November 7, 2024 • 50 mins
Join us for a captivating conversation with returning guest Jesica and our friend Amber Davis as we explore the exhilarating twists and turns of Amber's adventurous life. From her origins in Cleveland, Amber has embraced a nomadic lifestyle, sharing her journey from the high-pressure world of Division I athletics at Loyola University in Chicago to the vibrant streets of Denver. Discover how Amber transitioned from a computer science path to exploring the cannabis industry in Oregon, with key lessons in minimalism and non-conformity that reshaped her outlook on life.
Amber's story is one of transformation and passion, where structured sports training met the unexpected thrill of professional snowboarding. Listen as she opens up about the challenges of being a self-funded athlete and the creative avenues she's pursued for mentorship and coaching. She shares the importance of resilience, community, and the unwavering support from mentors in her quest for success on the slopes.
As we delve into the essence of personal growth and community, Amber and Jes reflect on the significance of connecting with diverse friends and the role of support systems like coaches who believe in us. This episode is a heartfelt tribute to those who uplift and inspire us to chase our dreams, underscoring the value of having fun, setting boundaries, and celebrating achievements along the way. Whether you're an athlete, a dreamer, or simply looking for inspiration, Amber's story offers a refreshing reminder of the power of belief and the joy of pursuing one's true passion.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Oh them wheels, though always sad.
Oh them emotion wheels.
Anger's just old, but exceptfor this book I'm reading, it's
like anyway, it's time to startanother lovely podcast of dial
the wild.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
It's been a while.
I just something there was justtelling me that this is about
time to start this podcast.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I was about to hit some Freud.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, you were going to get Freudian there.
Philosophical podcast we can'tbe having.
You can't talk Freud and haveBush Light in the same room.
I'm pretty sure that's anIllinois law, they cancel each
other out.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yeah, neutral.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
But then there's nothingness after that and it's
empty, and broken.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
This particular Freudian is like leading
everything to some evil desirethat everybody has, and so I
don't know that we shouldcompare it to something that
would make you feel relaxed.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
And here we are.
We are joined by returningguest Jessica.
Hi Of course, and we have newfriend well, not new friend,
she's been a friend for a whilebut we have new friend to the
podcast, miss amber davis here Iam okay, just making sure I had
that right.
I was like this was on facebook, so it has to be right, it is
(02:00):
davis yeah excellent, and wheredo you currently reside?
I know that that's always ashifting.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah, it's tough being a nomad sometimes, but
right now I'm in Illinois, likein the McDonough County area,
like Macomb area, and thenDecember I'll be heading out to
salt lake city, utah oh nice,and we'll get to that later,
(02:29):
because I think I know why that,why you're going there.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
So that's cool stuff.
Where did you grow up?
Wow, assuming that, like Ididn't know anything about you
and besides, you're jessica'sfriend and we hang out sometimes
, that's about it?
Yeah, for sure so where doesthis story start?
Like story, it starts whereveryou wanted to well, I mean, you
(02:53):
know there are reasons why weare the way we are, and
sometimes it explains to us whywe take the way we do, and
that's kind of what the show'sabout is figuring out what makes
people tick.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
So anyways, okay I'm okay with that.
Well, I grew up in cleveland,ohio okay and, uh, I don't know
just kind of did the whole usthing okay what we do here in
(03:26):
the united states.
Right, we go to school.
We do what our parents say getindoctrinated to an extent
exactly to the system, theschool, industrial complex and
uh yeah, and I just so happen tobe really good at sports okay
yeah so that was your way out.
That was my way out, okay.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Which sports did this lead you to?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
So I kind of did them all.
Okay, my school had a lot ofsports.
It was like a division, onehigh school.
That's how they sectioned it, Igot you.
But we, I kind of my expertises, were in track and field.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, that was the main one, but of course I did
like soccer and I did ballet forlike eight years, or from
preschool till seventh grade.
So you do the math.
Well, there you go.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And that's your core strength and your flexibility
and everything Like.
There's so many benefits todance and tumbling type programs
for kids Air awareness andfearlessness.
Yep, making yourself dosomething you really don't want
to do, that's a very good likelesson to learn for life.
At that point is, like you know, you're going to be in this
(04:39):
situation from time to time.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yep, and in different forms too.
So yeah, I uh track was mysuperstar event and um I ran the
800 meter I did too.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
What was your best time?
Speaker 3 (04:51):
in high school.
In high school it was a 211okay, I got her by a little oh,
where were you at?
I?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
had a two flat two.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Two flat.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
That was a lot of cheeseburgers and bush lights
ago, but yes.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Oh, wow, okay.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Anyways.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, yeah, so I ended up getting a full ride.
Scholarship to Loyola.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
University Up to Chicago area Okay.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Yeah, they offered me a full ride.
I got some offers from Iowa,like University of Iowa, like
Iowa State, state the hawks ummizzou, but they kind of just
offered me 70, 60.
I was going for the all, the,all the money.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
I could I got you, which is fine.
You know, like you said, ifyou're using that as a tool to
get from where you are to whereyou want to be, you know there's
nothing wrong.
And I think this new nil systemand sports is even proving that
is like what is?
It.
Well, more or less it says thatnow you can pay college athletes
to play college sports right towhere before it was very
(05:53):
illegal, but now it gives thesepeople an opportunity to have a
life you know and and help themget out of their current
situations.
But like that that's what,that's what always makes me
think about people are saying,well, you could have been a
Hawkeye, or you could have wentto Mizzou and done that, and
(06:14):
he's like yeah but I still havebills.
I went this way and I don'thave bills, so I love that.
No, I was literally going foreverything I could get.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah, for sure, survival mode.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So what was that experience like?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Getting recruited or doing Division I.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Doing a Division I athletics, because I did
Division III athletics and itwas a part-time job and I'm
guessing for you it was more ofa full-time job.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, it was a full-time job overtime, and you
don't get paid for that overtimeno it was a lot of of stress on
the body.
You know doing strengthtraining monday, wednesday,
friday at 6 am and then having afull schedule like 18 credit
hour yeah, being a full-timestudent full-time student and
(07:03):
then practice after thoseclasses and then trying to find
time and energy to do homework.
And especially with my major itwas computer science, so it was
especially difficult becausethey don't teach you computer
science in high school, so it'sa completely new concept that
you're, that you're and thatyou're, and it's always evolving
and it's always evolving.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
So yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
So that was uh very overwhelming for me.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
But you mentioned all those things you talked about
going to training and thenlifting and then running and
then being a full time studentand then, if you had any more
strength left, going back totrain more for something you
didn't leave any time for, likesocial life.
Uh, fun, blah, blah, blah.
What'd you do for fun, likewhen you had almost to no time?
Speaker 3 (07:56):
um, that is a very good question.
Um, I would hang out with somepeople Gotcha Occasionally.
Yeah, they were, like you know,smoking, weed and drinking.
I wasn't at that point in mylife yet but, I, enjoyed their
company and I enjoyed who theywere.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
So yeah, kick it on their couch Like they just have
a lot of kickbacks.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
so I'd just be sitting on the couch like
honestly dissociated and butjust like hanging with the
homies.
You know we're all on the samething feeling like you're a part
of something for a little bitof time.
Yeah, I love that those arethose.
They were nice um or partnothing after being a part of
all the somethings, huh oh, yeah, right, there you go a little,
right there you go.
(08:46):
Yeah, that's a lot.
This is crazy for me becauseyou've been my friend for such a
long time and I'm just nowhearing these stories like oh my
gosh, you're so incrediblywell-rounded.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
This is neat well, jess was a was a track star in
high school too.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Too, I wasn't no Amber, oh stop.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
And she could have and almost did do it in college
for a while.
Jess had this thing where youhad to show up for the class to
get credit.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
That's how it works.
Oh, I showed up and just kindof couldn't find my people at
all Because, similar, I didn'thave the camaraderie or the
stability, the mental strength Ithink, uh, self-awareness to be
(09:37):
okay with not having a team,and so I don't know how your
environment worked with yourcollege track.
But they asked me what I wantedto do when I was 17, and I
didn't care about running, Ijust wanted to be a high jumper.
And so at 17, when they areasking me in college what I
(09:58):
wanted to do, I said I want todo the high jump and that's it.
That's all they made me do, andI was the only one that did
that.
I wasn't aware.
I didn't know that everybodyelse would, and so I didn't have
anybody.
It was like me and the team itfelt like, and so because of
that I didn't want to be a partof it, even though I would show
(10:19):
up and like.
I was also the only jumper thatwas on the left side and
everybody else was on the rightside too.
Even when practice happened,there was still no communication
between us, because nobody fromthe left side.
We don't meet in the middle andspeak or anything.
It was always just initiallythat part.
(10:39):
Then I failed really, reallyhard at my first indoor track
meet because I had never been toan indoor track meet and it was
almost like plastic and mybottoms of my cleats were
plastic and I was running andthen when you run in a high jump
you have to kind of turn at anangle pretty hard to get that
(11:00):
momentum up over the bar right,and plastic plastic.
Every time I went to turn Islipped and fell.
I couldn't keep my balance andthey wouldn't let me do it
barefoot and I didn't have acoach.
And it was such a traumaticmoment that I was like sports.
And I then, and there was done,and I went and told my coach the
(11:23):
next day I was done, was likeall right, you're just gonna
slack off and be lazy.
And I popped off so hard, justlike you weren't here, you
weren't there and you weren'tthis, and so there was no going
back.
After that I was like all right, I'm gonna go hang out with pop
hits now that actually are niceto me.
And so, yeah, it just went fromthat point.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Why did they give you a coach?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
I don't know, I don't know in that moment why I
couldn't.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Sounded more like a college club sport at that point
than it does like an athletic.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
If you're there and you're an athlete and you're
like trying to compete againstother like top-notch athletes,
you think they would wantsomebody there for you to
support you through that.
Sure to where.
If it's like a club thing, youknow, you just show up,
everybody has fun and competes.
It's like, well, I'm not onthat level yet, like I'm still
up here where I want to winexactly I'm here to I'm here to
(12:21):
dominate them like that's mymindset mindset and I had no
idea how to go from people thatI experienced.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
I like pause in movies.
What's the rush?
We can talk through this.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
This is a thought-provoking movie Will,
and I do that a lot too.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
We'll hit pause if we have something else to say.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
This is important to me.
Gabe's brother can hold it allto the end.
He's like, like.
And then this scene.
Do you remember that?
Speaker 2 (12:53):
and then analyze that and oh yeah, and that scene.
I'm like whoa, no, can't, nope,and I just sit in amazement and
watch.
So where did, where did collegesports take you from there?
Um, did you end up finishing upcollege?
Speaker 3 (12:59):
right.
So interesting journey.
