November 4, 2024 • 31 mins
Learn about ways to balance a bustling career, family life, and a passion for fitness with our guest, Nicole Howell. As a North Shore mountain biker, mother, and employment law partner in Vancouver, Nicole brings a unique perspective to integrating movement into a jam-packed schedule. Nicole’s story is a testament to finding joy and presence in everyday motion and making time for what truly matters.
Through her journey, you'll learn about the role of Pilates in maintaining structural health and balance amidst a demanding career. Discover practical insights on creating mental and physical space for growth and relaxation, avoiding the trap of filling every moment with activity. Nicole's commitment to mindful movement offers listeners a roadmap to a sustainable and fulfilling active lifestyle, blending strength and relaxation in harmonious synergy.
About Nicole's work:
HHBG Lawyers - Employment Justice
Nicole Howell empowers employees and help them navigate challenging issues in the workplace (whether it’s a termination, allegations of misconduct, a contract negotiation, or unilateral changes to their job).
https://hhbg.ca
Heart of Motion Podcast host Susannah Steers is a Pilates & Integrated Movement Specialist and owner of Moving Spirit Pilates in North Vancouver, BC. She is passionate about movement, about connections and about life.
Through movement teaching, speaking, and facilitating workshops, she supports people in creating movement practices that promote fitness from the inside out. She loves building community, and participating in multi-disciplinary collaborations.
Along with her friend and colleague Gillian McCormick, Susannah also co-hosts The Small Conversations for a Better World podcast – an interview based podcast dedicated to promoting the kind of conversations about health that can spark positive change in individuals, families, communities and across the globe.
Social Media Links:
Moving Spirit Pilates Instagram
Moving Spirit Pilates Facebook
Susannah Steers Instagram
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Susannah Steers (00:00):
Welcome to the Heart of Motion podcast.
I'm Susannah Steers and I'll beyour host as we explore the
heart, soul and science ofmovement as a pathway to more
active, vibrant and connectedliving.
Nothing happens until somethingmoves, so let's get started.
I am continually fascinated bythe million and one different
(00:24):
ways that people move andexperience physical activity in
their lives.
Everybody's choices andmotivations are so different.
Maybe because it means so muchto me, I love learning about how
and why people move and what itbrings to their lives.
There are inevitably somereally fun stories and places to
(00:44):
connect inside thoseconversations.
Today, I want to introduce youto Nicole Howell, someone we're
really happy to have gotten toknow at Moving Spirit Pilates
over the last year.
Nicole is a North Shoremountain biker, a mother and a
partner at a boutique employmentlaw firm in Vancouver.
She and her family are prettydarned active, so I thought it
(01:06):
would be fun to talk to her alittle more about her
experiences.
Welcome to the podcast, Nicole.
Nicole Howell (01:12):
Thank you, Susannah.
I'm thrilled to be here.
Susannah Steers (01:16):
Well, we're recording this at about 9 am and
I know you like to get up andmoving early, so how did you
start your day today?
Nicole Howell (01:24):
Well, actually one of my new themes is
flexibility.
Today is one of those dayswhere I got up at five and
worked instead of worked out,because my plan in about an hour
and a half is to head out for amountain bike ride with my dog,
and so to fit that in in themiddle of the day when the sun
is shining, I adjusted myschedule and got up and did some
(01:46):
work this morning.
Normally I do start my day witha workout, and it is how I like
to start most days.
Susannah Steers (01:53):
Well, the 5 am dark now.
It kind of makes a little bitof a shift in that sometimes if
you want to be outside, doesn'tit?
It's true, it's true.
Have you always been an earlyriser, or is that something that
you shifted into after kidscame along?
Nicole Howell (02:07):
I have always been an early riser, so it's not
that hard for me.
I mean, it gets a little hardin the darkest dark of winter,
um, but it is a very natural.
I am a morning person and Ihave always been a morning
person, I mean even as ateenager.
I never did the whole sleep inthing, so it is in my DNA to get
up early, or I never did thewhole sleep in thing, so it is
in my DNA to get up early.
Susannah Steers (02:31):
I love it.
For me, I was always a latesleeper.
I didn't do the early earlything until after my son was
born and then it was like, well,if I want to have a life, I
better do some things before hegets up.
So what is a typical morning?
You got two kids.
You're both busy.
You and your partner are bothbusy with your jobs.
What does a typical morninglook like at your place?
Nicole Howell (02:48):
Typically we get up at five.
Both my husband and I and Ieither do.
I do yoga twice a week, I doweights twice a week, I do
mountain biking two to threetimes a week, depending on the
weather, depending on the day,and now I also do Pilates twice
a week, but I don't do that.
Your studio is not open at 5.30.
Susannah Steers (03:11):
Yeah, remember I said something about not
really being an early riser?
I mean, I'm up at five, I'm notworking at five.
Nicole Howell (03:18):
And part of it is to get that done before the
kids get up.
Right, because with thebusyness of life, if you don't
get it done before the kids getup, things may not happen.
And for me it is like the bestcup of coffee although I do
still drink it is to get up andget that endorphin rush and feel
(03:38):
like I took care of me, nomatter what else happens today.
I got up and I took care of me.
Susannah Steers (03:44):
I love that Sometimes you really do have to
kind of create thatnon-negotiable time, right?
That place where you're notgoing to let anything else get
in the way.
I mean, I love the flexibilitything that you were talking
about.
I'm learning that too.
There are places where, yes,you have to find somewhere in
the day to put it and that mighttake some planning, but there's
a non-negotiable.
There's a non-negotiable aboutgetting up and doing that thing.
Nicole Howell (04:10):
Absolutely, yeah yeah, it has to be
non-negotiable, yeah yeah.
Susannah Steers (04:14):
Well, so when do the dog walks happen?
Do you do that?
Nicole Howell (04:19):
Well, my dog, Coco, is coming with me on the
bike ride, so it's like I get tobe outside in nature.
Today happens to be a beautiful, sunny day.
The dog needs to be walked, butshe's going to run around in
the mountains and I am going tohave an absolute blast chasing
her down the trail.
So it is, I can't wait to go.
It'll be the highlight of my,one of the highlights of my day.
(04:42):
And so, to be honest, my sonwalks her every morning before
school, a bit of a, you know, alittle mini walk, and then I'll,
my husband or I, alternate thedays that we work from home.
So it's a bit of a juggle.
He'll take her for a run, I'lltake her for a mountain bike
ride, and that's how we fit.
She fits into our lifestyle.
Susannah Steers (05:02):
So right, I don't have a dog in my house
anymore, but my son has a dog,so I get to go and pick up the
dog on the weekend when he'sworking and take her out for a
walk, and it's one of the greatpleasures.
I can go out and just hang withher and see the world through
her eyes during the day, watchher run around and do her things
, and I don't know.
It's like a little exercise inpresence.
(05:27):
You know - when you're therewith them 100%.
Nicole Howell (05:28):
And even on days , if I've already done my 5am
workout and it's time to takeher out, it's a great time to
talk to my kids.
It's you know.
It gets all of us outside andbeing in the forest looking at
your dogs thrilled to be thereoutside.
It's just.
It really is an amazing thingand I think it improves all of
our lives.
Even if we weren't active, themere act of dog walking would be
(05:50):
a wonderful thing.
