Literally A Slow Coach
I recently chatted with Stuart Marshall after meeting at a workshop in the Fraser Coast Region. He is a tall & fairly quiet bloke and what he does for a job really intrigued me. So he agreed to meet & record a podcast & I discovered my first impressions of him were completely wrong & I really had no understanding of what he did. Having said that we both had a hell of good time sharing his story.
I think this podcast will put a smile on your face, if nothing else you can laugh at me. But truthfully, what I really loved learning about Stuart is he is honest about his past, not focusing only on success, but lows & failures also. He owns it, and states it beautifully. The journey does not define him, it simply is the journey to where he is now. So where is he now, apart from being a better version of himself. I unravelled a bit of the Stuart story.
Listen to Episode 50: The Happy Slow Guy .
There are so many parts to Stuart it is difficult to condense into a couple of paragraphs.
From a childhood in Tasmania through to retail management success, to losing his job & struggling with alcohol addiction and sleeping in his car. The Stuart sitting before me does not represent any aspect of a stereotypical manager or addict. By stereotypical, I reference the imagery seen see in media. Even further to his amazing story is he has lived with dyslexia, a condition impacting on communication in so many ways. To survive in career & life, he developed strategies to conceal his struggles with reading & writing.
He doesn't appear this way, because he no longer is that person. Stuart has accepted his shortcomings, accepted his past. He has grown & developed into a positive & healthy living dad/husband.
Living now he is blessed with a supportive family & support means a lot of different things, and in Stuart's case it also means spell checking.
He now has a fulltime career managing his own personal training aimed at the slower paced runner, the beginner or someone needing a running mentor. He created his own app to deliver his training & the model for delivering his training provides a wonderful balance for not only his family but also his clients families and busy lives.
I was a bit confused at how a online running coach could effectively work. To me initially, I thought, how on earth could a online experience motivate anyone to open the door and go for a run. I have to admit, after chatting with Stuart, understanding his enthusiasm & depth of knowledge of what he offering as a coaching service, it works. It totally works. It is actually more convenient than having to attend a session. The flexibility & affordability of the process is very appealing, what a shame I can't run!
If you are curious or have an interest in running, without being a fast finisher or long distance runner, check out Stuart's Facebook Group - Slow Runners Society .
Stuart would love to hear from you if you are curious about taking a first step towards running, whether in his social group or to work with him as a coach. Check out his business website Couch to Finish Line
.Thanks for chatting with me Stuart. Good luck with your future & keep on running......run Stuart, run!
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