It’s been a while, and just *a few* things have happened since our last episode. Jesse and Lauren jump on the mic to talk about Laird Superfood acquiring Picky Bars and answer some of your burnin’ Work Play Love questions. They talk about racing stress-dreams, what activities you can do with an injured partner (when you’re sick of watching movies), diet-culture lingo, WADA and Sha’Carri Richardson, and more.  

Work, Play, Love with Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas

87: Picky Bars and Laird Superfood Update, Racing Stress-Dreams, Sha’Carri Richardson, Diet Culture Lingo, Injured-Partner Activities

Spring has sprung, there’s some light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, and race season is starting up again. Everyone’s excited to get back outside and into the world, and the Work Play Love duo sits down to answer your questions about it. They answer questions about counting calories, how to properly wear running shorts (with undies, or without undies…that is the question), and how to best prepare for an upcoming race. Plus, they hear from a listener who’s struggling to achieve their “perfect” weight, they get a follow up about the hazards of having a bidet with toddlers in the house, and Jesse gives an injury update about his bruised ego.  

86: Counting Calories, The Return Of Race Season, Spontaneous vs. Responsive Desire, Achieving The “Perfect Weight”

You know it, we know it, vegetable lasagna knows it—communication is a huge help in finding balance in work, play, and especially love. Lauren and Jesse answer questions about navigating and communicating about depression in a relationship, how to find comfort with your changing body during your first pregnancy, what to think about when moving in with your partner, and how to develop a primary parenting strategy. Plus, they offer up some advice to a new business owner, talk about how they like their eggs, and of course, they answer the most important question of all: Red Vines or Twizzlers?

85: Depression and Communication, Pregnancy and Body Image, Moving In Together, Primary Parenting Strategy, New Business Advice

Finding that sweet spot between work play and love means checking your relationships with each one! And that’s just what folks are curious about in this episode. When it comes to sport, how do you balance performance (and is it OK not to?!) gains now while considering how it may affect your body and relationship with the sport in the long term? When it comes to relationships, how do you handle conflict or talking about the hard stuff when your approach is different from your partner’s? And when it comes to work, how can you fit in those big creative projects—like writing a book—when you already have a pretty full plate? Lauren and Jesse answer these questions, plus they discuss hydration, bidets, and Strava-crown glory.

84: Not Caring About Speed, Hard Conversations, Short-Term Gains vs. Long-Term Impact, Finding Time for Big Projects

It's been a while, folks! But Lauren and Jesse reach through the cobwebs in the mic closet and sit down for a (very belated, very special) Valentine's Day episode. Catch up with the WPL duo in everyone's favorite section: What's Going On, where Lauren gives and update on her book, and—probably more importantly—Jesse gives an update on his hernia. Plus, Jesse and Lauren answer tasty bites about couple stuff: you know, like dream vacations, how to compromise on a road trip, and which of your partner's bodily noises really annoys you.  

83: Valentine's Day Interrupted, Lauren and Jesse Catch Up, Partner's Body Noises, Awkward Dates, V-Day Stories

Let's face it. 2020 was a really hard year. If it was a Picky Bars flavor, it might be called "Am I Still Eating This?!" Lauren and Jesse sit down to unpack 2020. They answer questions about their biggest athletic accomplishments of the year, depression, pandemic parenting, and more. Plus they talk about the upsides of the year, like the great awakening to the need for racial justice, Picky Bars having a strong year, and somehow finding more balance with Work, Play, and Love than either of them expected.

82: Good Riddance, 2020.

In another “late night” edition of the pod, Lauren and Jesse dive into the important things in life: what is the dumbest thing they’ve fought about in quarantine? When do you wear your race medals in a socially distanced world? What would each of them most likely get arrested for? Is pro runners holding hands while they run…a thing? Plus, the Work Play Love duo answer your pressing questions about intuitive eating, how to navigate team training when your training style is different from your team mates, and balancing family life with sports.

81: Team vs. Individual Training, Intuitive Eating, Kids and Sports

You all asked for it, and Lauren and Jesse answer: just what does a “primary parent” do? The Work, Play, Love duo discuss what primary parenting means and share how they divvy up household responsibilities. They also answer questions about how to balance training time and family time when you’re working towards a big goal, what to do if your partner doesn’t share your values around exercise, and Lauren offers some tips for coaching during a pandemic. Plus, Lauren talks about recent meetings at Oiselle and gives a book update, and Jesse gives a preview of a new Picky product.   

80: Training Time Vs. Family Time, Primary Parent Responsibilities, Coaching During COVID, Couples And Exercise

Jesse and Lauren dust off their microphones and share what they’ve been up to this summer. Lauren’s found a rhythm writing her book and Jesse’s enjoying his new role as “primary parent” (Lauren is, too). Now they’re back in the hot seat to answer your questions about the balance of work, sport, and relationships. The WPL duo hear from an athlete whose eating habits have changed after injury, they offer some marriage advice to a married couple to be, they discuss what to do if your partner naturally goes at a different pace during your running date, and they talk about how anti-racism should be an ongoing effort when it comes to social media.

