Jess Baird Walsh has turned a simple 30-day challenge into an extraordinary streak of over 1,150 consecutive days of running — and she’s not stopping until she raises $1 million for the Indigenous Marathon Foundation. A leader in AI and innovation, startup founder, and mother of three, Jess brings the same consistency, grit, and self-accountability to her career that she does to the road. In this episode, she and Jason unpack what running every day has taught her about resilience, identity, and finding purpose beyond personal achievement.

Highlights

• Hear how a doctor’s advice to “try running” changed Jess’s life at 18.

• Learn how a 30-day challenge became a three-year streak (and counting).

• Discover what running every day taught her about resilience, self-leadership, and accountability.

• Explore how she found her new purpose supporting the Indigenous Marathon Foundation.

• Understand why running is her anchor for navigating challenge, grief, and growth.

• Find out how Jess balances running, parenting, and leading innovation at a major firm.

Connect with Jess:
→ LinkedIn – Jess Baird Walsh
→ Support the Indigenous Marathon Foundation

Connect with Execs Who Run:
→ Website – execswhorun.com
→ LinkedIn – Execs Who Run
→ Instagram – @execswhorun

Connect with Jason Hunt:
→ LinkedIn – Jason Hunt
→ Instagram – @jasonzane_

If this episode resonates, share it with a friend who runs. Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and leave a quick review — it helps more leaders find the miles that matter.

When a rockstar turns 50 and runs his first marathon, and his coach breaks a world record in a suit — this is what happens next.

What happens when two very different runners cross the same finish line — one in a three-piece suit, the other five days after his 50th birthday?

In this Execs Who Run bonus episode, Jason Hunt and Tim Minchin sit down to relive the Melbourne Marathon. Jason shares what it took to break the Guinness World Record for fastest marathon in a suit, while Tim unpacks how his first 42km run reshaped his idea of aging, endurance, and joy.

It’s an unfiltered, funny, and surprisingly deep conversation about pain, pacing, pride, and why running can be both ridiculous and profoundly human.

In This Episode:

• How Tim’s first marathon turned into a lesson in midlife momentum

• Jason’s behind-the-scenes of running 2:38 in a full tailored Institchu suit

• The strange overlap between art, leadership, and endurance

• Why discomfort tolerance beats raw talent — in sport and in life

• What’s next: Tim’s London Marathon dream and Jason’s next record attempt

  
  

Connect with Tim Minchin:
→ timminchin.com
→ Instagram – @timminchin

Connect with Execs Who Run:
→ Website – execswhorun.com
→ LinkedIn – Execs Who Run
→ Instagram – @execswhorun

Connect with Jason Hunt:
→ LinkedIn – Jason Hunt
→ Instagram – @jasonzane_

If this conversation made you want to go for a run (or buy a better suit), share it with a friend who runs. Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts — and leave a quick review to help more leaders find the miles that matter.

Ned Phillips has sold horse manure door-to-door, run companies across Asia, and now runs Backyard Ultras for fun — the kind where you loop 6.7 kilometres every hour until everyone else quits. The British-born entrepreneur and former CEO turned solopreneur has built and lost multimillion-dollar startups, led with empathy through failure, and found joy in suffering. In this conversation, Jason and Ned explore how endurance sports and business share the same brutal truths: pain is inevitable, ego is fragile, and resilience is a choice.

Highlights

• Hear how Ned went from selling fertilizer to running a listed financial company in Asia.

• Learn how building and losing a $20M startup reshaped his definition of leadership.

• Discover how he found running through a 100km race — as his first ever run.

• Explore the philosophy of Backyard Ultra and the fine line between grit and madness.

• Understand what “the art of suffering” really means, in running, leadership, and life.

• Find out why empathy and curiosity are the most underrated sales and leadership skills.

Connect with Ned:
→ LinkedIn – Ned Phillips
→ Ned’s Website – teachpeoplesales.com

Connect with Execs Who Run:
→ Website – execswhorun.com
→ LinkedIn – Execs Who Run
→ Instagram – @execswhorun

Connect with Jason Hunt:
→ LinkedIn – Jason Hunt
→ Instagram – @jasonzane_

If this episode resonates, share it with a friend who runs. Subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and leave a quick review — it helps more leaders find the miles that matter.

Tim Minchin — comedian, composer, lyricist, actor, and accidental marathon trainee — shares the story of how running has been a thread through every stage of his life. From childhood asthma in Perth, to Melbourne’s struggling artist years, through the highs of Matilda, the heartbreak of Larrikins, and his current build-up to the Melbourne Marathon, Tim reflects on how running has given him resilience, self-worth, and perspective at every stage. It’s a conversation about creativity, leadership, and why running continues to shape the way he approaches life and work.

In this conversation, we cover:

• Growing up with asthma and discovering endurance through hockey

• Why running became a coping mechanism in his toughest Melbourne years

• The role running played during creative success and setbacks — from Matilda to Larrikins

• Stories from his 91-minute half marathon in London and a City2Surf PB at 49

• Training routines, favourite Sydney routes, and rediscovering the joy of running

• How running connects to resilience, creativity, and leadership in his life today

• Preparing for the Melbourne Marathon at 50, and what it means at this stage of his life

• Reflections on identity, ambition, and proving things to yourself when no one else is watching

Follow Tim Minchin:

Website: timminchin.com

Instagram: @timminchin

Spotify: Tim Minchin

Stay Connected with Jason & Execs Who Run:

Jason Hunt: LinkedIn | Instagram

Execs Who Run: LinkedIn | Instagram

Website: execswhorun.com

Join the community: Execs Who Run Strava Group

Phoebe Pincus — COO of Startmate, co-founder of Cheeky Run Club, and marathon runner — joins Execs Who Run to share how running has transformed her approach to life and leadership. From ocean swims in Bronte to the cultural boom of run clubs post-COVID, Phoebe shows how running can be more than exercise — it can reshape identity, community, and confidence.

