EARTHMOVERS, with Alison Mariella Désir, Stefanie Flippin, Verna NezBegay Volker
EARTHMOVERS, with Alison Mariella Désir, Stefanie Flippin, Verna NezBegay Volker
Podcast Description
EARTHMOVERS, with Alison Mariella Désir, Stefanie Flippin, Verna NezBegay Volker is a trail podcast reclaiming the narrative by centering the experiences of people of color on the trails–with stories, insights, and wisdom for everyone. We are in this together.
Weekly conversations celebrate the growth, joy, and healing of getting in nature, and the challenging issues around exclusion and discrimination—as told by those who know from experience. Expect a vibe that is honest, casual, serious, fun, inspirational—and groundbreaking. With EARTHMOVERS, expand your understanding of the outdoor trail experience.
Hosts Désir, Flippin, and Volker are adventurers and runners, leading equity advocates and friends. Special guests are athletes, industry insiders, and community builders. They all share a passion for getting on the trails and know the life-changing power of experiencing the outdoors.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on outdoor experiences, racial equity, and community empowerment, highlighting topics like the challenges of exclusion in nature, inclusivity in trail running, and personal growth through outdoor activities. Episodes include personal stories from the hosts about their adventures, their involvement in promoting diversity in athletics, and interviews with guests like Miki Sawada on the power of music and nature.
EARTHMOVERS, with Alison Mariella Désir, Stefanie Flippin, Verna NezBegay Volker is a trail podcast reclaiming the narrative by centering the experiences of people of color on the trails–with stories, insights, and wisdom for everyone. We are in this together.
Weekly conversations celebrate the growth, joy, and healing of getting in nature, and the challenging issues around exclusion and discrimination—as told by those who know from experience. Expect a vibe that is honest, casual, serious, fun, inspirational—and groundbreaking. With EARTHMOVERS, expand your understanding of the outdoor trail experience.
Hosts Désir, Flippin, and Volker are adventurers and runners, leading equity advocates and friends. Special guests are athletes, industry insiders, and community builders. They all share a passion for getting on the trails and know the life-changing power of experiencing the outdoors.
Stefanie and Verna dive into all that went into Verna reaching her 100-mile goal, a process that’s been years in the making, as well as how the race went down. Several years ago, Verna attempted this distance and over 90 miles before having to end her bid. She vowed then that she had no interest in going after 100 miles ever again.
But then Verna changed her mind.
Verna had the opportunity to run the Redwoods 100-mile Challenge, put on by Milestone Events, and she took it. This sounded like just the set-up that would facilitate her being able to accomplish this tremendous goal. She was right. Also key to Verna’s success was teaming up with Sky Tulley, who was also going after his first 100-mile finish: the two ran most of their miles together. Though they’d never met before, both Verna and Sky are Navajo and grew up on the reservation. Verna talks about how this shared bond helped get them through the tough miles. She also shares some of the funnier times, experiencing hallucinations and how laughter helped get them through to the end.
Stefanie brings her perspective as a friend, as well as a professional racer who specializes in the 100-mile distance and coach who works with athletes at all levels of the sport. She also shares some of her own experiences in the outdoors, connected to her Japanese-Chinese heritage.
Both Stefanie and Verna also get into why representation matters and the ways in which this 100-mile event allowed Verna to show up as her full self and support her goals.
Find EARTHMOVERS on Instagram: @EARTHMOVERSpodcast
Our Season 1 Presenting Sponsor
Thank you to our presenting sponsor ALTRA. Find them at ALTRArunning.com
Mentioned in this Episode
Daniel Böcker, Verna’s coach, Instagram: @athletewithoutmeat
Milestone Events: @officialmilestoneevents
EARTHMOVERS Hosts
Verna NezBegay Volker: Runner, mother, community builder, public speaker, and racial equity activist from the Navajo Nation, Volker is the founder of Native Women Run, an organization that began as a virtual community and is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. @hozhorunner4
Alison Mariella Désir: Runner, mountain climber, mother, community builder, and racial equity activist, Désir is the author of the groundbreaking book Running While Black and the host of the award winning PBS TV show Out and Back with Alison Mariella Désir. @alisonmdesir
Stefanie Flippin: Professional ultra trail runner, running coach, podcaster, writer, racial equity activist, and a foot and ankle surgeon, Flippin is the 2021 USATF 100-mile road champion and course record holder, and she’s the 6th fastest all-time American woman at the 100-mile distance. @stefanieannflippin
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