Episode 58: Interview with Kimberly Melvan- RunCoach PT
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Welcome to Chasing Life podcast, where we talk about fitness, running, career, and life tips to inspire you to live your best life. I'm your host, Sarah Kane, and I hope you enjoy today's episode. Welcome to another episode of Chasing Life. Today's guest is Kimberly Melvon. Welcome, Kim. Thank you. I'm happy to be here. I'm happy to have you. So why don't we get started with you sharing a little bit about yourself and through a fun way with let's do three truths and a lie.

Oh, okay. I like this. Okay. So first thing, I played collegiate basketball. Second, I was born in Florida. Third, I'm a doctor. And fourth one, I have two kids. All right. Now I know three is the truth because you're a doctor of physical therapy. Yes, that was an easy one. Yes.

I'm also pretty sure number four is true that you have two children. Yeah. So then the other two, let's see basketball and Florida. Let me see. I would say the basketball is the lie. No, that one is actually true. Yes. I was not born in Florida. I live here now, but I was actually born in Pennsylvania and grew up in Kansas. Oh, wow. So you've been all over the country. What caused you to move around?

Yes, I love to travel. That's the basis I feel like of every question of why are you in this place? Why are you in that place? So I graduated high school and I went to college in Massachusetts where I played basketball. And then I moved back home to Kansas for physical therapy school. And then when I graduated, I moved to New Orleans and then Atlanta and now Florida. Wow. So what's been your favorite place you have lived so far and why?

Oh, New Orleans by far. And my husband will laugh because I honestly love living in Florida now, but New Orleans has a special place in my heart. That's where we met. That's kind of where my career got started. It's just the food and the music and the atmosphere is, it's just phenomenal. And I moved in with my godparents when I moved there.

And my godmother, I still remember she said to me, this is a place you're either going to love or hate. She's like, there's no in-between. People are either on one end and I am for sure a lover. But now being in Florida and being so close to the water, this is one place that could probably keep me from moving back or at least temporarily. I have never been to New Orleans, but it is on my list. I hope to go someday. Yes. Well, I will give you recommendations because it is more than just Bourbon Street. Okay. Yeah.

It's got a lot to offer. - Yeah, and I do like Florida. The most recent trip I've been to Florida was to Fort Walden Beach, the Panhandle area. And it was absolutely, the Emerald Coast is what they call it. And it's beautiful there. - Yeah, it's so pretty. - Yeah. What part of Florida are you from?

So I'm in Fort Lauderdale. So we're like very, very close to Miami. I don't think I can get any further south unless I go to Cuba. So we're more on that East Coast side, but still really, really pretty. Yeah, that's nice. So we talked about briefly your career in physical therapy. So how did you decide on that field of study?

Yeah, I really love to talk about this because I find and I've talked to, you know, kids going through like career fairs and things like that. You know, it's everyone I think is like doctor, teacher, lawyer. Those are the three occupations that you can do. There's nothing else out there. So I love to talk about how I got into into my field because I find that, you know, it's kind of a unique experience.

So when I went to school, I knew I wanted to be in medicine. I wanted to do something with health care, you know, but I didn't really want to do med school. I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do. And playing basketball, we had a strength and conditioning coach and he was also a physical therapy assistant.

So I remember talking to him and the athletic trainers at the school. And he said, you know what, why don't you just go and observe? It's like, that's the easiest way you're going to figure out if you like it or if you don't like it before you put all this time and effort into it. And so one summer off in college, I went home and

hooked up with a local PT clinic and went and did some observation hours. And I was like, yes, this is exactly what I want to do. I said, I can work with people because I'm a people person. I said, I don't have to sit behind a desk. I can be active. I can use my brain. No two days are the same. I was all about it. So from then on, my school didn't actually have like a PT track or program. So I knew I wanted to come back home to Kansas.

And I looked at their prerequisites and ticked all the boxes. And that's kind of how I fell into it. What do you specialize in now? Yeah. So I started off in orthopedics, just basic outpatient orthopedics. That's what I did when I moved to New Orleans. I did a little bit of home health before that while I was studying for my board exam.

