Work, Play, Love With Lauren Fleshman And Jesse Thomas

Listen, even if you aren’t interested in the topics in this episode, do yourself a favor and listen to the final few minutes where Jesse explains the origination of #superadvanced, including a memorable dinner table moment with Jude and an avocado. (But if you are interested, here are this week’s listener questions):   When to push through fatigue in training/work, and when you need a break Redefining athletic goals with age (Shoutout masters athletes!) Living unfairly in someone else’s limelight The #superadvanced backstory Lauren and Jesse tackle an early morning recording, buzzed up on coffee and surprisingly chipper after Lauren hosted a four-day Wilder Retreat and Jesse pulled dad duty during a big block of Challenge Roth training. Of course they talk about both - that whole Work, Play, Love balance thing - and also how they help each other ease back into “normal” life feeling rejuvenated rather than frazzled and behind after time away. This week’s questions spur a lively chat about energy sto

If this week’s What’s Going On?! segment were a Friends episode, it’d be titled, “The One Where Jesse’s More Nervous for PPP than Kona.” He and Lauren recap their perspective Pole, Pedal, Paddle races - spoiler: they both rocked it - and the super secret Picky Bars conference call they just took from the living room - spoiler: it’s a secret - before diving into these listener-instigated topics: Lessons for your younger self Training during and after pregnancy On-again, off-again relationships Making time/motivation/courage to do hard stuff Thinking big picture and not getting too wrapped up with the big-ness of a picture bookend the conversation in this episode. Some sage advice to their younger athletic selves translates into (very much in hindsight) lessons learned about themselves during their on-again, off-again relationship, including how they knew it was time to be together for real. Lauren divulges about the importance of not minimizing someone’s concern over exercising while pregnant nor the

It’s a big week in the Flomas household, as both Lauren and Jesse prepare for the “Bend Olympics” - Pole, Pedal, Paddle! This multi, multi-sport event is the ultimate PNW challenge and a town treasure. Lauren’s holding down the run leg for her mom friend team, “Play Date,” and Jesse’s tackling the ski, ski, bike, run, kayak, sprint course solo looking for his first non-asterisk win. After some LOLs over their differing race preps, they jump into listener questions. Topics include: Getting into a good pre-race headspace (as the athlete and how to help as a supporter) Talking (or not) through parenting issues Nutrition Differences between fueling as an elite athlete vs regularly active person Trends, fads, extreme diets, and body shaming Life goals/road-mapping “That’s a great question!” is this episode’s most uttered phrase, and for good reason. Conversation floats from serious and tactical to light and laughable and back again while Lauren and Jesse discuss the neurosis of race prep (triathl

  Fresh off their wild Wildflower weekend, Jesse and Lauren give a glimpse at what a weekend racing as a pro athlete looks like when the whole damn family is in tow. From how the change in environment may’ve affected his performance to how well compression socks perform as emergency first aid to a four year old’s head, it’s not your typical race recap. (Actual race recap here.) From there they jump right into a batch of listener questions, tackling topics like: Helping someone struggling with confidence issues in sport Dealing with injuries The perks (and downfalls!) of owning a company and an MBA This episode covers the whole spectrum of work-play-love, with talks about mental health, physical health, body, and brain. They open up about their own experiences with no longer being the “big fish” in a small pond, Lauren’s struggle with the “attention drug” and Jesse’s with disordered eating, and offer some advice for helping someone you see going through confidence issues. Their own experiences with in

With race season around the corner - Can Jesse bring home a seventh consecutive W at Wildflower this weekend?? - this episode has them ramping up and dialing in the feeling of peak training. (The intro tinkering seems to have started paying some dividends...) Listener questions this week include: Training together - yay or nay? How to tell when it’s time to move from amateur to elite What makes a good coach, and are all pro athletes qualified to coach by virtue of their training? Developing hiring processes and implementing culture at work A fun run down memory lane recounting Lauren and Jesse’s first (less-than-fun) run together leads into how they’ve come to manage their on-again, off-again exercise relationship together over the years. Asking the right questions about goals and visions for the future guide their advice for anyone looking to take the next steps in their athletic careers, as well as in seeking out a coach. Lastly, they cover the things they’ve learned - sometimes (/usually) the har

It’s Boston Marathon morning! Lauren and Jesse are buzzing after Des Linden’s big win, which brings up her new coffee company (Linden & True), which conveniently segues into a fresh batch of listener questions about biz, sport, and life at home: Project management at home Getting back to training after a break Dealing with parent guilt of time away from training and running a business Picky Bars thoughts on bringing on investors Jesse kicks things off by talking about how he talks too much, and Lauren eventually reveals her secret big ticket trade-in item for Picky Bars. Their starkly contrasting to-do list systems (or lack thereof) are balanced out by a similar approach towards finding rhythm, dealing with parent guilt, and the importance of being more than “just an athlete.”

Lauren and Jesse don't realize the podcast is already named, oh well. Then they answer these questions -    - What’s the most effective way to spend quality time together when you’re tired from training and work?   - How do you go about securing sponsorships as an athlete?   - How did you get past the point of having to do everything for your business to being able to hire people to help?   - When you were first starting out as entrepreneurs - how did you decide whether to offer health care for employees and how much to offer?   Lauren and Jesse let their listeners in on the amazing secret benefits of....Dinner and a Movie. They discuss finding sponsors as professional athletes, creating value for those sponsors outside of race results, and the rise of the "influencer." Next is exploring the entrepreneurial process of mastering a task then hiring help to expand - Jesse recommends the book E-Myth. Finally, they discuss the gradual steps they took to offer health care to Picky Bars employees.

After an obviously unrehearsed but awesomesauce intro, Lauren and Jesse answer these questions: How do you make time for each other that isn't focused around business and/or training? How do you encourage your kids in sports without pushing them too hard? Do you modify your training to account for stress at work or at home? When you started Picky Bars, did you set a "Done" line, where you would stop the business? The episode touches on setting work/life boundaries, particularly when you own a business, and scheduling time for your significant other to talk biz and NOT talk biz! Lauren and Jesse debate the value of sports pursuit as a child, and what they've learned trying and not trying to encourage their son to do sports he may or may not be interested in. They describe how best to stick with the training plan vs abandon it when life's stresses mount. Finally, they address how they're learning to balance the growth of a business with the increasing financial responsibilities that come with it.

Lauren and Jesse get off to a rip rocking start by introducing each other, and explain why the world needs yet another podcast! They describe how they intend to learn from each other and their listeners as they answer questions on sports, family, business, and the balance between all three.