Longevity Habits of Gabby Reece and Laird Hamilton

Summary

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Stronger with Don Saladino

Episode: Longevity Habits of Gabby Reece and Laird Hamilton

Release Date: June 23, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this inspiring episode, renowned fitness coach Don Saladino dives deep with legendary athletes Gabby Reece and Laird Hamilton. The trio explores what “strength” means beyond the gym—addressing longevity, evolving training philosophies, redefining identity after elite athletics, and practical, real-world lessons learned from injuries, business, parenting, and daily life. The discussion is honest and often humorous, offering listeners grounded, relatable strategies for living strong—mentally, physically, and emotionally.

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Key Themes & Discussion Points

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1. Evolving Approaches to Longevity and Training

(01:35–06:07)

• Injury as a Teacher & the Shift to Smarter Training

  • Laird: Injuries drove a transformation from purely "brutal" workouts to more intelligent, varied approaches.

    "I like brutality, I like suffering...but for me, variety is the biggest piece. I like to break it up...awkward stuff, stuff that deals with the mental aspect of training, not just brute, you know, beat yourself up." (01:56)

  • Gabby: Learning brings awareness of the need for both complexity and primal simplicity in routine.

    "How do you make it more complex and sophisticated, but actually almost more primal and basic, connected to your real patterns?" (02:42)

• The Importance of Recovery, Mindset, and Experience

  • Laird: Maturity brings mental resilience to compensate for any physical decline; rest and recovery as underestimated essentials.

    “You don't equate [rest] as being beneficial for your fitness...where you lack in physicality, you make up in the mental and experience. Experience over data—I'm just dataed out. Give me experience.” (04:09)

  • Gabby: Aging allows for less emotional reactivity, better energy management.

    “So many things, emotionally, you respond, you use...I find that I have more energy that I can aim and shoot for my training.” (05:06)

  • Active recovery practices (like sauna, intentional eating) trump passive rest.

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2. Redefining Identity Beyond Competition

(06:07–08:43)

• Entrepreneurship as a Continuation, Not a Shift

  • Laird: Lifelong entrepreneurship—passion-fueled, non-linear, and persistent.

    “I’ve always had to subsidize some of my passions with other work...I’m still in pursuit. The transition’s been almost seamless...more of an artist, you just keep painting until you die.” (06:29)

  • Gabby: The importance of not being trapped by labels.

    “I always was doing other things besides playing ball...I've always tried to remove myself from these identities of ‘oh, you're the volleyball player.’ I'm still me, and then I'm in pursuit of the things that I am curious about.” (07:25)

• Host’s Reflection

  • Don: Failures and pivots are foundational to finding longevity and fulfillment beyond athletic achievement.

    “There were so many times in my life where almost missing 37 consecutive payrolls...monetarily, it didn’t give me a lot, it gave me everything...to pivot into these other things.” (08:43)

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3. The “Unlightening Round”: Practical Habits & Preferences

(12:56–21:27)

• Sleep & Morning Routines

  • Gabby: More of a morning person, works out early, but not a great sleeper, values unwinding before bed. (13:08–13:51)
  • Laird: Must rise before the sun; rapid sleep onset; believes missing sunrise is “missing a piece of the light.”

    “If I’m not up before the sun, then I’m a little uptight about that. I’m angry if the sun’s out.” (13:15)

• Love-Hate Training Relationships

  • Laird: Embraces discomfort and new challenges—lately into “hanging” (inverted, using gravity boots or hammocks) to combat training imbalances.

    “I’m always trying... for the opposite of everything. If it’s all forward, let’s go back.” (15:51)

  • Gabby: Pool “patience drills” that test endurance and composure; can’t just “push through”—requires calm and patience.

    “I call them patience drills...you have to kind of get ahold of yourself and stay calm and not give any energy to it.” (16:31)

• Favorite Music for Training & Recovery

  • Laird: Old-school rock (Jimi Hendrix, Credence), nature sounds (“rain and thunder”), classical in the morning. (17:19–17:58)
  • Gabby: Hardcore rap for high-energy land training, reggae influence from her Caribbean upbringing. (19:07–19:21)

• Home Base

  • Mostly California for work; Hawaii (Kauai) for surf and downtime. (18:26–19:00)

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4. Recovery Practices

(19:46–22:40)

• Laird: “Excessive sauna recovery guy”—prefers traditional, high-heat (160–220°F) for an hour, sometimes combined with movement; also values cold, breathwork, hyperbarics, red beds.

  “Sauna is the king for me...You’re purging all your waste...I see the consistent benefit.” (19:50, 20:41)

• Gabby: Also values sauna but especially loves red light therapy for joint health (“my knees are the thing on me...there are days where if I’m doing that steady, my knees feel really good”).

  “Even that 15 minutes just being there sometimes also has this restorative component.” (21:27–22:40)

• Don (host) shares a testimonial on red light therapy’s effects on his skin and energy.

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5. Parenting & Handling Chaos

(22:57–28:23)

• Who Handles Chaos?

