Running Ahrens copertina

Running Ahrens

Running Ahrens

Di: Justin and Sarah Ahrens
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One Couple. Two People. Four Kids. And decades of figuring it out—together.

Running Ahrens is a podcast about the long game of marriage, parenting, business, and personal growth. Hosted by Justin and Sarah Ahrens, a couple married for over 30 years with four kids and decades of entrepreneurial experience, this show is about the lessons learned through successes, failures, and everything in between.

With a focus on mindset, honesty, accountability, and kindness, Justin and Sarah dive into real conversations about building a family, running businesses, navigating faith, friendships, and growing through the hard stuff. Still learning, still laughing, still running together, they share what they’ve figured out (and what they haven’t) with humor, humility, and heart.

Along the way, they’re joined by friends, guests, and even their kids for open, often funny, and always heartfelt conversations about what really matters: relationships, resilience, and the lessons that come with time. You’ll also hear about the books, tools, and resources that have helped them along the way, so you can take what resonates and apply it to your own life.

If you’re looking for honest stories, practical wisdom, and a reminder that no one’s running this race perfectly, you’re in the right place.


© 2026 Running Ahrens and A6 Ventures Economia Genitorialità e famiglie Relazioni Scienze sociali
Episodi
  • What Happens When You Bet on Yourself?

    What Happens When You Bet on Yourself?
    Oct 14 2026
    Daren Wendell on Walking Away From a Six-Figure Career, Building a YouTube Business, and Finding Purpose Along the WayHave you ever wondered what it would actually take to become a successful YouTube influencer? Could you really turn something you love into a career? And would you be willing to walk away from a $210,000-a-year job to find out?Our longtime friend Daren Wendell did exactly that.In this episode of Running Ahrens, Justin and Sarah sit down with Daren, the creator behind Wendell Fishing, for a funny, honest conversation about taking risks, building a business, raising a family, and figuring out what success really means.And while you might know him for his fishing videos, that's only one chapter of a pretty remarkable life.Before becoming a YouTube creator, Daren worked in youth ministry and nonprofit leadership, where his passion for helping others took him on adventures that most people wouldn't even consider. He biked across America, hiked the Appalachian Trail, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro three times, swam more than 50 miles across Lake Michigan, and completed 100 marathons in 100 days.Yes, you read that correctly. One hundred marathons. In one hundred days.Some of us are still recovering from the last time we ran through an airport.But behind those extraordinary accomplishments is a much more personal story about faith, purpose, perseverance, and what happens when the work you've devoted your life to begins to change.Eventually, Daren found himself at a professional crossroads. He had spent years helping organizations grow, raising money for important causes, and building a successful career. But a series of difficult experiences made him rethink what he wanted his life and work to look like.And that's where fishing comes in.What began as a lifelong hobby and a small YouTube experiment gradually became something he couldn't ignore. There were videos to make, an audience to build, a business to understand, and a growing question about whether he could actually make a living doing something he loved.Today, Wendell Fishing has grown into a content business with roughly 200,000 followers across platforms and tens of millions of views.But here's what makes his story especially interesting.What does it actually take to build a business as a content creator? Where does the money come from? How do sponsorships work? How much content do you need to produce? And what happens when the hobby you love becomes the thing that pays your bills?Daren gives us a fascinating look at an industry many of us watch every day but know surprisingly little about.He also talks about the less glamorous side of being your own boss, the pressure of consistently creating something people want to watch, and the challenge of knowing when to take a financial risk.Because when you're married and raising two daughters, betting on yourself isn't just about yourself.We talk about the role his wife and family played in the decision, what they've learned through the transition, and how Daren thinks about being present while building a demanding business.Of course, it's not all serious.Justin and Daren revisit some ridiculous adventures, questionable nutritional choices involving Red Bull and Cool Ranch Doritos, and the fact that Daren's collection of fishing kayaks has apparently made parking in the garage a challenge.There may also be a few lessons about what not to do on a cross-country adventure.But what we appreciate most about Daren is that he's never been particularly interested in living a conventional life. He's willing to work incredibly hard, try something new, and occasionally look a little crazy in the process.And that's what makes this conversation worth hearing.You don't have to love fishing, dream about becoming an influencer, or want to quit your job to connect with Daren's story.Maybe you're trying to grow a business. Maybe you're questioning your career. Maybe you're raising kids and wondering how much risk is too much. Or maybe you've spent years helping other people build their dreams and are beginning to wonder what it would look like to pursue one of your own.This conversation is about all of that.Takeaways & Talking PointsWhat Daren's childhood, family, and early adventures taught him about curiosity and taking risksHow ministry, faith, and nonprofit work shaped his understanding of purposeThe stories behind some extraordinary endurance challenges and what they taught himWhat happens when a successful career stops feeling like the right fitThe surprising realities of becoming a YouTube creator and building an audienceHow content creators actually make money and develop multiple revenue streamsThe work, consistency, and business decisions behind Wendell FishingHow marriage, parenting, and financial responsibility influence major career changesWhy building something yourself can change your relationship with workWhat Daren is discovering about success, freedom, and the next chapter of lifeThings We're ...
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    52 min
  • The Hardest Comeback No One Cheers For

