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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: January, 2021
Jan 28, 2021
In 2019, Lauren Woodwiss, alongside her friend Jemma Rix, set the World Record for the fastest female pair to row across the Atlantic Ocean. 8 weeks after stepping on to dry land, she then went on to finish 4th female at the infamous Marathon des Sables.
 
Currently living on the island of Borneo, she's also recently set up Frontier Sapiens; a UK-based film and live events company celebrating human spirit and the untold stories of inspirational people from around the globe.
 
Although her real passion lies in mountain running and mountain sports, Lauren discusses what led to her rowing across the Atlantic Ocean with zero rowing experience, and how the crossing encouraged her to set-up Frontier Sapiens.
 
 
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 Lauren and what she does
  • What her childhood was like
  • Getting into the mountains 
  • How the mountain running evolved 
  • Doing the Mount Blanc Marathon in 2014
  • Wanting to row across the Atlantic Ocean….
  • 18 months to plan and prepare for the row
  • The steps that needed to be taken
  • Figuring it out as they went
  • Not thinking big picture
  • Splitting the responsibility 
  • Both working full time while preparing for the row
  • Paying for the race and figuring out funding
  • Taking out a loan on the boat
  • Sticking to a tight budget
  • Saving money on food
  • Dehydrating their own food - https://activeatfoods.com 
  • Comparing progress with other teams
  • Handling the stress and pressure before the row
  • The reasons for doing the row
  • FOMO
  • The strategy for the race
  • What do you want to achieve
  • Having 3 goals….
  • Building up rowing endurance
  • Making yourself strong and stopping injury
  • Chafing and salt blisters
  • The magical moments on the row across the Atlantic 
  • Then mental side of the race
  • "You before me”
  • Reaching the finish line and feeling overwhelmed
  • Beating the record by 1hr 7 mins…
  • Being signed up for the Marathon des Sables while on the row
  • Making the transition from rower to runner
  • Not training massive miles
  • Having the attitude of ‘what will be, will be’
  • Running with her husband
  • Dealing with injury 
  • Running MDS again
  • Starting Frontier Sapiens 
  • Connect with Lauren online 
  • Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you
 
Social Media
 
Instagram @laurenwoodwiss 
 
Frontier Sapiens - Celebrating stories of human spirit through film & live events 
 
 
Facebook - @frontiersapiens 
 
Instagram - @frontiersapiens 
 
Jemma  - Activeatfoods
 
 
Jan 26, 2021
Genny is from the sunny Dutch Caribbean Island of Aruba and moved to London 12 years ago. Prior to moving to the UK, Genny attended the University of New Brunswick in Canada where she fell in love with the great outdoors and learnt to cross-country ski and snowshoe and got into white water rafting and kayaking.
 
Genny in her own words:
 
In June 2008, I moved to the UK and lead a fairly healthy and active life until late 2013 when I suddenly fell inexplicably ill. Unbeknownst to me I had contracted Lyme Disease and my quality of life was severely affected until I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in the summer of 2016. 
 
Once I had recuperated I knew I wanted to do something to raise awareness on the seriousness of misdiagnosis and how it can affect every area of life. I knew I had the choice between becoming angry and embittered at the system which had missed the tell tale signs of the disease or the choice to speak of up for the untold number of patients who were suffering unnecessarily.
 
The Goal
 
In the winter of 2021, Genny will attempt to become the first woman from the Caribbean island of Aruba to ski roughly in Antarctica to the geographical South Pole. During the expedition, Genny will ski approximately 120km whilst pulling a heavy sledge containing her tent and provisions. The conditions will be extreme, with temperatures of -50° celsius and severe winds.
 
The aim of the expedition is to raise £25,000 for Lyme Aid UK who provide grants for people with lower incomes to get privately tested for lyme disease.
 
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast are every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit that 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 Genny is from
  • Living in London for the past 12 years
  • Working in the mining industry
  • Her childhood in Aruba
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • The December 2021 expedition 
  • Dealing with cold weather
  • The why behind the challenge
  • Being diagnosed with Lyme disease
  • What is Lyme disease
  • Turning the dream into a reality 
  • Not having any ideas about money or the time it would take
  • Being naive 
  • Getting corporate sponsorship
  • Learning to embrace failure 
  • Figuring out the timeline and date to go
  • Dealing with setbacks and keeping motivated
  • The planning and preparation for the adventure 
  • What do I want this to look like?
  • Feeling overwhelmed with excitement and emotion
  • Dealing with concerns
  • Being prepared
  • What if I don’t like it…
  • Being able to risk assess
  • Getting the balance right with training
  • What a typical week looks like
  • Having a funding gap…
  • Doing a practice expedition in Northern Norway
  • Luxury items or minimalist 
  • Having a nice G&T while on the ice
  • Figuring out the snacks
  • 8hr cream
  • Dealing with uncertainty
  • Taking time to breathe and to just be
  • Why movement is so important 
  • Blog post - The Vortex of Uncertainty - September 2, 2020 
 
Social Media
 
Website: www.antarcticaruban.com/
 
Instagram: @antarcticaruban 
 
Facebook: @antarcticaruban
 
Jan 21, 2021
Katie Holmes is a UK-based runner and charity consultant who loves cross country, track and park run. On her website she shares the stories of female runners over 50 and highlights their achievements.
 
