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Tough Girl Podcast

The Tough Girl Podcast is all about inspiring and motivating YOU! I will be interviewing inspirational women from around the world, who’ve faced and overcome difficult challenges and situations, they will share their story, their knowledge and provide advice and essential tips for you to overcome your own personal challenges. Please check out the Tough Girl Challenges website - www.toughgirlchallenges.com and follow on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
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Now displaying: March, 2021
Mar 30, 2021
In May 1985, when Tania was 18 years old, she cast off from the docks of South Street Seaport in lower Manhattan and sailed 27,000 miles around the world—alone—on her Contessa 26, Varuna. 
 
Concerned about her lack of ambition, her father offered her this opportunity as an alternative to a college education, and she took him up on it. With just a cat for company, she crossed the Caribbean, the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, and the North Atlantic, stopping in 23 countries along the way. In November 1987, at 21, Tania Aebi returned to New York City, a solo-circumnavigator.
 
She spent the following year reliving the trip in words, writing her bestselling book, Maiden Voyage, a personal account describing her coming of age odyssey and dramatic childhood.
 
Nowadays, as her boys turn into young men, she continues to write, runs her businesses, and is working on her next book—in between keeping the paths shovelled and wood fires stoked in the winter, the gardens planted, weeded and productive in the summers.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Sailing solo around the world when she was 18
  • Living in the countryside 
  • Getting into sailing when she was a teenager
  • Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean with her dad
  • How she gained her sailing skills
  • Reflecting back on her teenage years
  • How the opportunity came up to sail around the world
  • Leaning new skills along the way
  • Sailing to Bermuda
  • Trying to figure out how to fix the engine and how to navigate
  • Figuring out that she was ok being alone on the ocean 
  • Having to learn how to sail better
  • Being sad that the adventure was over
  • What happened next after arriving back in NYC
  • Sitting down to write the book
  • Going back to university 10 years later
  • Figuring stuff out while writing about her experience of sailing around the world
  • Having a cat on the boat
  • Introducing her 2 sons to the world of sailing
  • Romance while sailing!
  • Doing a big sailing trip with her boys
  • Feeling protected and looked after while being a solo female sailor
  • Being fuelled by the negative comments
  • Being inspired by Laura Dekker 
  • Ignore the negativity and do it
  • Not being active on social media
 
Social Media 
 
Website www.taniaaebi.com
 
Mar 25, 2021
Shadi is co-founder of a community interest company SHAPE Hampshire which provides Mind, Body and Education support to Hampshire Schools. 
 
Shadi is the founder of Team GC, leading expeditions and challenge experiences which have enabled her to raise thousands of pounds for charitable causes. 
 
Shadi has a passion for education and loves working with children, sharing tales of her remote adventures. 
 
She runs a series of inspirational talks to schools, communities and businesses. Shadi is a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society. 
 
Future challenge - The BIG North Pole Sea Ice Research expedition 2022 
 
“Every experience provides us with an opportunity to grow and make a difference”. — Shadi Ganjavian-Connor 
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Living in the South Coast of England
  • Her former life
  • Wanting to make a change in her life
  • Discovering her passion for the outdoors
  • Living with the Bedouin for 6 years
  • Having 2 children 
  • Undertaking personal challenges which push her limits
  • Growing up and being a rule breaker
  • Living in multiple countries while growing up
  • Being able to make friends easily and learning how to fit in and adapt to new situations 
  • Having a supportive family and a safety net
  • Being encouraged to go for it
  • Wanting to take more risks in her life
  • Being scared of the ocean and facing her fear
  • Learning how to scuba dive in Egypt
  • Starting a family and having to re-evaluate life
  • How having children impacted on her desire to go on adventures
  • Wanting to be a role model for the children
  • Doing expeditions for charity 
  • Getting into mountaineering
  • Climbing Mount Blanc
  • Figuring out what to do next
  • Loving the mental side of the challenge
  • Her routines and habits and setting herself up each day
  • Working with a sports psychologist
  • Being vulnerable and relying on other people
  • Needing to know what is going on
  • Dealing with exhaustion 
  • The BIG North Pole Sea Ice Research expedition 2022
  • Her plans for dealing with the cold weather
  • The cost of the expedition and finalising the funding
  • Training and getting physical ready for the challenge
  • Role models and being inspired by her friends
  • Going with the flow….
  • Why the first step is saying YES!!
  • Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you
     
Social Media
 
TeamGC - Educate, Collaborate and Dare to be Different. Collaborating with schools, charities and ethical partners. Inspiring others to push their personal safety barometer a few degrees and living on the edge of their comfort zone.
 
