Free Spirit: Chasing Rainbows, Waterfalls, Pow, & Kids with Megan Pischke

Megan Pischke has been an inspiring spirit among snowboarding’s free-est of spirits since the early 90’s. I first saw Megan in an early 90’s movie… Pocahontas? And she was bonking barrels and looking so stylish. She inspired me to step up my style game, and be in movies like her. Megan was one of the first friends I made when I moved to Vail and that was because she reached out to me and made me feel included in what was a pretty exclusive badass 90s shred scene. She and Morgan Lafonte were pro and they had pro boyfriends and they didn’t vibe me out of there, they were welcoming and happy to have another girl in town. After blowing out my knee on the dance floor one night in Breck, I think they took sympathy on me and helped to nurse me back to health. After I got back on snow they were my solid crew and Megan was always inspiring me to hit the log lines and cornices and traverse the mountain for miles to hit that one backside hit off the catwalk. I’m lucky Megan was always there to make the smart choices and keep me on point. We started doing yoga and focusing more on our wellness and I stopped doing dumbass moves on the dancefloor. From US Extremes, to X Games and LBS, we’ve competed together for a couple decades now and she is still fired up to be the best at everything she does. Megan is now a wellness and marketing manager for B4BC and she has a whole new perspective on life as a Breast Cancer survivor, wife and mom of 2 super cute sports action model kids. She’s busier than ever chasing sunshine, waterfalls, waves, kids, and pow.

– GNU legend, Barrett Christy 

 

 

-How do you define Free Spirit?

Someone who isn’t imprisoned for their own self-doubt and pain. Someone who can go with the flow of life – it’s ups and downs, who chases the brightness, and who can sit in the shadow, and not be defined by the hard times, but continually educated whatever that means to them, and realize that they are perfect exactly as they are right now.

– What is the key to your ability to focus on everything on your plate these days?

It’s funny because in my head I use the word focus a lot, and on the outside, I think I might look like a chicken with her head cut off. I do have to get fresh air- to move outdoors on any level really. Preferably surfing or snowboarding or yoga mixed into a work day is pretty ideal. I find my creativity outdoors for sure. And I guess its just practice- I get another day every day I am here, and I am here to keep trying.  I don’t think it’s my personality to focus on just one thing per se, but I think I’m pretty good at focusing/managing quite a bit at times- but there’s a burn out with that, so I do my best to stay on top of how I spend my energy and time. Meditation and yoga have been a key to not feeling overwhelmed, and feeling like I’m doing some sort of breath work and exercise if I can’t hike or surf or snowboard.

It also really helps me to be conscious of what I eat, and drink. Caffeine is a hard one- if I could I would sip almond milk lattes all day- but I can’t stomach coffee. So I guzzle coconut milk matcha lattes. And I’m going to plug my friends at Four Sigmatic- I drink mushroom tea nearly every day, and it actually helps with focus and stamina to stare at my computer screen for longer than I thought possible.

But I function best (on all levels) and a multitasking schedule by eating an anti-inflammatory diet- high in greens + grains + fish + hydration and superfoods, and low in sugars, dairy, and processed foods. Not sobbing here, as it’s hard to have my families and my meals/foods top priority, and to not be grabbing quick to go food all the time. Its all in the prep. and It’s a lot of planning, staying creative when the kids whine about kale again, and of course sometimes just saying f**k it, eat cake for breakfast and pizza for dinner. Ok, its a gluten-free organic cake, and organic cheese and homemade pesto pizza.

Some days I pull it, and other days not a whole lot gets done and the kids eat pasta bunnies and go to bed dirty. And I’m totally ok with that. Will just keep practicing.

   – How has your pro snowboarding experience trained you for parenting?

Well, the good things about kids are you don’t need to wait for the weather to clear, and you can throw them outside in any weather. Snowboarding trained me how to honor myself and the outdoors together as one, and this is how I am raising my children. Plus I’m a damn good packer, and now they are too.

– How has parenting trained you for the career path you are on?

Well, I wish I could say I have learned how to get paid (financially) for parenting- my “work” is more of an extension of who I am. I’m a communicator, and this definitely partially comes from my parenting path. No one wants to listen to a screaming person. Being a parent has taught me how to express myself in the simplest, kindest, yet most meaningful way possible. Plus, I love to make my kids laugh- although I don’t see myself doing stand up anytime soon.

– Rainbow logs or rainbows over waterfalls?

Well, you know as well as I, rainbow logs were all I ate for breaky for years 😉 I’m way more into the rainbows and waterfalls these days. Seems all I’m chasing…

-Any thoughts on the learning curve for snowboarding vs. surfing?

I was going to ask you that. Still haven’t figured out the surf thing really. Although I have to say, in some ways, surfing is a lot harder. And I appreciate that elemental challenge, vs a non-moving surface. Plus I really like to be in the water with my kids- we all learn together.

-Future goals?

To be healthy and happy by choice and consciousness. To see my kids fall in love with themselves and then someone/something else. Travel to South America in an airstream with my family before the kids start high school. Learn Spanish, and be better in French. To make a living doing what I love; serving others and myself at the same time, and all the while contributing to a positive shift in my communities and the world.

A portion of the proceeds from Barrett’s Camber 3 B-PRO goes to B4BC!