Secretly Sporty

Secretly Sporty

What if working out was about more than the workout? Each week, writer and fitness enthusiast Sebastian Langdell talks to an author, musician, comedian, filmmaker, or other creative about their exercise routine, athletic passions, approach to nutrition – and, most importantly, how their fitness practice fuels their artistic practice. You’ll hear about how boxing and bouldering boost mental health, long bike rides offer a shortcut to transcendence, and getting physically stronger leads to more ambitious art. By the end of the episode, you’ll be inspired to both hit the gym and write your novel. Have someone you’d love to hear discuss their workout routine? Email us at secretlysportypodcast@gmail.com. Note: The views expressed in this show are those of the show’s creators or the guests, and not those of any other entity or institution. Please consult with a doctor before starting any new exercise routine or nutritional program. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

June 15, 2026 24 mins
Author Lucas Schaefer shares with Sebastian how Lord’s Boxing Gym in Austin changed his relationship with fitness and inspired his award-winning debut novel The Slip.  He also dishes on his current pet peeve in the fitness industry, reflects on the parallels between writing and working out, and explains how having his first child has impacted his approach to exercise and food. Plus: he goes deep on the doubt and uncertai...

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Celebrated playwright and co-host of KUT’s Black Austin Matters Lisa B.Thompson talks to Sebastian about her Sunday ritual of walking while listening to gospel music, why she considers meditation a part of working out, and how she went from hating ab exercises to loving them.  She also discusses the origin of Black Austin Matters, previews her new play opening this fall, and extends an invite to Ryan Coogler.  Plus,...

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June 4, 2026 29 mins
In this month’s edition of  Rest Day Radio, Sebastian is joined by his college friend Maya Lau, the host of Other People’s Pockets, to talk about her life-long passion for dance, her move to Mexico City, and why she thinks exercise should be enjoyable, not punishing.  She and Sebastian also analyze the way the elementary-school set approaches music, and they make plans for a flash mob. Plus, Sebastian answers ...

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June 1, 2026 27 mins
Former wildland firefighter and author of Wildfire Days Kelly Ramsey talks to Sebastian about the rigorous physical training she undertook to fight some of the most intense fires in the world. She shares how she increased her running pace — and what form of exercise helps her most when she’s stuck on a writing project. She also tells Sebastian how becoming a mother has changed her relationship to exercise, and how backp...

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Actor Brendan Bradley, with over 100 credits in movies, TV shows, video games, and commercials — including 9-1-1, NCIS, & Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas — talks with Sebastian about his swimming practice, how getting ultra-ripped challenged his self-identity, and why journaling has become an essential activity for him.  He goes in-depth into how he changed his fitness routine to get into characte...

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May 18, 2026 26 mins
Acclaimed New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie joins Sebastian for a wide-ranging conversation about his lifting practice, his love of the mid-twentieth century aesthetic, and how his sense of style is one of his biggest motivators to hit the weights. They also have an in-depth discussion about the depiction of masculinity in The Matrix, Fight Club, American Psycho, and Mad Men. Plus, Jamelle relates his quest to deadli...

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Michelle Millar Fisher -- Curator of Decorative Arts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston -- talks to Sebastian about turning to running during a period of intense grief, following the deaths of her mother and her former partner (Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit). She shares how running then became an essential part of her routine, and what it’s like to come back to it after giving birth to her daughter. She and Sebast...

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In our second episode of Rest Day Radio, musicians Thor Harris and Peggy Ghorbani (of Thor & Friends) share with Sebastian how their long-running exercise routines aid them in songwriting, energize them on tour and off, and keep them healthy in body and mind. They also reflect on how Thor & Friends evolved in step with their relationship. Thor has recorded and toured with artists like Swans, Bill Callahan, and Shearwater; h...