Website www.teamgc.co.uk
 
Instagram @ganjavianconnor 
 
Facebook @teamgc.co.uk 
 
Mar 23, 2021
Liv (pronounced ‘leave’) is a Norwegian educator, cross-country skier, adventurer, guide, and motivational speaker. Liv led the first unsupported women’s crossing of the Greenland Ice Cap in 1992. In 1994, she made international headlines becoming the first woman in the world to ski solo and unsupported to the South pole – a 50-day expedition of 745 miles (1,200 km).
 
A self-proclaimed “keen” but not fanatical outdoors enthusiast, Liv is most interested in the development of adults and children. Through her diverse roles as a polar explorer, educator and motivational leader, Liv ignites passion in others to reach beyond their normal boundaries and achieve their dreams by sharing her own stories about exploring some of the most remote places on earth.
 
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
  • February 2001 — Arnesen and American polar explorer Ann Bancroft become the first women in history to sail and ski across Antarctica’s landmass — completing a 94-day, 1,717-mile (2,747 km) trek.
  • 1996— Arnesen climbs the north side of Mount Everest, getting to within 6,200 ft (1,900 m) of the summit before altitude sickness forces her to descend.
  • 1994 — Arnesen makes international headlines by becoming the first woman in the world to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole — a 50-day expedition of 745 miles (1,200 km)
  • 1992 — Arnesen leads the first unsupported women’s crossing of the Greenland Ice Cap.
Take a listen to Liv as she shares more about her life and adventures on the Tough Girl Podcast.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Liv
  • What Liv is up to at the moment
  • Her childhood dream of skiing to the South Pole
  • Growing up in the outskirts of Oslo and loving the outdoors
  • Their religion was Mother Nature
  • Being divorced with 3 girls and 6 grandchildren 
  • Her dreams when she was younger
  • “That’s a boy’s dream”
  • Being inspired by other women in the world 
  • Doing the first unsupported women’s crossing of Greenland Ice Cap
  • Getting the funding together for the South Pole crossing 
  • Not being able to get any Norwegian sponsorship
  • Having to take out a personal loan to pay for the trip
  • When her dream became a reality 
  • Why it felt like a holiday!
  • Being scared of the crevasses 
  • Staying for an extra 10 days in the South Pole and working washing dishes
  • Adventure blues?
  • Wanting to combine adventure and education 
  • Doing a Master of Management
  • Teaming up with Ann Bancroft
  • Creating a program called ‘Dare to Dream’
  • Visiting Ann in the USA
  • Finding her ‘Sister Soul’
  • Risk management in extreme situations 
  • How the world of adventure has changed over the past 30 years
  • Feeling very privileged
  • What adventure means to Liv
  • The Access water project 
  • Mental resilience 
  • Mastering patience
  • Wanting to paddle down one river on each continent 
  • Being a Wings Fellow 
  • Quick Fire Questions
  • Final words of advice
 
Social Media 
 
Website - www.livarnesen.com 
 
Facebook  - Bancroft Arnesen Explore @BancroftArnesen 
 
Instagram  @livarnesen_com 
 
Twitter @LivArnesen 
 
Mar 18, 2021
Winnie shares her story in such a joyful and happy way, you can’t help but smile listening to her talk. You can hear the passion she has for getting outside and getting in the water. 
 
Winnie starts by taking us back to her childhood in Pointe noire, in the Republic of Congo, where she was the second eldest child of eight. Winnie talks about spending her early years playing outdoors, however, she was not allowed to swim in the sea which was seen as a taboo by her family and the local community. 
 
