No Time to Waste

Atticus is the anonymous poet and New York Times Bestselling author of Love Her Wild, The Dark Between Stars and The Truth About Magic. Dubbed “The World’s Most Tattoo-able Poet” by Galore Magazine, he has been featured in Time Magazine, Elle, The Guardian, Fast Company, Publisher’s Weekly, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, worked with Kygo, Maroon 5, Coach, Absolute Vodka, Stance Socks, Target, Urban Outfitters and Refinery 29, all while wearing a mask and keeping his identity a secret, preferring to send love from the shadows.

Brian Kelly aka The Points Guy has become one of the top influencers and experts in the travel and hospitality space. Anyone in my close circle knows how passionate I am about travel, my first true love, and my borderline obsession w points. I think I’ve visited 21 countries now and wouldn’t be surprised if guy’s been to the remaining 175.

Brian’s quickly become the go-to-guy when it comes to the Points Game - using lucrative credit card signup bonuses and strategic travel to accrue rewards points that can be redeemed for free trips. For those that play (like me) it’s a legit hobby we take very seriously and all I wanted to do was share my proudest points trips and use up all the recording time.

Brian and I decided to throw the standard interview script out the window and “just have a real conversation” so we could relish in gushing about our passion for travel, revisit some memorable experiences, and chat about the healing power of animals and our shared Pennsylvania roots. And now after our convo, I’m back to planning my Japan trip again, cancer be damned - I might just need to wrangle up a tour guide.

Writer Gretchen Rubin is widely known as an expert on Happiness and Good Habits. Few know that she actually started her career in law, as Editor of the Yale Law Review and clerking for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the Supreme Court.

One day Gretchen came to an important conclusion about her life: It was time to move off this path because she realized she would rather fail as a writer than succeed as a lawyer. Except she didn’t fail. Gretchen wrote five NYT Bestsellers including “The Happiness Project” - how I was first introduced to her years ago - and more recently, “The Four Tendencies” which we ended up talking a lot about. (FYI I’m a Questioner with a tip to Rebel which apparently Steve Jobs was too)

Gretchenn’s also the co-host of the Happier Podcast, an experienced speaker, wife and mom. Keep in mind The Washington Post called Gretchen “Type A-PLUS” so you might not want to attempt to keep up with this one.

Kate Bowler is a religious historian and Professor at the Duke Divinity School. She’s also a witty, warm, wildly successful author, wife and mom living with Stage IV Cancer.

Much of Kate’s early work was focused on the Prosperity Gospel - the belief that if you had the right faith, and prayed the right prayers, God would reward you with health, wealth and happiness.

Soon after writing “Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel” Kate got diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer at the age of 35. Oh, the irony.

Sunita Puri is the Medical Director of Palliative Medicine at the Keck Hospital and Norris Cancer Center of the University of Southern California.

Sister Aletheia was profiled by the NY Times in “Meet the Nun Who Wants You to Remember You Will Die” reviving the Memento Mori movement. Memento Mori is the practice of intentionally thinking about our own death as a means of appreciating the present and living a better life now. 

Sister Aletheia’s path to the convent was anything but conventional. She was a rebellious atheist who loved punk rock and spent her 20s volunteering, then working in Bay Area tech before finding her way back to the church. Her Catholic order - the Daughters of St Paul - are known as the #medianuns for their use of social media (even TikTok!) and other modern tools to spread the gospel. 

Sister and I talked about our society’s avoidance of death, her ongoing wrestling match with God when it comes to the world’s suffering, and why reflecting on death isn’t a morbid affair, but a healthy and healing practice that can help us accept the inevitable with hope. 

BJ Miller is a Hospice & Palliative Care Doctor with a unique path that brought him to this work.

As a sophomore at Princeton, while goofing around one night with his buddies, BJ climbed on top of a sleeping commuter train and was immediately electrocuted by 11,000 volts. As a result, BJ lost both his legs at the knee and one arm making him a triple amputee.

