This week on the Tough Girl Podcast, I’m joined by Margie Goldsmith — an award-winning writer, journalist, and adventurer who proves that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself or chase new challenges.
At 81 years old, Margie is still boxing, biking, climbing mountains, and living life with unstoppable energy. Her new book, Becoming a Badass: From Fearful to Fierce, shares her remarkable journey from a fearful young woman growing up in a dysfunctional family to a confident, adventurous storyteller who’s visited 150 countries and built a life full of courage and curiosity.
In this episode, we talk about how Margie learned to turn fear into fuel, why Paris was the turning point in her life, how she’s stayed strong and active through the decades, and why movement, recovery, and mindset are key to living fully at any age.
Tune in for a funny, fearless, and deeply inspiring conversation that celebrates the power of saying yes to life — no matter how old you are.
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/
Your support makes a difference. 
Thank you x
Show notes
- Who is Margie
- Living in New York City
- Writer, journalist, novelist, essayist
- Her new book: Becoming a Badass: From Fearful to Fierce
- Visiting 150 countries
- Her early years
- Coming from a dysfunctional family
- Being told she was not good enough
- Escaping by going into the woods
- Moving all the time and having to make new friends
- Getting into sports to make friends
- Proving that she was good enough, and not less than
- Being on her own from a young age
- Graduating from college and seeing a flyer to go to Europe for the summer
- Wanting to escape her mother
- Heading to Paris for the summer in 1965
- Deciding to stay in Paris and beginning her grown up life
- Her transition to Margie the Adventurer
- 81 years old - boxing, riding her bike, moving,
- Climbing Mt Etna at 80
- Moving from feeling fearful to fierce
- Why Paris was the turning point
- Not wanting children
- Meeting an older man, (27 years older…)
- Smoking back in the day
- Travelling in the 1960s
- Deciding where to go and what to do
- Starting her first novel (Screw Up)
- Working as an extra in films
- Meeting husband number 1!
- Pressure from family/society to get married?
- Learning to hold her own
- Meeting husband number 2!
- Living the high life and getting bored
- How going rafting on the Colorado river changed things
- Trying things that scared her
- Gaining new confidence
- Going to advance base camp at Mt. Everest
- Getting into marathon running!
- Trying a triathlon in Cuba
- Being diagnosed with a tumour in her pancreas
- Becoming a type 1 diabetic
- Getting through the operations
- Still feeling the feelings of fear
- Writing her book and why she loved it
- Deciding to give her body to science
- Being in her 80s and moving towards the end stages
- Doing everything she wants to do
- Living life day by day
- Keep doing the little adventures
- Talk yourself into things, not out of things
- Why you don’t need to travel to find the fun and the adventure
- Keeping her goals inside her
- Doing everything she can to stay healthy and why it means physical movement
- The trends of fitness and how they have changed
- Move it or lose it
- Getting weekly massages
- Aim Health - Treatments
- The importance of recovery
- How to connect with Margie
- Going on to TikTok!
- Advice for people who do feel/have felt less than
- Find a mentor who you trust
- Listen to yourself and your gut
- Go find something to make you feel good
Social Media
Website: margiegoldsmith.com
Facebook: Masters Of The Harmonica
Book: Becoming a Badass: From Fearful to Fierce
This week on the Tough Girl Podcast, I’m joined by Veronica White — a PhD student, photographer, and outdoor adventurer who is combining academic research with exploration in a truly unique way.
For her final year at the University of Exeter, Veronica set out on an extraordinary journey: cycling more than 2,000 miles across England to explore how women envision the future of farming. Her Farming Futures Tour— meeting and interviewing 50 women along the way who are shaping the future of food and agriculture.
Born in the US and raised in the Netherlands, Veronica’s path into farming wasn’t traditional. With a background in environmental science and food security, she’s found her passion in connecting people, place, and purpose — and using adventure as both a research method and a personal challenge.
In our conversation, we talk about how she planned and trained for the project, what it was like to balance the mental and physical demands of fieldwork on the move, and why she believes surrounding yourself with people who say “yes” can make all the difference.
Tune in to hear how Veronica turned her PhD into a pedal-powered exploration of England’s rural landscapes — and how adventure can open new ways of seeing, learning, and connecting.
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/
Your support makes a difference. Thank you x
Show notes
- Who is Veronica?
