Zsa Zsa Porter is an exceptional friend, an avid runner, a member of Black Girls Run, and a vegan restaurant owner. Her mission is to encourage women, young girls who dream big, her story reminds us that anything is possible.
Zsa-Zsa has made it her life’s work to impact her community which has led her from the financial services industry to opening the Exposed Vegan Restaurant. Through the restaurant, she has created some of the best plant-based cuisines proving that a vegan diet can, not only be very delicious but also fuel the highest fitness performance levels.
We discuss in-depth her journey from a troubled youth, through struggles with weight gain and into life as a triathlete and the role of her family and friends in the journey.
Episode Highlights:
How Zsa-Zsa got her name and the fearless mentality behind it.
Jump back in history to her school days and becoming a swimmer.
Injury on a bicycle and lessons learnt from the experience.
Time to start running after a long hiatus.
Zsa-Zsa enrolls herself and her husband for a race she isn’t prepared for.
Her daughter and friends get her through some tough races.
Full distance iron-man.
Let’s open a vegan restaurant.
Some challenges Zsa-Zsa has endured.
Guest Bio:
Zsa-Zsa Porter went from someone held
down by personal insecurities and weight gain to becoming an avid runner,
triathlete, and restaurateur. Zsa-Zsa is on a mission to encourage women and young girls to dream big and reach for the stars.
Zsa-Zsa’s story reminds us that Anything is Possible. She is always willing to share her failures and lessons learned. It’s this burning desire to positively impact her community that led her to open Exposed Vegan Restaurant. As a restaurateur, Zsa-Zsa created a West Charlotte hotspot, serving fresh and nourishing plant-based cuisine. From smoothies to bowls loaded with sweet potatoes, and even cookies she’s exposing how delicious vegan food can be when done correctly.
Her goal is to show how a well-planned vegan diet can fuel the highest performance fitness levels while reducing risks of injury and chronic diseases.
Zsa-Zsa leverages her unique experiences as an African American female entrepreneur, restaurant owner, digital executive, and Ironman triathlete to motivate and activate her community. She is also a proud military spouse and mother of 3 children, she truly understands the importance of balancing family and life.
Sabrina Slocum has been active in sports since high school. She ran hurdles, ran 100m, played basketball and even participated in bodybuilding. Sabrina has an MBA, she is a marathoner, an ultra-marathoner, a triathlete. She unfortunately sustained an ankle fracture and had to work her way back. She is now back to running, biking, and swimming. The road was not easy
Sabrina is also a podcast host, she’s the co-host of Sole Sistas On The Run. This podcast is based on live conversations that she’s had while running. The ultimate goal is to encourage uplift, inspire, and bring awareness to issues that many face and promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
We discuss in-depth her journey as an athlete, her approach to nutrition and fitness, among many other things.
Episode Highlights:
How Sabrina started running and her journey with Black Girls Run.
Jump back in history to her high-school days.
Her experience in bodybuilding.
Her preparation for her first marathon.
We discuss Sabrina’s greatest weakness in regards to multi-sports
Sabrina’s bucket list.
Sustaining an ankle injury and the challenge of living with a temporary disability.
Starting her own podcast and some words of advice.
Guest Bio:
Sabrina Slocum began her fitness journey in 2012 when she began running with Black Girls run. She was active in track and basketball while in high school, however, she also participated in two body-building competitions in her early thirties. It did not take long for Sabrina to progress in her running. She started running in 2012 and progressed to her first marathon in 2012. She has completed seven marathons, several half-marathons, 10k’s, 5k’s. She started her multi-sport journey in 2015. She has completed several sprints, Olympics and two 70.3 triathlons.
She is a fellow HBCU graduate, graduating from Tuskegee University with a B.S in Marketing. She also my Soror, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated. She has an MBA and worked for over 20 years in the mortgage industry. She changed careers and has served twelve years in higher education currently in the role as an Academic Advisor.
