Community Highlights: Meet Danielle Southern of Southern Running Collective

Today we’d like to introduce you to Danielle Southern.

Hi Danielle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a dietitian for the past eight years, partially because I’ve always loved how food connects people. In my private practice Southern Nutrition, I help adults who feel stuck in the cycle of dieting, food guilt, and body image frustration find a peaceful and sustainable relationship with food and movement.

Running has also played a large role in my background. I’ve been running since 2012, and I’ve slowed down over the years. In my nutrition work and the running community, people will often say “I need to lose weight before I can be a runner,” or “I don’t like a real runner.” Anyone can be a runner, and I somehow wanted to highlight middle and back of the pack runners and walkers, as well as the amazing organizations in Metro Atlanta that support these runners.

In 2025, I launched Southern Running Collective, a community for slower runners who want to gain confidence in distance running through local resources and race training cohorts. SRC is a mix of virtual and in-person events, and I can’t wait for it to grow!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. While I’ve known that I’ve wanted to be a dietitian since high school, it was a rocky start finding a stable job after graduation. At the time, that was incredibly frustrating because it was something I had been working towards for years.

However, once I gained more experience and felt confident in starting my own nutrition practice, it felt so liberating to know that I was the person who was making all of the decisions. In addition to being able to lean into my own unique skills and rhythms, it also allowed me to assess needs in the community and directly design programs and services for them. As my entrepreneurial skills were expanding from the private practice, I felt confident in then launching Southern Running Collective. I felt more knowledgeable about creating a business plan and marketing strategy ahead of time, rather than piecing it together as I went.

As you know, we’re big fans of Southern Running Collective. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Southern Running Collective is a space where every runner, no matter their pace, is empowered to own the title of “runner.” Slower runners often get left behind, whether it’s being forgotten at a group run or aid stations at races running out of supplies for those who are on the course longer. SRC aims to bring more awareness and inclusion of middle and back of the pack runners to the running community as a whole.

What also makes SRC unique is that we emphasize honoring and celebrating our bodies. Rather than engaging in diet-y and negative body image talk, we highlight everything that our bodies can accomplish for us. We don’t use running as a way to punish ourselves or as something we do to “earn our food.”

There are currently two main offerings within SRC. One is a free resource directory that includes pace-inclusive run clubs and races, medical and fitness providers who treat runners, and running stores across Metro Atlanta. The other is race training cohorts for goal races from 10Ks to Marathons. The cohorts consist of weekly group support calls, as well as a private group chat, monthly meet-ups, and more! There is also an option for members to choose to receive personalized race training plans.

As the founder of SRC, it has been so exciting to not only hear about other organizations wanting to be part of the movement, but also seeing runners who perk up when they hear about it. You can see them thinking “Oh, running really could be for me.”

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
As a self-proclaimed introvert, networking has surprisingly become one of my favorite business tools! I definitely prefer to meet with people one-on-one instead of larger “mingling” events. One-on-one settings feel like less pressure, and it is easier to learn much more about a person. I’ve also found it to be better for me if I have a smaller number of connections who I build strong relationships with rather than a large number of people who I talk to once or twice a year.

As for finding a mentor, sometimes you find one naturally, and sometimes you can ask someone directly to be your mentor. Both options work! The benefit of networking is that it can increase the likelihood that someone knows someone else who does what you want to learn, and they can connect you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://southernrunningcollective.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southernrunningcollective/

Image Credits
Ryan Southern; FinisherPix