Jen was born without legs & put up for adoption, her amazing adoptive family, gave her one simple rule, “Never say the word, Can’t.”

As a child, she was obsessed with gymnastics, and her idol was gold-medalist, Dominique Moceanu. 

Seemingly against all odds, she went on to compete against able-bodied athletes, and became a State Champion in power tumbling. As part of her story, and also as a twist of fate, she later learned that her childhood gymnastics idol, Dominique Moceanu, was actually her biological sister!

Jen transitioned into an accomplished acrobat and aerialist. She traveled internationally with Britney Spears’ World Tour, and appeared as the headliner at the prestigious Palazzo hotel in Las Vegas, New York’s Lincoln Center and the Shangri La Hotel in Dubai.

Jen is currently living in Los Angeles, and her goal is “to inspire & motivate others to BELIEVE that anything is truly possible.”

Show notes

• Growing up, her childhood & the amazing memories!
• Being passionate about community and why she is a product of her community
• Knowing she was adopted from a young age
• Having her identity linked to sports and being an athlete
• Gymnastics and becoming obsessed
• Moving away from home and leaving the protection of family and friends
• Dealing with new reactions
• Learning more about people and controlling her emotions
• Writing her book - “Everything is Possible”
• Getting a new tattoo
• Life on the road and travelling the world
• Working with Britney Spears
• Dealing with the pressure
• Developing new skills that she could apply to other areas of her life
• The dream list
• Her love of travel and why it has changed her life
• Visiting the great wall of China
• Her idol in gymnastics
• Finding out about her biological family
• How her whole life changed in 2008 
• Future plans - heading to New Zealand 
• Words of advice

Learn more about Jen

Visit her website 

Follow on Twitter - @JenBricker1 

Facebook - Jen Bricker  

Instagram - @Jenbricker  

Anna Blackwell - The Going-on of an Adventurer! Walking 500 and 1000 miles across France and Spain along ancient pilgrimage routes

Anna is a 24-year-old adventurer who has a love of the great outdoors and pushing her limits. This has led her to completing a series of adventures over the last few years: trekking across the wilderness of arctic Sweden with just reindeer for company, walking 500 and 1000 miles across France and Spain along ancient pilgrimage routes, summiting the highest peak in North Africa, and hitch-hiking to Morocco (amongst plenty of others!)

2017 has been a slightly unusual year for her as she’s been working full-time for the majority of it, but she’s still found time for some fun, whether in the form of tackling my first 4000m mountain in North Africa, attempts at trekking in Arctic Norway, or just setting up her bivvy bag to sleep under the stars on a hillside in Oxfordshire!

Show notes

• Finishing university 
• Not being sporty but loving the outdoors
• Camping with her Dad
• Hating the Duke of Edinburgh
• What changed?
• Dropping out of uni and travelling solo
• Figuring out what she wanted to do with her life 
• Deciding what adventures to go on
• Why walking 500 miles wasn’t enough of a challenge
• Deciding to walk 1000 miles
• Not doing that much planning and throwing herself into it
• Not needing all the stuff she had
• The lifestyle
• Getting up at 4.30 in the morning to catch the sunrise
• Coming to the end of her first adventure
• Not living in the past
• Being underwhelmed by the finish
• Thinking about what she was going to do next!
• Lonely?
• Getting through the challenging sections
• Know yourself - know your body
• Getting away from it all - including the people
• Deep thinking - Deep Questions
• Kindle - Camera - Journal
• Remaining positive through out the bad weather
• What’s next?! April 2018…. The Plan
• Having an adventure mindset
• Advice for you!
• Tribes!

Melissa Urie - Nurse from Australia who was the 2nd Women to ever finish the EPIC 5 - 5 Ironman in 5 days across 5 different islands in Hawaii!

Melissa is the second woman ever to finish the Epic 5 - an event which consists of doing 5 Ironman distance triathlons (that’s 224km or 140 miles of swimming, cycling and running) every day over 5 days on 5 different Hawaiian Islands!

Melissa lives in Melbourne, Australia working as a nurse. 

Show notes

• Growing up and moving to Melbourne
• Getting into health and fitness
• New Years Resolution that stuck
• Around the bay in a day - a cycle race in Melbourne
• Being naive and not really thinking about it
• Getting involved in a triathlon and how it has become her lifestyle
• Nursing and doing shift work and how she fit her training into her life
• Her 1st Ironman….
• Getting a coach
• Working on her nutrition
• Not going for a specific time
• Just surviving the day….
• Ultra-man event in Canada
• Taking it to the next level - why?!
• Getting injured before a big race and finding out if she could still race
• Dealing with flat types and being exhausted
• Being mentally tough
• Learning from her experience 
• EPIC 5 - what it is and why she wanted to do it
• Training and preparation for EPIC 5
• What a training day/week looks like 
• Being on the cusp of over training but managing to get the balance right
• Being motivated to get up out of bed - “Don’t think just do”
• Heading out to Hawaii
• Finding it easy to relax and taper
• Being the only female & why it is a big deal
• Dealing with internal pressure that comes from her
• Celebrating!!
• Not getting the challenge blues
• Next challenge!!!

Learn more about Melissa

Follow on Twitter  @rangamel  

You can also listen to Melissa on Sparta Chicks Radio - which goes into more detail about the EPIC 5 Race

#014: Melissa Urie on Using Your Mind to Achieve the “Impossible” [Podcast]

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You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud & Stitcher!

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Alice believes that learning to swim is a human right, and that whether you’re swimming your first 25metres, splashing in tarns or crossing the English Channel, swimming can empower our lives both in and out of the water.

Alice discovered open water swimming after being knocked off her bike by a lorry on her way to work, the day before her 31 birthday. Waking up on the tarmac as commuter traffic circled around her, too busy to stop to help, she realised it was time to change her path.

Since then Alice has pursued her passions of writing, social justice, water and the outdoors. She is contributing Editor of Outdoor Swimmer Magazine, lead scientist at the International Institute of Swim Cake Studies, a qualified swim teacher, Mandarin speaker,  and consultant focusing on projects relating to anti corruption, responsible business, water scarcity, the rule of law and the impact of technology on social and economic development.

When not in or writing about water, her research and advocacy  have taken her to China, India, No.10 and the UN.

Her swims include: a 4 woman English Channel relay; 2 woman Lake Zurich relay; the Solent; the Thames Marathon; Dart 10k, Sydney Harbour Swim, Scilly Swim Challenge, and the swimmer for Team Mel C vs Team Pendleton in the Human Race Women only triathlon, and competing in the International Winter Swimming Championships in China.

Show notes

• Living in London
• Getting out into the mountains for the first time
• Wanting to spend more time outside
• Going to China!
• Heading up to Sheffield to study
• Deciding to be a lawyer
• The big dream
• Problems that put life into perspective
• Losing her connection with health and wellbeing 
• When it all changed for her
• Who do I call?
• Knowing she was going to change her life
• A Lotus Rises
• Moving out to Chamonix
• Getting back into swimming
• The community of swimmers and how they supported her
• The Lake Zurich swim and how it changed her life
• Top tips for outdoor swimming
• Did you swim today (Forum)
• Body image issues and getting your body out there
• The International Institute of Swim Cake!
• Increasing the amount of people participating in swimming
• The connection between the pool and the pond
• Ensuring women are involved in water policy

Zoe Langley-Wathen - Walking Adventures include the South West Coastal Path, Wales Coast Path & Offa’s Dyke.