I did two years at Loyola, quitmiddle of the practice at this
Like I am out and so just hadenough with the sports, or just
the whole concept of college andyeah, the whole concept of
(13:22):
doing college track.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
OK, just sports, I'm done.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Yeah, I had a burning passion to learn my major.
I was there for academics, Okay, and I just so happened to be
recruited for athletics.
So yeah, I was like I'm out andI finished the semester at
Loyola.
I ran the last indoor meet fortrack.
We won the Horizon LeagueChampionship Nice.
At Loyola, I ran the lastindoor meet for track one.
We won the Horizon LeagueChampionship Nice.
(13:47):
And then I actually made itover to Old Dominion University
in Norfolk Virginia.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Okay, yeah, was that for your major type move or was
that a okay?
Speaker 3 (14:01):
No, that was not, that was for love, okay, yeah
you know how that goes, likewhere this is going.
Yeah, it's a journey.
So, yeah, my ex at the time wasin the navy all right high
school sweetheart.
Yep, it's all right, girl.
I think a lot of people havebeen there.
Military love, gotta love it,right, yes?
(14:22):
So yeah, he, this is a highschool sweetheart and he was, uh
, out in norfolk.
He got stationed out there, soI did that whole thing and we
stayed together for two yearsand that didn't work out like a
lot of military relationships.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Yeah, there's a lot of charity that's a whole other
can of worms.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
The issues of being a military spouse.
We do not have an eight hourpodcast to deposit into that.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
We got to save our energy for the concert.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
There we go.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Yeah, so that that happened and we split and I had
met someone in Norfolk who'slike you should go to Denver,
colorado.
I never heard of Colorado.
I was like I looked up somepictures on Google.
I saw Sixth Street Mall, whichis their big claim to fame, and
I was like sold.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
So did you finish at Old Dominion, or did you decide
to just go to Denver?
Speaker 3 (15:22):
So yeah, no, I did two years at old dominion as
well okay, and then I I went outto uh.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
I finished school at a state school in denver called
metro state very cool yeah it'ssuper cheap and okay, so on a
whim you go to denver on a whimwhat happens my life got changed
okay, did.
Did you have like a connectionthere?
Did, did you just roll up andlike, all right, I'm sleeping in
the car tonight?
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Oh, I see.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
What is this journey into?
Like very random ass Denver.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
What does?
Speaker 2 (15:54):
this look like.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Yeah, so I actually took out one of those predatory
loans.
Okay 40% interest.
I had no idea what interest was.
So I took out like 2K and Irented a car and packed all the
stuff I could and I coordinatedon Craigslist yeah, it was
through Craigslist with somegirls and we were all going to
(16:16):
move into this house together inDenver.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Okay, was this something that was in the
planning for a while, or?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
It happened within a month, okay.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Yeah, so about a month.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Okay, yeah, so about a month.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Okay, Were their stories similar and like they
just were like hey, we're goingto head for Denver or they
already had like jobs and stuffset up there.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Yeah, one of them was from Denver and two of them had
just graduated from ColoradoState.
Okay, so, yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Not exactly the same situation, but you're on your
way no, no, no, no, I'm notthere yet, yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
And so yeah, denver was great, I'm I.
What ended up happening was Imet some hippies, okay, who were
in denver bus.
Yeah yeah, you know theyexisted there.
Go figure, there's actually alot of them there and and they
were on their way to go trimweed essentially from alabama.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
They're from alabama and they're going over to for a
harvest to go trim and harvestI've seen things on this where
people will make the trip likeonce a year out there just to do
that kind of work.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yep, they will, and so, yeah, I had an internship.
Computer science has been mypride and joy since eighth grade
, so I never gave up computerscience, just like the
programming or the.
The logic.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Okay, just in general .
Okay, I didn't know if therewas like a special avenue of of
like programming that you wereinto or yeah, not necessarily,
okay, just like the right code I, I like the theory and I uh, I
can write code.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Yes, I can read it better, though there you go so,
uh, I quit my internship okay,yeah I didn't.
I had a.
I was an adobe illustratordeveloper and I was just like I
think I'm going to go followthese guys and go trim.
I don't know why not right?
Why not?
Speaker 1 (18:09):
There you go.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
So that's when I moved into my car and just
headed over there.
Yeah, I trusted them and it wasa wonderful experience.
I had a very naive view of theworld, and by naive I just mean
I didn't know what was going onin terms of politics or war.
(18:34):
I grew up kind of in a bubble,so these were concepts that
weren't even phasing my visionfor this journey.
And I met wonderful people inthe bumpkin of Oregon.
There's some backwoods backthere and, yeah, it changed my
(18:57):
life.
It, let me know I can live withvery little.
All I had was a bag, a tote bag, bag of clothes.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
It, let me know I don't have to, you know, shower
all the time, I don't have tolook in the mirror and there are
other ways to live absolutelyyeah I like that, yeah, because
at this point most conservativeminded people and me being semi
one at the same would come backat that like and so just going
(19:28):
out there for for all the weedand blah, blah, blah.
But it's like you're talkingabout this whole other very um
intimate experience with, likeother people and like kind of
facing social norms.
That seems like it wasbothering you for quite some
time.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
I think secretly.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Like yeah, as a child , like I always kind of would
pick out outfits and one wouldbe very floral and like hippie,
almost as like a child I didn'teven know what hippie was.
And then the other one was likeconforming.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Wearing what everyone else is wearing.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
And I would always just go there.
Can relate yeah right, everyoneelse is wearing.
Sure, and I would always justgo there.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Can relate, um yeah, right, it's, uh, it's maybe.
Yeah, maybe it's always beenwithin us.
Yeah, and I completely agree.
Yeah, and I feel like, um, itwas beautiful that you finally
got to open your eyes and seethese things within a community
that allowed you to feel safewhen you were learning them,
because it can sometimes be likedrinking from a from a fire
(20:33):
hose and people educating you ina direct from from a place of
love, instead of scolding youinto knowing this because you
should.
Right, right, right.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Yes, yeah, that's a really good point.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Doesn't have to hurt, right?
Speaker 3 (20:54):
No, knowledge can be awesome to be and to be yourself
.
It doesn't have to hurt either.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
So the harvest ends, and what happens?
And yeah do we go back todenver?
We do go back to denver.
I figured as much, you know forseems to be where all roads end
at this point denver is a timeportal okay I like it it's a
portal, it'll take you where youneed to go.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Excellent, and so, yeah, you know.
For, for time's sake, yes, wewere in denver for another
couple years.
I was dating one of thosehippies.
Happens and it just it ended upjust not working out in the
best way possible, mm-hmm.
And so once we all splitbecause we had a caravan of
people like we all kind of justwent our different ways it just
(21:40):
one by one we all kind of justtrickled out and I kind of had,
like you could call it, an earlylife crisis.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
I think we've all been there.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Early life crisis right.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
A nice like turning point for how you're going to
change.
And so, yeah, that my earlylife crisis was getting a van,
getting a van so being done withrent, by the way, because I did
the math.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Okay, I have a computer science degree minor in
math.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I did the math.
The rent made me have to work,so I'm working just for rent,
essentially there you go so if Ican.
How do I cut out the rent?
Oh, I'll do what I did inoregon I'll just go live in a
van.
Yeah, that reduces my stressinfinitely exponentially, I
(22:38):
should say not infinitely.
And so that's what I did.
Yeah, I, I bought a van and Ibuilt it out.
I was still in school.
Okay, I think it took me sixyears to complete college total
because I kept taking breaks.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Well, everybody's under this whole assumption that
you've got to get it done infour years and you've got to
start your career as soon aspossible.
Right, it's not true.
And that was the norm for solong, and I think that's why
this is a whole other can ofworms as well, but this is why
whole other can of worms as well, but, but, but, like, like this
.
This is why colleges are closing.
(23:12):
This is why, like, highereducation is failing right now.
People, people can realize theydon't have to go through all
this stress and spend all thismoney to be happy, that's right,
or to gain people's acceptancenot at these prices so anywho
we're living in a van down bythe river.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
I was down by the river.
You know me very old hippie notwearing shoes and uh and I took
another semester off school.
I'm like, all right, I, yeah, Ineed a break.
So where did I go?
I went to the mountains, yeah,and I was like you know, I guess
I'll pick snowboarding back up,because I had snowboarded in
seventh and eighth grade okayand actually I started skiing.
(23:54):
Oh, since second grade.
My mom signed us up for anall-black ski club through
national brotherhood of snowsports cool, and yeah, I've been
skiing.
Ski has been in my life for awhile, but not consistently, and
so when I first got to Denver,my roommate's friend, her dad,
(24:15):
was the head of Never SummerSnowboards, which is a really
big snowboard company out inColorado and just kind of out in
the West it's a snowboard brand.
So he gave me a snowboard and Ialways had it sitting in my
corner and I was like, yeah, I'mjust going to go snowboard.
And uh, I always had it sittingin my corner and I was like,
yeah, I'm just gonna gosnowboard yeah, yeah, and so I
had all the gear and, um, that'swhat I did, that's how I picked
(24:38):
up, picked back up my love forsnowboarding, because it was one
of the best seasons that theyhad yeah had in a very long time
gotcha a lot of snow, a lot ofsnow, lost your mind, did you?
I sure did I lost my mind andfound it all in the same season,
so like if we're living in thisvan.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Is there like a park that you can go to, or is it
like I'm just hanging out in theparking lot at the ski lodge,
or what's that whole part?
What does that whole part of itlook like?
Speaker 3 (25:12):
Yeah, so I did some research before I left.
Sure, there was a free parkinglot to just park your car.
People just do that.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Now I live here.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
I'm just going to be here, you know, not like stay
here, but I'm going to park itfor the night and live.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
There you go.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
So I kind of parked over there, and then it's a
national forest, so it's gotpull-offs.
There's some pull-offs thatthey allow.
That's awesome so you can sleepin a pull-off, yeah, and you're
just sleeping in a forest, sothat's what I did most of the
time Different view every day.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Oh my gosh, I have buddies that go out that
direction, to like elk hunter orpronghorn hunt out that
direction.
And they're talking about doingthe same thing that you're
doing, but they do it for likemaybe a week or two during the
year and you're just like outhere grinding every day the
stuff they feel so tough about,like for most of years, like I
(26:11):
spent a week in the mountainschasing elk because, like I'm a
girl, over here's like rippingsnow I live here I live here in
my truck.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
I live here.
Yeah, that first season it waspretty cold.
I did not know what I was doing, no idea about insulation or
like how to do insulation.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yeah, layering and thermals and all of that, yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
So I was cold, but it made me tougher.
Honestly, mentally it made metougher especially because, well
, you got to stay hydrated orelse you'll get cold.
You got to eat a lot or elseyou'll get cold.
So it helped me gain bettereating habits and with the
peeing, who wants to get up inthe middle of the night when
it's 20 degrees outside likethat's yeah, and you gotta go
(26:53):
pee?
