What happens when the person you grew up with becomes one of the fastest cyclists in the world? And what happens when your life together becomes a mix of airports, race radios, tiny apartments overseas, and two babies born into a world that never slows down?

In this episode of Running Ahrens, we sit down with Christian and Leah Vande Velde, childhood friends, high school sweethearts, and partners who have spent three decades learning how to stay connected through a life that has never been simple.

From third grade band class in Lemont to the Tour de France to building a new chapter in Greenville, their story is full of love, detours, restarts, and the kind of grit you only learn by living it.

This isn’t a sports story.
It’s a relationship story.
It’s about what it looks like to keep choosing each other when the pace is fast, the pressure is real, and the path is rarely straight.

What We Cover

• Meeting in third grade and finally dating senior year
• Breaking up so they could grow, and finding their way back
• Choosing cycling over college and stepping into the Olympic Training Center
• Leaving everything familiar to start a life in Girona, Spain
• Having their first daughter there, and sending Christian to the Tour two days later
• What it really means to be married to a pro athlete without losing yourself
• Watching their daughters grow up around cyclists, commentators, and “uncles” from all over the world

Takeaways and Talking Points

Love in Real Life
How you stay connected when one partner is gone most of the year and the other is carrying the everyday load.

Identity Beyond the Jersey
Why both people need dreams, not just the one in the spotlight.

Risk, Regret, and Saying Yes
Choosing a sport, choosing a move, choosing each other, and learning which risks are worth it.

Parenting on Two Continents
Raising kids across time zones and race seasons, and what the girls actually remember.

Life After Racing
Retiring from pro sport, trying on new careers, and finding a new rhythm with NBC, Peloton, and a vintage ice cream truck.

Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning)

• A big life doesn’t require a big ego.
• Supporting someone else’s dream shouldn’t erase your own.
• Home is built through habits, not geography.
• The small things hold everything together.
• The real endurance work is choosing each other again and again.

A Few Numbers

• Most pro cycling careers last under 10 years. Christian raced for 17.
• The Vande Veldes have lived in multiple states and countries, yet talk about Boulder and Girona like old friends.

This episode is not a highlight reel.
It’s a look underneath the race coverage and into a marriage built on honesty, resilience, humor, and a lot of showing up.

Thanks for listening,
Justin & Sarah

#RunningAhrens #VandeVelde #CyclingLife #TourDeFrance #ProAthleteLife #MarriageAndFamily #ParentingTeenagers #LifeAfterSport #PartnershipInMotion #EntrepreneurLife #WorkingParents #LoveAndGrit #RealConversations #NBCSports #PelotonCommunity #GreenvilleSC #StorytellingPodcast #RelationshipsMatter #BehindTheScenes #ShowUpForEachOther

Self-awareness only matters if it changes how we show up.
That’s what this conversation is about.

In part two of our Enneagram series, we sit back down with Michael Burditt Norton, a certified Enneagram teacher and conscious leadership coach, to explore what happens when understanding becomes practice.

How does awareness change the way we love, lead, parent, and connect?
 How do we use the Enneagram as a guide without turning it into a label or a weapon?
 And what does it look like to live more awake in our relationships, our work, and ourselves?

Michael helps us take the Enneagram off the page and into real life, offering practical wisdom for couples, families, and teams who want to grow with more empathy, honesty, and presence.

Takeaways & Talking Points

Awareness in Action How understanding your patterns leads to compassion and better communication at home and work.

Love and Leadership Why the same tools that deepen marriage can strengthen teams and friendships.

Parenting with Perspective Seeing your kids’ worldviews without trying to fix them, and finding grace for your own.

Emotional Intelligence at Work How conscious leadership and the Enneagram help build trust, curiosity, and courage in teams.

Staying Human Why emotional connection is our greatest strength in an age of artificial intelligence.

Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning)

• Awareness is only useful when it changes behavior.
• You can’t lead others if you won’t look at yourself.
• Curiosity is stronger than control.
• Presence turns conflict into connection.
• Every relationship gets better with compassion.

