From Zero to Marathon with Sarah Paupini Ep. 170

Can you transform from a gym class avoider to a marathon runner? Join us as we explore Sarah Paupini's remarkable journey from someone who loathed running to training for a marathon in memory of her late father. Sarah sheds light on how she found strength and motivation from her community, turning an immense personal challenge into a source of inspiration. This episode is a testament to the extraordinary power of ordinary people breaking past stereotypes and embracing their fears.

Sara is an attorney with the NYS Office of Mental Health- she is active in the local theater community and proud pet mama to Puccini and Nala. She is a newbie to running- but has been secretly wanting to shake things up in her world by running a marathon. She got more than she bargained for!

Heather Fuselier is an author, speaker, and board-certified health coach. And she is a runner!

Heather earned her nickname “Healthy Heather” from her enthusiasm to help everyone around her connect with all the elements in their lives that help them sustain balance in health and wellness. Her main gig is working with organizations to help them create and deliver employee wellbeing programs. Whether she’s working with one client or speaking to hundreds of people on her radio broadcast and podcast, Heather Solves Everything, she approaches healthy living like a journey. Her book, "Happy, Healthy You: Breaking the Rules for a Well-Balanced Life," is available wherever books are sold.

Maggie Seymour, a Major in the US Marine Corps Reserve and Foreign Service Officer with the Department of State, and (drum roll please)......an avid ultra runner. But not just any runner. She is a runner on a mission. Check out this episode where we talk about her mission and the stigma of running while pregnant. So random! But we go where the conversation needs to take us.

She's a small-town Midwestern girl at heart who believes in the power of hard work, education, community, and carbs. In 2017 she ran across the nation to raise awareness and support for those who supported her during her military career. Now she’s setting out to run across the rest of the 50 states benefitting the causes you care about the most. You can read about that at www.runfreerun.com She is an ACE certified personal trainer and health coach, an RRCA Level II certified run coach, and USATF Level I certified track and field coach with Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching.

In her off the road life, she holds a BA in Political Science, an MA in Military History, an MA in Journalism, and a PhD in International Studies. She is currently working on a Masters in Sociology and a Masters in Joint Leadership. When Maggie is not running she's working, writing, cooking/baking, studying, or chasing after her 1 yr old son with the help of her 11-yr-old stepdaughter and partner.

Jessica Payne is not only a runner with many running miles under her belt, she's also a published author!

Jessica grew up in Kansas City, later moving to the Pacific Northwest where the mountains and Puget Sound became home. Beyond writing, she loves to run, rock climb, and explore the great outdoors with her daughter and husband. She is an RN and recently finished her degree as a nurse practitioner. When holding still, which isn’t often, you’ll find a book in her hand and a cat or dog in her lap. Jessica writes suspense and thriller and is the host of #MomsWritersClub on Twitter and YouTube. Her debut novel, MAKE ME DISAPPEAR, is a twisty psychological thriller about a woman on the edge who is willing to do anything to escape her sociopathic—potentially dangerous—boyfriend, including arranging her own kidnapping. It releases May 16th.

Wendi Berger is a Licensed Massage Therapist, Nutrition Consultant, Personal Trainer, and Runner.

Wendi's journey into health and fitness started 28 years ago after many years of working in the restaurant and catering business.

In 1995, she graduated from The Desert Institute of Healing Arts in Tucson Arizona and received a Degree in massage therapy specializing in Sports/Deep Tissue Massage. She opened her own massage studio with the sole purpose of helping people heal their bodies through massage therapy. She soon realized that healing doesn’t just happen…It’s a process.

This led her to personal Training. In 2005 she was certified through NCSF and started training clients and teaching them how to take ownership of their own health and wellbeing through hard work, discipline and consistency. It was amazing for her learn that our bodies can do incredible things if we are willing to put in the time and effort. She saw clients quickly see that they are much stronger and capable than they give themselves credit for.

In 2013, she moved to Houston and established a new massage and training clientele. The first thing she did was join a gym and just by chance met some incredible women, all around her age who were triathletes. She had always been a gym rat but this was something entirely new and challenging. She decided that if they could make their bodies do what they were doing, then so could she. So she started training.

She soon realized that all of the training in the world wasn’t taking her anywhere without learning how to fuel her machine (body) correctly. So, she hired a nutritionist who changed her whole world!

The more she learned, the more she wanted to share with others.

She earned her nutrition certification through NAMS, and her new focus then became teaching people how to integrate good food and healthy habits into their daily lives.

Not everyone is an athlete, or a gym rat. Whether a person is a Mother, Father, Student or C.E.O, everyone’s primary goal is the same—to be healthy, fit and able to enjoy their time on this earth.

With WBWellness it is not only her job but her mission to be a coach and support system without judgement or pressure. Her job is to help anyone looking for positive change to recognize their goal, reach for it and succeed.

Life is short. It’s time to make the most of it and be the best YOU that YOU CAN BE!

T.J. Bryan is the phenomenal 76-year-old marathoner.

T. J. Bryan is a member of a small group of women over 75 years of age who run in marathons. She began running at age 64 and has experienced success at a range of distances. From 2009 to 2019, T. J. completed 53 races, including ten marathons. In eight of these 26.2-mile races, she ran fast enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon. She has run in the Boston Marathon three times. She has registered for the Boston Marathon five times, and each time her registration has been accepted.

T. J. belongs to two Maryland running groups—the Baltimore Pacemakers and the Baltimore Road Runners Club. T. J. also belongs to a number of online running groups: Black Runners Connection, Forever Runners over 50, Marathon Runners, National Black Marathoners Association, Runners over 50, Running after 60, and Runners 70 and over.

After earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Morgan State University and a doctoral degree in English language and literature from the University of Maryland at College Park, T. J. became a professor, academic administrator, and university chancellor, respectively. During her professional career, she published articles on women writers and on a range of higher-education topics. She lives in Pennsylvania and runs both in her state of residence and in Maryland. She has been married since 1980 to David Preston, a runner. They are parents of an adult son, Bryan Preston.

Kim Sundling is living proof that your mental health cannot stop you from living your best life ever.

Kim is a Board Certified Psych Pharmacist and a Mental Health Advocate. She shares her inspiring story that you are more than your mental health.

"I have struggled with many things over my life, but I refuse to let it hold me back. I have bipolar disorder, OCD, GAD, bulimia, and lupus, which impacts my everyday life. My diseases will be with me my whole life, but that doesn’t mean I can’t live my life."

YES! This woman is incredible. Listen to her near death experience story that started her on this journey to run a marathon. And the journey has not stopped. This Boston Marathoner will convince you that the human body and the Woman spirit is LIMITLESS!

Meet Sean Kachmarski, ultra-marathon runner, author, and devoted family man. Sean’s journey to running success is not typical, but it is undoubtedly inspirational. Diagnosed with kidney stones in his mid-40’s, Sean was moved to do something to correct his health and be a better father and husband to his family. Starting with the Couch to 5K program, he progressed to park runs in England and eventually 10k races.

He set his sights higher on one of England’s iconic races: the 2015 Great North Run, an emotional event for Sean that taught him an important lesson: you can always judge a race by how they treat their last place runners. Fueled by this crowning achievement, Sean once again set the bar higher as he fully embraced the mantle of “runner”: marathons and ultra-marathons soon were conquered, leading Sean to write a book on writing — Just Finish: Don’t Think You Can, Know You Can.

Hoping to inspire would-be runners with his story, Sean is living proof that you can move from the “back of the pack” and become a true runner in unconventional ways.