Hurdle with Emily Abbate

Latest Episodes:

320. Mastering Your Craft: Melissa Ortiz On Running Toward Big Goals & Translating Her Passion For Sport Into A Broadcasting Career Sep 30, 2024

Show notes

"Believe in the run" is the name of the game for today’s guest, Melissa Ortiz. She’s a former pro soccer player, Olympian, and current broadcaster and host who’s had her fair share of hurdles getting to this point. We talk about her career journey, the highs and lows of professional soccer, what it was like to get to the Olympic level and how she segued her passion for sport from the field to the big screen. Melissa shares her advice on how to show up day in and day out with confidence and the reward of working diligently to master your craft.

Melissa also completed her first marathon while in Paris and I am happy to report that not only did she finish, but she had a remarkable time and her Instagram recap is a must see.

IN THIS EPISODE

Melissa’s biggest hurdle to date and how she pushed out of her lowest point (5:35)

The power of self talk during difficult moments (8:22)

The transition from professional athletics and graduating from sport (13:20)

Navigating the feelings of feeling like ‘other’ personally and professionally (22:20)

Melissa’s first experience creating content and how that lead to her current career (25:20)

How it feels to be in a position with a unique perspective and being a first generation in her role (30:35)

Melissa’s go-to’s when she’s not feeling at her best but needs to show up (35:28)

A piece of advice for anyone wanting to get into broadcasting and content creation (38:35)

Melissa’s biggest takeaways from her highest hurdles (54:02)

SOCIAL

@melissaortiz5

⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠

OFFERS

AG1 | Head to drinkag1.com/hurdle to get 5 free travel packs and a year’s supply of vitamin D3 + k2 drops with your first purchase

JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠

SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠

ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message or send an email to hello@hurdle.us to ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5-MINUTE FRIDAY: The 60-Second Switch Sep 27, 2024

Show notes

Procrastination gets the best of me, whether it's leading into a work out or getting up and out in the morning. Today, I'm talking about the tool I use to beat it lately, and challenge you to do the same. Plus: Answering a listener question about ~how~ to run a faster half-marathon.

SOCIAL

⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠

JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message, or email hello@hurdle.us, to ask me a question!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

319. Focusing On What Matters: Sequel Founder Amanda Calabrese On Reinventing Period Products & How To Get Back Up When You're Down Sep 23, 2024

Show notes

Let’s just get this out of the way from the start: We are talking about the menstrual cycle this week, but this conversation goes so much deeper than the monthly cycle. I had the opportunity to sit down with Amanda Calabrese in Paris, founder of Sequel — a spiral tampon that creates a longer flow path for better absorption and no leak protection. We talk about her journey in developing Sequel, which started as a class project at Stanford and the hurdles involved with creating a D2C product. Amanda opens up about her experience with burnout and how she leans on her years as an athlete to inform her daily decisions as an entrepreneur.

IN THIS EPISODE

Amanda’s background and how Sequel came to be (3:28)

A lesson on the sport of life saving and how her athletic career introduced her to the first Sequel investor (7:20)

The first steps to put Sequel in motion and how Amanda used her skills as an athlete to develop a company (16:15)

Amanda’s go-to when overcoming burnout (24:45)

Biggest hurdles in early stages of product development (27:42)

A crash course on raising money and angel investors (31:15)

The defining moment of the first Sequel tampon and where you can purchase Sequel (38:24)

The branding behind Sequel and Amanda’s biggest lessons in creating a brand (41:15)

A piece of advice for every female founder (45:12)

Sequel’s partnership with Athleta and what it’s looked like in Paris and beyond (46:50)

SOCIAL

@apcalabrese

@trysequel

⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠

OFFERS

LMNT | LMNT | Head to drinklmnt.com/hurdle to get a free sample pack with any purchase (including the new LMNT sparkling!)

JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠

SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠

ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message or shoot an email to hello@hurdle.us to ask a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5-MINUTE FRIDAY: You Can Handle It — Period Sep 20, 2024

Show notes

What mantra or words of affirmation do you repeat to yourself when things feel hard? Talking about how I navigated a downward spiral earlier this week, and answering a listener question about how to identify purpose within career.

SOCIAL

⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠

⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠

JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

318. Owning Your Voice: Nike's Chief Impact Officer Vanessa Garcia-Brito On Training For Work Like An Athlete & Empowering The Next Generation Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

This entire conversation could be a life coach session. I sat down with Vanessa Garcia, Chief Impact Officer at Nike, at the Paralympic Games, and I feel truly honored to share her immense amount of knowledge and advice with the Hurdler community.

Vanessa started out as a human rights lawyer before pivoting to Nike and we talk about her non-traditional career path while keeping her mission of advocating for women and girls at the center of her journey. She sheds light on how her upbringing helps to inform how she makes decisions, where she gets her confidence from, and gets real about navigating the nerves that come with the nature of her role at Nike and what she does to "train for her job like an athlete."

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

⁠⁠Nike's GameOn Program⁠

IN THIS EPISODE

Vanessa’s feelings to be in Paris at her FIRST Paralympic games (4:35)

What inspired her to make the transition from a human rights lawyer to team Nike (5:40)

Keeping your composure during big, impactful conversations (10:18)

How Vanessa’s upbringing informed how she shows up for herself and others every day (13:35)

A fresh perspective on a support system and understanding your value (17:45)

Advice for chasing the next level of your career (23:29)

How Vanessa keeps a balance in order to live her life in purpose on purpose (28:30)

Integrating a love for movement into your family (32:20)

Training for your job like an athlete (34:20)

The power of the pivot and defining what success looks like to you (37:40)

SOCIAL

⁠Vanesa Garcia-Brito on LinkedIn⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠

OFFERS

AG1 | Head to ⁠drinkag1.com/hurdle⁠ to get 5 free travel packs and a year’s supply of vitamin D3 + k2 drops with your first purchase

JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message⁠, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5-MINUTE FRIDAY: What's Balance & How Do You Accomplish It? Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

What does balance look like when you're pouring too much into one cup? Answering that question, as well as a listener question about what it could mean to be a certified health coach and how that's different than a certified trainer.