Stats Worth Knowing

• Leaders with high emotional intelligence outperform others by up to 30%.
• Self-aware teams report higher trust and collaboration.
• Strong relationships are built on understanding differences, not eliminating them.

The Enneagram isn’t about who you are, it’s about how you see.
When you learn to see yourself clearly, you make space for everyone else to be seen too.

Thanks for listening,
Justin & Sarah

PS: The conversation doesn’t stop here. Visit the Running Ahrens AI Hub to explore our custom AI tools, including EnneaQuest—your guided Enneagram companion.

#RunningAhrens #Enneagram #SelfAwareness #Marriage #Parenting #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #ConsciousLeadership #RealConversations #Podcast

Some tools help you manage life. Others help you understand it.
The Enneagram is one of those tools.

This is part one of our two-episode Enneagram series. We sit down with Michael Burditt Norton, certified Enneagram teacher, conscious leadership coach, and facilitator with The Conscious Leadership Group. Michael blends theater training, somatic work, and clear teaching to make a complex system simple and useful. Together we unpack what the Enneagram is, how the nine types work, and why self-awareness changes how we show up in marriage, parenting, friendship, and at work.

This isn’t about labels or boxes. It’s about attention, presence, and growth.

Takeaways & Talking Points

What It Is Nine types. Three centers of intelligence. A map for patterns of attention, not a box for who you are.

Why It Matters Self-awareness is the starting point for better conversations, fewer blowups, and healthier teams.

Patterns We Live By How our worldview filters what we notice, miss, and repeat under stress.

Using It With Care How to avoid typing kids too early. How to use the tool without using it as a weapon.

From Insight to Practice Simple ways to notice reactivity in your body, name it, and choose a better next move.

Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning)

• You can’t change what you won’t look at.
• Labels limit. Attention expands.
• Curiosity opens doors that criticism shuts.
• Compassion tends to follow understanding.
• Presence beats perfection.
  
  

Stats Worth Knowing

• 95% of people think they are self-aware, while only 10–15% actually are.
• Leaders with higher self-awareness often see stronger team trust and better decisions.
• Couples who can name stress patterns report higher satisfaction.

If you have wondered why you react the way you do, or how to grow beyond it, start here. Episode two continues the conversation with real-life application in home and work.

Thanks for listening,
Justin & Sarah

PS: The conversation doesn’t stop here. Visit the Running Ahrens AI Hub to explore our custom AI tools, including EnneaQuest—your guided Enneagram companion.

#RunningAhrens #Enneagram #SelfAwareness #MarriageAndParenting #Friendship #Leadership #ConsciousLeadership #PersonalGrowth #RealConversations

In this honest and funny conversation, Justin and Sarah sit down with their second child,  and first-born son, Jackson. A quiet observer, deep thinker, and self-proclaimed nerd, Jackson opens up about what it’s really been like growing up as an Ahrens, navigating sports, college, and now early adulthood.

From basement wrestling matches and “Jack accidents” to the discipline of Batavia football and a long recovery from injury, Jackson reflects on how risk-taking, leadership, and comfort have evolved for him. He talks about his shift from wild kid to steady presence, why he doesn’t buy into personality labels, and what studying psychology taught him about people (and himself).

It’s a story about growing up in a loud family while finding your own volume. About learning when to push, when to pause, and how to build a life that’s yours, even when your last name is Ahrens.

Takeaways & Talking Points:

• The shift from fearless kid to thoughtful adult
• What football taught him about leadership, pain, and teamwork
• The psychology major’s take on why humans change
• Why being “The Ahrens Brothers” came with pride and pressure
• How growing up in a creative, entrepreneurial house shaped him, and what he’d do differently

Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning):

• Kids evolve faster when they feel trusted, not managed
• Logical thinkers still crave connection
• Labels can help some people grow, and frustrate others
• Home doesn’t stop being home, even when you leave it

Stats Worth Knowing:

• 73% of Gen Z say mental health is their top personal focus (APA)
• Only 1 in 4 college grads say they felt prepared for real-world jobs (Gallup)
• Nearly half of Gen Z describe themselves as “introverted, but expressive” (Morning Consult)

This episode is for parents learning to see their grown kids in a new light, and for young adults trying to figure out who they are beyond family expectations.

