LKE 3.2 ||Ultramarathon Mindset with Manika Gamble: Pain, Purpose & Spiritual Questions

What drives someone to run for hours? Through heat, snow, exhaustion, and intense physical pain?

In this powerful episode of Loving Kindness Everyday, host Kindness Calloway sits down with the elite athlete and ultramarathoner Manika Gamble to explore that very question. Manika Gamble is officially a history maker as the first American woman of African orgins to complete the grueling 155-mile (250KM), 7-day, self-supported ultramarathon stage race in Namibia’s Namib Desert which is the oldest desert in the world. Manika's strength, resilience, and determination pushed her through one of the most grueling endurance challenges on the planet and she sat down with Kindness Calloway to discuss it. What begins as a conversation about the reality of endurance running - the mental battles, physical limits, and pushing through pain, quickly unfolds into something deeper and thought provoking.

As Manika reflects on the grueling challenge of her first ultramarathon, the conversation turns toward faith, spirituality, and motivation. The discussion moves into topics of religious identity, scripture, and spiritual struggle. Together, they discuss faith, the meaning of the 144,000 witnesses, and how certain Bible verses have been misused to exclude specific groups of people from faith communities. This conversation is unfiltered, thought provoking and unique. It invites listeners to sit with discomfort, reflect deeply, and hear from Manika Gamble in her own words as she speaks about endurance, faith, and the search for meaning.  Also meantioned in this episode;  Film 1946 and the spiritual harm caused to humans by mistranslations and bad theology Kathy Baldock and her work Kindness Calloway mentions the work of artist and Atlanta based activist Jessica Blinkhorn, a friend of the show and future featured guest. 

🎧 Share this show on all podcast platforms and visit KindnessCalloway.com to find more ways to connect with Kindness in Atlanta.  🛍 Support the show by shopping BentleyFortune.com , an Atlanta based brand --> use code KindnesstheKid for a great deal and to support the show! 🔎 Keywords: Manika Gamble, ultramarathon, Black endurance athlete, Namibia ultramarathon, Jehovah’s Witness faith, 144000 witnesses, Bible mistranslation, scripture misuse, 1946: The Movie, Kathy Baldock, Jessica Blinkhorn, spiritual abuse, Atlanta activism, Kindness Calloway, Loving Kindness Everyday podcast, queer spirituality, Black women in endurance sports, faith and resilience, desert ultramarathon  Be sure to follow Manika’s next adventure and her reflections on endurance, fitness, and mindset on Instagram at @manikaruns.