We recently had the chance to connect with Dena Lewis and have shared our conversation below.
Dena , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Building Running Mate and all of the mission that surrounds it is what I am called to do right now. I never thought that, after experiencing two different assaults while running, I would ever share my story, let alone create a company to help others so they don’t ever have to experience what I went through. I was so ashamed and afraid to share my story and worked hard to forget it ever happened, but when I discovered my purpose, it became so clear to me that not only did I need to share my story for my own healing, but to give other women a safe place to share as well. Through Running Mate, we not only provide a service designed to keep all runners safe, but we are on a mission to educate and empower runners to be safe through situational awareness training, self-defense tips, and personal protection education.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
As a runner for 20 years, and an ultra runner for 10, I have been harassed countless times, followed, and assaulted twice. I created Running Mate to help make running safer for all. It’s a real-time, on-demand app that matches verified safe mates with runners when the runner is ready to go. We are like Uber, but for runners. All users on our platform must pass background checks to ensure safety, and mates make a flat rate on each run.
According to an article by Adidas, 92% of women don’t feel safe when going for a run. 60% of women report being harassed while exercising outdoors (Runner’s World).
We go a step further beyond being a tech platform. We have created the first-ever runner safety certification to help educate people on how to be safe in all aspects of life, but especially while running. Education and resources for a safer run are how we begin to make change in the world to create safer spaces for all.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
My dad taught me the most about work. I watched him move his way up in the company he worked for, from a salesperson, middle management, and into the COO role when it became a global company.
He taught me that nothing worth having comes easy, but if you are passionate about what you do and living your purpose, you will never work another day in your life because what you do you love and fulfills your purpose and doesn’t feel like work.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
As it relates to Running Mate and how the company came into existence, it’s due to a traumatic assault in 2010 while on a run. I survived an assault and remained quiet due to shame, shock, fear, and other reasons. I got the help I needed to move past the trauma, only for another assault to occur while running years later.
After my second assault, I was angry and felt I needed to help make change. I decided it was time to stop hiding from the pain and fear and face it. The more I talked about it openly, it became healing for me. I didn’t realize the positive effect it would have on others to come forward and share their stories.
Running Mate exists to help keep women safe while running, but our mission is so much bigger. We are bringing awareness to a significant problem and making real change through education, empowerment, and resources. I realize that I experienced these two major events so that I could help others, so nobody has to experience what my family and I went through.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is mostly true. I am a firm believer in character and its importance to our lives and those around us. Character is what happens when people aren’t looking. You cannot separate parts of your life into silos and call yourself a good person if you do bad things when people aren’t around.
I say the public version of me is mostly true because I am not perfect and will never try to be. I get things wrong like everyone. What is true is that I am always face value and try to be truthful in all I do. I will always try to choose what is right first, even when it’s the more complex decision. Where the public persona differs is that it can be hard for me to be the public face of the company at times due to the trauma I have faced. People tell me I always seem so confident and put together, and some days I am doing all I can to make it through. On those days, I try to remind myself that humility is a positive character trait, not a negative one. In our society, that can sometimes be seen as a weakness. I don’t need people to see me strong and put together all the time. I need them to see the real me. I believe this is how we connect and form trust that transcends between business and life.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. When do you feel most at peace?
As crazy as it sounds, I feel most at peace when I am running. Running has always been my happy place. It’s where the world melts away and I can do my best thinking. That seems strange considering I also have fear every time I step out my door to run.
The most joy I feel is when I run in a new place. I always say the best way to learn a city or area I have never been to is to do it on foot. Running helps me explore and opens up my eyes to things I likely wouldn’t see otherwise.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.getrunningmate.com/
- Instagram: @getrunningmate
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dena-lewis-a9546a24/
- Facebook: @getrunningmate
- Youtube: @runningmate7242
