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User Spotlight: An Intake Power CoupleUpdated 3 months ago
Meet Erin and Evan Nystrom, two Intake users who have been with us from the very beginning. Over the past few years, they’ve watched Intake grow as a company, and we’ve watched them go from remarkable individuals to unstoppable power couple. Read on for our interview—
1. Tell us a little about yourself, and your partner! How you met, what you both do, where you live—whatever you’d like to share!
Well, we’re Evan and Erin! We met on Tinder in 2017.We had a ton in common- we were both personal trainers and both obstacle course racers and that was enough for us to give each other a shot (we were both the only person the other had actually gone out on a date with from the app)! I am no longer a personal trainer, but Evan is a strength and conditioning coach and I am a wedding planner. We live on the Columbia River in Camas, WA and we enjoy lifting, running, hiking, and rock climbing.
2. How did you hear about Intake?
Watching motocross! Erin was wearing nasal strips for running at the time but they weren’t really working for me (any sweat and they would fall right off), I saw Weston Peick wearing one and I thought it might be my answer (and it was!)
3. How do you—and your partner—use Intake?
We mostly use them for running or if we’re doing an activity at higher altitudes. Evan also wears his for motocross and for sleep occasionally.
4. What shared activities are you most grateful for? And what solo activities have taken on a new value for you?
For shared activities, it’s definitely hiking and rock climbing. Hiking is something we really love because of the uninterrupted time together spent disconnecting from the world and getting into nature. It’s super therapeutic and most of our best conversations happen on hikes. However we still enjoy a physical challenge and a little adrenaline and that’s where rock climbing comes in.
We’re not doing a ton of solo activities these days 
5. How did 2020 change the way you connect with each other?
I mean, we basically spend all of our time together now, which certainly has its pros and cons, but it’s definitely changed the way we connect with each other. It’s easy, when you’re in each other’s company 24/7, for communication to deteriorate so we’ve found that we really need to over communicate and be really forthcoming so that each of our needs are being met. It’s also easy to take all of this time for granted, but just because we’re both in the same room all day doesn’t mean it’s quality time, so we really have to make an effort to make sure we get in the QT on a regular basis.
6. The past year has given us a lot to hold our breath about. Has your relationship to breathing changed with everything that’s been going on in the world?
YES. So we’ve been using Intake for a few years now and we’ve known about the benefits of nasal breathing, but last year Evan read the Oxygen Advantage by Patrick Mckeown and I read the Wim Hof Method by… Wim Hof, and we’ve both since adopted a regular breathing routine, and we turn to breathing techniques more to help regulate all sorts of different things.
7. Now that we’re well on our way into 2021, what new things (or old things) are you planning on taking with you into this new year? What are you leaving behind?
Definitely the breathing routines, but also meditation and cold showers. We’ve also adopted a more minimalist lifestyle so I guess we’re both bringing that while leaving behind junk we don’t need. 