On Tuesday 16th May 2017, Mollie Hughes successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest from the North side. This was Mollie's second time standing on top of Everest having already summited the South side in 2012.

Achieving this feat at 26 has made her the youngest woman in the world and the first English woman to successfully summit from both the north and south sides of the world’s highest mountain!

Show notes

• Intro - how would Mollie describe herself
• Not climbing her mountain until she was 17
• Growing up in South Devon
• Lacking confidence at a young age
• The stages she took to get to where she wanted to go
• Arriving back from Kenya and deciding on her next challenge
• Travelling at a young age
• Her journey to Everest
• When the seed got planted to climb Everest
• Her search for women who had climbed Everest
• Giving herself 12 months to achieve her goal
• Having the conversation with her parents….
• The money..
• A record to be had in 2012 - being the youngest women to summit Mount Everest from the UK
• Dealing with rejection week after week
• Getting herself fit and prepared for Everest
• Doing everything she could to raise the funds needed!
• Needing a killer auction prize
• Dealing with an expedition that’s gone wrong
• How to balance the risk and the rewards
• Her 2012 Everest expedition & how she felt about it
• Suffering for 2 months
• “seeing everyday as a success”
• Being able to separate your emotions
• 3 British Women all in their early twenties on the mountain
• Being interested in Tibet and wanting to explore the North side of Mount Everest
• How much it costs to climb Everest
• Her thoughts on reaching the top
• What she's learnt most from going on these expeditions
• What’s going to be next?!
• Top tips for resting and recovering after a big challenge?

Please find all my social media links below!

✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl 

✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/  

✩ Blog/Website - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/ 

✩ FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/  

✩ TRIBE  - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ToughGirlTribe/ 

✩ Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com  

✩ Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/   

✩ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h 

✩ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaIVCwNIUk6qE5MnewKDCrQ 

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If you have questions about me, the podcast, what I’m doing… then please check out my website

If you want to do more to help increase the amount of female role models in the media, please, 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 and share the podcast with your friends, to spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

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If you have questions regarding the Marathon des Sables - Please read  - Tough Girl Sahara Challenge 

If you have questions regarding climbing Kilimanjaro - Please read - Kilimanjaro Tips for The Top

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Want to do more?

Become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund my mission

If you want to support my mission - you can also donate via PayPal 

On the 3rd June I started my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, 2,190 miles in 100 days.  This was a dream I had last year, and if you've been following my daily podcast you'll know the challenges I've faced to get to the start line. 

During this podcast I’m being interviewed by my awesome sister, Caroline Wellingham. We discuss in detail the challenge, what it was like every day, how I dealt with the high points & low points, what I loved, what I learned and why I won’t be doing the trail again!

Show notes

• Starting at the beginning  - why did I want to walk the Appalachian Trail?
• Learn more about my preparation 
• How I was feeling at the start
• Day 1 of the trail - 3rd June
• Getting into routines
• How I coped physically at the start
• Key milestones
• The kindness of strangers
• Meeting members of the Tough Girl Tribe
• Meeting Stan the Man
• Reaching the half way point at Harpers Ferry
• Dealing with the pressure of the challenge
• Emotional vlogs!
• How I kept myself motivated during the challenge
• Mantras
• Thinking about life
• A quick fire round of questions!
• Food on the trail….
• Being inspired by the women on the trail
• Crossing state lines
• Being miserable on the trail
• Sleeping at high altitude
• Embracing the suck
• Highlights from the trail
• Trail magic & animals on the trail
• Dealing with bears and snakes on the trail
• Mental preparation and training - “what if”
• One of my best decisions I’d made on the trail
• Bad decisions..
• Blister watch!
• The final week!
• Meeting Jo Jo at the finish
• Not quite believing it’s done
• Missing the trail?

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. 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. 

Listen to the podcast

You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud & Stitcher!

Please find all my social media links below!

✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl 

✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/  

✩ Blog/Website - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/ 

✩ FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/  

✩ TRIBE  - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ToughGirlTribe/ 

✩ Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com  

✩ Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/   

✩ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h 

✩ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaIVCwNIUk6qE5MnewKDCrQ 

Caroline has spent over 10 years working in ski  patrol rescue and most recently as a SAR  (Search and Rescue) dog handler. She is passionate about ski touring and generally being outside in nature.  She enjoys sharing her professional experience with others, helping to train adults and youngsters in snow awareness so they can go out and enjoy the mountains to the full.

