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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: November, 2021
Nov 30, 2021
Adelle is a British middle distance track athlete, who has competed for Great Britain over 800m on a number of occasions. Adelle has competed internationally on a European, Commonwealth and World stage for over 10 years.
 
Adelle's international debut was a the European Youth Olympics in 2009, where she won a Silver medal at 16 years old. 
 
Since then, she has gone on to compete for Great Britain at a senior level competing at two European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam 2016 and Berlin 2018, at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Portland 2016, World Athletics Championships in London 2017, World University Games in Taipei 2017, the Commonwealth Games for team England in Gold Coast 2018 and at the European Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow 2019.
 
Throughout competing as a senior athlete on the international stage, Adelle has balanced her life off the track working as a Hair & Makeup artist.
 
Adelle is a Woman's Sport Trust 'UNLOCKED' Alumni and proud ambassador for the British Dyslexia Association & Dementia UK, two causes very close to her heart.
 
"Sport has so much to offer, I’d love all woman to have the opportunity to enhance their life with sport. There is so much power in lifting each other up and continuing to create spaces for woman & girls to flourish.” - Adelle Tracey
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - 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. 
 
Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Adelle
  • Wanting to be an athlete 
  • Being inspired by the Olympics
  • Being inspired by her head teacher - Mr Potter
  • Excelling at sports day
  • Getting involved in the school running club
  • Making her first GB team at 16
  • Achieving her first Silver medal
  • Discovering make up later on
  • Remembering back to the Youth Olympics
  • Being part of a team
  • Being inspired by female role models
  • Looking up to Dame Kelly Holmes 
  • Running the longer distances 
  • Endurance sports in athletics
  • Winter training and weekly milage 
  • Magical Moments from the past 10 years 
  • Finishing 4th in the final
  • Getting a personal best (PB) in the semi finals
  • Tactics on the start line
  • Working with a sports psychologist
  • Music during the warmups 
  • Following a cool room process
  • Training in a winter block - an approx week and what it looks like
  • Doing a triple day 
  • Pre-hab, stretching and rolling 
  • Sleeping and napping
  • Keeping injury free
  • Maintaining motivation levels
  • Getting out of the door
  • Working as hard as she can
  • Advice for more advanced runner who want to run faster
  • Advice for getting your mojo back
  • Going back to your reason why
  • The importance of goals
  • Linking her training to her period. 
  • Working with Fitrwomen 
  • Future goals 
  • Funding and paying for her lifestyle
  • Why 2020 was such a difficult year
  • Dealing with financial stress
  • Ending the season on a high
  • Having a vision board and writing down goals
  • Final words of advice
 
 
Social Media
 
 
Instagram: @adelletracey
 
Twitter: @adelle_tracey 
 
Nov 27, 2021
Steph in her own words:
 
“Being a very shy and uncoordinated child I used to avoid anything active until a family holiday to the Lake District ignited a passion for walking and the outdoors. 
 
I love to get outside and active and to push my body to see just what it’s capable of. 
 
The excitement of tackling a long-distance trail appeals to me, but I also enjoy discovering the adventure my local area has to offer. I find joy in immersing myself in nature- wherever you are you can find great beauty. 
 
Middle age is a time when people tend to slow down and stop being active. I want to inspire other people in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond that you are still capable of doing some pretty amazing things and that it’s never too late for adventure.”
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - 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. 
 
Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.
 
Show notes
  • Turning 50 and being passionate about getting outdoors
  • Wanting to do more and more
  • Being very shy and uncoordinated while growing up
  • Doing everything to avoid physical activity
  • Being inspired by spending time walking in the Lake District
  • Progressing her walking and joining the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) 
  • Getting involved in Challenge Walks with the LDWA
  • Deciding what challenges to do next
  • Doing the coast to coast walk
  • Feeling scared at the start 
  • How her confidence grew through experience 
  • Walking with a friend on the Isle of Man
  • Walking the Pennine Way and why it was challenging due to lockdowns and covid
  • Dealing with the British Weather….
  • Planning and preparation for walks
  • The importance of long training walks
  • Equipment and gear on a budget
  • Ways to keep the costs down as a single traveller
  • Doing her first overnight camping trip
  • A Pennine Journey (247 miles)
  • The plan…
  • Food and nutrition while on the challenge
  • Training and getting physically ready
  • Wanting to share her stories with others
  • Signing up for the Marathon des Sables (MDS) to document the training of the journey 
  • Start small and build up 
  • Running the London Marathon 
  • Marathon des Sables
  • Building up fitness and training for the MDS
  • Preparing the mind and getting mentally ready for the challenge
  • Running the wettest MDS ever!
  • Lessons learned from finishing the MDS
  • Dealing with stomach issues
  • Craving coffee
  • Follow along with Steph on social media
 
Part 2
  • A Pennie Journey
  • The route
  • Why things didn’t quite go to plan
  • Dealing with blisters and the Summer heat wave
  • Building her confidence with camping and using her tent
  • The magical moments from the experience 
  • Getting resupply on the route
  • Going solo and meeting other walkers
  • Making a few changes to stay out on the trail for 17 days
  • Dealing with blisters and pain
  • Feeling a little disappointed at the end
  • Final words of advice
  • Starting small and building up
  • Going on local adventures
 
Social Media
 
Website: www.endurance-adventures.co.uk 
 
Instagram: @endurance_adventures 
 
Facebook: @enduranceadventures 
 
Nov 25, 2021
Patti Shales Lefkos is a Canadian writer and journalist. Her Himalayan adventure travel memoir Nepal One Day at a Time celebrates her creative non-fiction debut.
 