Susannah Steers (05:52):
And there is something, especially with
teenagers, if you want to have adeep conversation with your
kids, you're not sitting downand looking them in the eye and
telling them.
You know, having thatface-to-face.
I always found with my son thatbeing out and doing something
that's when you really heard thegood stuff and you could have
those really meaningfulconversations.
Nicole Howell (06:11):
I've learned the hard way that cross-examining
your kids is not effective.
And, yes, driving in the car orwalking in the forest, and
that's when it comes out andyou've got to be there for those
moments.
Susannah Steers (06:24):
Yeah, yeah, just show up for those.
Well, I want to hear a littlemore about your mountain biking
too, it sounds like that issomething that really kind of
lights you up.
Nicole Howell (06:36):
It does.
It is my absolute favoritething to do.
It's how my husband and I met.
You know it's funny.
I talked to my mountain bikingfriends and we feel like we are
mountain bikers first, and allthe other things second.
It's almost like a lifestyle itis.
It is cuddling up a hill.
I can maybe have a conversationwith whoever I'm riding with, or
(06:56):
I can watch my dog happily dartin and around the trails, or I
can let my mind wander, maybethink about work or a family
issue, but then, as soon as I'mgoing down that hill, it
requires every bit of your focusand attention and every rock or
root or berm or log, andespecially the faster you go,
and I like to go fast.
(07:17):
So if your attention wandersand if you aren't focused, the
consequences can be prettyserious, and so it's like the
physical embodiment ofmindfulness.
But it's also just so much fun.
I feel like a big kid and I'mgoing to be 55 next month and I
have a smile on my face when Iam in the forest with my dog and
(07:41):
when I'm going fast down atrail, and it's just so much fun
if you're chasing somebody ortrying to take that technical
section or find a smoother,faster line.
I cannot think about anythingelse when I'm doing it, and it's
my favorite way of moving mybody, for sure.
Susannah Steers (07:58):
Oh, I love it and I love that you use the word
embodiment.
It's one of my favorite words,as you can imagine; but
especially in this context -that place when you are so
completely in your body and inthe moment and you just feel so
alive.
In that state there's no roomfor anything but the here and
(08:20):
the now, and you can go intothis state whether you're riding
or for me it was dancing a lotof the time.
You can go into it feeling acertain kind of way and you come
out feeling different.
You're more grounded, morebalanced I don't know more you.
Nicole Howell (08:37):
More joyful just lighter.
Susannah Steers (08:40):
Yeah, like all the stuff you carried in with
you is now kind of you know itmay still be there on some t
here's not the same weight to it.
Nicole Howell (08:48):
It's, yeah, it's flushed through somehow, yeah.
Susannah Steers (08:51):
Yeah, I have a good friend who works with all
kinds of difficult challenges,trauma, that kind of thing, and
she talks about it asmetabolizing those things, like
literally metabolizing them.
Nicole Howell (09:01):
That makes so much sense.
Susannah Steers (09:03):
So I'm curious is there something for you in
kind of living on the edge?
You know, you talk about thatmoment of when you're riding
really having to stay superpresent because you want to go
fast and there's roots andthere's fast turns and berms and
jumps and that kind of stuff.
Are you someone who seeksadventure?
(09:23):
Do you like to try and conqueryour fears, or is it just fun?
Nicole Howell (09:28):
Yes to all of those things.
I love it.
I seek adventure, I loveadrenaline, I love to challenge
myself.
I mean much like I'mdiscovering with Pilates, much
like I've discovered with yoga,but the same with mountain
biking you will never haveaccomplished everything.
You will never be a perfectrider.
There was always, alwayssomething to work on, even if
(09:50):
it's the elements, it's a slickday, it's a snowy day, it's a
really dusty, slippery day,there's always some new
challenge and I love that.
I definitely have.
You know, some people describeme as a little intense and it's
actually something I'm workingon letting go.
It's a double-edged swordintensity, because it does carry
(10:11):
tension to be intense, and I amtrying to release a little of
that and be a little moreflexible and open.
You know, literally andfiguratively.
Susannah Steers (10:19):
Yeah, yeah, well, it's just those places
that support us, right?
We have habits, we have ways ofbeing, and some of those things
will never change, and do wewant them to?
No, that's what makes us who weare.
But in the context of lookingafter ourselves and finding ways
that maybe we don't have totake on every challenge with
(10:41):
100%, maybe there's some ways tosplit them up a little bit.
They don't have to be at thesame time what do you find?
I mean, you say you're workingon it.
I'm curious to hear what doesthat look like for you?
Nicole Howell (10:55):
Well, interestingly it coincided with
starting with Pilates, because Icame into Pilates as a result
of an injury.
It was something I'd alwayswanted to try.
I'd always heard it was such agood core workout and it works
all the little muscles and Iwanted to do it.
I had been intending to do itfor many years, but it was hard
to fit into my schedule.
So then, when I was injured, Iwalked in and I had basically
(11:20):
tennis elbow from too muchtraining and I'd done a big race
and so I couldn't even lift mycoffee cup.
So I thought what a great timeto try Pilates.
And so that sort of.
At the same time that I wasdoing that and becoming very
aware of how I was arranging mybody, my rib cage, my breathing,
when I thought I was relaxing,turned out I wasn't, and just
(11:45):
relearning how to arrange mybody, I also found out I was
going through menopause and I'dsort of benched it because I had
a really challenging year in2022.
And I sort of attributed thesymptoms to oh, grief and stress
and fear of this very, verychallenging year.
And then, as I spoke to ahormone doctor and had some
(12:08):
hormone testing done andrealized my cortisol levels were
so high it wasn't evenregistering on the test that I
was in a constant state of fightor flight.
And truly this is a problem.
This is a problem to livelonger, and truly this is a
problem.
This is a problem to livelonger.
If, if you're in, if yourcortisol levels are that high,
it will shorten your lifechanges, literally.
(12:28):
And so this idea, you know it,became my personal mantra was
making space and and that.
And that coincided so nicelywith starting to work with
allison at your studio and thisidea of making space in my body,
opening up my hips, relaxing myrib cage, breathing differently
(12:49):
, trying to find all thoselittle muscles and how to
activate those when she wastalking about because my big
dominant muscles were just notused to standing, letting go and
not getting involved, and so Iwas making space in my, and so I
was making space in my body, Iwas making space in my schedule
and making space in my mind.
I mean, I've meditated fairlyregularly, um, but now it is a
(13:12):
daily thing.
Sometimes twice a day I do aguided meditation and just this
idea of making space in my body,in my, in my schedule, so it's
not so tightly packed, sothere's not so much, things
aren't so jammed and I can relaxand let go of that tension.
Susannah Steers (13:33):
Yeah, it's hard not to put new things into the
spaces you create, though, isn'tit?
I'm listening to you talk andI'm thinking, yep, there's so
many things that resonate, andthat, I know, for me, was always
an issue, as I'm trying to makespace.
The making space has been ahuge theme in my life, trying to
find ways to not feel socompressed, whether it's
physically or in the stress inmy world, and that I always
(13:57):
found was a really interestingthing, just when you start to
think, oh, yeah, okay, I canbreathe a little better.
