12 Months to Marathon - Episode 53 - Mark Maselli - Kidney Transplant Survivor to Marathoner within 12 Months

Mark Maselli is living, breathing proof that a single, determined mindset can rewrite even the harshest prognosis. After watching kidney disease claim the lives of his grandmother and two uncles and steal a decade from his mom, Mark received the news in 2018 that he, too, had the same kidney disease. Not accepting the status quo, Mark made the conscious decision to rewrite his story and not let the disease win. By taking action, he was able to receive a kidney in November 2023.

Less than a year after a life-saving live-donor transplant from his sister-in-law, he crossed the finish line of his first marathon just 346 days post-surgery despite never having run a race before.

That finish line became his new starting line. Drawing on the grit he forged as a youth hockey player, Mark has since tackled Spartan obstacle races, risen to Associate Director at a top-five U.S. aerospace company, and completed McKinsey’s Management Accelerator program; proof that the principles he calls The Maselli Mindset work in sport, career, and life alike.

But Mark’s story isn’t about medals or titles; it’s about choice. Juggling family, corporate leadership, daily workouts, and a rapidly growing motivational platform, he still battles imposter syndrome and late-night doubts. His secret weapon? A relentless commitment to the Michelangelo credo: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.”

When he isn’t writing, working, or coaching others to chase their own “finish lines,” you’ll find him painting abstract canvases or channeling his inner Bob Ross because, as he says, “creating art keeps my soul in training.”

In The Overcomer’s Journey: Unlocking Your Potential Through Vision, Discipline, and Resilience, Mark uses the transplant-to-marathon journey as a living metaphor, unpacking the disciplined framework that carried him from hospital bed to starting line and can carry readers from survival mode to a life of purpose. His rallying cry is simple: You have the power and the choice to rewrite your story—find your purpose, fix your mindset, and be relentless

Follow Mark on Instagram @markmaselli 

Mark's book The Overcomer’s Journey: Unlocking Your Potential Through Vision, Discipline, and Resilience is out this fall 

Remember to follow me on Instagram for all your running content 

https://www.instagram.com/12monthstomarathon/

Thanks for listening 

JH