The Lightest Tread

Paul speaks to Nick Brosnan, Marketing Manager for Americas for Polygiene. Polygiene is a long time partner of SOLE's. All of our footbeds are treated with Polygiene to prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria to keep the footbeds stink-free. Part of why we love working with Polygiene is how they position themselves as a company, and the message they spread about mindful living and minimizing your impact. Paul and Nick chat about Nick's perspective on the North American outdoor industry and how it compares to our counterparts in Scandinavia, Nick gives the lowdown on how stink prevention actually works, the guys discuss the challenges and opportunities of marketing a product for its practical use first and its sustainable credentials second, and Paul shares the memories of his own shameful foot stench. We also learn a bit about the positive impacts of doing less laundry! To learn more about Polygiene and all they do check out polygiene.com You can also take 15% off stink-free footbeds at yoursole.com by using code POLY15 at checkout.

Paul chats to long distance hiker and 'recovering academic' Amiththan Sebarajah to gain his perspective on thru-hiking and discus how he frames that perspective against the complex and nuanced backdrop of his life experience as a first-generation immigrant and person of color. As a boy Amiththan survived civil war in Sri Lanka before moving to Canada with his family. His life has followed many varied paths including academia, advocacy, and activism, but the paths he has most passion for are those he can follow across continents, one step at a time.Amiththan has thru-hiked many of the world’s most famous long distance trails and offers a nuanced and considered perspective on what it is to thru-hike in the Social-political context of the modern world. Listeners can get 15% off at yoursole.com by entering the code JUNEBUG15 at checkout. Follow Amiththan on instagram here.

Paul chats to long distance hiker and 'recovering academic' Amiththan Sebarajah to gain his perspective on thru-hiking and discuss how he frames it against the complex and nuanced backdrop of his life experience as a first-generation immigrant and person of color. As a boy, Amiththan survived civil war in Sri Lanka before moving to Canada with his family. His life has followed many varied paths including academia, advocacy, and activism, but the paths he has most passion for are those he can follow across continents, one step at a time. Amiththan has thru-hiked many of the world’s most famous long distance trails and offers a nuanced and considered perspective on what it is to thru-hike in the Social-political context of the modern world. Listeners can get 15% off at yoursole.com by entering the code JUNEBUG15 at checkout.Follow Amiththan on instagram

Paul speaks to Thor Retzlaff, a skier, mountaineer, adventurer and entrepreneur with a passion for changing the way we think about and deal with human waste, particularly in the outdoors. Inspired by a trip to Everest base camp in 2018, Thor and his team decided to launch Do Good Shit, a not-for-profit on a mission to reduce the harmful impacts of human waste, by delivering dignified and sustainable sanitation systems to ecologically sensitive environments and their surrounding communities. He's since gone on to co-found a revolution in portable toilets called Wasted. Paul and Thor discuss the golden rule of properly managing human waste in outdoor settings. They also talk about the hidden potential of urine and upcycling this liquid gold, as well as getting some insight into Thor's trip to build a toilet in the Himalayas and summit Ama Dablam. Thor wears a SOLE Performance Thin with Met Pad footbed in his mountaineering boots. Listeners can get 15% off yoursole.com by entering the code THOR15 at checkout. Check out Wasted here: https://wasted.earth/ And Do Good Shit here: https://www.dogoodshit.org/

Paul speaks to Dr Morgan Brosnihan, DPT. Starting in early spring, Morgan spends her summers living and working out of her big red van. Along with her golden retriever Honey, she travels the Pacific Crest Trail offering specialized support and treatment for hikers hiking the PCT, which Morgan herself completed in 2019. By combining her passion for thru-hiking and her love for the PCT in particular with her professional and personal prerogative to help people overcome injury, she offers hikers a unique and invaluable service as they take on the incredible challenge of walking from Mexico to Canada across 2600 miles of the United States. We talk about all things PCT preparation, Morgan's personal experience with the trail community, and her unique and fascinating insight on injury trends along the trail. You can find Morgan on instagram @blazephysio where she has loads of useful resources for thruhikers. Listeners can get 10% off any full priced product at yoursole.com by entering the code BLAZE10 at checkout. If you enjoy the episode please take a moment to like and subscribe!

Jess Kahnke is an empowerment and performance coach, specializing in holistic nutrition, mindset and fitness. Jess is also an elite triathlete, and she recently qualified for the 2023 Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii. In this episode of The Lightest Tread, Paul speaks to Jess about all things Ironman: training schedules, nutrition, the benefits of having a dedicated coach, and specifically Jess's own journey from not being able to train at all, to finishing 2nd in her age group at Ironman Penticton in the space of five months. We also discuss the challenges of finding balance in your life when competing in endurance sports, and the importance of positive self affirmation in the process. Jess Wears a SOLE Performance Medium footbed in her running shoes, and listeners can get 15% off yoursole.com by using the code IRON15 at checkout.

