From Endurance to Entrepreneurship: How Amie Dworecki Rebuilt a Global Wellness Business

As a teenager, Amie Dworecki was a health and fitness enthusiast, serving as a personal trainer and fitness instructor and finding joy in accelerating others’ wellness journeys. When navigating adulthood, Dworecki explored several time-intensive corporate roles across the tech, business and media industries. After her father passed away, she was determined to “look back at life as having been an adventure instead of a grind,” and returned to wellness as a focus of her professional life. She sold her house and belongings to embark on a cross-country fitness journey. Although she couldn’t have known it at the time, Dworecki’s running tour was to become a globally recognized accomplishment. She broke three records for completing marathons across all seven continents, including races in Antarctica and the Sahara Desert, an achievement confirmed by Guinness World Records.

Upon returning from her international running pursuits, Dworecki wanted to continue assisting others in their athletic journeys; specifically, she sought to offer advice to middle-aged women struggling to prioritize wellness while juggling work and family responsibilities. Dworecki understood women’s bodies change as they age; she sought to support her clients’ physical performance, as well as their mental health.

“I had my most successes as a runner after turning 40, a time in life when women start to be devalued by society and told that they need to be small,” she said. “It’s challenging to attempt one of the most demanding athletic feats during this time of your life, and I enjoy helping other women pursue that sense of accomplishment.”

As Dworecki continued offering services as a personal trainer, she recognized the fitness landscape was undergoing drastic changes. Innovation—smartwatches that track post-run recovery, for example—was shifting the way people approached fitness. The evolution of technology also offered athletes a new support system: online coaching. In 2015, Dowrecki founded and managed a Facebook group that encouraged members to stay healthy and reach their fitness goals. Proud of the rapid growth of her online community, she realized she could pursue a certified career in virtual running and health coaching. By the end of 2016, she officially launched her health coaching business, Running with Life.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dworecki was positioned to help isolated individuals prioritize their health. Although online engagement was new to many, Dworecki had substantial experience as an online health coach. Business may have declined for local gyms and trainers, but Dworecki was situated to gain clients rather than lose them during the economic downturn. 

“Online coaching had been evolving for years. Before the pandemic, not many people knew about it and thought it was strange. The pandemic moved everything online, and people became more familiar with digital platforms. Online coaching has become more competitive, but it has allowed me to lean into my specialty, which more people are searching for.”

Although Dworecki’s business grew during the global outbreak, a personal situation disrupted that success. A violent personal attack created emotional hardship. Dworecki was subsequently forced to move away from a larger city to South Bend, where overall awareness and interest in her services were much lower.  As she recovered both mentally and physically, her business suffered; the clients she had secured sought fitness coaching elsewhere. Dworecki was then faced with a new challenge: How could she sell her services in a city with less demand, combined with the realities of an increasingly crowded online marketplace?

In 2022, Dworecki enrolled in the South Bend Entrepreneurship and Adversity Program (SBEAP) to relaunch Running with Life. SBEAP, an 11-month boot camp that educates disadvantaged entrepreneurs on venture development, taught her more than basic business principles. Through SBEAP,  a discouraged Dworecki received reassurance about the state of her business.

“Being an online entrepreneur can be lonely. When I enrolled in SBEAP, I was at a point in my life where I was personally struggling. Dr. Michael Morris, the program director, said ‘You will be successful with your business, you're just dealing with more than other people. It may take you more time, but you will get there.’”

Although she still struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Dworecki has developed Running with Life into a profitable venture. Her team has expanded to include other fitness coaches, including a nutritionist. Dworecki says she measures success not by profit but by her personal impact with her clients.

“I feel like I'm having a focused impact on more people’s lives. That's important to me. Recently, I was the keynote speaker at a corporate event for more than 600 people. When you think about the positive message that you [delivered] to that number of people, it’s meaningful.”

As she continues to expand her business, Dworecki hopes to continue positively influencing individuals across the globe. In the future, she is considering writing a book or starting a podcast to reach more individuals during their holistic fitness journeys.