In this episode of Pain Cave to Power, we sit down with runner, storyteller, and advocate Julianna Coughlin who is a marathoner and trail runner reshaping what strength, representation, and inclusivity look like in the running world.

Julianna brings a powerful blend of lived experience and professional insight as a registered dietitian, content creator, and host of the Runnah podcast. Living with chronic biomechanical and neurological challenges, she opens up about navigating the running world through a lens that often goes unseen, and the barriers, biases, and breakthroughs that come with it.

Together, we explore how identity intersects with movement, how athletes with disabilities and female-identifying runners experience both visible and invisible challenges, and what it means to build communities where all athletes feel safe, welcomed, and celebrated.

In this episode:

• Julianna’s journey into running and storytelling
• Advocacy for disabled athletes and female-identifying runners
• The emotional landscape of running with chronic conditions
• Inclusivity gaps in trail and ultra communities
• What true safety and representation should look like
• How community leaders can reshape running culture

This conversation is heartfelt, honest, and full of the kind of truth-telling that empowers endurance athletes everywhere. Julianna’s story is a reminder that the pain cave isn’t just physical and that power comes from claiming our whole selves, not just the miles we run.

Listen now and step into a deeper, more inclusive understanding of what it means to be an athlete.

Recorded December 20, 2025