Christine Yu is an award-winning journalist whose work focuses on the intersection of sports science and women athletes. Her writing has appeared in Outside, The Washington Post, Time, Runner’s World, and other publications. She’s a lifelong athlete and yoga teacher who loves running, surfing, and skiing. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
About the book:
“In the past half-century, women have achieved remarkable progress in the realm of athletics. More women are participating in sports and maintaining an active lifestyle throughout their lives. Whether they're elite athletes striving for excellence or passionate amateurs enjoying their athletic pursuits, women deserve a sports culture that empowers them.
This culture should offer training programs and equipment specifically designed to support their unique physiologies, along with nutrition and injury prevention guidelines grounded in scientific research and tailored to their individual experiences.
Unfortunately, women have often received guidance based on research that fails to consider their distinct experiences and physical characteristics. Much of what we've accepted as the standard in exercise and sports science is rooted solely in studies conducted on men.
But the landscape is changing for the better. Researchers are now conducting more inclusive studies to close the gender data gap. They're investigating how women can enhance their athletic performance, reduce the risk of injury, and maintain good health.
In 'Up to Speed,' sports and health journalist Christine Yu unravels myths and dissects gender bias in light of real science. She advocates for new approaches that empower female athletes to excel at every life stage, from adolescence through adulthood, encompassing pregnancy, menopause, and beyond.
Christine delves into the latest research findings and shines a light on the researchers, athletes, and advocates challenging the status quo. They are pioneering innovative solutions to enhance the active and athletic lives of women and girls, ushering in a new era of gender equality in sports science and performance.”
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The Tough Girl Podcast is being sponsored throughout January by ZOLEO. #ChallengeWithZOLEO
ZOLEO connects with your phone to provide seamless global messaging that follows you in and out of mobile network coverage — plus added safety features you can count on worldwide including industry-leading SOS alerting features. 24/7 monitoring and 24/7 access to non-emergency medical advice, check-in and weather forecasts. ZOLEO offers unmatched peace of mind for you and for everyone waiting at home.
Stay connected and safe while doing what you love.
Hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of tough women. New episodes LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time.
***
Show notes
- Who is Christine
- Being based in New York
- Growing up in Connecticut before moving to San Francisco
- Being sporty from a young age and always being active
- Getting into running, strength training and yoga
- Working in the non profit sector for 10/15 years before making the switch to journalism
- Wanting to write and tell more stories
- Taking time off after having her first child
- Combing her love for writing with her love for sports, science and health
- Wanting to focus on issues relating to women, women’s health and women’s sports
- Being curious and wanting to know more
- The lack of easily accessible information available for women
- Wanting to learn how to make her body more resilient
- Wanting to improve her health and wanting to move her body in a way that makes her feel good
- Wanting to be strong and healthy over the long term
- The starting point with research
- Knowledge from print magazines….. which wasn’t women specific
- Looking at more specific sports science research
- Dr Stacy Sims: ROAR
- The lack of knowledge for women who want to do strength training
- More women getting into strength training
- New Book: Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes
- Where the idea came from and how easy it was to get it published
- Only 6% of sports science (2014-2020) studies focus on issues related to women
- Why do we know so much less about women’s physiology?
- What are the implication due to the gender data gap?
- What you can expect from the book - information on the menstrual cycle, breast health, sporting gear, injury rates and chapters devoted to the life stages of a women’s life
- ‘Women are Not Small Men: a paradigm shift in the science of nutrition’ - TED Talk
- How to study women with the challenges of women’s menstrual cycle
- The blindspots in science
- Leaving women out of the narrative
- Hormones related to the menstrual cycle and how they can impact performance
- Noticing the trends when tracking your period
- Don’t blame yourself - blame your hormones
- Peri-menopause and menopause where is the science?
- Food and nutrition
- Weight and performance
- Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S)
- How to connect with Christine
- Final words of advice for women who want to learn more about the science
- Pay attention to your own body, track your cycle and see how your body responds throughout the month
- Dr Stacy Sims
- Feisty Menopause
- Be a critical consumer of the media you are consuming
Social Media
Instagram: @cyu888
Substack: christinemyu.substack.