And then something pops up andit looks genuinely interesting
and you think, oh, I want to dothat thing.
And then you realize, yeah, butif I do that thing, then I have
no space left.
So it's sort of a - It takes alot of focus and a lot of
intention to shift gears thatway, doesn't it?
Nicole Howell (14:19):
And I think because I've known these things
intellectually for some time,for years in fact and yet I
think it takes that reallyshifting of perspective.
My mother died at the end of2022.
And then realizing I was inmenopause and starting hormone
replacement therapy, but seeingthese cortisol levels and
(14:39):
realizing, okay, I'm almost 55.
If I don't figure it out now,when will I?
Oh, tomorrow, tomorrow, thisthing's so important.
Tomorrow, tomorrow, no, no.
This is your life and you wantit to be long.
This is it right now.
And if you are choosing not tomake that space, if you're
choosing to have a tight packschedule, then you are choosing
to be overwhelmed, maybechoosing to take out impatience
(15:02):
on your kids, your family.
It's going to seep throughthose cracks and your cortisol
levels will remain high.
So I think there was thismotivation I want to live a long
and healthy life.
I had kids late.
I want to be moving and playingwith my grandkids and that's my
(15:22):
goal.
85-year-old Nicole wants to beactive and he's moving with ease
and it's a more powerful voiceon my shoulder, because it is
going to be too late to makespace if I don't make space now.
Susannah Steers (15:38):
And did that initially feel like a massive
pressure?
When you first sort of had thatawareness of, oh, I got to make
a change, did it feel likeanother load on your shoulder or
did it feel like.
.
.
I don't know.
.
.
Nicole Howell (15:48):
And then people pleasing can be a thread that a
lot of many people have, whethermen or women, realizing where
is that coming from?
Doing a little work, doing alittle work, seeing a counselor,
(16:13):
and realizing where is thatcoming from this perfection,
this needing everything?
Just, you know, you hear thisstuff, you know perfection is
the enemy of the good.
You hear all this stuff andthen suddenly it lands one day
and you realize, wait a second,I get it, I get it, I get it and
I think I carry too much.
And I have these dialogues withmyself and talk like, wait a
second, why do you feel guilty?
(16:34):
What have you haven't donenothing right.
So I'm talking myself out of itand I'm having these little
dialogues with myself andrealizing you have absolutely
nothing to feel guilty about.
You're going to say no to thisthing and you're going to say no
to that thing and you're goingto perhaps take on a few less
files so that you have time tomentor people.
(16:56):
You know I'm talkingprofessionally now for a minute,
but it's about making space inall those moments, because all
there's pressure points ineverything too many files, too
many people to manage, too manyactivities for the kids too many
, too many, too many, and it'sjust a little adjustment in
every single place that cancreate that space.
And it feels so good when youcreate that space.
(17:20):
And it has been a lot easierthan I thought and I've been
more motivated, for the reasonsI mentioned, than than ever
before in my life.
So it has been.
It's a constant conversationbecause I'm like you.
I'll see the shiny object andthink, ooh, that looks fun, wait
a minute, wait a minute.
Nope, it's not more importantthan these other things.
(17:41):
So let's put it away for arainy day and if it's still
really important in six months,you know we'll look at it then.
Susannah Steers (17:47):
I love seeing the passions that people have in
their lives and how they usethat energy out in the world,
and I'm just hearing a littlebit of that in your profession.
You're a lawyer and I get thesense that you're pretty
passionate about what you do,what kind of law do you practice
?
Nicole Howell (18:04):
So I am an employment lawyer, so I act for
employees not companies, butemployees.
So typically there is a powerimbalance between employees and
employers, and so I level thatplaying field and I empower
people.
I empower my clients withknowledge because they don't
know their rights and I empowerpeople.
I empower my clients withknowledge because they don't
(18:24):
know their rights.
I mean, almost everybody youknow has a job and almost at
some point in their liveswhether it was the 7-Eleven or
whether they were the CEO therehas been a problem, and it's not
understanding the rights theyhave in that scenario.
Sometimes they just need tounderstand.
Actually, no, your employer cando this, but here's what you
need to bear in mind.
It's just about information.
Information is power andhelping them navigate.
(18:47):
There's so many changes whenyour job has changed or they
make allegations of cause oryou're terminated All of these
issues helping people make senseof them or helping them feel
more power in a powerlesssituation if they've been
terminated.
I mean, people get terminatedall the time and it isn't
personal and it happens, but youfeel vulnerable and helpless,
(19:10):
and so it's just reallysatisfying.
And every case is differentbecause every person is
different and every circumstanceis different, and sometimes it
is a little bit about the lawand sometimes just about okay,
so here's the law.
Let's talk practically.
How will this help you?
What can we do?
How can we strategize this?
Let's look at the options andwhat will make best sense for
(19:31):
you, given your priorities, andit's just really, really
satisfying.
Susannah Steers (19:36):
Oh, I love it.
And did you always want to gointo this?
Like when you started out as alawyer, is that where you were
headed?
Nicole Howell (19:44):
No, no, no, no, it wasn't.
I didn't even take anemployment class in law school.
I was lured by the idea ofbeing a sexy criminal lawyer and
doing all that life and libertystuff.
No, I went to a firm in mysecond year law because they
paid for your third year tuition, and I met a man who drove a VW
van and had a mountain bike andhe was one of the senior
(20:05):
partners at the firm and he wasan employment lawyer and I just
worked for him and he wasamazing and in fact he and I
left the firm and started thefirm that I have now.
He is since retired and butstill, you know, actively a part
of my life personally andprofessionally.
So mountain biking actually.
Susannah Steers (20:25):
I was going to say, full circle!
Well, in your work I'm sure youspend a lot of time at a
computer and between the stressand the sitting and that kind of
thing, I bet it takes a toll onyour body.
We know that habitual patternscan have a big influence on our
structural health and ourmovement overall and that kind
of thing, I bet it takes a tollon your body.
We know that habitual patternscan have a big influence on our
structural health and ourmovement overall.
(20:47):
Where do you notice?
We talked a little bit aboutthe cortisol levels, but where
do you notice that stuffaccumulating in your body?
Nicole Howell (20:55):
I think I mean even as you said, that I can
even hear Allison's voice,because my rib cage I always
have it high and I have thistendency to arch my back and rib
cage high and I'm just alwayslike, okay, putting my hand sort
of on the top of my rib cagesettle, settle, arrange, relax.
I was always aware of thetension I carried in my
(21:17):
shoulders, but I think I was.
I mean, I just think Pilates isthe most intelligent or most
aware form of movement I've everencountered, because, because
you're so, mountain biking ismore external and Pilates is so
internal, so tuned into.
How are you settling down?
How are you breathing?
How are you arranged?
(21:37):
What's being activated?
What if you move a little tothe left?
What if you move your hip overhere?
It's so subtle, it's so nuancedand it gives you this more.
I always thought I was strongand athletic and now I feel more
completely strong and and it'sum.
I think I didn't answer yourquestion because I've forgotten
(21:58):
what the question was.
I got into talking aboutPilates.
Susannah Steers (22:03):
Well, no, but I think that's great.
I mean, you said somethingabout feeling your rib cage high
and feeling the tension in yourupper body.
