Join Beth Rodden, one of the most best female rock climbers of all time and a prominent figure in the outdoor community, as she delves into her remarkable journey on the Tough Girl Podcast.
Having started climbing at the age of 14, Beth quickly rose through the ranks, propelled by her passion and determination. From her awe-inspiring free climbs on El Capitan to her harrowing experience in Kyrgyzstan's Kara Su Valley, Beth shares the highs and lows of her climbing career with candid honesty.
Tune in as she discusses her book, "A Light through the Cracks: A Climber's Story," and offers invaluable insights and advice for aspiring climbers.
Discover the resilience, courage, and unwavering spirit that have defined Beth's climbing legacy and continue to inspire climbers worldwide.
Don't miss out on the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, released every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of strong women.
By supporting the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon, you can make a difference in increasing the representation of female role models in the media, particularly in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Your contribution helps empower and inspire others. Visit www.patreon.com/
Thank you for your invaluable support!
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Show notes
- Who is Beth Rodden
- Being a professional climber
- Starting climbing at 14 which was part of the first generation of kid climbers
- Getting into climbing after being taken with her dad to the climbing gym
- How her climbing career progressed
- Having professional climbers to look up to
- Being inspired by female professional climbers
- Making the transition from indoor climbing to outdoor climbing
- 1999 heading off on an all female climbing expedition in Madagascar to establish new climbing routes and why it was a pivot point in her life
- Being inspired by climber - Lynn Hill
- Deciding to pursue professional climbing full time at 19
- Being supported by her parents to follow her dreams
- Free climbing the nose on El Cap in Yosemite National Park
- Training and planning for a climb
- Breaking it down into smaller sections
- The difference between free climbing and free solo
- Book: A Light through the Cracks: A Climber's Story.
- Wanting to share her climbing story
- Writing about the darker sides of climbing and the untold stories
- 2000 - climbing in Kyrgyzstan's Kara Su Valley.
- Being kidnapped and held hostage for 6 days by rebels
- Managing to escape
- Getting through the dark times and the trauma
- Experiencing this at 20 years old
- Processing the trauma and what support was available
- Self talk while climbing
- How climbing has changed over the past 20 years
- Getting the balance right between climbing and having a family
- The struggle of a working parent
- How having children changed her views on risk and the type of climbs she wanted to do
- Future climbs and climbs that inspire her
- Having a love/hate relationship with social media
- How you can connect with Beth
- Advice for women who want to get into climbing
- Advice for women who want to take their climbing to the next level
Social Media
Website: www.bethrodden.com
Instagram: @bethrodden
Facebook: @bethroddenclimb
Book: A Light through the Cracks: A Climber's Story.
Join us on this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast as we delve into the extraordinary life of Gina Atkinson, a former Royal Signals engineer with a remarkable story of service and resilience. Gina's military career took her to 30 Signal Regiment, where she visited 35 countries during her first five years of service.
Following a deeply personal loss in 2019, Gina embarked on a mission to honour her brother's memory by running/cycling 100 miles a week for a year, raising £10,000 for a local cancer charity and establishing an Art Foundation in his name. Her dedication did not stop there; Gina continued to raise over £250,000 for veterans' charities through a series of inspiring challenges and initiatives, including ultra races and solo adventures across Scotland.
In this episode, Gina shares her journey of coping with grief through fitness and adventure, her experiences in the military, and her passion for supporting veterans and cancer patients alike. From riding across Death Valley to planning her next challenge of running from London to France in 2024, Gina's story is one of resilience, determination, and the power of adventure to heal and inspire.
Learn how Gina's adventures and fundraising efforts have made a significant impact, and gain insights into her motivations, challenges, and the importance of mental health advocacy in her journey.
Join us as we explore Gina Atkinson's inspiring story on the Tough Girl Podcast.
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Don't miss out on the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, released every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of strong women.
By supporting the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon, you can make a difference in increasing the representation of female role models in the media, particularly in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Your contribution helps empower and inspire others. Visit www.patreon.com/
Thank you for your invaluable support!
***
Show notes
- Who is Gina
- Being based on the Wirral, UK
- Being a fundraiser for Veterans Charities
- Combining her fundraising with crazy adventures
- Growing up on the Wirral and why it’s an amazing location
- Her early years spending time hillwalking in Wales
- Joining the army cadets at 13
- Deciding to join the army as an electronica engineer in the Royal Signals
- Being posted to 30 Signal Regiment nicknamed the ‘globe trotters’
- Visiting 35 countries in the first 5 years
- Military memories from peace keeping missions
- Volunteering at the orphanage in Bosnia
- Making the decision to leave the army
- Wanting to make a second career and experience something different
- Starting fundraising for veterans charities almost straight away
- Riding across Death Valley in America
- Getting involved in ultra races and going to see places at the same time
- The Wall Ultra Race across Hadrian’s Wall
- Dealing with covid and losing her brother at age 52 to stage 4 bowl cancer
- Coming up with the idea of doing 100 miles a week for 52 weeks - 5,200 miles in memory of her brother.