Show notes

• Where her love of walking came from?
• Growing up without a car
• Going on night hikes
• Getting married young and having her daughter at 24
• Wanting to do something bigger
• Letting her dreams stay dormant
• Fears?
• Are you sure you can do that?
• Don’t put yourself in a position where you will be disappointed
• The South West Coastal Path!
• Deciding to follow her dream
• How to celebrate her 40th birthday in 2011
• Accountability
• Planning - and giving herself 7 months to sort it all out
• Did women walk the path on their own? Is it done?
• Dealing with short sharp shockers
• Her first lesson
• Egg holder, frying pans!!!
• Being on her own
• Wild camping V staying with friends
• Where was suitable to wild camp?
• Meeting people on the way
• The grief of leaving the trail
• Why did I waste so much time!
• Looking for the next challenge and how her life changed after the challenge
• Supporting Arry Berresford-Webb (Now Cain)
• Walking with other people
• The ultimate walk
• The Great Trail in Canada
• The Ridge way
• Walking around Dorset
• Advice and tips for getting out walking and why you can walk yourself fit

Twitter @WathWalk - https://twitter.com/wathwalk 

Facebook @WathWalk - https://www.facebook.com/WathWalk/

Anoushé is a champion for all those experiencing barriers and self-limiting beliefs.

Born missing her right arm below the elbow, living with multiple health conditions, a cancer survivor, a Muslim and coming from an ethnic minority, Anoushé has never let what society or culture thinks she should do limit her or dictate the direction of her life. She is constantly breaking the mould and challenging not only her own beliefs about her own potential but also that of society and her own culture.

She has become a role model to anyone facing a self-limiting belief or barrier and is sharing her journey to help others unlock their potential. Anoushé candidly talks about her life, how she has remained resilient in the face of huge obstacles and talks about issues that we as a society do not talk about enough. In particular, Anoushé highlights the plight of those stigmatised by society in order to change the misconceptions around these groups. She is heavily driven by teaching others learn to shed their self-limiting beliefs and help empower them to reach their potential.

A policy advisor by day, Anoushé is currently ranked 2nd in the UK as a paraclimber in just a year of training. She is also an Ambassador for LimbPower, the leading charity for amputees and those with limb differences.

Anoushé is the 2017 Asian Women of Achievement Award winner for Sport.

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“Energetic, charismatic and overflowing with enthusiasm and a force for good. Anoushé Husain has overcome immense challenges of her own and yet she’s determined to have a positive impact on others.”

Judges of the Asian Women of Achievement Awards

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Show notes

• Who is Anoushé? - Living a diverse life!
• Being born in Luxembourg, speaking multiple languages and growing up sporty
• Dealing with heath issues, from being born with one arm, to have cancer and suffering from a genetic disorder
• Getting in contact with - Reach a UK based charity
• The concept of being different?
• Sports at a young age and their impact on self confidence
• Dealing with discrimination and being treated fairly 
• Getting diagnosed with cancer at 22
• Entering a surgical cycle and the impact on her life
• Living in a cycle of fear and being afraid of what was going to happen next? How much worst is it going to get?
• The impact on her career and her Masters course
• Crossing the line and becoming a cancer patient
• Scanxiety
• Making the move to London 
• Where does her resilience come from?
• “If you fall - you get back up”
• Climbing & wanting to get to the top of the route
• Needing to find a way to get her arm better
• Let’s go try!
• Learning about the British Mountaineering Council - Para-climbing Series
• Being ranked 2nd in her category
• When there is pain there must be something you can learn from it
• Being able to forget the world and all her problems
• Getting over self-limiting beliefs
• Not wanting to rest
• Taking time off from climbing
• Blogging for - This Girl Can campaign
• Final words of advice

Visit her website to learn more!

https://anoushehusain.com

Adelaide suffered with moderately severe Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - CFS/ME) for 3 years, along with other chronic conditions.

Her life was transformed in 3 days with with the powerful combination of Neuro Linguistic Programming, life coaching and hypnosis. During this podcast we learn more about Adelaide and the personal journey she has been on to rebuild her life, and get back to full health and fitness.

Adelaide has gone on to build her own adventure brand, and has started the podcast - The Lilly Wild Show where she interviews other adventurers, and game changers! This year she went on to complete her first Ironman - a gruelling test of endurance that pushed her both mentally and physically!

Show notes

• Being ill for 4 years from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 
• Being in a loop of tiredness
• Starting from zero
• Being an only child
• Sports at school
• Coming out into endurance sports…
• Where did the love of adventure come from
• Getting into the Arctic
• Explorers Connect
• The drive to recover
• Taking a gap year and spending time travelling in South America, India
• The mental toll of being ill
• Turning to alternative methods to get better
• What is the lightening process?
• Live a life you love!
• The power you have over yourself and the power of Du
• Becoming well again and how the people around her reacted
• Where the idea for an Ironman came from
• Getting her coach onboard
• The physical training
• Using the App - Training Peaks
• What she struggled with…
• Why nutrition is so important when training
• The mental preparation involved
• Her favourite thing about the brain
• Running with Rich Roll!
• Being super chilled at the start of the race!
• Doing affirmations
• Her first Ironman!
• Being able to draft during the swim
• Dark moments!
• Having her brain drained of energy
• Rocket Fuel!!!
• Waiting for it to sink in
• Will she do it again?
• Crazy Extreme Triathlons in 3 years time!
• The Lilly Wild Podcast - what you can expect
• Advice to getting back on your feet
• Starting with Google!

 

Listen to Part 3 Now!

2nd April 2017

Listen to Part 4 Now!

28th May 2017

Rachel Wise

• From the slowtravelfamily.com

• Being in St Lucia in the Caribbean 

• Leaving Switzerland on the 2nd August

• The run up to getting on the road

• Dealing with bad news and being in limbo

• Saying goodbye to everyone

• Deciding what to do and figuring out what was best for everyone

• Heading to America for a road trip!

• Wild camping

• Why things started to change once they got to Utah

• Catching up with friends and homeschooling the girls

• How the girls are adjusting to life on the road

• How Rachel is finding it all…

• Being together all of the time

• Holiday or lifestyle?

• Money!

• Spending time with the family

• The main learning so far

• The plans for the next few months

• What a typical day is like

• Meeting people 

• Shout out to the blog!

• The website - slowtravelfamily.com

You can read about Rachel’s family’s adventures at slowtravelfamily.com!

 

Rae Read

• Due date in 2 weeks! 

• Being pregnant over the summer!

• Exercising while pregnant?

• Loving walking!

• Getting a puppy!

• 7 minute HIIT training

•  Mental health?

• Disconnecting emotionally with the pregnancy

• Pregnancy depression 

• This is how I feel

•  Speaking to Matt about it all

• Making new friends

• Dealing with loneliness

• Are you sure that’s of for the baby?

• The pressure

• What she has learnt over the past few months?

