Erin Bastian is a sea kayak explorer like no other. Adventure is her life. She’s embarked on many expeditions, trying to achieve the impossible and as a result is continually having to raise the bar.
From an early age Erin was drawn to exploring the dramatic coastlines around her hometown, Cornwall, where she was able to connect with nature and gain a unique perspective of the cliffs. At the age of 15, Erin started working in the outdoor industry and has since become a qualified Sea Kayak Coach, which has allowed her to work during the summer season and organise epic adventures in the off-season to the likes of Patagonia, Peru, Nepal, Norway, Tanzania, Mexico and Sardinia.
One of Erin’s latest expeditions was to Patagonia where she and two others embarked on a 33-day self supported kayaking adventure. Paddling through the wilds of this remote region they dealt with extreme weather, discovered glaciers, fought against strong tidal currents and navigated through a maze of canals. During this episode we learn more about Erin, and the extraordinary challenges’ she’s embarked on!
Show notes
- Growing up in Cornwall by the sea
- Taking advantage or the opportunities available to her
- Finding her passion at a young age
- Feeling powerful playing sports
- How Erin progressed on her journey and how work experienced helped her to take the next steps
- Leaving school and trying to decide what was going to be next
- Her first big solo challenge!
- Why she picked Sardinia - a massive 850
- Dealing with the biggest storm in 30 years!
- Planner or not a planner?
- Only doing 750km and why she felt like a failure and why it was the making of her
- What Erin has learned from her first expedition that she’s been able to apply to her own life and future expeditions
- Heading to Patagonia and taking it to the next level - why she went for bigger and better!
- Learning more about the journey! The start and being dropped off in the middle of nowhere!
- Being committed to the 800Km journey and having to step up
- Day to day living and the highlights from the journey
- The W Trek
- Adjusting back to normality after the challenge
- Her new mission and going on an expedition with girls!
- Changing peoples perceptions & #RethinkImpossible
- Her next challenge the GR20!
- Being nominated for the World Paddle Awards!
- Living in Chamonix for the Ski Season and being able to use it for training for GR20
VOTE for Erin by clicking HERE!
Don’t forget to subscribe and for more info about The Tough Girl Podcast check out www.toughgirlchallenges.com
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Of French, Swiss and Filipino descent, Christine Amour-Levar is a true citizen of the world, she grew up between Manila, Paris and Tokyo and is currently based in Singapore, where she lives with her husband and four children.
She is one of the founding partners of Women On A Mission, a non-profit organisation that combines challenging expeditionary travel to remote locations around the world with the support of humanitarian causes.
Christine recently received the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World Award that recognises Filipina women who are influencing the face of leadership in the global workplace, having reached status for outstanding work in their respective fields, and who are recognised for their leadership, achievement and contributions to society, female mentorship and legacy.
"Have the courage to define success on your own terms. Your uniqueness in your power."
Shownotes
-Christine is Introduces herself and shares more about growing up and living a very international lifestyle
-How sports have always played a part of her life; especially swimming, basketball, tennis & soccer
-Working for Nike and how sport continued to play a huge part of her life
-Trying to get the balance in her life between; work, family, fitness and having a social life
-Having a career break while having her first child and going back to school to follow a creative dream
-Moving to Singapore & setting up her own business and a non-profit - “Women on a Mission”
-Dealing with guilt and how she copes with those feelings
-Her love of trekking which started in Switzerland and how her passion grew when she was older and why she turned to the mountains for strength after her divorce
-Why she keeps going back to the Himalayas and why Nepal holds a special place for her
-More about Valerie Boffin, Women for Women International and how that let to her becoming a founding partner of “Women on a Mission”
-Their first trek to Everest Base Camp & getting to stay the night at base camp
-Trekking to Siberia to experience what daily life is like for the nomadic Nenets reindeer herders
-Dealing with the difference in extreme temperatures - going from 30 degrees to - 40!
