Episode 184 - Award-Winning Businesswoman to Triathlete: Why Winging It with Nutrition Didn’t Work for Jo Hurley

Award-Winning Businesswoman to Triathlete: Why Winging It with Nutrition Didn’t Work for Jo Hurley

Jo Hurley – mum of four, award-winning businesswoman and determined triathlete – who openly admits she was completely winging her nutrition when she started out in triathlon.

You wouldn’t rock up to a race without training. You wouldn’t tackle an Ironman without a pacing plan. So why do so many triathletes still guess their way through fuelling?

It’s something I see all too often – athletes who track every training metric with precision but rely on guesswork, generic advice or random supplements when it comes to nutrition. Jo was no exception.

After years of hustle, Jo found herself in early retirement with the schedule most triathletes dream of – the freedom to train like a pro. But even with a strong mindset and a solid training plan, her results weren’t where they could be. The missing piece? A personalised nutrition strategy.

In this episode, Jo shares how her ‘wing it’ approach was holding her back, and how joining the Triathlon Nutrition Academy gave her the tools to train harder, recover faster and perform better – without burning out.

Links:

Follow Jo Hurley here.

Check how well you’re doing when it comes to your nutrition with our 50 Step Checklist to Triathlon Nutrition Mastery

Start working on your nutrition now with my Triathlon Nutrition Kickstart course 

It’s for you if you’re a triathlete and you feel like you’ve got your training under control and you’re ready to layer in your nutrition. It's your warmup on the path to becoming a SUPERCHARGED triathlete – woohoo!

Connect with me: 

To learn more about the Triathlon Nutrition Academy, head HERE | dietitianapproved.com/academy

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Episode Transcription

Episode 184: Award-Winning Businesswoman to Triathlete: Why Winging It with Nutrition Didn’t Work for Jo Hurley

Welcome to the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast. The show designed to serve you up evidence-based sports nutrition advice from the experts. Hi, I'm your host Taryn, Accredited Practicing Dietitian, Advanced Sports Dietitian and founder of Dietitian Approved. Listen as I break down the latest evidence to give you practical, easy-to-digest strategies to train hard, recover faster and perform at your best. You have so much potential, and I want to help you unlock that with the power of nutrition. Let's get into it.

[00:00:00] Taryn: Today on the podcast, I'm joined by the incredible Jo Hurley. She's a mom of four. A beginner triathlete and one of the newest Triathlon Nutrition Academy athletes who joined the program back in January. Now, Jo is no stranger to high performance. She's an award-winning Australian businesswoman with a career spanning over 25 years with a very unique skillset that blends finance, leadership, and mindset coaching An accountant by trade, Jo was named the Telstra Australian Young Businesswoman of the Year back in 2011 and more recently took out Women of the Year at the Women in Finance Awards in 2017.

[00:00:38] But when it came to triathlon and nutrition, Jo will be the first to admit that she had no idea what she was doing. in today's episode, Jo, sharing what it's like stepping into the sport as a complete beginner learning to swim, ride, and run. The nutrition mistakes that she was making before joining the Triathlon Nutrition Academy Some of the light bulb moments she's already learned just in phase one of the program. From fueling training sessions properly and recovering faster, Jo is learning how to treat her body and her nutrition with the same strategies that she applies to business. And as you'll see, the results are starting to show. So if you are balancing training with a really busy life and you're not quite sure if you're getting the right nutrition, then this one is for you. Let's get into it. Welcome to the podcast, Jo. I'm so excited to talk to you today and just share a little bit about your story. So thank you so much for tuning in.

[00:01:53] Jo: Thanks so much for having me.

[00:01:54] Taryn: before we get into all the things, can you give us a little bit of a background [00:02:00] about who you are?

[00:02:01] Jo: Uh, So I am a rookie triathlete. I've been in this sport for less than two years. really I've spent a very long. Chunk of my life actually working as an accountant in the self-managed super fund industry. So, I guess I've lived a few, a few lives over my life so far. Lots of different versions of me.

[00:02:21] But really my life's work has been dedicated to helping people to have a really healthy, happy. Retiring and like I've been very focused through my entire life on the latest stages of life. Most of that has been with a financial focus. So helping everyday Aussies to start early, use superannuation to build wealth over a long period of time so that they would be able to have a good standard of living, I guess, in retirement. 

