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Katie Duffin

Hello everyone, and welcome to this edition of the FITKYT Live Louder podcast.  My name is Katie Duffin, I am one of the cofounders of FITKYT and I'm also one of the co-hosts of the Live Louder podcast. I am here today with my fellow, co-founder and podcast host, Melissa Perkins, and we are honored today to have joining us. Logan, Misuraca. 

Logan is an awesome person. She's an amazing talent and we are just so lucky to have her, here on our podcast today, I'm going to introduce Logan and then give her an opportunity to introduce herself.  We are looking forward to a wonderful conversation and chat today.

So Logan is currently a NASCAR driver in the ARCA Menards Series East, which how cool is that? She is also a dance coach. She's an aerospace engineer and she's breaking all of these amazing stereotypes of women in Motorsports. So again, Logan, welcome to the podcast. We are so honored to have you here today and why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself.

Logan Misuraca

Of course, thank you so much for having me. Yes, I am currently racing ARCA Menards Series East over here in the United States. I travel mostly on the east border of the United States. We are sanctioned by NASCAR and I actually started racing when I was four years old.  My Dad raced and so did my dad's Dad, Ray. So it's been in the family for years. They usually raced more the dirt circuit. I'm more on the oval and asphalt tracks and road of course.

We moved up the ranks pretty quickly and I was actually a dancer my entire life until I was nineteen. And then I told my Dad, I'm going to buy a race car (since between mom and Dad) as total battle of mom wanted me to be their little dancer and ballerina and Dad wanted me to be the race car driver. So as a constant war between the both. and I was like, well, I have like three thousand dollars in my savings from trusts fund, so I went and bought a race car and never stopped since.

Katie Duffin

That's incredible. And I can totally identify with the mom and Dad battle. I was a softball player, a violinist and a ballet dancer. Those three things, don't really mix. So I ended up being a softball player to, which was kind of the dad angle. So I totally understand that.

Melissa Perkins

Although I think what is consistent is the discipline of all of those things. So Logan, with discipline, how do you stay disciplined through all of this? Your life sounds quite chaotic.  Take us through your daily routine. What you do particularly in terms of fitness and wellness?

Longa Misuraca

Since a young age, I had to stay disciplined and I didn't have time right after school. So I couldn't play with my friends. It was school, dance, professional dance, competitive dancing. And then my professional show dancing, because I did backup dancing for Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson back in the day when I was super young.  Ever since I was seven, I was just drilled and on a schedule.  On the weekends, I'm at the dance competitions. I'm at the racetrack, so it always kept me busy. So especially being a competitive dancer to you have to have that discipline and have that portrayed to an audience, especially in racing, where that correlates to the sponsors marketing advertising and everything. 

So bringing it over into the racing, it was fairly easy. And it's actually a little less disciplined and crazy than my high school dance team. You don't even look to the right until they tell you to do so. So yes, it's a little more laid back. But it's definitely a very disciplined or especially when we want to get to where I am. I mean, it's very hard and a huge accomplishment to get to NASCAR.  I'm super grateful for this.  Especially just on my day to day as I wake up early, I come here to work on just a normal traditional day - full time.  I sit here, work on my own business as I have papers everywhere.  I have marketing things. I need to do things to promote myself and my partner's, just get me ready for the races.  Signing forms. Everything I need to do.  On the other hand I'm filling out, merchandise orders, sending it all out.

I was telling Melissa prior to this. I'm kind of a one-man band over here, so I do everything myself as much as they can. And then after work, I'd jump on the simulator, which is our little racing simulator for about an hour. So it's just basically a race track on the computer and you're sitting in the cockpit. So that definitely stimulates me.

That actually started because of COVID because we couldn't go out to the race tracks. We weren't allowed to be in public so we all just resorted back to our computers and it actually helps a lot and then go to the gym. I do a lot of cardio training especially because it gets so hot in those cars and there such long races. We're in the car two and a half three hours. So a lot of cardio training and then just some light weight training time is added to it.  And, just stay as hydrated as possible.  It's kind of the only way I can prep and stay in tune.  My whole life is just racing, racing, racing at this point.  Until hopefully we can take a deep breath once we've made it to the top.

