At mile 71 of a 100-mile race, Katy Duncan stopped. Later, she knew she could have kept going. That moment stayed with her, and when she reached the same point in her next 100-miler, exhausted, hurting and heading into the dark, she made a different choice. She kept moving.

In this episode of Conquer Stories, Katy joins Josh Yakes to talk about how running helped her through a difficult time in her life and eventually took her from training for a half marathon to running 100 miles.

They talk about what happens when your body is telling you to stop, why huge goals become easier when you stop staring at the whole distance, and how the lowest points can teach you something you carry into the next attempt.

For Katy, sometimes 100 miles has to become the next aid station.

Then the next one.

And when the race gets dark, those miles still count. You may be moving slower. You may not feel strong. You may not feel like you are making enough progress.

You are still moving forward.

That applies to a lot more than running.

Quitting once does not erase the work you already did. A setback does not make everything before it meaningless. And the moment you wanted to stop does not have to decide what happens the next time you get there.

Sometimes the most important mile is the one after you wanted to quit.

YOUR NEXT STEP

Think about something in your life that feels overwhelming when you look at the whole thing.

Now stop looking at the whole thing.

What is your next marker?

The next conversation.
The next workout.
The next decision.
The next day.
The next step.

Get there first.

Then find the next one.

And if you have stopped before, ask yourself what that experience taught you that you can use this time.

Share what you are conquering with us. Someone may need to hear something you have to say.

CHAPTERS
00:00 What Will You Leave in the Light?
00:27 Meet Katy Duncan
01:58 What Are You Conquering?
02:25 Why Katy Started Running
03:47 From Half Marathon to 100 Miles
05:08 What Running 100 Miles Really Takes
05:44 Recreational Suffering
06:31 One More Step Forward
07:29 Expect the Unexpected
08:16 Preparing for 100 Miles
09:25 Make the Impossible Smaller
11:26 When Your Body Tells You to Stop
11:40 Quitting at Mile 71
12:25 Deciding Not to Quit Again
14:35 When the Race Goes Dark
15:18 The Dark Miles Still Count
15:47 Progress Does Not Have to Be Fast
16:34 Why a Setback Is Not the End
17:45 The Message Katy Left Herself
18:10 Another Reason to Stop
20:13 When an Ultramarathon Starts to Look Like Life
20:58 What Comes Next

WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOW
Watch, listen and follow Conquer
Follow Katy Duncan @trainingstronger

CREDITS
Hosted by Joshua Yakes
Guest: Katy Duncan (@trainingstronger)
Produced by Mike Axe
Edited by Derek Kedell

Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.

What do you do when life forces you to slow down, accept help, and rebuild at a pace you did not choose? Jordan Shipp joins Josh Yakes to talk about repeated injuries, painful recoveries, losing independence, and what he learned when the only way forward was one step at a time.

Jordan has lived through more than one comeback.

A broken ankle in college. A major knee injury. Shoulder surgery. A reconnected bicep. Different injuries, different recoveries, and different lessons every time.

In this episode of Conquer Stories, Jordan opens up about what those setbacks taught him about pain, patience, asking for help, and learning not to rush the process.

He talks about going from being completely independent to needing his fiancée and friends to help with basic parts of everyday life, what it felt like to wake up after surgery in overwhelming pain, and why being the person who needs help can sometimes be much harder than being the person who gives it.

Jordan also reflects on the choices that led to some of his injuries, why he now tries to move through life with more intention, and how every recovery has forced him to become more patient with himself.

Because pain can take something from you.

It can also teach you something.

Sometimes it tells you to slow down. Sometimes it forces you to lean on people. Sometimes it shows you that the way you were moving before is not the way you need to move next.

You cannot rush the comeback. But you can decide who you become while you rebuild.

CHAPTERS
00:00 What Will You Leave in the Light?
00:27 Meet Jordan Shipp
01:21 The Moment Josh Never Forgot
02:59 What Are You Conquering?
03:26 When Injuries Keep Taking Things Away
04:31 What Pain Can Teach You
05:14 Losing Your Independence
05:53 Pain Has a Purpose
07:34 Every Recovery Is Different
08:01 Learning to Ask for Help
09:00 Giving Yourself Time to Heal
09:58 What Would You Tell Yourself Then?
10:30 Move With More Intention
11:51 What Would the Injured Version of You Say Now?
12:05 One of the Lowest Points
13:10 One Step at a Time
14:29 When You Still Have to Show Up
16:37 Share What You Are Conquering

YOUR NEXT STEP
Where in your life are you trying to rush something that needs time?

Maybe you are recovering. Maybe you are rebuilding. Maybe you are carrying something alone because asking for help feels harder than struggling through it.

Ask yourself:

What is this season teaching me?
What support do I need?
What is the next step I can take today?

You do not have to solve the whole thing at once.

Take the next step. Then take another tomorrow.

And if you are going through something right now, share your story. Someone may need to hear something you have to say.

WATCH, LISTEN & FOLLOW
Watch, listen and follow Conquer
Follow Jordan Shipp

CREDITS
Hosted by Joshua Yakes
Guest: Jordan Shipp
Produced by Mike Axe
Edited by Derek Kedell

Dictate your own outcome. Conquer all things.