But ended up with a really phenomenal job in New Orleans working with athletes, top doctors in the city. Very fortunate to be doing what I loved right off the bat, you know, post-op patients, knee surgeries, ankle sprains, you know, shoulder repairs.

all sorts of stuff. So that's what my initial background had been in. And then me personally, after I graduated from college and I wasn't playing basketball anymore, I was kind of looking for something to keep me active, to keep me healthy. I wasn't burning all these calories that I used to be. And I fell into running. And it's funny because I

I hated running, hated running as a kid, hated running in college. You know, I didn't like sprints, just nothing about it was nice to me. And then when I started running myself, it was this realization of, okay, well, if I do it on my own terms, I do it at my own pace. It was this great thing. And I just, I fell in love with it. I'm like, I can do it however I want. No one's yelling at me. You know, I'm motivated to compete with myself.

So that personal side of me kind of fed into the PT side. And then I started, we have to do continuing education for our licensure. And I just started gravitating more towards those running type courses because that's what I was interested in doing myself and

And so the orthopedic route just kind of fed into that really nicely. And learning about specific runner injuries and injury prevention and gait analysis and all that nice fun stuff. So it just kind of melded really well together. Nice. Yeah. There's a couple of points that I want to touch upon. First of all, I can relate to hating running because when I was in

middle school when they first had track and cross country teams for modified ages. I also was like, I'm going to do this because like either friends are doing it or my parents did it in college and I felt like, okay, I don't have a lot of hand-eye coordination so let me do a sport that doesn't require that. And, but then I felt like I

through about a year and a half of being on the track of cross country teams, I realized that I wasn't doing it for myself. And so I pulled away from running and I switched to swimming and I

yeah, I was like injury prone. I just had all kinds of body mechanical issues. Like I just was not built, um, like be a strong runner at that age. And so I didn't run through high school. I didn't run through college. And then I, I picked it up very similar to your route of like, I got to do something now that I'm not like active or like, to me, I have a desk job. So I was like, I got to do something. Um, yeah. Sitting at a desk all day. Like my

My metabolism isn't going to be great forever. And I started at a gym and then I kind of picked up running and, and I have very similar feelings to you of like, I chose it for me instead of feeling pressure from other people. Yes. And then I fell in love with it because I,

was chasing goals that I picked for myself. So I can- Yeah, it's your choice. Yeah. Yeah. And I've stuck with it now for over 12 years. So there's- Isn't that amazing? Yeah. You know, when it's your decision and something you want to do, it's amazing what you will do to keep up with it. Absolutely. Yes. Yeah. And the strange thing is like when I first started, everybody's like, why do you run? Like, why are you running? And I

even when I first started, I would have never even pictured myself still doing it 10 years later. Like I, it's just, I didn't realize I was, I needed something like that in my life and now I can't like live without it. So, and I bet what it did for you when you first started is different than what it does for you now. It changes with you. Yeah, it absolutely did. Like there's still the core of

I'm feeling like it's something I can always control, but it's not kind of the main reason anymore. Now my reasons are chasing specific time goals and like seeing what I'm truly capable of. Like once I kind of got in the habit and, and even years ago, I mean, it still helps me certainly with mental health, but like, I didn't realize how much.

That was kind of what got me into the routine was being like, oh, I feel much better after my run or, oh, like this is helping me become more confident and all of these little things. And now that's kind of like, those things are at a steady state and it's like chasing goals that are now kind of my primary focus. And is that how you got into coaching? Yes. And so the other thing is I can kind of relate to you of like, you were saying that you were choosing,

continuing education courses based on your interests. And that was kind of what led me to run coaching is I was interested in learning more about running. And when I took the coaching course, I just loved all of the material because I was so passionate about it already. And so I was just like, let me learn and learn. And that's what's so interesting is like, when you're really interested in the topic, you just want to like absorb as much of the information about it as possible.

Yeah. I remember a conversation with my dad when I started graduate school, because my dad also went to graduate school for science. And I said, dad, it's, it's incredible. I am interested in every single class that I'm taking to, and that just blew my mind. I'm like, every single aspect of this is so interesting to me. And it just

kind of confirmed you know my my interest in the field and it was also very collaborative i remember in undergrad you know competing with people for grades and you know no one really wanted to share help each other and in that way and then i got to physical therapy school and everybody was just in it together like nobody care i mean you care about grades but like nobody cared

you know, like they did in undergrad. And it was more like, let's learn this together. Like everyone's interested. And that just, oh, it was just such a good feeling. It is just really nice. Yeah. I had a similar feeling when I did my graduate school work too, because your graduate school work is so much more specialized in your undergrad. And