And I love that some of thethings that you're learning are
helping you find a way to kindof soften the effects of the
workday, or the more riding onyour bike.
Nicole Howell (22:20):
In everything.
It's how I sit at my desk,taking a couple of breaths in
between meetings.
It has hugely impacted my yogaand I think about it even when
I'm riding my bike, when I'mdriving my car, and so it was a
little bit revelatory.
It was very overwhelming and itstill is overwhelming and I
still have a lot of questions.
But I see the progress thatI've made and I know I am still
(22:44):
carrying tension.
It's about rewiring all thoselittle neural pathways so that I
am moving in a better way.
And so it's like meditationyour mind wanders, you bring it
back.
You don't get mad at yourself,you just hate.
Come on back, get get focused.
So I'll feel my tension.
I'm like come on, Nicole, whatdoes Allison say?
There we go, and it's just agentle little practice of trying
(23:07):
to find that and I'm assuming,and I can see that it's becoming
easier and a little more.
Susannah Steers (23:13):
My own experience with Pilates was
coming to it when I was in greatphysical condition, but I had
this chronic pain in my knees.
The medical community couldn'tdo anything more for me and it
was just suck it up, sweetheart,and I thought there's got to be
a way.
And Pilates became the thing.
When I first started, theyweren't letting me do anything
(23:34):
heavy.
My teachers made sure that Iwas working really light, and so
I kept saying come on, give mea workout.
And it took me a little whileto figure out that.
Oh wait, a minute.
This is as much about learninghow to live in my body well as
it is about exercise.
Nicole Howell (23:54):
So, yeah, for me it's not an intense experience
where I get my sweat on.
There's other things that dothat for me and I'm able to.
I might double it up withsomething else that I do.
I might do a mountain bike thesame day that I do Pilates, and
so I don't have that intentionor expectation that I'm going to
leave exhausted.
(24:14):
And yet, now that I'm doing itmore correctly, the more relaxed
I am, the harder it is, and Iam in fact working all those
little muscles and arranging mybody to position itself to carry
myself stronger in all theother things that I do.
But it isn't an expectation oflike I'm heavy breathing or
expecting to get my sweat on.
(24:34):
But I was never expecting that.
And yet what's been surprisingis oh, but it is, it's becoming
harder as it becomes easier.
I said that to Alison the otherday and and that it's it's true
, as some things are becomingmore easy, I'm, I'm realizing,
oh, that's in fact quitechallenging and that's working
that in an important andsignificant way so that I can
(24:57):
move, move in all the other ways, the way that I like, and
injury-free, hopefully.
Susannah Steers (25:02):
Well, it helps right Again, you're building
that foundation from the insideout.
And I mean, if you're goinghard, injuries are sometimes
just part of the package, right,If you're on the edge a little
bit.
But I think that the thingsthat help is it helps you
prevent those injuries as muchas possible and on the other
side of that, recovery is oftenquicker.
Nicole Howell (25:28):
Well, yeah, I have a little issue right now.
It's a few weeks old.
I had a little crash and I hada little tear of the tendon in
my long-headed bicep, somodifications were easily done,
of course, seeing my physio andI was strong going in and I,
with a year of Pilates under mybelt and I feel like I'm
recovering very quickly and I'mmore at peace with, rather than
(25:49):
pushing it to get back to doingall the pushups and specific
things I was doing, I'm, I'mokay.
I'm not going to do this, thisand this and I'm going to really
focus on these things inPilates tonight.
And I can still ride my bike,just a little less aggressively,
and it's remembering I reallywant to.
I'm here for the long game andif I push an injury, I'm not in
the Olympics, I'm a middle-agedwoman.
(26:11):
I just need to recover and bestrong so that I continue moving
the way I want.
And if it means a little coupleof more weeks not doing all the
things as intensely as I like,then that's what it means and
it's been the easiest injurythat I've had in that respect.
Susannah Steers (26:29):
Oh, that's good .
It sounds like you're findingsome of the learning around
creating space and being able toapply it to this injury too,
and the recovery.
That's amazing.
That's really good.
As I get older, I am learningmore and more how important it
is to support ourselves, whetherit's with movement, with rest
(26:49):
and restorative stuff the thingsthat nourish our souls with
positive inspiration in one formor another.
Positive inspiration in oneform or another.
How do you find motivation,encouragement?
Inspiration?
(27:09):
How do you find those things?
Nicole Howell (27:10):
From day to day, I mean, I'm inspired by all
kinds of things.
I am a very goal-oriented,naturally a very goal-oriented
person typical, maybe, type Apersonality.
And I am actually trying to beless rigid and more flexible so
that my goals are less about I'mtraining for this race.
It's more, of course, I maytrain for a race, but I'm doing
that to have a shared experiencewith a friend that I'm training
(27:32):
with the race for, or I'm doingit to collect that experience.
Right, it's for me my goalshave shifted.
It doesn't mean I can't havetargets and achievables and a
training schedule, but it why amI doing it?
I'm doing it to have thatexperience.
And so I spoke earlier about,you know, 85 year old Nicole.
(27:53):
I mean she inspires me.
I want to be, I hope to be,mountain biking in a maybe
different kind of way at 85 anddefinitely hiking in the forest
and practicing Pilates andpracticing yoga and picking up
my grandkids and horsing aroundand continuing to move with ease
and mobility, having thatmobility.
(28:14):
So I guess my future inspiresme.
I want to have that future andit's it's.
I have to make intelligentchoices now about how I move my
body, what I, how I nourish mybody so that I can achieve that
down the road.
Susannah Steers (28:30):
Yeah, it's the long game, right, the longevity.
We're in this for longevity.
Nicole Howell (28:34):
I know that word is getting tossed around a lot
these days, but it's true.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Susannah Steers (28:40):
If you had one little nugget to share with
other people about life,something you've learned along
the way that feels important toyou, what would it be?
Nicole Howell (28:50):
I mean there's a quote that pops to mind that I,
you know I discovered thisquote in law school and
something along the lines ofbeing convinced that life is 10%
what happens to me and 90% howI react to it.
And it's resonated.
That quote has always been inmy mind.
I remember, you know, typing itout and giving it to my friends
(29:10):
in law school and it's meantdifferent things to me at
different stages of my life.
Because life can be hard, lifewill be hard, life will be
difficult.
Some of it is of your ownmaking, as I've been discovering
, and this gets back to themaking space and some of it is
just sad and hard and unluckyand how you react to it, how you
(29:32):
grow, the decisions you make asa result of going through it.
Life is about how you react tothe things that happen to you,
rather than burying it but trulyexperiencing it and planting
those seeds for growth andmaking different decisions in
the future.
You know, being present in themoment I mean it's so,
particularly with my professionas lawyers you can blink and
(29:52):
wake up and 10 years goes by andyou know people talk about
being in that sort of automatonstate and you don't want to do.
You want to be present in themoment and choosing to the best
you can, the idea that there arethings you can control and make
good choices to create thatspace and be present in those
(30:12):
moments.
And there's times in life whenyou can't.
You're subsumed into a veryintense period at work, but then
that period will end, or a veryintense period in your personal
life a dying parent, a sick kidand then you will come out of
those moments and how do youbounce back is, I think, what
will define how you enjoy yourlife and what you gain out of it
(30:34):
.
