Emily Miazga is a 3 x winner of the  Coast to Coast World multisport champion she is also a clinical nutritionist and found of "Em's Power Cookies" - a range of nutritious and delicious  Cookies, Bars, Power Bites, they also sell Hemp Protein Cookies!
In this episode Canadian born Emily shares how she got into multisport and just what it took to win the coveted Coast to Coast race three times and what she learnt about herself along the way. How she used her insights as an athlete to help power her business dreams and what life after competitive sport looks like.
She shares her philosphies on pushing through sporting and life obstacles and how she managed to keep her mind on track during the toughest of her races.

 
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Transcript of interview:

Speaker 1: (00:01)
Welcome to pushing the limits, the show that helps you reach your full potential with your host, Lisa Tamati brought to you by www.lisatamati.com

Speaker 2: (00:13)
Well, hi everyone. Lisa Tamati here at pushing the limits is fantastic to have you all back again. I'm super excited to have you. And today we have a very special guests. I have Emily Miazga and if you don't know who Emily is, you probably know who famous cookies, which are IMS power cockies. So I'm sure a lot of you are going, Oh yes, I know in South of his well him is now two based on pushing the limits. Welcome to the show, Emily, how are you?

Speaker 3: (00:39)
Hi Lisa. I'm really good. Thanks for having me on. It's, it's a real pleasure.

Speaker 2: (00:43)
Well that's, it's super exciting to have you on. We actually had a case sorry, a fan of the show, write to me and say, can you please have Emily on? And she's so evoke and I want to hear her talk. So I reached out to Emily and who we are today.

Speaker 3: (01:00)
Awesome. Thankfully I'm too for that. It's very cool. And we finally got gotten here, so now it's very, very cool. I love it when a good plan comes together.

Speaker 2: (01:08)
Took us about three months, but we did get there.

Speaker 3: (01:11)
Absolutely.

Speaker 2: (01:13)
Now Emily is a Canadian born but she's living in New Zealand and Emily is famous for her Em's cookie. So let's go there for a stylist. Before we get into your athletic career, you've been an amazing athlete, but you have cookies. What are the, what are these about?

Speaker 3: (01:30)
Oh my cookies. I should've had one here with me. I'll have to run, get some kitchen. But my, my power cookies, it's quite funny. I had been making them since I was a little kid growing up in Canada because in Canada we just love, you know, it's like cookies are really the thing to do. And I was a sporty kid, I was always running and I was always into nutrition as well. Like I ended up studying dietetics and became a dietician. But when I came to New Zealand I was, I was traveling and I ended up here for coast to coast. And I, what I do, this is just kind of how I roll. As I would stay at friends houses and I'd make them buy power cookies as it, as a thank you or give them to the guys at the bike shop, the bribing them, you know what I mean?

Speaker 3: (02:12)
Like it always works a treat. And in the faculty I lied. I had always wanted to start my own business and I didn't, I decided I wanted to stay in New Zealand. I didn't want to go back to work in a clinical dietetics setting. So I actually brought power cookies to Robin Jenkins, the director, the creator of the coast to coast and wow. Yeah. So after my first coast to coast in 2004, I went and saw Johnny and I brought him cookies and I'm like, Hey, I'm thinking of starting a business and selling these cookies because you know, everyone like always said they're so good and I should sell them. So, so I, I basically just started the business and it's, it's a nice, I always loved giving them to people and to share them with people. And so that was like a real behind wanting to do it. Plus of course, you know, having my own business and doing my own thing because the products, they just, they really, they just really work. And so what, what the actual power cookies are, is they're just made from ingredients that, you know, you'd probably find in most pantries, you know, typical bloody fine ringing in the background. Oh, I probably should. I should probably put mine on airplane mode while while we're here. Just ignore it, carry off.

Speaker 3: (03:32)
But they just have like, like rolled oats as the base ingredients drive through. It's real dark chocolate bit of Brown sugar a and rice syrup, peanut butter in a peanut chocolate farm. But just naturally, I think the reason why they work so well is because they're yummy. They taste really good and they're really and digest and they just don't, especially when you're racing or doing something hard, they just don't upset yourself. And I think it's because like, I don't use component chocolates. I don't use processed oils. There's no Palm oil. I don't add all these protein powders, like soy protein isolate. And you know, whey protein it of ISO. So, you know, go into that a little bit. So I saw it like, no, we all read that on the packet means not much to math. Why is they the bad thing? I just don't think, and this is just my sort of anecdotal feeling I guess.

