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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: 2021
Mar 18, 2021
Winnie shares her story in such a joyful and happy way, you can’t help but smile listening to her talk. You can hear the passion she has for getting outside and getting in the water. 
 
Winnie starts by taking us back to her childhood in Pointe noire, in the Republic of Congo, where she was the second eldest child of eight. Winnie talks about spending her early years playing outdoors, however, she was not allowed to swim in the sea which was seen as a taboo by her family and the local community. 
 
During this episode Winnie goes into more detail about her life, and how she ended up living in the Lake District, 10 mis from Lake Windermere. You will hear how she learned to swim and how it has helped her to mange her mental health. Winnie, provides great advice and top tips which will inspire you to step outside your comfort zone and to give open water swimming a try. 
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
* Please note during this episode we talk about depression and mental health
 
Show notes
  • Growing up in a big family
  • Living by the sea
  • Spending a lot of time in the outdoors
  • Not being allowed to swim in the sea
  • Why the sea was taboo
  • Black people not being able to swim
  • Growing up in a close community 
  • Not being academic
  • Not knowing what to do with her life
  • Being bullied at school
  • Going to college and learning English
  • Being send to South Africa to study in 1997
  • Moving to Manchester, England with her partner
  • Deciding to move to the Lake District
  • Suffering with deep depression
  • Ensuring her daughters could swim
  • Being taught by her girls
  • Being scared to go in the deep end at the swimming pool
  • Wanting to jump in!
  • All you have to do is blow bubbles
  • Wanting to go and swim in the lake
  • Going through a tough time in 2018
  • Deciding to go swimming in winter!
  • Thinking she was going to die
  • Finding peace in the lake
  • Being part of a friendly and supportive community
  • Advice for women who want to get into outdoor swimming
  • Wanting to inspire other Black women to get into swimming
  • Not getting hung up on hair
  • Her journey of self care and self love
  • Putting herself first
  • What she does to make herself feel better
  • The benefits of swimming
  • Encouraging other women to love themselves
  • Sharing a happy memory - going Ice swimming
  • Her role model in swimming
  • The power of a hello
  • Coping during Covid
  • Meeting awesome women swimming 
  • Meeting Eden - The Transgender Swimmer & Rhiane from Black Girls Hike
  • Let’s do a Swim meet!
  • Final words of advice to encourage other women to get into swimming 
  • Top tip - "Once you are in, it’s a Win”
 
 
Social Media
 
Instagram @winniepoaty  
 
Business ILOVEMEMOST
 
Website - www.iluvmemost.com 
 
Instagram @iluvmemost  
 
Facebook @iluvmemostboutique 
 
Mar 16, 2021
Marie in her own words:
 
Hi there, my name is Marie and I'm based in the North of England in Sheffield after moving from London in November 2019.  Having spent most of my working life as a Consultant in the big smoke, I decided after 15 years it was time for a change.  Whilst I still work as a Client Relationship Manager for a Sheffield SME 4 days a week, the move has allowed me to be much closer to the hills (timely with the current Covid pandemic) giving me the opportunity to spend so much more of my time getting outdoors and enabling me to achieve the sense of work-life balance that I was craving in the City.
 
I describe myself on my Instagram bio as a skier, hiker and runner, but perhaps it would be more accurate to describe me as an avid outdoor and adventure enthusiast!  I have been incredibly lucky to be able to ski and go on expeditions around the world.  But I am conscious that not everyone has necessarily had that opportunity.  I am also acutely aware that the outdoor sports and adventure world has typically struggled with a lack of diversity and whilst it's been great to see moves in a positive direction to redress the balance, it has been really great in the last year to be working with a team of others from Kit Collective, all passionate to be working on initiatives to help reduce some of the barriers facing people getting into the outdoors.
 
After years of excitement of being on expeditions - searching locations, planning them, packing for them and then eventually going on them - this has led me to set up my own adventure expedition company, Three Peaks Adventures.  We started in 2017 so are still in the early and growth stages of the company, and have like others in the travel industry, been particularly hit by Covid.  But we're busy planning for the end of 2021 and going forwards so watch this space!
 
I think it's incredibly important for people to be able to see other normal people, people with normal jobs and who try to squeeze getting outdoors into every available spare minute that they have, going out and doing lots of different things.  Things from their doorstep but equally things that push them outside of their comfort zone.  And that is what I hope to try to strive for in my roles as a Salomon Ambassador, Ordnance Survey #getoutside champion, Duke of Edinburgh supervisor and trainee assessor as well as part of my training to be a mountain leader.  If people can see ordinary people like myself getting out there, hopefully it can give someone a bit of encouragement to just get out there and go for it!
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
 
Show notes
  • Who is Marie
  • Growing up and not spending time in the outdoors
  • Her first charity challenge
  • Climbing Kilimanjaro 
  • The slow burn of the outdoors
  • Reaching Gilman’s Point
  • Wanting to do more hiking
  • Signing up to do the Inca Trail in Peru
  • Deciding to go and climb Mount Blanc
  • Doing courses at Glenmoore Lodge in Scotland  
  • The importance of having the right group
  • Having a back up plan in place
  • Starting to hike more in the UK
  • Learning more about the UK Mountain Leader Award (ML)  
  • Starting to make decisions about what she wanted to do
  • Liking her job…..
  • Escape the City  
  • Deciding to run her own expedition company
  • 3 peaks in Tanzania 
  • Creating a film with Iona Rendall
  • Doing courses
  • Learning how to navigate
  • The importance of logging everything in your log book for the ML
  • Being an Ordnance Survey Get Outside champion  
  • Final words of advice to encourage you to spend more time in the outdoors
 
Social Media
 
Website threepeaksadventures.com 
 
Instagram
 
@mariecheng27 
@threepeaksadventures
 
 
Mar 14, 2021
Sue is a passionate trail runner, cyclist and hiker. 
 
During this episode Sue shares more about her life, the challenges she has faced as she entered her 50th decade as well as her goal to remain fit, active and healthy for the next 30 years. Sue is a lover of the outdoors and the natural world. She enjoys taking part in a variety of different adventures and challenges; from learning how to swim, taking on her first triathlon, running her first marathon and ultra marathon. 
 
During this podcast, Sue shares more about her role models, her motivation and why she decided to apply for the Adventure Queen Grant in 2017.  Sue talks in details about her fears, and dreams and what she learnt from taking on a 1,300 mile human powered journey through the mountains along the spine of the Alps.
 
There are lots of top tips and advice which will motivate and inspire you, to get fit and active and to spend more time outdoors. 
 
