Episode Transcript
[00:00:06] Speaker A: I'm Sarah, and welcome back to the Midlife Happiness project. And today, yet another fabulous guest. I am with Jessica and she is a former tech executive from Silicon Valley. She worked for Facebook, Apple, eBay, Airbnb, just to name a few. She is a mom to a twelve year old son and she has done something really crazy. She has done a full 180, left that career behind and has embraced something really exciting. And on that note, welcome, Jessica.
[00:00:47] Speaker B: Thank you, Sarah.
[00:00:48] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Please share with us what is this thing, this thing that you've embraced into your life that's really added some happiness?
[00:01:01] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. So, as you mentioned, I'm a mom to a twelve year old son, soon to be a teenager at the end of the year. And I climbed the corporate ladder in corporate America for over 20 years. And so at the end of last year, as I realized my 50th birthday was looming in the horizon, I made a dramatic change in my life. I walked away from my corporate job, I managed a pretty large team at a pretty large tech company and big paycheck as well.
And I walked away from all of that and I walked away to dedicate my life to the mountain biking community.
And it's kind of funny because the change in my life, I would say, was pretty much an absolute three went from a life where I was sitting at a desk, yeah, work from home back to back. Zoom calls for 8 hours a day or more just sitting at a desk and transformed that into a life, teaching people how to be active outdoors. And in terms of why I made this change, I've been mountain biking for as long as I've been in corporate America and I really love my mountain biking community and the sport itself.
And the reason being, I think best said by a fellow board member of Silicon Valley Mountain bikers, Glenn Wagner. He told me that mountain biking is a great equalizer. And what that means is it really doesn't matter what you do in life, what you look like, what shape or size you are. There really is a certain magic with the freedom of getting on two wheels and being out in nature.
Friends, we're on mountain bikes side by side. We have a ton of fun, we meet absolutely extraordinary people and we build a great community. And so after working in corporate America for 20 years, I wanted to do something that made a difference by giving back to my community.
So I'd been thinking about it for quite a while and, you know, with 50 kind of in the horizon, I'm like, why not?
It was a huge leap of faith, I have to say.
But I really, you know, just looking back, it's absolutely the right decision, and I really have no regrets at all stepping away from that paycheck.
[00:03:28] Speaker A: So let's take a step back here. Somebody listening or watching this, I'm sure would think, well, that's great. She's done this. That takes tremendous courage to do this. But I'm sure she was always, like, an avid cyclist her whole life. And let's just hear a bit about that, about your upbringing and how it is that this kind of entered your life. Was this something you've always been doing, or you just discovered it recently?
[00:03:59] Speaker B: Yeah, I've been mountain biking for quite a while, but I'll tell the story of how I started in the sport.
My husband, who is then my boyfriend, first introduced me to the sport when we first started dating.
I'd say your question. When I was growing up, I wasn't very sporty at all.
I didn't grow up doing any type of sports in school, and I was never on a sports team.
[00:04:27] Speaker A: Really?
[00:04:28] Speaker B: Yeah. I grew up in a really traditional taiwanese family where my mom, she'd always say, you know, girls should stay out of the sun.
Women should walk like a lady, you know, when they're sitting closed, and you should be really thin and feminine and don't get too muscular, you know, and are you getting muscles on your legs? Look at my legs and look at my calves. Really getting muscles there.
[00:04:56] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:04:57] Speaker B: Yeah. And so when my husband first took me out on the trail, I didn't know how to mountain bike at all. I mean, I knew how to ride a bike because I'd ride my bike to school in high school. That's how I got to high school.
And when I first got on the mountain bike, boy, did I fall.
I would go to work the next day wearing long skirts to cover my bloody knees because I didn't have knee pads back then.
But even though I fell, I loved being outdoors. It was absolutely beautiful. And, you know, when there was something hard on the trail and I would attempt it and I would be able to do it, you know, I felt really tough and really strong. So I really, really enjoyed that feeling.
