The Everyday Awesome Project

80: Vision to Velocity: Building a Movement

• Polly Mertens & Samantha Pruitt • Season 1 • Episode 80

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Do you have a cause or personal passion you want to generate collective action around? This week with Coaches Sam and Polly we dive into the art of turning vision into velocity—the process of creating and sustaining movements that matter.

We explore the fundamental question many purpose-driven individuals ask themselves: "How do I take this fire inside me and share it with the world?" Whether you're "fired up" by inspiration or "fed up" with the status quo, we break down how these emotional sparks can ignite meaningful change when channeled effectively.

The conversation uncovers practical wisdom about movement-building at every scale. From small community groups that meet biweekly to large-scale organizations with thousands of participants, we share real-world examples of how movements begin, grow, and sustain themselves. You'll hear stories ranging from neighborhood running clubs uniting to create larger impact, to personal transformation journeys that rippled outward to help others "come alive" in their own lives.

Most importantly, we tackle the challenging aspects of movement-building that often go undiscussed: how to develop leaders so you're not carrying the entire burden, how to adapt as your movement grows, and how to create the right conditions for longevity. We address the beautiful reality that movements are living organisms that require nurturing, flexibility, and deep human connection to thrive.

Whether you're considering starting something new or wanting to contribute to existing movements, this episode offers both inspiration and practical guidance. The world desperately needs people willing to step forward with their unique gifts and visions—people ready to transform personal passion into collective power. Are you ready to find your movement?

-Coach Polly & Coach Sam xoxo

@everydayawesomeproject 

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Polly Mertens:

hey, Polly , here and sam pruitt, what's up?

Polly Mertens:

beautiful humans I have a little question for you. So, in line with our topic called vision to velocity igniting a movement question is have you ever felt a deep calling to bring something new into the world, to inspire change or to light up others? Today we're talking about how to turn that spark into a full-blown movement. Girl, do a movement. We're not just talking about step aerobics, no no, we're talking about like gather some peoples, gather some peoples, and let's get up to something right.

Samantha Pruitt:

Yeah, what is a movement? Let's start with the definition of a movement.

Polly Mertens:

All right. Well, we're making this up, I mean you and I.

Samantha Pruitt:

It's like we are not Kind of so it's a gathering.

Polly Mertens:

What is AI?

Samantha Pruitt:

Sustained collective effort. Yeah, Okay. So it's a gathering of humans like-minded like values, like mission, and it's a sustained collective effort of said humans.

Polly Mertens:

And I want to say, you know, one of the things we'll talk about in the story down the road is you know, that could be a project, like the movement could be like, oh, we have a set, so like I created an event, right, and it was like that was one project and something else, but maybe those people lived on to do other things together.

Polly Mertens:

But it doesn't have to be something that you know the civil rights movement that continues on today. You know 100 years after it started, so a movement can be different lengths of time as well.

Samantha Pruitt:

I think they can be micro, macro. You know all different sizes, shapes. It's like a living organism, really, and you can. Hopefully it sustains life. Right, there's humans in it and the humans are alive and they're participating in the thing. So there's a real energy to it. You know it's a real living, breathing thing and it can take on other shapes as it evolves and so forth, and it can. You can have 10 going at one time. I can today, I can spark a new one just because I was inspired driving down the road and whatever, whatever I don't know. Like you know, it doesn't have to be, like you're saying, this big giant. Outrageous, you know, politically engaged, high caliber marching. Yeah, totally courageous, you know, politically engaged high caliber, marching millions of people.

Polly Mertens:

Yeah, totally so. And I think one of the things you just said which is like sparked by right so oftentimes I would say movement in the context that we're talking about it is there's a spark, a something right, and we were talking before we started recording. It can be a moving away from something like you're motivated out of a pain, like fed upness, or it can be motivating towards like I want to get a group of people doing this thing together, right?

Samantha Pruitt:

yeah, I'm fired up or I'm fed up. Yeah, so that's how I feel about it. That's usually what sparks for me I'm freaking fired up or I'm fed up.

Polly Mertens:

And it, it, it like something snaps.

Polly Mertens:

It's it's a oftentimes a moment in time. It could be something leading up to you You're like, oh man, fed up for a while, fed up for a while. Or it could just be like boom, it hits you in the head Like that's not okay with me, you know. Or, oh, my God, we should totally boom Right, like like, create something like I'll share. This is a mini thing, but my, you know, I'm in this year long leadership program and training program and one of my teammates he's created what he calls the summer of celebration.

Samantha Pruitt:

Oh, that's fun. That's his project for the summer, right? I love it Okay.

Polly Mertens:

Yeah Well, he was going to do like this business thing or whatever and he's like, wait a minute, I have a wife that's a teacher so she's off all summer and my, my kid, is off all summer, so like me going and doing, I mean he's like I want to incorporate my family and stuff. So he's like, okay, this quarter it's about he's calling it the summer celebration. It started with a kickoff trip and they've got these backyard parties, that neighbors and doing things that light them up, right, so that can be small and maybe that grows, maybe that seeds other people to. Oh, I want to meet some new people this summer and I should, you know, maybe I'll create a backyard party myself, or you know, you never know.

Samantha Pruitt:

That's interesting with landmarks. So we're using the word movement, but they use the word game, or you use the word game, right? So what's the difference? Or is it the same thing?

Polly Mertens:

So game is another word for project, I mean outside of. You know we call them games in the world. So there are games that we bring out into the world of varying scales. I mean, some people have created. You know, there's this one gal that is literally she's never been to I can't remember what country it is in South Africa, but you know that area of the world. But she is so lit up by creating water, sustainable water for people to drink and education and all this stuff that she has these meetings and you know she's she, she raises funds and she has grant money going to that and I'm just like she's so lit up by this, you know, and never having been there, right Whatever. So that's her game in the world, that's her expression.