[00:02:51] And so I grew a very big. Audit business that really worked with the accountants and advisors that help moms and dads run their own super fund, make those decisions. And I don't know, I just fell in love with it because I came from a background where we had, we didn't have very much money. I.

[00:03:10] Retirement was always really scary to my parents and grandparents. Like, how will we ever stop working? You know, am I ever gonna have enough to be able to retire and do anything you know, once the rat race ends? So I really loved doing that role. The business got quite big and it was an amazing adventure, but it was eventually bought by Deloitte which I didn't anticipate as being a retirement before the age of 30.

[00:03:37] Uh, 40, sorry, I was not selling to retire, but I ended up finding myself. In early retirement. 

[00:03:44] Taryn: Pro life, pro life. 

[00:03:45] Jo: yeah, which is amazing, which explains a lot why I have so much time on my hands to go from not being able to swim or ride or run to being basically full-time an age group athlete, starting [00:04:00] very much at the back of the pack, but hoping to work my way through over time.

[00:04:05] Taryn: So that is amazing. And do you have pro hours? Like do you really solely focus on just swim, bike, and run and you do, you dabble.

[00:04:13] You dabble in a lot of things. I think. 

[00:04:15] Jo: I like to give my time to worthy causes, I guess you could say. And also to use my skills wherever my focus is too. So. I have kind of stepped onto the Queensland Triathlon Board. I work with Aus Triathlon in the, in a governance role as well. I wouldn't say they take up a lot of my time, but it's really enjoyable to volunteer through those roles and be able to use that kind of expertise as well.

[00:04:41] I have a huge passion for growing communities and growing memberships and businesses and that, so I usually will be the first to put up my hand to say, Hey, I'm here. Like, um, what would you like to use me for? Kind of thing. So, you know, where I tend to follow my energy.

[00:04:58] So if, if I step into something and it drains my energy. I'll back out pretty quickly. If it's something that fills me with energy and I can see that I'm making a difference and I'm being valued I'll be all in on that. So that's the freedom I guess, that I've worked my life to achieve.

[00:05:14] Taryn: so good. And you do do the pro hours that most people want to do, but did you really come from not being able to swim, ride, or run? 

[00:05:24] Jo: Absolutely. 

[00:05:25] Taryn: How long have you been trying to build that into doing triathlon as a sport? 

[00:05:29] Jo: I actually saw a couple of triathlons. Like I went and was just spectating. I had friends that were doing triathlon and I knew nothing about it. But from the get go, I was just watching, particularly what caught my eye was older women And so it seems like this crazy kind of outlet that I've suddenly done, but actually when I sat back and thought about it, of course, like if I spent my whole life thinking about aging well and healthy and you know, having money and lifestyle and all that kind of stuff, [00:06:00] the site of these older women in their fifties and sixties that were out there doing this.

[00:06:06] Sport and they just looked strong and like, I just wanted that for myself so badly. And I thought, if they can do it, I wanna give it a go and see if I can do it and just see, I wanted to be one of them. So, I was not on the sidelines for very long at all.

[00:06:23] I fairly quickly identified a race, signed 

[00:06:28] up as a 

[00:06:29] Taryn: race?

[00:06:29] What was your first 

[00:06:30] Jo: It was like the QTS, like try middle of summer, like the hottest day. 

[00:06:35] Taryn: January one, that's, yeah, 

[00:06:36] Jo: It's so bad. Except I couldn't swim and I couldn't ride, so I, and it was a team and a sprint, so I just had to try and run five Ks. Could I run five Ks? Absolutely not. I walk, ran it, but I just kept showing up every day 

[00:06:53] Taryn: So

[00:06:53] fast forward 18 months. And you just completed Geelong 70.3 a couple of weeks ago. Like that's amazing. 

[00:06:59] Jo: yeah. 

[00:07:00] Taryn: To learn how to swim, learn how to stay upright on a 

[00:07:03] bike. 

[00:07:04] and. run that far. 

[00:07:06] Jo: I've fallen off my bike so many times. 

[00:07:09] I've raced in the dirtiest, scariest water. That was my fourth 70.3 in under a year. I said to you if it's, if it gives me energy and I'm learning and growing.

