“Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?”
– Hunter S. Thompson
After six formative, childhood years traversing the world’s vast oceans on a wooden sailboat hand-made by his parents – who were not shipwrights or sailors for that matter – Hudson Maynard learned at a young age that you can do anything you put your mind to. These family values carried through into his adult life leading him to pursue adventure, stick it to the naysayers, trust the process, and truly enjoy the ride.
Prowess:
Thanks for showing up here today – and every day, Hudson! I really appreciate you having this conversation with me. You recently were interviewed by your son, Abe, for his podcast, too, right? That’s around wellness and movement education, as well as mental health?
Hudson:
Yeah. It’s a well-rounded approach, right? Because you have to have all facets to be a successful athlete, especially to be a person too, though. We oftentimes forget about or we avoid the pieces of the pie that are more difficult. We don’t want to go there emotionally because it hurts, or that range of motion hurts – so I’m just going to stop there because it’s painful. When in actuality, you need to go into those difficult places.
Prowess:
Exactly – That’s what you need to lean into.
Hudson:
Into, not in a bad way, but you have to go there because that’s where the change is.
Prowess:
One hundred percent. How have you experienced that in your own life?
Hudson:
My parents showed me at a very young age that you can do anything you put your mind to. They proved it during my formative years as a little kid. They built their own sailboat in their backyard. They had never built a boat before. And my mom supported us as a journalist. And then we put the family of five, (three kids) on there, and we left and we sailed around the world. And they had just learned how to sail.
Prowess:
You’re kidding.
Hudson:
Before we left they took sailing lessons and just built the boat strong enough to trust the boat. And then off we went. We thought it’d be two years. And it was six, six years on a boat. I visited 22 countries by the time I was 12. And we were homeschooled the whole bit and it had no engine and it had no electricity. It was just a wooden sailboat.
And so they just proved that two kids from Illinois that lived in New England now could have a dream and focus on that dream and succeed through all the naysayers. “Oh, you can’t build your own boat. Oh, you can’t take your family. You can’t this can’t that…” You know how naysayers just show up out of everywhere. There are very few people who say, “You got this.” A critical component is to find those people and pack them around you. Because that’s a much better way to be. So that was sort of my introduction of “put your mind to something and you’ll be fine.” Trust the process.
Prowess:
Trust the process. Yes.
Hudson:
So, I’ve kind of done my best with that, you know? And I’ve had a lot of experiences in life following adventure and things that interested me. Because life’s too short to feel bogged down in some mindless job or live in an area you don’t like. That’s not my M.O. Live in a beautiful place, do something you enjoy. And when that wears off, then it’s okay to move or go where you need to. So that’s how I’ve lived my life. And it’s been a great formula. Looking back at it, I think, “Wow, I’ve lived in beautiful places.” I’ve always done what I wanted. And I’ve taught my kids to follow their dreams and don’t be afraid to do what you need to do. If it’s not something you want to do at the time then use it to bridge that gap, to get you to where you’re doing the thing you want to do.
So that’s been really fun. Now my kids are older. And they’re following their dreams while they’re figuring it out. I always said, be mobile while you’re figuring it out, don’t be sedentary, just grinding away while you figure things out. Go places, meet people and get out and travel, and they’ve all done that.
Prowess:
That will lead you to the next thing, also. Right?
Hudson:
Yeah. And the world is full of really cool people. We are just this one little tiny area, you know, where you go shopping and where you work out and we only meet these certain people. But you get out further and there are people from all walks of life, who have completely different viewpoints of the world and how to spend their 24 hours. And we need to absorb as much of that as we can to get as much perspective. I’ve done a lot of that in life and my kids are doing that. It’s really fun to see certain things rub off, and then they replicate that and they’re probably going to do that for their kids.
Prowess:
So rewarding for you. So what was your path? Take me through how you got here.