• The plan over the coming weeks

• Blogging about her experience @ www.howdoesshedoitsite.wordpress.com

 

Laura Try

• What a difference a couple of months can make

• Needing to raise the final £2,000 

• Making a video and sharing it on Facebook

• 16 hours to go!!

• Leaving the marina

• What’s going through her mind?

• Relax your mind

• The first few days…

• Being on the water for 56 days…

• Feeling uncomfortable at the start 

• A typical day.. starting from midnight

• Rowing for 2 hours on, 2 hours off every day

• The biggest challenge she had to face

• The day from hell

• Keeping a video diary

• What she enjoyed most?

• Why it was the best thing she has ever done

• Reality….

• Why it was the people who made the challenge so incredible

• Laughing herself to happiness

• Getting off the boat

• What’s changed since the challenge?

• Depression

• Being Real - Laura is back

• Raising money for Centre Point

• Training to row across the Atlantic!

• Follow Laura on her social media channels @LTFactor 

Connect with Laura - Facebook, twitter, Youtube, and visit her website

 

Jen Dyxhoorn

• Running an ultra marathon in June

• Eventful and challenging few months

• Being humbled by the experience & why it was also a confidence boost

• The self talk… while running by herself

• The moments that stood out for her…. awful & amusing!

• Having a low key summer in preparation for LEJOG

• Getting to the start!

• Wild camping during the trip-the pro’s and the con’s

• Getting use to cycling the distances everyday

• What she learned on the way and the changes that needed to be made

• Having nothing left in the tank

• Cycling with her sister

• Comparisons is the thief of joy

• The Adventure Race!

• Everyday magic goals!

• Balance in her life?

• Getting back into her London life

You can follow Jen’s adventures at lovelyoutliers.com, or on Twitter @jendykxhoorn and Instagram @lovelyoutlier

Follow her Sister - Karen Dykxhoorn  on Instagram @hopefulgoat & twitter @hopefulgoat 

Jo Jo Rogers

• Catching up with Jo Jo

• The summer months spend working at a running camp

• Running with the children and having her training take a back seat

• Inspiring the girls who are new to running

• Coach - I want to get better, I want to become a better runner

• Tips and tricks for women who want to get into running

• Getting the shoes right!

• Recovering from injury

• Running a night time 50K in 102 degrees!

• Coming in 1st female!

• Dealing with bugs!!

• Update on goals

• Running the fastest 50K for women over 50 in the USA

• Focusing on core work

• The December race and why she’ll be giving it everything she’s got!

• Speed work!

• Meeting Jo Jo at the end of the Appalachian Trail

• Not knowing my tail name!

• Coming down the trail….

• Crying on the trail!!

• Let’s just go!

• THANK YOU JO JO!!! Food & goodies!!

• Road trip to Boston

• Eating!

• 9th December!

• Why it is not about the goal 

 

Georgie Akin-Smith

• Being on the quest to complete 12 challenges in 12 months

• What she’s been up to;100k cycle ride with a friend, doing a Tough Mudder with her family, running a half marathon

• Making June into a recovery month and taking a few weeks off

• Changing her challenges and trying to still fit in work, friends and pay for them

• The pressure we put on ourselves

• Enjoying it more because the pressure was off

• Cycling 100 K with a friend and why it was a confidence boost

• Hot shower & tea!

• The family Tough Mudder challenge!

• Would she do it again?!

• Why you should give it ago!

• Marathon training…

• Working with a coach….

• How she is feeling mentally about the marathon which is coming up

• 18 mile long run!

• Still enjoying herself?

• Future challenges to finish off the year

• Running or cycling?

• How is the blogging going?

• Having structure and focus during the year and why she’s liked it

Georgie is blogging about her challenges at www.gwhodares.com 

 

Gemma Smith

• Everything and nothing has been happening!

• Forcing herself to leave work on time and saying no

• Wanting to do more training and more exercise 

• Dealing with housemate issues

• Understanding where her limits are by walking on the Thames Stone Path

• The climbing academy experience - what it was like

• Focus on high altitude medicine

• Gamal Bag

• Flying out to the Alps for 2 weeks

• 9 days with a guide

• Horrific weather….

• Why there is no guarantee

• Money

• The unknown factors in adventures

• Getting through the disappointment

• Stepping stones and working towards bigger long term goals

• What she did with the guide

• £6k - £10K 

• Plans for the coming months…

• Working on her climbing grade - 6A - 6A+

• Doing pull ups on rings

• Follow along on her blog - https://gemlaurensmith.com

Gemma is on Instagram @GemLaurenSmith & also on Twitter @GemlaurenSmith

 

Future Episode

Part 6 - 31st December

 

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode

2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!

3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs. 

Tough Girl - Meike Stones  “Powered By Me” - A year-long human-powered lifestyle adventure

Mieke Stones, is a 32-year old female living and working in London and the creator of Powered by Me, a year-long lifestyle adventure where she is only using human-powered transport to get to wherever she need to go.

She has been bloging, vloging and fundraising along the way, hoping to raise as much money for different causes and to inspire others to see active travel as a viable and sustainable way to get to places. 

Her story so far is one of physical and mental endurance, trial and error, with some key learnings thrown in. But most of all her story is about doing what she can with what she has, and doing her bit for the environment. Making better choices and growing her skills and experiences along the way!

Show notes

• Where the idea came from?
• Deciding on what the next challenge was going to be?
• Having a brain wave!
• The planning stage
• The rules
• Starting on the 1st January and raising money for a different charity each month
• Being able to commute to work
• Battling the elements
• Starting to tell friends and family 
• Starting a count down to the start
• The question’s she was being asked
• The start of the year - what it was like
• Being terrified at the start
• The mental challenge in the first week
• When it all started to become normal!
• What was the impact on her life
• Starting to feel more productive
• Having to change her nutrition needs
• The biggest challenges she’s had to face - the big journey’s
• Going through a divorce
• Cycling over to France for a wedding
• Looking for water in strange places!
• Getting to the 6 month marker!
• Starting to feel a little bit knackered 
• Plans for the rest of the year
• Advice for women who want to integrate running and cycling into their everyday routine

Website

https://powered-by-me.com

Christine and her husband Stephen, have always loved to cycle and cycling has played a huge part in their lives. During this podcast Christine shares more about how she got into cycling, why they decided to pack up and head off on an adventure of a lifetime!

Show notes

• Why Christine reached out to me
• Why she started cycling
• Her first cycling adventure!
• Meeting her husband and their join love for cycling
• Starting to take regular cycling holidays
• Having children and going on holiday with them to Northern Europe
• The cycle holiday that stands out to her
• Getting the idea to cycle the world - how the idea first started..
• Giving themselves 16/17 months to prepare
• Why the world!
• One year or two years?!
• Who they told first and their reaction!
• Her friends and what they said!
• “How are you going to manage being with your husband everyday?”
• Getting married in 1984 
• Did she have any fears/worries before the trip?
• Being - Flexible
• The planning….
• The start and how she was feeling..
• Getting into their routine by day 2!
• The challenges she faces… breaking her arm
• Taking a 5 month break
• Deciding where to go next…
• The challenges of cycling in New Zealand
• The daily routine while on the road
• The challenges of cycling in Japan
• Advice for women who want to go on a big cycling trip
• Deciding to come home
• Plans to head back to South America
• Settling back into home life!
• Blogging about their adventure!
• Final words of advice!

