My guest for this episode is Stevie Delahunt, returning for the 3rd time. We spoke about this time last year, after she finished the endurance race known as Tevis a 100 mile endurance ride on the Western States Trail in California. This ride is legendary, with only 39% of the entrants completing the full race this year. Stevie was one of those riders, along with 2 other riders competing on her horses. She had a total of 5 horses in the race, and the other 2 horses made it to mile 94. This is just an incredible feat, especially considering that her focus was more on process than on getting the buckle.

This year, she not only finished Tevis, she followed that the next weekend by finishing a half Ironman triathlon. We spent a fair bit of time in this podcast talking about what it takes to finish two such grueling races.

We went pretty deep in this episode, including speaking about Stevie’s theory that all truths are paradoxes, how to manage your doubts and outs, the value of having process versus outcome goals and so much more. I’ve been out to Oregon to ride with Stevie 4 times, and each time I go, gain more strength in my mental tools, have fun and learn a lot. Stevie walks her talk.

Here’s what Stevie says about herself:

Stevie Delahunt graduated Michigan State University with two degrees and an intent to pursue law school at Georgetown University where she had been accepted. She switched gears and went to the French Pastry School of Chicago to learn how to do wedding cakes and set up shop in the Windy City. While in Chicago she learned of the world’s toughest horse race, the Mongol Derby, and she again let life guide her into constant change. On the other side of successfully completing the Mongol Derby she took a job with a startup company in Rhode Island and learned coding and marketing for the online business.

The endeavor in the world of start-ups gave her strong leadership skills and an education in business models she applied to starting her second and current business of horse related retreats.

Stevie’s current business encompasses several facets of the horse world including beginner riding instruction, advanced Bootcamp style retreats for riders wishing to participate in difficult horse riding survival races around the world, horse shoeing, and endurance racing with horses which includes doing the worlds toughest one day one hundred mile horse race; the Tevis Cup.

Stevie believes that adversity is a necessary part of life and being prepared for adversity as well as creating it for oneself is essential and is a tool she uses in teaching both horses and humans, both young and old.

I hope you enjoy this episode with Stevie Delahunt.

My guest on this episode of the podcast is Kyle Pertuis of Mindfit Coaching. Kyle and I have known each other for at least 25 years, first meeting in Lake Lure when he was in the hospitality business. Now he is a coach, and I was intrigued to hear what he’s been up to in the last decade or so, and what drove him to make such a huge career shift.

In this episode, we are catching up with each other after many years of not seeing each other, and along the way, Kyle offers many coaching insights that apply to many different domains. For example, he has some really useful distinctions on what makes a good team.

Here’s a summary of his biography:

Kyle Pertuis is the Founder and Head Coach at MindFit Coaching, Inc. in New Braunfels, TX. He is a seasoned Professional Executive Coach and Leadership Development Consultant with a 25-year track record in designing and facilitating programs to optimize strong organizational culture, business growth, leadership development, personal effectiveness, and employee engagement. Kyle’s coaching and consulting expertise have supported numerous Fortune 500 companies as well entrepreneurial start-ups.

Ultimately, his coaching style is rooted in his passion to support people with a values-based approach to creating positive and lasting change in their business and personal lives. As Founder of MindFit Coaching, Inc, he works primarily with leaders and their teams enabling them to maximize their highest potential and performance levels. For well over a decade Kyle has taught, trained, and certified over 1000 professional, executive, leadership, and life coaches.

Kyle says Simply Stated--Coaching is not a BUSINESS—it is a MINDSET and an enhanced level of communication to inspire, motivate and empower others to act!

This episode was a real treat for me to catch up with a longtime friend and colleague. I hope you enjoy this episode with Kyle Pertuis.

My guest for this episode is Hannah Betts, Hollywood Stuntwoman, Professional Skydiver and more. If you watched the Superbowl this year, you saw Hannah land in a cruise ship swimming pool after jumping out of a helicopter. She shares some of the behind-the-scenes magic from that commercial, as well as some of the scarier stunts she’s done for other shows and movies. She’s had a number of scary things happen in her career – and the way she embraces things not going right is inspiring.

In our conversation, we deeply explored the topic of fear from angles rarely talked about. Hannah has been to the other side of fear, and she’s bringing back the wisdom she’s earned to help the rest of us in our own journeys see fear as a companion, not an enemy.

Here’s what Hannah has to say about herself:

Hannah Betts has worn many bold titles—Outdoor Adventure Sports Instructor, Police Officer, Professional Skydiver, and now, Hollywood Stuntwoman. Beyond the risk and achievement lies a deeper journey—one of confronting fear and vulnerability head-on, rising above comparison, and letting go of the expectations to live a 'conventional life'. Despite what it may look like from the outside, fear walks with her every day. She just doesn’t let it lead. Hannah’s mission is to empower others to do the same - to lean into fear rather than run from it. Through the power of her story, she helps others break free from what holds them back, unfreeze the parts of life that feel out of reach, and boldly step into their unique potential.