Sunshine People was set up to highlight the changes in our society and the need to stay connected through kindness.  It has never been as important in our education and leadership with the shift towards technology to keep human connection at the forefront of our conversations. 

Set up after her partner died on a charity cycle challenge the founder, Nahla Summers completes a challenge each year and asks people to show their support not by donating money to a charity but by doing an act of kindness for a stranger instead. 

She had started by doing smaller challenges just asking her friends and family to do the acts of kindness. What started to emerge was a wave of kindness stories that was changing hearts and minds.  Ultimately, changing the way people saw the world and it inspired her to keep going and make her challenges even bigger. 

In 2018 Nahla cycled 3,000 miles across America after purchasing her bike just six weeks prior.  She is a woman who understand the power of the mind and a ‘can do’ attitude. 

2019 she walked from Swanage, Dorset to Gretna Green 500 miles visiting schools along the way promoting kindness through speaking, workshops and more sunshine people events.  She promotes the ties that kindness and a higher emotional intelligence and wellbeing has on society and wants to promote this from the bottom up.

2020 will see Nahla take on 20 challenges in 20 countries.  With a dedicated social media team and cinematographer on board.  A film will be produced and you will be able to follow the progress and antics of the challenges through social media. 

All the challenges will be based on the principal of kindness.  Feed 100 people with £10, a day of free listening, give 100 hugs, build a well and so on.  The idea is start the biggest global movement towards kindness.

Show notes

• Who is Nahla
• How Sunshine People started
• Losing her partner on a charity cycle ride
• The healing power of horses
• Grieving and going to climb Kilimanjaro
• Coming out of deep sadness
• Memories and Money?
• Doing acts of kindness
• Deciding to cycle across America 
• The goal of 1 Million acts of Kindness
• Being a yes person
• Being very corporate led
• Changing her job
• Accidental researcher of kinder
• Starting her American Cycle ride in San Diego
• Recording Daily Vlogs for Youtube
• Getting to the end of the trip
• The kindness of strangers
• The biggest challenge while cycling in America
• The lack of hard shoulders and dealing with trucks
• Dealing with real fears
• Not wanting to do this anymore…
• Knowing what the purpose is
• Finishing the journey across America 
• Wanting to keep on going
• Dealing with the adventure blues
• Wanting to keep busy 
• Walking 500 miles from Swanage, Dorset to Gretna Green
• The power of 10 mins…
• Free school talks and kindness workshops…
• The logistics of the walk and figuring out accommodation on the way
• The power of social media
• The challenge of accepting kindness
• “you inspire the uninspired”
• BIG TALKS
• 2020 - 20 challenges in 20 countries
• Figure it all out!
• 1 Million Acts of Kindness
• Kickstarted stating on the 1st March
• Final words of advice

Social Media 

Website  - www.acultureofkindness.co.uk

Website  - www.sunshinepeople.org.uk

Kickstarter Campaign - Find out more HERE!

For any organisations to join up withe the 1 million acts of kindness they simply need to fill out this form.  

Instagram - @sponsorkindness

Twitter - @sponsorkindness 

Facebook - @sponsorkindness 

YouTube @SunshinePeople 

We first spoke with Mimi in December 2015, where she shared more about her early life, how she got into endurance running.

During the first episode we go into more depth about some of the bigger challenges she has done, for example breaking the world record for fastest women running JOGLE (John O’Groats to Lands End - 840 miles) in the UK in 2008.

(This record has since been broken in 2019 by Sharon Gayter - You can listen to Sharon share more about this on the Tough Girl Podcast.)

“The only way of finding the limits of

the possible is by going beyond them

into the impossible”

During this episode we catch up with Mimi and find out what’s she’s been up to since. We talk in detail about her dream of running across America, we talk about fears and failure and having to let go of running and try new sports. 

Mimi talks really openly and honestly during this episode, I had a tear in my eye when I was recording it and a tear in my eye when I edited it.

You have been warned it does get emotional!

