Meet Nikkia Young. Nikkia is breaking barriers as a runner!

She lives in Richmond, VA, where is part of a supportive running community. She coaches new walkers and runners in 5K., 8k, and half marathon distances. She has served as the President and Treasurer of the Richmond Road Runners Club where she is also a race director. Nikkia represents a myriad of amazing companies such as SaltStick, ProCompression, SPIBelt, and Fitness Protection Program.

To date she has completed 27 half marathons, and 4 full marathons. Her top accomplishments so far is PRing the Chicago Marathon in 2018. When she is not training for her next road race she is a financial analyst, an active volunteer for her beloved sorority (Alpha Sigma Alpha) and dog mom to a cute basset beagle mix named Ranger.

In this episode, we talk about how she is breaking barriers as a plus size runner and a woman of color. And her story on how she started running will surprise you. Lots of laughs in the episode.

Meet Sharon Mosley. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor with over 20 years of experience and is a runner! We are going to talk about movement and how it impacts your mental health.

Meet Warrior Becky Croft! Yes, you read that correctly. And when you finish listening to this episode, that is exactly how you will see her. She is a runner and certified Chi Running instructor and RRCA run coach in Oklahoma.

After enduring several surgeries, 2 rounds of menopause, and eventually a full hysterectomy caused by Endometriosis, she searched for younger menopausal endurance athletes like herself. Unable to find anyone in a similar situation, she had to make her own way back to faster paces and longer distances in a new body without hormones. She now advocate for women in similar situations and have strived to create some sense of community to support them in their journeys so they don't feel alone.

In this episode, we get real talking about menopause and Becky's journey on how she had to advocate for herself through her journey.

Meet Sharon Mosley. She is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor with over 20 years of experience and is a runner! We are going to talk about movement and how it impacts your mental health.

Sharon's educational background includes degrees in Agency Counseling (M.S.) and History (B.A) from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. She is the owner of The Fit Talk PLLC and her approach to therapy is person centered combined with cognitive behavior therapy and mindfulness practices. Sharon offers counseling and health coaching services to individuals and groups. She has experience providing individual, family and group therapy for those struggling with a variety of mental health issues including anxiety and depression. She also holds an A.C.E. health coach certification.

Sharon is committed to healthier living and believes one of the best ways to approach this is through walk and talk therapy. She encourages clients to move beyond the office setting and take their sessions outside for a walk when possible. Sharon enjoys giving back to her community and served 15 years as a volunteer Mental Health Disaster Therapist with the American Red Cross, assisting families and individuals in crisis. She is also a member of the American Counseling Association. In her spare time, she enjoys swimming and participating in races including 5ks and half marathons.

Meet Alexandra Ellis. She is a Mobility Coach and wellness expert who helps active people move smarter, maintain their bodies, and maximize strength with customized wellness plans so they can enjoy life without pain. Everything a runner needs!!

She is the creator of AE Wellness and host of The Body Nerd Show. Her teaching and studies focus on injury prevention, rehabilitation and wellness, inspired by her studies at UC Davis where she earned a BS in Exercise Biology. Her programs have helped people worldwide get stronger and out of pain so they can step into their greatest potential.

Meet Kari-Ann Wanat. Kari-Ann is leveling up the running community by creating a space for all runners to meet, cheer, race, and train.

Kari-Ann has started running over ten years ago. She's ran in over 40 half marathons and 14 marathons. But it really started with Jamaica! Yes! Listen to how she started this running community where you can even find set up a cheer squad during a race. The community is predominantly in NYC but Kari-Ann is thinking BIG.

Listen to the episode and connect with Kari-Ann on her website Run-N-Race NYC

Meet Vicki Bentley-Condit. Vicki started running marathons at the age of 46 in 2003. Do the math!

She is a biological anthropologist and a college professor at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa. Her research has been on mother-infant relationships in baboons and baboon nutrition, conducted in Kenya. She is semi-retired but still actively teaching.