BJ and I talked not about his accident or the fact that he now has two futuristic metal blades for legs, but about his deep care for his patients and what he hopes to achieve with his virtual palliative services practice, Mettle Health.

Writer and Comedic Actress Annabelle Gurwitch has a story I first read about in the New York Times in November that caused my own jaw to drop.

Last summer, Annabelle walked into an Urgent Care Clinic in a mini mall for a COVID test...and walked out with a Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis.

She shared her story along with how she’s managing life her now with this chronic, terminal illness that thankfully hasn’t robbed her of her humor.

Greg McKeown is a bestselling author and the host of the popular podcast What’s Essential where he talks to a wide range of guests about prioritizing what matters most in life.

Yes, we hit on his new book Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most a follow up to his first NYT bestseller, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less but the bulk of our conversation was SO not the heady academic one I expected.

Instead Greg was courageously vulnerable in sharing his own family struggles over the last two years as they navigated a scary road with their daughter struck by a mysterious brain condition that doctors had no answers for.

Hear how Greg found the lighter path and now has an even deeper appreciation for the moments that matter.

Meet my personal palliative care nurse, Cecilia Benns. If you don’t know what that is job is, or you associate it with hospice care for people who are like days out from dying, you’re not alone, and we’re here to help.

Hoping people walk away with some new knowledge - I myself had no idea about these kinds of resources for people in my situation - because the more I learn, the more comfortable and confident I feel when the fear creeps in about my eventual demise. Another reminder that bringing these conversations to light has the power to ease so much suffering.

And you’ll see how special this Georgia Belle is. Cecilia is a literal angel walking the earth who sees her job as one of the most honorable, treasured and deeply meaningful ones on the planet - and the universe paired her with me. I look forward to her care as she shepherds me through each stage of this process until I cross the earthly finish line and move on to my next adventure.

Dr. Martin Inderbitzin is a world-renowned Swiss-German Neuroscientist and Mindset Specialist whose previous research focused on stress, emotions and understanding how the brain and the body processes it all.

Then 9 years ago, he received a gut-wrenching pancreatic cancer diagnosis which forced him to take his life’s work and put it into practice for himself as a patient now grappling with his mortality. Not to mention deciding to train for a triathlon - with zero experience in the sport - and transforming himself into an athlete which Ethan Zohn will talk to him about in this week’s AKTIV Against Cancer Spotlight.

Brad Ludden was a young professional whitewater kayaker whose life was first touched by cancer at 12 years old when his aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. By 18, he was sharing his passion for kayaking with pediatric oncology patients and soon after, founded First Descents to help young adults in the cancer community experience the adventure and community of the outdoors free of charge. 20 years later, the organization is still thriving, offering more than 70 programs across the county in 2021 including rock climbing, surfing, whitewater rafting and more. All this, started by a guy whose good looks and good heart earned him the title of Cosmo Magazine’s Bachelor of the Year back in 2008. True story! Check out our IG :) 

I’m sure you know Matthew McConaughey. He’s an Academy Award-Winning actor, a proud Texan, a Philanthropist, a new owner of Austin’s MLS team and most recently, a NYT bestselling author for his memoir, Greenlights.

What Matthew and I talked about in our conversation hit deep. We talked about my current cancer situation and how I’m doing what I can to make the most of it. We debated over how much fight to bring to life vs how much flow and how to know what’s needed when. And we agreed that the only certainty in life is death so you’d better be out living it.

In this week’s AKTIV Against Cancer Spotlight, host Ethan Zohn interviews XC Ski Star Kikkan Randall who three months after achieving a lifelong goal of winning an Olympic gold medal, got diagnosed with Stage 2 triple positive breast cancer. Learn how this amazing 5-Time Olympian and World Champion’s “dive” or “thrive” attitude and commitment to exercise helped her stay positive throughout her cancer journey.

Oceana Sawyer is a former corporate trainer at companies like HP and Levi Strauss now turned death doula. Just like birth doulas who help bring babies into this world at the beginning of life, a death doula helps actualize the emotional and spiritual wishes of the dying at the end of life.