Blog

http://www.christineandstephen.co.uk

& on Twitter @CycleGBCoast

Alex has always has a love for the outdoors and has always been fiercely independent. Her love of adventure began when she first went travelling in Africa. 

In 2015 Alex hiked the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2700 mile trail that starts at the border of Mexico and goes through America to the border of Canada. Returning to work was an impossible task and after 4 months back in an office she quit to become a permanent adventurer.

First stop back to America, second stop New Zealand (with a few thousand miles of hiking in between). Listen as Alex shares more about her adventures on the Tough Girl Podcast

Show notes

• Going back to her childhood and what she was like growing up
• Being inspired by her granddad
• Having a normal life!
• Spending 6 months over in Africa
• Questioning what she was doing and why she was doing
• Deciding to take a sabbatical from her job!
• Dealing with the obstacles….  & facing up to her fears
• Why she choose the Pacific Crest Trail?
• Taking us back to the start!
• Getting her tourist visa for America!
• Getting to America and what was happening in her head before she started
• The moment that stood out for her while on the trail
• Meeting Kat Davies while on the trail - Listen to her PCT hike here!
• Overcoming fears on the trail
• Finishing the trail on her birthday!
• Making the transition back to “normal” life and going back to work
• Heading to the Himalaya’s to climb Mera Peak (6,476m)
• Quitting her job and what she did next!
• The differences between walking North and South on the PCT
• Being under time pressure to get through the Sierra before the snowfall
• Having no responsibility and being free
• Her trail name!
• Dealing with the time pressure while heading Southbound
• What’s happening inside her head while being out in the woods
• Why she wasn’t trying to “find herself”
• Being able to share the trail with a friend
• How she’s funded these trips and how she funds her lifestyle
• Her monthly budget
• Learning more about Love her Wild - (You can listen to Bex on the Tough Girl Podcast as well!)
• Her cycle tour in Australia (Sydney to Darwin)- why she decided to do, what inspired her, planning the route, buying her bike!
• Having low points and how she handles it
• Being a hiker at heart
• What she’s learnt from leading this life
• Her beliefs
• The charities she supports

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs. 

On Tuesday 16th May 2017, Mollie Hughes successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest from the North side. This was Mollie's second time standing on top of Everest having already summited the South side in 2012.

Achieving this feat at 26 has made her the youngest woman in the world and the first English woman to successfully summit from both the north and south sides of the world’s highest mountain!

Show notes

• Intro - how would Mollie describe herself
• Not climbing her mountain until she was 17
• Growing up in South Devon
• Lacking confidence at a young age
• The stages she took to get to where she wanted to go
• Arriving back from Kenya and deciding on her next challenge
• Travelling at a young age
• Her journey to Everest
• When the seed got planted to climb Everest
• Her search for women who had climbed Everest
• Giving herself 12 months to achieve her goal
• Having the conversation with her parents….
• The money..
• A record to be had in 2012 - being the youngest women to summit Mount Everest from the UK
• Dealing with rejection week after week
• Getting herself fit and prepared for Everest
• Doing everything she could to raise the funds needed!
• Needing a killer auction prize
• Dealing with an expedition that’s gone wrong
• How to balance the risk and the rewards
• Her 2012 Everest expedition & how she felt about it
• Suffering for 2 months
• “seeing everyday as a success”
• Being able to separate your emotions
• 3 British Women all in their early twenties on the mountain
• Being interested in Tibet and wanting to explore the North side of Mount Everest
• How much it costs to climb Everest
• Her thoughts on reaching the top
• What she's learnt most from going on these expeditions
• What’s going to be next?!
• Top tips for resting and recovering after a big challenge?

Please find all my social media links below!

✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl 

✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/  

✩ Blog/Website - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/ 

✩ FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/  

✩ TRIBE  - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ToughGirlTribe/ 

✩ Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com  

✩ Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/   

✩ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h 

✩ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaIVCwNIUk6qE5MnewKDCrQ 

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If you have questions about me, the podcast, what I’m doing… then please check out my website

If you want to do more to help increase the amount of female role models in the media, please, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode.

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review and share the podcast with your friends, to spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

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If you have questions regarding the Marathon des Sables - Please read  - Tough Girl Sahara Challenge 

If you have questions regarding climbing Kilimanjaro - Please read - Kilimanjaro Tips for The Top

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Want to do more?

Become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund my mission

If you want to support my mission - you can also donate via PayPal 

On the 3rd June I started my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, 2,190 miles in 100 days.  This was a dream I had last year, and if you've been following my daily podcast you'll know the challenges I've faced to get to the start line. 

During this podcast I’m being interviewed by my awesome sister, Caroline Wellingham. We discuss in detail the challenge, what it was like every day, how I dealt with the high points & low points, what I loved, what I learned and why I won’t be doing the trail again!

Show notes

• Starting at the beginning  - why did I want to walk the Appalachian Trail?
• Learn more about my preparation 
• How I was feeling at the start
• Day 1 of the trail - 3rd June
• Getting into routines
• How I coped physically at the start
• Key milestones
• The kindness of strangers
• Meeting members of the Tough Girl Tribe
• Meeting Stan the Man
• Reaching the half way point at Harpers Ferry
• Dealing with the pressure of the challenge
• Emotional vlogs!
• How I kept myself motivated during the challenge
• Mantras
• Thinking about life
• A quick fire round of questions!
• Food on the trail….
• Being inspired by the women on the trail
• Crossing state lines
• Being miserable on the trail
• Sleeping at high altitude
• Embracing the suck
• Highlights from the trail
• Trail magic & animals on the trail
• Dealing with bears and snakes on the trail
• Mental preparation and training - “what if”
• One of my best decisions I’d made on the trail
• Bad decisions..
• Blister watch!
• The final week!
• Meeting Jo Jo at the finish
• Not quite believing it’s done
• Missing the trail?

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs. 

Listen to the podcast

You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud & Stitcher!

Please find all my social media links below!

✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl 

✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/  

✩ Blog/Website - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/ 

✩ FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/  

✩ TRIBE  - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ToughGirlTribe/ 

✩ Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com  

✩ Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/   

✩ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h 

✩ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaIVCwNIUk6qE5MnewKDCrQ 

Caroline has spent over 10 years working in ski  patrol rescue and most recently as a SAR  (Search and Rescue) dog handler. She is passionate about ski touring and generally being outside in nature.  She enjoys sharing her professional experience with others, helping to train adults and youngsters in snow awareness so they can go out and enjoy the mountains to the full.

During this podcast we will learn more about Caroline and how her love for skiing grew and what path she choose to get to where she is now, from training over in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia, to following a man to France where she is now based, and doing what she loves. 

Caroline talks about her passion for the mountains, and what her role is like on a day to day basis, as well as the emotional toll working search and rescue can have. Caroline is also working on getting the message out regarding health and safety on the mountains and provides tips and advice to help you when you’re over there. 