[00:07:23] I feel like I've got some value, like, yeah, I'll be all in. 

[00:07:27] Taryn: this sport is very addictive. Very addictive. so what were you doing with your nutrition through the last 18 months then, like you, you've obviously joined the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program to understand how to eat for this sport, but what were you doing before and where were you finding information and how were you trying to piece it.

[00:07:45] all together? 

[00:07:46] Jo: I was just letting myself be led here and there and everywhere. Just like, I was in a triathlon squad so there was a lot of, I guess, opinions and things floating around about what people did. I have a few very [00:08:00] curious personalities, so I do tend to kind of. Dig in and ask questions and, and try things that other people were doing and see what was working for me.

[00:08:09] It became really obvious to me that when I was trying things that were working for other people usually men who were real, like lean and fat adapted and at a different stage of life to me and just men, you 

[00:08:22] Taryn: And training history. Yeah. 

[00:08:23] Jo: so different. And what I was trying was really, I felt like I was going backwards.

[00:08:28] I get quarterly DEXA scans. I'm an auditor, so I'm data, like I'm a data girl. 

[00:08:33] Taryn: seen the spreadsheets and they are amazing. You give Kelly a run for his money. 

[00:08:37] Jo: Yeah, I So that was telling a bit of a story that what I was feeling was not just in my mind, but actually there was areas that I. Wasn't progressing and potentially even going backwards.

[00:08:49] There was one even where I noticed a jump in visceral fat mass and I was like, this focus on fat and, and no carbs. This was not working for me. I think the other thing is I've had my gallbladder out, I've got four children after the fourth. Child. I had a gallbladder attack really bad and that had to come out.

[00:09:08] there was no choice there. It was too late. So that impacts how my body processes fats, particularly good and bad fats. And yeah, so that was another reason why I had just physiological differences that were, meaning that the diets that I was trying to copy and follow were not working. that has brought your videos to me over time. And every time you spoke I was like, Hmm, that's me. Yeah. I'm winging it. Yeah. I have no idea. And I'm not really happy to just sit there and recognize that about myself and not do something about it.

[00:09:42] So,

[00:09:42] Taryn: You are definitely a go-getter. Well, I'm glad you're here 'cause I, I have a lot to teach you and we're only just getting started. 

[00:09:49] like you've just finished phase one of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program where we really just focus on your day-to-day nutrition 

[00:09:56] Jo: Yeah.

[00:09:56] Taryn: Now that you know what, you know, looking back at, you know, six [00:10:00] months ago, are there any really big mistakes that you are making that you're like, holy crap, I can't believe I was doing that, that you've now kind of fixed or rectified? 

[00:10:08] Jo: yeah, definitely. I was under fueling, which I was already aware of, but I didn't understand, you know, when you are here with the purpose of aging well and getting stronger, I didn't understand that Under fueling could be. Almost dangerous to that, you know, like, so actually learning how all the different nutrients feed into your body and how you draw that in endurance sport has been, so valuable to me because I just have a much better understanding of why I need energy, what type of energy I need and being very conscious about not going in.

[00:10:44] Fasted. my previous sporting experience was basically zero, but I was in the gym. Like I, I just did weight training in the gym. Hated cardio so I guess my experience has been the Jim bro diets, you know, the fasted everything.

[00:11:00] You know, chicken and broccoli and, which I rebelled against that. I just couldn't stand eating the same thing every day. Like, I can't eat functionally really. And that's the challenge I still have. Like, I don't have a huge appetite like to try and force myself to eat, I need to at least be enjoying it a little bit or have it something that I like.

[00:11:19] Yeah. So being aware of where things sit. Between each workout before and after and actually fueling and refueling. And even now, I guess, what does healing after a big race like I've just been through look like. you know, you might just say, okay, I'm just gonna rest and have a bit of recovery.

[00:11:42] But I really wasn't doing anything different whatsoever. So periodization has been a big eye-opener for me as well.

[00:11:51] Taryn: Yeah, it's hard to convert, bodybuilding, gym, just general, even healthy eating guidelines into then applying that to triathlon. [00:12:00] Even somebody that just runs or just cycles or just swims. I. When you put the three sports together, we have really different physiological needs and understanding how to eat to that is a game changer for so many athletes.