- Dealing with grief and needing a distraction
- Coping with stress and trauma by fitness and adventure in nature
- Not knowing the next steps
- Getting post adventures blues at the end of the challenge/adventure
- Backdoor adventures
- Raising funds for ssafa the Armed Forces charity
- Meeting veterans and sharing stories and memories
- Being an advocate for mental health
- Raising over £250K for veterans charities and winning multiple awards
- 300 mile solo adventure across Scotland (3 bucket list challenges in one) walking the West highland Way, paddling the Great Glen, and then walking back on the Great Glen Way to Fort William
- Getting injured and needing to return in 2024
- Not taking a dip in lock ness
- The planning behind the challenge ideas
- Taking it from the idea to getting to the start line
- Sticking to the plan
- Using YouTube as a resource
- Testing your kit and making sure your food is nutritious and tastes good
- Keeping positive while on adventures
- Motivation and discipline why you need both
- Quote by D.H. Lawrence, “I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.”
- Going back to your WHY
- Motivation from the GI Jane movie and Legally Blonde
- Being inspired by the Queen
- The next challenge in 2024 - running to France from London!
- Maintaining fitness levels while not on adventures
- How to connect with Gina on social media
- Final words of advice for other women who want to do more adventures
- Starting on your own fitness journey
- Why consistency is the key for training for endurance events
- Try and enjoy it and remember why you are doing it
Social Media
Instagram: @goliveit.onelife
Facebook: @GinaGinelli
Military Memories is an anthology of poems from the force’s community.Profits go to Military Charities SSAFA & Sporting Force.
Instagram @Militarymemories2021
Twitter @militarymemos
Join us on the Tough Girl Podcast as we dive into the inspiring journey of Josie Fouts, an athlete, mentor, advocate, and filmmaker who is leading the charge to make mountain biking a Paralympic sport. Based in San Diego, California, Josie's story is one of resilience, determination, and a relentless pursuit of her passions.
Born in Seoul, Korea, and adopted at six months old, Josie grew up in Ohio, USA, before finding her true calling in cycling upon moving to San Diego. Known as "Ms. Stubbornness," Josie embraced cycling not just as a sport but as a means of redefining her capabilities, riding one-handed without adaptations and challenging herself to excel.
Josie's journey took a pivotal turn when she decided to leave her job in 2018 to pursue full-time training for the Tokyo Olympics. Despite not making it to Tokyo, Josie found solace and newfound passion in mountain biking, discovering freedom and exhilaration on the trails.
In our conversation, Josie shares her insights on adaptive cycling, the challenges she faced in rethinking her approach, and her advocacy to include mountain biking in the Paralympics. She discusses her role as an upper limb mentoring coach, her nutrition strategies for endurance challenges, and mental tips to overcome obstacles.
Don't miss Josie's story of resilience, her groundbreaking work with Tread Setters to promote inclusivity in cycling through filmmaking, and her empowering advice for women looking to make a difference in the world.
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Don't miss out on the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, released every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of strong women.
By supporting the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon, you can make a difference in increasing the representation of female role models in the media, particularly in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Your contribution helps empower and inspire others. Visit www.patreon.com/
Thank you for your invaluable support!
***
Show notes
- Who is Josie?
- Asian, American, Adoptee and Amputee
- Based in San Diego, California
- Trailblazing for or mountain biking to be a Paralympic sport!
- Bio on Instagram - “Mad scientist on a mission to single-handedly save the world with cycling!”
- Why she’s known as Ms Stubbornness
- Reinventing herself during the pandemic
- Born in Seoul Korea, before being adopted at 6 months old and growing up in Ohio, USA
- Getting into cycling when moving to San Diego and using it to commute to work
- Riding one handed and not using any adaptations
- Changing her mindset
- Deciding to quit her job in 2018 and training full time for the Tokyo Olympics
- Looking into prosthetics and what would work with her and the bike
- Making the decision to quit her job
- Having an adapted mindset
- Wanting to get in the best shape of her life
- Feeling over worked and underpaid and taking a step back
- The 3 red flags with her work and knowing she needed to make a change
- Being an athlete full time and why it was awesome
- Getting multiple degrees in nutrition and putting her knowledge into action
- Working towards and end goals
- Funding and paying for a coach and training while not working
- Not making it to the Tokyo Olympics and why she’s grateful
- Having the pressure taken off and figuring out what she wanted to do
- Finding herself mountain biking and loving the freedom
- Starting to rethink her stubborn mindset
- Limiting herself by not using a prosthetic
- Spending time on mountain biking trails in nature
- Why don’t the Paralympics offer mountain biking?