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 Sue and what she loves
  • The challenges of her 50th decade
  • Her current focus for mid lift
  • Wanting to keep active and healthy, and age well
  • Growing up in the 1960s
  • Building resilience at a young age
  • Being inspired by teacher and her parents
  • Playing hockey for over 40 years
  • Having the freedom to play and explore
  • Team GB winning the gold medal in hockey
  • Motherhood and having 2 daughters
  • Wanting to give her children opportunities
  • Reading about Rosie Swale Pope - A little run around the world 
  • Turning 50
  • Needing to put herself first 
  • Taking on a new challenge every year
  • Going to the SW Outdoors Festival 
  • Meeting - Anna McNuff 
  • Winning the Adventure Queens Grant in 2017
  • Advice for how to priorities yourself
  • Committing the idea down to paper
  • The mother daughter relationship
  • The plan…
  • Adapting the trails to suit their plan and abilities
  • Spending quality time with your mum
  • Creating magical memories
  • Fears and concerns before heading out to the Alps
  • Meeting armed police in the mountains
  • What a typical week of fitness looks like
  • The Tough Girl - March Daily Mile Challenge with Inov-8
  • Trial Running Magazine - Run 1,000 miles Community 
  • Country Walking Magazine - Walk 1000 miles throughout the year
  • Struggling for motivation in February
  • Month long challenges….
  • Training her family…
  • The importance of a community 
  • Find Sue on line and follow along with her journey
  • Find words of advice   
 
Social Media
 
Blog - supersuebarrett.wordpress.com 
 
Instagram @adventurequeenmother  
 
Twitter @runnyhunny  
 
Adventure Queens - A UK based, not-for-profit women’s adventure community – set up with the aim of delicately bringing down the barriers that prevent women from going on outdoor adventures and realising their full potential. Free to join, highly accessible and completely inclusive for anyone that identifies as a womxn.
 
Website - adventurequeens.co.uk 
 
Listen To Anna McNuff on the Tough Girl Podcast
 
Anna McNuff - Running 2,300+ miles through Great Britain barefoot! 
 
Anna McNuff - Racing in the Kathmandu Coast to Coast, New Zealand & her next challenge - Barefoot Britain! 
 
Anna McNuff - Adventurer, Speaker & Mischief Maker!
 
Mar 12, 2021
On Thursday 25th February myself and Laura Kennington hosted a live event for mountain sports retailer Ellis Brigham focusing on endurance and mental resilience. 
 
You can now listen to the audio from the live event via the Tough Girl Podcast. 
 
Laura Kennington - is a British adventure athlete, author and speaker with a passion for the endurance capability of the human body. Previous adventures include cycling all 1600 miles of the world's longest coastal route in Ireland, cycling Scotland’s North Coast 500 route, running the length of Fuerteventura (100 miles) in 4 days and circumnavigating three of the Channel Islands using three different sporting disciplines. 
 
Her most notable adventure (so far!) has been solo cycling 3700 miles along the North Sea-facing coasts of 8 countries, from Scotland to Norway. Laura is a strong believer in the positive impact that adventure and sport can have on children and adults alike, Laura uses her human powered journeys as a platform to inspire and encourage others.
 
Sarah Williams - is the creator of the award winning Tough Girl Podcasts and the founder of Tough Girl Challenges which is all about motivating and inspiring women and girls to get fit and active, travel and explore, and to encourage women and girls to have big dreams and to step outside their comfort zone. 
 
Sarah completed the Marathon des Sables in April 2016 (6 marathons in 6 days across the Sahara Desert), in 2017 she thru hiked the Appalachian Trail solo and unsupported (2,190 miles) in 100 days. In 2018 Sarah cycled over 4,000 km from Vancouver, Canada via the Pacific Coast Highway to Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. Most recently  Sarah was in Australia walking the Overland Track in Tasmania. 
 
Social Media 
 
Ellis Brigham -  www.ellis-brigham.com 
 
Laura Kennington - https://laurakairos.com 
 
Watch the Live Event on Youtube - https://youtu.be/MzpkpGNCxEg  
Mar 11, 2021
Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner's interest in mountain climbing developed while she was growing up in Spital am Pyhrn, Austria.
 
Her greatest dream—climbing an 8,000-meter peak—came true at the age of 23, when she succeeded in climbing the fore-summit of Broad Peak in Pakistan, at a height of 8,027 meters. She then put the money she earned as a nurse into different trekking and climbing expeditions to the Himalaya.
 
After climbing the Nanga Parbat—her fifth 8,000-meter peak—in 2003, she decided to become a professional mountain climber.
 
Today, Kaltenbrunner has climbed all 14 main peaks in the 8,000-meter series. 
 
When she reached the summit of K2 (8,611 meters), she became the first woman to scale all 8,000-meter peaks without the use of supplementary oxygen. During this episode Gerlinde shares more about her journey into mountaineering and takes us up on K2, she shares lessons learned and how she moved forward after dealing with a friends death on the mountain.
 
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
  • Where her love of the mountains came from
  • Being inspired at 8 years old by her priest
  • Loving nature from a young age
  • Watching a lecture on K2 and being inspired at 16 years old
  • Going to Pakistan at 23 to climb her first 8,000m peak
  • Telling her parents about her mountaineering dreams
  • Wanting to climb without oxygen
  • Working as a nurse and doing as much endurance training as possible
  • Cycling 40km to work and back again
  • Spending as much time as possible in the mountains
  • Finding the right people to climb with 
  • Female role models in mountaineering 
  • How her grandmother inspired her passion
  • Climbing Broad Peak (8,027m) in Pakistan
  • Spending 6 days in Islamabad 
  • Trying to save a life on the mountain
  • The importance of drinking water at high altitude
  • The importance of routine in high altitude climbing 
  • Being very focused and not being able to enjoy the summit of Broad Peak
  • Getting addicted to the high mountains
  • Having a break of 4 years to save money and holiday time
  • Why the learning should never end
  • Being discriminated against and deciding to go in small teams
  • Changing her strategy on climbing mountains 
  • Being more selective on who she climbed mountains with 
  • Climbing Nanga Parbat - the ninth highest mountain in the world at 8,126 metres (26,660 ft) above sea level
  • Being ignored on the mountain by other climbers
  • Not being allowed to break trail
  • Making life long friends on the mountains
  • Making 7 attempts on K2
  • Evaluating risks while on the mountain
  • Walking for 39 hours to get back to base camp and away from the oncoming storm
  • Losing a friend on the mountain
  • Dealing with the aftermath of a death on the mountain and figuring out whether to keep climbing or not
  • Accepting the accident 
  • Deciding to change the route on K2 and go from the Chinese side
  • Being very disciplined at high altitude
  • Drinking at least 6 litre of water to help with blood circulation
  • Being trapped in a snowstorm for 3 nights at over 7,950m
  • The importance of staying calm and maintaining a positive attitude in tough situations
  • Accept the situation and keep your mind positive and strong 
  • The importance of team work and tolerance
  • Deciding to continue with the K2 climb when others decided to turn back
  • Having to accept the power of nature
  • Getting another chance to summit 
  • Being on the summit of K2
  • Sitting in silence for 50 mins to take it all in
  • Having a life long dream come true
 
 
Social Media
 
Website - www.gerlindekaltenbrunner.at 
 
Instagram - @gerlinde_kaltenbrunner
 
 
Mar 9, 2021
Yui is an educator, writer, and accomplished traveller who has been to more than 200 countries and territories, including Antarctica and the Arctic.
 
In 2017 she made history by becoming the first Asian woman to visit every sovereign country in the world. She also holds the record for being the first Singaporean to have visited all United Nations member states.
 
Her work centers around the use of language and she has a particular interest in world language families and comparative linguistics. She has knowledge of over twenty world languages, many of which are written in a non-Latin script.
 
A keen advocate of education as a means of empowerment, Yui is also the founder of a non-profit that supports education and other causes in developing countries.
 