Katie is also an independent sports historian, focusing on the history of women's endurance running. Her work is driven by a desire to capture stories which might otherwise be lost and to recover, and uncover, stories which have faded out of the collective memory due to the marginalisation of women in sport. 
 
In 2020 she was awarded an Independent Researcher Fellowship by the Women's History Network.
 
Listen to Katie 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 Katie
  • Starting running in her late 40s
  • Being born in Scotland
  • What life was like growing up
  • Having a love for the outdoors
  • Not being active in team sports
  • Why she decided to start running
  • Joining a local running club
  • Going to Park Run
  • Becoming part of the running community
  • Figuring out that she could run faster
  • Signing up for the Robin Hood Half Marathon 
  • Turning 50 in 2013
  • Blogging about women runners over 50
  • Dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis in her late 20s and yearly 30s
  • Wanting to get a range of different women with different experiences 
  • What a typical running week looks like
  • Running her first ultra in 2019
  • Equinox 24 hour race 
  • Running through the night
  • Speaking to runners over 50 about what motivated runners to participate in this event
  • Being inspired by her sister Judith who is 2 years older
  • South Downs Way 50 
  • The history of women’s endurance running 
  • Run Equal Campaign 
  • Advice for new runners
  • Park Run
  • Learn to run courses
  • Racing a marathon using the  “run, walk, run” method
  • Final words of advice
 
Social Media
 
Website - www.runyoung50.co.uk 
 
Twitter - @RunYoung50 
 
Instagram - @RunYoung50 
 
Facebook - @runyoung50 
 
Run Equal - https://runequal.org
Jan 19, 2021
Nazia has been defying stereotypes from an early age, from fitting into her role as an athlete and what would be accepted as a Bangladeshi female.   
 
Her Story
 
Nazia spent most of her life trying to attain the perfect body, leaving her mentally and physically tired. Calorie counting, fad diets all saw Nazia spiral into a destructive relationship with her mind and body. Insecurities and lack of self love eventually took its toll and she faced a dark period of depression facing unwanted thoughts.
 
Feeling lost and confused Nazia was able to recreate herself. Fitness was the catalyst for her change throughout the years. Exercise helped her overcome her old self, fight off anxiety and fear enabling her to step into the best version of herself in every area of her life. 
 
With an unshakeable mindset and determined not to give up she now teaches other females to overcome hard times by connecting neuroscience and fitness together.  
 
Nazia's mission is to get females from all backgrounds to fall in love with their bodies. To inspire others to be their best self and embrace the journey. #Recreate #Rebuild #Reborn.
 
Listen to Nazia 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
 
* Please be aware we do talk about eating disorders and depression on this episode. 
 
 
Show notes
  • Who is Nazia
  • Not growing up sporty
  • Getting into fitness 8 years ago
  • Going to college and developing an eating disorder
  • Starting boxing at 21
  • Not knowing how to train 
  • Being inspired by Tatiana Ali 
  • Determination and not wanting to be average
  • Stepping outside her comfort zone
  • Competing in boxing
  • Being scared while boxing
  • Going through depression
  • Making a career change
  • Dealing with trauma in her life
  • Facing pressure from society
  • Looking at the psychology of human behaviour 
  • Habits
  • Putting in the work every single day
  • Getting the poison out of her body and mind
  • Needing to heel the trauma
  • “I am Enough”
  • Doing mirror work
  • Ramadan and fasting for those who have an eating disorder
  • Acceptance 
  • Mindset and mental resilience and feeling emotionally fragile
  • Learning how to work with her emotions
  • Signing up to climb Kilimanjaro 
  • What a typical training week looks like
  • Morning rituals
  • The power of gratitude
  • Advice for women who are learning to love themselves
  • Coping with Covid 
  • Final words of advice
 
Social Media
 
Website: www.naziakhatun.com
 
Instagram @fitnessrebornuk1 
 
Facebook @NaziaKhatun
Jan 14, 2021
During a journey to Nepal and the Himalayas, she first began to dream about climbing the world’s highest mountain herself. And – following four years of preparation – she accomplished the feat of becoming the first Swedish and Czech woman to reach the summit.
 
In 2005. Renata boarded her sea kayak at the quay in Lake Union in central Seattle. This was the beginning of an almost unbelievable adventure, circumnavigating the coast of the USA in 439 days, mostly in her kayak. The day on which she completed her journey, 15 September, has since been designated as ”Renata Chlumska Day” in Seattle.
 
