If you are interested to learn more from Kristina, she also teaches an online course here on The IPS Academy on how to master confidence and effectively set goals. Learn from Kristina, a two-time world record holder, about how to make impossible goals possible.
Check out the intro video and the full course description to learn more.
World Record Holder Kristina Paltén Shares her Secrets on How to Live a Meaningful Life
Table of Contents
3 years ago (gosh time flies) I had the pleasure to talk to 2X world record holder, Kristina Paltén, a Swedish ultra runner and lecturer on The IPS Podcast.
During that interview we talked a lot about the various adventures and goals she achieved, such as setting the world record of running the greatest distance in 12h on a treadmill in 2013 and setting the world record of running the greatest distance in 48h on a treadmill in 2014.
We also talked about what she did the year after, in 2015, when she decided to do something that received attention from all corners of the world, as she became the first woman to run 1144 miles alone through Iran to fight the prejudice we have about other cultures.
Millions of people were positively affected by the message she brought, that the media does not often correctly portray strangers and other cultures.
Across the world this message and story was shared and celebrated, about this one woman who had 1144 miles of trust.
All of these topics, along with goal setting, facing your fears, and confidence, we covered in the first interview, episode 013 – Kristina Paltén, Ultra Runner – Alone Through Iran, 1144 Miles of Trust, Prejudice, and Human Kindness.
This time, however, I interviewed Kristina about something else she is quite a beautiful example of. Namely, how to live a happy and meaningful life.
Kristina is someone who lives very close to her own heart’s calling. That is, to what makes her happy and what she finds meaningful in life.
These two topics of living a happy and meaningful life are divided into three categories in this interview:
- – Health, which includes mental and physical health
- – Wealth, which besides money, also includes freedom and doing what you love in life
- – And Meaning
We cover the various adventures and the life changes Kristina has been through, from working as a civil engineer to becoming self-employed, being married and wanting children, to being divorced and starting over. And from never having run any race to running her first one at the age of 32 and becoming an ultra runner.
Together we will explore what Kristina has learned about happiness and meaning over the years, so far.
I hope you will enjoy it.
EP 029 - What is The Good Life with Two-Time World Record Holder, Kristina Paltén

"In one way, I consider death to be the biggest adventure of life."
- Kristina Paltén Tweet
Some of the Questions:
- What has helped you to become better at being yourself and not letting the voices of others stop you?
- What have you learned about your body that still to this day surprises you?
- How do you get the most out of every day without stressing too much about the fact that your time is limited?
What You Will Learn from this Episode:
- How Kristina turns her mind off and relaxes before doing a competition or giving a lecture
- What failure means to Kristina, and how she has got more comfortable with failing
- What she would say to anyone who thinks they are too old to do something new in life
"Setting a high target and wanting to achieve something really big, is related to a risk. And that risk means that you might be exposed to pain. If you are not willing to take that pain, you will not reach your target."
- Kristina Paltén Tweet
Resources Mentioned:
- – How to Dance with Life | Kristina Paltén | TEDxBerlin
- – 1144 miles of Trust | Kristina Palten | TEDxVilnius (Imagine a world where people ar not afraid of one another. Tired of all the fear polarized between the West and Islam, Kristina put on her running shoes and ran, as a single woman, through Iran. In her talk, she shares her decision to use running as a mean to change the world. Did she succeed?)
- – Alone Through Iran (1144 Miles of Trust – Kristina Paltén, a lone Swedish woman, began her run through Iran on September 5th 2015. She was to become the first woman ever to run across Iran. Kristina, with her two world records in both 12-hours and 48-hours running on a treadmill, chose Iran for her run for three main reasons. The beautiful nature, the long distance and her own prejudices against the country.)
- – Eckhart Tolle (Eckhart Tolle is a German-born spiritual teacher and self-help author who resides in Canada. He is best known as the author of The Power of Now and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.)
- – Abraham Maslow (Abraham Harold Maslow was an American psychologist who was best known for creating Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate human needs in priority, culminating in self-actualization)

FOLLOW Kristina Paltén
You may also like these episodes:
- – EP 026 – How to Handle Dark Times with Dr. Martin Inderbitzin, Pancreatic Cancer Survivor
- – EP 017 – Within the Mind of a Warrior: Rich Hungerford, Former SAS Patrol Commander
- – EP 013 – Kristina Paltén, Ultra Runner – Alone Through Iran, 1144 Miles of Trust, Prejudice, and Human Kindness
Question about this episode: Which was your favorite lesson or insight about living a happy and meaningful life from the interview with Kristina? Let us know in the comments!
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