During this podcast we will learn more about Caroline and how her love for skiing grew and what path she choose to get to where she is now, from training over in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia, to following a man to France where she is now based, and doing what she loves. 

Caroline talks about her passion for the mountains, and what her role is like on a day to day basis, as well as the emotional toll working search and rescue can have. Caroline is also working on getting the message out regarding health and safety on the mountains and provides tips and advice to help you when you’re over there. 

Show notes

• Being based in the Pyrenees
• Her job titles
• Her dog Fjord
• How she got to France
• Spending time in an Australian Ski Resort
• Having to get re-qualified in France
• Learning to ski when she was 10 years old
• Her love of skiing
• Going to study Germany and being a freestyle skier
• Breaking her leg in Austria and not being put off
• Working in Austria as a ski instructor
• Dealing with her fear of going skiing again
• What she loves about skiing
• Why she wanted to become part of the ski rescue team
• What it’s like on a day to day basis
• Being trained in snow observations
• Bombing the slopes
• Dealign with avalanches
• Being caught in an avalanche
• Working with her dog Fjord
• Why she decided to call her do Fjord
• What they will do, if there is an avalanche 
• How she stayed focused while working in high stress situations
• Dealing with the emotions both positive and negative and why sometimes you need to take a step back
• Her pet hates on the mountains
• Advice and tips for the mountains
• Why it’s important to know your own level
• Follow your gut instinct
• Working in a male dominated environment
• Why she is moving into the educational side 
• Teaching children safety in the mountains
• How she has developed her own mental resilience
• Taking her ski test
• What she has leant over the past 10 years being a female and a foreigner 
• French men…

Social Media 

Website - www.fjordsar.weebly.com

Twitter - @FjordSar 

Twitter - @Caroline64SAR

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. 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. 

At 35, Sam Taylor struggled to leave the sofa in the evenings and prioritised a wine over a walk. Working full time and running around after three children, she was facing a sedentary future. And then she decided to try something different.

One hundred different things in a year, in fact. 

As a self-confessed gymphobe, with a fear of heights and a questionable pelvic floor, she experienced challenges within challenges as she set about trying 100 different sports and fitness classes in a year. Her quest took her over 10,000 miles, as she tried everything from American Football to Archery and Boxing to Underwater hockey. She faced Olympic hopefuls, World Champions, European Champions and participated with people from 8 to 80, in all shapes and sizes.

During this podcast we learn more about her story, the challenges she faced, what she leant about sport, herself and others. 

This episode will encourage you to get out there and to try new things!

Show notes

• Who Sam it
• How the idea came about 
• Being into hockey and what community sports can do for you
• Coming from a sporty background
• Growing the junior section of her hockey club
• Why sports are so good for you
• Her family 
• How she got back into sports after having children
• Getting the t-shirt and not thinking about the practicalities
• Coming up to her 36th birthday
• Telling people, putting it out on twitter and making yourself accountable to other people
• Being determined and not giving herself time to think
• Compiling the list of sporting activities
• Doing the things she was scared of
• Writing a blog about her experiences
• Her first challenge
• Which challenges pushed her outside of her comfort zone
• The challenge she had the most difficulty with 
• Why heights were an issue
• Getting injured playing croquet
• The challenges that were the most fun!
• Trampolining as a mother of three…. an extreme sport!!
• Life savings with the little nippers
• Challenge 66 and why she didn’t care what people thought anymore
• Hating the gym and feeling terrified 
• Being intimidated by the instructors and how she became friends with many of them
• How what she has leaned has impacted on her life
• The dark side of the challenge
• Getting to the end of the challenge
• Getting her back fixed
• Feeling emotional at the last channel - wake boarding
• Taking up squash and playing golf
• Her book
• The work she is doing in primary schools to help children
• HerMoJo
• Advice for women who want to get back to health and fitness

Social Media

Twitter - @SofaDodgerUK 

Website - http://www.hermojo.co.uk

HerMojo

HerMojo is a joint initiative between two of the leading UK activity finders ( SofaDodger and ACTIVEMapX ). Our focus is identifying #FemaleFriendly locations where women can get ACTIVE together. HerMojo is the largest UK activity finder and the only one in the world focusing on getting more women, more ACTIVE.

Buy her book!