Nepal One Day at a Time is the story of her first trekking trip on her own.
 
Born and raised in Toronto, she has also lived in Neuchatel, Switzerland and Vancouver. 
 
Following a rewarding career as a teacher, educational consultant, administrator and advocate for inner city children, Patti studied journalism at Langara University. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Toronto Teachers’ College, Simon Fraser University and the Wilderness Leadership Program at Capilano College.
 
In 2006 she set out to pursue international adventure travel. 
 
Whether canoeing the Yukon River, backcountry skiing in BC’s Monashee Mountains, hiking in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides or trekking in Tibet and Nepal, she embraces the culture and environment of wilderness areas. 
 
When not travelling, she skis downhill, nordic and backcountry from her home base at SilverStar Mountain Resort in BC’s Okanagan Valley. 
 
In summer she paddles canoe, kayak and stand up paddle board at her Ontario island cottage.
 
Listen to Patti 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
  • Good Morning!
  • Who is Patti and what she does
  • Where her love and passion for the outdoors came from
  • Buying her first typewriter and wanting to be a writer
  • Lost Horizon by James Hilton 
  • Becoming an outdoor girl
  • Doing all the expected things and becoming a teacher
  • Moving west to Vancouver 
  • Working in inner city schools
  • Riding her bike to school and doing her first marathon
  • Moving from marathon to triathlon
  • Meeting her husband Barry
  • Not travelling until they retired in their 60s
  • Heading to England in 2007 and walking the coast to coast 
  • Taking on bigger adventures and going to higher and higher levels of altitude
  • Spending time in Nepal
  • Wanting to volunteer in Nepal in 2014
  • Having to go solo at 67
  • Facing her fears to go by herself
  • Making the transition from working full time to being retired
  • Writing the articles she wants to write about adventure travel
  • Choosing her work
  • Her first experience of travelling and trekking to altitude
  • Making a list of her fears 
  • Her plans for Nepal
  • The biggest challenge while out trekking
  • Writing her first book
  • Supporting the village affected by the earthquake in 2015
  • The realities of starting a non profit
  • Figuring out what is good help to provide
  • Why 97% of the money goes to Nepal
  • The realties of trekking at altitude in your late 60s
  • Bucket list destinations
  • Final words of advice 
  • The power of spending time with young people and being of service
 
Social Media
 
Website :  pattishaleslefkos.com
 
Facebook: @plefkos
 
Facebook Non-profit Nepal One Day at a Time Society on Facebook 
 
Buy Patti’s book NEPAL ONE DAY AT A TIME on Amazon
 
Partner NGO in Kathmandu, Nepal. Sambhav Nepal
 
Recommended Trekking Company in Kathmandu, Nepal. Ace the Himalaya

 

IN CANADA:
 
How to buy NEPAL ONE DAY AT A TIME book directly from Patti
 
COST:  $32 ($25 for the book, $7 for postage)
 
All profits go to education in Ratmate and Aprik Villages, Gorkha, Nepal.

 

BY CHEQUE: 
 
Mail cheque for $32 to
Patti Lefkos
Box 3093Vernon, BC.
V1B3M1
*** REMEMBER TO INCLUDE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS***
 
BY eTRANSFER:
 
$32 to pattilefkos@shaw.ca
***REMEMBER TO INCLUDE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS***
 
Nov 23, 2021
Anisah is the founder of the new blog: Outside Our Way which features interviews from other disabled and chronically ill folks, sharing their stories of their outdoor experiences.
 
Anisah in her own words:
 
My name is Ani. I have multiple chronic illnesses and I am disabled. That probably brings an image to your mind of what it means to be ‘disabled’, But when you look up the definition of ‘disability’ you’ll find various ways you can categorise it - as well as plenty of opinions about what it means to be disabled.
 
The UK Equality Act 2010 classifies disability as: “a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.” 
 
The truth is there are so many variations and types of impairments that fit this definition. There are visible physical disabilities, there are hidden physical disabilities, there are learning disabilities, and there are mental health disabilities. The variations and combinations are endless and as a result each person’s disability or impairment is unique. How that affects their daily life is completely individual to them.
 
I have what is called hidden disabilities or invisible illnesses. I’m diagnosed with Lupus SLE and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD). I have chronic pain, fatigue and memory loss along with other symptoms that affect me daily. 
 
People often think that I’m not disabled or chronically ill.  There’s a common stereotype that comes to a lot of people's minds when the words “sick” or “disabled” is used, and like so many I don’t really fit that image. Most of the time when you look at me I don't look like I’m in pain or fatigued. I walk without aids. I take part in active outdoor activities. 
 
People don’t realise that I don’t look in pain or fatigued because I have a lifetime's worth of experience pretending I’m not. I time my painkillers to kick in before I see someone. I’ll make sure the environment I'm in when I'm with people is one that won’t drain too much energy or add to the pain. I’ll plan my week prior and after to ensure I’m rested enough and won’t crash. 
 