Melissa Perkins

Yeah, I didn't realize it was so hot. Is it like a sauna? Because of the gear that you're in and the helmet and everything?

Logan Misuraca

Yeah. So I live in Florida. So it's like one of the hottest places ever, anyway, and practice starts in broad daylight when the sun is gleaming down and the asphalt radiates heat from the track.

So it could be only seventy five degrees outside. But it's going to be ninety degrees radiating off of the track. So then you have the motor and engine heat blowing at your feet in the car. So that's heating you up even more on top of having three layers of fire retardant clothing with a helmet and a balaclava and everything. So everything is just like baking you in. So a lot of training is important as well as staying hydrated. You dropped so much water weight, just sitting in the car for the time that you're in it. So it's an important thing. Not getting out and then pass out.

Melissa Perkins

I am interested in the team that you've got around you as well.  I'm assuming that on the track you'd have to have a team around you.  Do want to take us through your team? And what makes you a success?

Logan Misuraca

So everybody on the team plays a very significant role.  Me as a driver, it's almost the less important role.  My job is just to go out there and do the best with what they have given me and stay clean and listen to what their calls are.

_____

And we have spotter, who is person on the radio up with the top of the track? I can see everything going on and they're the most trusted ones in my ears. So I'm listening to them during the I erased are telling me what's going on around me, because in that helmet I can't see like horse Vision like just straight in front of me and then and then we have a crew chief who makes all the main Halls of who does what and everything. We have a tire guy who goes in and picks out. What tires to run?

You could get the totally wrong tires and it's so like meticulous and how they choose it. We just have General mechanics who work on the car oversee, everything. So there's a lot of fundamentals to the business and the team to make it run properly and my team is located in North Carolina. So I'm not able to see them all the time. I just get to see them on the track. So we definitely just saying contact, even from the long-distance of what needs to get done what we need to do to improve for next time.

Yeah, this this might sound a bit like a cliche, but I was wondering, how have you ever change your tire on your car?

Oh yeah, thank you. Thank you enough. I had to teach my best friend. She called me and she's on the side of the highway and she had no idea how to change a car tire. And I was like very disappointed. So I think you're my best friend and he's still don't know how to do the spec. So it's like Walker through it and tell her what to do. But I learned that when I was

For five like my Dad, I wasn't going to let me even thrive. My first car. When I turned sixteen and I knew how to strip apart a motor rebuild it also my loan E oil changes done by me. Tired changes, no slack. That must mean all. That's awesome. I love that. So my mamba arm was like that with Maine. So it was like from a young age, no matter what you're going to be self reliance, you know, and to be able to change a tire on a car. So I really liked that. And I love that you're teaching ovens, too. So that's grown itself and it saves you a lot of triple labels. Hmm.

So Katie, did you want to ask a couple of questions? Sure, sure.

So you know I'm really fascinated by your story and your journey so far and you've referenced what your big goals are. But I don't want to assume those like tell us about your big goals and how you're going to get from where you are today to there. I would love to hear about that. Definitely, so our main goal right now is just staying consistent, and finding the best. Best partners that fit best in Synergy with my branding as well to just go through the ranks into the top and of course every person and NASCAR's goal is to make it to the cup series. The best of the best top of the top,

You're up there on TV. Every Sunday, was that everyone's big all, but my main thing coming into racing was just to be a role model for the younger girls that want to do it because it is a male-dominated sport. A lot of girls, get discouraged, whether it be on the track and just a man's ego or just rough words at the racetrack and just being able to like older girl and knowing you can still race like a girl and be the best so I'm wanting to start. Once I make make it up to the higher levels of NASCAR. I want to start a mentorship program for younger generation, female drivers, aged like 12 to 16 to where the older more.

The establish NASCAR drivers can assist them and tell them what they need to do. Whether a marketing. How they present themselves how they walk around the pits. And what they do and don't do on social media is behind the scenes stuff that not everybody would know. That would just give them an extra person. Just be that positive role model for them. So that's when my main goal. This is just making sure more people get it without being discouraged, because a lot of people get discouraged and leave his bed which I been so close to doing so many tax punishes. You gotta keep pushing thirty years so far. And now you just gotta keep going. So breaking the stereotypes, breaking the boundaries, either. The only one to hold yourself back. Just keep up. That's right. She cried. It's so important to stay. Take the next step bright and often being the only female in the space like, how does that feel.