During this episode Winnie goes into more detail about her life, and how she ended up living in the Lake District, 10 mis from Lake Windermere. You will hear how she learned to swim and how it has helped her to mange her mental health. Winnie, provides great advice and top tips which will inspire you to step outside your comfort zone and to give open water swimming a try. 
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
* Please note during this episode we talk about depression and mental health
 
Show notes
  • Growing up in a big family
  • Living by the sea
  • Spending a lot of time in the outdoors
  • Not being allowed to swim in the sea
  • Why the sea was taboo
  • Black people not being able to swim
  • Growing up in a close community 
  • Not being academic
  • Not knowing what to do with her life
  • Being bullied at school
  • Going to college and learning English
  • Being send to South Africa to study in 1997
  • Moving to Manchester, England with her partner
  • Deciding to move to the Lake District
  • Suffering with deep depression
  • Ensuring her daughters could swim
  • Being taught by her girls
  • Being scared to go in the deep end at the swimming pool
  • Wanting to jump in!
  • All you have to do is blow bubbles
  • Wanting to go and swim in the lake
  • Going through a tough time in 2018
  • Deciding to go swimming in winter!
  • Thinking she was going to die
  • Finding peace in the lake
  • Being part of a friendly and supportive community
  • Advice for women who want to get into outdoor swimming
  • Wanting to inspire other Black women to get into swimming
  • Not getting hung up on hair
  • Her journey of self care and self love
  • Putting herself first
  • What she does to make herself feel better
  • The benefits of swimming
  • Encouraging other women to love themselves
  • Sharing a happy memory - going Ice swimming
  • Her role model in swimming
  • The power of a hello
  • Coping during Covid
  • Meeting awesome women swimming 
  • Meeting Eden - The Transgender Swimmer & Rhiane from Black Girls Hike
  • Let’s do a Swim meet!
  • Final words of advice to encourage other women to get into swimming 
  • Top tip - "Once you are in, it’s a Win”
 
 
Social Media
 
Instagram @winniepoaty  
 
Business ILOVEMEMOST
 
Website - www.iluvmemost.com 
 
Instagram @iluvmemost  
 
Facebook @iluvmemostboutique 
 
Mar 16, 2021
Marie in her own words:
 
Hi there, my name is Marie and I'm based in the North of England in Sheffield after moving from London in November 2019.  Having spent most of my working life as a Consultant in the big smoke, I decided after 15 years it was time for a change.  Whilst I still work as a Client Relationship Manager for a Sheffield SME 4 days a week, the move has allowed me to be much closer to the hills (timely with the current Covid pandemic) giving me the opportunity to spend so much more of my time getting outdoors and enabling me to achieve the sense of work-life balance that I was craving in the City.
 
I describe myself on my Instagram bio as a skier, hiker and runner, but perhaps it would be more accurate to describe me as an avid outdoor and adventure enthusiast!  I have been incredibly lucky to be able to ski and go on expeditions around the world.  But I am conscious that not everyone has necessarily had that opportunity.  I am also acutely aware that the outdoor sports and adventure world has typically struggled with a lack of diversity and whilst it's been great to see moves in a positive direction to redress the balance, it has been really great in the last year to be working with a team of others from Kit Collective, all passionate to be working on initiatives to help reduce some of the barriers facing people getting into the outdoors.
 
After years of excitement of being on expeditions - searching locations, planning them, packing for them and then eventually going on them - this has led me to set up my own adventure expedition company, Three Peaks Adventures.  We started in 2017 so are still in the early and growth stages of the company, and have like others in the travel industry, been particularly hit by Covid.  But we're busy planning for the end of 2021 and going forwards so watch this space!
 