Polly Mertens:

I know one woman who's in the San Diego area. She loves children and she loves art, and so she creates these art games, events, if you will and invites different people to participate. So she creates a team around it and they put on these events and like just lighting kids up around art that they wouldn't ordinarily experience, and so in our, in landmark it's, it's really whatever your spark is okay, you know. So mine, you know, we'll share ours. I want you to share your story. But my project, my game, this this quarter, uh, in the summer of 2025, is about um. It's called Come Alive, come Alive. People Look out, look out, like, even just saying that, I'm like, like, I just like I feel like a like a champagne bottle. I'm just going to like blah, blah, blah, like something's going to come out of that and it was sparked by, you know, sharing with my coach about. You know, I bought this motor home 10 years ago and I just got into quote, van life before it was van life and then I painted her beautiful colors and she's just, you know, driving down the road. I just love being in her so much.

Polly Mertens:

I'm like I want people to be inspired as they see her to come alive in their life, to not just think that life has to be one way, like it can be. Whatever you say it can be. Insert blank, right. Like you want a hobby that you have always wanted to pursue? Do that Like. Take that thing on. You know you want to study a language, you want to create a business, you want to change careers, you want to travel right. Like what makes that spark for you? That come alive. But you've been held back Right, and so the come alive movement that I'm engaged with is like sparking people to not settle not. You know like I got fed up with the way my life was looking and I was like no Right, and so come alive and do those things. The world needs more people who've come alive.

Samantha Pruitt:

That's my vote. Yes, I do. And there you're getting other humans who are out in the space floating around right, having their own experience or suffering, or whatever it might be, will gravitate towards these movements because of the shared value system, because of the energy, because of the opportunity not just to connect with fellow minded shared values humans, but to facilitate change in their own life, in their own body, in their own brain and in the world.

Polly Mertens:

You know, as you're saying that, what you and I've talked about, this, like we're all vibrating electrons or you know whatever, or a frequency, right, like we're literally energy and motion, and it's like what, what I got when you started to share that was like somebody is attracted to it, because the frequency of what I'm sharing, the energy, the what's turned me on, what sparked me, what's lit me up, as somebody comes into that frequency, that that hearing my message, that, oh, what is she talking about, I think that's for me, you know, and some people totally tune it out, right, like that's not the message for them, have no interest. But for those that are intended to hear on that same frequency or tuning up to that frequency, that it's like, you know, bees to honey.

Samantha Pruitt:

Tuning fork. I just got that tuning fork. You know where you're taking a tuning fork and it vibrates.

Polly Mertens:

And that it into the world and it's like, and things that are in frequency with it, they get tuned up right and so, and that's you know some of where we were going to go with this is like, how do you start it?

Polly Mertens:

And I think it's whatever spark you, me, us, the person that's listening to this, whatever sparks you like, get in tune with that, get like, have a listening for yourself of what that is and fine-tuning it.

Polly Mertens:

You know, is it this like as I've been having conversations with people refining and what's not, that it's more like this, you know, like it helps me tune my own piano or tune my own frequency to. It's this, not that, if you will, so that as I share it, as I talk to people about it, they are enrolled with it because they're like oh, that sounds like something that I'm up to or that, that that I want to hear more about, right, and then it becomes this sharing in conversation with people, something that you're lit up by. It's almost like like I'm taking this flame, that, and then I share it in a conversation and they take a little piece of it and then they've got it and you light up all these little lamps around you of people that come alive, or whatever your movement is by a shared flame. Experience of yeah, I want that too. I want that to be in the world as well.

Samantha Pruitt:

Yeah, anytime I have started a movement and I mean, I definitely don't know how and we talked about this too, you don't? We don't really know how not to be these people. So there is this innate element to our personality that has developed over a lifetime of experiences. You know, obviously we weren't necessarily born being like hey, game on, motherfucker, let me round up all the babies.

Samantha Pruitt:

Obviously we weren't necessarily born being like hey, game on motherfucker. Let me round up all the babies Hilarious, but as grown adult females in the space, you know it's just part of our. It really feels like part of our epigenetics, like our DNA, and then we just fed that environmentally. But anytime I've ever started a movement or been part of leading and facilitating and developing a movement, it's come out of my own experience. Like what you're saying, my own experience was initially just an adulthood, like having a health, mental and physical health crisis, right.

Samantha Pruitt:

So out of my own pain and suffering evolved my own knowledge, seeking wisdom, seeking growth, personal growth, you know, seeking healing, et cetera. And then, oh, hey, now I want to teach this to others. Oh, now I see the power of this in my own life and in your life. I'm witnessing, and so we need to spread this. Yeah, okay. So now we're going to spread it through a movement. We're going to grow a movement, whether it is, you know, producing events for people to change their lives and build community, or, you know, joining one of the clubs that I've, you know, had, where I facilitated that connectivity and the evolution of them, physically, mentally, emotionally, or even now like bringing collective groups together and still doing that in different ways, shapes and forms. It obviously evolves over time, but for me, generally, the root has been hey, this was transformational for me. I have to share it. I can't not share it. I understand the power of this, the positive power of this, and it's a must for me to deliver that to the world.

