A Remarkable Journey: From “Couch Potato” to Triathlete

Episode description:  

Two years shy of her 50^th birthday, Hilary Topper, a highly successful entrepreneur and mother of two, knew she needed a change. She was fully absorbed in her work, but it wasn’t making her happy anymore. She was sick and tired of the ups and downs of the business world. So she decided to run. In today’s episode, Hilary talks about how her foray into running grew into a remarkable journey as a triathlete, which she chronicles in her newly published book, “From Couch Potato to Endurance Athlete: A Portrait of a Non-Athletic Triathlete.”  Hilary is now an established presence in the sport of triathlon—she is even a certified triathlon coach who oversees a team of endurance athletes, from beginners to experienced Ironmen. But it has not been as easy transformation for a former coach potato—she did not even know how to swim when she started. In today’s conversation, Hilary share her deeply personal story, detailing her memorable races and achievements but also how she overcame unexpected challenges, setbacks and failures along the way. Hilary, an insightful blogger who has journaled since she was a young girl, will offer an array of lessons learned at each juncture of her journey. And if you think you’re too out of shape, too old, too heavy or too…anything…to become a triathlete, Hilary will change your mind.

Guest description:

Hilary Topper is CEO of HJMT Public Relations, an award-winning PR, marketing and social media firm, serving clients in a host of industries for more than 35 years. In her 50s Hilary also has become an endurance athlete, competing in dozens of triathlons, becoming a coach for other aspiring triathletes, and writing a widely acclaimed book, “From Couch Potato to Endurance Athlete.” She started her career working for major public relations agencies in New York City, including Ogilvy & Mather PR, Hill, Holliday/PR and Ruder Finn/PR. She also worked at two large New York non-profit organizations as the director of public relations and development. Hilary started HJMT Public Relations Inc. in 1992. In 2006, she became involved in social media marketing and three years later wrote one of the earliest books on the subject, called “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Social Media, but were afraid to ask.”  Hilary went on an international tour promoting the book, which sold thousands of copies. Today, Hilary is also Chief Curator at HJMT Media Company, producing two blogs,  http://www.NYLifestyleBlog.com and http://www.ATriathletesDiary.com.  

She also has a podcast, http://www.HilaryTopperonAir.com, which now has more than 200,000 listeners and is focused on helping small business owners grow both professionally and personally.

In 2020, Hilary published her second book, “Branding in a Digital World.” The book is a do-it-yourself guide for business owners, job seekers and entrepreneurs, designed to help people develop their goals, strategies, buyer persona and implementation strategy.

In addition to her media company and PR business, Hilary is an adjunct professor at Hofstra University, where she teaches two classes each semester.  She has published a host of articles in major publications and has received dozens of awards and accolades for her achievements. In her personal life, Hilary is a triathlete and marathoner. She coaches running on the weekends and she has a triathlon team, http://www.WeRTriathletes.com.

Host:

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