Hudson:
It’s a convoluted, twisted journey, but if I can condense it: Traveled a bit. I was homeschooled third through eighth grade on the boat and then we returned to New England, sold the boat, parents split up. They had been childhood sweethearts and everything exploded when I was 13, and I just started smoking dope. I went through high school, just sort of like trying to figure it out. I was an All-State swimmer, (because of growing up on a boat, right?) And I was confused and I was angry and I was smoking to kind of put this veil on. And then it came time to decide what I was going to do… so I signed up for the Marine Corps. I took all the vows and I was ready to go. But I wanted to ride my bicycle across the country first. I had to get my sh*t together, so to speak. So I flew out west, rode my bicycle across the country. It basically was a 4,500 mile trip in a couple of months. I went up the west coast, rode through some of Canada and I got to the east coast and I hadn’t smoked any dope in those three months. And I was completely clean and sane and clear and decided, “I’m not going into the Marine Corps.” So I got out of that commitment three weeks before bootcamp. And luckily, until you go to bootcamp, you can get out. So I got out of that and went sailing professionally on tall ships.
Prowess:
What do you think it was about the Marines that was compelling at the time?
Hudson:
They just seemed like an organized unit. They were the best of the best. And I like to strive for that, to be really good at something. My uncle was a Marine in Vietnam. My dad was in the Navy. But, I was just drawn to the Marines. I’m glad I didn’t go. I have a lot of respect for people that do go into the military. But I recognize that it wasn’t for me.
Prowess:
I agree with you. I think that a lot of times people turn to [the military] when there’s not an answer and they need one and it’s an option. So was just curious about that decision.
Hudson:
Oh, you’re right. I didn’t want to have to hold down a couple of jobs and go to school because I was kind of wild at that point, and I knew that I’d waste my money and time and not focus on my studies. So I thought, “Okay, I’ll go into a program that sort of tells me what to do.” But I recognized when I put some good thought into it on those long days on the bike that, “I need to rethink this. That’s not the best decision for me.” So then I decided to go sailing around various places in the world on tall ships, as professional crew, and sort of figure out what I wanted to do.
Then I met my future wife and we got pregnant. And so then fatherhood came in, with twins seven years later. I love being a dad. As parents, we strive to maintain the best relationship that we can and it ebbs and flows, and I’m super happy now because I have really tight relationships with my kids. We’ve really connected and that’s great because I didn’t have that connection with my dad.
As a family we moved around a lot – just to be in beautiful places and experience them. We lived in Hawaii, New Mexico, lived in the Pacific Northwest, Colorado. And then back to Connecticut.
Prowess:
That’s so cool. I admire that about you, that you can just pick up and go where your heart leads you.
Hudson:
Yeah, there are pluses to that, and there are minuses. Like I don’t have deep, connected friendships with people from my childhood. You know, if you spend 40 years in the same area with people that you went to grade school with, those friendships are tremendously valuable, but so much of my life was lived with this intensity and then we were gone. Like, we’d get to an island in the middle of the Pacific and we have to go make friends with the locals if we wanted to have any kind of interaction with anybody besides my brother and my sister. And maybe we had a 14-day visa or a 30-day visa and then had to leave.
So I missed out on all the group team sports. Just because of our lifestyle. So it’s funny, my chosen sport in high school was swimming. That’s an individual sport; it’s a team, but it’s an individual. Then I did triathlons. Another individual thing. It’s you against the clock with CrossFit. What I love about CrossFit though, is the community and the people and the friendships and the connection. And everybody gets to know each other really well and I love that. And yet it’s what you have between your ears when it’s 3, 2, 1 go.
Prowess:
I was going to ask you about sports and your background and what brought you to CrossFit.
