232: New Season + LIVE from Up North: How to Reconnect with Yourself

Michigan Runner Girl

If there ever was an episode that packs in just about everything the MRG podcast is all about — especially now — this one would be it. The Michigan Runner Girl Show returns after a short break in a big way with this episode featuring a LIVE recording from the 4th annual Michigan Runner Girl Winter Weekend Getaway, a retreat held a couple of weeks ago in northern Michigan on the shores of North Higgins Lake that included 40+ women.

This episode marks a milestone for the show, too: this is Season One of 2022 — the first time the MRG podcast, since its start in 2015, has released episodes by season and following a particular theme. Season One’s theme is Reconnection. Over the course of the next 8-10 weeks, listeners can expect to hear inspiring stories of people and places in Michigan (and beyond) that explore what it means to reconnect — with ourselves, with nature, with friends and family, with our communities.

This first episode features Maia Turek, a familiar podcast guest, who is known for her vast knowledge of Michigan state parks (she is an innovations and engagement specialist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources). This time, though, she gets more personal; she bravely shares a wellness journey she’s been on over the past year with Leah Doriot, a certified health coach who has become a great friend of hers. Leah shares her insight, too, as well as her own journey to follow her passion and make a big (and scary) career change during COVID. Together with Heather, the women talk honestly about the challenges of living in a toxic diet culture, particularly for women, the importance of tapping into our inner strength and recognizing and honoring what we want for ourselves, and ultimately recognizing the power that comes when we change our mindset about what it means to be strong, able, and beautiful-just-as-we-are women.

Thanks to the amazing women who joined us for the MRG Winter Weekend Getaway and took part in the LIVE podcast recording — and asked fantastic questions, too! What a weekend it was. (Learn more about this annual event at MichiganRunnerGirl.com. Be sure to sign up for the MRG newsletter to hear about upcoming events, including the 2023 winter weekend.)