Talk Gnarly To Me

Julia Biddle & Steph McMillan
  • 5.0 (12)
  • Hobbies

Welcome to Talk Gnarly To Me. We're Julia and Steph, two Arizona desert riders who willingly spend our free time bouncing through rock gardens, debating bike setups, and making questionable decisions in the name of progression. This podcast is for anyone who loves mountain biking, technical terrain, and the stories that come with it. We'll be talking trail wins, trail fails, gear, confidence, fear, crashes, line choices, desert riding, and whatever mountain bike rabbit hole we're currently obsessed with. No pro tips from elite racers. No pretending we've got it all figured out. Just two women who love riding tech, love talking about it, and somehow always have something to say. So grab a post-ride beverage, clean the dust off your shins, and join us. This is Talk Gnarly To Me.

  1. 16h ago

    EP14: MTB Trip Recap: We Left the Desert… and Things Got Gnarly

    *BUY A JERSEY HERE* 🚵‍♀️ TOP TAKEAWAYS🌵 We escaped the Arizona desert for a weekend of new trails. We swapped our usual terrain for unfamiliar trails, a change of scenery, and a much-needed reminder that sometimes the best thing you can do for your riding is go somewhere new. 🌲 Three stops, three very different flavors of gnarly. We’re recapping our rides at Military Sinkhole on the Mogollon Rim, Sunrise Bike Park, and The Dells in Payson—from chunky technical terrain to bike-park laps and everything in between. 🚵‍♀️ New trails, new challenges, and plenty of chaos. We're recapping the highs, lows, questionable line choices, and unexpected lessons from our trip—and why getting out of our usual riding routine brought the fun back. 😬 Fear vs. anxiety matters. Instead of asking, “Am I scared of this feature?” ask, “Am I imagining consequences that haven’t actually happened?” 👀 Stop borrowing other people’s fear. Watching someone else hesitate, dab, or choose a sketchy line can make you second-guess yourself before you even ride the feature. 🥇 Sometimes going first builds confidence. Riding first can help you make your own decisions instead of reacting to the rider in front of you. 🪨 Sometimes the answer isn’t “send it”—it’s “get closer.” Stopping too far back can actually make it harder to read a feature. Creeping forward can give you a better view and more options. 🌧️ Hard conditions are easier to tolerate than hard starts. Once you’re already riding, rain, mud, cold, and general misery become part of the adventure. Getting yourself out the door is often the hardest part. 🌵 New terrain can cure a riding slump. Sometimes you don't need more motivation—you need a different trail. New terrain breaks the mental autopilot and brings the fun back. 👯‍♀️ Your riding crew can change what feels possible. A group that matches your pace and riding style can reduce pressure and give you the freedom to actually focus on the trail. 🤝 The right group makes progression feel easier. When nobody is constantly waiting, racing ahead, or feeling embarrassed, everyone gets to stay present and ride their own ride. 🎢 Sometimes technical riding is just a rodeo. Not every section needs to be clean or pretty. Sometimes the goal is simply to stay on, keep moving, and embrace the chaos. 🔥 Messy still counts as successful. Technical riding isn't always about perfection. Sometimes surviving the section while laughing your ass off is the win. Just a quick note: the views shared in this episode are our own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Instagram: TGTM Steph Julia Sound Design: Loui Strum Our website: tgtmpod.com Our email: tgtmpod@gmail.com