Listen to Yui as she shares her story on the Tough Girl Podcast.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Yui
  • Her early life and family travel trips
  • Being encouraged to try adventure sports
  • Having a desire to explore the world
  • Working with languages
  • Gap years….
  • Starting to travel while at University 
  • The goal of travelling to every country in the world
  • Wanting to see as much of the world as possible
  • Being motivated by curiosity 
  • Planning trips around time and budget
  • Being self funded
  • Making travel a priority
  • Travelling solo and the lessons learned
  • The more challenging countries to travel to 
  • Being mindful of the more high risk countries and taking appropriate precautions 
  • Visiting Afghanistan
  • Wanting to spend more time in Iceland
  • visiting the DRC - the Democratic Republic of Congo
  • The issues of getting a visa
  • Travelling on a Singapore passport
  • Finishing the challenge
  • Starting a non-profit
  • Travel post covid
  • Future travel goals
  • Follow on social media
  • Words of advice for future travellers
 
 
Social Media
 
 
Instagram 
 
 
Twitter @travelyus1
Mar 4, 2021
Ashley is a lover of the outdoors and is passionate about whitewater rafting and hiking. 
 
Ashley has been dreaming about hiking the Appalachian Trail ever since she was a little girl when her and her father would pick up thru-hikers and give them lifts into town. After graduating college in 2018, it was the right time to commit to taking on this challenge. Ashley was sponsored by the Thru Hiking Syndicate which is where she got her gear from. After a false start on the AT, and forgetting her pants! Ashley soon got into the rhythm of daily hiking, gaining a trail name and a trail family, she completed just shy of 1,000 miles before having to leave the trail. 
 
During this episode Ashley shares more about her dream, the challenges she faced getting to the start line, what it was like being plus size on trail, and providing lots of top tips on how to spend more time in the outdoors. 
 
Ashley has made it her mission to help enlighten and encourage folks from every walk of like to enter the world of nature in a safe and fun way.
 
“Do not let anyone’s words stop you from enjoying what you love” - Ashley Manning.
 
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 visit  www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. It is super quick and easy to set up - and you too can be part of the mission to help increase the amount of female role models in the media.
 
 
Show notes
  • Who is Ash
  • Coming from a sporty family
  • Getting into the outdoors
  • Being inspired by her Dad and Uncle
  • Pollywog hunting
  • Growing up in a small town in the Appalachian Mountains
  • Chasing frogs and tadpoles
  • Outdoorsy, dirty, romantic lifestyle
  • Raft guiding in the summers 
  • Hiking for weight loss
  • Reclaiming the word ‘fat’
  • Appalachian or Appalachian Trail? How to pronounce it….
  • Hiking on the AT
  • Where the dream came from 
  • Being inspired by her cousin 
  • How the dream fell into place
  • Feelings of shame
  • Dealing with a lot of stress
  • “Nothing will really prepare you for the Appalachian Trail, like doing the Appalachian Trail”
  • Self reflection before the trail
  • Being able to start with a friend
  • Starting on a cold, wet, muddy day!
  • Dealing with the challenges of the AT
  • Being ok with type 2, type 3 and type 4 fun!
  • Dealing with her mental health and emotions while on the trail
  • Keeping going when times got tough
  • The encouragement of other is a huge factor
  • Trail names
  • Being ‘othered’ while on the AT
  • Trail family life
  • An average day hiking on the Appalachian Trail
  • Getting gear together for the hike
  • Being part of the Thru Hike Syndicate (People who are doing big thru hikes in the USA) 
  • Being collected from Virginia by her mum
  • Feeling defeated 
  • Feeling sad about leaving the trail
  • Tearing her ACL and the recovery process
  • Top tips for you to spend more time in the outdoors
  • How to follow Ash on social media
 
Social Media
 
Instagram @ashleysadventure 
 
Unlikely Hikers @unlikelyhikers 
 
You can also listen to Ash on the Unlikely Hikers Podcast - Episode 8 
 
Mar 2, 2021
Dani is a storyteller, strategist, advocate, and professional big mountain athlete redefining who plays outside and how we build community with others on this planet.
 
Originally from Southern California, she has traveled through Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Andorra, Canada, and the USA building her craft as a split board mountaineer (plus climber, surfer, and runner) since 2014, when she graduated from corporate life with a one-way ticket to South America.
 
Ever since then, she's worked to build a life AND career she loves, in spite of setbacks, naysayers, and building everything from scratch.
 
Her goal? 
 
To inspire individual action and collective communion through self-care and self-determination found in the outdoors.
 
“I want to find the limits of my possible—whether in the mountains, my creative work, or as a strategist—and travel into the higher reaches of the world that vests me with this power. To grow as individuals, communities, and a society, I think we need to embrace discomfort. This is how we evolve.” - Dani Reyes-Acosta
 
 
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 Dani
  • Growing into adventure
  • Not taking the typical path
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • Going to college and combing her love of the sea with her desire to give back to the world
  • Studying Marine Biology
  • Growing up in a strict catholic family 
  • Wanting to connect with the bigger world around her
  • How her career evolved
  • Deep dive into how she got to where she is now
  • Wanting to start a non profit in South America
  • Being burnt out from university 
  • Getting into marketing 
  • Dealing with the economic crash of 2008
  • Starting to work for Nike in 2012
  • Having to make a decision about adventure 
  • Deciding to become a mountain person
  • Work hard and play hard
  • Using meet-up.com to connect with people
  • Not knowing anyone in Oregon
  • How her life got consumed by work in her late 20s
  • Exiting an unhealthy relationship in 2013
  • Turning her life upside down in 2014
  • Buying a one way ticket to South America
  • Buying a car
  • Spending 9 months driving around 
  • Why deciding on South America
  • Setting new goals and new priorities 
  • The life that everyone else is impressed with
  • Putting pen to paper
  • Setting new goals 
  • Making goals apart of her process
  • Talking money and making money from your passions
  • Having a broken knee
  • Van life realities 
  • Follow along with the journey 
  • Final words of advice
 
Social Media 
 
Website danireyesacosta.com 
 
Instagram @notlostjustdiscovering
 
Facebook @notlostjustdiscovering
 
Feb 25, 2021
Helen Mort has published two poetry collections with Chatto & Windus, ‘Division Street’ (2013) and ‘No Map Could Show Them’ (2015). 
 
She won the Fenton Aldeburgh Prize for best first collection. Her novel ‘Black Car Burning’ was published in 2019. 
 
She teaches creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and she is also the author of ‘Lake District Trail Running’ (Vertebrate). 
 
Her new book is ‘Never Leave The Dog Behind’. Inspired by the story of Missy, a German Shepherd who was abandoned by two hikers in the Canadian Rockies, the book explores the relationship between people, dogs and the great outdoors, comprising interviews with dog owners and experiences with a variety of dogs as well as Helen's own observations as a runner and pet owner herself. This is a book for anyone who loves dogs or has ever been dogged by loneliness and found solace in animals and landscapes. 
 
Helen in her own words:
 
“I’m a mum to a toddler, a step parent, a trail runner, climber and all round outdoor enthusiast. I love the Peak District and get out whenever I can. I grew up in Chesterfield. I love dogs, books, dancing and real ale.”
 
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
  • Getting into fell running as a teenager
  • Spending a lot of time in her own company
  • Not looking like a runner
  • Having a lot of stamina at a young age
  • Doing the beep test at school
  • Dealing with a foot injury and having a break from running
  • Exploring different types of running
  • Running for the experience of running
  • Getting into climbing in Derbyshire 
  • What does adventure mean to Helen and how it’s changed over the years
  • Sharing adventure with someone else
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • Always been a writer and getting interested in poetry 
  • Connecting with other writers and poets
  • Being able to make a living as a writer
  • Becoming a poet in residence 
  • Book - Waymaking - An anthology of women’s adventure writing, poetry and art. 
  • Heather Dawe - Adventures in Mind 
  • Telling stories from a female point of view
  • Book - Never Leave the Dog Behind 
  • The personal narrative behind the book and being scared of dogs 
  • Getting over her fear of dogs
  • How her relationship with the mountains changed after getting a dog
  • Exploring the relationship between people and dogs in the mountains in a non fiction book
  • #NeverLeaveTheDogBehind
  • What does it mean if you invite the black dog into your home
  • Having a reason to get out everyday 
  • Dealing with challenging moments
  • Being present in the moment
  • What a perfect day in the mountains looks like
  • Getting back into the mountains with a toddler
  • Setting more manageable fitness challenges
  • Motherhood and mental health challenges
  • Getting back to fitness after having a baby
  • Knowing that running clubs are not the right choice for her
  • Running as and when
  • Managing during Covid 
  • Book - Trail Running Guide  
  • Final words of advice to spending more time outdoors 
 
 
Social Media
 
Website - www.helenmort.com
 
Twitter @HelenMort
 
 
Feb 23, 2021
Lee Vue is a creative professional with deep knowledge in communications and digital strategy committed to social impact. She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a degree in political science. Her professional career spans across multiple industries that include startups, academia, small businesses and nonprofit organizations. 
 
As a current board member of Camp Menogyn, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and Building More Philanthropy with Purpose (BMPP) Giving Circle, she’s passionate about bringing the voices of underserved communities and communities of color to the climate, philanthropy and social justice movements.
 
When she’s not immersed in creative work and creating content, she’s exploring wild places. 
 
Through YMCA Camp Mengoyn (2007), she spent 50 days paddling the Kazan River and Kunwak River in the arctic tundra of Canada. 
 
In 2013, she paddled the entire Mississippi River (2,300+ miles) and then the following year, she paddled the Illinois River (200+ miles). 
 
In 2016, her team won first place in the Women’s Voyageur Division in the Yukon River Quest, paddling 444 miles in 53 hours.
 
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 cultural background 
  • Being a Hmong American
  • Working as a creative in the communication space
  • A personal family history 
  • Not growing up with the outdoors
  • Going at a summer camp at 13 years old
  • Starting to love the outdoors
  • Sharmanism and how being in the woods can make you vulnerable to evil spirits 
  • Managing suspicions while in the woods
  • Having 8 sisters and 4 brothers
  • Studying political science in college and going to explore South East Asia
  • Balancing the two cultures 
  • Wanting to move the needle with regards to climate action
  • How the outdoors is dominated by white people
  • Being the only person of colour at summer camp
  • The flow to nature and how it does not discriminate 
  • Paddling the Kazan River and Kunwak River in the arctic tundra of Canada. 
  • Being dropped of in the middle of nowhere to start the adventure!
  • The magical moment on the river
  • Going on a once in a lifetime experience
  • Being young and reckless and feeling invincible
  • The possibility of youth
  • Taking on the Mississippi River in 2013
  • The North South divide in America 
  • Feeling unsafe as a person of colour paddling on the river
  • The disconnect in environmental education
  • Spending 70 days on the water
  • Feeling unsafe and vulnerable
  • The team dynamics and only meeting people on the start day
  • Being the peace maker and being good in large groups
  • Handling stressful situations 
  • Finding the positive twist on challenging situations
  • Getting into photography
  • The power of capturing imagery
  • Being fascinated with change and transformation
  • The Yukon River Quest, paddling 444 miles in 53 hours
  • To poop in the canoe or not?
  • Feeling angry and miserable during the Yukon River Quest
  • Reaching a low point on the trip
  • Ending up in hospital, not being able to breath
  • Paddling through the night and dealing with sleep hallucinations 
  • Eating a lot of boiled eggs…
  • What adventure means to Lee
  • Words of advice to motivate and inspire women of colour to get outdoors
  • Privilege and sacrifice
  • Why you should create your own opportunities
 
Social Media 
 
Website https://www.lumielumie.com/ 
 
Instagram  @lkvue https://www.instagram.com/lkvue/ 
 
Twitter @leevue https://twitter.com/leevue
 
 
 
Feb 18, 2021
EmmaLucy Cole is a UK-based speaker, writer, explorer and researcher. She is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy as a lecturer and co-director of the Vicarious Festival of Travel Storytelling. EmmaLucy is currently studying towards a PhD at the University of Bristol, researching how travel writers represent Arabic and Middle Eastern (SWANA) cultures.
 
After over two decades spent studying and representing North African and Middle Eastern cultures, in 2011 EmmaLucy decided to sell everything she owned in order to spend six weeks with a Bedouin tribe in Sinai, learning Arabic and researching local culture. Two years later she finally left, not only having gained a ginger Bedouin cat (called Bryan) and a myriad of stories, but also witnessing first-hand some of the ways in which marginalised groups can be misrepresented.
 
With this habit of visiting places and forgetting to leave, she has developed the concept of Downward Exploration: rather than travelling long distances and seeing many places superficially, this type of exploration allows us to focus in-depth on communities and local environments, learning about the cultures, habits, food and history – and forming connections which allow for deeper understanding and more ethical representations.
 
In 2018 EmmaLucy attended the Adventure Travel Film Festival in London and decided that motorcycles could be a powerful tool for connecting with people in marginalised cultures; crossing gender divides and enabling mobility and independence whilst on the road researching. She passed her test within a few months, bought a Triumph, and began exploring. She has presented talks at events such as the Overland Event UK about the joys and challenges of being a solo woman researcher, explorer and biker.
 
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 EmmaLucy and what does she do
  • Her early life growing up and spending time in the outdoors
  • Not being sporty 
  • Doing a degree in Fine Art and a Masters in English Literature 
  • Being interested in Nomadic Groups
  • Being inspired by the English Patient book
  • Being invited to spend time in Egypt 
  • Bedouin culture
  • Her passion for learning languages 
  • Learning Arabic for the past 12 years
  • Going for 6 weeks and ending up staying for 2 years
  • Not being able to earn money in 2008 in the UK
  • Selling everything she owned and doing some basic teaching to earn money
  • Living in Sinai and what day to day life was like
  • Living in a hut by the edge of the red sea
  • Wifi
  • Deciding to move back to the UK
  • Studying for her PhD at the University of Bristol 
  • The concept of downward exploration 
  • Wanting to learn more by going back to the same places
  • Writing (reflective and observational) while travelling 
  • Film and photography
  • What adventure means to EmmaLucy
  • Learning how to ride a motorbike before her 40th birthday
  • Handling challenging situations 
  • Vicarious Festival - Celebrating cultural diversity through travel literature and photography. 
  • Getting into sports, health and fitness
  • Figuring out what she enjoyed and what felt good
  • Food and culture
  • Becoming a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS)
  • Coping during Covid and not being able to travel
  • Funding this lifestyle
  • Final words of advice and learning how to say no
  • Refine and create your own story
  • Don’t judge yourself 
 
Social Media
 
Website: emmalucycole.com
 
Twitter: @emmalucycole
 
Instagram: @emmalucycole 
 
Patreon @emmalucycole
Feb 16, 2021
Monisha Rajesh is a British journalist and travel writer whose writing has appeared in Time magazine, The New York Times, The Guardian, Vanity Fair and The Sunday Telegraph in which she wrote a monthly column about travelling the world by train. 
 
Her first book Around India in 80 Trains (2012) was named one of The Independent’s top ten books on India, and her second book Around the World in 80 Trains was published in 2019 to great acclaim. 
 