Show notes

• Being based in the Pyrenees
• Her job titles
• Her dog Fjord
• How she got to France
• Spending time in an Australian Ski Resort
• Having to get re-qualified in France
• Learning to ski when she was 10 years old
• Her love of skiing
• Going to study Germany and being a freestyle skier
• Breaking her leg in Austria and not being put off
• Working in Austria as a ski instructor
• Dealing with her fear of going skiing again
• What she loves about skiing
• Why she wanted to become part of the ski rescue team
• What it’s like on a day to day basis
• Being trained in snow observations
• Bombing the slopes
• Dealign with avalanches
• Being caught in an avalanche
• Working with her dog Fjord
• Why she decided to call her do Fjord
• What they will do, if there is an avalanche 
• How she stayed focused while working in high stress situations
• Dealing with the emotions both positive and negative and why sometimes you need to take a step back
• Her pet hates on the mountains
• Advice and tips for the mountains
• Why it’s important to know your own level
• Follow your gut instinct
• Working in a male dominated environment
• Why she is moving into the educational side 
• Teaching children safety in the mountains
• How she has developed her own mental resilience
• Taking her ski test
• What she has leant over the past 10 years being a female and a foreigner 
• French men…

Social Media 

Website - www.fjordsar.weebly.com

Twitter - @FjordSar 

Twitter - @Caroline64SAR

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs. 

At 35, Sam Taylor struggled to leave the sofa in the evenings and prioritised a wine over a walk. Working full time and running around after three children, she was facing a sedentary future. And then she decided to try something different.

One hundred different things in a year, in fact. 

As a self-confessed gymphobe, with a fear of heights and a questionable pelvic floor, she experienced challenges within challenges as she set about trying 100 different sports and fitness classes in a year. Her quest took her over 10,000 miles, as she tried everything from American Football to Archery and Boxing to Underwater hockey. She faced Olympic hopefuls, World Champions, European Champions and participated with people from 8 to 80, in all shapes and sizes.

During this podcast we learn more about her story, the challenges she faced, what she leant about sport, herself and others. 

This episode will encourage you to get out there and to try new things!

Show notes

• Who Sam it
• How the idea came about 
• Being into hockey and what community sports can do for you
• Coming from a sporty background
• Growing the junior section of her hockey club
• Why sports are so good for you
• Her family 
• How she got back into sports after having children
• Getting the t-shirt and not thinking about the practicalities
• Coming up to her 36th birthday
• Telling people, putting it out on twitter and making yourself accountable to other people
• Being determined and not giving herself time to think
• Compiling the list of sporting activities
• Doing the things she was scared of
• Writing a blog about her experiences
• Her first challenge
• Which challenges pushed her outside of her comfort zone
• The challenge she had the most difficulty with 
• Why heights were an issue
• Getting injured playing croquet
• The challenges that were the most fun!
• Trampolining as a mother of three…. an extreme sport!!
• Life savings with the little nippers
• Challenge 66 and why she didn’t care what people thought anymore
• Hating the gym and feeling terrified 
• Being intimidated by the instructors and how she became friends with many of them
• How what she has leaned has impacted on her life
• The dark side of the challenge
• Getting to the end of the challenge
• Getting her back fixed
• Feeling emotional at the last channel - wake boarding
• Taking up squash and playing golf
• Her book
• The work she is doing in primary schools to help children
• HerMoJo
• Advice for women who want to get back to health and fitness

Social Media

Twitter - @SofaDodgerUK 

Website - http://www.hermojo.co.uk

HerMojo

HerMojo is a joint initiative between two of the leading UK activity finders ( SofaDodger and ACTIVEMapX ). Our focus is identifying #FemaleFriendly locations where women can get ACTIVE together. HerMojo is the largest UK activity finder and the only one in the world focusing on getting more women, more ACTIVE.

Buy her book!

Show notes

• Starting running 2 and half years ago
• A mid life crisis?
• How she came to be a runner
• Hearing about Project Awesome!
• Being persuaded to give it a go!
• Showing up and giving it ago
• Her running journey 
• Making running part of her life, by running to work (9 miles)
• Saving money by running
• Not being a fast runner
• Running a marathon tomorrow with 3 weeks training
• Why it’s easier than you think it is
• Running home from Rome - where the idea came from
• Reading a book by Andrew P. Sykes and being inspired by the route
• Not having the belief that she could do it
• Letting the idea grow
• Why not do it all!!
• Being inspired by Anna McNuff!
• Wanting to feel popular at the end
• Why long distance running is mental
• Her mental preparation for her run
• Taking an accidental lift
• Her main struggle in France
• The mental difficulty with having no mental stimulation
• What she learnt from the experience
• Why you don't know who you’ll be in the future
• Why going to Project Awesome changed her
• Her highlight from running home from Rome
• Her life plan…
• Why she decided to stop flaffing and plans to move to Italy
• Her final words of advice and tips for you
• Just do it!
• Where she blogs:- Love Her Wild, Etch Rock, Huffington Post

Blog/Website

www.lazylauramaisey.wordpress.com

New- twitter handle!!- @Maisey24

My Links!

✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl

✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/ 

✩ Blog/Website - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/ 

✩ FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/ 

✩ TRIBE  - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ToughGirlTribe/

✩ Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com 

✩ Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/ 

✩ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h

Tough Girl Podcast

You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud & Stitcher!

Professionally; Catherine has worked on the beaches of Costa Rica protecting leatherback sea turtles and their nests, and as a jungle guide in the Corcovado rainforest… She held the position of Forest Operations manager for Operation Wallacea, running jungle training courses, and organising logistics for extremely remote scientific biodiversity studies in the forests, mountains and coral islands of Buton, Kabaena, and Wakatobi national park, South East Sulawesi, Indonesia... 

She has trekked for 700km down the ephemeral rivers of Namibia, tracking, (and being charged by), desert elephants, whilst leading groups of 17-25 year olds... 

She’s built harpy eagle hack boxes in the jungles of Belize, explored hidden sinkholes, crystal caves and Mayan ruins, performed reconnaissance trips and developed a new county project for Operation Wallacea in the cloud forests of Honduras, Central America... 

Most recently, she led The Matriarch Adventure, an all-women expedition to Namibia to track desert elephants and experience true wilderness. 

Show notes

• Being based in Kingston Upon Thames
• How Catherine would describe herself
• Growing up in London with 4 younger brothers
• Being good at school, and being misguided with careers advice
• Going to university to do humanitarians and deciding to change subject
• Following her first passion, and starting a theatre company
• Buying a one way ticket to Costa Rica!
• Being caught in a landslide
• Training to be an expedition leader
• Why she loves being in the Jungle
• Coming home after expeditions
• Her first expedition heading out to Indonesia working as a jungle trainer
• Deciding to move onto the next adventure and challenge
• Meeting her future partner and having her first daughter
• Underestimated the impact of having children
• Deciding to take her children with her on adventures
• Heading out to Thailand to work with elephants
• Training as a Dive Master
• Why she thinks the adventure world has opened up
• Why she has moved into leading expeditions for women
• The Matriarch Adventure, how it came about and what it was
• Building a website!
• Wanting to head back to Africa
• Her family trip to Everest
• Preparing the children for the trip
• What she found most challenging about Nepal
• Her plans for the future, which include heading off to the Maldives
• Taking another group of women out into the wilderness in November (The Matriarch Adventure)
• Ted Talk and a potential TV documentary
• Working with Bex Band from www.loveherwild.com
• Going on a BIG family reunion
• What coral bleaching is and what the impact is on the reef
• What’s on her bucket list
• Final words of advice and why you should go and run with your idea

Social Media

Facebook @matriarchadventure

Twitter  @cathadventure 

Website- https://www.cathadventure.com

The Matriarch Adventure - https://www.cathadventure.com/the-matriarch-adventure Next date November

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs. 