  2. Sep 18

    EP13: Failure & Getting Out of a Funk

    *BUY A TGTM JERSEY HERE* When Your Ride Is Trash… But Maybe It’s Not Your BikeSome rides are epic. Some rides are humbling. And some rides have you sitting in the parking lot afterward wondering if you have ever actually known how to ride a bike. 😂 In This Episode We Talk About: 🚲 Failing doesn’t mean you’re getting worse. Because apparently mountain biking requires us to repeatedly throw ourselves at rocks before our brains decide to learn the lesson. 🧠 Sometimes the bad ride starts before you even get to the trailhead. The stress you’re carrying off the bike doesn’t magically disappear just because you put on a helmet. 👩‍👧‍👦 Motherhood, exhaustion, and real life absolutely affect how we ride. Turns out you can't always expect peak performance when you're running on coffee, three hours of sleep, and someone else's unfinished laundry. 🎮 That weird feeling of being a passenger instead of the pilot. When you're riding but don't actually feel present—and why that's worth paying attention to. 🫁 Getting out of your head and back into your body. Sometimes “just focus harder” is terrible advice. Breathing, moving, shaking it out, and even talking to yourself can help bring you back to the moment. 👯‍♀️ Why riding with the right people can completely change your day. Sometimes you don't need motivation. You need your friend to show up and drag your ass onto a bike. 🫶 Helping newer riders can actually help YOU. There’s something about watching someone else experience the joy of riding that reminds you why you started in the first place. 🌵 The emotional-support trail vs. the “let’s go get humbled” trail. Sometimes you need an easy, familiar ride where your biggest challenge is remembering where you parked. Other times, you need to go find some spicy tech and remind yourself what you're capable of. 🔄 Resetting is part of progressing. Recovery doesn't mean you're losing ground. Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is step back, breathe, laugh about it, and try again another day. 💥 Keep showing up. Because progress in mountain biking isn't always sending bigger features or riding faster. Sometimes it's simply learning how to have a bad day, recover from it, and get back on the bike. Just a quick note: the views shared in this episode are our own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Instagram: TGTM Steph Julia Sound Design: Loui Strum Our website: tgtmpod.com Our email: tgtmpod@gmail.com

  3. Sep 11

    EP12: Would You Rather (MTB Edition)

    Would You Rather: Mountain Biking Edition Julia and Steph keep things light in this playful mountain biking conversation, trading trail updates, crash recovery context, and a long run of ridiculous "would you rather" scenarios. It is a casual, funny episode built more for laughs than instruction, with both hosts clearly leaning into the absurdity. In this episode, Julia and Steph also recap recent rides around PMP, Flagstaff, Meteoride, Brookbank, and Full Sail, including a trail closure and helicopter rescue on the trail. They then spend most of the episode debating mountain bike-specific hypotheticals, from braking problems and wet gear to exposure, bike setups, and awkward trailhead situations. Key topics Julia and Steph recap their recent rides, including a beginner ride at PMP and a Flagstaff day that ended up on Meteoride and Brookbank instead of Full Sail. They discuss the trail closure and helicopter rescue on Full Sail, including how unpredictable search and rescue costs can be. Steph shares that Meteoride felt exposed but went well, while Julia says she was still mentally affected by her earlier crash. They talk about gatekeeper features and how one hard move can shape the rest of a rider's confidence on a trail. The episode shifts into a mountain biking "would you rather" game with increasingly ridiculous scenarios. They compare awful choices like being cold and wet for hours versus climbing forever, or riding downhill with only a front brake versus climbing with only the hardest gear. They debate whether they'd rather shuttle friends for six months with no riding or only climb for a month. They weigh exposure-heavy options like White Line in Sedona versus a Whistler trip with a free dream bike. They get into absurd equipment problems, including farting suspension, a bell that plays John Cena’s theme, wet socks versus wet gloves, and a mystery headset rattle. The episode ends with more style-based hypotheticals, like riding in roadie spandex, thong bikini bottoms, or with ridiculous eyelashes and fake nails. Just a quick note: the views shared in this episode are our own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Instagram: TGTM Steph Julia Sound Design: Loui Strum Our website: tgtmpod.com Our email: tgtmpod@gmail.com

  4. Sep 4

    Ep11: Fear vs. Intuition

    Fear, intuition, and how to tell the difference on the trail Steph and Julia break down how fear shows up in mountain biking, why it changes as your skills grow, and how intuition can feel a lot like fear in the moment. They get specific about the kinds of features that trigger each feeling, from exposure and steep slabs to drops, OTB risk, and night riding. This episode is especially useful for newer riders who assume advanced riders are fearless. Steph and Julia show that fear is normal, useful, and something you can learn to read instead of ignore. In this episode we chat about: How fear in mountain biking evolves rather than disappears, even for experienced riders. Why OTB risk is one of Julia’s biggest fears, especially on steep, slabby, awkward entries. How exposure affects Steph and why trails with serious consequences feel different. The difference between fearing a feature and fearing a situation that feels out of your control. Steph’s scary drop and how fear changes as your skills improve. Why certain steep trails can feel scarier than bigger, more obvious features. How to distinguish fear, intuition, and impulse in the moment. Personal cues that help riders decide whether to push through or back off. How self-talk, visualization, and reframing fear as excitement can reduce panic. Why fear is a normal part of mountain biking—and how to use it for better risk assessment. Just a quick note: the views shared in this episode are our own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Instagram: TGTM Steph Julia Sound Design: Loui Strum Our website: tgtmpod.com Our email: tgtmpod@gmail.com