Yeah. So I really enjoyed it. And I guess I wanted to talk a little bit about mountain biking, kind of what that's about.
[00:05:51] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:05:52] Speaker B: People that don't know about it, I.
[00:05:55] Speaker A: Think for the average person, myself included, like, when I'm hiking and they go whipping by, it seems crazy. Like it's. It really is. And I always think, aren't they terrified they're going to fall off and roll down the hill. I mean, maybe they are. I don't know. Maybe that's what makes it exciting.
[00:06:16] Speaker B: Yeah, well, mountain biking. You know, when we talk about biking, there are many forms of biking. Like now, you know, there's road riding. Obviously, nowadays there's gravel riding, and then there's mountain biking. And the difference is mountain biking. Sometimes we call it off road cycling, where you're on a bike riding dirt paths or trails in a park, and typically you're. So you're not on the road, which is different from road biking.
Sometimes you're climbing a hill, sometimes you're descending a trail, and sometimes there might be obstacles on the trailhead. And to your point, you know, people might think, oh, my God, you know, she must have a full face and must be, like, going down rocks and stuff. And that's not. That's not true at all. You know, there are many, many different levels of trails. I think most people hike the trails before they mountain bike, and they've seen hiking trails. You know, they can be really smooth or flowy and, you know, pretty much flat with no obstacles. And obviously, they're, you know, more technical trails where there are rocks and, you know, they can be steep and they can have obstacles on them. So they can vary quite a bit.
[00:07:27] Speaker A: So what I'd love to hear, because I think this is what I mean, this is such a compelling story. So you think about this long and hard. You think, I'm done with corporate America. I've put in my time. I've had this great career. I'm ready to shift. You make the decision to put all of your energy into mountain biking. You've made the decision. You quit your job. It's happened. What was that feeling like when, that you actually made it? Were you a little bit terrified? What have I done? Was it exhilarating? Can you give us a sense of that?
[00:08:07] Speaker B: Yeah, I think, you know, coming from a traditional chinese family, you know, you're always, like, really nervous about big change, especially, you know, just kind of leaving a, you know, stable job, as my traditional mom would say, you know, to something that's very ad hoc. And so, you know, I did think very long and hard about it. You know, talk to lots of mentors and, you know, lots of friends, you know, and they were all so supportive and so, yeah, so I definitely thought long and hard. And I have to say, about a year before I actually walked out of corporate America, I actually had started coaching already. So, you know, I wanted to see what it was like to coach, you know, whether I would like it or not. And I loved it. You know, I did it for a year, and so it was hard for a time. And I had to thank, you know, the heavens for my husband where, you know, I was being a mom, working the corporate world, working in tech, twenty four seven, and also coaching on the weekends. So. So I did at the same time. Yeah. And it was pretty painful, but I knew I wanted to try it at first and just make sure.
And I just absolutely loved it. I mean, you know, the pay is just absolutely, you know, not, you can't compare it to corporate America, but just the satisfaction of seeing people, you know, conquer their fears on the trail and just being out in nature and just loving it out there and just, you know, teaching men, women, kids, and just seeing women build a supportive community.
[00:09:43] Speaker A: Now, that's what I wanted you to talk about, because I'll be honest, the great majority of mountain bikers I see around us up in the mountains tend to be men.
Occasionally, you know, I hear a woman's voice saying behind you or to your right, and I think, oh, it's a woman. So in my mind, around where we live, there don't seem to be as many women. So let us know about that.
Are you just coaching women? Is this a growing, is this growing in popularity?
[00:10:18] Speaker B: Yeah. So I think I started by coaching just women because to your point, there aren't a lot of, I mean, there are a lot of mountain biking classes, but, you know, a lot of times people show up and it's all men in the class, right? And if there's a class of 15 people, they're all men and there's one woman. You know, men and women learn differently. And so, you know, I started coaching just women because it was great to have a group of women, you know, where we can support each other in these classes and watch each other conquer these things and just be there for each other.
And, you know, I think the vibe is definitely very different with just women in a class.