Book: Up to Speed: The Groundbreaking Science of Women Athletes
Nikki Love is an adventure runner, a sports psychology under-grad, and a motivator of dreaming big, taking action and achieving extraordinary goals.
Nikki turned 50 in 2017 and decided it was time to take her love for travel, marathon running, and cross-country running to a new level.
She is now on a mission to run across, around, or through as many countries that her feet can take her, bringing as many people as she can along for the run.
Her big adventures include running 63 marathons in 63 days through the UK to celebrate her 50th birthday, a craic of a 750 mile run around Ireland, a runcation through Malta and around Gozo, a jolly jaunt across the Netherlands, an extremely muddy and cow-pat laden run from top to bottom of Wales, a 40 day x 1,000 miles treadmill run, and on July 16, 2023 at the age of 56 Nikki set the women’s record for running across Australia from Perth to Sydney 4,044kms in 76 days, 3 hours and 43 minutes.
Driven by her curiosity to answer the question “I wonder if I can do that…”
Nikki shares her adventures – the highs, lows, fun, tears and her experience of overcoming fears, doubts and obstacles as she navigates perimenopause – through her writing, speaking and film-making.
Her goal is to help women know and own their place and space in the world and to keep believing and backing themselves.
Listen to the previous TGP episode with Nikki.
30th July 2020 - Adventure Runner, Ran 63 marathons in 63 days in 2017
***
The Tough Girl Podcast is being sponsored throughout January by ZOLEO. #ChallengeWithZOLEO
ZOLEO connects with your phone to provide seamless global messaging that follows you in and out of mobile network coverage — plus added safety features you can count on worldwide including industry-leading SOS alerting features. 24/7 monitoring and 24/7 access to non-emergency medical advice, check-in and weather forecasts. ZOLEO offers unmatched peace of mind for you and for everyone waiting at home.
Stay connected and safe while doing what you love.
Hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of tough women. New episodes LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time.
***
Show notes
- Who is Nikki
- Being an adventure runner
- 56 years young
- Speaking with Nikki in 2020 on the TGP
- A quick recap of Nikki’s previous challenges
- Reflecting back on 2020 and 2021
- Coming up with idea to do a ‘training run’ on a treadmill
- Running 1000 miles and tearing tendons in her toes which ended her adventure
- Learning that she could do hard things
- Setting herself up to run across Australia for real
- Dealing with multiple peri-menopausal symptoms
- 2021- deciding to run 100 marathons in 100 days
- Getting a stress fracture in her pelvis
- Starting a process to understand what was going on in her body
- Getting advice to downgrade her ambitions and dreams
- Being stubborn and wanting to figure out a way to achieve her goal at 56 of running across Australia
- Figuring out what was going on and getting advice from doctors
- Starting on different versions on HRT
- Being encouraged to stop doing her exercise
- Having bloods taken and doing MRI scans - privately
- Speaking to as many people as possible to come up with solutions
- Figuring out that her body wasn’t absorbing the hormone therapy
- Going back to basics - getting back to a good diet and doing strength training
- Taking 2 years to recover from her pelvis stress fracture
- Feeling sad and frustrated
- Not being willing to give up on her goal
- Starting to wonder if it would be possible for her to run across Australia
- Starting to do more planning and putting dates in place
- Dealing with setbacks along the way and why it wasn’t easy
- Setting the start date for 1st May 2023
- Being supported by her partner
- Hiring a camper van and driving from Jhalong to Perth and getting to see the route in reverse.
- Going after a Guinness World Record to be the fastest women to run from Perth to Sydney
- 76 days 3hrs and 43 mins * (waiting to see if it will be accepted by Guinness)
- Having to increase her running distances pretty quickly and averaging about 53km per day
- Getting into a flow with the running after 2 weeks
- Dealing with the traffic which was much more intense than she was expecting
- What a typical day looked like
- How her experiences helped her to keep on going when times got tough
- Having a mantra in the morning Start off slow and I’ll get into a flow
- Challenges with animals!
- Physically not feeling too bad, but mentally feeling very drained and tired
- Listening to binaural music to calm her body down and the importance of sleep to help with recovery
- Dealing with the adventure blues after the challenge
- Making the decision to go to university to study sports psychology
- Applying to Loughborough University
- Becoming more aware of her time line and getting older
- How you can connect with Nikki and follow along with her journeys
- Nikki is also blogging about her run on her website
- Wanting to keep her adventure passion alive
- Feeling that you can - requires that you back yourself
- Keeping telling yourself that you can.