  5. Aug 28

    EP10: Motivation w/ Jayde Hirniak

    Motivation, mountain biking, and staying consistent Steph and Julia sit down with archaeologist and postdoc researcher Jayde Hirniak for their first interview episode, and the conversation turns into a real talk on motivation, confidence, and what keeps riders showing up. Jayde shares how mountain biking became the outlet that carried her through graduate school, and how the same mindset that helped her earn a PhD also shows up on the trail. In this episode, we hear from Steph, Julia, and Jayde as they swap origin stories, compare ride notes, and unpack how community, structure, and a little bit of ambition can keep you moving even when you are not feeling it. Key topics Jayde shares how she went from a casual bike rider to mountain biker, starting with a Walmart bike, then a $400 hardtail, and eventually falling in love with the sport.In this episode, Jayde explains that mountain biking became her sanity outlet during her PhD, especially through the fatigue and transition of finishing graduate school and starting postdoc life.We discuss how motivation is not constant, and how low periods are often where growth happens if you keep showing up in some form.Jayde breaks down her personal motivation system into three tiers: dreaming, remembering your why, and setting different scales of goals.Steph and Jayde talk about how tiny wins matter, from just getting on the bike to walking the dogs, doing dishes, or crossing one task off a list.Julia shares that fun is her biggest motivator, especially because biking gives her a physical challenge and a mental reset away from everyday adult responsibilities.The group talks about accountability, especially riding with friends, making plans, and being willing to invite people even when the answer is probably no.Jade explains how her biggest mountain biking accomplishment was conquering the Snotch on  the Whole Enchilada in Moab UT, including the psychological side of committing to a feature that looks far harder than it is.We discuss the value of mentors and role models, from academic guidance to mountain biking inspiration, and how seeing someone skilled and down to earth can change what feels possible.The conversation closes on the idea that ego can block progress, while community, structure, and a playful mindset can keep riding fun and sustainable. Just a quick note: the views shared in this episode are our own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Instagram: TGTM Steph Julia Sound Design: Loui Strum Our website: tgtmpod.com Our email: tgtmpod@gmail.com

  6. Aug 21

    EP9: What's In All These Bags?!

    Talk Gnarly to Me: What’s in our mountain biking bags Steph and Julia do a full bag dump of their mountain biking gear, comparing what actually lives in their ride bags, what’s purely emergency backup, and what they keep carrying even though they barely use it. The conversation turns into a practical, funny inventory of trail essentials, desert-specific gear, and the real-world mistakes that shape what goes in a pack. It’s part gear check, part trail-safety chat, and part coaching talk, with a surprise fan-mail unboxing at the end. If you ride in hot, dusty conditions or just want to know what experienced riders actually carry, there’s a lot to steal from this one. Key topics Steph breaks down her three-bag system: a car duffel, a hip pack, and a coaching bag, each with a different job Julia compares her simpler setup and explains why she keeps a hand pump, spoons, and cactus tools instead of trusting her tire gadget Both hosts talk through hydration habits, including extra water bottles, bladder cleaning, and why water bottles often beat bladders They cover desert ride essentials like sunblock, lip balm, eye drops, cooling towels, and backup layers for Arizona’s surprise cold mornings Emergency gear gets a lot of attention: first aid kits, hemostats, gauze, saline, bandages, gloves, and nosebleed supplies The hosts share real stories of flats, failed CO2 cartridges, a tire explosion scare, and why hand pumps are a must-have backup Steph explains her coaching kit, including cones, two-by-fours, and how she uses them to build rider confidence on obstacles There’s a long detour into trail-specific tools, like tire plugs, chain tools, multi-tools, and the mystery items neither host fully understands They talk about what to carry on group rides versus solo rides, especially when riding with newer or unknown riders The episode ends with fan mail from Erik Lantz, who sent them Arizona mountain biking guidebooks and sparked ideas for a future history-focused episode Link to Fat Tire Tales and Trails https://www.amazon.com/dp/0966476905?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback Just a quick note: the views shared in this episode are our own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Instagram: TGTM Steph Julia Sound Design: Loui Strum Our website: tgtmpod.com Our email: tgtmpod@gmail.com

