Long Bio

Howdy friends! Thanks for taking the time to check out my more detailed description of my personality, values, interests, and aspirations. Fair warning, this post is a bit long and I go off on a couple random tangents. If you'd prefer a brief snapshot of me, I'd recommend you read my other most recent post.

Now that I'm finally sitting down to write this, it feels quite weird. I've never been comfortable writing biographies or things like resumes but at the same time, if I'm invited to talk I often have trouble shutting up. I just really enjoy speaking to people and having open-minded conversations with little-to-no direction; I find them extremely valuable for learning about the other person as well as myself. I was actually thinking about this yesterday: I don't think I'd ever get the chance to ponder certain ideas or develop opinions on topics without sharing a conversation with at least one other person. Now that I've typed it out, it seems pretty obvious. Anyway, my point is, I love talking to people and sharing stories with one another. I almost always find myself smiling at the end of a busy day full of balanced, meaningful discussions. This all makes sense given the fact that social isolation has been correlated with an increased risk of mortality similar to that of smoking! So, even if you think you're "lone wolf", you might want to consider joining a pack!

Something else that makes me incredibly happy is being outside. In the middle of writing this I went outside with my dog, Rudy, for an instant boost of happiness, motivation, and creative thinking. There's something about being nature - whether it be a national park or a tiny suburban back yard - that produces an indescribable feeling of calm. When you're outside, you just feel like you're exactly where you're supposed to be. It feels like you've acquired a new sense of freedom which then inspires you to get started on your to-do list, like, "oh man this world is so beautiful, how dare I waste my time stressing about work or scrolling through instagram." I find that nature facilitates a shift from "I have to do x, y, & z", to "I get to do x, y & z." Ok ok you get the point, I'll stop crushing on nature.

Alright, we've established I love people and nature, what else? Well, I really enjoy learning about people and the outdoors... haha. I actually do, though, and I've really come to love podcasts for doing just that as well as expanding my knowledge on a plethora of topics including fitness, nutrition, wellness, and even spirituality. Hearing brilliant people tell their stories and share their expertise is very inspiring and has helped me discover new passions and possible life paths. The Rich Roll Podcast is my favorite right now. In that same media genre, I love all kinds of music, but I mean that doesn't really make me very unique does it? Good music is like good food, it's important to almost everyone. Speaking of which, I love cooking and experimenting with different foods. Fortunately, I'm really easy to please, so I'm usually quite content with the dishes I create; when I'm cooking for friends or family however, I try to step it up a notch so as to not let them down. I also only eat plants which initially sounds a bit restrictive, but take a second to think about how many edible (and delicious) fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains there are. I know right, not restrictive at all! I became vegan at the start of 2022 and it's drastically changed the way I think about my own personal health as well as the health of the planet and the billions of other animals we share it with. The last thing I'll mention about being vegan is that while it did take a short time to adjust and learn the best foods to eat in order to optimize my diet (for taste and nutrient requirements), it's way easier - and fulfilling (both in the literal sense of satiety and the emotional sense) - than people often assume!

I want to say I love to travel, but I don't actually know that for sure yet. The farthest I've been from Maryland is Maine, and that was just to visit a 500-student college for my sister when I was like 14. I've been to North Carolina a couple times and spent a solid amount of time in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other nearby states for soccer tournaments while I was in high school, but I am far from a traveller. That's a big reason why I'm so excited to explore the USA on a bike next year! I still find myself in a bit of disbelief when I think about how cool this opportunity is. I hope it will be the first of many similar adventures - I can absolutely see myself going on another long biking trip, either solo or with friends. I've been inspired by people like Martijn Doolbaard who bikepacked from Vancouver to Patagonia and created a fantastic 4-part YouTube documentary, called Two Years on a Bike. Beyond biking, there's just so many incredible places to see and cultures to immerse myself in, it would seem wrong to not at least try to explore the world.

To circle back to my passing mention of playing travel soccer while in high school. I started playing when I was 5 or 6 after some coaxing from my lovely mother got me out of the car and onto the field. In my memory, I didn't take my cleats off for a few years after that first practice. Seriously, I think we have pictures of me wearing them at the pool. I was lucky to be naturally good at soccer, at least compared to my rec league peers, and I quickly fell in love. I got more serious about soccer around 7th grade when I joined a club team; this smashed my little middle school ego into the ground as I had to compete for a spot on the team, never-mind a starting position. My new coach decided with little hesitation that I would be a defender after our first practice together (I had spent the past 7 years exclusively on the other end of the pitch). Being a new addition and a generally shy kid, I just went with it... surely I'd be playing up top for the national team right now if had spoken up. In all seriousness I grew to love my new position and played there through high school and my first year of college. Soccer has since become a much smaller part of my life as I've prioritized school and other clubs/hobbies. Luckily, I've been able to play intramural at Maryland and I happily watch hours of the Premier League almost every weekend (COYS).

Similar to my obsession with nature, I almost never go a day without at least an hour or two of physical activity. On more sedentary days I feel the stiffness in both body and mind. One of my favorite ways to move (outside of cycling, of course) is through yoga; the union of body and mind is, in my opinion, the perfect exercise for overall well-being. For many of us, yoga seems inaccessible because of our lack of flexibility but yoga truly is for everyone from Gumby to Pinocchio and just like anything, the body adapts - you'll be doing the splits before you know it! (disclaimer: I cannot do the splits). One of the best things about yoga is that you can modify every routine for your fitness level which then helps you discover a stronger connection with yourself. I honestly owe a lot of my happiness and health to a consistent yoga practice; I love doing some first thing in the morning and right before bed. My current favorite source of yoga content is Breathe and Flow on YouTube.

Closely related to yoga is meditation. In America, we think of yoga as touching your toes and contorting your body in all types of ways (that does happen), but in most of the world, meditation is really the key. When I first started doing yoga, it was a way for me to recover from workouts and feel better physically. I soon started to notice how it improved my mental wellness at the same time. Despite this, I remained skeptical of proper meditation for a couple years. Even though all it takes is sitting quietly alone for 10 minutes, it always seemed like an unnecessary hassle. Now that I've opened my mind even more and adopted meditation and breathing practices, just like exercise, I feel the difference when I skip them. It's another thing that's much easier than you may think; just look up a guided meditation on youtube, sit down and do it! Even 5 minutes can. be greatly impactful. You may have raised an eyebrow after reading "breathing practices", but trust me, being conscious of your own breath can yield quite remarkable results. I highly recommend trying a few different meditation videos and you may find a specific person or channel that resonates with you (I really enjoy Andy Puddicombe and Michael Sealey). The breathing practice I've come to love is a part of the Wim Hof Method; you may have heard of him being referred to as the Iceman before. He's this crazy Dutch guy who loves people just as much as he loves the cold. It's easy to cast his ideas to the side and chalk him up as a kook, but I can tell you it's great stuff and has science to support him. He's incredibly charismatic and a joy to watch or listen to. Check out his brief description of the method here or watch a longer documentary by VICE or this video from Yes Theory to get a better understanding of the Iceman.

Sheesh! I called it from the beginning that this would get lengthy (there's honestly a lot more I could talk about, but maybe another time). I can only hope that if you made it this far, you found some value or entertainment from this post. Either way, I greatly appreciate you taking the time learn more about me; if anything I said sparked your interest or you have any questions I'd love to talk more... leave a comment here or DM me on Facebook or Instagram! Also, I encourage you to read my other posts if you haven't already (they're much shorter than this one).

If you'd like to support the Ulman Foundation and young adults impacted by cancer, please visit my fundraising page. Any donation or support of any kind is greatly appreciated.

Happily,

Hayden