I had the awesome opportunity to be a guest on Stephs “Harder to Kill” radio which was not only a rewarding experience, but gave me the chance to connect with I had heard and read so much about, but also decide instantaneously I had to be friends with her.
-Dr. T
Steph Gaudreau combines a formal education in biology / human physiology (BS Biology—Human Physiology), 12 years of science teaching experience (MA—Education and National Board Certification), holistic nutrition training (Certified Holistic Nutrition Practitioner), and an unabashed love of tasty food (human with taste buds) on her blogs, StupidEasyPaleo.com and StephGaudreau.com.
Steph’s mission is to spread the word about how to make simple, tasty recipes to help people in their quests to just eat real food. She wrote the best-seller The Paleo Athlete: A Beginner’s Guide to Real Food for Performance in 2014, and her award-winning book, The Performance Paleo Cookbook: Recipes for Eating Better, Getting Stronger & Gaining the Competitive Edge (Page Street Publishing, 2015).
Steph’s recently taken to the airwaves with her chart-topping podcast, Harder to Kill Radio, where she interviews experts in fitness, nutrition and mindset about how to build unbreakable humans.
She lives in San Diego with the loves of her life, her Scottish husband Z and her cat Ellie. When she’s not lifting heavy stuff, you can find her tending to her beehive, standing on the dining room table to get the perfect food photo shot, and reading nerdy science books.
Name and a little about WHO you are!
I’m Steph Gaudreau, and I spend my days coaching others how eat healthy and get stronger. That’s the one sentence summary of what I do, but in reality my interests span everything from beekeeping to food photography, podcasting to writing, and everything in between.
I grew up in Massachusetts and ended up living in San Diego eleven years ago. A twelve year career as a high school science teacher left me feeling like there was a bigger world to teach outside the four walls of the classroom, so in 2013 I left to blaze my own trail and start my own business. I turned my hobby blog, Stupid Easy Paleo, into a platform where I educate people about healthy eating and inspire them to make the process as simple—and painless—as possible.
Sports and competing have always been a big part of my life, and I’ve dabbled in everything from tae kwon do to soccer to mountain biking. Five years ago, I found the barbell, and it’s changed my life. Now I train and compete (and coach) in the sport of Olympic weightlifting. There’s nothing like strong feels.
Warrior Story about how you used your inner Warrior to survive, adapt and overcome, and how it gave you perspective on life.
Back in 2011, I was doing a race called Vision Quest for the second time. It’s a grueling event…56+ miles long with over 12,000 feet of climbing over rough terrain. I’d trained my butt off and was so excited to crush it, having improved my fitness and strength since my first Vision Quest three years prior.
Five miles into the race, as the sun began to light the canyon, I started to experience overwhelming back pain. I kept riding on, but every pedal stroke was killing me. Every ten feet, I thought about turning around and pulling the plug on the whole thing considering I expected to have another 8+ hours on the bike.
Somehow, I willed myself forward. While I was never in harm’s way and it wasn’t a life or death situation, I battled with my own mind for hours and hours. I knew that if I believed I could go on, my legs would follow suit.
It was a long day on the bike, a hair over 8 hours when it was all said and done, but I crossed the finish line. I’ve done dozens of races, but that one stands out as a defining event in my life. From then on, I knew that I could rely on the strength of my mind to get me through just about anything.
What is one trait you most admire about you (Your inner warrior)?
Gosh, I think I’d have to say that I’m hard-working. If you give me a job to do, I will get it done, and I’ve earned the nickname “workhorse” because of it. I know that could be seen in a negative way, like I get sucked into the hustle, but in reality I’m highly protective of my health and wellness as a business owner. That hard-working side of me translates into consistency and patience. I’ve never been really naturally gifted at anything, but I’m able to keep working at things until I develop some pretty decent skills. It’s not magic. It’s not genetic. It’s something all of us are capable of if we put our minds to it.
What kind of special power would you like to have?
This is so tough, but if we’re talking superhero type stuff, I’d have to say the power to fly. If we’re speaking a little more pragmatically, I’d say the power to convince every woman I meet to give strength training a try. Sure, the physical benefits are wonderful, but it’s so mentally and emotionally powerful. The confidence it builds spills over into all aspects of one’s life.