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

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

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.