March 2026

Ep #106: Grit Over Talent: Resilience, Risk, and Paddling Hard Stuff with Mariann Sæther

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Ask Mariann Sæther what got her to two world championships, and she won’t say talent. Mariann is a two-time world champion in extreme kayaking, a mother of two, and one of the most accomplished women in whitewater history. She retired from competition in 2024 after nearly three decades of paddling rivers around the world. In

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Ep #105 From Cancer Diagnosis to the Grand Canyon: How Laura Kurup Found Her Flow

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What does it take to rebuild a life around what you actually love — not what looks impressive from the outside? Laura Kurup spent years as a high-performing tech executive — Chief Strategy Officer at the SEC, Chief Data Officer at the New York Fed, and somewhere along the way, paddling took a backseat. Then

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Ep#104 Mindfulness for Paddlers: Simple Practices to Stay Calm, Focused, and in Flow

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Whitewater kayaking naturally pulls us into the present moment. When you’re paddling a rapid, your senses sharpen, your mind clears, and you’re fully focused on the line ahead. But what if you didn’t have to wait for a rapid to access that state? In this solo episode of The Discomfort Zone Podcast, I share simple

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Ep#103 Tyler Curtis on Modeling Courage and Why Passion Matters

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You’ve felt that edge before — the moment between staying in the eddy and peeling out into the current. In this episode of The Discomfort Zone Podcast, I sit down with world-class kayaker, coach, and avalanche specialist Tyler Curtis to explore what it really means to lean into uncertainty — on the river and in

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The Fundamentals of Confident River Running | Mind Body Paddle

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If you want to become a more confident whitewater kayaker, you have to master more than just strokes — you have to understand your relationship with the river. In my latest YouTube video, I break down the Paddle portion of the Mind Body Paddle approach and the foundational river running skills that help you navigate

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Ep#102 Confidence Under Pressure with Matt Hamilton

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What do you do when the pressure is on, and you don’t have the answer? In this episode of The Discomfort Zone Podcast, I sit down with longtime paddler, freestyle competitor, and squirt boater Matt Hamilton to explore what real composure looks like in high-stakes environments. As a paramedic and ski patroller, Matt regularly operates

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4 Habits from the most transformational program I teach

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Someone recently asked me: “Which of your programs is the most transformational?” They were sure it would be one of my paddling programs. Find Your Flow.Costa Rica.Private Instruction. And yes, those programs are powerful. They build skill. They build courage. They build community. But my answer surprised them. Because the most transformational program I teach

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