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The Mountain Life

Health & Wellness Podcasts

The Mountain Life is a weekly, hour-long program that focuses on variety of topics from health and fitness, nutrition and parenting as well as lifestyle and education. Co-hosts Lynn Ware Peek and Mary Beth Maziarz hear from experts, authors, explorers and Wasatch Back locals who share ways to maximize your mountain life.

Location:

Park City, UT

Description:

The Mountain Life is a weekly, hour-long program that focuses on variety of topics from health and fitness, nutrition and parenting as well as lifestyle and education. Co-hosts Lynn Ware Peek and Mary Beth Maziarz hear from experts, authors, explorers and Wasatch Back locals who share ways to maximize your mountain life.

Language:

English


Episodes
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Why speaking up matters more than ever

11/26/2025
Psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Chloe Carmichael explores why so many people stay silent, how that silence affects our well-being and how her new book, "Can I Say That?," offers practical tools to communicate with confidence, clarity and compassion. If you’ve ever hesitated to share your true thoughts, this conversation is for you.

Duration:00:24:07

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Experts share turkey tips and perfect Thanksgiving wines (Part 1)

11/19/2025
Turkey tips, deep-fry safety and the perfect Thanksgiving wines — Chef Joe Saladyga and wine expert Kirsten Fox get you holiday-ready. From brining basics to the bottles that make the meal, we’ve got your feast covered.

Duration:00:28:08

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Experts share turkey tips and perfect Thanksgiving wines (Part 2)

11/19/2025
Turkey tips, deep-fry safety and the perfect Thanksgiving wines — Chef Joe Saladyga and wine expert Kirsten Fox get you holiday-ready. From brining basics to the bottles that make the meal, we’ve got your feast covered.

Duration:00:23:57

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The Mountain Life | November 12, 2025

11/12/2025
Lynn Ware Peek and Mary Beth Maziarz speak with Sarah Cookler of USA Skimo, who talks about the first-ever North American Skimo World Cup at Solitude. The world’s top ski mountaineers race for their last chance to qualify for the 2026 Winter Games In Italy. Then, Dr. Trevor Kates and Renee Huang of Wild Women Tribe discuss their Elemental Harmony group for women’s seasonal health and wellness for the changing seasons.

Duration:00:50:27

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The Mountain Life | November 05,2025

11/5/2025
Longevity expert Ken Stern reveals why the secret to a longer, healthier life isn’t diet or exercise — it’s connection, and how social connection is the missing link in America’s health span. Then, just as we have set our clocks back, science journalist Lynne Peeples tells us why our circadian rhythms deserve better! She shares the fascinating and often surprising science of our internal timekeepers in her book, "The Inner Clock: Living in Synch with Our Circadian Rhythms."

Duration:00:53:01

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The Mountain Life | October 29, 2025

10/29/2025
Olympic legend Bode Miller who joins for this month’s Resilient Youth episode to talk about grit, growth and the power of failure. Hear his take on what it really means to build mental fitness and live with purpose. Then, Dr. Brennan Spiegel, professor of medicine, explains how gravity shapes far more than our posture — revealing how it influences our organs, cells and overall health.

Duration:00:53:15

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The Mountain Life | October 22, 2025

10/22/2025
Fight, flight, freeze or fawn? Psychologist Dr. Ingrid Clayton unpacks the overlooked trauma response that keeps us stuck in toxic patterns. Learn how to recognize it and how to break free. Then, author Michael O’Malley shares insider stories, local wisdom and a few spicy truths about living at elevation in his new book, "Attitude at Altitude: The People’s Guide to Park City and Summit County."

Duration:00:51:57

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The Mountain Life | October 15, 2025

10/15/2025
Connor Darnbrough, co-founder of the Smart Fit Method in Park City, breaks down the science of personalized, data-driven training. Then, Medicare Open Enrollment begins Oct. 15th — but nearly 70% of beneficiaries don’t understand the process. Health tech expert Stephanie Jones shares what you need to know.

Duration:00:52:15

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The Mountain Life | October 8, 2025

10/8/2025
At just 38, Park City native Meghan Kahn was diagnosed with ALS. A devoted mom, teacher and athlete, Meghan faces this challenge with extraordinary courage. She shares her story and how the community is rallying to support her and the fight against ALS on Oct. 11. Then, Park City schools have banned cell phone use during the school day for grades 6 - 12. Digital expert Devorah Heitner, author of "Growing up in Public: Coming of Age in a Digital World," discusses the topic.

Duration:00:54:19

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The Mountain Life | October 1, 2025

10/1/2025
Journalist Mary McKenna unpacks the rise of peanut allergies and the groundbreaking treatments that may change how we prevent and even cure them. She explores what science is uncovering — and what it could mean for children’s health and safety. Then, Allison Page, founder of Trailtalk, shares how walking and talking in nature helps us process emotions, reduce stress and reconnect with ourselves. With over 15 years of experience, she offers trail-tested insights for emotional tune-ups, mindfulness and lasting lifestyle change.

