Kayla Nolan is a runner and the Executive Director of the Girls Gotta Run Foundation (GGRF). Girls Gotta Run Foundation is a non-profit organization that invests in girl changemakers in Ethiopia through an academic and athletic scholarship program. Kayla started running in high school as part of a coping mechanism, and later joined the Cross Country team after encouragement from another high school girl who had seen her running alone.. Kayla’s love for running grew, and she was presented with an opportunity to study running after gaining a research scholarship in college. After Kenya was ruled out due to political violence, she had a choice between Jamaica or Ethiopia. Feeling she would relate better to Ethiopia’s endurance runners, she took the first step in a journey that would evolve into so much more. This conversation was recorded in early March, when Kayla and Julia were premiering their film, Bekoji 100 at the No Man’s Land Film Festival in Denver, Colorado. Since the festival, Kayla has announced that she will be transitioning from executive director to the board of GGRF over the next year. *This conversation was recorded in early March 2020 prior to the COVID-19 situation and her thoughts and comments regarding the upcoming months reflect that. This powerful conversation covers the following topics:Kayla’s early introduction to running via her motherHer high school and college experiences and how that led to her research scholarshipHer first trip to Ethiopia and the challenges she facedHer first contact with runners from Bekoji, EthiopiaHer early experiences with GGRFHer involvement with GGRF and how that has grown and evolvedThe importance of community engagement and buy-inFemale empowerment and how to nurture thatThe Bekoji 100 relay, and all the challenges that came with that endeavourThe Bekoji 100 filmWhat the future looks like for GGRF____EPISODE LINKSBekoji 100 FilmGirlsGottaRun.orgGGRF TwitterGGRF InstagramGGRF FacebookGGRF YoutubeKayla's Instagram