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I ain't doing that in here.
You know, mentally I tried toshut it off.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
I tried, it wouldn't shut off and honestly, when you
hold in your pee, I like itmakes you colder.
Yeah, because it's keeping allthat liquid that makes when it
could be dissipating towardsother parts of your body.
So mentally I'm just like getup, get up, get up, get up.
We got to pee, we got to go.
But that mental exercise justhelped me with everything in
(27:21):
life.
I'm just like we're doing it.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
All right, cool, get it done, let's go.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Yeah, it was really cool to see that correlation
Just started making stuff happen.
Motivation.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
So where did this experience take you?
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Yeah, this experience has taken me to a dream that I
didn't know I wanted.
This is my favorite part of thestory.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
I like this part.
I don't even know what we'retalking about and I like it.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
So this has led me to competing using my skills from
track right.
All my athletic skills theballet.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Right.
And my love and passion forsnowboarding and it's yeah, it's
led me to becoming aprofessional snowboarder that's
awesome yeah you know what is uhkind of, in a nutshell, what's
that career looked like as faras, how many tournaments do you
do?
How does that work, you know?
Do you drive everywhere andsleep in your van and then get
(28:28):
up with your board in themorning?
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Yeah, definitely yeah .
So there's different avenuesfor snowboard competitions and
so I've chosen the halfpipe.
I love the halfpipe, it's myfavorite.
It makes me feel good, I feellike a bird.
But you can also do slope style, which jumps and rails.
You could do big air, which arethose huge jumps where people
(28:51):
are doing like at least 10 flipsby now they're going crazy,
right now and so yeah, so I, Iam a half pipe professional,
half pipe snowboarder okay andwhat that looks like is just
having fun.
I am just.
I'm riding the half pipe right.
There's nothing more to it.
It's so awesome.
(29:11):
There's nothing more to it.
It's not.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
That is it is it a, like, a planned routine?
Is it something that you'relike?
Now I'm feeling this jump onthis one, I'm gonna go for it.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Or there is okay, there is a little bit more okay,
well, I was like oh my goshdarn, I think I'm gonna go ride
the half pipe.
Now you're getting me all asyou should, as you should, all
right, here it comes.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
But my point was I guess you come from a
competitive background.
And that competitive backgroundthat you grew up in means that
there is a certain amount oftraining that goes involved.
There's a certain amount ofpractice that goes involved, and
it's not just when you get to acertain level of doing
something is it practice.
But it has to be perfectpractice or it doesn't work.
(29:52):
On game day usually.
Sure, sometimes you pull arabbit out of the hat yeah,
right you know, better prep isalways beat talent, so it's like
how do you manage that?
You know?
Speaker 3 (30:04):
okay, yeah, you're calling me out.
It's's not that simple.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
In the best way.
You can't do it, Travis.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Yeah, so training is snowboarding, skiing.
The ski industry is veryexpensive.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Right, I'm not rich.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
No, so I'm like self-funded.
That's how I've started this.
I invested in myself, so I'vebeen competing.
This will be my third year, soI've been competing.
I've had two seasons ofcompetition so far and both of
those times I've been investingin myself.
So what does that look like?
It looks like making myself goto the halfpipe, riding the
(30:42):
halfpipe, watching videos onYouTube and and, and seeing how
to do it, asking questions.
I got no shame.
I'm like there's coaches uphere, hey, like I'm trying to do
it this way, but I keep likekind of messing that up.
What do you think?
Try this, that's what they say.
You know they can give up, theycan give advice, or they won't.
(31:04):
So I'm taking it anywhere I can.
Youtube has a lot of goodresources on how to do pretty
much anything you want to do inlife, so great yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Is that all the coaching you're utilizing at
this time?
It's just stuff that you'rewatching and things you can
absorb from different, likemeets, or are you going to
somebody for mentorship on thatat all?
Speaker 3 (31:23):
Right, so I have had a little bit of mentorship.
Okay, so I was also a snowboardinstructor.
Okay, so I was also a snowboardinstructor.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
The past two times I was competing, and so with
snowboard instructing, you getongoing training the whole
season.
There you go they have clinics,so they have freestyle clinics.
So you can learn how to throwthree, you can learn how to hit
a rail or ride the pipe, and soevery pipe clinic.
I was there, yeah, and this wasthrough I was working at
(31:51):
keystone okay, it's a veilresort.
So, um, yeah, they, theytrained me up and it like it's
for my benefit and it's fortheir benefit, it's a win-win
for everyone.
And so that was how I kind ofgot my leg up.
But my first season was solelyjust me YouTube and asking other
(32:13):
coaches that were up on thepipe.
And then, yeah, second year Igot a little bit more developed
with clinics and training, andnow this season I actually just
got sponsored by NationalBrotherhood of Snowsports Comes
back full circle.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
There you go.
Yeah, good job, whoa.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
So they're going to give me give me 3500 for the
season so that allows me toafford a coach.
That's amazing.
They're also giving me asnowboard pass so I can go
practice at the pipe what I likeabout this is like from the
archery perspective.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
It was so much like just being like present and
being a good person and shootingwell, and then you can kind of
move up the ranks, but it's likeso much of your own money went
into that over time it's aninvestment, you know, an
investment and then you getcertain people that think that
like, oh, because I'm here,because I'm competing you, you
(33:06):
know the handshake goes fromside to side to palm up.
You know they expect things outof that.
This point you're just at this20 to 30 year span of your life
(33:30):
where it's like I gotta investin something.
You know, whether it's your job, whether it's a passion,
whether it's something,sometimes need a job to fund the
passion or sometimes you justhave less so that you can pursue
the passion, right, but it's.
It's crazy that, like you tookthat investment of like I know
(33:52):
this much but I'm willing tolearn.
I know that I'm going to haveto invest this much to make this
happen and this happen to wherenow the little things that help
you pay the bills and you knowhave a decent setup and can
afford decent instruction.
That says a lot as far as goingthe way that you're going,
because it's not like we can getinto this whole topic of
(34:16):
entitlement with our generationI'll call this out Like our
generation and definitely theone or two behind us, but like
it speaks to a work ethic that,like, a lot of people don't have
anymore.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Work ethic that's a good word for it.
Yeah, lot of people don't haveanymore Work ethic.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
That's a good word for it.
Yeah, because I don't want tosay it's discipline.
I want to say that that'sdifferent.
I think you can have gooddiscipline and have good work
ethic, but, like I don't thinkeverybody needs the same level
of discipline to achieve thesame kind of work ethic, and I
think we've also been raised ina society that has told us you
just keep on with the discipline, and the good things are coming
(34:52):
your way.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
You know what I mean, and so there's a certain point,
I think, where a lot of us haverealized that that's never
going to be enough.
At one point you've got toinvest in yourself, because
everybody else is right.
Like everybody's going to takecare of themselves.
(35:14):
That's already at a point ofsuccess, and then they'll look
out to it.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
And so at some point you have to realize that you
know believing in somethingisn't going to be enough, you
know, and so commend you forinvesting in yourself and like
starting that ball rolling onyour own and just because you
believe in it and you're workingtowards it and and you want
good things to happen, you'redoing everything that you can to
put yourself in that situationdoesn't always mean it's going
(35:38):
to work out the way you want itto, or that it's going to work
out at all.
But you don't know, unless youmake that investment right you
actually say you know, like yousaid, get, I'm gonna go do it
yeah, you know, yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
And I think it goes the other way too, like if you
won't even invest in yourself,why would somebody else yeah?
There you go, that's perfectand so my strategy for curating
this experience that I'm havingright now was just to pretend
like what I actually want ishappening right now.
Of course, like oh yeah, yeah,I'm getting money and I'm
(36:12):
self-made.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Yeah, I'm getting.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
I'm.
You know I'm working out rightnow because that's what I want
to be doing, like that's that'swhat athletes do.
So we're working out now likethat's what I spend my days
doing right right.
Exactly Filling my time withwho this athlete is.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Right, a metaphor of dress for the job, not just
physically but yeah, mentallyand spiritually, oh yeah, and
all of that Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
Dress for the job you want to have.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
Dress for the job you want to have.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Yeah, See, I dressed most of my childhood as a
stay-at-home dad?
It never panned out.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
I don my childhood as a stay-at-home dad and it never
panned out.
I don't think they mean this ina literal form travis, you're
gonna have to.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
I spent most of my and I have to let that one go.
I'm not gonna lie, I I stolethat joke, uh, from jen dama,
who's a friend of mine fromeureka college.
She does some stand-up comedyand they said you know, always
dress for the job you you did,you want she goes.
Well, I'm still dressed as astay-at-home mom and it's not I
heard that I about that's a goodone.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
It's very silly so what?
Speaker 2 (37:16):
what are the goals?
Moving forward, then?
Like, obviously you're gonnainch your way, you know, to the
top as as best you can notknowing the entire universe.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
Yeah, we know that's the end game, but what's going
to happen in between?
Female Sean White.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
Is that what we're shooting for?
Speaker 3 (37:37):
Yeah, something like it.
There we go has not really beendone yet, so low-key.
I'm after that Right Changingthe game, but that's not my.
If it doesn't happen, itdoesn't happen, it doesn't
happen, right?
Do you want the long-term goal,or the?
Or this coming up season goal?
Speaker 2 (37:55):
well, let's, let's start with this season.
What are you wanting to happenthis season?
Speaker 3 (37:59):
yeah.
So this season I'm, you know,head forward, headstrong, going
for getting a coach like apersonal coach.
I have yet to receive that inthe snow world and I know how
beneficial they are.
So that's number one is gettinga coach and second is up in the
(38:22):
amplitude so there's a formulafor getting scored in the half
pipe, and risk is one of them.
So like, yeah, what, what tricksare you doing?
But also amplitude, how highare you going?
And so just this last season Ibarely made it out the pipe.
I want to.
I want to go a little higher,and by a little I mean like a
(38:42):
lot is that a?
Speaker 2 (38:46):
combination of like uh, how you ride the board
through the pipe, and maybe yourmuscle mass and all that has to
be considered at that point um.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
It to me seems like a men.
It's a mental game.
It's a mental game I have theform to to go like higher and I
noticed at all my clinics I Iget out the pipe and so I think
having a coach there is all Ineed and sometimes that's.
(39:18):
All it takes is like, hey, likeyou can do one more, or like
you can go higher, you know so II've spent a lot of money on
coaches over the years.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
The best one I ever had was terry wonderly, who's
still still in mason city,illinois.
His son shot olympic recurveand took uh silver.
What was it like 94 I think orsomething.
But I mean just a good guy andeverything he knew.
He could just sit there andwatch be like more forward
(39:47):
pressure was like what?
No, just a little more poofmiddle dx.
Okay, got you, but what he?
was better at was building youup the whole time.
He's given you like thesepointers.
He's just like man.
You got a really good form.