Speaker 3: (04:29)
I, you know, it's, it's not, you know, a real like dietetic thing, but I just think your, your body when it's under the pump it up just can't digest those types of foods. They're not real foods cause that processed in a way that it's, yeah, it's processed and it's concentrated. It's kind of like when people try to race and they just try to only consume gel. Oh terrible. Yeah. I know like gels have their place. Like if you're, if you, if you need them in an emergency or like for example, in the coast to coast mountain run, I use gels because they're convenient. They work for that specific purpose. But to fuel a whole iron man or a whole ultra or whatever on just gels, you're just going to end up with majors. Yeah. Because it's just really hard on your gut to digest it.

Speaker 3: (05:17)
So that's where having real food I think works works a lot better. And so that's the main difference between my products and your sort of commercially available nutrition bars. Like they'll look good on paper nutritionally. But for me, I guess I'm a dietician and as a foodie, sure it's got to look good on paper, but it also has to taste good. It also has to be digestible and it has to give, it has to fulfill the intended purpose. And so with M's, the intended purpose is to give them a really nice sustained energy. And this is really, really important because yeah, a lot of things look good on paper or they don't, you know, have this or that. I mean, I've had some really bad experiences gels and in

Speaker 2: (05:58)
A lot of our athletes that running hot have, have come unstuck with gels and the in I, yeah, stay away from the completely, or if you're running something like a teenK or even a half marathon, you can get away with it. But if I was that we as soon as your guys' use of track is going to be struggling because all the blood is out of the muscles, I'm going to go for a little bit longer that just not, but yeah, there was some new ones on the market that I haven't tasted and that, that are meeting the new formulations and so on. But even, even ones that are fruit based, I find that they go very acidic and your tummy and served, at least for my stomach,uduring,uduring your vendors is a no go. So food is something that I'm quite passionate about getting white athletes to adopt to and in food. It tastes good. So really good too. We will have to talk a little bit about getting some Eames cookies for our athletes to

Speaker 3: (06:56)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. That. That's right. You know, one of the types of gels that I used to use it was just actually the corn syrup. Yeah. But it, but it was better than the glucose. And the maltodextrin ones, like a lot of them have that multi Jack strain, which is just like eating, trying to consume paint, paint stripper. And it's just like, Oh my God. They, like I said, y'all do have their place, but you can [inaudible] their playground,

Speaker 2: (07:25)
Not on the rise and the bloody fight. I don't know who it is. It's trying to get me, but

Speaker 3: (07:30)
Somebody you can answer it and put them on the podcast.

Speaker 2: (07:38)
Yeah, it's it's my business partner. Neil's, not everybody does blame Neil for bringing me in.

Speaker 3: (07:44)
Yeah.

Speaker 2: (07:48)
And it happens every week. So those things, but I think my lessons sort of get it that we've got life going on. So now I want to change tech, then I want to talk a little bit about your sporting career. We've touched on the fact that you did coast to coast now. You didn't just do coast to coast. Take, take show your, your, your history with the coast to coast and your amazing records.

Speaker 3: (08:12)
Oh, thanks. How long did we have? Talk about coast to coast all day. It's a very, very dear race to me. It's what really connected me in New Zealand, you know, the mountains and just how inspirational the courses. It's amazing. So I would, I was traveling and I was doing some adventurous thing. I was living in Australia and training with a guy named by Andrews. He was served by Ironman lifesaving champion of Australia. And he won that a few times and I met him while I was traveling and racing and, and he's just like, you're all right. You're a good cheek. And I'm like, yeah. So I was living in Ozzie and spent about six months training with guy and he really helped me with my kayaking because I hadn't kayaked before. Yup. But that was all ocean paddling. And anyway, I thought, well after my stint there, I've, the plan was to come to New Zealand to race the coast to coast cause it was, you know, like I guess on the bucket list and I thought, well do the coast to coast and then I'll go back to Canada and you know, settle down and get a life and go back to work as a dietician.

Speaker 3: (09:20)
Well that's, you know, I came in, never left. So, so the first year I came, it was in, when I raised, it was 2004 and that year it flooded out and shoot thirds of the field never finished. They were getting the mountain, it was carnage man. Like it was. And, and I had only been through the run on like I'd gone through the run a couple of times on five days and I hadn't experienced that New Zealand rain around mountains, rivers coming up. I had no concept. I grew up in the prairies in Saskatchewan, like where kind of stuff just doesn't happen. And so I remember going up through goat pass and it was just like, it's Torrens of water coming down. And we're collaborating while we're, you know, using the trees to get up and like skirting these like waterfalls. It was in the Harley and I was like, Holy shit.