Monisha was born in Norfolk and mostly raised in Yorkshire – with a brief stint in Madras. She currently lives in London with her husband and two daughters.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Monisha
  • Moving to India when she was 9 years old
  • Doing a French Degree at Leeds
  • Moving to London
  • Where her love of travel comes from
  • Moving around a lot when she was younger
  • Wanting to travel around India via trains
  • F28
  • The cultural aspects of travelling
  • The magical moments from India
  • Her writing process
  • Using a paste board
  • Fitting writing into her life
  • Writing her second book being 8 months pregnant
  • Feeling happiest when writing 
  • Planning an around the world train adventure
  • The route
  • Day to day life on the trains
  • The community on the trains
  • The epic train journeys
  • The Qinghai–Tibet railway 
  • Being ready to head home
  • The challenges of travel in North Korea
  • Arriving back into London
  • Sending 7 months on trains around the world
  • The 3rd Book!
  • The importance of sustainable travel
  • The challenges and stresses of air travel 
  • Buy from an independent book shop!
  • Buy signed copies of her books from - Queen’s Park Books 
 
 
Social Media
 
Website - www.80trains.com 
 
Twitter @monisha_rajesh 
 
Instagram @monisha_rajesh
 
Feb 11, 2021
Kat is a climate change consultant based in Oxfordshire. Striving for a healthy work-life balance Kat spends as much time as possible outdoors, mostly walking and cycling, with a splash of paddle boarding. 
 
Kat also spends a lot of the time with grease on her face as a volunteer mechanic for Broken Spoke, a community bike project in Oxford.
 
Listen to Kat on the Tough Girl Podcast!! 
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Early childhood and being an active family
  • Having a passion for the environment 
  • Having a work life balance 
  • Starting her blog ‘Attitude over Ability’
  • Writing about her experiences 
  • What does Adventure mean to Kat?
  • Why you don’t need to suffer to have adventure 
  • Why it’s ok to have a nice time and to have fun
  • Deciding to walk across Switzerland solo
  • The Alpine Pass Route, Switzerland
  • Training and fitness for the challenge
  • Doing a 2 day Mountain Training course 
  • Having an infinity for crossing countries on foot
  • Deciding to hike the South Island of New Zealand 
  • Planning for a 3month trip on the other side of the world
  • Money and budgets
  • Concerns before the challenge
  • The challenging weather in New Zealand
  • The safety of crossing the rivers 
  • Dealing with wet feet day after day 
  • Being social or wanting solitude 
  • Being ill with heatstroke 
  • Dealing with the adventure blues after time away on an adventure 
  • Attitude to life and adventure 
  • Final words of advice 
  • Separate her self worth from her achievements 
 
Social Media
 
Twitter: @KEYoung29 
 
Blog: attitude-over-ability.com 
 
Instagram: @kattheyoung
 
 
Feb 9, 2021
The Queen Of Abs, Santia Deck, is a history-making Female Professional American Footballer and Social Media Influencer with over 700,000 loyal and engaged followers.
 
Santia Marie Deck was born in South Carolina and raised in Houston, Texas. She now resides in Atlanta and travels often. Since childhood, Santia has been running full speed after her dream of success. Now, she works tirelessly to inspire and empower young people and women around the world with her passion and determination.
 
Santia, 28, recently made history by becoming the highest-paid woman to play the sport, signing a multi-million-dollar deal with the WFLA. Recently, Santia made history again - becoming the first female athlete to own her own sneaker company, TRONUS. 
 
Santia’s talents are by no means limited to the pitch: she is also a published author, a fitness model, TV personality, and a TV host. She has kept her fitness trainer certification and offers a variety of services to celebrity clients worldwide and her wide-ranging community of online supporters.
 
She became a published author whilst studying at school in 2016 with ‘The Struggle’. Whilst Santia gained a degree in English, she felt her passions lay elsewhere and set out to fight against the stigma of women competing in popular male sports. She has often expressed her desire to give young aspiring sports women a platform of strength and courage. Even after becoming a worldwide phenomenon, she claims to still receive negative comments across social media from men such as “you belong in the kitchen” and “leave real sports to men”. These comments have only fuelled her determination and resilience as her star has grown. 
 
She has 3 brothers who all play running back. Growing up, she trained religiously with them, unaware that she was moulding herself to become the highest-paid female American Footballer. Santia started as a track star before moving onto rugby and then flag football. Now, she is the first woman in history to sign a multi-million-dollar deal with the WFLA. She has made headlines around the world as a powerful role model to young budding female athletes.
 
"Remember, nothing is impossible. If you want it, go get it."
- Santia Deck
 
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 Santia and what she does
  • Growing up and how sports played a massive part in her life
  • Playing tennis at 4years old
  • Dreaming of becoming an Olympian
  • Getting a full ride scholarship to college
  • How American Football works for women
  • WFLA - who is owned by Lupe Rose
  • Getting paid to play sport
  • What’s changed
  • Training and fitness
  • Working with 4 coaches 
  • What a typical week looks like
  • Training 3/4 times a week for 1.5hrs each day
  • Nutrition and figuring out what is best for her body
  • Trying to maintain wight and muscle mass
  • Recovery after training and matches
  • The challenges while playing
  • Being hard on herself and striving for perfection 
  • Getting back up again after a big hit or when a play hasn’t gone right
  • Building business and being an entrepreneur 
  • Building followers on Instagram 
  • Being inspired by her mum
  • Staying focused on her dream when other people don’t believe in you
  • Proving a point to others
  • The 5 year plan/vision
  • Not being able to play American Football at school or college
  • The sisterhood and playing as part of a team
  • American Football and head injuries
  • Advice for other women who want to play American Football
  • The start of the season in May
  • Role models in American Football
  • Advice for the little girls growing up
  • Being known as - Queen of Abs!
  • Why be a Princess when you can be a Queen!
  • Starting her own story 
  • Quick Fire Questions 
 
Social Media 
 
Website www.queenofabs.com/about 
 
 https://tronusofficial.com 
 
Instagram  @trackbaby001 
 
Twitter @santia_deck 
 
Facebook @queenofabs
 
 
 
Feb 4, 2021
Kim in her own words
 
I'm Kim Ingleby, Multi Award Winning Mind Body Coach, Author and TEDx Speaker.  With a passion and purpose to help you sharpen your mind, define your body, awaken your soul and lead the life you hope and wish for.  
 
I am passionate about helping people embrace fear, grow their confidence, commit to themselves and take action. I coach incredible people from all walks of life around the World, including Team GB Athletes, Strictly Come Dancing Pro's and Media Personalities. 
 
I founded Energised Performance in 2004, offering complete mind body management to help unlock your potential in life, sport and work.   
 
I have a passion for helping others and making a difference, raising over £85,000 for charities through community events & running 10 wild world marathons, 1 ultra & 1 Ironman, and volunteering on aid projects in Sierra LeoneNepal, India & Belize. 
 
