Conversations with Claire

Ep. 97: Running 300 Miles of Support: Matt Johnson's Run Across Texas told by his partner Amanda Odgers

Amanda Odgers is the Founder of Made for More Retreats & runs her own online coaching business. She is also the partner to Matt Johnson (see episode 95 for his account of the Run Across Texas) who ran 841 miles in less than 18 days. Amanda was the only female on the crew and had a very unique perspective as Matt's partner watching him endure all 841 miles. In this episode she references running over 200 of the miles alongside him but since totaled it up and reported that it was just over 300 miles that she accompanied him for on foot. An incredibly journey these two (and their whole crew) took on in 2024 -- all whilst she continued to run her coaching business and led a retreat immediately following the adventure.
 
Connect with Amanda HERE: https://www.instagram.com/amandaodgers/
Connect with Claire HERE: https://www.instagram.com/clairebays/
 

Ep. 96: Ultra Runner Matt Johnson Unpacks his Run Across Texas (841mi in Less Than 18 Days)

Matt Johnson is an ultra runner, veteran and literal comedy show in human form. We sit down 5 weeks after his "Run Across Texas" which was 841 miles of running -- completed in 17 days, 9 hours and 3 minutes. This idea came to Matt 13 months prior to the run. We unpack the details of preparation as well as get a glimpse of the experiences on the road. Matt chose to complete this to raise funds for Valorfit, a nonprofit organization for veteran aid (link below). He approaches each topic with a level of vulnerability and honesty that is nothing short of inspiring... as if the feat in itself wasn't enough. Stay tuned with Matt's social media (link below) to get updates for the documentary film releasing in 2025.
 
Thank you Matt. It was an honor to host this conversation.
ValorFit Website: https://www.valorfit.org/
 
Connect with Matt HERE: https://www.instagram.com/mattjohnson__/
Connect with Claire HERE: https://www.instagram.com/clairebays/
 
Apply for Coaching with Claire HERE: https://www.clairebayscoach.com/1-1-coaching 

Ep. 95: The Blueprint For Goal-Getting. Stop Talking Start Doing with IFBB Wellness Pro Julia Rene

Julia Rene is an IFBB Wellness Pro and Founder of Know Your Power. Her brand includes a podcast, coaching business, retreats, and products like her morning guided journal. She is in her twenties and has built an incredibly consistent and sizable personal brand with a TON of content coming out across platforms consistently. What started as desperation to no longer stay in the career she thought she would love has turned in to so much more today. Julia is an example of consistency over the course of time compounding in to success paired with a trust in her inner knowing of how she needs to show up and a detachment from others opinions along the way. This podcast episode should leave you feeling empowered -- just as we both hope for you.
 
Connect with Julia HERE: https://www.instagram.com/_juliarene/
Connect with Claire HERE: https://www.instagram.com/clairebays/
 
Check out Julia's Brand Know Your Power HERE: https://knowyourpower.net/juliarene?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaYuMSb1udimeVsPoOwxAtBkI-VJbOsTN7--7x445sAeHSp31iMKlrq6-sA_aem_Ny7AT8XiuGxZ9NS5xNg4Mg
 
Apply for Coaching with Claire HERE: https://www.clairebayscoach.com/1-1-coaching 

Ep. 94: A Survivor’s Journey of Faith, Forgiveness and Grace with Angelique Ingabire

Angelique's story is quite unique, filled with hardship and heartache -- followed by forgiveness, grace and joy. Angelique spent much of her young childhood with her mother and five siblings in Rwanda, Africa. She and her siblings and father survived a war in her home Country and she moved to Belgium for a few years before coming to the US for school. Angelique is a vibrant woman today who serves her community beautifully, teaches yoga and loves fashion. Her story of faith and forgiveness for her experiences is nothing short of breathtaking.
 
Connect with Angelique HERE: https://www.instagram.com/dalique29/  Connect with Claire HERE: https://www.instagram.com/clairebays/
Apply for Coaching with Claire HERE: https://www.clairebayscoach.com/1-1-coaching 

Ep. 93: From Diagnosed with PCOS, Hashimoto's & SIBO to Losing 80 Pounds & Thriving with Sylvie McCracken

Sylvie McCracken is a real estate investor, property management co. founder, author, former celebrity assistant, mother of three and a total baddie when it comes to her health journey. Sylvie went through being diagnosed with PCOS, Hashimoto's and struggles with SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) through her journey in her 30's. She is now 44 and taking on Perimenopause with a beautiful attitude of "It's not about getting out of the hole anymore... I did that. It's about seeing how good I can make it. I look at each of these things as a project instead of a problem.".
In this episode we cover:
- her early career as a celebrity assistant
- having her first child as a teenager and then two more in her 20's/30's
- being incorrectly diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder
- losing 80 pounds as a result of the changes she had to make to overcome PCOS & then later SIBO
- launching her own business and becoming a founder to buy her time back - homeschooling her children and how they do it
- beginning working together (with me) two years ago at age 42 and implementing resistance training & nutrition habit shifting to go on to lose another 32 pounds during that time in a "two steps forward, one step back" fashion whilst traveling frequently, running the businesses, being a busy mom and an much more.
This episode is packed with ownership, action and inspiration. Lots of lessons to learn from Sylvie in her mindset and approach to life, as well as learning and relating to her experience.
 