Show notes

-  Quick update from Mimi

• Her dream of running across America in 2017
• The planning and the preparation for the challenge
• Applying to Guinness for the World Record
• Starting in LA City Hall and running to City Hall in New York City
• Getting a hard time from other runners
• Planning with Google Maps
• Driving the route in advance 
• Getting the money together for the challenge
• Getting a crew together
• Speaking with Sophie Rooney (also on the Tough Girl Podcast coming 10th March!)
• Training and race strategy
• Having a sports psychologist 
• Having to postpone the run in 2016
• Running for 1 minute at a time
• Dealing with the frustration
• 6 am, 7th September on the start line
• Having the whole world watching
• Switching off from everything and becoming very calm
• Dealing with criticism
• 2 women going for the world record….
• The good and the bad of social media
• Getting stalked on the run and having to call the police
• The structure of her days
• Fuelling her body
• Her evening routine
• What’s going on in her head while running
• The 40th day…
• Recovery 
• The end of her running career
• Ride Across Great Britain 
• Riding a bike!
• Cycling!!! 
• Marv and Mavis 
• Cycling the Pacific Coast Highway 
• Hills on the PCH
• New book coming out in Spring 2021
• Overcoming her fear of water
• Zoe Langley-Wathen - #100ScaryDays 
• Being a goal driven person 
• Plans and goals for 2020
• 5 Parks in America
• Ride Across America
• Naming her bikes!
• The footage from the run across America…
• Wise words from Mimi - “Small steps will lead to big things”

Social Media

Website - http://www.marvellousmimi.com

Instagram @marvellousmimi 

Facebook @MarvellousMimi 

Twitter  @MarvellousMimi  

Bruna is a dedicated adventure sport explorer. 

Bruna has solo-climbed the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere (Aconcagua, 23,000 ft), whitewater rafted the entirety of the Grand Canyon (226 river miles), and sailed across half of the Pacific Ocean, 6,100 nautical miles!

During this podcast Bruna shares more about her early years, how she got into hiking and how her love of adventure has evolved. Bruna shares stories from hiking in the mountains and kayaking down rivers.  

We also learn more about Conquer a new website to connect adventurers to new challenges! 

Show notes

• Getting into the outdoors at the age of 20
• How going to college changed her life and discovering the world of hiking
• Visiting the White Mountains in America
• How she added hiking into her life 
• Heading off to climb Aconcagua in South America
• Her reasons for wanting to climb Aconcagua 
• Ranked as number 4 for difficulty out of the 7 summits
• Deciding to do it as a solo trip
• Planning for 18 months
• Dealing with the logistics of weight and gear
• Deciding not to use porters
• The different emotions during the challenge
• Experiencing insecurity 
• Dealing with the lack of oxygen and how it affects you
• Base camps and weather windows
• Dealing with storms and a whiteout
• Going for the summit 
• Dealing with the aftermath 
• The deadly conditions of the mountain
• Making the smart choice
• Going back for another go
• Setting a big challenge every year 
• 2018 Challenge  - White water rafting the Grand Canyon
• Applying for the lottery 2 years in advance!
• Pulling a team of 8 together!
• Struggling to find women to do the trip
• Taking on a new sport and the challenges of breaking into the community 
• Founder of Conquer  - “Push Your Limits” 
• Building resilience in tech and how it has applied to the outdoors

Social Media

Website - https://brunaadventures.weebly.com 

Sign up for Conquer  -  http://launch.conquersignup.com/early 

Beth in her own words….

I’ve traveled a lot and have had what many would consider some pretty adventurous trips.

I’ve completed (twice) the 25-day, 220-mile Snowman Trek in Bhutan (one of the most difficult treks in the world), climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and reached the top at 19,341 feet, finished marathons in Hawaii, Tokyo, Portland and Seattle.

I ran my first marathon at 50, ran five marathons that year (including two back-to-back marathons where one was an ultra at 31 miles), ran the Seattle Quadzilla (four marathons in four days) and have qualified for the Boston Marathon twice.

I’m currently working on my next book, Be Bold: Discover Your Best Self Through Travel and Adventure.

I’ve also written a guide For Women Traveling to India.

In 2019, I ran the Epic5 Ultra (5 ultras in 5 days on 5 Hawaiian islands). 

In 2020, I am running the 4 Deserts which consists of running 155 miles over six days in four deserts–the Gobi, the Namib, the Atacama and Antarctica. 

