RECESS: Juliet & Kelly Starrett on Social Connection, School Recess Guidelines, Rachel Entrekin’s Self-Talk, and Prom Maxxing
The Ready State Podcast
Kelly Starrett & Juliet Starrett
4.9 • 623 Ratings
🗓️ 21 May 2026
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome back to RECESS — our weekly break from the serious stuff to talk about what we’re learning, what’s making us laugh, and how we’re building more play into real life.
In this episode, we unpack why social connection may be the single biggest predictor of healthy aging and longevity, reflect on new pediatric guidelines pushing for more school recess, and talk about how adults desperately need more play too. We also dive into Rachel Entrekin’s mindset during her historic Cocodona 250 win, Kelly’s emotional experience eulogizing his mom, and the rise of “prom maxxing” — and why it gives us the ick.
What You'll Learn in This Episode- Why social connection may matter more than anything else for longevity
- How play and movement create stronger communities and healthier adults
- Why the American Academy of Pediatrics says recess is not optional
- Rachel Entrekin’s powerful self-talk strategy during her record-setting ultramarathon
- What Kate Courtney’s career shift teaches about identity and reinvention
- Why “third places” like gyms, clubs, and community spaces matter so much
- Juliet and Kelly’s thoughts on “prom maxxing” and modern parenting culture
- What Kelly learned from giving the eulogy at his mother’s memorial
(00:00) — Welcome back to RECESS
(00:40) — Kelly reflects on eulogizing his mom
(02:52) — Travel, burnout, and speaking at a longevity conference
(04:06) — Why adults need more play and movement
(05:43) — The Harvard Longitudinal Study and the importance of social connection
(06:18) — The “Six Points of Connection” and building real community
(10:15) — Kate Courtney, identity shifts, and elite performance
(12:33) — New school recess guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics
(15:23) — Why adults need recess too
(17:23) — Rachel Entrekin’s self-talk during her historic Cocodona 250 win
(21:01) — “Happy to be here” vs. competing to win; Tia Toomey's Champion's Mindset
(24:00) — Prom maxxing, parenting culture, and losing the plot
(29:02) — What we’re living for right now
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, everyone. Welcome back to recess. This is our weekly break from the serious stuff to talk about |
| 0:08.0 | what's going on, what we're thinking about, what we're excited about, funny stories, and all the |
| 0:13.6 | things we're thinking about. As if you have a funny story. Just a reminder, Julie and I are always in a |
| 0:18.7 | constant, constant competition to see you as funny. I think right now you're on a two week streak of winning. You have been sick. So I'm gonna go with, I'm battling a diminished opponent here. Yeah, yeah, you are. I've been a little emo, so I haven't been my funny stuff. Emo. Well, that launches the first thing. We're gonna get right into it. I'm trying to keep these tight. Speaking of being emo. Speaking of emo. I just did something that I think we're all going to have to do. I think it's part of the process of becoming a true adult is bearing your parents. Yeah. And you had to eulogize your mom last weekend. |
| 0:55.3 | So easy. |
| 0:55.7 | Yeah, what was that like? |
| 0:56.9 | Are you going to get a little weepy? |
| 1:00.2 | Hey, I have feelings now. |
| 1:01.8 | You have one. |
| 1:02.9 | At least I was like one feeling. |
| 1:03.8 | Even Lisa's in the background. |
| 1:04.9 | You know, a year of therapy gave me a feeling. |
| 1:07.3 | You know, thanks. |
| 1:08.8 | So what's interesting is I had a complex know i had a complex mom but uh without |
| 1:13.3 | getting into just her life she was just a badass survivor and a rebel yeah totally a rebel and um |
| 1:21.8 | i realized you know it was interesting for everyone if you haven't read enders game you should read |
| 1:27.0 | ender's game and then the book after that's called speaker for the Dead. And it really gave me, when I read that a long time ago, I'm like, I'm going to use this. And what I tried to do is speak about how complicated my mom's life was and how that set her up. I set people up to understand differently about the way she was and why she was quirky. |
| 1:45.1 | And again, Savage PhD. |
| 1:47.0 | She was like a modern woman shaman, and not like woo-woo, but like, you know, she's crazy. |
| 1:52.4 | Yeah, I thought you did an amazing job of actually being real and not only talking about |
| 1:58.1 | all the ways in which she was an amazing woman, |
| 2:00.9 | but also sort of a complex woman. |
... |
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