I have an MBA and so it was a lot more like business courses, but I felt the same way of like when I was taking all those courses I was like yes I love this topic I love this topic I love this topic, and it just is a whole different feeling than when you're doing undergrad classes where you have to take.

what are they called? The electives or the other gen ed requirements. And you're like, well, I have to take this. And this is kind of the best of the worst or something. Like you just picked it to get the credit, but you didn't necessarily have an interest in it. Where when you do graduate school work, it's in your field of interest. And it's-

If it's in the right field, I believe everyone should have the same feelings that both you and I have had. Absolutely. That you're like, yes, I love this. I need more of this. Yeah. Yeah. And I can see the need for it in school to kind of figure out what you want to do. You know,

I'm very fortunate in the fact that I knew what I wanted to do early on and that helped. But it's hard. And that I remember being so stressed out about, well, where do I go to school? And I don't know what I want to do. And who knows what they want to do when they're 18 for the rest of their life. That is stressful. I, I,

Again, I keep referring to my dad, but I also remember my dad telling me in his career, he said, Kim, I'm 40 and I'm just now doing what I want to do in my life. And I remember thinking, holy cow, 40 seemed old at the time. Sure. Like, oh man, like.

that's nuts, but I get it. You know, it's, it's hard. It's hard to find that niche, which I, is why I like talking about what I do because when I hear students talk about, well, I don't know what I want to do. And I think I want to do this. I don't know. I'm so passionate about like go and observe and hang out with people because you don't know until you get into it. And you don't want to spend all this time and money and schooling on something that you don't need.

if you can go and observe or hang out with somebody and shadow and be like, oh yeah, that's good. Or, oh no, no. Like I do not want to do that. - I remember when I was in high school they had like a career fair at the local college. And I thought just like probably many people growing up I wanted to be a vet because I loved animals.

And so I sat in on a session, except they got very sciencey of like, okay, well now we take x-rays of this animal, that animal and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, yeah, no, because as much as I love animals, like just that brief exposure and learning, okay, it's not just like petting dogs all day long. It's, there's a lot of science behind it. And I was not a big fan of science and I was like, okay, cross that career field off. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

So with physical therapy, one of my best friends is a physical therapist. So I've loved hearing all of her stories. And she, like you, also discovered her passion for PT very early on. Like she went through

a couple of injuries and she just wanted to, she knew early on that she wanted that career field. So she always has some really good stories for me. Can you share like maybe one of your either favorite successful stories or just a memorable story of somebody you've been working with? Okay. I have one in my mind because I was actually talking about it with a patient this morning. I won't say it's vulgar.

But it's, it's funny. So we were talking about being comfortable laying on the table or the plinth. And I remember when I was got is when I first started working in Atlanta. So I was maybe three years out of school. And I had a patient who was about my age.

Um, and she was very well endowed. And I remember asking her to lay down on the table and I walked away to get something and she was there for back pain. That that's kind of a side, a footnote. Um, and I remember coming back and she was like yelling for me. She was like, Kim, Kim, I cannot breathe. She's like, I am suffocating because she was laying flat and her chest was like up in her, in her windpipe. And I remember thinking, oh my goodness, I was so embarrassed. I was

so bad. I was like, I didn't even know that was a thing that could happen, but I'm so sorry. And I learned my lesson to prop her up with pillows. But I was, I was funny because I was talking with someone about that today. And she would laugh if she heard me tell this story because she's that type of person. Um, so that was also memorable. Um,

And then another I have a lot of funny stories. Oh, I love the funny stories. Yeah, but um, this is when I first got out of school and I had she must have been in middle school or high school. And, you know, I remember doing my evaluation on her.

And I said, okay, go ahead and jump down off the table for me. Meaning like, in my mind, get off of the table. But you forget that people take you so literally. And she literally climbed up on top of the table and was about to jump off. And I was like, oh, no, no, no, no. I put my arms up and I was like, please don't actually jump off the table. This is a very good reminder that people will literally take you at your word.