Speaker 3: (10:09)
Like this is, I knew it was pretty, pretty intense. And so I've got through goat pass and there was a Marshall, they're asking us how we were doing and I was definitely probably hypothermic probably, you know, probably wasn't so good for me to carry on, but I actually felt okay. And I said I'm a little cold but I'm okay. And I just kept my head down and I kept running. Didn't stop cause I knew if I stopped they would, that'd be it. And I got through the mountain run and got onto the river and I'm like, you know, and everyone, like it was just like one of my friends from Australia, Chris Clawson, he was like walking back up the Hill to Mount light when I was running down to the river. And I'm like, what the hell is going on? Like I didn't realize the corners that was unfolding both in front of me and behind me.

Speaker 3: (10:59)
Wow. My crew, like the, the marshals were, we're checking people at the [inaudible] transition and if we are hypothermic, they were pulling you off and not letting you get on the water. If I was able to sneak through and my crew like put me in the boat and they're like, Oh, you'll be fine. And off I went. And anyway I made it through and I finished. And like I remember we, I remember reading some Chaffey Lynch's stuff about the coast to coast will make you grovel and Cathy Lynch, for those of you who don't know Kathy Lynn, she's probably one of the toughest athletes. We'll stop, you know, on the planet. She's amazing. I've never met Kathy, but she's one of my inspirations. Yeah. And I just remember her like on that final ride about groveling and as I have like on the final ride, cause I was completely, and when I got to the finish line I just said there is no need to ever do that again.

Speaker 3: (12:01)
And then two days later with my buddy Lynn, and I was like, you know, my keys, my chronic sponsor, and he's been with me from the start helping me. I love Lenny and I'm, you know, you can start conspiring again for the next, the next year. And, and at the time I was being coached by Michael jacks and Wellington and he emailed me and said, Hey, I reckon you can win this race. And so he coached me through and, and we got there in 2005. I actually had a pretty good race in 2005 I came third again. But I was recovering from knee surgery and I was still getting used to the course. And then 2006 was a major step up for me because I upgraded my class and actually learn how to really handle that river. And I really started to master that river. And I also, I think I had a shift as well in I guess my mental approach.

Speaker 3: (12:57)
Yep. When I first started it was about, you know, I'm going to come smash the coast to coast. And it was very ego driven. And like I was out to prove something and then it started to transition into more introspection, learning. What was it that was driving me? Why was I wanting to do this and feeling more gratitude and most driving you do you think? No, when you look back? I think, well in the beginning it was, I, it went hand in hand with the cookie business and I needed to be successful in the race because I wanted, I was literally using my racing as a testimony, as a Testament to my power cookies. Yeah, true. And so that was a big driver. I wanted to actually show people how it could, how it could be a big driver was just the, the sheer beauty of the course in New Zealand and being in the mountains.

Speaker 3: (13:57)
And I think, you know, I've always been a competitive person, so of course that comes through. But, but it was, but it was beyond that. It was a Oh, understanding. Like why, you know, why was I going on this earth? Why was I here? You know, what is it that, that, that I can do? And, and when I would, when I would do well it would, it would inspire other people. And you've probably have this as well and that actually feeds back on to you and, and it really, I was really in tune to that and really receptive and, and you know, like I'm all that kind of stuff that the philosophical stuff and you know, sort of this mind, body, spiritual thing, you know, it's all up to individuals as to how they interpret or assess it. And you know, it might be real, it might be not, but what's, what is real is what's in your head.

Speaker 3: (14:47)
And I, I was listening and I, it kind of become a part of me and I let it become part of my story and part of my motivation. Wow. So now we're at where we were in two thousand sixty thousand students. So have some flaws you've done and you want it now, how many times is that entitled? I want it. I want it three times. So yes. So 2007 I had a foot injury, I had plantar fasciitis and I tried pushing through and it just didn't work. Like on race day, I always say like with longest day coast-to-coast, if you try to hide an injury or if you have a problem, the race pulls it out of you. And it pulled it out of me. I go past and I was like, Ooh, I just can't do this. And so I pulled that other ACE, which was really sad, but I I it was too much.