Finally, when I’m too exhausted to handle a simple conversation despite all my planning and methods… I will cancel and you will not see me in that state at all. The same amount of work goes into planning any outdoor activities. I have to use tactics and creative methods just to take part. I need extra preparations and plans to get by in a world that was created with non-disabled people in mind. This is the aspect of disability that people might miss. 
 
Which brings me to the question - how can we help change this?
 
I can only be an expert on my own experience/disability/illness (and even then, that’s iffy!). After brief conversations with others with chronic illnesses or disabilities, I have come across some amazing tips to help manage my own disabilities outdoors. I have found people who can relate to my feelings like no-one else can, and have helped me pass challenges I’d previously faced alone. I've realised that there’s so much that I don’t know about people who are chronically ill/disabled and so much more I should learn. 
 
I want to talk to people with different disabilities and conditions to mine. I want to see what challenges they face when they access the outdoors, what hurdles they have to navigate when going outdoors. I want to ask them what everyone should do to flatten those hurdles as much as we can. 
 
Outside: Our Way is a collection of interviews to show that we as a community are here. These interviews are a chance for disabled people to shape their own narratives and tell us about their way of going outside. It’s aim is to shine a light on what it’s really like to be an outdoor enthusiast and disabled/chronically ill.
 
To those who are disabled or chronically ill - I hope you can find something to relate to. There’s a beautiful community that have shared experiences and can truly understand what you might think or feel. 
 
To those who are non-disabled - I hope to show you what it takes to be disabled/chronically ill in the outdoors. And perhaps prompt you to consider how you can help us access the outdoors our way.
 
Listen to Ani on the tough girl podcast - New episodes go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - 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. 
 
Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Ani
  • Being an advocate for disability and chronic illness in the outdoor environment
  • Getting into the outdoors and not liking it at first
  • Getting back into the outdoors 2/3 years ago
  • Deciding not to follow the advice 
  • Enjoying her time in the outdoors
  • Her life as a child and experiencing symptoms from a young age
  • Hating going to school
  • Learning energy management
  • Not knowing what something was wrong dealing with pain was normal
  • Getting the diagnosis as 12 years old
  • Making the decision to go outside and wanting to do something
  • Spending too much time inside
  • Why the outdoors is her happy place
  • Feeling empowered and enabled
  • Learning how to balance caution and happiness
  • Planning every aspect of her life
  • Connecting with other women who have a similar condition
  • Spending time around water and feeling at peace
  • Trying to get good with cold water
  • Making adjustments to make wild camping accessible 
  • Figuring out how it can work for you
  • What Outside Our Way is about
  • The women who have inspired Ani
  • Wanting to share her hiking journey on line
  • Future dreams and ambitions
  • Wanting to do a multi-day hike
  • Hike your own hike
  • Advice for your next adventure 
 
Social Media
 
Instagram: @ani_went_outside 
 
Outside: Our Way - A blog sharing stories from from across the outdoor sector and disability and chronic illness landscape.
 
Hosted by @alltheelements
 
 
 
 
Nov 20, 2021
Annabel Abbs is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. She grew up in Wales and Sussex, with stints in Dorset, Bristol and Hereford. Daughter of academic and poet, Peter Abbs, she has a degree in English Literature from the University of East Anglia and a Masters from the University of Kingston. She lives with her family in London and Sussex, and is a Fellow of the Brown Foundation.
 
Annabel’s debut novel, The Joyce Girl, won the 2015 Impress Prize for New Writing and the 2015 Spotlight First Novel Award, and was longlisted for the 2015 Caledonia Novel Award, the 2015 Bath Novel Award and the 2016 Waverton Good Read Award. It was a Reader Pick in The Guardian 2016 and was one of ten books selected for presentation at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. Published across the world, Annabel discussed The Joyce Girl on BBC Radio 4’s Soul Music. It is currently being adapted for the stage.
 
Her second novel, Frieda: The Originial Lady Chatterley, was a Times Book of the Month, then a Times Book of the Year 2018 and one of five novels selected for presentation to film directors at the 2017 Frankfurt Book Fair. Frieda has been translated into six languages. Annabel spoke about Frieda on BBC Woman’s Hour.
 
Annabel’s third novel, the story of Eliza Acton, Britain’s first domestic goddess, and a best-selling cookery book writer (and a poet) will be published in the US in October 2021, by William Morrow as Miss Eliza’s English Kitchen. In the UK, the novel was acquired at auction by Simon & Schuster, and will be published in spring 2022 as The Language of Food. It is currently being translated into sixteen languages. In 2021 it was optioned by Stampede Ventures and CBS.
 
Annabel’s first non-fiction book, The Age-Well Project, was published by Little, Brown in 2019, co-written with TV producer, Susan Saunders, and based on their acclaimed blog agewellproject.com, longlisted for the 2018 UK Blog Awards.
 
Annabel’s first foray into memoir and her first solo-authored non-fiction book, Windswept: Walking in the Footsteps of Remarkable Women, was acquired at auction by Two Roads and was published in June 2021. 
 
