Outsourced audio - S7E9 - Inspired To Run with Richard Conner
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[00:00:00]
shawn buttner: Hey, everyone. Welcome to the Meaningful Revolution podcast, where we help you figure out your purpose and get after it. So today's guest, I really love because Um, talking with him and doing a little bit of research ahead of time seems very positive. He's the founder of Inspired Erotic and he's got a heart of service to inspire others to do greatness and to be better and to get into fitness.
It's a message I respect and I'm excited about and I'd love to introduce you to my friend Richard Connor. Hey Richard, how are you doing?
Richard Conner: I'm great Shawn, how are you?
shawn buttner: I'm doing great. I love doing these types of interviews. So first off, we have this podcast called Inspired to Run. I'm sure there's a story on how you got into running.
There usually is. As [00:01:00] someone that's run three marathons in my life, in a past life, it's something that's very special to me. It's taught me a lot about life. First off, could you tell us your story about running? Like, how did you get into it? What do you love about it? Things of that nature. Yeah,
Richard Conner: for sure.
Well, first, thanks for having me on the show. And yeah, this is absolutely one of my favorite topics. So, I always say if I'm not talking about marketing, I'm talking about running. So, love to have this opportunity. Yeah, so my story goes back to high school. I didn't consider myself very athletic. I wanted to be a part of something and honestly, I don't know how I chose running, but I just kind of fell into cross country and I absolutely loved it.
So within a couple of weeks, I felt like I was home. I had a great team that I was a part of. And again, it was something that I felt like I could do versus some of the other sports. And I just kind of fell in love with it. So I did that through high school. And I also ran track for a couple of seasons, but didn't really do as much in track.
Didn't enjoy it as much. The time of year wasn't great for me, like, allergy [00:02:00] wise, and I just didn't enjoy it as much as I did, uh, cross country.
shawn buttner: As a, uh, discus and shot thrower, I get the allergies thing, too. At least it's a little bit different.
Richard Conner: Yeah. It was just so cool, like, just memories of running through the trails in the fall, you know, I'm in Connecticut, born and raised in Connecticut, with the leaves and the trails, it was just a really wonderful experience.
So I just enjoyed it a lot better than track, but then after high school, life happened. I went to college part time, I started a family very early, I was working full time. And I didn't really do much in fitness. Like I would work out and I run as part of my workouts, but not as much as I was back in high school.
And I didn't really run races. I didn't do a lot. And it wasn't until just a few years ago that I got back into running by running races at my old high school. And then there's a whole story from there, but that's really how it started. It was, was cross country and track in high school.
shawn buttner: That's awesome.
From those experiences. So you have that love for running. [00:03:00] It falls out because life happens and that's pretty common. And now you're back into it. What inspired you to start the podcast?
Richard Conner: Yeah. So that's the second part of my journey. That's my comeback story, if you will. So I work full time. I also went to school part time.
I had a family. I was traveling a lot and just wasn't doing a lot in fitness. At some point, I'm like, you know, I got to get back into it. I got to do something. So I started running back on my old high school, their annual 5k, which if you can imagine is like super nostalgic, going back and seeing your former teachers and roaming the halls and then running the course.
But I still wasn't training for it. Like a week or two before I'm like, Hey, I'm a 5k coming up. I probably should hop on a treadmill and do a couple of miles. So then I did the first race. I was like, you know what? I could do a lot better, but it really wasn't until I think it was like 2018. I started to run Spartan obstacle course races.
And it wasn't until that, that really kind of reignited my love for running because. [00:04:00] You know, if anybody, if your listeners know about Spartan obstacle course races or obstacle course races in general, you're climbing over things, you're climbing up things, under, you're in mud, barbed wire, all that stuff.
So a lot of this stuff scares me. I'm afraid of heights. I don't have a lot of upper body strength, so, you know, anything overhead used to scare me. And I looked at it as a way to overcome fears and do things that I've never done in my life. And to do that, I needed to run. Like, in addition to climbing and jumping and crawling, I needed a run.
So that's really what kind of reignited my love for running as I was kind of training for both overcoming fears and doing things I never did. Plus getting back to what I loved. Right?
shawn buttner: Um, okay. So you got this need to run and you're inspired. So you're doing that and you're like, okay, I got to figure this out.
Do you start the podcast to get the questions you have? I'm like, how do I deal with nutrition, how do I recover quicker? How do I do those types of things? Or did it just like you're talking about enough and people are like, Hey man, you should have a [00:05:00] podcast and go forward. How did
Richard Conner: that come to be? It was a little bit of the latter.
I mean, honestly, I wish I had my podcast back then for me to listen to, but yeah, so I was telling my story to folks about what this journey was doing for me mentally and physically, right? So mentally it was making me stronger and it was helping me in other areas of my life outside of physical aspect of it.
And then physically, I'm getting stronger, I'm toning, I'm losing a little bit of weight, and I'm just getting more healthy. So, I'm sharing my story, and then folks were really receptive. Friends, family, coworkers, like, Hey Richard, that's great, or show me some of your muddy race pictures. More so than I thought people would actually be that interested in seeing it.