  • Gabby: Man-made chaos, she excels; real, existential chaos—“Laird is an especially excellent in chaos.” (23:00)
    • Anecdote: During a fire evacuation, it was clear her family looked to Laird as the leader.
  • Laird: Downplays usefulness outside chaos, but “designed” for those moments. (23:54)

    “Useless the rest of the time...But when it’s chaos, I’m hoping for that stuff.” (23:54)

• Evolving as Parents

  • Gabby: “Been broken” by long-term parenting; has relaxed and let go of controlling outcomes.

    “I think I have relaxed on everything...I've really tried to pull back on the worry because the arc on parenting...is so long.” (24:23)

  • Laird: Now holds his tongue more, avoids confrontation—lets children come to conclusions themselves, practices calm non-reaction.

    “I find myself just pulling the handbrake every time...Watch how well nothing does. Sometimes it works amazing.” (25:10)

  • Laird on parenting:

    “I always say the reason why they call it ‘parenting’ is because it’s for the parents. Otherwise, it would be called ‘kidding’…It’s for our evolution, our growth.” (27:14)

• Don's Reflection: Emotional impact of sending a child to college—the kids thrive, while parents often struggle more with transition.

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6. Food Philosophy & Indulgence

(28:23–32:17)

• Gabby: No rigid “cheat” mindset—enjoys good food but craves what makes her feel well. Freely enjoys special treats when warranted (e.g., homemade pasta or bagels) without guilt.

  “If I go to some badass Italian place…and they say, ‘Oh, the nonna makes hand…noodle,’ I’m eating it. If I want it…I’ll eat it.” (28:36)

• Laird: Wants the diversity and resilience of "a diesel truck"—occasional indulgence is part of a stress-free, adaptive approach.

  “I don't want to…become gluten intolerant. I want to...be able to go anywhere and survive and be able to eat stuff and be okay with it.” (29:49, 30:52)

• Both emphasize nutrient-dense, food-first philosophies grown from years of experience—not strict, but deeply ingrained habit.

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7. Looking Ahead: New Ventures

(32:45–34:21)

• Laird Superfood: Healthy food, coffee, creamers, and hydration products.
• Hamilton House: Their new wellness project—an evolution of their previous XPT program—combining a physical space and a digital platform, including input from top coaches.

  “Hamilton House is kind of the next iteration…because you’re always changing and learning. It’ll have a physical location and a digital component.” (32:45)

• Laird: Sees it as a way to “pass along” hard-earned longevity and holistic health wisdom.

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Notable Quotes

• On aging and evolution:

  “Getting older is such a beautiful and interesting journey. So many things, emotionally, you respond...I have more energy I can aim and shoot for my training.”
  — Gabby Reese (05:06)

• On experience vs. data:

  “I like experience over data. I’m just dataed out. Give me experience. Tell me how it’s worked for you…and show me how long you’ve done it.”
  — Laird Hamilton (04:09)

• On food and flexibility:

  “If I want it…I’ll eat it. …I do think that when you feel like you’re withholding all the time, it creates a bigger situation.”
  — Gabby Reese (28:36)

• On handling family chaos:

  “If you’re talking real chaos…Laird is an especially excellent in chaos.”
  — Gabby Reese (23:00)

• On parenting’s true challenge:

  “I always say the reason why they call it parenting is because it’s for the parents…It’s for our evolution.”
  — Laird Hamilton (27:14)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• 01:35–06:07: Shifts in Training for Longevity, Injury Lessons, The Value of Recovery and Mindset
• 06:07–08:43: Life Beyond Competition—Entrepreneurship, Identity, Career Pivots
• 12:56–21:27: Unlightening Round—Routines, Music for Training, Love-Hate Exercises
• 19:46–22:40: Recovering with Sauna, Red Light, Breathwork
• 22:57–28:23: Parenting, Family Dynamics, Chaos
• 28:23–32:17: Food Philosophy, Cheating Without Guilt
• 32:45–34:21: New Ventures—Hamilton House & Laird Superfood

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Final Thoughts

This episode distills decades of elite experience into actionable insights for all listeners—whether aspiring athletes, parents, or anyone juggling performance, wellness, and real life. Gabby and Laird’s humility and humor—from workouts to parenting to pizza—remind us that “getting stronger” is a lifelong, holistic journey.

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Transcript

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[Gabby Reese]

I oh, let's go. I oh, let's go.

[Host (Don)]

Welcome to Stronger. Today I'm joined by two people who, in my opinion, represent so much more than elite performance and longevity. Gabriel Reese became one of the most recognizable athletes in volleyball, and Laird Hamilton completely changed the landscape of big wave surfing. So I'm beyond excited to have them both here today. Gabby Reese, Laird Hamilton. Guys, thank you again for being here. Totally appreciate it.

[Gabby Reese]

Thanks for having us.

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah. Honored.

[Host (Don)]

Awesome. Well, first off, guys, it's so great to meet you.

[Laird Hamilton]

Nice to meet you.

