Why I Run And What It’s Taught Me About Leadership, Life, and Letting Go

Most people assume I run for fitness. And sure, I love feeling strong in my body. But the truth is, I run for something much deeper: I run to remember who I am when the noise fades. I run to process, to release the heaviness I can’t always put into words, to hear the whisper of my own voice again and for calm not chaos.

When Life Feels Uncontrollable, I Lace Up My Shoes

There’s something about the rhythm of my feet on pavement, the inhale–exhale of steady breath, the world blurring just enough that all I can hear is my heartbeat.

Running has become my reset, my moving meditation. My rebellion against the version of success that says “keep pushing” even when your body says stop. Because in motion, I find stillness, and I’m not alone. In a 2024 Deloitte survey, 51% of professional women reported feeling constantly burned out a number that’s rising, not falling.

Research from the WHO shows chronic stress increases the risk of heart disease, autoimmune conditions, infertility, anxiety, and depression particularly in women.

I Used to Think Slowing Down Was Weakness

I was wrong. Years ago I was the woman who couldn’t sit still, a high-achiever, a perfectionist, a do-er and underneath it all someone running on fumes. I ignored the signs.

Until my body broke down physically, emotionally, and hormonally. I was navigating infertility, burnout, and an identity crisis all while trying to look like I had it all together.

And in the middle of it? Running helped me hear what my nervous system had been trying to say for years:

“You don’t have to earn your worth by doing.”

“You’re allowed to rest.”

“There’s power in being still.”

Neuroscience now confirms that when the body is in chronic fight-or-flight, the prefrontal cortex the part of the brain responsible for clarity, empathy, and executive function — shuts down. In other words: you literally can’t think straight when you’re stuck in stress.

What Running Taught Me About Leadership

When I run, I don’t push like I used to. I listen, I pace myself, I know when to sprint and when to walk. And that’s exactly how I lead now, too. Whether I’m guiding high-achieving women through fertility storms, identity shifts, or corporate pressure my approach isn’t hustle. It’s regulation and realignment. It’s resetting the rhythm of a woman who’s forgotten how to breathe deeply. Because leadership without calm isn’t leadership it’s survival. And women weren’t born to just cope. We were born to create. Lead. Thrive.

What If You Didn’t Have to Run On Empty?

Lately I’ve been asking my clients this:

“What if calm became your new competitive edge?”

“What if success felt like soft ground underfoot not a treadmill you can’t get off?”

Because the truth is, I still run on, but not to escape. I run towards something now, towards calm, towards clarity, towards the kind of life I no longer need to outrun.

I created The Calm Reset™ for women like me and maybe like you. Women who are strong, smart, successful but craving a softer way forward.

Not to stop achieving. But to stop doing it at the cost of your health, your hormones, your joy.

If you’ve been quietly holding your breath, maybe it’s time to lace up, exhale, and choose a new rhythm.

Have a wonderful Monday! 

Lou x

P.S. I’d love to hear: What’s your version of “running”? What helps you come home to yourself when life feels too loud?