And, but I also would hear, I wish I could do that. I'd love to be able to do that, but I can't do that. I'm not a runner. So, you know, that kind of stuck with me for a while. And it wasn't until a couple of years later during the pandemic, cause my podcast was born out of the pandemic that I wanted to start a community.
And at first my idea was to do it in marketing, which [00:06:00] is my profession. But then I'm like, you know what? I really would love to do something. Outside of marketing that I just love to do. That's just fun. So that's how I decided running. And then a good friend of mine said, well, why don't you start a podcast?
And I'm like, what's that? And that's really how it started. I learned what a podcast was. I went through training on how to start it. And I really started it with the intention of sharing my story, but then realized there are a whole lot of other folks out there with inspiring stories. And I'm using this as a platform to share theirs as well.
shawn buttner: Awesome. I love that. My podcast is just about a year old. So at the tail end of the pandemic, it was born. That's super cool, and I think everyone should start a podcast. It'll just get you thinking about the things that you love in a different way. One of the taglines that I didn't say at the start of the thing is to talk to people about the things that they nerd out about, so.
I can see the excitement in your face. If you're listening, you can't see that. But Richard's face is [00:07:00] lighting up as he's talking about this, which is super amazing. So on the community aspect, I know when people have like a purposeful journey, you know, there's like the call to action of like, I want to change.
And it sounds like yours is talking about this thing that you love and people being like, yeah, but I can't do that. So let me solve that problem for them. So on that. Purposeful journey of sharing this passion that you have. How has the community really formed? Do you have a running group that you also run in Connecticut or what are the other things kind of going around what
Richard Conner: you're doing?
Yeah. So it's a little bit of a mix. So it's all virtual again, because it was kind of born out of the podcast. So. I'm inspired to run communities virtual. We have a Facebook group and then a following on a Facebook page, as well as Instagram, and of course the podcast listeners who may or may not be on the social channels as well.
So that's kind of the community and I engage with them there. But in addition to that, there's a little bit of overlap with my [00:08:00] coach. Who's my Spartan coach slash running coach and his community. So there's a little bit of overlap. So for the folks that are in person are really those that I've met through my coach and I've kind of expanded my community.
And he's kind of expanded his kind of through our platforms.
shawn buttner: That's awesome. So I guess since I'm a high performance coach and always trying to, I'm always curious about the vision that people have for the things that they're doing. Like. What do you think the Inspire to the Run community looks like in five years?
Richard Conner: Oh, gosh, in five years, my vision is to have ambassadors all over the United States. My vision is to have hundreds of folks to say, Richard, because of your podcast, I was able to make a change in my life. I wanted to make a change. I was stuck, you know, whether it was health related, family related, job related, I just needed something.
And your podcast helped me on that journey through running because that's the stories that I'm sharing. And I've [00:09:00] seen how running has helped people transform their lives and it's helped them in other parts of their lives. So I want to see that for others. Again, if you want to make a change, if you're looking to make a change.
I want to be here to help you believe that you can first and then give you the tools and resources and connect you with the brands and services to help you do all those things and have the best experience you could possibly have. Like, that's my vision in five years. Right on.
shawn buttner: Well, I love that it's people focused and that's something I'm always looking for in what people are doing.
I think that's what makes the difference for people that Ultimately will succeed, because, yeah, I have a belief that we're all in it together, so, I'm digging that. Little bit shift of gears, so, I know that you have a framework for what you're doing, and it, my notes are correct, it's mindset, movement, and motivation?
Could you maybe explain what the mindset, movement, and motivation are? Say, you're someone that has never ran, or is [00:10:00] starting, is like a beginner level. Whatever that is, how you might apply that framework to helping them get back or get into running
Richard Conner: for sure. So it's actually kind of interesting. So this takes me back to before marketing, I was engineered by training and then, you know, all these years in marketing.
So the way my brain works is I try to think about all of the conversations that I have and build a framework or structure based on those stories. And I started to hear some trends and themes. And a lot of it was, like I said, there was a starting point. It was either internally driven or externally driven.
Either I needed to make a change and I wanted to, or someone invited me to run a half marathon for the first time to raise money for cancer, or they invited me to the gym and that was kind of the spark. So the way I think about the pillars is starting with mindset for someone who wants to make a change, so they made the decision.
But they don't know how, they don't believe that they can, they don't think they have time, like all the reasons why someone might not start. I like to [00:11:00] cover all those things in mindset to help you get going, to overcome whatever that mental block it is or mental barrier it is, because more than likely that's what it is, right?
From preventing you from getting started. So that's the mindset part. Movement is the act of doing it, right? So if you've never run before, there's no expectation that you're going to get out there and run a 5k in, in a certain amount of time, it's going to start with just moving time on your feet. Well, what does that start with?
That starts with getting running shoes, it starts with getting a plan, you know, most popular couch to 5k plans. It starts with nutrition and hydration. What should you be doing now that you're more active? How do you fuel that? Because most folks think, well, let's say they want to lose weight. That means I have to eat less.
