Meet Lisa DeLugo

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Lisa DeLugo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Lisa, really appreciate your meeting with us today to talk about some particularly personal topics. It means a lot because so many in the community are going through circumstances where your insights and experience and lessons might help, so thank you so much in advance for sharing. The first question we have is about divorce and how you overcame divorce and didn’t allow the trauma of divorce to derail your vision for your life and career.

As terrible as divorce is for anyone, I am grateful for the experience because it was the event that ignited my running journey. Overcoming divorce wasn’t about pretending I was okay. It was about rebuilding piece by piece I allowed myself to feel the pain, but refused to let it define me. I focused on creating a life that felt empowering, not just for me but for my daughter too. I leaned into running as a tool for healing. Every mile I ran reminded me I was moving forward, even on the days it hurt. However, it was not a way to run away from the pain, but to feel it, own it, and release it so I could heal. Divorce didn’t break me; it woke me up…more like jolted me to my own strength.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I’m a single mom, full time professional, business owner, and a woman who turned her own healing journey into a mission to empower others. After navigating the emotional challenges of divorce, I found healing, confidence, and strength, through running. What started as a personal journey evolved into something bigger. It was a way to help other women use movement not just to get physically stronger, but emotionally and mentally stronger too.

Currently I am the founder of Ella-Go, a running life coaching brand dedicated to helping women overcome self doubt, reclaim their power, and achieve what once felt impossible. I don’t just train runners, I help women rediscover the bold, beautiful, resilient parts of themselves through running and walking programs designed for all fitness levels.

We also have a podcast where we provide education and tools for women to use in their fitness and life journey.

Right now, I’m focused on expanding Ella-Go’s reach by offerring group memberships, 5k training programs, empowerment coaching, and hosting events that build connection and community among women,

What I am most excited about is this year I am honored to be running the Chicago Marathon as part of Team In Training to raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Running for a cause greater than myself brings deeper meaning to every mile. Im dedicating my run to women who are fighting or have fought cancer, including my Aunt Carmen who is currently battling cancer, my Aunt Millie who passed from breast cancer, and my friend Elisha, a leukemia survivor.

Being able to combine my personal love for running with giving back is incredibly special to me, it’s truly about running for hope, healing, and HER.

I invite readers to join me in this mission by supporting my Chicago Marathon journey! Every donation to LLS through my fundraiser makes an impact. They can also watch my journey by following me on Instagram @ellagorunning

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?

Resilience, commitment to grow, and courage to start imperfectly.

Resilience: Learning how to bounce back after setbacks while still honoring my emotions was crucial. Resiliency isn’t about being tough all the time, it’s about allowing yourself to be vulnerable. Then choosing to keep moving forward. When you run through the challenges, instead of away from them, you gain this sense of strength. That’s resiliency. You have to remind yourself that a bad day is not a bad life. Just like a bad run is not a bad runner. It’s part of the journey. The highs will project you higher to your goals, and the lows will get you to learn and grow.

Commitment to grow: I so desperately wanted to heal and grow from my challenges. That meant I had to get out of my comfort zone and get uncomfortable. If you stay in the comfort zone, you will never grow. Getting uncomfortable means taking risks, learning new skills, saying yes before you feel ready, letting go of perfectionism and pushing past fear of failure. Don’t focus on the end goal, enjoy the journey, Growth is NEVER linear.

Courage to start imperfectly: When I first started running, I didn’t know much. There were alot of challenges and set backs. I had the same experience with starting Ella-Go. However, I had to take action. Waiting for perfection would have kept me standing still. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, because I was definitely scared, it’s action in spite of it. You will never feel 100% ready. Starting messy is better than waiting forever. Trust that clarity and confidence comes through action, not before it,

How would you describe your ideal client?

My ideal client is a woman who is ready to take a step forward, even if she’s scared. She might be new to running or returning after a break, but what she truly wants is to reconnect with her own strength, confidence, and resilience. She’s tired of doubting herself. She’s not chasing a finish line for the sake of it, she’s chasing a feeling of freedom, growth and empowerment.

if you’re ready to show up for yourself and grow into the strongest version of yourself, let me guide you every step of the way!

Contact Info:

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