Hudson:
I had the nickname Full Speed Manard when I was a little kid. I always had a ton of energy so my parents would tell me to go out and play, burn it off. And I would just charge around all the time. So I was very active. And then after high school, I crossed the country on my bicycle three times. So I was always kind of active, doing crazy things like that. And then I started doing triathlons and I thought, “Wow, this is cool. Let’s see where that leads.” And I did a couple of Ironmans, one in New York and one in Idaho. When I was in Colorado it was great because everybody’s active as hell where we were living. It’s like, the snow is done… So they put away their skis and now it’s mud bike season. And then when the trails dry, now it’s road bike season. And then it’s kayaking season. There’s always something for everybody. And everybody’s got the gear. And I loved it because of that. So I snowshoe ran in the mountain trails, and then I did cross country ski races, and I always have been very competitive. So I would always try out these new skills and then get my butt kicked.
And so I would just sign up for things and do cross country running mountain races, mountain bike races, or whatever it was, I would just sign up and then be competitive in it. And then when I got tired of it, I’d do something else.
And I’ve done a ton of that stuff. And then like 10 years ago, I quit alcohol, just cold turkey. And I’m still sober. And CrossFit came into my life about the same time because I needed kind of a replacement for that. I’m definitely a Type A personality. And I had aspects that I was really good at and aspects that I really sucked at – and so it’s challenging. Like you’re never done here, as you know.
Prowess:
There’s always something to learn.
Hudson:
And I keep seeing strides in strength and I love defying odds. Like people saying, “Oh, you’re a contractor. You can’t take the summer off to ride your bike and you can’t ride your 2-year-old child across the country. You can’t do this. You can’t do that. You can’t do handstand walks. So you’re not going to be any good CrossFit…” And that’s like a challenge to me. And I just have this voice in the back of my head that drives me all the time. And yet I have so much fun doing it.
Prowess:
I love that about you. you’re competitive and serious about it and making gains, but at the same time, you’re going to enjoy your time while you’re here.
Hudson:
Right.
Prowess:
How do you know what’s the right thing for you to do? Are you just constantly following where you want to be in life? Or sometimes is it in response to someone challenging you and maybe you want to prove them wrong? How do you know what’s right for you?
Hudson:
I definitely respond to a challenge, but I don’t take it on because of that challenge. So Jenn (my wife) and I, we dream big and we don’t necessarily have a plan mapped out, but we have ideas that are very intriguing to us and we sort of put it out there and we focus and aim towards that. And so then when things come in as options, we will engage with those if they fit with that vision. And we’ve done some really fun things that haven’t been intricately planned out, but the big vision was there and then we just kept driving towards it. And it’s amazing how opportunities just open up to allow that dream to happen.
And we’ve done that over and over and over again. And if ever doubt creeps in, you just start looking at your past and think of all of the times that you have been successful. And then that reinforces that and allows you to maybe get past a sticking point. So that’s why it has been easier to follow our dreams, so to speak. And move, or go from here to there, or do whatever we need to do. But, as far as physical activity, like CrossFit, I always have to have something in my life like that. That physically challenges me. And I’ve known that for a long time.
Prowess:
What do you feel like that does for you? What does it give you?
Hudson:
It satisfies my competitiveness for one, and I also just have a tremendous amount of energy I need to output and burn. But I also just love physical transformation, and you have to work hard for that. It’s a lifestyle. It has been my whole entire life. How I eat, maybe the sleep hasn’t been such a good thing… And I had drugs and alcohol in there to a certain degree, but as I’ve matured, I’ve been able to weed out the things that aren’t good for me, you know?
Prowess:
How important is nutrition in your daily life?
Hudson:
Quality food has always been hugely important to me.
Since I moved around a lot, I was exposed to a lot of different environments and environmental conditions as a kid. We always had a garden as a kid and my parents were healthy in that way. We didn’t have a lot of chemicals and processed foods and that has been a constant in my life. And I think that over time you really benefit from that. I’ll still plow down three or four donuts if they’re on the table, you know, I’ve never been too proud.
Prowess:
A lot of your philosophy is to enjoy life, right? So when you get too rigid with that, I think it takes some …
Hudson
…Of the joy. Right. Like I don’t weigh my food. Maybe the next step is weighing my food or really monitoring my macros. And at some point I may get into that if I want to have a different look to my physique, but right now that’s not important. I want to sleep well, eat well, work out really hard, see physical changes and, you know, go against the advancement of time. I get stronger as I get older.
