Welcome to the 20th episode of Take Off Your Shoes! My very special guest for this special episode is Dani Moreno. I am very grateful for Dani’s openness and admire how self-reflected she was which showed in the beautiful ways she worded her experiences in and around the sport that she fell in love with again as well as her path of navigating injury and the myriad of emotions it brought up as well as the valuable lessons she learned. Some of the best parts of the conversation were the tangents she took, allowing me to get an even better glimpse into her life. She is versatile, caring, very passionate, and very dedicated to her craft. She'll be toeing the line this Saturday at Broken Arrow 46k for her place in Team USA, and I’ll be cheering for her and applauding her for the curiosity she’s bringing to the start line. I left this conversation smiling ear to ear, and I’m sure you will too. Follow and send your support to Dani on InstagramListen and subscribe to The Sub-Hub Podcast with Dani and Emkay Sullivan.Shoot me a DM with your thoughts about this episode!Photo credit: Cody Mathison
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Take Off Your Shoes 19 - Tabor and Eli Hemming
Hello and welcome to another episode of Take Off Your Shoes!My guests today are—that’s right, plural—the power couple: Tabor and Eli Hemming!This episode was exactly what I was looking for when starting this podcast: to get to know the people in this sport, who they are beyond the sport.We discussed the importance of being multi-dimensional, not just as athletes but as people. We explored how they’re intentional with their time, balancing friends, family, farm work, coaching, and trail running. They also openly shared their feelings about Tabor’s father’s recent diagnosis, highlighting how fleeting life can be and the value of embracing every moment.I was truly inspired by the maturity of their approach to life and sport, and I hope you will find them equally inspirational.Tabor, Eli, thank you so much for such an amazing conversation. Hope you enjoy listening.The Hemming Way - their SubstackThe Hemmings - their Youtube ChannelFollow Tabor on InstagramFollow Eli on InstagramShoot me a DM for your thoughts and comments!Photo Credit: Ryan Thrower
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Take Off Your Shoes 18 - Marianne Hogan
Welcome to a new episode of Take Off Your Shoes!My guest this week is Marianne Hogan. Before anything else, she’s known for her contagiously positive attitude, and it was a pleasure getting to know her like this.I realized that this attitude is centered in gratitude, in putting enjoyment of the moment and of the sport as a first-order condition. This mentality allowed her to keep the joy at the forefront even when becoming a full-time athlete and leaving her job in HR behind.Learning more about her experiences with injuries, how she’s toeing the line between pushing her limits and knowing when to stop, and how this is an ongoing learning process, was very insightful. I really loved getting to discover her nomadic lifestyle, allowing her to fully immerse herself in the places she travels to, experiencing the people and the places in a more meaningful way.If I am to take one thing away, though, it’s the importance of self-belief, of trying and shooting your shot. Setting goals for yourself, for your sake, and continuing to work towards them.This conversation was chock-full of inspiration and just very fun overall to chat with Marianne.Thank you Marianne for the conversation, and thank you all for listening!Photo credit: Thibaut BaronianFollow Marianne on InstagramSend me your thoughts on Instagram
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Take Off Your Shoes 17 - Arden Young
Hello and thank you so much for tuning into another episode of Take Off Your Shoes!Today I’m so happy to be sharing my conversation with Arden Young!She was an incredible conversation partner, and I’m so grateful for her openness when talking about her ongoing struggles with the word “elite”, as well as the juggling act that is having two demanding careers: professional ultra runner for Norda and dentist!We talked about her unconventional start to running, even though she wasn’t the most athletic of her four sisters, and her path to becoming a professional athlete. I really appreciated her thoughts around becoming her own cheerleader and having self-belief, while also balancing being critical enough to push herself forward and taking time to celebrate her own wins.She also said something that really stuck with me: “You have to make running work for your life and not make your life work for running.”For her, running is very important, but it should always stay fun, and she keeps reminding herself that it’s for her mental and physical health.I especially loved opening up about our respective partners and how they’re not in the ultra-endurance world. There’s something beautiful about having someone who tries to support our dreams, even if they don’t fully understand them at all times.It was such a fun conversation, and I really admired her outlook on the sport, the balance she’s able to strike, and just her candor.Thank you Arden for the conversation, and I hope you all enjoy it!Follow Arden on InstagramCheck out YMR Track Club on InstagramSend me your thoughts and comments on InstagramPhoto credit: Moe Lauchert
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Take Off Your Shoes 16 - Jessica Brazeau
This was a really fun conversation with Jessica Brazeau (who graciously accepted my invitation just a couple of days after her race in Chianti), where I not only got to know her but also got a peek behind the curtain of how she holds the Brazeau-Walmsley team together.She opened up about her feelings surrounding the move to France. She shared the struggles of uprooting an established life, seeking a new community, and how things turned around, in large part thanks to Simon Gosselin and his partner, who helped them turn their little chalet into a home in a French Alpine village.While she’s not used to talking much about her own running, I got to learn her story, how she found trail running largely through its community, and where she is now, signed with Hoka.I know you will love this one!Make sure to follow Jess on InstagramLet me know what'd you think of this conversation on InstagramPC: Marzelle van der Merwe Ham
Welcome to Take Off Your Shoes! My podcast where I sit across people that inspire me from the sport of running, and get to know who they are once they take off their proverbial running shoes. These conversations are heartfelt, friendly and real, hoping to give you the feeling that you’re just tuning into people having a nice chat to catch up.