Andrea and Craig welcome Nita Sweeney, an author, distance runner, and meditator who shares her tale of overcoming depression and anxiety through long distance running with her dog Morgan. She details the first basic steps everyone should take to start their battle against depression, getting out of bed and doing a basic self-care task such as brushing your teeth. Nita describes how at 49, being overweight and depressed she went from “couch to 5k” and how it changed her life. Another challenge Nita was able to overcome was the negative voices in her head that filled her with negativity and self-doubt, making her constantly second-guess her decision to improve. She narrates how she was able to defeat those voices and how to keep them from spoiling your drive and motivation. The co-hosts share some of their experience with running (and with pups) and how it benefited them, as well as their take on trail running versus road running. Listen to the episode to find out how you too can go from “couch to 5k”, become a marathon runner and overcome depression, anxiety, self doubt and even flourish along the way.

Visit Nita’s website: https://nitasweeney.com/

All things Nita: https://linktr.ee/nitasweeney

Check out Nita’s books:

Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running With My Dog Brought Me Back From the Brink
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1642500135

https://nitasweeney.com/about-the-book/

Free eBook: Three Ways to Heal Your Mind

 You Should Be Writing: A Journal of Inspiration & Instruction to Keep Your Pen Moving
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1642502553

Nita Sweeney’s Bio

Nita Sweeney is the award-winning wellness author of the running and mental health memoir, Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink and co-creator of the writing journal, You Should Be Writing: A Journal of Inspiration & Instruction to Keep Your Pen Moving. A certified meditation leader, mental health advocate, ultramarathoner, and former assistant to writing practice originator Natalie Goldberg, Nita founded the groupsMind, Mood, and Movement to support well-being through meditation, exercise, and writing practice, and The Writer’s Mind, to share using writing practice to produce publishable work. Nita also publishes the writing resource newsletter, Write Now Columbus. Nita lives in central Ohio with her husband, Ed, and their yellow Labrador retriever, Scarlet. Download your free copy of Nita’s eBook Three Ways to Heal Your Mind.

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Live Well and Flourish website: https://www.livewellandflourish.com/

The theme music for Live Well and Flourish was written by Hazel Crossler, [email protected].

Production assistant - Paul Robert