If you just just do this alittle bit more here here, it's
going to be flawless.
That's right.
You're going to win a lot oftournaments.
You're going to win a lot ofpositive reinforcement.
(40:08):
At a certain point you're likeyeah I am, let's go all the
difference.
All you need is all you need isa cheer especially and just one,
if it's well, especially ifit's someone that you like know
has has like clout in thatindustry and knows and has seen
as many champions as he has tojust be like you shoot it just
as good as he does.
(40:28):
He just did it more often thanyou do.
It's like I never thought aboutit that way, that's right.
You know, but you know it's likeyou shoot as well as they do
you.
Just, you know you have a joband a life and and then you
start to realize, well, you knowyou have a job and a life and
and then you start to realize,well, you know, maybe I'm never
going to be on that level andthat's fine.
You know I can, I can take andI can enjoy this for what it is,
and but you're still in theflow of like you're on the
(40:51):
upswing.
Speaker 3 (40:52):
It sounds like of things I know.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
So of things to come.
Yeah, because, but if you'relooking at a half pipe, I'm on
the downswing of things.
Well, but you're coming up.
Speaker 3 (41:04):
That is true.
Speaker 2 (41:07):
I would say on your journey, on your adventure.
Your board is pointing up atthis point.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
I agree, I mean, I totally agree.
Speaker 2 (41:16):
So, so, exciting, that is cool.
And then the long-term goal.
What's the long-term goal?
Speaker 3 (41:22):
Long-term goal.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Olympic gold.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
I'm actively, actively working on curating a
trick that's never been done.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (41:33):
Pioneering In the half pipe.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
That means you would get to name it.
Speaker 3 (41:39):
Yeah, I'm not even worried about the name right now
.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
It's complex I'm just gonna tell everybody I I know
the amber and you don't I'veseen it done.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
You don't even know that I do I've never seen it.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
I don't even know what it's called yeah, it's uh,
everyone's just kind of doingthe same tricks, which is cool,
but I'm also a non-conformist.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
Right Shocker.
Speaker 3 (42:03):
I want to have some fun.
I love it.
Some other fun.
Speaker 2 (42:06):
And I'm sure it's a balancing act to like because
you got judges.
Well, you got judges and stuffthat you have to perform for
these things, right?
Speaker 3 (42:13):
Technically, yeah, so Doing it for me.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
You're doing it for you but.
But when you're in acompetition you have somebody
that you've got to appease,which you want to do the regular
stuff really really well, butyou want to show your creativity
on top of that.
Speaker 3 (42:27):
You got it so yeah, laugh some more.
Speaker 2 (42:31):
I am just reflecting.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
I'm seriously just reflecting on her saying she's a
nonconformist, because she wasplaying a left-right center game
with my son and I and before westarted the game, just to
confirm with everybody that weshould do a left and a right, we
all wrote an L on our left hand, a R on our right hand and then
passed the pen.
When the pen got to Amber, shegoes so what are the general
rules for this left right penwriting thing?
Like you put the L on your lefthand and you put the R on your
left hand and you put the r onyour right hand.
She's like is that really whatI I have to do?
(43:05):
I'm like you can do whateveryou want.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
Honestly, amber, it's like, yes, non-conformist, yes,
like I will acknowledge thatthis will be a left right game,
but what I don't know, if I wantto put it on my, what I like
about the normal, thatnon-conformist thought process
is like you're not trying to getaway with anything, you're not
trying to cheat by anything,you're just like.
I want to know every aspect ofwhat's about to happen.
(43:31):
So if there, is a leg up inthis.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
I'm going to have it.
That's the best part of Amberis she's like let me learn all
of the rules.
Tell me all Okay, there's therules.
So what if I do this?
Speaker 2 (43:43):
Is that a part of the rules Was, wrote R and L on the
opposite hands and found a wayto beat you doing it Because the
rules say she couldn't do that.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
It was even worse.
She like, she like, bowed outgracefully because she was going
to cook us dinner.
So we'll never even know ifthat who did win that game,
technically Boston?
Yeah, of course, my son.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
Are you going to change your shirt?
Speaker 1 (44:09):
No no.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
You're changing your shirt.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
I am not matching shirts with my brother at a
hardcore concert.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
Nobody's going to think we're tough.
This is the toughest shirt Iknow.
That's not true.
Speaker 1 (44:22):
You have my god war shirt that's his shirt shots
fired dang, I think doesn't willit's a long sleeve shirt I'm
not wearing a long sleeve shirtat a concert nice try you have
my god war shirt, give it backto me changing your shirt now
who woke up first, what I didshe did always do all right then
(44:43):
, it's settled.
Speaker 3 (44:44):
Boom, she put it on first, that's that's not.
Speaker 2 (44:48):
Can we drop this?
Speaker 1 (44:49):
microphone no, I can't because she just mic
dropped you.
I'm just throwing that one.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
It is her episode oh, you have nice mics.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
I'm not doing that wasn't it funny when boston said
that yesterday he walked up toamber's dad and he was finished
singing.
He's like can I drop thismicrophone?
Speaker 3 (45:08):
and michael's like no bud, you can't.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
He's like okay I was just wondering.
I know mic drop sounds like acool thing, but it's not.
Speaker 2 (45:15):
But I should have like a designated mic down here.
That's just like the mic dropand every time somebody is like,
boom, okay, I gotta pick thatup.
That's a great idea it shouldsay something, or squeak, or
something yeah, we can hear thatit's a mic like a dog toy
microphone.
Speaker 1 (45:29):
So right so we can hear it on the podcast, like
here's the infamous mic dropsound all right, I'm getting on
amazon, it's happening sure it'sthere too.
No, nobody get that for him forchristmas dibs ps it's gonna be
my second.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
Yes, yeah, just uh excited about this next season
of um dial the wild.
Uh, we're gonna dial it back abit.
I think um jess and I aretalking about some shows, just
very, very pre workings of shows.
I think we did enough doing theshows that we did last year to
(46:06):
learn a lot between that welcome.
Between that and timber fest wekind of know how to run a good
show.
So coming.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
We're going to try and make sure hot with timber
fest, going to do some new stuffwith timber fest this year you
guys will be really excitedabout.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
I am excited.
Speaker 1 (46:21):
It'll be a big new year.
It will be.
Speaker 2 (46:24):
And I'm looking forward to it.
I want to get more in theseconversations.
I do like talking to my bands,I like talking to my buddies, I
like drinking and podcasting andhaving a good time, but I
definitely want to get back topeople and their stories and
what makes them tick and whywe're here.
Like people and their storiesand what makes them tick and why
(46:47):
we're here and this very lousypodcast that some people listen
to it is, and I just like howall my collections of people in
my life my metal friends, mysports friends, my you know
people that I grew up with, myparents friends, you know all
different conglomerates ofdifferent crazy, weird people
(47:07):
just are drawn to this show forone stupid reason or another.
You know, because a lot ofpeople would be like I don't
know anything about amber andthen they're gonna walk away
from the podcast, going wow,she's kind of cool, is she on
instagram?
I do have an instagram.
Yeah, let's shout that out, youcan follow me at at.
Speaker 3 (47:24):
Underscore s, c, e, n , d.
Underscore it, so that's sendit send it, but like transcend
it okay we'll share that too,transcend it.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
And boy are you gonna .
If you think she's neat now,with this one story she's had
know.
Know that I've never heard thisstory and I think she's been
neat for a really long time,like there's so much about this
chick that you don't know.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
It is going to be an experience and we're finding
that more and more with a lot ofpeople that we've.
You know, the list of peoplethat are in our lives have
gotten shorter, but they havenot gotten less interesting in
our lives.
Have gotten shorter, but theyhave not gotten less interesting
, not at all.
Just because you learn how to.
Speaker 3 (48:06):
Jess is always telling me about boundaries and
you know you learn.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
You learn what works for you and what doesn't, and
you try to really capture andhone in on the things that, like
, make you better.
Speaker 1 (48:15):
That's right and learn less about the appreciate
the people around you when theydo better.
Speaker 2 (48:22):
Yeah, too yeah, and that's awesome.
Who cares if the neighbors havea speedboat?
Look, go over there like man.
That looks awesome.
Can I ride on that with you?
Speaker 1 (48:30):
that's cool.
Speaker 2 (48:31):
Let's be friends so I can hang out on your speedboat
so many people are so expensivespeedboats in the same street so
many people are so into thewhole so-and-so got a speedboat.
I don't know how the hell theycould afford that.
It's like I don't give a shit.
Speaker 1 (48:47):
I'm happy they got a speedboat we have truly lost the
meaning of community when thatkind of uh aspect come, becomes
present.
Your community is, is whatkeeps you sane and reassures you
.
You know, know, as we've both,all three of us have spoken
about the coaches.
Who has inspired us?
That's a part of your community, man, and, like all of us can
(49:07):
confirm, it takes one person toreally believe in you and say
that's some good shit, thatthing that you just did there.
Take that to the stars, yeah.
Speaker 2 (49:18):
And just make you feel like and those kind of
people are the way they are notbecause they are your coach and
they're paid to be your coach.
It's because they genuinelycare for you and want you to
feel like you're on top of theworld.
Speaker 1 (49:30):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
And so that's what we're going to dedicate this
show to is just.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
Think a coach day, you know, pick a guy, pick him
down here to talk.
Have you thanked your coachtoday?
Speaker 2 (49:43):
Who picks you up?
Who makes, makes you tick?
Let's go from there.
All right, the bush light isspeaking.
We're gonna go ahead and shutthis down here.
Uh, jess is gonna go change hershirt, you got bush lights.
Speaker 1 (49:53):
I got electro lights and travis is gonna change his
shirt I'm gonna go change myshirt yeah, there we go thank
you for coming on.
Speaker 2 (50:01):
This is a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (50:02):
Yeah, I'm so glad I got a chance to do this.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (50:05):
Yeah, you've got to come back.
Speaker 3 (50:06):
This will be fun.
Speaker 2 (50:07):
I want to hear about this journey.
Even if you've got to Skype infrom time to time, just be like
look, I suck today but I'm goingto be better tomorrow.
And I ever hear those words.
Speaker 3 (50:28):
Oh no, there's some days it's deuce I have them, but
those are the days that makethe good days like really good,
I believe it.
So, all right, let's stay onthat path.
Dial it in, stick around you.
Oh them wheels, though always sad.
Oh them emotion wheels.
Anger's just old, but exceptfor this book I'm reading, it's
like anyway, it's time to startanother lovely podcast of dial
the wild.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
It's been a while.
I just something there was justtelling me that this is about
time to start this podcast.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
I was about to hit some Freud.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Yeah, you were going to get Freudian there.
Philosophical podcast we can'tbe having.
You can't talk Freud and haveBush Light in the same room.