For Renata, the thrills of adventure surpass the extreme efforts during her expeditions. The preparation process is a vital part of each new challenge: planning, financing, training, and getting the right equipment and teams together.
 
After each successful challenge, she focuses on the evaluation, documentation and use of her experiences to inspire others, not least as a very popular lecturer and speaker for companies and organizations, as well as schools, clubs and associations.
 
To Renata, a challenge does not have to be about climbing mountains or journeying into space. Adventure is always waiting around the corner, if you can recognise and accept 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 Renata
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • Liking the outdoors and nature
  • Her first solo adventure 
  • Being involved in a Swedish Mt Everest Expedition in 1996 as part of the film team
  • Building connections
  • Spending the Spring Season in 1996 at Everest Base Camp
  • Wanting to go higher and to see more
  • Not being able to resist the mountains 
  • Female role models in mountaineering 
  • Starting climbing in 1995
  • Learning new skills 
  • Cycling from Nepal to Sweden
  • Getting to know someone while you travel
  • Cycling in India, Pakistan, China, Russia & Finland
  • Cycling without tech and being off the grid
  • No news is good news!
  • Turning her passion for adventure into a career
  • Becoming a professional adventurer
  • Climbing Mt Everest at 25 years old
  • Adventure blues?
  • Why climbing Mt. Everest was just the start
  • Circumnavigation of the lover 48 states 
  • Doing the challenge solo
  • Losing the love of her life
  • Having something to look forward to
  • Having a reason to get out of bed in the morning
  • Figuring out the logistics of the challenge
  • Kayaking down the Pacific Coast 
  • Advice for those going through a tough situation
  • Putting her focus on safety 
  • What’s going through her head
  • Future Astronaut with Virgin Galactic
  • Paying for the ticket
  • Future dreams and goals
  • What would you like to do?
  • Starting to learn how to sail
  • Having children and how it’s impacted on her career
  • Climbing 6 of the 7 summits in 5 months 
  • Getting back into climbing again
  • Don’t compare when it comes to adventures
  • Final words of advice and why you should believe in yourself
  • Write down your dreams and break them down into smaller and more manageable pieces
 
Social Media
 
 
Instagram @renatachlumska 
 
Twitter @RenataChlumska
 
 
Jan 12, 2021
Alice is currently the only black person swimming for Britain on senior team. She is the World Junior marathon swim champion (2016). and is training to qualify for the Olympic games and when she does, she will become the first black woman to compete for Great Britain at the Olympics in swimming. 
 
Alice is a Co-founder of the Black Swimming Association (BSA) which is promoting and advocating for the inclusion and welfare of people of colour in aquatics.
 
Alice is studying for an MA in Social Media and Political Communication.
 
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 Alice
  • What life was like growing up
  • Getting into swimming and falling in love with it
  • Getting a swimming scholarship at age 12
  • Education or swimming
  • Her dreams of what she wanted to be
  • Wanting to be a lawyer
  • Could she make a career as an elite swimmer?
  • Her amazing mum
  • The sacrifices made
  • The balance between education and swimming
  • Motivation and the reason why?
  • The mental side of the preparation
  • Her first experience of open water swimming 
  • Say yes to the next race…
  • Going into survival mode
  • What’s going on inside her mind
  • The races that stand out
  • Making progress at the elite level
  • Dealing with lockdown
  • Not having access to water
  • Women’s Sports Trust program - Unlocked
  • Wanting to make a positive change in swimming
  • Wanting to encourage more Black people to swim
  • Barriers to Black women for getting into swimming
  • Working with SolCap
  • Future dreams
  • Being a co-founder of Black Swimming Association 
  • Swimming being taught in schools
  • Final words of advice 
 
Social Media
 
Instagram - @alicedearingx 
 
Twitter - @alicedearingx 
 
Black Swimming Association - Diversifying the sport that saves lives  
 
Instagram @blackswimmingassociation
 
Jan 7, 2021
Jeannette is the 1st South African woman to summit Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world. She is also the first South African to ever attempt Dhaulagiri, 7th highest mountain.  She is passionate about leading individuals and teams to achieve things they never thought possible. She consistently achieves this with enthusiasm and empathy. 
 
Jeannette balances a corporate career leading the mining services business for a blue-chip Australian company with her mountaineering pedigree and passion.
 
Jeannette is a Non-Executive Board member and holds a PhD from the Colorado School of Mines. 
 
Jeannette has been chief instructress for Veld and Vlei, now Outward Bound; a guide for the South African National Parks Board; and the first female leader in 20 years for the Mountain Club of South Africa’s winter camp.  
 