#RunningAhrens #FamilyConversations #ParentingAdultKids #GenZVoices #RealTalk #GrowingUpAhrens #FullHeartLiving #FamilyStories #MarriageAndParenting #ParentingPodcast #LifeAfterCollege #ModernParenting #LeadershipAtHome #BusinessAndParenting#PurposeDrivenLife

Some friendships fade when life gets busy. This one hasn’t.

For more than twenty years, Justin and Sarah Ahrens have called Deon not just a friend, but family, “Uncle Deon” to their kids and a steady presence through every season. In this episode, Justin sits down with Deon to talk about what it means to build a life that doesn’t follow the script,  and still leads to purpose, connection, and impact.

They go back to where it started, Illinois Wesleyan University, and talk about how race, friendship, and shared experience shaped their lives in ways neither expected. Deon opens up about growing up Black in Joliet, the realities of bias he faced on and off the field, and how those experiences built empathy and strength. Justin reflects on learning to see his own privilege and the responsibility that comes with it, lessons that have influenced how he and Sarah raise their kids and build friendships across race, culture, and difference.

It’s a conversation about presence, perspective, and the quiet ways people make each other better.

Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning)

• Family isn’t only who you’re born to, it’s who shows up.
• Real friendship means listening to experiences that aren’t your own.
• Mentorship is a form of parenting that never stops giving.
• Community grows when we cross lines of race, story, and background.
• Legacy isn’t measured by success, but by who you invest in.
• Gratitude and empathy build bridges that last a lifetime.

Stats Worth Knowing

• 1 in 4 U.S. adults say they rely more on chosen family than biological relatives.
• Adults with at least one non-family mentor report 3× higher life satisfaction.
• Over 70% of adults say having “someone who truly listens” impacts their mental health more than professional advice.
• Nearly 60% of Americans say they have at least one close friend of another race — but only 35% say they talk openly about race or lived experience.
• People who maintain long-term cross-cultural friendships are more than 2× as likely to describe their communities as “hopeful.”

This episode is for anyone who’s ever had someone outside their family change their life, or been that person for someone else. It’s also a reminder that when we make room for stories different from our own, our world,  and our families,  get bigger.

#RunningAhrens #FamilyPodcast #ChosenFamily #FriendshipThatLasts #FaithAndPurpose #MentorshipMatters #RaceAndFriendship #CommunityAndConnection #MarriageAndParenting #RealConversations

Do you talk in the car? We do. Road trips have always been where some of our best conversations happen long stretches of road, a little music, a lot of questions, and even some solid sing alongs. That space has been a thread through our marriage, parenting, and business. So this time, on the drive home from dropping Ava at school in Iowa, we decided to bring you along for the ride.

We’re 14 episodes in now, with several more already recorded and being edited. So far, we’ve shared what it means to parent adult kids, to stay married while running a business, to build friendships that last decades, and to walk through hard seasons with honesty. We’ve talked about faith, loss, joy, resilience, and the mess in between. And we’ve sat down with couples and friends who remind us that relationships don’t just happen, they’re made.

Looking ahead, we have more conversations coming with our kids, with other couples, and with people who have shaped how we see marriage, parenting, and purpose. But in this moment, on this road trip, we wanted to pause and do a kind of litmus test. What’s connecting with you? What do you want more of? Where should we go deeper?

This Road Trip Q&A isn’t just a one-off experiment. It’s something we may bring back now and then, because sometimes the best conversations happen when you least plan them.