So I, I, I try not to say jump down off the table, get off of the table. Yes. Yeah. I can just like picture that like a little kid, like, or, well, you said she was like middle school, but still like a young teenager, like climbing up and be like, all right, I'm going to fly now. Like just jump off the table. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. And I was, I felt awful. Her mom was cracking up, but I was

terrified that she was actually going to make that leap. That's kind of the fun thing. I guess you could take that either way of like, if you really wanted to have some fun with somebody, you could like tell them something like that. Right. And like, see how far you could push it for them to follow you. Literally, you know, it's like somebody with a microphone. I remember this, I must've had some conference or something. And the person in the microphone is like,

okay, I got a microphone. So you got to listen to everything I tell you to do. Right. And so they were like, okay, stand up. Okay. Stand on one leg. All right. Raise your hand. And they're like, you, you just did all of this for someone that you don't even know, but because I'm standing in front of your microphone, you're going to do exactly what I tell you. Yes. It's a big game of Simon says exactly. Yeah. Um, but I will tell you one success story. Um, this was when I was in new Orleans and

And I was running, I don't remember if I ran, have you run any of the rock and roll races? I haven't. Okay. They're phenomenal. Yeah. But I was running one. I don't remember if it was the half or the full in new Orleans. And I had a patient who, whose goal was also to run it. And he was training to run in his Vibrams at the time. And I remember passing him

at like the turnaround point during the race. And he was like way far ahead of me. And I, and I laughed to myself. I said, I should be proud that he's running quickly. Like I don't run fast anyways, but I was like, I should be very proud that he's

running the race safely and injury free. And, um, I remember he brought me afterwards like a signed picture. Cause we had a lot of discussions about barefoot running and you know, what was okay, what wasn't okay. Um, and I remember he brought me like the signed certificate or like completion of, he typed something up of him finishing the race in his Vibrams, um, as kind of a nod to, you know, I did it. I'm fine. I did. I ran in them. Um,

But that was nice. It was, it was really nice to see, you know, him complete his goal while I was also completing the same goal in my own way. So that, that's always nice. You know, when you get people back to doing what they, what they love and what they want to do. Yeah. I feel like that's probably, I'd imagine the most rewarding part of your job is like somebody comes in and you're there, something is impacting their, what's the word I'm looking for?

We say function or activities of daily living. That's daily living. Yes. Thank you. And you help, you know, through weeks of sessions, you help get them back to whether it's running or just being able to lift their arm up again, a certain height. And that's just so amazing. And there's, you know, I,

any PT, I think everybody should have a good one on call and because they're really needed. Like, I am so grateful that I have a best friend that's a PT because she's helped me so much through the years. As long as you listen to her advice. Yes. That's true. Like, and it's almost like, because she is my best friend, like that, I'm like, okay, I want to make her proud. Like, and I want to stay accountable to what she tells me. And

because like, I don't want her to feel like I wasted her time. Like, even though like my payment to her is like, Hey, I'll treat you to breakfast. If you can give me a payment, totally fine. I would accept that form of payment. Yeah.

Pay me in pancakes and I'll be happy. But I always say it's a very selfishly rewarding job because I get to make people feel better and get back to what they want to be doing. And that makes me feel stronger.

so good, so happy. And like you said, regardless, it doesn't matter what the goal is, right? Like I'll say, if you have a grandparent who wants to be able to get down and play with their grandkids, or you have someone who just wants to be able to put on deodorant after a shoulder surgery, that seems like such a small thing, but for someone to get more independence and to be able to do it without thinking about how much it hurts. It's just, it's, it's super, it's, it's great. Yeah.

Yes, I'm a little envious of the impact that PTs have on the world, where I just, I look at spreadsheets and I just make sure people have money so that everyone can get paid. Which also makes people happy. That's true.

I guess somebody's got to do it, but yeah, definitely a different, you know, component and fulfillment factor for PT. So thank you for the work that you do. Absolutely. So let's talk a little bit about your running journey. You said you kind of found that on your own. So what's your journey been like since you found it? And are you currently training for anything?

Yes. Okay. So when I first started running, I didn't really have any plan or anything in mind. I'm a very type A and goal oriented individual. Most runners are. Yes. So it fits me very well.

And I think the first half that I signed up for, it was a turkey trot that I did in grad school. And I remember all my grad school friends came out with signs and my family was out there and I really just wanted to finish it. I didn't have a time goal. I now am wiser when it comes to coaching and training plans, but I'm sure I Googled, you know, half marathon training plan and, you know, whatever popped up, that's what I did, which worked for me at the time.

