There was no space where sapphic runners felt celebrated and welcomed.
Michelle did something about it.
Her biggest obstacles weren’t what you might think.
🌟 Welcome to Interview with a Goal-Crusher! 🌟
Hi, I’m Coach Tony, and this is Interview with a Goal-Crusher.
Every month, I sit down with someone who’s crushing their goals and building a happier life in the process. These are real people, not gurus … just like you. Think of it as free mentoring … straight from people who’ve done the hard work and have the wins (and lessons) to prove it.
Are you ready for a dad joke?Before we dive in, here's a groan-worthy dad joke as a little palate cleanser. I promise it will be worth every penny you paid for it. 😂
What do you call a spider with 10 eyes?
A Spi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-der.
Sapphic Runners Didn’t Have a Safe Space. So She Built One.
It’s the first Sunday of the month, which means I have a new Interview with a Goal-Crusher for you.
As a runner, I always take note when a new running club launches in my city. When I learned about Lez Run Columbus, I was intrigued. Not just because it was a new running club, but also because it was a club dedicated to providing a safe place for sapphic runners at a much-needed time for the LGBTQ+ community.
I had to know more. So, I took a bold step and reached out to Michelle, the club’s founder, and asked if she would share her story with my readers.
What I didn’t expect was that her story would include some themes and messages that I really needed to hear myself.
I am excited to share Michelle’s story with you and appreciate her delivering a much-needed dose of inspiration for me.
Let’s start with the basics. Who are you, and what do you do?
Hi, my name is Michelle.
I am an avid runner, foster cat mom, friend, environmentalist, and amateur baker. Professionally, I work in the environmental field.
I grew up in a small town in Ohio with an exceptionally strong community. After moving out of state for a while, I recently moved back within the last two years and have settled in Columbus.
Community building has always been a huge theme in my life, but it has recently taken center stage for me. I am the founder of Lez Run Columbus, a sapphic running community for women, femmes, trans, and nonbinary folks.
What motivated you to pursue your unique journey? What was your vision? Can you share your story?
I’ve always loved how running brings people together. You can feel how strong the running community is in Columbus just by looking at how many run clubs people have built.
Prior to starting Lez Run, I was a member of several other great running clubs. However, as a lesbian runner, I felt that there wasn’t really a dedicated running space for the sapphic community.
Furthermore, I heard from so many folks how hard it is to make friends and connections in the LGBTQ+ space in general.
People are looking for a sense of belonging, and a weekly meetup with folks with shared experiences is one way to help foster it. I am only responsible for creating the space, but the people who show up week after week are what make the community special.
My vision for the club is truly to just provide the sapphic community with a place where they feel welcomed, celebrated, and a sense of belonging. We even provide pronoun buttons for everyone to ensure people are identified in the way that is authentic to them!
What was the very first step you took to get started?
My very first step was figuring out where and when to host the run club.
I reached out to Slammers Bar at the beginning of 2026 and pitched my idea to them. They were incredibly responsive to it and loved the idea.
We discussed various days and times, but ultimately decided on Mondays at 6:45 PM, since this worked best for everyone.
What were your biggest challenges in chasing your goals? How did you push through them?
My biggest challenge was my own self-confidence in building something like a run club.
This was my first time ever creating a community and spreading the word about it. I made sure to ask questions and learn from more established running clubs to get information on how to build community and make it as inclusive as possible.
Being able to hear the lessons learned from other clubs helped me build a strong foundation prior to our first run.
What goal-setting or success habits have worked well for you that you’d love to pass on to others?
The biggest success habit I learned is to be curious and learn from folks who have already walked the path you are about to go on. While your path will be its own unique one, the experiences and perspectives of others who have pursued a similar goal as you are valuable knowledge to consider.
What else would you like my Operation Melt readers to know about you, your work, or the journey you’ve taken?
I would love for readers to know that if you build it, they will come.
People are looking for community and spaces where they are celebrated!
I cannot emphasize enough that I did nothing but create the space. The folks who come are what keep the community strong and nurture the sense of belonging.
What’s one thing you do that might look lazy or indulgent from the outside, but is actually essential to your success?
When I am overwhelmed or have a lot on my plate, I go for a long walk. I don’t do that to avoid the problem or procrastinate, but to give my brain a reset. I often come back with a fresh perspective.
If you could go back and give 18-year-old you one piece of advice, what would it be and why?
I would tell her to say “yes” more to trying new things/experiences.
