Info

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
RSS Feed Subscribe in Apple Podcasts
2024
March
February
January


2023
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January


2015
December
November
October
September
August


All Episodes
Archives
Now displaying: June, 2021
Jun 29, 2021
Mina was born in the UK and moved to Nigeria when she was five years old. Mina had a carefree childhood growing up in Northern Nigeria with siblings, before deciding to move back to the UK at sixteen to continue her education. 
 
Mina shares more about this challenging time in her life, from losing her mother at eighteen years old and having to work three part time jobs to support herself as she continued her education to become a Doctor.
 
Mina talks about her reasons for deciding to join the army and how she incorporated fitness into her already busy schedule. Mina talks about her passion for running and why its such a big part of life, she talks about training, jegging and taking on her first marathon and what she has learned along the way, and why she has kept on running even after being diagnosed with Lupus (autoimmune disease) a long-term condition that causes joint pain, skin rashes and tiredness. 
 
If you are passionate about running then this is the episode for you to listen to, Mina will inspire you to take your first step and to sign up for a marathon, whether that’s taking on a fast flat marathon like the Berlin Marathon or deciding to head to New York City to experience a running atmosphere like no other. 
 
Listen to Mina now on the Tough Girl Podcast - available on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud & iheartradio.
 
New episodes 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 visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Monthly and annual options available. 
 
Show notes
  • Being born in Newcastle 
  • Moving to the North of Nigeria at 5 years old until 16
  • Being the middle child
  • Being able to walk to school and living in a very peaceful area
  • Spending a lot of time outside
  • Moving back to England at 16 for her education
  • Wanting to be a Doctor from a young age
  • Her journey to joining the military in the UK
  • Being independent from a young age
  • Working 3 jobs while being in full time education
  • How it all changed in her 3rd year at University
  • Being accepted into the Army 
  • Being able to focus on her studies full time
  • Broken sleep and studying for University
  • Kindness of strangers who helped her
  • Not getting the A’Level grades she needed
  • Losing her mum at 18  
  • Going back to college for another year and getting offered a place at Southhampton
  • How fitness and maintaining her health during stressful times
  • Finishing university and focusing on her military fitness
  • Learning how to run and focusing on swimming
  • Being taken outside her comfort zone
  • Being stubborn and not liking to be told no
  • What drives her
  • Learning to be comfortable in her own skin
  • Starting to love running
  • Deciding to run her first marathon to raise money for charity
  • Signing up for the Berlin Marathon 
  • The benefits of going on long runs
  • Being diagnosed with Lupus
  • Jeffing - walk/run 
  • Figuring out her run training and focusing on her pace
  • The Hanson Marathon Method 
  • Happy memories from the NYC marathon
  • Telling her story to inspire young women
  • The Namu Project
  • Visiting Internally displaced people (IDPs) at camps in Nigeria
  • Crochet with plastic bags
  • Maintaining her positivity when there is so much to do 
  • Needing to impact one person 
  • Taking her children to the IDP camps
  • How the charity is coping doing Covid
  • Wanting to teach basic breast examination to women
  • Final words of advice to motivate and inspire
 
Social Media
 
Namu Project - “Namu" is Hausa for "ours". A charity working towards alleviating poverty through training, education and empowerment.
 
Website namuproject.org 
 
Instagram - @thenamuproject 
 
Instagram - @justdoing.m.e 
 
Jun 24, 2021
Kat spent her early years in France and England, and has lived and studied in the Middle East (Syria, Egypt) prior to studying medicine, Kat gained a BA in Arabic and Law.  
 
During this episode Kat shares more about why she decided to change careers to become a Doctor and the challenges she overcame to make her dream become a reality, from going back to night school to get science A’levels to dealing with imposter syndrome.
 
Kat shares more about her recent challenge of spending 18 months living and working in the remote and isolated Bird Island, in South Gerogia, which is only accessible via a 4 day boat journey and what it was like coming back to a different world to the one she left behind in October 2019. 
 
