Plucky Not Perfect Podcast
Welcome to Plucky Not Perfect—a podcast for women in midlife who want to build resilience, find courage, and embrace life’s messy middle with grit and grace.
Hosted by Carrie Bradley—coach, caregiver, and cancer survivor—this podcast is about showing up as you are, letting go of perfection, and discovering strength in unexpected places.
In Season 2, you’ll hear a mix of solo episodes and interviews with inspiring women who are navigating midlife transitions, health challenges, career shifts, family dynamics, and personal growth. Together, we’ll explore practical tools for resilience, self-care strategies that actually fit into busy lives, and mindset shifts that help you thrive when life doesn’t go as planned.
Whether you’re over 40, caring for others while trying to care for yourself, or simply looking for encouragement to keep going—this podcast will remind you that you don’t have to be perfect to feel worthy and live bravely.
Plucky means “determined courage.” Not perfect? That’s all of us. Join us to find hope, connection, and inspiration for one imperfect step at a time.
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Courtney McQueen is the owner, director and co-founder of Run Like a Girl (RLAG). She’s a mom of two and an ultra-runner who is currently not able to run the long distances she craves. In this episode Courtney talks about how she got started running, why she founded RLAG, and how she copes with negative thoughts and injury. This episode will encourage you to think positively regardless of your circumstance.
Follow along:
[00:1:24] If running is a relationship, what stage are you in?
[00:4:20] Courtney describes her early days of running (hear more detailed version here) up until her first 50k
[00:10:00] Why a 50k is too short for her
[00:12:00] Running with mom guilt
[00:13:49] Courtney discusses the Frosty 70-mile, a race she described in her chapter in the MomBabes book
[00:16:30] “We have to fight to keep who we are alive,” quote explained
[00:19:14] The local motivational mommas Courtney looks up to
[00:2:19] Did Courtney intend to inspire others when starting RLAG?
[00:23:30] What RLAG is and offers
[00:26:35] origins of RLAG
[00:28:20] the first local race Courtney organized
[00:30:34] how to be a “jump in” type of person
[00:32:14] how to get over the fear of starting new things
[00:33:25] what NOT to think about during a run or race
[00:34:00] have you failed?
[00:35:31] drawbacks to the 1% better every day philosophy
[00:36:00] What motivates Courtney to keep going
[00:38:30] Rapid fire questions
Including book on nightstand: The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Courtney’s most-listened to podcast: Choose Strong
[00:46:21] give yourself permission to do hard things and get started
[00:46:24] practical ways to focus on the positive
[00:49:15] tips for journaling and dealing with negative thoughts
Links:
Run Like a Girl website, Instagram, Facebook Global Community
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
I'm peeling back the curtain on my journey to 70.3. Be encouraged as you hear that on the other side of my shiny medal was a messy middle.
Learn about a fail, a mindset shift, a life-threatening condition, and other obstacles that had to be overcome along the way.
PLUCKY thinking is that You can have plenty of doubts and worries along the way and still have a desirable end result. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Keep moving forward–one imperfect step at a time. Confidence follows courage.
Want support being plucky? Reach out and connect with Coach Carrie or send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook.
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
Tuesday Sep 26, 2023
In this episode you'll learn who this podcast is for. It's for you if you:
Feel “not good enough:
Wonder if you’re “too much”
Suspect you’re “not a real runner”
You used to run and you’re not sure you can get back into it
Feel a little ashamed you’re not more consistent, or you don’t always love running
Doubt you’ll ever get to that goal you dream about
Being plucky is all about determined courage. You will feel less alone as I vulnerably share what I'm afraid of and need courage for.
You'll also get a picture of how running is a metaphor for life and how this can be a resource to help you with both.
This podcast is for you, so please share with me your takeaways, what you want to hear more about, or any questions you want me to answer or topics you’d like to explore.
A big thank you to Courtney and RLAG for being such a big part in getting this going.
Reach out and connect with Coach Carrie or send me a DM on Instagram or Facebook.