We recently connected with Darlene Marshall and have shared our conversation below.
Darlene, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
I’m a deeply purpose driven person and there are a few clear moments in my life where it’s felt like the universe was guiding me to whom I was meant to be.
The first was in my early 20s. I’d grown up playing basketball and volleyball. I’m 6’1″, so I was pushed into all the tall people sports. In college I played rugby and loved it. I’d always been prone to injuries, but I had a few big ones while playing rugby. By 23 I struggled to walk barefoot more than a few steps and couldn’t carrying anything in my left arm. At the time I was sewing professionally and my hands would often go numb. One day I was struggling to get up off the couch and joked to my partner that it “sucked getting old”. I was shocked to learn from him that he wasn’t constantly in pain. My joints had hurt as long as I could remember and I’d just assumed everyone was walking around coping. A few weeks later I was diagnosed with Hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Over the next few weeks I had dozens of plates of X-rays and 2 MRIs. Soon it was surgery and physical therapy. One of the physios told me that I’d never be an athlete again and to “prepare myself for a sedentary life”.
That idea sounded terrible to me. I would rather have broken myself trying than sit around and wait for the worst. It was 2007 and I couldn’t search online what to do. I spent the next 5 years of physical therapy, surgery, trial and error learning everything I could to move better, get stronger, eat well, and fix my sleep. In 2012 I ran my first 5k and felt like I’d resurrected a part of myself they’d told me would never come back. I knew then I wanted to help other people like me to feel that freedom. That same year I transitioned careers and became a Personal Trainer specializing in chronic illness and catastrophic injury. For the next 8 years fitness for that population was my purpose.
In 2018 my ex-husband and I decided to amicably end our marriage. Over the next year I examined every facet of my life and asked myself foundational questions of what I value and who I want to be. A friend encouraged me to check out an online course in Positive Psychology, the scientific study of wellbeing and flourishing. I immediately knew it was the next chapter in my life. I took the leap to apply to the University of Pennsylvania’s Masters in Applied Positive Psychology (MAPP) program. Growing up rural poor and in trauma, being the first in my family to earn a 4 year degree, and working as a personal trainer all made it seemed like another world to attend an Ivy League school. I became the first personal trainer to earn a MAPP degree from UPenn and have gone on to work using the science of wellbeing to evolve the fitness industry and help as many people as possible to build lifestyles that support their thriving.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a sought after coach, facilitator, speaker, and author as well as the host of the Better Than Fine podcast. When working directly with clients I support them building a “life they don’t need a vacation from”. The foundation of my work is that each of us has an authentic self that has the potential to guide us to be in service of what matters most.
I’m one of the few experts in the world who weave together the tools of Positive Psychology with what most people think of as health and fitness. I have certifications in Personal Training, wellness coaching, nutrition coaching, sleep, mindfulness, meditation, and yoga in addition to a Master’s in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania.
What makes my work unique is the combination of lifestyle practices based in research on wellbeing all in service of whatever matters most to my clients. Misinformation and wellness overwhelm are rampant online and many people struggle just to feel positively in their day to day lives. The focus of my work is how you can meet someone wherever they are on their life journey and boost their wellbeing mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Recently my show, Better Than Fine, won a MarCom award for Single Educational Episode. I’m incredibly proud. Not only of the award, but because it was an interview with one of my mentors and a dear friend Neil Theise.
In 2025 I’m very excited to open up my retreats to the public for the first time. I’ve lead retreats for my coaching clients and corporate partners and I can’t wait to invite fans of the show who are curious to experience my work for themselves.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Tenacity – no question I’ve inherited it from my family. We grew up rural poor and my family has incredible work ethic. There have been so many times in my journey I’ve been intimidated by the next step in front of me. But I also knew that the vision of what I wanted to create and who I wanted to help couldn’t happen without hard work. My family also always encouraged and believed in me while also pushing me to do things for myself. It gave me strong will.
Passion & Spirituality – behind everything I do is passion fueled by my spiritual belief system. I believe each of us has a unique combination of gifts and calling that combined are the work of our lifetime. I’ve been called to my mission of supporting others in finding their authenticity and connect with their calling.
Loving great questions – all great coaching is built on finding the question that unlocks a client’s internal change. Lots of people thinking coaching is about telling people what to do – but the fact is, most people hate being told what to do! Our internal changes are far more powerful and great coaches are those who support internal, lasting changes for their clients.
Advice:
Our most meaningful moments and contributions come from a positive relationship with ourselves and a desire to help others. You can’t draw water from an empty well, so self care is essential. But I believe the purpose of the work in and on ourselves is so we can be more impactful benefitting what matters most in your life.
Struggling in that self work? Go for a walk, eat nourishing food, turn your phone off, and go to bed at a reasonable hour. Taking care of yourself can be a pathway to loving yourself.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
In the last 2 years we’ve been on a fertility journey in my household. It’s been one of the most challenging experiences of my life, even having grown up in trauma, having a chronic illness, and been divorced. After a few biochemical pregnancies they found polyps that needed to be removed. Then in the follow-up from the first surgery my OB/GYN found pre-cancerous cells. I had 3 surgeries in 2024 and it delayed our fertility journey by a year.
It’s taken an incredible amount of patience and communication with my partner. For the first 6 months I kept the process private, but I recently opened up about it on the podcast and social media. The comments and my DMs were flooded with women sharing their challenges and fears; many of them saying they never had told even their closest friends before. I’d been so nervous to share, scared it would seem self-serving or an attention grab. They told me how my vulnerability helped them and it meant the world to me. It’s been the most healing part of the journey so far.
It’s not over. We’re about to restart with the clinic. We have our hope and faith guiding us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.darlene.coach
- Instagram: @darlene.coach
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachdarlenemarshall/
- Other: Substack: https://betterthanfine.substack.com/
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