Jess Gumkowski: The Awake Athlete Mindset – On Thoughts, Ego, Emotions, Karma, Mastery and Much More

We are excited to welcome back Jess Gumkowski to the show, with a profoundly impactful conversation exploring what it is to live as an Awake Athlete. Jess is head yogi, wellness coach and podcaster over at YogiTriathelte along with her husband BJ, and has years of experience in endurance sports, meditation, yoga, teaching and much […]

Sponsor:

Thorne supplements help athletes meet their unique needs and we have everything Thorne offers available to you over at our shop page, endurance planet dot com slash shop or link through the show notes. When you shop through us you support the podcast, a win win. Thorne products are shipped around the world and they ensure quality control year-round.

Whether you’re looking to heal from issues like gut dysbiosis, hormonal imbalances like low sex hormones or imbalanced stress hormones, or just looking to improve performance, maintain a strong immune system and get that extra edge, Thorne has so many formulas to fit you needs or bundles to cover even more bases. And many of Thorne’s supplements are NSF certified. If you’re curious on what supplements might be a good fit for you, just ask us! Send us an email to questions at endurance planet dot com telling us about yrouself and where you think you might need to fill in some gaps. Thorne now even offers health testing such as a convenient budget-friendly gut health tests!

So starting shopping with the best there is with Thorne—also over on our Shop page—and like we say about all supplements: when you buy from the source you ensure higher efficacy and proper handling of your supplements plus you support the podcast!

We are excited to welcome back Jess Gumkowski to the show, with a profoundly impactful conversation exploring what it is to live as an Awake Athlete. Jess is head yogi, wellness coach and podcaster over at YogiTriathelte along with her husband BJ, and has years of experience in endurance sports, meditation, yoga, teaching and much more. She authored the book, Awake Athlete: When Mastery Is Your Only Option, which was published in 2023 and is part memoir part guide through life, its struggles and its beauty.

On this episode, Tawnee and Jess take a deep dive on several related topics, though this does not make up or substitute the rich content found in her book.

Our Brain & Meditation

Thoughts, and their relationship to the brain;
Monkey mind
Chimp vs professor brain (a la Dr. Simon Marshall)
Limbic (instinctive), prefrontal cortex (conscious), and neocortex (unconscious) brain
Why there’s no substitute for sitting in silence
Walking meditations, etc, have their place but not the same as quiet, stillness in a sitting meditation
Helpful tips for when you’re down on your pace, performance, training, etc
Using MAF training as an example here
Visualization and imagining the athlete you want to be
Being present and at peace with what is

Ego Is Not the Enemy

How to direct it from a small and limiting reality to assisting in positive change 
Identity: ego and identity also go hand in hand, how to have a healthy approach to this
Leverage your ego toward your performance goals and away from the pain and suffering and fear that ego and cause us
Considering our identity as an athlete

Karma & Mistakes

Fulfilling our personal karma, the good and the bad
Everything is here to help you (also a book by Matt Kahn that is titled the same)
Finding the lessons and gifts in EVERYTHING

Emoting and Feelings

Clinging to joy
Clinging to really anything and why this does not serve our wellbeing
Things like nostalgia and the familiar make us feel good so we gravitate toward that
Moving away from reactionary emotions, and toward more calm temperament
The Ho’Oponopono prayer to make things right

And much more!