Episode #59 Devotion Frees - Barrett Perlman

Devotion Frees with Barrett Perlman

Barrett has produced TV shows for the likes of FOX, MTV, CNBC, HLN, Go90, Snapchat and more. Barrett’s background in action sports and her new career as a filmmaker finally pushed her to create the documentary film, Life After X, about the evolution of the action sports industry and its athletes after they've retired.

CREDITS

Host >>> Pablo Quiroga

Follow Barrett on Instagram >>> @barrettperlman

Follow Barrett on Facebook >>> Barrett Perlman

See Barrett shred >>> Life After X

Sound Engineer >>> Huskinopolis

Executive Producer >>> Pablo Quiroga

Extra Fuel with Barrett

WHAT IS YOUR ORIGIN STORY?

I feel like I should have something very X-men-esque to say here... but I was born and raised in South Florida. Never a very athletic kid (tho I tried it ALL), I went snowboarding for the first time at age 14. I came home, wanting to be a pro snowboarder and my mom told me to pick anything else because the nearest mountain was 12 hours away and we weren't moving. That's when I discovered wakeboarding. 4 years later, I turned pro and was consistently ranked one of the top 10 women in the world. In 2010, I began to transition into another chapter in life and moved to Los Angeles where I took up stunts and acting for a while. I finally transitioned into producing TV shows in 2013 and have been finally finding success in my life after action sports ever since. I've produced TV shows for the likes of FOX, MTV, CNBC, HLN, Go90, Snapchat and more. My background in action sports and my new career as a filmmaker finally pushed me to create the documentary I'm filming now, Life After X, about the evolution of the action sports industry and its athletes after they've retired.

WHO INSPIRED YOU TO BE THE PERSON YOU ARE TODAY?

SO MANY PEOPLE. Most notably, my wakeboarding coach, Glen Fletcher, and his wife, Melissa, probably had the biggest hand in shaping who I am today. They truly taught me the meaning of relentless pursuit of your passion, while putting in the work, having a good time, and in general how to be a better person. They made me laugh; they made me cry; they got me angry and they supported my propulsion into the pro ranks.

HOW DO YOU WANT TO IMPACT THE WORLD YOU LIVE IN? 

I want to create content with an impact. Content that can change the world and improve people's lives. Even if sometimes that just means getting them to think in a different way or distracting them from the bad day they've had.

WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH TO NUTRITION?

I follow a Bulletproof train of thought predominantly, but in short, putting the BEST kinds of foods you can into your body that will cause the least amount of inflammation and allow you to function at peak performance. Grassfed meats, wild fish, and veggies make the world go round! Goat's milk over cow's milk, although lots of grassfed butter. Keep gluten out of your diet as much as possible.

HOW IMPORTANT IS MINDFULNESS TO REACH PEAK PERFORMANCE?

INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT. You need to be able to achieve a still and that can FOCUS on the task at hand or else you'll always b distracted and unable to hit peak performance. Training this muscle in your body is just as important as training the muscles you can see.

HOW IMPORTANT IS BREATH TO REACHING PEAK PERFORMANCE?

I've never really considered this before... probably because I have a tendency to hold my breath (insert eye-roll emoji here). But being able to maintain your body's calmness through breath is incredibly important, which I guess enables you to hit peak performance. Breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth can help prevent your body from freaking out under extreme pressure.

2 TIPS TO HELP OTHERS REACH FITNESS GOALS

1 - JUST GO TO THE GYM. Even if you don't want to or you know you're gunna half-ass it, just go and half-ass it. At least you went and it won't be so daunting when you don't want to go the next time. 2 - Diet is PARAMOUNT. Good nutrients IN promote a better flow of the systems within your body that are key to making gains, healing, and overall health. 3 - High Interval Intensity Training is where it's at and will morph your body fast than just about anything (with the exception of muay thai). 4 - Mix up your workouts to both prevent your body from adapting to what you're doing AND to have more FUN!

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU ARE FEELING STRESSED OUT?

The things you're not supposed to... hold my breath and ice cream. Haha. Half just kidding. I don't do those things at the same time. In seriousness, meditation is crucial here. Taking even just 5 minutes to utilize something like One World Academy's meditation practice can have an incredible impact on decreasing your stress levels and bringing you back to the present.

DO YOU UTILIZE ANY PERSONAL DATA PERFORMANCE TO ENHANCE YOUR TRAINING AND REACH YOUR GOALS? 

I do! I wouldn't call it GOOD data, but I wear a Fit Bit blaze and am adamant about analyzing my heart rate to monitor my target zones. I'm very excited about a new product I've been asked to join the athlete development board of called Xhale Assurance that will be a wearable pulse oximetry monitor to track your use oxygen use.

WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKEST AND STRONGEST CHARACTER TRAITS?

My strongest character traits: I believe I can do anything I put my mind to, is a kind and talented leader, crazy organized, detailed, and passionate. My weakest character trait: OCD, having a reactive personality (I'm an aries... ), and lacking willpower sometimes.

HOW DO YOU REVERSE YOUR WEAKEST TO YOUR STRENGTHS?

My weakest character traits (with strength turning behavior in parenthesis): OCD (learning to control my obsessive thoughts so that they no longer weaken me. You can actively choose to think about something else), having a reactive personality (I often find in reactive situations, I'm holding my breath. So learning to take in a full deep breath before responding gives me the extra seconds I need to think before reacting), and lacking will power sometimes (haha this one makes me really good at relaxing! Still working on how to turn this into a strength, but again, it all starts with a choice. CHOOSING to do what needs to be done).

HOW DO YOU GET INTO THE ZONE?

My zone is a mental one. Meditation helps put me in the zone along with a good cup of tea. Being in the ZONE is a choice. Choosing to focus all your energy on one thing instead of constantly receiving impulses from everything around you.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR CURRENT PROJECT

Life After X is a documentary that unveils the stories of the best action sports athletes on the planet as they confess the good, the bad, and the ugly about their industry and life after living under the spotlight of fame and glory. Based on my own experiences retiring from action sports, we're currently in the middle of production. The documentary is slated to be finished by January of 2018 and we seek to premiere it at SXSW or Tribeca Film Festival in April of 2018. After that, it will be watchable on a streaming platform such as our target, Netflix. You can learn more at: http://igg.me/at/lifeafterx