Young Social Impact Heroes: Why and How Julia Howe of Hitting The Wall Is Helping To Change Our World
Don’t be so serious! When I interview new girls interested in joining, I’m often surprised by how nervous and formal they get. But above all, I want everyone on the Hitting The Wall team to feel safe and comfortable together. When I work with my events director or blog writers, we spend our time laughing about our day and griping about AP Chem. I’ve noticed that approaching people with warmth and humor removes any awkward barriers and helps things click faster.
As part of my series about young people who are making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Julia Howe.
Julia Howe, a 15-year-old entrepreneur from San Francisco, California, is the founder of Hitting the Wall, an international movement providing mental and physical health resources to teen girl athletes. Hitting the Wall is the 2024 Frigo Cheesehead Grant Winner, honored by Saputo Inc. It has a podcast with 2,000 listeners and a total of 100k girls utilizing its resources online. Hitting the Wall partners with elite athletes and the YMCA to reach schools from around the world, including the USA, Australia, and Hong Kong. Julia loves competing nationally in USAT events and running varsity cross country at school. She is a program manager at Heart In Motion, and coordinates 4,000 total Bay Area youth volunteers to the biggest road races in the world, including Bay to Breakers and SF Marathon, volunteering on the finish lines. She advocates for wellness as a host of Express Yourself Teen Radio, which broadcasts to 132 countries on VoiceAmerica, honored as the top YA broadcast on the program, and Starstyle-Be the Star You Are!, with 4.5 million listeners. She’s been featured on Yahoo Finance and the Today Show Parent.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Totally! I grew up near the Presidio of San Francisco, California. I could see the Golden Gate Bridge from my window. I would spend my weekends hiking in the forests with my cousins or running down to get Jamba Juice with my dad. My family gave me a super positive relationship with fitness. Every run, my dad would chew his special performance caffeine gum and I would chew my Hubba Bubba that I bought at Walgreens. I was so lucky to always have been able to put on my shoes, hop out the door, and immediately be in nature.
You are currently leading an organization that aims to make a social impact. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change in our world today?
I founded Hitting The Wall the summer after my freshman year of high school and first track & field season, which got cut short by two months because of an overuse ankle injury. As a young athlete, I had never experienced a serious injury before and didn’t know how to manage one. That was the moment when I had to take my self-care seriously.
Hitting The Wall is an international movement to redefine what it means to be a teen girl athlete, arming these girls with the mental and physical resources to be healthier athletes. We want to help guide coaches who could benefit from more guidance about girlhood and sport.
We’ve mostly done work online compiling research on our website, but we have plans for exciting in-person projects. We’re partnering with the YMCA to create athlete care packets filled with pamphlets on iron deficiency, our favorite nutritious (and tasty!) granola bars, massage rollers, and more. We have a seminar series, partnering with Bay Area middle schools to present accessible nutrition and injury prevention information. As a group of teen girls ourselves, we realized to reach our peers, we needed to go beyond just telling them the grams of protein that they need to eat. That’s why, at our events, we play games like “how many hydro flasks do you need to drink” or have discussions about weird creeps on the swim team
Can you tell us the backstory about what inspired you to originally feel passionate about this cause?
When I joined my cross-country team two years ago, there was something seriously wrong. Many of my teammates had lost their periods and were trying to hit “weight goals” before races. It was a toxic environment where my friends had regular mental breakdowns, throwing up or fainting before races. I love my sport and my teammates, but suddenly, all of it felt terrifying.
There is a gap in awareness of pubescent female athletics. This lack of awareness is damaging girls’ athletic careers and lives before they even reach 16 years old. This includes irreversible bone damage, extreme burn-out, and eating disorders. I created Hitting The Wall because I don’t think you have to sacrifice your body to be a good athlete.
Many of us have ideas, dreams, and passions, but never manifest it. They don’t get up and just do it. But you did. Was there an “Aha Moment” that made you decide that you were actually going to step up and do it? What was that final trigger?
