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What does it take to stay at the top of your sport for decades – physically and mentally? In this episode of The Ready State Podcast, Kelly and Juliet Starrett sit down with three-time World Surfing Champion John John Florence to explore what it really means to play the long game.

From recovering from multiple ACL tears to stepping away from competition at the peak of his career, John John shares the mindset shifts that helped him redefine success on his own terms. The conversation dives into everything from injury recovery and mental performance to fueling, training, and why learning to love the process matters far more than chasing outcomes.

John John also opens up about trading the World Tour for life aboard a sailboat with his wife and son, where surfing remote waves, solving problems, and embracing adventure have become the next chapter of his journey. Whether you're an athlete, parent, or simply someone trying to build a more meaningful life, this episode is packed with timeless lessons on resilience, intentional living, and finding fulfillment beyond achievement.

• Why playing the long game leads to better performance, longevity, and fulfillment
• How to recover mentally after setbacks, injuries, and unexpected detours
• Why learning to love the process creates more sustainable success than chasing outcomes
• The surprising nutrition and recovery changes that helped John John perform at his best
• How family, adventure, and purpose can redefine success beyond competition

(0:00) Intro & Episode Preview

(0:40) Meet John John Florence

(3:47) Intro to The Long Game

(4:39) Post-Championship Depression & Loving the Process

(7:25) When You Win Your First World Title

(11:26) Where in the World: Sailing in Panama

(12:01) The Vela Docuseries

(14:21) Surfing Remote Waves & the Journey to Get There

(16:43) Raising a Kid on a Boat & Problem Solving

(20:49) ACL Injuries: The Mental Side of Serious Setbacks

(25:52) Daily Routine, Breathwork, & Warmup Habits

(35:15) The Warmup Ritual and Mind-Body Connection

(39:30) Fueling: The Biggest Performance Gap

(40:45) Comp-Day Nutrition & Gels in the Lineup

(43:00) Deciding to Step Away from the Tour

(47:44) Burnout, Back-to-Back ACLs, & Body Listening

(54:37) Working with Mental Performance Coach Dr. Mike Gervais

(1:00:16) Visualization & the 2024 Lowers World Title Clinch

(1:03:27) How His Son Grounded Him Before the Final

(1:04:16) Infinite Shelf: Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

(1:05:26) What's Next: Waves, Boat Repairs, & Closing Thoughts

Huge thanks to our sponsors, Momentous and LMNT.

In this episode of RECESS, Juliet and I open with a massive shoutout to local legend Kate Courtney — who, after winning mountain biking world championships, the Leadville 100 record, and a long course world title, has now casually taken over road cycling too.

We also get into something that came up close to home: Juliet watched the Barceloneta men's water polo team — European Champions League winners — practice on virtually no food or water, which opened up a real conversation about how you change deeply embedded fueling habits in elite sport. Spoiler: athletes have to feel the difference themselves.

Then we dig into surgery nutrition — a topic that affects way more people than elite athletes. Muscle loss after orthopedic surgery runs about 1% per day, with up to 18% loss in the quads and hamstrings within six weeks. We break down protein timing, pre-surgical carbohydrate loading, and how to protect your body going in and coming out.

Plus: Kelly's ACL and "sprain plus" knee update, Haute Route hike prep, and an ongoing domestic dispute about whether Stumptown Holler Mountain is the peak of human coffee achievement or just the beginning of the search.

New episodes of The Ready State Podcast drop every Thursday.

• Why Kate Courtney's move from mountain biking to road cycling is one of the most remarkable athletic pivots happening in sport right now
• How intra-session carbohydrate fueling is changing across elite sports, and why winning teams are often the hardest to convince to change
• What the research says about muscle loss after orthopedic surgery: up to 1% per day and 18% loss in six weeks
• Why protein needs jump to 1.2–2g per kilogram of bodyweight in the pre- and post-surgical window
• How consuming ~50g of carbohydrates two hours before surgery may reduce post-surgical insulin resistance by 50%
• Why "three limb training" matters during recovery and why you can't just wait for healing to happen
• How Kelly is rehabbing a torn ACL, MCL, high-grade fibular sprain, torn calf, and two menisci, and still calling it a "sprain plus"
• What the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt demands physically, and how Kelly is prepping for 10 days of mountain hiking