Kat shares more about being part of a small team and community, how the expectations compared to reality and the lessons she has learned from that experience. We learn about the wifi and living situation, food, money and what she did in her down time. This is an insightful and open conversation about this unique experience.
 
Kat is also a keen endurance runner and has completed many ultra races from the Spartathlon race in 2017 where she ran from Athens to Sparta! Kat has also done the Dragons Back Race in 2017, plus the Grand Union Canal Race 2016 - where she placed 2nd female, and the Centurion 4x100mile "Grand Slam" 2014 - where she was the first female. Kat shared more about her passion for running on the Tough Girl Podcast episode 367. That episode was released today (24th June) at 7am UK time. By hitting the subscribe button you won’t miss out on any bonus content!
 
New episodes go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time!
 
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 Kat
  • Coming back from Antarctica to a different world 
  • Not wanting to become a Doctor
  • How medicine was a second career
  • Moving to France when she was 12/13
  • Studying Arabic and Law for her first university degree
  • Heading back to study medicine in 2007
  • Working in Malaysia and Egypt
  • Going back to night school to get science A’Levels
  • Going into medicine at an older age
  • Dispelling the myths about being a Doctor in Antarctica
  • How the job came about 
  • Being ready to commit 2 years of her life
  • 6 months of training with the British Antarctic Survey 
  • Being single and taking the opportunity that came available 
  • Heading to South Georgia, Bird Island
  • Wanting to live and work in a small team in a small community
  • Expectations V Reality
  • Being on call all the time
  • Helping each other out with the running of the station
  • Downtime and learning how to weld
  • Wifi and connection with the outside world
  • Setting up a running club 
  • Team dynamics with a group of strangers who may or may not get on with each other
  • Having her own room for the 7 months of winter
  • Feeling guilty about not being in the UK and not being able to help with the pandemic
  • Missing cuddles and physical contact
  • Romance?!
  • Best memories from the trip
  • Money - not having to pay for rent and food 
  • Would she go back?
  • Salads, cheese, fresh fruit & vegetables
  • Advice and top tips for those people wanting to go to Antarctica 
 
Social Media
 
Instagram - @katganly 
 
Twitter - @katganly 
Jun 24, 2021
Kat is a keen endurance runner and has undertaken many of the Toughest Endurance Races - from running across the Sahara Desert in Morocco while competing in the Marathon des Sables. Or challenging her body to take on 4, 100 miler races in the UK - which is known as the Centurion “Grand Slam” which she did in 2014 and placed as first female. 
 
Every year since Kat has looked to take on a new running challenge which would test her from the Dragons Back race in 2015 - where she got her first DNF, to taking on the Grand Union Canal Race race in 2016 -where she placed 2nd female.
 
Not to be deterred by her DNF in 2015, Kat took onboard the key lessons she needed to work on, trained hard and heading back to face the race in 2017, where she finished with a smile on her face. 
 
With her 100 mile race times, Kat qualified for the Spartathlon ballot in 2017.  When her name was pulled out the hat she was in shock, she didn’t think she’d be taking on the 250km timed race from Athens to Sparta quite so soon! 
 
The race takes place in the September of every year in Greece. It is one of the most challenging ultra-distance races plus it has a very unique history. 
 
Kat will be sharing more about her different ultra races, how she got into the world of ultra running, the lessons she has learned along the way, how she trains, what she eats to fuel her challenges as well as talking in detail about her mindset, staying resilient and overcoming setbacks and failure. 
 
There is also a Tough Girl Extra BONUS episode with Kat - where she will be sharing more about her life as an Antarctic Doctor (Oct 2019- March 2021 - South Georgia, Bird Island and RRS James Clark Ross) - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. This goes live at 11am TODAY!!
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time.
 