SOCIAL

⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠

⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

317. Making History: Paralympian & Ironman Triathlete Sarah Reinertsen Talks Perseverance, Coming Up Short & The Importance Of Inclusion Sep 11, 2024

Show notes

Sarah Reinertsen knows a thing or two about getting things done. The Paralympian is the world's first female amputee to complete the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, and that 2005 hurdle conquered is just one of her lengthy list of accomplishments. In this week's special episode, she talks about how she turned her passions into her profession working in sports marketing at Nike, and she also sheds light on what it takes to keep showing up when times get tough. Plus: Advice for harnessing your own tenacity, and what she hopes the future looks like for other disabled people.

IN THIS EPISODE

Learn about Nike’s GameOn Program (2:30)

What Sarah does in her role of sports marketing at Nike (4:30)

Sarah explains her T63 classification: An above the knee amputation (7:16)

Sarah talks about the bone growth disorder she was born with (8:33)

Sarah’s experience being othered as a child playing soccer (9:20)

How September 11 really influenced her to make a dream happen and follow her passions (13:15)

Sarah talks about her first attempt at Kona in 2004 (15:32)

Sarah explains the World Marathon Challenge (22:40)

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

⁠Nike's GameOn Program⁠

SOCIAL

⁠@alwaystri⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or email hello@hurdle.us to ask me a question — and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

316. Behind The Camera: Em Johnson Talks Capturing The Top Women In Sport & Self-Belief As Her Strongest Tool Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

It's the confidence in this episode for me. Meet Em Johnson: A proud, multi-hyphenate content creator who has been behind the camera working with some of the top female athletes in sport. In this week's episode, she talks about how she got her start while playing college basketball, channeling her effort into something creative when she wasn't getting the playing time she deserved. The Brooklyn-based creative shares what it was like to be employee No. 2 at TOGETHXR, what it was like for her to transition into working for herself, and how she navigated extreme anxiety and mental health struggles and came out on the other side better. Plus: Her feelings on the lack of other female photographers on popular sidelines, what it's like to work with Breanna Stewart, and what she's looking forward to most in the next few years.

IN THIS EPISODE

How Em first got into photography (4:40)

How Em feels about being a stand alone or othered in her career path (5:52)

The disadvantage in sport that actually helped Em get started in photography (7:50)

What Em did when she got to college and wasn’t getting playing time on the basketball team (10:00)

Em opens up about dealing with anxiety and panic attacks, how she navigated that in college (13:46)

The tools that Em used to deal with her depression (17:50)

What the “Bet on Yourself” era looks like for Em (18:30)

How Em got involved with building TOGETHXR as employee No. 2 (32:00)

How to deal with repetitive No's, and what kept Em knocking on doors when it didn’t click (36:16)

SOCIAL

⁠@em.johnson⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

OFFERS

LMNT | Head to ⁠DrinkLMNT.com/Hurdle⁠ to get a free sample pack with any purchase

JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message⁠⁠⁠ or email hello@hurdle.us to ask me a question — and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

5-MINUTE FRIDAY: A Little More Ease, A Little Less Stress Sep 06, 2024

Show notes

What's the healthiest approach to every day life, and is it different than what I'm used to? Answering this question after spending a week living out of a suitcase, as well as one from a listener about how to know whether running is the "right" activity for her.

SOCIAL

⁠@emilyabbate⁠

⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠

JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

315. Getting It Right: Athleta's Chief Marketing Officer Ilona Aman On Sacrifice, Hard Work & Turning A Moment Into A Movement Sep 02, 2024

Show notes

If you look up "hard work" in the dictionary, you may just find a photo of Athleta's Chief Marketing Officer Ilona Aman. This conversation truly touches on so many of my favorite topics: Careers, entrepreneurship, wellness, women in sport, a fresh perspective on imposter syndrome, and so much more. In today's episode, Ilona gets real about the challenges that go hand in hand with being so career motivated, how she structures her family for balance, and her motivation to inspire her daughter and the next generation.

IN THIS EPISODE

What Ilona has been up to in Paris and what it means for her to be at the Games with Athleta (3:36)

What 'getting it right' looks like to Ilona (6:35)

Showing up to a challenge and feeling confident in what you have to offer (10:55)

The career journey that propelled Ilona to her role at Athleta (17:40)

Tools for self compassion and avoiding negative self talk (23:24)

What Ilona looks for in emerging talent and the importance of soft skills (30:35)

A new perspective on imposter syndrome (33:10)

A moment to reflect on Ilona's Beyonce moment (40:36)

The balance of firm but kind in the workplace (42:45)

Ilona's motivation to inspire the next generation (49:06)

SOCIAL

⁠Ilona Aman on LinkedIn⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠@emilyabbate⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠@hurdlepodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠

OFFERS

AG1 | Head to ⁠drinkag1.com/hurdle⁠ to get 5 free travel packs and a year’s supply of vitamin D3 + k2 drops with your first purchase.

JOIN: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠THE *Secret* FACEBOOK GROUP⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

SIGN UP: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Weekly Hurdle Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ASK ME A QUESTION: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Leave me a voice message⁠, ask me a question, and it could be featured in an upcoming episode!⁠

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected