Strong Core Podcast
Strong Core is a podcast for mother-athletes who are figuring out who they are beyond the roles they play. Through honest conversations, we explore what it takes to pursue big goals while staying grounded in who you are at your core.
Episodes
13 episodes
From “I’m Too Far Gone” to World Championships, Rachel Kippenbrock’s Comeback Story
Rachel Kippenbrock (@rachelkipp) is a single mom of three who stepped away from sport for ten years, came back on her own terms, and hasn't stopped since.She came to endurance racing not from a place of ease but from a need to rebuild — ...
Queen of Pain: Marjaana Rakai on Joy, Grit, and What Endurance Sport Gives You That Nothing Else Does.
Marjaana Rakai (@tiredmomruns) spent two decades raising three kids across four continents, with no village or extended family nearby and a husband who traveled the world for work.Triathlon saved her. Literally.Marjaana is an Iron...
When "Just Finishing" Isn't Enough: Caitlin Thompson on Competing, Belief, and Going After More.
She watched strangers cross a finish line in Hamburg and cried. A week later she signed up for her first 70.3 on a $200 road bike with no training plan and no idea what she was doing. In this episode, Caitlin (@caitlin.thomps...
Me Versus Me: Pro Triathlete Meg Dirito on Racing, Motherhood, and Never Choosing Between Them.
Meg Dirito (@dirito21) has never separated who she is from what she does. She swam D1 at Bucknell, where she is now in the Hall of Fame. She became an emergency vet. She became a mother. And when triathlon found her in 2018 — she didn't know ho...
"It's Just a Hill, Get Over It" — Kerry Blackmer on Kindness, Adaptive Racing, and the Art of Showing Up
Kerry Blackmer (@kl_blackmer) is a five-time full Ironman finisher and a mom. In this episode, she opens up about what it really takes to keep showing up — through injury, motherhood, and everything in between.She started running maratho...
The Moms Juggling the Most Are Often Hitting Their Best Performances. Coach Carly on Why.
Carly (@coach.carly on Instagram) has been coaching Ironman athletes for 12 years. She had the data, the experience, and the athletes who proved it was possible. Then she had her own babies, got cleared at six weeks, and thought: That is absolu...
Sarah Whelan: She Almost Joined the Navy SEALs. Then She Became an Ironman.
Sarah Whelan is a special ed teacher, spin instructor, mom of three, and nine-time Ironman finisher. But the through-line isn't the race count. It's the girl who walked into a Marine recruiting office as a teenager, got laughed at, walked next ...
She Shows Up the Same Way for Her Students, Her Kids, and Herself. Jacqui Giuliano on Training, Teaching, and Never Losing the Thread.
When asked to describe herself in one word as a teacher, Jacqui Giuliano said efficient. As an athlete, she said persevere. As a mom, she said loving. Three words. Three roles. One person who has never separated who she is from what she does.
From Bored in the Garage Gym to Kona: Kate Weaver on What Keeps Pulling Her Back to the Start Line.
Kate Weaver (@kateweavertri) was a marathoner before she had kids, Boston qualifier and all. Then life got full, and the miles got shorter. By the time her youngest started kindergarten, she was lifting weights in the garage every day, going th...
"I Want to Be This Busy." Jess Kelly on Building a Life You Actually Love.
Jess Kelly lights up every room she walks into. You can feel it in how she talks about her athletes, her team, her boys, and the two hours on a Friday afternoon that are entirely hers.In this episode, Jess talks about what happens when y...
"Today Is the Best Day of My Life." Erin Song on Optimism, Motherhood, and Going After Big Goals.
Erin Song (@erinmsong) is a mindset coach, mom of four boys, and first-time Ironman finisher who trained for Lake Placid starting at nine miles per hour, unclipped, on a bike her coach wasn't sure could make it around the block. She got ...
This Summer She's Racing With Both Her Daughters. Cindy Kelecic on What Sport Looks Like When It Becomes a Family Language.
This summer, Cindy Kelecic (@citakacs) is toeing the line at the Philadelphia Women's Triathlon with both her daughters by her side, all three of them on the course together from ...