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
  • Her first experience of running 
  • Deciding to enter the 2010 Brighton Marathon 
  • Hearing about the 2013 Marathon des Sables 
  • Why she decided to enter…
  • Deciding to treat herself as a gradation present  
  • Wanting to take on a 100 mile single day race
  • Discovering the Centurion Grand Slam Event (4 - 100 mile races in a calendar year) 
  • Making friends in the long distance running community
  • The Dragons Back Race 2015
  • Dealing with failure and having her first DNF
  • Turning failure into a challenge
  • Deciding to run the Dragons Back Race in 2017
  • The Grand Union Canal Race (GUCR), UK, Birmingham to London, 148 miles 
  • Being able to enter the ballet for the Spartathlon Race 
  • What’s involved in the Spartathlon Race and why it’s so hard
  • Getting a trainer and following a training plan while working full time as a Doctor
  • Her motivation for training
  • 2018/2019 preparing to go to Antarctica
  • Mindset from making the change from a multi stage race to a single stage race
  • What’s the next thing which is a bit harder?
  • Breaking down the challenge to make it more manageable 
  • Keeping focused on the present and not looking too far ahead
  • Recovery in between races when taking on 4 - 100mile races in a year
  • The benefits of gentle walking and taking time away from running
  • Planning her training before getting a running trainer
  • Running 6/7 days per week, plus long runs at the weekend
  • To get faster you have to run faster
  • What happened in the 2015 Dragons Back Race
  • Not being able to recover between day 1 and day 2
  • Dealing with failure and the lessons learned
  • Top tips for people who want to enter the Dragons Back Race
  • The importance of hill training and navigation
  • Eat on the ups
  • Eating while running and go to nutrition
  • Working with a trainer and the mental side of preparation for the Spartathlon Race
  • The benefits of proper, focused training
  • Missing a session….
  • The Spartathlon Experience
  • Needing assistance at the end
  • Feeling relief at the end of the race
  • Feeling deflated after getting home from Greece
  • Top tips for runners
 
Social Media
 
Instagram - @katganly 
 
Twitter - @katganly 
 
Jun 22, 2021
Alvina was brought up in a traditional Navajo running family and she has always loved to get outside in nature and run, she dreamed about being a competitive runner when she was younger and pursued this dream by heading off to Arizona State University to compete for them.
 
Alvina has made it to the Olympic trials three times in the marathon and the 10K distance. She runs a 2hr 22 min marathon time. 
 
Alvina is a Registered Dietitian, and has a Masters Degree in Health Administration. In November 2020 Alvina gave birth to a healthy baby girl. 
 
During this episode Alvina shares more about her passion for running; how she trains, what she eats and how motherhood has impacted on her running. Plus the women who inspire her. Listen now!
 
New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Subscribe 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
  • Alvina introduces herself by her clan in her traditional Navajo culture
  • Explanation of her introduction
  • Becoming a mother in November 2020
  • Growing up in a small town on the Navajo Reservation
  • Life as a new mother to a baby girl
  • Just about getting enough sleep
  • The naming of her child with a traditional Navajo name
  • Being a high risk pregnancy
  • Sharing more about the Navajo Culture
  • What her childhood was like and her connection to nature
  • Growing up in a running family 
  • Having a coming of age ceremony 
  • Having a female mentor and being taught how to be a strong Navajo Woman
  • The importance of running to the East every morning
  • Thoughts while running and enjoying her run time
  • Knowing that she wanted to be a runner from a young age
  • Making the transition from running for pleasure to being more competitive
  • The Olympic Trials in 2008
  • Not being a super start in college 
  • Working with a Native American running coach Mike Daney
  • Focusing on the 2012 Olympic Trials
  • The importance of a coach 
  • Being a small town girl
  • What a typical training week would look like  (120 miles weeks, speed work, hills)
  • Doing more strength training and helping to reduce injury
  • Diet, fuelling and nutrition while training
  • Making sure she got enough iron
  • Getting blood work done every 3 months
  • The hardest aspect of training and how she approached it
  • Changing her mindset and how her mindset evolved as she got older
  • Working with a sports psychologist
  • Running while pregnant
  • Having a difficult labour and needing to take 6 weeks off
  • Increasing her milage gradually and getting back into shape
  • Working on rebuilding her ab strength
  • The hardest challenge mentally with running and pregnancy
  • Needing to focus on herself and the health of her baby
  • Being surrounded by good people
  • The women who inspire her
  • Rachel Sneider @rachschneid18 
  • Michele Reyes @micheleinthemaking 
  • Final words of advice
  • Be patient and be consistent 
 
