We all carry the burden of feeling not enough.

All of us.

Once we lose connection to our worthiness and sense of enough, the striving for approval and belonging kicks in, and we long to find the reassurance that we are enough as we are, often in all the wrong places.

The experience of feeling different or othered is seared in our memories and held in our bodies and a protective cluster of beliefs and behaviors take root to protect us from experiencing this pain again.

But often the result of these inner protectors–like the inner critic or the imposter–leaves us feeling worse and further entrenched in feeling not enough.

And our bodies are often the default of where this shame is directed.

So often, conversations with others focusing on body critique, the food you eat or comparing to others become the norm, only perpetuating feelings of not enough in a vicious cycle.

While the burdens of shame and feeling not enough are universal, the way it reaches and can impact people is not. And my guest today brings in his experience of being a Black man in a larger body.

Martinus Evans is a proud fat marathon runner, author, certified running coach, and award-winning speaker who helps plus-sized people get active without the pressure of weight loss.

A native of Detroit MI, he’s the host of The 300 Pounds and Running Podcast, co-host of The Long Run with Martinus and Latoya Podcast, and founder of the Slow AF Run Club, an online community connecting slow runners around the globe. Slow AF was built to inspire, motivate, and educate. It celebrates the grit and grind of runners at “the back of the pack.”

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• How weight stigma impacts life from healthcare to the clothes you wear
• How a humiliating experience with a doctor became the origin story of 300 Pounds and Running
• How Martinus uses anger as a catalyst for action, and how he lets go of it once he’s used it
• Why vulnerability and transparency have been key to growing and maintaining the community at the Slow AF Run Club
• How Martinus is reframing what success means to him so that his drive serves the life he wants to live

Learn more about Martinus:

• 300 Pounds and Running
• Slow AF Run Club
• 300 Pounds and Running Podcast
• The Long Run Podcast
• Instagram: @300PoundsAndRunning
• Facebook: @300PoundsAndRunning

Learn more about Rebecca:

• rebeccaching.com
• Work With Rebecca
• Sign up for the weekly Unburdened Leader Email

Resources:

• The Last Dance
• Will, Will Smith and Mark Manson