I'm currently healing post Weil’s Encephalitis, and trauma -  these experiences have added value to my professional coaching and public speaking. Whatever your hopes or fears are, I believe in you and have the tools, empathy and support to help you ignite the spark and take action today.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit that subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
 
Show notes
  • Growing up
  • Being bullied
  • How her life changed at 14
  • Her dreams when she was younger
  • Not enjoying sport
  • How riding horses was her passion
  • Getting into running and starting to enjoy it more
  • Working with other coaches
  • Running the Sierra Leone Marathon and raising money for charity
  • What Weil’s Encephalitis is and it’s impact
  • What Kim does at the moment
  • The “What if goal”
  • The journey to running 100 miles in the Himalayas 
  • Dealing with setbacks 
  • What the race was like day to day 
  • Dealing with loss 
  • Wanting something positive to come out of the year
  • Dealing with PTSD and trauma
  • Embracing adversity and overcoming it 
  • Habits and having a purpose
  • Being adaptable 
  • Not putting pressure on ourselves
  • Having a morning routine
  • The Hound of Happiness - 52 ways to feel good 
  • Being helpful to yourself and valuing yourself
  • The 3 peaks Adventure Challenge in 2018 with Adventurous Ewe 
  • Taking the first step
  • What is the most important thing you would like to do over the next year?
  • Feeling nervous and unsure before an adventure 
  • Being known as the “Mind Body Ninja” and Kimpossible
  • Dealing with voices in your head
  • The power of writing things down and using a journal
 
Social Media
 
 
Instagram @kimingleby 
 
Twitter @kimingleby 
 
 
 
 
Feb 2, 2021
In 2006 Sophia became the first African American and first Black woman to climb Mount Everest in the Himalayas.
 
Sophia first major climb was at Mt Rainier in Washington State in 2002.  Over the next two years she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt Baker, and Mt Kenya.  
 
In 2005 she scaled five peaks: Grand Teton, Mount Katahdin, Mount Denali, Mount Tasman, and Ama Dablam.
 
During this episode Sophia shares more about her passion for mountaineering and how her climbing evolved. Sophia talks about her Mt. Everest experience and what it was like on the mountain for summit day. She shares advice and top tips to help you achieve your goals.
 
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
  • Having an unusual childhood and growing up between Japan and the USA
  • Not being sporty but spending time in the outdoors
  • Not growing up with indoor plumbing
  • Moving to Chicago in the middle of winter at age 6
  • The culture shock of moving countries
  • Going back to visit Japan after college and living there for 4 years
  • Her passion for the mountains 
  • Learning to climb outdoors 
  • Being inspired by her friend to go and climb Mt. Rainier in Washington State
  • Using all her holidays to climb
  • Why she loves spending time in the mountains
  • 4 years before climbing Mt. Everest
  • Feeling free to fail 
  • The challenges faced while climbing
  • Going to climb Cho Oyo (sixth-highest mountain in the world at 8,188 metres (26,864 ft) above sea level)
  • How the Mt. Everest climb came about
  • Making the decision to climb…
  • Giving herself permission to fail
  • The reactions of friends and family 
  • Dealing with the paperwork for Mt, Everest
  • The Body Disposal Form
  • What happens if you die on the mountain
  • Fears….. or feeling scared?
  • What summit night was like
  • Reaching the summit of Mt. Everest! 
  • Moving at pace on the mountain and using the smaller oxygen tanks
  • Breaking trail through the snow 
  • Climbing with International Mountain Guides (IMG) 
  • Doing yoga and meditation 
  • Dealing with a few back problems
  • Advice for women and girls who want to get into mountain climbing 
 
Social Media 
 
Website www.danenberg.org 
 
Instagram @sophiaclimbs
 
Jan 28, 2021
In 2019, Lauren Woodwiss, alongside her friend Jemma Rix, set the World Record for the fastest female pair to row across the Atlantic Ocean. 8 weeks after stepping on to dry land, she then went on to finish 4th female at the infamous Marathon des Sables.
 
Currently living on the island of Borneo, she's also recently set up Frontier Sapiens; a UK-based film and live events company celebrating human spirit and the untold stories of inspirational people from around the globe.
 
Although her real passion lies in mountain running and mountain sports, Lauren discusses what led to her rowing across the Atlantic Ocean with zero rowing experience, and how the crossing encouraged her to set-up Frontier Sapiens.
 
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast
 
Show notes
  • Who is Lauren and what she does
  • What her childhood was like
  • Getting into the mountains 
  • How the mountain running evolved 
  • Doing the Mount Blanc Marathon in 2014
  • Wanting to row across the Atlantic Ocean….
  • 18 months to plan and prepare for the row
  • The steps that needed to be taken
  • Figuring it out as they went
  • Not thinking big picture
  • Splitting the responsibility 
  • Both working full time while preparing for the row
  • Paying for the race and figuring out funding
  • Taking out a loan on the boat
  • Sticking to a tight budget
  • Saving money on food
  • Dehydrating their own food - https://activeatfoods.com 
  • Comparing progress with other teams
  • Handling the stress and pressure before the row
  • The reasons for doing the row
  • FOMO
  • The strategy for the race
  • What do you want to achieve
  • Having 3 goals….
  • Building up rowing endurance
  • Making yourself strong and stopping injury
  • Chafing and salt blisters
  • The magical moments on the row across the Atlantic 
  • Then mental side of the race
  • "You before me”
  • Reaching the finish line and feeling overwhelmed
  • Beating the record by 1hr 7 mins…
  • Being signed up for the Marathon des Sables while on the row
  • Making the transition from rower to runner
  • Not training massive miles
  • Having the attitude of ‘what will be, will be’
  • Running with her husband
  • Dealing with injury 
  • Running MDS again
  • Starting Frontier Sapiens 
  • Connect with Lauren online 
  • Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you
 
Social Media
 
Instagram @laurenwoodwiss 
 
Frontier Sapiens - Celebrating stories of human spirit through film & live events 
 
 
Facebook - @frontiersapiens 
 
Instagram - @frontiersapiens 
 
Jemma  - Activeatfoods
 
 
Jan 26, 2021
Genny is from the sunny Dutch Caribbean Island of Aruba and moved to London 12 years ago. Prior to moving to the UK, Genny attended the University of New Brunswick in Canada where she fell in love with the great outdoors and learnt to cross-country ski and snowshoe and got into white water rafting and kayaking.
 
Genny in her own words:
 
In June 2008, I moved to the UK and lead a fairly healthy and active life until late 2013 when I suddenly fell inexplicably ill. Unbeknownst to me I had contracted Lyme Disease and my quality of life was severely affected until I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in the summer of 2016. 
 
Once I had recuperated I knew I wanted to do something to raise awareness on the seriousness of misdiagnosis and how it can affect every area of life. I knew I had the choice between becoming angry and embittered at the system which had missed the tell tale signs of the disease or the choice to speak of up for the untold number of patients who were suffering unnecessarily.
 
The Goal
 
In the winter of 2021, Genny will attempt to become the first woman from the Caribbean island of Aruba to ski roughly in Antarctica to the geographical South Pole. During the expedition, Genny will ski approximately 120km whilst pulling a heavy sledge containing her tent and provisions. The conditions will be extreme, with temperatures of -50° celsius and severe winds.
 
The aim of the expedition is to raise £25,000 for Lyme Aid UK who provide grants for people with lower incomes to get privately tested for lyme disease.
 
