Nick Cronk, Co Managing Director, CP West

When it comes to athletic endurance, I’m fascinated by what humans are capable of. 

Specifically, their ability to push through significant suffering and absolute misery in the pursuit of remarkable physical feats. 

British endurance swimmer Ross Edgley has swum around the UK (without touching land) and Iceland, during which he suffered such extreme chafing to expose raw flesh, Lion’s Mane and Bluefire jellyfish stings, and a decomposing tongue from all the salt water. Ultra-runners Courtney Dauwalter and Jasmin Paris have set countless long-distance running records (including breaking those previously held by men) pushing through severe hallucinations caused from sleep deprivation and brutal physical punishment (Courtney hospitalized herself in 2020 following a FKT attempt on the Colorado Trail). And climber Kevin Jorgeson was having to superglue the skin together on his fingers during a 19-day ascent of The Dawn Wall. 

And while perhaps not as extreme as these examples, many of us have experienced what it’s like to push through our own physical comfort levels, whether that’s a running a 10k or a marathon, a sprint or full distance triathlon, or some other random endeavour (I’m signed up to for an “Everesting” mountain race this summer).

The question I keep coming back to is: what part of our soul pushes us to endure such discomfort, and go to such extremes, in the pursuit of these crazy goals?

It’s not as if fame and fortune are the drivers for the athletes in these obscure sporting worlds – the financial gain and notoriety are simply not comparable to the likes of what mainstream sport athletes see. Similarly, in the amateur world, not only will the majority of us will never see a podium or prize money, but we’ll actually spend thousands on race fees, coaches, apparel, nutrition, physio, fitness trackers, footwear, and everything in between.

The answer matters, because it’s the force that dictates how we interact with the world as consumers.

If we market strictly to the brain, we miss the point entirely. Logic alone can’t explain why an amateur athlete will happily sacrifice sleep, spend thousands of dollars, and push through physical agony just to cross an arbitrary finish line. They aren’t buying products; they are funding a belief system.

For CMOs, the lesson is clear: if you want to change consumer behavior, you have to look past the transaction and look at the transformation.

At Connelly Partners, this is our north star. We know that in a world full of noise, you can’t just ask people to take action. We move customers’ feet, by first moving their souls. Because when a brand taps into the deep, irrational emotions that drive human behavior, they don’t just win a customer. They build an obsession.

Courtney Marlow, Social Media & Influencer Marketing Supervisor

We’re taught from a young age that helping a stranger is a selfless act meant to benefit the other person. It’s framed as a one-way street of generosity. But after my own experience, I’d argue the opposite: helping a stranger can move your soul just as much as (if not more than) the person you’re helping.

When I was strolling through campus in college, I signed up for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) registry and like most people, I never actually expected to be selected. Statistically, only about 1 in 430 members ever go on to donate, so I forgot about the swab almost as soon as I walked away from the table.

From Swab to Soul-Moving

Years later, I got the call. My first thought was that it was a scam. I was skeptical enough that they actually had to FedEx me a physical letter and call my mom (ha!) before I realized it was the real deal. Then came the disbelief. I was the only perfect match for a stranger fighting Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and suddenly, I was preparing to do a stem cell donation. That tiny statistical chance had become my reality.

The “Giving” Paradox

While it might seem like I was the one “giving” in this situation, I can honestly say that the experience moved my soul in a way I wasn’t prepared for. It’s hard to articulate the weight of being handed the opportunity to give someone else hope. You go into it thinking you’re performing a service, but you come out of it with a shifted perspective on the weight of a single life, regardless of whether they’re a stranger or loved one. 

A Two-Way Street

In the crazy, fast-paced world we live in, it’s easy to get caught up in our own bubbles, like our own schedules, goals, and close circles of friends. But this experience is a great reminder that Moving Souls isn’t just a tagline we use at work; it’s a human practice.

I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Looking back, it really shifted my perspective on generosity and reminded me to prioritize infusing it into my daily life more often. You never know when a friendly smile, a donation, or a helping hand could make a huge difference. And let’s face it, there are moments in all of our lives when we’re the “stranger” in need.

And if I’ve successfully moved your soul today, I hope you’ll take a few minutes to sign up here to get on the registry list 🙂