In this episode, we explore:

• Why her Always Swim mantra is about more than just the ocean

• The leap from Startmate Women Fellowship to COO

• The founding story of Cheeky Run Club and the rise of running culture

• Discipline, systems, and the myth of willpower

• How running builds resilience and self-confidence in work and life

• The lessons she’s learned from burnout, overtraining, and recovery

• Her advice on balance, leadership, and doing hard things with joy

  
  

Quote from Phoebe:

“Discipline isn’t forcing yourself to do hard things — it’s building systems so the good things feel easy.” — Phoebe Pincus

Follow Phoebe Pincus:

Instagram: @cheekyrunclub

LinkedIn: Phoebe Pincus

Stay Connected with Jason & Execs Who Run:

Jason Hunt: LinkedIn | Instagram

Execs Who Run: LinkedIn | Instagram

Website: execswhorun.com

Join the community: Execs Who Run Strava Group

Xavier Shay joins Execs Who Run to explore how software engineering, executive leadership, and distance running all thrive on structure, systems, and sustained effort.

From his time scaling Square in the U.S. to leading innovation at Bendigo Bank, Xavier brings deep insight into building cultures that work—and staying grounded through running.

🔑 Key Moments in This Episode:

Accidentally signing up for a half marathon on a Wednesday (and running it solo)

The shift from software engineer to manager at Square during hypergrowth

How leadership became a natural extension of systems-thinking

CEO role at Up and how the fintech was integrated post-acquisition

The benefits of running clubs and community in San Francisco and Melbourne

His most meaningful race: a 3-day 200km ultramarathon with his father

The power of consistency, simplicity, and knowing your personal operating system

Why more companies should have gyms—and how wellness builds workplace culture

Follow Xavier Shay:

Xavier Shay’s Blog: https://xaviershay.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xaviershay/

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/xshay

Stay Connected with Jason & Execs Who Run:

Jason Hunt (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonzanehunt/

Execs Who Run (LinkedIn): https://www.linkedin.com/company/execs-who-run

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/execswhorun/

Website: https://execswhorun.com

🎧 Support the Show:

Enjoyed this episode? Please follow, rate, and review Execs Who Run on your favourite podcast platform—and share it with someone who runs toward big goals.

In this inspiring conversation, Catriona McGregor—General Counsel and executive leader at Domain—shares her remarkable journey through law, leadership, motherhood, scuba diving, and ultramarathon running.

Key Moments in This Episode:

Growing up in Scotland and England, and her winding path into law

How scuba diving in Fiji and the Galápagos shaped her spirit of adventure

Moving to Sydney and building a leadership career at Domain

Motherhood, identity, and discovering running as personal sanctuary

From a first 10K to half-marathons, trail races, and the Ultra-Trail Australia 100km

Lessons on perfectionism, fear of failure, and resilience

The parallels between long-distance running and executive leadership

Preparing for her next big challenge: the UTMB OCC race in Chamonix

Follow Catriona McGregor:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catriona-mcgregor-b1520338/

Stay Connected with Jason & Execs Who Run:

Jason Hunt (Host): https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonzanehunt/

Execs Who Run LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/execswhorun

Instagram (Execs Who Run): https://www.instagram.com/execswhorun

Jason’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasonzane_/

Strava Group: https://www.strava.com/clubs/execswhorun

Website: https://execswhorun.com

👉 If Catriona’s story inspired you, please follow, rate, and review Execs Who Run on your favourite podcast platform—and share this episode with someone who could use some motivation.

The world record for fastest marathon in a suit is 2:39.

Soh Rui Yong owns it. Jason Hunt wants it.

In this unforgettable episode, record-holder meets record-chaser in a conversation full of tactics, heatstroke, fashion, and mindset. If you've ever chased something ambitious—and maybe a little absurd—this is for you.

Key Moments in This Episode:

How Jason’s Guinness goal was sparked by a chance conversation and LinkedIn tag

Rui’s hilarious and harrowing suit marathon in sweltering London heat

Why the “wall hits harder” when you’re in three soaked layers

Tactical breakdown: pacing, layering, gels, hydration, psychology

Jason’s Sydney Marathon prep and what Rui would do differently next time

The global community of runners competing for this niche record

What it means to chase purpose when conventional goals no longer excite

Rui’s transition from national athlete to coach, entrepreneur, and speaker

Sponsors & Links:

Institu: – Custom-tailored suits built for performance and elegance

2nu Vision: – High-performance sunglasses engineered for runners and adventurers

Movember Fundraising Page: Donate here – Support Jason’s mission to raise funds for men’s health

About Soh Rui Yong:

Soh Rui Yong is Singapore’s national record holder across every distance from 5K to marathon—and a Guinness World Record holder for fastest marathon in a suit.

Off the track, he runs the Run So Fast Academy, helping athletes reach their peak through elite-level coaching.

Coaching: runsohfast.com

Instagram: @sohruiyong

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sohruiyong

Stay Connected with Jason & Execs Who Run:

Jason Hunt LinkedIn

Execs Who Run LinkedIn

Instagram: @execswhorun

Website: execswhorun.com

🎧 Enjoying the show? Follow, rate, and review Execs Who Run, and share this episode with someone chasing a crazy dream in formalwear.