To your point, in Santa Cruz, I would say ten years ago, you just do not see women on the trail.
And I'm part of the board of an organization called Girls Rock Mountain Biking, and girls rock just celebrating their ten year anniversary, and they have truly changed the landscape of mountain biking in Santa Cruz. I can tell you with confidence, when I go out on the trails in Santa Cruz, at least half of the people out there are women, if not more.
Here in Silicon Valley, we are in the state of kind of ten years ago where I go out on the trails and I do not see women out there.
And everything I'm doing now, it's a great. I feel like it was the best time to leave corporate America now, because my dream is to change that landscape here in Silicon Valley by teaching women, by teaching co ed, by teaching kids.
I'm a coach on the NYCA. I'm not sure if everybody out there is familiar with NYCA.
[00:12:00] Speaker A: No, please tell.
[00:12:01] Speaker B: Yeah. So Nyka forms different mountain bike teams, or youth mountain bike teams, and they do racing throughout the entire country. And, you know, Nyka teams, when they hold a race, I'd say about 700 middle school and high school kids show up at every race. So every season we have four races, and there are about 700 kids at every single race. And there are multiple of these races throughout the entire country, and 18%, on average, are girls that are racing, and in the Bay area, probably 10% or less. So definitely not a lot of girls racing.
You know, I coach women and kids in for multiple organizations, and boys, they're like, oh, there's a race, let's do it. And girls will be like, I don't know. I'm gonna fall.
And I don't see any girls out there.
Why should I raise, right? See any other girls? So I think for women, to increase women and girls in the sport, we need to build that community.
We also need role models. We need a lot more women.
And so, yeah, I started by teaching women, and now I teach, you know, co ed women kids as well, so.
[00:13:19] Speaker A: And you race yourself? Yes.
[00:13:21] Speaker B: Yeah, I do. Yeah. Yeah. I took up mountain biking in my thirties, and I started racing in my forties, and when I started racing in my forties, I started racing cross country. And now that I'm turning 50, I mostly race downhill and enduro.
Do you want me to kind of describe the difference?
[00:13:41] Speaker A: Yes, absolutely.
[00:13:43] Speaker B: Yeah. So cross country is where you're timed on a course that goes up and down, and you're climbing and you're descending. But it's all about endurance, so it's all about handling it while you're racing. Downhill racing is a gravity sport where only your descent is timed for the race. There are a lot more obstacles on the course, so it's a lot more technical. So to do a diagonal race, it takes a lot more technical skill.
I also do enduro racing now in my fifties. Enduro is where there are several segments that are mostly downhill, and they time your downhill sections, but you do have to ride from one segment to the next.
And when you ride from one segment to the next, it typically is an uphill ride to the top of your next downhill. But they only time their downhill, so they add up your total time for the downhill segments and those races. Your bike handling skills are really important because it's kind of a combination of cross country versus and downhill. Like, both together.
[00:14:52] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:14:53] Speaker B: Yeah. So it's been a lot of fun.
Every time I race, I can tell you I do not see a lot of women out there, especially in my age category. And so, you know, the handful of women, we always become friends and, you know, we have, like, long texts going on. We just connect. And it's just wonderful that, I mean.
[00:15:13] Speaker A: Having a community and feeling like you single handedly are really inspiring people. I mean, obviously that must make you feel really great and contribute to, you know, this happiness that you found. If you had to sort of put into words, what is it about mountain biking that really makes you happy? You mentioned being in nature.
What else? Sort of so people can understand who maybe have never tried it before and are getting a sense of what you're talking about. What is it, if you can put it into words, that makes you happy when you're doing it?
[00:15:57] Speaker B: Yeah.
Well, mountain biking, to be honest, is a tough sport. It takes fitness.
When the trails do get more technical, there are objects on the trail. So it does take courage to do it. And what I love is just, I mean, I'm in Silicon Valley, the crush of Silicon Valley, where all these tech companies, they want you to do things in a millisecond, and you go to a restaurant and the food should come out in a millisecond. There's a lot of pressure out here. And I love, you know, just taking people out in nature here in Silicon Valley, getting away from it and just showing them. This is a peaceful place. We're just in California, so lucky to have great weather all year round and be surrounded by beautiful parks and forests.
