Running Ahrens
One Couple. Two People. Four Kids. And decades of figuring it out—together.
Running Ahrens is a podcast about the long game of marriage, parenting, business, and personal growth. Hosted by Justin and Sarah Ahrens, a couple married for over 30 years with four kids and decades of entrepreneurial experience, this show is about the lessons learned through successes, failures, and everything in between.
With a focus on mindset, honesty, accountability, and kindness, Justin and Sarah dive into real conversations about building a family, running businesses, navigating faith, friendships, and growing through the hard stuff. Still learning, still laughing, still running together, they share what they’ve figured out (and what they haven’t) with humor, humility, and heart.
Along the way, they’re joined by friends, guests, and even their kids for open, often funny, and always heartfelt conversations about what really matters: relationships, resilience, and the lessons that come with time. You’ll also hear about the books, tools, and resources that have helped them along the way, so you can take what resonates and apply it to your own life.
If you’re looking for honest stories, practical wisdom, and a reminder that no one’s running this race perfectly, you’re in the right place.
Episodes
23 episodes
Season 2: Still Figuring It Out (Together)
So… We’re BackWe didn’t plan a big dramatic return. Life just kept moving… and gave us a lot more to talk about.Since season one, our kids got older (how does that keep happening?), one got engaged, a few are stepping into car...
Season 1 Recap: What We Learned by Talking Out Loud
Season one started as an experiment. Justin and Sarah wanted a place to talk about marriage, parenting, and running a business together. Business shows up. But it didn’t take long to realize this show isn’t really about business.I...
When Your Story Changes: How JJ and Jamey Rebuilt Life, Love, and Home
In this honest and very human conversation, Justin and Sarah sit down with their friends JJ and Jamey to talk about what it costs to tell the truth about who you are, and what it looks like to build a family afterward.JJ grew up i...
The Firstborn: Mackenzie on Pressure, Rule-Breaking, and Becoming Herself
In this honest, funny, and very real conversation, Justin and Sarah sit down with their oldest child, Mackenzie, the one who made them parents and set the curve for everyone who came after.Born on Sarah’s birthday and right on her...
Love, Grit, and Gears: The Vande Velde Story
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 ...
The Enneagram in Real Life: Marriage, Parenting, and Work
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 N...
The Enneagram and Us: Seeing Ourselves Clearly
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 Micha...
The Thinker: Jackson on Risk, Reason, and Finding His Own Path
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 ...
Uncle Deon: The Power of Showing Up
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. ...
Road Trip Q&A: Talking Life on the Way Home
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 marr...
Designing Friendship with Jenn & Ken Visocky-O’Grady
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....
Full House Again: Parenting Adult "Kids" While Finding Ourselves
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....
Full Speed, Full Volume, Full Heart. Quinn Speaks Up.
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 ...
25 Years, 1 Business, and a Whole Lot of Life, Our Story of Building Rule29 Together
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 tha...
Becoming Who You Were Meant to Be - Kelly’s Journey Through Grief and Growth
In this moving episode of Running Ahrens, Justin and Sarah sit down with their longtime friend and former teammate Kelly Allison, a creative force, solo parent, and survivor of some of life’s hardest chapters.<...
Baby of the Family, Boss of the Moment: Ava Takes the Mic
In this first-ever “kid interview” episode of Running Ahrens, Justin and Sarah flip the script and invite their youngest, Ava, into the hot seat. What follows is an honest, hilarious, and unexpectedly profound conversation about growing up i...
Choosing Love, Even When the World Says No: Jeff & Ed’s Story
Love, laughter, and legal loopholes, today, we sit down with Jeff and Ed, a couple who have not only weathered the storms of marriage, but also navigated the wild, often heartbreaking, landscape of LGBTQ+ rights in America. Their story is fi...
From Sidelines to Self-Awareness: Our Story as Recovering Crazy Sports Parents
We weren’t bad sports parents—we just had some things to unlearn.In this episode of Running Ahrens, Justin and Sarah reflect on the emotional rollercoaster of raising kids in competitive sports while navigating marriage, busines...
From South Africa to Here: Love Tested, Love Renewed
Marriage and Business Don’t End, They Evolve.Most people think a thriving marriage and business partnership just needs hard work and luck. But for Martin and Heila Rowan, the real magic and challenge was learning to stay together ...
Parenting in the Launch Years
Parenting doesn’t end—it transforms.Most parenting advice ends at high school graduation, but the launch years? That’s when the real shift begins. In this heartfelt episode, Justin and Sarah Ahrens reflect on celebrating their so...
Marriage or Business: Which Is Harder?
Justin and Sarah have been partners in business and life for over three decades. They started a creative agency while starting a family—and over the years, they’ve experienced the highs, lows, and in-betweens of running both a household and a c...
Different Worlds, One Marriage: How Our Upbringings Shaped Us
Justin and Sarah grew up in two completely different worlds—one marked by constant change, single-parent homes, and loud, expressive family dynamics; the other, rooted in perceived stability, structure, and quiet expectations. In this episode, ...
Meet the Ahrens: Why We’re Doing This
In this short kickoff, Justin and Sarah Ahrens introduce Running Ahrens, a show about the messy, beautiful reality of building a life together. With over 30 years of marriage, four kids, and decades of running businesses side-by-side, ...