In the US, Windswept was acquired by Tin House and published in September 2021, with the subtitle Walking the Paths of Trailblazing WomenWindswept tells the extraordinary stories of eight women who walked long distances in wild and often remote places as they sought their own voices. They include Simone de Beauvoir, Nan Shepherd, Georgia O’Keeffe, Gwen John and Daphne du Maurier.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - 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. 
 
Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Annabel
  • Her latest book
  • Her interest in walking
  • Being interested in women who do long distance walks in challenging environments
  • Where are all the women walkers?
  • Researching the women who walk
  • Having a strange childhood
  • How walking was a part of her education 
  • the benefits for women walking in nature
  • How wild places are not deemed safe for women 
  • And why women are encouraged to stay at home and get their time in nature from being in the garden
  • Why women DO long hikes
  • Women from 100 years ago who went out walking
  • Focusing on 6 women for the book Windswept 
  • Recreating their walks 
  • Feeling trapped at home
  • Having family walking holidays 
  • Planning the walks and incorporating her writing within the walks
  • Using old maps to help plan
  • Encouraging women to be able to navigate
  • What Nan Shepherd said about walking in Scotland 
  • Why river journeys and coastal journeys were quite popular
  • Why women should learn to navigate
  • Doing the walks solo and the challenge involved
  • Thinking of all the things that could go wrong
  • Why walking is so much more complication for a woman
  • What is was like walking solo 
  • Women and their relationships with the mountains 
  • The struggle of mental preparation before heading out to walk solo
  • The long history of women doing walking pilgrimages on their own
  • Why we need to see more women out there walking
  • The dark side of walking solo and spending time on your own
  • Walking in Texas, USA - night hikes?
  • The importance of legacy
  • Final words of advice
 
Social Media
 
Website: www.annabelabbs.com 
 
Instagram: @annabelabbs 
 
Twitter: @annabelabbs 
 
Book: Windswept
 
Windswept is a feminist exploration of walking in wild landscapes. 
 
Annabel examines the role of walking on the lives, writings and art of several women including Gwen John, Frieda Lawrence, Nan Shepherd, Georgia O’Keeffe and Simone de Beauvoir.  As Annabel walks their paths – the empty plains of Texas, the mountains of Scotland, the rivers and forests of France – she looks back at her childhood in remote Wales and asks why women have been overlooked in the literature of wild-walking.
 
Nov 18, 2021
Tiphaine in her own words:
 
"My name is Tiphaine, I’m from France and since I was a child my parents took me backpacking in other continents. They’ve opened me to the world. After three years of studies to obtain my Specialized Educator diploma, I felt the urge to explore more of this planet. I went to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa for a year. The adventures I’ve experienced there made me reconsider my whole perspective on life.
 
Inspired by my short cycling trips in Australia and New Zealand, I bought a bicycle and left, in June 2017, on my 23rd birthday. I started from my home in Paris, without a real plan, without a final destination and ended up cycling 20,000 km in 14 months, half of it with Martin (@hi.martin.cycles). 
 
This trip, more than any others, showed me that dreams can come true and that travelling is a matter of motivation. Since then, I dare to live a different life, “unstable”, full of changes, adventures, experiences, that make me who I am today.”
 
Listen to Tiphaine on the tough girl podcast.
 
New episodes go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - 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. 
 
Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Tiphaine
  • Wanting some adventure 
  • Deciding to head to Australia on a working holiday 
  • Wanting to continue living this different lifestyle
  • Her younger years and spending time backpacking with her family 
  • Not being afraid of travelling solo
  • Having a plan verses being more flexible and playing things by ear
  • Wanting to join the Civil Service in France
  • Rethinking her whole perspective on life
  • Realising how little you need to be happy
  • Coming back to Paris after 15 months of travelling
  • Not knowing what to do next 
  • Paying for her cycle trip and saving up money
  • Why its cheap to travel by bike
  • Keeping costs down while on the road
  • Leaving Paris on her 23rd Birthday 
  • The route and the plan
  • Meeting Martin in Africa @hi.martin.cycles and deciding to cycle across the Sahara together
  • Using Warmshowers in Europe 
  • Wanting to explore more of Africa and heading to East Africa for 7 months
  • Dealing with elephants close to the tent! 
  • Resupply and accommodation in Africa 
  • Route planning and the challenging in Europe 
  • Trying to pick the nicer routes and avoiding the main roads
  • Maintaining the bike on a long journey 
  • Not knowing how to change a flat tyre at the start
  • Buying a simple bike for 450 EURO
  • Learning new skills on the road
  • Writing her first e-book: Little Miss Pedals: 20,000 km on a bicycle through Europe and Africa 
  • Final words of advice to encourage you to take on your own challenge or adventure.
  • Why it’s worth it!
 
Social Media
 
Website: www.dreamsontracks.com 
 
Instagram: @littlemisspedals 
 
Facebook: @littlemisspedals 
 
Book: Little Miss Pedals: 20,000 km on a bicycle through Europe and Africa 
 
Nov 16, 2021
Aneela is passionate about encouraging people from all walks of life to ride bikes and she works with individuals, organisations and the cycling industry to encourage wider participation. She works tirelessly to increase diversity in cycling and mountain biking and firmly believes that mountain biking is more than a sport - she’s a champion of the wider benefits of mountain biking in building confidence, strength and resilience in everyday life.
 