I think it's incredibly important for people to be able to see other normal people, people with normal jobs and who try to squeeze getting outdoors into every available spare minute that they have, going out and doing lots of different things.  Things from their doorstep but equally things that push them outside of their comfort zone.  And that is what I hope to try to strive for in my roles as a Salomon Ambassador, Ordnance Survey #getoutside champion, Duke of Edinburgh supervisor and trainee assessor as well as part of my training to be a mountain leader.  If people can see ordinary people like myself getting out there, hopefully it can give someone a bit of encouragement to just get out there and go for it!
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
 
Show notes
  • Who is Marie
  • Growing up and not spending time in the outdoors
  • Her first charity challenge
  • Climbing Kilimanjaro 
  • The slow burn of the outdoors
  • Reaching Gilman’s Point
  • Wanting to do more hiking
  • Signing up to do the Inca Trail in Peru
  • Deciding to go and climb Mount Blanc
  • Doing courses at Glenmoore Lodge in Scotland  
  • The importance of having the right group
  • Having a back up plan in place
  • Starting to hike more in the UK
  • Learning more about the UK Mountain Leader Award (ML)  
  • Starting to make decisions about what she wanted to do
  • Liking her job…..
  • Escape the City  
  • Deciding to run her own expedition company
  • 3 peaks in Tanzania 
  • Creating a film with Iona Rendall
  • Doing courses
  • Learning how to navigate
  • The importance of logging everything in your log book for the ML
  • Being an Ordnance Survey Get Outside champion  
  • Final words of advice to encourage you to spend more time in the outdoors
 
Social Media
 
Website threepeaksadventures.com 
 
Instagram
 
@mariecheng27 
@threepeaksadventures
 
 
Mar 14, 2021
Sue is a passionate trail runner, cyclist and hiker. 
 
During this episode Sue shares more about her life, the challenges she has faced as she entered her 50th decade as well as her goal to remain fit, active and healthy for the next 30 years. Sue is a lover of the outdoors and the natural world. She enjoys taking part in a variety of different adventures and challenges; from learning how to swim, taking on her first triathlon, running her first marathon and ultra marathon. 
 
During this podcast, Sue shares more about her role models, her motivation and why she decided to apply for the Adventure Queen Grant in 2017.  Sue talks in details about her fears, and dreams and what she learnt from taking on a 1,300 mile human powered journey through the mountains along the spine of the Alps.
 
There are lots of top tips and advice which will motivate and inspire you, to get fit and active and to spend more time outdoors. 
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
 
Show notes
  • Who is Sue and what she loves
  • The challenges of her 50th decade
  • Her current focus for mid lift
  • Wanting to keep active and healthy, and age well
  • Growing up in the 1960s
  • Building resilience at a young age
  • Being inspired by teacher and her parents
  • Playing hockey for over 40 years
  • Having the freedom to play and explore
  • Team GB winning the gold medal in hockey
  • Motherhood and having 2 daughters
  • Wanting to give her children opportunities
  • Reading about Rosie Swale Pope - A little run around the world 
  • Turning 50
  • Needing to put herself first 
  • Taking on a new challenge every year
  • Going to the SW Outdoors Festival 
  • Meeting - Anna McNuff 
  • Winning the Adventure Queens Grant in 2017
  • Advice for how to priorities yourself
  • Committing the idea down to paper
  • The mother daughter relationship
  • The plan…
  • Adapting the trails to suit their plan and abilities
  • Spending quality time with your mum
  • Creating magical memories
  • Fears and concerns before heading out to the Alps
  • Meeting armed police in the mountains
  • What a typical week of fitness looks like
  • The Tough Girl - March Daily Mile Challenge with Inov-8
  • Trial Running Magazine - Run 1,000 miles Community 
  • Country Walking Magazine - Walk 1000 miles throughout the year
  • Struggling for motivation in February
  • Month long challenges….
  • Training her family…
  • The importance of a community 
  • Find Sue on line and follow along with her journey
  • Find words of advice   
 
Social Media
 
Blog - supersuebarrett.wordpress.com 
 
Instagram @adventurequeenmother  
 
Twitter @runnyhunny  
 
Adventure Queens - A UK based, not-for-profit women’s adventure community – set up with the aim of delicately bringing down the barriers that prevent women from going on outdoor adventures and realising their full potential. Free to join, highly accessible and completely inclusive for anyone that identifies as a womxn.
 
