17-year-old Lilyella Craw-Seaman carried a 43lb rucksack as she took on the Pen Y Fan in the latest instalment of the Fan Dance Race Series. More than 300 people took part and Lilyella was the first female across the line.
Lilyella carried a 43lb rucksack to the top of 2907ft Pen Y Fan in Wales, ran down the mountain, then turned round and did it all over again. She completed the brutal 15-mile route, designed to weed out the weak in SAS selection training, in just four-and-a-half hours. Afterwards, Lilyella said the trek, known as the Fan Dance, was the greatest challenge of her life!
During this podcast we learn more about Lilyella, why she enjoys doing challenges, her motivation and her drive to make sure she always give her best and goes after every opportunity.
Show notes
- Her first passion, swimming & swimming competitively from 5 years old
- Finding out about her family
- Liking to win!
- Balancing school work with swimming and why boarding school helped
- Waking up at 4am, to swim for 2 hours before school and swimming again in the evening
- Where she gets her drive from
- Why swimming makes you mentally strong
- Her proudest moment swimming
- Being 14 and making the Scottish Senior Team
- Competing internationally in Germany
- The start line, what’s going through her head
- Keeping her composure while racing
- Her race tactics
- Why it’s important for her to stay calm, especially at the start of the race
- Having a strong finish at the end
- Making a transition into the mountains and how it came about
- Alba Military Fitness
- Who Dares Cares
- The Fan Dance Challenge!
- Telling her parents about the challenge!
- The race, her bag, the route, the distance, the start
- Crossing the finish line!
- How working as part of a team helped her to achieve this goal
- Future challenges she wants to get involved in!
- Wanting to join the Army
- Why failing has made her stronger
- Advice for other girls out there who want to get involved in sports and doing challenges
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Ride4MedicalAid is a sponsored cycle ride from London to Jerusalem to raise awareness and funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP). The ride, started on the 27 August 2016, crossing 13 countries, covering a distance of 3,500km in less than 35 days, arriving at Jaffa Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on the 30 September 2016.
MAP is a humanitarian organisation working for the health and dignity of Palestinians living under occupation and as refugees. MAP provides lifesaving medical supplies, equipment, training and humanitarian aid to those most in need in Gaza, the West Bank and in Lebanon.
Show notes
- About Rahma, her transition into cycling from rowing
- Growing up in Norwich and having a very normal upbringing
- Setting her history and learning more about her family
- Being brought up with Islam
- In 2014 during the war in Gaza, she was sitting on her sofa watching the news and finally decided it was time for her to do something to raise awareness about the situation in Palestine/Israel.
- Not doing anything for a year and not knowing how to start
- In May 2015 visiting Shatila camp in Beirut where she learnt more about MAP and how it was founded following the massacres in Shatila and Sabra camps in 1982.
- The “Key of Return” and what it means
- Finding her belief and her reason why” the belief in equal healthcare for ALL”
- Being scared, and how the idea slowly evolved and all started to become real
- Dealing with her fears and how her family and friends helped
- Planning for her cycle!
- Fitting in her training around work, doing back to back training and adding in sportive events to ensure she was on track
- Sorting out tyres and becoming a tester!
- Planning her route using Google earth & street view
- How she didn’t plan mentally for the trip
- Starting her adventure, from the bottom of her road
- Having her mum with her for the start
- Dealing with the hills & the cobbles!
- Getting to Munich and being joined by her friends and enjoying the first few weeks
- Saddle soreness and dealing with the pain
- Doing exactly what she wants to do with her life
- The descent into Athens!
- Getting into Jerusalem and finishing the cycle
- What she's learnt most about herself on this trip
- The most challenging part of the trip and what she learned from this experience
- Dealing with unwanted attention
- Arriving back into the UK and trying to settle back into normal life
- Getting out of the slump and being inspired by Emily Chappell & Anna McNuff
- Her plans for the future!
- Raising £22,000 for MAP - Learn more about MAP
- Final words of advice and, “why you can’t fail if you try”
Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
- Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
- If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
- Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.
Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3?
You’re a rockstar! Thank you!
Want to do more?
Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs.
Frances Taylor a member of the Tough Girl Tribe is sharing more of her life on the Tough Girl Podcast!
- Over caffeinated and overreacting.
- Marathon runner, and one time ultra runner.
- Cycling New Zealand, Cape Reinga to Bluff 🚲
- 💌: francesmtaylor@gmail.com
Show notes
- Hating PE at school and stopping all physical activity from 14 years old
- Finding fitness again
- Deciding to do the Detroit Marathon
- Living in London and working full time as a receptionist
- Starting to run and how it helped her with her mental health
- Having 10 months to train for her first marathon
- The first time putting her trainers on and going for a run
- Building up her training over time
- To tell people or not to tell people?
