Melissa was first on the Tough Girl Podcast back in 2017 where she shares more about her life, how she got into fitness and doing ultra challenges, such as EPIC 5 (the what, the how, the learnings & the challenges faced and overcome).
This audio was taken from a Facebook Live I did with Mel in Melbourne from February 2019. This episode is broken down into 2 parts, with the first part focusing on ultra man and the second half focusing on her training for ultraman, we talk a lot about food, nutrition, and the mental and physical aspects of training.
Melissa also provided lots of top tips and advice for you to help you train for your next challenge.
Show notes
PART 1 ULTRA-MAN - Hawaii
PART 2 - UBERMAN
Learn more about Melissa
Follow her blog - https://rangamel.wordpress.com
"Slightly mental triathlete who is allergic to the sun"
Follow on Twitter @rangamel
Follow me on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
Sydney resident Sarah Davis became the first woman to lead an expedition down the Nile River, one of the world’s longest and most dangerous rivers.
Sarah’s expedition involved over 1,000km of rafting and 3,000km of kayaking through Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan and Egypt.
Along the way, Davis, faced immense personal dangers, including a hippo attack, being arrested and detained by military police in Burundi and unexpected, life threatening river rapids in Tanzania.
During the podcast Sarah shares more about the biggest challenge of the adventure which was getting to the start line, this involved almost 2 years of preparation while working a full time job and doing other small challenges.
Sarah goes into detail about planning and preparation, and how she broke down the different areas of risk, she shares more about overcoming her own personal fears and self-doubt to achieve this incredible human powered adventure!
Show notes
Social media
Website - https://www.paddlethenile.com
Instagram @paddlethenile
Twitter @PaddletheNile
Facebook @PaddletheNile
Anna, is a British born adventurer, motivational speaker, influencer and author.
She was recently named by Condé Nast Traveller as one of the 50 most influential travellers of our time, and by the the Guardian as one of the top modern female adventurers.
She is also proud to be the UK Ambassador for Girl Guiding, and the co-founder of Adventure Queens.
During this podcast we learn more about the Kathmandu Coast to Coast challenge in New Zealand, how it came about, the challenge she had to face and what she learnt form the experience. Anna shares more about her life as an adventurer, her ‘survival’ work and her ‘soul’ work. She also shares more about her next challenge and why she has decided to take this on!
We have spoken to Anna in 2016 (running the length of New Zealand) and 2018 (cycling the Andes) you can catch up and listen to these episodes on the tough girl podcast!
Show notes
Connect with Anna - Support & follow!
Website - www.annamcnuff.com
Twitter - @AnnaMcNuff
Instagram - @Annamcnuff
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AMcNuff/
Get involved with Barefoot Britain - https://www.annamcnuff.com/barefootbritain/
After being diagnosed with epilepsy in 2015, Fran set out to walk the Camino de Santiago two years later, solo. Since then, she has worked more adventure into her life.
In 2017, Fran founded Seize Your Adventure to advocate for epilepsy awareness in the adventure community, and for the benefits of adventure for those with epilepsy and to demystify the condition and encourage others to try new things and challenge themselves.
May 20th is the start of National Epilepsy Awareness week, and it is also the start of Fran’s next challenge: the '30 at 30 Challenge' In her 30th year Fran plan to do 30 new adventures.
Some of these will be small, micro adventures (such as foraging for dinner or SUP in London) whilst others are quite daunting - one of the biggest being the Race to the Stones in July.
For each of the 30, Fran is hoping to work closely with the activity providers to spread epilepsy awareness. Fran also wants to invite 87 people to join in the adventures (because every day, 87 people in the UK are diagnosed with epilepsy.)
*Please note we are not medical doctors and Fran is sharing just her own personal story - this is not medical advice in any shape or form!!
Show Notes
Social media
Website - https://www.francescaturauskis.co.uk
twitter @franict
Instagram personal - @frantictwalks
Instagram podcast - @SYAdventurers
In need of a break from her career as a dentist and needing to go on an adventure, Memnia signed up to take part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.
