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87 - Kara Goucher Redefines Herself

I first met Kara Goucher a few years ago on the RallySport pool deck standing around in bikinis while our kids were swimming. Kara had just moved to Boulder and was back in the groove of professional racing after having a baby a few years prior. She is a highly decorated distance runner, and has been one of the best runners in America for over a decade.
Kara started running in grade school but she really began to tap into her potential after college moving up in distance, running the 5000m and 10000m finals in the 2008 Olympics and then making her way to the Marathon earning 10th place in the 2012 Olympics. She just barely missed the Olympic team in 2016 and since then has begun to see her career in a different light. Her goals today are very different than even three years ago. She is more focused on living a happy life fully present in the moment.
My biggest regret as I reflected on this interview is that I didn’t get to know Kara sooner. I love this woman. She is fun, real, insightful, compassionate, and deeply truthful. She lives by her values and when she feels that something is amiss, she fights hard until she resolves the issue and can find that peace again.
But it wasn’t always that way for her. Today we talk about:
Relationships: Marriage to another running superstar
How you redefine yourself through the seasons of your life
Becoming less scared of what happens when she isn't a fast runner anymore
Kara's purpose today: Being in the moment
Fertility challenges
Motherhood & how it immediately changed her
How Kara stopped searching for happiness through results & then found happiness
Confidence - Why that word is so important.
Check out Kara's upcoming book Strong: A Runner's Guide to Increasing Confidence and Becoming the Best Version of You - you can preorder now on Amazon for $20
Courage especially as it relates to doing the right thing even if you feel as if you are betraying others like when she exposed her former coach in regards to performance-enhancing methods in training
Staying young even as your age grows older
I know you will find yourself wanting more Kara after you listen to this one. You’ll be happy to know that you CAN get more Kara as she is offering her Podium Retreat in September in Boulder, so we’ll keep you posted on that too.
Let me leave you with Kara's final nugget something that I think you will feel and embrace through this entire episode, “Be kind; not just to other people. Be kind to yourself.”
Today's episode is sponsored by Health IQ - they help healthy individuals find better rates on life insurance. The process is smooth, and they really deliver, so if you're interested in life insurance (or if you're like me and realized it's time to get serious after you had a kid!), check them out. Be sure to tell them I sent you and use this link healthiq.com/RTW
All right then you know what time it is. it's time to get out there and Run This World. Have a great workout and I'll see you next week!

86 - Ryan Boyle is Out Making Something of His Life

Ryan Boyle is a man who makes the choice every day to live a positive, optimistic life. At age nine, he was riding a big wheel at a friend’s birthday party, and he was hit by a truck and dragged down the street. He head injury was so traumatic that they actually had to remove part of his cerebellum because it was so damaged. He awoke from a coma two months later and defied all odds by first, surviving. What happened after that is nothing short of a miracle. And yes, we talk about miracles on the show today. When Ryan was in 9th grade, he published a book called When the Lights Go Out: A Boy Given a Second Chance. I picked it up on Amazon and after you listen to this episode, I’m sure you’ll want to pick it up too. I literally couldn’t put it down.
Be sure that you listen to this episode with an open heart and open mind. It’s really tough to imagine you or someone you love going through something so traumatic. I’m so grateful that Ryan has the guts and vulnerability to share his journey. As he told me, “I’m an open book. You can ask me anything.” So I did.
Today we talk about:
Family & friends: Your support crew is everything
The accident
Coming out of a coma & facing the reality of a new life
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
Some things you just have to live with - great advice for all of us
Miracles & Faith
Having a sense of humor during the tough stuff in life
We are surrounded by incredible, amazing, inspirational people around every corner. All we have to do is open our eyes. Ryan's final nugget sums it up perfectly, "Smile. Make eye contact. Be friendly. You don’t know what’s going on in anyone else’s lives." So be the best person you can be to spread love and light in this world.
Don’t forget to pick up Ryan’s book on Amazon - When the Lights Go Out: A boy Given a Second Chance. And cheer him on in the next Paralympics. He has such an incredible energy, I believe that whatever happens, he will be happy. Remember what his voicemail says, "I’m out making something of my life.” It’s time for us to do the same.
This episode supported by my amazing sponsor Health IQ - they help healthy people get lower rates on life insurance. To see if you qualify visit healthiq.com/rtw - please tell them I sent you!