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast are every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit that subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Where Genny is from
  • Living in London for the past 12 years
  • Working in the mining industry
  • Her childhood in Aruba
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • The December 2021 expedition 
  • Dealing with cold weather
  • The why behind the challenge
  • Being diagnosed with Lyme disease
  • What is Lyme disease
  • Turning the dream into a reality 
  • Not having any ideas about money or the time it would take
  • Being naive 
  • Getting corporate sponsorship
  • Learning to embrace failure 
  • Figuring out the timeline and date to go
  • Dealing with setbacks and keeping motivated
  • The planning and preparation for the adventure 
  • What do I want this to look like?
  • Feeling overwhelmed with excitement and emotion
  • Dealing with concerns
  • Being prepared
  • What if I don’t like it…
  • Being able to risk assess
  • Getting the balance right with training
  • What a typical week looks like
  • Having a funding gap…
  • Doing a practice expedition in Northern Norway
  • Luxury items or minimalist 
  • Having a nice G&T while on the ice
  • Figuring out the snacks
  • 8hr cream
  • Dealing with uncertainty
  • Taking time to breathe and to just be
  • Why movement is so important 
  • Blog post - The Vortex of Uncertainty - September 2, 2020 
 
Social Media
 
Website: www.antarcticaruban.com/
 
Instagram: @antarcticaruban 
 
Facebook: @antarcticaruban
 
Jan 21, 2021
Katie Holmes is a UK-based runner and charity consultant who loves cross country, track and park run. On her website she shares the stories of female runners over 50 and highlights their achievements.
 
Katie is also an independent sports historian, focusing on the history of women's endurance running. Her work is driven by a desire to capture stories which might otherwise be lost and to recover, and uncover, stories which have faded out of the collective memory due to the marginalisation of women in sport. 
 
In 2020 she was awarded an Independent Researcher Fellowship by the Women's History Network.
 
Listen to Katie on the Tough Girl Podcast!
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Katie
  • Starting running in her late 40s
  • Being born in Scotland
  • What life was like growing up
  • Having a love for the outdoors
  • Not being active in team sports
  • Why she decided to start running
  • Joining a local running club
  • Going to Park Run
  • Becoming part of the running community
  • Figuring out that she could run faster
  • Signing up for the Robin Hood Half Marathon 
  • Turning 50 in 2013
  • Blogging about women runners over 50
  • Dealing with Rheumatoid Arthritis in her late 20s and yearly 30s
  • Wanting to get a range of different women with different experiences 
  • What a typical running week looks like
  • Running her first ultra in 2019
  • Equinox 24 hour race 
  • Running through the night
  • Speaking to runners over 50 about what motivated runners to participate in this event
  • Being inspired by her sister Judith who is 2 years older
  • South Downs Way 50 
  • The history of women’s endurance running 
  • Run Equal Campaign 
  • Advice for new runners
  • Park Run
  • Learn to run courses
  • Racing a marathon using the  “run, walk, run” method
  • Final words of advice
 
Social Media
 
Website - www.runyoung50.co.uk 
 
Twitter - @RunYoung50 
 
Instagram - @RunYoung50 
 
Facebook - @runyoung50 
 
Run Equal - https://runequal.org
Jan 19, 2021
Nazia has been defying stereotypes from an early age, from fitting into her role as an athlete and what would be accepted as a Bangladeshi female.   
 
Her Story
 
Nazia spent most of her life trying to attain the perfect body, leaving her mentally and physically tired. Calorie counting, fad diets all saw Nazia spiral into a destructive relationship with her mind and body. Insecurities and lack of self love eventually took its toll and she faced a dark period of depression facing unwanted thoughts.
 
Feeling lost and confused Nazia was able to recreate herself. Fitness was the catalyst for her change throughout the years. Exercise helped her overcome her old self, fight off anxiety and fear enabling her to step into the best version of herself in every area of her life. 
 
With an unshakeable mindset and determined not to give up she now teaches other females to overcome hard times by connecting neuroscience and fitness together.  
 
Nazia's mission is to get females from all backgrounds to fall in love with their bodies. To inspire others to be their best self and embrace the journey. #Recreate #Rebuild #Reborn.
 
Listen to Nazia on the Tough Girl Podcast.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast
 
* Please be aware we do talk about eating disorders and depression on this episode. 
 
 
Show notes
  • Who is Nazia
  • Not growing up sporty
  • Getting into fitness 8 years ago
  • Going to college and developing an eating disorder
  • Starting boxing at 21
  • Not knowing how to train 
  • Being inspired by Tatiana Ali 
  • Determination and not wanting to be average
  • Stepping outside her comfort zone
  • Competing in boxing
  • Being scared while boxing
  • Going through depression
  • Making a career change
  • Dealing with trauma in her life
  • Facing pressure from society
  • Looking at the psychology of human behaviour 
  • Habits
  • Putting in the work every single day
  • Getting the poison out of her body and mind
  • Needing to heel the trauma
  • “I am Enough”
  • Doing mirror work
  • Ramadan and fasting for those who have an eating disorder
  • Acceptance 
  • Mindset and mental resilience and feeling emotionally fragile
  • Learning how to work with her emotions
  • Signing up to climb Kilimanjaro 
  • What a typical training week looks like
  • Morning rituals
  • The power of gratitude
  • Advice for women who are learning to love themselves
  • Coping with Covid 
  • Final words of advice
 
Social Media
 
Website: www.naziakhatun.com
 
Instagram @fitnessrebornuk1 
 
Facebook @NaziaKhatun
Jan 14, 2021
During a journey to Nepal and the Himalayas, she first began to dream about climbing the world’s highest mountain herself. And – following four years of preparation – she accomplished the feat of becoming the first Swedish and Czech woman to reach the summit.
 
In 2005. Renata boarded her sea kayak at the quay in Lake Union in central Seattle. This was the beginning of an almost unbelievable adventure, circumnavigating the coast of the USA in 439 days, mostly in her kayak. The day on which she completed her journey, 15 September, has since been designated as ”Renata Chlumska Day” in Seattle.
 
For Renata, the thrills of adventure surpass the extreme efforts during her expeditions. The preparation process is a vital part of each new challenge: planning, financing, training, and getting the right equipment and teams together.
 
After each successful challenge, she focuses on the evaluation, documentation and use of her experiences to inspire others, not least as a very popular lecturer and speaker for companies and organizations, as well as schools, clubs and associations.
 
To Renata, a challenge does not have to be about climbing mountains or journeying into space. Adventure is always waiting around the corner, if you can recognise and accept it. 
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast
 
Show notes
  • Who is Renata
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • Liking the outdoors and nature
  • Her first solo adventure 
  • Being involved in a Swedish Mt Everest Expedition in 1996 as part of the film team
  • Building connections
  • Spending the Spring Season in 1996 at Everest Base Camp
  • Wanting to go higher and to see more
  • Not being able to resist the mountains 
  • Female role models in mountaineering 
  • Starting climbing in 1995
  • Learning new skills 
  • Cycling from Nepal to Sweden
  • Getting to know someone while you travel
  • Cycling in India, Pakistan, China, Russia & Finland
  • Cycling without tech and being off the grid
  • No news is good news!
  • Turning her passion for adventure into a career
  • Becoming a professional adventurer
  • Climbing Mt Everest at 25 years old
  • Adventure blues?
  • Why climbing Mt. Everest was just the start
  • Circumnavigation of the lover 48 states 
  • Doing the challenge solo
  • Losing the love of her life
  • Having something to look forward to
  • Having a reason to get out of bed in the morning
  • Figuring out the logistics of the challenge
  • Kayaking down the Pacific Coast 
  • Advice for those going through a tough situation
  • Putting her focus on safety 
  • What’s going through her head
  • Future Astronaut with Virgin Galactic
  • Paying for the ticket
  • Future dreams and goals
  • What would you like to do?
  • Starting to learn how to sail
  • Having children and how it’s impacted on her career
  • Climbing 6 of the 7 summits in 5 months 
  • Getting back into climbing again
  • Don’t compare when it comes to adventures
  • Final words of advice and why you should believe in yourself
  • Write down your dreams and break them down into smaller and more manageable pieces
 
Social Media
 
 
Instagram @renatachlumska 
 
Twitter @RenataChlumska
 
 
Jan 12, 2021
Alice is currently the only black person swimming for Britain on senior team. She is the World Junior marathon swim champion (2016). and is training to qualify for the Olympic games and when she does, she will become the first black woman to compete for Great Britain at the Olympics in swimming. 
 