  • 8000m mountaineer - with Manaslu summited, and 1 attempt on Dhaulagiri (first South African ever); my mountaineering goal is 7x 8000m summits, my version of the "7 Summits"
  • The challenges and realities of 8000m are extreme and under anticipated.
  • I've grown up in the mountains organically acquiring knowledge over a lifetime (not coming to this via a milestone birthday or event as many others have)
  • But did get to over 100kg and went from a couch back to 8000m - which took 5 years from decision to attempt 1 and eventual summit.
  • I know about goal setting and resilience and how to navigate a career (one of a few women in underground mining production at the start of my career) and a time consuming interest.
  • As the Mountain Mentor I can fast track the learning curve for people, saving time not making mistakes or being the best prepared for a mountain adventure: be it Kili, Inca Trail, Island Peak or Everest
 
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
  • Being based in Melbourne
  • Growing up in South Africa
  • Getting into mountaineering 
  • Going out with the Mountain Club of South Africa 
  • Climbing her first mountain at 8 years old - Lion’s Head
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • Loving the outdoors and enjoying spending time in nature
  • Wanting to work in nature and conservation
  • Wanting to climb the big mountains around the world, over 8,000 m
  • Lack of female role models in the 80s and 90s
  • Not knowing it was practically possible to climb these mountains
  • Making big changes to her life in 2013
  • The realities of climbing 8,000 m mountains
  • Being overwhelmed and confused at the start
  • Making around a start by walking around the block 
  • Getting over the mental hurdle
  • Starting with something very easy 
  • Not having an expectations
  • What it’s like being at altitude
  • Climbing her first 6,000 m peak in Peru 
  • What’s going on mentally while climbing mountains
  • Mental resilience and mental grit 
  • How mountaineering has changed over the years
  • Wanting to climb Manaslu Mountain in Nepal (eighth-highest mountain in the world at 8,163 metres) 
  • The biggest challenge of climbing Manaslu
  • Dealing with queues on the mountains
  • Handing the frustration of being stuck in the mountains
  • Being mindful of where you are
  • Cold management and oxygen management
  • Practical information regarding summiting Manaslu
  • Wanting to climb 7 - 8,000 metre peaks
  • Next mountain to climb - Dhaulagiri in Nepal
  • Practical information regarding climbing Dhaulagiri
  • Magical Moment in the mountains!
  • Mountain leadership and mentoring
  • Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you to step outside your comfort zone
 
Social Media
 
Website - https://www.mcgillsmountains.com/ 
 
Instagram - @mcgills_mountains
 
 
Jan 5, 2021
Lola has photographed and dispatched from 70+ countries for various publications. She is the 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Bill Muster Award recipient.
 
In addition to contributing to several books, she is the author of the following books – 2018 Lowell Thomas Award winner for best travel book, DUE NORTH, & bestselling LAGOM: Swedish Secret of Living Well available in 18 foreign language editions. 
 
Lola has been recognised with multiple awards and nominations for her work, including a Pushcart Prize nomination, and was honoured with a MIPAD 100 (Most Influential People of African Descent) Award within media and culture in 2018. 
 
Lola owns and runs Geotraveler Media – a multimedia and travel consulting agency providing a spectrum of travel media-related services.
 
Listen to Lola now 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
  • Being a visual story teller
  • Getting into photography by accident
  • Becoming a travel photographer 
  • Growing up in Nigeria 
  • What her childhood was like
  • Her passion for exploring culture
  • Moving to the USA for college
  • Deciding to switch careers into the travel industry
  • Coming from a travelling family
  • Getting into solo travel
  • Being a slow traveller and finding her own rhythm with travel
  • Making the transition from a corporate job to following her passion
  • Volunteering with an eco organisation in Fiji in 2002
  • Putting a plan in place
  • Volunteering with the Swedish Red Cross 
  • Figuring out what type of photographer she wanted to be 
  • Getting your photos published in places like the National Geographic 
  • Needing to create a story of the place
  • Having a visual voice
  • What’s the best thing that could happen
  • Overcoming challenging situations while travelling as a Black women
  • What adventure means to Lola 
  • 2018 Lowell Thomas Award winner for best travel book, DUE NORTH
  • The North Pole Dream
  • TedX Talk - The power of asking why not 
  • Why not
  • Being disappointed with friends 
  • Needing to have different types of friends 
  • Being an optimistic idealist 
  • Making the decision to move to Sweden
  • The secrets of living well
  • Being impacted by Covid 19
  • Advice for women who want to get into the travel industry
  • Why you need to find your own niche
  • Dealing with the cold weather
  • GeoTravelMedia - Exploring culture through food, tradition, and lifestyles
  • Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you  
 
Social Media 

Websites - https://akinmade.com 
 
www.geotravelermedia.com - Exploring culture through food, tradition, and lifestyles 
 
Twitter - @LolaAkinmade 
 
Instagram - @LolaAkinmade 
 
Facebook - @GeotravelersNiche
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