From HR Desk to Marathon Start Line: Claire’s Holistic Path to Purpose
Manage episode 509499159 series 3527756
What happens when you stop playing small and start telling the truth—to your coach, your body, and yourself? Claire joins us to share how she left a stable HR career and built a life around running, breathwork, and positive psychology, not as separate practices but as one coherent path to purpose. Her story is not a straight line; it curves through divorce, self-development, and long miles that taught her to trust the process and let go of outcomes.
We dig into how a holistic approach to training transforms performance, especially in midlife. Claire explains why sleep, strength work, hydration, and nutrition are non-negotiables; how breathwork improves oxygen delivery and steadies the mind before the gun; and why a 3:19 marathon at 49 felt less like defying age and more like aligning body and mind. She coaches online with a mindset-first method—reframing limiting beliefs, documenting the messy weeks, and proving that consistency beats intensity when the goal is confidence as much as pace.
Beyond the finish line, the conversation opens into what running reveals about life. Claire talks candidly about trekking to Everest Base Camp, finding clarity to end a kind marriage, and making the hardest call with honesty and care. She shares the lonely parts of marathon prep, the joy of flow on a cold morning in the Peak District, and the power of saying “I’m alive” at the top of a hill. Clients tell her they’re not just faster; they’re braver at work, calmer at home, and kinder to themselves when plans change.
If you’re curious about holistic running, midlife performance, mental resilience, or the courage to stop hiding, this one’s for you. Subscribe, leave a review, and share this with someone who needs permission to trust the process—what truth are you ready to run toward?
Chapters
1. Purpose After Loss: Series Setup (00:00:00)
2. Claire’s Pivot From HR To Coaching (00:02:37)
3. Sobriety, Self-Development, And Purpose (00:04:32)
4. Finding Passion And Flow In Running (00:07:51)
5. World Majors And A Holistic Method (00:09:36)
6. Ageing Strong: Training Beyond Limits (00:12:21)
7. Coaching The Mind: Trust The Process (00:16:48)
8. Breathwork For Calm And Performance (00:19:08)
9. Sacrifice, Structure, And Daily Life (00:22:05)
10. Community, Authenticity, And Sharing The Journey (00:26:06)
11. Joy, Flow State, And Meaning (00:30:11)
12. From Small Talk To Soul Work (00:34:06)
13. Coaching Beginners To Belief (00:37:06)
66 episodes