Prowess:
You do. I’m noticing that.
Hudson:
I want to look in the mirror and feel good about what I see, you know. And I do. And it’s great because I don’t have to sacrifice to do it. None of this feels like a sacrifice. It’s a good balance. And if I took it out, then I’d be like, “Oh, what do I want do I do here?” And it might turn into a destructive behavior. I don’t know. So I keep good things in my life. At high intensity so that I don’t go there.
Prowess:
So, at this stage in your life, you try to enjoy life and build relationships, and have those connections and balance. What would you describe your purpose as at this point in your life?
Hudson:
You know, it’s really interesting because I’m trying to figure that out right now. First and foremost, I love being a father. Your kids are always there. So I talk and I give advice to my 33-year-old. He gives me advice, you know, we talk back and forth. Whether it’s emotional talking about emotional issues, relationship issues, or how we going to do something, how would you do this set of physical exercises? So we cover all ranges and that’s really important to me. And so maintaining that is first and foremost. And my relationship with my wife. Depth of relationships has become a real focus for me.
Everybody’s a teacher, you know? So you have to learn to be a good listener. I wasn’t a good listener for a long time and now I’m a better listener. I’ve learned to ask questions. It’s interesting how you can just ask just one question and it opens up a whole world about the person that you had no idea about. It’s the coolest thing. And that’s how you build the deeper relationships.
And that’s become very important to me – allowing people to be where they are. And they all have a story. And you’re no better, you’re no different. You haven’t had any more hardship or difficulties, you know? Everybody has their bag of stuff that’s not so pleasant that they’re dragging around. And so we need to be more compassionate and that’s something that I’ve slowly been working on for decades.
Prowess:
I find you to be very compassionate. I think you really care about people, and who they really are. And you’re interested in them.
Hudson:
Well, thank you. Because that took a lot of work. And it’s ongoing.
Prowess:
What’s your favorite CrossFit movement?
Hudson:
I think my favorite barbell movement is cleans. I love the clean, it’s just a fun movement.
I kind of enjoy it all. I like the things that really challenge me, like handstand walks. I’ve been working on those for years, really. And you know, I couldn’t even flip up on the wall for a long time. So it’s little gains like that. The variety is what keeps me coming back.
Prowess:
So how long have you been doing CrossFit? About 10 years?
Hudson:
Eight or nine? I started on The Vineyard. I’ve been off The Vineyard for like eight years.
Prowess:
Is this the sport that you’ve been with longest in your life?
Hudson:
It’s approaching that. I did triathlons for a long time. I did an Ironman in my thirties. I did an Ironman in my forties. Not gonna do an Ironman in my fifties. That was intense. That’s a very, very tough, tough event. But I don’t see myself slowing down because the cool thing with CrossFit is age groups. I love to compete against my peers. I’m not going to try to throw down against the 25-year-olds. But when I beat ’em, it’s great.
Prowess:
And you do beat a lot of them.
Hudson:
I do beat some of them, so it is going to keep me here for a while and I love it here. Because the coaches are awesome. They care. I think that’s the key. And they’re good at what they do. They’re all consistent across the board. So you’ll get this tip critique from John. You’ll get the same critique from Kristen two weeks later (because I’m a slow learner), but they see the same things because they’re good at what they do. And that makes me feel really comfortable. I’m learning it correctly. I don’t want to learn incorrectly. I have enough habits I’m trying to break.
Prowess:
What’s one habit you’re trying to break?
Hudson:
That’s a very good question. Well, if you take the snatch, it has like six different things you’ve got to do before the bar’s even up there. For instance, I rush and I don’t get to full extension and I haven’t been getting to full extension for six years. And it might take me another six to do that. So that’s a habit I’m trying to break. Kyle’s like, “Get up on your toes.” And Kristen’s like, “You need to be at full extension.” Jason’s like, “Wait until you don’t bend your arms.” They’re all saying the same thing. So I don’t see it going out of my life anytime soon.
