Meet Regina Stump | Police Academy Physical Education Instructor, Mountaineer & Ultramarathoner, Elite Spartan Athlete,

We had the good fortune of connecting with Regina Stump and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Regina, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
The most important lesson that my career has taught me is to be grateful. There have been many unexpected adversities and changes, shifting my career in various ways. When the temptation to complain or to succumb to complacency threatened my growth mindset, the antidote I found to combat these toxins was gratitude. Being grateful for the good in my life, being thankful for that which is within my control allowed me to press on with joy, eager to see what was ahead.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
What I do as a Police Academy Physical Education Instructor is an expression of my professional and academic profile. I hold my MS in Sports Medicine, with a research thesis from the University of Pittsburgh. I also have my Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist accreditation from the National Strength and Conditioning Association. I have competed in numerous ultramarathons in the mountains, and numerous obstacle course events, some of which gaining top awards. In 2019, I published my first book, and the second is currently being written. I moved to Colorado in 2019, and since then, I have completed all 58 14,oooft peaks. My journey within the realm of teaching and coaching, as well as my athletic endeavors go hand in hand. As an actively training athlete, and knowing the physiological underpinnings of exercise, there is value in intense training, habitual exercise, and bringing the body to a certain level of physical strain for the sake of increased performance. Specifically, for our law enforcement officers, stress is inseparable to their careers. In order to optimize readiness, I coach the police cadets in the gym in ways that increase the body’s physical stress. As their bodies adapt to the training, both their minds and their bodies become accustomed to experiencing various levels of stress. This will aid their preparation for career advancement and success.
On a personal level, if I ask my cadets to embrace demanding, uncomfortable, and hard training, I too must embrace this requirement. I cannot ask my cadets to do something I am not willing to do. Therefore, I take it upon myself to embrace hard training. The modality to which I aspire to increase my performance is ultramarathoning and mountaineering. In this lens, I pursue athletic performance and physical fitness increase to be credible for my cadets. To gain their trust, I must be willing to practice what I preach. My mindset does not have to be shared by other coaches or influencers in the realm of strength and conditioning. However, I define coaching with a necessary foundation of trust. To overcome challenges, one must be willing to risk their comfort zone, to embrace an unknown path. As I encourage others to rise over their comfort zone for the pursuit of a worthy cause, I must look towards my own habits, and assess the validity to my life backing up my words. Challenge and adversity is the gateway to success and growth. The opposite of success is not fail, it is quit. Adversity is necessary to grow and reveal grit. A quality that is necessary to influence others and find one’s purpose. I have failed numerous times, I have failed myself and others. I have made mistakes I am not proud of. But my story is not defined by the failures; it is defined by the overcoming of them. This form of resilience starts with choices; choices to take ownership of the only two things in life that we can control: our effort and our responses.
These are trainable. In a controlled environment as the gym, we can choose our effort, our ability to control our mindset, and become better psychologically and physically. In this modality, we change the way we look at ourselves, and how we look at challenges that we face.
With this mindset, I also operate as an independent business owner, running and e-commerce platform in the realm of nutrition and wellness. Lifestyle is all about taking mindset, exercise, spiritual, social AND nutritional aspects of function under control. I love being able to increase parameters of function and increase confidence in personal nutrition choices with products that can help change others’ lives!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When friends come here, I want to give them a taste of what Colorado has and why the environment here is one I have fallen in love with. Not everyone likes to climb and hike to the extent to which I do, but there are countless opportunities to enjoy nature and the special feel of this state, driven by outdoor lifestyles. Due to the fact that time is typically short, and most visitors spend their time on the front range, I suggest that we spend a day in Boulder. There, we walk Pearl Street, exploring local shops and the business owners who are independently operating their business or creating beautiful art. If up for a little activity, I show them the trails that surround the Flatirons! If they are really up for a good heart pumper, I will take them to the Manitou Incline, a fun little workout that never gets old! And to help ease any discomfort of the Incline, I happily suggest that my friends check out Colorado Custard Company… the owner himself is a quite a Peaks Peak legend!
I really enjoy craft beer; and if friends want to see me really geek out over some quality brews, I will shuttle them right to Mash Lab Brewing, in Windsor. I have never been disappointed with the beer here…and I am constantly pleasantly surprised with new brews on tap!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I could in no way be anywhere close to where I am today without the love, care, and investment of my family in Pennsylvania, my “family” in Colorado. I would like to dedicate this to both families- those who have generously poured unconditional love into my life; and to the Lord, who has my entire story already written.

Instagram: @lil_lupine

Facebook: Regina Stump

Image Credits
SpartanRace / Orea Media