But a lot of people don't take advantage of it. They might do a short hike, but a mountain bike takes you out there into the deep of the forest. You know, you're with friends in the deep of the forest. It's peaceful. You know, you have time and space to think, clear your mind, and be creative.
And I just really enjoy showing people that. And they're out there and they're like, God, it's so beautiful out here. You know, they're fields of clovers and. And then there's a technical object and, you know, they get nervous, and I show them a method to the madness, you know, how to do this and, you know, I love watching people's aha moments.
They watch somebody and they're like, oh, that person did it. And then they try it and they have this aha moment, like, oh, my God, I did it.
And I love that watching people have that light bulb moment, you know, like, I can do it. I can conquer it. And helping them build that confidence and that community where you watch somebody do it. And I have to say, mountain biking has a lot of life lessons in it, too.
[00:17:50] Speaker A: Oh, really?
[00:17:51] Speaker B: Yeah. So, for example, you know, when, you know, something might look scary, you know, sometimes in life there are things that are scary, you know, and you learn a method to the madness. You know, do it with courage and, you know, do it with a little bit of repetition, you pretty much can conquer anything. So.
And another example is, you know, in biking, I always tell people, you want to look up and ahead, right? Because that's where you want to go. But if you look down and backing, that's the direction you're going to go.
So in life, same thing. You don't want to look down. You want to look up and ahead. Don't look at what's underneath you. You've already gone over it up and head, and that's exactly where your bike's going to go. And that's the same thing in life.
[00:18:42] Speaker A: You know, all these things you're talking about. It's interesting because with this program, there's so many common themes that keep coming up. And what I love what you're saying here, which reinforces sort of some of the themes that we've had in our shows over, over time, is this idea that anytime you start something new, there's an adjustment period, and it's hard. And I love the way that you just owned, like, it's very technical, it's a tough sport, and you own that, you know, don't go into it thinking, well, I'll try it. And if I'm not killing it on the mountain by the end of the week, I guess it's just not for me.
It's going to take time to learn how to do it. Get over your fears and conquer it.
[00:19:32] Speaker B: If you were to ask me what was one thing I would have done differently when I was learning mountain biking, I'd have to say I should have hired somebody to teach me the fundamentals of mountain biking, and I wouldn't have had those bloody needs known, kind of. I mean, anytime you pick up anything new, right, a new sport, it would make sense to, you know, go to a class, right. And figure out, you know, how to do it.
[00:19:57] Speaker A: I'm sure there are people listening, myself included, didn't know there were classes for this. I've, you know, because if you're not in the mix, I don't know where people learn to do it, but this, this gives clarity to that.
[00:20:12] Speaker B: Yeah. And I think before there weren't as many classes available. People thought, well, let's go and buy mountain bike and just hit the trail, you know, hit those trails that I. That I hiked. Right. And now there are a lot more classes that are pretty low cost, you know, teaches you the fundamentals. You don't have to worry about flooding needs anymore, you know, the technique. And once you're out there, you know, then you can definitely nothing, you know, notch it up and go on more technical trails. And that's when you need more of the technical skills to, you know, and you build a lot of confidence, too.
[00:20:45] Speaker A: So give me a sense of your day. How do you work this into your daily routine? I mean, obviously, this is a job now. It's not just you doing this for fun. Give us a sense of what your day is like.
[00:20:57] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd have to say in terms of where I put my time, I put it in two buckets. So the first bucket really is introducing people into the sport. So I teach a lot of new mountain bikers and also some mountain bikers. They've already gone on the trails, but they want to learn the fundamentals. They want to start over and learn how to do it correctly.
So, yeah, I'm a certified mountain bike instructor, and they teach women for Ninja Mountain bike.
And I really do, as I mentioned, love inspiring confidence in women that I teach and just providing a supportive group environment.