Speaker 3: (15:40)
And it's pretty penis. I mean that's racing when you're pushing the limits, things are gonna go sometimes pear shaped and there was, and if it was easy everyone would be doing it, you know. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. So that year Fluor pausey wanted and she sort of popped up and surprise people with her when I pulled out Elena, Asha, one of the other top girls, she didn't have very good race. And so people were sort of speculating and saying, Oh, you know, who's this blur? And, you know, kind of talking about her when, and like it wasn't a, a worthy winner because girls kind of dropped out, but which is just stupid. Like she had an absolutely brilliant race, but like the longest day is about who manages themselves the best. And that day Fleur was amazing. And so the next year in 2008 with a pretty exciting year and I was really working on my mental game and that year I learned a lot.

Speaker 3: (16:34)
So I, I ended up beating for buying 44 seconds that year. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. So she was leaving, coming off the water. I had a bad paddle light at that point. I still, I wasn't eating on the water, I was just using sports, drinking Coke and the river was really low and it was taking longer than I thought. And so my nutrition fell a bit short and I had to pull over and I had an emergency gel, so I had a gel in the backup. I normally don't use gels only on the round bit. So I came off the water's seven minutes behind Fleur and we still have the 70 chain time trial to Christchurch and that's a lot to make up. But one thing that I was really good at with my racing, I sort of took a feather of some Steve Grundy's hat and I mastered that final ride.

Speaker 3: (17:21)
Yep. Most people hated it. I loved it. I knew every inch of that ride and I knew that I could probably ride 10 minutes quicker than any other woman. So I like I was, and I was very good at my energy management and I think, I think that's why it was good at posting coast is not because I was the best runner or the best paddler or whatever cyclist. I think it's because I was really good at managing my energy and I think that the power cookies had a lot to do with it because it push me to do so. I I had to chase her. Oh, what's up?

Speaker 2: (17:54)
Yeah. I think that's actually one of the things that I was good at too. I wasn't fast. It wasn't anything bad. W over the really long was sort of races. Yeah. How do you manage your body and your energy levels. And I did have difficulty with dodgiest of things, but I managed to even still be moving, you know, I mean I have all that wall that you're out here.

Speaker 3: (18:17)
Yeah. You know, my, my coach that year I changed to John Newsome in pressure. She's a triathlon coach. And one of the things that he said to me, which really stuck was when you're in these races, it's, you're always gonna have those low points, but it's all about when you have those low points to really minimize the losses. So I was always open and it's like, well, if I'm having a shitty time right now, chances are my competitors are as well. And so I am going gonna acknowledge it, I'm going to accept it, I'm not going to fight it, but I'm going to deal with it and I'm going to get on. Because before, you know, you'll probably have that next part of your human race where, Oh, all of a sudden I actually feel quite good. And and so it's just a little moment in time and it passes. And so you just have to accept it that those low spots are going to happen and you just got to minimize those losses. So that was really good advice.

Speaker 2: (19:09)
It's a good quote that it's one of my favorite quotes in the world that says this too will pass. Yes. Keep it in your head when you're in the deep dark prices and rice, it will pass as well. And sometimes, and this is I think for new athletes who haven't experienced this before, they think it's all over. Yeah. They think there's no, there's no coming back from this. I'm feeling so bad. There is no way out. I'm so glad. So I've lost so much energy on vomiting or whatever that they, I bet very 99 times out of a hundred deer is a white bag and they will pass. And if you can give your body maybe just a few minutes break or slowing down a little bit or walking for a bit and then hello, you come back and you [inaudible].

Speaker 3: (19:51)
Exactly. Exactly. It's so true. And I think what, what does help with having a bit of experience w well, well you can practice this without racing, but you have to work on like, it's really easy to sit and talk about it out, you know in a, in your living room. But it's another thing to actually put it into practice. And so that's where, when the heat is on and you're in, in that moment, having the wherewithal to kind of look at yourself objectively and know yourself out of it. And that was, I used to joke about doing that. I used to joke about, Oh, I'm brainwashing myself and we would kind of laugh because it's kind of true. I literally was like, that's how I thought of it. I was like brainwashing myself and you know, being able to master your mind. And so, so when I was chasing floor on that final gride and I remember my coach, we, they put me on the bike and he's just like, right to settle in when you're ready, John, put in the big gear and do what you know you can do.

Speaker 3: (20:51)
And he's like, whatever you do, just never give up. And so on that ride was my first real experience because I'm chasing and I'm, you know, seven minutes isn't a lot of time to make up two hour ride. And I was like, well, okay, am I going to catch her? What's the split? You know? And I was going through all these scenarios and I was thinking, and I was worrying about like, I don't want her to win because that's, you know, I, this is my race and I wanna win this race. And then, you know, and I was thinking beyond into the future and then I was worrying about, you know, stuff that had happened in the past. And as I was observing in myself, as I was thinking futuristically or in the past, my energy would literally drain from my legs. Wow. But when I stopped, when I re, I realized that that was going on.