Website - adventurequeens.co.uk 
 
Listen To Anna McNuff on the Tough Girl Podcast
 
Anna McNuff - Running 2,300+ miles through Great Britain barefoot! 
 
Anna McNuff - Racing in the Kathmandu Coast to Coast, New Zealand & her next challenge - Barefoot Britain! 
 
Anna McNuff - Adventurer, Speaker & Mischief Maker!
 
Mar 12, 2021
On Thursday 25th February myself and Laura Kennington hosted a live event for mountain sports retailer Ellis Brigham focusing on endurance and mental resilience. 
 
You can now listen to the audio from the live event via the Tough Girl Podcast. 
 
Laura Kennington - is a British adventure athlete, author and speaker with a passion for the endurance capability of the human body. Previous adventures include cycling all 1600 miles of the world's longest coastal route in Ireland, cycling Scotland’s North Coast 500 route, running the length of Fuerteventura (100 miles) in 4 days and circumnavigating three of the Channel Islands using three different sporting disciplines. 
 
Her most notable adventure (so far!) has been solo cycling 3700 miles along the North Sea-facing coasts of 8 countries, from Scotland to Norway. Laura is a strong believer in the positive impact that adventure and sport can have on children and adults alike, Laura uses her human powered journeys as a platform to inspire and encourage others.
 
Sarah Williams - is the creator of the award winning Tough Girl Podcasts and the founder of Tough Girl Challenges which is all about motivating and inspiring women and girls to get fit and active, travel and explore, and to encourage women and girls to have big dreams and to step outside their comfort zone. 
 
Sarah completed the Marathon des Sables in April 2016 (6 marathons in 6 days across the Sahara Desert), in 2017 she thru hiked the Appalachian Trail solo and unsupported (2,190 miles) in 100 days. In 2018 Sarah cycled over 4,000 km from Vancouver, Canada via the Pacific Coast Highway to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. Most recently  Sarah was in Australia walking the Overland Track in Tasmania. 
 
Social Media 
 
Ellis Brigham -  www.ellis-brigham.com 
 
Laura Kennington - https://laurakairos.com 
 
Watch the Live Event on Youtube - https://youtu.be/MzpkpGNCxEg  
Mar 11, 2021
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner's interest in mountain climbing developed while she was growing up in Spital am Pyhrn, Austria.
 
Her greatest dream—climbing an 8,000-meter peak—came true at the age of 23, when she succeeded in climbing the fore-summit of Broad Peak in Pakistan, at a height of 8,027 meters. She then put the money she earned as a nurse into different trekking and climbing expeditions to the Himalaya.
 
After climbing the Nanga Parbat—her fifth 8,000-meter peak—in 2003, she decided to become a professional mountain climber.
 
Today, Kaltenbrunner has climbed all 14 main peaks in the 8,000-meter series. 
 
When she reached the summit of K2 (8,611 meters), she became the first woman to scale all 8,000-meter peaks without the use of supplementary oxygen. During this episode Gerlinde shares more about her journey into mountaineering and takes us up on K2, she shares lessons learned and how she moved forward after dealing with a friends death on the mountain.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Where her love of the mountains came from
  • Being inspired at 8 years old by her priest
  • Loving nature from a young age
  • Watching a lecture on K2 and being inspired at 16 years old
  • Going to Pakistan at 23 to climb her first 8,000m peak
  • Telling her parents about her mountaineering dreams
  • Wanting to climb without oxygen
  • Working as a nurse and doing as much endurance training as possible
  • Cycling 40km to work and back again
  • Spending as much time as possible in the mountains
  • Finding the right people to climb with 
  • Female role models in mountaineering 
  • How her grandmother inspired her passion
  • Climbing Broad Peak (8,027m) in Pakistan
  • Spending 6 days in Islamabad 
  • Trying to save a life on the mountain
  • The importance of drinking water at high altitude
  • The importance of routine in high altitude climbing 
  • Being very focused and not being able to enjoy the summit of Broad Peak
  • Getting addicted to the high mountains
  • Having a break of 4 years to save money and holiday time
  • Why the learning should never end
  • Being discriminated against and deciding to go in small teams
  • Changing her strategy on climbing mountains 
  • Being more selective on who she climbed mountains with 
  • Climbing Nanga Parbat - the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 metres (26,660 ft) above sea level
  • Being ignored on the mountain by other climbers
  • Not being allowed to break trail
  • Making life long friends on the mountains
  • Making 7 attempts on K2
  • Evaluating risks while on the mountain
  • Walking for 39 hours to get back to base camp and away from the oncoming storm
  • Losing a friend on the mountain
  • Dealing with the aftermath of a death on the mountain and figuring out whether to keep climbing or not
  • Accepting the accident 
  • Deciding to change the route on K2 and go from the Chinese side
  • Being very disciplined at high altitude
  • Drinking at least 6 litre of water to help with blood circulation
  • Being trapped in a snowstorm for 3 nights at over 7,950m
  • The importance of staying calm and maintaining a positive attitude in tough situations
  • Accept the situation and keep your mind positive and strong 
  • The importance of team work and tolerance
  • Deciding to continue with the K2 climb when others decided to turn back
  • Having to accept the power of nature
  • Getting another chance to summit 
  • Being on the summit of K2
  • Sitting in silence for 50 mins to take it all in
  • Having a life long dream come true
 