I was doing my two-mile warm-up before a workout with a group of friends on the cross-country team. One of them casually mentioned losing her period and said something about how that was probably because she was training harder. My other friend joined in, bragging almost, that she hadn’t had her period for over a year. I looked around for other people to say something different, but then I remembered that the other half of our team was out with shin splints. Our coaches were great, they made us take time off practice, and ice, and eat more protein, all of it. But these girls almost wore their injuries with pride, like breaking themselves down signified that they were training hard. When you watch your entire team limping onto the start line, you have to realize something is wrong.
Many young people don’t know the steps to take to start a new organization. But you did. What are some of the things or steps you took to get your project started?
The first thing I did was create an interest Google form and send it out to my team. I would’ve been so happy just to have two people say they were interested in the project, but I got thirty people eager to help. Before you jump into your idea, see if there’s a need for what you want to do and gather interest.
I took an entrepreneurship class at WIT Whatever It Takes, an organization launching teen initiatives for college credit. Even though I wanted to do something, without their specific guidance and the pressure of a “pitching” deadline at the end of the class, I wouldn’t have put myself out there. I think so often you want to perfect everything before putting it out into the world, hyper-fixating over a pretty website or the best emojis in your Instagram caption, but the best way to get feedback is to see what people respond to.
After the course, I reached out to my athletic friends, both at my school and outside, in Australia, Hong Kong, and more! We had our first online meeting and Hitting The Wall was born.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
I was discussing ways to keep yourself safe when working out at night with a small group of about 15 girls online. During the meeting, a predatory “zoombomber” got into our meeting impersonating a young girl with the intent of ridiculing our discussion on sexual harassment in the sports industry. After broadcasting some explicit images to our Zoom room, they were quickly removed by one of our admins.
Even though this was a very disruptive incident, I was impressed by the composure of the girls. Sending affirmations in the chat to the presenters, continuing to participate even after this traumatizing experience. The zoombomber’s goal was to derail and mock our discussion, but they ultimately failed because of the bravery of these girls. They didn’t anticipate how tough we were.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
All of our organization is student-athlete-led, which means we have teen girls hosting our podcast, and creating all our social media posts. As high schoolers, we tend to make a few typos in our content. One time we accidentally labeled a picture of volleyball as soccer on a little informational Instagram post. Even though it was a slightly embarrassing mistake, I don’t think our occasional typos are anything to be ashamed of. We are teen girls. Teen girls read our content. If we were over-polished, we wouldn’t be authentic.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
Sarah Hernholm has been my biggest mentor since that first WIT Whatever It Takes class. I’ve truly come into my own under her guidance and she’s always so willing to support me, whether that’s reading over my sponsorship pitches or encouraging me to have confidence as a young founder.
I also want to thank the wonderful athletes who have been on our podcast, spoke at our discussions, and always left loving, encouraging comments on our posts. I especially want to thank Sydney Sorkin who was our very first Girl of Iron even while we only had 50 followers.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
We receive a lot of valuable feedback from the girls in our group, as they are the ones who actively guide our discussions, choose our podcast topics, and more. One particularly impactful discussion revolved around the safety concerns faced by teenage girl athletes. During this session, we presented several hypothetical scenarios, such as encountering a stranger in the gym or facing sexualizing remarks from a sports commentator. These scenarios struck a chord with many of the girls, prompting them to reflect on their own safety. One high school girl shared that envisioning these situations made her realize the importance of being vigilant. She confessed that she hadn’t fully grasped the potential risks until she imagined herself in those scenarios. Since then, she has taken proactive steps to enhance her safety, such as sharing her location with her family and removing her headphones when in unfamiliar surroundings. These seemingly small adjustments can truly make a difference, even saving lives.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Absolutely.