Well, if you're moving, you might need to eat more. You might need to hydrate more, right? Or you might have to eat differently. So there's just helping someone along that journey. So they don't get injured. They don't get burnt out and they feel like they can actually do it. So that's the movement part. And [00:12:00] then motivation is I've learned that you're going to see success.
When you're consistent and you're doing the things over time, you're going to start to see results, but you're going to wake up in the morning. You need to be like, I don't want to do that run or I don't want to do that workout like I'm too tired. I don't feel well. I got kids stuff. How do you keep going?
So we talk about ways to stay motivated to stay focused on your goals. And there's tips and tricks and things that we talk about to get you going. So that's kind of the framework, mindset, movement and motivation. And I used to think of it in a linear fashion, but I've come to realize that It doesn't necessarily apply only to someone who's never run before.
You may run a 5k or you may have run a 10k or half marathon, but now you want to run a marathon. And for you, that might be a big step forward. Like, Oh my gosh, I can never run a marathon. Well, you know what? You start back at mindset. What's making you preventing you from believing that you can, and then kind of working your way through the process.
So that's kind of how the framework works. And that's how I've been talking about it on the show. [00:13:00] I love that.
shawn buttner: I think. For those of you who are listening to this and are thinking, I can't run a 5k or run it all, or I'm not a runner, I'm a something out, I'm a surfer, I'm a so focused on my family, I'm a business professional, I think this framework fits really well into other areas of life.
On that note, do you think you can maybe share how This running journey that you've been on in the podcast has impacted you professionally or outside of the podcast and the activity of running.
Richard Conner: Yeah, so there's a couple of things. It's actually interesting the way it's all connected. So first, the running and my journey in the Spartan races.
gave me the courage to do other things in my life because I wanted to overcome my fears and do things I never did before. So one of my fears is not necessarily public speaking, because I've been doing that throughout my entire career. But for whatever reason, being on video or doing a podcast scares a life out [00:14:00] of me, you know, if you roll back the clock three years.
So, again, I'm on this journey to do things I've never done before, and this is something I've had to overcome. So, the running and Spartan Obstacle Course races really helped me get to this point. And, I think the way I'm thinking about Inspire to Run podcast and the framework in the community, is helping me from an entrepreneurship standpoint.
So, I've worked in corporate for over 20 years, in various roles, some technical, but mostly marketing. But, I haven't run my own business before. And this is really helping me think about, really think about who can I serve best with what I know, what I've learned, what tools and resources I have, and how do I package that that's going to be easy for them to find me, to access my products and services, and then be successful in their own journey.
I would say this podcast has not only helped me and others in terms of running, but it's also helped me think about how I can serve the community through the work I'm doing here. I
shawn buttner: love that phrase of how can I serve or how [00:15:00] can I serve greater? And I do think. This format is a wonderful way to reach more people, to inspire them to run or to follow their passions and what they nerd out about.
So I'm curious now then, are there things that you've learned in other areas of your life that you've brought to running that you personally makes your, I don't want to say running style, but your training a little bit more unique from just like a common knowledge out there in the world?
Richard Conner: Yeah, I have to think about this.
I would say that. What I've learned through my guests and through my coach and through this podcast journey is Completely different than what I learned in high school So for sure, I'm definitely more knowledgeable about running about nutrition about hydration about gear Then I was back in high school and then I'm a much stronger mindset, right?
So the things that I'm doing now, I feel like I'm a stronger runner and I'm in more control than I was Maybe when I was younger, [00:16:00] so if I think about things specifically, I would say nutrition is number one nutrition I wish I knew then what I know now Unless you know, you really wouldn't know and understand how much nutrition impacts you and again, it's not about gaining or losing weight It's also about how you feel and your performance.
I mean, there's so much more to it And everything that's out there to help you and I know there's, it's very controversial about supplements and this, that, and the other, so I don't take a lot, but there's certain things that I do that I think it's helped me reach my goals over the years, like creatine, amino acids, protein, just really your basic multivitamins, just really your basics.
Yeah, I
shawn buttner: think I can nerd out about nutrition quite a bit. So I really like, like, athletic greens. Something I do pretty regularly with a little bit of creatine and then focusing on protein. I'm not sure if you follow, like, the Haberman
Richard Conner: podcast or... I know of it, but yeah. Yeah. There's a
shawn buttner: lot of new, new things talking about, like, if you have the same [00:17:00] level of work, but one person eats more protein than the other, that that actually shifts.
Your body and weight loss in a different way. So, yeah, there's just more science out there. Almost too much to know what's actually working and what's good for you, but Do you have any favorite supplements? I know, when I was training for marathons, I do the, uh, like, They were meant for cyclists, but like the hammer gels, which are like protein and carbohydrate, like, packets, but What are your go to, like, performance things for when you need to make it happen?
Richard Conner: Yeah, yeah, so I use a bunch of different things, depending on what it is that I'm working on. So, first off, it's interesting what you said, there's a lot out there, right? So you really have to find what works for you, and I've had to do that. So, let's just take protein for an example. I used to take protein shakes at the gym, and for a really long time, I did not feel well, and I couldn't figure out why.
