S5 EP18 – Hot Takes: The Mental Side of Running with Leah Avery
- Author
- Stephanie Diaz
- Published
- Wed 20 Aug 2025
- Episode Link
- https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/runnersroundtable/episodes/S5-EP18--Hot-Takes-The-Mental-Side-of-Running-with-Leah-Avery-e36rs90
Season five of the Runner’s Round Table will be all about Hot Takes and this episode is The Mental Side of Running Edition. In this episode Stephanie speaks with PT and run coach Leah Avery about perfectionism in running, how our worth as humans isn’t connected to how we perform as runners, and how to find joy in your current season of running.
(Excuse my cough breaks that sound like extended silences; my cold wanted to make a last stand!)
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To watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uZthil5Q_EI
About Stephanie Diaz:
Stephanie is an RRCA (Road Runner’s Club of America) and McMillan Running certified running coach with over 10 years of running experience. Additionally, Stephanie is a yoga teacher with advanced certifications in yoga for athletes, Yoga For All, and Empowered Wisdom Yoga Nidra. Stephanie believes that to be a runner is to believe in your possibility as a human through movement. Her favorite running distance is the half marathon (13.1 miles/21 kilometers).
About Leah:
Leah has been a practicing PT for over a decade which is also when she began her running career. Prior to that she was a competitive swimmer starting at the age of 8 and retired her senior year of college. During her career she was a D1 All American and competed at the Olympic Trials. Leah’s athletic career was anything but linear and she faced many hardships which originally led her to a career in physical therapy. However, after starting her running journey, it was clear she had an unhealthy relationship with athletics largely because of past as a young athlete. Her mission is to help runners reach their potential in a healthy manner by treating the person, not just the runner. And help them understand that running adds value to our lives but it is not what makes us valuable.
