It's been an entire year since I recorded an episode of the She Prevails Podcast.
And honestly, I wasn't even consistent before that.
I recently went back and listened to some of my old episodes from 2019, and holy shit. First of all, apparently I used to talk completely differently. Second, some of those episodes are pretty cringey.
But there was something about that version of me that I really admired.
She was fearless.
She had something to say, believed it was worth sharing, and didn't seem overly concerned about what anyone thought.
Somewhere along the way, I started overthinking things. What should I talk about? Where is this podcast going? What's the point?
I've learned that when I try to force something, it usually doesn't work very well. Sometimes things just need time to make sense.
And after a year away, I finally feel like I have a clearer direction.
But first, we have a lot to catch up on.
Two Years of Running Every Single Day
On November 11, 2026, I'll celebrate two years of running at least one mile every single day.
That still sounds a little crazy when I say it out loud.
I started my run streak in 2024 after finishing a marathon and completely losing momentum.
I stopped running. Stopped lifting. Stopped eating well. Pretty much went from 100 to zero.
My running coach, Joe, challenged me to start a run streak. So I decided to run one mile.
Then I figured I'd do it for a week.
Then a month.
Then 100 days.
And here we are, almost two years later.
The biggest thing this streak has given me is something consistent to hold onto, even when everything else feels chaotic.
Some days I have a great workout, eat well, drink my water, and feel like I have my shit together.
Other days? Not even close.
But I still run my mile.
I've run in snow, rain, ridiculous heat, and even jeans because I knew if I went inside to change clothes, I probably wouldn't go back out.
And that's taught me something interesting about consistency.
I used to put a lot of emphasis on discipline. I believed that if you wanted something badly enough, you just had to be disciplined enough to do it.
My perspective has changed.
I'm much more interested in understanding how we create habits that fit into our lives and why certain actions feel so difficult to follow through on.
The run streak has become part of who I am. It's something I do, even when the circumstances aren't ideal.
And it's kept me from completely stopping.
Training for a Marathon I Decided Not to Run
This year, I joined Team Endure, a group led by my running coach through Project Endure.
We've spent the year connecting through weekly calls, challenging conversations, and shared experiences. In April, I traveled to Philadelphia to meet the group in person for the first time.
I even celebrated my 37th birthday there by doing my first cold plunge.
It was awful. And pretty badass.
As part of the team, I committed to two races: the Garmin Kansas City Half Marathon and the Philadelphia Marathon.
I started training in July and followed my plan more consistently than I had in the past.
On October 17, I ran the Kansas City Half Marathon in 1:55:55.
A personal record.
And I was pretty damn proud of it, especially because I'd started dealing with knee pain the week before.
But a couple of days after the race, I had to have an honest conversation with myself.
I'd been training for months. I'd put in long runs, speed workouts, and countless hours preparing.
And I didn't want to run the Philadelphia Marathon anymore.
My knee was still bothering me. The timing didn't feel right. And I had this gut feeling that I needed to listen to.
The hardest part wasn't deciding not to run.
It was giving myself permission to make that decision.
I care a lot about following through on commitments. I don't like quitting things. And I was worried about what other people would think.
But once I made the decision and started telling people, I felt relieved.
That was enough for me.
Sometimes we get so caught up in following through with the original plan that we forget to ask ourselves whether the plan still makes sense.
I'm still proud of the training I completed.
I'm proud of my half-marathon PR.
And I'm proud that I trusted myself enough to change my mind.
Seeing 100 Miles From the Other Side
A year ago, I completed my first 100-mile ultramarathon.
This past weekend, I returned to that same race, but this time I was there to support my friend and coach Felicia as she ran her first 100 miler.
I got to pace her for one loop on the same course I'd run the year before.
It was surreal.
But the biggest difference was experiencing what it takes to support someone through a race like that.
The crew has to anticipate what the runner needs, prepare food, manage gear, solve problems, and get that person back out for another loop.
It's basically a NASCAR pit crew, except your driver is running 100 miles.
I've always appreciated the people who supported me during my races, but being on the other side gave me an entirely new level of respect for them.
There's so much that goes into helping someone accomplish something difficult.
And sometimes being part of someone else's accomplishment is just as meaningful as chasing your own.
I'll be sharing more about that experience in another episode because there's a lot to unpack.
My Role at Prevail Gym Has Completely Changed
One of the biggest changes in my life this year has been my role at Prevail Gym.
I've coached fewer than five classes in the past year and haven't coached a single personal training session.
That is a massive shift from where I was a year ago.
We now have a team handling about 90% of the day-to-day operations, and my responsibilities have moved toward sales, leadership, and business development.
When I look at our schedule today compared to last year, it's almost unrecognizable.
We've expanded our services, added coaching opportunities, and created more structure around helping people reach their goals.
We've also made a deliberate shift in how we approach coaching.
For a long time, we were primarily known for group fitness and community. And community is still at the heart of what we do.
