You Belong Here: Meet Coach Nicki & What We’re Building at Be Fierce
After a few unexpected weeks away, Jill is back—and this time she’s sitting down with Be Fierce Multisport’s new assistant coach, Nicki Atkinson. They talk about Nicki’s unlikely introduction to triathlon, why coaching is about far more than a training plan, women and belonging in endurance sports, where AI can help (and where it can’t), and the bigger vision behind Be Fierce. From coaching and bike fitting to the bike shop, endurance training center and Be Fierce & Tri Club, this episode is really about what Be Fierce is becoming—and the simple idea at the center of all of it: You belong here.
We hit 700,000 downloads—and after a few unexpected weeks away from the microphone, Jill is back.
For this episode, she’s joined in person by Nicki Atkinson, the newest coach at Be Fierce Multisport, for a conversation that starts with Nicki’s story and ends up getting at something much bigger: what exactly are we building at Be Fierce?
Nicki shares how watching Julie Moss crawl toward the Ironman finish line planted the seed for triathlon, how she eventually found her way into the sport herself, and why helping athletes accomplish things they didn’t think were possible pulled her toward coaching.
Jill also talks about the cycling crash and concussion that kept her away from the podcast for a few weeks, including the strange process of figuring out a return to training and the role AI played in helping her organize the questions she needed to answer. That leads to a bigger conversation about AI and coaching: a training plan is relatively easy to generate. Understanding the human being trying to execute it is something else entirely.
They also dig into women’s participation in endurance sports, some of the barriers that keep people from getting started, the increasing cost and complexity of triathlon, and why creating access and community matters.
And then there’s everything happening at Be Fierce: coaching, bike fitting, the bike shop, an endurance-focused training space, group cycling, the podcast, and the growing Be Fierce & Tri Club. They may look like separate things, but they’re all being built around the same idea.
You don’t have to be the fastest person in the room. You don’t have to have the perfect equipment. You don’t even have to know exactly what you’re doing yet.
If there’s something hard you want to take on, yes, you can.
Be Fierce. Be You. You Belong Here.
In this episode:
Meet Coach Nicki Atkinson
The moment that made Nicki want to become a triathlete
Jill’s return after her cycling crash and concussion
Why a coach is more than a training plan
ChatGPT, AI and the limits of automated coaching
Women, confidence and participation in endurance sports
Making triathlon and endurance training more accessible
The Be Fierce training center, cycling studio and bike shop
Why bike fitting belongs in the same ecosystem
Nicki’s road to her first Ironman at Lake Placid
Why we created the Be Fierce & Tri Club
What “You Belong Here” means to us
The discussion of Jill’s concussion and return to training reflects her personal experience and is not medical advice.
If you are training for a Triathlon or Run event of any distance from your first 10k to your first full IRONMAN and beyond, connect with Jill to talk about how to take your performance to the next level! Jill is the Head Coach and owner of Be Fierce Multisport is a full time, professional coach and works with athletes of all skill levels.
We also specialize in training for runDisney race, as Jill is an avid runDisney fan with 7 Dopey finishes and nearly 100 Disney races under her legs - she knows the courses and how to train for them!
Click here to schedule a consultation
Tired of cycling in your basement alone? Peloton and Zwift has gotten old? Try live online group cycling with Be Fierce Multisport - now in Beta and accepting founding members!
Join our virtual group cycling beta at 👉 https://fierce.li/cycling
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