Connect with Sylvie HERE: https://www.instagram.com/sylvie.mccracken/
Connect with Claire HERE: https://www.instagram.com/clairebays/
Apply for Coaching with Claire HERE: https://www.clairebayscoach.com/1-1-coaching 

Ep. 92: Building Resilience with Strength Coaches Claire Bays & Katie Callaway

Katie Callaway is an coach specializing in 30-40's women's strength training & empowerment through movement. She is also originally from Oklahoma like me! In this episode we discuss:
- Katie's athletic background including her time as a Thunder Girl for NBA team Oklahoma City Thunder.
- All the versions of fitness throughout Katie's journey from marathon running to CrossFit and more.
- Katie's journey professionally over the past few years and the hardship of making a jump in to a new career field, being laid off and navigating the struggles of seeking a job.
- Katie's perspective on Nutrition and what a typical day looks like for her. - Katie's latest adventure joining Tara Laferrara (previous guest and prominent online coach) in launching her Fitness App, Broads.
- Katie's perspective on dating and friendships as a 38yr old in Austin, TX
- Claire gets a bit intense about fitness influencer advice on the internet. ...and much more!
 
Connect with Katie HERE: https://www.instagram.com/katiemichelle_23/  Connect with Claire HERE: https://www.instagram.com/clairebays/
Join the waitlist for Katie's coaching on Broads App HERE: https://www.broads.app/
Apply for Coaching with Claire HERE: https://www.clairebayscoach.com/1-1-coaching 

Ep. 91: How to Rewire Your Mind for Greatness with Jimmy House

Fourth time guest (and my favorite human) is back again with some fresh perspective. In this episode we discuss:
- Jimmy's four months post knee surgery update - PR's he's already setting
- Work ethic partnered with a sense of urgency
- What it really looks like to take your goals seriously
- Tools for buying in on belief in your own capacity
- Consuming podcasts/books/videos for learning versus actually doing
- ideas on balancing the two
- Ideas on Exercise as Medicine
- Gratitude's
 
Find & Follow Jimmy HERE: https://www.instagram.com/coachjimmyhouse/  Find & Follow Claire HERE: https://www.instagram.com/clairebays/
Apply for Coaching with Claire: https://www.clairebayscoach.com/1-1-coaching/
Apply for Coaching with Jimmy: https://housestrongcoaching.com/ 

Ep. 90: The Story of an 11 Year CrossFit Affiliate Owner - Kevin Schuetz

Kevin Schuetz is the Owner of Koda CrossFit Iron View, 2024 CrossFit Games Masters Athlete (9th), 2023 CrossFit Games Team Competitor, and many times Regionals/Semifinals individual athlete. Kevin *and his team* host the annual CrossFit competition Koda Iron Games in Colorado, and he is husband to the superwoman Liz Schuetz and father to two beautiful children.
In this episode we discuss:
- Kevin's origin story with CrossFit
- The struggles of early adulthood for Kevin between underwhelming career paths and struggles with lifestyle and drinking
- The pivotal moment where Kevin went all in on his health & started CrossFit
- The importance of relationships along the journey 
- Setting a big goal and realizing you got everything you could have hoped for along the pursuit.
- CrossFit Affiliate ownership over the years.
- What Kevin loves about owning a gym and the struggles of ownership
- Mindset in relation to hard work and fear ...and much more.
 
Find Koda Iron View on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/kodaironview/
Keep up with Koda Iron Games HERE: https://www.instagram.com/kodairongames/
Keep up with Claire on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/clairebays/
Check out Claire's online coaching HERE: https://www.clairebayscoach.com/ 

Ep. 89: Gut & Hormone Health Expert - Feel at Home in Your Body with Dasha Agoulnik, RD

Dasha Agoulnik is a Registered Dietician with a Masters in Nutritional Epidemiology. She is the Founder of CorePerform Coaching, Education and Supplementation. In todays episode we:
- Dive deeper in to Claire's current experience in healing from mold exposure/illness
- Learn about Dasha's 5 Speed Pillars for Health
- Learn about Dasha's journey in research and personal health struggles
- Dasha's perspective on testing methods & healing approaches.
- Why Gut Health is so important, and how it isn't about what nutrients you're consuming -- but rather what you're absorbing. .
..and more!
 
Connect with Dasha on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/dashafitness/
Connect with Claire on Instagram HERE: https://www.instagram.com/clairebays/
CorePerform Website HERE:
https://coreperform.com/
Sign up for Coaching with Claire HERE:
https://www.clairebayscoach.com/ 

Ep. 88: Get Out of Your Mind & Back Into Your Body with Performance Psychology Coach Alex Easby

Alex Easby is a Performance Psychology Coach and Co-Founder of Edge Performance & O.p.e.n Spaces. In this episode we explore:
- the recent O.p.e.n Spaces event & concept
- what life was like for Alex growing up
- Alex's fascination with the mind & how it relates to the body
- breaking down the pillars of daily habits, breath work and reflection as tools for life
- Alex's experiences with breath work and recommendations for practice today - why slowing down is so important ...& much more
 
Connect with Alex HERE: https://www.instagram.com/alex_easby/
Connect with Claire HERE: https://www.instagram.com/clairebays/
Sign up for Claire's Coaching App HERE: https://www.clairebayscoach.com/