I'm pretty sure that's anIllinois law, they cancel each
other out.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yeah, neutral.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
But then there's nothingness after that and it's
empty, and broken.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
This particular Freudian is like leading
everything to some evil desirethat everybody has, and so I
don't know that we shouldcompare it to something that
would make you feel relaxed.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
And here we are.
We are joined by returningguest Jessica.
Hi Of course, and we have newfriend well, not new friend,
she's been a friend for a whilebut we have new friend to the
podcast, miss amber davis here Iam okay, just making sure I had
that right.
I was like this was on facebook, so it has to be right, it is
(02:00):
davis yeah excellent, and wheredo you currently reside?
I know that that's always ashifting.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Yeah, it's tough being a nomad sometimes, but
right now I'm in Illinois, likein the McDonough County area,
like Macomb area, and thenDecember I'll be heading out to
salt lake city, utah oh nice,and we'll get to that later,
(02:29):
because I think I know why that,why you're going there.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
So that's cool stuff.
Where did you grow up?
Wow, assuming that, like Ididn't know anything about you
and besides, you're jessica'sfriend and we hang out sometimes
, that's about it?
Yeah, for sure so where doesthis story start?
Like story, it starts whereveryou wanted to well, I mean, you
(02:53):
know there are reasons why weare the way we are, and
sometimes it explains to us whywe take the way we do, and
that's kind of what the show'sabout is figuring out what makes
people tick.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
So anyways, okay I'm okay with that.
Well, I grew up in cleveland,ohio okay and, uh, I don't know
just kind of did the whole usthing okay what we do here in
(03:26):
the united states.
Right, we go to school.
We do what our parents say getindoctrinated to an extent
exactly to the system, theschool, industrial complex and
uh yeah, and I just so happen tobe really good at sports okay
yeah so that was your way out.
That was my way out, okay.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
Which sports did this lead you to?
Speaker 3 (03:49):
So I kind of did them all.
Okay, my school had a lot ofsports.
It was like a division, onehigh school.
That's how they sectioned it, Igot you.
But we, I kind of my expertises, were in track and field.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
Yeah, that was the main one, but of course I did
like soccer and I did ballet forlike eight years, or from
preschool till seventh grade.
So you do the math.
Well, there you go.
Speaker 2 (04:17):
And that's your core strength and your flexibility
and everything Like.
There's so many benefits todance and tumbling type programs
for kids Air awareness andfearlessness.
Yep, making yourself dosomething you really don't want
to do, that's a very good likelesson to learn for life.
At that point is, like you know, you're going to be in this
(04:39):
situation from time to time.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yep, and in different forms too.
So yeah, I uh track was mysuperstar event and um I ran the
800 meter I did too.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
What was your best time?
Speaker 3 (04:51):
in high school.
In high school it was a 211okay, I got her by a little oh,
where were you at?
I?
Speaker 2 (04:58):
had a two flat two.
Speaker 3 (05:01):
Two flat.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
That was a lot of cheeseburgers and bush lights
ago, but yes.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
Oh, wow, okay.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
Anyways.
Speaker 3 (05:08):
Yeah, yeah, so I ended up getting a full ride.
Scholarship to Loyola.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
University Up to Chicago area Okay.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
Yeah, they offered me a full ride.
I got some offers from Iowa,like University of Iowa, like
Iowa State, state the hawks ummizzou, but they kind of just
offered me 70, 60.
I was going for the all, the,all the money.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
I could I got you, which is fine.
You know, like you said, ifyou're using that as a tool to
get from where you are to whereyou want to be, you know there's
nothing wrong.
And I think this new nil systemand sports is even proving that
is like what is?
It.
Well, more or less it says thatnow you can pay college athletes
to play college sports right towhere before it was very
(05:53):
illegal, but now it gives thesepeople an opportunity to have a
life you know and and help themget out of their current
situations.
But like that that's what,that's what always makes me
think about people are saying,well, you could have been a
Hawkeye, or you could have wentto Mizzou and done that, and
(06:14):
he's like yeah but I still havebills.
I went this way and I don'thave bills, so I love that.
No, I was literally going foreverything I could get.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah, for sure, survival mode.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
So what was that experience like?
Speaker 3 (06:28):
Getting recruited or doing Division I.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
Doing a Division I athletics, because I did
Division III athletics and itwas a part-time job and I'm
guessing for you it was more ofa full-time job.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, it was a full-time job overtime, and you
don't get paid for that overtimeno it was a lot of of stress on
the body.
You know doing strengthtraining monday, wednesday,
friday at 6 am and then having afull schedule like 18 credit
hour yeah, being a full-timestudent full-time student and
(07:03):
then practice after thoseclasses and then trying to find
time and energy to do homework.
And especially with my major itwas computer science, so it was
especially difficult becausethey don't teach you computer
science in high school, so it'sa completely new concept that
you're, that you're and thatyou're, and it's always evolving
and it's always evolving.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
So yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
So that was uh very overwhelming for me.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
But you mentioned all those things you talked about
going to training and thenlifting and then running and
then being a full time studentand then, if you had any more
strength left, going back totrain more for something you
didn't leave any time for, likesocial life.
Uh, fun, blah, blah, blah.
What'd you do for fun, likewhen you had almost to no time?
Speaker 3 (07:56):
um, that is a very good question.
Um, I would hang out with somepeople Gotcha Occasionally.
Yeah, they were, like you know,smoking, weed and drinking.
I wasn't at that point in mylife yet but, I, enjoyed their
company and I enjoyed who theywere.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
So yeah, kick it on their couch Like they just have
a lot of kickbacks.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
so I'd just be sitting on the couch like
honestly dissociated and butjust like hanging with the
homies.
You know we're all on the samething feeling like you're a part
of something for a little bitof time.
Yeah, I love that those arethose.
They were nice um or partnothing after being a part of
all the somethings, huh oh, yeah, right, there you go a little,
right there you go.
(08:46):
Yeah, that's a lot.
This is crazy for me becauseyou've been my friend for such a
long time and I'm just nowhearing these stories like oh my
gosh, you're so incrediblywell-rounded.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
This is neat well, jess was a was a track star in
high school too.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Too, I wasn't no Amber, oh stop.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
And she could have and almost did do it in college
for a while.
Jess had this thing where youhad to show up for the class to
get credit.
Speaker 1 (09:14):
That's how it works.
Oh, I showed up and just kindof couldn't find my people at
all Because, similar, I didn'thave the camaraderie or the
stability, the mental strength Ithink, uh, self-awareness to be
(09:37):
okay with not having a team,and so I don't know how your
environment worked with yourcollege track.
But they asked me what I wantedto do when I was 17, and I
didn't care about running, Ijust wanted to be a high jumper.
And so at 17, when they areasking me in college what I
(09:58):
wanted to do, I said I want todo the high jump and that's it.
That's all they made me do, andI was the only one that did
that.
I wasn't aware.
I didn't know that everybodyelse would, and so I didn't have
anybody.
It was like me and the team itfelt like, and so because of
that I didn't want to be a partof it, even though I would show
(10:19):
up and like.
I was also the only jumper thatwas on the left side and
everybody else was on the rightside too.
Even when practice happened,there was still no communication
between us, because nobody fromthe left side.
We don't meet in the middle andspeak or anything.
It was always just initiallythat part.
(10:39):
Then I failed really, reallyhard at my first indoor track
meet because I had never been toan indoor track meet and it was
almost like plastic and mybottoms of my cleats were
plastic and I was running andthen when you run in a high jump
you have to kind of turn at anangle pretty hard to get that
(11:00):
momentum up over the bar right,and plastic plastic.
Every time I went to turn Islipped and fell.
I couldn't keep my balance andthey wouldn't let me do it
barefoot and I didn't have acoach.
And it was such a traumaticmoment that I was like sports.
And I then, and there was done,and I went and told my coach the
(11:23):
next day I was done, was likeall right, you're just gonna
slack off and be lazy.
And I popped off so hard, justlike you weren't here, you
weren't there and you weren'tthis, and so there was no going
back.
After that I was like all right, I'm gonna go hang out with pop
hits now that actually are niceto me.
And so, yeah, it just went fromthat point.
Speaker 3 (11:45):
Why did they give you a coach?
Speaker 1 (11:48):
I don't know, I don't know in that moment why I
couldn't.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
Sounded more like a college club sport at that point
than it does like an athletic.
Speaker 3 (11:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
If you're there and you're an athlete and you're
like trying to compete againstother like top-notch athletes,
you think they would wantsomebody there for you to
support you through that.
Sure to where.
If it's like a club thing, youknow, you just show up,
everybody has fun and competes.
It's like, well, I'm not onthat level yet, like I'm still
up here where I want to winexactly I'm here to I'm here to
(12:21):
dominate them like that's mymindset mindset and I had no
idea how to go from people thatI experienced.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
I like pause in movies.
What's the rush?
We can talk through this.
Speaker 2 (12:35):
This is a thought-provoking movie Will,
and I do that a lot too.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
We'll hit pause if we have something else to say.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
This is important to me.
Gabe's brother can hold it allto the end.
He's like, like.
And then this scene.
Do you remember that?
Speaker 2 (12:53):
and then analyze that and oh yeah, and that scene.
I'm like whoa, no, can't, nope,and I just sit in amazement and
watch.
So where did, where did collegesports take you from there?
Um, did you end up finishing upcollege?
Speaker 3 (12:59):
right.
So interesting journey.
I did two years at Loyola, quitmiddle of the practice at this
Like I am out and so just hadenough with the sports, or just
the whole concept of college andyeah, the whole concept of
(13:22):
doing college track.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
OK, just sports, I'm done.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Yeah, I had a burning passion to learn my major.
I was there for academics, Okay, and I just so happened to be
recruited for athletics.
So yeah, I was like I'm out andI finished the semester at
Loyola.
I ran the last indoor meet fortrack.
We won the Horizon LeagueChampionship Nice.
At Loyola, I ran the lastindoor meet for track one.
We won the Horizon LeagueChampionship Nice.
(13:47):
And then I actually made itover to Old Dominion University
in Norfolk Virginia.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Okay, yeah, was that for your major type move or was
that a okay?
Speaker 3 (14:01):
No, that was not, that was for love, okay, yeah
you know how that goes, likewhere this is going.
Yeah, it's a journey.
So, yeah, my ex at the time wasin the navy all right high
school sweetheart.
Yep, it's all right, girl.
I think a lot of people havebeen there.
Military love, gotta love it,right, yes?
(14:22):
So yeah, he, this is a highschool sweetheart and he was, uh
, out in norfolk.
He got stationed out there, soI did that whole thing and we
stayed together for two yearsand that didn't work out like a
lot of military relationships.
Speaker 1 (14:41):
Yeah, there's a lot of charity that's a whole other
can of worms.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
The issues of being a military spouse.
We do not have an eight hourpodcast to deposit into that.
Speaker 3 (14:56):
We got to save our energy for the concert.
