46. Miki McConaha: Firm and Fair; Boundaries and Grace for Self; Being Somebody for Kids who don't have Somebody

Miki McConaha (she/her) is a mom, a partner, an advocate, an ultrarunner, a plant-based athlete, an educator, a cross country coach, and a race director. She is a cook, a baker, a gardener, a snowboarder, a skier, a hiker of mountains including many a 14er in Colorado. Miki was born and raised in Colorado and played sports throughout her life, Soccer was her number one sport but she played volleyball in HS too. She was a goalkeeper because she didn't like running much and liked the importance of the role. Miki received a scholarship to play goalkeeper at Charleston Southern University in Charleston, SC, which she did for 4 years. She then took a volleyball class and mid-way through the class, Miki was offered a scholarship to play her 5th year on the volleyball team. She graduated with a BS in Psychology. Post college, she worked as a community correction case manager, followed by a division of youth corrections security officer. Miki quit to go back to school to get a Master’s in teaching and has been a teacher for the past 7 years. She recently created a run club at her school which was able to raise money to get kids shoes and also participate in the BolderBoulder. Miki finished her first 100 mile race in Leadville last summer. She is an empowerer, an advocate and a doer of all the things.

Miki shares about how her work in the youth correction facility translates into her work as an educator and coach. She was able to hold space for kids and see them and listen to the horrible and hard stories they were living. Miki always showed up trying to do what was best for kids. She talks about how she became a teacher so she could be somebody for kids who don't have somebody. Just beautiful. Miki shares how she started out disliking running and now she runs ultras! She shares about the commitment and the excitement of finishing the Leadville 100. Miki is still working to find the "balance" of running, parenting, working, and doing all the things. We talk about failure and the importance of using failure as growth and not naming ourselves as failure. "Failure doesn't define me. It's going to help make me better." - Miki
Miki is a race director and empowers kids to run and not quit. 
She is a ripple creator!

Miki lives on hinono’eino’ biito’owu’, Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱, Tséstho’e, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ land.

Book recommendation:
Think Like A Monk by Jay Shetty

Check out Miki on IG @miki.mcconaha10 and FB Miki McConaha

When in Arvada, check out So Radish in Old Town www.soradish.com and The Golden Burro in Leadville, CO www.goldenburro.com