Social Media
Website: www.nikkilove.co.uk
Instagram: @nikkiloveruns
In 1996, Sue Stockdale achieved a remarkable feat: she became the first British woman to set foot on the Magnetic North Pole, a journey she never thought possible.
What followed was a realisation that her success held a profound purpose—to inspire others to venture beyond their comfort zones and unearth their untapped potential.
Sue's captivating memoir, "EXPLORE: A Life of Adventure," chronicles her life's journey, commencing from challenging beginnings and extending into a lifetime of intrepid exploration in some of the world's harshest environments, including the North Pole, Antarctica, and Greenland.
Within these epic adventures lie invaluable life lessons that Sue readily shares, illustrating how the mindset, discipline, and commitment honed in the crucible of extreme exploration are equally applicable in the professional sphere.
"EXPLORE" serves as a wellspring of inspiration, urging all of us to embark on our personal odysseys of self-discovery. Sue firmly believes that no endeavour is too daunting when undertaken with determination, a well-conceived plan, and a readiness to embrace discomfort.
***
The Tough Girl Podcast is being sponsored throughout January by ZOLEO. #ChallengeWithZOLEO
ZOLEO connects with your phone to provide seamless global messaging that follows you in and out of mobile network coverage — plus added safety features you can count on worldwide including industry-leading SOS alerting features. 24/7 monitoring and 24/7 access to non-emergency medical advice, check-in and weather forecasts. ZOLEO offers unmatched peace of mind for you and for everyone waiting at home.
Stay connected and safe while doing what you love.
Hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of tough women. New episodes LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time.
Show notes:
- Who is Sue
- Describing herself as an adventurer
- Not going on to guides
- Growing up and not doing adventurous things
- Going on a cycling trip at 15
- Not having any role models
- Being inspired by books like Enid Blyton's Famous Five and Secret Seven
- The unexpected death of her mom when she was 14
- Wanting to make the most of her life
- Challenging herself to see what she's capable of
- Sue's memoir, Explore: A Life of Adventure
- Adventure mindset, inner voice, and risk-taking
- Why did she write the book
- Becoming the first UK woman to ski to the Magnetic North Pole
- Deciding to apply despite feeling unqualified
- Being determined and believing in herself
- Overcoming fears and fundraising for an Arctic expedition
- Being part of a team of 10 people
- Her initial lack of experience in cross-country skiing
- Being very optimistic and having an adventurous mindset at heart
- Expedition leader David Hempleman-Adams
- Engaging in an exercise as a team called "what if list" to share their fears and concerns
- Advocates for facing fears by writing them down and talking about them
- Successfully securing sponsorship for her expedition
- Mental and physical challenges during her North Pole expedition in 1996
- Talking about period while she's out on the ice
- Bonding between her and Susanna, the first Swedish woman to reach the extreme
- Learning to tolerate each other's differences and frustrations during the expedition
- How her experience at the North Pole changed her perspective on life
- Deciding to set up a business as a motivational speaker
- Joining Robert Swan on an expedition down to Antarctica
- The process of evolution and building up her business
- Entrepreneurship and finding her unique calling
- Pushing herself too hard and judging herself too negatively
- Talking about her podcast
- Final words of advice
Social Media
Website: suestockdale.com
Podcast: Access to Inspiration
Twitter: @suestockdale
Youtube: @SueStockdale
A self-proclaimed late outdoor bloomer, Kimberly began exploring life outdoors after purchasing a folding kayak, which she credits with changing her life.
What started as an impulse purchase put her on a path of adventure, and she now travels around the world with her dog (Bentley), camping, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding.
Learning as she goes along, she documents her travels on her instagram page, in hopes of inspiring and empowering other women to have solo adventures.
***
The Tough Girl Podcast is being sponsored throughout January by ZOLEO. #ChallengeWithZOLEO
ZOLEO connects with your phone to provide seamless global messaging that follows you in and out of mobile network coverage — plus added safety features you can count on worldwide including industry-leading SOS alerting features. 24/7 monitoring and 24/7 access to non-emergency medical advice, check-in and weather forecasts. ZOLEO offers unmatched peace of mind for you and for everyone waiting at home.
