After a busy few months (Marathon Weekend, Disneyland, then Princess...), my legs are still a little sore and my race calendar is finally quiet for a few weeks. With my next race not until Springtime Surprise in six weeks, it feels like the perfect moment to pause on reflect on something that matters more than any race, medal, or finish line: the why.

In this episode, I'm talking about why I run--the love of movement, feeling more alive, the challenge of learning and growing, and the connection and community that I have found in the running community that means so much to me.

I'm also sharing about my why for starting the Bib & Tiara Podcast in the first place; not to prove anything, go viral, or chase numbers, but to build a space where runners can feel seen, heard, and connected.

When the race calendar gets quiet, it's a good time to ask ourselves the question that matters most.:

What is your why right now?

In this reflective episode about the Princess Half Marathon Weekend we talk about contradictions. In ourselves.

This weekend held a lot for me.

Joy and Sadness.

Grief and Gratitude.

Anxiety and Perspective.

Annoyance and Appreciation.

I went into the weekend with a chatty quad and a heavy heart. I left with quiet muscles, three race medals, and a big reminder that we are complicated. Life is complicated. You can feel it all, all at once.

You can care about performance and still protect your peace. You can feel reflective and playful. Soft and strong.

Both can be true.

It’s Princess Half Marathon Week, and we’re talking about prioritizing love of the sport and support for each other over comparison and competition.

Princess weekend has always carried a different energy. With a field that’s roughly 80% women, it’s a unique space in sport—one that can feel empowering… or overwhelming.

Inspired by the recent women’s figure skating competition at the Olympics, I reflect on what it looks like to compete with joy, security, and generosity—and what happens when we stop trying to prove and start focusing on the love of the process.

If you want to approach racing (especially at Disney) as a space for connection and celebration—even when your own performance isn’t what you hoped—this one’s for you!

You got in. You hit register, your heart raced, your credit card survived… and suddenly the emotions hit.

In this episode, I’m talking about the post-registration rollercoaster — why the upset and disappointment posts hit me so hard (and why I see myself in them). We chat about gratitude, perspective, and how quickly “I just want to get in” turns into “this weekend has to be PERFECT.”

Then we shift into some happy real-life updates (hello sunshine and outdoor runs 🙌) before diving into the real topic: planning your runDisney race weekend without turning it into a stress factory.

Because here’s the truth: every race weekend is a balancing act between race goals, park fun, and real-life logistics.

We break down the three race weekend “princess” archetypes:

👑 The Race Performance Princess

👑 The Park Warrior Princess

👑 The Balanced Beauty Princess

Which one are you? And how do you plan a weekend that actually matches your goals and your life?

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to make race weekend perfect, this episode is your permission slip to choose your priorities and enjoy the weekend you worked so hard to get to.

✨ Run. Walk. Run. Enjoy the journey.

Registration day for runDisney races can feel like an Olympic sport. The waiting room, the queue, the sell-outs-it's exciting, stressful, and sometimes heartbreaking when you don't get the race you hoped for.

In this episode, we're talking about how registration day works, why it can trigger so much anxiety and FOMO, and how to shift your mindset when things don't go the way you planned. While we can't control the queue, we CAN control how we respond to it.

This episode is about trading FOMO for gratitude, focusing on the experiences you ARE having instead of the ones you're not, and remembering that your running journey is bigger than any single race weekend.

If registration day makes your heart race more than race day, this one's for you.

For decades, the Olympics taught us one version of strength: push trough pain, sacrifice the body, and win at all costs.

In this bonus episode of Bib & Tiara, I look at three iconic Olympic moments that show how that definition has evolved--from Kerri Strug's unforgettable vault at the 1996 Atlanta Games, to Lindsey Vonn's relentless, risk-embracing career, to Simone Biles's decision to step back at Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021) to protect her health.

The stories aren't about medals. They're about how we define courage, toughness, and self-worth.

And for everyday athletes-especially runners-this questions matters more than we realize: When do we push through..and when do we protect ourselves?

This episode is an invitation to rethink what strength looks like-not just on the Olympic stage, but in our own lives.

This Disneyland weekend had its fair share of stress, uncertainty, and exhaustion--but it also delivered an unexpected lesson in connection. In this episode, I share my experiences in Disneyland for the last race weekend there (for the time being) along with my almost-teenaged son. I also reflect on how the presence of supportive people can turn difficult moments into meaningful ones, and why who you're with matters more than how perfectly things go.

This episode was inspired by a long, cold, chaotic weekend — the kind that disrupts plans, routines, expectations, and your nervous system. I’m sharing reflections on how to cope when things don’t go as planned, why preparedness is really about flexibility (not control), and how learning to pivot can bring more peace than trying to force outcomes. If you’ve felt frustrated, disappointed, or thrown off lately, this one’s for you.

Dumbo weekend is almost here--and this episode is all about being prepared without being rigid or stressed.

In this episode, I walk through how Disneyland races actually work, what makes Dumbo weekend its own kind of challenge, and why preparation isn't about controlling every outcome--it's about giving yourself options when things change.

we talk about the pivots you ight need to make around weather, travel, race day nerves, or how your body feels, and the importance of. accepting what you can't control while staying grounded in what you can.

Whether you're heading into Dumbo, another race weekend, or just a big moment in life, this episode is a reminder that flexibility is a strength--and that sometimes the win is showing up with kindness toward yourself.

Link here to the event guide for all the nitty gritty details I may have gotten mixed up:

https://www.rundisney-expo.run/expo

What do you do when one race weekend in over....and the next one is coming fast-but you're not sore anymore, not training hard yet, and not quite sure what mode you're supposed to be in?

In this episode, I talk about that awkward in-between space--physically, mentally, and emotionally. The quiet season after the finish line and before the next start, where structure loosens and feelings sneak in.

I also reflect on heading to Disneyland with my almost-teen, and how parenting in this season mirrors running in transition--letting go of what was, adjusting to what's changing, and learning to sit with uncertainty instead of rushing through it.

This one is slower, more personal, and about honoring the in-between--because sometimes that's where the real growth happens.