Her first race was the Peachtree 10k in the mid-90's while she was finishing grad school at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Her first distance race was a half marathon in Des Moines, IA in 2003. Since then, she has completed over 108 marathons with 50 miles being the longest distance. She completed her first round of the 50 states in Hawaii in 2017 and finished the 50 States Sub-4 (a marathon in under 4 hrs in each state) in January of 2019 at age 61 in Mobile, AL. Vicki was the 24th female to complete the 50<4. She is also a Boston 50 Marathon Club 5-Star Finisher . This means she ran a Boston qualifying marathon in all 50 states. For Vicki, age is not a deterrent to be limitless!

CONNECT WITH VICKI:

BENTLEYC@grinnell.edu

Tes Sobomehin Marshall is a Race Director and Atlanta running community leader. Tes has been organizing group runs, training teams and road races since 2011 through runningnerds, LLC. An Indiana native and graduate of University of Virginia, she has been in Atlanta since 2010 and currently resides in Southwest Atlanta in the Cascade neighborhood with her husband and daughter.

Runningnerds offers a variety of road race experiences and distances and a weekly run group for all paces. Partnering with corporate, charity and community organizations since 2011, runningnerds has produced and directed over 200 races, large group runs, and training seasons.

Runningnerds, LLC continues to strive to be an excellent social forum, resource and service to the contemporary running community.

Dr. Kimberly Melvan is a board-certified physical therapist with more than 12 years experience in sports medicine. She specializes in running-related injury prevention and treatment, video gait analysis, and run coaching.

Dr. Melvan developed an interest in amateur running after playing collegiate basketball; running her first half marathon during her graduate studies. After earning her doctorate in physical therapy, she moved to a reviving New Orleans, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. Thriving in the city’s rebirth, she developed an active outpatient physical therapy practice and completed her strength and conditioning certification. Driven by the allure of a larger healthcare network, Dr. Melvan moved to Atlanta to join Emory Healthcare, the largest healthcare provider in Georgia. In less than two years, she achieved the role of outpatient clinic manager, the first woman and youngest individual to hold this position at Emory. With the help of her leadership, she developed one of the lowest performing clinics into a top earning physical therapy clinic in less than 5 years time. During her time at Emory, she actively engaged in volunteerism at local at-risk women’s shelters, participated in weekly running groups, and supported high school football players on the sideline. Moreover, she earned her board certification as a sports certified specialist (SCS), founded Emory Healthcare’s first running clinic, earned certifications as a kinesiotape practitioner and assisted soft tissue mobilization provider. It was also in Atlanta, that Dr. Melvan and her husband began growing their family, welcoming their first son. Juist prior to the Covid pandemic, Dr. Melvan and family relocated to Fort Lauderdale, where a second son was soon born. As a young mother, Dr. Melvan has recently began focusing on developing her own practice, looking to assist both amateur and professional runners alike prepare for and enjoy an active running lifestyle.

Heather Hart is an exercise physiologist, full time running coach, mom of two, and ultra runner who believes that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary feats.

Together with her husband, Heather co-founded Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching, an in person and virtual coaching service specializing in helping people balance training with family, work, and "real life". Over the last 15 years, Heather has participated in a gamut of endurance sports, from road running, to triathlon, to obstacle course racing, and even adventure racing. But her heart and soul is running on the trails. When she's not training for ultramarathons, you can find Heather as a regular in the weight room at the gym, or writing educational posts and sharing personal stories on her blog Relentless Forward Commotion.

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.

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!

I interrupt your regularly scheduled program..... Spring is here! So of course I have to share with you all the new running programs and new podcast season coming up! So excited to launch in a couple of days. Listen in on how Ella-Go is going to help you level up.

Meet Nicci Roberston, a Functional Nutritionist and PNI Master Practitioner. She is helping her clients see eating healthy and preventing chronic illness to another level.

We are getting deep in this episode. Nicci talks about the emotional connection with eating healthy and chronic disease. She shares her own personal story on how her life experiences impacted her health. She also talks about functional nutrition: What is it? And why it may be the game changer you need to help you eat healthier and prevent chronic illness.