- Deciding to focus her time and energy on what she can control and change
- Being an upper limb mentoring coach
- Making it up as she goes
- The White Rim Trail Challenge
- Filming the adventure - Tread Setters - A group of para-cyclists attempt to ride the White Rim Trail through the heart of Canyonlands in one day with the hope of creating awareness around people with disabilities and growing a more inclusive cycling community.
- Tread Setters Film
- Nutrition and fuelling for challenges and why read food is so important
- Eating locally sourced and regenerative products
- Mental tips and tricks to push on through the hard times and why thinking about physics helps
- Why you create your outcome
- Thinking about what’s going to get her through the difficult section
- How to connect with Josie online
- Advice for women who want to change the world
Social Media
Instagram: @ms.stubbornness
Facebook: @ms.stubbornness
Movie: Tread Setters
Jen Benson is a runner, writer, running coach and mum of two.
Along with her husband, Sim, she has co-authored 10 books including Smart Running, The Camping Bible, Wild Running and The Adventurer's Guide to Britain.
She has an MSc in sport & exercise medicine and is currently a PhD researcher exploring the phenomenology of running.
Jen has run more than 50 marathons and ultras, including the 100-mile Arc of Attrition in 2024.
Her new book on women in ultrarunning, The Path We Run, is out in September.
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Don't miss out on the latest episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast, released every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Be sure to hit the subscribe button to stay updated on the incredible journeys and stories of strong women.
By supporting the Tough Girl Podcast on Patreon, you can make a difference in increasing the representation of female role models in the media, particularly in the world of adventure and physical challenges. Your contribution helps empower and inspire others. Visit www.patreon.com/
Thank you for your invaluable support!
Show notes
- Who is Jen
- Intro to her life and work
- Publishing 3 books in 2024
- Book: Smart Running: The ultimate guide to becoming a fitter, stronger, more confident runner
- Book: The Camping Bible: The Complete Guide to Life Under Canvas
- Book: Great British Walkies: 100 brilliant dog walks through beautiful countryside (National Trust)
- First speaking to Jen - 23rd July 2019 - Adventuring with her partner and two young children, living in a tent for 18 months!
- What’s been going on since 2019
- The wild year - spending 18 months in a tent
- Having freedom from the monthly treadmill of paying rent and bills
- Writing their first book (Wild Running) and wanting to make writing a full time career
- Writing their second book - Amazing Family Adventures: Fun days out and action-packed weekends.
- Being back in a proper house since 2016
- Son aged 10, daughter aged 13
- Researching an alpine adventure book in the Alps
- Getting back into running and starting to train for a 100 miler
- Documenting her training for and attempting to finish her first 100 mile race
- Always being a runner and doing a MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine specialising in distance running.
- How pregnancy impacted on her life and withdrawing from her PHD
- Deciding to go back and do a PHD at Liverpool John Moors University - wanting to look at the meaning of running for couch to 5k runners and ultra distance runners.
- The battle with negative troughs and how a lack of confidence impacted on her running.
- Signing up to do a mindfulness course and how it changed her life for the better
- Deciding to train as a mindfulness teacher
- Identifying the triggers for what causes the negative spirals
- The impact of tiredness and sleep deprivation
- Running through the dark and running through the night
- The dream of wanting to run 100 miles
- Book: The Path We Run: A personal history of women's ultrarunning
- Learning about the history of women in ultra running
- TGP Episode Ann Trason (July 19th 2016) - American ultra runner who has broken 20 world records & won Western States a record breaking 14 times
- Barriers for women in ultra running
- Why running can be an expensive sport
- Working with her partner to fit in training
- Being anaemic and how 50% of women/runners can have low ferritin levels
- Book: Smart Running: The ultimate guide to becoming a fitter, stronger, more confident runner
- Why it was a dream book to write
- Book: The Camping Bible: The Complete Guide to Life Under Canvas
- Top tips for camping
- Some of the challenges from the past 5 years
- Planning for work and family life
- Getting older
- How to connect with Jen online
- Final words of advice
- “Just because something feels scary, that’s not a reason not to do it.”
- Taking the plunge and doing the scary thing
Social Media
Website: jenandsimbenson.co.uk
Instagram: @jenandsim
Facebook: @jenandsimbenson
X: @jenandsim