[Gabby Reese]

I always do my homework before, so I appreciate what you're doing.

[Host (Don)]

Appreciate it. So I want to start with this question. Was there a point in your health and wellness journey where you realized the way I'm doing this has to evolve not because things were failing, but because you understood there was a smarter, more sustainable way to train, recover, and perform at a high level for the long run. What sparked that shift for each of you?

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah, I mean, I felt like my. My shift happened over a long period of time. I think injuries were the biggest part of that. I think being hurt and then having to get better was the. The. The. The piece of it. And then also just because of all the repetitive stuff that I've done throughout my career with the disciplines that I've been involved in, I had to kind of make my training smarter, not harder. I mean, I like brutality, I like suffering. So I have some philosophies that I go about in training, and for me personally, I think variety is the biggest piece. I like to break it up and then. And then if I can really do stuff that. That's awkward and deals with a lot of mental. Kind of the mental aspect of training versus just the straight Brute, you know, beat yourself up.

[Gabby Reese]

Yeah. I think you. The more you learn, the more. Then all of a sudden, things become apparent that even if your training's pretty smart, there are these opportunities to, weirdly, how do you make it more complex and sophisticated, but actually almost more primal and basic, connected to your real patterns. So not just training for, let's say, in my case, a sport, but then as I transitioned out of that, it's like, how do I actually move better, more efficiently? And what Laird said earlier, which is injuries really are the greatest teacher of all, it's like either that repetitive motion is killing me, or this way I'm training incorrectly. So I think between injury and curiosity, but also saying, how are we as human beings first meant to move? And then adding onto that the athlete and all of these other things.

[Host (Don)]

Yeah. It's funny, we're hearing so much of a regurgitation of science now. I think in this world, everyone's, you know, wanting to be scientific and repeat data, but, you know, I'm finding that the science is important, but also trial and error is important. And there's just things, I'm sure you both have learned as you've gotten older that, you know, maturity is allowing you to kind of evolve to a place that's even better. Do you both feel like, yes, we're all getting older, but don't you feel like there's certain things in your life, when it comes down to the physicality piece, that you're. That you're improving upon?

[Laird Hamilton]

I mean, yeah, I feel like that you become smarter in your training, obviously, through experience, and that you also learn your weaknesses and you try to strengthen those and not always reinforcing your strength because it just makes you more asymmetrical. I think that there's subtle things that you don't give enough value to, like resting well, and so certain modalities that you don't. You don't equate as being beneficial for your. For your fitness. But the biggest part is just the mindset, the mental. The mental. Your mental strength. I think where you lack in the physicality, you make up in the mental and the experience. And that's why I like experience over data. I'm just dataed out. Give me experience. Tell me how it's worked for you, and then show me how long you've done it, and then I'll. I might listen, maybe.

[Gabby Reese]

Well, and there's a contrarian. So if you go, you have to do this. He's like, oh, okay. You know, it's interesting. Getting older is is such a beautiful and interesting journey because so many things, emotionally, you respond, you use. So, you know, I use a lot less energy, things that would rile me up or what have you. So I find that I have more energy that I can aim and shoot for my training.

[Google Health Sponsor]

I.

[Gabby Reese]

The recovery seems to be a bit more of a dance. So just trying to. Laird stated earlier, not just sort of taking a day off, but doing active recovery. So whether it's eating a certain way or sauna or things that actually kind of, I'm supporting my recovery. So it's not just a matter of, like, taking a day off and not biting into the narrative of, like, well, I'm this age now, so I can or can't do these things, but honestly, just waking up each day and going, hey, do I feel good? I have energy. I'm going to do the best I can. And trying to keep that narrative away because sometimes it's a limitation.

[Host (Don)]

Love it. Love it. So, listen, we all know that you've had legendary athletic careers and they're still going, right? But what's fascinating is how you evolve beyond them into building businesses, brands, and a life with real impact. So was there a moment where you realized your focus was expanding beyond just competition and performance and into something bigger? What did that evolution look like for you both?

[Laird Hamilton]

Well, my, My, My experience, just given the platform that I've been in, I've always had to be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneur. I've always had to subsidize some of my passions with other work, and so I'm used to that. So the transition wasn't like an abrupt, hey, you're not a professional anymore. Now you, now you have to, you know, kind of reconstruct your life. I've always been doing it so that, so the, It's. The transition's been almost seamless, and I'm, I'm still in pursuit. The, the nature of my, my pursuit is something that, you know, isn't dictated by, you know, being in a league and having a. Having a standing and all of that stuff, which also. It's a little bit more of an artist, you know, you can just keep painting until you die kind of thing. So I have that, that side of it. But the transition really has been seamless because it's. I've been doing it the whole time.