Speaker 2 (14:58):
There we go.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
Yeah, so that that happened and we split and I had
met someone in Norfolk who'slike you should go to Denver,
colorado.
I never heard of Colorado.
I was like I looked up somepictures on Google.
I saw Sixth Street Mall, whichis their big claim to fame, and
I was like sold.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
So did you finish at Old Dominion, or did you decide
to just go to Denver?
Speaker 3 (15:22):
So yeah, no, I did two years at old dominion as
well okay, and then I I went outto uh.
Speaker 2 (15:28):
I finished school at a state school in denver called
metro state very cool yeah it'ssuper cheap and okay, so on a
whim you go to denver on a whimwhat happens my life got changed
okay, did.
Did you have like a connectionthere?
Did, did you just roll up andlike, all right, I'm sleeping in
the car tonight?
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Oh, I see.
Speaker 2 (15:50):
What is this journey into?
Like very random ass Denver.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
What does?
Speaker 2 (15:54):
this look like.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
Yeah, so I actually took out one of those predatory
loans.
Okay 40% interest.
I had no idea what interest was.
So I took out like 2K and Irented a car and packed all the
stuff I could and I coordinatedon Craigslist yeah, it was
through Craigslist with somegirls and we were all going to
(16:16):
move into this house together inDenver.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Okay, was this something that was in the
planning for a while, or?
Speaker 3 (16:23):
It happened within a month, okay.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Yeah, so about a month.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Okay, yeah, so about a month.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Okay, Were their stories similar and like they
just were like hey, we're goingto head for Denver or they
already had like jobs and stuffset up there.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Yeah, one of them was from Denver and two of them had
just graduated from ColoradoState.
Okay, so, yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:43):
Not exactly the same situation, but you're on your
way no, no, no, no, I'm notthere yet, yeah.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
And so yeah, denver was great, I'm I.
What ended up happening was Imet some hippies, okay, who were
in denver bus.
Yeah yeah, you know theyexisted there.
Go figure, there's actually alot of them there and and they
were on their way to go trimweed essentially from alabama.
Speaker 2 (17:14):
They're from alabama and they're going over to for a
harvest to go trim and harvestI've seen things on this where
people will make the trip likeonce a year out there just to do
that kind of work.
Speaker 3 (17:23):
Yep, they will, and so, yeah, I had an internship.
Computer science has been mypride and joy since eighth grade
, so I never gave up computerscience, just like the
programming or the.
The logic.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
Okay, just in general .
Okay, I didn't know if therewas like a special avenue of of
like programming that you wereinto or yeah, not necessarily,
okay, just like the right code I, I like the theory and I uh, I
can write code.
Speaker 3 (17:54):
Yes, I can read it better, though there you go so,
uh, I quit my internship okay,yeah I didn't.
I had a.
I was an adobe illustratordeveloper and I was just like I
think I'm going to go followthese guys and go trim.
I don't know why not right?
Why not?
Speaker 1 (18:09):
There you go.
Speaker 3 (18:10):
So that's when I moved into my car and just
headed over there.
Yeah, I trusted them and it wasa wonderful experience.
I had a very naive view of theworld, and by naive I just mean
I didn't know what was going onin terms of politics or war.
(18:34):
I grew up kind of in a bubble,so these were concepts that
weren't even phasing my visionfor this journey.
And I met wonderful people inthe bumpkin of Oregon.
There's some backwoods backthere and, yeah, it changed my
(18:57):
life.
It, let me know I can live withvery little.
All I had was a bag, a tote bag, bag of clothes.
Speaker 2 (19:07):
It, let me know I don't have to, you know, shower
all the time, I don't have tolook in the mirror and there are
other ways to live absolutelyyeah I like that, yeah, because
at this point most conservativeminded people and me being semi
one at the same would come backat that like and so just going
(19:28):
out there for for all the weedand blah, blah, blah.
But it's like you're talkingabout this whole other very um
intimate experience with, likeother people and like kind of
facing social norms.
That seems like it wasbothering you for quite some
time.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
I think secretly.
Speaker 2 (19:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
Like yeah, as a child , like I always kind of would
pick out outfits and one wouldbe very floral and like hippie,
almost as like a child I didn'teven know what hippie was.
And then the other one was likeconforming.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (19:59):
Wearing what everyone else is wearing.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
And I would always just go there.
Can relate yeah right, everyoneelse is wearing.
Sure, and I would always justgo there.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
Can relate, um yeah, right, it's, uh, it's maybe.
Yeah, maybe it's always beenwithin us.
Yeah, and I completely agree.
Yeah, and I feel like, um, itwas beautiful that you finally
got to open your eyes and seethese things within a community
that allowed you to feel safewhen you were learning them,
because it can sometimes be likedrinking from a from a fire
(20:33):
hose and people educating you ina direct from from a place of
love, instead of scolding youinto knowing this because you
should.
Right, right, right.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Yes, yeah, that's a really good point.
Speaker 1 (20:52):
Doesn't have to hurt, right?
Speaker 3 (20:54):
No, knowledge can be awesome to be and to be yourself
.
It doesn't have to hurt either.
Speaker 2 (20:59):
So the harvest ends, and what happens?
And yeah do we go back todenver?
We do go back to denver.
I figured as much, you know forseems to be where all roads end
at this point denver is a timeportal okay I like it it's a
portal, it'll take you where youneed to go.
Speaker 3 (21:18):
Excellent, and so, yeah, you know.
For, for time's sake, yes, wewere in denver for another
couple years.
I was dating one of thosehippies.
Happens and it just it ended upjust not working out in the
best way possible, mm-hmm.
And so once we all splitbecause we had a caravan of
people like we all kind of justwent our different ways it just
(21:40):
one by one we all kind of justtrickled out and I kind of had,
like you could call it, an earlylife crisis.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
I think we've all been there.
Speaker 3 (21:52):
Early life crisis right.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (21:54):
A nice like turning point for how you're going to
change.
And so, yeah, that my earlylife crisis was getting a van,
getting a van so being done withrent, by the way, because I did
the math.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Okay, I have a computer science degree minor in
math.
Speaker 3 (22:15):
I did the math.
The rent made me have to work,so I'm working just for rent,
essentially there you go so if Ican.
How do I cut out the rent?
Oh, I'll do what I did inoregon I'll just go live in a
van.
Yeah, that reduces my stressinfinitely exponentially, I
(22:38):
should say not infinitely.
And so that's what I did.
Yeah, I, I bought a van and Ibuilt it out.
I was still in school.
Okay, I think it took me sixyears to complete college total
because I kept taking breaks.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Well, everybody's under this whole assumption that
you've got to get it done infour years and you've got to
start your career as soon aspossible.
Right, it's not true.
And that was the norm for solong, and I think that's why
this is a whole other can ofworms as well, but this is why
whole other can of worms as well, but, but, but, like, like this
.
This is why colleges are closing.
(23:12):
This is why, like, highereducation is failing right now.
People, people can realize theydon't have to go through all
this stress and spend all thismoney to be happy, that's right,
or to gain people's acceptancenot at these prices so anywho
we're living in a van down bythe river.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
I was down by the river.
You know me very old hippie notwearing shoes and uh and I took
another semester off school.
I'm like, all right, I, yeah, Ineed a break.
So where did I go?
I went to the mountains, yeah,and I was like you know, I guess
I'll pick snowboarding back up,because I had snowboarded in
seventh and eighth grade okayand actually I started skiing.
(23:54):
Oh, since second grade.
My mom signed us up for anall-black ski club through
national brotherhood of snowsports cool, and yeah, I've been
skiing.
Ski has been in my life for awhile, but not consistently, and
so when I first got to Denver,my roommate's friend, her dad,
(24:15):
was the head of Never SummerSnowboards, which is a really
big snowboard company out inColorado and just kind of out in
the West it's a snowboard brand.
So he gave me a snowboard and Ialways had it sitting in my
corner and I was like, yeah, I'mjust going to go snowboard.
And uh, I always had it sittingin my corner and I was like,
yeah, I'm just gonna gosnowboard yeah, yeah, and so I
had all the gear and, um, that'swhat I did, that's how I picked
(24:38):
up, picked back up my love forsnowboarding, because it was one
of the best seasons that theyhad yeah had in a very long time
gotcha a lot of snow, a lot ofsnow, lost your mind, did you?
I sure did I lost my mind andfound it all in the same season,
so like if we're living in thisvan.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Is there like a park that you can go to, or is it
like I'm just hanging out in theparking lot at the ski lodge,
or what's that whole part?
What does that whole part of itlook like?
Speaker 3 (25:12):
Yeah, so I did some research before I left.
Sure, there was a free parkinglot to just park your car.
People just do that.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Now I live here.
Speaker 3 (25:22):
I'm just going to be here, you know, not like stay
here, but I'm going to park itfor the night and live.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
There you go.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
So I kind of parked over there, and then it's a
national forest, so it's gotpull-offs.
There's some pull-offs thatthey allow.
That's awesome so you can sleepin a pull-off, yeah, and you're
just sleeping in a forest, sothat's what I did most of the
time Different view every day.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Oh my gosh, I have buddies that go out that
direction, to like elk hunter orpronghorn hunt out that
direction.
And they're talking about doingthe same thing that you're
doing, but they do it for likemaybe a week or two during the
year and you're just like outhere grinding every day the
stuff they feel so tough about,like for most of years, like I
(26:11):
spent a week in the mountainschasing elk because, like I'm a
girl, over here's like rippingsnow I live here I live here in
my truck.
Speaker 3 (26:18):
I live here.
Yeah, that first season it waspretty cold.
I did not know what I was doing, no idea about insulation or
like how to do insulation.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yeah, layering and thermals and all of that, yeah.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
So I was cold, but it made me tougher.
Honestly, mentally it made metougher especially because, well
, you got to stay hydrated orelse you'll get cold.
You got to eat a lot or elseyou'll get cold.
So it helped me gain bettereating habits and with the
peeing, who wants to get up inthe middle of the night when
it's 20 degrees outside likethat's yeah, and you gotta go
(26:53):
pee?
Speaker 2 (26:55):
I ain't doing that in here.
You know, mentally I tried toshut it off.
Speaker 3 (26:58):
I tried, it wouldn't shut off and honestly, when you
hold in your pee, I like itmakes you colder.
Yeah, because it's keeping allthat liquid that makes when it
could be dissipating towardsother parts of your body.
So mentally I'm just like getup, get up, get up, get up.
We got to pee, we got to go.
But that mental exercise justhelped me with everything in
(27:21):
life.
I'm just like we're doing it.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
All right, cool, get it done, let's go.
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Yeah, it was really cool to see that correlation
Just started making stuff happen.
Motivation.
Speaker 2 (27:34):
So where did this experience take you?
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Yeah, this experience has taken me to a dream that I
didn't know I wanted.