With 20 years+ diversity and inclusion experience, Aneela is particularly interested in diversity and wellbeing; women in MTB leadership; diversity role models; young girls in sport and promoting mental health. She offers training and workshops; inspiring talks and presentations; diversity audits; participation and engagement activities as well as professional advice and consultancy.
 
ANEELA'S JOURNEY
  • 20 years+  Diversity and Inclusion experience in the public sector
  • Co-Chair, British Cycling’s new Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group
  • 10 years+ running Go-Where Scotland
  • 5+ years professional MBL/Level 3 mountain bike guide
  • Board Member and Secretary of Tweed Valley Trails Association
  • Cycling UK Trail Inspector, and, Trail Maintenance Coordinator
  • Cycling UK Outdoor Expedition qualification 
  • Masters Degree, Equality and Discrimination, University of Strathclyde
  • Personal Fitness Trainer
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - 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. 
 
Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Aneela
  • Her early years 
  • Growing up in Glasgow
  • How her parents moved over from Pakistan 
  • Visiting Pakistan 
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • Getting into mountain biking
  • Pivotal moments from being on the mountain bike
  • Taking friends out on the bike
  • Her journey of becoming a coach and leader
  • Giving people the opportunity to empower themselves 
  • Not having a great experience in childhood
  • Being the only women during the assessment and training
  • Being worried about being the only woman 
  • Being supported by her husband
  • Lost opportunities 
  • Having to have faith in herself
  • Battling again self doubt
  • Being encouraged by her tutor 
  • Having to prove herself in a male environment
  • Changes in the mountain biking industry over the past 10 years
  • Creating empowering spaces
  • Encouraging women to take the next step
  • The lack of role models and how it is chaining slowly
  • Encouraging women to become coaches
  • Being inspired by her friends 
  • The FNY Collective and what it stands for…
  • What the word fanny means in Scotland
  • Getting charity status and being able to look for funding
  • How many bikes…
  • Being an ambassador for Juliana Bicycles
  • The power of bikes 
  • Working to support refugees 
  • Working with Endura Sport 
  • Working on a film about - bikes, love and discrimination
  • “After the Storm” premiere at Kendal Mountain Festival 
  • Advice for other women for being brave
  • The power of knowing you are not alone
  • Advice to encourage women to try mountain biking
  • Being on a learning journey and why everyone has to start somewhere
  • #Ridemòr (mòr - big and great)
 
Social Media
 
Go-Where | Ridemòr - Scotland’s award-winning curator of guided & self-guided bicycle experiences.
Advocates for wellbeing, diversity & inclusion. #ridemòr #mòrdiversity
 
www.go-where.co.uk
 
Instagram: @gowherescotlandmtb 
 
Facebook: @gowherescotland 
 
Personal
 
Instagram @mrsgowherescotland
 
Twitter: @AneelaMckenna 
 
MÒR DIVERSITY -  From diversity, inclusion and wellbeing to leadership and resilience training - we offer professional services to help unlock the human potential of organisations.
 
Website - www.mordiversity.com
 
The FNY Collective - The FNY collective: a group of Badass women passionate about riding bikes and getting more women sharing the fun on two wheels. 
 
Website - www.thefnycollective.co.uk 
 
Instagram @the_fny_collective
 
Nov 11, 2021
Erica Terblanche is an accomplished endurance runner and adventure racer and has won numerous iconic long-distance races all over the world, including the gruelling Racing the Planet 7-day Sahara Desert Ultra Marathon among many others.
 
Erica is a Life Coach and psychologist with a master’s degree in Positive Psychology. She is also the founder of Teach a Girl to Fish, Thrive Guru & Thrive Run Club. Her lifelong quest is to determine how we can over time shape and mould ourselves to become ‘the best we can possibly be’.
 
At heart Erica is an outdoor enthusiast with over 20 years of adventure experiences.
 
Erica in her own words on Adventure Racing:
 
“Adventure Racing was a wonderful vehicle for access to extreme adventures - and over a period of five years I experienced the most extraordinary adventures while running, cycling, canyoneering, river rafting, sea kayaking, and rappelling in some of the most wild landscapes in the world and often with less than an hour of sleep a day for races that spanned five days. 
 
This sport helped push my boundaries and has helped me to become an accomplished ultra distance trail runner, winning a number of the big 7-day stage races. 
 
I now live in Cape Town where I run Thrive Guru and Thrive Run Club. My intention with both is to get people moving and to help people build and live their best, most vital, most fulfilling and happiest lives.”
 
Erica is the Author of “Run for the Love of Life” which was published on the 4th of November 2021. 
 
Erica wrote the book to share her adventures, to motivate people to get up, get going and get out into nature. Erica wants people to know that they can do far more than they imagine they can. 
 
Erica wants the book to inspire people to take that very first step and to find their tribe - a community of people that will support them on the journey.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - 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. 
 
Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and sign up - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Erica and what she does
  • Being a keen advocate to encourage people to get into the outdoors
  • Living in Cape Town now
  • Starting an adventure company - Teach a girl to Fish
  • Studying positive psychology 
  • Being interesting in how we can come the very best of ourselves
  • Focusing on the outdoors
  • Finding out about her childhood, growing up on a farm and spending time outside
  • Catching her first fish at 6 years old
  • Learning not to be scared of the outdoors 
  • Having a lot of freedom from a young age
  • Bravery?
  • Being inspired by her fearless mum
  • Raising girl children differently from boy children
  • Knowing in your body that you are strong
  • Her passion for running and where it came from
  • Getting into running in her early 30s
  • Falling in love with Adventure Racing
  • Not being an athlete and going to the World Championships in Adventure Racing!
  • How women improve as races go on, especially coming into their own by day 3
  • Pushing her body to the limits and the lessons from the edge of the experience 
  • The races which really challenge her
  • Racing the Grand to Grand Ultra, USA. 275 km in 6 stages, over 7 days. 
  • Being unwilling to give up and being able to grit it out.
  • Racing as hard as she could and sticking to her own game plan
  • Women who run with wolves
  • Practical tips and tricks to help you keep going
  • Start slowly and finish strong
  • Tips for running in the heat
  • Why Erica loves the deserts and spending time in that space
  • Feeling empowered by the sunshine
  • The importance of Vitamin D (especially in the UK)
  • Dealing with Raynaud’s 
  • Menopause and how its impacted on running and adventure racing
  • The impact on Vo2 max
  • Being more deliberate about the supplements she takes
  • Being excited about the next stage of her life and wanting to be even more resilient
  • “Run For The Love of Life” - the goal and purpose of the book
  • Thrive Run Club and encouraging people to take the first step
  • Final words of advice for other women who want to get into running and live their best life
  • The power of community and finding your tribe 
 
Social Media
 
Personal - Instagram: @erica_terblanche
 
Business - Thrive Guru Coaching, Thrive Run Club and Teach A Girl to Fish.
 
Positive psychologist, transformative life coach, internationally accomplished endurance athlete, organisational change and strategy expert
 
Website: www.thrive-guru.com 
 
Instagram: @thrive_guru 
 
@thrive_run_club 
 
Facebook: @thrivegurus
 
FB Thrive Run Club 
 
Teach a Girl to Fish - We take women on out-of-the-ordinary walking, biking and kayaking adventures.  If you enjoy being active and exploring beautiful places, especially near the big blue ocean, this is for you.  Our expeditions create the perfect conditions for you to unwind, to reconnect with nature and to rekindle your inner spark.
 
Website: teachagirltofish.co.uk 
 
Facebook: @TAG2F 
 
Nov 9, 2021
Kisha in her own words:
 
“I grew up in Virginia, a gymnast and cheerleader, playing softball and soccer. I knew I was bound to do something special, but I didn’t know what.
 
When it comes to my career, I’m often called a ‘bad-ass.’ As the Managing Director of Portland's Artists Repertory Theatre, I feel at home on a stage in front of thousands of people. When it comes to spending time outside, however, I wasn’t what you would call an “outdoors woman.”
 
I didn’t camp. I didn’t spend hours in the woods. Yet, when I moved to Portland, I found a love I didn’t know existed: my love of hiking. Days spent exploring all of the swimming holes and waterfalls in the Pacific Northwest transitioned into my first solo trip to Reykjavнk, Iceland. 
 
I scuba-dived, hiked through Gullfoss, Skуgafoss, Hengifoss, and fiingvellir, and I HIKED UP AND THROUGH A GLACIER! Me! All 240 pounds of me. 
 
I became a superhuman on that trip. I’m a fat, Black woman with Lupus who hikes glaciers, mutherf*ckers! My outdoor exploration unlocked something in me. After that, I was unstoppable!
 
When I returned home, I wanted to hike all the time. I bought sturdy hiking shoes. I started reading outdoor magazines, watching Eco-Challenge and going into every outdoor store. I was inspired…but I never saw anyone that looked like me.
 
I didn’t let that stop me. I’ve been moving since, continuing to have solo journeys and proving to myself time after time that just because I look the way I do, doesn’t mean I’m not strong and powerful - nor does it mean that these adventures are not for me!”
 
“I’m undertaking my biggest challenge yet. I am hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail, from the Continental Divide to the Pacific Ocean. I am hiking to change the narrative. It matters to me to share my journey because not only did I not think I couldn’t do this as a child, but I never even knew stuff like this existed.
 
I know my story will have bigger resonance with others. I know I can be the representation I never saw. I want to offer an invitation to a journey of self-discovery and an introduction to a lifelong passion. 
And I hope we can do this together. — Kisha Jarrett”
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - 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. 
 
Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Kisha and what she does
  • The traditional lands of Portland
  • Moving to Portland 5 years ago
  • Growing up in a small town in Virginia
  • Not spending time in the outdoors
  • Falling in love with hiking 
  • Going on her first solo travel trip to Iceland
  • Climbing a glacier and feeling empowered
  • Being diagnosed with lupus 
  • Wanting to do all the things
  • Heading to Bali in Feb 2020
  • Why Iceland
  • Being told that she couldn’t do it. 
  • Becoming more aware of her body 
  • The pivotal moments
  • Taking the first steps into living a life of adventure
  • Google!
  • Looking different and not seeing herself in the media
  • Black Girl in the Woods
  • The dream of thru-hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail 
  • Looking for exploration and a different type of challenge
  • Deciding not to do a solo thru hike
  • How the documentary came about 
  • Finding information about Native Land in USA
  • Native Land App 
  • Preparations for thru hiking
  • Finding gear to fit her body
  • Getting a pack fitted
  • Learning over the past year by doing
  • Thinking about impact planning
  • Financials of a thru hike 
  • Planning to hike in summer 2022
  • Needing to hike in an alternative manner 
  • Dealing with the setbacks from the first thru-hike
  • Processing and dealing with the experience
  • Feeling disappointed and moving forward
  • Recovering from surgery
  • Top tips to encourage you to start
 
Social Media
 
Black Girl In The Woods - chronicles Kisha Jarrett’s 1,200-mile journey as a Black, plus-sized woman with chronic pain thru-hiking the Pacific Northwest Trail.
 