So I'm like, oh, well, maybe it's something that they're mixing at the gym that just doesn't agree with me. So I started to make it on my own. Same thing. And it wasn't until I switched [00:18:00] to vegan for my protein, never had a problem. So I just found something that had worked for me in that particular case. So whatever it is, I think you just have to try things and see what works for you.
So for me, what I normally do is For my daily electrolytes, I use noon, N U U N. So it's interesting. It's a little bit of an acquired taste at first, but I can't live without it. So every day, that's absolutely the first thing I have to have. They also have immunity tablets that I also take. So noon is what I do for general electrolytes.
When I'm running, I use tailwind Hydration. Which is relatively new to me. So my coach had introduced me and I actually had the CEO on my show and I just love it. I love the science behind it and I love how that compares to other products like that really works for me. So I use Tailwind for my long runs.
I use goo energy as well to kind of supplement the tailwind. It just depends. Like if I'm running really, really long and I need that much, then I'll do it. I probably using less of the goo now, [00:19:00] but I would typically kind of pair those together. Some people can eat, people bring food on these trail rides and all.
I can't necessarily eat when I'm running. So for me, this is like the most I could do. This is the best I could do is goo and tailwind. And then afterwards, I'll do my protein, creatine, and amino for after my workouts. On
shawn buttner: the topic of nutrition, so, I have some friends that are ultramarathon runners, and their macronutrition outside the actual work is baffling, Nutter Butters,
and just trying to like fuel the machine. Which, I get extreme levels, like, you could have an immaculate metabolism because you're just doing so much work. Do you optimize breakfast, lunch, and dinner with your family? How does that impact? I'm sure if you're doing, like, if you're continuing, like, the vegan thing out there, sometimes family members don't particularly like [00:20:00] that particular thing.
Ultimately, like, what are you doing outside? Or do you have a theory or is it just kind of like whatever the family's doing or
Richard Conner: what's up? Yeah, this one's a hard topic. First off for the vegan part I only do that for the protein and certain things just because it's better for my system So I'm not necessarily vegan in general, but I found that some vegan products work better for me But in general, this is a hard topic And I think culturally it could also, it could be even difficult, right?
So in many cultures, food is kind of the center of what you do and what brings family together, right? So if you're trying to go, let's say, on a different path than how you grew up or how your family is, That can create conflict in the family, and honestly, I went through that. I went through that with my family, because my family, I don't want to call out specific foods, but let's just say fast foods, right?
They wanted this particular fast food, and I'm like, some things I'll do, but other things, I'm like, no. Because it doesn't fit my plan, but also, I don't feel good after I eat it. And I really started to realize that after I stopped eating so much. [00:21:00] Then I started to feel better, but I didn't know or understand.
I was feeling bad before, if you know what I mean, it was just kind of how I always felt. So that created a lot of conflicts, but then just over time, my family knows, like there's just certain things I'm just not going to eat and we just have to agree to disagree and we'll do separate things on whenever that comes up.
But in general, we eat together. For my workouts, if I do a, like a really hard run or a really hard workout, I have to eat. So, my family knows if that's my schedule and the plan is not to eat, like, until a lot later or eat something that's really not within my plan. They already know. They're like, listen, just do what you have to do and then we'll come together later.
And we just, again, that's taken time, but I know that can create conflict because it did for us for a really long time. And it's hard. It's hard to get through. And I don't know if folks ever get through it.
shawn buttner: So I want to dig into this a little bit. I'm just curious, like, how did you get that consensus?
Because it sounds like it's [00:22:00] just everyone understood where you might not be interested in this because I need this performance for the running, but if you're not doing that or whatever, then we have our way around it. We still want to make that communal experience happen, which I think is super important just for connecting the family.
I grew up around Chicago, I live in California, my wife's from California, so like, the steak and potatoes thing doesn't always go with her, and sometimes, like, we don't get into it, but it can cause a little bit of awkward conversations sometimes, but. So, when you're with people that you love, or people that you like, and you have to do what's right for your health, how do you think about communicating that or getting people
Richard Conner: on board?
I mean, the best thing is just to be upfront about it. And it's also hard to do it in the moment too. So it's about having the conversation maybe ahead of time. And it's been a while since I've talked about this, even for your training plan, even for your runs. Like if [00:23:00] you have kids, you have obligations.
You need to schedule, in my opinion, you need to schedule these things and if you have a spouse, you need to communicate what those plans are so it's not a surprise or it's not a burden like, hey, I'm going to do my run at this time. Can you make sure you're here for the kids? Or if not, then I know I can adjust my run schedule to do it at a different time.
So I think it's about having a conversation up front before you're like in the moment and it becomes an issue. But I'd say probably a lot of it is planning, but a lot of it is just repetition and consistency because over time, eventually, hopefully they're going to get it right. This is your routine and this is what you're striving for.
