58: Making Racing Fun, Perks of Kids

Juggling work-life balance can be a real three-ring circus, which Lauren & Jesse know first hand. Led by listener questions, the Work, Play, Love Podcast is all about sports, biz, and family. [ASK YOUR QUESTION]

58: Staying Calm On Race Day, Why Kids Are Good, Making Races Fun For Your Partner, Setting Up Your Business For Balance

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Description:

The leaves are starting to change, and the Work Play Love duo’s wild summer schedule is starting to settle down. So what better time than now for an episode all about calming down, acknowledging the good things, and building balance into your life? Lauren and Jesse answer questions about how to handle nerves on race day, how to make race events more fun for a spectating partner, and how to build a business that leaves room for your other life goals. Plus, they count the ways having kids has improved their lives, they tell the story behind Picky Bars flavors, and more.

What’s goin’ on?!!

The Work Play Love duo have had seemingly back to back events all summer long, and they’re not stopping yet. Lauren’s getting ready for her September Wilder retreat (can we get a hell yeah?!). She gives some insight to how she prepares for Wilder weekends and talks about how the retreats are as energizing for her as they are for the participants. Meanwhile, Jesse’s getting ready for a weekend of solo parenting, which will probably be a bit better than the last solo-parenting weekend. “Why?,” you ask? Because last solo-parenting weekend, Jesse was just coming off of having a vasectomy. Jesse shares what the experience was like and offers some advice to listeners considering the same procedure.

Tasty Bites

7:43 - Ryan Reynolds once said he would take a bullet for Blake Lively (his wife) because he loved her so much. But after their first daughter’s birth, he said he’d use Blake as a human shield if their daughter was under attack. Would you also use one another as a human shield to save your kids?

Yep. Lauren and Jesse would use themselves or one another as human shields to save their kids—that’s what unconditional love’s all about!

9:11 - Why did you move to Bend?

Jesse grew up in Bend, and he absolutely loves it. That’s the biggest reason the Flomas duo moved, but Lauren likes it pretty well, too. And so do a lot of folks! It’s a fast going city and it’s easy to see why. The culture is fantastic, it’s scenic and beautiful, and there’s a ton of outdoor activities right off your doorstep. Check out a few of the ways Bend, OR is awesome.

Visit Bend

Picky Bars Lifepoints Adventure Guide to Bend, Oregon

11:01 - Do pro cyclists or Triathletes ever do workouts like Peloton? How does something like that compare to Zwift for indoor training?

We don’t know any pros that use Peloton, though we’ve heard it’s a great workout tool for a lot of folks. When it comes to cyclings, professional athletes most likely want to be working out on their own bikes, which affords them the opportunity to practice how they’re going to play. 

11:48 - Any tips for an early riser who needs to fuel for an early-morning workout before work?

Waking up early to workout can be a drag (Lauren—not a morning person—doesn’t even do the 5am thing). But if you’re looking for a fast and efficient way to fuel your early morning workout, Picky Bars or Picky Oats are the way to go. They’re super quick to prepare and nosh on before your workout. And if you’re going out for a long workout, you may consider starting your workout on an empty stomach, letting your body warm up, and then fueling halfway through.

Picky Bars

Picky Oats 

14:12 - What kinds of goals do you have on your 'life goals' spreadsheet? How did you create it, and how often do you update it?

Jesse’s famous “life goals” spreadsheet has a bunch of aspirations listed—from being a good dad, to visiting New Zealand, and from creating a patent to trying a Sour Jack. When he was in his early 20s, Jesse created the spreadsheet in three steps:

• He wrote down anything that came to mind—without judgement—about things he’d like to accomplish. He didn’t think about whether or not it’d be possible, he just wrote what came to mind.
• He ranked the goals in order of importance to him on a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being very important). Things like having lifelong friends were a 10, while heading to New Zealand was a 2.
• Lastly, he organized the list by age ranges during which he felt he could attempt these goals.

He hasn’t updated in a while—but this question’s got him thinking about it…!

18:46 - What was the first Picky Bar flavor you made, and how did you develop the other flavors? 