85 - Olympian Kara Lynn Joyce "Nobody Told Me I Couldn't"

Kara Lynn Joyce is a badass athlete. She has swum in 3 Olympics earning 4 Olympic medals. She won 18 NCAA titles. She was a high school national champion. Kara performed at the highest level for many many years. But it isn't her swimming career that will define her legacy. It is her dedication to helping girls develop into strong women that she will be remembered for.
Kara's passion has shifted to an organization she founded called LEAD. It stands for Leadership, Empowerment & Athletic Development. It’s not as glorious as the Olympics but it’s so much more meaningful. She is making a huge impact in girls lives. That has so much more opportunity to change the world in a positive way. But she couldn’t get here without her swimming experience which I’m so excited to share with you. If you have or know female teenage swimmers ages 13-18, check out her Labor Day weekend LEAD Summit in Atlanta . It will sell out, so if you want to go, don't miss it! Check out this video for a little teaser. I think the messages that Kara and her incredible lineup of speakers like Missy Franklin, Elizabeth Beisel and more, add so much to helping girls develop strength and confidence at this important time. I wish the LEAD Summit existed when I was 13!
Today we talk about:
Growing up in a swimmer family
Milestones and more: Nobody told me I couldn't
Meeting Olympians: Why role models are important
Swimming in the Olympics
LEAD: Why it's important to provide teenage girls support
Consistency: It's not sexy, but it's the key to success
Doing the next right thing
Overcoming disappointment & having faith in the process
Evolving as an athlete
Here's the best part about Kara. She still loves every single thing that swimming has done and still does for her. She just knew it was time to move on. In my opinion, that’s a gift. Knowing when it’s time. I want to end with something I think it so cool and very fitting for this podcast. Kara is a former Olympic swimmer. She’s a total and complete badass athlete. Yet when asked what she does now for fitness, she said, “I walk.” Walking helps give her that head space that she had for so many years underwater as a swimmer. I respect that about her. And I encourage all of you (me included) to just get out there and walk when our heads go out of control!
And a final quick reminder to you healthy, active, robust listeners to support the show by heading over to healthiq.com/rtw to see if you qualify for cheaper rates on life insurance! Be sure to mention RTW so they know I sent you.

84 - Diane Berberian the Most Positive Person on the Planet

Meet Diane Berberian. Legally blind. Stage 4 tongue, throat & neck cancer survivor. Adaptive athlete competing in endurance events. And oh, by the way, she's 60. Diane is one of the most positive people you'll ever meet. I thought I was positive. Diane blows me away. At the beginning of the interview I ask her, "Did you ever think you'd be called on to share your life to inspire others?" to which she replied something like, "Truth? Yes! My mom always told me I was special so I believed it!"
Diane is one of those extraordinary people who you think you are helping when you guide her in a race, or support her during cancer treatments, only to realize after it's over, that she helped you so much more than you ever realized possible. That is a sign of someone who transcends humanity. She emits love, acceptance, and just plain possibility. As her tattoo says, "She believed she could, so she did." That is Diane Berberian in a nutshell.
Today we talk about:
How Diane became the positive person she is: Nature, Nurture or a little of both?
Cancer: When you know something is wrong with your body, but you can't make headway with your doctor. Diane's advice: Get 2nd opinions right away. Don't wait.
Going blind: Macular degeneration a slow progression to vision impairment
Competing as a parathlete: 1st race on a tandem bike was Ironman Texas!
"I've had the power all along"
Diane 6.0: What does it mean to be a 60 year-old-woman today
"Lead by example" mentoring style
Do you want to be as badass as Diane someday? I know I do! Here is my take: #1) Be positive. This is a decision. Your attitude is within your control. You can choose to be positive. Diane is a positive person. Like she said, she has bad days, but she sees the world in an open way, full of possibility. #2) Go after the things you want. As she says, you gotta want it. If you want it, make it happen. #3) Her final nugget: Your crown has been bought and paid for. You just have to wear it. If you want to connect with Diane, shoot her a note on Facebook - she would love to hear from you!