 
Social Media
 
Instagram @aybegay 
 
Jun 17, 2021
As our world grows ever smaller and more connected, it’s easier to travel, but harder to find true adventure but at twenty-eight years old, Lucy is at the forefront of modern exploration. 
 
From high mountains, rainforests, to the Arctic, she has plotted a thrilling, inimitable path. Made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society at age twenty three and on the council for the Scientific Exploration Society as a result of her expedition achievements. 
 
Lucy's expeditions have taken her all over the globe and she now shares her love for this world with others by both guiding expeditions to the Arctic and sharing her own adventures on film.
 
Lucy in her own words:
 
“I am a strong believer that when we put ourselves in challenging situations, whatever that may be, that our character grows and we become better people as a result. Given the current climate of how those in power are acting and how mental health and obesity problems are on the rise, we could all do with stepping outside our comfort zone and doing what we previously thought impossible.”
 
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 called an adventurer!
  • Her job and what she does
  • Spending time in the Arctic, Jungle and high mountains
  • Her parents
  • Her early years, climbing trees and being creative
  • Losing her mojo in her teenage years
  • The term ‘expedition’
  • Applying to join a scientific expedition in Svalbard at age 18
  • Trying to figure out what’s next
  • Her next steps to make adventure her career
  • Going to York University to study film and TV production
  • Trying to gain new skills over the next 3 years
  • Connecting with individuals via the Royal Geographical Society 
  • Spending 1 month in the jungle at 22 years old
  • Saying she wanted to be an adventurer for real in 2015
  • Living in the jungle for a month
  • Being stalked by a jaguar
  • Dealing with the dangers of the jungle
  • Deciding to head back to the jungle in early 2020
  • Wanting to do citizen science 
  • Kanuku mountain range in the Amazon jungle of Guyana
  • Micro plastics in the jungle…. 
  • Having 3 weeks for the expedition
  • How the expedition evolved and changed
  • Documenting the journey 
  • Her process for planning expeditions
  • The initial idea
  • The struggle of getting detailed maps
  • Advice for sponsorship and why you need to tell everyone about it
  • The challenges of covid and getting sponsorship
  • Getting physically ready for the expeditions
  • What a typical weeks looks like training
  • Mental training before and during expeditions
  • Calculating risks
  • Spending 2 weeks in a tent on Denali at -40 degrees
  • Moving into acceptance 
  • Peeing in the tent!
  • Periods on mountain expeditions
  • Charging electronics - Goal Zero 
  • Practical tips for dealing with the cold
  • Why you need to empty your bladder before bed
  • Favourite piece of gear
  • Why you should be bothered.
 
Social Media
 
Website - www.lucyshepherd.net 
 
Instagram: @lucysheps 
 
(New) YouTube Channel: LucyShepherd 
 
Facebook: @lucysheps 
 
Twitter: @lucysheps 
 
Jun 15, 2021
Lavina Mehta is a 43-year-old award-winning Personal Trainer and mum of three who has been awarded an MBE for services to health and fitness during Covid-19 in October’s Queen Honour’s List. 
 
Over lockdown, she provided free twice-daily virtual workouts with her family, aimed at keeping people of all ages healthy and mentally positive from home. Her slogan was to “Exercise for Sanity not Vanity” and she also provided a free Feel Good 21 Day Workout Plan.
 
Lavina’s free specially designed virtual chair workouts for Seniors, in English and Gujarati, with her 73-year-old mother in law featured on national TV and radio and inspired thousands of elderly members of the community to get involved. She continues these to give back to the disproportionately affected British Asian communities and help the elderly and vulnerable stay fit, physically and mentally. 
 