[00:12:14] But it's hard, like that's what most people are missing and it's what I love teaching them is how to actually periodize your food to training. Plus, you know, the health span that you've already alluded to is a big. Value of mine as well. And wild triathletes come into the program looking for performance gains.

[00:12:31] They get a side dish of, you long-term health and that health span to go with that as well that they maybe didn't even know they needed. 

[00:12:37] Jo: Uh, Yeah, like, I didn't realize I had such a focus on longevity. I thought my purpose was very much about, people not financially struggling and just being able to have that financial Freedom. But I. Noticing my passion and my drive as I've got into this, I've realized actually, you know, there's a few phases that I've moved through that all tie to longevity.

[00:12:59] and now I realize it's not just the physical side of it in terms of like the effort and the fitness and that, those side of things, but actually what's going on inside my body as well. 

[00:13:09] Taryn: So how were you getting through all of your training back then?

[00:13:12] Were you having daytime naps every day? 'cause you could, and you had the time, like, I, don't understand how you 

[00:13:18] survived life. Going from not a lot to then throwing in three sports into a week. 

[00:13:24] Jo: I can't, daytime nap. Like, I just don't know. I can't do it. I can't shut off. I mean, I kind of hit the ground running as a teenager straight into like big four accounting firms, like very heavy workloads.

[00:13:37] I was a mum by the time I was 21. I'm very curious about my capacity and pushing the capacity to see what I can do. 

[00:13:45] Taryn: You gotta be a great 

[00:13:46] triathlete. 

[00:13:47] Jo: Yeah. So I I feel like the more I do, the more energy I have, I've, I kind of describe it like a kinetic energy in a way.

[00:13:54] know, like if I'm in a position where my capacity's being challenged and I am [00:14:00] kind of having to use those like high organizational skills, like high detailed planning, I'm specifically using my calendar to be at certain places at certain times.

[00:14:10] that kind of fills me with energy and off I go, whereas where, where I struggle. And the thing that I've had to monitor being full-time in this sport now is when I've got all the time in the world. Like that is not where I wanna be. I wanna be on restricted time.

[00:14:27] And there's a lot of, there's a lot of studies around that, you know, restricting time is where all the efficiency comes from. And usually the, the highest performers, in whatever field they are, use that kind of methodology, whether they're restricting the time, they give them a certain certain amount of time to do things. 

[00:14:43] Taryn: Otherwise, you just procrastinate. Right? If you've got all the time in the world, you procrastinate on everything else before doing that thing, but if you've only got this certain window to get something done, then you 

[00:14:52] Jo: Oh yeah. Smash it. You just smash it out. Yeah. And I respond very well to training very early in the morning, so getting up early, just having that regimented. I do that. All my training's done, you know, let's say that I need to do school drop off, for example, I'm back in the door by 7, 7 30.

[00:15:10] I get all the school kind of prep and off to school stuff done, and then I've got like a window where I'm eating, refueling, resetting, and then going into like a mid-morning training session, which is really good. I like to be done training by lunchtime. In the afternoon, just focus on organization, setting myself up for the next day.

[00:15:28] Any learning that I've gotta do, life admin stuff that doesn't take a lot of energy. 

[00:15:33] Taryn: And so how, how are you feeling now? Like you've got some of your fueling foundations a bit more organized, like we've got a long way to go still, but is there a huge difference to your day of training and how that feels and how it works compared to six months ago? 

[00:15:47] Jo: Yeah, I'm, I like to be very present with people and, It doesn't always serve me well, but I tend to like really give the feeling that I have nowhere else to be, nothing else to do.

[00:15:57] And that can mean that I put my needs [00:16:00] and things that, you know, just very much on the back 

[00:16:02] burner. So 

[00:16:04] Taryn: like a mom at four, right? 

[00:16:05] Jo: exactly. You, Yeah, and so that's part of it, like you just find yourself over time. Yeah. Feeding everyone else, doing all the things everyone else needs to do. Yes, I do give myself time and I've like, and I live my life.

[00:16:19] It's not like I've put my life on hold or anything like that. I wanna be a good example to my kids that I'm satisfied with my own life and that I continue going for my own girls as well, so that they're free to do that for themselves and make any choice they want and be whoever they wanna be.