For anyone who’s ever wanted to know what dying’s like, in this conversation Oceana details every single step of her father’s passing and the experience was far more beautiful than I ever would have expected. The more I learn about what happens at the end of life, the more comforted I feel. Let’s get these conversations out into the light.

There’s so much behind the 10,000 kilowatt smile of media mogul Katie Couric. More than just sunshine, Katie’s known tragedy and loss in her personal life and gained wisdom in hindsight from those experiences. After her first husband passed away from colorectal cancer, Katie founded Stand Up to Cancer which has since raised over $600M for cancer research. We talked about the need for us to bring honest conversation about mortality into the light, and the comfort it could bring to people if we did.

The episode wraps with our first AKTIV Against Cancer Spotlight featuring No Time To Waste Founder Alison Hadden as she talks with host Ethan Zohn about the role of exercise in her own cancer treatment and how she applies her athlete's mindset through its ups and downs.

I only recently got introduced to Maggie Smith - the poet, not the actress - when I stumbled upon her book Keep Moving that I really loved. Whereas most books about navigating grief and loss have a somber, self-reflective tone, hers included short motivational quotes with more of a Ted Lasso vibe.

Maggie was not the tortured creative soul I expected from a poet. Thanks to her big energy, high wattage smile and sense of humor, we had a blast in our convo and now I’m thinking about getting into poetry.

I genuinely believe my dad embodies much of what No Time to Waste is all about. I’ve witnessed first-hand his zest for life, his sense of adventure, his desire to help people and his evolution as a self-aware human. And I’ve realized only in recent years how proud I am to be my father’s daughter.

We talk about his non-linear career path from flower delivery truck driver to park ranger to attorney to therapist, how for a few short years we became a horse family (but not in the traditional sense), and why my dad sees heartbreak as the price to pay for big love.

Chelsea Handler is a Comedian, television host, best-selling author and activist whose humor and candor have established her as one of the most celebrated voices in pop culture today.

She hosted E!’s top rated Chelsea Lately for seven years, launched docuseries Chelsea Does and talk show Chelsea on Netflix, and penned five #1 NYT bestsellers including 2019’s Life Will Be the Death of Me. Most recently, she released acclaimed stand up special Chelsea Handler: Evolution on HBO Max which touched on the personal growth she’s achieved in recent years by elevating her emotional intelligence and embracing empathy.

Rabbi Steve Leder heads up one of the largest Jewish congregations in the country at the Wilshire Blvd Temple in LA. In his most recent book “The Beauty of What Remains”, he shares his thoughts on navigating grief and loss through the lens of not only a Rabbi who’s shepherded thousands of families through loss of their loved ones, but also as a son who recently lost his father after a 10 yr battle with Alzheimer’s.

We had a really intimate conversation in which he answered a lot of my burning questions on death, dying and religion’s place in it, and he’s now my personal Rabbi.

Rich was once an overweight, hard-drinking corporate attorney who lost touch with the star swimmer he was at Stanford. Fast forward 20 years and now he’s a sober, plant-powered ultra endurance legend, a devoted family man who lives on a farm and meditates, and the host of one of the most popular podcasts in the world.

Hear us talk about how this transformation came about, what fills up his cup today, and how curiosity - about himself, his podcast guests, the world around us, and the world beyond - powers his sense of purpose now.

Thas is the CEO of Omelet, an LA-based advertising agency, after working her way up the ranks as a brilliant strategist. We met years ago when I was her client and we both recognized quickly that we were each others’ people.

Thas was forced to confront mortality when her dad was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer a few years back. And since losing a close friend to cancer last year, she’s developed a healthier relationship to death and dying than most, along with a deep-rooted appreciation for all the right things - including the Muppets.

Erin Foster might have been born into a famous family (her dad is music mogul David Foster) but she didn’t have the charmed upbringing you might expect. Far from the shallow, superficial Hollywood celeb focused on all the wrong things, Erin’s got a hell of a work ethic and a desire to give back. Comedian, writer, actress, entrepreneur, and investor with a Midas touch, she and her sister Sara hitched their ponies to both Mirror and Bumble and started the Favorite Daughter clothing brand during the pandemic.