Memnia only had limited sailing knowledge prior to the race and had never been out at sea for more than a few hours. For that reason she had originally only signed up for the first leg of the race, crossing the Atlantic, travelling from London to Rio de Janeiro (28 day at sea).
During the crossing, she fell in love with the sport and the sea, so she carried on signing up for more legs. She continued sailing through some of the most treacherous weather systems and isolated areas of the planet, facing not only the extremes of weather, from boiling to freezing temperatures, but also life threatening situations. She sailed to Cape Town, Albany, Sydney, Hobart, till she reached her final destination, Airlie Beach, Australia - 5 months later. She has covered more than 18,000 Nautical Miles in total, becoming the first and only Cypriot to have sailed from the UK to Australia on a racing sailing boat.
Today, Memnia splits her time between England and Cyprus, combining dentistry with her love of adventurous activities, including sailing, scuba diving, trekking etc. She has been invited on various stages to share her story, including TEDxNicosia and has evolved as a motivational speaker and workshop trainer, inspiring others through her unique experience to go after their dreams and to reconsider their own lives. She has just completed an all-female expedition (Led by Felicity Aston) trekking on iced river in the remote Zanskar Valley, in Jammu and Kashmir.
Show notes
Social Media
Website: www.memniatheodorou.com
Facebook:@MemniaTheodorou
Instagram: @memniatheodorou
Twitter: @MemniaTh
Memnia also has a newsletter where she share monthly inspiration and motivation to "have the courage to lead the life you've always wanted” Sign up —>> HERE!!
We first spoken with Katie in March 2018, where she shared more about her transition from a model to adventurer, she goes into detail about the challenges she faced and overcame while doing the longest crossing of the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap, and being the first woman to walk the entire length of the wall of China!
Since then Katie has continued to fill her life with many more adventures. Despite her accolades, Katie would still not class her self as the 'typical adventurer type', as she admits she is frightened of everything and is inherently lazy by nature! Her default setting (that she has to constantly override) is to lay on the sofa with a cup of tea, dunking biscuits, watching the likes of Strictly and X Factor on the telly. Getting started is always the hardest bit.
During this podcast we discuss in more detail how the idea came about for completing the 1911 version of the Tour de France as well as the planning, logistics and go into detail about nutrition and having to consume 9,000 calories per day. Katie shares more about her gear, and why she loved being involved in the Silk Road Mountain Race.
Show notes
Social Media
Website: www.katiejaneendurance.com
Instagram: @katiejaneendurance
Facebook: @katiesenduranceadventures
Anna was a 30-something accountant who dreamed of cycling, hiking and paddling her way around the world, she decided to start with her own country, Australia. But weighing in at 130kgs (285lbs), she’s would say herself that she’s not exactly the poster child for human-powered travel.
During the podcast we talk to Anna about her 3 different challenges, a 1,100-kilometre (700-mile) solo, self-supported cycle tour of the south west of Western Australia, a 1,000-kilometre (600-mile) solo thru-hike of the Bibbulmun Track in Western Australia, and a 3,100-kilometre (1,000 -mile) solo, self-supported cycle tour through the Northern Territory.
After these practice run throughs, Anna end up in Melbourne, which is where she has been ever since.
Due to a series of mistakes and bad decisions her life takes a turn and not in the direction she wants to go. Anna ends up being a 40 something single women, who is now living below the poverty line, with no family to rely on and no way out, she end up being homeless and going dumpster diving for food and survival.
Anna shares more about how she views adventure and why she is still living her most adventurous life.
Show notes
Social Media
Website - http://www.fatchickgoesawol.com
Facebook @fatchickgoesawol
Born and raised in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sara is a passionate climber who spends her weekends and holidays exploring the mountains of her homeland mapping out new boulder fields and establishing first ascents. With the help of her husband, Sara has assisted in establishing almost 100 new boulder problems in the UAE and has outlined 200 more boulders ready for developing. Sara is currently working with her husband on creating a UAE bouldering guidebook.
In an era when outdoor sports are diversifying and becoming more inclusive, Sara wants to provide inspiration for those, like herself, who have had little representation in the past, and to highlight to Arab women that they need to play an active role in how their country's outdoor sports scene develops.
