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Jerzy Gregorek and his wife Aniela survived a perilous journey living behind the Iron Curtain in Poland while it was subservient to brutal Soviet Union domination. He describes the darkness of living there in the 1970s and 80s, and how it led to him becoming an alcoholic at age 15. He had a mentor who pretty much dragged him into weightlifting at the time of the rise of Solidarity, the movement that led to the fall of the repressive Communist regime and to the free Poland that exists today despite constant threats from Putin’s Russia. Escaping that destructive, alcoholic path shaped his understanding of resilience and personal responsibility. He rebuilt his life — becoming a political exile in the USA, then a four-time world champion weightlifter, and later a mentor, poet, and a student earning his PhD in Humanistic Psychology. His core philosophy — “Hard Choices, Easy Life; Easy Choices, Hard Life” — comes from lived experience and years of guiding people through transformation. Jerzy founded the weightlifting program at UCLA, and Aniela herself is a five-time world weightlifting champion with six world records.

What sets Jerzy apart is his ability to integrate physical training, creative expression, and psychological insight into a holistic approach to health and resilience. He emphasizes that emotional intelligence is a crucial element in overcoming life’s adversities, and that it can be practiced, cultivated, and mastered. His three books, titled “The Happy Body: Mastering Food, Exercise, and Rest Choices,” are designed to help people embrace this path of strength, wisdom, and balance. The poetry book “The Happy Body: Food For Your Soul” helps with emotional eating. “The Happy Body Virtues: Daily Practices for the Modern Stoic” helps with emotional eating and self-regulation, while “I Got This: The Art of Getting Grit” helps with integrating the stories that contribute to building the skill of living a good life. Listen closely to the wise lessons Jerzy shares here and strongly consider getting deeper into The Happy Body to learn to apply the “Hard Choices, Easy Life; Easy Choices, Hard Life” philosophy to your own life. This might be one New Year’s resolution for change that I can heartily endorse.

Jerzy Gregorek

thehappybody.com

The Happy Body book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N21PL3D

Facebook The Happy Body

YouTube @thehappybody

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerzy-gregorek-ab87475/

Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
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This is an absolutely don't-miss episode listening to the incredible wisdom of two former fat guy alcoholics who became sober endurance beasts. I promise you will gain more insights from listening to this pair than you would from reading an armful of self-help books. And make sure you stay for the song at the end! Enjoy this very special blast from the past - David's last Christmas.

Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
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Running on trails in the winter takes different sets of preparation and skills. As a long-time trail runner in all seasons, I share some of my insights to help keep you comfortable, on your feet, and enjoying the benefits and special beauty of getting off of the roads and into challenging yet peaceful trails to enjoy the next few months.

Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
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You can’t beat the trail running community for positivity, and during so many of my races I have randomly met the most interesting and often inspiring people, many of whom have become lifelong friends. During the descending miles of this year’s Leadville Heavy Half, I started chatting with a fellow runner and before long discovering Scott Tish’s inspiring story that included his experiences as an air ambulance helicopter pilot and as a five-time cancer survivor. Scott’s battles led him to some dark places, but he emerged on the other side with a reinvigorated view on life and gratitude for the mere opportunity to go out and run every day, much less complete races as challenging as the Heavy Half. He attributes a lot of his rebound to his wife, Pam, who gave him the tough love needed to move forward with his life and find again how running is some of the best medicine anyone can take. Scott’s journey in the Army also gave him the very rare privilege of being a guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Combine that with being a survivor of very rare forms of cancer and being an ultrarunner, Scott’s one-of-a-kind story will certainly inspire you.

Scott Tish

Facebook @stish162

linkedin.com/in/scott-tish-tus162

TikTok @millieandtesspapa

tombguard.org

Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
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Dealing with my dad's serious illness has reinforced the value of one of my core philosophies: It Will All Work Out. Anytime I have faced adversity, just as all of you have numerous times, it's a great tool to keep in your arsenal.

Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
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How did Cody Poskin, a guy who was told to “get lost” by the coach at his college, become one of the rising stars of ultrarunning and getting invited to run across the Gobi Desert in China? I dig into that with the help of another 23-year-old ultramarathon beast, TJ Harms-Synkiew. After Cody was spurned by the college coach, he decided to target the Boston Marathon, nailing a qualifying time in his first attempt. At age 21, he jumped up to ultras and won his first two races, including the Midstate Massive Ultra Trail 100-mile in a speedy 19:47. He was a very impressive 13th at his first Leadville Trail 100 in 2024 in 19:28, and then had another breakthrough at the Jackpot 100 miler, which he ran in 13:26, breaking the course record by 33 minutes. After placing 8th at the Cocodona 250 in 71:11, Cody joined 54 other runners to run the Ultra Gobi 400K, a life-altering experience. The Chinese hosted a world-class event as Cody describes, all while he had to navigate a course that had no markings, only checkpoints, and he had to run self-supported with a 15-pound pack in which he was required to carry 2000 calories at all times. He won in 64:49, shattering the course record by 4 hours, and earned the title Guanjun Marshall. What makes this episode fun for an old ultramarathon goat like me is listening to 23-year-olds who are relatively new to the sport and how they plunge into all sorts of challenges with the attitude of “I’ll figure it out along the way.”

Cody Poskin

codyposkin.com

Instagram, YouTube, and Threads @cody_poskin

Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
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In this coaching episode, I discuss 13 creative things you can do this winter to renew and reinvigorate your running so you can be fitter and stronger for 2026 racing. Please feel free to contact me if you'd like me to expand on any of these topics for you!

Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
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I was really intrigued when I heard about Matt Zemon and his advocacy for psychedelic therapy as an alternative when traditional psychotherapy hasn’t been successful. Colorado became the first state in the country to legalize therapy using psilocybin mushrooms, and I know someone who has done it and says it produced great results. Like many of you, I came from a place of complete ignorance on this topic, so I really appreciate Matt’s expert knowledge on it, and he enlightened me on information like about the hundreds of psychedelic churches and societies in this country. He has a very broad knowledge of using medicines like psilocybin, ketamine, ayahuasca, MDMA, and other psychedelics, why for some people these are better than antidepressants, who should consider taking one of these, like veterans dealing with post-traumatic stress, or people wanting to explore spiritual growth, the research that has gone into psychedelics, government views and laws on them, and places where people can consult with professionals if they want to explore trying these medicines. In particular, Matt supports veteran communities with his book, “The Veteran’s Guide to Psychedelic Journeys” helping them find more healing and hope by combining ancient healing traditions with contemporary practices. He is donating all of the book’s proceeds to the Heroic Hearts Project, which further aids veterans to heal. It’s a fascinating conversation that I would encourage you to listen to because it may resonate for you or someone you know, and it will open your eyes in a lot of unexpected ways.

Matt Zemon

Instagram @matt.zemon

LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/mattzemon

Bill Stahl
silly_billy@msn.com
Facebook Bill Stahl and American Heroes Run for race photos
Instagram and Threads @stahlor and @we_are_superman_podcast
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