Episode 23 - The Great Power of Representation

Episode 23 - The Great Power of Representation

From Making Strides by Stefanie Flippin and Carolyn Su

July 18, 2025 · 1h 12m

About this episode

The episode discusses the importance of representation and inclusivity in running events, reflecting on the We Out Here Trail Fest and its impact on the community.

“I think the experience I had is what EVERY straight, white male has at EVERY race.” Consider this convo as a part-two follow up to our most listened-to episode, "Allyship, Intention, and Impact" ( episode 12 ), as we parse out what exactly made the ‘We Out Here’ Trail Fest so incredibly special. In a time when there’s constant pushback and criticism of what DEI actually means or looks like, we hope this conversation gives practical examples of how create events and spaces that move beyond tokenizing to celebrating the diversity of excellence that already exists in our sport! “It doesn’t have to be: we choose representation and inclusivity OR we choose excellence and competitiveness. There can be overlap!” Have you ever been to a race or running event where you felt fully seen, celebrated, and free to be your authentic self? What factors do you think helped make that happen? Drop a comment here or send a message to let us know! Special thanks to our Audio Engineer, ⁠⁠Mark Kalagayan⁠⁠ , from the non-profit, ⁠⁠SPARC Worldwide⁠⁠ . The Making Strides Podcast is about building representation and changing the ways we expect ourselves and others to show up in the running…

People in this episode

Hosts: Stefanie Flippin, Carolyn Su

Topics covered

  • representation
  • diversity
  • inclusivity
  • running events
  • excellence
  • community

Keywords

  • representation
  • diversity
  • running
  • inclusivity
  • We Out Here Trail Fest
  • Allyship
  • excellence

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SPARC Worldwide

Books & works: Allyship, Intention, and Impact

More episodes of Making Strides

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Making Strides podcast page.