Episode 21: Trusting Your Inner Knowing – How an Ultra Runner Found Healing and Self-Love with Katie Arnold
In this compelling episode of the Initiations in Love podcast, Britta speaks with Katie Arnold—author, ultra runner, and student of Zen—about her transformative journey following a traumatic wilderness accident. The conversation explores themes of love, healing, and the connection between physical movement and creativity. Katie shares how running serves as both meditation and creative fuel, offering her a path to deeper awareness and self-expression. She reflects on awakening through trauma, the importance of trusting one’s inner voice, and the duality of vulnerability and strength in the healing process. Together, they discuss self-love, advocacy, and navigating life’s challenges, particularly in the context of competitive sports, personal growth, and Zen.
🎧 Tune in to hear Katie’s inspiring story of hope and despair (and the significance of both), and what a profound role the mind-body connection plays in the journey of healing.
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About the Guest
Katie Arnold is a longtime journalist and bestselling author of Brief Flashings in the Phenomenal World: Zen and the Art of Running Free (2024), which tells the story of a traumatic wilderness accident and her path to healing. Her critically acclaimed memoir, Running Home, was published in 2019. An elite ultra runner and student of Zen, Katie teaches Flow Camp writing and running retreats, exploring the link between movement, nature, and creativity. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Outside, ESPN The Magazine, Runner’s World, and Elle, among others, as well as on NPR Weekend Edition Sunday and The Upaya Zen Center Podcast. She has been awarded fellowships from MacDowell and Ucross. Katie lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her husband, Steve Barrett, their two teenage daughters, and two dogs.
Want to discover how YOUR challenges can become your greatest gifts? Then get ready! We are about to set off on an exploration into the very heart of love, itself.