- Final year PhD student at the University of Exeter
- Cycling over 2,000 miles across England for her PhD fieldwork
- Being born in the US and raised in the Netherlands
- Her interest in food and farming
- Studying environmental science for her undergraduate degree at the University of East Anglia
- Reading up more on food waste
- Deciding to do a Masters in Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture
- Not having a background in farming, but doing volunteer work on farms
- Doing cycling as a social activity
- Starting her blog during the pandemic in 2020
- Spending time exploring the South West Coast Path
- Naming her blog - Coves to Cliffs
- Using the blog to get away from social media
- Not getting sucked into the world of SEO and affiliate marketing
- Wanting the blog to be a collection of memories and stories and not just another marketing tool
- What The Farming Futures Tour is
- Speaking to 50 women on the tour
- The reasons for cycling
- Being supported and encouraged by her supervisors
- Spending a year planning and training for the project
- Finding the women to speak with
- What the fieldwork looked like
- The futures triangle
- Autoethnography method - reflecting on your own personal experiences - while cycling through the landscapes
- Planning and logistics for such a long trip
- Receiving funding from the Royal Geographical Society and a charity organisation, Act Big Live Small
- Setting off on the journey
- Balancing the mental and physical sides of the challenge
- Dealing with fatigue
- Finding new strategies to cope with the work load
- Doing voice notes instead of writing field notes
- The bike and gear set up
- Off Cut Gear
- The highlights from the trip
- Still having to write the PhD!
- Food and farming
- Finding lunch in rural areas
- Cycling hunger
- How to connect with Veronica
- Planning the next adventure?
- Final words of advice
- Surround yourself with people who say yes
Social Media
Instagram @farmingfutures_cycle
Youtube: @
Captain Preet Chandi MBE is a world record breaking explorer, former British Army officer, and physiotherapist. She served in the Royal Army Medical Corps for 16 years before embarking on groundbreaking polar expeditions.
In 2022, Preet became the ninth woman in history to ski solo to the South Pole, and the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition on the continent. Less than a year later, she set out on her next adventure, breaking two Guinness World Records for the longest solo unsupported one-way ski expedition, both for a woman and overall, covering 922 miles in 70 days.
She returned to Antarctica in December 2023 to set her fourth world record: the female speed record to the South Pole, completed in 31 days, 13 hours, and 19 minutes.
Preet’s expeditions are driven by her mission to inspire others to push boundaries. She champions the message that everyone starts somewhere, and that no matter your background or starting point in life, you are capable of breaking barriers and redefining what’s possible.
In 2025, she established her Community Interest Company, Adventure is Ours CIC, which supports expeditions that promote education, inspiration, climate awareness, and diversity in exploration. Through the CIC, she also delivers outreach, mentorship, and school visits to empower people of all ages.
In 2022, Preet started delivered her school talks across the UK, reaching more than 18,000 students. That same year, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Her achievements have been widely recognised: she received the ‘Inspirational’ and ‘Woman of the Year’ awards at the inaugural Women in Defence event in 2022, was named ‘Explorer of the Year’ in 2023, and in 2025 was awarded the prestigious Geographical Award by the Royal Geographical Society.
Past TGP episodes
July 8th 2021 - Preet Chandi - Army Physiotherapist, Ultra Runner, first solo unsupported expedition to South Pole!
Feb 15th 2022 - Preet Chandi - aka Polar Preet - 1st woman of colour to reach the South Pole
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/
Your support makes a difference. Thank you x
Show notes
- Who is Preet
- Originally from Darby, but basically living everywhere
- Spending 16 years in the Army
- Chatting to Preet previously on the Tough Girl Podcast
- Making the decision to leave the Army
- Coming back in debt
- Getting straight back into work
- Starting the next fundraising cycle
- Trying to get unpaid leave
- Doing her 3rd expedition without telling anyone
- Trying to cross the landmass on Antarctica on her 2nd trip
- Not making it
- The voice in her head, telling her she had failed
- Feeling the relief when she finished
- Getting 2 records from the trip
- Why it’s ok to fail
- Being slated by an article
- Feeling worried about what people in the adventure community would think of her
- Wondering if she could get the female speed record? (Needing to break 33 days)
- Why you don’t need to be the best to succeed
- Learning as she goes on
- Why 2023 was a tough year and struggling
- The impact on weight loss on your brain
- Burnout
- Starting to feel recovered
- Wanting to train for the North Pole
- Having time off
- Losing her granddad and hearing the news after the trip
- Building momentum
- Getting to sleep 8 hrs per night
- Talking about failure
- Making mistakes and being able to pinpoint them
- Being nervous to get started
- Needing to get going and hitting some storms at the start
- The voice in her head - being scared to fail, and being called a failure
- Using her pain relief before she though she would need to
- Getting a polar thigh industry
- Starting to move more slowly towards the end
- Focusing on the next 2hrs
- Getting home
- Traumatic growth?
- The daily pain cave…
- Being made to slow down
- The costs of doing these trips
- Getting help and support
- Trip 3 - the women’s speed record
- Dealing with the hunger
- The next big challenge - the north pole
- Why there is a high chance of failure
- You can not fail, unless you try
- Preparing for the misery and suffering
- The privilege of being on the start line of adventures
- Lying to herself
- Why not Preet!