But we've been working toward becoming a coaching-focused company.
That means helping people with more than their workouts.
It means understanding their goals, identifying obstacles, creating realistic plans, and helping them navigate the challenges that inevitably come up.
And through that process, I've discovered something about myself.
I've Fallen in Love With a Different Kind of Coaching
One of my favorite parts of my job now is sitting down with members for goal reviews.
We talk about what they're working toward, what's going well, and where they're struggling.
And I started noticing a pattern.
People would come into these conversations and say things like:
"I'm just lazy."
"I'm not disciplined."
"I know what I need to do. I just need to do it."
"I just need more motivation."
And every time, I'd find myself thinking, I don't think that's actually the problem.
Because I see these people showing up.
I see them working hard.
I see them making an effort.
And I don't believe that the majority of people who struggle to follow through are simply lazy or undisciplined.
I think there's usually something else happening.
Maybe they're overwhelmed.
Maybe they're afraid of failing.
Maybe they're trying to change too many things at once.
Maybe their expectations are unrealistic.
Or maybe the plan they're trying to follow doesn't actually fit their life.
And that's the stuff I love figuring out.
I call it solving the thing before the thing.
We get so focused on the thing we're not doing that we overlook whatever is making that action difficult in the first place.
Through these coaching conversations, I've realized how much I enjoy helping people uncover that obstacle, look at the situation differently, and create a simple plan to move forward.
Sometimes that plan is ridiculously simple.
I've literally had a member write "beef and cheese" on his goal card because that was the practical solution we came up with to help him eat more consistently.
That's coaching, too.
It doesn't always have to be some profound, life-changing revelation.
Sometimes it's helping someone figure out the next realistic thing they can do.
And watching people actually follow through on those actions has been incredibly rewarding.
Apparently, I've Been Passionate About This Since 2019
As I've been exploring this different kind of coaching, I've started having more conversations with women outside the gym.
Women who want to start businesses.
Women who have big goals but feel overwhelmed by everything they think they need to do first.
Women who know what they want but can't seem to get themselves moving.
And I kept recognizing the same patterns.
Different goals. Different circumstances. Similar obstacles.
That got me thinking about what I really want to do next.
So I went back and watched some of my old YouTube videos from 2019.
And there I was, seven years ago, talking about discipline, overcoming obstacles, changing the way we think, and helping people take action.
Apparently, I've been passionate about this stuff for a long time.
My life looks completely different now than it did in 2019.
I've opened a business, become an endurance runner, built a team, and learned a hell of a lot about coaching.
But the underlying message hasn't really changed.
I've always loved helping people recognize that they're capable of more than they think.
I just have a much better understanding now of how I want to help them do it.
Slowing Down While Taking on New Challenges
Here's the funny thing about this past year.
When I list everything I've done, it sounds like I've been busier than ever.
But I've actually slowed down.
I've spent more time with my family.
I've stepped away from some responsibilities in my business.
I've given myself permission to change goals.
And I've started paying more attention to what I genuinely enjoy doing.
I'm still ambitious. I still love challenging myself. I still have big ideas about what I want to accomplish.
But I'm learning that I can pursue those things while also making room for the life I want to live right now.
That has been a pretty significant change for me.
What's Next for She Prevails?
I'm bringing this podcast back because I finally feel like I have a clearer understanding of what I want it to become.
I want to tell stories.
Stories about my life, the things I'm learning, the mistakes I'm making, and the challenges I'm working through.
I want to sit down with other women and hear their stories, too.
And I want to have deeper conversations about the things that keep people stuck.
Fear. Overwhelm. Confidence. Discipline. Change. Overthinking. All of it.
I've been sharing some of these thoughts through talking-head videos on Instagram and TikTok, but I love the opportunity a podcast gives us to go deeper.
I also want to start coaching women who are ready to make changes in their lives but aren't quite sure how to move forward.
That might look like short challenges, group coaching, workshops, or eventually retreats.
I'm still figuring out exactly what that will look like.
And yes, there's some fear involved.
What if it doesn't work?
What if people judge me?
What if I put myself out there and nobody signs up?
All the same things I hear other people talk about when they're trying to do something new.
Which is kind of funny, considering this is exactly what I want to help people work through.
So I'm going to take my own advice and start taking action.
The Next Chapter
A year ago, I was celebrating running 100 miles.
This year, some of the biggest changes in my life haven't been nearly as visible.
They've happened in the way I think, the way I lead, the way I coach, and the way I approach my own goals.
I'm excited to share more of that with you.
And if you're someone who has a goal, a dream, or something you've been wanting to change but you keep finding yourself stuck, I hope these conversations help you look at things a little differently.
Because I genuinely believe we're capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for.
Sometimes we just need a little help figuring out what's standing in the way.
Listen to the full episode of She Prevails Podcast, "A Year Later: 100 Miles, Big Changes, and What's Next," on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or right here on the website.
And as always, keep prevailing.