Renae Dambly: Self care, perception, and competition
How does an individual’s experience with movement and community influence their personal growth and perspective on life?
Moving to a different country and starting over is a challenge that Renae Dambly embraced. She shares how parkour and movement fit into her life, and how she takes care of herself, especially after moving to Germany. Renae unpacks her perception of herself vs other’s viewpoints, and publicly representing parkour. She discusses climbing, injury, competition, painting, and hitting the ‘plateau.’
“As an athlete trying to make a positive impression on the public, I’m not going to stop training, but I’m also not going to train in a disrespectful manner. I want to make the best choice to, I think, have parkour viewed in a more positive light. So I will keep training, but I will show respect.” ~ Renae Dambly (17:46)
Renae Dambly is an athlete and coach, recently moved to Germany from Colorado. She has a diverse movement background, including track, rugby, and rock climbing in addition to parkour. Renae is pursuing a career in fitness alongside her professional parkour career.
The conversation explores how movement influences personal identity and self-discovery. The participant shares their deep connection with movement, viewing it as a guide and a means of navigating life’s challenges. Experiences of balancing education and movement, adapting to new cultures, and maintaining self-care practices provide a rich context. The discussion includes insights into how movement impacts self-perception and how public perception adds complexity to training and expression.
Key topics include competition’s role as a social connector rather than a competitive tool and the importance of respect and adaptability in representing movement practices. The conversation also touches on creativity, with watercolor painting and art as outlets of self-expression, and the nuanced exploration of personal and societal dynamics in movement and community participation.
Takeaways
Movement as a guide — Movement serves as a constant source of direction and grounding in life.
Dual perspectives in movement — The contrast between self-perception and public viewpoints influences personal training.
Role of competition — Competition acts as a platform for connection and personal assessment rather than just winning.
Adapting to challenges — Balancing life transitions and movement highlights resilience and adaptability.
Art and creativity — Creative practices like painting and sketching provide additional avenues for self-expression.
Cultural perspectives — Exploring the differences between European and American parkour cultures enriches understanding of movement communities.
Self-care practices — Movement, outdoor activities, and art emerge as key tools for maintaining mental and physical well-being.
Resources
APEX Denver online fitness classes — Provides Zoom-based fitness training and coaching.
Max Henry’s “Parkour Roadmap” — A book offering guidance for parkour practitioners.
Thinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman’s book exploring psychological insights on decision-making.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
— Hello👋 I’m Craig Constantine.
In the Movers Mindset podcast, I talk with movement enthusiasts to learn who they are, what they do, and why they do it. I’m interested in the nature and philosophy of movement and in exploring themes like independence, self-direction, and human excellence. My interests color each conversation and provide some structure to Movers Mindset. But since I like to take the scenic route, every conversation ends up going somewhere unique.
The purpose of Movers Mindset is to create and share great conversations with movement enthusiasts. Each conversation feeds my insatiable curiosity, but I share them to turn on a light for someone else, to inspire them, or to give them their next question.
I appreciate your time and attention, and I don’t take it for granted.
— Thank you!
My personal mission is creating better conversations to spread understanding and compassion. And Movers Mindset is one of the things I do in service of my mission. Drop by https://craigconstantine.com/ for my weekly email, my other podcasts, writing and more.
The Movers Mindset project grew from conversations I started having as part of my personal journey rediscovering movement. The project started late in 2015, and it was initially simply a web site that shared others’ writing. The project grew, and in 2017 I started the podcast. I’ve worked extremely hard, but none of this would have been possible without so much help from so many people.
Thanks for listening!
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