And if you're making progress and it makes you happy, then others are going to start to see that and hopefully respect that and support you. Cool.
shawn buttner: Yeah. I love the point that it's hard to do in the moment. I'm having doing marathon training myself years ago and navigating the like friendship space. I was like in my like mid twenties Everyone like it's Friday.
We're gonna go out for [00:24:00] drinks and it's like my long runs on Saturday morning I could do it hungover, but it's terrible So maybe we don't do this communal habit and yeah, if it's Friday and it's after work and your buddy's like, Hey, let's go. It's different than like, no, I needed to navigate this. So I understand that, that point too.
Wondering now, so I'm curious about your podcast. You have this marketing career. Can you explain a little bit what you do on the marketing side? And that just personally, like, how are you marketing your podcast? How are you getting the word out and that nature just to kind of nerd out on that for a little bit.
Richard Conner: Yeah, I love talking about marketing just as much as running and to describe what I do, I love to use this one of the definitions of marketing is creating, communicating and delivering value to customers is just one of the many definitions of marketing. So when people think about marketing, most people think communications, right?
They think about advertising, whether it's TV, billboards, digital. [00:25:00] Agencies. Like that's what most people think, but there's so many more aspects to it. So the work that I've done was really more so in the creating and delivering value. So I worked for B2B companies, not B2C companies and global companies.
And I brought new products to market was a lot of the work that I did. As well as managing product portfolios and expanding those portfolios globally. That's a lot of the work that I did really in the creative creation side, as well as the delivering side. So because of that, after almost 20 years in the field, I'm like, gosh, you know, I really would love to do more around that communicating part, right?
More B2C, digital, you know, digital has been around for a while and here I'm a quote unquote marketer and I knew very little about digital. So I like, I really would love to learn this space. So I went out and I joined the American Marketing Association. I got my Digital Marketing Institute certification.
And I was like, I love to do more in this space. And then that's kind of what [00:26:00] started this, Hey, I'd love to build a community. Let's do an online community. And then eventually the podcast and social and all of that. So it all kind of came together with my marketing experience and my future aspirations in marketing, as well as my running experience and how I wanted to help others really just eventually came together.
And that's what helped me form the podcast
shawn buttner: Right on. Yeah, I feel, oftentimes than not, when I talk with people, there's a similar pattern of I did all these kind of different things, these different passions, and at some point in their life, they're like, Oh, I can weave all these threads together into one string.
It feels like your whole life has kind of been leading up to that moment, which is pretty crazy. Magical universe conspires to help you do the thing. So that's, yeah, it hasn't
Richard Conner: been easy either, right? I mean, I've been learning, I kind of feel like I'm starting over. I'm kind of feel like I'm 25 years ago, starting in my career, because these are all new things that I hadn't really done [00:27:00] too much during my career.
Again, around digital social media and. advertising and that. So you're asking me about how do I promote my podcast? Well, I've had to learn all these things and I can't say that I'm great at it. I'm learning how to do it, but I'm definitely getting better and the show is growing and I'm getting more listeners and that's really great, but I had to learn.
So kind of what I do, a few things that I do. So first is Promotions are social, which I think is probably the most common and free and easy thing to do, but I've learned that it may not be the most effective way to do it for podcasts, right? Because if you're thinking about meeting people where they are, if you're scrolling through TikTok or Instagram or Facebook, how likely are you to flip over and open up your podcast app when you hear something?
I don't know, it'd have to be really compelling for you to do that, right? So it could happen, but it's not as likely as many other places. So the way I'm starting to use social now is really more so for engaging with the community. So as you know, with podcasts, it can be one way. You don't really [00:28:00] get that direct feedback, but you can if you drive them to your social community.
So that's one way I'm using it. And the other way I'm using it is to share my resources. So I build some resources based on everything I've learned and kind of what I teach and talk about in the show. And I use that community or those channels to, to share that. And then beyond that, it's conversations like this, right?
Through other shows. So whether it's interviews or I love to do ad swaps, that's something that I'm looking to get into because then you're meeting people where they are. They're already listening to a podcast. They're already in a podcast player app. It's probably the. Low barrier to get them to check you out.
And one thing that I just started recently is advertising in podcast players, which seems to be going well. So I'm like, okay, we'll continue that. So that's what I've done. I've done a little bit of email marketing again for marketer, for me to say I've done a little email marketing. It sounds like I'm a little bit of imposter.
But I'm learning it, so I can't say I'm [00:29:00] great at it, but that's another great way to promote the podcast and engage with the community. Right on.
shawn buttner: Like you, I feel like I'm still at the beginner stages of figuring all this stuff out. I haven't been on social media for a while, but not using it as a tool to communicate and connect.
There's an art to it, and I feel like I'm still drawing stick figures, personally, but I do appreciate you sharing. How did that shift from engineering to marketing go? Because you said, I think we were talking maybe before, when you shared you were an electrical engineer, that then does more, it sounds like more product management side stuff.
Was that natural? Was that, oh, I'm interested in this? Or, how does that story go?