[00:16:35] And so the best way of doing that, I think is for me to do that for me as well. But yeah, like I've just noticed that in social situations that I'll be more clear. I need to eat straight away. Like, I'll sit down at a table now and just order, I don't wait for whatever anyone else is doing.

[00:16:53] 'cause they might be, they might rabbit it on for an hour without ordering or whatever. Taryn told me I've got this really short window. And I just ordered my food. I did it in Geelong. I just like, I sat down and ate a full roast after that race that night, and just refueled happy as Larry while everyone else was just like chatting away about the day.

[00:17:13] And I felt like, ah, I've put myself first. I, and I felt way better because I'd done that. 

[00:17:19] Taryn: Yeah. 

[00:17:19] well done.  

[00:17:20] How do you manage it with four kids? I think I probably understand how, but is it just one of the pieces of the puzzle that helps to make you way more efficient because you've gotta get all this stuff done, training, parenting, house admin, all those things. Like How do you do triathlon with four kids? 

[00:17:36] Jo: I've always felt like it's a huge asset to have such responsibility because again, I think it just keeps me firing at a level where I'm, you know, I'm making sure that I'm doing this for a reason, that it's actually worth it. you know, that it's worth the time away from them that I'm actually benefiting them in some way from doing it as well.

[00:17:56] It just gives me more of a [00:18:00] drive to know that I'm showing up for them as well as I'm showing up for myself. So, I think it's a huge asset. I don't see it as a detriment. It helps for me that my children are very spaced out, so my eldest. and I hate to say it 'cause it ages me immediately, but she's 24, she's nearly 25 years old.

[00:18:18] And my youngest has just turned nine over the weekend. So I had a 9-year-old birthday party. So I have four kids between 24 and nine. So at home now I've got the two who are one's in year 12 doing year 12 and the other one's in year three. So I've raised. The kids fairly individually, they haven't had a lot of time together.

[00:18:42] I, I haven't really had to run that mini bus kind of life where I'm like stacking them all in together to all go off to the activities. I've had time where, you know, I think the closest distance is about four years between each one. So they're in different stages of life. So it's actually my house is pretty calm and quiet and you know, they're very self-sufficient kids as well, so, so I think it comes down to their home that I create the example that I set for them. And just having that space between ages, it's pretty helpful. Yeah.

[00:19:16] Taryn: Yeah.

[00:19:17] And it's good for you to do things for yourself as well, 'cause it makes you a better parent and more patient and all those sorts of things. 

[00:19:23] Jo: Yeah. they're, they're also a great barometer to say something's off. So if you start seeing them, I get guests get emotional or, you know, they'll start telling you like that things aren't right if you, if you're not there enough. I've always found them to be that as well, where they've pulled me up if I'm starting to.

[00:19:42] upset them with my tone a bit, or I'm just like, impatient and just like I'm outta whack. kids are pretty good at bringing you back to reality, I 

[00:19:50] Taryn: Yes. Well, I'm excited to watch you grow as a triathlete 'cause I feel like, you know, this is just the very tiny tip of the iceberg and you've got a long, long journey [00:20:00] ahead, which is yeah.

[00:20:01] super exciting. What are you most excited to learn about when it comes to nutrition? 

[00:20:06] Jo: I'm most excited to get to a place where it just happens very naturally where I'm just super comfortable that I like that I've got that nailed. I love the practice of setting habits where you're saving a heap of energy. You're just getting it done, and it just happens almost subconsciously. 

[00:20:26] That's what I, that's what I'm,

[00:20:28] yes, definitely. What I'm obviously seeking is ease. Like, solve this issue, take all these supplements and tablets and stuff, line 'em up. I don't care. Like I'm not that hungry anyway. You know? I wanna do that the smart way because I definitely don't wanna be digging myself a whole at all.

[00:20:47] So I'm really excited about making things that, to me, feel really complex at the moment and difficult because it's lifelong personal habit. So to be able to change that, I'm, I'm really excited about. In the meantime, as always anything like this, you are learning about yourself the whole time.

[00:21:07] Like when I was in Geelong, because I'm much more aware of my attitudes towards food, how I'm driven by my appetite, like Geelong was amazing 'cause you and I worked on a race plan for Geelong. and we can talk about this more later, we haven't done a debrief on that yet, but some psychological things came up about putting that stuff into my body 

[00:21:29] Taryn: In your car bloating plan. 

