Samirah Moody is a professional runner for On, recednt USC graduate, and a founding member of the newly minted OAC (On Athletics Club) Sprint team. Coming off a stellar collegiate career—including a 2025 NCAA championship in the 100 meters—Samirah is stepping onto the global pro circuit with a fresh perspective, a deeply hardened sense of resilience, and a powerful inner drive.

In this episode, Samirah pulls back the curtain on the intense physical and mental grind of elite training under renowned head coach John "JB" Bolton. She details the dramatic shift from the college routine to the professional world, where the job requires balancing world-class track workouts with photo shoots, media appearances, and constant networking. Samirah opens up about the devastating meniscus injury that threatened her trajectory, the grueling rehabilitation process that followed, and the exact moment she shifted her mindset from "I have to do this" to "I get to do this." Plus, she shares what it’s like to navigate a high-pressure environment as the only short sprint woman on the OAC roster, and how journaling helps her process the weight of big expectations.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The Leap to the Pros: Samirah breaks down what it really looks like to move from a collegiate schedule to the OAC Sprint team, balancing elite physical training with the commercial obligations of a professional athlete.

• Finding Your "No": Why learning to set boundaries and protect her personal bandwidth has been an essential part of stepping into her own power on and off the track.

• Overcoming the Hurdle: A transparent look at her severe meniscus injury during her junior year, leaving the stadium in a wheelchair, and the psychological journey of rebuilding her body from ground zero.

• Mindset Shift: How she reframed her inner dialogue from a place of obligation to an appreciation for the opportunity to compete at the highest level.

• Being the Only One: What it feels like to hold down the short sprints on the OAC roster, staying even-keeled through high stakes, and the everyday power of processing pressure through a personal journal.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

"If I could do all that, why not me?"

"You have to believe that you’re a big dog to really line up with the best of the best."

"I don’t know when something’s going to click, but I’m just going to keep chugging along because I’ve seen really, really highs and really, really lows, and I’ve been everywhere in between."

"The world can put a lot of pressure on you ... but it is really about how much do you want something? I need that pressure to succeed."

SOCIAL
@samirahmoody_
@on
@emilyabbate
@iheartwomenssports

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ASK ME A QUESTION: Email hello@hurdle.us to with your questions! Emily answers them every Friday on the show. 

Listen to Hurdle with Emily Abbate on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

 

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