At age 49, Susan Marie Conrad paddled 1,200 miles—alone—through the remote, storm-swept waters of the Alaskan Inside Passage.
Twelve years later, at 61, she went back and did it again.

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

We also talk about the stark environmental changes she witnessed: the plastic where it didn’t belong, the shrinking glaciers, and the fragility of ecosystems many of us will never see.

This episode is a meditation on endurance, improvisation, awe, and the will to keep growing—even (especially) as we age.

🧭 What We Talk About

• What exactly is the Inside Passage—and what makes it so wild and magical
• The brutal logistics of a solo sea kayak expedition (and what people get wrong)
• Fear, failure, and what to do when a grizzly bear shows up 30 feet away
• How aging changed her approach to adventure—and made the second journey even deeper
• What climate change looks like from a tiny boat in a vast and fragile ecosystem
• Why she mentors younger women to take on big expeditions of their own
• Finding purpose through challenge, stillness, and storytelling

🔗 Links & Resources

📸 Susan's Instagram

🌊 Susan’s Website

📷 Susan's Books:

📚 Inside: One Woman’s Journey Through the Inside Passage
📷 Wildly Inside: A Visual Journey Through the Inside Passage

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At 65, Judi Oyama is still lining up at the start gate — not in a “Masters” category, but shoulder-to-shoulder with athletes half, or even a quarter her age. She’s a World Champion slalom skateboarder, a Guiness record holder, a Hall of Fame inductee, and a pioneer who’s been breaking barriers since she first picked up a board in Santa Cruz in the early 1970s.

Back then, women’s divisions barely existed. Prize money was unequal. Media crews left during women’s finals. Judi skated anyway — pushing through invisibility, injury, and a sport that wasn’t built to include her. Five decades later, she’s still competing, still winning, and mentoring the next generation of racers who may one day take the sport to the Olympics.

In this episode, we talk about:

• What slalom skateboarding actually is — and why it’s so addictive
• How Judi fought for gender and racial equality in skateboarding
• The longevity toolkit she’s built: CrossFit, heavy lifting, recovery, and smart nutrition
• Why representation matters, and how she’s mentoring young women in the sport
• How to stay competitive, joyful, and relevant in your sport for decades
• Her motto: “Be badass every day” — and what it means in practice

Whether you’ve ever stepped on a skateboard or not, Judi’s story is about rewriting the limits others put on you, and replacing them with your own.

- Follow Judi on Instagram

- Judi in the Guiness Book of Records

Cover pic 📸 Dave Re

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🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it

If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

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1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

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Physiotherapist, coach, and lifelong climber Andy McVittie is back for the final chapter of our three-part deep dive into aging well, moving well, and living without fear of injury.

If you haven’t listened to Part I (The Movement Optimist: Knees, Shoulders, Elbows, Hips, Bulletproof Yourself! Never Late to Get Strong!) or Part II (Aging Joints & Grateful Bodies: Elbows, Fingers, Sleep, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves), I highly recommend going back. In those episodes, we tackled the myths about aging, explored upper body resilience, and broke down joint-by-joint strategies for staying strong.

In Part III, we turn our attention to the often-overlooked foundation: hips, ankles, and feet.

We cover:

• Why hips, ankles, and feet are often neglected—and why that’s a mistake
• Early warning signs your hips or ankles need attention
• Simple self-tests for hip mobility and ankle strength
• What to do if you’ve been living with old injuries or imbalances
• Strategies for preventing long-term issues and keeping your lower body strong for decades
• How to return to activity after injury or time off
• Andy’s take on recovery tools—what’s worth your time and what’s just marketing noise
• How to structure a realistic, sustainable weekly maintenance plan
• The mindset shift that keeps you moving confidently for life

This is practical, encouraging, and packed with the kind of wisdom that comes from decades of helping real people—not just athletes—move better, heal better, and age with optimism.

Resources & References

Andy McVittie

• Andy's Website
• Andy's Instagram
• The Self-Rehabbed Climber
• Level Edges Pulley Splints: leveledges.co.uk

Relevant Past Episodes (look for these titles in your podcast app)

• #65 The Movement Optimist: Knees, Shoulders, Elbows, Hips, Bulletproof Yourself! Never Late to Get Strong!
• #68 Aging Joints & Grateful Bodies: Elbows, Fingers, Sleep, and the Stories We Tell Ourselves

Tools & Resources Mentioned

• Calf Raise App on iOS – for testing ankle strength and endurance

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🎯 Support this podcast and try Nutrisense

Personalized health data can help us age better and feel stronger. Track your glucose 24/7 and work 1:1 with a certified dietitian to build habits that last. 👉 Get 33% off your first month at https://nutrisense.io/agelessathlete

🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it

If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

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1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

Support the show

Every few months, I pause to reflect on the conversations that left a mark—ones I keep thinking about long after the recording stops. This episode is a curated collection of those moments from Spring 2025.