[Gabby Reese]

Yeah, it's seamless because Laird still serves. Ask him that question if he wasn't surfing, you know, so it is interesting when you have an athlete that is not. Doesn't have to be drafted or have a GM or have anyone give him a contract. And. And so I think for me, I also had to always kind of have a side hustle because beach volleyball is such a small sport that you weren't. That wasn't going to be enough if you were sort of curious about building a certain life. So I always was doing other things besides playing ball. I used to joke that 90% of my time and energy was spent training and playing volleyball, but about 5% of my income came from that. So, you know, I did it because it gave. You know, I loved it, and it was an incredible kind of badge of credibility and an incredible way to express myself. But certainly I've always had to do other things. So it did make transitioning for me personally out of volleyball so much easier, because one thing Laird says is I'm layered, and one of the things I do is surf. And I've really always tried to remove myself from these identities of, oh, you're the volleyball player, or this or that. It's like I'm still me, and then I'm in pursuit of the things that I am curious. Curious about.

[Host (Don)]

You know, the identity piece, I find, is always a bit tough because people are going to remember you as a certain thing. So being able to evolve and I think grow from a business standpoint is. Is, you know, I. I think that is a gift, and you have the ability to do that. That's something that I've cherished throughout my career. I mean, I failed at so many things. I was a gym owner in New York City for 15 years. I mean, I had American Express had a Hitman after me at one point for three years. I mean, there was. There were so many times in my life where almost missing 37 consecutive payrolls, borrowing $1 million and having to train that off in 18 months. I mean, I was a dog. Even though monetarily, it didn't give me a lot, it gave me everything when it came down to being able to pivot into these other things. And I'm just so grateful to do so. I appreciate you guys sharing that with me. So the Stronger podcast would not be possible if it weren't for our sponsors. And I'm so proud to announce that Masterclass is now one of our sponsors. This is like a total bragging right here. MasterCL. Thank you, guys. With Masterclass, you can learn from the best to become your best. And I'm very proud to say that my friend Joanna Gaines, one of the producers of the Stronger podcast, is on Masterclass. Also, my friend Evie Pompeura, so incredible people. You can jump into a mind of an ex Secret Service agent. You can jump into the mind of a professional athlete and learn about their craft. I think this is extraordinary. I think it's fascinating. I think it's one of the best educational tools out there. With plans starting at $10 a month build annually, you get unlimited access to over 200 classes taught by the world's best business leaders, writers, chefs and more. 10 bucks a month. That is a very low investment. Here's a few classes that you could check out right now. Negotiate your next raise with lessons from super agent Rich Paul or FBI negotiator Chris Voss. I would also throw Evie Pompous in there. One of my favorites. Apply the principles of improv to your life. Rather than with Amy Poehler. Design your dream home on your budget with the one and only, the best. Joanna Gaines, one of my good friends. And the classes really make a difference. Three in four surveyed members feel inspired every time they watch Masterclass. I know I do. Right now, our listeners get an additional 15% off any annual [e-mail] stronger that's 15% [e-mail] stronger masterclass.com S T R O N G E R Guys, thanks. So this episode is sponsored by Cash App, the easiest way to securely send money to your friends and family. I can't even begin to tell you how often I don't carry cash on me anymore. And I'm just always using Cash App to be able to split bills of friends or send them money I owe or whatever it might be. So it just, it's a very convenient thing for me to be able to have in my back pocket and I lose that stress of having to run to an ATM all the time. So Cash App also highly values your security, which is the key when you're sending money digitally. Keeping your money safe from fraud deserves to be a priority and Cash App treats it that way. With security lock. Cash App requires a successful face ID or biometric authentication to access your account. It's like your money is being protected by your own personal bodyguard. Even if your phone is lost or stolen. I mean, it's a great way to think about it. There's so much going on with tech nowadays and I'm always changing my password. So Cash App just made me feel real at ease about sending people money and not being hacked. Plus, if you're about to send money to someone new and Cash App notices something looks a bit different, you might be falling for a scam. It will send you a warning before the money is sent to confirm that everything looks good.

[Laird Hamilton]

All right.

[Host (Don)]

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[Laird Hamilton]

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[Host (Don)]

I have something now called an unlightening round. And I, and I call it an unlightening round because everyone screws it up. We're not going to put a timer up here. We're going to ask you a couple quick questions. First thing that comes to mind. Morning or night person?

[Gabby Reese]

I'm more of a morning person, but not.

[Host (Don)]

You work out in the morning?

[Gabby Reese]

Yeah. Oh, that for sure.

[Host (Don)]

Laird, what are you. Morning?

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah. When my head hits the pillow, I'm, I'm. Yeah, I'm 10 seconds away from unconsciousness. And I, and, and I always like to be up before the sun. Like, if I, if I'm not up before the sun, then I'm, I'm. I'm not. I'm a little upset about that. I'm a little uptight about that. I'm angry if the sun's out. If the sun has beat me up, then I'm like, I've missed a piece of the light. And I'm, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not. I'm not firing about that.

[Host (Don)]

Gabby, are you opposite of that. Are you are like, are you laying in bed reading and, and a little bit harder for you to get knocked out. Are you out also?

[Gabby Reese]

No. I've never been a great sleeper and I use that time to unwind. That's my time that I unwind. So in that way, we're very different. But I still am not going to bed very late.