When she is not practicing law or exploring the mountains, Sara spends her time empowering young Arab women to pursue a career in law, and has recently been invited to speak on TEDx about this topic further.
Show notes
In 2018, Laura rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic ocean, unsupported, in a team of four other women. The challenge took 43 days to complete and when the crossed the finish line in Antigua they were the fastest female team in 2018.
“A shopaholic, beauty salon owner - turned minimalist in training endurance athlete"
Laura was part of the tough girl - 7 women - 7 challenges in 2017 and we followed her row around Great Britain, a rowing journey of 1,800 miles in a mixed team of four, which took 56 days to complete. We interviewed Laura 6 times throughout 2017 and Laura shared the whole journey with us, from having the idea, to turning this dream into a reality, the ups and the downs, the challenges faced and what she learnt along the way, she demonstrated resilience, determination, focus and a strong belief in herself and showed everyone what goes into making your dreams a reality.
During this podcast episode, Laura shares more about what it was like to fulfil her ambition of rowing across the Atlantic ocean, she shares more about the training, the team, fundraising and the realities of being out on the water in such an extreme and challenging environment.
Show notes
Social media
Website - www.ltfactor.com
Instagram - @lauratryuk
Facebook - @lauratryuk
Caroline Van Hemert, PhD, is a biologist, writer, and adventurer whose journeys have taken her from the pack ice of the Arctic Ocean to the swamps of the Okavango Delta
In March of 2012 she and her husband (Pat) set off on a 4,000-mile wilderness journey from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic, traveling by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe. Together, they survived harrowing dangers while also experiencing incredible moments of joy and grace -- migrating birds silhouetted against the moon, the steamy breath of caribou, and the bond that comes from sharing such experiences.
During this podcast, Caroline shares more about her love of nature and birds. Plus,why she decided to embark on this adventure, she talks through the planning, logistics, finances, the challenges faced and what she learned from this experience. Caroline has also published her first book about this challenge - The Sun is a Compass.
Show notes
Social Media
Website www.carolinevanhemert.com
Instagram @sunisacompass
Facebook @carolinevanhemertauthor
During this podcast we catch up with Leanne Spencer who we first spoke with in June 2018.
Since we last spoke Leanne and her partner Antonia have gone on to complete the world toughest ski race - the arctic circle race in Greenland. We learn more about the reasons behind the challenge, how they trained and prepared, what it was like when they were over there, the challenges they faced, from going to the toilet to dealing with the stress and anxiety from the race. They share top tips and advice which you will be able to apply to your own personal challenge.
Leanne are Antonia are super down to earth, very friendly and have a wealth of experience to share! Enjoy! But be warned listening to this episode will encourage you to go after your own personal challenge!
Leanne Spencer
Leanne is an award-winning entrepreneur, Six Signals® Coach, double-bestselling author and TEDx Speaker. Along with Antonia, she is the co-founder of Bodyshot. Leanne regularly speaks to audiences all over the UK on topics around fitness, health, wellbeing, burnout and corporate resilience. Leanne is an advocate for gender equality.
Antonia Bannasch
Antonia is a health and fitness expert and Six Signals® Coach. Antonia loves health, fitness, skiing and challenging herself. Personal interests are in supporting charities that are searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.
Show notes
Social Media
website - https://www.bodyshotperformance.com
Instagram - @bodyshotperformance
Twitter - @BodyshotPT
Podcast - Remove The Guesswork
The Remove the Guesswork podcast is for busy professionals who want to improve their health, fitness and wellbeing using the latest science and technology to cut through the noise and get better results, faster. In each 30 minute episode Leanne will talk with some of the leading names in the health and wellbeing industry about the latest innovations, interview people who have transformed their health to find out how they did it, and share her own personal story of chronic stress, burnout, career change and subsequent lifestyle transformation. Other popular topics include personalisation; optimizing human performance; work/life blend; the importance of recovery; finding consistency; thriving not surviving; becoming a health warrior; biohacking and intelligent training.