The first Picky Bar flavor was Lauren’s Mega Nuts. It was born of Lauren and Jesse’s favorite flavor combo—peanuts and honey—and balanced with some other awesome fruits. Soon after, they created a bar that didn’t include peanuts—All-In Almond—for you picky eaters with peanut allergies. They also created another bar that didn’t include any nuts at all for you picky eaters who don’t eat peanuts nor tree nuts—Need for Seed. Next up, they wanted another tasty flavor combo—chocolate and peanut butter, which came in the form of Ah, Fudge Nuts!. And then they just followed their hearts and their taste buds! Chai and Catch Me and Moroccan Your World offer some more savory spiced flavors. Smooth Caffeinator will give you a lil’ caffein kick. And who can resist a handful of blueberries and almonds, like you’ll find in Blueberry Boomdizzle, or a spicy sweet snack of cinnamon, walnuts and raisins like you get with Cinnamon Roll’n. All the bars are made with real food and fit into the Picky formula—which is optimized for an active lifestyle—of 4-to-1 carb-to-protein ratio (60% carbs, 15% protein) with 25% of the calories coming from fats. How’s that for a history lesson!?

Meat & Potatoes

22:48 - Do you have any advice for staying calm on race day?

It’s super, super normal to be nervous and excited, or excited and nervous—or just nervous, or just excited—on race day. Every athlete, at one time or another, experiences these emotions and a flood of others, like negative self-talk or positive visualizations. Here are some tips from Lauren and Jesse to keep in mind on race day:

• An elevated heart rate is a good thing—your body’s anticipating what you’re about to do, and because of your training, it’s pumping a bunch of fresh oxygenated blood to your muscles!
• If you feel “nervous,” try to reframe this feeling as excitement—they’re kinda one in the same, and it’s normal to feel that way when you’re invested in something you’re about to do that’s tough! When you care, it’s exciting. So when you feel those bubbles, recognize the feeling as excitement.
• Practice meditation techniques. It’s ok to have negative thoughts—acknowledge them and let them pass.
• Feel your feet on the ground—feel connected to that sense of gravity and grounded-ness.
• Pay attention to your breath! Focus on your breathing and ground yourself in your breath.

30:47 - What are some ways that having kids has helped you in work, play, and love?

Even though Lauren and Jesse often talk about the challenges of raising kids as pro athletes and entrepreneurs, the truth is that kids have brought immense positivity into their lives. Here are some ways that having kids is awesome:

• You get to fall in love all over again.
• The cliché is a cliché for a reason: having kids renews your sense of purpose in life (at work and in sport).
• They challenge you to be a great role model, and to be aware of how you’re moving through life.
• It’s refreshing and joyful! They’re so much fun, and it’s amazing to see kids experiencing new things.
• It will cure you of selfishness (or nearly cure you of selfishness).
• You get to connect with and bond with other parents—so your social circles will expand in ways you may not have expected. 

38:25 - How do I make races more fun for my partner?

It’s true. Not every partner may want to pack the car and go all over the place for your races. While it can be fun to support you in achieving your athletic goals, sometimes races can be downright boring or uncomfortable for partners. Try checking in with your partner and seeing if you can get some quality time on the calendar outside of your race days. That lets them know you’ve got some time set aside for your relationship, and they don’t need to feel pressured to attend your events just to spend time with you. They may still want to attend a few, but they won’t feel like they have to. Another idea is to pick out races in places that would be fun for your partner to travel to or experience. Lauren and Jesse reminisce about some of Jesse’s races that were fun to travel to as a family—like the time they got to go to the Playmobil Fun Park.

42:16 - How did you go about setting up Picky Bars so that you and your employees could balance work, play, and love?

Picky Bars started as a side business for Jesse and Lauren, and it grew really organically. When it was taking up too much time, they wrote a job description to take some things off of their plates and hired folks. And at Picky Bars, pursuing life goals is baked into the culture—so balancing work, play, and love is a part of our company values and is reflected in hiring practices and employee expectations.

Follow-Ups

47:00 - In episode 47, a listener wrote in and asked whether it was a wise idea to date a teammate. Lauren and Jesse said heck yeah, go for it! Well, that listener gives an update on what’s happened since!

48:09 - Life IS Long and Short at the same time!

A listener points out that, thanks to some 400-year-old philosophy, we can confirm that Jesse’s catch phrase: “life is long and short at the same time,” has some merit!

49:54 - All The Comedies

Jesse asked for some recommendations for new comedies to get into, and y’all did not disappoint. Here are comedies recommended by the Work, Play, Love community:

52:40 - Terracycling: not just for your mailbox anymore!

In episode 56 a listener pointed out that Picky packaging is not bio-degradable or recyclable and wanted to know why. Lauren and Jesse chatted about how Picky packaging is made as sustainably as possible for now, and that it can be terracycled. In this episode, another listener follows up and shares that they have terracycling bins on their school’s campus, and that you may have access to terracycling near you, too!

As always, submit your work/play/love question at pickybars.com/workplaylove - Thanks for listening!

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