[Laird Hamilton]

Thanks to me. Yeah, I've got her on my.

[Gabby Reese]

Yeah. I mean, it's been 30 years of like, I'm going to bed. I'm like, okay, it's eight, you know, whatever. So I'm definitely not a night owl, but I am certainly later getting up and going to bed than Laird.

[Host (Don)]

Awesome. Is there something in your training you hate but actually really love? What? Do you have a love hate relationship with Laird?

[Laird Hamilton]

It seems to change. It's usually the next thing that I'm not able to do very well. And so it's like a love hate thing. I don't want to do it, but I know I need to do it. But then I'm like, okay. And then I just try to nurse myself into it. But, you know, I, I just. It, it just varies. It's whatever the latest kind of thing that we've been doing that's difficult. I think that there's, that's an, an aspect to it. Like, it's just something that I'm not good at. That. Yeah, like I have a. Right now I'm doing, I'm swimming a.

[Gabby Reese]

I know I'm saying hanging.

[Laird Hamilton]

Oh, I've been hanging. Yeah, hanging. I, I have a love hate thing. I've been doing a bunch of hanging, like inverted, you know, arm hang, leg hang, back and forth. I'm, I'm always doing new, new things, but that, you know, usually the stuff that, that I have a love hate relationship with are things that, that are very uncomfortable. There's usually some kind of pain involved and not the kind of pain from lifting like a bunch of weight, not being able to do it, but more like pain. Like, you know, stuff feels like it's tearing or something's happening or you're just, you know, you mentally. The heat, you know, excessive heat or excessive breath hold or whatever it is that has some real kind of, kind of discomfort.

[Host (Don)]

Is the, is the inverted hanging. Are using gravity boots or are you just kind of getting on a bar and actually hanging from your feet?

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah, gravity boots.

[Gabby Reese]

And the hammock sometimes.

[Host (Don)]

Yeah.

[Laird Hamilton]

And the hammock. I have a spinning hammock that, that rotates.

[Host (Don)]

Oh, okay.

[Laird Hamilton]

So I'm trying to do a lot of inversion. I'm always looking for the opposite of every everything. I'm looking for the opposing movement just because we're so repetitive and I have so much stuff from that. It's like, hey, you know, if everything's this way, let's do some stuff that way. Like, you know, if it's all forward, let's go back, you know, and so I'm, I'm always trying to. Because I, I think we're also asymmetrical. I'm always working to try to, you know, work on the opposing force, the individual limb, the individual, you know, just that other side of your brain where you're just trying to kind of compensate for, for all these, you know, years and years of, of grinding 100%.

[Host (Don)]

Gabby, what do you, what do you got for us on that?

[Gabby Reese]

You know, we have a Pool training that we do. And some of it is, no matter how you slice it, I call them patience drills. It's like you're sitting in this drill for a period of time, and it's. It's not that it's a misery, but you're just sort of right on the edge of feeling like you're always. I'm always out of air. I'm just at the edge. But the worst thing you could do is respond to it. So you have to kind of get a hold of yourself and stay calm and not give any energy to it, because you make this even worse. So that type of training sometimes is hard because you can't push into it. You can't do it faster, you can't do it harder. And so I call them the patience drill. A little bit like parenting, actually.

[Host (Don)]

We're going to get into that later. That's pretty funny. Favorite music genre. Laird, you're up first.

[Laird Hamilton]

I mean, you know, Jimi Hendrix,

[Host (Don)]

old school rock.

[Laird Hamilton]

I mean, what I kind of. What I grew up with, you know, this. The stuff I was exposed to. Credence, you know, just kind of that old. Old. Old school. Old school. Or I just come and then I just go right up to, like, you know, Rufus to soul, kind of more. Some other modern stuff like that. That's a little bit my. But I listen to. I listen to, you know, rain and Thunder. I like classical. Early in the morning. First thing in the morning, I put classical on and listen to that is just.

[Gabby Reese]

Rain and Thunder is not a band. It. Laird listens to nature sounds.

[Host (Don)]

Yeah. Oh, like, read. Oh, you mean nature sounds. I'm like, well, I haven't. I haven't heard of them.

[Laird Hamilton]

Like thunder. No, no, there's not a band. That'd be a great group name. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Gabby Reese]

I always hear the rain. I'm like, it's a. You know. Yeah.

[Laird Hamilton]

The best is when you put rain and thunder sounds on. On a kind of cloudy, stormy day, because then you. Or you go, and it's beautiful, sunny, blue sky day. And then you hear lightning and thunder, and people are like, what's going on?

[Host (Don)]

Are you guys. Are you guys more in Cali or are you more in Hawaii? Where do you spend more of your time?

[Gabby Reese]

Well, it's both, but mostly right now because of work. A little bit more California. Unless there's waves, then Laird will be on Kauai. Yeah.

