"My advice to the younger women is: If you're passionate about this, pursue it. That's what it is. That's how it's going to change for the next generation of women to get to where I'm at now. I'm hoping that some of these younger female coaches are inspired by what we're doing at BYU and they're seeing here that she’s a mom; she's a coach; she's at a D-1, she's successful and she’s ‘kind of’ has it together, right? And hopefully, that inspires them. If she can do it, then I can do it.”

My guest for this episode is Diljeet Taylor, the head women's cross-country and distance coach at BYU. In her eight years there, Taylor has transformed the BYU women's distance running program into a national powerhouse, coaching the cross-country team to top-10 finishes at Nationals every year. They’ve been on the podium three of the last four years – including winning it all at the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships.

She has guided more than two dozen BYU runners to All-American honors, and several individual titles. Standout performances have become the norm. Taylor's dedication to her runners' whole lives, not just their running, is a refreshing approach to the pressure of purely results-driven programs that we see across the country.

In our conversation, we'll be discussing her approach to coaching and how she balances the various demands on her time, including being a mom and a wife. We’ll touch on her own journey to becoming a Division I coach, the challenges she's faced and the impact she's had on her athletes and what she hopes to leave behind for the sport.

Host: Chris Chavez | @Chris_J_Chavez on Instagram

Guest: Diljeet Dosandj Taylor | @diljeetdosanjhtaylor on Instagram

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