Marielle Hall is an Olympian, storyteller, & creative-head who's used to doing big things. She's been with team Heartbreak since December and moved to LA in January to spearhead the opening of Heartbreak Los Angeles at 2430 Main St. Santa Monica, CA. Below she shares some lessons she picked up in the process of that experience. (Marielle pictured above with John Fitzgerald, co-founder Dan Fitzgerald's dad.)
For the last three months, the Heartbreak team has been deep in the work. Managing a running brand, activating around the Boston Marathon, and bringing our West Coast expression to life: Heartbreak Santa Monica. We’re in the business of speed, and the last few months have been no exception. From landing in LA this January to hosting our first Signature Speed Night in late April, and officially opening our doors on May 1st. It’s been a season of labor, love, and learning.
Heartbreak was founded in 2009 by two Boston College teammates who believed in power of running, community, and chasing the edge of your potential all while keeping big goals fun. That spirit is what brought us to the West Coast.
Here's what I've learned so far:
1. Leave the door open- People want to see the process. While setting up the store—boxes everywhere, fixtures still going up—I felt protective of the space. I didn’t want to ruin anyone’s first impression. But once we covered the windows with custom graphics, we had to leave the door open for light, and something fun started happening. People began stopping by, curious, asking what was going on and how they could get involved. Curiosity is powerful. Let people in. Even when it’s not perfect.
2. Event, Experience, Effect- We can all be at the same event, but each of us experiences it differently, and those individual experiences create entirely different effects. I was surprised by how deeply people appreciated the simple workout at our first-ever Signature Speed Night. What seemed routine to me was transformative for someone else. That’s the magic of showing up: simple intentions can make a big impact.
(Marielle leading the first Heartbreak Signature Speed session in Santa Monica) 
(Party people in Heartbreak Santa Monica)
3. Share the load- In music, artists often get glorified for writing everything themselves. But when I see multiple collaborators listed, I know something special is coming. Getting many rhythms to work as one is an art. Finn, our Boston manager, came out to LA for the entire month of April. Lending his expertise to product, and store operations, is one thing, which Finn did plenty of, but sharing humor, and presence is what really moved us forward. Thank you Finn for all the hard work, and for keeping it fun.
(Finn on the cam possibly committing a crime.)
4. Feedback is a good thing- My first reaction to feedback is often to explain why I made a certain choice, to defend it. But that doesn’t actually solve the problem, and starting a running store is really just one giant puzzle.
How do you solve the problem of someone looking for the right shoe or gear? How do you create a space where the community can meet and feel seen? How do you handle the daily operational challenges that make a business run smoothly and feel accessible?
Feedback is part of solving all of those. It doesn’t mean failure, it means people are paying attention in ways you can’t see. Their observations often come from a place of care and can sharpen your vision. Receiving feedback with openness doesn’t weaken what you’re building, it makes it stronger. Always.
5. Celebrate Everything- The first shoe sold. The first person through the door each day. The last one out. When someone asks a question and trusts your advice. These might seem like small things, but they’re not. They’re signs of life, evidence that the space is working, that people are connecting, and that the vision is real. Every single moment the store is open and serving someone in the community is a win. - Marielle