    The Hardest Comeback No One Cheers For
    Aug 17 2026
    Scott Spiezio on Baseball, Addiction, Faith, and Finding His Way HomeIn this episode, Justin sits down with two-time World Series champion Scott Spiezio for an honest conversation about baseball, success, addiction, faith, family, and the comeback that mattered most.Justin and Scott’s connection goes back to high school, when they played against each other in basketball and shared many of the same friends through baseball. That history brings a personal dimension to this conversation about the life Scott built, nearly lost, and ultimately began rebuilding.Scott grew up in Morris, Illinois, with baseball woven into nearly every part of his childhood. His father, Ed Spiezio, played nine seasons in the major leagues and won two World Series titles with the St. Louis Cardinals. From the time Scott was three years old, his father trained him with a clear goal in mind: getting to the major leagues was one thing, but staying there was another.That preparation worked.Scott played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Oakland Athletics, Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners, and St. Louis Cardinals. He won two World Series championships and produced one of the most unforgettable moments in baseball history.In Game 6 of the 2002 World Series, the Angels were down 5–0 and only eight outs away from elimination. The Giants were already preparing their clubhouse celebration. Then Scott stepped to the plate.After an eight-pitch battle, he hit a three-run home run that brought the Angels back to life. The team completed the comeback, won Game 7, and captured the first World Series championship in franchise history.Watch Scott’s famous Game 6 home run.But reaching the top did not bring the peace or clarity Scott expected.The attention, opportunities, and pressure disrupted the routines that had kept him grounded. Then a serious back injury in Seattle led to pain, depression, alcohol, and eventually drugs. Scott candidly shares how addiction gradually took control of his life, damaged his relationships, consumed his fortune, and nearly killed him.He went through 11 rehabilitation programs in 10 years. He experienced two divorces, estrangement from his parents, and the end of his baseball career. Even when he wanted to stop, he could not find his way out.Then, in April 2018, his organs began shutting down. Doctors gave him only a 20 percent chance of survival.Scott describes crying out to God and asking for his cravings to be taken away. April 6, 2018, became his first day of sobriety. Eight years later, he remains sober.What followed was not one dramatic leap back into life. It began quietly. Scott picked up sticks in his yard. He started attending his children’s games. He returned to church, rebuilt relationships with his family, began coaching young athletes, and slowly found a new purpose in sharing his story.Scott also reflects on his relationship with his father, including the remarkable moment when Ed surprised him by presenting his 2006 Cardinals World Series ring. They became the only father and son to win World Series championships with the same organization.This conversation is about the hidden cost of success and the danger of losing the routines, relationships, and beliefs that keep us grounded.It is also about grace, accountability, and the possibility of rebuilding a life one decision at a time.Scott’s story is now told in his memoir, The Hardest Comeback, and the new feature-length documentary, Spiezio, arriving in select theaters on September 10.As Scott explains, the home run was a historic comeback. Sobriety, reconciliation, and rediscovering his faith became the hardest comeback.Takeaways & Talking Points:• What happens when achieving your greatest dream still leaves you searching for purpose• How a serious injury, depression, and isolation opened the door to addiction• The routines, relationships, and faith that success slowly pulled Scott away from• Why asking for help felt like weakness, and what that belief ultimately cost him• The reality of relapse, including 11 rehabilitation programs over 10 years• The health crisis that gave Scott a 20 percent chance of survival• How sobriety, family, coaching, and faith gave Scott a new reason to share his storyThings We’re Learning and Unlearning:• Success does not protect us from pain, loneliness, or addiction• Reaching a lifelong goal can create an unexpected crisis of identity and purpose• Asking for help is an act of courage, not weakness• Recovery rarely follows a straight line, and relapse does not eliminate hope• Boundaries can be one of the most loving things a family offers• Rebuilding a life often begins with small, ordinary acts• Our worst chapter may become the story that helps someone else survive theirsThis episode is for anyone who has reached a goal and wondered why it did not feel the way they expected.It is for anyone navigating addiction, recovery, depression, broken relationships, shame, or the...
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    1 ora e 7 min
  • The Quiet Ways We Shape Each Other