I also teach as a coach for the San Jose composite youth mountain bike team. As I mentioned, that's a Nyka team here locally, and we have both middle school and high schoolers. And I coach the youngest, newest kids, and I just really, really enjoy it because they're brand new to the sport or it's their first year on the team and most of them have not mountain biked before. And I just love, you know, just when people pick it up and they learn it and they start to love it. So nowadays, as, you know, kids are glued to their devices after Covid, I also have one of those kids that's glued to their devices. So, you know, just mountain biking is just an example of how it's so important to get kids back outdoors and active. So really enjoyed that piece. And I also teach for an organization called Retack racing. They put on races throughout the year.
[00:22:39] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:22:40] Speaker B: I teach. They started having classes. They're brand new, because they wanted to see more women and kids racing. So, as I mentioned, 18% of Nike teams race are girls. And I'd have to say these non Nike races are even less of girls. I think we had a Downyville classic recently, and it was a very small group of women that faced this downhill race. So I love that recock racing is trying to introduce women and girls to racing, and so I teach for them as well. And I teach co ed mountain biking classes for Silicon Valley mountain bikers. And I also run a women's mountain bike series through the city of Santa Cruz.
[00:23:24] Speaker A: You are very, very, very busy, and I guess you no longer spending a whole lot of time in front of the computer. Clearly, no. Okay. So for somebody listening who is like, this sounds super cool, like, I'm down to try this.
What tips would you give somebody who wanted to start just baby steps?
[00:23:49] Speaker B: Yeah, I'd say, you know, I mean, sign up for a class. As I mentioned, these classes are super cool. In Silicon Valley, I do a series of classes. The first one is called intro to mountain biking.
And if you don't have these resources, you can always search Internet. But my intro to mountain biking class is an off the bike class where I talk about trails, you know, different levels of trails around here. You know, what is the difference in a mountain bike? You know, what. What's the difference between a mountain bike and a gravel bike? Why do you need a mountain bike? You know, what kind of clothing? You know, what kind of shoes do you need for mountain biking? What kind of gear do you need? Right, right. And what kind of supplies should you carry with you when you're mountain biking and you need plenty of water and hydration, how should you transport your bike? Where can you rent a bike if you wanted to purchase one? What's the best method to this madness for purchasing the mountain bike? So I do an intro, talk to kind of get people prepared. But, yeah, if you're wanting to take on the sport, you kind of want to research on the Internet, maybe try out a ton of different bikes to see, rent a couple of different bikes and try them out, and then research kind of what you need to canal hydration nutrition.
[00:25:16] Speaker A: You are just really, really inspiring. And I think what's amazing is not only have you found something, this is what everybody wants to find, their thing, something that really gets them fired up. And I can tell it certainly does that, but you're also somebody who said, you know, I need to be challenged. I need to keep learning. And, you know, that's, again, another common theme that we keep hearing about with our guests is this idea of, as we get older, you sort of take it down a notch. And the reality is people are doing just the opposite. I'm ready to take it up a notch. I'm sick of sitting around. I want to do something, have an adventure while I still can. And this is really what I'm hearing from you. And I just think it's the message that people have to hear.
[00:26:17] Speaker B: Yeah, I think, as I mentioned at the beginning, it was a real three change. I was sitting at the desk 810 hours a day on Zoom calls back to back, and it was hard to go to the restroom. Even never got out of my chair. Now I'm like, outdoors and turning 50. I have to say it was the absolute right time because being outdoors and teaching mountain biking actually takes quite a bit of physical fitness. Right. Especially for someone small and stubby like me.
Yeah, sports and exercise, they weren't really part of my life when I was growing up.
But as I get older, I realize that the secret to staying young really is having the courage to continue to push my boundaries, whether it be just making this big decision to make a huge change in my life or maybe for everybody else out there like me who's not an athlete, just continuing to push my daily physical fitness a little at a time.
And, yeah, so, I mean, it's been great because you said, I'm really busy because there's been so much opportunity for mountain biking, especially in Silicon Valley.
