Today we’d like to introduce you to Becky Smith.
Hi Becky, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Going into college, I knew I wanted to teach. Not sure what level, what subject, but I wanted to work with kids and inspire them to learn loving. After graduating from Southwest Texas State University, I got a job teaching 5th-grade math, and while I enjoyed it, a move back to Austin, TX led me to a teaching and coaching position, something I hadn’t really been looking for. I taught middle school math and coached everything from volleyball to cross country, and I learned that I loved to teach kids to be active and learn to love sports!
After meeting my husband Joel and starting a family in 2007, full-time teaching took a back burner, but I continued to tutor, worked in a preschool setting for a while, and even worked at LifeTime Fitness in the Child Center, and enjoyed being able to be active with my own kids! We moved to Minnesota in 2012 for my husband’s job, and I decided to get back into the teaching arena, this time working in the Gifted and Talented program. Through our professional development and my personal teaching goals, I worked a lot with Growth Mindset concepts and was able to help students view challenges differently and embrace the learning process through failures. In 2017 my then 10-year-old and I earned our black belts in Tae Kwon Do, something that definitely boosted my confidence and had taught me a lot about taking on challenges myself.
Flash forward 7 years, and we are now back in Texas with 4 kids and moving to a new area for my husband’s job. I started working for LifeTime Fitness again in their Kids Academy, teaching classes such as Junior Warriors and Sports Skills, but it was tough because every day there would be a new group of kids and I also wanted to be able to work on my own schedule and be able to see progress in the kids I was working with. I came across the DashStrom curriculum for Run Clubs, and instantly knew it was bringing together everything I had been working on and honestly wished my kids could do the program! After a few calls to learn more about it, I decided to start IMPACT Run Club to work with kids in my area on the physical growth of running as well as the mental Growth Mindset concepts. Even since starting the program at the end of 2021, I have noticed a difference in my own kiddos’ outlook as they have been participating and helping me with the sessions. I love to run obstacle course races and my now 10-year-old is joining me, he might even try a Spartan Race this summer (I am running my first Spartan in June!).
We are just getting the ball rolling so to speak, but I am excited to be planning Spring Sessions already and looking forward to doing camps this summer! Running is a lifelong sport, and so many kids are missing out because they just don’t know how to get started.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Initially, the challenges of just starting a business were tricky, for example, I’ve never done logo or website design, so I’ve had to network a lot to find people who can help me without going broke before I even get started! I live in an amazing community full of so many talented people and lots of small business owners that I’ve been able to reach out to, it’s been awesome. I’m having to learn about marketing and using social media to help spread the word about our program!
Another challenge has been finding locations suitable and available for running the Run Club sessions. I am working on partnering with some of the local schools to offer our program as an after-school enrichment option, but it’s still very new and even Covid is affecting what we are able to do. It’s wonderful to be a flexible and mobile program but definitely, a challenge when you don’t have a specific location to market for, maybe as our program grows, we can look at having a more permanent location!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about IMPACT Run Club?
“I am” are two of the most powerful words; for what you put after them shapes your reality.
IMPACT Run Club is an innovative fitness program that empowers children through running. We transform traditional
running drills and games to teach eight-core empowerment principals that give children specific tools and skills to
tackle running, as well as the rest of their lives. They are:
Power Words – How we talk about ourselves define who we are (I AM BRAVE, I AM STRONG, I AM POWERFUL!)
Positive Thoughts – We are what we think we are
Aggressive Goals – We dare to believe anything is possible
Personal Resilience – Setbacks are welcomed as an opportunity to grow
Teamwork – We can do together what we cannot do alone
Individual Integrity – We do the right thing even when no one is watching
Community Vision – Our actions affects our community
New Beginnings – A finish line is just the beginning of a new journey
We pair each of the empowerment principle with a running skill such as pace, stride, posture, speed and endurance, and more. It’s the combination of the empowerment activities with running that gives kids a chance to be challenged and apply the mindset tools we are working on, and they get to have fun at the same time! The most amazing thing is this program is great for kids whether they have experience running, or just getting started.
Our main Run Club session runs for 8 weeks meeting once or twice per week, but I’ve also done 2-hour workshops (really awesome for those school holidays!) and will be offering birthday parties and camps this summer. Currently, my classes are in Argyle, but my program is mobile and I can come to you!
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I think many of my favorite memories from childhood involve being active and outdoors, especially with me family, whether it was camping, or Girl Scouts, or just playing sports. My dad was my softball coach for many years, and I loved that we got to spend that time together and he could experience my growth firsthand. I have enjoyed coaching my kids in sports over the years and am so excited that they are part of my Run Club now, I hope it becomes one of their favorite childhood memories!
Pricing:
- 8-week session (2 days/week – $160
- 8-week session (1 day/week) – $90
- 2-hour workshop – $20
- 8-week sessions include Run Club t-shirt and snacks
Contact Info:
- Email: becky@impactrunclub.com
- Website: www.impactrunclub.com
- Instagram: @impactrunclub
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impactrunclub