Show notes

• Where her love of travel came from
• Being inspired by the National Geographic 
• Growing up in New Jersey, USA
• Starting to travel while in college
• Travelling to India for her first big trip
• Wanting to move closer to Asia
• Bringing a unique perspective on female solo travel
• Being able to be alone for long periods of time
• Travelling in the 90s 
• Not having structure while travelling 
• Starting her website in 2006
• Encouraging other women to travel solo
• Starting a tour company
• Having the opportunity to lead a tour to Bhutan
• Fears of travel
• Victim blaming 
• The kindness of strangers
• The places she goes back to over and over again
• Getting into running
• Staring running at 45/46
• P90X
• Training for the Snowman trek in Bhutan
• The limiting stories we tell ourselves 
• Deciding to run her first marathon at 50!
• Running 4 marathons in 4 days
• Running Epic 5 - 5 - 50k on 5 different islands
• What the Snowman Trek was like! - 220 miles, 25 day trek in Bhutan
• The physical and mental challenges of the trek
• Getting use to the repetition of the journey 
• How it changes when you are responsible for a group of people of the trek
• How journalling helped
• Why you have to keep on moving forward and to keep a good attitude.
• Epic 5 Ultra 2019
• The 4 Deserts Race in 2020
• Be Bold….
• Expectations versus reality..
• Training for the 4 deserts race - with the fist race happening in April 2020
• She’s Bold Podcast 
• Final words of advice from Beth

Social Media

Personal Website - https://wanderlustandlipstick.com

Website Wander Tours- https://wandertours.com 

Be Bold Podcast - http://beboldpodcast.com 

Facebook - @ShesBoldPodcast 

Instagram - @wandergal  @bethwhitwa  

Helen shares more about her journey into cycling as well as the different challenge she’s undertaken. 

In September 2015, Helen took her first foray into multi-day, solo bike touring by cycling the classic route from Lands End to John O’Groats (LEJOG). Helen cycled a distance of 1,000 miles in 13 days!

In January 2016, Helen met Mike on Tinder! Through a mutual love of cycling and wanting to travel the world. They started planning a cycle trip around the world! After moving in together, working multiple jobs to save money. They started their adventure on the 4th April 2017. They returned in August 2018, married, completely in love with the world and one another! They rode over 30,000 km, through 30 countries. Helen shares more about the planning and preparation as well as the challenges of being on the road and what she learned from the experience.

Helen also shares more about her next big challenge in 2020! It’s a BIG challenge!!!!!

• Please note during this podcast episode we do talk about mental health, and depression. Please make sure you are in a good space before you listen.

Show notes

• Starting cycling in 2011 
• Being nervous while commuting 
• Growing up by the sea in Dover
• Where her passion for cycling came from 
• How it helped her mental health 
• Signing up for a 3 day trip from London to Paris with the British Hearth Foundation
• Deciding to do LEJOG (Lands End to John O’ Groats)
• Having a year to plan the trip 
• Why it was so tough getting to the start line 
• Wanting to do something for her
• Some of the issues with the route
• Learning to be flexible 
• Doing the LEJOG challenge solo
• The kindness of strangers
• The mental side of the challenge 
• Learning how to become self sufficient 
• Dealing with the breakdown of a relationship 
• Getting the support needed to help with depression 
• How Tinder turned her life around 
• Meeting Mike…
• Wanting to cycle around the world 
• Is it possible….
• Taking multiple jobs to save money
• Building the bikes from scratch 
• Connecting on a deeper level
• Turning a joke/dream into a reality 
• Taking about the money and starting from scratch 
• Selling everything they owned, doing extra jobs, & getting small amounts of sponsorship
• Making the plan!!! 
• Saving £26,000 
• What it was like in the run up to leaving 
• The route, leaving Glasgow and getting the Ferry to Amsterdam  
• Making changes to the route and how they made that decision 
• 2.5 months in China 
• Documenting the journey while out on the road
• Cycling from Perth to Brisbane
• Knee and glue problems
• The wedding!!!!!
• The honeymoon and why it wasn’t the best
• The end of the trip….
• The transition back to normal life
• The next big challenge!!!!!! 
• Dealing with the pressure of the next challenge 
• Costs of the challenge and doing as much preparation as possible before 1st May 
• The power of setting a date 

Social Media 

Website - https://helenlangridge.com 

Twitter - @HelenCycling 

Instagram - @helen.langridge