83 - What I Didn't Know I Needed by Nicole DeBoom

Today I share with you a story. It's about a trip I just took to Costa Rica. It’s a good time to talk about it because I’m still very emotional and having a little trouble adapting back to “real life” after a magical experience. I’m in the heat of a term I just learned – reentry. I’ll be honest, it’s a little harder than I thought partly because going on this trip was something I didn’t know I needed. Think about that concept – something you don’t know you need until you do it. I didn’t realize the emotional impact it would have on me. Throughout this episode I’m going to do my best to explain what this means. Maybe you’ll feel something resonate with your own life, maybe you'll feel a spark light somewhere inside.
I’ve been thinking about this term a little more and I think I undergo reentry on a much smaller scale on a daily basis. To me, reentry is when you leave one very unique experience and you enter back into a baseline experience. So for instance, when I host our amazing Skirt Sports events and I’m surrounded by the power of the feminine and all that oxytocin in one room, and then I go home to Tim and Wilder and it’s a completely different energy. I used to fight it and resent the reentry process. Now I accept it but it doesn’t mean it’s easy or I don’t mourn just a little bit each time. But I do my best to let the process happen and sink into it. Sort of like a wave which you’ll hear about in a little bit.
I don’t know when I decided to go.
There was just a little tug in a corner of my heart that said, “you need this.” I didn’t even know what “this” was at the time. I am not at a crossroads like many people are when they sign up for retreats. I don’t have a major conflict I’m trying to resolve. I’m not getting over a trauma. My marriage isn’t in crisis. My business is booming. It was nothing major. I just started to experience this subtle tension in my heart. Like a tiny little spark had been lit but I didn’t know why. Maybe it was a yearning for something, for expansion, for growth. Or maybe for the exact opposite: A fear of getting stale.
When I heard about the Women’s Quest Surf & Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica the spark glowed a little brighter, like someone had blown on it for an instant. I continued moving around in my regular life, doing all the busy things I do, but the spark didn’t die.
Today I talk about:
Tapping into things you didn't even know you needed
Trust
Listening to your body and mind
Security blankets
Having faith that things will work out even in times when you feel so uncertain
"If she can do it, I can do it."
Riding a wave - all by myself!
Re-entering your real life after a life-changing experience
My nugget for you is this. When you feel a spark come alive, don’t try to squash it. Look at it, explore why it ignited. let it take life, listen to it, and do what it tells you so you can grow and expand on this incredible journey we call life. Maybe this could also be called simply listening to your gut, but I think it goes deeper. It’s about acknowledging the things that you sometimes don’t even realize are calling to you but when you stop for a moment and give them some attention, they bloom and you realize your life is about to change – one way or another.
Thanks for tuning in. If you love my podcast, please share it with all your closest friends! If you have a favorite episode, please let me know. I’ve got some really incredible guests lined up for 2018 – let me just say that there is no lack of amazing people in this world.

