Why Atalanta?

As a child of the 1970s the LP Free To Be…You And Me played on repeat in my home and the one track that I couldn’t get enough of was Princess Atalanta…a modern retelling of the Greek myth of Atalanta. On the record Atalanta is a young woman (a princess) seeking a way to avoid the limitations of marriage when what she wants to do is see the world, get an education, and find an equal. Secret nighttime training allows her to run as fast as the wind, and in a footrace she wins her freedom to choose her life’s path and chart a more just future. I was in awe!

In the original Greek myth version things don’t end so well for Atalanta, nevertheless, running granted her some control over all the structures and systems working against her.

The Free to Be version of the story became the touchstone for my life at 5 years old. I have never stopped thinking about it; its lessons have become more and more central as I’ve gotten older.

Atalanta knew her self worth. She knew she was more than what others thought of her. She knew that running could lead to her self-determination. She had to work at it…for sure. But in the end, running was the tool that allowed her to challenge and upend the status quo.

I call this the Atalanta Effect!