Level Up

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Two years ago, when I wrote "My Creative Marathon," I wasn't just sharing lessons about running, I was preparing myself for the toughest season of my life. The marathon was never about the race itself and any endurance athlete will tell you the same thing, it was about building the resilience, purpose, and intentionality I’d need to navigate the unexpected journey ahead. Stepping onto the starting line of the 2025 Cleveland Marathon marked an incredible full-circle moment! Last week, I achieved a goal I set back in 2023, a sub 3-hour marathon running a 2:59:31. The most important stat is that this was 5 minutes faster than I ran before I went through cancer treatment.

For me, this wasn't about finishing another marathon it was about proving to myself, and hopefully inspiring others who've faced cancer or supported loved ones through it, that we can emerge better, stronger, and more purposeful than ever before. As the old saying goes “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Here are some insights that have made me stronger along this journey. Whether you are running a marathon, starting a business, or tackling a new creative project, it’s time to level up.

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“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

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The Spiral of Growth

Life doesn't move in perfect circles, repeating endlessly without change. Instead, it's more like an upward spiral or helix, continuously elevating us to higher levels. After every challenging season of our lives we have an option to elevate through it or sink because of it. Running this marathon again wasn't about returning to where I started—it was about recognizing how far I'd risen since that initial diagnosis. Cancer wasn’t just a season to endure; it became the catalyst for profound personal growth, deepening my empathy, sharpening my focus, and ultimately redefining who I am today.

And if there’s one thing I want you to take away from this, it’s this: you are allowed to grow through the hard things. You are allowed to arrive back at the same place with a new perspective. You are allowed to be stronger, wiser, and more grounded because of what tried to break you. Let your own upward spiral be a testimony, not just to surviving, but to the creative, hopeful, purpose-filled life that can emerge from it. Keep showing up. Keep spiraling upward. Keep becoming your best.

Less Is More

Approaching this marathon, I learned an essential lesson about balance. After accomplishing a bucket list item, completing the Boston Marathon, just a few weeks earlier, my instinct was to train harder because I didn’t technically reach my goal. I missed my PR by seconds. You see, it wasn’t enough that I just completed a marathon after beating cancer and not just any marathon but the most famous marathon in the world. I really wanted to run faster than before. So, my instinct was to train harder. I was so close!

Instead, I chose to rest, to trust in my preparation, and to prioritize recovery. When race day arrived, I felt refreshed, clear-headed, and physically strong. This reinforced an important truth: sometimes, the most impactful thing we can do is less.

If you’re in a season where you feel behind, burnt out, or uncertain let me be the one to give you permission to pause. Sometimes choosing not to push is the bravest move you can make. Recovery doesn’t mean you’ve stopped growing; it means you’re preparing to level up.  Whether you’re facing your own marathon or just trying to get through the next mile of life, remember carrying less on your plate makes it lighter. The lighter you are the higher you can go. It’s simple physics. Trust your pace. Trust yourself.

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"Sometimes, the most impactful thing we can do is less."

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Just Run

My high school coach and longtime friend gave me simple advice before race day: “Just run.” Initially, I rolled my eyes—26.2 miles is a long way to “just” do anything. Also, we released an article last year that said the opposite. But during the race, those two words transformed into something much deeper. “Just run” became an invitation to return to a sense of childlike wonder, a concept we hold close at a small studio.

I found myself soaking in every cheer, every kid looking for an high five, and every power up sign. I yelled “let’s go Cleveland” every chance I got, made the quiet fans feel bad, fist-bumped fellow runners, and encouraged strangers up hills like I was ten years old playing a game I loved.

That sense of awe, of lightness and curiosity, carried me forward. It reaffirmed a value that I had yet to bring into running. We move best when we tap into that wonder. Trust me, it’s not frivolous; it’s fuel. And in the hardest seasons of the hardest miles, it’s the very thing that keeps the joy alive.

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“Let’s go Cleveland!”

It Wasn’t About Me

Hands down, the most transformative insight from this marathon was realizing it wasn’t about me. Unlike two years prior, this run wasn’t driven by personal ambition but by an unwavering responsibility to others. Through founding the Get Off My Butt Foundation, I came to understand that grace isn’t just about receiving help it’s about offering hope freely, without needing anything in return. Over the past two years my goal became clear: to break the silence around butt health to empower young people to recognize early signs, and to encourage open, honest dialogue. I did not know I would be doing this by running marathons.

Every mile I ran was a mile lifted by the stories of others I encountered on this journey. All those friends who went and got a colonoscopy just because the respect they had for me and my health. This marathon was my way of giving back. My way of inspiring hope. Action, when born from grace, becomes expansive. It heals, it uplifts, and it never asks to be repaid. It just gives. And that’s why this race meant more than any I’ve ever run.

Start with grace. Extend it to yourself, to your process, and to the people walking alongside you. The finish line you’re chasing may not look like what you imagined, but the journey can still be powerful, purposeful, and full of hope. Let every step forward serve. Allow every line in your story shine. And no matter what trust that what you’re doing might be lighting the way for someone else.

My Creative Space

Throughout the hardest moments, a small studio was my lifeline. At one point, to ensure the team's survival, I stopped paying myself for four months, a decision I hoped I never have to make, but one I knew I had to share. Radical transparency isn’t just about vulnerability it’s about inviting others into the truth so we can move forward together. I told my team everything. Honestly, they knew before some of my family. I let them into the uncertainty, the struggle, the financial sacrifice, because I believe that honesty builds strength. Having a safe, creative haven where I could show up as I was, kept me grounded.

It helped me stay focused on my creativity rather than my illness. Creativity isn't just about producing work; it's about fostering spaces within yourself and with others where truth is welcome, where healing can happen, and where showing up authentically is the most powerful form of work. That’s what sustained me throughout cancer and that’s what kept our studio alive.

Transparency invites connection. Don’t be afraid to let people in. You don't have to carry the weight alone. In fact, your honesty might be the very thing that inspires others to stay in the race with you. Courage isn’t pretending everything is okay. Courage is saying, “This is where I am,” and trusting that truth will make a way forward.

Today, a small studio is stronger and more vibrant than ever. We've survived challenges most don’t, emerging resilient and refined. Not just as a company, but as a creative village. It hard to grasp how grateful I am for every person who gracefully walked alongside of me during this creative marathon. To my incredible creative partners, you know who you are.

You didn’t just keep the studio alive, you reminded me what it means to belong. In the midst of uncertainty, you showed up. You made space for me during my weakest time. That sense of belonging was our strength. It still is.

As I close the page on this level of my life, I’m proud to be looking down on it from above. This journey has made me better in every aspect of my life. That’s why I can honestly say I am grateful for everything that has happened to me because now I know that every obstacle is just another opportunity to level up.

What are you going to do with your opportunity?

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📸 by: PhotocredNed