-What she learned most from this experience
-What’s next for Women on a Mission
-Writing her book - The Smart Girl’s Handbook to Being Mummylicious,
Website - Links
http://www.christineamourlevar.com
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! x
This week we’re going back to catch up with Amy to see what’s she’s been up to since we last spoke in August 2015! Which is a lot!
Amy is a massive runner and her passionate has always been to inspire other people. Her latest challenge has been the biggest and hardest challenge she’s ever take on, dealing with blisters, tiredness, and exhaustion. We talk to Amy about her determination, her stubbornness and achieving a NEW Gluiness World Record!
Amy has also been travelling to Ecuador to film a new TV show called “On the Run” and we discuss the next challenge she’d like to take on, which would be another world first!
Show notes
-Catching up with Amy Hughes (53 Marathons in 53 Days Raising £53,000!)
-How Amy came up with her next challenge
-Why saying her challenge out loud and making her challenge public helped her to achieve it
-Coping with the pressure of the challenge
-Why Amy kept her planning simple and why I’m the opposite!
-Why different things work for different people
-Being in the middle of the Trafford Centre feeling like she was in a goldfish bowl
-Seeing Amy on the treadmill in the Trafford Centre
-Being a zombie!
-Going back to Day 1 - still feeling fresh and feeling relief at starting
-Getting 3 hrs behind on the first day and having to play catch up for the rest of the week
-Breaking down on Day 2 after 20 hours of running
-Dealing with the lows throughout the challenge
-Keeping track of the miles
-Mental games and tricks to keep going through the pain and tiredness - Plus her motivational mantra!
“I am Fearless, I am Strong, Don’t Stop”
-Why she had to keep on upping her running game
-Sleeping for 2/3 hours per day and spending the rest of the time running
-Moments from the challenge that stand out - for good and bad reasons!
-Blasting out really fast 5Ks towards the end
-The final 12K to do, and knowing it was possible to break the record
-Celebrations!
-How her feet coped….
-Heading to Ecuador to film “On the Run”
-What’s going to be the next challenge?!
-Any ideas for Amy?! Get in contact on twitter @AmyHughes53 or visit her website
Learn more - visit - www.toughgirlchallenges.com
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
LINKS!
- Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/
- Blog/Website - www.toughgirlchallenges.com/
- FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/
- Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com
- Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/
- Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h
The Marathon des Sables (MDS) is known as the toughest footrace on earth, where competitors carry everything required to survive on their back for the week, except the water they collect en route and tent they share with seven strangers. Temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).
Selina run over 2,000 miles in training and added a further two official marathons to her total of nine. She'd never run an ultra-marathon before so the fourth day, which is typically over 90KM long, was both a mental and physical challenge!
Selina ran the race to raise money for Women for Women International, which provides life, business and vocational skills to women in countries affected by conflict.
Women and girls suffer disproportionately from high rates of rape, violence and extreme poverty during times of conflict. In modern war, it is shocking that it is more dangerous to be a woman than it is a soldier.
Women for Women International is making a difference in these women's lives, by empowering them with skills which can turn their despair to hope, and engaging men as allies by teaching them about issues which negatively impact women.
Shownotes
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Learning more about Selina her background and why she say’s she’s not a sporty person
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How she got into running at age 30
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Running the London Marathon followed by the Paris Marathon two weeks later
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Raising money for charity and why her charitable focus has started to lean more towards women’s charities
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How reading “Half the Sky” made her think more about her own life
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The Marathon des Sables - why she decided to pick this as a challenge!
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How much time she gave herself to prepare
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Being scared of applying for the race and what changed her mind
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Thinking she’d missed her opportunity
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How she went about preparing for MDS
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Picking Rory Coleman as her trainer & his top 3 pieces of advice
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How she managed to fit her training in and why discipline was important
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What her training week looked like
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Why you should give yourself permission to do something for you every day
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Getting the children involved!
