Episode 21: a milestone, a moment
and a message from me to you
When I first floated the idea of launching a podcast back in June, I came across a stat that stuck with me:
90% of podcasts never make it past episode 3. And of the 10% that do, only 10% of those make it beyond episode 20.
Now, I’m not a mathematician, but even I can figure out what that means: Fitness & Thinking has just entered the top percentile.
And while I know that doesn’t put us in the Spotify charts, I’m still really proud of that. 21 episodes might not sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s more than most. And if you’re reading this, you’ve helped get it there, so thank you – I may have left a little treat for you at the bottom of the newsletter…
What is Fitness & Thinking really about?
F&T started as just this newsletter – a way to expand on the questions my coaching clients and I were exploring each week around physical and mental health.
But the podcast let me zoom out further. And over time, the way I think about fitness has evolved too. For me now, it breaks down into six key areas:
Physical • Mental • Social • Emotional • Spiritual • Financial
We haven’t dedicated an episode yet to that sixth pillar – financial fitness – yet but themes of money, sustainability, burnout and feasibility have come up often, especially in conversations about content creation and work. I’d love to one day chat to someone like Gary Stevenson or Dave Ramsey – both of whom are great at turning big money ideas into real-world conversations. If you know someone like that, keep reading.
Why I think podcasts matter
When I was training for my half marathon earlier this year, I found myself spending more and more time on the road. Music used to be my go-to, but eventually, it wasn’t cutting it – my rhythm was too influenced by the beat.
So I switched to voices.
Not just any voices, though. I sought out voices that kept me company.
Not in a chatty café/Cathy way, but in that feeling of being among people without having to be with people.
That’s the magic of podcasts. They’re intimate without being intrusive. And I think that’s what makes them so compelling: you get to learn from people without having to invest time in them. Except, sometimes you do. You get invested. And that’s where things get interesting.
We talk a lot about para-social relationships when it comes to celebrities and I wonder if maybe the effect is starker with podcasters, for someone you choose to spend typically an hour or more a week with every week.
So, if F&T has been a companion on a long walk, or a gym session, or just a solo commute, then I invite you to break down that barrier and let me know I’m doing something right.
Highlights from episodes 12–20
Some standout moments for me from the second run of the podcast:
It’s not obvious which guest or theme will draw people in.
At the time of writing, two incredible athletes have attracted the most views and listens, in episode 12’s Lindsay Bowers, the first Spartan with a stoma, and episode 20’s Rhys Morris an ultramarathoner who hates running.
The academics were clearly relevant.
Professor David Forrest and Dr Logan Collignon’s episodes moved in different ways around what it means to be fit and human and both spoke to the head and heart in ways that thrilled me in the moment and in the edit.
Marina (chefmarinie) and Seth (sethsfilmreviews) both took the time to give us a peek behind the curtain of what it means to produce content that millions of people will engage with in a week and
Sayem Ahmed gave one of the best testimonials I might have hoped for when he said that coaching might seem expensive, but he’d pay “double, maybe triple” what he did for the experience he and I worked on together.
These episodes took us deeper into the spiritual, social, and emotional sides of fitness – and into some topics I hadn’t expected to touch on at all when I first started. I particularly liked Dave’s take on the importance of mindfully moving through spaces: while it was in the context of running, I think the notion of taking the time to smell the roses on the way to the goal/party/interview needs repeating.
Now here’s where you come in
If you’ve made it this far, you clearly care – and that means the world. So I’m going to ask you for three things:
1. What’s landed for you?
Was there an episode you loved? A format you enjoyed? Something you want more of? Equally – if something didn’t quite hit, I want to know that too.
2. Who should I speak to next?
If you could pick anyone to appear on the next 10 episodes of F&T, who would you choose? Got a connection to someone cool? Slide into my DMs or hit reply to this email.
3. Help me spread the word.
If every subscriber shared the show with just one person, the audience would double. That’s not a gimmick or a number to scoff at! And it makes a massive difference when I’m pitching to future guests or thinking about what to grow this into next.
Subscribe and stay in the loop
F&T episodes go out weekly. Here’s how to keep up:
Apple Podcasts (audio only) on Wednesday evenings and
Spotify and YouTube for sound and vision on Thursday mornings.
If you’ve enjoyed the show, do leave a review. Share it. Shout about it.
I’ll keep doing my part to bring you the most thoughtful, silly, serious, and soul-searching conversations about what it means to feel well in the world we live in.
And as for that treat, internet allowing from this beach paradise, you, dear reader, buddy ol’ pal, get first eyes on this week’s episode below:
Much love, and I’ll see yas in the next one
J x