Today’s guest is someone who has inspired me since I was a teenager on the Wayzata ski team.

I sit down with Maggie (Pierson) Bowman to talk about the realities of being a woman in endurance sports; the pressures, the expectations, and the ongoing challenge of balancing athletic goals, career ambitions, and family planning. Maggie shares how the pressures she felt around body image and performance in high school and college shaped her philosophy on training, recovery, and self-worth. 

Maggie was a Wayzata runner/skier, where she was MY team captain when I was in 8th grade. She went on to become a 14-time All-Conference athlete at Luther College, the Dean of Students at The Blake School, and now a full-time running coach. Maggie has built her career on creating supportive spaces where women can talk openly about fueling, cycles, and long-term health. 

We dive into how she’s reframed success, what it means to pursue sport through different life stages, and why it’s so important to give women permission to dream big, while honoring their bodies and their lives beyond racing.