E318: Your Strongest Years Are Still Ahead: Endurance Athlete Jen Segger on Goals, Grit, and Thriving in Midlife

What if your strongest, most adventurous years are still ahead of you — not behind you?

In this episode of The Art of Living Well Podcast®, Marnie and Stephanie sit down with Jen Segger, world-class endurance athlete, high-performance coach, and co-founder of the Rebuild Retreat, to explore what it really looks like to keep dreaming bigger in midlife. From her roots in adventure racing to coaching women through the physiology of perimenopause and beyond, Jen brings a grounded, practical perspective on what separates the women who achieve meaningful goals from those who stay stuck.

Jen's path started with a pivot away from competitive field hockey and a move to Whistler in her early twenties, where she began building a life around adventure racing — a sport that takes teams through remote terrain for up to ten days nonstop. Over two decades, she has raced across the world, guided expeditions in Colombia, co-created immersive retreats on Vancouver Island, and built a coaching practice around getting people to the finish line of whatever matters most to them.

Whether you're training for your first endurance event, trying to figure out how to work with your hormones instead of against them, or simply wondering what's still possible in this chapter of life, this conversation will help you move forward.

Key Takeaways:

• Starting small is not settling — it's the most sustainable path to a big goal

• The most consistent athletes aren't the most talented; they're the ones who protect their training time like an appointment with themselves

• Comparison is one of the biggest obstacles women face in perimenopause and goal-setting alike

• Your goal needs to be genuinely yours — not what your peers are doing or what looks good on paper

• Working with a coach isn't just about a training plan; it's about accountability, external perspective, and staying coachable

• Longevity matters more than peak performance — Jen herself is currently prioritizing addressing imbalances over racing

• Integrating your goals with your family life makes them more sustainable, not smaller

• Midlife is not a signal to scale back; it's an invitation to get clearer about what you actually want

Episode Breakdown with Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction & How Marnie and Stephanie Met Jen

01:32 Jen's Path From Field Hockey to Adventure Racing

03:51 What Adventure Racing Teaches You About Life

09:32 Staying Motivated After 25 Years as an Athlete

11:12 What to Say to Women Who Think Midlife Means Slowing Down

14:12 How to Set a Goal That's Actually Yours

16:39 Planning Your Year With Intention

23:24 Working With Your Hormones in Perimenopause

26:28 What Separates Women Who Achieve Goals From Those Who Get Stuck

30:57 Why Every Woman Needs a Coach

35:40 The Rebuild Retreat on Vancouver Island

39:53 The Colombia Trekking Expedition With Terra Venture

51:42 One Thing You Can Do This Week

53:01 What's Lighting Jen Up Right Now

56:30 "What Does the Art of Living Well Mean to You?"

Guest Links: Website: jensegger.com