Um, and then I slowly got more into, okay, well maybe I want to do a full marathon. So then my half marathon goal turned into, you know, the full marathon and it's never really been about time for me. I'm not a quick runner. And for me, that's not, you know, now I'm getting more into that, but you know, when I first started, it was more, I'm just going to complete it. I'm going to do it. Um, and that was great for me. And yeah.

I have since completed two full marathons. I've done the new Orleans rock and roll. And then my dad was diagnosed with cancer right after I got married. And my sister came to me and she said, listen, Kim, I want to run the Chicago marathon. It was a goal of hers to run a marathon. She wasn't necessarily a runner per se, but she said, I want to run it for the, but he has multiple myeloma. She said, I want to run it for the multiple myeloma foundation. Will you do it with me?

And I said, heck yes, let's do it. And my brother and my sister-in-law even participated. And it was such a good feeling. So those are the two that I've done. And I would like to think that I have another one in me in the future. The half marathon distance, I think is my sweet spot. But since doing the coaching program and knowing what I've learned from that certification and on,

I'm kicking myself because I did not train how I should have. And I, you know, in my mind, it was get the miles in, get, get, you know, just put the, put the time in, which is good to a certain extent, but it's,

I didn't, I didn't do tempo runs. I didn't do far. Look, I didn't do hill runs. I thought, why am I doing hope? Why would I want to do a hill run? I don't care about hills. Right. I mean, I just want to be able to, to finish. And so I didn't do any of those, those important, you know, I won't say cross training runs, but those important, you know, speed, speed workouts, um,

And so now I'm motivated even more to work on my time and to be a better and more efficient runner now that I know that part of it. So now I'm more interested in working on my time and getting my, my speed better. Cause I want to know what I can do. I want to get back to running, you know, kind of what I was running before kids. You know, I did my first half after I had my kids,

maybe, gosh, the beginning of this year, maybe back in January or February, just to know that I could still do it. And obviously it was fine. I did it. And now I'm more motivated to do the time, to improve on my time, I guess, which is definitely different than where I started. So

you know i'm curious to to see how how good i am at my training plans to to to get there so far it's worked out um i think another aspect that i'm really interested in is the nutrition part of it i don't think that i i fuel appropriately and i don't have the knowledge to do that myself

Um, so that's another piece of the puzzle that I'm interested in, in learning more about and being better with, because I think I under fuel, which does not help me. Um, so I'm curious to, to delve into that too, in the future. Yeah. There's definitely a lot of components to help improve running. I know like for as many years as I've been running, I would say the first like eight years were kind of, I'm

I mean, for, I would say six out of those eight years, I didn't run through the winter. So I was always like starting over. And then I feel like I really started quote unquote, getting serious with my running when I trained for my first marathon, which was like six years. Well, like, okay. So six years after I started running trained for my first marathon. Um, and then since then it's been kind of building from there. I've

gotten more educated on the types of training plan, but even my first marathon, it was three days a week of running and it was just getting the miles in. And then it wasn't until like 2020 that I trained for a marathon that actually had speed work involved. Um, and so it's like, like adding more building blocks every time working and it's

to not overwhelm people if they're listening of like, oh, I got to do all these things. Like just start with one thing, start with maybe incorporating some speed right through that. And then maybe work on your nutrition, like just add one building block at a time. And yeah, then you'll start to see like, oh, what am I really capable of? Which is what I love about running is like, okay, what's the next step I can take to improve? And of course we're a little biased, but coaches can definitely help with,

with that. Absolutely. Yes. And, and even as a coach, I feel like I'm learning something new every day, but even, even being in the healthcare field, I find it overwhelming at times. So I can only imagine if someone's new to running or wants to do something, it's like, where do I even start? And then you go down the Google rabbit hole, which is, you know, is good or bad, right. You know, depending on what you're, what you're looking for, but

It is overwhelming. And I, and I hope that's not a deterrent for people to, to start or to try it. Yeah. I think that's very good. So are you currently working with clients? Yes, I am. I am. Um,

I'm doing some virtual sessions, which is new for me, but it's been working so far. You know, as a physical therapist, I have that inherent need or want to put my hands on people. And I don't want to do my patients and my clients a disservice if they need that aspect of it. But I find that a lot of runners do.