I thought we’d talk about how she uses her platform and power for good but instead, we spent most of our conversation just getting right into death anxiety, mortality, what happens after we die, and why Judaism is pretty chill.

Megan Taylor is a kickass DJ who gets that music is the soundtrack to our lives. In fact, we met when she was hired to play the afterparty for my company’s event years ago. Her beats were solid, her sneaker game on point, and once we got to talking, I realized I was talking to someone who knew they were a spiritual being having a human experience.

We got to talk about what we think is really going on here, finding our purpose, death and dying, the spiritual world, crystals, mediums - you name it. A welcomed perspective that reminded me that this is just one chapter for us, and that brings me comfort.

Adrian is a Peloton tread instructor with a fanatical following called the Thunder Squad that I am personally proud to be a part of. Intensely fit with a beaming smile and a heart of gold, he has the ability to motivate and inspire those who take his classes.

But it was Adrian’s strength in vulnerability that was on display during our conversation as we talked about an experience that changed the course of his life forever and explored how regret can serve as a transformative teacher.

Tope Awotona is the founder of tech unicorn Calendly which makes scheduling calls + meetings so delightfully simple. I’ll never waste any more of my precious time with the old-school back and forth!

To get the company off the ground, Tope maxed out credit cards and high interest loans in lieu of taking outside funding, essentially pushing in all his chips on the bet.

Hear us talk about how his mom’s cancer battle and her innate sense of urgency compelled Tope to take the risk and go all in on the business idea that just got a $3B valuation.

Ethan Zohn won Survivor: Africa back in 2002 but he’s also survived cancer - twice.

We talked about his life before Survivor (playing pro soccer in Africa), life after (living the dream at 27), and then the impacts - mental, physical, emotional - of getting diagnosed with a rare form of lymphoma (pretty terrible), beating it, only to have it come back years later to fend it off again.

Later in the episode, we both share exactly what WE do to tackle the fear and anxiety that comes with uncertainty - that I think could benefit anyone as we all navigate the challenges of the pandemic.

In 2017, prominent ultrarunner and North Face athlete Hillary Allen fell 150ft off a ridgeline during a skyrace in Norway. She was presumed dead, broke 14 bones in the fall, and had to relearn how to walk again.

Shockingly, Hillary was back to winning races less than a year later. But more recently, she learned the hard way that recovering from that kind of near-death trauma requires a lot more than just the physical rehab. Hear her share her journey of mental and emotional health in her evolution as an athlete - and a human.

Amy Elisa Jackson lost her husband when his 34 yr old heart stopped suddenly while on an annual friends’ trip to Sundance in Park City back in 2016. Just weeks away from the five year anniversary of his death, we talk about how she trudged through the muck and messiness of that grief, and the pride she takes in now guarding and growing Jeremiah’s personal legacy.

Then on the lighter side, if you’ve ever found yourself at a loss for words when dealing with someone who recently experienced a tragic or terrible life event, Amy Elisa and I want to help. We share our spicy opinions on what’s NOT helpful from the perspective of the griever, along with suggestions on what you can say or do when the unthinkable happens to a friend.

Andy is the co-founder and voice behind Headspace, the leading mindfulness, meditation and sleep app that seeks to improve the health and happiness of the world. He’s also an ordained Buddhist monk who spent 10 years training all over the world, a cancer survivor, and a compassionate, humble human with a lovely British accent.

Andy and I talked about the tragedies that shaped his decisions in life, the importance of intuition, and how to find peace in our minds when life doesn’t go our way, followed by a short meditation just for us.

A truly special episode full of hope to kick us off for 2021.