  7. Aug 18 ·  Bonus

    *BONUS* Mini-Episode with Shawn Stenmark

    Showdown Bikes for Kids with Shawn Stenmark This mini episode of Talk Gnarly to Me introduces Shawn Stenmark and the upcoming Showdown Bikes 4 Kids race at Usery Park in Mesa AZ. Shawn explains how the event supports FE Racing and Bikes 4 Kids, with funds going directly toward getting local kids quality bikes, helmets, and safety gear. We also cover what makes this year different: the “I wanna rock” theme, a live band, costume contests, youth involvement, and the community-first spirit that keeps the event grassroots and fun. Key topics In this episode: Shawn Stenmark shares the story behind Showdown Bikes for Kids and how the event evolved from its original roots into a fundraiser run by FE Racing and Bikes 4 Kids.The organization’s mission is to help put kids on bikes in the East Valley, with most of the fun funds going to bike purchases, helmets, locks, and support gear.Local schools help identify kids in need, and those students submit essays about what a bike would mean to them before receiving a bike.The giveaway bikes are not cheap entry-level toys - Shawn emphasizes they’re quality mountain bikes meant to last.The Showdown takes place at Usery Park and is built around a full eight-hour race with solo, duo, quad, youth, and shorter one- and two-lap options.This year’s theme is “I wanna rock”, with costumes, a live band, and additional event energy meant to make it more than just a race.Shawn highlights the fun side of the event, including mystery obstacles, random skill games, dance-offs, a kids race, a bacon station, and a costume contest with cash prizes. We hope you’ll come out to the event and have some fun with us! Just a quick note: the views shared in this episode are our own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Bikes 4 kids https://bikes4kids.net/ Instagram: TGTM Steph Julia Sound Design: Loui Strum Our website: tgtmpod.com Our email: tgtmpod@gmail.com

  8. Aug 14

    EP8: MTB Trips (we suck at geography)

    Mountain Biking Trip Favorites, Bucket List Destinations, and a Few Geography Detours Julia Biddle and Steph compare favorite mountain biking trips, the kinds of terrain they love most, and the destinations they still want to ride. They also swap stories from van life, bike parks, and a few memorable crashes that made certain trips unforgettable. In this episode, they talk through the logistics and reality of bike travel, from lift service parks to day trips closer to home. If you like mountain bike destination talk mixed with honest trail ratings, this one covers a lot of ground. Key topics Julia shares that her favorite trip was a Flagstaff ride with her best friend from Colorado, riding Full Sail and a bike park with their kids nearby.Steph says her favorite all around trip was the summer van life bike tour, even though it came with major logistics, dogs, a cat, and plenty of breakdown moments.They compare the difference between dreamy van life social media and the actual work of living and riding out of a van for months.Steph breaks down favorite bike park stops from the trip, including Trestle, Purgatory, Duluth, and the surprisingly good riding in the Midwest.They revisit the now infamous "you peaked in Colorado" moment, which came after Steph felt like she had been riding stronger in Colorado and Utah than later in Ohio.Both agree that their ideal long term riding home would still be Arizona, because it offers desert tech plus access to trees and more varied terrain nearby.They talk bucket list destinations like Whistler, Switzerland, North Carolina, New Zealand, Tasmania, Oman, and Nepal.The conversation turns into a map check and geography corrections, including Nepal, Tasmania, and a few other places neither speaker was fully confident about.They name favorite closer to home riding spots like Valmont Bike Park, Virginia Canyon, Prescott, Flagstaff, and Salt Lake City area trails.The episode closes with a reminder that bike progress usually comes with some crashes, scars, and a few very weird stories. Just a quick note: the views shared in this episode are our own and don’t necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Instagram: TGTM Steph Julia Sound Design: Loui Strum Our website: tgtmpod.com Our email: tgtmpod@gmail.com

See All (16)

5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Welcome to Talk Gnarly To Me. We're Julia and Steph, two Arizona desert riders who willingly spend our free time bouncing through rock gardens, debating bike setups, and making questionable decisions in the name of progression. This podcast is for anyone who loves mountain biking, technical terrain, and the stories that come with it. We'll be talking trail wins, trail fails, gear, confidence, fear, crashes, line choices, desert riding, and whatever mountain bike rabbit hole we're currently obsessed with. No pro tips from elite racers. No pretending we've got it all figured out. Just two women who love riding tech, love talking about it, and somehow always have something to say. So grab a post-ride beverage, clean the dust off your shins, and join us. This is Talk Gnarly To Me.

Information

  • Creator
    Julia Biddle & Steph McMillan
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Julia Biddle & Steph McMillan
  • Show Website
    Talk Gnarly To Me

You Might Also Like