An Inspired Chat with Justin Daniels

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Justin Daniels. Check out our conversation below.

Good morning Justin, we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
The first 90 minutes of my day is normally pretty simple. Usually I get up and either go for a run or get ready for work then take my dogs for a walk.
Most mornings during the summer it is myself and my dogs Miles and Maverick heading out the door to get at least a mile done to get the day started. Then I head off to work at the Randolph County Prosecutor’s Office where I am the victim advocate.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey everyone my name is Justin Daniels and I am from a small town in Indiana. I am an ultra runner that represents the COPD Foundation to honor my dad and the millions living with COPD worldwide.
Since I started running I have made it my mission to make people aware of what COPD is and how people can get checked for themselves or their loved ones.
When I am not running somewhere I am very active in the community where I am the Victim Advocate for the Prosecutor’s Office and am the Track and Cross Country coach for Mississinawa Valley High School in Ohio.

Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who taught you the most about work?
Many people taught me a lot about work and work ethic but it goes back to my parents for sure. They always taught myself and my siblings that if you want something you need to work for it and not only work for it but work towards being the best at what you are doing.
I also give a lot of credit to my former coaches and teachers because they have always showed that you can have fun but when it’s time to work you need to get the job done and be ready for what is coming next in life.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
I feel that suffering has taught me that success is even more sweet after you fail. Not everything in life is going to come easy and you should never expect things to come easy for you all of the time.
Failing at times will truly bring out the best in a person and once they overcome things then success will be great.

If someone is successful all of the time they will never understand how hard you have to work to achieve the greatest successes.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
I feel that my closest friends would say that family, friends and helping people are what really matters most to me. Family has always been there for me and are the ones that every person can count on. My friends are really important to me because being around good people helps you build character and grow as a person.
I have always been a person that likes to help people when they are struggling. Seeing a person go from struggling in life to having a smile on their face even for a short time is what life is all about.
My friends would also say that running for COPD really matters in my life. I have chosen to do whatever I can to help other families dealing with the disease understand everything they need to know so they don’t have to go through everything my family did when we found out my dad was diagnosed.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
The story that I hope people tell about me when I am gone is that I was always true to my word and strived to make the world better than I found it.
I also would hope that people would talk about my ability to make people laugh and smile even on their worst day because every day has a chance of being better than yesterday.
Finally I hope that everyone talks about how much I’ve ran and where I have been doing so but most importantly the reason I ran so many miles and places!!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.runningforcopd.com
• Instagram: @Justind2000
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/runningforcopd
• Other: Tiktok: @justindaniels8

Image Credits
Cherie Titus McCafferty
Kimberly Durst