Sara is an Adventurer at Heart. She is a woman who believes in truth, inspiration and hope in life. Sara believes that we all have the power within to become our best self and Live Life Boldly.
During this podcast Sara shares more about the challenges she has faced, how she overcame them and why getting back to nature helped her. Sarah shares more about hiking and guiding in the Grand Canyon and how she recently supported Shawn Cheshire in her world record to become to become the fastest blind woman to hike Rim to Rim to Rim (42 miles in 24 hrs 15 mins)
Sara also shares why age is just a number and why she is joy junkie.
By listening to this episode you will be motivated and inspired to go after your own personal challenges
*Please be aware during this episode we do talk briefly about rape (we don’t go into specifics).
Show notes
Social Media
Website - https://www.liveboldlycoaching.com
Instagram - @saraschultingkranz
Facebook @liveboldly
Chrissie Wellington is the world's No 1 female Ironman triathlete, a four times World Champion. In 2009 she was voted 'Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year' and in 2010 was awarded the MBE. She is the undefeated champion of Triathlon, having won thirteen Ironman titles from thirteen races. She set a new World Record of 8 hours19:13 at Quelle Roth Germany in 2010.
Chrissie has displayed unprecedented levels of stamina, strength and competitiveness in becoming Ironman World Champion in only her second event at Ironman level. Her victory in Kona, Hawaii in 2007 finishing five minutes ahead of her nearest rival was described as the 'biggest upset in Ironman history' and 'a remarkable feat, deemed to be near impossible task for any athlete racing as a rookie at their first Ironman World Championships'.
During this podcast we talk more about her early life, growing up, changing her career direction, going on a 2 year gap year, the reasons behind why she started running and how it evolved into triathlon. Chrissie also shares more about her life now as a mother, making the transition from a professional athlete and why she’s so passionate about getting people moving.
Chrissie is Global Head of Health and Wellbeing at Parkrun.
* please note during this podcast we do talk about eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia - we do not go into specifics but rather talk about the how and the why
Show notes
Social Media
Website - https://www.chrissiewellington.org
Twitter- @chrissiesmiles
Park Run http://www.parkrun.org.uk
Alice took a year long sabbatical from work and since then has walked 1300km across the Te Araroa South Island in New Zealand, wild camped on the Great Wall of China and walked for 10 days along the Tokai Nature Trail in Japan.
During this podcast Alice shares more about growing up, not being sporty but loving the outdoors, how a car accident helped to motivate her to make a change in her life, how she planned for her time off, as well as giving advice and tips for you on enjoying the simple life, hiking and dealing with challenges as they come up.
Show notes
Social Media
Instagram is: @Alicebond0
Adventurer
Her passion for adventure is evident with two world records under her belt so far, including being the first woman to skydive Everest and race semi-wild horses 1000 kms across Mongolia in just nine days. She has raised over £300k for charities through her adventures so far.
Conservationist
Few people know that 96 African elephants are poached each day for their ivory. At this rate they will be extinct in the next decade. Holly has turned this disheartening statistic into a powerful and award-winning campaign, entitled 'How Many Elephants', which presents a physical commentary on the devastating impact of the elephant ivory trade.
2008: WORLD RECORD: FIRST WOMAN TO SKYDIVE MOUNT EVEREST
2009: WORLD RECORD: RACED 1000KMS ACROSS MONGOLIA ON HORSEBACK
2017: SUMMITED MOUNT EVEREST (8848M)
Show notes
Social Media
Holly
Website - http://www.hollybudge.com
Instagram @hollybudge
Facebook @hollybudgeadventure
How Many Elephants Campaign
Website - https://www.howmanyelephants.co
Instagram - @howmanyelephants
Kate grew up largely in Scotland, bar a few years in Penzance, and now lives in Cumbria with her partner, Chris. She is a keen sea kayaker – preferably around remote, wildlife-rich islands – hill walker and bookworm, as well as a cyclist.
A former university lecturer, first in environmental philosophy and then outdoor education, Kate now works freelance. Her overall aim is to help deliver a massive wake up call: raising awareness and inspiring effective, intelligent action on some of our most urgent environmental challenges.