Polly Mertens:

I don't know how not to you know, I think, what you're pointing on, that before we started this I hadn't quite picked up on. So I want you to insert here in just a minute, the movement, what you're doing most recently, like this event that you recently created. But let's step back and I think what you and I forget is how long we've been lit up by things. And you know, it's like oh yeah, like when you started race slow, and that all of those you know clubs that you created, and all of that. It's like oh yeah, like when you started race slow, and that all of those you know clubs that you created, and all of that. It's like, yeah, you didn't do it perfectly in the beginning, right. You're like, oh, I still don't. I fuck it up all the time. What are you talking about?

Polly Mertens:

But it's like you would try something like, oh, let's, let's get together on Saturdays and ride together is probably how it started, right? Oh, and together is probably how it started, right, oh? And then, like, more and more people started showing up and you're like we should turn this into a thing or something, right? And then at some point you want you get inspired to lead an event or create an event, right, and you know, I mean, I've seen you both be at the table, being, you know, at a panel, right, so being a part of something, and I've seen you also facilitate panel things or big, massive events, or whatever you want to call it, creating context for conversations, creating context for community and engagement. And so you and I now have so much just experience in doing that we forget, like, the beginnings of this, and so it's like well, why wouldn't you, you know?

Polly Mertens:

and it's like, why, why, why would you not do it? Like we were asking ourselves where does this drive inside of us to like? We get inspired by something, like, okay, let's create whatever an event, create a movement, create a community, let's get this going, Because we've had the experience of starting from nothing. Also, I forgot about that I remember the first events that I would put. You know, I would teach small classes and then I remember putting on my first you know women's event, and it was, it was an undertaking. Right now I wouldn't shy away from it because I'm like that was so moving. I see the impact that it had, the joy that I had in creating it.

Samantha Pruitt:

Right, Exactly, Exactly and even back further than that. The initial seeds of that may have come. You share your experience but, like with me, hey, I need this. Where's my people? Oh my God, I can't sustain this work called evolving, becoming of the self. I can't sustain it without like-minded people who can fuel me, or I can fuel them, or we can be of service to one another. We can just show you know up for each other and be present. Yesterday I was just texting with somebody who's having a rough time and it's like literally just I fricking see you, I see you in the struggle and I'm, I'm standing by bearing witness. Can't solve that for you, but just being in the room is like incredibly powerful and healing. Why don't? Isn't that what the hell humanity is supposed to be? By the way, now I'm going to go on a rant. What am I supposed to be doing? Why?

Samantha Pruitt:

are we all here damn it.

Polly Mertens:

Well, it reminds me, I know the time. What you sparked in me was oh yeah, I remember when I came back from a tony robbins event right so go get fucking lit up like walk over the coals, yeah, like fire walk, and I can't even you know if I had to think about how did this come together?

Polly Mertens:

so I walk, did this firewalking event, whatever? First tony robbins event come back, god bless. However, I connected with people. We created, created a Tony Robbins community and we met every other week for years. For years we created that Talk about creating a movement. Yeah, it was our little movement of keeping that alive, like you talk about, right, you know, and it fed us for, oh my God. So I was just.

Polly Mertens:

I just got a text from a friend who she said, you know, this weekend I was, you know, having some little quality, you know, self reflection time. She goes. I pulled out one of my journals from when we used to get together this was like 10 years ago. She goes. I pulled that journal out where I used to take notes and things that we, whatever, and she goes and there was good shit in there, you know, and I was like so good. So this is the scale of things, like what you know, from vision to velocity, igniting a movement. It's like we just want to communicate that it could be starting a little circle, it could be a little community run club. It could be. Maybe you got bigger dreams, you know, maybe you might come alive is going to go global Right. Like this is not just sustained by me and a couple of friends, it's like this is a global movement that I'm up to reaching as far wide as possible. You know, because we're so connected, right?

Samantha Pruitt:

Exactly, and we'll get into, like how to sustain one, how to join one, how to build one, or maybe we should get into that now Do it, yeah, let's go.

Polly Mertens:

Well, wait, wait, first tell them.

Samantha Pruitt:

Okay, so you shared your race.

Polly Mertens:

Slow experience, I think enough, or?

Samantha Pruitt:

I mean.

Samantha Pruitt:

Okay, so, if the listener doesn't know, I basically created a business that was around endurance, sporting events, and in that process it started from my days of creating clubs, running clubs, a triathlon club, my own women's competitive club, you know, and that was created from me just having a very small community of women that I trained.

Samantha Pruitt:

I trained them as a personal fitness trainer or they trained with me, right. So these things, this is just a natural evolution, but, ray, slow, right ahead of vision of like, we've got to have bigger impact. We've got to show people what is possible for them physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, even, if you will, by putting them through these experiences in a community setting. Right. And it literally started out as, just like this, one small event hey, we're going to do a little bike ride, run around the park, woo, I mean, I think there was a hundred people, which now, in reflection, that still was pretty damn good for starting from zero into being thousands and thousands of people. There's 10,000 people at an event and there's 1,500 people just volunteering, coming to the movement that we created because of the vibration, what we stood for, who we were in the space, our value system, our shared mission and just the energy that facilitated a safe, really powerful space.

Polly Mertens:

We're all hungry for it. Share your latest venture with the panel that you created just so that we can put that in the space.

Samantha Pruitt:

Yeah, and then recently creating a experience through REI. I'm an REI human being and I brought together the seven run clubs of the Coachella Valley. Some of them didn't know each other. No connection, you know, the valley is very long, we're spread out, they're all different types of populations and demographics in these different clubs, right, but to me we're the same person. We obviously love running for some reason. It's serving a purpose. Well, I believe, for mental and physical health, movement is paramount. So I want to facilitate these groups meeting one another, connecting.