82 - Diane Israel's Long Winding Road to Love

Diane Israel is what I would call a reluctant visionary. She is a former professional triathlete and world class runner. Today she's a psychotherapist and a professor at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. And along the way she created an award-winning film called Beauty Mark. You don’t get from one place to the next without quite a journey in between. She spent so many years conflicted about who she was and her role in this great wide world that she couldn't be herself or as she would say, she didn't know who she was. Eventually Diane found that she excelled at movement – she became a standout runner and later a triathlon legend in the early days of the sport - until her need to control her life ultimately almost destroyed her. After years of enduring an eating disorder and athletic addiction, her body just simply stopped. And then she had to confront herself – if she wanted to survive.
This episode goes deep at times and focuses more on the process of how she got where she is today than the struggles of the past. In the end, through it all, Diane actually became a healer of others. Isn’t that interesting. But she first had to find peace and healing in herself which she fully admits is still happening every day that she spends on this planet.
I also have some good news - my first official sponsor is on board - a revolutionary company in the life insurance space - Health IQ. I have no idea how many of you have figured out life insurance, but Tim and I have always held back partly because we know we’re really healthy but we’d be paying as much as people who don’t place an emphasis on health and fitness. I’ll be honest, it wasn’t until we had our daughter Wilder that we actually made a will and started thinking about our financial future. So I started looking around for life insurance that might actually take everything we do to stay healthy into consideration and found Health IQ. I went on their website, took their Health Quiz and an agent immediately called me. They literally looked up my race results for me in Athlinks (thankfully I did the Boulder Peak Tri last summer!) or you can upload Strava or Runkeeper or other app data so they can prove you are actually active when seeking quotes. What they do is use science and data to secure lower rates on life insurance for health conscious people including runners, cyclists, strength trainers, vegans etc – 56% of Health IQ customers save 4-33% on life insurance. Going through the process myself, it's been extremely convenient and we're excited to save a lot of money! To see if you quality, get your free quote today at healthiq.com/RTW or mention the code RTW when you talk to an agent. Please remember to share the code RTW so they know I sent you!
Today we talk about:
Weasel Words
Addiction of all kinds
Coping mechanisms: Why they stop working in our 40s
How our greatest joy often brings us our greatest suffering
How much our background impacts who we become
Raising children to be healthy adults
How does a tortured child eventually become a healer?
Her film Beauty Mark - watch the trailer here - soon to be available on Amazon Prime!
Wasted emotions: Are there any?
How do we stop the self-judgment and blame
Hands and Feet: Contact Diane to get on the list for upcoming classes
This is an awesome, powerful episode. At the end of the day, her final nugget really brought us home: You count. You’re beautiful the way you are. You are loved. For more on Diane, to connect with her on any level, please reach out here.
Allright everyone, you know what time it is, it’s time to get out there and run this world. Have a great workout and I’ll see you next week.

81 - Tracy O'Malley Steps Out of Her Past and Into Her Truth

Today I caught up with an old friend from Downers Grove, IL. Tracy O’Malley and I grew up together and graduated from Downers South in 1990. I went on to become a pro triathlete and start Skirt Sports. Along the way I battled many demons and tackled many barriers. Tracy went on to become one of the most sought-after speakers, network marketing experts and lifestyle entrepreneurs out there. But as we know, there’s always a story behind the woman. Tracy has battled her own demons and tackled countless barriers before she has finally found the strength and courage to step into her own truth and become exactly who she was meant to be.
This episode covers so many topics that will rock you to your soul, especially if you or someone you love has experienced them. Tracy grew up in an alcoholic household. Her dad was a feisty, Irish, high-functioning “archer bunker” style alcoholic and the eggshell-type environment his drinking created in her home laid the foundation for Tracy to create that exact environment as she got older. Like father like daughter, Tracy’s relationship with alcohol played a huge part of her life for 25 years, through multiple stages, until it became so obvious that she was not the person she wanted to be as long as she included it in her life. But even when she was sort of flimsily trying to kick alcohol she held onto another more powerful addiction – bulimia. Tracy talks a lot about the need for outlets to relieve the pressure she was feeling in her life. Like any good hero story, we need to find and hit a rock bottom. Tracy finally painfully bottomed-out and entered a gritty and honest period of recovery where she came to terms with her true self.
As she searched for a new financial outlet – because she needed to cut ties with all of her previous relationships to truly move forward – she discovered a product line that helped her feel great again physically. After resisting the idea of working for a network marketing company, she finally opened her mind to exploring Isagenix and was both encouraged and excited to give it a try. Today, Tracy is in their Elite 50 Millionaire's Club as their #35 earner (of 600,000!). I’m not a network marketing person, I have not been drawn to that particular business strategy, but I truly respect and honor how Tracy has built her business and reformed herself along the way.
She is one of the most open, real, honest and available people you will come across. She lays it out there – good or bad. As she says, she’s a bottom-line-me kinda girl so she doesn’t suffer a lot of bull!
I know you’ll enjoy this one – toward the end we announce a giveaway that is posted on the Skirt Sports facebook page. Tracy asks you this, “If you could choose any breakthrough in your life to happen today, what would it be?” Answer this question to win her new book, available very soon “Grace, Grit, Guts: From effed up to Freedom.”
Today we talk about:
Drinking
Losing a parent
How trauma changes us
Relationships: with our parents, spouses, children and ourselves
Eating disorders
Getting help for real
If you can’t admit to bulimia, how can you truly get sober?
Getting rid of our masks and embracing who we truly are
Let me tell you, while Tracy and I talked for at least a 10k, we didn’t even hit on her more current life experience, something she is dealing with as we speak. You see Tracy has been suffering from an unexplained very serious health issue for 3 years, that was only recently diagnosed and treated. We talk about this on an Live Video Call which will be posted on the Skirt Sports and Nicole deboom social sites. So for more Tracy, be sure to check out this video, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, tracyomalley.com or just google her and see what comes up!