You’ll hear stories that go beyond performance. These are reflections on resilience, identity, aging, and the human drive to keep exploring what’s possible—physically and emotionally.

In this episode:

• Sarah Thomas reflects on childhood, potential, and joy after record-breaking swims and cancer survival.
  🎧 [#76 Four Times Across the English Channel: What One Impossible Swim Can Teach You About Identity, Grit, and Starting Over]
• Bob Becker, 80, shares what he’s learned from DNFs and brutal finishes in 100+ mile races.
  🎧 [#73 Unstoppable: The 80-Year-Old Who Runs 100+ Mile Ultramarathons—and Reminds Us Why Showing Up Still Matters]
• Bill Ramsey introduces the “Pain Box” and how meaning comes from effort, not ease.
  🎧 [#75 The Thinking Climber: What a Philosopher’s Double Life Reveals About Curiosity, Reinvention, and the Long Arc of Mastery]
• Bob Babbitt takes us back to the wild early days of Ironman—where athletes taped bananas to bikes and finished races on Big Macs and pure guts.
  🎧 [#77 Still Racing at 73: Triathlon’s Wild Origins, Daily Rituals For Recovery, Energy, Clarity, and Why Sport Is the Real Fountain of Youth]
• Bianca Valenti recounts a terrifying moment that launched her into big wave surfing—and a fight for equal pay.
  🎧 [#72 Bianca Valenti’s Second Act: How She Won Equal Pay, Redefined Her Sport, and Trains Her Body and Nerves for Big Waves — and for Life]
• Rob Matheson, age 74, recounts his bold climb of an E7 sea cliff route—and what came after.
  🎧 [#78 When the Gear Might Not Hold: Cutting-Edge Rock Climbing at 74, Mentorship Across Generations, and Why Boldness and Growth Don’t Have an Age Limit]
• Dean Karnazes on laying it all on the line for the world’s first marathon at the South Pole.
  🎧 [#70 Dean Karnazes: Fighting Fit in His 60s, Running Ultras on Weekends, and Tracing the Marathon’s Roots in Greece]
• Andy McVittie, climbing physio, shares how to assess your shoulder health and why tendon care is everything.
  🎧 [#65 The Movement Optimist: Knees, Shoulders, Elbows, Hips, Bulletproof Yourself! Never Late to Get Strong!]
• Jerry Moffatt narrates one of his proudest moments: the visionary onsight of Equinox.
  🎧 [#67 Jerry Moffatt’s Revelations: Dangerous Free Soloing Before It Was Cool, The Power of Obsession, Letting Go at Your Peak, and His Surprising Key to Success]
• Neil Gresham, climbing coach, explains why Rob Matheson wasn’t treated any differently—and what that tells us about aging, mindset, and training.
  🎧 [#80 Lexicon, Boldness

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🎯 Support this podcast and try Nutrisense

Personalized health data can help us age better and feel stronger. Track your glucose 24/7 and work 1:1 with a certified dietitian to build habits that last. 👉 Get 33% off your first month at https://nutrisense.io/agelessathlete

🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it

If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !

1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

Support the show

In Part II of our deep conversation, Andy Donaldson takes us into the heart of open water swimming—where the body aches, the mind wanders, and sometimes… things go wrong.

We pick up the story after his return to the sport. But this time, it's different. Andy isn’t chasing medals—he’s chasing meaning. And the path leads him through shark-infested waters, swollen throats, and swims so long and cold they push his body toward shutdown.

In this episode, Andy shares:

• What happened during his 15-hour swim across the Molokai Channel that landed him in the hospital
• The physical and psychological cost of extreme endurance—and how he prepares for it
• How he trained his mind to stay calm through chaos, pain, and fear
• Why rest is one of the most underappreciated tools in elite performance
• The habits, rituals, and community that help him stay grounded—even as he takes on the world’s hardest swims

This is a conversation about what lives on the other side of burnout—and what it means to build a second act rooted in intention, not just achievement.

Whether you're an athlete, a late bloomer, or someone reevaluating what truly matters… there’s something in this episode for you.

🎧 Listen now and share your thoughts with us.

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🎯 Support this podcast and try Nutrisense

Personalized health data can help us age better and feel stronger. Track your glucose 24/7 and work 1:1 with a certified dietitian to build habits that last. 👉 Get 33% off your first month at https://nutrisense.io/agelessathlete

🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it

If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !

1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

Support the show

What does it take to walk away from something you’ve trained for your entire life… and then find your way back — stronger, wiser, and with a whole new purpose?

In this two-part conversation, we sit down with world-record-holding swimmer Andy Donaldson. But Part One isn’t about records. It’s about the reset — the season of burnout, career shifts, mental struggle, and the slow, imperfect process of coming home to yourself.

Andy was once on the edge of elite swimming. Then he left the sport entirely — went to work as an accountant, burned out, and eventually found himself guiding volcano tours in Nicaragua during the pandemic. Somewhere along the way, he started swimming again —, just for himself.

