Pain Cave to Power

Advocacy, Identity & Inclusive Trails with Julianna Coughlin

In this episode of Pain Cave to Power, we sit down with runner, storyteller, and advocate Julianna Coughlin who is a marathoner and trail runner reshaping what strength, representation, and inclusivity look like in the running world. Julianna brings a powerful blend of lived experience and professional insight as a registered dietitian, content creator, and host of the Runnah podcast. Living with chronic biomechanical and neurological challenges, she opens up about navigating the running world through a lens that often goes unseen, and the barriers, biases, and breakthroughs that come with it. Together, we explore how identity intersects with movement, how athletes with disabilities and female-identifying runners experience both visible and invisible challenges, and what it means to build communities where all athletes feel safe, welcomed, and celebrated. In this episode: * Julianna’s journey into running and storytelling * Advocacy for disabled athletes and female-identifying runners * The emotional landscape of running with chronic conditions * Inclusivity gaps in trail and ultra communities * What true safety and representation should look like * How community leaders can reshape running culture This conversation is heartfelt, honest, and full of the kind of truth-telling that empowers endurance athletes everywhere. Julianna’s story is a reminder that the pain cave isn’t just physical and that power comes from claiming our whole selves, not just the miles we run. Listen now and step into a deeper, more inclusive understanding of what it means to be an athlete. Recorded December 20, 2025

Red Flags, Green Flags, and the Illusion of Safety

Join us with our guest, John Calabrese, as we dive deep into the complexities of relationships, whether personal, professional, or within the vibrant trail running community. In this episode, we unpack the critical red flags that can arise in our connections and explore how to recognize the green flags that promote a safe and nurturing environment for healing and growth.  As the trail running community expands, we're reminded that while it can be a source of encouragement and support, it's essential to stay vigilant about the darker sides that can emerge. Let's learn how to cultivate relationships that uplift us while acknowledging the challenges we may face. Together, we can forge a path toward a more resilient and compassionate community.  Tune in and discover how to navigate these landscapes, fostering relationships that truly empower us.  Recorded November 24, 2025

The Digital Trail: Privacy, Online Harassment and Cult Followings

In this episode of Pain Cave to Power, Melissa and Brandy take on one of the most urgent safety conversations in the trail and ultra community: the hidden risks that live online. From invasive DMs to obsessive monitoring, fake accounts, stalking behaviors, and cult followings around charismatic leaders, we explore how digital harassment often becomes real-world danger with real-world effects, especially for women and vulnerable runners. Together, we examine how much information athletes unintentionally share, how predators exploit digital spaces and vulnerable populations, and why online boundaries are as essential to safety. This episode is a candid, necessary deep dive into the places the trail community rarely talks about, because safety isn’t just about headlamps and bear spray. It’s about the spaces we occupy online, and the people who may be watching. Listen now, share widely, and help us make the running world safer on every trail, including the digital ones.

Welcome to the Pain Cave

Formerly known as Running Through Life’s Hurdles, the podcast returns for its second season with a new name and deeper purpose — Pain Cave to Power. In this reimagined season, hosts Melissa Londry — therapist, ultrarunner, and race director — and Brandy Krisher — ultrarunner, massage therapist, coach, and advocate — invite you into the heart of Pain Cave to Power: a space where endurance meets emotion and where we explore both the pain we choose and the pain we never asked for. Together, Melissa and Brandy unpack the meaning behind “the pain cave”, that raw, transformative space runners know all too well, and how it mirrors life’s hardest moments: trauma, grief, heartbreak, betrayal, and healing. This conversation sets the tone for what’s ahead... honest, unfiltered discussions about how running can be both refuge and reckoning. Because sometimes the trails we run reflect the emotional terrain we’re still learning to navigate. In this episode: * The story behind Pain Cave to Power  * A discussion of the newly published ATRA article: “Running Toward Safety: How Trail Running Is Confronting Harassment and Building Trauma-Informed Communities” * Why endurance and healing share the same language * What listeners can expect in future episodes from personal stories to community conversations on trauma, safety, and transformation Subscribe, share, and step into the cave, because this is where strength begins.

Running through Life's Hurders S1 E4: Demystifying Nutrition with Rachel Gross

In this insightful episode, we sit down with Rachel Gross, founder of Rachel Gross Nutrition, to discuss her inspiring journey and expert advice on nutrition, wellness, and running. Rachel shares her personal experiences that led her to start her business, highlighting the need she identified in her community for healthier lifestyles amidst constant stressors. Rachel talks about the wide range of services she offers, including one-on-one nutrition coaching, fitness programming, meal prepping, and accountability groups. She explains how she customizes her approach to meet the unique needs of each client and addresses common misconceptions about meal prepping. As a seasoned nutrition expert, Rachel provides invaluable tips for athletes looking to optimize their diet for performance and recovery. She explains her philosophy of viewing food as fuel and how she helps clients adopt this mindset for sustained energy and satisfaction. Throughout the episode, Rachel shares success stories from her clients and discusses her ongoing efforts to stay connected with her community and adapt to their evolving needs. She also gives a glimpse into her future plans for Rachel Gross Nutrition and how she envisions her business growing. Listeners will walk away with practical tips for starting their own wellness journey, incorporating healthy eating habits into busy schedules, and avoiding common pitfalls. Rachel's passion for her work and dedication to helping others shine through, making this episode a must-listen for anyone interested in nutrition and running. Tune in to learn from Rachel Gross and discover how you can fuel your body for a healthier, more active lifestyle.  You can find Rachel on her website (www.rachelgrossnutrition.com) Facebook and Instagram @milesacrossthemitten.