Creativity Runs Deep: More Than Movement
by Na’Tasha Jones, Co-founder + Chief Content Officer
To honor the awe that our creativity inspires in each other and in everyone else, this month (as in every month), we are elevating the movers of the culture--Black women runners, designers, artists, and creatives whose passions and purpose Run Deep . Read more about this initiative.
Black women literally move everything. Whether it’s moving their feet or moving The Culture, our commitment to our communities and our crafts is creating a new generation of leaders. Whether individually or collectively, it is movement that has connected us across communities and spaces.
Alison Staples, Shiara Robinson, India Cook, and the ladies of RUNGRL all represent the best parts of what makes our community interesting, awesome and unmatched.
Alison Staples - Wellness Runs Deep
For many wellness professionals, helping others improve their health is part of their profession. For Alison Staples, the practice of wellness as a lifestyle has made her a true leader. In addition to being a Physical Therapist Assistant, she is a crew leader for Riot Squad Running in Baltimore, Maryland; a run ambassador for Under Armour Running; a coach at Formula Running Center and she still finds time to train for the occasional marathon—she’s run six so far.
With running being such an intricate part of her life, Alison says, it’s taught her much about herself and how to navigate life’s obstacles.
“One of the things it’s taught me is that I’m not patient. I sometimes have to pull myself out of a funk, to snap myself out of it in order to finish,” she says. “But since I’ve learned that through running, I am able to apply that to the rest of the things in my life as well.”
For Alison, being able to help others in their running and wellness practices is what drives her most. Whether she’s teaching clients about the different types of pain they experience, or or educating her fellow runners about injury recovery, she puts that care into every part of her work.
“I’m very passionate about serving others,” says Alison. “I feel better when I serve others, being able to help them.”
Though her first career was in human resources, she grew tired of sitting behind a desk. She knew she wanted to go into physical therapy or nursing, but ultimately went for PT due to her schedule.
“Supporting our own community...that should get people’s attention. And if it doesn’t, they aren’t the right people.”
Now, she sees the importance of having someone who looks like her around to support her patients. “Being a Black therapist, I serve as a caretaker for my Black patients,” says Alison. She says many of these patients have requested her specifically, someone to whom they can relate. “Representation definitely matters, and helps them feel seen and understood.”
And though she’s not in it for recognition, she believes that the work she’s doing will have a greater impact. “Supporting our own community, that should get people’s attention. And if it doesn’t, they aren't the right people,” she says.
Follow Alison’s wellness journey on Instagram.
Shiara Robinson - Creativity Runs Deep
Athlete, producer and fashion designer Shiara Robinson knows that creativity powers everything we do. After graduating from the University of Kentucky as a track & field athlete in 2013, she knew she wanted to work in fashion. She decided to move to New York, with no job or housing lined up. “I just felt like there was no better time than the present, and I had to figure it out,” she says.
She eventually found a posting as an intern for a photoshoot and her career really took off from there. She began to work as a producer, and soon, she was able to merge the two passions that had always taken a back seat to sports in her life--events and fashion.
Her creativity as a designer continued to motivate her during her years working as a producer until she decided to further her education in fashion at Parsons The New School for Fashion Design.
In 2017, she made the leap to start her own lingerie line, using only her personal savings. “I'm a firm believer in taking leaps of faith,” says Shiara.
“I’m a firm believer in taking leaps of faith.”
The process of designing, patterning, sourcing productions, fittings and more took over the next two years for her, and in November of 2019, LaSette was officially launched; a line of transitional lingerie designed for day to night lifestyles.
For Shiara, running and creativity have always worked together. She is a longtime captain of Adidas Runners NYC, where she leads runners of all levels.
“In the past year, I’ve realized how much of my day-to-day function counts on movement,” she says. “Whether I’m going for a run or taking a fitness class, I notice that, afterward, I have more energy and fuel to be creative and come up with ideas. It’s about sharing energy, and I feel like that energy returns to me.”
Whether it’s through her inclusive lingerie line or while crushing some miles, representation is important to her. Coming from a track and field background, she said it wasn’t until she began to run major races like the Berlin Marathon, or when she was invited into various brand spaces, where she started to see that she was one of the only Black women. It made her more aware of her own impact.
“Now, when I’m working on something, my first thing is always, ‘How can I represent women?’,” she says. ‘How are we going to make sure that women are seen and heard?’”
Follow Shiara’s journey as a runner and designer on Instagram, where this month she has launched a conversation series on body confidence and intimacy. Shop her LaSette lingerie line at Nordstrom and LaSette.shop.