So long answer, but I do thinkthat that would be my answer.
Susannah Steers (30:39):
I think that's a good answer, the way it means
different things in differentphases of your life.
Thank you so much, Nicole, fortaking the time with me today
and sharing your life and yourexperiences.
I feel like I got to get toknow you a little better, and
that always makes me happy.
Nicole Howell (30:55):
I feel the same way.
It was an absolute pleasure.
I really enjoyed thisconversation.
Thanks, Susannah.
Susannah Steers (31:00):
Take care and we'll see you soon.
Nicole Howell (31:02):
Absolutely.
Bye-bye.
Susannah Steers (31:03):
Okay, bye-bye.
I hope you enjoyed today'sepisode.
Subscribe and, if you love whatyou heard, leave a five-star
review and tell people what youenjoyed most.
Join me here again in a coupleof weeks For now let's get
moving.
Welcome to the Heart of Motion podcast.
I'm Susannah Steers and I'll beyour host as we explore the
heart, soul and science ofmovement as a pathway to more
active, vibrant and connectedliving.
Nothing happens until somethingmoves, so let's get started.
I am continually fascinated bythe million and one different
(00:24):
ways that people move andexperience physical activity in
their lives.
Everybody's choices andmotivations are so different.
Maybe because it means so muchto me, I love learning about how
and why people move and what itbrings to their lives.
There are inevitably somereally fun stories and places to
(00:44):
connect inside thoseconversations.
Today, I want to introduce youto Nicole Howell, someone we're
really happy to have gotten toknow at Moving Spirit Pilates
over the last year.
Nicole is a North Shoremountain biker, a mother and a
partner at a boutique employmentlaw firm in Vancouver.
She and her family are prettydarned active, so I thought it
(01:06):
would be fun to talk to her alittle more about her
experiences.
Welcome to the podcast, Nicole.
Nicole Howell (01:12):
Thank you, Susannah.
I'm thrilled to be here.
Susannah Steers (01:16):
Well, we're recording this at about 9 am and
I know you like to get up andmoving early, so how did you
start your day today?
Nicole Howell (01:24):
Well, actually one of my new themes is
flexibility.
Today is one of those dayswhere I got up at five and
worked instead of worked out,because my plan in about an hour
and a half is to head out for amountain bike ride with my dog,
and so to fit that in in themiddle of the day when the sun
is shining, I adjusted myschedule and got up and did some
(01:46):
work this morning.
Normally I do start my day witha workout, and it is how I like
to start most days.
Susannah Steers (01:53):
Well, the 5 am dark now.
It kind of makes a little bitof a shift in that sometimes if
you want to be outside, doesn'tit?
It's true, it's true.
Have you always been an earlyriser, or is that something that
you shifted into after kidscame along?
Nicole Howell (02:07):
I have always been an early riser, so it's not
that hard for me.
I mean, it gets a little hardin the darkest dark of winter,
um, but it is a very natural.
I am a morning person and Ihave always been a morning
person, I mean even as ateenager.
I never did the whole sleep inthing, so it is in my DNA to get
up early, or I never did thewhole sleep in thing, so it is
in my DNA to get up early.
Susannah Steers (02:31):
I love it.
For me, I was always a latesleeper.
I didn't do the early earlything until after my son was
born and then it was like, well,if I want to have a life, I
better do some things before hegets up.
So what is a typical morning?
You got two kids.
You're both busy.
You and your partner are bothbusy with your jobs.
What does a typical morninglook like at your place?
Nicole Howell (02:48):
Typically we get up at five.
Both my husband and I and Ieither do.
I do yoga twice a week, I doweights twice a week, I do
mountain biking two to threetimes a week, depending on the
weather, depending on the day,and now I also do Pilates twice
a week, but I don't do that.
Your studio is not open at 5.30.
Susannah Steers (03:11):
Yeah, remember I said something about not
really being an early riser?
I mean, I'm up at five, I'm notworking at five.
Nicole Howell (03:18):
And part of it is to get that done before the
kids get up.
Right, because with thebusyness of life, if you don't
get it done before the kids getup, things may not happen.
And for me it is like the bestcup of coffee although I do
still drink it is to get up andget that endorphin rush and feel
(03:38):
like I took care of me, nomatter what else happens today.
I got up and I took care of me.
Susannah Steers (03:44):
I love that Sometimes you really do have to
kind of create thatnon-negotiable time, right?
That place where you're notgoing to let anything else get
in the way.
I mean, I love the flexibilitything that you were talking
about.
I'm learning that too.
There are places where, yes,you have to find somewhere in
the day to put it and that mighttake some planning, but there's
a non-negotiable.
There's a non-negotiable aboutgetting up and doing that thing.
Nicole Howell (04:10):
Absolutely, yeah yeah, it has to be
non-negotiable, yeah yeah.
Susannah Steers (04:14):
Well, so when do the dog walks happen?
Do you do that?
Nicole Howell (04:19):
Well, my dog, Coco, is coming with me on the
bike ride, so it's like I get tobe outside in nature.
Today happens to be a beautiful, sunny day.
The dog needs to be walked, butshe's going to run around in
the mountains and I am going tohave an absolute blast chasing
her down the trail.
So it is, I can't wait to go.
It'll be the highlight of my,one of the highlights of my day.
(04:42):
And so, to be honest, my sonwalks her every morning before
school, a bit of a, you know, alittle mini walk, and then I'll,
my husband or I, alternate thedays that we work from home.
So it's a bit of a juggle.
He'll take her for a run, I'lltake her for a mountain bike
ride, and that's how we fit.
She fits into our lifestyle.
Susannah Steers (05:02):
So right, I don't have a dog in my house
anymore, but my son has a dog,so I get to go and pick up the
dog on the weekend when he'sworking and take her out for a
walk, and it's one of the greatpleasures.
I can go out and just hang withher and see the world through
her eyes during the day, watchher run around and do her things
, and I don't know.
It's like a little exercise inpresence.
(05:27):
You know - when you're therewith them 100%.
Nicole Howell (05:28):
And even on days , if I've already done my 5am
workout and it's time to takeher out, it's a great time to
talk to my kids.
It's you know.
It gets all of us outside andbeing in the forest looking at
your dogs thrilled to be thereoutside.
It's just.
It really is an amazing thingand I think it improves all of
our lives.
Even if we weren't active, themere act of dog walking would be
(05:50):
a wonderful thing.
Susannah Steers (05:52):
And there is something, especially with
teenagers, if you want to have adeep conversation with your
kids, you're not sitting downand looking them in the eye and
telling them.
You know, having thatface-to-face.
I always found with my son thatbeing out and doing something
that's when you really heard thegood stuff and you could have
those really meaningfulconversations.
Nicole Howell (06:11):
I've learned the hard way that cross-examining
your kids is not effective.
And, yes, driving in the car orwalking in the forest, and
that's when it comes out andyou've got to be there for those
moments.
Susannah Steers (06:24):
Yeah, yeah, just show up for those.
Well, I want to hear a littlemore about your mountain biking
too, it sounds like that issomething that really kind of
lights you up.
Nicole Howell (06:36):
It does.
It is my absolute favoritething to do.
It's how my husband and I met.
You know it's funny.