[Laird Hamilton]

And this. This would be the time of the year that we're in California anyway, because the season's over, the winter is finished in the northern Hemisphere. So this, I mean, throughout our, our migration, our, our, throughout our relationship, that's. We've winter time, summers in California, Gabby's career, and then work stuff, and then Hawaii, there's no surf, so I spend all my time on a chainsaw. And then Gabby's like, I don't know, honey, I think I want you to

[Gabby Reese]

get out of Kauai.

[Host (Don)]

Yeah, yeah, I got. So, Gabby, favorite music genre besides the rain and thunder, what are you guys into here?

[Gabby Reese]

Oh, yeah, that's my thing. Yeah. I mean, listen, if I'm land. If I'm land training, I have always trained to rap pretty hard, pretty inappropriate

[Host (Don)]

rap, Nas, Mob, Deep, all that stuff.

[Gabby Reese]

Yeah. And, and newer stuff. You know, we have three daughters, so I do get brought into the modern day also and pick music from there. But I, I grew up in the Caribbean, so we listened to a lot of reggae and rap. And then training, I just can't even get through it. So I use that to really generate energy.

[Host (Don)]

Let's hear about recovery now. So, Laird, what's your favorite way to recover?

[Laird Hamilton]

Oh, I mean, I'm an excessive sauna recovery guy. And then breath work, probably, I would say, but sauna's up there in the top, cold as well. But sauna is the king for me just as, as far as day in and day out. I mean, I have a bunch of different modalities that we use. Hyperbarics, red beds, you know, all this other stuff. But sauna just seems to be the go to for, for flushing because you're, you know, you're purging all your, you know, your sweat and you're, you're getting rid of all your waste through that system. And, and, and, and it really, I, I notice it, you know, the effectiveness, the power of it when I use it. If I get worked on, I use it. If I'm tired and sore, I use it. I just see that, I see the, you know, I see the consistent benefit of it.

[Host (Don)]

Yeah. What, what temperature are you normally going into infrared? Are you doing more of a finish, like super hot?

[Laird Hamilton]

I go old school traditional. I mean, we run it hot when we can. I mean, we'll, you know, we have a protocol like hour long straight at somewhere between 160 to 180 if you can handle it. But I mean, I'll run it. It'll be 220 sometimes, you know, when I can get it, when it's cooperating, you know, and then we're doing movement in it, lifting in it, biking in it, you know, doing Stuff, which changes your ability to handle it. So when you go down to, like, lower temperatures, it's not nearly as impactful, so you're able to stay for longer periods of time. Again, I think you just acclimate to the environment.

[Host (Don)]

Gabby.

[Gabby Reese]

I like. I mean, I like sauna too, but we have a light stem red bed and face plate. And I always say that the stairs is my litmus test because my knees are the thing on me. They get really sore. And there are days where if I'm doing that pretty steady, I can notice that my knees feel really good. So it's something different. I'll say the red light. I really. And I know everyone is busy, and even that 15 minutes just being there sometimes also has this restorative component.

[Host (Don)]

Yeah, that's probably the biggest thing that's changed in my recovery is I got a red light bed in my house, and I started incorporating 20 minutes of that probably four to five days a week. I'll listen to podcasts. I'll just kind of wake up first thing in the morning, hydrate, go through my morning routine. I won't even eat yet. And I'll go down there, like, lay down and breathe. And I actually had sunspots on the back of my arms. I went to a dermatologist. He's like, those aren't going off in three months of the red light. They actually disappeared. And I just turned 49. I was seeing lines on my face. They're. They're calming down. I'm seeing so many benefits to red light, but it's one of those things. It's not instantaneous. Right? Like, you got to do it for a period of time really wild.

[Gabby Reese]

And they. They say, like, at least something like 12 minutes, at least three times a week. And granted, I say all this knowing it's a luxury, but, yeah, my. My youngest daughter, who's 18, said something to me today. She's like, I don't like. Your skin's looking really good. And I think it's the red light.

[Host (Don)]

Gabby, who's better in chaos? You are, Laird.

[Gabby Reese]

Oh, well, that's not even. That's not even. That's like a setup question. I mean, if you want to talk about man made chaos, like, 97 emails and 400 details, I'm your winner. You're talking about real chaos. Like, this stuff's hitting the fan. I mean, I'm just like, we joke in our house, we had a fire. Laird has saved our house, that we've been in a lot of situation, and that's when Laird is obviously his best. And one time we had a fire here a couple years ago, and somebody came into our house and was like, we have to go. And my middle daughter comes out of her room. Her and I come out and meet in the hallway, and we look at each other and we're like, yeah, that's not our leader. And of course, we come to find out that Laird is between where our house is and he's where the fire is. And he obviously understands the wind direction. So it's. It's. Laird is an especially excellent. In chaos.

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah. Useless the rest of the time. I will say pretty much pretty moderate the rest of the time. But when it's chaos, I'm just. I'm hoping for that stuff, which is be careful what you ask for.

[Host (Don)]

I love it.

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah, I might be designed for that.

[Host (Don)]

I'm.

[Laird Hamilton]

I'm useful. It's just chaotic moments are so far in between. I got to survive those beats between the chaos.