Kate has written widely on environmental issues. Her book, The Carbon Cycle, Crossing the Great Divide s based on a bike ride from Texas to Alaska exploring climate change. She is currently writing her next book on her last adventure, cycling South America on a bamboo bike!
Show notes
Social Media
Website - http://www.outdoorphilosophy.co.uk
Twitter - @CarbonCycleKate
In April 2018, Anna Blackwell and Kate Culverwell set out on a world first tandem kayak expedition from England to the Black Sea. This journey saw them paddle over 4000km along canals and rivers through 11 countries, including navigating almost the entire length of the Danube River, Europe’s second longest river.
The expedition was raising money for Pancreatic Cancer Action in memory of Kate's father, David Culverwell. While paddling, Kate and Anna also collected data to contribute to the research of FreshWater Watch, an Earthwatch research project investigating the health of global freshwater ecosystems.
Show notes
Social media
Website/Blog - www.kayakingthecontinent.com
Instagram @kayakingthecontinent
Kate - @kateculverwell
Di is a global leader and award-winning woman of influence who has inspired more than 30,000 people off the couch through shared hiking adventures, while raising over $30 million for charity and helping women lead adventurous lives they love. She does work she loves with people she loves the way she loves and she’s keen to help families, friends and workers do the same. She is passionate about motivating women to lead adventurous lives they love, creating pleasure, power and productivity from hiking adventures.
She has climbed many extreme altitude peaks and holds the record for the world’s highest handstand on Mt Ama Dablam, 6,982m, Nepal.
Show notes
Social Media
Twitter - @DiWestaway
Instagram - @diwestaway
Facebook - @DiWestawayCEO
Wild Women on Top
Website - https://www.wildwomenontop.com
Twitter - @wildwomenontop
Instagram - @wildwomenontop
Facebook - @wildwomenontop
Bex started out with her blog, The Ordinary Adventurer, in 2016 and a year later founded Love Her Wild. In just over a year, she grew the community to over 5,000. Her blog now receives over 10,000 visitors a month and she regularly delivers talks and sell-out expeditions. She was shortlisted for TGO personality of the year 2017 and made the 2018 San Miguel Rich List.
Since we last spoke with Bex in 2017, Bex has gone on to do numerous challenges and expeditions, which have included; kick scooting the length of the United States from Vancouver in Canada to Mexico, hikes in Israel, climbing mountains in India and eco trips in Africa.
During this podcast Bex shares more about her adventures, the issues of fundraising, getting sponsorship, how she handles the stress of being on the road and making decisions, and why after 3 years she has decided to have a permanent base for a while.
Show notes
6th & 7th April —>> LONDON
More info can be found HERE —>> https://www.loveherwild.com/build-your-brand-workshop/
Georgina credits the mountains and a life of adventure to shaping who she is today. She is passionate about sharing the gift of adventure and wellness with others to unleash the power within and enjoy life a bit better.
Georgina is a social entrepreneur, adventurer, public speaker, consultant, and coach combining over a decade of Corporate, Start-up, and Adventure experience. She is a social innovator working to accelerate gender equality globally and exploring new ways to unleash full human potential in life and business from a holistic mind, body, spirit approach. She's passionate about building healthier and more socially conscious entrepreneurial ecosystems that combine business and spirituality.
She firmly believes that women are the world's largest untapped resource and that given the proper resources and equal opportunities they can change the world. She’s on a mission to do her part to change this statistic.
As an accomplished mountaineer, climbing 6 of the 7 highest peaks on each continent, including Mt. Everest twice, she is fascinated by the power of human potential. She loves working with people to help them unleash their full potential and bring to surface conscious and subconscious roadblocks in order to help them reach their dreams, goals, and objectives in business and life. She is currently in the process of completing the Explorer Grand Slam, a feat that less than 15 women globally have completed.
Georgina credits the mountains and a life of adventure to shaping who she is today. She is passionate about sharing the gift of adventure and wellness with others to unleash the power within and enjoy life a bit better.
