Grief and Personal Transformation from Run Club to Resilience with Cristina Ramirez

In this episode of The Art of Imperfect Adulting, Amy Stone speaks with Cristina Ramirez about personal and professional pivots, the power of discomfort, and redefining resilience in the face of grief and change. Cristina, currently living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (by way of Miami and New Mexico), shares how her life experiences—including global moves, founding a kids’ run club, and facing profound loss—have shaped her philosophy on growth, mindset, and helping children (and adults) build grit. Listeners will hear firsthand how Cristina transformed adversity into action, scaled her business, and found meaning and connection through both her personal journey and her work with DashStrom.

About Cristina M. Ramirez:

Cristina M. Ramirez is Co Founder of DashStrom, a youth empowerment start-up based in Pittsburgh, PA. Her programs have impacted over 12,000 children across 41 states. A veteran of Wall Street and Silicon Valley, Cristina is an award winning coach, best selling author, Ironman triathlete and a USASA Snowboard National Silver Medalist.

Main Topics Covered:

1. Reinventing yourself: How Cristina pivoted from educator and triathlete to entrepreneur, author, and grief survivor
2. Starting and scaling DashStrom: Building a children's run club into an impactful, scalable program focused on empowering kids across the U.S.
3. Navigating grief and life transitions: The reality of losing parents and a spouse while parenting and running a business
4. The role of discomfort in personal growth: Applying the “20% power principle” and why leaning into uncomfortable situations is key for resilience
5. Authenticity over appearance: Facing the fear of “course correcting” in life or business and letting go of external expectations
6. Using social media for support: The surprising comfort Cristina found in sharing her grief journey online
7. Embracing uncertainty: Why it’s okay to change directions, make mistakes, and follow new opportunities at any stage of adulting
8. Helping kids thrive in the digital age: DashStrom’s mission to combat screen time and mental health challenges in youth

Quote from the Episode:

“There is such so much pain that it cannot be more amplified... Having that shared grief with my community and with people, you know, that knew me and people that didn’t know me, yeah, it felt good. It felt like that wall, like there were other people there with me.” — Cristina Ramirez

Timestamps:

00:06 – Welcome, Cristina’s global sense of “home”, and landing in Pittsburgh

00:53 – Why Pittsburgh is an underrated city with culture, art, and sports

02:42 – The birth of the kids’ run club: lessons from Ironman and changing mindsets

04:41 – From “I’m Possible Run Club” to DashStrom: The story behind the name and brand

06:46 – Moving from Miami to New Mexico: On shaking up family life and the role of grief

09:30 – The shock and aftermath of losing her husband, and communicating grief publicly

13:44 – Social media as a support system during tragedy

15:03 – Writing “Empowered by Discomfort”: Why and how the book came to be

17:17 – The “reverse Uno” move: Going back to DashStrom full-time after adult coaching

20:41 – Mindset shifts, facing doubts, letting go, and reinventing yourself

25:00 – Unexpected paths: Following “breadcrumbs” and reaching thousands of kids nationwide

27:41 – Where to find Cristina’s book and how to get involved with DashStrom

29:14 – Cristina’s triathlon update, creating tranquility through shamanic drumming, and applying life lessons from growing up internationally

33:05 – Closing reflections and gratitude

You can find Cristina’s Book, Empowered by Discomfort here https://bookshop.org/a/87491/9798987856000

ABOUT THE SHOW: The Art of Imperfect Adulting elevates the voices of experience by sharing real stories from real people figuring out adult life. Every episode features honest conversations about life's choices, changes, and challenges—interviews with individuals (not celebrities) who share their personal experiences and insights. Through these authentic stories, listeners find validation, motivation, and inspiration for navigating their own path through modern life. Because there's a big difference between expert advice and shared experience, and hearing another person's lived experience helps us feel less alone in our own situations.

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