The Journal

Stories of becoming

Training, nutrition, Colombia and the 1% philosophy — editorial notes from the Phoenix Initiative.

A simple breakfast bowl on an outdoor terrace table beside a water bottle and a rolled towel in early golden light.

Eating Around Training: Timing Food in a Hot Climate

Heat changes when you should eat, not only how much. Before, during and after a session in the tropics — and why the post-workout window is wider than you were told.

March 28, 20265 min read

Transformation

From Burnout to Rebirth: Recognizing Depletion, Rebuilding Energy

Exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix is a signal, not a character flaw. How to recognize deep depletion, respond with honesty and care, and rebuild your energy step by step.

March 27, 20265 min read

Backlit glass jars of fermenting vegetables on a sunlit windowsill, bubbles rising through amber brine.

Nutrition

Fermentation in the Colombian Kitchen, and What It Does

Chicha, masato, suero costeño and the fermentation hidden in every cup of Huila coffee — plus an honest look at what the gut evidence supports.

March 25, 20265 min read

Still life of dark leafy greens, black beans and lentils in clay bowls on dark stone, backlit beside a halved lime.

Nutrition

Iron for Active Women, and the Plant-Source Trap

Why iron runs low in women who train, why plant iron is worth less than the label says, and what actually helps absorption. Then go and get tested.

March 23, 20265 min read

Close-up of hands slicing a green plantain on a worn wooden board beside a cast iron skillet, warm side light.

Nutrition

Cooking with Plantain: A Training Carbohydrate, Green to Ripe

Green, pintón or black: the same fruit gives you two entirely different foods. How to read plantain ripeness and time it around your sessions.

March 21, 20265 min read

Foundation

Four Women, Four Pillars: The Ambassadors of the Foundation

Meet the four ambassadors of Phoenix Initiative Colombia — Paola, Danny, Carol and Mariana — and the pillars they carry: restoration, culture, sustainable infrastructure and well-being.

March 21, 20264 min read

Overhead flat lay of whole and halved tropical fruit on a rough wooden table in warm afternoon light.

Nutrition

A Field Guide to Huila's Fruit, from Lulo to Granadilla

Granadilla, cholupa, lulo, guanábana: how to read a Colombian fruit stall, what each one is for, and why the juice question matters more than you think.

March 19, 20265 min read

Wide view of misty Andean ridges at sunrise in Huila, with a tiny distant figure on a red earth trail.

Training

Altitude and Endurance: Training Where the Air Is Thinner

Where altitude starts to matter, what it does to your heart and lungs, and how to handle the first week without wrecking it. Physiology, not folklore.

March 17, 20265 min read

Foundation

The Phoenix Initiative: Education, Sport and Regeneration in Huila

Discover Phoenix Initiative Colombia: education and training, sport for social impact and land regeneration, rooted in Rivera, Huila — and why the foundation matters as much as the Oasis itself.

March 15, 20265 min read