"It shouldn’t be this tough. It doesn’t need to be this tough. You shouldn’t need that much toughness to succeed. Of course you need to have drive and need to work hard and all those things. That’s not the kind of toughness I’m talking about. I’m talking about dealing with the unnecessary obstacles that a lot of female athletes are faced with." Welcome to the new "Run Your Way" series on the Ali on the Run Show. If I've learned anything (and I have, I swear!) from 600 episodes of this show, it's that yes, there are best practices and there is plenty of good running-related advice to go around. Ultimately, though, the best way to run is your way, however that looks. This series will explore what it means to run your way. First up: former professional athlete and all-around force to be reckoned with, Lauren Fleshman, whose book, Good For a Girl: A Woman Running in a Man's World, is out today. In this conversation, Lauren dives into some of the key themes of the book, and talks about what it was like pouring her heart into these pages, and doing so during a deep depressive time in her life. She shares the most pivotal moments and decisions she faced both during and after her professional career, and explains how she found her way on the run and off. Plus, her best advice for sending the email, her take on the state of the sport in 2023, and so much more. SPONSOR: New Balance. Click here to shop New Balance's latest releases for the season. (The SuperComp Trainer is my favorite shoe!) What you’ll get on this episode: On dealing with imposter syndrome (3:35) The part of the book that made me gasp (5:30) What it means to be called “tough” (8:15) How Lauren wrote a book during a major depressive episode, and why writing this book “kicked her ass” (9:40) What Lauren’s relationship with running is like now (15:10) How Lauren talked to her kids about depression (16:00) How writing a book changed Lauren’s relationship with writing (17:30) Who has read Lauren’s book? (21:40) On getting vulnerable in the book, and the stories knew had to be in the book (26:00) Did life ever feel easy for Lauren? (34:45) Lauren talks “sending the email” (38:00) Lauren’s message to people raising young girls (45:15) How Lauren sees the state of the sport today (49:00) Lauren's previous appearances on the Ali on the Run Show: "Motherhood LIVE," with Alysia Montaño, Steph Bruce, and Dawn Harper-Nelson, May 2021 "Why It's An Exciting Time for Women's Running," LIVE at the NYRR RunCenter, November 2019 Lauren Fleshman & Jesse Thomas, August 2019 Meet Lauren Fleshman, October 2018 Follow Lauren: Instagram @fleshmanflyer Twitter @laurenfleshman Facebook Work, Play, Love podcast Strava Follow Ali: Instagram @aliontherun1 Join the Facebook group Twitter @aliontherun1 Support on Patreon Subscribe to the newsletter Blog Strava SUPPORT the Ali on the Run Show! If you’re enjoying the show, please subscribe and leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts. Spread the run love. And if you liked this episode, share it with your friends!