60. Emma Coburn
"The narrative that I couldn't do things never entered my life."
Emma Coburn is a professional middle-distance runner for New Balance. She's a world champion in the steeplechase, and competed at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic games. On this episode, the Crested Butte, CO, native (and newlywed!) talks about being coached by her husband, Joe Bosshard, explains the unintentional way she got into the steeplechase, and talks about what it was like breaking her own American record in the 3000-meter steeplechase in London in 2017. Plus, she opens up about body image, posing nude for the ESPN Bodies Issue, and what inspires her.
This episode is brought to you by Strava, the leading social network for athletes. Click here to join today!
Listen on Apple Podcasts I SoundCloud I Overcast I Stitcher I Google Play
Here's what you'll get in this episode:
- Emma explains what exactly the steeplechase is, how she became a professional steeplechaser, and why it's such an awesome event (1:30)
- Why Emma had no interest in running in college (6:25)
- Emma's decision to go pro (9:45)
- How Emma found her mental strength (11:20)
- Emma's most recent record-breaking performance — at 7,000 feet! (14:30)
- What it's like breaking your own world record (18:00)
- How Emma met her now-husband — and coach! — Joe Bosshard (22:20)
- Why Emma wanted to gain 10 pounds for her wedding (23:25)
- What Emma's relationship with her body is like (28:10)
- Emma's advice for improving your confidence and body image (31:30)
- What it was like posing nude for the ESPN Bodies Issue (33:45)
- What's going through Emma's head when she's on the starting line (40:05)
- What it was like medaling at the Rio Olympics in 2016 — and becoming the first American woman to medal in the steeplechase at the Olympics (41:00)
- How Emma stood her ground against Rule 40 (44:15)
- What inspires Emma every day (46:10)
- Emma's advice for how to make running fun (48:35)
What we mention on this episode:
Western State Colorado University
Do You Believe in Miracles documentary
Follow Emma:
Follow Ali:
Listen & Subscribe:
SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!
Available Results
Generated results are saved to your library for reuse and search.
Choose Template
Pick the result you want. You can review provider and model before generating.
A concise first-pass summary for understanding the episode quickly.
A comprehensive, source-grounded extraction of the reusable knowledge in an episode.
A comprehensive extraction focused on health practices, protocols, claims, and safety caveats.
A dedicated analysis of warnings, limitations, trade-offs, weak evidence, and uncertainty.
Repeatable methods, frameworks, mental models, processes, and systems.
Technologies, AI models, technical methods, capabilities, limitations, and adoption implications.
A concise first-pass summary for understanding the episode quickly.
A detailed readable summary organized by chapter or topic.
A navigable map of subjects, topic flow, and suggested chapters.
A comprehensive, source-grounded extraction of the reusable knowledge in an episode.
Reusable atomic knowledge units extracted from the episode.
A comprehensive extraction focused on health practices, protocols, claims, and safety caveats.
A comprehensive extraction focused on opportunities, strategy, markets, and company building.
Explicit actions, next steps, habits, recommendations, and things to avoid.
A dedicated inventory of concrete resources named in the episode.
A dedicated analysis of warnings, limitations, trade-offs, weak evidence, and uncertainty.
A concise first-pass summary for understanding the episode quickly.
A detailed readable summary organized by chapter or topic.
A navigable map of subjects, topic flow, and suggested chapters.
A comprehensive, source-grounded extraction of the reusable knowledge in an episode.
Reusable atomic knowledge units extracted from the episode.
A comprehensive extraction focused on health practices, protocols, claims, and safety caveats.
A comprehensive extraction focused on opportunities, strategy, markets, and company building.
Scientific findings, mechanisms, studies, hypotheses, and the limits of the evidence discussed.
Technologies, AI models, technical methods, capabilities, limitations, and adoption implications.
Investment theses, assets, catalysts, valuation reasoning, time horizons, and risks.
Chronologies, actors, causes, consequences, turning points, and competing historical interpretations.
Policies, proposals, stakeholders, arguments, implementation constraints, and predicted effects.
Career paths, skills, hiring signals, workplace decisions, transitions, and limitations of the advice.
Behavioral mechanisms, biases, motivation, habits, emotions, interventions, and evidence limitations.
Economic mechanisms, incentives, indicators, market structure, forecasts, and uncertainty.
Leadership principles, team systems, organizational design, culture, feedback, and failure modes.
Audience, positioning, messaging, acquisition, retention, experiments, metrics, and failed approaches.
Teaching methods, learning strategies, practice, feedback, assessment, and effectiveness evidence.
Theses, premises, arguments, objections, values, thought experiments, and unresolved questions.
Communication patterns, conflict, boundaries, expectations, repair methods, and contextual limitations.
Books, papers, authors, courses, and other learning resources mentioned in the episode.
Repeatable methods, frameworks, mental models, processes, and systems.
Explicit actions, next steps, habits, recommendations, and things to avoid.
Memorable statements and important claims with attribution and source context.
A dedicated inventory of concrete resources named in the episode.
A dedicated analysis of warnings, limitations, trade-offs, weak evidence, and uncertainty.