Podcast: Episode 127 with Matt Chittim

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“It got to the point where I was looking in the metaphorical mirror and saying to myself, ‘Alright, what am I going to do here? You’re sacrificing your job effectiveness by doing as much as you can with this podcast as often as you can and by not making a decision, you’re making a decision.’ And ultimately it came down to the fact that I just believed that I could turn this into a profession. I didn’t exactly know how to do it or when it would happen but I just started to believe. And ultimately that belief kind of ruled the day for me.”

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Matt Chittim is the man behind the incredibly popular Rambling Runner podcast, which is a show about dedicated amateur runners who are working hard at the sport but also balancing running with the rest of their lives. On the other end of the spectrum, he also hosted Season 1 of The Road to the Olympic Trials podcast, which followed the training, racing, and experiences of some of America’s best runners as they prepared for the Olympic Trials Marathon this past February in Atlanta. Matt is a natural conversationalist as you’ll pick up upon in this episode and I highly recommend checking out both of his podcasts.

In this episode, we of course talked podcasting, how he got into it, what the tipping point was that lead to his show’s explosion in popularity, and how his prior careers as a coach and fundraiser have informed his approach to the craft. We also talked about Matt’s journey in the sport, reigniting his own running fire in his mid-20s, and his current Mastering 40 pursuit of trying to break a 40-minute 10K at the age of 40. We also discussed competitiveness, imposter syndrome, and a lot more.

Matt Chittim: Website | Instagram | Twitter

the morning shakeout: Instagram | Twitter

Mario Fraioli: WebsiteStrava

This episode is brought to you by:

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Music and editing for this episode of the morning shakeout podcast by John Summerford.