She is also a Podcast Co-Host of : Sole Sistas On the Run. This podcast is based on live conversations she has while running. The ultimate goal is to encourage, uplift, inspire, and bring awareness to the issues that many face and promote the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Get a copy of the book Running Is Cheaper Than Therapy: A Journey Back to Wholeness👉🏾here. It is available in hardback, paperback, and newly released audio form
Ronnie Fields Jr. is one of the younger athletes that you will find in a typical triathlon race. A star athlete in his school days, Ronnie found himself becoming a couch potato after leaving college and was inspired to start racing triathlons after watching the Ironman World Championship in Kona. Having played football, basketball, baseball, ran track, and was on the swim team, in school, Ronnie figured that the triathlons couldn’t be too hard and signed up without really training.. The challenge of placing dead last in his category inspired him to train and we join him on his journey to one day finish first in his age group.
Episode Highlights:
Who is Ronnie Fields Jr.
Ronnie’s early life
How Ironman World Championship inspired Ronnie to make a change
How he started his triathlon journey
Trial and error and how he is learning to become a better athlete
Ronnie’s goals for his upcoming races
Guest Bio:
Ronnie Fields Jr. is from Haynesville, Louisiana, but currently is living in Nashville Tennessee. Throughout his childhood and high school, he was very active in sports (football, basketball, baseball, track, summer swim team). HIs team actually won State in football his senior year
Ronnie graduated high school in 2010, and attended Louisiana Tech University; majoring in Construction Engineering Technology. He still had the urge to play sports so he ended up walking on the football team. He graduated with a degree in construction engineering technology in May, 2014
After college, he began working for a company that builds manufacturing plants all over the United States. Once Ronnie entered the real world, he wasn’t working out like he had done his entire life and ended up gaining weight. One day in 2015, he was sitting on his couch watching TV, and the Ironman World Championships came on. He thought to himself, “I can do that”. So, he bought a cheap bike from Walmart and entered his first sprint triathlon without doing any training. He had no idea it would be so hard. He loved it because it challenged him.
This was a way that he could continue to compete in sports like he had done his entire life.
After that race, his job relocated him a couple times which made training a little bit difficult, so he wasn’t able to do any races the year of 2016.
2017 was the year Ronnie became dedicated to triathlon. He bought a road bike, and even ended up qualifying for Nationals somehow. Nationals had to be one of the worst races of his career. It was his first Olympic distance and he barely made it through the swim. Ronnie completed the race but finished dead last of all the finishers in his age group. But this was motivation for him to get better. The ultimate goal for him is to one day win his age group at Nationals!!
Since then, he has competed in countless sprints and Olympic distance triathlons; along with one 70.3, and one Full Distance Ironman.
Ronnie does this sport for the following reasons:
-It keeps him active and healthy.
-It gives him something to look forward to.
-His family has terrible health histories (cancer, heart attacks, diabetes, etc) He’s trying to break that chain.
-He loves competing.
Did you enjoy today’s episode?
Please subscribe and leave a review. If you have questions, comments, or possible show topics, email runningischeaperthantherapyolb@gmail.com.
To subscribe and review use one links of the links below
Get a copy of the book Running Is Cheaper Than Therapy: A Journey Back to Wholeness👉🏾here. It is available in hardback, paperback, and newly released audio form
As we go into a new season, let me start by thanking everyone who has taken even a minute of their time to listen to my podcast. It has been a challenging journey balancing podcasting with a full-time job and other adventures and I have learned a lot along the way.
I am a strong black woman who may act as if nothing bothers me, but life sometimes sucks and we all need inspiration. My podcast is called Running is Cheaper Than Therapy. It features runners, triathletes, other athletes, and others who have overcome obstacles to make it to their finish lines. This episode I will talk about inspiration.
The pandemic is prayerfully largely behind us and life is slowly getting back to normal. Although COVID is still here. A few weeks ago I thought I caught COVID again. It ended up being a sinus infection. I’m still in rehab following my surgery. It is such a slow process.
I am feeling rather frustrated as I want to be doing my usual summer activities as it has been three years since we had a normal summer in Chicago. I would love to go cycling with my cycling club and triathlon club, and to go running on the lakefront.