In this first one, we cover a lot of ground:

• At The Table – why gathering matters. People who prioritize meaningful connection outside of work report 2x higher life satisfaction.
• Menopause & health – yet only 1 in 5 doctors has formal training on menopause, even though nearly every woman will experience it.
• AI & bias – 78% of AI research authors are men. The lack of representation shows up in the answers we get, and in who feels included.
• Parenting adult kids – 74% of adult children say they want emotional support more than advice, while 43% of parents say letting go is the hardest part.
• Travel & independence – studies show kids who travel before age 18 are more adaptable and confident problem-solvers as adults.
• Body image & purity culture – nearly 70% of women say purity culture shaped their views of self-worth and sexuality, while men and women both report double standards that linger.
• What we’re watching – sometimes the best reflection comes from what entertains us (or what we choose to stop watching).

Q&A Feedback

Here’s where you come in. As we keep shaping Running Ahrens, we’d love your voice to be part of it.

• From past episodes: Which story or topic has stayed with you the longest?
• From this episode: Would you want a full conversation on menopause, body image, purity culture, or AI bias?
• Looking ahead: What’s one topic about marriage, parenting adult kids, or running a business you’d like us to unpack?
• Bonus: What’s your favorite road trip or travel game, and do you still play it?
• And anything else, what do you want more (or less) of as we keep building this show together?

Send us a note, DM us on Instagram, or reply in our newsletter. We read every message, and your voice helps shape where we go from here.

Glad you are here,

Justin and Sarah

#RunningAhrens #MarriageAndParenting #FamilyPodcast #ParentingAdultChildren #BusinessAndMarriage #LifeConversations #RealTalkPodcast #RoadTripConversations #MarriagePodcast #ParentingPodcast #TravelAndFamily

Some friendships are casual. Others become essential. For nearly 20 years, Jenn and Ken Visocky-O’Grady have been part of our inner circle, the people we laugh with, travel with, raise kids alongside, and lean on when life shifts.

In this episode, we explore what makes a friendship last, even across states and differences. From their early days running a design studio while teaching, to raising their daughter Lulu as “onlys,” to navigating career pivots and family traditions, Jenn and Ken have lived a life by design, on purpose, together, and with friends who became more than friends.

This is a conversation about investing in people, building circles of trust, and why relationships don’t just happen, they’re made.

Takeaways & Talking Points:

How It Started Why two only children and a big, loud family clicked instantly, and the stories that still make us laugh from those first years.

Designing a Life What Jenn and Ken learned from running a studio and building academic careers, and why intention matters when you’re shaping both work and relationships.

Parenting Lulu The lessons (and surprises) of raising an only child, and how community filled the gaps biology couldn’t.

Across States and Differences The practical rhythms that keep long-distance friendship close, and why shared values outweigh shared lifestyles.

Traditions That Hold Vacations, group texts, and small rituals that keep nearly two decades of friendship strong.

Looking Ahead
How they think about legacy, support, and the next chapter as kids become adults and life keeps shifting.

Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning)

• Friendship isn’t found—it’s built.
• Consistency matters more than proximity.
• Big life pivots are easier with a circle at your back.
• Kids thrive when they feel surrounded, not just parented.
• Traditions carry weight, make some on purpose.
• Gratitude is what keeps long friendships alive.

Stats Worth Knowing

• 20% of U.S. adults are only children, and many build deep, lasting friendships.
• Couples who align careers report 40% higher life satisfaction.
• Children of only parents are 2.5x more likely to be onlys themselves, and thrive just as much.
• Friendships lasting 10+ years depend more on shared values than shared lifestyles.
• People who live with intention report nearly 2x higher life satisfaction.

At the end of the day, it’s the people who keep showing up that shape our story. Jenn and Ken have been those people for us, and we hope you have (or find) the same kind of friends in your own life. Send the text. Plan the dinner. Make the trip. Relationships don’t just last by accident. They last because we choose them, again and again. 

