Sierra chats with Sam Cvetkovski about the mental skills she practiced and used in her first 100-miler San Diego 100 in June 2025.

You'll hear about how Sam learned to leave the past in the past, run with gratitude, and other mindset shifts that she uses to stay accountable and competitive.

Sam is a former data professional who traded desk life for endurance training and mountain challenges. Today, she works with runners, ruckers, and outdoor athletes—and really anyone looking to say “yes” to more adventure—helping them build strength, resilience, and confidence, both physically and mentally.

Thank you to Sam for sharing her experience and the mental skills that work for her so we can all shatter our next race!

CONNECT WITH US:

If you'd like to share your own experience using mental skills during a recent marathon or ultra, please reach out to Sierra on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sierra on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShatteredRunner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sam on IG @Samstrap; Blog/Website; Omni Athlete Training

In this episode, Sierra talks to John Calabrese about his mental skills training and other strategies that helps him stay motivated and ultra ready.

You'll hear about the different sources of motivation John uses and how he learns from past races while staying anchored to the present moment

John is a busy dance dad and experienced ultrarunner who competes in races almost every weekend, works full time, reviews shoes for Believe in the Run, and loves spending time with his daughter.

Shout out to John for taking time to share his experience and the mental skills that work for him so we can all shatter our next race!

CONNECT WITH US:

If you'd like to share your own experience using mental skills during a recent marathon or ultra, please reach out to Sierra on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠email: [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sierra on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShatteredRunner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with John on IG: ⁠⁠@BreezyTrailHead

In this special solo episode, Sierra shares what it took to mentally and physically train for her very first ultramarathon and the mental skills she used to finish 1st female, 2nd overall, and set the 4th fastest course time for women.

You'll hear Sierra talk about building confidence to face the unknown, how to use self-talk statements to stay focused and present, and more mental skills that she trained to shatter Lake Martin 50 mile.

CONNECT WITH ME:

If you'd like to share your own experience using mental skills during a recent marathon or ultra, please reach out to Sierra on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠email: [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sierra on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShatteredRunner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sierra connects with Dr. Jonathan Jenkins about the difference in his training and racing the Boston Marathon seven years apart.

JJ shares how he managed life changes between his races, ways to reflect and build resilience, and more mental skills that helped him PR Boston years later.

Dr. Jonathan Haywood Jenkins, Psy.D., CMPC, is the founder of Mental Fitness & Psychotherapy, LLC., a member of the Harvard Medical School teaching community, and serves on the medical teams of the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox. An endurance athlete himself, JJ has run the Boston Marathon twice, completed The Speed Project virtually, and has finished numerous duathlons and triathlons. He is the author of Wednesday Afternoons with Dr. J., a children’s book written to encourage young people to be brave in therapy and the new book Mentality Wins: The Athlete's Playbook for Thriving in Sport and Life, a book to help athletes fall deeper in love with their sport and themselves via sport psychology routines and mental health strategies.

HUGE thank you to JJ for taking time to share his experience and the mental skills that work for him so we can all shatter our next race!

CONNECT WITH US:

If you'd like to share your own experience using mental skills during a recent marathon or ultra, please reach out to Sierra on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠email: [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sierra on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShatteredRunner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with JJ on Instagram: ⁠@Dr.JonathanJenkins

Check out JJ's new book ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mentality Wins

In this episode, Sierra talks with Ashlie Ithurburn about the mental skills training and other strategies that helped her finish 1st female at Southern States 200 in 2024.

You'll hear more about the importance of imagery, contingency planning, and strategy and how Ashlie used each to shatter her race.

Ashlie is an experienced ultrarunner who has finished in the top 10 at almost every 200-miler, 100-miler, and 50-miler that she's ran and holds the FKT for the Pinhoti Trail. She's a native of California who now proudly calls Alabama home where she found her love for trail running and her community.

Huge thank you to Ashlie for taking time to share her experience and the mental skills that work for her so we can all shatter our next race!

CONNECT WITH US:

If you'd like to share your own experience using mental skills during a recent marathon or ultra, please reach out to Sierra on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠email: [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sierra on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShatteredRunner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Ashlie on her IG: ⁠@AshlieIthurburn

In this episode, Sierra connects with Dr. Marisa Romeo about her experience using mental skills at Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc (UTMB) and how she helps others train their mental skills.

Marisa dives into her optimal racing zone using focus tactics, imagery, and enjoying all aspects of the training process.

Marisa is a coach, athlete, educator, partner, daughter, and foodie. As a Certified Mental Performance Consultant with a doctorate in Sport and Performance Psychology, her passion is helping athletes and performers develop mental skills that support both high performance and personal growth. She grew up competing in sports and eventually found her way to ultramarathons, where she now compete at an elite level up to 100 miles.

