Rochelle Finzel
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author sitting on top of a mountain

Rochelle Finzel

essays and reflections on living with intention

Four days after running a personal-best marathon, I was diagnosed with stage IV cancer.

What followed wasn’t just a fight for survival — it was a complete reexamination of what it means to live well.

After my illness, I changed careers and began the long journey to listen more closely to what brings meaning, peace, and joy to my life.

Now I write about what helps me stay awake to the beauty of being human: inspiring words, small shifts in perspective, stories from wilderness trails, and the quiet lessons that emerge when life breaks us open.

If my words can help someone feel a little less alone, a little more grounded, or a little more hopeful, then sharing them is worth it.

Latest Reflections

  • Leading from the bench

    Leading from the bench

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    Rochelle

    Remember this… “You are allowed to be disappointed when it feels like life’s benched you. What you aren’t allowed to do is miss your opportunity to lead from the bench. If you’re not a leader on the bench, don’t call yourself a leader on the field. You’re either a leader…

  • My run with the bears – part two

    My run with the bears – part two

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    Rochelle

    Call it what you will… About an hour after I sent out my last Ramble on the imaginary bears, I set out for another noontime run with my best friend, Sunny Hot. “Where are you going?” Alan asked. “Just over to the lake and the little lookout. I’m not running…

  • My run with the bears

    My run with the bears

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    Rochelle

    Think about this… What do you see? (photo taken by me.) Sometimes seeing is deceiving I’ve seen a lot of bears on our hiking trips. Sometimes as many as two or three in one trip. They’re usually hanging out in the lower-elevation forests. Which makes sense; that’s where the berries…

Photo of author

Rochelle Finzel spent twenty years leading public policy and nonprofit efforts to advance economic opportunity, including ten years with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). After surviving a life-threatening illness and experiencing a personal transformation, she changed careers. Rochelle became an internationally accredited coach, intent on understanding how to facilitate personal growth and self-leadership. She founded her coaching practice to help high-achieving professionals lead with confidence and avoid burnout. She writes about her experience with burnout and illness and the powerful science that underpins her transformation. Her memoir, The Run of My Life will be released in September of 2024. She lives in southwest Colorado and is happiest running, biking, hiking, skiing, and sharing nature’s wonders with her husband.

The Run of My Life

The Run of My Life is a compelling memoir about self-discovery, resilience, and the radical courage to let go. 

Rochelle Finzel followed the rules and aspired to be the best. At thirty-nine, her life seemed perfect. She had a great job, was dating her soulmate, climbed mountains on the weekends and had just run a personal best marathon. Four days later, she was diagnosed with stage IV cancer.

Facing a bleak prognosis, Rochelle reexamined her life. Facing continual reminders of her mortality but fiercely fighting for survival, she opened her heart, followed her gut, learned to listen to her body, and trusted its wisdom.

Honest and heartfelt, The Run of My Life pulls the reader into exam rooms and onto mountaintops, offering hope and inspiration for those enduring any kind of crisis, and for finding new life on the other side.  

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Book cover with mountain scene and title The Run of My Life