Small Lake City Podcast with Erik Nilsson
Jessa and I recently sat down with Erik Nilsson of the Small Lake City Podcast. The three of us share a lively discussion in the recording studio at the Edison House. We talk about Rocksteady, the wonder of the Wasatch, and issues we care about in Salt Lake City. Give it a listen next time you’re on a walk or have windshield time!
Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
A phone call during 9/11. A train ride west. A splitboard cut by hand and a whiteboard full of climbs. That’s the unlikely path that led Jessa Munion and Jeff Roche to build Rocksteady Body Works, a place where movement isn’t a trend—it’s medicine—and wellness is a practice you live, not a product you buy.
We trace Jessa’s pivot from DC consulting to yoga leadership in Park City, and the moment she chose massage therapy to deepen the work from the mat to the nervous system. Jeff brings the alpine lens: route finding, consequence, and clean decision-making born in the mountains, then applied to spreadsheets, space design, and a team culture that actually breathes. Together, they turned a hidden Holladay corner into a provider-first studio, blending deep tissue manual therapy, precision Pilates, and hands-on education that turns practitioners into mentors and clients into strong, self-aware movers.
The story widens from studio walls to valley-wide stewardship. We dig into the Great Salt Lake as a complex system demanding value-chain thinking and impact networks, not quick fixes. We personify the lake to change the tone—from talking points to responsibility—and lay out why material action beats marginal gestures. Then we tackle the Little Cottonwood gondola debate with a simple premise: it’s a flow problem. We sketch a people-first alternative—dynamic lanes, bus-priority corridors, and distributed transit hubs—that scales access without scarring an iconic canyon or sinking public funds into a 45-minute ride most won’t take.
What emerges is a blueprint you can feel. Craft over shortcuts. Mentorship over noise. Culture over slogans. If you care about building a resilient body, a stronger community, and a smarter city, this conversation will meet you where you move—and push you a step further.
If this resonated, follow the journey, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more people find thoughtful, locally rooted conversations like this one. Subscribe for more stories at the intersection of movement, mentorship, and the mountains we love.