Speaker 3: (21:39)
Cause my, I was working with Renzi Hannon, who's is spent in eighth grade. And he, I remember him saying like, when you're thinking futuristically or in the past, you, you literally lose your energy when you're in the presence. And you and I, I gave, I realized that I was like, right, I gave myself permission. Yup. Let her go. Don't worry about her. Don't worry about whether or not I'm gonna win or catch her. Just like dropped my elbows, relaxed my back, click it up a couple more gears, pull off with my heels, take a sip of my Coke and I just focused on writing as fast as I could. And and you know, I still got the split, like the radio guys were going back and forth and giving us splits and you take it on, but you take it on as useful information, you assess it, you take it and then you move on.

Speaker 3: (22:27)
You don't hang on to it. And so once you get to that point where you're completely in your zone and it's not a magical enigma, you can create it and you can make it happen. And once you're in that zone, you literally feel like super woman. It was, it was an amazing thing. And when I started reeling her in and when I knew I was going to catch her and, and, and this is where this energy thing really came into play because, because it was such exciting racing and the girl, I'm Rachel Cashin who was in third place, she was only a couple minutes behind me so you could ride a bike as well. So we were all, we all finished within a few minutes of each other, which is really exciting racing 13 hour race, but you can feel the energy people were pulled over on the side of the streets like I had never seen before. And I just, with support that was out there and that electric energy, I could literally feel it. And it really fed me cause I was like, I was, I was using it to my advantage. I was taking it and using it and that was a really pivotal time because it made me realize how you can actually put into practice harnessing that, that mind body connection and mastering your mind. Yeah. And this is something that, you know, I try and do nowadays whenever, because most,

Speaker 2: (23:46)
Most of the time, most of us in the future or in the past, you know, held bet with the crap that makes up my past. We get where in the predictable future is. Dr Joe Dispenza talks about if someone I follow very closely, we're emotionally one way we're being pulled or the other instead of actually being in the present and then creating our future without the baggage and in the middle of a rice, I can totally understand how that drains your imagery and yeah, keeping your mind in the right place. Yeah. Just such a crucial piece of the puzzle wasn't it? Yeah. You can try and everything, but you have to train that mind and then having that experience. So you managed to, so take us over the finish line on those last couple of minutes. What was it like

Speaker 3: (24:36)
Everybody, everybody was out on the street and a couple people that I trained with and my coach and everyone, it just seemed like everyone was there for me. I think they were there for both, for all of us. I felt like we were there for me and it was just electric and it was almost, I remember riding through red cliffs floor in red cliffs and when I went by her and you know, she, she was at, she was spent and I was just like, I was just like wrapping up. Like it was really crazy shift. But I just remember this, this feeling of the, the Hill I'm riding past the Hill and the people out cheering. It was like riding in an amphitheater. Wow. It was almost like an out of body experience. We just love lunch n*****s. But when I, when I got across the line, I absolutely freaked out.

Speaker 3: (25:26)
I just lost it and I was screaming and Jenny was like, we were like, cause I was just like, you know, I had such exquisite focus and discipline and then to get across the line and to actually achieve, you know, what I had set out to do, it was just like amazed. Like it was, it was an amazing feeling. It was like, it was pretty life changing. And then when when flare across the line and we high fived it, it was, I think she was really happy as well. Like obviously she didn't win, but it was an amazing thickened the story. It was a moment of empowerment for women in sports to see like, take that boys, this is not a boring one. Wars race. Our girl, and we made this awesome race and Florida and I knew it and it was all that moment wasn't about who won. It was about look at what, look at what an awesome race we just had Blake.

Speaker 2: (26:23)
Oh no, Ben is such a, you're such a good storyteller and I can feel the emotions of it. And having been in similar situations myself and just, yeah, a hundred K nationals that running around Talco and I'd had a really bad, I injured my back then the night before I, or an actually falling off, went here and hit my kidneys. So my kidneys were hit painkillers and at midnight we were starting it early in the morning and at midnight I was liking Hagan, me, you know, spasms and stuff. And I had take all these painkillers and of course then I was completely woozy with the painkillers. My mum had to dress me. That's how bad I was. And I'm standing on the, that line at 3:00 AM with my business partner and my coach Neil, who was doing his first hundred K and three o'clock in the morning and I'm like completely out of it.