Stay connected and safe while doing what you love.
Hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of tough women. New episodes LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time.
***
Show notes
- Who is Kimberly and what does she do
- Kimberly's happy place
- Always being drawn to water, even as a child
- Learning to swim at a young age
- Discovery of her passion for kayaking
- Going on a 6-day kayaking trip in Canada
- Not having her own kayak
- Obtaining a folding kayak and practising in her living room
- Overcoming barriers, pursuing her goal of spending time on the water
- Solo kayaking safely
- Being a very introverted person
- Kayaking as therapy
- Mountain lakes kayaking
- Disconnecting from the world while connecting with nature
- Giving peace of mind to friends and family
- Bently, her little adventure buddy
- Describing Bentley and matching hats with him
- Not going into the same place twice
- Using Google Maps to see where she can go
- Paddling for hours without feeling hungry
- Usually kayaking with canned wine
- Naming her kayaks and their stories
- Feeling judged for paddling alone
- Having fears and concerns all the time
- The struggle of being a woman of colour
- Safety measures while camping
- Solo kayaking experience in Norway
- Insights on solo outdoor adventures, gear choices, and safety planning
- Finding like-minded people for outdoor adventures
- Final words of advice
Social Media
Instagram: @paddlingwithbae
Meaghan Hackinen is a Kelowna-based bikepacker and writer whose two-wheeled adventures have taken her from Haida Gwaii to Mexico’s high plateaus, across Canada and the United States, and from North Cape to Tarifa along some of Europe’s highest paved roads.
She is a 4X Everester as well as a Transcontinental Race, Trans Am Bike Race, and Paris-Brest-Paris brevet finisher. Meaghan holds the women’s course record for the World 24-Hour Time Trial Championships, among others.
In 2023, Meaghan took the overall solo win in all but one of the endurance races she competed in, including the Buckshot and Lost Elephant in British Columbia, Silver State 508 in Nevada, and an Individual Time Trial of the Log Driver’s Waltz in Canada’s Capitol region.
Her debut travel memoir, "South Away: The Pacific Coast on Two Wheels" (NeWest Press, 2019) was shortlisted for two Canadian book awards and her follow up, "Shifting Gears: Coast to Coast on the Trans Am Bike Race" was just released to critical acclaim.
***
The Tough Girl Podcast is being sponsored throughout January by ZOLEO. #ChallengeWithZOLEO
ZOLEO connects with your phone to provide seamless global messaging that follows you in and out of mobile network coverage — plus added safety features you can count on worldwide including industry-leading SOS alerting features. 24/7 monitoring and 24/7 access to non-emergency medical advice, check-in and weather forecasts. ZOLEO offers unmatched peace of mind for you and for everyone waiting at home.
Stay connected and safe while doing what you love.
Hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of tough women. New episodes LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time.
Show notes
- Who is Meaghan
- Her 2023 cycling plans and how she structures her training in the winter
- Letting things fall into place and being opportunistic
- Having a dislocated finger and getting COVID
- Working with a coach in the past
- Using TrainerRoad as her cycle training platform
- Using the Dynamic Cyclist app for strength, stretching and mobility work
- Writing the races down on her calendar
- Preparing herself and her bikes
- Choosing races with the goal of competing at her best level
- Setting a new women's FKT
- the importance of nutrition and recovery
- Prioritising route prep using a combination of Strava, ride with GPS, and Google
- Creating a cue sheet with resupply points, elevation high points, and challenging features
- Having a to-do list and a checklist
- Journaling and giving yourself space
- Meditating and feeling much better afterwards
- Practicing visualization
- Transitioning from road cycling to off-road gravel adventures
- Enjoying the challenge and discovering unexpected places
- Carrying a bike through obstacles like water crossings and steep hills
- Not training very much on the TT bike this year
- Having a friendly and supportive cycling community
- Finding rivalries motivating
- Finishing the Dark Divide race alongside her partner
- Describing the Dark Divide and what it's like
- Writing and releasing her new book, Shifting Gears: Coast to Coast on the Trans Am Bike Race
- Having a transformative experience in 2017 that made her write a book
- Lessons and realizations that made her grow
- Reflecting on solo mountain biking experience
- Her plans for 2024
- Quick-fire questions
- Final words of advice
Social Media
Website: meaghanhackinen.com
Instagram @meaghanhackinen
Facebook @meaghanhackinen
Book: Shifting Gears: Coast to Coast on the Trans Am Bike Race
Sarah Thomas, aged 41, is an ultra-marathon swimmer who achieved the current world record for the longest continuous swim in current-neutral conditions, performed without assistance or a wetsuit. This record-breaking feat spanned 104.6 miles over the course of 67 hours and took place in Lake Champlain, USA, in August 2017.
