“Building something meaningful while being the mother I want to be is what success looks like to me now,” Kate Mackz tells PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

• Kate Mackz, host of The Running Interview Show, is returning to work while navigating life as a new mom
• On Sept. 2, 2026, the content creator brought her online running community together in New York City for her first 5K
• The 29-year-old tells PEOPLE she hopes to show her daughter that having a family can add meaning to big dreams, not limit them

Kate Mackz has entered a new chapter in her life, but she isn’t slowing down.

The 29-year-old New York City-based digital creator and host of The Running Interview Show — a series in which she, quite literally, runs while interviewing a wide range of guests — welcomed her daughter, Vivian Rose, in June and is already finding her way back to the work and movement that helped build her community of more than 1.5 million followers.

On Sept. 2, she kicked off her inaugural NYC 5K, Run with Kate Mackz Fueled by STORM, which also marked her first official event as a STORM ambassador. As she balances motherhood, running and an ambitious career, Mackz tells PEOPLE exclusively that her motivation and determination have only grown stronger.

“I want [my daughter] to grow up seeing that becoming a mother doesn’t mean you stop dreaming big, taking risks, building things or pursuing what you love,” she shares.  

For Mackz, motherhood has shifted more than just her schedule — it has changed the way she thinks about purpose, ambition and the example she wants to set for her daughter. Pregnancy, birth and recovery also gave her a new appreciation for what women are truly capable of.

“One of the biggest surprises has been discovering just how powerful and capable women truly are,” Mackz admits.

That perspective comes as Mackz returns to The Running Interview Show, the series she started in March 2023 as a way to have meaningful conversations while moving.

Her guests have included a wide range of people — from dancer Mark Ballas to chef Bobby Flay and model Miranda Kerr — but the appeal has never been about the guest list alone. Mackz has found that running can strip away some of the formalities of an interview and make space for more honest conversations.

“What I’ve learned from doing the show is that people are much more alike than we think,” Mackz reveals. “Regardless of someone’s background or what they’ve accomplished, everyone has insecurities, challenges, goals and stories they want to share. Movement has a way of bringing out that human side of people very quickly.”

That same philosophy is at the heart of the community she has built online and why bringing followers together in real life was such a milestone. “The show started with a phone and a simple idea, so seeing that grow into an event where an entire community can move together [is a] really meaningful moment for me,” Mackz says. 

Her return to work, however, hasn’t been as easy as she makes it look. Mackz resumed walking interviews around three weeks postpartum and gradually began running again at six weeks with guidance from her healthcare team.

“During those episodes, I need to run while leading a conversation, really listening and staying focused on the guest without sounding winded,” she explains. “Rebuilding that capacity has definitely been an adjustment.”

Still, movement has remained “a release” for Mackz during this new season in her life. “I think finding small ways to reconnect with yourself is so important postpartum, and movement has been one of those things for me,” she emphasizes.

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Her new partnership with STORM fits naturally into that next chapter, too.

Already familiar with the better-for-you energy drink, Mackz says the brand’s emphasis on movement and community mirrors the foundation of her show.

“Beyond the product itself, I connected with STORM’s focus on movement, community and bringing people together,” she explains. “My entire show is built around real-life connection — moving with someone and having a conversation — so that part of the brand immediately aligned with me.”

Now, with her daughter watching, Mackz is thinking beyond the next race or episode.

She’s focused on growing the community she has built while showing Vivian that motherhood can absolutely exist alongside dreams and ambition.

“I have big goals for my career, and becoming a mom hasn’t made those goals smaller — it has given them even more meaning,” Mackz tells PEOPLE.

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