In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, I’m joined by Starre Vartan — science and environment writer, author, and lifelong question-asker whose work sits at the powerful intersection of the human body and the natural world.
With a background in geology and biology, Starre began her career as an environmental geologist before pivoting into journalism to tell the stories behind the science. Over the past 15+ years, she’s written for publications including National Geographic, Scientific American, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and New Scientist, becoming known for her ability to make science both rigorous and deeply human — especially when it comes to women’s bodies.
We dive into Starre’s latest book, The Stronger Sex: What Science Tells Us About the Power of the Female Body, a myth-busting, research-driven celebration of women’s endurance, longevity, adaptability, and strength. From the messages girls receive about their bodies at a young age, to puberty, bone density, menopause, and why women often excel in endurance sports, Starre unpacks the science that has been overlooked — and what it means for women’s health, sport, and everyday life.
We also talk about Starre’s upbringing between Australia and the U.S., the influence of her formidable grandmother, growing up active and outdoors, and how reconnecting with strength training later in life has left her feeling more powerful than ever. This conversation is about listening to your body, trusting its wisdom, and reclaiming strength — physically, mentally, and scientifically.
If you’ve ever been told women are the weaker sex, this episode will change how you think about the female body forever.
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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 Starre
- Working as a scientist journalist focusing on women’s health recently
- Being based in a beach town south of Sydney, Australia
- Growing up in NYC
- Being a dual citizen with Australia and America
- Book: The Stronger Sex: What Science Tells us about the Power of the Female Body
- The dedication to her grandmother -the strongest women’s she’s ever known
- Growing up with her grandmother
- Doing her age appropriate chores; stacking wood, working in the garden, being involved and active in the running of the house
- The messages that young girls receive about their bodies from a young age
- Heading off into the woods to go on adventures
- The lessons learned from her grandmother
- Muscles and bone density for women and why puberty is such an important age for girls
- Puberty in girls and athletics
- The knowledge gap for women in sports
- Women, endurance and the longer races
- Differences between all human beings
- The science and muscle and getting surprising results
- Women’s body fat and location
- Visiting Japan to research longevity
- How women’s body handle diseases
- The risks that men take
- Finding purpose in life and figuring out your life goal
- Making changes in her own life
- Starting to weigh lift 3 years ago
- Can you grown bone once you are at the stage where you have more extreme bone loss
- Bone loss in women during menopause
- Prof Belinda Beck
- Feeling empowered by lifting heavy weights
- Becoming a stronger runner and dancer
- Starre’s ultimate life goal and purpose
- Using AI in scientific ways
- Wanting to be as strong as her grandmother
- How to connect with Starre online
- Starting a new newsletter—Palimpsest of Flesh
- Vodcast
- Words of advice and wisdom for the stronger sex
- Reflecting back on life in her 20s
- Listen to your body and the wisdom it holds
Social Media
Website: starrevartan.com
Instagram: @
Bluesky: @
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/
From ultra-light hotel bikepacking on a road bike to six-month expeditions in remote regions on a heavily laden hybrid, Emma has experienced nearly every form of bike travel, including ultra-endurance racing.
She is a passionate advocate for slow travel as a means to reconnect with nature, embrace minimalism, and discover alternative ways of living. Her travels have shaped a deep commitment to sustainability, wild camping with minimal impact, and challenging the idea of nature as a park or playground, separate from our everyday lives. You can sign up to her newsletter for monthly updates and tips.
She is particularly keen to empower others, especially women, to embrace solo adventures, and she shares both practical guidance and philosophical reflections through her writing and events.
***
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 Emma
- Working as a cycling journalist and tour guide
- Moving around a lot and not really having a home base
- Currently writing a guidebook on French Guiana
- Having a normal childhood and not being particularly sporty
- Growing up in France and starting running at 16
- Running and rowing throughout university
- Taking a gap year after university and heading to South America in 2016/2017
- Fundraising for 6 months before starting from Ushuaia and heading to Lima in Peru.
- Having a very small/tight budget
- Wild camping as much as possible
- What it was like on the trip - starting in January and dealing with prevailing winds all the way
- Travelling in a group of 3 and what it was like
- Being totally tolerant for a month
- Doing a few more little trips, before heading with her partner on a European cycle trip
- Journaling on the trip and writing a little bit each evening
- Her bike set up and how it’s changed over the years
- Getting a vintage road bike, a carbon road bike, a gravel bike….
- Dealing with saddle sores
- Brooks Leather Saddle
- Planning and logistics
- Spreadsheets….