 
Social Media
 
Website - www.gerlindekaltenbrunner.at 
 
Instagram - @gerlinde_kaltenbrunner
 
 
Mar 9, 2021
Yui is an educator, writer, and accomplished traveller who has been to more than 200 countries and territories, including Antarctica and the Arctic.
 
In 2017 she made history by becoming the first Asian woman to visit every sovereign country in the world. She also holds the record for being the first Singaporean to have visited all United Nations member states.
 
Her work centers around the use of language and she has a particular interest in world language families and comparative linguistics. She has knowledge of over twenty world languages, many of which are written in a non-Latin script.
 
A keen advocate of education as a means of empowerment, Yui is also the founder of a non-profit that supports education and other causes in developing countries.
 
Listen to Yui as she shares her story on the Tough Girl Podcast.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Yui
  • Her early life and family travel trips
  • Being encouraged to try adventure sports
  • Having a desire to explore the world
  • Working with languages
  • Gap years….
  • Starting to travel while at University 
  • The goal of travelling to every country in the world
  • Wanting to see as much of the world as possible
  • Being motivated by curiosity 
  • Planning trips around time and budget
  • Being self funded
  • Making travel a priority
  • Travelling solo and the lessons learned
  • The more challenging countries to travel to 
  • Being mindful of the more high risk countries and taking appropriate precautions 
  • Visiting Afghanistan
  • Wanting to spend more time in Iceland
  • visiting the DRC - the Democratic Republic of Congo
  • The issues of getting a visa
  • Travelling on a Singapore passport
  • Finishing the challenge
  • Starting a non-profit
  • Travel post covid
  • Future travel goals
  • Follow on social media
  • Words of advice for future travellers
 
 
Social Media
 
 
Instagram 
 
 
Twitter @travelyus1
Mar 4, 2021
Ashley is a lover of the outdoors and is passionate about whitewater rafting and hiking. 
 
Ashley has been dreaming about hiking the Appalachian Trail ever since she was a little girl when her and her father would pick up thru-hikers and give them lifts into town. After graduating college in 2018, it was the right time to commit to taking on this challenge. Ashley was sponsored by the Thru Hiking Syndicate which is where she got her gear from. After a false start on the AT, and forgetting her pants! Ashley soon got into the rhythm of daily hiking, gaining a trail name and a trail family, she completed just shy of 1,000 miles before having to leave the trail. 
 
During this episode Ashley shares more about her dream, the challenges she faced getting to the start line, what it was like being plus size on trail, and providing lots of top tips on how to spend more time in the outdoors. 
 
Ashley has made it her mission to help enlighten and encourage folks from every walk of like to enter the world of nature in a safe and fun way.
 
“Do not let anyone’s words stop you from enjoying what you love” - Ashley Manning.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please visit  www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. It is super quick and easy to set up - and you too can be part of the mission to help increase the amount of female role models in the media.
 