This is my favorite part of thestory.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
I like this part.
I don't even know what we'retalking about and I like it.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:56):
So this has led me to competing using my skills from
track right.
All my athletic skills theballet.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
Right.
And my love and passion forsnowboarding and it's yeah, it's
led me to becoming aprofessional snowboarder that's
awesome yeah you know what is uhkind of, in a nutshell, what's
that career looked like as faras, how many tournaments do you
do?
How does that work, you know?
Do you drive everywhere andsleep in your van and then get
(28:28):
up with your board in themorning?
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Yeah, definitely yeah .
So there's different avenuesfor snowboard competitions and
so I've chosen the halfpipe.
I love the halfpipe, it's myfavorite.
It makes me feel good, I feellike a bird.
But you can also do slope style, which jumps and rails.
You could do big air, which arethose huge jumps where people
(28:51):
are doing like at least 10 flipsby now they're going crazy,
right now and so yeah, so I, Iam a half pipe professional,
half pipe snowboarder okay andwhat that looks like is just
having fun.
I am just.
I'm riding the half pipe right.
There's nothing more to it.
It's so awesome.
(29:11):
There's nothing more to it.
It's not.
Speaker 2 (29:13):
That is it is it a, like, a planned routine?
Is it something that you'relike?
Now I'm feeling this jump onthis one, I'm gonna go for it.
Speaker 1 (29:19):
Or there is okay, there is a little bit more okay,
well, I was like oh my goshdarn, I think I'm gonna go ride
the half pipe.
Now you're getting me all asyou should, as you should, all
right, here it comes.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
But my point was I guess you come from a
competitive background.
And that competitive backgroundthat you grew up in means that
there is a certain amount oftraining that goes involved.
There's a certain amount ofpractice that goes involved, and
it's not just when you get to acertain level of doing
something is it practice.
But it has to be perfectpractice or it doesn't work.
(29:52):
On game day usually.
Sure, sometimes you pull arabbit out of the hat yeah,
right you know, better prep isalways beat talent, so it's like
how do you manage that?
You know?
Speaker 3 (30:04):
okay, yeah, you're calling me out.
It's's not that simple.
Speaker 1 (30:07):
In the best way.
You can't do it, Travis.
Speaker 3 (30:10):
Yeah, so training is snowboarding, skiing.
The ski industry is veryexpensive.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
Right, I'm not rich.
Speaker 3 (30:19):
No, so I'm like self-funded.
That's how I've started this.
I invested in myself, so I'vebeen competing.
This will be my third year, soI've been competing.
I've had two seasons ofcompetition so far and both of
those times I've been investingin myself.
So what does that look like?
It looks like making myself goto the halfpipe, riding the
(30:42):
halfpipe, watching videos onYouTube and and, and seeing how
to do it, asking questions.
I got no shame.
I'm like there's coaches uphere, hey, like I'm trying to do
it this way, but I keep likekind of messing that up.
What do you think?
Try this, that's what they say.
You know they can give up, theycan give advice, or they won't.
(31:04):
So I'm taking it anywhere I can.
Youtube has a lot of goodresources on how to do pretty
much anything you want to do inlife, so great yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:13):
Is that all the coaching you're utilizing at
this time?
It's just stuff that you'rewatching and things you can
absorb from different, likemeets, or are you going to
somebody for mentorship on thatat all?
Speaker 3 (31:23):
Right, so I have had a little bit of mentorship.
Okay, so I was also a snowboardinstructor.
Okay, so I was also a snowboardinstructor.
Speaker 2 (31:29):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
The past two times I was competing, and so with
snowboard instructing, you getongoing training the whole
season.
There you go they have clinics,so they have freestyle clinics.
So you can learn how to throwthree, you can learn how to hit
a rail or ride the pipe, and soevery pipe clinic.
I was there, yeah, and this wasthrough I was working at
(31:51):
keystone okay, it's a veilresort.
So, um, yeah, they, theytrained me up and it like it's
for my benefit and it's fortheir benefit, it's a win-win
for everyone.
And so that was how I kind ofgot my leg up.
But my first season was solelyjust me YouTube and asking other
(32:13):
coaches that were up on thepipe.
And then, yeah, second year Igot a little bit more developed
with clinics and training, andnow this season I actually just
got sponsored by NationalBrotherhood of Snowsports Comes
back full circle.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
There you go.
Yeah, good job, whoa.
Speaker 3 (32:32):
So they're going to give me give me 3500 for the
season so that allows me toafford a coach.
That's amazing.
They're also giving me asnowboard pass so I can go
practice at the pipe what I likeabout this is like from the
archery perspective.
Speaker 2 (32:46):
It was so much like just being like present and
being a good person and shootingwell, and then you can kind of
move up the ranks, but it's likeso much of your own money went
into that over time it's aninvestment, you know, an
investment and then you getcertain people that think that
like, oh, because I'm here,because I'm competing you, you
(33:06):
know the handshake goes fromside to side to palm up.
You know they expect things outof that.
This point you're just at this20 to 30 year span of your life
(33:30):
where it's like I gotta investin something.
You know, whether it's your job, whether it's a passion,
whether it's something,sometimes need a job to fund the
passion or sometimes you justhave less so that you can pursue
the passion, right, but it's.
It's crazy that, like you tookthat investment of like I know
(33:52):
this much but I'm willing tolearn.
I know that I'm going to haveto invest this much to make this
happen and this happen to wherenow the little things that help
you pay the bills and you knowhave a decent setup and can
afford decent instruction.
That says a lot as far as goingthe way that you're going,
because it's not like we can getinto this whole topic of
(34:16):
entitlement with our generationI'll call this out Like our
generation and definitely theone or two behind us, but like
it speaks to a work ethic that,like, a lot of people don't have
anymore.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Work ethic that's a good word for it.
Yeah, lot of people don't haveanymore Work ethic.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
That's a good word for it.
Yeah, because I don't want tosay it's discipline.
I want to say that that'sdifferent.
I think you can have gooddiscipline and have good work
ethic, but, like I don't thinkeverybody needs the same level
of discipline to achieve thesame kind of work ethic, and I
think we've also been raised ina society that has told us you
just keep on with the discipline, and the good things are coming
(34:52):
your way.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
You know what I mean, and so there's a certain point,
I think, where a lot of us haverealized that that's never
going to be enough.
At one point you've got toinvest in yourself, because
everybody else is right.
Like everybody's going to takecare of themselves.
(35:14):
That's already at a point ofsuccess, and then they'll look
out to it.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
And so at some point you have to realize that you
know believing in somethingisn't going to be enough, you
know, and so commend you forinvesting in yourself and like
starting that ball rolling onyour own and just because you
believe in it and you're workingtowards it and and you want
good things to happen, you'redoing everything that you can to
put yourself in that situationdoesn't always mean it's going
(35:38):
to work out the way you want itto, or that it's going to work
out at all.
But you don't know, unless youmake that investment right you
actually say you know, like yousaid, get, I'm gonna go do it
yeah, you know, yeah.
Speaker 3 (35:51):
And I think it goes the other way too, like if you
won't even invest in yourself,why would somebody else yeah?
There you go, that's perfectand so my strategy for curating
this experience that I'm havingright now was just to pretend
like what I actually want ishappening right now.
Of course, like oh yeah, yeah,I'm getting money and I'm
(36:12):
self-made.
Speaker 2 (36:13):
Yeah, I'm getting.
Speaker 3 (36:15):
I'm.
You know I'm working out rightnow because that's what I want
to be doing, like that's that'swhat athletes do.
So we're working out now likethat's what I spend my days
doing right right.
Exactly Filling my time withwho this athlete is.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Right, a metaphor of dress for the job, not just
physically but yeah, mentallyand spiritually, oh yeah, and
all of that Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
Dress for the job you want to have.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
Dress for the job you want to have.
Speaker 2 (36:42):
Yeah, See, I dressed most of my childhood as a
stay-at-home dad?
It never panned out.
Speaker 1 (36:49):
I don my childhood as a stay-at-home dad and it never
panned out.
I don't think they mean this ina literal form travis, you're
gonna have to.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
I spent most of my and I have to let that one go.
I'm not gonna lie, I I stolethat joke, uh, from jen dama,
who's a friend of mine fromeureka college.
She does some stand-up comedyand they said you know, always
dress for the job you you did,you want she goes.
Well, I'm still dressed as astay-at-home mom and it's not I
heard that I about that's a goodone.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
It's very silly so what?
Speaker 2 (37:16):
what are the goals?
Moving forward, then?
Like, obviously you're gonnainch your way, you know, to the
top as as best you can notknowing the entire universe.
Speaker 1 (37:30):
Yeah, we know that's the end game, but what's going
to happen in between?
Female Sean White.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
Is that what we're shooting for?
Speaker 3 (37:37):
Yeah, something like it.
There we go has not really beendone yet, so low-key.
I'm after that Right Changingthe game, but that's not my.
If it doesn't happen, itdoesn't happen, it doesn't
happen, right?
Do you want the long-term goal,or the?
Or this coming up season goal?
Speaker 2 (37:55):
well, let's, let's start with this season.
What are you wanting to happenthis season?
Speaker 3 (37:59):
yeah.
So this season I'm, you know,head forward, headstrong, going
for getting a coach like apersonal coach.
I have yet to receive that inthe snow world and I know how
beneficial they are.
So that's number one is gettinga coach and second is up in the
(38:22):
amplitude so there's a formulafor getting scored in the half
pipe, and risk is one of them.
So like, yeah, what, what tricksare you doing?
But also amplitude, how highare you going?
And so just this last season Ibarely made it out the pipe.
I want to.
I want to go a little higher,and by a little I mean like a
(38:42):
lot is that a?
Speaker 2 (38:46):
combination of like uh, how you ride the board
through the pipe, and maybe yourmuscle mass and all that has to
be considered at that point um.
Speaker 3 (38:57):
It to me seems like a men.
It's a mental game.
It's a mental game I have theform to to go like higher and I
noticed at all my clinics I Iget out the pipe and so I think
having a coach there is all Ineed and sometimes that's.
(39:18):
All it takes is like, hey, likeyou can do one more, or like
you can go higher, you know so II've spent a lot of money on
coaches over the years.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
The best one I ever had was terry wonderly, who's
still still in mason city,illinois.
His son shot olympic recurveand took uh silver.
What was it like 94 I think orsomething.
But I mean just a good guy andeverything he knew.
He could just sit there andwatch be like more forward
(39:47):
pressure was like what?
No, just a little more poofmiddle dx.
Okay, got you, but what he?
was better at was building youup the whole time.
He's given you like thesepointers.
He's just like man.
You got a really good form.
If you just just do this alittle bit more here here, it's
going to be flawless.
That's right.
You're going to win a lot oftournaments.
You're going to win a lot ofpositive reinforcement.