India Cook - Movement Runs Deep
Movement has always been at the core of what keeps Black people going. When we’re happy, we move. Through tough times, through opposition, we move.
India Cook is a movement herself, digging in and contributing to the running community in many meaningful ways. As a running vlogger and podcaster, she stays immersed in running culture all around and hopes to share the running confidence she’s found with others.
As an RRCA-certified run coach, she coaches both individuals as well as through Active Resolute Connected, a nonprofit that invites individuals who are less fortunate or who have barriers to running, to join their wellness program to receive the services of a run coach, a mindfulness coach and a therapist, in 8-week cycles.
India ran track in high school and did cheerleading after college, so when that was over, she decided to take up running to stay active. When she became a captain with Movers and Pacers, she soon realized she had a personality for connecting with people.
She began vlogging in 2017 when training for her first full marathon. “I just started on Facebook to document the realness of running, share ups and downs, and I wanted to show the hard parts of the 12-plus weeks that you train for a marathon. But then people were reaching out to me and asking so many questions,” she says.
“After my first documenting my first two, I received such amazing feedback that I knew I wanted to continue to show for those people who feel like they can’t [get fit] because of their size or because of not having money, that you don’t need a ton of resources to get it done,” she says.
“A lot of people think they can’t run because they may be overweight or not the “typical” runner. I’m showing people that running is not just one homogenous thing. It’s not only for one kind of person. It’s about applying representation and diversity to the greater community.”
India has no plans to wait for anyone to bring opportunities to her, either.
“I’m showing people that running is not just one homogenous thing. It’s not only for one kind of person. It’s about applying representation and diversity to the greater community.”
“We’re not getting to the tables where we should be, so we’re building our own,” she says. She hopes to see greater representation for Black women as well as seeing a greater variety of body types represented.
Her YouTube vlog, Miles From India, touches on the ins and outs of running, and the tips and tricks she wishes she knew when she started.
“When I first started looking for info on running, I saw a lot of white, elite runners and I couldn't connect with them. I wanted to see more relatable content. I wanted to see more brown faces,” she says.
She’s also making sure runners hear more Black voices, as co-host of the running podcast The Run Duo, which she creates with her running friend and fellow coach, Tommy Daniels.
Follow India’s movements on Instagram, her YouTube vlog and The Run Duo podcast.
RUNGRL - Community Runs Deep
When the six Black women who started RUNGRL came together, they set out to create a community that celebrates Black women runners as a crucial part of supporting the health and wellness of Black women as a whole.
They knew that holding one another accountable was also a way to continue to prop one another up.
But are we giving a simple exercise too much credit? Is running really that deep?
The answer is, unquestionably, “Yes.”
“Every time you step out the door, you are challenging yourself to level up and become your best self,” says Natalie Robinson, co-founder.
The idea that you not only can become your best self, but that you deserve to be your best self as well, is one born of seeing yourself represented in the wellness community.
“If you can run a mile, you can do anything,” says Ashlee Green, RUNGRL co-founder. It’s part of RUNGRL’s mission to make sure that all Black women know that. Representing and advocating for Black women in running and sports is the cornerstone of what RUNGRL does.
“It seems at every major life milestone shown in the media or on television, Black people, Black women are missing,” says Ashlee. “From weddings, to pregnancy and childbirth we are not seen, heard or celebrated, the way other groups are. I feel grateful, in a small way, to lend our voices to a sport that has traditionally been so white. We as Black women deserve to be well and, through RUNGRL, I know we are both inspiring and giving that option to many.”
By creating more equity in wellness for Black women through running, RUNGRL hopes to disrupt generational norms, support Black women in reaching their full potential, and transform the running and wellness landscape for years to come.
“If you can run a mile, you can do anything. ”
“We strive to be more than a resource for our community. We tackle the topics most people won’t so that we all can flourish,” says Dominique Burton, co-founder.
Whether we’re tackling health disparities and lack of access for Black women or breaking down the barriers around Black hair and running, each conversation we start, each resource we provide and each event we curate helps build a stronger community of Black women pursuing wellness for themselves.
“As a direct result of the work we’ve done, we’ve seen more Black women running their first, fastest and best miles,” says Natalie. “That’s what’s most satisfying to see--that we’re able to show people that they can do it, too.”
Connect directly with the RUNGRL community here, through Instagram and by signing up for our newsletter to always stay informed of the latest running magic we’re cooking up.
Na’Tasha Jones
Co-founder + Chief Content Officer
The act of running has been the start of many movements, both literally and metaphorically. Each of these Black women is a catalyst for growth, change, wellness and joy through their work as creators, runners and community builders.