Lavina continues providing free home workouts & videos over the pandemic. She also uses her concept of Exercise Snacking for her daily Feel Good Fitness Advent Calendar workouts through December on her Instagram. 
 
She appears regularly on TV and radio passionately promoting the health benefits of exercise to treat, prevent and reduce risks of common chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s and osteoporosis. She is also a big advocate of the mental health benefits of exercise.
 
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 Lavina
  • Where she was brought up
  • Doing normal school sports
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • Thinking about being a teacher
  • Having a passion for Art
  • Deciding to go down a managerial route
  • Using art to help with mental health
  • Her focus on education
  • Lack of Asian role models in the fitness space
  • Deciding to become a Personal Trainer
  • Having a mild medical scare
  • Joining a gym with work
  • Getting into strength training and falling in love with it
  • Studying in the evening after the children were asleep
  • Wanting to learn more about the body 
  • The benefits of strength training and why everyone should lift weight
  • The mental health benefits of lifting weight
  • Opening up to the world of social media
  • Needing to be patient with regards to getting results
  • Supporting people of all ages during lockdown. 
  • Wanting to help people and doing 15min live workout on Instagram
  • Exercise Snacking
  • Time, motivation and costs
  • “Exercise for Sanity - Not Vanity”
  • Doing exercise from home
  • Feel Good Walks - just get out - even for 10mins
  • Getting adequate rest and recovery
  • The benefits of stretching
  • Why rest is key
  • Wellness in terms of lifestyle
  • Nutrition and feeding your body during workouts
  • Helping her mum write her book - Feel Good With Food
  • Using food as well as medicine
  • Not believing in the word “diet”
  • Enjoying food and not cutting out any food groups
  • Peri-menopause and menopause 
  • Feel good fitness prescription
  • Covid and mental health and the challenges of 2020/2021
  • Workouts for women and men online
  • Seniors Session with her mother in law 
  • Final words of advice to help you feel good again
 
Social Media
 
Website www.feelgoodwithlavina.com 
 
Instagram - @feelgoodwithlavina 
 
Facebook - @feelgoodwithlavina  
 
Twitter - @feelgoodwithlavina
 
Jun 10, 2021
A lover of all things outdoors, Cathy is an explorer, mother, wife and USA Operations Lead at global drone-based inspection company, CyberHawk - and that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.
 
Back in 2014, Cathy led a climbing expedition to a remote part of East Greenland, establishing four new, never-before-explored routes. 
 
Cathy passionately believes that these kinds of life-changing experiences don’t just fall into your lap - you have to work hard for them. 
 
Expeditions are born from a book full of notes and ideas, endless nights of planning, and more spreadsheets than any outdoor-lover cares to imagine.
 
Australian-born and adopted-Scot, Cathy currently splits her time between Colorado and California, where she’s learning to both snowboard and surf, while spending time with friends and family. 
 
It’s safe to say that she’s really taking advantage of every opportunity life throws at her.
 
Listen to Cathy on the Tough Girl Podcast! New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Subscribe 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 Cath?
  • Currently based in Denver, Colorado, USA
  • Living in Scotland for the past 20 years with her husband and children
  • Working for CyberHawk using drones 
  • Growing up in Adelaide in South Australia
  • Spending time in the outdoors and climbing trees at a young age
  • Leaving Australia to go to Canada in her early 20s
  • Meeting her husband in Canada and moving to Scotland
  • Starting climbing in her mid thirties after having her 3 children
  • Making progress in climbing 
  • Having an accident and spending 9 months in recovery
  • Building her confidence back up
  • Finding people to climb with 
  • Venturing outside to climb
  • Not giving up when challenges happen
  • Dealing with fears and building confidence
  • Deciding to head to East Greenland in 2014
  • Wanting to climb in a remote and challenging location
  • Needing to find a team and get people on board
  • Starting with the research
  • Struggling to find women to come and climb
  • Spending 5 weeks in East Greenland
  • Planning the new routes
  • The tent sent up and what base camp was like
  • Feeling confident but apprehensive
  • Paying and funding for the expedition
  • Being supported by Tiso 
  • Figuring out the food requirements for 5 people for 5 weeks
  • Human waste and dealing with poo!
  • The wildlife considerations from crows to polar bears
  • Her physical preparation and working with a personal trainer 
  • Being part of a “fit-family”
  • Reflecting back on Greenland and the lessons learned
  • Being careful of the people who you surround yourself with
  • Being open to the learning 
  • The next challenge…. and wanting to head to South America
  • Final words of advice to encourage other women to take the next step
  • The power of talking about what you want to do 
 