- Being embarrassed about how slow she was
- Being a few weeks away from her first marathon and dealing with the nerves
- Letting herself feel her feelings and carrying on
- Her first marathon, being overwhelmed, tired and crying at mile 17
- How her self confidence sky rocketed after doing the marathon
- The Scafell Pike Marathon!
- Training for the hills
- Deciding to do an ultra! A flat 75K (with no navigation)
- Why the time is passing anyway and you should go out and do what you want to do
- Giving it their best shot
- Doing the race for themselves
- With her 30th birthday coming up & deciding to quit her job
- Needing to do something big with her life
- Why she decided she wanted to go to New Zealand
- Tips for saving money
- Giving herself 2 years to get ready
- Her plan for NZ and why it’s been more difficult than she thought and why its been more amazing that she could imagine
- Learning to have more self belief
Social media
Tumblr - http://pennyface.tumblr.com
Instagram - @Penny_face
Twitter - @penny_face
Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
- Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
- If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
- Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.
Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!
Want to do more?
Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs.
Thank you to all the patrons of the Tough Girl Podcast!
If you want to giveback and support the Tough Girl Podcast please become a patron.
Learn more - HERE!
Natalia Cohen has been travelling the world, living, working and exploring for the last 15 years. She has gained access and insights into an incredible variety of cultures and customs on all continents, as well as personal insights, and has charted her journey with beautiful, deeply inspiring writing and photography along the way.
Her unshakable passion for adventure has taken her to people and places that most of us can only imagine. From the Middle East to Antarctica, the villages of Africa to the colours and chaos of India, South America and the middle of the Pacific ocean, she truly is a global traveller.
Her most recent adventure led her to row across the Pacific Ocean delving deep into the mind and exploring the strength of human spirit. Her mission is to empower others to enjoy their life journey, reach their full potential and understand that we are exactly where we are supposed to be right now!
2 World records were set with the Coxless Crew:
- First all female team to row the Pacific Ocean.
- First ever fours boat to row the Pacific Ocean.
Show notes
- Travelling the world for 15 years
- Coming back to the UK to train to row across the Pacific Ocean
- How the Pacific Row came about and how she came to be involved in it
- Being open to opportunities
- Deciding if she liked rowing!
- The selection process for the Coxless Crew
- Why getting to the start line was almost as difficult as the ocean row
- Doing all the planning while holding down a full time job and how it helped to prepare them for the crossing
- Being overwhelmed and dealing with those feelings
- Taking it day by day, and focusing all her energies on getting to the start line
- Having the support of the team and why it made it easier to keep on going
- Why if you don’t ask, you don’t get
- Remembering the start and her feelings of quiet and calm during the first 24 hours.
- 2 hours on & 2 hours off for 9 months & how it impacted on sleep patterns and how quickly the body can adapt
- Getting into routine and how life became very simple: - eat, sleep, row, repeat!
- Getting to know the women on the boat and having the time and space to listen to one another while sharing their stories
- Meditation while rowing and being fully present and living in that moment
- Learning how to shift her mindset:- using mantras, motivating one another, photo’s, writing blog posts, and speaking to family members
“I am in charge of how I feel, and today I am choosing happiness”
- Focusing on the positive and setting your attention at the start of the day, to have a great day!
- The challenges she faced during the 9 month row and one particular challenging night shift
“I can do it - I can do it - I can do it - I can do it - I can do it”
- Team Values: - SPIRIT - Strength, Perseverance, Integrity, Resilience, Inspiration, Trust
- Being open with one another and learning to not take things personally
- The biggest argument on the boat…. Instant Noodles!!!
- What she has learned about herself by doing the Pacific Row Challenge
- Setting herself up as an inspirational speaker
- Why being yourself is so important and why self belief is important
“We all have the power to be who we want to be and do what we want to do”
- Being more aware of what she can control and what she can’t control
- Having the power to choose your attitude and making sure you enjoy the journey
- Coming back to reality and no longer being in a rowing boat in the middle of the ocean
- The next Coxless Crew team challenge!
- “Losing Site of Shore” - A documentary of the row
Social Media
Learn more about Natalie by visiting her website - say hi to her on twitter @EyeoftheNomad
Learn more about the Coxless Crew by visiting their website and follow on twitter @coxlesscrew
Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
- Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
- If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
- Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.
Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!
Want to do more?
Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs.
Catherine Mayer was born in the US and has spent much of her life in London. She is a former Europe Editor and Editor at Large of TIME magazine and the author of Amortality: The Pleasures and Perils of Living Agelessly and the Sunday Times bestselling biography of Prince Charles Charles: The Heart of a King. In 2015 she co-founded the Women’s Equality Party with Sandi Toksvig.