Amid all these stresses, I’ve found myself thinking of my mother Mae Robinson Brown.. She was the best mom one could hope for and she pushed me to excel in everything I put my mind to. She was a selfless pillar of the community, a legend in my hometown of Brookhaven Mississippi.
My mother always inspired me to excel in everything, and her health challenges motivated me to always strive to be healthy and be active.
Episode Highlights:
Note of thanks for the continued support of the podcast
Some of the stresses I have been facing lately
My continued inspiration; my mother.
My early life with my mom and her community work
My vow to always promote health and wellness
Did you enjoy today’s episode?
Please subscribe and leave a review. If you have questions, comments, or possible show topics, email runningischeaperthantherapyolb@gmail.com.
To subscribe and review use one links of the links below
Get a copy of the book Running Is Cheaper Than Therapy: A Journey Back to Wholeness👉🏾here. It is available in hardback, paperback, and newly released audio form
Episode Overview: Diversity and Inclusion of People with Disabilities
Following my knee injury, I have had major surgeries that have put my leg out of service for weeks. The latest one will have me on crutches for six weeks. In this episode, we explore how this temporary disability has impacted my life and opened my eyes to the challenges of living with a disability.
As a black woman, the issue of diversity especially in triathlons has haunted me for a long time. I also struggle with the same issues in my work where my career as an orthopedic surgeon is dominated by white men. These last two years have been most especially so what with the death of George Floyd.
Though most places and events have handicap parking reservations, many do not put into close consideration the requirements for such places. The spots are sometimes far from the entrance and the handicapped person has to go over hurdles to access the building or event. At a marathon once, the wheelchairs had to be driven across the mud. And it’s not just the parking spots, other amenities such as handicap toilets and sanitary amenities, building and transport access ways, fire equipment and so on must also be considered.
Sometimes, where the parking spots are appropriately placed close to the building, other people without handicaps take advantage of such spots leaving the deserving people to suffer and so your consideration is asked. And for organizers and managers to have handicap-sensitive people in their teams.
Disabled people are not looking for handouts. They want to be as productive and independent as they can. Having these considerations for them will help them become highly productive members of the community, inspiring athletes, and so on.
Episode Highlights:
Note of thanks for the final episode
How diversity and inclusion became so important to me
People with disabilities and inclusion
My experience living with a temporary disability
Inspiring athletes with disabilities
How you can be more sensitive to people living with disabilities
Did you enjoy today’s episode?
Please subscribe and leave a review. If you have questions, comments, or possible show topics, email runningischeaperthantherapyolb@gmail.com.
To subscribe and review use one links of the links below
Get a copy of the book Running Is Cheaper Than Therapy: A Journey Back to Wholeness👉🏾here. It is available in hardback, paperback, and newly released audio form
She believes that business coaching and fitness/health coaching are basically the same thing with the only difference being the product. She is an accomplished marathoner, ultramarathoner, triathlete, conquering many personal feats.
We discuss in-depth her journey into coaching, her journey as an athlete, her approach to nutrition and fitness, among many other things.
Episode Highlights:
What drives Kimberle Smith to achieve such crazy goals.
How she got involved in sports and fitness
Her start in coaching and all its challenges
Kimberle Smith as a marathoner and her 5-year streak
What kinds of food Kimberlie uses to fuel
Kimberle start as a triathlete
KImberle’s background in business coaching
Kimberle’s reflections and general advice
Guest Bio:
Kimberle Smith Austin is an accomplished strategist, consultant, and coach with over 25 years of experience across multiple disciplines from the BoardRoom to the Playground guiding professionals on their journey to build robust organizations and lifestyles.
Kimberle Smith Austin has successfully launched eight businesses since 1999 and is very passionate about creating systems and solutions to address the marketplace needs. With multi-platform experience, Kimberle transforms all of the “New Science” of business and health into programs that are simple, easy, and fun! With her unique background and formal training, she has distinguished herself as a one-of-a-kind “real world” expert who helps professionals take their business, life, and health to the NEXT LEVEL.
Get a copy of the book Running Is Cheaper Than Therapy: A Journey Back to Wholeness👉🏾here. It is available in hardback, paperback, and newly released audio form