- Route planning and starting with google, to find official routes, or to see if other people have created a route
- bikepacking.com
- komoot.com
- Thoughts on being brave
- Managing personal fears
- Encountering risk in everyday life
- Following gut instinct
- Moving away from being a nice girl
- Travelling on your own
- Being allowed to change your mind
- Deciding to do more cycling competitions
- Ultra races and why the winners are the ones who sleep the least
- Trying out new challenges
- How expensive ultra endurance races can be
- The joy of long trips and how it can change your perspective of time
- The dream 6 month to a year trip
- Wanting to go back to South America or cycling from Europe to Asia
- Being content with taking her time on trips
- The cycling guidebook about French Guiana.
- How to connect with Emma online
- Final words of advice for other women who want to go on adventures and discover more of the world
- Do it in a simple and gradual way.
- The power of keeping it simple
Social Media
Website: www.emmakarslake.com
Newsletter: www.emmakarslake.com/
Insta: @emma_up_cycles
Linkedin: Emma Karslake
Lorraine Lewis is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Lewis Foundation, an award-winning cancer charity providing free gift packs and ongoing support to adult cancer patients across 17 hospitals in the Midlands. Founded from lived experience, the charity has become a lifeline for thousands of people diagnosed with cancer.
Beyond her role as a charity leader, Lorraine is a highly sought-after motivational speaker, inspiring audiences ranging from school children to corporate professionals. She has delivered talks for organisations including The Eden Project, the European Chartered Institute of Fundraising, and AJ Bell, sharing powerful messages of resilience, purpose and hope.
Lorraine’s remarkable journey has captured national attention. She has been featured in publications such as The Sun and HELLO! Magazine, and has appeared on Channel 4 News, highlighting her work and personal story.
Her dedication to community service has been recognised through numerous accolades, including the HELLO! Magazine Inspiration Award, Great British Entrepreneur Award, and the prestigious Prime Minister’s Point of Light Award. In recognition of her services to cancer, Lorraine was recently invited to meet Their Majesties The King and Queen.
In addition to her charitable work, Lorraine is an author, with her memoir Dare To Dream chronicling her journey from lawyer to charity founder. She also hosts the podcast “See Through The Big C”, amplifying the voices of those living with cancer, their loved ones, and healthcare professionals.
A passionate artist, Lorraine discovered her love for art in her forties and continues to explore creativity alongside her enthusiasm for fitness, including HYROX competitions, running, and ultra-distance challenges—living proof that it’s never too late to dream, create, and push beyond perceived limits.
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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 Lorraine
- Being based in Northampton
- Co-founder of The Lewis Foundation which supports cancer patients in hospital
- Writing her book, 'Dare to Dream’
- Her early years growing up
- Not being sporty and always trying to get out of PE
- Being into reading and writing
- Her dream of wanting to become a barrister
- Being supported and encouraged by her parents
- Her determination and resilience
- Not knowing how she would achieve her goals
- Doing old school research by heading to the library
- Creating her own opportunities to gain the experiences she needed
- Doing the Bar Vocational Course
- Not having time for sport or physical activity
- £50k of student debt….
- Being determined to make it happen
- Dealing with challenges and changes
- How it changed their life
- Starting to question everything and why there must be more to life
- What can be done?
- Wanting to make people feel better
- Dealing with cancer, death and grief
- Supporting people with cancer
- Bringing joy to peoples days
- Getting into fitness and ultra running to raise funds for the charity
- Deciding to sign up to do a Tough Mudder (Obstacle Run)
- Wanting to push herself more physically and step outside her comfort zone
- Running out of money for the charity
- How Mike supported the charity with a £50k donation
- The kindness of strangers
- Deciding to take on the 3 Peaks Challenge
- Taking on more and more running challenges
- Being consumed by the Lewis Foundation and starting to neglect herself
- Rat Race
- The Wall
- Discovering Hyrox
- Getting back on her feet and being more active and more healthy
- Starting to feel stronger mentally and more resilient to handle challenges
- January 2025 - and doing her vision board and goals for the year
- Deciding to sign up for the 70 mile race
- Not training for the ultra in the best way…
- Being at the start of the race
- The struggle during the race and crossing the finishing line
- Feeling physically broken but knowing it was her mental resilience that got her across the finish line
- The mental side of running 70 miles
- Setting a big challenge for 2026
- Taking on a 100 mile ultra! The Rat Race Castle to Castle
- The Lewis Foundation will be celebrating it’s 10th Anniversary in 2026
- Starting to follow a specific running program
- Being pushed in her training
- Making sure to eat better
- The challenges of fuelling while being coeliac
- Feeling in a much better place physically
- Needing to exercise at 6am
- Training about 35 hrs a week
- What is the race strategy….