80 - Jillian Lakritz You Have Everything Inside of You to Get Exactly What You Want in Life

Meet Jillian Lakritz - former corporate world consultant turned entrepreneur, founder of Yoee Baby, mom of two, idea-birther, and more. I met Jillian when our girls were magically attracted to each other in preschool. Our first play date was hilarious. I thought I would drop Wilder off and go for a long run, but I ended up talking to Jillian and her husband, Mike, for two hours and skipping the workout! Jillian is the founder of innovative baby toy company Yoee Baby. She literally created a new category in the baby toy market – baby's first toy that actually allows parents to interact with their babies in a meaningful way. Jillian is in the weeds with her young business but somehow she still has the ability to see and discuss the bigger picture. She is an incredibly special person who will leave you feeling like you CAN do it, whatever it is.
Be sure to check out yoeebaby.com and stock up on gifts for your pregnant friends. I always have one on hand – best shower gifts ever! Special Run This World listener discount - Use code SKIRT20 for 20% off! 
Today we talk about:
Relationships: Interesting discussion about the introvert / extrovert dynamic
What happens when Natural Curiosity and Wanderlust meet
Parenting: What we do truly has an impact on our children in the long term
Early childhood development: the science behind your early interactions with your baby - why it's important!
Entrepreneurship: What do you do with an idea?
The power of the mind: You have everything inside of you right now to get exactly what you need in life.
Practice: Your mind is a powerful tool. Think it. Do it. Be it. Become it.
This is an amazing episode. Jillian is the perfect mix of wise, real and fun. That makes her one of the coolest people to hang out with – ever! It’s also why she will be successful no matter what happens in life. She has a perspective that grounds her. I think it’s something we could all aspire to – take a few of her nuggets and stash them away for the times you need them the most. It’s all in the power of your mindset. So let’s think it. Do it. Be it. And finally become it! We just need to define what IT is.
Thanks so much for listening today. Don’t forget to go over to yoeebaby.com and stock up on the most innovative and awesome baby toys so you can be the coolest shower gifter ever. Finally, send me your comments, feedback, suggestions for future guests or anything else you want to share. You can find me at Nicole.deboom@skirtsports.com - I'm here for you.
All right then, you know what time it is. It’s time to get out there and Run This World. Have a great workout and I’ll see you next week.