(40:08):
At a certain point you're likeyeah I am, let's go all the
difference.
All you need is all you need isa cheer especially and just one,
if it's well, especially ifit's someone that you like know
has has like clout in thatindustry and knows and has seen
as many champions as he has tojust be like you shoot it just
as good as he does.
(40:28):
He just did it more often thanyou do.
It's like I never thought aboutit that way, that's right.
You know, but you know it's likeyou shoot as well as they do
you.
Just, you know you have a joband a life and and then you
start to realize, well, you knowyou have a job and a life and
and then you start to realize,well, you know, maybe I'm never
going to be on that level andthat's fine.
You know I can, I can take andI can enjoy this for what it is,
and but you're still in theflow of like you're on the
(40:51):
upswing.
Speaker 3 (40:52):
It sounds like of things I know.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
So of things to come.
Yeah, because, but if you'relooking at a half pipe, I'm on
the downswing of things.
Well, but you're coming up.
Speaker 3 (41:04):
That is true.
Speaker 2 (41:07):
I would say on your journey, on your adventure.
Your board is pointing up atthis point.
Speaker 3 (41:14):
I agree, I mean, I totally agree.
Speaker 2 (41:16):
So, so, exciting, that is cool.
And then the long-term goal.
What's the long-term goal?
Speaker 3 (41:22):
Long-term goal.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Olympic gold.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
I'm actively, actively working on curating a
trick that's never been done.
Speaker 2 (41:32):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (41:33):
Pioneering In the half pipe.
Speaker 2 (41:37):
That means you would get to name it.
Speaker 3 (41:39):
Yeah, I'm not even worried about the name right now
.
Speaker 2 (41:43):
It's complex I'm just gonna tell everybody I I know
the amber and you don't I'veseen it done.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
You don't even know that I do I've never seen it.
Speaker 3 (41:54):
I don't even know what it's called yeah, it's uh,
everyone's just kind of doingthe same tricks, which is cool,
but I'm also a non-conformist.
Speaker 1 (42:02):
Right Shocker.
Speaker 3 (42:03):
I want to have some fun.
I love it.
Some other fun.
Speaker 2 (42:06):
And I'm sure it's a balancing act to like because
you got judges.
Well, you got judges and stuffthat you have to perform for
these things, right?
Speaker 3 (42:13):
Technically, yeah, so Doing it for me.
Speaker 2 (42:15):
You're doing it for you but.
But when you're in acompetition you have somebody
that you've got to appease,which you want to do the regular
stuff really really well, butyou want to show your creativity
on top of that.
Speaker 3 (42:27):
You got it so yeah, laugh some more.
Speaker 2 (42:31):
I am just reflecting.
Speaker 1 (42:43):
I'm seriously just reflecting on her saying she's a
nonconformist, because she wasplaying a left-right center game
with my son and I and before westarted the game, just to
confirm with everybody that weshould do a left and a right, we
all wrote an L on our left hand, a R on our right hand and then
passed the pen.
When the pen got to Amber, shegoes so what are the general
rules for this left right penwriting thing?
Like you put the L on your lefthand and you put the R on your
left hand and you put the r onyour right hand.
She's like is that really whatI I have to do?
(43:05):
I'm like you can do whateveryou want.
Speaker 2 (43:07):
Honestly, amber, it's like, yes, non-conformist, yes,
like I will acknowledge thatthis will be a left right game,
but what I don't know, if I wantto put it on my, what I like
about the normal, thatnon-conformist thought process
is like you're not trying to getaway with anything, you're not
trying to cheat by anything,you're just like.
I want to know every aspect ofwhat's about to happen.
(43:31):
So if there, is a leg up inthis.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
I'm going to have it.
That's the best part of Amberis she's like let me learn all
of the rules.
Tell me all Okay, there's therules.
So what if I do this?
Speaker 2 (43:43):
Is that a part of the rules Was, wrote R and L on the
opposite hands and found a wayto beat you doing it Because the
rules say she couldn't do that.
Speaker 1 (43:53):
It was even worse.
She like, she like, bowed outgracefully because she was going
to cook us dinner.
So we'll never even know ifthat who did win that game,
technically Boston?
Yeah, of course, my son.
Speaker 2 (44:07):
Are you going to change your shirt?
Speaker 1 (44:09):
No no.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
You're changing your shirt.
Speaker 1 (44:13):
I am not matching shirts with my brother at a
hardcore concert.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
Nobody's going to think we're tough.
This is the toughest shirt Iknow.
That's not true.
Speaker 1 (44:22):
You have my god war shirt that's his shirt shots
fired dang, I think doesn't willit's a long sleeve shirt I'm
not wearing a long sleeve shirtat a concert nice try you have
my god war shirt, give it backto me changing your shirt now
who woke up first, what I didshe did always do all right then
(44:43):
, it's settled.
Speaker 3 (44:44):
Boom, she put it on first, that's that's not.
Speaker 2 (44:48):
Can we drop this?
Speaker 1 (44:49):
microphone no, I can't because she just mic
dropped you.
I'm just throwing that one.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
It is her episode oh, you have nice mics.
Speaker 1 (44:58):
I'm not doing that wasn't it funny when boston said
that yesterday he walked up toamber's dad and he was finished
singing.
He's like can I drop thismicrophone?
Speaker 3 (45:08):
and michael's like no bud, you can't.
Speaker 1 (45:10):
He's like okay I was just wondering.
I know mic drop sounds like acool thing, but it's not.
Speaker 2 (45:15):
But I should have like a designated mic down here.
That's just like the mic dropand every time somebody is like,
boom, okay, I gotta pick thatup.
That's a great idea it shouldsay something, or squeak, or
something yeah, we can hear thatit's a mic like a dog toy
microphone.
Speaker 1 (45:29):
So right so we can hear it on the podcast, like
here's the infamous mic dropsound all right, I'm getting on
amazon, it's happening sure it'sthere too.
No, nobody get that for him forchristmas dibs ps it's gonna be
my second.
Speaker 2 (45:44):
Yes, yeah, just uh excited about this next season
of um dial the wild.
Uh, we're gonna dial it back abit.
I think um jess and I aretalking about some shows, just
very, very pre workings of shows.
I think we did enough doing theshows that we did last year to
(46:06):
learn a lot between that welcome.
Between that and timber fest wekind of know how to run a good
show.
So coming.
Speaker 1 (46:13):
We're going to try and make sure hot with timber
fest, going to do some new stuffwith timber fest this year you
guys will be really excitedabout.
Speaker 2 (46:20):
I am excited.
Speaker 1 (46:21):
It'll be a big new year.
It will be.
Speaker 2 (46:24):
And I'm looking forward to it.
I want to get more in theseconversations.
I do like talking to my bands,I like talking to my buddies, I
like drinking and podcasting andhaving a good time, but I
definitely want to get back topeople and their stories and
what makes them tick and whywe're here.
Like people and their storiesand what makes them tick and why
(46:47):
we're here and this very lousypodcast that some people listen
to it is, and I just like howall my collections of people in
my life my metal friends, mysports friends, my you know
people that I grew up with, myparents friends, you know all
different conglomerates ofdifferent crazy, weird people
(47:07):
just are drawn to this show forone stupid reason or another.
You know, because a lot ofpeople would be like I don't
know anything about amber andthen they're gonna walk away
from the podcast, going wow,she's kind of cool, is she on
instagram?
I do have an instagram.
Yeah, let's shout that out, youcan follow me at at.
Speaker 3 (47:24):
Underscore s, c, e, n , d.
Underscore it, so that's sendit send it, but like transcend
it okay we'll share that too,transcend it.
Speaker 1 (47:36):
And boy are you gonna .
If you think she's neat now,with this one story she's had
know.
Know that I've never heard thisstory and I think she's been
neat for a really long time,like there's so much about this
chick that you don't know.
Speaker 2 (47:49):
It is going to be an experience and we're finding
that more and more with a lot ofpeople that we've.
You know, the list of peoplethat are in our lives have
gotten shorter, but they havenot gotten less interesting in
our lives.
Have gotten shorter, but theyhave not gotten less interesting
, not at all.
Just because you learn how to.
Speaker 3 (48:06):
Jess is always telling me about boundaries and
you know you learn.
Speaker 2 (48:09):
You learn what works for you and what doesn't, and
you try to really capture andhone in on the things that, like
, make you better.
Speaker 1 (48:15):
That's right and learn less about the appreciate
the people around you when theydo better.
Speaker 2 (48:22):
Yeah, too yeah, and that's awesome.
Who cares if the neighbors havea speedboat?
Look, go over there like man.
That looks awesome.
Can I ride on that with you?
Speaker 1 (48:30):
that's cool.
Speaker 2 (48:31):
Let's be friends so I can hang out on your speedboat
so many people are so expensivespeedboats in the same street so
many people are so into thewhole so-and-so got a speedboat.
I don't know how the hell theycould afford that.
It's like I don't give a shit.
Speaker 1 (48:47):
I'm happy they got a speedboat we have truly lost the
meaning of community when thatkind of uh aspect come, becomes
present.
Your community is, is whatkeeps you sane and reassures you
.
You know, know, as we've both,all three of us have spoken
about the coaches.
Who has inspired us?
That's a part of your community, man, and, like all of us can
(49:07):
confirm, it takes one person toreally believe in you and say
that's some good shit, thatthing that you just did there.
Take that to the stars, yeah.
Speaker 2 (49:18):
And just make you feel like and those kind of
people are the way they are notbecause they are your coach and
they're paid to be your coach.
It's because they genuinelycare for you and want you to
feel like you're on top of theworld.
Speaker 1 (49:30):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (49:31):
And so that's what we're going to dedicate this
show to is just.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
Think a coach day, you know, pick a guy, pick him
down here to talk.
Have you thanked your coachtoday?
Speaker 2 (49:43):
Who picks you up?
Who makes, makes you tick?
Let's go from there.
All right, the bush light isspeaking.
We're gonna go ahead and shutthis down here.
Uh, jess is gonna go change hershirt, you got bush lights.
Speaker 1 (49:53):
I got electro lights and travis is gonna change his
shirt I'm gonna go change myshirt yeah, there we go thank
you for coming on.
Speaker 2 (50:01):
This is a lot of fun.
Speaker 3 (50:02):
Yeah, I'm so glad I got a chance to do this.
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 2 (50:05):
Yeah, you've got to come back.
Speaker 3 (50:06):
This will be fun.
Speaker 2 (50:07):
I want to hear about this journey.
Even if you've got to Skype infrom time to time, just be like
look, I suck today but I'm goingto be better tomorrow.
And I ever hear those words.
Speaker 3 (50:28):
Oh no, there's some days it's deuce I have them, but
those are the days that makethe good days like really good,
I believe it.
So, all right, let's stay onthat path.
Dial it in, stick around you.
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I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy And Charlamagne Tha God!
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.