Website: www.blackgirlinthewoods.org 
 
Instagram:
 
@black.girl.in.the.woods 
 
@kisha.j 
 
Twitter: @BGITW_doc 
 
Nov 4, 2021
Elise in her own words:
 
“To me, Alexandra David-Néel’s book My Journey to Lhasa was one of those books I just couldn’t get over. You know when you read a book or see a film and you keep thinking about it for weeks afterwards, it was like that. Except that with this book, I never stopped thinking about it. The book recounts the final six months of Alexandra's epic 14 year journey through Asia, her quest to reach the forbidden city of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Against all odds, dressed as a poor pilgrim, she reached Lhasa in 1924.
 
12 years after reading this book for the first time, I was still wondering just how she managed to achieve what she did. 14 years of dealing with the cold, the wet, illness and of course the constant pressure and difficulty that came with being a female traveller in the early 1900s.
 
So, I decided to act on that idea that had always been in the back of my mind - to recreate Alexandra’s journey in some way, and to experience life travelling as a woman as closely as she would have done. I realised that the only way to truly do this, and to truly do her journey justice would be to do exactly as she did, taking with me only what she had. This meant NO modern day mountain equipment. So with my yak wool coat, a wooden backpack I made out of an old chair and an all-female team in tow, I set off in search of a special cave, the worlds third highest mountain and answers to questions I'd had for the last 13 years. 
 
After returning from this life-changing first expedition, I realised that the stories and achievements of histories female explorers like Alexandra should be celebrated and never forgotten. I've made it my mission to bring these stories back to life, to inspire this generation and the next the same way they have inspired me. In July 2019 I set off on my second adventure to the Cairngorm Mountains in Scotland, to follow in the footsteps of Nan Shepherd, one of the UK's best known nature writers and mountain wanderers.”
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - 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. 
 
Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Elise/lise and how she would describe herself
  • Reading Alexandra David-Néel book "My Journey to Lhasa" at 16 years old 
  • Growing up in the country side and spending lots of time in the outdoors 
  • Not knowing what she wanted to do
  • Doing an art degree and wanting to be an artist
  • Starting to work at a travel company 
  • Starting Women with Altitude website 
  • Deciding to do the first trip at 28 years young
  • The planning and preparation process
  • Trying to find the old equipment
  • Figuring out the route 
  • The gear…. and why it was better than you think
  • Heading over to India for the start of the journey 
  • Being joined by a filmmaker (Emily) and a local guide (Jangu)
  • The magical moments from the trip  
  • Dealing with the altitude sickness and the cold 
  • Managing periods while on the adventure 
  • Spending a month in the mountains
  • Finding the cave where Alexandra meditated for 2 years
  • Tummo breathing 
  • After completing the challenge and heading home 
  • Dealing with anxiety, panic attacks and having a lack of confidence
  • Wanting to take on a new adventure 
  • Trying to highlight a woman from the UK - The Nan Shephered Trip
  • Who is Nan Shepherd
  • Her book - The Living Mountain 
  • Making a plan to go to Scotland
  • What her time in Scotland was like 
  • Being vegetarian and trying to eat like the 1940s
  • Not having any modern equipment 
  • What days were like
  • Dealing with the nerves before the trip starts
  • Journey number 3
  • Grace O’Malley the Pirate Queen of Ireland 
  • Dame Freya Madeline Stark DBE - Anglo-Italian explorer and travel writer.
  • Figuring out how much things costs and paying for challenges
  • Pitching the idea to TV channels
  • The women who have inspired Elise
  • Final words of advice
 
Social Media
 
 
 
Facebook: @womanwithaltitude 
 
Twitter: @altitudewoman 
 
Jangu 
 
 
Emily Almond Barr - Film maker
 
 
Instagram: @emilyalmondbarr 
 
 
Nov 2, 2021
Clare Rutter grew up in rural, coastal west Wales with childhood days often spent with her brother playing and exploring in nature, climbing trees, jumping hay bales, cycling the green and lush country lanes and time spent on the beaches exploring rockpools, playing in the sand and swimming in the sea. Everyday was a mini-adventure in Clare’s eyes which was only added to by joining the Brownies, the Guides and later the Scouts when girls were (finally!) permitted to join across all age sections. At age 6 and continuing through her participation in these youth organisations, Clare began her journey in paddlesport thoroughly enjoying kayaking and canoeing. 
 
Now, after more than 25 years spent in the Scouts, Clare has many ‘on the water’ hours paddling and has been on many Scouting adventures including working at a large, commercial Scout summer camp and activity centre, expeditioning in Africa, multi-day tall ship sailing, led the Welsh Contingent at a Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree and volunteered as a staff member at two World Scout Jamborees in both England and Japan. 
 