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Her fears before the race
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The power of belief
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Her secret dream of getting in the top 10 women
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Her race strategy and why she kept it simple
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Her mantra - “Run if you can, walk if you need to”
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Dealing with the low points during the race and how the power of positive thinking pushed her through
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Feet!!
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Her highlight from MDS
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Would she race it again?
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What she learned most from doing the MDS
Charities - Women for Women International (WfWI) & Aidha
Jill changed the direction of her life when she decided to move to Alaska to follow her heart. After have her heart broken she recovered while riding in the 2009 Tour Divide — a 2,745-mile mountain bike race along the Continental Divide from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico.
In 2014 Jill completed in the Freedom Challenge, a 1,400-mile mountain bike race across South Africa. Following on from that race, Jill went on to set a new women's fastest human-powered time while riding her bike across Alaska in the 2016 Iditarod Trail Invitational.
During the podcast we discuss the why, we discuss the motivation and we discuss her fears and how she still battles them everyday.
Show notes
- Getting to know Jill
- Why she moved to Alaska
- Finding out about the Iditarod trail - 350-mile winter bike race from Knik, Alaska
- 100-mile winter bike race
- What she learned while racing and how she found it empowering
- Growing up timid, being cautious and not wanting to take risk
- How she changed the direction of her life after her race
- Being more confident and more being more willing to take on bigger challenges
- The next big challenge!
- Learning how to be self reliant
- Being constantly scared and having to talk herself down and how she uses the power of mantra!
“Be Brave - Be Strong”
- The 2009 Tour Divide — a 2,745-mile mountain bike race along the Continental Divide from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico
- Dealing with a break-up, being demotivated before the start
- Dealing with bad weather, mud and facing near death experiences
- What drove her and why she had to keep on going
- Getting herself physically ready and why she took leave from her job to prepare
- Day to day life on the trail from cycling for 14 to 18 hr days, and camping at night
- Having doubts she would finish the race
- Her top tips for recovery
- Rediscovering who she was and what she was capable of
- Racing the Freedom Trail and how it came about
- Seeing what this whole running thing was about!
- Meeting a new man and the special races they’ve done together
- Why really successful people are drawn to endurance sports
- Goals for the future and taking on a 1000 mile race!
- Starting weight lifting and how its helps her in training and in the race
- Struggling with confidence and self belief and trying to understand where that comes from
- Why its ok to have fear
- Her goals and plans for the future
Learn more about Jill be visiting her blog or follow her on twitter @AlaskaJill
Corey is an American living the expat lifestyle in London. She started blogging in 2011 “Learning Patience” and has documented her adventures in cooking, running, traveling, and all things expat.
I’ll also be giving an update about the Tough Girl Tribe and what’s in store for 2017!
Show notes
- Struggling to deal with patience
- Learning a little more about Corey
- Dealing with a foot injury
- Being diagnosed as a diabetic
- Differences between the types of diabetics
- Growing up and hating running
- How running has changed her life
- Starting with virtual races and moving onto trail marathons to relay races
- Being diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes and how it impacted on her life
- Why her goal was to just get running again
- Trying to learn patience!
- Recovery from injury and not taking no for an answer
- Dealing with the worst year of her life and why she tries to be as positive as she can
- Top tips for patience
- How meeting her husband taught her about positivity and why she only hangs out with positive people
- Her plans for the future
- Getting into climbing and heading over to Austria!
- Travelling
- Final words of advice and why you should soak up all the happiness you can
Learn more about Corey by visiting her website and following her on twitter @CoreyLearn
To see more episodes of the tough girl podcast check out - www.toughgirlchallenges.com
Cathy grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, as a child she was not sporty and labelled herself as an academic. As a shy person, she embraced rock climbing at university and during this podcast we learn more about Cathy, her drive, and how she went onto become the fist women to climb Mount Everest from both sides.