Shortly after this remarkable swim, Sarah faced an aggressive form of breast cancer diagnosis at the young age of 35. During her cancer treatment, which included chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation therapy, Sarah remained unwavering in her pursuit of an extraordinary swim that many considered impossible.
One year post-cancer treatment, Sarah made history by becoming the first person to complete a four-way crossing of the English Channel, accomplishing this incredible feat in a remarkable 54 hours and 10 minutes.
More recently, Sarah achieved another groundbreaking milestone, becoming the first individual in history to conquer a two-way crossing of the North Channel, enduring 21 hours and 46 minutes in frigid waters inhabited by enormous jellyfish.
***
The Tough Girl Podcast is being sponsored throughout January by ZOLEO. #ChallengeWithZOLEO
ZOLEO connects with your phone to provide seamless global messaging that follows you in and out of mobile network coverage — plus added safety features you can count on worldwide including industry-leading SOS alerting features. 24/7 monitoring and 24/7 access to non-emergency medical advice, check-in and weather forecasts. ZOLEO offers unmatched peace of mind for you and for everyone waiting at home.
Stay connected and safe while doing what you love.
Hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of tough women. New episodes LIVE every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time.
Show notes:
- Who is Sarah
- Her story of becoming a long-distance open-water swimmer
- Early memories of comfort and joy in the water
- Begging her dad to sign her up for the swim team
- Getting introduced to open-water swimming by a friend and found her passion in it
- Swimming through high school and in college for the University of Connecticut
- Trying out other sports after college
- Growing up in Texas where swimming is super competitive
- How she transitioned to open-water swimming after college
- How she returned to swimming after a 2-year hiatus
- Discovering her passion for open-water swimming in 2007
- Signing up for Catalina Channel in 2010
- Training for the English Channel by swimming around Manhattan in 2011 and booking a slot for 2012
- Struggles with cold water and building up tolerance
- Refusing to take cold showers, and values warm showers as a luxury
- Poor weather and not wanting to swim the English Channel
- Returning to England with a reformed crew enjoying a beautiful, sunny swim across the channel
- Falling out of love with swimming
- Setting her sights on longer swims, including a 42-mile swim across Lake Tahoe
- Swimming for 24 hours and the challenge of mentally preparing for such a long distance
- Having her husband next to her helps her prepare for each swimming session
- Sarah's experience of swimming 104.6 miles in Lake Champlain
- Reflecting on her childhood and meeting her potential
- Feeling on top of the world after completing an incredible swim
- Having digestive issues during long swims and eating liquid-based nutrition
- Swimming and craving for giant cheeseburgers
- Finding a lump in her breast and being diagnosed with breast cancer
- Her treatment and how it would impact her ability to swim
- Finding solace in swimming during chemotherapy
- Sarah and her doctor working together to find solutions
- What makes her uncomfortable after a mastectomy
- Being glad for keeping her left side intact
- Swimming the English Channel in 2019 after completing an 80-mile swim in Lake Powell in 2016
- The difficulty of her swims, particularly in the English Channel
- Struggles with nausea and vomiting, seasickness and mental exhaustion during her swims
- Battling a strong current caused hours of delay in the swim, causing mental and physical exhaustion
- Her desire to complete the Oceans Seven Challenge
- Having two remaining swims in the Oceans Seven Challenge
- Swimming the Strait of Gibraltar and the Tsugaru Strait
- Why the swimming organization in Japan stopped accepting swimmers
- Final words of advice
Social Media
Website: sarahthomasswims.com
Instagram: @SarahSwims04
Twitter: @SarahSwims04
Facebook: @SarahThomasMarathonSwimmer