Richard Conner: Yeah, there were some parts of it that was natural, so... I'm a good communicator to a certain extent, and I built really great relationships when I was doing technical roles. And then opportunity came up in marketing where they're like, look, Richard, you know, the product line, which is a very technical product line.
And I have an [00:30:00] engineering background, so I understood it very well. And you're a good communicator. So you can communicate with customers, you can talk about the products in a way they'll understand. And that's really how I started. And so for me, I would say that it was not a difficult transition because it was already taking technical products that I knew and understood and being able to bring them to market and communicate to our customers about the value that the products bring, how to use the products and how they can benefit them and their customers.
So that part of it I loved because I was going to trade shows, I was going to do customer presentations, I was building demonstration kits, like absolutely had the best time of my life. It was one of the best years of my career was actually my first couple of years. In marketing, kind of doing that work.
And then beyond that, I started to do more product, new product development, which again, aligned with my undergrad, right? With an engineering, because I was developing new products with the engineers and the cross functional team. So all of that wasn't really [00:31:00] that much of a shift. Now the business side of it, the culture, the corporate communication, executive communications, all of that was very new for me.
And I had to learn that. So I decided right when I finished my undergrad degree, I needed to go right to B school. So I went back for my MBA. I did that two years full time on Saturdays while I work full time during the week. And that helped me like catch me up on all the business stuff that I missed during my undergrad.
And it helped me make that transition as I'm putting together business cases for investment or communicating to the leadership team or you name it. So that part of it was a lot more difficult than maybe some of the other aspects of what I was doing. Right on.
shawn buttner: So you mentioned that it was the best time in your career, that those early days of doing it, why do you think that was?
What do you think, if you could sum up in a couple of points, like, why that was such a amazing part of that journey?
Richard Conner: Yeah, when you work for a big [00:32:00] company... Sometimes it's hard to get things going. Sometimes it's hard to get things moving forward. But once you get there, once you get everybody moving in the same direction and you're winning, it's a lot of fun.
So I can tell you there are a handful of times in my career where I had that. It was during that time, customers desperately wanted what we were selling. These products that we were coming out with. For the industry, they were ahead of its time and they brought real value to customers. So that was great.
So everybody was behind that. And I felt like I won't say I was at the center of it, but I was a part of that. I was part of something special. And that didn't happen again until years later. Again, there was other role that I took and we had this plan around certain products and certain customers and certain initiatives.
And again, we had that alignment and we were able to just get after it and we were winning. So there's, for me, that's what's really special because if you have conflict, everybody is competing priorities or you're just not moving forward, then it's a [00:33:00] grind and then it's just like, not as much fun. So honestly, I've never really thought about it before you asked me that, but that's probably what I would say.
That's
shawn buttner: amazing. It sounds like. To re paraphrase it, it's like being part of a movement of change where you have momentum, you have everything aligned, everyone is focused and pushing forward and doing goodness out in the world. So, I commend you, that's
Richard Conner: awesome. Yeah, and it was new. I mean, in the beginning of my marketing career, that was new, so that was also part of it, but like I said, it happened in other times during my career and I think that was the common thread or common theme.
Right
shawn buttner: on. Awesome. Switching back to the podcast or running it in general, if you could start a meaningful revolution or that movement for people to follow, or we're all working towards the same goal, we're all aligned and putting goodness out in the world, what would you call it and why?
Richard Conner: [00:34:00] Yeah, I don't know if I would call it anything different than what I called Inspired to Ride because that's really what I'm trying to do.
But I mean, the revolution is really helping folks. Get unstuck. And again, they want to make a change, but for whatever reason they're stuck and they don't know how or they don't feel like they can, it's not enough pain for them in their lives to actually make that change, right? Because that's where I realized that that's what happens when you get to that point where you're like, I can't take it anymore.
Generally, that's when you make the change. So for me, okay, that's okay. Cause at least you made the decision to change. But for me, I'd love to catch you a little bit earlier before that diagnosis, before that, what happens with the family related challenges before your job, before those things, these are things that will help you anyway, not just physically, but also mentally and other parts of your life.
So for me, that's really the revolution is not waiting until that time where you have to make a change. It's doing it before then or starting before
shawn buttner: then. I keep thinking about the name Inspired to Run and [00:35:00] how I like it the more that I think about it because it's not just about running, it's inspired to take action, it's inspired to move forward, and I'm sure it was intentional on your part and I'm just slow, kind of catching up here, but um.
That's great. I love this movement. And I definitely, as a high performance coach, a lot of my work is kind of, Oh, you're comfortable. Like, what's going to get you out of that comfort zone to live that extraordinary life that you have the potential to live? So, and that process to do it. So that's amazing.
Richard Conner: And we could rename it. We could rebrand it to Inspire to Move. The feedback I get sometimes is, Well, Richard, I'm not a runner, but I cycle, or I swim, or I do this, or I do that. And I say, that's great, because this framework still applies to you, right? Mindset, movement, your form of movement. I talk about running cause that's what I know and love, but your form of movement and then motivation, I think that applies across the [00:36:00] board.
