Mere has a great day with fancy boots and dog kisses. Sheldon travels and rides a Peloton and uses an Assault Treadmill. We want to wish Crystal from the Peloton based The Clip Out podcast a fast and complete recovery as she was struck by a vehicle when out running. She will be ok, but was a bit banged up. Fast recovery, Crystal! Our guest today was a regular on the Clip Out and quickly became known as a connected fitness expert from those that heard his passion for the topic. ...
Feb 13, 2023•2 hr 59 min•Ep. 51
It's episode 50!! We kick it off the episode with both of us (mostly) not sick! yay! Sheldon has a good doctor visit, Mere has some Oklahoma snow. We debate the merits of the Netflix show Kaleidoscope. Amber is BACK! She is part of our 50th episode and our FIRST repeat guest. She has SO much to talk about from being a new mom to the challenges she faced during pregnancy and after. We hit a number of aspects including combating your "gremlin" with your "Smurfette" and giving yourself SPACE...
Jan 30, 2023•2 hr 5 min•Ep. 50
Meredith went on another cruise - and got sick again. Pattern??? hmmmm. She did have a great time though and she tells us all kinds of fun facts about her trip and her favorite - Costa Rica! We give a warm welcome to our new holiday season members. You're gonna love it. Listen to the instructors and have a great time. Ashley Kelly is our guest today - she was an Olympian for the BVI and we hear about her drive, journey, and experiences representing her country...
Jan 16, 2023•2 hr 7 min•Ep. 49
While Meredith is on vacation, Sheldon gets to play! He pulls his favorite ... well, at least the ones he could remember and find .... snippets from the 2022 episodes. Little nuggets of wisdom, laughter, and joy from several of the guests we had on the show in 2022. Thank you for supporting our podcast in 2022 and I hope we can keep on entertaining you moving forward!
Jan 02, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 48
Sheldon has started his holiday vacation.... and is starting to already feel sick after spending 1 1/2 hours in the cold trying to help someone get into a care they locked their keys into. Meredith had her office holiday party and was winning ALL of the prizes! Our guest today brought serenity and positive energy with her and delivery it for Echelon as well as for her own adventure Mother Manifestor. We learn all about Maria Manalo including her challenging journey from a difficult r...
Dec 19, 2022•2 hr 36 min•Ep. 47
Meredith is ill! And not in the Beastie Boys way - she caught a bug and it still shaking it, but that doesn't stop her from being a trooper and showing up. She tells us about her cruise and we discuss our Thanksgiving holidays and the concept of winter blues or holiday cheer. Our guest today we just found out will be leaving Echelon to pursue some other endeavors, but luckily his interview was full of great content! Nick Carrier is FULL of energy and drive. We talk ...
Dec 05, 2022•2 hr 55 min•Ep. 46
We decided to try something a little different for this episode. Since we just went through the U.S. mid-term elections, we wanted to have a little election of our own - podcast style! We go heads up - Snackdown! like - with a whole series of questions ranging from "best class type to let the rage out" to "best workout recovery beverage". Two options are given - Meredith chooses, we each defend! Each question also comes with some discussion that we hope you'll all find fu...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 45
We open up with Halloween hijinks. Mere watches jazz, Sheldon negotiates with the "Kit Kat" kid. We also discuss if we were the children of Gods who would our parents be. (Hey, don't judge, our podcast, our rules) Our guest today is Monkeys' Uncle himself Abe Kelledjian, a Canadian rider and a member of The Eh Team - a group of Canadian riders that rock the house. He was a super fun guest that immediately had a "sheldon" story when he was able to see a Big Bang Theory pil...
Nov 07, 2022•2 hr 10 min•Ep. 44
Spooky vibes start us off! Meredith is on a LOTR kick. Sheldon took a trip to New Orleans. And the changing of the seasons is here so we retreat to the indoor equipment! We also take a dive into Meredith's candy handing out dilemma. Rowan Foggitt is our esteemed guest from the UK. He brings a great technical and real world expertise to the bike due to all of his road cycling experience. We discuss his path to fitness and coaching and it is a reminder tha...
Oct 24, 2022•2 hr 43 min•Ep. 43
Sheldon is a star! Well, at least his video created for Echelon was shared by them on their socials. So he's Eche-famous. Our guest is the one and only Kelli Quinn, aka "Pigmom". Yes, she has a pet pig. His name is Todd. Todd the pet pig is awesome. Kelli is an amazing member of the community, humble in her demeanor, she rocks all four pieces of Echelon equipment and is a beast on the road bike. We have a great talk about the community, accountability pa...
