Another Mother Runner

This is the ideal episode for high achievers: Coach Liz Waterstraat tells host Sarah Bowen Shea about two books aimed at folks looking to manifest their destinies. First up: Meditations for Mortals: Four Weeks to Embrace Your Limitations and Make Time for What Counts, which Coach Liz describes as a take-action guide to life, comprised of 28 “little thought-essays.” Next is Toxic Productivity: Reclaim Your Time and Emotional Energy in a World That Always Demands More, filled with important reminders to aim for excellence yet to let go of unrealistic standards. Midway through the episode, laugh along as Liz tells SBS about a neighbor’s backyard shed.

This episode originally aired as a bonus on January 31, 2025.

Feisty Running Retreat, Feb. 5-8, 2027 in Austin: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-womens-running-retreat/

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In this special Another Mother Runner bonus episode, host Sarah Bowen Shea introduces some of the expert educators behind Feisty Winter Training, a 16-week program designed to help women build fitness, strength, and knowledge through the winter months.

Through highlights from Feisty's Hit Play Not Pause, The Women's Performance Podcast, and Another Mother Runner, you'll hear conversations about athletic burnout, perfectionism, menopause, injury prevention, fueling, and why more training isn't always better.

Meet the featured experts:

• Dr. Erin Ayala – Licensed psychologist, certified mental performance consultant, and host of The Women's Performance Podcast, specializing in athlete mental health, motivation, performance, and burnout.
• Dr. Carla DiGirolamo – Double board-certified OB/GYN and reproductive endocrinologist specializing in the health and performance of active women across the lifespan, including perimenopause and menopause.
• Dr. Kim Hollingdale – Licensed psychotherapist and certified mental performance consultant who helps athletes navigate performance anxiety, injury recovery, and the mental challenges of training and competition.
• Dr. Kate Mihevic Edwards – Physical therapist and board-certified orthopedic specialist specializing in running medicine, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and the unique needs of female runners.

The big takeaway? A great training plan isn't just about checking boxes. It's about understanding when to push, when to recover, how to fuel, and how to adapt your training to your body and your life.

Feisty Winter Training kicks off November 16, with four 16-week programs: Running, Cycling, Strength, and Hybrid. Each includes progressive training, expert coaching, live educational sessions, and a supportive community of women.

$349 for coach written plans, live training sessions, a robust community of like-minded women, and access to expert-led education sessions.

Don't just follow a plan this winter. Learn how to OWN your training.

Register for Feisty Winter Training: https://livefeisty.com/training/feisty-winter-training/

Anyone who’s moved by people helping people needs to listen to this episode that’s in honor of Veterans Day. Hosts Sarah Bowen Shea and Tish Hamilton talk with Jonathan Milkovich, who founded Operation WarriorFit after serving in the U.S. Army, to substitute the structure and routine of exercise for that in the military. The guest discusses:

-his reasons for founding Operation WarriorFit

-the importance of resiliency and accountability

-the ways his org is giving veterans and first responders “an outlet to tomorrow”

-his recent attempt to run 700 miles across North Carolina

Before the guest joins around 9:00, Tish details two sport-related movies she enjoyed at a recent film festival.

Feisty Running Retreat, Feb. 5-8, 2027 in Austin: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-womens-running-retreat/

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunner/

Support our Partners:

JAMBAR: Use code AMR20 to get 20% off at http://jambar.com/

Wahoo: Check out the Ticker Fit and the entire line of Wahoo products at https://www.wahoofitness.com/

Previnex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off your first purchase at https://www.previnex.com/

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Looking for engrossing novels to entertain and enchant you as the days get shorter? We’ve got you! Hosts Sarah Bowen Shea and Ellison Weist serve up four novels that have the arts (poetry, film, and literature) woven through them. Sarah kicks things off by rhapsodizing about the new novel by Bonnie Garmus of Lessons in Chemistry fame, then Ellison effuses about a novel she deems one of her “favorites of the year.” Ellison talks highly of a rom-com that’s a Good Morning America Book Club pick, then Sarah wraps with praise for John Green’s first-ever novel for adults. Books highlighted:

Peck & Peck: Bonnie Garmus

Luna, Phoenix, Queen: Julie Orringer

Bad Words: Rioghnach Robinson

Hollywood, Ending: John Green

Feisty Running Retreat, Feb. 5-8, 2027 in Austin: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-womens-running-retreat/

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunner/

Support our Partners:

JAMBAR: Use code AMR20 to get 20% off at http://jambar.com/

Wahoo: Check out the Ticker Fit and the entire line of Wahoo products at https://www.wahoofitness.com/

Previnex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off your first purchase at https://www.previnex.com/

Currex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off at https://currex.com/

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/ PLUS: Register to win a Free Pair of Sunglasses: https://feistymedia.activehosted.com/f/121

Runners of all ages and paces will be intrigued by this conversation with two “runfluencers,” both of whom are founders of popular run clubs—Renee Buckingham and Laura Thornton. With host Sarah Bowen Shea and new, occasional co-host Rachel Domb, the runners discuss:

-how they morphed from novice runners to runfluencers in just a few years

-how joy fuels their endeavors

-the changing culture of run clubs

-ways to make running more inviting + inclusive

-how motion changes emotions

-plus, the names one guest has given her knees!

Before the first runfluencer hops on, new, occasional co-host Rachel shares her running and professional back stories.

Feisty Running Retreat, Feb. 5-8, 2027 in Austin: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-womens-running-retreat/

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunner/

Support our Partners:

JAMBAR: Use code AMR20 to get 20% off at http://jambar.com/

Wahoo: Check out the Ticker Fit and the entire line of Wahoo products at https://www.wahoofitness.com/

Previnex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off your first purchase at https://www.previnex.com/

Currex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off at https://currex.com/

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/ PLUS: Register to win a Free Pair of Sunglasses: https://feistymedia.activehosted.com/f/121

Fans of Brené Brown and folks interested in attributes like mastery, curiosity, and confidence will find this episode riveting. Coach Liz Waterstraat delves into Strong Ground: The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox, focusing on one especially fascinating chapter. Coach Liz discusses the difference between confidence and what Brown calls “grounded confidence,” as well as compliance versus commitment. And, for the first time ever on the show, Coach Liz reads a poem, making this a can’t-miss episode!

Feisty Running Retreat, Feb. 5-8, 2027 in Austin: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-womens-running-retreat/

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunner/

Support our Partners:

JAMBAR: Use code AMR20 to get 20% off at http://jambar.com/

Wahoo: Check out the Ticker Fit and the entire line of Wahoo products at https://www.wahoofitness.com/

Previnex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off your first purchase at https://www.previnex.com/

Currex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off at https://currex.com/

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/ PLUS: Register to win a Free Pair of Sunglasses: https://feistymedia.activehosted.com/f/121

If you’re moving into a more chill time of year, yet want to maintain your fitness, this episode is a must-listen: Host Sarah Bowen Shea talks with Coach Liz Waterstraat, who shares wisdom and insight gained from years of endurance coaching and racing. The duo discusses:

-ways to diversify your training (+ reasons to do so)

-the pros and cons of relying on a treadmill

-whether it’s okay to “always be half-marathon ready”

-a clever winter running hack

-why post-race is not the time to get a dog—or make a baby!

Before Coach Liz switches from co-host to guest around 8:40, she and Sarah dive into a convo about swimming, especially in 64-degree water. (Here's a PDF of the drills Coach Liz mentions.)

