
(36:18):
See Badass Yeah 15. 100 mile bike, five mile, you know, like
no big deal. You're like NBD.
I just started with triathlons. I, I mean, but that was the day
I got off the couch. That was the day I got out of
those sweatpants. And, and it started with, I
actually started painting because I couldn't, I still
couldn't get back on my bike. So painting and suddenly I was
(36:40):
selling art around the world. And then eventually I was able
to walk to my mailbox and, and then take my dog for a walk
again. Like all these things I took for
granted in the past. And, and then before I knew it,
I was at the Canadian US border ready to take on 1845 miles.
So but I had to start with the simple shift.
(37:06):
In a word, I was so focused on what I can't do, and I had to
switch it to can. Well, what can I do?
And I was like, well, today I can get off this effing couch.
And that's what I did. And you know what, that's all it
is, is it's just one slight better, better, better than you
(37:27):
were yesterday. And if you can just improve a
little each day instead of looking at it as big picture,
then I think you're always goingto be on the right track.
And I think that was really wellworded.
So we will actually use that as a nice little closeout or segue
into tell everybody where they can find your information.
Tell them where they can find your book.
Tell them where they can find the production.
(37:48):
Tell them where they can see me play Bubba.
You can find all things Risa on my website, risaaugust.com and
that's Risa just like the month and and I have it all on there.
And and then we will, yeah, let you know about the movie and
(38:10):
when Chris plays Bubba. Not Bubba Gump.
I'm going to be a different typeof I got my own character in
mind so they think they would betotally wrong not to hire me for
that job. I'm starting to think the same
thing. I think you haven't begged.
I think you haven't. Begged.
You could totally see me walkingalongside your riding in the
(38:31):
bike, huh? I mean, we would be having the
best conversations and in a lot of ways you'd be learning from
me and I'd be learning from you,but there'd still be the pain
and the agony and suffering thatwe go through that is necessary
for us to appreciate this world and this life.
Yeah, A. Good fit for me.
I like it. I.
Never. I agree.
I've never wanted to play a brain tumor in my life, but.
(38:52):
I know no. Well, we have he and I have
dialogue throughout my book and he's he's hilarious.
So I think you would. I think you.
Would, I mean, I totally am likealigned with this whole idea.
I love that you named it. I love that you named it Bubba.
I like the whole concept of it. So I think it's a brilliant
idea. I can't wait to see it or be a
(39:12):
part of it. I'm really, really grateful that
you took time out and thank you for sharing your story.
No doubt people are going to be inspired and they're going to
want to learn more. So with the utmost gratitude,
thank you for taking the time out today and telling this
story. Obviously, it's not easy to talk
about these things for people, so I know what it takes to get
(39:33):
in front of a live audience and put yourself out there and keep
doing what you're doing because you're making a difference in
the world. And I think anything and anybody
that's out there that's really putting forth the effort is a
key player in today's world. So we need more people like you
and we need to keep encouraging this and keep making this thing
happen. So again, much appreciated.
(39:55):
And from me to you, let's do it again.
Thank you, Chris AKA Bubba. I'm.
So that's right. That's right.
Maybe we'll win an award. Have a wonderful day, Rosen.
Thanks again all. Right.
Take care. Bye bye.
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