For you. It's rewarding. And it's not even discouraging at this point. Like, yes, when I was younger, it was like, okay.

I'm the only girl at the racetrack. It's kind of awkward like, everyone's looking at me and they're like all paying attention to how I finished posts, girl, gonna like, that's not.

So she going to be. It's like all eyes are on you here at the racetrack but like now just doing it so long.

It's we're all the same car, doesn't tell, gender the track doesn't tell gender once. You have that helmet on were all drivers and we're all out there to do the same thing. We finally like have received this respect for each other of racing with each other for so long that it's just, we're all drivers were all out there. For the same end goal. The same Victory. We've all worked as hard as we could to get to this point. So it's a fully developed a whole new respect. So

It's an interesting World.

Sure. Is it sure is. And I know NASCAR is done a lot to bring forward like diversity equity, and inclusion, kind of initiative. So I feel like it's just such an amazing time for you to share your story and your voice. So what advice would you give somebody like my daughter is six, she loves watching race cars on TV, like we can turn that on and like walk away. She's just fascinated. So what kind of advice would you give those younger? Drivers out? There are aspiring Hers who want to be?

Just like you start and I get so many messages of like how girls can get started and how can they do this? And I'm just like just do it like you keep talking about it. You're never going to do it. I'm going to show to a local race track.

Ask them. Can I rent your ride? My driver car. How much is it gonna be like? Can I do this for you? Can I help on the car, just trying to get incorporated into it somehow? And then just building that positive reputation and branding for yourself to get more notice to get more track time, you get more training to just develop a name for yourself. And then when it's all about marketing. So they have to build that strong, presentable background and yourself and hype for yourself others to be able tubes. Racing is money. It costs a lot of money for us to be out there. So a lot of drivers can't just pull out their parents pocket book or their own pocket book and pay the Bill. So it that link takes a lot of behind the scenes and like internal business work to do. So let me just gotta do it and do it with your head held high, and that literally discouraging this the business and be professional and do it.

That's great advice. That is wonderful advice. Thank you so much, you know, I think that's really powerful for everybody to hear and just the kind of the resilience that you're that you're talking through and you've referenced like, marketing a couple different times and how important that is. And, you know, I don't want to assume anything but I think, you know, really good marketing is authentic, right? So how do you drive, like, authenticity in your marketing? And that type of thing.

I'm very bubbly. If you haven't noticed, fetisov, I'm very outgoing and very loud and very expressive like me. Moving my hands around like crazy. It's the Italian of me, sorry. But it's all about being creative and true to who you are and your marketing. So there maybe.

Tong over here that is in love with surfing but he's race car driver. He's building that brand of him being as unique as he is. And then I'm over here, jumping around the pits and writing buggies, down the stands and everything. Like that's just what I'm known for in the racing world. So everything in my content is just keeping it fun, keeping a creative and I mean, I just did a photo shoot the other day in a shopping cart, like, just something just like off the win. The But he would never like no but it's just me. So it's just keeping it true to who you are as an individual. Don't try to be anybody else. That's not what works for you. Do what works for you and the people who like you will like you for who you are and they'll follow you and support you and whatever you need. And that's the audience. You have to keep building because not everybody's the same.

And the people and the businesses who want to put their faith in you and have you market their product, they wanted you to market their product for a reason because he walked me were so stay true to yourself. Don't look at other people's content in like climbing to try to do that exactly the way that it doesn't work for. You doesn't work for your audience. You built your audience off of your image. Which stick with your niche? If embed so true, it's some something that we as well. Yeah. I am definitely around being on my authentic and the contents. You are making sure that it actually is true to who you are our ah. You've spoke of business skills, a law. So take us her way. You've learnt these business skills from.

So I'm I'm not a business major and I could never do that. I tried for one semester and I was like, I can't like it was so boring to me and it was just these like, professional standing up in their suits and like this is not me like I want to do something fun. So then I started doing aerospace engineering which is always been a passion of mine since I was super young. Like space is my thing. I'm obsessed with space Stars, everything do a space. So business and marketing aspect was never in my life until I Started racing and it was like, okay, this is needed because I don't come from a very wealthy family, like we're very comfortable with where we live. We both have just paid tax coming in at left and right, so's my dad. Just told me Logan, you want to race, you have to get funding and you have to Market these products, the way that you need to, to be able to bring a value to these sponsors.

