By leaps and bounds, she overcomes obstacles

This story was written by Josh McCormack and originally published on unc.edu

In the midst of a successful journalism career, Gwendolyn Bounds also tackled high-intensity obstacle course racing.

In the three decades since graduating from Carolina, Gwendolyn Bounds ’93 built an impressive career: reporting for The Wall Street Journal, overseeing the content strategy for Consumer Reports and writing a critically acclaimed book on community following the 9/11 attacks titled “Little Chapel on the River.”

But in her mid-40s, Bounds embarked on a journey unlike anything she had done before: mastering the sport of obstacle course racing.

Despite her lack of athletic experience, Bounds fell in love with the demanding endurance sport with military-style obstacles. She always loved to push herself in her career and brought that same ethos to obstacle course racing.

That drive not only improved her physical and mental health but also earned her a Spartan Race championship trophy in 2024.

“People started to ask me, ‘How are you doing this?’” Bounds said. “They really wanted me to find a way to tell my story.”

Bounds eventually did tell her story with the book “Not Too Late.” It chronicles her journey with obstacle racing but also reckons with some of her regrets from the past.

“Back when I was at Carolina, I was the type of person who took bowling as my physical education elective,” Bounds said. “Being athletic and being praised for my athleticism was not something that was in my DNA, and it was not something I was accustomed to.”

Instead, Bounds was primarily focused on storytelling.

Following in the heelprints of her mother and grandfather, who both studied at Carolina (latter also taught Spanish here), Bounds arrived on campus in 1989 to pursue a degree in journalism and mass communication.

While an undergraduate student, Bounds found inspiration and guidance in several of her professors, particularly Phil Meyer in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.

“He helped me get my first big internship with the Miami Herald,” Bounds said. “As part of landing that internship, I skipped my exams to report on a trial case for the Herald. Phil went and talked to the other professors and got them to let me retake my exams.”

After graduating, Bounds got a job as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal. This began a 20-year relationship with the company, where she would go on to be a managing editor, producer and on-air broadcaster, among other roles. She has also been an on-air contributor for CNBC and ABC News.

Building on her success, Bounds joined Consumer Reports as an executive producer for video, later being promoted to chief content officer. She is now back at The Wall Street Journal, helping run their new leadership institute.

Over the years, each of these roles has required Bounds to keep up with emerging technologies.

“I took a job at a technology startup just as the artificial intelligence boom started and got educated in that field,” Bounds said. “I think my ability to be like a multitool has served me well. And that was something I got from my time at Carolina.”

Resilience has been at the center of Bounds’ accomplishments. While her new book has inspired people in middle age, she hopes the story behind “Not Too Late” can influence younger readers, too.

“I often say that it’s not too late, but it’s also not too early to really begin thinking about your physical and cognitive health,” Bounds said. “Regular exercise, thinking about what you eat. Those are the types of habits that will serve students well when they make the transition from campus to the workforce.”