- Breaking down the training
- Fuelling her training and needing to eat more
- Not being afraid to consume food—especially carbs
- Taking supplements to help with iron levels
- Creatine and omega-3
- The benefits of hiking poles/sticks
- Rotating trainers
- The financial impact of taking on challenges/runs etc
- How to connect with Lorraine on social media
- Podcast: See through the big C
- Final words of advice
- The importance of living your life
- Make the most of the time we have on this planet
Social Media
Website: www.lorrainelewisbcah.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/
Youtube: @
Instagram: @
Book: Dare to Dream
Alex is a qualified International Mountain Leader, Polar Guide, and a professional Photographer based in St. Moritz, Switzerland. From scaling the world’s highest peaks to leading expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctica, she thrives where the wild meets the extreme.
Her passion for high-altitude exploration took her on a relentless quest; climbing the highest mountain on every continent, culminating on the summit of Mt. Everest in 2018. She became the first ever Hungarian to climb the Seven Summits. This journey ignited her mission to guide others through the raw beauty of the mountains and beyond.
In the winter, she guides private snowshoe and fat bike around St. Moritz; in the summer, she leads exhilarating hiking and mountain biking adventures across the Alps. Between her Alps seasons, she's found working in the Polar regions (Antarctica: guide, zodiac driver, lecturer and lead crevasse rescue guide. Arctic: guide, zodiac driver, lecturer and polar bear guard)
Her expertise extends far beyond Europe, guiding bespoke expeditions across the globe.
An endurance athlete at heart, Alex is always chasing the next adventure—whether Polar ski crossing, racing mountain bikes, or pushing limits in the mountains.
As a professional photographer and drone pilot, she uses her lens to capture the world’s most remote landscapes, advocate for environmental conservation, and document the stories of the Polar regions. Her work is deeply inspired by mountains, polar history, pioneering female explorers, and the delicate balance of nature.
In her recent book: Beyond the Seven Summits: Finding Strength Where the Air is Thin, Alex shares her experiences of climbing these mountains, and she also explores the journey that shaped who she is today: all the highs and lows. I hope to bring these peaks closer to readers by including short historical notes alongside each climb and sharing everything she learned along the way. The book is also rich in photographs, helping to bring both the stories and these beautiful mountains vividly to life.
First TGP episode - August 25th 2020 - Alexandra Nemeth the first Hungarian to climb the 7 summits!
***
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 Alex
- Being born in Hungary, but spending most of her adult life in the UK
- Deciding to move to the Swiss Alps to work as an International Mountain Leader
- Climbing the 7 Summits and becoming the first Hungarian to do so
- Coming on the Tough Girl Podcast - August 25th 2020
- What’s been the biggest changes over the past few years
- Making the decision to move from the UK to Switzerland
- Having a plan to live in the mountains
- Waiting for the right opportunity.
- Packing up her car in 2020
- What life has been like in Switzerland
- Being a qualified Mountain Bike Guide
- The Next chapter in her life
- Becoming an International Mountain Leader (IML)
- Working 2 part time jobs to make a living
- Finding a community in Switzerland
- Ending up doing things on her own
- Needing to prioritise herself and gaining her qualifications
- Focusing on navigation
- The 4 stages of the IML
- Becoming a polar guide
- Getting a job on an expedition ship
- What is ship life like?
- Documenting her journey in a book!
- Connecting with nature can be incredible powerful
- Dealing with her fears, most noticeably her fear of heights
- Choosing to heal in nature
- Turning her passion into a job
- Putting together expeditions to Peru
- Keeping it fun and exciting
- Planning for adventures and expeditions
- How to start and why you need to build things up
- Being on a ship for the next 2 months
- International Women’s Day 8th March 2025
- Free Snowshoe Tour for Women!
- Doing a hut to hut tour!
- Teaching women winter survival skills
- How to connect with Alex on social media
- Advice who want to follow their dreams and passions
- Don’t let excuses stop you on your way. Stay on the path, even if you have to slow down.
- Live your life without excuses!
Social Media
Website alex7summits.com
Instagram @alex7summits
Email: alex7summits@gmail.com
Book: Beyond the Seven Summits: Finding Strength Where the Air is Thin