Prowess:
And being such a lover of travel, do you see yourself sticking around here long?
Hudson:
Well, we moved here, less than two years ago – we’re coming up on two years. We have some plans, but we’re going to be here for a while. We have goals of taking our talents (of me as a builder, Jenn, as an interior designer) and putting those together and furthering ourselves. We love it here. Warren is awesome. Barrington’s awesome. Bristol is really cool. And this gym’s not going anywhere.
Prowess:
Well, if your path teaches us anything, it’s that you’re going to go in the right direction. Because you always lead with your heart.
Hudson:
Right. I trust that process more than anything and it has not failed me. Sometimes it takes me right to the edge and tests my trust in the process… like right to the edge. Like how many rabbits can you pull out of the same hat? And it’s been like 12 now, going for the 13th one. And there it is, every time, unbelievable, like literally giant things can’t happen until the 13th rabbit shows up.
Prowess:
Is it truly just trusting?
Hudson:
You also have to move on things. Because when you open up to something, you have to be willing to take action. If you have an idea and a goal and a dream, and then you can’t commit, you can’t take the step. But every step is in the right direction. Because you’ll learn from it. But you can’t get anywhere without taking action.
Prowess:
Right. A lot of times we set intentions but unless we actually act on those, we can’t get where we want to be.
Hudson:
Right. Right. You’ll forever be an idea person. You have to connect it with action. Absolutely. And you can’t be afraid of what that action will be.
Prowess:
Well, maybe you can be afraid, but you have to do it anyway. And you don’t have to know five steps ahead. You just have to know the next right step and take that one. And it will lead you to what needs to happen after that.
Hudson:
Exactly. And there’s a lesson in it if you fall down or fail. That’s not a bad thing. You have to fail to move forward and so many people don’t get that. They think that you have to do everything right all the time and take these correct steps. No, you’ve gotta fall on your ass and it hurts sometimes. But there’s a lesson in there always. And you can choose to ignore it, or you just sit with it a little bit and get what that lesson was and move on, and that progresses you. So in that way, there’s never really a wrong step. You’ll know if it’s not conducive to what you’re really going for. And then you just make a correction.
Prowess:
Exactly.
Thank you for this time. Lots of deep conversation and also how CrossFit plays into it. I love your perspective of life. There’s just so much to experience and so much opportunity for growth and expansion and things we didn’t even know were possible. And sometimes you just have to take a little leap outside of your comfort zone.
Hudson:
And some people, they’re totally content to never do that. It’s not like they’re yearning for something and not willing to take the step. And I have a lot of respect for them. They’re in their happy place. But then there’s that big segment of people who are yearning for something or aren’t honest with themselves about what makes them happy. They’re in a relationship that’s not on the level they want, they’re in a job that’s not the best. They’re not taking care of themselves. They look in the mirror and they’re not happy with what they see. And yet they’re not willing to take the steps to just shift out of that. You don’t have to take a giant leap and commit to like a 360-day fitness program. Just go for a walk, you know?
Prowess:
Do you experience fear at this point?
Hudson:
Um, I’ve never been a fearful person. So I would say that I don’t. Sometimes I have angst around things, and sometimes I lay awake at night trying to figure out how I can accelerate my goals to get where I want to be. But I’ve not really ever been fearful of anything. I mean I’m sure there’s been fear, but when I look back things don’t jump out at me. Because I just have always known that I’ll be fine. Leap and the net will appear. And the net has appeared every time.
Prowess:
I think that’s partly how you were raised.
Hudson:
Exactly, I mean, that’s what I was shown early and often.
Prowess:
Well, I have no doubt that you’ll reach your goals.
Hudson:
Thanks. I don’t have any doubt either. Sometimes I have a little angst like I said, but I trust the process and I have a phenomenal partner who is right on board mentally. We are in concert with that.