Samantha Pruitt:

So it was a class that we co-taught. I was the facilitator and brought together the community and the opportunity. So that's turned into a mission because through one event, the spark, right, hey, do you see how we're all the same here? Do you see how we share the same values? We're on the same mission. Should we be collaborating with our efforts and energy? Oh, yes, we should. Oh my God, we're so much more powerful together. Look at this and just lighting a fire amongst ourselves, the leadership team of this group, now right, and the people, that whose lives were touching. I mean, it's just exploded and it will continue to grow and it will have huge legs. There's no doubt in my mind it will become it is becoming already something incredibly the momentum is huge, but something incredibly impactful for this entire Valley and all of the humans that we serve.

Polly Mertens:

And it's like it starts with one idea.

Polly Mertens:

And you didn't even have. I mean, you did some to bring these people together. You had the relationships you you thankfully have enough of a background and a vision, you know. So the vision you had is like, oh, we should bring these people together. What the hell Like they? They don't know each other right, and with Velocity now they're taking it, they're creating the connections, they're starting to weave things together. So it's not like Samantha has to be out there every day. You know, got to do all this stuff for my vision?

Samantha Pruitt:

No, because that's not sustainable. So I have learned the hard way many times too, that for it to be sustainable and we'll talk about that it can't be one person. You know Martin Luther King couldn't every day just be the one standing up in the fight. I mean there needed to be millions of people coming behind this one human and carrying lots of leaders, lots of leaders.

Polly Mertens:

Yeah, it's not just one leader, it's, it's a leader of leaders. You know like, yeah, it takes, it takes a village, okay got it okay, so that's why.

Samantha Pruitt:

That's what. How do you build one? Probably.

Polly Mertens:

I have some ideas I want to hear them because, uh, and they take on different shapes. You know my little, uh, let's call the mission with us as the tony robbins group. That's easy. It's just, you create a. Okay, when are we going to meet and create some? We had little ground rules and you know that's a smaller version. Right, it's a. It's a collective of people that agree to meet. You know, mastermind group, whatever you want to call it. We met at this time. We had these agreements. This is how we structured things. This is who led we shifted those things.

Samantha Pruitt:

It's like, okay, great, off we went and we did. You know, you're the queen, you're the queen of structure. I was like, all right, here's how we're doing it. And we did it. Girl, you are a gsd, yeah, yeah, clear vision and compelling why? Foundational what the hell is a compelling why, by the way, folly? Well, it's a part of the spark, right, it's you know if it's a part of the spark, right, it's.

Polly Mertens:

You know if it's coming from. Something like this can't continue on in my world, right? So the why is you're motivated to continue to adjust something, to transform something into something workable. Something's not workable in the world and we're going to, we're going to make it workable. Or why aren't we doing this Like? Why doesn't this exist? Why? Why do we have six different running clubs and they don't talk or know each other? We could be sharing, you know, something like something bigger could emerge here, or something.

Samantha Pruitt:

Yeah, something is working at a small scale. Imagine if it were at a large scale. Mobilize a team and a community. So you gave perfect examples of that mobilizing that team and I've given examples of that too and then building the community.

Polly Mertens:

And that's where I think people do get involved. Yeah, I think this, you know, and I'm learning this too. So this, with this program that I'm in with landmark, it's about building teams and teamwork and stuff. So, guys, it it it does take some and it's all come. All I want to say is it's all conversations, you know, what role do they want to have? What would light them up? Seeing something for them, helping them see it for themselves and then creating things that that they want to contribute to and get country. You know, like one of the first things I said with my team we had our team meeting you and I and Jen, as you guys are engaged in my game is what do you want to get out of this? Like, what would, what would light you up to get out of this and what would you feel good about contributing?

Polly Mertens:

And that's where, depending on the nature of things, some of these movements can be paid movements. You know, you might, you know, have money to raise for a grant that you're starting something or whatever, but oftentimes they're they're volunteer, right, and so, yes, they are, yeah, and so it's like you had. I mean, you are so good at enrolling volunteers. I remember not even having met you and I was like what is this race slow organization? Everybody's just feels like crazy passionate about contributing to it. So I volunteered one time and I was like y'all are having way too much fun up in here. I am hanging out with y'all again, you know, and that's what you created, you know.

Samantha Pruitt:

It's so important just to double click on one thing you said that the people that you are engaging in for the movement, your team, your community, they need to feel heard, seen and represented as well, like what they are coming to the group or the organization or the movement for is just as important as why you created, and if you don't understand that, they will not stick around. It will not be sustainable. I've tried to join other people's movements many times. I'm happy to facilitate that experience or be part of the solution or whatever the hell offer my gifts, but if you're not seen and heard and really felt and respected, I'm out, most people will be out. It's not sustainable. So that's really important.

Polly Mertens:

And there's just that alignment. You know I'm thinking about people that will contribute at different levels and you have to respect the level that somebody is able to or willing to can contribute at. You know, some people, whatever obligations they have in other directions, they can give x amount to this. I can be there on race day, right, or?

Samantha Pruitt:

exactly like you're. Like, I will be there at 3 am to 10 but 9, but then I gotta go, yeah, and then.

Polly Mertens:

And then there's some people that are like they want to be there for the whole planning thing. They're like we, they're just like so excited to, you know, be in that, stop, well, stop being in the team, like let's get, let's do all the pre-planning thing, whatever like and respect, and but know that you know and so.

Samantha Pruitt:

Know that and ask that. Take meaningful action, make progress.

Polly Mertens:

Build momentum.

Samantha Pruitt:

Okay, don't be like, hey, we're doing this cool thing and then I'll circle back in a couple months. I don't even know what the hell you're talking about. In a couple months, I mean, a whole lifetime has passed by. There's no momentum, the energy isn't there. So it's one thing to have an idea. It's another thing to spark that idea and fuel it into momentum energy.

