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Most runners are told to wait until life gets easier before chasing big goals. Megan Cooke proves the opposite is true. In this conversation, the founder of Never Give Up coaching shares how she went from elite rowing and years of coaching to running sub-3 marathons as a mom of three, building a fast-growing coaching brand, and refusing to let motherhood erase her athletic identity.
I get to pull back the curtain on Megan’s real life: three kids, three schools, endless car lines, late-night treadmill miles, and a training approach built on consistency, threshold work, and the courage to aim higher. You'll discover:
🌀Why Megan stopped treating motherhood and ambition like an either-or decision
🌀The training principles behind her Boston, London, and Cincinnati breakthroughs
🌀How she built Never Give Up Coaching from a brand-new Instagram account to a thriving business in under a year
🌀Why she believes moms should stop apologizing for wanting time to train
🌀How HRT, perimenopause, and honest self-advocacy fit into the picture for women in their 40s
Her message is clear: you do not need to disappear inside motherhood to be a good mom. This one is essential listening for moms who want to run faster without feeling guilty, athletes rebuilding after babies, and anyone who needs a reminder that your best race might still be ahead of you.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:31 — Parenting three kids
03:45 — Running every day amid family life
18:07 — Twelve marathons for self-empowerment
30:53 — Coaching, mentorship, and “holding the mirror”
32:35 — Letting go of shame around big goals
34:11 — Pursuing your goals alongside your kids
35:17 — The pressure to overcompensate after a long run
37:32 — Modeling empowerment for your children
38:44 — Being honest about fatigue and recovery
59:36 — Make time, find support, and be brave
THANK YOU, SPONSORS!:
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RESOURCES:
Coaching: ngucoaching.com
IG: @runningcoachmegan and my coaching website www.ngucoaching.com.
Whitney Heins is a mom of 2, a lifelong runner, a VDOT-certified running coach for moms who run, and founder of the resource, themotherrunners.com. When training for her first marathon as a mom, she found a dearth of information related to running and motherhood. She also felt extremely isolated as a new mom. As a former TV journalist and a freelance writer she decided to use her skills to fill the void with an online resource and community, called The Mother Runners. Whitney also recognized a need for run coaches who understood the demands of motherhood, so she also became a running coach—unearthing a passion for helping moms reap the rewards and empowerment of running. Coming out of a long injury cycle, she ran a 2:54 marathon and 1:20 half marathon in her 40s. She lives in Knoxville, TN with her husband, two kids, and three dogs.
