Sarah Whelan: She Almost Joined the Navy SEALs. Then She Became an Ironman.

"I Want to Be This Busy." Jess Kelly on Building a Life You Actually Love.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595413/fan_mail/new] 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 you love every part of your life so much that none of it feels like it's pulling you apart. She's a mom, a coach at Sonic Endurance, a studio director leading 60 people at Lifetime, and a competitive athlete. Not in spite of each other. All at once, all the time, all feeding the same fire. We talk about racing Ironman Worlds in Nice and the tears she didn't expect on the start line. Going back the following year as a coach and crying all over again watching her athlete cross the finish line in France. What she tells the women she coaches who are still figuring out how to make room for themselves. And the life she's building next, one she's not shy about wanting out loud. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595413/support] If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this. Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

From Bored in the Garage Gym to Kona: Kate Weaver on What Keeps Pulling Her Back to the Start Line.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595413/fan_mail/new] 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 through the motions. Her husband could see it before she said it out loud. You're bored. Let's get you a bike. Two years later, she was on the start line in Kona. In this conversation, Kate talks about what that journey actually looked like. Training on downloaded plans until she realized she needed someone who could see her, adjust for her, and spend months doing one thing: building her engine on the bike. The friend who has walked or run with her every Tuesday and Thursday for ten years and showed up on the Queen K hill in Kona when she needed a hug. She also talks honestly about the cost. The under fueling, the hamstring that didn't let her run for three weeks before the race, the rebuild year she is choosing now, instead of pushing through. And about what keeps bringing her back. Not the finish line. The feeling of knowing she can do it better. This one is for every woman who knows she hasn't reached her full potential yet.  Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595413/support] If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this. Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

She Shows Up the Same Way for Her Students, Her Kids, and Herself. Jacqui Giuliano on Training, Teaching, and Never Losing the Thread.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595413/fan_mail/new] 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. She is a seventh grade math teacher in Illinois, a mom of three kids under four, a nine-time Kona qualifier, and a ROKA STNDRD Racing Triathlon Team athlete coached by her husband Ryan, who races alongside her and shares the weight of everything it takes to make race day possible. The clarity and accountability she brings to her classroom are the exact same tools she uses to hold training, motherhood, and herself together without losing any of it in the process. She tells her seventh graders that 2.4 miles is from their school to the corner, that 112 miles on a bike is all the way to Madison, Wisconsin, and that the run is from school to the mall. She does not just inspire them. She makes 140.6 miles feel real. That is how she moves through every part of her life. Present, goal oriented, and always making the abstract concrete for the people around her. This one is for every mom who understands that a strong village is not a luxury. It is the plan. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595413/support] If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this. Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

Sarah Whelan: She Almost Joined the Navy SEALs. Then She Became an Ironman.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595413/fan_mail/new] 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 door to the Navy, and still ended up exactly where she was supposed to be. In this conversation, Sarah talks about how athleticism became the thread connecting every role she plays, why giving back isn't something she does on the side but the engine that runs everything, and what it actually looks like to show up fully in the classroom, at the finish line, and at home. None of this happens alone. Sarah trains with Sonic Endurance under the guidance of coach Stacey Miller, and has been inspired and supported by Jess Kelly, her spinning colleague, friend, and the woman who first showed her what an Ironman mom could look like. This episode is a reminder that behind every woman showing up fully, there are other women lifting her. If you've ever wondered what "anything is possible" looks like lived out over a lifetime, this is your episode. If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this. Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595413/support] If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this. Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.

When "Just Finishing" Isn't Enough: Caitlin Thompson on Competing, Belief, and Going After More.

Send us Fan Mail [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595413/fan_mail/new] 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.thompson.tri) shares how losing one path led her to discover something deeper, a fire she couldn’t ignore. What began as a weight loss journey turned into a relentless pursuit of what she’s truly capable of. We talk about the moment everything shifted, from simply wanting to finish to choosing to compete, and what it takes mentally to stay in the race when things start to fall apart. This is a conversation about belief, identity, and the courage to go after more, even when you’re not sure you deserve it yet. If you’ve ever felt the pull toward something bigger, this one will stay with you. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2595413/support] If this conversation resonated, follow Strong Core and share it with another mother who needs to hear this. Connect on Instagram at @iris_strongcore for more conversations on mental and physical strength in motherhood and sport.