Polly Mertens:

And I've definitely seen people that their spark maybe you nurture that spark in that person and they're like like I have this client up in Northern California and she's like I want to create an art walk in my town, right? So she shared that with another person in the art world that you know I forget if they own a studio or something like that they got totally lit up by it and she's like making YouTube videos about it and TikTok and you know, and she's like all of a sudden they got the art walks happening and she's making. I was like you really enrolled her in what you're up to.

Samantha Pruitt:

Don't let me forget to circle back. We're doing that in Moab, utah, when we go Okay, copy, how do you sustain a movement, polly? How do you sustain it? We did talk about it a little bit. I would say adapt and evolve. Super important. Like dude hello. If you think you're starting something and you know exactly what's going to happen, it's all going to go this way. And I'm going to. This is, whether it's a business or a movement or even your own, like hey, I'm on a health kick or I'm on to this or whatever, don't get overly attached to it being perfect, it going a certain way, results are mandatory, et cetera, et cetera. Those are all limiting beliefs.

Polly Mertens:

The more people it touches, the more flexibility yet clarity you need to have. So, for example, with our Tony Robbins circle, we're calling that a movement. The structure and the consistency was what held that in place. We had a commitment to that thing and we agreed on those ground rules. If you will, we will meet twice a month for this many hours and we'll do this and and we were we got value out of it too.

Polly Mertens:

That's huge, Right, so I don't know your world, but, like, how I spend my time, there's value, right, so how I, if I spend time with people, the group or whatever, like it's an exchange, right, so I contribute and I'm contributed to, and that exchange was positive. So we continue to nurture and do well with that. I was just thinking the larger groups. You know hundreds to thousands of people that you may have that one structure that we created. Not all thousand people are going to be able to fit into that one structure. Right, that worked for eight or 10 of us. Right, if you have something that's more bigger, you might need to pod it out into smaller, little.

Samantha Pruitt:

Well, with your come alive movement, this is going to have to have many shapes and forms. It's going to have to have different levels. For sure you got to meet people where they're at. Yeah, Some people might come into a tiny pod and they might thrive there and eventually move into a bigger experience. And some just might not. And that is totally fine. No, no, no judgment at all. Just might not, and that is totally fine. No, no, no judgment at all. How do you develop leaders so you're not the lone warrior out there trying to keep this mission alive? Ooh, that's exhausting.

Polly Mertens:

Dang Well, you're great at this. So how did you do? I mean, like I saw, I've been in your leadership meetings where people were, you know we're plotting out the race or the thing, or even I've been, you know, a mission called Samantha's going to run the Moab 240, wasn't it? You know that was a mission that you enrolled us in and we're like, okay, this is kind of crazy, you know, but like we had our little meeting, small albeit, or whatever, but it was like you had enough clarity and you like empowered us to like, okay, you need to do that and this and that. And it was like, holy shit, what are we doing here, you know?

Samantha Pruitt:

but so tell me how you did it inside of your it really has to and can only come from foundational, you know, connection and relationship if I don't have relatedness to you and connections to you and real like I've invested in this. You've invested in me and not going to happen.

Samantha Pruitt:

It's just not. Let's just be realistic. It's very it's impossible to do it with strangers. Um, that's why, if you want to scale it so like taking something small race law is a good example of that and scaling it right it was imperative to build those foundational connections very deep, deep roots, right, like I'm all in on building those relationships at a deep level, which is a big investment in all parties, right, and then building off of those.

Samantha Pruitt:

So, once you've entrusted your team we call it the A-team right. So you've got your leadership team. If you will, and you're building this right now, we've come alive. You then have to, and you've invested and you've made that. You have to then entrust them to move forward and make connections on your behalf, on behalf of the movement, right. So now I have these seven run clubs, I am entrusting and staying connected to them and giving them support, whatever capacity they need to move forward in the movement in their own community. I mean, some of them are an hour this way, an hour and a half this way. They're not like, I don't see these people every day, right, but these beautiful humans are on fire for the movement that we have, you know, created together and they will move forward and facilitate that process in their own way, in their own voice, in their own, you know.

Polly Mertens:

And I think there's got to be some touches, you know, not just like you to them, kind of thing like creating those leaders, but they have to come back together. You know, like it can't be this like oh, see you next year?

Samantha Pruitt:

No, I'm saying quarterly for that group Cause we're pretty busy and spread out. But in some instances, when the Tony Robbins, was it once a month? Was it how often? Twice a month, damn. So it can look like anything. It can be once a week, twice a month, whatever that needs to look like.

Polly Mertens:

And it's situational. You know, for the Tony Robbins we were doing, it was like you know. So for me particularly, I signed up for a bunch of his programs and they would happen maybe every four months or five months or whatever the frequency was. The frequency was and I was like so one thing I know about personal development, having done a lot of this work over decades, is um, you, you go to a weekend, you go to a week, you do something transformational, right, you get a bump up, yeah, you get a bump up in growth, in your mindset, the people you're around you're like holy crap, something new is possible, right, I'd love to say that you just stay there, but we tend to regress, right, and so if you regress by not having a sustained group around you or something, you can regress and then you go back, you know, in four or five months, to that next thing and you grow more. But you don't.

Polly Mertens:

But if I but I knew from, like I said, doing this for decades is if I grew and I had a sustained group that could, we could keep, you know, keep those lessons and the distinctions and the things that we learned, like that's why I'm in this year long program is like you know, I did a couple of courses in March of 2025. I have a year of these people around me. We're constantly, you know. So it's not I have no regression.