Duration:00:54:29

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The Mountain Life | September 24, 2025

9/24/2025
Our Resilient Youth series continues with Samantha Walsh, a social worker at Park City High School. She supports juniors and seniors through their most formative years and leads the "Hope Squad" — students helping students by building connection, raising awareness, and preventing suicide. Then, neuroscientist and best-selling author Daniel Levitin explores how music heals the mind and body in his book "I Heard There was a Secret Chord." From ancient traditions to modern neuroscience, he reveals why rhythm and melody remain among humanity’s oldest medicines.

Duration:00:52:49

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The Mountain Life | September 17, 2025

9/17/2025
Researcher and educator Erica Woolway tells us what’s happening to reading education in our country, when nearly half of Americans don’t read a single book in a year. Then, local filmmaker Jill Orschel and producer Kirsten Spalding discuss the creative process and evolving logistics of making an independent film.

Duration:00:51:34

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The Mountain Life | September 3, 2025

9/3/2025
Author Ted Page discusses his new book “Good Grandpa,” which describes how the role of grandparents has evolved in recent years and ways that their presence in children’s lives can be more helpful and satisfying than ever before. Then, organizational expert Vanessa Druskat dissects what makes for an “Emotionally Intelligent Team” at work and beyond, and how to help every member of a collaborative situation feel valued while creating a result that far outperforms expectations.

Duration:00:52:20

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The Mountain Life | August 27, 2025

8/27/2025
Carey Pickus, co-founder of Trailhead Parent Support, talks about her own family’s struggles and how that led Carey to create weekend retreats to help parents of teens and young adults find tools, support and hope. Then, Caroline Miller, Executive Director of Utah Avalanche Center, previews the 32nd annual Backcountry Benefit and the ongoing mission to keep outdoor enthusiasts safe in the backcountry.

Duration:00:51:40

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The Mountain Life | August 20, 2025

8/20/2025
Organizational transformation expert Bree Groff, author of a new book called “Today Was Fun: A Book About Work (Seriously),” tells how fun in the workplace is about more than morale – it’s the key to building a successful business. Then, journalist Heather Clark's discovery of her grandfather's WWII scrapbook led to a literary novel that asks difficult questions about love, guilt, and healing.

Duration:00:53:00

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The Mountain Life | August 13, 2025

8/13/2025
Journalist Mallory Tenore Tarpley provides a new framework for understanding eating disorder treatment and recovery, interweaving poignant personal stories, immersive reporting and cutting-edge science in her new book "Slip: Life in the Middle of Eating Disorder Recovery." Then, with some 60,000 medicinal plants available in the world, certified herbalist Rachelle Robinett explores modern herbalism as a complement to Western medicine in her book "Naturally: The Herbalist’s Guide to Health and Transformation."

Duration:00:52:42

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The Mountain Life | August 6, 2025

8/7/2025
Joanna Sokol, author of “A Real Emergency – Stories from the Ambulance,” shares heartfelt, and sometimes hilarious, experiences as an EMT and describes how they’ve shaped her understanding of our medical care system. Then, author Jill Bialosky discusses her new book, “The End of the Beginning: A Personal History of My Mother,” which explores the many facets of grief through the lens of her mother’s life, losses, and extraordinary resilience.

Duration:00:51:16

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The Mountain Life | July 30, 2025

7/30/2025
Dr. Aaron Fischer from the University of Utah School of Psychology and Psychiatry talks about the challenges and triumphs of youth mental health. Then, science journalist Starre Vartan talks about her new book, "The Stronger Sex," which dismantles the myth that men are inherently stronger than women.

Duration:00:52:43

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The Mountain Life | July 23, 2025

7/23/2025
Rapper, activist, and author Sonita Alizada shares the gripping story of her escape from the Taliban regime after being sold as a child bride in Afghanistan, and her unexpected connection to Utah in her new book, “Sonita: My Fight Against Tyranny and My Escape to Freedom.” (1:13)Then, research professor and geophysicist Gidon Eshel, talks about his new book, "Planetary Eating," which dives deep into how our food choices affect the Earth—and what we can do about it. (25:57)

Duration:00:51:24

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The Mountain Life | July 16, 2025

7/16/2025
Microbiologist Dr. B. Brett Finlay and health geographer Dr. Jessica Finlay challenge conventional wisdom about aging by highlighting the crucial role of microbes in our health. In their new book "The Microbiome Master Key," they explore how nurturing our inner ecosystem can promote longevity, brain health and overall well-being. Then, Park City based writer, comedian and blogger Jena Kingsley discusses her new book, “Darcy Dates,” based on her blog that chronicles the experience of dating in New York City post-divorce. It's raw, real and hilarious.

Duration:00:52:24