 
Show notes
  • Who is Ash
  • Coming from a sporty family
  • Getting into the outdoors
  • Being inspired by her Dad and Uncle
  • Pollywog hunting
  • Growing up in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains
  • Chasing frogs and tadpoles
  • Outdoorsy, dirty, romantic lifestyle
  • Raft guiding in the summers 
  • Hiking for weight loss
  • Reclaiming the word ‘fat’
  • Appalachian or Appalachian Trail? How to pronounce it….
  • Hiking on the AT
  • Where the dream came from 
  • Being inspired by her cousin 
  • How the dream fell into place
  • Feelings of shame
  • Dealing with a lot of stress
  • “Nothing will really prepare you for the Appalachian Trail, like doing the Appalachian Trail”
  • Self reflection before the trail
  • Being able to start with a friend
  • Starting on a cold, wet, muddy day!
  • Dealing with the challenges of the AT
  • Being ok with type 2, type 3 and type 4 fun!
  • Dealing with her mental health and emotions while on the trail
  • Keeping going when times got tough
  • The encouragement of other is a huge factor
  • Trail names
  • Being ‘othered’ while on the AT
  • Trail family life
  • An average day hiking on the Appalachian Trail
  • Getting gear together for the hike
  • Being part of the Thru Hike Syndicate (People who are doing big thru hikes in the USA) 
  • Being collected from Virginia by her mum
  • Feeling defeated 
  • Feeling sad about leaving the trail
  • Tearing her ACL and the recovery process
  • Top tips for you to spend more time in the outdoors
  • How to follow Ash on social media
 
Social Media
 
Instagram @ashleysadventure 
 
Unlikely Hikers @unlikelyhikers 
 
You can also listen to Ash on the Unlikely Hikers Podcast - Episode 8 
 
Mar 2, 2021
Dani is a storyteller, strategist, advocate, and professional big mountain athlete redefining who plays outside and how we build community with others on this planet.
 
Originally from Southern California, she has traveled through Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Andorra, Canada, and the USA building her craft as a split board mountaineer (plus climber, surfer, and runner) since 2014, when she graduated from corporate life with a one-way ticket to South America.
 
Ever since then, she's worked to build a life AND career she loves, in spite of setbacks, naysayers, and building everything from scratch.
 
Her goal? 
 
To inspire individual action and collective communion through self-care and self-determination found in the outdoors.
 
“I want to find the limits of my possible—whether in the mountains, my creative work, or as a strategist—and travel into the higher reaches of the world that vests me with this power. To grow as individuals, communities, and a society, I think we need to embrace discomfort. This is how we evolve.” - Dani Reyes-Acosta
 
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Dani
  • Growing into adventure
  • Not taking the typical path
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • Going to college and combing her love of the sea with her desire to give back to the world
  • Studying Marine Biology
  • Growing up in a strict catholic family 
  • Wanting to connect with the bigger world around her
  • How her career evolved
  • Deep dive into how she got to where she is now
  • Wanting to start a non profit in South America
  • Being burnt out from university 
  • Getting into marketing 
  • Dealing with the economic crash of 2008
  • Starting to work for Nike in 2012
  • Having to make a decision about adventure 
  • Deciding to become a mountain person
  • Work hard and play hard
  • Using meet-up.com to connect with people
  • Not knowing anyone in Oregon
  • How her life got consumed by work in her late 20s
  • Exiting an unhealthy relationship in 2013
  • Turning her life upside down in 2014
  • Buying a one way ticket to South America
  • Buying a car
  • Spending 9 months driving around 
  • Why deciding on South America
  • Setting new goals and new priorities 
  • The life that everyone else is impressed with
  • Putting pen to paper
  • Setting new goals 
  • Making goals apart of her process
  • Talking money and making money from your passions
  • Having a broken knee
  • Van life realities 
  • Follow along with the journey 
  • Final words of advice
 
Social Media 
 
Website danireyesacosta.com 
 
Instagram @notlostjustdiscovering
 
Facebook @notlostjustdiscovering
 
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