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Sasha Gollish is a Team Canada athlete, engineer, researcher, gender equity advocate, empowering coach, and community leader. She’s also the Director of Knowledge Mobilization for Youth Sport at the University of Toronto, where she makes sport research practical and usable.

In this episode, Sasha returns to Inspired Soles to reflect on the 10 years since her “Cinderella story” bronze medal performance in the 1500m at the 2015 Pan Am Games, and how that moment shaped her then — and now.

Following a knee injury in December 2023 and surgery in March 2025, Sasha hasn’t run in over four months. We talk about navigating the grief and identity shifts that come with stepping away from elite competition, what “balance” really means, and why asking ourselves and others better questions can lead to more honest, meaningful conversations.

Sasha continues to inspire with her honesty, courage, and willingness to try on new identities — proving she’s the role model we all need.

Resources we talked about in the episode:

• Inspired Soles episode: Do You Control Strava or Does It Control You? 
• Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown
• The Real Science of Sport episode: What Your Strava Fitness Score Really Means

Connect with Sasha:

• Instagram: @sgollishruns
• Strong Girl Talk Podcast with Molly Hurford
• Previous Inspired Soles episodes
  • 3rd at Canadian Marathon Championships
  • Perimenopause & the Competitive Athlete

Connect with Carolyn:

• Instagram: @inspiredsolescast or @carolyn.c.coffin

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