After Covid, there's a lot of interest in being outdoors, and there just aren't a whole lot of women out there. And the other thing that, you know, I spend, the second bucket that I spend a lot of time in is our partnership with our land managers here. So I'm on the board of Silicon Valley Mountain Bikers, and it's an organization I'm super passionate about and I've spent a lot of time building. So the other bucket, aside from teaching, really is my time dedicated to local mountain biking organizations around here, like Silicon Valley mountain bikers.
So spend a lot of time working with the local land managers out here to advocate for more trails. We also partner with other organizations because a lot of our trails are multi use. You've got equestrians out there, we've got hikers, we've got mountain bikers. And there's a lot of misunderstanding between these groups. Equestrians are like oh, my God, those mountain bikers, they're crazy. They come down with their.
They come down without warning, and they scare our horses. So, Silvan Valley Mountain bikers, we've been doing a lot to partner with equestrian organizations locally to make sure we do these events where we educate people. We bring horses out, and Silicon Valley mountain bikers is there, and we have mountain bikers meet horses. They're animals. They get scared very easily, but if they hear your voice, very calming. So all you have to do is just say hi. You know, the horses calm down immediately because they see a helmet, they see a bell, and they see spinning wheels. They think it's a machine, right?
[00:29:10] Speaker A: Oh, right.
[00:29:12] Speaker B: Yeah. So we do these events that partner with land managers, with other trail users as well.
And our mountain biking community is actually quite large. And what I love about our mountain biking community is they're all very willing to give back to the trails. And so, you know, we ride these trails and partner with the land managers, and we're willing to come and do trail work. And so Silvan Valley Mount Bakers does a lot, a lot of that. You want to build that community and the relationships to try to advocate for more trails.
[00:29:46] Speaker A: So you are involved with mountain biking on a spectrum, not just the teaching and the doing of it.
So I guess I should end this, this discussion with probably one of the most important questions. And that's, what does your mother think about your muscles now?
[00:30:06] Speaker B: Well, what inspires me to say is, I truly do think that non biking keeps you young. So forget about the muscles.
Yes. But I think for a lot of us, I've taught young and old, and as I grow older, realize, and I'm surrounded by friends who are kind of my same age. A lot of us, you know, we get married and we have kids, and then we dedicate ourselves to our adult responsibilities and how to have fun and be creative, like, as we get older. Yes. Wonder and that awe and how to play like children.
And I believe that mountain biking keeps you young, because I meet people and they're like, I talk to them. They've never mountain biked before, and they're like, I'm too old for this. I want to go out there and break my bones. And I can tell you that I would. I don't mountain bike to break my bones, and nobody mountain bikes to break their bones. Right? I think mountain biking, it's as long as you sign up for a class and learn the basic techniques and learn kind of how to do that and pick a class with a certified mountain bike instructor.
This sport is all about being surrounded by this natural beauty that we have out here and meeting amazing people and building a community. And it helps you stay physically active and nimble as we get older. And really, the secret to staying young is not being afraid to take on something new and continuing to expand your horizons. So I really think mountain biking keeps you young because it.
[00:31:53] Speaker A: Yeah, it seems to check a lot of boxes.
[00:31:55] Speaker B: Yeah. And it teaches you how to play, brings back that creativity and how to have fun there in nature. Yes.
[00:32:05] Speaker A: You've been such a delightful guest, and we so appreciate you being on our program. Honestly, I know a lot of people listening are going to be really jazzed about everything you've had to say. And myself, I haven't even been on a bike in, I don't know, honestly, since I was probably in, in middle school. So this is something that's piqued my interest. So I really appreciate you sharing it. You've been a great guest, and especially for women listening, I think they're probably very surprised that your thing was mountain biking. So you've been a great guest. Thanks so much for joining us today.
[00:32:46] Speaker B: Thank you, Sarah.
[00:32:47] Speaker A: Absolutely. And on that note, thanks for joining. We'll see you again next time.