Social Media
 
Website - cathyalldred.com 
 
Instagram - @cathyalldred 
 
Twitter @cathyalldred 
 
Jun 8, 2021
Before summiting Everest, Tima had climbed 18 high mountains around the world including 6 out of the 7 summits (highest mountain on every continent) and became the 1st Arab woman to climb Ojos del Salado, the highest active volcano in the world. With her passion for exploring and redefining limits, mountaineering came as a second nature to her. Staying true to her wanderer spirit, she aims to continue leading an adventurous lifestyle and never stop climbing.
 
Tima grew up traveling the world collecting bungee jumps and memories of nature and extreme sports. She pursued her licenses in both skydiving and advanced scuba-diving as she made both the skies and the oceans her playgrounds. But, for her, nothing compares to being on the mountains. When on Elbrus, her first summit, Tima knew that this was not yet another hobby; but a natural and essential aspect of her life- just like breathing. It’s where her soul sparkles and her light shines. It’s where she feels she is the best version of herself. And so, it was no surprise that after Elbrus, she decided to focus on mountaineering.
 
The once-finance professional working in a multinational firm, gave up her career ladder for the love of mountains. Life changing decision is an understatement as she threw herself in a new path she knew barely about. Yet, she explored and excelled and later ventured into entrepreneurship by launching two startups while still climbing around the world. 
 
When she’s not on a mountain, Tima, founder of Mountain Gipsy and a professionally certified coach, believes that her mission is to give back to the world what the mountains gave to her. As such, she works with people from all backgrounds and circumstances to develop an invincible mindset so they can achieve their most ambitious goals by becoming more resilient, creative, confident, and courageous. 
 
Moreover, she dedicates her time to support and raise awareness for essential socio-economic topics that are shaping our world. She’s an advocate of children, youth, and women’s rights, and an activist of environmental issues. She works with various organizations to equip children, youth, and women with the means to follow their passion, develop their leadership skills, and carve their own path for a better future. In parallel, driven by her love of nature, Tima campaigns on environment issues such as climate change, deforestation, and waste recycling.
 
Tima’s priority remains being in the outdoors and going for any adventure that life has to offer.
 
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
  • Her mission for Arab Women
  • Going back to her childhood
  • Being into sports and wanting to try everything
  • Thinking it wasn’t for her 
  • Turning 19 and getting into scuba diving and sky diving
  • Enjoying extreme sports and living on the edge
  • Feeling the most alive when she was under pressure
  • Never thinking she would climb mountains
  • Being Nomadic and wanting to explore more of the world
  • Going travelling with her family to Nepal at 14
  • Deciding to go and climb mountains at 23
  • Making her dream come true
  • What her first steps are
  • Why you need to be determined and serious about wanting to climb mountains
  • Climbing Mt Elbrus - the highest mountain in Europe
  • Not knowing what she was getting into….
  • Deciding to focus exclusively on mountaineering
  • Not reaching the summit on Mt. Aconcagua 
  • Dealing with failure in the mountains
  • Learning to control her confidence 
  • Making a promise to herself
  • Working as an accountant and climbing mountains
  • Having a vision board
  • Getting the deposit for Mt. Everest from her family
  • Heading to Mt Everest in 2019 and becoming the first Lebanese Woman to summit the mountain
  • Going to Kilimanjaro with 8 young women
  • Wanting to use her platform to give back to others
  • Struggling to find role models in mountaineering 
  • Going against society and the expected norms of society
  • Being very focused on what she wants
  • Confidence and being supported by her parents 
  • Dealing with sickness while out in the mountains and coughing up blood
  • The push to reach the summit of Mt. Everest
  • The practicalities of the journey 
  • Why every move counts at high altitude
  • Being stuck in the bottleneck on Everest for 2hrs
  • Deciding to go to Lebanon after the blast (2020)
  • Working for an (NGO) - Non-Government Organizations
  • Training for the mountains and figuring out what works for her
  • Working as a mindset coach
  • Values….
  • The power of gratitude
  • Planning her next climbs in Nepal & Africa
  • Final words of advice for women who want to get into the mountains
 