Tough Girl - Pip Hare - Professional ocean racing sailor who was part of the all female team who won the 3 Peaks Yacht Race in 2016

Pip Hare is a professional ocean racing sailor, with a wealth of experience over the past 16 years in the marine industry, clocking up over 120,000 miles across the worlds’ oceans, including the Pacific, the Atlantic and as far south as Patagonia.

With steely determination and a high ambition, Pip achieved has taken part in a major short handed Ocean Racing campaign every year since her first OSTAR in 2009.

Since this first race Pip has become the Only British Sailor to every finish the coveted international mini transat race twice as well as winning the 2010 Two Handed Round Britain and Ireland Race overall with co-skipper Phil Stubbs.

In 2016 Pip was part of Team Aperito, for the 3 Peaks Yacht Race, which was led by Elin Haf Davies – (Who has also been on the Tough Girl Podcast)– the sailors on the team were Pip and Nikki Curwen, – and the runners were TV presenter and Ultra racer Lowri Morgan and Jo Jackson.

Show notes

• Suffering from the cold
• Being based in Poole
• Racing in the Caribbean 
• Getting Pip to introduce herself
• Growing up in London before moving over to East Anglia
• Sailing from a young age, but not really enjoying it
• Developing a passion for sailing while doing her A’level
• Taking a year out after A’levels and getting her Yacht Master & sailing on tall ships
• Starting to become aware of single handed ocean racing
• Making a decision about university and telling her family
• Could she have a career in the sailing industry
• Remembering back to the first time she was out of site of land
• The big difference between being isolation and being lonely
• Dealing with a lack of confidence and not going after her dreams until she was 35
• Her first single handed ocean race from Uruguay to the UK which took 58 days
• Finding a sponsor and why she decided to try
• How to plan for sailing across the Atlantic!
• Physical fitness and how she gets herself ready for a crossing
• How sleeping works while out on the ocean, and why she has learnt how to capnap
• Training her body over the years to cope with the conditions on the ocean
• The race which stands out as the most memorable
• How to qualify for the Mini Transat 
• Taking the next step up
• Winning the 2010 Round Britain & Ireland Race
• Planning and strategy for racing 
• What she loves about ocean racing
• The Three Peaks Yacht Race  - one of the most epic endurance races the world has to offer
• How the team came together in a very short time period
• The sailing and the transitions
• Doing the Three Peaks Yacht Race in July 2017 as a pair!
• Top tips and advice for you! 

“The greatest adventure is what lies ahead”

Social Media

Website - http://www.pipoceanracing.com

Tough Girl Podcast

You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud & Stitcher!

LINKS!

✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl

✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/ 

✩ Blog/Website - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/ 

✩ FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/ 

✩ TRIBE  - https://www.facebook.com/groups/ToughGirlTribe/

✩ Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com 

✩ Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/ 

✩ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h

Suzy was the US Junior Record Holder at 1500m and won 3 National Junior Titles in High School.

Competing professionally, Suzy won seven USA National titles, set two American Records, was a three-time Olympian, ran her specialty 1500m under 4:00 five times and at the time was the second fastest American Woman in history. In 2000, Suzy was the fastest woman in the world, but came last in her race at the Sydney Olympics.

Triggered by feelings of inadequacy, Suzy slipped further into darkness and was eventually misdiagnosed with depression. The prescribed drug made her high, too high in fact, and soon, she was working as an escort in Las Vegas.

Only being outed to the world and an eventual diagnosis of bipolar disorder led her to begin the slow process of recovery. Years later, she is sharing her story about her experiences with bipolar disorder as well as her struggles with life during and after running. 

Show notes

• Growing up and wanting to be perfect, the reasons behind it and what drove her to this level of perfection
• Her older brother and how his illness impacted on her life
• Finding running at 11 years old
• Dealing with the pressure from a young age
• Loving running, and when it all started to change
• Being ranked number 1 in the country 
• How she used food to help manage the pressure 
• Dealing with an eating disorder 
• When she started to think about the Olympics
• Feeling carefree while running
• Her first Olympics - 1992 Barcelona 
• Not getting the support from her coaches that she needed
• Competing against athletes who were doing drugs
• No focus on the mental side of racing while competing at the Olympics
• The highlight from her running career - making the US Olympic Team and beating her idol
• Her downfall
• Going into the 2000 Olympics after having run the fastest time in the world in Oslo
• Losing her brother to suicide before the Olympics
• The 1,500 Olympic race - What happened with 100 metres to go
• The fall out and what happened afterwards
• Falling out of love with running
• Being diagnosed at 42 years old
• Her rock bottom…
• Having her daughter in 2005
• Being given drugs for depression
• Deciding to jump out of a plane and heading to Vegas to celebrate 20 years of marriage
• The spiral into destruction and how she started to cope
• Sex was becoming her escape and dealing with hyper sexuality
• Fast Girl  - A Life Spend Running From Madness 
• Working as an escort in Vegas - Kelly
• Your power as a women
• Hiring a male escort
• The escorting world…
• What is hyper sexuality?
• Being exposed via the Smoking Gun Website and the impact it had on her life, her husband and her marriage
• The journey of how she got from where she was to where she is now
• Taking baby steps and how life is not perfect
• How she recovered thanks to her husband
• Being bi-polar and the relief that came from the diagnosis
• Being able to share her story and be an advocate for mental health
• Dealing with shame
• Running for fun now!
• Loving yoga and how it brought out all of the pain
• Her final words of advice 

Social Media

Website - http://suzyfavorhamilton.com

Twitter - @favorhamilton 

Instagram - @favourhamilton

Facebook  - @favourhamilton

Book - “Fast Girl – A Life Spent Running From Madness”

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs. 

Return to Kyrgyzstan is focused on raising awareness about the local community and a Kyrgyz man named Hayat Tarikov who is dramatically changing Kyrgyz children’s lives through skiing. It also tells the compelling story of Nayla’s own return back to Kyrgyzstan 4 years after a catastrophic accident there left her on the brink of death. She organises adventure travel trips with a focus on filming stories of interest in far corners of the world.

Nayla was born in the French Alps to an Egyptian father and French mother and has been a devout traveler for her entire life. She is an avid skier and snowboarder with a true passion for the outdoors, adventure and global travel.

 “To me snowboarding is not just an obsession, it is an insatiable craving that has lead me to discover new cultures, speak new languages, and form irreplaceable friendships.”