Oct 10, 2022•2 hr 33 min•Ep. 42
Kicking things off Sheldon and Meredith had just finished a 45 minute ride - not a duration either typically enjoy, but it was an epic dual ride so they couldn't say no. Besides Sheldon is paying penance for a few days of butter burgers, cheese curds and beer in Wisconsin. Our guest today is the amazing Sage Figueroa, lead instructor at Echelon UK. Her story inspires, and her confidence and poise make you just love her almost instantly. Her stories of seeing the world, her jour...
Sep 26, 2022•2 hr 1 min•Ep. 41
Labor Day has come and gone. BBQ was had and cookies were baked. Meredith won a BumpBox! How cool is that?! Our guest today is an expert on something many of us experience and deal with - especially as we start to get a little older - pain. We need to note right away. This show is NOT medical advice. You should always check with your doctor or care provider any time you are dealing with pain or trying different activities to deal with pain. Rick Ol...
Sep 12, 2022•2 hr•Ep. 40
Hello Echelots! Sheldon brings a festive shirt to the Friday recording... after he basically forgot they needed to record this week. Oops. Mere was on time so her podcast performance review is saved once again! Amusement park rides are still fun, but old person anxiety starting to creep in. But until it takes over - roller coasters! Florian Brennecke is today's guest. He's an Echelon instructor in the Frankfurt studio and he just might be the hardest man...
Aug 29, 2022•2 hr 54 min•Ep. 39
Meredith and Sheldon take vacations about as far apart in the continental US as is possible. Sheldon sees Orcas and giant trees, Meredith sees Echelon people and waterfalls! There was coffee, wine, hiking and fun to be had. Jaime Wilbanks is today's guest and we learn a lot about how she has been through some challenges including shifting her life from Nextflix and couch to rowing/running/fitness phenom! From teaching toddlers to coaching some of the toughest workouts at Echelo...
Aug 15, 2022•3 hr 32 min•Ep. 38
We kick off today with a little chat about how useless vitamins are. So. There's that. It's still hot as Hades, the rowers lie to us (update: firmware fix seems to fix output!), and Meredith takes a road trip. Our guest today is the incredibly kind and bendy Ryn Tucker! Ryn is an instructor on the rower, Reflect, Stride, and Fitpass with her "specialty" being yoga where she has taught thousands of Echelots to bennnnnnnd. Her classes are magnificent and even Sheldon ...
Aug 01, 2022•2 hr 51 min•Ep. 37
It's hot in Oklahoma, and Meredith describes the misery of having her rower on the 3 season porch (spoiler alert the one of the 3 seasons is apparently NOT summer). Big news with our 20,000th episode play! Summer blah's kick in a bit for Sheldon. Today's guest is Michael Browne who instructs on the bike, rower, and fitpass. He has a great story and the team loves interviewing him. Michael brings a lot of uniqueness to his instruction. One look at him and you know "s...
Jul 18, 2022•2 hr 59 min•Ep. 36
Sheldon managed to get sick again. Fun times! We talk about 4th of July plans and how Meredith took a trip to one of our greatest national treasures, while also managing to not get gored by a bison (which apparently is something other people seem to excel at...). Our guest today is one of the Echelon community's most recognizable and most fun members. Daphne Palacio, aka SpinDiva is always one of the very first to step up and be supportive when someone needs a boost. If t...
Jul 04, 2022•2 hr 2 min•Ep. 35
Sheldon and Meredith take a trip to Chattanooga with a number of the Echelon fam, and to attend the Riverbend festival. Great fun was had by all and it wasn't hot as all heck, so that's a bonus. Meredith also got to experience the joy that is Clumpie's ice cream. Happy Juneteenth to all. Meredith recommends a book: 400 Souls by Keisha M. Blaine in reference to Juneteenth as well. Today we invite the fantastic, funny, and fit John Holt to the show. John is a fa...
Jun 20, 2022•2 hr 46 min•Ep. 34
Sheldon was sick last week so he whines about that for a bit and then Meredith and Sheldon recap the Memorial Day weekend activities. Happy Pride Month! If you don't know about the Echelon Rainbow Army - check them out. Today we have a relatively new instructor that feels like we've known him for ages - Vandon Jones. We talk about his challenging journey through the world of fitness, traveling all over, hitting speed bumps, and finally landing in the fantastic city of Ch...
Jun 06, 2022•2 hr 9 min•Ep. 33
We begin this episode with a harrowing tale of bravery, passion, and perseverance. Through the maelstrom of obstacles and the harsh cruelty of Mother Nature, a hero emerges that the world may never see again! ..... Ok.... maybe that's a slight exaggeration.... but Sheldon did do something he's pretty proud of! Meredith also has a couple of proud moments of her own with a graduating daughter and all the fun that comes with it! Our guest is a member of the Chattanooga studio team and we hear her t...
