People would ask me, did you do it for social media? I was like, no, I did it because I wanted it. I actually didn't want to be on social media.

It happened to be that I was convinced to share it, and I'm glad I did that because it was more for people than myself now, because I proved to myself I can do it, and I know I can do it.

I want people to know that you can do anything you put your mind to, and I'm going to share all the stuff I go through, the injuries, the trials, and tribulations.

I share the good and the bad. Even when I share the bad people, I'll be like, why are you doing this stuff?

And my mindset about running is like life. When we go through tough times in life, we don't tap out. We don't give up. We find a way we fight through.

It might be tough. We might cry. We might hurt. We might feel miserable. We might have this stomach feeling that we can't sleep, but we don't tap out. We find another day, right?

That was Hela Sedibé, and as he would say, what's up my beautiful people? I'm your host, Mario Freyoli, and you are listening to the Morning Shake Out podcast.

Every week on this show, I glean insight and inspiration from athletes, coaches, and others to help show you what's possible through the lens of running.

This week's guest fits that description so well.

Hela Sedibé is a former pro soccer player turned runner who strives to inspire and change lives through sharing his life experiences.

Last year, he became the first black man to run across the United States, which he did in a very quick 84 days, and he's been running every day since May 15, 2017.

His Hela Good YouTube channel has nearly 275,000 subscribers, of which I am one of, and his energy and enthusiasm for running, life, and tackling big challenges is incredibly infectious.

In this conversation, I got to know Hela a bit better and hear more about his story. He told me about coming to the US from Mali as a kid and what it was like settling into his new country.

Hela told me about playing soccer throughout his life and how running until just a few years ago was something that he viewed as a form of punishment.

He explained how making the commitment nearly five years ago to run 10 minutes a day for two weeks snowballed into something bigger than he could have ever imagined.

He told me about giving himself permission to quit if he's just not enjoying it anymore and how he's used YouTube and social media to inspire others through his example and bring awareness to initiatives that are bigger than himself.

We also talked about his relationship to pressure and how that's evolved over the years, why it's important to be intentional with your running, and a lot more.

Before we get into this one, I'd like to thank Tracksmith and the members of our Patreon community for making this episode possible.

Tracksmith is a brand for committed runners like you and me. They aim to celebrate, support, and contribute to running's distinct culture in everything that they do.

From offering considered and original products for training, racing, and recovery to creating experiences that make running more rewarding, more connected, and more meaningful.

The brand's latest initiative, the Tracksmith Foundation, a nonprofit led by Russell Dinkins, is one such example.

The goal is simple, yet ambitious, to give more people the opportunity to participate in track and field.

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