The modern voice of all hard things ,Nora McInerny, is back for the conversation I originally envisioned - the harder one - that I wasn’t forced to have the first time around. Remember, Nora knows what it's like to get dealt a crappy hand. At 31, her unborn baby, father, and husband all died within the course of six weeks, and her work has since focused on helping others navigate the terrible things of life.

Unlike our first exchange, this time Nora and I were in person together and I got to ask about what it was like from the partner’s perspective to be there for her first husband Aaron through his terminal diagnosis and a few years later, watch him die from brain cancer. But our convo wasn't all tears and sadness. It was just real and full of emotion as Nora shared her experience and I got honest about some of my biggest fears - that maybe those without a terminal diagnosis might share, too. Will let you decide.

@noraborealis

Podcast: “Terrible, Thanks for Asking” aka TTFA

Nonprofit: stillkickin.co

www.noraborealis.com

Entrepreneur Jen Gurecki is a mover, a shaker, a hustler, and above all else, a modern day feminist who lives a purpose-driven life where SHE makes the rules - not society - and she’s been marching to the beat of her own drum since birth.

At 26 years old while doing her masters’ research work in Africa, Jen founded nonprofit Zawadisha which provides microloans, solar-powered equipment and education to rural Kenyan women to empower them to become financially self-sufficient. Years later, she started women’s ski and snowboard company Coalition Snow to see how the male-dominated industry would react. Within just a few years, she turned down a $1M offer for the business from ski legend Bode Miller on the CNBC TV Show Adventure Capitalists.  Then she created Sisu Magazine, and now she also co-hosts the Juicy Bits podcast.

The common tie to all of her entrepreneurial endeavors? Jen’s challenging the patriarchy and fighting for gender equality through innovative businesses and content mediums - all while unapologetically pursuing a life full of freedom, adventure, and impact.

We all know who Lance Armstrong is - what he’s known for, and what he’s not. I just wanted to talk to him about the cancer that almost took his life 20+ years ago.

When I got diagnosed back in September 2018 one of the first things I did was go buy his book, “It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.” I needed to know how Lance beat the advanced testicular cancer that had already spread to his lungs and brain by the time they discovered it, when he was just 25 years old and at his physical prime.

So that’s what Lance and I talked about. Lucky me, I got to spend an hour with the guy who unknowingly helped me warrior up and bring my A-Game to my own cancer battle.

Like Lance said in his book, “What other choice is there but to hope? We have two options - medically and emotionally: Give Up...or Fight Like Hell.”

I’ll opt for the latter, just like Lance.

Molly MacDonald is the Founder + CEO of The Pink Fund, a scrappy non-profit that provides “Real Help Now” to newly diagnosed breast cancer patients by directly paying bills like housing, utilities and insurance to take the tasks off their plates and not have to worry about paying taxes on the financial donations - totaling $4.5 MILLION to date in direct support.

But it’s Molly’s personal story that really got me because this is not your average Boomer.

After living much of her life in affluent wealth, thanks to her ex-husband, Molly experienced catastrophic financial loss (think $15M in debt), left with sole custody of five children under the age of 13, alone, jobless, leaning on a church basement food pantry to help provide - when she gets diagnosed with breast cancer.

Her story is one of a feisty maverick with grit and grace who can empathize with people from all walks of life and for the last 15 yrs while she’s been in remission from her cancer, Molly has made it her purpose to become a helper focused on serving others.

Now for a limited time through Black Friday, you can purchase $35 No Time to Waste Engraved Cuff Bracelets (Gold, Silver, Rose Gold) on our swag site that will directly support The Pink Fund this holiday season.

Nothing but love and #LFG energy for The Pink Fund!

It all started at musical theater camp in Upper Darby, PA with Tina Fey (yep, dead serious). Chris Heuisler and I spent our middle school summers surrounded by fellow theater nerds basking in the glow of all day rehearsals, absolute freedom, and Dairy Queen, just feelin’ so cool.

Life took us down different roads but over time, our identities as athletes emerged as the ones that fueled our souls. Chris scored a dream job as the Westin Global Run Concierge while I sat in my corporate office wishing I was more than just a Weekend Warrior. Both hard driving, high achievers, we learned what can happen to self-centered people like us when that energy is channeled in the wrong direction, as we both ran into substance abuse challenges as adults.