Polly Mertens:

And then I did two weeks ago I did coaching at another event grew even more, and so I have a new level, new levels of distinctions that I'm maintaining that and you know the circle around me, and so it depends on the nature of what your movement or what you're doing, right? So is it a thing that you can like tap into and you just want a little inspiration for running once a week, or is it like something you're deeply passionate about and you want to get up to something like, maybe you guys are talking more frequently, right, or you're meeting, but don't just let these. It's not just going to happen by itself. It's not just like, oh great, we had this really wrong, wrong, wrong weekend or moment together at your REI event and then it just goes quiet now.

Samantha Pruitt:

Yeah, because the struggle is real. I mean for real. Like you go back into the real world. Let's just pretend that these are little transformational bubble opportunities for growth, right? Like you just go into the little bubble and you're like we and then you leave that and you go out into your everyday world, back to your old things or whatever this does. The sustainability element is going to be incredibly challenging if you do not do this with support.

Polly Mertens:

Right.

Samantha Pruitt:

And so what I love that you touched upon that was really important is surrounding yourself with those people on a regular basis, holding accountability to one another. With that accountability comes a tremendous amount of respect, compassion, communication. You know all of the healthy things.

Polly Mertens:

I see you.

Samantha Pruitt:

Yeah, compassion, communication, you know all of the healthy things. I see you, yeah, yeah, not, not in a military you know degrading way, like that's so toxic there. I do see those spaces quite frequently and I'm not a fan at all. So, creating that and then developing some momentum, because we're all going to have good days, weeks, months, etc. Life is going to continue to happen around us. But how are you going to really level up the game here and go to the next level if you don't keep pouring fuel on that fire, on that bonfire?

Polly Mertens:

You know what this reminded me of.

Polly Mertens:

So I was recently re-engaged, so I played volleyball a lot, a lot college into my 40s and, uh, I was recently re-engaged with the local university, cal Poly's university volleyball team, right, and what you just said reminded me of something.

Polly Mertens:

So, if you think about the amount of training, so, like, think of any sport has a pre-season right. You have this get in shape period where the team is training together for something like whether it's weeks or months, to have their first tournament, tournament, event, transformational, whatever. So they go to that thing and they play real hard and they, you know, win, lose whatever, learn. Then they come back to their team and they're practicing and practicing, and practicing and then they have the next tournament, right, whatever, weeks, you know. And so the growth path of a athlete, let's say a university athlete over a year of being on a team, going to tournaments, practicing with the team, workouts, working with their coach, like the growth is noticeable, right, and I think we get out into our life in the world and we we lose track of that model we forget that model works, you know.

Polly Mertens:

So, like for me when I did this. So this is a communication course. It's called a team development but it's about practicing the, the communication skills right that they teach in these programs through a team model. Long story, but anyway. So it's like my study, my mastery over a year of you know we get together five weekends a year. Right, we talk about what were the distinctions, break it Like last night I was getting coaching from this someone who's in the second year of this program and she's like what about this? And I'm just sitting there going so much training and development. You know it's like, yeah, it's just, you know, constantly having amazing listening and eyes and it's about communication, someone listening for me like a coach, if I was on the volleyball court seeing me swing or hit or bounce a ball or pass a ball or whatever.

Samantha Pruitt:

Right, dude, we do this in business coaching all the time. I thought of two different scenarios while you were explaining this that in a business setting. And so right now, you and I are about to work on a business project together that I've been part of for five years. Right, so the progress and the development and the transformation has been unreal, but we're a little bit of a stagnant place and we need to facilitate some growth and movement for this business and these business owners. Right, so we're going to change. We're going to change the game. Right, we're going to, out of respect, take all of the knowledge, wisdom and experience we just spent developing and be like, ok, what's working, what's no longer working, we are going to break a freaking ceiling. It's time for us to bust through the ceiling. Same with right now.

Samantha Pruitt:

I'm thinking of also in comparison on the physical athletic side. You know, I've got this athlete who is now an adaptive athlete, has come down with a disease, still wants to compete in CrossFit, and so we're building a plan for the next year for this human to show the hell up at the frigging adaptive CrossFit games, and I'm not just talking about show up and participate, we are talking about winning their division Like this is a real thing for an older female to have this opportunity. And so there's a you know again, it's a layered approach of how are we going to do this Right, how are we going to build upon the knowledge base, the experience, what we know to be true today? But it's, the rules of the game have changed right, so we need to adapt to that and rise to fricking, meet that, and not just meet that, but crush that shit.

Polly Mertens:

So it's a vision. You know, starting with the vision is like something either vision. Yeah, Something was either you know your business that you're talking about it's like it's not where we want it to be, Like you know, like the. It's almost like the moving away from. Like we could do better Right, Like we know that more is possible.

Samantha Pruitt:

We've still got the compelling vision out there, for in both of these instances, or all three of these instances, the vision is still there. It's just the path is changing. We're having to navigate this differently than we would have done a year ago, six months ago even.

Polly Mertens:

Yeah, and so I think with your movement, it's like you have something sparks you, whether it's disdain for how it is or how it's been, or inspiration for where you want to go, and you're just lit up by. You know, oh, I want to do that thing, fueled up or fed up, fueled up or fed up.

Samantha Pruitt:

Everybody listening is either fueled up about something I mean sorry, fired up about something or fed up about something. Fired up or fed up?

Polly Mertens:

Yeah, and so get in action. Get some people around. You start having conversation, even if it you know what, even just sharing it with a couple of people, and you know who to share it with and who not to share it with. You know there's people that you know aren't going to have any listening for your dreams and things that you want to create in the world. So share it with those that do. And if you don't have those people, that's step one. Okay, get those people out of your life. Like like, like I have no people in my life that if I shared something with them, they're like why would you do that?