unless it's a really acute injury or something that you've got to put your hands on, you know, to help with, you know, swelling or range of motion, things like that. I find that I can give advice to help them without needing to put my hands on them. I find that the

the types of injuries and things that I'm talking to people about are chronic issues or, you know, things with their gait that they can change. So that's been pleasantly surprising. I feel like I'm still doing a good service for my clients without necessarily seeing them in person. Video has worked pretty well. And then I have, you know, in-person clients that I'm working with. So it's,

That's obviously fun in itself because it's, I'm, I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing. You know, I've always been doing PT and I've always loved it and I've always been running and I've always loved it. And now I'm able to, to merge those together and do it on my own time in my own terms, which is really, really super. My youngest is actually starting school in

next month or next school year. And my plan is, you know, I really wanted to just get everything in place with my business before that. So that way, when my, my boys are in school, then I have time to really devote to it. So I'm excited to see how that

progresses. But so far, it's worked out really great. I'm able to merge the PT and the coaching aspect of it, which I think gives people a better, well-rounded service, really. Even if it's injury prevention or recovering from an injury, I know a lot of people will be told, well, just don't run.

which is like the worst thing that a runner, the last thing a runner wants to hear. And it is warranted, I would say in some cases, but most of the time you can modify what you're doing and still be able to do it. And so I think my PT background is a nice bridge for that. And I would agree with that just based on my years of running and like injuries that have crept up on me is, yeah,

having that resource to connect with yeah uh to help guide me on my recovery process or things I can improve on and um so it's definitely your anyone who's working with you they have a huge advantage to have a PT and a coach together because it's a very valuable resource yeah

I did want to tell you from the previous question, I forgot to tell you, I am training for a race. I'm running a Halloween race.

half marathon in South beach in Miami, which I'm super excited about. And I've convinced hopefully some other friends, um, to run it with me. Um, I promised them I would make them all training plans if they did it. So I hope that would entice them. Um, so that's the next, the next race on the docket. So I'm looking forward to seeing if

if I can coach myself into a better, a better time. Yeah. Awesome. Well, I'll be rooting for you. Yeah. All right. So we've covered kind of your fitness journey, your PT career, your coaching. So let's get into a couple of fun questions. Yeah. The first one, and you may have kind of touched upon it earlier a little bit is what is the best piece of advice you've ever given or received?

Ooh, in, in life or in relation. Oh, okay. Well, I actually have this framed in my bathroom. My husband and I, I believe we're on our honeymoon and we were on the airplane and we happened to be sitting next to a pilot and

And we said, Oh, we're on our honeymoon, you know, this and that we just got married. And he wrote us three pieces of advice on like a scratch napkin piece of paper on the airplane and I still have it I have it framed in my bathroom. Um,

I don't know what verbatim, but it's, you know, never go to bed angry. Don't ever sleep apart if you don't have to. Just, you know, good friendly advice. But it was so aptly timed being, you know, on the flight, you know, after we got married. And it's framed up in the bathroom. So I see it every day. Yeah.

So clearly a very valuable, like this kind of chance meeting with a stranger. Yes. I wonder if he realizes like how much value you put in this little napkin that he handed you. Yeah. I'm seeing his handwriting every day when I brush my teeth. Yeah. That's really cool. Yeah. I just looked up this question. This is a new question I'm going to throw in my rotation. What is your most used emoji? Oh, okay.

probably the little running girl, the brown haired, especially now that I'm trying to do more Instagram posts and get into social media. I'm trying to throw more emojis in there. And obviously as a coach and a runner, you know, that's my go-to. Yeah. I'm also the brown haired runner too. Yeah. I try and shake it up every now and then, but she's, she's, she's my default. Yeah. Yeah. That's cute. And

If you could be on any reality show, what would you be on and why?

Okay. Can I make my own? Yeah. We used to talk about this in my PT clinic in Atlanta all the time. My front desk staff and some of the younger staff would keep post-it notes of all the crazy stuff that patients would say. And we would joke all the time that we needed to have our own reality show. If it weren't for like HIPAA compliance, you know, we, we should have a camera crew in the PT clinic because the stuff that comes out of people's mouths is crazy.