Eric Larsen is a polar adventurer who is intimately familiar with some of the planet's harshest environments. As such he's no stranger to suffering and the extremes of mental and physical toughness it can take to make it through life or death situations. In 2010 Eric became the first person ever to summit Everest and ski to both the North and South Poles in a single year. In 2014 he documented his attempt to record the fastest ever ski trip to the North Pole in his film Melting: Last Race to the Pole. All these challenges helped prepare Eric, in a way, for his recent battle with cancer. After being told he had just years to live, Eric has fought his way back to being declared disease free. In this inspiring and moving conversation with Paul, Eric reflects on the many challenges he has faced and shares some hard-earned insights. Get 15% off at yoursole.com when you use Eric's personal motto THINKSNOW as a discount code at checkout. Keep up with Eric by checking out his website, or following him on instagram.

Paul speaks to Teresa Martinez, Executive Director of the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. For over 30 years, Teresa has worked professionally to increase awareness, engagement, access, and stewardship of the United States' entire National Trails System. Teresa is a life long outdoor recreationist and has worked for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and the Continental Divide Trail Alliance, before co-founding Continental Divide Trail Coalition in 2012. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) is one of the most significant trail systems in the world. Established by US Congress in 1978, it spans 3,100 miles (that’s 5000km) between Mexico and Canada, traverses five states and connects countless communities along the spine of the Rocky Mountains. Listeners can learn more and support the Continental Divide Trail Coalition here. Listeners can also get 15% off at yoursole.com by entering the code 'continental' at checkout.

A proud Lakota and passionate skier and storyteller, Connor Ryan was born and raised at the foot of the Rocky Mountains on Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Territory. He considers these landscapes among his biggest inspirations and closest relatives. The peaks and trails led him to find deeper relationships with himself and nature while providing a cherished space for reconnecting with Lakota culture. As a professional skier and avid trail runner he uses his athletic endeavors and filmmaking to find common ground and stoke passion for action throughout the outdoor industry. With his voice and praxis Connor has been able to help Native communities be better represented in skiing and the outdoors and guided organizations and brands into needed roles in environmental and social justice. As an Indigenous storyteller grounded in a contemporary community of adventure and advocacy he is able to speak to common threads that bond people to place regardless of their background. Connor wears a Performance Thin footbed in his ski boots. His award-winning film Spirit of the Peaks is available on YouTube.

Paul speaks to professional mountain guide and new father Jediah Porter about all things mountains. They discuss why it is that Jed believes 'mountains make people better', how one goes about becoming a mountain guide in the first place, and what it's like balancing an adventurous outdoor life with the responsibilities of being a father. Jed is passionate about mountains. That mostly manifests in a full-time, year-round career as a mountain guide. He also chases mountain experiences “for fun”. Whether on skis, mountaineering boots, or rock climbing shoes, passion for the steep guides his life and has for 25 years. He lives in Driggs, Idaho with his wife and their daughter, Charlie Rebecka. Jed wears SOLE Active Thin with Met Pad footbeds which he rotates between multiple pairs of footwear.

Zelzin Aketzalli is the first Mexican person to complete the Triple Crown of thru-hiking, hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, the Appalachian Trail and the Continental Divide Trail, for a combined total of more than 7000 miles of hiking. We first met Zelzin in May 2021 when she started using our Active Thick with Met Pad footbeds to recover from a severe metatarsal injury. After meeting to hear more of her story, we were blown away by her incredible life-long dedication to making something more of her life than the people around her pictured possible. Zelzin embarked on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2017 never having camped for more than one night, and not speaking any English. Her bravery in the face of the unknown and her refusal to allow small fears to get in the way of big dreams could be an example to us all.

In this very first episode of the The Lightest Tread podcast, Paul Maughan-Brown chats to SOLE, ReCORK and CO2negative founder and CEO Mike Baker about his personal journey revolutionizing sustainability in the footwear industry. We hear about the lake house floor that inspired natural wine cork recycling program ReCORK, what it took to maintain focus and dedication to an ideal over 14 years of driving the program, and what's in store for SOLE and ReCORK moving forward. We also hear about the launch of CO2negative to offer a way of empowering people to take control of their own climate impact, and discuss other ways of preventing oneself from becoming overwhelmed and staying optimistic and hopeful in the face of the climate crisis.