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Award-winning journalist Bonnie Tsui, author of Why We Swim and On Muscle, joins Sebastian to discuss why she loves surfing in cold water, the swim from Alcatraz to San Francisco, and why she opts out of music in the gym.  She also reflects on how writing Why We Swim changed her own swimming practice, and she discusses the community she’s found while surfing — animals included!  Plus, she reveals the hilarious...

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April 27, 2026 35 mins
Essayist and poet Hanif Abdurraqib, author of They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us and Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest, discusses how running transports him through time and space, and how it helps him manage anxiety and depression. He goes in depth on his running playlist, and details what types of songs work for what mile of your run—and he and Sebastian bond over why shoegaze is perfect runn...

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April 20, 2026 28 mins

Former politician Jason Kander, author of Invisible Storm and host of the podcast Majority 54, joins Sebastian to discuss playing high-level baseball (not softball!). He shares how joining the team changed his relationship to fitness, made him a more empathetic father, and opened up community in his life. He also goes in depth on his experience living with untreated PTSD, how that affected his physical health, and how he was e...

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April 13, 2026 28 mins
Celebrated author Laura van den Berg, writer of The Third Hotel and State of Paradise, discusses how she became a competitive boxer — and the intense training regimen she maintains to be ready to get in the ring at a moment’s notice. She shares with Sebastian the ways in which competing helps her manage her anxiety, how being a writer makes her a better boxer, and how partaking in the sport has inspired her upcoming nov...

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April 6, 2026 28 mins
VMA-award-winning music video director Dano Cerny speaks with Sebastian about his journey from being an artsy kid who hated sports to someone who prioritizes physical activity, and he reflects on what he wishes he’d understood about fitness earlier.  He describes how he found the inspiration for the Sia x Kylie Minogue collab video “Dance Alone” (on one of his daily hikes).  Plus, he shares the pros and ...

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The first Thursday of each month, Secretly Sporty takes a recovery day and releases an episode of Rest Day Radio.  And in our first edition, Electric Lit editor and author Halimah Marcus comes on the show to talk about her love for cycling and horseback riding.  She and Sebastian reminisce about their time in college together, trade stories of traumatic moments involving horses, and discuss how writing is a lot like a lon...

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March 30, 2026 30 mins
Acclaimed writer R.O. Kwon, author of The Incendiaries and Exhibit, tells Sebastian about her love for bouldering, why she stopped, and what brought her back. She also talks about her passion for powerlifting, and how those two activities are the best antidote to anxiety she’s found to date. She also shares her approach to revisions and the precise metric she uses to know when a novel is finished. Plus, she reveals the ways i...

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March 23, 2026 31 mins
Internationally bestselling author Soman Chainani, writer of The School for Good and Evil series and the forthcoming Young World, talks to Sebastian about his weightlifting practice and tennis game. He discusses how getting what he calls “deadlift drunk”’ helped him through a rough year and how the joy of playing tennis with college students keeps him young. He tells Sebastian that it was only by getting physicall...

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Comedian Chris Duffy, host of TED’s How to Be a Better Human podcast and author of Humor Me, speaks with Sebastian about his years-long devotion to the scientific Seven Minute Workout, his love of swimming in community pools, and how comedy and laughter are an essential element of good health.  He also fills Sebastian in on a war raging among the world’s demographers, and explains why he always (always) eats before...

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March 16, 2026 31 mins
Legendary cartoonist Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home and Spent, shares with Sebastian the weightlifting routine she’s been doing for over 20 years and discusses the magic of long bike rides and cross country skiing. The two go deep on Bechdel’s book The Secret to Superhuman Strength and bond over their mutual love of rollerblading. Plus, she outlines her tried and true tip for making sure she gets her workout in.&nbs...

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Host Sebastian Langdell interviews a wide variety of creatives about their fitness routines. In each episode, an accomplished artist goes deep into what they do in the gym, their fitness goals, and the way exercise impacts their creative work. Emphasizing the mind-body connection, these interviews will have you thinking about exercise in a whole new way.  


New episodes weekly, starting Monday, March 16th.


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