So I had to learn very young, I'm signing up even to this day, like I don't have it all perfected yet or else.

I would be racing every single day of my life. If I did and I take marketing courses online on Just Apps and listen to seminars and Summits and just listening to what other people's information is knowledge always wins.

So I never never just settle for what I know now I'm always trying to learn more because some person might find something that works a little bit.

Better. And then you can portray that into your own incorporation.

So, I never was involved with business or business skills at all. That's fully like, trying to learn on my own time while I sit here in my office all day,

I wish the other thing. Are you really good at computer games? And your thing when you took before around the NASCAR online, that yours is up one of your hobbies? Or what do you do for fun outside of NASCAR? Oh a NASCAR. My leg Zen mode is gonna teach the girls at the dance studio. Honestly for you. Yeah. Know? Especially being in a male dominated sport, but wanting to encourage young ones. There's not very many young females. So if I go to the dance studio, there's abundant females that I can encourage obviously going to Leslie dancing as my fruits and fell in love dancing when I was two years old. So going there. That's like my happy place, my happy space to get my mind off when I need to have a nice balance between the tail. And those girls brings such joy into my life. So that's definitely one of my.

Higher points that out. Yeah, studio.

So, what type of dance do you do?

We do a little bit of everything, so, we're competitive dance. Team, we have a few different teams, so we do like, contemporary jazz hip-hop ballet. So, I just train them at all those aspects, and then we go to very high competitive dance competition. So, they've been doing very good this year. So, on my weekends off that I can, I always go and try to train them and help them. So they Remain directors. Always there at the studio. I'm just their choreographer first.

So, you've got a really good Creative Flair, and but your creative space and like my little touch on everything unique spin.

Yeah, you're talking about affirmations as well before. So do you want to take us through like the affirmations or do from Fit Kids perspective and live louder? You don't think this is something that's quite personal to Katie and I, and I know we've provided you with our live louder affirmations and yes, I can cherish the journey you want to take us through some of those and why. So meaningful for you.

Absolutely.

So I like I always try to get into my head to never live a life ordinary, so whenever I need that extra push for the extra. Like some everybody has their days when they don't wake up on the right side of the bed. They just don't feel like

Super motivated. Or don't want to go to the Jammer. Don't want to go to work. And they just wanna stay in bed and sleep it. Just it takes a little extra push. So unhappily and therapy, I'm very open about with everybody. It just I think everybody belongs on therapy just to better themselves and just find a new way of thinking is knowledge winds. So in awe English is gives you a new route to think whether your way works or whether it doesn't like you always have someone to bounce ideas off of. So I didn't start heavily getting into positive affirmations until six seven months ago. And now they're surrounding my office. So and I grew up lot heavier into my face, like around that time, two, six, seven months ago. So I would always find little Scriptures in my Bible that I can put on my little whiteboard that I had the middle pulling random exonic for the day and renounces the best cause.

I like to think I'm the best. I have affirmations on just a little sticky notes, around my office around my space, I have them in my car on my things and every time before I leave in the morning, I try to say five little positive affirmations to myself before I head out the door, just before I put makeup on. Before I do my hair waking up, as insect-like as I look. Just say my true feelings to myself in the mirror, how I need to portray the day and my therapist always says.

You as soon as you start saying it to yourself and saying it to yourself, you're going to start believing it.

So if someone says oh, you're ugly, you're ugly, you're ugly, you're ugly, you're ugly, you're going to start believing it, and then that's going to set the negativity in your head. So it's overriding and negativity with the positivity and just saying, I am this and like I was mine says today, I cherish the journey because

I mean, this isn't an easy gig. This is not an easy World being a NASCAR. It's not an easy ride. It's not smooth for anybody. Everyone has their ups and downs in life, no matter what. Nascar is hard, especially me, I'm only 22. So I have like a lot of responsibilities for a 22 year-old this compared to a lot of people and I know. So that's a nice little reminder. That everything I'm doing is worth it or gonna make it to the top. A lot of doors will be shut in my face. We're just waiting for that one to open so Affirmation to skip your mind. Turning keeps them in the right space. And then, I mean, the work written for nothing, they had to been written for something. No, it's so true.