I talked to my mountain bikingfriends and we feel like we are
mountain bikers first, and allthe other things second.
It's almost like a lifestyle itis.
It is cuddling up a hill.
I can maybe have a conversationwith whoever I'm riding with, or
(06:56):
I can watch my dog happily dartin and around the trails, or I
can let my mind wander, maybethink about work or a family
issue, but then, as soon as I'mgoing down that hill, it
requires every bit of your focusand attention and every rock or
root or berm or log, andespecially the faster you go,
and I like to go fast.
(07:17):
So if your attention wandersand if you aren't focused, the
consequences can be prettyserious, and so it's like the
physical embodiment ofmindfulness.
But it's also just so much fun.
I feel like a big kid and I'mgoing to be 55 next month and I
have a smile on my face when Iam in the forest with my dog and
(07:41):
when I'm going fast down atrail, and it's just so much fun
if you're chasing somebody ortrying to take that technical
section or find a smoother,faster line.
I cannot think about anythingelse when I'm doing it, and it's
my favorite way of moving mybody, for sure.
Susannah Steers (07:58):
Oh, I love it and I love that you use the word
embodiment.
It's one of my favorite words,as you can imagine; but
especially in this context -that place when you are so
completely in your body and inthe moment and you just feel so
alive.
In that state there's no roomfor anything but the here and
(08:20):
the now, and you can go intothis state whether you're riding
or for me it was dancing a lotof the time.
You can go into it feeling acertain kind of way and you come
out feeling different.
You're more grounded, morebalanced I don't know more you.
Nicole Howell (08:37):
More joyful just lighter.
Susannah Steers (08:40):
Yeah, like all the stuff you carried in with
you is now kind of you know itmay still be there on some t
here's not the same weight to it.
Nicole Howell (08:48):
It's, yeah, it's flushed through somehow, yeah.
Susannah Steers (08:51):
Yeah, I have a good friend who works with all
kinds of difficult challenges,trauma, that kind of thing, and
she talks about it asmetabolizing those things, like
literally metabolizing them.
Nicole Howell (09:01):
That makes so much sense.
Susannah Steers (09:03):
So I'm curious is there something for you in
kind of living on the edge?
You know, you talk about thatmoment of when you're riding
really having to stay superpresent because you want to go
fast and there's roots andthere's fast turns and berms and
jumps and that kind of stuff.
Are you someone who seeksadventure?
(09:23):
Do you like to try and conqueryour fears, or is it just fun?
Nicole Howell (09:28):
Yes to all of those things.
I love it.
I seek adventure, I loveadrenaline, I love to challenge
myself.
I mean much like I'mdiscovering with Pilates, much
like I've discovered with yoga,but the same with mountain
biking you will never haveaccomplished everything.
You will never be a perfectrider.
There was always, alwayssomething to work on, even if
(09:50):
it's the elements, it's a slickday, it's a snowy day, it's a
really dusty, slippery day,there's always some new
challenge and I love that.
I definitely have.
You know, some people describeme as a little intense and it's
actually something I'm workingon letting go.
It's a double-edged swordintensity, because it does carry
(10:11):
tension to be intense, and I amtrying to release a little of
that and be a little moreflexible and open.
You know, literally andfiguratively.
Susannah Steers (10:19):
Yeah, yeah, well, it's just those places
that support us, right?
We have habits, we have ways ofbeing, and some of those things
will never change, and do wewant them to?
No, that's what makes us who weare.
But in the context of lookingafter ourselves and finding ways
that maybe we don't have totake on every challenge with
(10:41):
100%, maybe there's some ways tosplit them up a little bit.
They don't have to be at thesame time what do you find?
I mean, you say you're workingon it.
I'm curious to hear what doesthat look like for you?
Nicole Howell (10:55):
Well, interestingly it coincided with
starting with Pilates, because Icame into Pilates as a result
of an injury.
It was something I'd alwayswanted to try.
I'd always heard it was such agood core workout and it works
all the little muscles and Iwanted to do it.
I had been intending to do itfor many years, but it was hard
to fit into my schedule.
So then, when I was injured, Iwalked in and I had basically
(11:20):
tennis elbow from too muchtraining and I'd done a big race
and so I couldn't even lift mycoffee cup.
So I thought what a great timeto try Pilates.
And so that sort of.
At the same time that I wasdoing that and becoming very
aware of how I was arranging mybody, my rib cage, my breathing,
when I thought I was relaxing,turned out I wasn't, and just
(11:45):
relearning how to arrange mybody, I also found out I was
going through menopause and I'dsort of benched it because I had
a really challenging year in2022.
And I sort of attributed thesymptoms to oh, grief and stress
and fear of this very, verychallenging year.
And then, as I spoke to ahormone doctor and had some
(12:08):
hormone testing done andrealized my cortisol levels were
so high it wasn't evenregistering on the test that I
was in a constant state of fightor flight.
And truly this is a problem.
This is a problem to livelonger, and truly this is a
problem.
This is a problem to livelonger.
If, if you're in, if yourcortisol levels are that high,
it will shorten your lifechanges, literally.
(12:28):
And so this idea, you know it,became my personal mantra was
making space and and that.
And that coincided so nicelywith starting to work with
allison at your studio and thisidea of making space in my body,
opening up my hips, relaxing myrib cage, breathing differently
(12:49):
, trying to find all thoselittle muscles and how to
activate those when she wastalking about because my big
dominant muscles were just notused to standing, letting go and
not getting involved, and so Iwas making space in my, and so I
was making space in my body, Iwas making space in my schedule
and making space in my mind.
I mean, I've meditated fairlyregularly, um, but now it is a
(13:12):
daily thing.
Sometimes twice a day I do aguided meditation and just this
idea of making space in my body,in my, in my schedule, so it's
not so tightly packed, sothere's not so much, things
aren't so jammed and I can relaxand let go of that tension.
Susannah Steers (13:33):
Yeah, it's hard not to put new things into the
spaces you create, though, isn'tit?
I'm listening to you talk andI'm thinking, yep, there's so
many things that resonate, andthat, I know, for me, was always
an issue, as I'm trying to makespace.
The making space has been ahuge theme in my life, trying to
find ways to not feel socompressed, whether it's
physically or in the stress inmy world, and that I always
(13:57):
found was a really interestingthing, just when you start to
think, oh, yeah, okay, I canbreathe a little better.
And then something pops up andit looks genuinely interesting
and you think, oh, I want to dothat thing.
And then you realize, yeah, butif I do that thing, then I have
no space left.
So it's sort of a - It takes alot of focus and a lot of
intention to shift gears thatway, doesn't it?
Nicole Howell (14:19):
And I think because I've known these things
intellectually for some time,for years in fact and yet I
think it takes that reallyshifting of perspective.
My mother died at the end of2022.
And then realizing I was inmenopause and starting hormone
replacement therapy, but seeingthese cortisol levels and
(14:39):
realizing, okay, I'm almost 55.
If I don't figure it out now,when will I?
Oh, tomorrow, tomorrow, thisthing's so important.
Tomorrow, tomorrow, no, no.
This is your life and you wantit to be long.
This is it right now.
And if you are choosing not tomake that space, if you're
choosing to have a tight packschedule, then you are choosing
to be overwhelmed, maybechoosing to take out impatience
(15:02):
on your kids, your family.
