It was one of Seneca’s observations—that nearly everything in life is circular: there’s an opening and a close, a start and a finish. Life, he says, is a collection of large circles enclosing smaller ones. Birth to death. Childhood. A year. A month. “And the smallest circle of all,” he writes, “is the day; even a day has its beginning and its ending, its sunrise and its sunset.”
What does it mean to find freedom and self-awareness through movement and how can that be applied to personal growth?
Movement becomes a metaphor for life, showcasing resilience, mindfulness, and adaptation.
I don’t have any goal when I go out to move. I just want to move and to enjoy it.
~ Sam Govindin (7:00)
The conversation begins by exploring the concept of movement as both a physical and mental discipline. Same reflects on the importance of being present and adaptable in their practice, emphasizing how energy levels, emotions, and focus shape their approach to movement. He discusses how mindfulness influences the experience of flow, and how setting aside expectations allows them to enjoy the process without frustration.
A key topic is the balance between freedom and structure, particularly in dance and parkour. Sam shares insights into how they aim to let go of control while maintaining composure. Personal anecdotes illustrate the journey of finding confidence and authenticity in public and private settings, highlighting the interplay between external judgments and internal self-awareness. The idea of smiling as a cue for readiness exemplifies their thoughtful approach to movement and life.
How does photography intersect with movement and identity, and what responsibilities and privileges come with its practice?
Parkour and photography share a symbiotic relationship in challenging barriers and fostering connection.
Photographing parkour in these spaces was giving these monuments kind of new narratives and demonstrating that beyond the history, there is the potential to make something new that brings people together.
~ Andy Day (6:45)
The conversation explores the interplay between photography, movement, and identity, particularly through the lens of parkour. Topics include how photography informs the practice of parkour and vice versa, the evolution of creative expression in urban landscapes, and the role of privilege and access in documenting and engaging with spaces. The discussion emphasizes the ability of photography to give new narratives to contentious historical monuments and to encapsulate communal experiences.
The conversation also addresses broader societal issues, such as the responsibilities that come with privilege in accessing spaces and creating narratives. Reflecting on the dynamics of representation, Andy and Craig go into how capturing and sharing images contributes to personal and collective identity. The dialogue concludes with thoughts on being both part of and separate from a community, offering insights into the role of an observer who participates critically.
Like nature, which removes mistakes to progress, you can remove things to not only survive but thrive. (This is one of the ways we can apply via negativa, an important mental model.)
It’s a semi-interesting, but short, article. But this bit about via negativa made me down-shift. Because I’d never heard that little latin phrase. I wrote a blog post about how not to mess up endings of conversations… and then went directly to a bookmark on that Parrish article and realized that via negativa was exactly what I had just been writing about.
Via negativa is simply the idea of improving by studying what one should not do. Addition by subtracting one might even say.
ɕ
Maggie Spaloss: Coaching Journey, Transitions, and Consulting →
How does the experience of transitioning between different roles—such as coach, business consultant, and relationship coach—shape perspectives on community, creativity, and personal fulfillment?
For Maggie Spaloss, transitioning from coaching parkour into coaching relationships and intimacy felt like a natural progression. She discusses her connection parkour, and how it’s evolved from mom, to coach, to business consultant. Maggie shares her thoughts on coaching, and her transition into relationship and intimacy coaching. She describes her work on Kiskeya Athletics, and how she stays passionate about parkour and giving back to the community.
I do want to also say, as a mom, that I think I can appreciate from a different perspective these kids whose lives were really very deeply impacted by parkour. Where they were able to develop, some self confidence, and some sort of identity with kind of a tribe they could relate to.
~ Maggie Spaloss (30:00)
Maggie Spaloss is a coach, project manager and mover. She has over 10 years of coaching experience including certifications as a personal trainer, parkour instructor, behavioral change specialist and relationship coach. Maggie is also project manager for Kiskeya Athletics, a multi-sport facility currently under construction in South Texas. Maggie splits her time between managing the development of Kiskeya Athletics and helping people build stronger relationships and deeper intimacy.
The conversation explores the journey from parkour coaching to relationship and intimacy consulting, reflecting on the influence of embodiment and community. Maggie discusses how her experience in parkour, from her origin story to coaching and gym management, shaped her ability to foster connections and build supportive environments. A recurring theme is the importance of adapting to physical and mental challenges, particularly as they evolve with age.
Another focus is the creative and collaborative aspects of parkour, both in training and in broader projects like gym design and event planning. The discussion highlights the shared obstacles within parkour as a metaphor for building camaraderie and fostering vulnerability. Maggie also touches on the transition from personal training to a more holistic, life-oriented coaching approach, emphasizing the importance of balancing personal passion with professional responsibilities.
I stumbled over a blog post, containing a pull-quote where someone mentioned inverse Fast Fourier Transform. (A mathematician named Fourier invented a fast way to do a certain sort of transformation that comes up a lot in science; It’s called a Fast Fourier Transform. There’s also a way to undo that transformation, called “the inverse”. Thus, Fast Fourier Transformations (FFT) and inverse FFT. Well, FFT/IFFT is the first thing I can recall that I could not understand. It was shocking. Every other thing I’d ever encountered was easy. But there I was, 20-some-years-old, in graduate school, and I encountered something that was beyond me. I think I had it sorted about 6 times and every time, the next morning, upon waking, it had fallen out of my head. Holy inappropriately long parentheticals, Batman!)
Anyway. Blog post. IFFTs. Time machine to the early 90s. Emotional vertigo.
…and then I clicked thru to the magnificent post which is brilliant. And then I realized the by-line was, “Shift Happens.” o_O This entire thing. I’m in nerd heaven.