Show notes
- What it was like growing up in South Africa
- Being terrible at sport at young age and labelling herself as “academic & square”
- Why she loved rock climbing and how her passion progressed
- As an introvert and shy girl growing up, rock climbing allowed her to develop her social skills while also using her mind to solve climbing problems
- How she ended up getting on the South African Team to go and climb Everest & why it was never a goal for her
- Being inspired by Arlene Blum - Annapurna: A Woman's Place
- Trying to find the opportunity to climb big mountains!
- What she learnt whilst being on and around Mount Everest
- Knowing she was going to make it to the top and the boost it gave to her confidence
- Why she has always been careful on the mountains and why you can be to careful
- What she learnt about failure from the expedition
- Dealing with the negative media coverage and coming home to people who had opinions about her and every decision she made while on the mountain
- Finding the opportunity in the mess
- Being more prepared to try things
- Being process driven, rather than goal driven
- Attempting a new route on one of the world’s top 10 mountains – the Mazeno Ridge on Nanga Parbat
- The different challenges and adventures that have impacted her the most
- Dealing with risk - in high stress environments and how’s she applied what she’s learned in the mountains to every day life
- Why she likes to try new things! From skiing down 6,000 metre peaks, to dog sledding in the Arctic!
- Waiting for the stars to align & having patience!
- Shout out to Alistair Humphrys and his Micro Adventures
- Money, finding the right partners & serendipity!
- Why she thinks of life like a journey
- Her next challenge!
Visit her website!
Cathy is on twitter @CathyODowd - I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
Here is a raw and unedited interview I did with Ali, where we discuss some of the big challenges I’ve faced in my life, from deciding to leave my job, coping with summit night on Mount Kilimanjaro, to training for and running the Marathon des Sables this April.
Ali will also be writing a blog post about our interview and this will be available on www.ithinksport.com.
Helping to raise awareness for Women’s Sport Week - organised by Women in Sport. #WSW2016
Show notes
- Discussing the challenges of writing a book!
- More about me, my background and how I ended up leaving my job
- Why I decided to leave my job
- Having to deal with change
- Why I felt so lost when I didn’t have a job
- How I decided on what I wanted to do next
- Why I needed to get away from friends and family to help me decide what I wanted to do next
- Coming up with Tough Girl Challenge and what it’s goal is
- Where my mental strength comes from
- Summit night on Kilimanjaro
- Why you have a choice over your attitude
- The power of “self-talk” - "you can either be your own best coach, or your own worst enemy"
- How the Marathon des Sables came about
- The responses of friends and family when I told them about the race.
- Why you have to be careful of who you spend time with
- Dealing with fear before the race
- How I took training to an extreme level
- Thinking I was mentally weak!
- Being told by a Doctor that I couldn’t do the MDS in 2015
- What I learned from all the negative experiences
- Building my physical strength and mental strength up
- Trying to get balance in training
- The power of visualisation, and why I always thought about crossing the finish line
- Creating my own certificate of achievement!
- Being overwhelmed by trying to pack everything
- Trying to stay calm and why yoga helped me
- Dealing with the long stage during the marathon. Running 52 miles in a day.
- The benefits of breaking down challenges into smaller chunks
- Why the final stretch on the long day was so, so hard!
- Why I thought I could keep on going
- Coping with pain
- The final day, and just being over the whole race
- Why gratitude can play an important part of mental strength
- Seeing the finish line and how I was feeling!
- The anti climax of finishing the race
- Why it was all about the journey and what I learned along on the way
- Crying at Euston Train Station
- What’s next for me and why I struggle when I don’t have a goal
- Stepping into the boxing ring
- Why you have to know your reason
Learn more about ithinksport.com
Learn more about - Women’s Sport Week
Follow along on twitter #WSW2016
Kat is originally from Melbourne, she spent 7 years living in Tokyo before moving to London. After a knee operation she was forced to forget about running and sports and walking was the only activity she could do. So far her quest has taken her all over the world, on epic walks, from the Camino’s, the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, as well as numerous short walks in the UK. Most recently she has completed the Pacific Crest Trail which stretches from Mexico to Canada!