So I don't know, maybe we can call it inspired to move, like you said.
shawn buttner: Oh, I would keep it inspired to run. Cause like, I'm thinking like, let's go, right? It's like you wake up, I'm inspired to run today. In all areas of life, not just the physical movement, but my career, my family, like all of that, like it's such a great encapsulation.
So I would. Say don't change it because it's brilliant. So There were a couple of habits or things to help get people into action right in their movement or other areas of their life Do you have two or three different? Suggestions for like daily habits or weekly habits that'll really help people get in the
Richard Conner: game.
Yeah, you know the first thing Because we've been talking about running. We'll just start there. The first thing is moving every day doesn't mean running every day But it's getting into the habit of doing so because if you're not in the habit, it's gonna seem really difficult to get started So if you're not a runner today and you're looking at a couch to 5k [00:37:00] per ram and you're like I can't do that Then I would say put on your running shoes and then just walk walk 15 minutes a day You can certainly find 15 minutes and you can certainly walk.
So just do that And then you build that habit until you get more comfortable, and then you can kind of progress from there. So, for me, it's to find some sort of movement every single day is the first habit. And... Put it on your calendar. If not, everybody likes it. It's not everybody lives by a calendar, but many of us work in a corporate environment, which we do live by our calendars, I mean, even if we're not right, even if we're entrepreneurs, you still have time blocks for types of work that you're doing.
So just like everything else, put it on your calendar. That'd be the first thing. The second thing is around hydration and nutrition. I can't tell you how important it is. Again, not so much for yourself. Again, if you're looking to gain or lose weight, but how you feel, be really mindful about what you're putting into your body, because I can tell you it's going to impact how you feel.
And you may [00:38:00] not realize it, right? If you're eating certain things all the time, you may feel a certain way. You may not realize, Hey, I might feel differently if I don't eat certain things and I might be better for me, or it might be good for me if I substitute one thing for another. Right? So I know there's controversy about.
limiting and not taking things away. Okay. Well, maybe you don't take something away. Maybe you eat less of it, or maybe you switch to something else. But it might have a positive impact on how you feel. So having a focus on your nutrition and hydration, and it doesn't mean like super big changes in your life.
It really could be just small changes. The third one, the third one, I'm going to say this, but I'm myself, not very good about it, but I did this for a while. I'm kicking myself. I didn't stick with it. So I went through a period of time where I was doing mindfulness, but the meditation. I don't even know why that word, uh, slipped my mind.
I was talking to somebody about mindfulness earlier today, so that's what was in my head. So meditation. So I was doing that, and I was doing affirmations. And I felt [00:39:00] so good after doing that. Now, it was a bear waking up a little bit early, and going in the dark, and downstairs, and doing the meditation, and then doing the affirmations.
But I felt good about it, and the reason why I say this is so important is because your body does basically what your mind says, right? What you think, so you have to control your thoughts, and this is a great way to do it that I kick myself that I didn't stick with, but it's 100 percent on my list to get back into because I saw a marked difference in doing both meditation as well as affirmations.
Right
shawn buttner: on. I definitely agree with putting it on your calendar, going into my coaching business, getting a way of meetings and stuff, I thought it was great, and then it took me a while to be like, no, I'm not, I'm distracted because I don't have the thing on the calendar to go do. So, someone that resists putting things on the calendar a lot, I like the flexibility of life that I have.
It's something I must do in order to move forward, so I love that. [00:40:00] I think the hydration, nutrition point, I'd love to add that a personal insight that I had is it really takes three days for the food that you eat to impact your energy, and I don't think there's science behind that, it's just something that I've noticed that tracking things, we think that you eat it and then later that day you're burning that energy, but right now we're burning the energy from the things we ate.
Three days ago and that's what's making us feel great or not great or lethargic or ready to go and so I love that point I just wanted to add that because I think you think about eating and consuming in a different way if that's In the back your head. I had a question on the meditations and affirmations Do you have a formula for coming up with affirmations or was it just some book you read or how did you go about?
constructing That meditation and affirmations have it.
Richard Conner: Yeah, let me tell you something. So I did a lot of internet research on this, and it all seems woo woo woo stuff. And I'm like, I don't know where to start. [00:41:00] Honestly, I wish someone would just tell me. So I ended up making it up. And then for the affirmations, there's two ways you could do it.
You could do verbally and you could do written. So I haven't read the studies, but apparently there's some science that says if you write it down, I think within like 20 minutes or 15 minutes before you go to sleep, you have better retention or your brain processes what I heard, right? And you can do verbally.
So there was one point in time I was doing both. I was doing verbal in the morning and written at night. Going forward, I don't know if I would do that again. I think I would probably just do the written. But basically the way I did my affirmations is I had like three or four affirmations. And I would either write them down repeatedly or repeat them out loud, I don't know, like 15 or 20 times every day.
And it was around each of the areas of my life where I wanted to see significant improvement. So one of them was around relationships with my family. One of them was around my physical health, right? Believing I can get to where I wanted to go with my running [00:42:00] goals. One of them was around entrepreneurship.
