Iris Nafshi
Dr. Iris Nafshi — PhD in Human Organizational Development; researcher on "IronMoms" (mothers training for Ironman while managing work, family, and identity); leadership development and organizational consultant.
3
APPEARANCES
3
PODCASTS
Jun 16, 2026
Iris NafshiGUEST
We're talking at the build phase, you're going on an eight mi- eight hours bike ride, 100 miles, and then you do a brick, what's called, immediately after you run.
Iris NafshiGUEST
So you're not home for a good 10 hours, and then when you get home and the kids ask you to go get ice cream, you literally cannot move, unless maybe you're 35 and energetic.
Iris NafshiGUEST
At 50-something, you cannot move, and then the next day they say, "Oh, can we go tomorrow?" And you're like, "No, I have a long run.
Iris NafshiGUEST
[laughs] I have 18 miles to run." And so, now, does it take your entire year? Absolutely not, but does it take your summer? You know, two months of your summer? Absolutely.
Iris NafshiGUEST
So I was guilt-ridden about that, but I was also guilt-ridden about taking all the resources, you know, for family vacation and going on my own.
Unknown podcast
Did a Full Ironman at 51: Dr Iris Nafshi on Athletic Identity, Mom Guilt, and the SHERO Framework | #165
Jun 16 · 54m
Iris NafshiGUEST
This is something really interesting that maybe we'll touch on today, because I have my own podcast where I interview mother in endurance sport.
Iris NafshiGUEST
And we don't talk about the how, when do you wake up, how do you prep the meals.
Iris NafshiGUEST
It's how do you, what is your mindset to be able to, to do all that? And, um, one of the things that, um, I, I'm noticing is that there's two almost personas of mothers.
9 MINS LATER
Iris NafshiGUEST
This is going to be a multi-layered answer, so stop me and ask questions if I'm, if you feel that I'm confusing you or the audience.
Iris NafshiGUEST
I'm going to start by-Statement to say, I'm not in the business of comparing men versus women, who got it harder, moms in IRONMAN versus women who don't have kids, who's got it harder.
Iris NafshiGUEST
I'll also say that there's no book about iron moms, but there is a book about iron dads, and in that book, written by Diana Cohen, who, who is an IRONMAN herself, but she's not a mom.
18 MINS LATER