May 23, 2022•2 hr 3 min•Ep. 32
Sheldon had a birthday! We had to get a fire permit for the candles on the cake.... Meredith opens with a recap of a chat she had with a few long time Echelon riders that have, let's say "unique" leaderboard names. We jump right in with our guest, the amazing and inspiring Janet Adams. She gives us the scoop on how fitness became such an important part of who she is and you won't believe what she did to fuel her dedication to fitness when she had a traveling job! We also talk E...
May 09, 2022•2 hr 46 min•Ep. 31
We kick off today's episode complaining, as usual. What's up with the false spring? Meredith of course having excellent weather in Oklahoma. She loves to spoil Sheldon's complaining. Easter happened, and Meredith has a hot take on Harry Potter Lego sets. And then - Sheldon + bib shorts = entertainment for all. About 80% through recording almost 2 hours of material, Sheldon realizes that his computer hates him and has switched the microphone to his web cam mic....
Apr 25, 2022•2 hr 44 min•Ep. 30
Kicking off the podcast this week with ALLERGIES, trips to estate sales, and the excitement of Easter candy. Today's guest is PhD in Industrial-organizational psychology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (which is super impressive in itself) and has also represented the U.S. at the Jewish Games in Israel in swimming - like, AWESOME! We have a great conversation with Alex about knowing your body and not allowing peer pressure or FOMO push you into activities that aren't the best...
Apr 11, 2022•2 hr 50 min•Ep. 29
We kick off the episode with a little March Madness talk, then Meredith let's them... well let's basically EVERYONE eat cake, and Sheldon burns out he olfactory bulb with airborne powder from his favorite new drink. The guest today is our FIRST UK Echelon instructor, Demi Patience! She brings us a great story that includes her winding, and tough journeys through the fitness and modeling worlds, but ends with landing a dream job with Echelon. She talks about her (completely unplanned)...
Mar 28, 2022•2 hr 36 min•Ep. 28
We kick off the episode with Sheldon's journey to ....well, you'll have to listen to find out. Meredith is winding up her birthday month and heading on a trip of her own as well. We roll right into an interview with our dear friend Julia Baldwin who has been a long time Echelon member and has had to rehab her way through a knee replacement. We learn about her amazing feats of running a number of marathons - always with friends to a place that they want to visit (such a cool idea!) an...
Mar 14, 2022•2 hr 51 min•Ep. 27
Our guest today joins us from the Echelon hot spot of Miami, FL where he is an instructor, as well as owner of his own media company. We learn a lot about Reed's journey from being a model that traveled the world, to living in a hostel for a while, to his path to Echelon where he has delighted riders with his energy. Known for his fun and challenging cadence style rides, we had a great time getting to know this gem of an instructor and we hope you do too! We kick off the episode with...
Feb 28, 2022•2 hr 39 min•Ep. 26
Some people's idea of fun is a nice evening on the couch with a movie. Today's guest likes to drive a few hours, sleep in the back of her station wagon, wake up and run 50+ miles, and then drive home. She is Alison Anderson, she is an endurance athlete, Echelon rider, and all around awesome person. Meredith and I have a great conversation about discipline and "finding your thing". We also talk about her podcast that she does with another rider, Norm Miller, called the Pos...
Feb 14, 2022•2 hr 26 min•Ep. 25
You've heard of "Snakes on a Plane", well today's guest brings you the treadmill of pain! Ok... terrible "Sam Jackson" jokes aside, we've got the one and only Sam Jackson, Echelon Lead Instructor on this week and she was a delight. From her days as a Division I distance runner to being told "You'll never run again", we hear her riveting story and her path to being that ball of energy we see on the Bike, Stride(TM) Treadmill, and Reflect(TM) fitness mirror. She's fantastic to ta...
Jan 31, 2022•2 hr 20 min•Ep. 24
Today we discuss a new topic for us - managing grief. Our guest today is a mother to an angel. She shares with us her story of dealing with this tragedy and how fitness and her community helped her through it and gives her strength even to today. She carries her child with her always and uses that to motivate herself and so many others through her Instagram - @runningtoheal_ and her blog rememberingzoe.blogspot.com. Her insight and reflection are inspiring and from it we ...
Jan 17, 2022•2 hr 56 min•Ep. 23
Meredith and Sheldon talk their favorite things of 2021 and report back on the listener survey on the topic! We hit favorite equipment, favorite class series and individual classes, as well as best innovations of 2021. Also, we ask people what their greatest WISH was for 2022 and we get all kinds of answers from the community from technology upgrades, to new equipment, to new clothing and music ideas. Favorite non-Sponsor? Meredith wished for a new studio on the West Coast so she could win...
Jan 03, 2022•2 hr 41 min