Show notes

• Moving out to Costa Rica for 4 months
• How Nayla would introduce herself
• Being born in France, moving to the states when she was 2 years old
• Loving to travel from a young age
• Being a student at UCLA 
• How the opportunity came about to go to Kyrgyzstan and make a film
• The type of film she wanted to make
• Getting equipment together to take
• Putting the project together in 2 months
• When the problems started…
• The accident in the middle of nowhere
• Remembering everything and being the only person not to have a head injury
• Living in slow motion
• Trying to get out of the car
• Being the only one who could get help
• Breaking her back in 3 places, breaking her sternum…
• Doing what she needed to do, to survive
• Getting help and being focused
• The danger of catching AIDS
• Managing to contact her friends 
• Being as nice as possible
• Speaking to her dad, who is a doctor
• Getting back to the States, worrying about a spinal cord injury
• Reaching Dubai and it was getting time critical
• Getting misdiagnosed in Dubai
• The recovery process…
• 2 years before she’d be able to snowboard again
• The mental recovery… how she got through it
• Why she needed to focus on the stuff that she could do
• Dealing with PTSD, having nightmares, not being able to control her thoughts
• Deciding to go back to Kyrgyzstan
• Developing a relationship with the village
• Becoming part of the story
• Travelling back with Lexie
• Having her dad join the team!
• Heading back to the village
• Being able to teach the girls!
• Working with the men
• Being in post production of the documentary 
• Feeling blocked while trying to exit the movie
• Planning her next trip back!
• Having the opportunity to go to the Arctic!
• Creating a documentary from the footage
• Wanting to start a non profit
• Following her passion to do some good
• girlgonepolar.com
• Final words of advice

Social Media

Twitter - @NaylaTawa 

Instagram - @NaylaTawa

Learn more about her return to Kyrgyzstan  www.returntokg.com 

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs. 

At just 15 years old, Naomi Kutin has already established herself in the world of powerlifting gaining her first world record at nine. While powerlifting may not seem the typical sport of choice for a young girl, Naomi has grown up with it. Naomi’s father is an accomplished powerlifter himself and now, after watching Naomi’s success, her younger brother Ari has also taken up the sport, making it a family affair.

Being an Orthodox Jew, Naomi sometimes encounters difficulties with her training and competition, as she can only eat certain foods and cannot travel or compete on Shabbat. Yet, despite these cultural barriers, Naomi has become known as arguably one of the strongest girl’s in the world and gained the nickname ‘Supergirl.’. Naomi can lift nearly three-times her weight and is a force to be reckoned with in her sport of powerlifting.

Naomi holds multiple records and gold medals from competitions. In addition to her academic and powerlifting pursuits, Naomi runs track and works weekly with special needs students. She also loves to spend time with her family and friends.

Show notes

• Being from Jersey
• How she got her nickname - “Super Girl”
• Her family - siblings and her parents
• Competing in competitions with her dad and brother
• Being active and sporty since a young age - playing soccer, basketball, track and basketball
• What she liked about powerlifting
• Her first competition - August 2010 - 8 years old… having to lift with all the men
• Dealing with stage fright before the competition
• Breaking world records and going on talk shows
• Dealing with negativity and the haters
• Breaking her first world record - at 9 years old
• Whats going on inside her head when she goes to do a lift
• Why she tries to keep her mind empty
• Using visualisation before the competitions
• Not getting the lifts and finding it difficult to handle
• What a typical training week looks like
• Her nutrition… being vegetarian and eating Kosher
• The documentary and how it came about
• What should have taken 6 months took 3 years 
• Filming her from 11 to 14
• Seeing the movie for the first time
• What her friends think about it all
• Her role models
• The biggest challenges she’s had to face in life
• How her religion impacts on powerlifting
• Dealing with injury while powerlifting and the recovery from that
• The olympics?
• Her plans for the next few years?
• Why it’s not all about the records?
• Where does she get her drive from?
• Final words of advice and why you should lift!

Social Media

Movie Website 

Facebook @SuperGirlNaomi

Instagram  - @Naomi.supergirl

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs. 

Tina Muir is a 2:36 marathoner and Great Britain runner who recently shocked the running world by taking a hiatus to focus on starting a family and overcoming amenorrhea.

Tina created the Running for Real Community to foster a healthy mindset around running. This is a space where runners can explore, embrace, and get better from setbacks through inspiring podcasts, videos, and blog posts, and most importantly, sharing thoughts and experiences.

Behind every personal best, there are plenty of personal not-so-bests, from beating ourselves up about just-missed PRs to the injury blues to embarrassing falls.

Running can really hurt, but we don’t have to go through it alone. 

Show notes

• Moving over to America at 18 in 2007
• Meeting her husband in the States
• Running when she was younger
• Doing cross country at school and hiding in the toilets
• Making the school team and coming 4th in a competition 
• Deciding she wanted to win
• Joining a running club
• Being coached by Brad Plummer in the UK
• Deciding to leave her family and friends to go to America, but knowing it was the right thing to do
• How training in America is very different to training in the UK
• Loving the routine and living the running lifestyle 
• Running 7 days a week 
• quantity verses quality in running
• Training for different race distances from 800m to 10K on the track
• Learning how to run on tired training
• Loving the 5k race distance
• Being emotionally drained while running
• Where she gets her drive and determination from
• Wanting to wear the GB Vest
• How to qualify for the GB Team and the stress behind trying to qualify
• Achieving her lifetime goals of representing Great Britain 
• Running 2.36 mins 
• Running by feel and not looking at her watch 
• Trying to break the 2.40 barrier 
• Her favourite part of London Marathon - crossing Tower Bridge
• Time to Say Goodbye: When You Have Grown Apart From What You Love the Most
• Falling out of love with running
• Not having a period for 9 years
• Her identity and how it was/is tied into being a runner
• Talking to her husband about her decision and having to make her own decision 
• Speaking to doctors and experts about her period and not being able to get an answer 
• Book - No Period Now What
• Telling the world and being honest with the world
• Her plan for the future
• Freedom to decide what she wants to do and looking for joy
• Deciding to start a podcast and the reasons behind it - Live from April 14th
• The Running for Real Community
• It’s not about comparison - it’s about you!
• Being real about running!

Social Media

Facebook Running for Real

Twitter @tinamuir

Instagram @tinamuir88

Blog TinaMuir.com

Book - No period - Now what 

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

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Achievements

2013 - Ladies British National Champion at Double Ironman!

2015 - RAAM - 12 days 9 hours and 12 mins to become the first British Women to do so and the 37th women ever! 