[Host (Don)]

I love it. I love it. So what is something. What is something that you've relaxed on as a parent over time, Gabby?

[Gabby Reese]

Well, everything. Right. Like, I've been broken, and my kids are young adults at this point. I mean, I think I have relaxed on everything because I've also really come to terms with that. I'm not in charge. And they will make the choices for themselves that they're going to make. And so really, I can go to prayer and say, I hope this for them. And then I can occasionally drop off, like I will request. Hey, could I say something? But I think it's. It's. It's the worry part. I think I've really tried to pull back on the worry because the arc on parenting as you know, is so long. And so you're like, oh, we're just. We have. We don't know how this is going to end yet. And just riding that out.

[Laird Hamilton]

Laird, I. I probably, you know, have a similar answer. I think I've been made to. To hold my tongue, you know, hold my tongue. Like, I, you know, I, I feel like reacting and, And. And to the, to the. To the thing. I find. I find myself going the other way. Like, in a situation that I should react. I want. I get cooler, like, calmer, cooler more like, like, you know, and, And. And. And never mad, maybe disappointed. You know, never mad, maybe disappointed. But definitely I find myself just pulling the handbrake every time. I'm like, you know, because I feel. I just. I just. I. I felt like that the. That just is not productive over time. I just felt that at a certain point I'm like, okay, well, that just doesn't work. Like. And so I'm. You get tired of, you know, just not having it work. And then you're like, okay, well, what's my new technique? My new technique is watch how well nothing does. Watch how well that works. And sometimes it works amazing. You're like, wow, that was really good. They come to it on their own if you give them the time to circulate, where if you came in, their reaction would just be to reject because it was. Because, listen, when I look at, When I think about parent and then I look at definition, I'm like, annoyance and, you know, like all this, this, this, all this stuff where, like, just being a parent, they're just automatically and, and try to get other people to tell them stuff you want that they'll listen to.

[Host (Don)]

My, my. My oldest just finished her freshman year of college, right? So my, My daughter will be 19, my son's 17. And my wife and I, when we dropped her off in September, I mean, August. Sorry, August. We were like, we were freaking disaster. It's my wife. I see my wife cry three times in 23 years. And I'm waking up to use the bathroom at three in the morning, going into a room, staring at her stuffed animals that's in her bed. And I'm like, what happened?

[Laird Hamilton]

I always say the reason why they call it parenting is because it's for the parents. Otherwise it would be called kidding. So it's not called kidding. It's called parenting. And it's really for our evolution. It's for our growth. It seems like we have gone through more stuff. I mean, the girls are okay. Feed them, make them safe, love them, teach them some good moral values. But they're. They're good. They're off and running. And we're the ones that really seem to be going through the biggest kind of change, refinement and, you know, polishing of the stone.

[Host (Don)]

It's almost kind of ironic.

[Laird Hamilton]

Ironic.

[Host (Don)]

It's almost kind of ironic. Here we're like. Here we're, like, worried about our children and we should be worrying more about ourselves because it's, you know, we're the ones having a harder time dealing with than my daughter that was away at college. She, by the way, had a phenomenal freshman year. Couldn't have done any better. Knocked it out of the park, theater, great grades, great human being. Just couldn't be more proud as a parent. So we did something right. But it is a joy to see them kind of go off and start becoming adults.

[Laird Hamilton]

We're a wreck at home. We're all, like, at home. We're just like. They're just like, this is great, and we're having a thing.

[Host (Don)]

Exactly. I'm with you. All right, so last question. Favorite cheat meal. Do you guys ever verge off the diet? Is there something you guys like to do once in a while? A treat? What is it?

[Gabby Reese]

Well, listen, like, we've been doing this a long, long time, and I don't think you can do it by white knuckling. First of all, we enjoy the food that we eat. But if I go to some badass, like, Italian place and they say, oh, the nonna makes hand, makes the noodle, I'm eating it. And I tend to enjoy it. So I think people view the outside like, oh, they're. They're in. They're not eating certain foods. You get to a place where certain foods make you feel good, so those seem to be kind of your base. And then if you go to these special places, someone's home or a restaurant or a country where they make something that's not typical, but you embrace it. Beautiful thing. Yeah, but I don't feel like I'm missing out. And by the way, if I want it, if I'm really that hell bent on wanting it, I'll. I'll eat it. And if I go to New York and someone's like, hey, the bagel. Yeah, I'll eat the bagel. It's not, you know, it's not. It's not that big of a deal. Because I do think that when you. You. You feel like you're withholding all the time, I. I think it creates a bigger situation. Then I'm. I'm fueling myself in a way that. That becomes what I crave. I know how to make it taste good. And then, oh, wow, what's that? Let's do that.