HUGE thank you to Marisa for taking time to share her experience and the mental skills that work for her so we can all shatter our next race!

CONNECT WITH US:

If you'd like to share your own experience using mental skills during a recent marathon or ultra, please reach out to Sierra on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠email: [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sierra on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShatteredRunner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Marisa on her website: https://www.marisaromeo.com

Connect with Marisa on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@DrMarisaRomeo

In this episode, Stephanie Engblom shares her running journey and all the mental skills she used to shatter her very first marathon - Twin Cities Marathon in 2025.

Steph and Sierra talk about finding inspiration within the community, learning that pain can be productive, and the importance of reflecting on training and race day.

Steph is a mom of two and a two-time marathoner. She found running during a major weight-loss journey and it became the thing that helped her rebuild trust with her body and her mind. She’s passionate about making running feel accessible for everyday people, especially those starting from zero or coming back after years of feeling like they don’t belong in the running world. Her story is equal parts transformation and reality: slow miles, big feelings, consistency over perfection, and proof that you can change your life one run at a time.

Thank you so much to Steph for taking time to share her experience and the mental skills that work for her so we can all shatter our next race!

CONNECT WITH US:

If you'd like to share your own experience using mental skills during a recent marathon or ultra, please reach out to Sierra on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠email: [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sierra on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShatteredRunner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Stephanie on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Steph.Engblom⁠⁠

Connect with Stephanie on TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Steph.Engblom

In today's episode, Jamal Olatunde shares his go-to training and racing mental skills he used at for the Marine Corps Marathon in 2025.

Jamal talks about learning from failures, the importance of having a flexible mindset throughout training, and embracing race day energy. All of which he used to shatter his race.

Jamal grew up playing football, baseball and running shorter distances in track, and I couldn't fathom running anything over 800m. In college, he walked on to the West Point football team but didn't have much of a career there. After graduating, running strength training, and recreational sports became part of staying fit. It took him about eight years before I ran my first race - the Austin Half Marathon in 2019, and from there, he averaged about one race a year before making the leap into a full marathon - the Atlantic City Marathon in 2022.

BIG thank you to Jamal for taking time to share his experience and the mental skills that work for him so we can all shatter our next race!

CONNECT WITH US:

If you'd like to share your own experience using mental skills during a recent marathon or ultra, please reach out to Sierra on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠email: [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sierra on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShatteredRunner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Jamal on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@RunningStateUniversity⁠⁠

Listen to Jamal's podcast The Retired Athlete Mentality Podcast

In this episode, Sarah Bursten shares her experience training and racing at the Zion 100-Mile Challenge in 2025.

Sarah talks about "stacking bricks" through training, her favorite mantras, and the unexpected challenge and the friends she made during race weekend that helped her shatter her goal.

Sarah is an endurance runner, a business owner, and a mom of two littles. Her running journey became profoundly meaningful after a cancer diagnosis in 2021. Facing that challenge led her to running her first marathon, earn the Six Star Medal, and conquer a 100-mile ultramarathon. Her story is a testament to how mindset work can turn a "crazy dream" into an undeniable reality, even while balancing family and business life.

Major thank you to Sarah for sharing her experience and her go-to mental skills so we can all shatter our next race!

CONNECT WITH US:

If you'd like to share your own experience using mental skills during a recent marathon or ultra, please reach out to Sierra on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠email: [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sierra on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShatteredRunner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sarah on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@Making_Marathons

In this episode, you'll hear Vicky Hurd talk about her journey into running and the mental skills she used to shatter her first marathon experience at Every Woman's Marathon!

Vicky highlights the importance of practicing a positive mindset throughout training, the self-talk that worked for her, and how she leaned on her family, run club, and the Fuel Goods team along the way.

Vicky was so inspired by all of the women training for their fall marathons and running Every Woman’s Marathon last year that she decided to start her own running journey after having her second baby. A marathon seemed like a pipe dream that she'd complete in maybe 2 or more years, but once she started running, she couldn’t stop! She's now run a full marathon, 3 half marathons, and numerous 5k and 10k races in the last year.

Massive thank you to Vicky for sharing her experience and what worked for her so we can all shatter our next race!

CONNECT WITH US:

If you'd like to share your own experience using mental skills during a recent marathon or ultra, please reach out to Sierra on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or through ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠email: [email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Sierra on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@ShatteredRunner⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Connect with Vicky on IG ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MarathonMama_V

Connect with Vicky on TikTok ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@MarathonMama_V