2015 was the first year that I was one of the 100 runners invited to run Badwater 135, “the world’s toughest foot race,” and ventured out to Death Valley in June to prepare and acclimate, and back again in July, to race. I was too nervous to fully appreciate the experience, although the imprint it made on my life, from…
Author: jodiw5@aol.com
MONASTERY
3 months living with Benedictine and Trappist monks – what could go wrong? Years back, in the early-after 9/11 era, I lived with Roman Catholic monks at Benedictine and Trappist monasteries from Canada, to South Carolina, to Massachusetts, to California. I started off the journey with a few weeks at an Ashram in Pennsylvania and finished it at a Buddhist…
Life After College: Navigating the Road Ahead
You spent four or more years learning, studying, writing papers, taking tests, and achieving grades high enough to earn a college degree. Congratulations! But your journey is not over. In fact, now is when it really begins. After having professors motivate, encourage, and mentor you, now your fate is in your own hands. Next up is to navigate the world…
Mother’s Day: On Love & Loss
When I was younger, Mother’s Day and my birthday always blurred together with their being a few days apart. For my Bat Mitzvah, our Rabbi instructed me to write my haftorah speech about how my mother had impacted my life at that early age, and to pay reverence to all mothers. In retrospect, it was fitting, as my mother played…
The Mindset of Career Transition
In the landscape of career advice, there’s tons of guidance out there on how to improve your resume, interview effectively, and how to stand out from the crowd of job seekers. While resumes and interview prep help professionals to market themselves effectively, when it comes to career transition, there are vital steps job seekers should ponder prior to perfecting one’s…
Badwater Salton Sea – Against the Wind
The Badwater Salton Sea Story All great ideas have a history: for Chief Adventure Officer and Race Director Chris Kostman, the concept of challenging runners for 81 miles over a blend of road and trail in California, on a course with elevation reminiscent of Badwater 135, made sense. For this adventure, the starting point would be the abandoned Salton Sea…
Hustle, Hassle, and Positivity
If you are immersed in the daily hustle—a juggling act of being your best at work, home, and with your family—it’s likely that you have learned along the way to take a lot of deep breaths, laugh often, and continually reinvigorate your passion and purpose. When it comes to hustling, being on the right path is often what keeps you…
The Desert
More than any other adventure in my life, running Badwater 135 has taught me about the long and winding road, the struggles involved in our journeys, the joys, the importance of teamwork and trust, and what it means to propel yourself forward in adverse situations. Badwater 135 has educated me about aspirations, preparation, and how to rebound when I spiral…
Finance & Fitness: The Key to a Wholehearted Life
Many of us possess our own ideas on what it takes to achieve a wholehearted life. The term wholehearted is defined as showing complete sincerity and commitment, and its synonyms consist of adjectives such as positive, devoted, dedicated, and enthusiastic. In a time when society is often rushed, in debt, overweight, and disillusioned, who doesn’t want to attain a wholehearted…
Cultivating Your Career Story
“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you now it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path. – Joseph Campbell Culturally, we are storytellers. We move through our lives listening to and narrating stories pertaining to our childhood, stories of how…