Show notes

• Growing up on a farm and not being sporty or outdoorsy, but getting use to cycling as she had to cycle everywhere
• Taking up football when she went to university
• Moving to London and trying to fit in health and fitness at the same time
• Jumping straight into triathlon from football
• Liking to challenge herself
• What she liked about triathlon
• The Double Ironman! With ENDUROMAN
• Times for Ironman
• Becoming the Ladies’ British National Champion in 2013
• Dealing with sleep deprivation 
• The finish of Enduroman and why it’s special
• The 24 hour time trail and not realising the significance of the event
• Why she would never do it again
• Qualifying for RAAM - Race Across America
• Why her strength is endurance and not speed
• Her mental strength to just keep on going
• Growing up knowing there was nothing she couldn’t do and why she doesn’t believe in “can’t”
• Being inspired by her dad
• Still dealing with doubts
• RAAM - 2014 - time trail - Racing from the West coast to the East coast of America
• The worlds toughest supported cycle race
• 3,000 miles in 12 days and 21 hours for women  - 232 mile a day for women
• Preparing herself for RAAM and why only 5% of the race is to do with cycling 
• Sleeping less than 2 hours a day for 12 days
• Falling asleep on her bike, coming off her bike and breaking her collar bone 
• What she learned from the 2014 race and how she applied it to her 2015 race
• Preparing for the trans continental race in Europe for 2017
• Being able to emotionally detach while cycling
• Listening to music, podcasts and listening to audio books (The millennium Trilogy)
• Being inspired by stories from climbing mountains 
• Swimming from the UK to the US!! (The 3k Virgin Island swim)
• Loving running when she should be cycling
• Running in Cyprus and why she loves trail running
• Liking sleep and going for 8 hours a night
• Feeling drained, which she think is linked to her diet
• Making the change from vegetarian to vegan 
• Her final words of advice and why you should go an crew for someone doing a challenge
• Being Crew Chief for Jasminjn Muller LEJOG attempt
• How she met Jasmijn!

Social Media

Twitter - @shupillinger 

Website - http://shupillinger.info 

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs. 

Despite roots in one of India’s most conservative rural Haryana state notorious for its skewed sex ratio in favour of boys, Nungshi and Tashi Malik, by 23 years old had achieved several global gender iconic milestones. 

They are the world’s first siblings and twins as well as youngest persons and the first South Asians to complete the ‘Adventurers Grand Slam’ (scaling highest peaks in all continents including Everest, and skiing to North and South Poles). Guinness World Records has already featured them for several of these including ‘first female twins to scale Everest, first twins and siblings to scale the Seven Summits and youngest person to complete Explorers Grand Slam’.

Popularly known as ‘Everest twins’, Nungshi and Tashi dedicated their adventure mission to Indian girl child with the motto ‘Gender Equality Now: Fight Female Feticide’. They use their climbing as metaphor for the ‘invisible’ mountains of gender discrimination, exclusion and denial of basic rights that millions of girls in India have to climb daily.

Last year they started ‘NungshiTashi Foundation’ with the twin objectives of promoting Outdoors Leadership and girl empowerment through Outdoors.

World Records

•First female twins to scale Mt Everest (Climbed at 21 years of age)

•First siblings & twins to climb ‘Seven Summits’ (highest peaks in all continents)

•First siblings & twins to complete Adventurers Grand Slam & the Three Pole Challenge

•Youngest persons ever to complete Adventurers Grand Slam & the Three Pole Challenge

•First twins to reach South Pole on Skis (last degree)

•First twins to reach North Pole on Skis, (last degree)

National/Regional Records

•First South Asians to complete Adventurers Grand Slam & the Three Pole Challenge

•Youngest and Fastest South Asians to complete Adventurers Grand Slam & the Three Pole Challenge (two years and a month)

•Youngest South Asians to scale the ‘Seven Summits’

•First Indian women to climb all ‘Seven Summits’ in first attempt (overall 2nd Indian women and third Indians)

•Youngest and fastest South Asians to reach North & South Pole on Skis (completed in less than 4 months)

Show notes

• Where they are based at the moment
• Where they were brought up
• Travelling a lot when they were younger, 
• Growing up as girls in India
• Being trend setters and where it came from
• How their mum helped to support them with their goals
• Their 3rd sister
• Dealing with fears and what drove them
• Not understanding the desire to fit in within the group
• Why they wanted to be the best version of themselves
• Where the love for the outdoors came from
• Developing leadership attributes and self awareness through mountaineering
• When mountaineering turned into a passion
• Planning and climbing their first 19,000 ft mountain
• Who first mentioned Everest and why it was a calling from the mountain
• How they made their dream a reality
• Why to achieve your goals it comes down to commitment
• The struggles to achieve their goal over 4.5 years
• Getting the go ahead from their mum!
• Being labelled as fragile!
• The challenges and struggles they faced to achieve their Everest dream
• Funding the challenge
• How they trained to get in the best physical condition possible before the challenge
• The historic moment on the summit
• The journey back to basecamp 
• Deciding to do the 7 summits!
• Getting home and taking the time to celebrate
• Dealing with the adventure blues..
• Losing friends in the mountains
• mission2for7
• Completing the explorers grand slam at 23 years old
• What they’ve learned from doing these challenges
• Why exploration has become a spiritual journey 
• Why they strike a steel plate on the summit of every mountain
• Nungshi and Tashi Foundation which aims to empower girls
• Heading to study in New Zealand
• Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you

“With passion and commitment, miracles do happen”

Other Everest Episodes you can listen to on the Tough Girl Podcast

• Cathy O’Dowd
• Masha Gordon
• Squash Falconer
• Jo Bradshaw
• Tori James

Social Media

Website - http://nungshitashi.org

Facebook 

Instagram @twinclimbers

Twitter - @NungshiTashi

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs. 

Guin was introduced to rowing by her sister at 19 whilst at Southampton University. In her early years Guin excelled in a variety of school sports, playing county hockey and athletics.

During this podcast we learn more about the set backs that Guin faced trying to follower her dream, from being told she would never make it as a rower, to being so broke she was sleeping on changing room floors.

This is a story of courage and conviction and how by work hard, using everything you have you can achieve your goals.

Guin provides lots of top tips to help you face your own challenges, and also shares more knowledge on how you can take up rowing and maybe one day row an ocean!

Show notes

• When she started rowing
• Loving sport at school and how she learnt the rules of life through sport
• Rowing in the novice pot and taking 3 years to win it
• What she loved about rowing
• Growing up in West Africa and going to boarding school when she was 9
• Being expelled from school at 11
• Deciding she wanted to go to the Olympics
• Making the GB Team
• Having to work hard at her technique
• Not making the team and being told she was too small and that she would never be an international rower
• Being ranked 8th in the world in the single scull
• 5’7 tall
• Having no money and not being able to afford to go to her first World Championships
• Sleeping on floors and trying to cut her outgoings
• How she get’s over disappointment
• Her first World Championships rowing in the single scull
• The challenges she has faced throughout her international rowing career
• Dealing with injury before the 2000 Olympics
• The 2000 Olympics, the challenges, the race, the day, the experience
• Having to change the crew 5 weeks before the race
• Being coached by Mike Spracklen
• Having a race off for the last place in the boat
• Team makers & Drivers
• Dealing with the pressure when the world is watching you
• Being able to turn on the raw emotion at the right time
• 4 cms…..
• What it was like afterwards
• Getting back into rowing and stroked the women 8 at the World Championships
• Struggling with overtraining
• Deciding to retire from rowing at 34
• Deciding to row the English Channel
• Waiting 4 months for the right weather to row the channel
• The start of her expedition career
• Not letting people erode your belief
• Surround yourself with people who believe in you 
• The Youth Sport Trust 
• Turning the BIG 50!
• Her rowing plan for the summer - Outrigger Canoeing…
• Advice if you want to get into rowing 

Social Media

Twitter @guinbatten

Feeling inspired week after week? 

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love. 

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs.