The Courage to Quit with Lindsay Crouse

What if quitting was courageous? In this episode, I sit down with Lindsay Crouse, a former New York Times journalist and producer who spent 15 years at the Times, where she worked in Opinion and helped commission hundreds of short documentaries for Op-Docs. As an endurance athlete herself, Lindsay also became known for telling powerful stories about female athletes, pregnancy, sponsorship, and the hidden challenges women face in sport. Now, Lindsay has written a book about quitting. We talk about why our culture celebrates pushing through at all costs, how perseverance can become a trap, and why quitting can sometimes be the wiser, braver, more values-aligned choice. Lindsay shares what led her to leave the Times, how motherhood changed her relationship with work and running, and why so many women in midlife start asking whether the lives they built in their twenties still fit who they are now. I also share a story I haven’t really talked about before: the moment I decided to quit chasing sponsorships after pregnancy, even though I was still winning races. I had overcome so much, but the cycle of overdelivering, being unseen, and trying to prove my worth had become damaging to my mental health. Someone called it “positive quitting,” and that phrase has stayed with me. This episode is for anyone who has been taught to never give up, but is starting to wonder whether continuing is actually helping or hurting. It’s about identity, motherhood, sport, learned helplessness, hope, sunk costs, fear, and the freedom that can come when we stop forcing ourselves to stay on a path we’ve outgrown. **Top 5 Takeaways** 1. Quitting is not always failure: Sometimes quitting is the choice that allows us to preserve our energy, integrity, health, and future possibility. 2. Perseverance can become passive: Continuing is also a choice, even when it feels like the default. 3. Identity can keep us stuck: When we are known for something, it can feel terrifying to let it go, even if it no longer fits. 4. Women often feel pressure to “hold up the sky”: In sport, work, motherhood, and life, quitting can feel like confirming someone else’s bias instead of honoring our own truth. 5. Hope can be complicated: Optimism and hard work can keep us locked into paths where we no longer have real control or momentum. **LINKS** - Learn more about Lindsay Crouse - Follow Lindsay on Instagram - Read The Case for Quitting: The Surprising Benefits of Opting Out - Listen to What It Really Means to Matter - Listen to Hope Is the Strategy: Burnout, Mattering, and Meaningful Work with Jen Fisher \-------------- The Grow the Good Podcast is produced by Palm Tree Pod Co.