Episode 13 – We Finish Together 

Maybe you like to display your medals for all to see…like I do. Maybe you throw them in a drawer when you get home from a race. Maybe you’re looking for a third alternative for that hard-earned hardware…

Kim Stemple, a runner, learned how powerful of a symbol a medal can be to someone struggling. Yes, even someone else’s medal. After a friend gave her a medal when Kim was sick and hospitalized, Kim decided to share the joy of medals with others. She started We Finish Together to collect and distribute donated medals to people who need to know they’re supported. 

Links:

We Finish Together Site

We Finish Together on Facebook

We Finish Together on Instagram

 

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Episode 12 – Charity Morgan

Charity Morgan is the owner of Sweet Lemon Thyme Health, a company that specializes in modest activewear for girls and women. The skirts are handcrafted in San Francisco, which allows customers to choose the length of the skirt and the length of the leggings. Charity is also a nutritional therapist and runner. 

In this episode, we talk about her business, the fun options she offers, being an entrepreneur, what running a business has taught her, running, Chip and Joanna Gaines, and even french fries!

One of my favorite things about this episode is how Charity explained that she, as a business owner, and each of us, should constantly be willing to learn, change, accept lessons from mistakes and criticism, and keep growing and improving. 

Links:

Sweet Lemon Thyme website

Sweet Lemon Thyme on Facebook

Sweet Lemon Thyme on Instagram

Peloton

 

In A Skirt Website

In A Skirt on Facebook

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Episode 11 – Kaytha Potts 

Running, cycling, old homes, shiplap, art history, my complete and utter lack of knowledge when it comes to art and famous artists—this episode has it all. 

Kaytha is a local runner and cyclist. We met on a group ride last year. She is really strong cyclist, but I am also fascinated with all the other sides to her. 

To see pictures of her beautiful artwork, visit her website or Instagram profile using the links below. 

 

Kaytha Potts website

Kaytha Potts on Instagram

Houston Fit

Zwift

Bayou City Art Festival

Huichol people of Mexico

John Nieto

Franz Marc

Fauvism

 

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Episode 10 – Recovery & Rest

Sustainability. Growth. You need recovery and rest to achieve both. 

I want to be in it for the long run.

 

In A Skirt Website

In A Skirt on Facebook

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Fun. That’s the word that keeps popping into my head when I think of these four and the time I spent talking to them. They know how to enjoy life…and not just bits and pieces of life, but the big picture of life.

One works at a prison. One is a nurse. One is a beauty salon owner/master stylist. One is a fourth-grade teacher. On the surface, they are the “average Joes” you meet every day…except that there’s nothing average about them. 

All four of these people are ultrarunners. They have completed several extremely long-distance races, including 100 milers.

I invited them over to my house to get to know them and ask them why they decided to start running ultras and what keeps them going. Warning: there’s a lot of talking over each other and laughing in this episode, and that’s because we sat down in my dining room and simply had fun sharing stories. 

 

Trail Racing Over Texas (website)

Trail Racing Over Texas (Facebook)

Lufkin Area Pacesetters (LAPS)

Tejas Trails

Screaming Monkey 100

Chevron Houston Marathon

Habanero 100

San Antonio Rock ‘N’ Roll

Rocky Raccoon 100

Brazos Bend

 

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In A Skirt on Facebook

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A few years ago, Claudia decided to make some physical changes to her life. At first, she changed the way she ate, but over time she added walking, running, and strength training to her life. The result? About 115 pounds lost and a transformed body AND mind. In this episode, Claudia and her niece and personal trainer, Kait, talk to me about natural weight loss and going from an “I could never do that” to an “I know I can do that” attitude.

 

Claudia Cook on Instagram

Kait Cook on Instagram

Kira Stokes (Kait’s favorite Instagram trainer)

Couch to 5K

Fitt Life Lufkin

Spartan Stadion — AT&T Stadium 

Skyline Burrito Bowls

 

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In A Skirt on Instagram

In A Skirt on Facebook

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I met Tennessee Love through cycling and running. She also swims...in fact, she’s basically a fish.

Tennessee’s son, Gabriel, is a swimmer as well. Gabriel is a sophomore in high school. He is friendly, likable, a math whiz, and has beautiful blond hair. Gabriel is also autistic. For Autism Acceptance Month, I asked Tennessee if I could meet with her and her husband, Bruce, to talk about their experiences, and Gabriel’s experiences, on the high school swim team.

I learned a lot about Gabriel in this interview, but I learned even more about his parents. They know their son’s gifts and have never doubted his abilities. They’ve worked hard to balance their desire to protect him with their desire to push him and watch him grow as a person.

This is one interview that made me wish we had more than just audio to share with others. Gabriel is beautiful inside and out, but I could honestly see and feel his parents’ love for him and desires for him while talking to them.

In A Skirt

In A Skirt on Facebook

In A Skirt on Instagram

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Mod Sportswear

Episode 6 – Karena McElhaney

Karena is a certified personal trainer, music director, and mom of three. 

While she is in excellent shape now, she had to work really hard to get there. In this episode, we talk about her struggle to find a healthy lifestyle – even trying a watermelon and cornflake diet one summer! Nothing resulted in long-term change until she learned about nutrition, transformed her mindset about food, and started lifting weights. 

Karena is fun and inspiring. Her goal now is to educate and help others who want to change their lives like she did. 

Also, Karena is a skirt girl! Her active lifestyle is carried out while she’s in a skirt. 

Links:

Karena on Instagram

Karena on Facebook

Snoga Athletics (Karena’s skirt-of-choice)

East Texas Fittest

 

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In A Skirt on Facebook

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In A Skirt Site

Show Notes

Each November, Lufkin ISD’s special needs students get to participate in an athletic event that is just for them. They are the VIPs, the athletes, the winners. The annual Turkey Trot for special needs students has been running strong for seven years at Lufkin. Special needs students are paired with Lufkin High School athletes for a fun run and games on the John Outlaw Memorial Field in Abe Martin Stadium.

I sat down with directors and coaches from Lufkin ISD to discuss the Turkey Trot and the impact it has on special needs students, athletes, and the district as a whole.

 

Links:

 

Lufkin Independent School District

Lufkin ISD on Facebook

 

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CASA of the Pines is an organization that advocates for abused and neglected children involved in child protection cases. CASA and its volunteers serve as the guardian ad litem for children who have been removed from their homes and help courts understand a child’s best interests.

For the last several years, CASA of the Pines has been putting on a 5K and half marathon called the “Superhero Race” to raise funds for the organization. This year’s race was held on March 23rd on beautiful country roads in Kennard, Texas. For those who didn’t want to run, they could opt for the “bRUNch” at Larry Bruce Gardens, a farm-to-table restaurant tucked deep in the Pineywoods. 

We set up a tent at the race and talked to volunteers and runners and compiled those interviews into this episode. We got to talk to a lot of people, including the Executive Director of CASA of the Pines, a man who is on a mission to run a race in every county in Texas, some fast teenagers, Curbside Café’s brewmaster who was keeping all the runners caffeinated, a prosecutor who asked more questions than he answered, and Livewell Athletic Club’s owner who explained what pickleball is.

Here are the show’s links:

CASA of the Pines 

CASA of the Pines on Faceboook

Superhero Run 

Larry Bruce Gardens 

Larry Bruce Gardens on Facebook 

Livewell Athletic Club 

Livewell Athletic Club on Facebook 

Curbside Café 

Curbside Café on Facebook 

 

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