But now, like a perfectly-timed tv drama crossover starring two washed up 40 yr olds, we find our storylines intertwined again, both sober, both on new paths, both still pining for those sweet, simple summers when we thought we had it all.

Caroline’s one of the most accomplished ski mountaineers in the world and a passionate activist for the environment and gender equality. But we didn’t hit on any of that in this interview. Instead, we talked about her experience being forced to confront mortality - first when she was 15 and her half-brother died in an avalanche, later when she lost her best friend to the same fate in 2014, and as recently as 2019 when she summited Everest and encountered something rarely talked about.

It was an honor to bear witness to Caroline’s openness around these topics and hear her share how these experiences have impacted her life now. Couldn’t have asked for a better kickoff to Season 2.

US Women’s Soccer legend and host of ESPN’s “Laughter Permitted” Podcast, Julie Foudy just led the charge in successfully bringing a professional women’s soccer team to LA as part of the NWSL along with a group of 30 star-studded investors. Hear us talk about Angel City, donuts, doodles, real leadership and how to stay grateful and interject joy into everything you do.

NOTE: This episode was originally recorded on IG LIve (never meant to become a podcast) so the audio is not ideal - but hey, I don't have time to waste. Season 2 is much improved!

US Paralympics Team Member Roderick Sewell became the first bilateral above-the-knee amputee to conquer the Ironman World Championships in Kona - on two blades! Listen to this gem of a guy talk about the challenges on the path to Kona, his goal of becoming a two-sport athlete at the 2021 Paralympic Games and his penchant for giving back.

NOTE: This episode was originally recorded on IG LIve (never meant to become a podcast) so the audio is not ideal - but hey, I don't have time to waste. Season 2 is much improved!

Passionate about showing women what the trails can offer and championing gender equality in the sport of ultrarunning, Gina Lucrezi has a great spirit and a mission build around inclusion and participation. Hear her journey of founding Trail Sisters which has exploded since launching in 2016 with local chapters in the US, Canada, and Europe and an expansive online journal that connects women worldwide with the 

NOTE: This episode was originally recorded on IG LIve (never meant to become a podcast) so the audio is not ideal - but hey, I don't have time to waste. Season 2 is much improved!

“I’m a big, burly, beard-growing, fisherman, hunter, former All-ACC college football player that swims with swordfish, the baddest fish in the sea. If I can get breast cancer being this type of guy, then any man can get it, and it doesn’t matter how tough you are.” Hear Zac Yarbrough’s story and learn how he’s using his crappy hand as an opportunity to educate and drive awareness around male breast cancer. 

After going through his wife’s double lung + heart transplant journey battling Cystic Fibrosis, resilient family man Ryan Kaltenbach has a deep appreciation for life, endless gratitude and a desire to give back now through fostering that embodies the No Time to Waste spirit.

NOTE: This episode was originally recorded on IG LIve (never meant to become a podcast) so the audio might not be ideal - but hey, I don't have time to waste. Check out Season 2!

No Time to Waste Founder Alison Hadden opens up to share a highly personal update regarding the progression of her metastatic breast cancer as she grapples with an updated prognosis that brings new meaning to the phrase “No Time to Waste.” 

NOTE: This episode was originally recorded on IG LIve (never meant to become a podcast) so the audio is not ideal - but hey, I don't have time to waste. Season 2 is much improved!

The inaugural episode of the No Time to Waste podcast kicks off with 5X Olympian and one of the most decorated XC skiers in the sport, Kikkan Randall. Hear her story of getting diagnosed with breast cancer just three months after winning Gold in 2018 and after completing a year of grueling treatments, finishing sub-3 hr at the NYC Marathon.

NOTE: This episode was originally recorded on IG LIve (never meant to become a podcast) so the audio might not be ideal - but hey, I don't have time to waste. Check out Season 2!