The Lightest Tread The Lightest Tread Podcast

Paul speaks to Nick Brosnan, Marketing Manager for Americas for Polygiene. Polygiene is a long time partner of SOLE's. All of our footbeds are treated with Polygiene to prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria to keep the footbeds stink-free. Part of why we love working with Polygiene is how they position themselves as a company, and the message they spread about mindful living and minimizing your impact.
Paul and Nick chat about Nick's perspective on the North American outdoor industry and how it compares to our counterparts in Scandinavia, Nick gives the lowdown on how stink prevention actually works, the guys discuss the challenges and opportunities of marketing a product for its practical use first and its sustainable credentials second, and Paul shares the memories of his own shameful foot stench. We also learn a bit about the positive impacts of doing less laundry!
To learn more about Polygiene and all they do check out polygiene.com
You can also take 15% off stink-free footbeds at yoursole.com by using code POLY15 at checkout.

Paul chats to long distance hiker and 'recovering academic' Amiththan Sebarajah to gain his perspective on thru-hiking and discus how he frames that perspective against the complex and nuanced backdrop of his life experience as a first-generation immigrant and person of color. As a boy Amiththan survived civil war in Sri Lanka before moving to Canada with his family. His life has followed many varied paths including academia, advocacy, and activism, but the paths he has most passion for are those he can follow across continents, one step at a time.Amiththan has thru-hiked many of the world’s most famous long distance trails and offers a nuanced and considered perspective on what it is to thru-hike in the Social-political context of the modern world. Listeners can get 15% off at yoursole.com by entering the code JUNEBUG15 at checkout. Follow Amiththan on instagram here.

Paul speaks to Thor Retzlaff, a skier, mountaineer, adventurer and entrepreneur with a passion for changing the way we think about and deal with human waste, particularly in the outdoors. Inspired by a trip to Everest base camp in 2018, Thor and his team decided to launch Do Good Shit, a not-for-profit on a mission to reduce the harmful impacts of human waste, by delivering dignified and sustainable sanitation systems to ecologically sensitive environments and their surrounding communities. He's since gone on to co-found a revolution in portable toilets called Wasted.
Paul and Thor discuss the golden rule of properly managing human waste in outdoor settings. They also talk about the hidden potential of urine and upcycling this liquid gold, as well as getting some insight into Thor's trip to build a toilet in the Himalayas and summit Ama Dablam.
Thor wears a SOLE Performance Thin with Met Pad footbed in his mountaineering boots.
Listeners can get 15% off yoursole.com by entering the code THOR15 at checkout.
Check out Wasted here: https://wasted.earth/
And Do Good Shit here: https://www.dogoodshit.org/

Paul speaks to Dr Morgan Brosnihan, DPT. Starting in early spring, Morgan spends her summers living and working out of her big red van. Along with her golden retriever Honey, she travels the Pacific Crest Trail offering specialized support and treatment for hikers hiking the PCT, which Morgan herself completed in 2019.
By combining her passion for thru-hiking and her love for the PCT in particular with her professional and personal prerogative to help people overcome injury, she offers hikers a unique and invaluable service as they take on the incredible challenge of walking from Mexico to Canada across 2600 miles of the United States.
We talk about all things PCT preparation, Morgan's personal experience with the trail community, and her unique and fascinating insight on injury trends along the trail. You can find Morgan on instagram @blazephysio where she has loads of useful resources for thruhikers.
Listeners can get 10% off any full priced product at yoursole.com by entering the code BLAZE10 at checkout.
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Jess Kahnke is an empowerment and performance coach, specializing in holistic nutrition, mindset and fitness. Jess is also an elite triathlete, and she recently qualified for the 2023 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
In this episode of The Lightest Tread, Paul speaks to Jess about all things Ironman: training schedules, nutrition, the benefits of having a dedicated coach, and specifically Jess's own journey from not being able to train at all, to finishing 2nd in her age group at Ironman Penticton in the space of five months.
We also discuss the challenges of finding balance in your life when competing in endurance sports, and the importance of positive self affirmation in the process.
Jess Wears a SOLE Performance Medium footbed in her running shoes, and listeners can get 15% off yoursole.com by using the code IRON15 at checkout.

Eric Larsen is a polar adventurer who is intimately familiar with some of the planet's harshest environments. As such he's no stranger to suffering and the extremes of mental and physical toughness it can take to make it through life or death situations.
In 2010 Eric became the first person ever to summit Everest and ski to both the North and South Poles in a single year. In 2014 he documented his attempt to record the fastest ever ski trip to the North Pole in his film Melting: Last Race to the Pole.
All these challenges helped prepare Eric, in a way, for his recent battle with cancer. After being told he had just years to live, Eric has fought his way back to being declared disease free. In this inspiring and moving conversation with Paul, Eric reflects on the many challenges he has faced and shares some hard-earned insights.
Get 15% off at yoursole.com when you use Eric's personal motto THINKSNOW as a discount code at checkout.
Keep up with Eric by checking out his website, or following him on instagram.