Hurdle with Emily Abbate

This week, I’m sitting down with the incredible Becs Gentry. Many of you know her as a powerhouse Peloton instructor, but she is stepping into a massive new chapter as a HOKA Global Brand Ambassador. It’s a synergy that marks her return to the trails and ultra-running—the place where she first fell in love with the running community.

In this episode, Becs gets real about the logistics of being a global athlete and a mother. We dive deep into her discipline and how she manages to schedule high-stress training alongside her non-negotiables. She shares a powerful perspective on priority, noting that while she is deeply disciplined, she has learned that training isn't always the highest priority—the health and happiness of herself and her family, especially her daughter Talulah, always come first.

We also discuss the lessons she’s learning in this chapter, from the importance of protecting her mental health by setting boundaries with social media to the value of reassessing goals when the passion starts to fade. Becs reminds us all that life is too short not to enjoy what we do in our spare time, and sometimes, the best thing you can do for your growth is to step away and find a new route to the top of the mountain.

IN THIS EPISODE

This episode is a masterclass in navigating life's major pivots with grace and a "family-first" filter. Here are the highlights and most quotable moments from your conversation with Becs Gentry:

"In This Episode" Highlights

• The HOKA Era: Becs discusses her new role as a HOKA Global Brand Ambassador and how the brand's focus on community and versatile performance aligns with her current chapter.

• The Reality of Discipline: A deep dive into how Becs manages a grueling training schedule, highlighting that discipline isn't about being "perfect" every day, but about making things happen within the reality of your current life.

• Family as the North Star: Becs opens up about how her daughter, Tallulah, has completely reframed her "why," and why she chooses to set strict boundaries with technology to remain present.

• The Power of "No": She shares the vulnerable story of why she walked away from a marathon goal in June 2025 because she realized she was "climbing a slippery wall" with no passion for the project.

• New Representation: The transition to being represented by Always Alpha and how having a team helps her value her own worth in a "dog-eat-dog" business world.

• Intentional Living: From using a "Brick" to block social media apps to recording memories on a vintage camcorder, Becs shares her strategies for reclaiming her time from the "pocket computer".

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

"HOKA is a brand that blends performance with a very welcoming community to every type of runner... It is not just about having the fastest, flashiest, most expensive shoe on the market. It is about so much more than that."

"Burnout doesn't come from overtraining or overdoing something. It comes from trying to achieve something that you have no passion for. It's like trying to climb up a slippery wall. You may get there, but you're going to be so exhausted and cut up and bruised and defeated by the time you get to the top."

"Humans get a sense of having done it—this sense of achievement—when we tell somebody what we're working toward. The more and more people you tell and they give you that same response, it waters down and lessens your want to feel that thing when you've actually done it."

"Everything I do as a woman in sport and business is striving to help my daughter not have to go through what our generations and all the generations before us have had to go through, which has been struggling to get ourselves heard and recognized for the goodness that we have and do."

SOCIAL
@becsgentry
@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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