Speaker 2: (27:12)
But going right, we're going, you know, yeah, here we go. We're doing what we're doing. That's agony. Like the first couple of hours, you're really, really bad. And then and then I started falling asleep because of the painkillers and I just kept, you know, who, who's doing his first hundred and I'm meant to be helping him. Right. And him holding my hand and trying to keep me away. Can you kind of, you know, wake me up as I'm passing out. It was probably good for him. He was great. And then as far more on in the day came in and my body started to wake up, as it often does in the painkillers was out of my system. And some have the kidney pain at least, and got out. Isn't it funny how that happens or the way you think it's all over. And then if you just go, sometimes you can get through it.

Speaker 2: (27:59)
And then we were running along, we're doing quite well. And then we got to about 70 kilometers in and Neil started to really break down then because it was his first race doing this. He was, you know, having those really deep, dark moments and the spear and crying and, you know, I should do, Oh, and going along and I'm talking to him and we, you know, so we've been helping each other way. And then for about 93, 94 kilometers, and one of my crew came back and they said, the number one lady is just ahead of you. I'm sorry, number two. So I was in third place at the stage and we reckon you can get her, you know? And so I was like, Oh, I've got to go. I'm leaving yet to my Mike Neil and I usually don't like to bend someone fishing.

Speaker 2: (28:44)
That helped me through the first half, faced as crying and God and go for, I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm fine. And so then I started drinking the Kaka call. I would watch guys don't drink, I only drink Coke if you're doing all [inaudible] it was like anything goes and was drinking and I was just going like in that flow state where you see you can see here and hitting me and I was just mowing or getting away from you. There is no way honey poke the call. I had my little cousin as a probably year old and he was running beside me and bringing me the codes and stuff and can come on, come on, come on.

Speaker 2: (29:26)
We passed that. She broke. Of course. You know, cause when you was yeah, and I didn't want to do that too, but I want to know like you have to do it. It's like liquid. And so I mowed down on and I ended up, so I was sick. And so the first birthplace gave it already come across but sick and the nationals. And that was just like one of those Epic moments, you know, one of those times that you and my poor might, Neil came over a few minutes later and he was fine. He had us be a standard Chi under his belt and just, you know, so you never quite know how race is going to go

Speaker 3: (30:07)
And it's never, it's, it ain't over till it's over. And you know, it was so funny because at that year, when, when in 2008 when it was such a close race, and I remember we were staying with some friends and I was debating about, Oh, should I wear an Aero helmet for the last ride or should I just use my normal helmet? And my friend said, well, you can make it up to, you know, 30 seconds quicker. And it's just like, well then we may have 30 seconds else. I've worn the Aero helmet, you know, one thing that people can do to train themselves to work on, on that being in the moment kind of thing is first of all I think just acknowledging that you are the master of your mind and it's your decision how you take things on. Are you gonna let external things that distract you cause that's all they are, what your competition's doing, what the weather's doing.

Speaker 3: (30:56)
Those are all just external distractions that you cannot control. So you have to acknowledge what you can control and what you can't control and be really mindful of, of, of just filtering things out. And if something does come at you, take it as like, just be really objective, be really clinical and clear and just take it as information and then, and then you can do some exercises too. Like you know, I'd be out on a training run and you know, long run and you're looking at that Hill way out in the distance of it's like seems so far. But then you go, well actually is it far like who decides how far it is? Like, depending on your perspective, it could actually be quite close. And then you, you run that, you do that run and then you quickly learn, well actually that only took me 10 minutes to run up to that Hill and it looks like ages.

Speaker 3: (31:50)
And so then you, you kind of take that and go, Oh okay. And then next time it doesn't seem so bad and next time it doesn't seem so bad. So like in the beginning when I was starting the training for longest day, like I had never done that kind of long training before. I was mainly doing like five days days and a few like triathlons and stuff. So to do like a six hour bike ride or a three hour, four hour run like that or big paddles, that was way beyond my variance level. And so in the beginning it almost seems unfathomable to have volume of training. But in the end it was like no big deal at all. And it was just, the only difference was a bit of experience and a bit of just gone, Oh it is fitness.

Speaker 2: (32:34)
But mostly it's your mindset. And you know what's interesting is like we, you've retired now and I've retired now and for prime going through, yeah, we're suitable now. [inaudible] For a while I'd go and try and do something long. That experience is actually gone. Like I have to reopen up their horizon again, Alex for when I, when I decided that I'm doing something along with today and it's like, what was I so far again where I was, it doesn't stay open. Like just the, I used to do hundreds of kilometers. It doesn't mean you can always stay there. So you actually have to keep, in other words, it's a muscle that needs to be [inaudible].