[00:21:31] Yeah. We haven't talked about this yet, yet. Ooh, insight. 

[00:21:35] Jo: Yeah. So I guess like even how I saw myself in photos or what I really hesitated on eating what I could and couldn't actually execute. Was very interesting. So I think there's more to dig up there. Again, that probably most likely is stuff that's been with me since childhood and has followed me for a long time that I just haven't been fully aware of [00:22:00] and it kind of raced up a little bit at Geelong.

[00:22:02] I was very happy with Geelong. Like I think it's a staged process. Like I'm happy to be super patient in this process. And it was the best I've done on nutrition. I didn't bonk, I was speeding up in the run. I felt, good. I felt like I'd really done a good job on my nutrition, but I didn't do everything that was on the plan.

[00:22:22] And I just had to recognize that it's a journey. And then I'm getting used to all these things because it was the first race that I actually implemented a proper race plan, nutrition 

[00:22:32] Taryn: we haven't even done the 70.3 race nutrition yet. That was. just something we kind of tackled in Power Hour, the week of the race. So yeah, definitely lots of room to grow there and lots of things that we can tweak and evolve. 

[00:22:45] Jo: yeah. 

[00:22:46] Taryn: And I'm excited for you to do that too. 'cause I was like, again, the tip of the iceberg and things that we can do.

[00:22:51] But it's very interesting that. Psychologically, there's stuff that that brought up and 

[00:22:57] a lot of people would be the same. Like, you're not alone in that. Don't feel like you are. 

[00:23:02] Jo: and I think that's the other side of this as well, is I have found that I am connecting with people along the journey as I share what I'm doing here as part of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy. Like to be able to share that with my friends who are racing.

[00:23:19] And I've got a training partner, iron Mama four. She has four little kids that are very close together, so we're both moms of four. But her, her challenges are quite different to mine, but it's really nice to be able to connect with her and connect with others that I train with and ask them questions and share with them some of the things I'm learning as well.

[00:23:42] I love that opportunity to be able to share some of the things I'm learning. And in course encourage them to come along and do that for themselves as well. 'cause it's so individual. 

[00:23:50] Taryn: So if there is somebody in the same set of boat as you, they're just starting triathlon. they've been in the sport for a little while maybe, but they still really have no idea what they're doing. What [00:24:00] would you say to somebody that that is in that space? I. 

[00:24:02] Jo: I remember when I first reached out to you, my concern was, I'm too early, I'm too rookie. Like, am I really gonna benefit from this Do I need to be a more advanced triathlete to really be here and belong? and you were very encouraging that the earlier you start, the better.

[00:24:19] That actually the earlier in the journey, the more value you'll get from that. I 100%. Believe that I should have started earlier, now that I've done it actually. So to, to have put in 18 months, I guess close to two years of the amount of training and racing and things that I've done. I'm already dealing with some symptoms and issues from having done that under fueled and from not having that information.

[00:24:47] I think ideally if I'd been like learning about nutrition alongside learning how to swim, learning how to ride a bike potentially I could have avoided some of those things 'cause I was creating issues without either realizing there was a lot of things that I didn't know At least I've got the awareness now to be able to pick up things early, to be able to read and learn and, participate in these conversations. And then have a think about what's happening in my body, look for any red flags, and be able to go and get things tested and looked at and see if that is actually happening.

[00:25:23] And so that's been also, I guess, a part of me for this first round that we've gone through together is, you know, having blood tests done to see where I'm actually at, not just be putting all these supplements into my body because I'm trying to like, just make sure I don't have a problem. But, you know, I don't even know like what is actually going on.

[00:25:44] So, I would encourage beginner. Rookie early triathletes to start learning about nutrition as, as early as possible. And don't think that you need to wait until you are like, at the point of like [00:26:00] podiums or, or whatever, or you know, 'cause those things can escalate quite quickly and you might get there sooner.

[00:26:05] And even if you have no ambition about it, what is most important, you know, is that most people do this sport because they want to be strong and healthy and fit. They want to age well and they wanna have a long life. So the worst thing we could do is to put all this time and energy and effort into it and not be looking after our nutrition properly because the damage that can be caused by getting that wrong is pretty scary.