Samantha Pruitt:

Sounds so dangerous, sounds so risky.

Polly Mertens:

Why would you do something more than you're?

Samantha Pruitt:

So hit the eject button. Okay, before we close this, how do you join one? Maybe you don't want to start one Totally. You don't want to join one Hells to the yes people. First of all, join us. You're about to put out into the world an opportunity to join the Come Alive movement, so you know you can follow us, join what we're up to. We've got opportunities.

Polly Mertens:

Yeah.

Samantha Pruitt:

I would say a few things Research what's going on around you if you want to do these things in person which I am a big fan of Reflect and align with your values. So once you're doing research, you should have clarity first before you go looking to join. What are my values? What am I looking to accomplish? What kind of impact am I looking to have? Like, have some reflection and clarity there, create some goals for yourself right Around that impact, around that mission, and then volunteer and show the hell up, get up to something.

Samantha Pruitt:

Yeah.

Polly Mertens:

And don't expect it to be easy, convenient, it's like.

Samantha Pruitt:

It might not even be the right fit the first time.

Polly Mertens:

Yeah, and you know, just for gosh sakes, allow yourself to be contributed to. You know, one of the things inside of this teamwork program that we do there's opportunities to let's call it volunteer, like, oh, take on a leadership role in this or do that or whatever. And I see people who sit on the sidelines because they're like, well, that just looks like a lot of responsibility or oh, that's going to take all this time. And I'm sorry, but after I started leaning in and stepping up the, so I did that coaching two weeks ago for this program and I was like, oh, I'm going to do this for my team and I'm going to contribute and be a great coach and you know, help the people that are taking these classes out and stuff. Girl, I got so much out of it. Like like a, when you have to get to the level where you're coaching someone else in something, so like I'm turning around now and sharing and coaching people and the things that I learned back in March, you better believe like I've been practicing and you know, in my own communication, knowing, oh, okay, and being able to see things and spot it, like I'm like and so like it's teaching me back in my own listening. I know this stuff. Like, oh my God, I have. I have learned a lot, I have come a long way, I can now see it in them and I don't do that anymore, right, like I did that six months ago. I can see it clearly when someone's doing it and I'm not doing it any longer Like, oh, so you have no idea. When you raise your hand, step in, lean in, do something, how you're going to be contributing, you think, oh, I'm going to show up, like the amount of joy I.

Polly Mertens:

Okay, here's, here's another little anecdote moment. So I was volunteering at your race there was a marathon in slow and got there early in the morning and I can't remember exactly what. Okay, so here's what I remember is I went to the race first thing in the morning. Every so little goofy, nervous, you know, just like that, like pre-race start energy or whatever. And as a volunteer, like it feels so good to just hold space for those people to just be sort of running around, got to pee, forgot their. And, as a volunteer, like it feels so good to just hold space for those people to just be sort of running around, got to pee, forgot their thing. You know, just like the calming space for them, to be like what happens right before, and then they go right. And, as I reflected, as I drove away after that morning, you know, pre sunrise, I think I got there like 4am or whatever the hell time was.

Polly Mertens:

I'm sure you did, right, you know. And then we did this thing and then I'm driving away hours later just so full up. I went home. I was like I got to get back in that race energy. I forget what I did. I went home and I signed up for something.

Polly Mertens:

I signed for something. I was like you know that race energy that they had. I was on the sidelines watching them and I wanted that for myself and that got me into something. I don't remember what I did out of that, but that's where I just was going there to contribute and I got so contributed to.

Samantha Pruitt:

I want to touch on one little sensitive subject that many times, what I see and bear witness to or hear from other people is you know, I can't really make a difference or we can't really have impact. Oh, hell, no. First of all, you told the wrong person that, but besides that, it is the biggest line of bullshit that a human can convince themselves of. First of all, it's there's nothing true about it at all. Everything changes. Change is the most thing. Impermanence is the biggest truth there is, and the only way things will become different you, your circumstances, your life, your community, wherever these things are firing you up or feet you're fed up about is by creating movement, is by creating movement energy towards the shift and whose job is it?

Polly Mertens:

if it's not yours, yeah, what?

Polly Mertens:

And I think people forget how, when they take themselves somewhere and they're with another human being, they're already a contribution or something like my, my, I had this coaching buddy for this last program that I did and I would say something that just felt so small to me and she's like, wow, that really contributed to me and I was like I didn't know that that would contribute so much to something you know and we lose track of because we don't often hear it.

Polly Mertens:

People aren't as great at vocalizing that I'm in a communication course, so, yeah, no, this person's very great at vocalizing that I'm in a communication course, so this person's very good at vocalizing things like that. So I'm blessed to have heard that back. But you just bringing you to wherever you go that you're lit up about, you're going to make a positive impact somehow. Right, like if that's something that moves your heart in whatever way. If you're licking stamps to send out mailers for something, if're holding a sign for something, if you're like me like just holding space and putting filling toilet papers in the restrooms at the race start.

Polly Mertens:

It was like it's a little thing that I could do, but those people, that was important, you know. Whatever, it is right, exactly good stuff. What's our one thing? What are, what do we? How do we summarize all this? What's our one thing? What are, what are we? How do we summarize all this? What is the one thing?

Samantha Pruitt:

The one thing for me is just start Like don't overthink it, don't overanalyze, don't naysay to yourself or others, you know, don't create the unworthiness, you know cycle and powerlessness, cycle. Like don't just begin today.