Speaker 3: (33:15)
Yeah. And your body will only let you do so much. And that, that's actually kicked my butt a little bit because like I won't do anything for awhile. Like I'll do stuff but like, you know, getting yoga up and working on my lands, you know, cutting some gorgeous or whatever, and then it's like, Oh, I haven't been for a run in a way while I'm gonna I'm just going to go out for a run. And then, you know, you just think that, but like there's a bit of muscle memory there, but then you pay for it. Cause you know, yeah. Just

Speaker 2: (33:41)
You think, you think I remember my very last run that I did, which was right across the North Island for a charity of a three days. And with my, my husband [inaudible] and Neil, and it was for a friend of ours who had died and we were running across and I hadn't trained the entire year because I'd had mum sick and I sort of thought, ah, I'll be fine lot, way, way, way more. And then, Oh my God, it kicked my butt because I shouldn't been training. And I hadn't had that mental thing for basically a year, so I got to the finish line, but Oh well I wasn't in good shape, you know? Yeah. I know. And you think it would remain with you by the thousands?

Speaker 3: (34:25)
Yeah. It's like anything, you have to train it and practice it and that. Yeah. But that keeping your muscles active and [inaudible].

Speaker 2: (34:33)
Yeah. And even like, like you're training and you're doing your fitness, it's very different to be doing those long sort of stuff. And they're grueling. What's in store for Emily now. So you're still doing that in [inaudible] week and people get them and yeah. Tell us a little bit about,

Speaker 3: (34:49)
Well, people can get the ends at the most bike shops in New Zealand. Like especially like the torpedo sevens and the bike shops. We have pretty good distribution there. We've been in the, the new worlds nationwide. Not all the new world stock, all the products though, but if you have, but, but they can certainly get fun. So if you bought like a favorite new world you can in there or you can go ask for them because that

Speaker 2: (35:17)
You get them in name or, huh.

Speaker 3: (35:19)
That's what picks peanut butter did. He got his customers to go in and harass the grocery buyers. So go in and like, just be shamelessly, you know, harassing, harassing them. Last year I brought out, I was the first to the New Zealand market with the him a protein cookie. Ed. I'd always wanted to make a protein cookie, but I wanted it to be vegan and natural and I wanted it to taste good. I didn't want to just load it up with sugar substitutes and protein powders. So my ham cookies are made with natural peanut butter dates are, and I'm hemp protein. Wow. And it's not just a token amount of hat. It's like 16 and 18% protein, which we source from New Zealand. And those are in all the countdowns. So most of them countdown. So countdown doesn't have my other range, but they have the ham cookies.

Speaker 3: (36:07)
Okay. So yeah, so bike shop, BP connect nationwide has, has a few of the bars and I'm actually just working on a distribution deal with a company and, and we're just still going through the process of pulling together all the information. But I'm hoping that that's going to help to give us more widespread distribution because that's like, that's one thing that I've always struggled with over the years. Cause we're a small company. I'm not, I'm not owned by a big food conglomerate. I don't have like big marketing budget from this kind of stuff cause it's really, it's really expensive to to really distribute it and service your product. Like when, when I first met Julisa I was doing that in store tasting new world and Wellington and like to do that all over the country. Obviously you can't do it yourself because you just can't be everywhere at once. But if I were to pay somebody to do that for us, like it's thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars and to do his disdain campaign like it's so it's hard but we're, but we are getting there. We're slowly, slowly just like just like a ultra or just like coast-to-coast, you know, you just take it, chunk it down one step at a time.

Speaker 2: (37:18)
A fun and fascinating whole distribution thing in the whole [inaudible] their business. Cause you know, I'm entrepreneur toe and I've got the same, it's different product obviously, but we've got my new book coming out and it's the whole same thing. You have to get it to distribution. You have to get into bookstores, you have to get on the Amazon Kindle. God knows [inaudible] box, get it actually, get it translate into other languages. Hopefully get it into Australia or new ways or this with stuff that you have to be aware of.

Speaker 3: (37:44)
Yeah, no idea. Oh, Oh totally. And like little things like packaging, like, like all of their packaging designs, there's so much that goes into it and people just think, I don't think they, I don't know if they realize just what goes on behind the scenes and just his magically arrived here. There's a lot that goes into it. So yeah. So I'm looking at, yeah, we want to hopefully get this distribution happening and, and it'll give us a little bit more like, you know, they'll be able to get us into more places like the four squares and hopefully more of the new roads and get more ranging and top down. So, so that's what's coming up. What else? So really working on that. And then we've got our property. And so I'm a bit of a homebody and I love working on my land. I love planting trees.

