From One Facebook Post to a Global Movement: Lessons from a Decade of Building a Community-Driven Business

Ten years ago, I was recovering from major back surgery, struggling with postnatal depression, and feeling like I would never be active again. The idea of putting on a pair of trainers and going for a run seemed utterly impossible. My daughter was four, my son ten months old, and so my life was consumed by the joys and challenges of new motherhood.

But everything changed with an innocent post on Facebook, asking if anyone was up for being a running buddy. This Woman Runs—previously called This Mum Runs—wasn’t even an idea yet, just a vague feeling that maybe I could make a positive change in my own life if only I could find someone time poor and unfit enough to join me. Little did I know, that simple question would spark a movement that would change the landscape for women in running (oh, and my life).

Fast forward to today, and we have built communities in 80+ towns and cities around the world, trained more than 2,000 volunteers and deliver 8,000+ free runs for women every year; we've designed a coaching App, built a community App, launched a podcast and created a range of by women for women designed kit. And that's just the half of it.

On a personal level, I've gone from the couch to being a qualified running coach and a regular trail and canicross runner; I've navigated the menopause, next year I’ll be running a 50-mile race - and my son will start secondary school! SO much has changed since that first post—not just for me, but for the tens of thousands of women we’ve empowered to believe in themselves and take that first step.

Over the past decade, running culture has also undergone a massive shift. Back then, there were very few running communities. You either joined a traditional running club or ran alone. Exercise wasn’t about connection or friendship; it was only really about pace and competition. It still is to a certain extent, although we're working on it!

But since then, there’s been an explosion of new running communities—like GoodGym, Run Dem Crew, and Black Trail Runners—focused on friendship, connection, and simply moving together. This shift is about creating space for everyone, regardless of pace or experience, to run for the joy of it, not just the PBs - and honestly, it's been a joy to watch. I believe there's enough space for a million communities if it means everyone can find the space that is meaningful to them (although a more cohesive approach to funding and scaling communities would = more impact, but that's a story for another day).

Technology has played a big part in our journey. Ten years ago, I pretty much only used Facebook to buy and sell kids clothes - but it quite quickly became the backbone of our early growth. By 2018, Facebook Groups were seeing unprecedented levels of investment, and we received funding and world class community leadership training directly from Facebook HQ that were a genuine game-changer; I flew over to San Francisco with the world's best community leaders, and together we learned the craft of building a meaningful and sustainable community (and staying vaguely sane). I was later recognised as amongst the Top 16 most impactful community leaders in the world - considering I had to google "setting up a Facebook group" when we first started, this was a pretty insane trajectory!

Now of course, there’s a wealth of platforms and apps supporting people to stay active and connected in ways we couldn’t have imagined back then. Earlier this year, we kicked off a move to our new community App designed with meaningful connection at its core, to ensure we’re ready for the next phase - not a move we took lightly. AI might change the landscape again, but community will always be at the heart of what we do.

The journey hasn’t been smooth sailing, though. COVID-19 brought the world, including running, to a standstill and redefined how we connect - forcing us to innovate and double down on the importance of community. Brexit created even more uncertainty, and running a small business through those years (alongside home-schooling IYKYK) took every single ounce of creativity and resilience. We’ve raised investment, signed partnership deals, run a shop, licensed our brand, and taken the shop back - and learned over and over again that there’s no silver bullet for success, just grit, passion, and the willingness to keep going when things get tough.

If I'm really honest about it, running a business has been a total rollercoaster! I came into this with no experience in entrepreneurship—building everything from scratch, from the vision and structure to the team and strategy; everything from designing our brand to the on and offline experiences we create - learning as we go. I've learned that leadership isn’t about having all the answers, but about being willing to figure it out as you go. Navigating challenges, motivating a team, and adapting to a changing world have been some of the toughest yet most rewarding lessons.

The lessons have been endless and sometimes hard-won, but the one thing I know for sure is that networks and support are everything. From friends and family, to people who have stepped up to offer help and expertise (more on that later), and of course the incredible community of women who believe in what we’re building, I couldn’t have done any of this alone. Whether it’s advice, practical help, or just someone to listen on a tough day, having people in your corner makes all the difference.

Despite the challenges, there has also been so much to celebrate along the way. Being named a Sunday Times Maserati Top 100 Disrupter Brand, winning Women’s Running Magazine’s Influencer of the Year, and the Women’s Sports Trust Gamechanger Award have all been significant milestones.

But what has mattered most to me over the past decade has been the stories. The uplifting, inspiring yet sometimes tough to hear stories we hear every day from women whose lives have been changed forever through running and our community.

Like Sarah, who broke her back two weeks before the London Marathon and thought she’d never run again. The community rallied, pulling together an event where we ran a marathon one mile at a time to show her our love and support. Next year, Sarah will finally run in London herself—and we will all be there cheering her on loudly!

Or Rachel, who having done no exercise for years joined a Run30 coaching group two years ago - and is now training for an ultra event with her sister. She recently trained as a Run Angel volunteer to support others on their journey too.

There’s Becky, who completed Run30 and Run60 years ago and has been regularly volunteering, but life as a Mum and business owner has got in the way—so she recently went back to the start of Run30, completed it again and just last week enjoyed a five-mile run in the Bristol sunshine. Seeing her update just really made me smile!

And Caroline, who joined a virtual Run30 group during COVID and went on to set up her own thriving TWR community in Northampton. To them she is, "The Boss".

Then there are the quieter moments—the volunteers in Muswell Hill, Camborne, Peasedown, or Keynsham, who simply show up week in and week out, supporting each other and building something extraordinary. Whenever I think "this is too hard", these stories remind me why our work matters.

And on a personal note, the most rewarding part of all this has been going on this journey as my kids grow up. It’s been a privilege to show them the value of hard work, kindness, and doing things that matter. They’ve seen me overcome setbacks, (try to) prioritise self-care, and keep showing up. They've packed parcels, sat on market stalls and waited at finish lines; listened to me practising pitches a million times over and still not get it right. They know it's not always glamorous, and sometimes they roll their eyes when someone stops me in the street to say they’ve joined This Woman Runs, but I know they’re proud, and that’s everything.

As we head into the next decade, I’m excited about what’s to come. This year, we’ve launched a new brand, a new platform, and a podcast to share more of the stories that inspire us. There’s still so much work to do, but there’s also so much to celebrate.

This is just the first blog in a series of personal reflections from the past ten years and what I’ve learned along the way. I hope you’ll join me for the next chapter.

Mel x