This episode is a reminder: don’t wait for the perfect moment. Reach out today.

Thanks for listening!

Justin & Sarah

#RunningAhrens #FriendshipGoals #LifeByDesign #MarriageAndParenting #FamilyPodcast #FriendshipMatters #RelationshipsThatLast #ParentingAndLife #PodcastCommunity #RealConversations #MarriageAndFriendship

A year ago, Justin and Sarah thought the house was starting to empty. Kids were graduating, moving out, building their own lives. But now? Three of the four are back under one roof,  and life looks very different than they imagined.

From shared meals and grocery bills to rethinking roles and expectations, they talk about the joy, challenges, and surprises of parenting adult kids at home. Along the way, they open up about midlife shifts, faith that keeps evolving, supporting aging parents, and finding meaning in this second half of life together.

Even though this isn’t the season they pictured, it’s become a blessing,  a chance to enjoy each other in a new way and to see family life from a fresh perspective.

With honesty, humor, and gratitude, Justin and Sarah share what’s working, what they’re still figuring out, and why even the messy parts can feel like a gift.

This is a conversation full of laughter, perspective, and reminders that you don’t need to have it all figured out to enjoy the chapter you’re in.

Takeaways & Talking Points

The Return Home Why three of their four kids are back under one roof,  and what it means to parent adults with more trust, more respect, and more room to grow

The Dinner Table Shift Sarah’s reflections on decades of family meals,  and how food is more than fuel, it’s connection (even when the planning gets old)

New Rhythms at Home How expectations change when everyone’s grown,  and why communication, shared space, and humor matter more than rules

Second Half of Life How parenting, marriage, and faith feel different in midlife,  and why it’s less about answers and more about staying curious together

Full Circle Moments Celebrating Jackson coaching, Mackenzie and Quinn working in schools, and Ava carving her own path,  and how it feels to watch your kids thrive in their own ways

Parenting While Parenting Up Learning how to walk alongside aging parents with empathy, respect, and responsibility,  while also holding space for their kids’ growth

Legacy & Letting Go Why this season is about asking better questions, practicing gratitude, and remembering that love expands as roles evolve

Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning)
•Parenting doesn’t stop, it transforms
•Everyday chores and routines can be chances for connection
•A full house can be noisy and busy,  and still a blessing
•The “second half of life” is less about control and more about curiosity
•Gratitude makes room for growth,  even in seasons of transition

Stats Worth Knowing
•1 in 3 young adults in the U.S. live at home with their parents
•65% of families report tension over chores, money, or shared space
•74% of adult kids say they want emotional support, not advice
•More than 50% of midlife adults balance care for both kids and aging parents
•The average parent spends over 30 years cooking family meals

This one’s for anyone walking through the launch years, welcoming kids back, or navigating the shifting seasons of family and faith.

You’re not alone. And you’re not behind. You’re living the story, and there’s joy to be found right where you are.

#ParentingAdultChildren, #FamilyLife, #RunningAhrensPodcast, #MarriageAndParenting, #LifeInTransition, #HonestConversations, #EmptyNestAndBeyond, #SecondHalfOfLife, #FamilyDynamics, #ParentingUp, #GratitudeInTheMess

In this sibling spotlight episode of Running Ahrens, we sit down with our third child, Quinn, a national champion, a natural leader, and a 200% energy kind of guy. From being the tallest kid in school to learning when to slow down (literally), this conversation is fast-paced, funny, and full of heart.

We talk about what it was like growing up Ahrens-style: full schedules, loud houses, big feelings, and sometimes, misunderstandings. Quinn reflects on his sports highs and heartbreaking injury, what it felt like not to be believed, and how his confidence evolved through speech struggles and being the “middle kid.” He also spills some secrets, names the best sibling drama moment, and shares how he’s navigating what’s next.

It’s a story about movement, resilience, and identity, and why home still matters even when you’re grown.