As studying for a degree, worklife and life in general took over; paddlesport unfortunately had to take a back seat. In 2016, Clare fulfilled one of her lifelong goals and moved abroad to Gran Canaria which in itself was an almighty adventure. Unfortunately, Clare experienced some kind of a medical episode whilst on her way home from work, passed out, hit the deck and entered a 30 minute unconscious seizure state. This episode resulted in a life changing traumatic brain injury. 
 
After several months with no signs of recovery from the resulting symptoms which included headaches/migraines, severe fatigue, insomnia, tics and balance and cognitive issues and declining mental health; Clare decided to give up her home in the sun and return to Wales for further neurological investigation and treatment and to have the support of her family and friends. Clare, at this point was mostly bed bound and used a stick to aid walking but returned to Scouting as illness allowed. 
 
Clare’s Brain Injury Team Occupational Therapist encouraged her into some further volunteering which, returning to her childhood roots, she undertook at a local outdoor activities centre offering land and water adventures including canoeing, kayaking and stand up paddleboarding. 
 
A change in medication tackled Clare’s condition to the point where she could function better on a daily basis, could ditch the walking stick and experience better mental health. After a season at the centre, Clare was offered a full-time position which she gladly accepted and begun her journey towards training and qualifications to be a paddlesports Instructor on a permanent basis. 
 
A short time after the first Covid-19 lockdown, Clare was informed that she had been selected from multiple applications to be the first ever women’s paddling ambassador for Wales, a #ShePaddles Ambassador; a role to tackle the low numbers of females getting into and staying in paddlesport. Despite the lockdowns, Clare threw herself into the voluntary role and together with Canoe Wales and British Canoeing had an incredibly successful first year providing an online Welsh women’s friendly and welcoming paddling networking hub and providing paddlesport taster sessions to hundreds of females at #ShePaddles ‘On Tour’ events across Wales. 
 
Whilst still battling illness, known as Post-Concussion Syndrome, with her symptoms mostly masked, Clare is now a full time, qualified Paddlesports Instructor & Leader and regularly supports clients with neurological conditions, mental health issues and a range of disabilities enabling participation, enjoyment and progression in paddlesports utilising the outdoors as therapy and rehabilitation as she did. 
 
She’s also a guest speaker speaking at events sharing her motivational and inspirational brain injury story and is still heavily involved in #ShePaddles and #ShePaddlesCymru (in Wales). Clare is passionate about paddlesport and you’ll usually find her on the water in her spare time, committed to relearning, redefining and challenging herself and her abilities to prove that given some adaptations and self-belief that almost anything can be achieved. Aside from paddlesport, Clare also enjoys writing, camping, geocaching, photography and videography and enjoys sharing her experiences, challenges and adventures across her social media channels.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday 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 Clare
  • Growing up in Wales by the coast
  • Being a paddlesports instructor and a scout leader
  • Getting into swimming at a young age
  • Going into Brownies and then joining the scouts when girls were allowed in
  • Collecting all the interest badges
  • Wanting to join the police force and wanting to help people
  • Getting into paddlesports
  • Going to university as a mature student
  • Getting her level 2 youth work qualification
  • What it was like going back to university as a mature student
  • Her twenties working as a chef and in security
  • Her lifelong goal to live and work abroad in a hot sunny place
  • Starting to learn Spanish
  • Moving to Spain!
  • The reality of living and working abroad
  • Making friends
  • Having a medical episode in 2017
  • Being taken to the hospital
  • Finally getting to see a doctor and getting a CT scan done
  • Being housebound for 6 weeks
  • Not knowing what to do and thinking she was going to die
  • Struggling on for 9 months
  • Deciding to move back to Wales
  • Getting the support she needed
  • Using a walking stick to help her walk
  • Trying new medication and starting to feel better within 48hrs
  • Being encouraged to get into volunteering
  • Being encouraged and supported 
  • Being offered a full time job
  • Lessons from having a brain injury
  • Being back in the outdoors and spending time in the sea and river
  • Getting qualifications in paddlesports
  • Learning how to manage her fatigue
  • Wanting to encourage other women to get into paddlesports
  • #ShePaddles why it was created and what it does
  • Getting her life back together 
  • Trying to encourage more women and girls to get into paddlesports
  • thinking creatively and being supported by Canoe Wales
  • Creating a FB Group for women 
  • Getting into paddle boarding (SUP - Stand Up Paddle board)
  • Needing something to look forward to 
  • Supporting women who don’t have gear but still want to have ago
  • Having a supportive boss - www.adventurebeyond.co.uk 
  • Practical tips and advice for women and girls to get into paddlesports
  • The She Paddles Effect
  • Final words of advice - why there is always an opportunity you can create or take advantage of
 
Social Media
 
Personal Website: www.clarerutter.com 
 
Instagram: @clare_rutter.ba.hons 
 
Facebook: @clarerutter.DBA 
 
Facebook groups: Women's Paddling Community and #ShePaddlesCymru  
 
Hashtags: #ShePaddles #ShePaddlesCymru
 
Twitter: @clare_rutter 
 
Other Resources:
 
www.britishcanoeing.org.uk
 
www.canoewales.com
 
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