Meet Gabby Villa, a nutritionist and triathlete. Gabby specializes in helping triathletes achieve their best results through individualized nutrition.

​Gabby's mission is to empower people to find the best version of themselves and accompany them on their way to achieving their goals. She helps her clients discover the magic of eating with purpose to improve training and quality of life.

In this episode, Gabby will dispel the myths surrounding diet culture and athletic performance, noting how important fats, proteins, and carbs (yes, carbs!) are to optimal results. She'll also review some nutrition tips for training, including pre-race carb intake and post-race recovery.

Meet Brian Scott, a retired athletic trainer who worked at the high school and collegiate levels with a brief stint in minor league baseball. Brian started as a full time practicing physician's assistant in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine over 14 years ago.​

He is also the host of the Injured List podcast, your go-to source for everything about injuries related to sport, from fantasy sports injury updates to educational healthy tidbits for the weekend warrior.

In this episode, Brian discusses the types of athletes he's treated throughout his career and common injuries which occur in runners. He emphasizes the importance of cross-training and understanding your own physical baseline so that pain and injury management can become more precise and accurate.

He also covers the difference between male and female injuries, the mechanics of running, and steps you can take to prevent future injuries.

Meet Lisa Adams, a life coach, fitness trainer, and professional speaker. Lisa has been a part of the military family for over 20 years. She brings a unique approach to dealing with trauma that stems from her marriage to a military member who was injured and diagnosed with PTSD in 2006.

Lisa has experience working as an Education Assistant supporting students with trauma issues, special needs, and learning disabilities. She has been a volunteer with the Peer Support Program with Operational Stress Injury Social Support (OSISS) for the past 3 years.

In this episode, Lisa will share her insights on finding the perfect running shoe, how to deal with your personal demons, and what she personally takes away from working with victims of trauma.

Meet Tanya Burton, the proud owner of The Diet Doc Sedalia. Her love for fitness and health inspires her to motivate and encourage all those she meets. She is a wife, licensed massage therapist, and an ISSA certified personal trainer.

She grew up with an active lifestyle playing multiple sports in high school. However, after college she started to slow down and began gaining weight. Tanya transformed her life by hiring an online coach and used the flexible dieting approach to lose 50 pounds in one year. She continued to study nutrition and discovered how to manage her weight forever.

In the last three years Tanya has run three Tough Mudder events, a half marathon, and competed in her first physique show. When several friends, family, and fellow gym-goers began regularly coming to Tanya for nutrition, weight loss, and fitness advice, she realized how much she enjoyed helping others.

She is grateful to be providing specialized and custom nutrition, weight loss, and fitness services to help clients achieve their health and fitness goals.

Meet Laura Ligos, a registered dietician offering a “food first” approach to her clients. Known as the “Sassy Dietician,” Laura shares her zest for life through her private consultations with fitness-focused females who are looking to optimize their health.

Laura attempts to help her clients look at food as a noun, not a verb, and offers ways to fuel your body to remain active throughout your entire life. She tackles hormonal issues, personal relationships with food, and the benefits of making better nutritional choices.

In the episode, Laura gives her thoughts on intuitive eating, tracking macros, and the controversial Keto diet. Learning to trust yourself, your body, and your mind can help you find longevity and lasting health, and Laura hopes to instill that trust into each client she works with.

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.

Meet Kristen Yerger, a certified nutritionist, network marketer, and wellness mentor to moms and teachers everywhere.

A former softball player with sights set on Olympic glory, Kristen was forced to retire from the sport when she sustained a shoulder injury in high school. As the years passed, Kristen learned how to move past failure and accept that life isn’t always going to be perfect, applying these mantras when alcoholism nearly threatened to pull her marriage apart.

Now a devoted runner and 4 AM early-riser, Kristen details what helped her save her marriage, discover a new purpose, and re-establish her own identity. She now coaches teachers and mothers, encouraging them to be 1% better than they were the day before.