Feisty Running Retreat, Feb. 5-8, 2027 in Austin: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-womens-running-retreat/

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunner/

Support our Partners:

JAMBAR: Use code AMR20 to get 20% off at http://jambar.com/

Wahoo: Check out the Ticker Fit and the entire line of Wahoo products at https://www.wahoofitness.com/

Previnex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off your first purchase at https://www.previnex.com/

Currex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off at https://currex.com/

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/ PLUS: Register to win a Free Pair of Sunglasses: https://feistymedia.activehosted.com/f/121

Looking for some slow-boil intrigue, unreliable narrators, and unexpected plot twists? Hosts Sarah Bowen Shea and Ellison Weist serve up four well-crafted novels that check those boxes—and more. Sarah thoroughly enjoyed a languid thriller set in Mexico, while Ellison appreciated the wit of a modern-day murder mystery nestled in the English countryside. A short debut novel tells an intriguing tale from numerous points of view. And Ellison talks up a Rebecca spinoff headed to Hollywood. The books detailed:

The Silent Appeal: Janice Hallett

Mia: Leslie Bazzett

The Four Wives and Five Deaths of Richard Milford: Nafissa Thompson-Spires

The Housekeeper: Rose Tremain

Feisty Running Retreat, Feb. 5-8, 2027 in Austin: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-womens-running-retreat/

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunner/

Support our Partners:

JAMBAR: Use code AMR20 to get 20% off at http://jambar.com/

Wahoo: Check out the Ticker Fit and the entire line of Wahoo products at https://www.wahoofitness.com/

Previnex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off your first purchase at https://www.previnex.com/

Currex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off at https://currex.com/

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/ PLUS: Register to win a Free Pair of Sunglasses: https://feistymedia.activehosted.com/f/121

Anyone looking for inspiration, especially when going through tough times, will appreciate this candid conversation with Theresa Seitz, finisher of 50+ marathons and author of Built to Finish: The Discipline and Mental Strength to Finish What You Start. Along with hosts Sarah Bowen Shea and Molly Williams, Theresa talks about:

-overcoming a health crisis that left her unable to walk, let alone run

-the importance of having a “finisher identity”

-why being slightly scared in the face of a challenge is a good thing

-not letting a new health challenge stand in her way of 2027 London Marathon

Before the guest joins around 7:15, Molly shares her excitement about soon welcoming her firstborn grandbaby. (Update since recording: Molly’s grandson was born on October 11; both mother and baby are doing great!)

Feisty Running Retreat, Feb. 5-8, 2027 in Austin: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-womens-running-retreat/

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunner/

Support our Partners:

JAMBAR: Use code AMR20 to get 20% off at http://jambar.com/

Wahoo: Check out the Ticker Fit and the entire line of Wahoo products at https://www.wahoofitness.com/

Previnex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off your first purchase at https://www.previnex.com/

Currex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off at https://currex.com/

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/ PLUS: Register to win a Free Pair of Sunglasses: https://feistymedia.activehosted.com/f/121

Calling all strivers: In this episode, Coach Liz Waterstraat and host Sarah Bowen Shea talk about how to move toward personal excellence. Coach Liz highlights two books creating buzzes in the sports world—Inner Excellence and The Art of Learning—starting with the intriguing back story of each tome. She shares how awareness unlocks success and the importance of looking for small moments that feel like gifts. Loads of Liz love-language points, including the importance of having a beginner’s mind and that anything worthwhile takes time. One critical takeaway: Give the best of what you have that day. Words to live (and learn) by!

This episode originally aired on August 12, 2025.

Feisty Running Retreat, Feb. 5-8, 2027 in Austin: https://livefeisty.com/events/feisty-womens-running-retreat/

https://livefeisty.com/training/

Courses and Coaching: https://livefeisty.com/courses/

Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themotherrunner/

Support our Partners:

JAMBAR: Use code AMR20 to get 20% off at http://jambar.com/

Wahoo: Check out the Ticker Fit and the entire line of Wahoo products at https://www.wahoofitness.com/

Previnex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off your first purchase at https://www.previnex.com/

Currex: Use code AMR15 for 15% off at https://currex.com/

Tifosi Optics: Use code FEISTY2026 for 20% off at https://tifosioptics.com/ PLUS: Register to win a Free Pair of Sunglasses: https://feistymedia.activehosted.com/f/121