Social Media
 
Website www.timaderyan.com 
 
Instagram - @mountaingipsy 
 
Facebook - @Mountaingipsy
 
Jun 3, 2021
Angela started running at the age of 53 as part of a series of ‘small steps’ she took to improve her health and quality of life.  A friend then introduced her to the world of ultra running and she become fascinated with what the human body can achieve when asked.
 
Since then she has completed events of varying distances including 50 miles, a 100 mile race and the 190 mile Northern Traverse and a number of 24 hour races as well as taking up cycling and swimming.
 
A former surgeon, Angela has a passion to inspire others to take their own ‘small steps’ to adopt healthy lifestyle choices throughout life and has set up a social enterprise to encourage and motivate people to improve their future health.
 
Prior to medicine Angela had a first career in the computer industry but in her early thirties she went to medical school and retrained as a doctor. Thereafter she undertook surgical training and specialised in trauma and orthopaedics. She developed a special interest in older people and hip fracture. She combined her skills from both careers throughout her practice to improve services for patients. Among other roles, she has been a Trustee with an Age UK charity and chaired a Local Authority Health and Wellbeing Board. Each of these roles gave her different perspectives on issues affecting us as we age but a predominant concern is the level of long term health problems people develop through life.
 
Angela says that age really is just a number and, with increased life expectancy, it’s really important that we change our expectations of older age and remain healthy and continue to pursue our dreams and ambitions. 
Setting ourselves goals of one sort or another can help give us purpose and a sense of achievement.
 
In September 2019, to raise awareness of the need to look after ourselves, Angela challenged herself to run from John O’Groats to Land’s End, ‘the JOGLE’, a distance of 875 miles. Overcoming extreme weather and injury, she found herself re-framing her expectations on the run.
 
Completing the JOGLE in 18 days, 10 hours and 3 minutes, at the age of 60, Angela set a new Guinness World Record as the oldest female to do so.
 
Angela has three children and three little granddaughters for whom she hopes she is a worthy and positive role model.
 
‘You’re never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream’
 