It's just, it's amazing. So I would have my own, our own PT clinic reality show 'cause I would, I think it would be pretty entertaining. - Yeah, and I would have to,

I think my best friend would agree with that because yeah, I mean, I always am like, tell me stories about your job. And I mean, it's just, it's right in line with what you're saying. So yeah. Yeah. I definitely love that idea of reality. Do you have a name that you've tossed around? The clinic. I still remember. That's what they wanted to call it. The clinic. So if anyone's listening, I'll trademark it, whatever the clinic.

That's perfect. So my last question to wrap up our conversation is what does chasing life mean to you? Oh, you know, I saw, I did a little research and I saw that you asked this question with some other participants. So I was like, okay, I need to have a good thoughtful answer when she asked, if she asks me this. And I don't, you know, I tried to come up with this great

response, but you know, to me, chasing life is just enjoying the moments. I love, like I said, I love to travel. I'm excited to travel with my kids and experience life with them. To me, life is about experiences and memories and moments. Yeah. I don't, I don't know anything more, more poignant to say than that is to just, you know, be in the moment as much as possible and enjoy the

enjoy every minute that I have with my family, you know, where we're at in life. Very fortunate in the life experiences that I've been able to have. And I want to share that with, with my kids and my husband and, you know, enjoy spending time together.

I love that. What are the top three places that you want to travel to with your family? Yeah, so I think we would probably try somewhere in Europe first. I feel like that's a good let's get our feet wet with small children and still be able to get around and not be worried. My husband loves London. I love

France. I studied in Luxembourg for a bit, so I would love to take them back, take them back there. My husband and I, when we got together, tried to go somewhere new that neither of us had been before every year. Obviously with COVID, that kind of put a kibosh on it for now. But yeah,

I would like to experience new places with them. So maybe try some places that we're semi-familiar with first, um, in Europe, um, and then go from there. I would love to go to Africa. That would be super fun. Um, that's on my bucket list. I want to go drink wine in France. I, I guess my kids can come along and do that. Sure. Sure.

Yeah, I love that. And again, like even more things we have in common. I have also used the phrase like travel somewhere new every year. Yeah, I studied abroad in London. So I have exposure. Oh, you can you can give us the places to go. Well, it's I mean, it's been a few years. But but kind of like what you like you studied abroad and you want to go back there with your your kids. And when I left London and so I was a senior in college and

And when I left, like on my bucket list is to return to London with somebody I love so I could show them around like where I was when I was 21 years old. And, and like the person I am now or like just kind of re-experience London. Cause that was like my first trip on an airplane, like first time kind of being on my own and figuring things out. And so it was,

definitely a growing experience. So like to see it or to show someone around, like this is, I don't know how much I remember now it's been 15 years, but but yeah, so it's so interesting to hear that we have a lot of similar experiences and just thought processes behind how we want to live our life.

Yeah. And I remember we took our older son back to New Orleans and he was probably two-ish at the time. And we, I had a blast. We went and ate beignets. We rode the street car. I walked to get my favorite po' boy. I just carted him along in that stroller. And I said, this is what we're going to do. You're going to experience it. And he loved it. He had a blast. So I'm looking forward to doing that.

Yeah. Doing more of that in the future. Sure. Yeah. So if people want to connect with you, how can they find you? You mentioned Instagram. Yes. Yeah. So I have a website runcoachpt.com. That's also the Instagram name. I try and keep things easy. My email is kim at runcoachpt.com.

That's it. I don't have, well, I did actually just make a Facebook account. So again, run coach PT. So Facebook, Instagram, um, or my website. Sounds good. Thank you so much, Kim, for your time. I really enjoyed our conversation. Thank you. It was really great. And I'm looking forward to hearing an update on your Halloween half marathon training. Yes. Yeah. And I'll keep you posted on what my outfit choice will be. That is also a very big decision. Yeah. You're going to go full on costume.

I want to, but I have run a lot of races in new Orleans and I have had, um, some horror stories of what people have worn running races. So I need to play it smart. Yeah. Well, good luck deciding on that and good luck with your training. I'm again, interested to see, you know, yeah, how it plays out for you and for you to discover what you're capable of. Yes. Me as well. I'm very excited. Yeah. All right. Well, have a good rest of the night.

Thank you so much. You too. Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed today's episode, please share it on social media. Tag me at Sarah Chasing Life or at Chasing Life Podcast. If you haven't already, please be sure to subscribe and rate this podcast. That helps me to reach more listeners.