Show notes
She Ventures
Website - www.sheventures.co
Facebook - @SheVenturesCo
Personal
Website - www.georginamiranda.com
Instagram - @gg_miranda
Twitter - @georgina_here
Facebook -@georginamiranda0
Following the breakdown of her marriage and at the age of 48 in 1998 Jacqui decides to leave her job in health visiting and set off on a years adventure, alone backpacking in South East Asia.
This was to be the beginning of a journey that left conformity a distant memory. Finding herself bitten by the travel bug she then set off again, at the age of 50 with the Dutch Man this time combining her love of travel with her other passion … motorcycling.
During this podcast Jacqui share stories from her 7 years on the road, where she visited 20 countries with no plan. Jacqui speaks with warmth and an openness, sharing the mishaps, the mistakes, the broken leg, the food, and how she dealt with storms, castaways and pirates!
Show notes
Social Media
Website - www.jacquifurneaux.com/
Facebook - @JacquiFurneauxTravels
Instagram - @JacquiFurneaux
"I have found that all I need in life is the right attitude. And what can be comfortably carried on an Enfield."
Jacqui Furneaux
Jenny is passionate about human powered endurance challenges and loves combining this with her love of the mountains. At the moment, Jenny is making her way around the globe, running across a mountain range on every continent. In 2016 she ran across the Tien Shan of Kyrgyzstan, in 2017 she ran across the Atlas of Morocco, and most recently ran across the Bolivian Andes. In 2019 Jenny will be tackling her fourth expedition, the Southern Alps in New Zealand!
Jenny first came on the tough girl podcast in February 2017 when she shared more about her first challenge, exploring the Yukon of North Canada by cycling over 3,000 km. After her ride to Yukon, suddenly being fit enough to take on a running endurance challenge seemed like a possibility. Jenny decided to run solo, self-supported across Kyrgyzstan over 900km!
On the Tough Girl podcast, Jenny Tough shared stories from several of her adventures and the lessons she learned along the way. Whether you’re thinking about a major challenge or want a little more adventure every day, you can learn something from this incredible woman.
Show notes
Social Media
Check out Jenny’s website - www.jennytough.com
Jenny is on Twitter @JennyTough
Callie 32, is a winter sports enthusiast who loves skiing and being in the mountains. She grew up in Southern California, before moving over to Alaska. One of Callie’s first challenges was bike touring from Dushanbe, Tajikistan to Ulaan Baaar, Mongolia. Callie has then gone on to successfully climb Mount Denali the highest mountain in North America and Aconcagua the highest mountain in South America. Both were unguided expeditions! Her most recent challenge led her to complete a 5,000 mile unsupported ski, kayak and bike from Arctic Russia (in mid-winter), to the Bosporus Strait in Istanbul!
During this podcast Callie talks about her journey, the challenges she has faced along the way, the high points, the low points, the dangers and realities of being out on the road. What she has learned about being brave and why women should get out there.
Show notes
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Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
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.
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Favia is a 30 year old Pathologist living in New Mexico, she is a keen climber and has been a competitor on American Ninja Warrior! During this podcast Favia shares more about her life, growing up with a single mum, going to Harvard University, deciding to go to medical school and what it was like being diagnosed with cancer. Favia, shares more about the challenges she faced and overcame and why climbing is such an important part of her life.
Favia gives practical advice and top tips about how to schedule your time to be efficient and, why you may have to say no. Favia talks about mental sadness, the feeling of frustration and angry while dealing with cancer and how she managed to get through the chemotherapy and the recovery process to be able to start living her life again.
Show notes
Social Media
Website - www.traversegirl.com
Instagram @FelineFavia
Feeling inspired week after week?
You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!
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.
We first spoke with Jessica after she had successfully completed her thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2015. Since then Jessica has continued to share her backpacking and hiking advice though her website and hugely popular Youtube channel - Homemade Wanderlust (well worth checking out - over 150,000 subscribers!)
Jessica talks very openly about her dreams, doing what she loves, the challenges out on the trail as well as how she is funding her life. I am inspired by Dixie and what she has achieved and I know you will be as well. Enjoy this episode!
Show notes
Social Media
Youtube @homemadewanderlust
Website - www.homemadewanderlust.com