 
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 Angela
  • Having 2 careers, first in the computer industry and then becoming a Doctor in her early 30s
  • Developing an interest in trauma in older people
  • 2006/2007 losing 3 close family members within 4 months of one another
  • Throwing herself into work and becoming unfit and unhappy
  • 2009 dealing with personal illness and needing to make a change in her life
  • Taking - Small Steps
  • Taking up running at 53 years old and being introduced to ultra running
  • Learning how to cycle and swim and doing triathlons
  • Being fascinated by what the human body can do
  • 190 mile Northern Traverse  
  • Losing her husband to a brain tumour 
  • Wanting to find a way to help others
  • Setting up a social enterprise to encourage other people to take their own small steps to improve their own quality of life
  • Wanting to change the perception of ageing
  • Going for Old Community Interest Company to help improve the quality of life for all of us as we age (Company Number: 11481424)
  • Starting with walking
  • Renewing social contacts with old friends
  • Having trouble sleeping
  • How can I make it fun? How can I make it enjoyable?
  • Progressing with her running!
  • Joining a running group for mature ladies
  • The Joss Naylor Lakeland Challenge - 30 summits over a distance of 48 miles and climbs 17,000 feet (77km, 5182m).
  • Lakes in a Day - 50 miles, 4000m ascent  
  • Mental resilience during tough times
  • JOGLE - 875 miles running from John O’Groats to Lands End
  • Dealing with the bodies response to trauma
  • Running 40 miles a day in training
  • Running 74 miles on the first day of JOGLE
  • Supplementation
  • Food and snacks to fuel the JOGLE run!
  • Dealing with adverse weather conditions - of heat and a North Atlantic Storm!
  • Costs of JOGLE 
  • The challenge of gathering the evidence for Guinness to prove the World Record
  • Advice for women who think they are too old to take on a new challenge
  • Why you are never too old to set a new goal or a new dream
  • Having to make the social enterprise dormant due to covid
  • Taking on a new challenge for her 62nd birthday! 
  • Running the 62 highest lake district peaks back to back in 62 hours on the 6th June 2021
  • Feeling anxious about the upcoming challenge
  • Racing the Montane Lakeland 100 at the end of July  
  • Advice and top tips for other women 
 
Social Media
 
To find out more about Angela and The Running Granny:
 
 
Instagram @therunninggranny 
 
Twitter @running_granny  
 
If you’d like to make a donation to support Angela’s social enterprise:
 
 
Jun 1, 2021
Amira in her own words: 
 
“My name is Amira I’m 28 years old and I’m from Bolton. I’m a Muslim British Indian. I currently work at a Spa retreat, and when I’m not working you’ll find me somewhere in the mountains or on an adventure. I’m the founder of The Wanderlust Women Group which is a hiking and adventure group for Muslim women. My aim is to break down the barriers and stereotypes of the niqab and to break down misconceptions of Muslim women. The niqab to me is liberating and dignifying. It gives me strength and freedom. I wear the niqab as a personal act of worship and I deeply believe it brings me closer to god.”
 
Amira shares more about her passion for the outdoors, why she spends time outside and how she is encouraging other Muslim women to get outdoors and try hiking. 
 
“Success isn’t just about what you accomplish in your life; it’s about what you inspire others to do.” 
 
“It’s only after you’ve stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow, and transform.”
 
Listen to Amira on the Tough Girl Podcast. New episodes 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 Amira
  • Living in Bolton
  • Combing her passions for photography, videography and the outdoors
  • Doing community based work with other Muslim women
  • Being the oldest child and getting to travel a lot
  • Not wanting to do anything in her teenage years
  • Being encouraged by her mum to go hiking 
  • Going solo travelling and backpacking after college
  • Getting to explore more of England
  • Finding her own route into the outdoors
  • How her mum found more people to go hiking with
  • Being a “good scared’ about going solo travelling
  • Deciding to go on a road trip around England
  • Planning a trip to Paris which then expanded to more of Europe
  • Studying art & design at university
  • Being questioned about her decisions
  • How the name for Wanderlust Women came about
  • Researching and answering questions about her safety
  • Lessons learned from being on her own
  • Trying to find out who she is
  • Needing to get out of her comfort zone
  • Wanderlust Women and how it came about
  • The benefits from joining the group
  • Encouraging women to sign up for new challenges and adventures
  • Why the outdoors is for everyone
  • What the niqab is and what it means to her
  • Advice and tips for Muslim women who want to solo hike
  • Finding appropriate clothing to wear to dress modestly
  • Syndeed Clothing 
  • Food while hiking
  • Magical moments from the mountains
  • Doing the 3 Peaks Challenge in the UK
  • Connecting with God when outdoors
  • Needing a pause and spending time in nature
  • Wanting to do more in the outdoors
  • Dealing with anxiety on Ben Nevis
  • Bucket List Dreams
  • Who her Muslim role models are
  • Don’t let your fears get in the way
 
 
Social Media
 
Instagram
 
@amira_thewanderlust 
 
@the.wanderlust.women 
 
1