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Secretly Sporty

Secretly Sporty

By: Sebastian Langdell
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About this listen

What if working out was about more than the workout? Each week, writer and fitness enthusiast Sebastian Langdell talks to an author, musician, comedian, filmmaker, or other creative about their exercise routine, athletic passions, approach to nutrition – and, most importantly, how their fitness practice fuels their artistic practice.

You’ll hear about how boxing and bouldering boost mental health, long bike rides offer a shortcut to transcendence, and getting physically stronger leads to more ambitious art.

By the end of the episode, you’ll be inspired to both hit the gym and write your novel.


Have someone you’d love to hear discuss their workout routine? Email us at secretlysportypodcast@gmail.com.


Note: The views expressed in this show are those of the show’s creators or the guests, and not those of any other entity or institution. Please consult with a doctor before starting any new exercise routine or nutritional program.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Varsity Arts, LLC Art Hygiene & Healthy Living Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Hanif Abdurraqib Runs the Memory Palace

    Hanif Abdurraqib Runs the Memory Palace
    Apr 27 2026
    Essayist and poet Hanif Abdurraqib, author of They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us and Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest, discusses how running transports him through time and space, and how it helps him manage anxiety and depression. He goes in depth on his running playlist, and details what types of songs work for what mile of your run—and he and Sebastian bond over why shoegaze is perfect running music. He also shares what he hopes to accomplish when he writes about music, what he’s working on right now, and why gratitude is so important to him. Plus, he reveals the real reason he started lifting weights.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    36 mins
  • Jason Kander Swings for the Fences

    Jason Kander Swings for the Fences
    Apr 20 2026
    Former politician Jason Kander, author of Invisible Storm and host of the podcast Majority 54, joins Sebastian to discuss playing high-level baseball (not softball!). He shares how joining the team changed his relationship to fitness, made him a more empathetic father, and opened up community in his life. He also goes in depth on his experience living with untreated PTSD, how that affected his physical health, and how he was eventually able to treat it. Plus, he reveals the writing advice President Obama gave him — and explains why he refuses to swim in the ocean!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    28 mins
  • Laura van den Berg Packs a Punch

    Laura van den Berg Packs a Punch
    Apr 13 2026
    Celebrated author Laura van den Berg, writer of The Third Hotel and State of Paradise, discusses how she became a competitive boxer — and the intense training regimen she maintains to be ready to get in the ring at a moment’s notice. She shares with Sebastian the ways in which competing helps her manage her anxiety, how being a writer makes her a better boxer, and how partaking in the sport has inspired her upcoming novel. Plus, she and Sebastian discuss the one exercise they’re surprised they can do.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    29 mins
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