Outdoor Athlete w/ Courtenay Schurman, Ep 199
What does neuroscience have to do with climbing Everest? More than you'd think.
We sat down with Courtenay Schurman — mountaineer, neuroscientist, and holistic coach — to dig into what it actually takes to perform at altitude, recover smarter, and build the kind of mental resilience that holds up when things get hard. This one goes deep.
🧠 Brain training isn't just for recovery — it's a performance tool that sharpens focus, improves decision-making, and can be the difference between summit and turnaround 🏔️ Fitness alone won't get you up the mountain — skill, experience, and acclimatization are the real gatekeepers to high-altitude success 🍽️ Nutrition at altitude is a whole different game — caloric density, digestion, and hydration all shift dramatically the higher you go ⚡ Crisis management is a trainable skill — and Courtenay's stories from Antarctic expeditions and electrical storms on the mountain will make you want to start practicing
Whether you're an outdoor athlete, a coach, or just someone who wants to think better and move better, this episode delivers.
You can find the Guest information here:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/courtschurman/
Website - https://bodyresults.com/
You can find The Macro Perspective and its hosts here:
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About Guest: Courtenay Schurman is a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certified through the NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) and sees herself as an always-learning brain-based movement coach who inspires her clients and hikers to have more fun and make faster progress by incorporating all 7 key fitness qualities: Load, Capacity, Stability, Control, Coordination, Reactivity, and Perception. She has spent the last quarter-century helping clients thrive, not just survive, in the mountains.
Her adventures include eight summits of Mt. Rainier, a climb of Kilimanjaro along the Western Breach route, a trek across the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand, and a summit of Mauna Loa, among others. She received the 2025 Service Award, Hike Leader of the Year, and Trip Reporter of the Year through the Seattle Mountaineers. She leads Tuesday hikes in the Cascades, year-round, and is developing online courses so she can expand her influence.
She is also a Precision Nutrition Master Health Coach and Nationally Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). She has written over a thousand fitness-related articles over the past twenty-five years. She wrote the conditioning chapter for Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills (eds. 7-10) considered worldwide to be the Bible of mountaineering. She is co-author of The Outdoor Athlete (2009) and Train to Climb Mt. Rainier or Any High Peak DVD (2003) with her husband Doug. She penned the quarterly Peak Performance column for the Mountaineers Magazine in Seattle for over a decade. Her weekly blog (July 2021-present) at CourtSchurmanGo.com, motivates, inspires, and gently guides people who want to get unstuck and reach their highest, inspired, best selves.
About the Podcast:
The Macro Perspective is hosted by Marcos Rivera and Seamus Sullivan, and was born from a simple but powerful mission: to help people take ownership of their health and lives. As performance health coaches, they've spent their careers empowering clients to think critically, stay curious, and make informed choices—not just in fitness, but in all aspects of life. This podcast is an extension of that mission, bringing insightful conversations that challenge, educate, and inspire.