(00:00) Welcome back to RECESS; Kate Courtney shoutout — local legend, mountain biking world champion, and now national road cycling champion

(01:30) How Kate Courtney broke the factory racing model, started her own team, won Leadville 100 with a course record, and took the long course world championship, and most recently the US National Road Championship

(04:43) The mutant athlete era: Kate, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, Puck Pieterse, and why cyclists switching disciplines is making the sport more exciting than ever

(06:00) Water polo and intra-session fueling: watching the Barceloneta European champions practice under-fueled, and a conversation with Heather Petri about how far sport nutrition has come

(07:50) How you actually change fueling dogma in elite sport: showing athletes the data, letting them feel the difference, and why winning teams are hardest to convince

(08:25) Intra-session carb targets across sports: from 30–50g for recreational athletes to 100g+ per hour for elite endurance, and what the Tour de France taught us about gut training

(16:40) Kids and fueling: why youth athletes are chronically under-fueled and what parents can do about it

(17:30) The coffee wars: Stumptown Holler Mountain vs. the challengers — Monmouth, Kimbo, Doma Roasters Chronic, and the Aeropress experiment

(21:10) Haute Route prep: hiking Chamonix to Zermatt, 10 days, 8–10 hour hiking days, and how Kelly is training his "sprain plus" knee for the Alps

(26:55) Kelly's injury breakdown: torn ACL, torn MCL, high-grade fibular sprain, torn calf, both menisci — and why he chose to delay ACL repair to make the trip

(28:00) Surgery nutrition: the research on muscle loss post-orthopedic surgery, why protein needs spike, and the pre-surgical carbohydrate timing window

(31:20) Can we challenge the "nothing by mouth" pre-surgery protocol? Liquid carbohydrates, glucose boluses, and protecting muscle mass before you go under

(33:55) Wrap-up, Happy 4th of July, and thanks for listening

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What if the key to better sleep, recovery, focus, and lasting behavior change isn't another productivity hack – but feeling safe in your own body?

In this episode, Kelly and Juliet Starrett sit down with psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and Apollo Neuroscience co-founder Dr. David Rabin to explore the hidden role the nervous system plays in stress, learning, trauma, performance, and recovery.

Drawing on more than two decades of research, Dr. Rabin explains why modern life keeps us trapped in a state of chronic overstimulation – and how that affects sleep, resilience, chronic pain, emotional health, and our ability to learn. They also dive into the science of the vagus nerve, heart rate variability, fear extinction, human connection, and simple tools that help us feel safer, calmer, and more adaptable.

• Why feeling physiologically safe is the foundation for learning, healing, and peak performance
• How chronic stress affects sleep, recovery, immunity, and the body's ability to function
• The difference between top-down thinking and bottom-up nervous system regulation
• Why touch, movement, music, breathwork, and human connection are powerful tools for reducing stress
• How modern technology and constant stimulation may be making us less resilient, less focused, and less connected

(0:00) Intro: Gen Z Cognitive Regression & Technology Warning

(0:37) Meet Dr. David Rabin: Psychiatrist & Apollo Neuroscience Co-Founder

(2:20) Bottom-Up vs. Top-Down Learning

(4:41) The Neuroscience of Learning and Safety

(7:06) Maslow's Hierarchy and Physiological Safety

(12:27) The Role of Touch as Our First Language

(18:47) The Vagus Nerve: Governor of Rest and Recovery

(27:32) Apollo Wearable: Activating Safety in Seconds

(29:07) Kelly's Sleep-Anywhere Superpower & Sleep Science

(33:08) Belief, Biology, and the Dream Catcher Story

(41:06) The Amygdala as a Contrast Detection Center

(47:35) PTSD as a Learned Fear Disorder

(56:14) What Apollo Actually Does and How It Works

(1:04:26) Apollo + Oura Ring Sleep Study – 1,000+ People, 3 Years

(1:12:49) Managing Overstimulation in a Tech-Driven World

(1:14:53) Smartphone Addiction and Misdiagnosis of ADHD

(1:16:12) Book Highlights and Education System 50 Years Outdated

(1:18:19) AI Should Not Replace Human Teaching and Healing

(1:20:28) Infinite Shelf: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

(1:23:13) Closing Thoughts

Huge thanks to our sponsors, LMNT and Momentous.