🚀 Courage Talks S9E5 Dr Jenny Hoffman 🚀

Harvard quantum physicist, mother of three, and the woman who shattered the women's world record for running across America!

In November 2023, Jenny ran 3,032 miles from San Francisco to New York City in an astonishing 47 days, 12 hours, and 35 minutes – beating the previous record by over a week and officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the fastest woman to cross the U.S. on foot.

She did it after heartbreaking setbacks: a devastating knee injury in 2019 (after 2,560 miles) and a hamstring tear that delayed her 2022 attempt. Through tears, fertiliser trucks, dust storms, 27 days of cornfields, lightning, hail, and just 6 hours of sleep a night, she kept going – fueled by childhood dreams, stubborn persistence, and an incredible all-women/nonbinary crew.

By day she's a leading researcher in quantum materials at Harvard (molecular beam epitaxy, scanning probe microscopy, major grants from NSF, Sloan, Moore Foundation).

In ultras, she's a 3× national 24-hour run champion who once dreamed of crossing the country under her own power... and finally made it real.

In this episode, we dive into:

• The childhood spark that never let go
• Wild road stories (full-moon Utah pass, Nebraska harvest chaos, stranger kindness with fresh eggs & reflective vests)
• How ultrarunning persistence mirrors solving quantum puzzles in the lab
• Balancing big dreams with being a mom of three
• What failure taught her – and how it reshaped everything
• America's heartland generosity and what it revealed about community
• What's next: new dreams, mentoring the next generation, maybe that book she's been journaling toward?

Jenny's story is pure proof that audacious goals – in science, sport, or life – are worth the grind, the falls, and the comebacks.

Tag someone who needs this reminder: persistence beats talent when talent doesn't persist.