During the podcast Kat shares her story, she shares top tips and advice and why she believes anyone can get out there and go for a walk!
Show notes
- Kat introduces herself and shares more of her story
- Moving from Melbourne, to Japan, to Toronto to London
- Why she became a walker
- What is was like making the decision to move to Japan
- Falling in love with Japan and living there for 7 years!
- Climbing Mount Fuji and why she did it every year
- The meaning of “Henro"
- Deciding to quit her job in 2013 and head off to do the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage
- Dealing with typhoons, snakes & centipedes
- The reason she started her blog - Following the Arrows
- Why you don’t need to speak Japanese to do the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage
- The enlightenment, prayers and ritual you could choose to follow at each temple
- Doing it on a budget
- The highlights and the challenges she faced
- Getting to the final temple number 88 and the final challenge she had to overcome
- The Camino Route and why it’s such a special pilgrimage
- Walking the PCT - Pacific Crest Trail in 2015
- How it came about and how she had to face her fears
- Doing the research and getting mentally prepared
- Dealing with injury just months before the PCT
- Advice and tips for planning and preparation
- Getting through the low points while on the PCT
- How she copes when she finishes a challenge
- Why her trail name was, “Hummingbird”
- What future walks she would like to do
- Words of advice for wannabe walkers
Read more on Kat’s Blog - Following the Arrows
Check out www.toughgirlchallenges.com for more info!
Emily shares more of her remarkable story of how she first entered the world of cycling and how it changed her, how she grew to love it and how it took her on adventures all over the world.
Emily is a master story teller, and during this podcast we get to go with her, to experience the highlights and learn from her mistakes along the way. This is a very open and revealing interview, Emily talks about depression, dealing with failure and why she’s so passionate about encouraging more women to enter the world of cycling.
Shownotes
- Emily introduces herself and shares a little more about who she is
- Why she ends up talking about danger a lot!
- Why she found cycling in London empowering
- Becoming a cycle courier and what it was like
- Learning on the job and why she wanted to do a winter on the bike so she could call herself a proper ‘cycle courier’
- Deciding she wanted to do a bigger cycling challenge & being inspired by Alastair Humphreys
- Realising she could take on a bigger trip and having the courage to do so
- What she learnt most while planning her round the world trip and why next time she wouldn’t plan as much
- Remembering the day she set off and what she was feeling
- The highlights!
- Surviving the Turkish winter and why she remembers it as one of the best times of her life!
- Why she’s still trying to work out what drives her and motivates her
- How she knew it was right to finish the cycle and head home at the end of Asia and not continue
- Dealing with the adventure blues and being clinically depressed for a year
- Postponing the rest of her cycle until 2015 and why it was hard to give up on the dream but why she knows it was the best thing for her
- Going back to being a cycle courier and why it helped her recovery
- In 2014 - Turning her blog into a book!
- Setting off from Anchorage on the 2nd January 2015
- Dealing with fear while heading off into the great unknown
- The magical encounters that happened on the way
- Camping at -40!
- Dealing with the loneliness & isolation
- What she’s learnt about herself while on these trips
- What the Transcontinental Race across Europe is and why she wanted to cycle it
- Becoming obsessed with sleep - but not allowing herself to sleep…dealing with chest pains and ending up in hospital
- Winning the women category in the Transcontinental Race 2016!!
- What can we do to encourage more women to enter long distance cycling races?
- The Adventure Syndicate - What its aims our and why it was started
- Emily’s next challenge!
Visit Emily’s website!
Say hi to Emily on twitter! @emilychappell
Some of the amazing challenges Juliana has done…
World Cycle 2012
On July 23 2012, Juliana Buhring set out from Naples, Italy to make the first women’s world record for fastest circumnavigation by bicycle. On December 22, 2012, she re-entered Naples with a total time of 152 days including flight transfers and 144 actual days peddled.