- We need to differentiate between female and male training. There is a false and destructive belief that junior elite women can handle the same amount of miles, hours, and intensity as male athletes. Though women are indeed incredibly strong, you are training them on a new plane that their bodies can’t possibly adjust to. This is true for high school athletes, don’t use workouts that elite college athletes use, and don’t put them on the diets that Olympic marathoners follow. Training should be molded to the needs of each athlete.
- Different-sized athletes need to be showcased. There is no “one right body type” for any sport. If you look through the rosters of any sport, there is great variation in the athlete’s body type and posture, especially for women. If girls think they have to be smaller or larger, we perpetuate diet culture, one that’s appearance-driven, not performance-driven. In our magazine, in Sports modeling, brand ambassadors, don’t pick and choose athletes who fit an arbitrary mold.
- More female coaches. Although male coaches can be trained to be incredibly empathetic and supportive, no one will truly understand what it’s like to be a female unless they are themselves. Also, we teen girl athletes want to see older women, adult women who’ve sustained their passion for their sport throughout their lives as role models.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
- Use your youth. At first, while negotiating sponsorships, I was so scared that big companies wouldn’t take me seriously because I was fourteen. Your youth is not something to be ashamed of, not something to tack onto the end of the email like “by the way, I’m sorry, but I’m a minor.” Use your youth as an advantage. Now I lead with the fact that Hitting The Wall is entirely youth-run. I’m proud that we’re teen girl athletes advocating for teen girls. It should be the reason to take us seriously.
- Do what you want to do. You will find many people who want to change your business idea, make it broader, and appeal to “everyone.” I take pride in the fact that I appeal to a very specific demographic, it’s the demographic I care about making a difference in. If you appeal to everyone, your business means nothing.
- Be active. While press outreach and conference attendance can be enjoyable experiences, their value ultimately lies in their ability to drive meaningful change. For too long, Hitting The Wall solely concentrated on curating resources without considering the importance of actively implementing them. We’ve come to recognize that merely compiling resources is insufficient. True impact comes from reaching out to girls and schools directly, empowering them to apply this research in practical ways. It’s not enough to create resources and leave them stagnant.
- Focus your time. When I initially founded Hitting The Wall, I dedicated months to crafting elaborate leadership positions and assigning fancy titles. However, over time, we’ve realized that these arbitrary distinctions have faded into insignificance. Looking back, I wish we had invested that time and energy into fostering a culture of enthusiasm and collaboration among the girls involved. The essence of our organization lies in the passion and dedication of its members, not in the titles they hold.
- Don’t be so serious! When I interview new girls interested in joining, I’m often surprised by how nervous and formal they get. But above all, I want everyone on the Hitting The Wall team to feel safe and comfortable together. When I work with my events director or blog writers, we spend our time laughing about our day and griping about AP Chem. I’ve noticed that approaching people with warmth and humor removes any awkward barriers and helps things click faster.
If you could tell other young people one thing about why they should consider making a positive impact on our environment or society, like you, what would you tell them?
When you witness your friends, family, or community struggling, it becomes your responsibility to take action. You don’t need to launch a massive international nonprofit or collaborate on legislation with the president. Sometimes, all it takes is putting one foot out the door and doing something, no matter how small. It could be as simple as handing out SPF lip balm to your teammates. There’s no need to wait for the right moment to start making a difference in the world.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
Absolutely! I would be thrilled to have the opportunity to meet with California’s Surgeon General, Dr. Diana E. Ramos. Her remarkable leadership in public health, particularly as the first Latina Surgeon General, and her advocacy in reproductive policy are truly inspiring to me. I am passionate about collaborating with Dr. Ramos to advance personal nutrition education for middle and high school students.
How can our readers follow you online?
Website, Hitting The Wall
Instagram, @hittingthewallpodcast
LinkedIn, Julia Howe
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Young Social Impact Heroes: Why and How Julia Howe of Hitting The Wall Is Helping To Change Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.