From Zero to Marathoner: Priyamvada S on Habit Stacking for Extreme Goals

In a recent LinkedIn post, Priyamvada S shares a remarkable personal transformation, detailing how she went from running zero kilometers in early 2023 to completing seven marathons and thirteen half-marathons by 2025. The business leader and brand strategist uses her running journey as a powerful analogy for building a strong personal brand online.

Priyamvada S emphasizes that her achievement was not born out of innate motivation, but through a strategic application of habit formation. She outlines a clear process she followed, beginning with a very small, manageable step.

“The 🔑 is to start really small. So small that you don’t get overwhelmed.”

This philosophy, according to Priyamvada S, is crucial for sustainability. She explains that feeling overwhelmed is the antithesis of building lasting habits, often leading to quick abandonment and a blow to self-confidence.

The Power of Habit Stacking

Priyamvada S details her journey using the principle of ‘habit stacking,’ a technique where a new habit is added onto an existing one. In her case, the anchor habit was her workouts, and the stacked habit was a ten-minute walk post-exercise.

She meticulously breaks down the progression:

• From a 10-minute walk to a 30-minute walk.
• From a 30-minute walk to a walk-run interval.
• From walk-runs to slow, easy runs.
• From easy runs to slow, easy long runs.
• And finally, from long runs to running even longer distances.

This gradual approach, Priyamvada S notes, allowed her to build endurance and confidence without becoming discouraged. Her first 10k, for instance, took three months to achieve, and she progressed from running two days a week to five.

Applying the Strategy to Brand Building

The parallels Priyamvada S draws between her running transformation and her LinkedIn brand building are striking. She argues that building a significant online presence follows the same principles of consistent, small actions.

“You don’t go from invisible to unforgettable overnight. You get there by stacking habits that make your presence impossible to ignore.”

According to Priyamvada S, this involves a consistent effort of sharing insights and engaging on the platform, one small post or comment at a time. She likens each post or shared idea to a small step in a long-distance race.

The ’10-Minute Walk’ for Your Brand

Priyamvada S challenges her audience to identify their own equivalent of the ’10-minute walk’ for their personal or professional brand. She suggests actions like publishing a post, leaving a thoughtful comment, or sharing a valuable idea.

“I didn’t start running because I was motivated. I started because I built habits small enough to stick. And kept stacking them.”

This emphasis on starting small and building incrementally is the core message Priyamvada S conveys. It’s about creating a sustainable system that leads to significant long-term results, whether in physical endurance or professional visibility.

Priyamvada S concludes by encouraging readers to take that first small step, reinforcing that consistency and habit formation are the true drivers of achieving ambitious goals.