Transcontinental Race 2013
In 2013, Juliana participated in the inaugural Transcontinental Race, the toughest unsupported race across Europe starting in London and ending in Istanbul, crossing the high cols of the Alps. Juliana was the only woman in the race, finishing in 12 days and placing 9th overall.
Trans AM Race 2014
In June 2014, Juliana raced the inaugural Trans Am Bike Race. Starting in Astoria, Oregon, and finishing in Yorktown, Virginia, the race is 4,322 miles long, with 67,000 metres of total altitude. Buhring finished the race in 20 days and 23 hours, winning first place in the women’s category & 4th place overall.
The Race Across America 2016
The Race Across America (RAAM) is one the most respected and longest running endurance sports events in the world. Racers must traverse 3000 miles across 12 states and climb over 170,000 vertical feet. This will be Juliana’s first supported ultra-cycling race and she is keen to discover how much further she can push herself within this category.
Shownotes
-Where Juliana is living at the moment and why she love Naples
-Going back to when Juliana was growing up and what life was like for her growing up in a cult
-Learning how to ride a bike at 30 and making the decision to cycle around the world
-Dealing with tragedy and the death of her soulmate and how she struggled to bounce back
-Deciding on the ultimate adventure of cycling around the world and finding out that no women had done this challenge before
-Starting to train for the challenge and deciding on which bike to use & what route to take
-Advice for listeners on how to get through the darkness and into the light
-What Juliana’s learnt about inner strength and how you can get stronger - “if you’re going through hell keep on going”
-Why you need to have a purpose and a reason to wake up in the morning.
-Her world cycle trip & what she experienced along the way and why she changed on the journey
-Running out of money, almost having to give up and what kept her on the road
-Human kindness while on the road and how the most incredible moments came after the hardest points on the way
-How cycling changed her life and why she didn't want to go back to teaching
-Being invited on the transcontinental race across Europe in 2013 and being the only women in the race!
-What’s she learnt about the “mind body connection" and how she’s applied it to endurance sports and also to her life
-Trying to find the balance in her life
-Following a ketogenic diet to reduce inflammation
-Being the only female in a very male dominated world and how she’s started to see this change
-Dealing with accusations of cheating and how she responded to it
-Advice for women who are competing with the men at all levels and why she just focuses on herself and why knowing your why is so important
-The Race Across America (RAAM) - everything you need to know and why Juliana decided to do this race
-Her next challenge - heading off to Australia to race!
-Changing her diet to fat burning and the benefits she’s had from that
-Her advice for women who may be scared or afraid of travelling alone
You can learn more about Juliana by visiting her website
Support her on Facebook
Say hi to Juliana on twitter @JulianaBuhring
Shownotes
-Where Jo is at the moment
-Getting back out to Everest in March
-Why she didn’t want what happened last year to stop her from living her life
-Reflecting back on what happened and why she found it cathartic
-Climbing two, 6,000 metre peaks before Everest
-Getting back on the mountain and feeling right at home in her tent
-Getting blessed before the climb and why its important to follow this tradition
-Learning more about the atmosphere on the mountain after the earthquake the previous year
-Why you shouldn’t be 100% reliant on your climbing sherpa the whole way
-Why you need to have experience when climbing Everest and the ability to get yourself out of problems that can happen on the mountain
-Jo summit attempt
-Dealing with feelings of frustration while on the mountain
“Choose your mood!”
“Its about attitude not altitude!”
-why you need to conserve your energy on the down days
-How Jo kept herself entertained while having to wait at camps
-Dealing with low points & wanting to walk off the mountain
-Feeling calm on the final push
-Having to deal with slower climbers in front and how she handled it
-Trying to keep awake and warm on the mountain
-Coping with her fear of heights and having to keep it together on a windy high ridge
-Why reaching the summit was a massive anti-climax
-Learning to appreciate what she’s achieved and dealing with the post trip blues
-Having more self belief in herself and what she’s learnt most about herself from climbing Everest
-Why she wants to climb more 8,000 metre peaks
-Questions from the tribe!