- Needing luck on the next adventure
- Wanting to show show much than you can do anything
- You go and you try
- Why her trips are bigger than her
- Why adventure is for anyone
- Being very driven and being an encourager
- How to connect with Preet
- MBE and what it means
- What’s been achieved in 4 years
- Why you do belong in every single room
- The importance of the first step
Social Media
Website: www.polarpreet.com
Instagram: @polarpreet
Facebook: @polarpreet
Robyn Godfrey is an accomplished runner, pacer, RRCA Certified Level 1 coach, and motivational speaker who began her running journey at the age of 47.
What started as a personal quest to improve her health and overcome her relationship with alcohol soon evolved into a remarkable achievement: completing seven marathons, including the prestigious World Marathon Majors — London, Chicago, Berlin, Boston, New York, and Tokyo.
A dedicated member of the Wilmington Road Runners Club since 2013, Robyn has made a significant impact by coaching and pacing runners, helping them unlock their potential and reach their goals. In addition to her coaching, she has volunteered with organisations like Girls on the Run, empowering young girls to grow both physically and personally through running.
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/
Your support makes a difference. Thank you x
Show notes
- Who is Robyn
- Making a change in her life at 47
- Starting running for 30 seconds on a treadmill
- Facing serious life hurdles over the years
- Reinventing herself
- Chasing after her dream
- Her early years and not being sporty
- The why before making the change
- Not being able to stop over indulging
- Continuing the journey
- Starting to run outside and why it was such a different experience
- Run the 10K Cooper River Bridge Run
- Training for a year to run a 10K
- Getting hooked on running
- Why motivation isn’t enough
- Starting to think about taking on a marathon
- Running the London Marathon for her 50th Birthday
- Getting a place through a lottery ticket
- How the structure of marathon training fitted in well with her mentality
- Breaking down big challenges into smaller more manageable goals
- Not being a fast runner, but enjoying the process of marathon training
- Fitting in training around life and work
- Carrying a fork
- Being a party girl and drinking
- Being social and not needing to drink a lot of wine to do that
- The Tokyo Marathon
- Following strict cutoff times
- 27.8 miles….
- Recovering after running
- Core work and conditioning
- Strength training for women
- The mental side of running
- Being a goal orientated person
- Run the mile you are in
- Keep going - things will turn around
- The lessons learned from running which can be applied to challenging situations
- Why running can’t save you from everything
- Feelings of guilt
- Completing her goal of running all of the World Marathon Majors
- Training on trails and running a 50k at elevation
- Turning 60 next year
- Planning to run Sydney Marathon
- Writing her book
- How to connect with Robyn
- Wanting to inspire people to go after their dreams
- Final words of advice - on how to take the first step
- Why you can’t just rely on motivation
- The power of community
Social Media
Website - www.
Instagram @beachy_runner
LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/
Facebook www.facebook.com/
Book: Running the World: A Runner's Odyssey of Struggle and Triumph in the World Marathon Majors
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, I’m joined by the incredible Julie Weiss — also known as The Marathon Goddess. Julie’s story is one of resilience, healing, and purpose. After losing her father to pancreatic cancer, she set out on an extraordinary mission: to run 52 marathons in 52 weeks, raising awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer research along the way.
Her journey captured hearts around the world — from the Today Show and O Magazine to countless finish lines across the US. But behind the medals and media attention is a woman who found strength, joy, and hope through running.
Now in her fifties, Julie has completed over 118 marathons, raised more than $1 million for research, and continues to inspire others with her message that it’s never too late to chase your dreams, honour your loved ones, and find purpose in every step.
In this conversation, Julie opens up about:
How running helped her heal from grief and depression
The challenges and triumphs of running 52 marathons in 52 weeks
What it takes to stay motivated and injury-free through massive goals
Her empowering “7 C’s to Defy Your Limits” — Create, Certainty, Connect, Commit, Consistent, Cause, and Courage
Julie’s story is a beautiful reminder that transformation begins with one small step — and that every mile can make a difference.