79 - Megan Reamer Makes Potato Chips With Meaning

Meet Megan Reamer - founder of Jackson's Honest - a brand that makes chips cooked in coconut oil. Megan is an incredible woman with a background in the corporate finance world who realized at some point that her quality of life was suffering. So she and her husband Scott decided to pack up and move to a little town in the Colorado mountains called Crested Butte. Megan then proceeded to have a baby and another and another and another! It was when her first child, Jackson, was almost 2 that she realized something wasn’t quite right. It started as muscle weakness and by the time he was 5, he had lost so much of his motor function that he was living in a wheelchair. His condition went undiagnosed until he was 14.
Along the way, Megan and Scott took action by controlling one of the only things they could – what Jackson ate. They found that potatoes cooked in coconut oil did not cause inflammation in his body. Jackson’s Honest started after they realized that this product could both help others and tasted great. People were willing to pay to get them!
Today Megan is fresh off a successful Shark Tank experience and the business is on the fast track to doing incredible things. She’s also mourning the sudden and extremely difficult death of Jackson on August 13th of this year. This is a big, powerful, emotional yet hopeful episode that I believe taps into our humanity on all levels. Please take a moment to follow Jackson’s Honest on social media be sure to comment to win a Jackson’s Honest gift pack. The question: If you could live anywhere, where would it be? The point: What are you waiting for?
In this episode we talk about:
What it means to be a mom: where "mom" falls on the priority ladder
Megan's son Jackson, his disease & the long road to finding help
The Decision Tree: If yes, then x; If no, then y... How this concept helps Megan make decisions
Parenting through your child's long-term illness: weathering the storm as a couple
Jackson's Honest: Starting a business to help her child
The benefits of an anti-inflammatory diet
Shark Tank: THEY GOT A DEAL! Check out the final negotiation on Shark Tank here!
Mantras, Big picture advice & Lessons she's learned
We are in control of how we choose to face the world, even when difficult things happen to us or those around us. Megan is such an incredible person - as a mother, business person, partner and more. Her final nugget is simple and powerful. Write it down or commit it to memory - it will serve all of us at some point down the road - "Never ever ever EVER give up."
You know what time it is. It's time to get out there and Run This World! Have a great workout and I'll see you next week!

78 - Marie Brown the Little Engine That Could

Marie Brown is a great example of living in the moment and taking responsibility for yourself. At 18, Marie enlisted in the military. Her childhood dream was to be a soldier. She joined the Military Police and at age 20, she was deployed to Iraq. When she returned, she suffered horrible physical and emotional aftereffects and was eventually diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome, Meniere’s disease and PTSD. But the toughest part for her was that she was honorably discharged from the military, officially ending her dream, and she needed to redefine herself.
Marie is open and honest about her issues and her recovery. At 4’11” and 95 pounds, Marie is accustomed to being underestimated. Regardless of her setbacks and issues, Marie's strength, determination and positivity shine through. As she sought to take back her physical power, she found the magic of running and sometime after that, she discovered the fearlessness of flying on the trapeze. Marie is an example of someone who could have simply curled up into a ball, bemoaning her situation but instead she chooses to live fully engaged in the moment, despite what her diagnoses say she should be able to do.
Today we talk about:
How she was abandoned at a Salvation Army clinic in Indonesia and later adopted by a missionary couple from the USA
Her early childhood years living in rural Indonesia and her childhood dream to be a soldier
Enlisting in the military at age 18
Deployment to Iraq
How to react when you are underestimated
Chronic illness: Gulf War Syndrome, Menniere's disease
Running & Trapeze: the importance of trying new things and setting goals
Recovering from trauma: Therapy is not a bad thing!
There are so many things about Marie that I appreciate. Her story reminds me of the concept that “everyone is fighting some sort of battle.” Marie literally fought battles in the military. And when she came back, she fought battles with her own mind and body. I love that she defines herself as a warrior who has learned to remind herself how strong she is. As she says when the going gets tough, I’m the little engine that could. I think I can I think I can. I want to repeat her final nugget because I think it’s important. It truly sums up the kind of person Marie is and the kind of person we could all strive to be. When hit with something tough, "Don’t deny the diagnosis. But try to defy the verdict."
All right everyone. Thanks so much for tuning in today. You are all amazing people. I have this podcast so that I can help spread the love and inspiration I see in people around me. And because it connects all of us in some small way. Because we’re all making our mark in this world and we are not alone. Okay everyone, on that note, you know what time it is, It’s time to get out there and run this world. Have a great workout and I’ll see you next week.