EPISODE · Aug 21, 2025 · 48 MIN
Breaking Barriers, through Music and Trail Running: Miki Sawada
from EARTHMOVERS, with Alison Mariella Désir, Stefanie Flippin, Verna NezBegay Volker · host Stefanie Flippin
Miki Sawada is an ultra trail runner and professional pianist who focuses on bringing classical music to community spaces through her nonprofit Gather Hear. Sawada is Japanese, and she’s been living in the US for the past two decades. She calls the Boston area home.Sawada was chosen as one of the two recipients for the 2025 GU Energy Labs’s Diversity Initiative. In this episode, Sawada talks to EARTHMOVERS host Stefanie Flippin, who is also her coach. In addition, Flippin is a sponsored athlete with GU and helps oversee the Diversity Initiative Sawada was chosen for. Sawada discusses her upbringing and the different cultures she’s grown up in, and what led her to becoming a professional musician. Sawada also gets into her experiences on the trail: why she runs in outdoor spaces and why she applied to be a part of the Diversity Initiative through GU. For Sawada, inclusivity work is core to her drive–in the world of classical music and now in trail running. EARTHMOVERS on Instagram: @EARTHMOVERSpodcastOur Season 1 Presenting SponsorThank you to our presenting sponsor ALTRA. Find them at ALTRArunning.comFrom this EpisodeMiki Sawada on Instagram: @mikiponyGather Hear: gatherhear.comEARTHMOVERS HostsVerna NezBegay Volker: Runner, mother, community builder, public speaker, and racial equity activist from the Navajo Nation, Volker is the founder of Native Women Run, an organization that began as a virtual community and is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. @hozhorunner4Alison Mariella Désir: Runner, mountain climber, mother, community builder, and racial equity activist, Désir is the author of the groundbreaking book Running While Black and the host of the award winning PBS TV show Out and Back with Alison Mariella Désir. @alisonmdesirStefanie Flippin: Professional ultra trail runner, running coach, podcaster, writer, racial equity activist, and a foot and ankle surgeon, Flippin is the 2021 USATF 100-mile road champion and course record holder, and she’s the 6th fastest all-time American woman at the 100-mile distance. @stefanieannflippin
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What this episode covers
Ultra trail runner and professional musician Miki Sawada sits down with EARTHMOVERS host Stefanie Flippin. They discuss Sawada's life as a traveling pianist, bringing classical music to broader audiences through her nonprofit Gather Hear. They also talk about trail running, both the beauty and serenity of the sport, as well as the lack of diversity, the impact that's had on their experiences, and their shared interests in making change.
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Breaking Barriers, through Music and Trail Running: Miki Sawada
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