THE PODCAST

Breaking Trail

Conversations with leaders who chose the harder path,
and the storiesthat show us how to follow.

Kikkan Randall: Winning Olympic Gold and Fighting Breast Cancer

FEATURED EPISODE

Kikkan Randall: Winning Olympic Gold and Fighting Breast Cancer

In the same (half) year

Kikkan Randall is an Olympic champion cross-country skier. She has won 17 U.S. National titles, taken home 17 U.S. Championships, made 16 podiums in the Stage World Cup, made five trips to the Winter Olympic Games and had the highest finish by an individual U.S. woman at the World Championships (2nd in the Sprint FS at Liberec, CZE in 2009). She was the first American female cross-country skier to take a top ten finish in World Cup competition, to win a World Cup race and to win a World Cup discipline title.

In 2013, she teamed up with Jessica Diggins to win the first ever American FIS Nordic World Ski Championships gold medal in the team sprint. She and Diggins won the United States' first-ever cross-country skiing gold medal at the Winter Olympics in the women's team sprint at Pyeongchang in 2018.

In this episode we talk about:

  • How she handles big performance days

  • What is it like the morning before an Olympic Gold medal win

  • Her battle with breast cancer, her pledge to stay active, focused and positive through it

SIGNATURE EPISODES

Conversations Worth Your Commute

Six conversations that capture what Breaking Trail is all about. New to the show? These are the ones to start with.

Dan Abrams on Hard Work, Perseverance and a Goal of No Missed Powder Days

Dan Abrams on Hard Work, Perseverance and a Goal of No Missed Powder Days

DAN ABRAMS

Dan Abrams had an idea. He didn't know how it would happen or what would come of it. He took calculated risks, he made backup plans in case of worst case scenarios, he overcame "down-on-his-luck moments," and didn't think too much about where it was headed.

Bill Gamber and Big Agnes: Actions Speak Louder Than Marketing

Bill Gamber and Big Agnes: Actions Speak Louder Than Marketing

BILL GAMBER

If you're happier and more comfortable when you're outside, you'll get out and play more. That's why Big Agnes, aka, The Mother of Comfort, a Steamboat Springs-based company exists - to make you more comfortable. And Bill Gamber, one of the founders, joins us today.

Man wearing sunglasses smiling on a bridge overlooking a river, with a train track structure above, and a group of people in the distance.

The Great American Rail-Trail

KEVIN BELANGER

Trail planner Kevin Belanger is part of the team building the Great American Rail-Trail, a 3,700-mile multi-use trail connecting Washington, DC and Washington State, and the bulb that goes off when communities see what a trail can do.

A man standing outdoors in front of snow-covered mountains and trees, smiling, with text overlay about a podcast episode on housing policy and climate change featuring Alexis Biddle.

Housing Policy and Climate Change

As Great Communities Program Director at 1000 Friends of Oregon, Alexis spans housing, transportation, and infrastructure to build communities that aren't just livable, but thriving. A conversation about farmland, middle housing, and public input that actually

ALEXIS BIDDLE

A man running on a forest trail wearing a blue shirt, black shorts, and a white cap with "JOSH" written on it, holding a yellow water bottle, with the text "JOSH LASKY EVERY STEP IS A GIFT" and "BREATHE & TRAIL" and "EPISODE 117" on the image.

Every Step is a Gift

JOSH LASKEY

A father, husband, ultramarathoner, and Director of Sustainability at George Washington University, Josh has logged 6,000+ miles of bicycle touring and 85 races. A story about fatherhood, endurance, and how caring for his father changed everything.

Black-and-white photo of a family of three smiling, with the mother on the left, a young boy in the middle, and a man on the right. Text on the image reads 'Breaking the TraiL,' 'Liz Jevtic-Somlai,' and 'Their story is our story.'

Their Story is Our Story

LIZ JEVTIC-SOMLAI

Originally from Serbia and now in Phoenix, Liz knows what it means to flee a country she loved and find new roots in an unfamiliar one. Today she works at Their Story is Our Story, changing perception, reception, and legislation around refugees through personal storytelling.

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