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah. And I'll. I'll reiterate what Gabby said, too. I think there's so much stress put around the, you know, hey, this and that and all these little details. I feel like. I mean, I personally want to operate like, a diesel truck, which is like, if some water goes in the tank, it might make the engine misfire a little bit, but the thing keeps rolling. So I don't. I don't want to. I mean, they say if you don't eat bread ever, that you become, you know, gluten intolerant. I mean, so I. I want to. It's just the quality of the stuff. I mean, you can have an incredible dessert that's made with good ingredients, that's not nearly the same as. And the taste actually is better, but it's not this, you know, so those are two different experiences. A cheesecake made correctly and one not made correctly. These are two different pieces of things. So I think it's, you know, what are you doing on a regular basis and. And not being so, so, so stressed about it. I think that that stress that you're doing, I mean, what are you gonna.

[Gabby Reese]

You know, we have a lot of friends. Like, yeah. Where it's so.

[Host (Don)]

Yeah.

[Gabby Reese]

You're just like, oh, my God.

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah.

[Gabby Reese]

You don't even want to invite them to dinner.

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah. They can't eat this. They can't eat that. They can't eat this. I mean, I need to be able to go anywhere and survive and be able to eat stuff and be okay with it. And I think. I mean, for me, I feel like the most. More diversity that you have is the better. You know, your microbiome just adjusts. You can eat a variety of stuff.

[Gabby Reese]

But having said that, we pretty disciplined.

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we do.

[Host (Don)]

Yeah, I get it.

[Laird Hamilton]

I mean, we might not discipline because we've. We've evolved it over years of doing it.

[Gabby Reese]

Yeah.

[Laird Hamilton]

And so if somebody comes in and goes, wow, you guys really disciplined. Well, no, we've just eliminated a lot of the things that are not normally in people's diet and not out of, like, hey, we don't. We just out of more about what we want to eat. And when you look at. Everybody's always going, oh, what's the list of what? You know, what's the list of what I can't eat? No, how about look at the list of what you can eat? What you can eat it. There's more than you'll ever want to eat yet. The list is beyond long. But you go, oh, I can't have this, and I can't have that. I'm like, I don't even look at that. I look at all this other stuff, like, hey, what can I eat? And there's more food there than I need even need to eat. I mean, you know, a cheat is, like. I don't even know what a cheat is. I'll have a bite of dessert or whatever, but it's not. I just. What I find is I'm not attracted to it. I'm just not attracted to that stuff. I don't feel a craving. Like, my body craves other things that have nutrient density.

[Host (Don)]

Yeah. You also start relating a feeling to the food you eat when it's tasty, it's delicious, but it's also nourishing you and making you feel great. That's the connection, which makes me happy. If I had to eat pizza, I like having it once in a while, but if I had to eat it every day, I'd feel like shit, and I wouldn't be happy. So it's just the way that I am. But great, guys. Totally appreciate that in closing, because I know you guys have a lot of business, great stuff going on. Are there any new projects that you're both working on that you're really excited about?

[Gabby Reese]

Well, we have Laird Superfood, which is our food, coffee, and creamer business, and hydration. A lot of great stuff. And we have a new project. We're no longer doing xpt. We have a project called Hamilton House. So Hamilton House is kind of the next iteration of what we used to do, because I think as we started this conversation, you're always changing and learning. And so Hamilton House will have a physical location components and also a digital component. And we also have the good fortune of aligning with some coaches and people that we've learned from that will also be able. Where people be able to have access to them as well. So we're excited about that.

[Laird Hamilton]

Yeah, it's a. It's a bigger expansion in. In our. In our kind of genre or however you want to call it. Just, we're taking a bigger swath because we realizing that, you know, having all that, you know, having. It's. There's a lot more to wellness, longevity, and health and performance than just, hey, I eat this way, I work out this way, and I do this, and I do recover this way. I mean, it's.

[Gabby Reese]

It's.

[Laird Hamilton]

And I think that we want to be able to appeal to that just because it's appealing to us. And again, it's like Gary said, it's what we're learning and. And we want to share that. We've been shared with it. I think it's part of a process of, you know, pass it along. I mean, we've had so many incredible people and so much knowledge passed to us, gifted to us, that we feel like, you know, it's our. It's a little bit like your responsibility, like you. You feel a certain responsibility, like, to. To share it with people so that they can. They can benefit.

[Host (Don)]

Well, we'll make sure that we include all the information on that. Chris is listening right now. Guys, I'm so incredibly grateful for you to have come on and done this episode with me, but we're gonna include all that below your social handles. I know you guys don't need that help, but it'll be. It'll be a great thing to plug. And again, absolutely love what you guys are doing and you guys are leading by example and I think it's really a special thing because I think there is so much misconception in my industry, in our industry and it's nice when people are coming in at with a completely. I hate using the word holistic but in a way it is a holistic approach, right? It's not just about picking up weights and sets and reps. It's about movement, it's about happiness. It's about how we fuel our body in a positive way. And I think you guys have exemplified that just beautifully and super grateful. Thanks for joining us.

[Laird Hamilton]

Thanks, Don. Appreciate you.

[Gabby Reese]

The views, information or opinions expressed in the series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Chip and Joanna Gaines. By no audio nor Magnolia.