[00:26:30] Taryn: Yeah.

[00:26:31] Couldn't have said that better myself, Jo. I think Yeah, the earlier you start, the better, but we don't, we don't prioritize nutrition, particularly in the early days. 'cause there's so much else to do, particularly if you're learning how to clip into your bike or figure out how to swim without drowning, things like that.

[00:26:46] Nobody really thinks about, I now need to do the nutrition side of things, and I guess that's one of my biggest passions is to change that landscape for triathletes is that as soon as you've like done those three things 

[00:26:58] as quickly as you can, you need to work on the fourth leg because it makes everything work better and you're right, like it does keep the body working properly, putting the right things in at the right time so that you don't end up sick, injured with osteoporosis, all the negative impacts that can happen from not fueling correctly. 

[00:27:15] Jo: and I think it, it also helps with coping with the balance of life and work and other things as well. You know, I haven't just been kind of full-time, like I did actually have a executive general manager role in an As SX listed tech company for a year of this journey.

[00:27:31] I wasn't enjoying it and I didn't need to be there. I have the freedom now to do that, but I also was balancing this very high level role for a period of time. In the early stages. I think it was helpful that I was very, very beginner.

[00:27:46] So the training load was less, my races were a lot shorter as well, so 

[00:27:51] It was a lot. Yeah. And I think with better nutrition I would've been able to handle that role better as well. And, and, and maybe not be so tired turning up on [00:28:00] Monday. How, wondering how I was gonna get through that whole week sitting on Zoom calls for the whole week.

[00:28:06] Just like getting so sore in the chair because you're just like struggling to kind of stay awake and sit still. 'cause your body's like going through all this stuff going, Hey, like, we need to move. 

[00:28:16] Taryn: Yeah. And what's next for you then? So, you have one of the fullest race calendars I've ever seen You give Erin, one of our athletes who loves to race a real good run for her money. what's the big picture plan? Like, do you wanna get to Kona eventually? Like, what do you wanna do? 

[00:28:33] Jo: So I never thought that I did want to actually um, and I was very unsure about this whole, you know, doing a full Ironman thing because I thought, at what point does it do you lose the joy? I'm here for joy. I'm real clear on my own reasons and just like what I was seeing, I wasn't seeing a lot of joy on that finish line and I.

[00:28:53] necessarily everyone expresses that in their own ways, I guess. But I was a bit skeptical about whether I wanted that for myself and very aware that, you know, that you don't have to do that and feel pressured to do that for whatever reason. Like, you're not a real triathlon if you, if you haven't done it or anything.

[00:29:11] Like, I'm not worried about those things. But I did actually go to Kona and watch the men's race in October. And one of the best experiences of my life was that I swam the Iron Man course in the training run, which was a 4K swim on the course. It was timed. It was like just one of the most amazing things I've ever achieved in my life.

[00:29:38] For someone who less than two years ago, could not swim to the first. Ladder in the pool, like to actually be able to confidently, confidently enjoy and swim and come out with gas in the tank, like I felt so good about that. I got to ride out on the course I ran, I got to experience large sections of [00:30:00] the course.

[00:30:00] Took my bike out there and loved it. I actually used it as training for Busleton cause I signed up for Noosa and Busleton, so I kind of came back. Noosa was a bit of a stretch. It was like straight off the plane that just didn't work. But it was an amazing training camp kind of experience.

[00:30:17] And it did kind of make me have that feeling of like, Hmm, I think I can do it. so I actually have signed up for Challenge Roth next year, 

[00:30:26] Taryn: Oh, have you 

[00:30:29] Jo: which I haven't told you. that's exciting. And I, and I know in myself that when I get a feeling like. I know I can do something I can't really let myself off the hook from that point.

[00:30:41] I feel like I owe it to myself to go for it. So Kona kind of gave me that feeling just being there and being surrounded by everything and it was so exciting. So I don't know if I'll ever actually make it to Kona, but I did want to at least give myself a chance at the experience.

[00:31:02] And I'd heard Talent Roth was so amazing and such a great experience that I thought, let's just hook in and see how we go. I've got Mar Baya, so I did actually at Busleton. Qualify for the 70.3 World Chance in Marvea. And so it feels like a good solid year of building towards that goal, which is my number one goal for the year.