79: Eating While Injured, Partner Pace Differences, Marriage Advice, Social Media And Antiracism

Lauren and Jesse are finally getting used to balancing Work, Play, and Love in…is it year 9 of stay-at-home? They catch up about their past month, including Jesse’s retirement as a triathlete and Lauren’s first race in over a year. They also answer questions about how to deal with high-pressure, high-stress situations, how to fuel when you’re burning a ton of calories during workouts, what is Lauren’s “dream” day, and how much does effort vs. luck (and privilege) play into where Jesse and Lauren are today. Plus, Lauren wonders what “crazy” thing she’ll do in response to 1,000 iTunes reviews, she shares her recent favorite reads, and she discusses why Jude camped out in the back yard.

78: Retirement, Dream Days, Managing Stress, Privilege, Fueling For Hard Workouts

Quarantine is dragging on and Lauren and Jesse are busy schooling their kids, having blow-ups about injuries, setting up a campground in the back yard, and dealing with the headaches of bed time. And they're not alone! Being cooped up is working for some folks, and is a major challenge for others. Lauren and Jesse  hear from listeners who are frustrated and recovering from injury, a couple who thinks "hey this isn't so bad," and are considering moving in together, a couple who have more time to get a side hustle going, and from an athlete who wants some post-workout nutrition advice. 

77. Recovering From Injuries, Moving In Together, Eating Post-Exercise, Side Hustles

It’s been a challenging month for everyone—including all you Work Play Lovahhhs and the Flomas duo. Some folks are losing their sh*t on Zoom. Some folks are just trying to keep their spirits up, even though they can’t get outside for a run. And some folks are getting into shouting matches with their neighbors about who should be on leash—your dog, or your child?! Lauren and Jesse give an update about their life over the past month. They share their experiences home schooling, building a playground in the backyard, and what they’re doing to cope with being around their kids nonstop. Plus, they talk about their craziest race stories, answer questions about how to stay motivated during a pandemic, how to be a better ally, and more.

76: Funny Race Stories, Being An Ally, Staying Motivated In A Pandemic, Zoom Meltdowns

One day you’re busy at work or training for your next race, the next you’re buying economy-size boxes of Lucky Charms and trying to convince yourself you need that foot massaging doormat in the aisles of Costco. Yep. The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically affected most aspects of our daily lives. In this episode, Jesse and Lauren share how they’re balancing work, play, and love in quarantine with a host of new challenges. Plus, they field questions about how to train during a pandemic, how to communicate your worth to your boss, and how to think about whether or not you want to be a parent.

75. COVID-19, Racing With Strava, Asking For A Raise, Training In Quarantine, Deciding On Parenthood

Appearances can be deceiving and the things you don’t know can be super surprising—like the fact that Lauren used Excel spreadsheets to cook up the first Picky Bar. in this episode, Work-Play-Lovahhhs want to know what’s going on behind the scenes. Jesse and Lauren field questions about why some (elite) athletes decide to DNF at the Olympic Marathon trials, they discuss how the first Picky Bar recipe was created, Jesse considers whether his focus on optimization sometimes gets in the way of his happiness, and they take a look at their past decisions and share what they would do differently. Plus, in wacky-Wednesday-like turn of events, the Flomas duo gives you the lowdown on what’s been going on in each other’s lives.   Links mentioned in the episode: Strava: the social media platform for people who love to post their workouts Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny by Kate Manne Feminism is for Everybody by Bell Hooks Jerry Rodriguez’s Tower 26 for swimmers, bikers, runners, and triathletes. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert M. Sapolsky The Headspace App The Run Experience YouTube Channel

74: DNF Marathon Trials, The First Picky Bar, Optimization Vs. Happiness, Past Decisions

Jesse called and y’all answered! This week, Lauren and Jesse field questions that are a bit out of the work-play-love ordinary. They offer advice to a married person who finds themselves in flirty situations at work, they talk about raising kids to appreciate and understand diversity, they consider when to trade sleep for working out and vice versa, and they talk about breaking up with (and getting back together with) a long-term partner. Plus, Lauren gives an update on her book and Jesse celebrates some Picky Bars successes.

73: Flirting At Work, Parenting And Diversity, Sleep Vs. Working Out, Break Ups

Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas are world class professional endurance athletes, authors, speakers, and co-own a nationally distributed food products business called Picky Bars. They also happen to be married, still, and are raising two small children. They use their experience, stories, writing, and humor to answer to answer listener questions about sports, family, business, and the balance between all three! It's a circus, but hey, we're all in it together!

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Work, Play, Love with Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas

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