Work, Play, Love with Lauren Fleshman and Jesse Thomas

In honor of Fathers’ Day, Lauren and Jesse field questions all about parenthood through the lens of being a dad, relationships with dads, and more. They cover topics like post-partum depression for dads, what to do when your kids favor mom more than dad, how to maintain a healthy relationship with a dad after divorce, and how to respond to your dad when he lectures you about your life choices. Plus, Jesse and Lauren talk snack science, writing workshops, and more.

You want tips about work play and love? We got tips. Whether you’re wondering about the best way to fuel after a workout, how to handle all-consuming “mom guilt”, how to navigate whether you should date a teammate, or how to race your best in the heat, Lauren and Jesse offer up a healthy dose of advice on what’s worked for them. Plus, the Flomas duo talk about cool vacation spots for active couples, where to go swimming in Bend, and exercise resources for postpartum diastasis recti.

Confronting yourself or someone close to you is a major challenge, but it’s often worth it. Whether it's a tough conversation with a loved one, sleep-depriving excitement or anxiety before a race, or the time spent figuring out how to spend your time, Jesse and Lauren offer tips on how to confront yourself and others in work, play, and love. You'll also hear about the best 5K workouts, sweet podcast recommendations, and the best jogging stroller. Plus, follow-ups about runner's PTSD, and changing your nam

What does it take to step up at work, in sports, and in relationships? Lauren and Jesse share their feelings about the rapidly developing story of former Nike athlete Alysia Montaño, who was recently featured in the New York Times speaking out against industry sponsors and their (lack of) maternity leave policies. They also talk about stepping up to a marathon after you’ve run a few halves, and stepping up to support your partner’s goals, even if it means temporarily sacrificing your own.

Worrying about how you'll be perceived by others can make it difficult to make decisions, pursue your goals, or figure out your next moves. If you’re failing in a project, how will your community react? If you leave work early for a weekly running group, will it jeopardize your job? Should you keep your last name when you get married, or will your family be disappointed? And if a race didn’t turn out the way you expected, what does it mean? Lauren and Jesse tackle these questions about perception and mo

Training is ramping up, and Lauren is riding high from recent workouts with her athletes. Meanwhile, Jesse wonders whether he set a world record for fastest 5K on crutches. This week, Jesse and Lauren discuss: the Caster Semenya case, mental prep for races, racing after injury, and they dig in to who does what when it comes to late-night baby duties. This week's episode is sponsored by Jaybird wireless earbuds for athletes. Visit jaybirdsport.com and use promo code workplaylove to get 20% off your order.

This week's episode is sponsored by Jaybird wireless earbuds for athletes. Visit jaybirdsport.com and use promo code workplaylove to get 20% off your order. Lauren and Jesse kick jump right into play, sharing details about upcoming races and Lauren's recent half marathon. The two also talk about exciting developments at Picky Bars before diving in this episode's topics: performance and alcohol, fatigue and iron, maintaining career motivation, and running while (trying to get) pregnant.

Whether you’re going hard at a dance party after a weekend of parenting (and racing) like Lauren, or you’ve got renewed focus at work because an injury is keeping you off the field like Jesse, balancing relationships, sports, and work is just that—a balance. This week, Jesse and Lauren talk about racing after you’ve lost a loved one. They offer dating advice for late bloomers (like them). They talk scheduling Triathlon training and relationship time. And they share their thoughts on message-board tr

Lauren and Jesse are back on the road, traveling back to Bend from San Francisco where Jesse has just had foot surgery. Their road trip entails listening to new podcasts, discussing Jesse’s recovery outlook, and answering a bunch of WPL listener questions. They discuss training in the hot summer months, nutrition and relationship to food when you’re training vs. when you’re in an off season, bike-buying for someone new to triathlon, and how founders generally set up equity shares in companies.

It’s been a rough week. Jesse’s down for the count with a navicular fracture that’s nearly identical to the one he suffered in the opposite foot after Wildflower. And the injury makes balancing work and family life tough. Negotiating logistics can be hard, and Lauren and Jesse answer questions about how to navigate situations like supporting your competitors, skipping workouts when you’re not feeling it (and what to do the next day), finding balance on rest days, and moving in with your partner.

Lauren and Jesse answer listener questions during the car ride from Bend to Eugene—road noise and all. Today’s episode is all about being in touch with your body: how to identify, deal with, and hopefully avoid injury, and how to approach your kids’ relationship to food. Plus, they weigh in on the Athena/Clydesdale division and its implications regarding body weight and performance, and they cap the episode off by talking sandbagging. It’s full of great insight from Lauren, Jesse, and WPL listeners.

Jesse and Lauren are starting to thaw out from the winter, and the signs of spring are accompanied by a mixed bag of emotions. Lauren’s year is shaping up with Wilder retreats, and Jesse—with a recent injury—sees his plans changing. Today's listener questions are: how do you push through mental fatigue during a race? How does Picky Bars decide to follow (or buck) food trends like sugar avoidance? What’s the best way to recover from play? When do you push for business growth vs. spending time with fa

When you’re training hard and going after a big dream, not much is more disappointing than an injury. This is especially tough when the window of opportunity to achieve your goal is small or fleeting. So what do you do when that happens? Today, Lauren and Jesse answer questions about the highs and lows of play—and how re-setting expectations can have a big impact on your mental health and your race performance.

Jesse’s back from ExpoWest in Anaheim and Lauren’s been solo-parenting for a week at home, and the WPL hosts get to hang out for the first time in a while on the show. How appropriate, then, that today’s episode is all about transition. How do you jump from work to play to relationships, especially when one of the areas of your life is really heating up? How do surge into max effort in a race without sacrificing your overall time? And how do you come back to “normal life” after intense training cy

Jesse’s been at home with two sick kids for almost week straight. Lauren’s just back from an epic trip to New York for the indoor championships. And the two talk about their experiences during the 2019 snowpacalypse. Now, they’re cozied up in their little studio ready to field your questions. Today Lauren and Jesse tackle your hard hitting questions about building your own training plan, dealing with the urge to poop while racing, the challenges of sleep training your baby, and jealousy in relationshi