On the 8th March - International Women’s Day she releases her third book - Attack of the fifty foot women: How gender Equality can save the world!
Show notes
- Her career and how it has been done accidentally!
- Falling into journalism, via a cash in hand job in the marketing department at The Economist before moving over to the editorial side.
- Spending 11 years at TIME Magazine before starting the Women’s Equality Party
- Being born in America before moving over to the UK
- Being a foreign correspondent while based from home in London
- Her start in journalism and the challenges she faced in the early eighties
- How she survived and managed to make a career from it
- Getting by, by becoming “one of the boys”
- Why she came more politicised
- Working in a culture of conformity in order to get ahead and why we need to change the whole culture
- How the Women’s Equality Party came about
- WOW - The Women of the World Festival
- How a small party can make fundamental change and how UKIP proved that
- What it was like taking this idea for WE to the next stage
- How ignorance was bliss and also very helpful when setting up WE!
- How the initial interest on social media led to more than 250 people turning up to the first meeting
- What Catherine has learned from going through this whole experience
- Where the idea for her third book came from - Attack of the fifty foot women: How gender Equality can save the world!
- Being an internationalist in outlook and how what happens in one country does impact on what happens in another
- Going through the process of writing the book and why she loves the research
- Being a tough girl when it comes to writing, no rest, no days off, starting at five in the morning, a short break in the afternoon and then more writing
- Iceland & how women stopping work changed the direction of gender equality for the whole country
- Why the WE party are organising a women’s day off in 2018
- Why 2018 is going to be a special year for women
- Starting my Masters in Women & Gender at Lancaster University in 2017 and graduating in 2018 (everything happens for a reason!)
- The stand out interviews from the book
- Her plans for the year ahead, including her UK Book tour!
- BREATHE!
- EAT!
- SLEEP!
- How Donald Trump has helped women in one way…
- Final words of advice, why this is a time for ACTION and why you should join the Women’s Equality Party.
Social Media
Catherine is on twitter @catherine_mayer
Instagram @MayerofLondon
You can visit her website --> here!
WIN a copy of Catherine Book - Become a Patron and your name will be entered into a draw at the end of March! We have 3 books to give away - you can become a patron from $2 per month! Support the Tough Girl Podcast and help increase the amount of female role models in the media.
Margaret Schlachter found obstacle racing in 2010 with the very first Spartan Race outside of Burlington, Vermont. From that day on she was hooked. This former collegiate athlete found a new spark for fitness in obstacle course racing.
She founded Dirt in Your Skirt in early 2011 as a personal blog tracking her progress to the first World’s Toughest Mudder. Quickly the blog turned into a full website with race reviews, gear reviews, industry insight and more.
In 2012, she became the first professional female obstacle racer and was ranked 5th in the world at the time. She has taken on some of the sport’s toughest events competing in the Death Race, 5x World’s Toughest Mudder, and Survival Run in Nicaragua.
Today she spends her time as a full-time author, writer, industry expert, and coach. When not writing or taking on the next obstacle race or mud run she can be found working on her Urban Farm in Salt Lake City.
Show notes
- Her childhood growing up, attending boarding school and having a passion for the outdoors.
- Training like a professional athlete at 13 years old
- Transitioning from school to college
- Graduating from college and going on to do her Masters part time
- Her journey to obstacle racing
- The Original Obstacle Course Race which was started in the UK - Original Tough Guy
- Hating running but how having obstacles makes it fun!
- The very first Spartan Race
- Why you should not wear cotton!
- The spear throw and how its evolved over time
- The rivalry between Sparta & Tough Mudder!
- Going from 5k to 10 miles
- Qualifying for Worlds Toughest Mudder - a 24 hours obstacle course race, which had never been done before!
- Why accountability is so important
- Starting her blog - “Dirt in Your Skirt” and how it has evolved over time
- Getting her first podium in 2011 and how it led to her getting sponsorship
- 2012 & getting her first paid full time sponsorship
- Training for Worlds Toughest Mudder and making use of the mountains on her doorstep and the free running resources on line.
- Using rock climbing as a tool for general fitness - “Climb Fit”
- Dealing with the cold and why wetsuits are a must for any event like this
- Running her first ultra marathon in training
- Having to break ice to get through the obstacles
- Dealing with hallucinations and the stresses on her mind and body
- Not finishing the race, getting to 7 am, which was 3 hours short of competition
- How OCR has evolved for women
- The 3 races that stand out for her
- Stopping, quitting and not wanting to race
- Learning from failure
- Why we both collaborate & support other women
Get in contact with Margaret - via her Blog or on twitter @DirtinYourSkirt
You can listen to my episode with Margaret - HERE!
Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
- Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
- If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
- Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.
Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!
Want to do more?
Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs.