So the same mental blocks that someone might have about running, I have about being an entrepreneur and one day running my own business and not, you know, not being in a nine to five. So I have affirmations around that. So those off the top of my head were like the three main ones. I'm sure there was another one and I just wrote it based on what I read.
So basically you write it in a way or you say in a way as if it's already happened. So you're basically telling your brain. This is who I am. And then your brain starts to believe it versus this is who I want to be in the future. So I found that really interesting. So it's like, I am a successful entrepreneur with this running community and podcast and digital media company.
Like that's my affirmation. So that's basically how I built them. Cool. Yeah. I know some
shawn buttner: people say to do like value base, I am kindness or goodness or whatever, some of it is goal driven. So I just want, I was glad you [00:43:00] clarified that for us all. And it's great examples too. So if you don't have an affirmation and you think it's woo woo, cause I.
definitely did when I started doing this stuff. Give it a try. Be open minded enough to experiment and see how it feels. Because ultimately, that repetitiveness, I think, does something to your brain where you then start to... For the ways to make it happen. So yeah, there's research on it, but
Richard Conner: yeah, I don't know.
I'm still learning about it myself. So it's something that's relatively new for me, but it's those things that I package kind of in that mindset part to help me think if you don't think mindset controls. What you do or how you behave, think about it like if you were, you're an entrepreneur and you have a product or service you need to sell, are you making those custom, those, um, cold calls?
Are you following up on those? Or what are you doing to close the deal? If you're not doing those things like out of habit and with intensity, more than likely there's something holding you [00:44:00] back, right? So this is how your mindset leads to the success that you have in really any part of your life.
Definitely.
shawn buttner: One more question on this before we start to wrap up on mindset in particular. Do you have any habits or techniques for helping people shift? I'm not a runner, I can't do it, it's self doubt, I'm not capable, or I'm afraid that if I run that I'll have to give up pizza because that's the thing I love and I won't have time to cook pizzas or whatever.
What's your mindset around changing mindsets, I guess?
Richard Conner: Yeah, I mean, so this is a tough one because I'm sure you see this in your coaching business. It's really very individual. The way I think about it, it's almost like overcoming objections. So I'd have to know, like, what are your objections to be able to help you overcome those.
So the way I do it a little bit more generically is through my show is sharing inspiring stories of folks who didn't run before for whatever reason, and then they started running and what they did along the way to overcome some of those [00:45:00] barriers and challenges. With the hope that you're going to resonate or relate to one of those stories.
And you're going to say, that's exactly my problem. Maybe I'm older and I haven't been a runner or haven't been a runner in many years. Well, my guest today, he started running after like 20 years, right? So now he's in his fifties and he enjoys it. And he considers himself a more mature and stronger runner than he was in his twenties or thirties.
So if you're in that situation, you hear that story. I'm hoping that helps overcome that objection for you. So I'm doing that through the podcast, but. It's individual. It just depends on kind of what be holding you back.
shawn buttner: Yeah, I tend to think through it on objectives are, of course, super important, but it's also aspirations.
You know, I think so much of talking about The affirmations, it's believing the reality of where you succeed, and connecting with it more times than you think. Because it's one thing to be like, I want to be at this certain weight, and I'm doing this for [00:46:00] weight loss, and you think about it on New Year's Eve.
And then come January 1st, it's out of your mind and nothing changes because you don't connect with it, so. Great point, yep. But yeah, it's always that tug. I think you need both. You can have all the motivation to do it and then be like, Well, I can't because my shoes laces aren't tie dried or whatever. And it's like, let's fix that for you.
That's, that's an easy fix.
Richard Conner: Yeah, and honestly, I guess where I'm coming from is, in my mind, someone more chances than not wants to make the changes. So they've already thought about like, yeah, I'd love to be there. It's getting there is the challenge. So I guess that's where I'm coming from, but you're absolutely right.
You have to have that. You already have to have that vision in the first place. And I feel like, I don't know if I can provide that vision for you. I think you need to have that start, but what you do.
shawn buttner: But man said it guys. So, uh, with that, if the good folks at home or wherever you're listening, I want to [00:47:00] follow up and connect with the podcast or follow up with you.
What are the best ways and we'll put those in the show notes
Richard Conner: for sure. First. Thank you so much. I really love this conversation and I love sharing my story. And like I said, helping others in their journey. So you can find me one of two ways is probably the best. The first is inspired to run podcasts, literally wherever you get your podcasts, Apple, Spotify, iHeartRadio.
wherever you get it. And then on social, I'm most active on Instagram. So again, inspired to run podcasts. So you can not only engage with us there, but also I have Instagram lives periodically where we go live and answer your questions and bring on some past guests and we bring them on for like a real talk.
So you get the episodes, but you also get, uh, some Instagram live Q and a sessions as well.
shawn buttner: Awesome. Yeah, definitely go check out Inspire to Run. Born to Run is a really great book you should read if you're interested in running at all, but Inspire to Run is also where it's at. So Richard, thank you so much [00:48:00] for your time and for sharing your wisdom with the audience today.
With Podcast.