-Find out what’s next for Jo!
Links!
Take a listen to the first Tough Girl Podcast episode with Jo! Click here!
Check out Jo’s Blog - http://www.29029feet.co.uk
Follow Jo on twitter @29029feet & on Facebook!
Charities
Check out - Place2Be & Support4Sherpas
Events!
Come & join us at the Women In Adventure Expo in Bristol 8th October! Get your ticket before the 30th September!
In Summer 2015 Jessica did a thru-hike and hiked the full length of the Appalachian Trail all 2189.2 miles!
During this podcast Jessica shares with us, more about her journey, the highs, the low points, what she learned on the way and why she loves being outdoors!
If you’ve ever wanted to go on a long distance hike - take a listen to this episode to learn more!
Shownotes
- The Appalachian Trail
- Where the idea came from
- The steps she took to get to the start of the trail
- Telling her friends and family about her dream to hike the Appalachian Trail
- Dealing with fears
- Why you sometimes have to do things on your own
- Why she set her start date for March 29th
- Research & planning - especially around what gear to take!
- Where you can save some money on gear
- What’s it like being on the start line!
- Trying to figure out things as she went
- Getting her trail name!
- Being challenged on the trail and the hardest things she faced
- Being alone on the trail and taking the time to figure things out
- Money and the costs involved
- Having run in’s with wildlife & dealing with bears!
- Why you shouldn’t really plan your hike!
- Vlogging & blogging while on the trail
- What to do about water while walking
- What she learnt most while on the trail
- Getting to the end of the hike
- Finishing the hike, dealing with the aftermath and what her next steps were
- Going for the Triple Crown in hiking!
- More details about her book - Take A Thru-Hike: Dixie's How-To-Guide for Hiking the Appalachian Trail!
Read Jessica’s book!
Check out her blog
Follow her on twitter @HomemadeWL
Watch her videos & subscribe to her Youtube channel here!
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Myself and Emma Timmis headed off to run Hadrian’s Wall at the end of August and I wanted to share more of the story with you. So whilst I was away I thought about what the best way to do this was.
Although my interviews are very informal and relaxed they do take me a long time to edit. At the moment I don’t have the capacity to edit two full podcast episodes a week. So instead, as a compromise I thought I’d upload a raw, unedited conversation of what my previous guests have been up to since we last spoke.
So in essence…..Tough Girl Extra is an extra podcast episode that will be happening on an adhoc basic, it’s going to be released on a Thursday #ToughGirlThursday at 7am UK time.
This is a new style for me and I would love to get your feedback. Please do let me know what you think. You can either comment below, send me an e-mail (sarah@toughgirlchallenges.com) or send me a DM on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL.
I hope you enjoy!
Shownotes
- What Tough Girl Extra is!
- Catching up with Emma Timmis & what’s she's been up to since we last spoke in August 2015
- The costs of her three months Dolomites trip
- What the Australian Alpine Walking Track is and why she decided to do it
- Loneliness, hallucinating, and getting lost and seeing a side of Australia that she didn’t know existed
- Carrying half her body weight in her pack!
- Her 2 month adventure in Malawi
- Planning our Hadrian’s Wall trip & how it all came about
- Our training or lack of training for the challenge!
- Why you don’t necessarily need to do a huge amount of planning for challenges
- Having support verses doing independent challenges
- What we took! (You can also watch my packing video on Youtube)
- Deciding which way to run - East to West or West to East
- Starting at Wallsend on the west coast and why it was the best decision
- Day 1 memories!
- Camping at Robin Hood Inn for 2 nights for £5 per night!
- The tent getting flooded!!
- Day 2 challenges
- Navigation on Hadrian’s Wall Path
- Toilet talk!!
- What we forgot to take with us!
- Camping along the route or not?
- Day packs and what we carried while we ran including the spot tracker
- Answering questions from the Tribe
- Poles or no poles - that's the question!
