We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jaci Wilson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jaci below.

Jaci, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

As a holistic run coach, I focus on what I call “ALL THE THINGS. – strength training, nutrition, life stress, sleep, recovery, mobility, mindset, etc., alongside the running training. When I first started running and felt awful after finishing my first half marathon, I made some big changes with my training. Strength training and good nutrition made a huge difference in how running felt AND in my performance over the course of a couple months. However, I rarely saw anyone (both athletes and coaches) talking about the importance of things besides running. Run coaches were providing the training plans to runners, but nothing else was being addressed. There was a HUGE area being missed that could lead to HUGE improvements in performance, running injury-free, and with how athletes felt while training. That’s how my coaching business started. I helped runners with ALL THE THINGS outside of their training plans, either from working with a coach or with a plan they found on the internet. My athletes saw great results in their running by making these simple changes, which resulted in them wanting me to also be their run coach. I added those certifications to my resume. Now I create the training plan alongside talking with my athletes about life stress, lifestyle changes, the importance of sleep, providing them with strength training plans, working on their mindset, and making sure they are fueling their bodies well. I find, more often than not, that athletes are not making improvements in their performances because of at least one aspect of ALL THE THINGS. They aren’t strength training or fueling their bodies enough, OR there is stress in their lives that is holding them back. We need to address the root cause in order to help them runner better. When we fix the root cause, running naturally improves. That’s the biggest difference between my holistic run coaching business and the traditional run coach.

Jaci, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My story started when I fell in love with running because of how it made me feel and it gave my mind a rest from the constant thoughts rolling through my head with work, my Master’s degree and studying for the CPA exam. After running my first half marathon and feeling awful I KNEW I could do better. With a Master’s in Accounting I’m driven by numbers and figuring out ways to improve numbers (or my time and pace in this case). Through my own journey I learned how much nutrition and strength training impacted running, YET at the time (2018) I rarely heard or saw anyone talking about the importance of them. I only heard “run more miles” or “run faster.” So, I dove into the topics and learned as much as I could while also sharing with others. I started helping others with what I call “ALL THE THINGS” – strength training, nutrition, sleep, rest, life stress, mindset, mobility, etc. – all the things that impact running outside of a run. With the success that I personally had, as well as the success I was seeing from those who I shared the information, I started a business to continue to spread the word and help more runners. In the beginning I was focused on “ALL THE THINGS” outside of a training plan because that’s what I saw missing – run coaches focused on the structured training plans and runs but not a lot helped with the other training principles (ALL THE THINGS). However, not all my clients had run coaches and were asking me for recommendations. I had an interest in creating training plans, so why not get certified? I got my first run coach certification from Road Runners of America (RRCA) and am now able to help more runners by offering a holistic approach to running and training. I build training plans for their goals and races (Although not all my clients are training for races. Some are new to running, some have no desire to race anymore, and some are focused on other things in life while using running to benefit their mental health. Every runner has a different focus with different goals.) – yet I still talk about “ALL THE THINGS,” I don’t just talk about the training plan – which days they have to run and how far. I make sure they are strength training and fueling their bodies properly. I help them understand how their stress level is playing into how they feel on their runs. I talk through different situations in life that may be trickling into their running/training so that we can address the root cause. I make sure they are prioritizing rest and recovery and working on their mindset. It all makes a difference. And this is where I’m at today. I’m a constant student of this sport, now having three other run coaching certifications, as well as other nutrition, sleep and recovery certifications, in order to best serve my athletes. I absolutely love getting to know my clients and helping them understand the parallels between running and life – any lesson that pops up during training can be applied to life. Their lightbulb moments about one aspect in their life impacting their training is my favorite – those moments are life changing and transform their training and their lives!

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

Social media has been my best source of new clients. The running community on Instagram is amazing. It’s supportive, welcome, and educational. Runners are always looking for tips and educational material on how to improve. It’s that driving force of “I just ran this race in X time, but I KNOW I can do better if I do XYZ.” The feeling of pain in a race is temporary – the finish line washes most of that feeling away immediately. It’s the sense of accomplishment, the support from others, and then the feeling of “I can do better” that keeps runners going back for more. I try to support, encourage, and provide educational materials to all the runners on social media with my business, The Runner’s Toolbox. I strive to get as much information as possible into the hands of runners and athletes so that they can figure out what works best for them, their training, and their lifestyles! That’s the key – training must fit INTO their lives and it must work for them. When training fits into their lives and they see results, they want even bigger results. As a result, they reach out to me, and we start working together to reach their even bigger goals!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Relationships, entertainment, and value important when building a social media presence. Focus on who you want to help, not yourself. Focus on adding value – what problems do you want to solve for your prospects? What are their pain points? HOW can you help them? Create content that centers around these questions. You’ll build trust with your audience and your audience will share your content with others. You also want to connect with your audience and you want to go out and FIND who you want to work with. Don’t expect everyone to come to you – you need to go look for your people. Add value, entertain, and connect with the people you want to work with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jaciwilsonruns.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jaci.wilson.runs/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jaci.ellingson/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jaciwilsonruns