Secretly Sporty

Award-winning musician Joe Goodkin speaks with Sebastian about his life as a modern day Homeric bard, touring the world performing music inspired by The Odyssey and The Iliad, and how he evolved from a moderate runner into an ultramarathoner, running races 50 and 100 miles long. He reveals which distance he thinks is the hardest - it’s not the one you’d think! - why he doesn’t listen to music when running, and he and Sebastian discuss their favorite music biographies. Plus, the episode features songs from Joe’s albums The Odyssey: Songs of Odysseus; and Winedark Life.

Actor-writer-producer Felicia Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, The Magicians) joins Sebastian to discuss how a walking desk is key to maintaining her fitness while plotting the 20th anniversary movie for her groundbreaking webseries The Guild.  She also shares the inspiration for her graphic novel The Lost Daughter of Sparta, reveals why foreign language classes are the best thing to listen to on the elliptical, and discusses various methods used to curb her insomnia.  Plus, she reveals where to buy the best peanut butter in the world.

Legendary author and poet Eileen Myles shares with Sebastian how they fell in love with yoga during the pandemic through Yoga with Adriene, and how it changed their relationship with their own breath. They share their long history of running and the counterintuitive accessory they used to bring to the track, and how they’re attempting a return to running now, using an entirely new method. They also detail their writing process, and how the type of notebook they use influences the shape of a poem. Plus, Eileen reflects on writing poetry for Versace.

Doree Shafrir - author of Startup and Thanks for Waiting, and co-host of the Forever35 Podcast - shares with Sebastian her newfound love of tennis, how training for a marathon helped her tackle her first novel, and the joy of seeing your kid be proud of you. The two also discuss the role of plot in novels, and go deep on the acclaimed writing template detailed in Save the Cat. Plus, she helps Sebastian come to a realization about the activity in his life that commands his full attention.

In honor of our New York Times debut and our 4-month anniversary, we're rereleasing our pilot episode with Alison Bechdel!Legendary cartoonist Alison Bechdel, author of Fun Home and Spent, shares with Sebastian the weightlifting routine she’s been doing for over 20 years and discusses the magic of long bike rides and cross country skiing. The two go deep on Bechdel’s book The Secret to Superhuman Strength and bond over their mutual love of rollerblading. Plus, she outlines her tried and true tip for making sure she gets her workout in.  

In this month’s episode of Rest Day Radio, award-winning arts writer Carolina A. Miranda joins Sebastian to discuss her recent tour of 1980s exercise videos, including Buns of Steel and Jane Fonda’s Workouts.  She details the history of those franchises and analyses what drove their aesthetics versus the starker aesthetics more common today.  She also goes into how she became an arts writer and how it changed the way she sees the world, and she and Sebastian share their admiration for author Álvaro Enrigue.  Plus, she makes the case against the word “protein.”

Acclaimed singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche joins Sebastian to discuss his new album Acrobats, his journey to a sub-three hour marathon, and how starting to run in his 30s expanded his approach to music & boosted his performances.  He shares why he’s taking a new, lower-key approach to running these days, but also why he’ll never give it up.  Plus, he reveals the connection between Acrobats and Seinfeld.

Award-winning writer Isaac Butler — author of The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act; and The Perfect Moment: God, Sex, Art and the Birth of America’s Culture Wars — shares with Sebastian how Pilates unlocked a consistent exercise habit for the first time in his life, why he’s learning the bass, and what the culture wars of the 80s and 90s can tell us about the way society views the body. The two also trade thoughts on their favorite Yo La Tengo albums and reminisce about 2 Live Crew. Plus, Sebastian and Austen celebrate Secretly Sporty’s first award!