The Road To Ultraman With Chris Clark

This is our final episode in a week-long series highlighting some incredible athletes with type 1 diabetes. Today, I’m excited to share my conversation with Casey Boren. Casey is one of the co-founders of the Diabetes Sports Project, he has run with a team of type 1s across the United States, and he has competed in countless Ironman races including the world championships in Hawaii. Through this episode Casey guides us all to take our lives from the couch to competitor. So sit back, grab a notepad, and let’s tap into the deep knowledge of Casey Boren.

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So next up in our mini-season highlighting some incredible T1D athletes is Brandon Denson. Brandon is a super active figure in the diabetes world through his creative work and new non-profit called Bolus Maximus. But before he was the roller blading community builder he is today, Brandon was a kid from Michigan with big dreams of playing pro football. Supported by the massive love and confidence from his mother, Brandon carved his path from a high school diagnosis, through division one college ball, straight into the pros. But it’s his work shining a spotlight on inequalities in healthcare that makes Brandon a true force to be reckoned with.

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This is a special episode. If you’ve been watching the CBS reality show ‘Tough As Nails’ you are going to be very familiar with my guest on today’s show. Sarah Burkett is a former college track star, police officer, trainer, now pipe welder, who persevered to become one of the final three contestants on this season of the show. She also happens to be type 1. Sarah is a true force of nature and an inspiration to all of us to rise up despite what the world throws at us.

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On this episode, I sit down with mud runner, soon-to-be Ironman competitor, and Chief Operating Officer of the Diabetes Sports Project, Eric Dutcher. In this conversation we dive deep into Eric’s story, and he shares some critical concepts and stories that will help anyone out there, at any level, develop an unstoppable mindset.

Eric Dutcher Instagram - www.instagram.com/chronicsuperhuman

DSP - www.diabetessportsproject.com

Rebellion With Cause Gotham Ride 2021 for DSP - www.gf.me/u/zgzxij

Music credit - Random Thoughts by Audiobinger

On this season 3 finale of the podcast, I sit down with Evan Soroka. Simply put, Evan is a bright soul in the darkness that we are all experiencing right now. In this conversation, Evan shares details of her early childhood in NYC and how her family moved to Colorado so her dad can follow a passion for a creative life. She talks about the beginnings of her life with type 1 diabetes during a 24 hour wilderness survival experience, and how yoga ultimately entered the picture and changed her life. Evan is fascinated with exploration, internal and external, and we go deep in this conversation. We discuss the intricacies and interconnectedness of yoga therapy, the breath, and the mind. We talk about Evan’s definition of the meaning of life and the importance of not wasting our one beautiful opportunity to make the most of our time on this planet.

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www.evansoroka.com

On this episode of the podcast, I sit down with NFL fullback and Super Bowl Champion Derrick Coleman, Jr. If you’re not familiar with Derrick, he is the first deaf offensive player in the history of the National Football League. This conversation explores Derrick’s life growing up with significant hearing loss and the challenges he faced as a result. But one of the most impressive aspects of his story, is the fact that he never used those challenges as excuses. Derrick went on to play football at UCLA and then fought his way into the NFL, ultimately playing for Coach Pete Carroll and alongside Russell Wilson to bring the Super Bowl Championship to the Seattle Seahawks. Derrick and I talk about mindset, perseverance and the work he continues to do to encourage young people with hearing loss to reach for their goals despite what some might view as a disability.

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On this episode, I pick up my conversation with David Bidler. With the ongoing reality of COVID19 as well as everything that has happened in response to the murder of George Floyd, David believes we are at a powerful time in our existence. He sees this as an opportunity to ask better questions about what we want the future to look like, and an opportunity to make change a reality.

As critical as the conversation is about race, and human rights, and social activism, this episode with David is not directly about that. While, as we learn, David does have a significant history working in the civil rights activism trenches, I am admittedly not an expert. Because of that, I will take every opportunity presented to learn from people like David. That said, this conversation is undoubtedly related on an important level. This episode is a chance for David and I to continue to dive into his work with our youth, helping them develop the skills to become mindful leaders of tomorrow. It is David’s belief, and I wholeheartedly agree, that if we invest in our kids now, they will have a better chance of making positive global change for all of us in the future.

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https://physiologyfirst.org/

On this episode, I sit down with ultra-runner, coach, educator & author David Bidler. Among the many projects David is involved in, his recent work is focused on helping our youth develop tools to prepare them to become our leaders of tomorrow. Central to this mission is helping educate kids to utilize the breath as a tool to address mental health issues. In this discussion we go broad and deep, covering issues such as David’s untraditional path, what ultra-running is and is not, what we as parents can do to help our kids through this COVID19 situation, and some interesting neuroscience experiments exploring the breath and brain plasticity.

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https://physiologyfirst.org/

https://distanceathletics.com/

BRAVEST tshirts and hoodies - https://teespring.com/stores/bravest-store

On this episode of the podcast, I sit down with Chris Clark. If you don’t know his story, Chris is a two-time Ultraman competitor and advocate for those living with diabetes. As someone who was diagnosed with type 1 as a young adult, Chris faced a number of years literally teetering on the edge of life and death. He tells the story of how he was forced to ration his insulin simply because of changes in his work and financial situation. It was through a kind gesture of a neighbor that ultimately saved his life.

Fast forward in the story, and Chris went from unable to get out of bed, to competing in not one, but two Ultraman events. Keep in mind, Ultraman is a 321.6 mile event over three days, including a 6.2 mile open water swim, a 263 mile bike ride, and a 52.4 mile run. Also, keep in mind, Chris was the first person with type 1 who competed in the event ever.

Chris shares some very deep parts of his life and how he has used those experiences as fuel to advocate for all people living with diabetes. This includes his efforts to help our policymakers in Washington understand just how the exponential increase in the cost of insulin has been forcing those with diabetes to make life or death choices every day based solely on financial barriers.

This is a conversation of rising from the ashes and making a commitment to carry a burden to help millions of others along the way.

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www.chrisclarkathletics.com

www.t1international.org

Music credit - Random Thoughts by Audiobinger

On this episode of the podcast I sit down with Lance Radford. Lance serves in Air Force Special Operations and has participated in missions around the globe alongside Navy SEALS, Army Rangers, and other Special Ops service members. He also has a significant amount of time under his belt as an antiterrorism officer. In this conversation, we cover his thoughts on the current COVID-19 situation, and we go deep on the topic of fear. Through Lance’s lens, we find that we ultimately have the ability to work with our fear and even use it as a tool for transformation.

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