I love it, too. And yeah, it's something that's, you know, relatively new to me as well and you write it.

Just Tom. It gives you an extra edge. So it might be that two to three percent bad when you have a soy competitive in that space as well. That makes a massive difference. Ah. Those you know, two and three percent and soil intensive fitness, sir. I missed chiming as well. Ami was saying they hate arm, but all sorry. Just the wear and tear on your body because you are a ship you learned from for someone like me. That arm doesn't understand NASCAR. You know seeing in Australia. We dorm? Really? I think we have the Bathurst five hundred and a mod. They can send that info correctly. I'm your what. What does it take arm in terms of staying fit outside? So?

Racing is kind of out of tune with any other Fitness routine because we're just sitting, we are just sitting in a car so it's not like we have to be as bulky as a football player, which is actually at this like a disadvantage for us. So driving. We just have to work out our on so we can do this all the time and there's like power steering of going around. The turns you have the G force was always working around your arms. We have a helmet on and the g-force is pushing her head, so it's always like keeping that neck and fully lined. Like, yes, we You have proper gear to kind of keep it in line, but we always have to like get a nice snack workout and then of course just like maintaining your body, keeping it healthy, keeping a hydrated because they are long racist and just preparing your muscles for the beating and banging that you are going to be doing out there like on from them fingers crossed. You don't get in a wreck but if you knew things are going to be sore. So if they're like properly worked out and

Used to this feeling, they're going to be a little less or so it's just kind of saying on top of everything, but just mainly focusing on just a nice lean comfortable healthy physique. Nothing too overboard. Just staying hydrated. Yeah. So, um, have you had a bad crotch?

No, she's touch wood. Yes. Nothing yet.

Dad, crashes cost a lot of money. I don't even care about The injuries on me. I carry about the money about the car.

I just thought you'd have insurance.

Oh. I'm worried they won't cover you for insurance. So that's it. You have to pay for the whole car. All I got. No wonder I can't break it. You buy it in the racing ROM. Ah. Okay. Yeah. Well that makes a lot more sense than that. Som. Yeah. That would be very stressful. Oh yeah. Even just tap another part. This regulates a three hundred dollar comporary effects. Yeah. And doubt it's pricing. That's a high risk. High reward? Kind of sport? Right. Definitely. That's really incredible. I mean, your journey and what you're working on. I mean, especially considering your your young age and everything you've accomplished. That's that's amazing.

You know, I think you were really exemplify, what living louder means to you. So can you tell us like when you hear the phrase living louder? Like, what does that mean, what does that mean to you? And how do you live that way?

I think it's just being a voice and having a voice so you can just share proudly and confidently to others and let them follow along and just being. Like I said earlier, I like to live like anything less than or anything more. Finn extraordin are ordinary like I like to just live beyond the boundaries push my limits as much as I can. So living louder is just having that voice to show people and model it to everybody that we can beat ordinary and our own web or in other people's way and different Peoples eye. So it's just exposing that voice to others to make them feel even better about themselves to to push themselves.

I mean, not only am I in, like the loudest sport ever.

It's very noisy in there. So I live in the clouds Lane, just to finish off. Is there anything that you wouldn't leave home without my journal?

My journal? Every. I'm like I'll just have like a great idea in my head or a new content idea or a new thing that I want to do or new program. I want to start or something. I want to get done, always jotted down in my journal so I do not leave home without it, it stays in my purse all the time and of course my phone is, my whole business is on my phone so I can't live without my phone literally.

Also I will. Thank you so much B as mine. Absolutely really appreciate it. And yet, you're really, truly amazing. Eom. You don't believe that you will definitely succeeds your very driven disciplines. And and no, you don't even need to cross your fingers. I know it. Tangier lane. And we want you to know it as well slur. It's truly incredible. So I thank you so much, Logan for your time on and we look forward to seeing what he do. Absolutely as I'll be involved. So nobody probably guys again will definitely be cheering you from the side blinds. Be sure your team has not scored. Yeah. No problems and Q. S Logan. It was an honor. Thank you so much.