Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Joe Hardin

We recently had the chance to connect with Joe Hardin and have shared our conversation below.

Good morning Joe, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
Lately, the thing bringing me the most joy outside of work is getting out on my feet, not for training, not to chase a pace, but just to move through the world at a human speed. Run commuting, slow trail miles, noticing the small details I’d miss in a car…it’s been grounding in a way I didn’t know I needed.

There’s something about those unstructured miles, the quiet moments, the changing seasons, the way a familiar route can still surprise you that’s been filling me up. It’s become less about fitness and more about presence.

And honestly, the little rituals around it, the morning air, the routine, the clarity it gives me feel like their own kind of joy lately.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Joe Hardin, a trail runner, race director, woodworker, and storyteller who believes endurance isn’t just something you build on the trail; it’s something you build in every corner of your life. I’m the mind and hands behind HT Hardwood Designs and Odd Duck Running Co., two projects that sound different on paper but share the same heart: community, creativity, and showing people what’s possible when they chase something bigger than themselves.

Through RTB Awards, I craft custom, small-batch awards and pieces for races and runners who value meaning over mass production. Also, as a race director for Odd Duck Running Co., I create events and spaces where every runner, every pace, every background, every body feels like they belong.

I’m also an ultra-runner and storyteller at my core. I host conversations on my podcast, Beyond the Finish Line, with the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network, write articles for Run Tri Mag, and build experiences that highlight grit, curiosity, and the magic of moving through the world on your own two feet. Right now, I’m working toward my next goal: running the Vol State 500K (314 miles) across Tennessee while continuing to grow both my brand and my community, one mile, one story, and one handmade piece at a time.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I thought being quiet, agreeable, and “not too much” was the safest way to move through the world. I believed confidence was something other kids were born with, and that big goals were meant for people who somehow already “knew what they were doing.”

I don’t believe any of that anymore.

Life, Business, and especially endurance sports have taught me that you don’t need permission to take up space. You don’t need to be the most talented to pursue something huge. You don’t have to wait until you think you’re “ready.” Grit grows. Identity evolves. And self-belief is something you build mile by mile, project by project, season after season.

Today, I believe I’m allowed to be bold, creative, and fully myself.
I believe in pursuing wild goals, telling my story honestly, and letting curiosity lead instead of fear.

And most importantly, I believe that being “too much” was never the problem; shrinking for too long was.

What fear has held you back the most in your life?
The fear that’s held me back the most is the fear of not being “enough.”
Not fast enough.
Not skilled enough.
Not creative enough.
Not experienced enough to step into the things I really wanted.

It’s the quiet kind of fear, the one that doesn’t shout, but whispers just enough doubt to make you hesitate. It shows up right at the edge of opportunity. When you’re about to sign up for the big race. Launch the project. Say yes to something that feels bigger than your current version of yourself.

For a long time, I let that fear shrink my world. I played it safe. I waited until I felt “ready.” I let comparison and perfectionism talk me out of things that could have changed me.

But the truth is: nothing in my life has ever shifted because I felt ready. Everything meaningful has happened when I took the step, anyway, shaky, unsure, and imperfect.

I’m learning that “enough” isn’t a finish line. It’s a decision.
And choosing to trust myself, even in the uncomfortable moments, has opened doors to running ultras, building community, creating a brand, making things with my hands, and telling stories I once thought weren’t mine to tell.

The fear still shows up.
I just don’t let it drive anymore.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What’s a belief you used to hold tightly but now think was naive or wrong?
A belief I used to hold tightly and now see as naive was the idea that there’s a “right time” for everything.
I thought life worked like a checklist: you wait until you have enough experience, enough confidence, enough money, enough certainty… and then you chase the big things.

But that belief kept me stuck. It made me overthink, hesitate, and underestimate myself. It made me feel like I had to earn permission to dream big or take risks in running, in creating, in building a brand, in telling my story.

The truth I’ve learned the hard way is that the “right time” almost never shows up on its own.
You create it by starting messy.
By saying yes before you’re fully ready.
By showing up imperfectly and learning as you go.

Most of the meaningful things in my life, ultras, woodworking, race directing, and creative projects didn’t happen because the timing was perfect. They happened because I finally stopped waiting.

Now I believe the naïve thing isn’t starting too early, it’s believing you should wait at all.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
’m investing in the kind of foundation that doesn’t show immediate results but will shape who I am a decade from now.

I’m putting in the slow, unsexy work: building strength, building community, building consistency, and building a mindset that can hold up under pressure. These aren’t things that pay off next week. They’re the things that stack quietly over the years.

I’m also laying the groundwork for creative and entrepreneurial longevity, refining my craft through the RTB Awards, learning to tell better stories, and shaping Odd Duck Running Co. into something sustainable and community-centered. None of that pays off fast. But in 7–10 years, I’ll look back and see that every small step mattered.

And honestly, I’m doing the inner work too, becoming the version of myself who’s not driven by fear or comparison, but by curiosity, purpose, and the desire to make things that outlast me.

It’s all long-term investment.
Slow miles. Slow growth. Slow transformation.
But decade-later me will be glad I started now

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rtbawards.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trail_tortoise_running/
• Other: https://www.runtrimag.com

Image Credits
Timmy Howard from Aurora Images