Speaker 3: (38:35)
I planted about 5,000 native trees on our property rehabbing. So we've got wish out the back, which is, it's absolutely beautiful. But the front section is on a whole hillside, which I, well it's funny cause it's got gorse on it. And you know, at first I was gonna just flip all the Gores to get rid of it, but it's actually really good to stabilize the Hill, but it's also nitrogen fixing it. The legume. Oh wow. It's actually really good for the soil. And nutritionally as a dietician it's the course isn't so bad. And also to the NATO, it's a good nursery plan for the natives to come through. Wow. So we've been up here for a few years now and even in that time I can see the native starting to overtake the course. Wow. But I'm still doing a lot of planting. Like I did a whole section that was quite steep and then I've got like along our road side that I've done. And it just takes a lot of maintenance and a lot of that'll keep your foot good guys. Keep me fit. Like if I, if I do a day on the scrub powder, I feel like I've done a big post to coast. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: (39:43)
The aim. Let's, let's Oh, we got to wrap up now, but I just wanted to thank you very much for coming on the show and for sharing your wisdom because it's really interesting. I have no idea what it takes to doing coast to coast, so all I've ever done is run.

Speaker 3: (39:58)
I'm the same thing with all, like I, I'm sure like I could do an ultra, but I just couldn't imagine doing like a hundred or 200 Kane. Why? Oh, I don't know. My, I think my feet, I think my body's limit is about that 33 K of arch. Okay. That's me. Yeah.

Speaker 2: (40:20)
But yeah, it's different. A different, you know, techs, different skills and disciplines and to do something that complicated, I always look at coast-to-coast and go, Oh God. And the biking in the running in, you know, how much money that takes and how much it, yeah, I'll put it over here, shows a runner,

Speaker 3: (40:37)
This animal can, I can totally get that. The simplicity of running is, is there's a lot to be said for that. And then I have to say like bat is my go to fitness is yoga and running. Cause you just put on your shoes and go, there's no stop to the gear. Yeah. It's easy.

Speaker 2: (40:52)
So nice not to be fiddling around with stuff sometimes.

Speaker 3: (40:56)
Oh that's totally, totally, yeah.

Speaker 2: (41:00)
Wait, is it, you want to see like if you, you know, you've got the young girls out there that are starting out in their careers 40 or, or just thinking about things like anything.

Speaker 3: (41:08)
Yeah. If there's something stressing you out, don't worry about it. Just focus on yourself. Focus on what you need to do and just don't worry about other stuff. Just, you know, I used to spend a lot of energy wasted worrying about things I couldn't control. Yes. Like it's like Len, my quiet guy. I remember one time, you know, he just, you know, we were talking about something, I was stressing about something, you know, unnecessarily. And Lynn just said, don't worry about it. You'll be fine. You'll be fine. And that was, that was actually really good advice. So yeah, don't, don't stress stuff. And

Speaker 2: (41:44)
That might Manson was at a mall hose and just keep pushing forward. Hey,

Speaker 3: (41:49)
That's right. That's right. And just get out there and do it and just yeah, we're work on your mental game. [inaudible] There's some really great stuff. Like, I know you mentioned Joe does better than my husband actually just mentioned him. I'm going to start getting into his stuff.

Speaker 2: (42:03)
Amazing. Oh. Cause the whole mind body connection and the, the meditation and the power of leaving all the crap that you've gotten past behind. And it's some pretty deep stuff, but it's a, yeah. Work in progress.

Speaker 3: (42:14)
Yeah. It's all over. Can programs and just, you know, remember that you're not going to accomplish everything in a day. Like just do, do what you can do within your control and understand your limits and just put one foot in front of the other and just

Speaker 2: (42:27)
Go for it. Sounds brilliant. Awesome. So everybody know, kick kick-out aims cocaine and brought them support here. What's your website? Him? So it's power, cookies.com. Our cookies.com.

Speaker 3: (42:41)
Yay. Thanks so much, Lisa. That's be good.

Speaker 2: (42:45)
It's been lovely having you on and thanks for being such a great role model and yeah, we're hopefully we'll catch up with you again, so.

Speaker 3: (42:52)
Okay, that sounds really good. Thanks Lisa. Look forward to catching up with you as well.

Speaker 1: (42:59)
That's it this week for pushing the limits. Be sure to rate, review and share with your friends and head over and visit Lisa and her team. At www.lisatamati.com