[00:31:26] And then focusing on extending myself to be able to get to that place, which hoping is successful, 

[00:31:33] Taryn: I'm. 

[00:31:33] Jo: journey will be fun.

[00:31:35] Taryn: It will be, we'll, make sure it's fun. Make sure you're fueling properly so that it is fun, and you can cross the finish line 

[00:31:41] at Challenge Roth with a smile on your face, not 

[00:31:44] Jo: yeah, 

[00:31:44] Taryn: your guts up or 

[00:31:45] crawling, 

[00:31:46] Jo: exactly. 

[00:31:47] That is, that is 100% the goal. Lucky smiling is my coping mechanism, so 

[00:31:54] Taryn: the smiling Oh, I'm so excited for you, Jo. You're just at the beginning and like you.

[00:31:59] [00:32:00] have so much potential, like your mindset is there. We've just gotta get your body to, you know, get the training load under your belt, like build the strength and all those sorts of things and you will achieve whatever you set your mind to.

[00:32:12] I have no 

[00:32:12] doubt. 

[00:32:13] Jo: yeah. I don't give up. So, you know what? That finish line feels so damn good. It's just such a great. Experience and Yeah, I get why the whole thing about how addictive it is because just crossing that finish line, being surrounded by such positive, energy and so many people who are just happy for you and happy for each other and the community is.

[00:32:37] Something that I very much wanna be a part of. I've really gone in and met so many great people and made so many friends and I don't honestly don't know what I would've done if I didn't have that. 

[00:32:50] Taryn: You would've found something, I'm sure, but it's a great way to fill your time and. You know, set your body up for a long and prosperous lifespan. 

[00:32:58] Healthspan is what we're looking for. 

[00:33:00] Jo: That's it.

[00:33:01] Taryn: Thank you so much, Jo. If somebody wants to follow your journey, where can they find you? 

[00:33:07] Jo: so really Instagram is kind of where I live. Uh, And that's Jo Hurley Hurley the surf brand, you see that everywhere all the time. So yeah. Jo Hurley on Instagram 

[00:33:18] and 

[00:33:19] Taryn: it in the show notes for you if people wanna follow along. 

[00:33:22] Thank you so much Jo. It's good to chat and I'll see you. in Power Hour soon. We 

[00:33:26] can properly Debrief. on Geelong 

[00:33:28] and tackle your supplement spreadsheet. I'm 

[00:33:30] Jo: I know. 

[00:33:31] Taryn: you a crap load of money. 

[00:33:32] Jo: me too. 

[00:33:33] Taryn: Thanks Jo. 

[00:33:36] Jo: Thank you. 

[00:33:37] Taryn: wow. What a powerhouse. I hope you found Jo's story as inspiring as I did From business to triathlon, Jo brings such an intentional, thoughtful approach to how she does everything in life, and it's been really incredible to watch her confidence start to grow with her nutritionist since joining the academy and just confidence that she knows she's on the right [00:34:00] path and when she puts in the work and understands what she's doing, it's all going to be on autopilot basically.

[00:34:06] so, if you are just like Jo and just starting out in the sport and you are not sure if you're fueling right or if you've been around for a little while and you are winging it, like Jo describes, let this be your sign to stop guessing. The right nutrition can completely change the way that you train, recover, and perform when you train for three sports.

[00:34:28] If you are ready to learn how to fuel your body properly for triathlon, just like Jo, head to dietician approved.com/academy and register your interest for the next intake of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program. I'd love to help you turn your nutrition into your secret weapon, too. Thank you so much for tuning in today.

[00:34:48] A huge thank you again to Jo for sharing her incredible story so openly, and I'll see you next week.  

Thanks for joining me for this episode of the Triathlon Nutrition Academy podcast. I would love to hear from you. If you have any questions or want to share with me what you've learned, email me at [email protected]. You can also spread the word by leaving me a review and taking a screenshot of you listening to the show. Don't forget to tag me on social media, @dietitian.approved, so I can give you a shout out, too. If you want to learn more about what we do, head to dietitianapproved.com. And if you want to learn more about the Triathlon Nutrition Academy program, head to dietitianapproved.com/academy. Thanks for joining me and I look forward to helping you smashed in the fourth leg - nutrition!