That path led to an unexpected win at the legendary Rottnest Channel Swim… and the beginning of one of the most astonishing comebacks in open water history.

🧭 In This Episode (Part I):

• How burnout pulled Andy away from competitive sport
• What it's like to truly step away — and live life outside the pool
• His quiet return to swimming in Perth, and why it felt different this time
• The daily practices and mindset shifts that set the foundation for performance
• The win at Rottnest that changed everything
• What open water swimming teaches you about control, trust, and identity

💬 Stay tuned for Part II next week:

We dive deep into Andy’s record-breaking Oceans Seven challenge, a brutal 15-hour swim in Hawaii that nearly ended in disaster, and how he reframed suffering to find meaning, connection, and strength.

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🎯 Support this podcast and try Nutrisense

Personalized health data can help us age better and feel stronger. Track your glucose 24/7 and work 1:1 with a certified dietitian to build habits that last. 👉 Get 33% off your first month at https://nutrisense.io/agelessathlete

🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it

If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !

1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

Support the show

Seb Berthe isn't your average elite climber. He doesn’t just send 5.14s—he sails to them. Literally. When he set his sights on the Dawn Wall—the hardest big wall climb in the world—he refused to fly, instead making three ocean crossings by sailboat, living simply and training creatively along the way.

In this deep and wide-ranging conversation, we talk about:

• Why how you chase a goal matters as much as what the goal is
• How living by your values can deepen the meaning of your accomplishments
• What it takes to train for a 32-pitch 5.14 big wall on a sailboat
• The role of emotional partnership—Seb’s story with Soline is unforgettable
• His quiet call for more sustainable choices in the outdoor world

Seb’s journey will inspire you to reflect—not just on your physical goals, but on the way you live your life.

💬 Highlights + Takeaways

• 🎯 The Dawn Wall: How Seb chose a route halfway across the world—and refused to compromise his values to get there
• ⛵ Training at Sea: Creative strength training routines on a moving sailboat
• 🧠 Momentum and Mindset: Lessons from ocean sailors that shaped his mental approach
• ❤️ True Partnership: The incredible support of Soline—warming frozen toes, belaying through storms, living side-by-side on a wall for weeks
• 🌱 Living With Less: Why Seb believes small personal choices can ripple into broader cultural shifts

🔗 Links + Resources Mentioned

• 📸 Seb Berthe on Instagram:
• 📹 Seb Berthe on Bon Voyage in Annot, France

Cover pic credit: Alex Eggermont

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🎯 Support this podcast and try Nutrisense

Personalized health data can help us age better and feel stronger. Track your glucose 24/7 and work 1:1 with a certified dietitian to build habits that last. 👉 Get 33% off your first month at https://nutrisense.io/agelessathlete!

🚀 Love the show? Here’s how to support it

If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show. 👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

📰 Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter !

1-2x a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

Support the show

What happens when your life as an elite athlete is stripped away—and you’re forced to rebuild, not just your body, but your identity?

In this powerful and personal episode, we sit down with Jamie Whitmore—a world-class endurance athlete whose story is less about podiums and more about persistence.

Jamie was once one of the most dominant XTERRA racers in the world—winning races across continents, climbing mountains on her bike, and chasing down competitors on foot. But when life shifted, so did her focus. Today, she’s a mother of twins, a coach to high school runners, a deeply intentional athlete, and a reminder that strength comes in many forms.

We talk about:

• What XTERRA racing actually is—and why it’s so brutally beautiful
• The moment she lost her athletic identity, and how she found her way back
• Why fear on a mountain bike was her way through, not away from, trauma
• Training with a paralyzed leg, and what it taught her about compensation, patience, and adaptation
• Her daily habits: 5:00 AM wakeups, coaching teen athletes, core work, cross-training, and the power of doing less—but doing it well
• Why movement, variety, and play are the keys to longevity—and joy
• The mindset shifts that came with motherhood, midlife, and physical change
• And why being “gutsy” today looks different than it did in her 20s… but might matter even more

Whether you’re in a season of rebuilding, reinvention, or quiet consistency—Jamie’s story will help you rethink what real strength looks like.

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🎯 Support this podcast and try Nutrisense

Personalized health data can help us age better and feel stronger. Track your glucose 24/7 and work 1:1 with a certified dietitian to build habits that last. 👉 Get 33% off your first month at Nutrisense!

Love the show? Here’s how to support it. 🚀

If something you’ve heard here has stayed with you, made you smile, or helped you keep going, I’d be honored if you’d consider supporting the show.

👉 https://buymeacoffee.com/agelessathlete

Subscribe to the Ageless Athlete newsletter — 2× a month, no spam. We share behind-the-scenes reflections, longevity tips, and athlete wisdom you won’t find anywhere else. You can sign up at https://www.agelessathlete.co/newsletter/ 📩

Support the show