It's going to seep throughthose cracks and your cortisol
levels will remain high.
So I think there was thismotivation I want to live a long
and healthy life.
I had kids late.
I want to be moving and playingwith my grandkids and that's my
(15:22):
goal.
85-year-old Nicole wants to beactive and he's moving with ease
and it's a more powerful voiceon my shoulder, because it is
going to be too late to makespace if I don't make space now.
Susannah Steers (15:38):
And did that initially feel like a massive
pressure?
When you first sort of had thatawareness of, oh, I got to make
a change, did it feel likeanother load on your shoulder or
did it feel like.
.
.
I don't know.
.
.
Nicole Howell (15:48):
And then people pleasing can be a thread that a
lot of many people have, whethermen or women, realizing where
is that coming from?
Doing a little work, doing alittle work, seeing a counselor,
(16:13):
and realizing where is thatcoming from this perfection,
this needing everything?
Just, you know, you hear thisstuff, you know perfection is
the enemy of the good.
You hear all this stuff andthen suddenly it lands one day
and you realize, wait a second,I get it, I get it, I get it and
I think I carry too much.
And I have these dialogues withmyself and talk like, wait a
second, why do you feel guilty?
(16:34):
What have you haven't donenothing right.
So I'm talking myself out of itand I'm having these little
dialogues with myself andrealizing you have absolutely
nothing to feel guilty about.
You're going to say no to thisthing and you're going to say no
to that thing and you're goingto perhaps take on a few less
files so that you have time tomentor people.
(16:56):
You know I'm talkingprofessionally now for a minute,
but it's about making space inall those moments, because all
there's pressure points ineverything too many files, too
many people to manage, too manyactivities for the kids too many
, too many, too many, and it'sjust a little adjustment in
every single place that cancreate that space.
And it feels so good when youcreate that space.
(17:20):
And it has been a lot easierthan I thought and I've been
more motivated, for the reasonsI mentioned, than than ever
before in my life.
So it has been.
It's a constant conversationbecause I'm like you.
I'll see the shiny object andthink, ooh, that looks fun, wait
a minute, wait a minute.
Nope, it's not more importantthan these other things.
(17:41):
So let's put it away for arainy day and if it's still
really important in six months,you know we'll look at it then.
Susannah Steers (17:47):
I love seeing the passions that people have in
their lives and how they usethat energy out in the world,
and I'm just hearing a littlebit of that in your profession.
You're a lawyer and I get thesense that you're pretty
passionate about what you do,what kind of law do you practice
?
Nicole Howell (18:04):
So I am an employment lawyer, so I act for
employees not companies, butemployees.
So typically there is a powerimbalance between employees and
employers, and so I level thatplaying field and I empower
people.
I empower my clients withknowledge because they don't
know their rights and I empowerpeople.
I empower my clients withknowledge because they don't
(18:24):
know their rights.
I mean, almost everybody youknow has a job and almost at
some point in their liveswhether it was the 7-Eleven or
whether they were the CEO therehas been a problem, and it's not
understanding the rights theyhave in that scenario.
Sometimes they just need tounderstand.
Actually, no, your employer cando this, but here's what you
need to bear in mind.
It's just about information.
Information is power andhelping them navigate.
(18:47):
There's so many changes whenyour job has changed or they
make allegations of cause oryou're terminated All of these
issues helping people make senseof them or helping them feel
more power in a powerlesssituation if they've been
terminated.
I mean, people get terminatedall the time and it isn't
personal and it happens, but youfeel vulnerable and helpless,
(19:10):
and so it's just reallysatisfying.
And every case is differentbecause every person is
different and every circumstanceis different, and sometimes it
is a little bit about the lawand sometimes just about okay,
so here's the law.
Let's talk practically.
How will this help you?
What can we do?
How can we strategize this?
Let's look at the options andwhat will make best sense for
(19:31):
you, given your priorities, andit's just really, really
satisfying.
Susannah Steers (19:36):
Oh, I love it.
And did you always want to gointo this?
Like when you started out as alawyer, is that where you were
headed?
Nicole Howell (19:44):
No, no, no, no, it wasn't.
I didn't even take anemployment class in law school.
I was lured by the idea ofbeing a sexy criminal lawyer and
doing all that life and libertystuff.
No, I went to a firm in mysecond year law because they
paid for your third year tuition, and I met a man who drove a VW
van and had a mountain bike andhe was one of the senior
(20:05):
partners at the firm and he wasan employment lawyer and I just
worked for him and he wasamazing and in fact he and I
left the firm and started thefirm that I have now.
He is since retired and butstill, you know, actively a part
of my life personally andprofessionally.
So mountain biking actually.
Susannah Steers (20:25):
I was going to say, full circle!
Well, in your work I'm sure youspend a lot of time at a
computer and between the stressand the sitting and that kind of
thing, I bet it takes a toll onyour body.
We know that habitual patternscan have a big influence on our
structural health and ourmovement overall and that kind
of thing, I bet it takes a tollon your body.
We know that habitual patternscan have a big influence on our
structural health and ourmovement overall.
(20:47):
Where do you notice?
We talked a little bit aboutthe cortisol levels, but where
do you notice that stuffaccumulating in your body?
Nicole Howell (20:55):
I think I mean even as you said, that I can
even hear Allison's voice,because my rib cage I always
have it high and I have thistendency to arch my back and rib
cage high and I'm just alwayslike, okay, putting my hand sort
of on the top of my rib cagesettle, settle, arrange, relax.
I was always aware of thetension I carried in my
(21:17):
shoulders, but I think I was.
I mean, I just think Pilates isthe most intelligent or most
aware form of movement I've everencountered, because, because
you're so, mountain biking ismore external and Pilates is so
internal, so tuned into.
How are you settling down?
How are you breathing?
How are you arranged?
(21:37):
What's being activated?
What if you move a little tothe left?
What if you move your hip overhere?
It's so subtle, it's so nuancedand it gives you this more.
I always thought I was strongand athletic and now I feel more
completely strong and and it'sum.
I think I didn't answer yourquestion because I've forgotten
(21:58):
what the question was.
I got into talking aboutPilates.
Susannah Steers (22:03):
Well, no, but I think that's great.
I mean, you said somethingabout feeling your rib cage high
and feeling the tension in yourupper body.
And I love that some of thethings that you're learning are
helping you find a way to kindof soften the effects of the
workday, or the more riding onyour bike.
Nicole Howell (22:20):
In everything.
It's how I sit at my desk,taking a couple of breaths in
between meetings.
It has hugely impacted my yogaand I think about it even when
I'm riding my bike, when I'mdriving my car, and so it was a
little bit revelatory.
It was very overwhelming and itstill is overwhelming and I
still have a lot of questions.
But I see the progress thatI've made and I know I am still
(22:44):
carrying tension.
It's about rewiring all thoselittle neural pathways so that I
am moving in a better way.
And so it's like meditationyour mind wanders, you bring it
back.
You don't get mad at yourself,you just hate.
Come on back, get get focused.
So I'll feel my tension.
I'm like come on, Nicole, whatdoes Allison say?
There we go, and it's just agentle little practice of trying
(23:07):
to find that and I'm assuming,and I can see that it's becoming
easier and a little more.
