What if exercise isn’t for weight loss?

In this episode of Becoming Thin, I sit down with a woman who lost 95 pounds… and didn’t stop there. She went from feeling postpartum, overwhelmed, depressed, and nearly 240 pounds to completing 100-mile ultramarathons.

But this is not an episode about running.

It’s about identity.

We talk about what happens when you stop using exercise to punish your body and start using it to care for it. We unpack why running alone won’t make you thin, why it often makes you hungrier, and how reframing movement can completely change your relationship with food.

She shares how she went “cold turkey” into keto and intermittent fasting, lost 95 pounds in a year, then faced carb fear when she reintroduced balance for marathon training. She gained some weight back — and didn’t panic. We discuss maintenance as awareness, not obsession, and thinking in seasons instead of days.

We also dive into mom guilt, modeling strength for your kids, the fear of regaining weight, and the mindset required to walk through the “pain cave” — those moments when you want to quit.

This episode is about learning to keep promises to yourself.

It’s about meeting yourself in hard moments.

It’s about realizing that wanting to quit isn’t the crime — quitting is.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, afraid of gaining it back, or unsure whether you’re “that kind of person,” this conversation will help you think differently.

And new thinking creates new results.

Listen for the mindset. Listen for the shift.00:00 Welcome Back, Champion: Learn From the Week’s Failures01:21 Meet the Guest: 95 lbs Down to 100-Mile Ultras (It’s Not Just About Running)03:02 Mindset Reframe: New Results Require New Thinking03:45 Free 3-Week Daily Coaching Course Announcement (Who It’s For)07:06 Interview Begins: The First Mile Always Sucks (And That’s Normal)08:35 Her Turning Point: Running for Love of the Body, Not Weight Loss12:00 Keto + Intermittent Fasting: Losing 95 lbs and Chasing the Next Medal14:17 Carb Fear, Strength Training, and Gaining Some Weight Back Without Panic17:33 Postpartum Survival Mode: Depression, Portions, and What She’d Tell New Moms22:25 Mom Guilt & Identity: Being a Mom and Still Having Your Own Passion25:42 Setting the Example: Grand Canyon Confidence and Breaking Family Patterns31:11 Maintenance Mindset: Balance, Seasons, and Living in “Training Mode”42:01 The Pain Cave: Choosing Your Attitude When You’re Suffering48:12 Embracing the Pain Cave: Remembering You Chose This48:47 Meeting Your Raw Self in Suffering (and Why It Heals)51:30 Future-Self Motivation: Deathbed Perspective & Big Goals53:19 How Hard Things Recalibrate Your Life (Work, Sleep, Mindset)58:16 “I’m Not Special”: Making Endurance Possible with Time & Priorities01:01:11 Grace vs. Excuses: The Push-Pull of Rest, Movement, and Honesty01:08:21 The 10-Minute Rule & Showing Up on Low-Motivation Days01:09:50 Running as Therapy (But Not a Replacement) + Trail Running as Sanctuary01:16:02 Mortality, Gratitude, and ‘Burn the Ships’ Commitment01:23:06 Closing Thoughts: Living Fully + Where to Follow + What’s Next