Alice is a Co-founder of the Black Swimming Association (BSA) which is promoting and advocating for the inclusion and welfare of people of colour in aquatics.
 
Alice is studying for an MA in Social Media and Political Communication.
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Who is Alice
  • What life was like growing up
  • Getting into swimming and falling in love with it
  • Getting a swimming scholarship at age 12
  • Education or swimming
  • Her dreams of what she wanted to be
  • Wanting to be a lawyer
  • Could she make a career as an elite swimmer?
  • Her amazing mum
  • The sacrifices made
  • The balance between education and swimming
  • Motivation and the reason why?
  • The mental side of the preparation
  • Her first experience of open water swimming 
  • Say yes to the next race…
  • Going into survival mode
  • What’s going on inside her mind
  • The races that stand out
  • Making progress at the elite level
  • Dealing with lockdown
  • Not having access to water
  • Women’s Sports Trust program - Unlocked
  • Wanting to make a positive change in swimming
  • Wanting to encourage more Black people to swim
  • Barriers to Black women for getting into swimming
  • Working with SolCap
  • Future dreams
  • Being a co-founder of Black Swimming Association 
  • Swimming being taught in schools
  • Final words of advice 
 
Social Media
 
Instagram - @alicedearingx 
 
Twitter - @alicedearingx 
 
Black Swimming Association - Diversifying the sport that saves lives  
 
Instagram @blackswimmingassociation
 
Jan 7, 2021
Jeannette is the 1st South African woman to summit Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world. She is also the first South African to ever attempt Dhaulagiri, 7th highest mountain.  She is passionate about leading individuals and teams to achieve things they never thought possible. She consistently achieves this with enthusiasm and empathy. 
 
Jeannette balances a corporate career leading the mining services business for a blue-chip Australian company with her mountaineering pedigree and passion.
 
Jeannette is a Non-Executive Board member and holds a PhD from the Colorado School of Mines. 
 
Jeannette has been chief instructress for Veld and Vlei, now Outward Bound; a guide for the South African National Parks Board; and the first female leader in 20 years for the Mountain Club of South Africa’s winter camp.  
 
  • 8000m mountaineer - with Manaslu summited, and 1 attempt on Dhaulagiri (first South African ever); my mountaineering goal is 7x 8000m summits, my version of the "7 Summits"
  • The challenges and realities of 8000m are extreme and under anticipated.
  • I've grown up in the mountains organically acquiring knowledge over a lifetime (not coming to this via a milestone birthday or event as many others have)
  • But did get to over 100kg and went from a couch back to 8000m - which took 5 years from decision to attempt 1 and eventual summit.
  • I know about goal setting and resilience and how to navigate a career (one of a few women in underground mining production at the start of my career) and a time consuming interest.
  • As the Mountain Mentor I can fast track the learning curve for people, saving time not making mistakes or being the best prepared for a mountain adventure: be it Kili, Inca Trail, Island Peak or Everest
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast
 
 
Show notes
  • Being based in Melbourne
  • Growing up in South Africa
  • Getting into mountaineering 
  • Going out with the Mountain Club of South Africa 
  • Climbing her first mountain at 8 years old - Lion’s Head
  • Her dreams as a little girl
  • Loving the outdoors and enjoying spending time in nature
  • Wanting to work in nature and conservation
  • Wanting to climb the big mountains around the world, over 8,000 m
  • Lack of female role models in the 80s and 90s
  • Not knowing it was practically possible to climb these mountains
  • Making big changes to her life in 2013
  • The realities of climbing 8,000 m mountains
  • Being overwhelmed and confused at the start
  • Making around a start by walking around the block 
  • Getting over the mental hurdle
  • Starting with something very easy 
  • Not having an expectations
  • What it’s like being at altitude
  • Climbing her first 6,000 m peak in Peru 
  • What’s going on mentally while climbing mountains
  • Mental resilience and mental grit 
  • How mountaineering has changed over the years
  • Wanting to climb Manaslu Mountain in Nepal (eighth-highest mountain in the world at 8,163 metres) 
  • The biggest challenge of climbing Manaslu
  • Dealing with queues on the mountains
  • Handing the frustration of being stuck in the mountains
  • Being mindful of where you are
  • Cold management and oxygen management
  • Practical information regarding summiting Manaslu
  • Wanting to climb 7 - 8,000 metre peaks
  • Next mountain to climb - Dhaulagiri in Nepal
  • Practical information regarding climbing Dhaulagiri
  • Magical Moment in the mountains!
  • Mountain leadership and mentoring
  • Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you to step outside your comfort zone
 
Social Media
 
Website - https://www.mcgillsmountains.com/ 
 
Instagram - @mcgills_mountains
 
 
Jan 5, 2021
Lola has photographed and dispatched from 70+ countries for various publications. She is the 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Bill Muster Award recipient.
 
In addition to contributing to several books, she is the author of the following books – 2018 Lowell Thomas Award winner for best travel book, DUE NORTH, & bestselling LAGOM: Swedish Secret of Living Well available in 18 foreign language editions. 
 
Lola has been recognised with multiple awards and nominations for her work, including a Pushcart Prize nomination, and was honoured with a MIPAD 100 (Most Influential People of African Descent) Award within media and culture in 2018. 
 
Lola owns and runs Geotraveler Media – a multimedia and travel consulting agency providing a spectrum of travel media-related services.
 
Listen to Lola now on the Tough Girl Podcast!!
 
New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out. 
 
The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 
Show notes
  • Being a visual story teller
  • Getting into photography by accident
  • Becoming a travel photographer 
  • Growing up in Nigeria 
  • What her childhood was like
  • Her passion for exploring culture
  • Moving to the USA for college
  • Deciding to switch careers into the travel industry
  • Coming from a travelling family
  • Getting into solo travel
  • Being a slow traveller and finding her own rhythm with travel
  • Making the transition from a corporate job to following her passion
  • Volunteering with an eco organisation in Fiji in 2002
  • Putting a plan in place
  • Volunteering with the Swedish Red Cross 
  • Figuring out what type of photographer she wanted to be 
  • Getting your photos published in places like the National Geographic 
  • Needing to create a story of the place
  • Having a visual voice
  • What’s the best thing that could happen
  • Overcoming challenging situations while travelling as a Black women
  • What adventure means to Lola 
  • 2018 Lowell Thomas Award winner for best travel book, DUE NORTH
  • The North Pole Dream
  • TedX Talk - The power of asking why not 
  • Why not
  • Being disappointed with friends 
  • Needing to have different types of friends 
  • Being an optimistic idealist 
  • Making the decision to move to Sweden
  • The secrets of living well
  • Being impacted by Covid 19
  • Advice for women who want to get into the travel industry
  • Why you need to find your own niche
  • Dealing with the cold weather
  • GeoTravelMedia - Exploring culture through food, tradition, and lifestyles
  • Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you  
 
Social Media 

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