    The Quiet Ways We Shape Each Other
    Jul 13 2026

    In this funny, and honest episode, Sarah sits down with her longtime friend Kim Nevels for her first solo interview on Running Ahrens.

    Sarah and Kim met at Illinois Wesleyan University in 1992, back when they were, as Kim says, “babies who thought we were grown.”

    Their lives eventually moved in different directions. They built careers, got married, raised children, faced unexpected challenges, and became women their younger selves could not have fully imagined.

    But even when they were not part of each other’s everyday lives, they were still paying attention.

    They were quietly cheering each other on, learning from a distance, and finding encouragement in the way the other kept showing up.

    Sarah and Kim reflect on the different backgrounds and experiences they brought into their friendship, the communities that helped shape them, and the things they understand more clearly now than they did in college.

    Kim also shares how health challenges influenced the way she viewed time and purpose, and how an unexpected career path led her into decades of meaningful public service and leadership.

    Together, they talk about motherhood, representation, work, identity, and the courage it takes to change direction when life no longer looks the way you expected.

    This episode is about the friendships that stay with us, even through quiet seasons. It is about the people who expand the way we see the world and remind us what may be possible in our own lives.

    And it is about the ways we can shape one another without ever realizing we are doing it.

    Takeaways & Talking Points:

    • A friendship that began during the college years
    • Experiencing the same place through different perspectives
    • The communities that help us feel seen and supported
    • How life and health challenges can reshape our priorities
    • Choosing purpose over the path others expect
    • Finding meaningful work in an unexpected place
    • Balancing leadership, marriage, and motherhood
    • The importance of representation and visible role models
    • Learning from people even when they are not part of our daily lives
    • Quietly admiring and encouraging one another from afar
    • Knowing when it is time to choose a new direction
    • Protecting joy while continuing to care about the world

    Things We’re Learning and Unlearning:

    • Some friendships do not need constant contact to remain meaningful
    • We can influence people without knowing they are watching
    • Two people can share the same experience and remember it very differently
    • Friendship grows when we stay curious about each other’s stories
    • The expected career path is not always the right one
    • Purpose often reveals itself slowly
    • Reinvention does not mean the earlier chapters were wasted
    • Representation can quietly change what someone believes is possible
    • Community matters during every stage of life
    • Encouragement does not always have to be spoken to be felt
    • Joy is not separate from meaningful work
    • Sometimes the people who inspire us most are doing it from a distance

    This episode is for anyone who has ever looked at an old friend and realized they helped shape who you became.

    It is for the people who have lived full lives apart, yet remained connected by shared memories, quiet admiration, and the knowledge that someone out there was cheering them on.

    Whether you are navigating friendship, motherhood, leadership, career change, or a new season of life, this conversation is a reminder that our influence often reaches further than we know.

    It’s about connection and purpose. Friendship and growth. The lives we build, the people we become, and the quiet ways we help each other along the way.

    Thanks for listening,
    Sarah and Justin

    #RunningAhrens #KimNevels #Friendship #LifelongFriendship #Connection #Purpose #WomenInLeadership #PublicService #CareerReinvention #WorkingMothers #RepresentationMatters #Community #PersonalGrowth #RunningAhrensPodcast #BeingHumanKind
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    53 min
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