Do not play everything safe because you’re scared of people seeing you try. Try more things, even if you’re bad at them. You learn just as much from failing as you do from succeeding.
Life is best spent living.
Where can people go to learn more about you or connect with your work?
Follow us at @lezruncbus on Instagram!
Michelle’s story is a master class in turning a goal into a reality.
I love that she had a vision and didn’t wait for anyone to give her permission. She reached out and found a partner to host her running club and decided on a day and time. That’s how momentum gets built; with action, not hesitation.
Her reminder that people are looking for communities and spaces where they feel welcome and celebrated particularly landed with me. I am working to build a community for Goal Crushers, and that takes time. Michelle reminded me that, if I build it, they will come. The fact that you’re reading this is proof of that!
Those are just two messages that resonated with me from Michelle’s story.
Running Like an Expert Project Manager
Michelle didn’t know it, but she is perfectly illustrating my Project Manage Your Life (PMYL) principles while building her running community. Here are a few examples of PMYL in action.
✅ Commit to SMART goals:
Michelle committed to a SMART goal with a strong why. Her goal was to provide the sapphic community with a place where they feel welcomed, celebrated, and a sense of belonging.
Her goal was important to her because she saw that something important was missing. As a lesbian runner, she knew there wasn’t a dedicated running space for the sapphic community. This missing space further amplifies the challenge that the LGBTQ+ community faces when trying to make friends and connections.
This missing safe space was unacceptable to Michelle. She committed to fixing it.
She didn’t know all the steps needed, but she was committed to trying, even if she failed.
✅ Build a plan that works for you:
Michelle’s plan featured two major strategies.
First, she reached out to people who have attempted similar journeys to learn from their experiences. As she said, she “made sure to ask questions and learn from more established running clubs to get information on how to build community and make it as inclusive as possible.”
Her second strategy was to get started and learn as she went. She reached out to a popular hangout in the Columbus sapphic community, and they agreed to be the “home base” for her club.
Her result was a big success, and Lez Run Columbus is quickly becoming a fixture in the Columbus community.
✅ Don’t Go It Alone
Michelle’s goal was to provide a community for others, and she relied on the community around her to help. Both are textbook examples of not going it alone.
I cannot explain this any better than the way Michelle did: “While your path will be its own unique one, the experiences and perspectives of others who have pursued a similar goal as you are valuable knowledge to consider.”
Michelle also explained that her role was to envision and build the space. But the runners who participate are the lifeblood of her community. They are the ones who keep the community strong and nurture a sense of belonging.
✅ Expect and Plan Ahead for Problems
Michelle knew that her biggest risk was her own self-confidence.
Lez Run Columbus was her first time creating and growing a community. She embraced several strategies to help her plan ahead for this challenge.
I think her biggest strategy was her mindset. She didn’t hesitate or play it safe in her comfort zone because she was afraid to try. As she would say to her eighteen-year-old self, “Try more things, even if you’re bad at them. You learn just as much from failing as you do from succeeding.”
Michelle’s story is a powerful reminder that the only real failure is not trying. Everything else is an important learning experience.
Can We Talk About The F Word?
Michelle just reminded us that life is best spent living and that we should try more things, even if we are bad at them.
What keeps us trapped inside our comfort zone more than anything else?
It’s the big F Word… Failure.
Here’s the thing: people often believe that failure is the opposite of success. But that’s not true.
The next Goal Crusher Coffee Chat will help rewire that limiting belief.
The Power of the F Word
Why failing is succeeding
In this session, I will share the three things that come up most in my coaching sessions when clients and I tackle failure together.
Then, during our roundtable, we will each answer one simple question:
What is a failure that taught you more than success ever could?
If you’re ready for failure to propel you forward instead of holding you back, this conversation is for you.
Click below or visit OperationMelt.com/CoffeeChat to save your spot for this free event.
Michelle had a vision for creating a safe space for sapphic runners. But before any of the plans and logistics, she had to conquer something much harder. She had to get out of her own way. Sound familiar?
You’re here for a reason. Let’s take the next step.
Meet Coach Tony
Tony Weaver is a master life coach, technologist, consultant, writer, and founder of Operation Melt.
He helps project managers and other left-brained high-achievers pursue their biggest goals.
Through free resources, personalized coaching, and his proven Project Manage Your Life system, Tony empowers clients to move their dreams from “someday” to success… one step at a time.
Learn more about Project Manage Your Life, the system my clients and I use to crush our goals, at OperationMelt.com/PMYL/
Coach Tony
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