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/
Your support makes a difference. Thank you x
Show notes
- Who is Julie
- Living in Santa Monica, California, USA
- Being known as the Marathon Goddess - Running 52 marathon in 52 weeks
- Raising over $1 million for charity
- Being excited to share the wisdom she has leaned from running marathons
- Her childhood and early years
- Being tall with long legs
- Starting running at 37 years
- Not being at athlete at school
- Taking a different path
- Becoming a mother at 18
- Not doing a lot of exercise in her younger years
- Feeling at a very low point in her life
- Going for that first run on the beach
- Wanting to feel good
- Keeping on running
- Coming off anti-depressants
- Fitting running into her life and making it work for her
- Joining a running group LA Road Runners
- Connecting with other people
- Training for a triathlon first
- Running her first marathon in March 2008
- How running makes her feel
- Her relationship with her dad
- Raising funds for Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research
- Taking 10 years to raise the funds
- Project Purple
- Deciding to run 52 marathons in 52 weeks
- The Marathon Guy
- Being determined
- Feeling overwhelmed at the start of the goal
- The start and the different steps involved
- Reaching out to charities, speaking to her boss
- The power of having purpose
- The physicality of the challenge
- Protein, stretching, foam rolling, strength training, rest, compression tights, physio
- The standout marathons from the challenge
- The Leadville Marathon and the challenges of running at altitude
- The Lake Tahoe Marathon
- The New York Marathon in 2012 - being cancelled
- Marathon proposal!
- Being coached by her husband
- Qualifying for the Boston Marathon
- Losing her dad
- 19th attempt of getting into Boston Marathon
- Making the decision to run 52 marathons in 52 weeks
- Not giving up
- The mental side of the challenge
- The importance of creating a goal that is important to you
- The 7Cs - Create, Certainty, Connect, Commit, Consistent, Cause, Courage
- Enjoying what you’ve accomplished
- Writing her book
- BOOK: The Miles and Trials of a Marathon Goddess: 52 Weeks, 52 Marathons
- Advice for deciding what to do?
- The importance of fun
- Chasing speed and wanting to quality for Boston again
- Running during peri-menopause and menopause
- Struggling with the lack of sleep and dealing with a lack of iron
- Compassion
- Reaching her 100th Marathon at the LA Marathon
- Needing to keep on going
- Being supported by her friends
- The importance of enjoying the journey and finding the joy
- How to connect with Julie
- Words by ― CS Lewis “You are never too old to set a new goal or to dream a new dream.”
Social Media
Website: www.julie-weiss.com
Instagram: @marathongoddess
Facebook: @Julie-WeissMarathonGoddess
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we meet Susan Norman — a former National and World Champion in whitewater kayaking and rafting, hydrologist, coach, and now author of RISK: A Life Saved by the River.
Susan’s story is one of courage, flow, and resilience. From the roaring rapids of international whitewater competition to the quiet, uncertain waters of parenting her young nephew, she’s navigated life’s toughest challenges with the same instinct, grit, and grace that made her a world-class paddler.
Now retired from her career with the U.S. Forest Service and living in Lake Tahoe, California, Susan reflects on how rivers shaped her identity — not just as an athlete, but as a woman learning to make her own risk assessments, trust her judgement, and face fear head-on.
In this conversation, Susan opens up about:
- Finding belonging and strength in the early days of women’s paddling
- The lessons whitewater taught her about resilience and decision-making
- Her journey into writing and how storytelling became an extension of adventure
- What it really means to take good risks — on the river and in life
Get ready for a deeply thoughtful episode about flow, fear, and finding freedom through the wild power of water.
***
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/
Your support makes a difference. Thank you x
***
Show notes
- Who is Susan Norman
- Living in Lake Tahoe, California
- Working for the US Forest Service
- Being retired for 7 years
- Starting her journey and learning new creative writing skills
- Book: RISK: A Life Saved by the River
- Her childhood (with her twin brother) and early years
- Her interest in rivers and how her father inspired her
- Her transition from teenager to adult
- White water paddling as an amateur sport
- Competing as a teenager
- Jamie McEwan
- Wanting to increase her skill set
- Going to high school in the early 1970s
- Not having many older female role models
- Dads and daughters on the river
- Forming a tribe and connecting with the other girls during her teenage years
- The relationship with her mum who was diagnosed with MS
- Being raised by a single father
- Replacing family with the paddling community
- Being part of the first wave of women getting into a high level of paddling
- Paddling amongst the best paddlers in the world
- Analysing and making decisions based on her own risk assessments
- Learning to trust her own judgement
- A life saved by the river
- Working with a writing coach
- Telling her story, while raising her nephew
- Taking her nephew on river trips
- Taking 6 years to write the book
- Trying to figure out how to raise a child
- Facing hard things and not being able to see a path through
- Not knowing how things will turn out and taking it one day at a time
- Taking challenging in small steps
- Giving an ultimatum to her partner
- Going through the teenage years
- Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD)
- Adventuring with children and why you should go as soon as you can
- The power of outdoor adventure sports
- Managing fear while on adventure and parenting
- River boarding and learning about the flow of the river water
- How to connect with Susan
- Final words of advice with regards to risk and making tough decisions
- Find the good risk
Social Media
Website www.susannormanauthor.
Facebook: Susan Norman