Susannah Steers (23:13):
My own experience with Pilates was
coming to it when I was in greatphysical condition, but I had
this chronic pain in my knees.
The medical community couldn'tdo anything more for me and it
was just suck it up, sweetheart,and I thought there's got to be
a way.
And Pilates became the thing.
When I first started, theyweren't letting me do anything
(23:34):
heavy.
My teachers made sure that Iwas working really light, and so
I kept saying come on, give mea workout.
And it took me a little whileto figure out that.
Oh wait, a minute.
This is as much about learninghow to live in my body well as
it is about exercise.
Nicole Howell (23:54):
So, yeah, for me it's not an intense experience
where I get my sweat on.
There's other things that dothat for me and I'm able to.
I might double it up withsomething else that I do.
I might do a mountain bike thesame day that I do Pilates, and
so I don't have that intentionor expectation that I'm going to
leave exhausted.
(24:14):
And yet, now that I'm doing itmore correctly, the more relaxed
I am, the harder it is, and Iam in fact working all those
little muscles and arranging mybody to position itself to carry
myself stronger in all theother things that I do.
But it isn't an expectation oflike I'm heavy breathing or
expecting to get my sweat on.
(24:34):
But I was never expecting that.
And yet what's been surprisingis oh, but it is, it's becoming
harder as it becomes easier.
I said that to Alison the otherday and and that it's it's true
, as some things are becomingmore easy, I'm, I'm realizing,
oh, that's in fact quitechallenging and that's working
that in an important andsignificant way so that I can
(24:57):
move, move in all the other ways, the way that I like, and
injury-free, hopefully.
Susannah Steers (25:02):
Well, it helps right Again, you're building
that foundation from the insideout.
And I mean, if you're goinghard, injuries are sometimes
just part of the package, right,If you're on the edge a little
bit.
But I think that the thingsthat help is it helps you
prevent those injuries as muchas possible and on the other
side of that, recovery is oftenquicker.
Nicole Howell (25:28):
Well, yeah, I have a little issue right now.
It's a few weeks old.
I had a little crash and I hada little tear of the tendon in
my long-headed bicep, somodifications were easily done,
of course, seeing my physio andI was strong going in and I,
with a year of Pilates under mybelt and I feel like I'm
recovering very quickly and I'mmore at peace with, rather than
(25:49):
pushing it to get back to doingall the pushups and specific
things I was doing, I'm, I'mokay.
I'm not going to do this, thisand this and I'm going to really
focus on these things inPilates tonight.
And I can still ride my bike,just a little less aggressively,
and it's remembering I reallywant to.
I'm here for the long game andif I push an injury, I'm not in
the Olympics, I'm a middle-agedwoman.
(26:11):
I just need to recover and bestrong so that I continue moving
the way I want.
And if it means a little coupleof more weeks not doing all the
things as intensely as I like,then that's what it means and
it's been the easiest injurythat I've had in that respect.
Susannah Steers (26:29):
Oh, that's good .
It sounds like you're findingsome of the learning around
creating space and being able toapply it to this injury too,
and the recovery.
That's amazing.
That's really good.
As I get older, I am learningmore and more how important it
is to support ourselves, whetherit's with movement, with rest
(26:49):
and restorative stuff the thingsthat nourish our souls with
positive inspiration in one formor another.
Positive inspiration in oneform or another.
How do you find motivation,encouragement?
Inspiration?
(27:09):
How do you find those things?
Nicole Howell (27:10):
From day to day, I mean, I'm inspired by all
kinds of things.
I am a very goal-oriented,naturally a very goal-oriented
person typical, maybe, type Apersonality.
And I am actually trying to beless rigid and more flexible so
that my goals are less about I'mtraining for this race.
It's more, of course, I maytrain for a race, but I'm doing
that to have a shared experiencewith a friend that I'm training
(27:32):
with the race for, or I'm doingit to collect that experience.
Right, it's for me my goalshave shifted.
It doesn't mean I can't havetargets and achievables and a
training schedule, but it why amI doing it?
I'm doing it to have thatexperience.
And so I spoke earlier about,you know, 85 year old Nicole.
(27:53):
I mean she inspires me.
I want to be, I hope to be,mountain biking in a maybe
different kind of way at 85 anddefinitely hiking in the forest
and practicing Pilates andpracticing yoga and picking up
my grandkids and horsing aroundand continuing to move with ease
and mobility, having thatmobility.
(28:14):
So I guess my future inspiresme.
I want to have that future andit's it's.
I have to make intelligentchoices now about how I move my
body, what I, how I nourish mybody so that I can achieve that
down the road.
Susannah Steers (28:30):
Yeah, it's the long game, right, the longevity.
We're in this for longevity.
Nicole Howell (28:34):
I know that word is getting tossed around a lot
these days, but it's true.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Susannah Steers (28:40):
If you had one little nugget to share with
other people about life,something you've learned along
the way that feels important toyou, what would it be?
Nicole Howell (28:50):
I mean there's a quote that pops to mind that I,
you know I discovered thisquote in law school and
something along the lines ofbeing convinced that life is 10%
what happens to me and 90% howI react to it.
And it's resonated.
That quote has always been inmy mind.
I remember, you know, typing itout and giving it to my friends
(29:10):
in law school and it's meantdifferent things to me at
different stages of my life.
Because life can be hard, lifewill be hard, life will be
difficult.
Some of it is of your ownmaking, as I've been discovering
, and this gets back to themaking space and some of it is
just sad and hard and unluckyand how you react to it, how you
(29:32):
grow, the decisions you make asa result of going through it.
Life is about how you react tothe things that happen to you,
rather than burying it but trulyexperiencing it and planting
those seeds for growth andmaking different decisions in
the future.
You know, being present in themoment I mean it's so,
particularly with my professionas lawyers you can blink and
(29:52):
wake up and 10 years goes by andyou know people talk about
being in that sort of automatonstate and you don't want to do.
You want to be present in themoment and choosing to the best
you can, the idea that there arethings you can control and make
good choices to create thatspace and be present in those
(30:12):
moments.
And there's times in life whenyou can't.
You're subsumed into a veryintense period at work, but then
that period will end, or a veryintense period in your personal
life a dying parent, a sick kidand then you will come out of
those moments and how do youbounce back is, I think, what
will define how you enjoy yourlife and what you gain out of it
(30:34):
.
So long answer, but I do thinkthat that would be my answer.
Susannah Steers (30:39):
I think that's a good answer, the way it means
different things in differentphases of your life.
Thank you so much, Nicole, fortaking the time with me today
and sharing your life and yourexperiences.
I feel like I got to get toknow you a little better, and
that always makes me happy.
Nicole Howell (30:55):
I feel the same way.
It was an absolute pleasure.
I really enjoyed thisconversation.
Thanks, Susannah.
Susannah Steers (31:00):
Take care and we'll see you soon.
Nicole Howell (31:02):
Absolutely.
Bye-bye.
Susannah Steers (31:03):
Okay, bye-bye.
I hope you enjoyed today'sepisode.
Subscribe and, if you love whatyou heard, leave a five-star
review and tell people what youenjoyed most.
Join me here again in a coupleof weeks For now let's get
moving.
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