Takeaways & Talking Points:

• The challenge of being tall, loud, and underestimated
• Early speech issues and how they shaped his confidence
• The ups and downs of sports, from glory to injury
• Real talk about parenting, from sports sidelines to the living room
• Sibling chaos, secrets, and growing up in the middle
• Letting go of what defined you and figuring out who you are now

Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning):

• Kids don’t always feel heard, even when they’re loud
• Being competitive doesn’t mean you don’t have fears
• Trusting your kids’ pain and letting them grieve matters
• Middle children are often watching more than you know
• Coming home as an adult can bring both comfort and clarity

Stats Worth Knowing:

• Middle children often develop stronger conflict resolution and leadership skills than their siblings (Journal of Personality)
• 70% of kids quit sports by age 13, burnout and pressure are top reasons (Aspen Institute Project Play)
• Over 33% of youth athletes experience injuries that change their trajectory (AAP)
• Gen Z is the most values-driven generation yet,  67% say they define success more by meaning than money (Pew Research)

This episode is for anyone navigating the messy middle, whether it’s in the birth order, in recovery, or in the journey of figuring out who you really are.

#RunningAhrens #SiblingStories #CrazySportsParents #MiddleChildEnergy #FullHeartLiving #ParentingReflection #GenZVoices

In this special episode of Running Ahrens, Justin and Sarah open up about the wild, wonderful, and sometimes chaotic story of building a business and a marriage, together.

From the early days of paychecks that didn’t always cash to growing a nationally recognized creative agency out of their unfinished basement, they share what it really looked like to raise a family, run a business, and somehow stay married through all of it. With honesty, humor, and a few deeply relatable moments, they reflect on everything from business pivots and burnout to parenting, power struggles, and even employee work attire standards.

It’s the kind of conversation you’ll laugh through, nod along with, and maybe even feel a little less alone after hearing.

Takeaways & Talking Points:

Starting Something With Nothing
The (un)romantic truth about launching Rule29 while pregnant, broke, and living with family

Paychecks, Pivots & The Basement Office
How Sarah took over the books, Justin rebuilt the business from scratch, and their unfinished basement became the birthplace of a creative agency

Rules We Made for Each Other
Why they signed a literal contract before rebuilding the business, and what it taught them about boundaries, expectations, and shared goals

When Everything Changed
Business challenges, financial pressures, and the hard decisions that shaped their next chapter

The Collaboration Contract
Learning to divide responsibilities (and not kill each other), grow a team, and raise four kids while running the show

The Exit That Hurt
Why Sarah ultimately stepped away from Rule29, what it cost them, and how it made space for her to step into her own story

Love, Regret & What They’d Do Differently
The honest truth about ego, burnout, creativity, and how they’d build something together now, if they ever did it again

Things We’re Learning (and Unlearning)

• You can love someone deeply and still feel unseen in the business you built together
• Contracts aren’t just for clients, they can save your marriage
• There’s no such thing as “enough” for a driven creative… unless you define it together
• Even the best partnerships have seasons of resentment, reinvention, and release
• Sometimes, letting go is the bravest (and kindest) move you can make

Stats Worth Knowing

• Only 3% of businesses make it 25 years
• 60% of married co-founders eventually part ways professionally
• 75% of couples in business together admit they argue over who does what
• 45+ interns and countless team members have launched careers through Rule29
• 1 contract, 4 babies, and two rebuilt careers later… the story continues
  
  

This one’s for anyone who's ever tried to build something without losing everything else. For the dreamers, the doers, the co-founders, and the couples working side by side (or trying to).

You’re not alone. And you’re not crazy. This is what building something real looks like.

#CreativeCouples, #BuildingTogether, #BusinessAndMarriage, #RunningAhrensPodcast, #Rule29OriginStory, #BehindTheBusiness, #WomenInBusiness, #FamilyAndEntrepreneurship, #HardConversations, #RebuildingTogether, #MarriageAndWork, #PartnershipInBusiness, #DesignLife, #CreativeLeadership