Polly Mertens:

And I think I would echo that by saying, like today, like, emphasize that, the, the, when you have something that sparks you, what happens is you oh, I'll get to that.

Polly Mertens:

And then we wane right, and then we pick it up again, cause we're reminded like that's fricking important to me and the regret or the lost time or the loss of impact that we're having in our life being contributed to or contributing it's because we've, you know, made other things a priority and it's like no, if this moves you to something, get away from, you know, get out of something you're fed up with or get inspired to lean towards and you're fired up about, just do it, Take a little action.

Polly Mertens:

You know, don't have to make it perfect, you don't have to be the leader, sure, but like, get in action, raise your hand, look up something, volunteer, whatever, and just see where it takes. You see where it takes you, yeah, start the movement and conversations, I would say, and sharing it with your friends and family. You know, if there's something that you can't not contribute to the world, just telling people that you care about, just so that they have listening for you, so that they're like oh, that's, that's important. You know like I'm sharing about this trek I want to do in nepal. It's like people know okay, polly's going to nepal, she wants to do these tea house treks.

Samantha Pruitt:

okay, like I'm just'm just putting it out into the world. Now we're going to deluge you with information about Nepal and all the things, and I'm going to get you what, what, what pack and equipment do you need? Start going.

Polly Mertens:

And it's beautiful. It's like when I started Ironman I was like, oh, the people that were out there to support me and came around, you know for this and that. And oh, I heard you're doing Ironman, whatever right. So now I'm like I'm going into Paul Okay, I've never been to Nepal. Okay, what the book you know? And just having that out in the world and listening for people like whatever your movement is my come alive as I begin to share that and formulate that it's like people have a listening for that for me.

Samantha Pruitt:

And come alive is. You should close with that. What is? Come alive, Polly.

Polly Mertens:

Well, come alive is. You should close with that. What is it? Come alive, well, come alive is a growing community. It is. It's going to be an online community. It's going to be in-person community events portal, if you will. It's about bringing people together, like I said, that are lit up by something that they've been putting off and they're not willing to and and something has stopped them in the past some something, some thoughts, some oh, I can't some consideration, whatever it is, and they're no longer willing to put that off. And then having it in community, having it with other people, having. You know my years of transforming from not doing something doing something. You know, not going on. You know in my RV and then going in my RV for the first 90 days, or going international. Or you know in my RV and then going in my RV for the first 90 days, or going international. Or you know stepping out and starting a business right, whatever it is, it's having that community.

Samantha Pruitt:

Support resources connectivity and energy.

Polly Mertens:

Basically it's a place to come to eat. Yeah Right, yeah, feed yourself. It's like oh, these people are like me, they see the world the way I do. They're not willing to have this be their life anymore. It's like and it creates a context for people to have shared sense of values, like that Tony Robbins group, right, it's like these people were like-minded. Like me. We want to grow ourselves. We thought the material from Tony Robbins was, you know, great for our personal development and we surrounded ourselves with other people that thought like that and we brought it into our life. And then we came back together and, you know, we'd have moments of breakdowns and then breakthroughs and go back into life, you know. And so this is a circle that you come to, where you get fed and nourished, and that that aliveness inside of you is allowed to breathe into your life. It's like okay, great, I can do this. It's no longer about God. I wish I could. It's when? When is this coming about?

Samantha Pruitt:

It's coming about you know I'm laughing because I just got a visual of it being an oxygen bar, Like how's the thing? Anywhere, You're literally coming for oxygen.

Polly Mertens:

Yeah, yeah, because then you go back into your life and you're like, all right, this is happening. I'm like, not just you know life as the same and living with that regret or that shoulda, woulda, coulda, I wish someday. It's like, no, I'm in a community that I'm seeing somebody doing something unusual, somebody's created their possibility, and then they did it, oh my gosh, and they can do it, can do it right. And so we feed off of each other, of this sense of impossibility, becomes possible, and then it becomes probable, and then it's done right, and then, if you can do that thing that had stopped you in the past, what else could you get up to? What else that you would like to come alive, you know, and I find that once you take those first steps, you come alive by that, like even just getting in the motion of it.

Polly Mertens:

Right, let's say, this nepal trip was something that somebody else had on their bucket list. Never done it, whatever. And it's like, oh, I wish I could really do that, but x, whatever, can't take two weeks off, work three weeks, my family, whatever. Yeah, once you do that one thing, you're like what the hell else have I been putting off? And you're not willing to.

Samantha Pruitt:

Yeah, and look out, you're just going to catch on fire.

Polly Mertens:

All of it Come alive in all areas.

Samantha Pruitt:

When is this going to be happening? When are we going to learn more about this?

Polly Mertens:

Well, come alive, is coming alive this summer, right? So I'm building it right now. So this recording is in July, so it will be live this month, oh yeah.

Samantha Pruitt:

I see.

Polly Mertens:

Nepal is the fall of 2025. So dates to be determined, but if you're interested in it, come join me. Come join me, I love it. I love it.

Samantha Pruitt:

All right. Well, let's close this thing out. All right, lady. What do you want to do? Let people go on with their movement.

Polly Mertens:

Get into it. So what is one thing that you got out of this that you can't quite inside of yourself? There is something that you listen to, this to this point. What is that thing? What is the one thing that you can do about it? Just one thing Make a phone call, share it with somebody, like, oh, I listen to this podcast and it reminded me of this thing that I really have been wanting to do Share that, talk to them about it Today, today, today.

Samantha Pruitt:

All right, why? Because how your life feels is more important than how it looks.

Polly Mertens:

Yes, and every day is your opportunity to find your awesome.

People on this episode

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Polly Mertens

Co-host
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Samantha Pruitt

Co-host