- Emma’s next challenge!
Watch our daily vlogs from our Hadrian’s Wall adventure on youtube
Check out Emma’s Website Here
To listen to the previous episode with Emma Timmis - CLICK HERE
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
Future Events!
7th October - Tough Girl Tribe Social, Bristol
8th October - Women in Adventure Expo, Bristol
22nd - 23rd October - Yestival (I'm going to be speaking!!! Come along and say hi!)
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Jenna has competed in rollerblading events since she was 8 years old. During that time she has amassed a lifetime of awards while competing across the globe in televised and major international events. Jenna turned professional at age 12 which made her the youngest female skater in the world to ever turn pro!
Shownotes
- Growing up in a single parent family
- Getting her first pair of skates and falling in love
- Being told that skating wasn’t for girls and not being allowed in the skate park
- When her competitive career really started
- Her first competition being the only girl and getting last place
- Having the judges ignore her while she skated, all because she was a girl
- What motived her to get better and what motivated her to become a world champion skater
- Where her determination comes from and who’s inspired her on the way
- Starting to compete internationally at 11 years old and competing at the European Championships
- Bouncing back from setbacks and going back to her 2nd European Championships and winning Gold!
- Becoming a professional skater at 12 years old and breaking a world record by becoming the youngest professional skater ever!
- Why she likes proving people wrong
- Why hard work does pay off!
- Creating bigger and bigger goals and going for gold at the world championships
- The challenges she faces while being a professional, trying to study while being a professional. Dealing with setbacks as a result of injury
- Going backwards in the world ranking every year for 6 years and how the gold medal was slipping further and further away
- Losing the feeling in her arm, and then losing the feeling in her feet and face
- Being diagnosed with MS a disease of the central nervous system right before the world championships and why she almost gave up
- Standing on the podium as world champion and why it was a dream come true
- Why visualisation has played a huge role in her life as well as focusing on her mindset and being able to block out the negativity
- Why you need to just focus on what you can control -
“control the controllable"
- Dealing with fear and why you have to have believe in yourself - there is no room for any doubt
- Making the decision to retire and deciding on a new path working with young people
- What she’s learnt from her professional skating career that you’ll be able to apply to your life
- Her next big goal - Wheels Extreme - which aims to improve the lives of young people
- Why you should stick to what you are passionate about
Visit Jenna's Website!
On twitter? Come say hi to Jenna @Jenna_Downing I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Thank you for listening!!
Sarah xx
In 2010 Lowri was the sole finisher of The 6633 Ultra, which is a notoriously difficult 350 mile non-stop footraces held in the Arctic over 8 days. In doing so, she became the 6th person to cross the finish line.
As well as running, Lowri has travelled the world, seen the Titanic at the bottom of the ocean, raced in the 3 Peaks Yacht Race as well as being the Welsh Governments #YearofAdventure Ambassador!
Shownotes
- Lowri introduces herself and tells everyone a little bit more about her background
- Growing up in Wales and where she gets her stubbornness from
- How her first passion was music and she dreamt of being a classical singer
- Changing her path to becoming a TV presenter and going on to become an adventurer
- Being one of only 80 people in the world to see the wreck of the Titanic
- Being told at 18 that she would never run again, and what the impact was on the rest of her life
- Her mental strength, where it comes from and the race that pushed her to breaking point
- Why it’s important to have belief in yourself, and how to deal with insecurities
- Why she is always the most prepared person on the start line
- Why you have to be determined, why you have to work hard and why you will get to your destination in the end
- Thinking she wasn’t going to make it out of the jungle after being bitten by a swarm of hornets
“Glory is not by never falling, but in the way we rise when we do fall”
- After her body gave up while running in the jungle her mind took over and it was a spiritual moment for her which she has carried with her since
- Why she believes all women can do whatever they want
- How she prepared physically for the jungle ultra and what she learn’t over the 18 months training
- Going from running 40 miles a week to running 100 miles a week with a15kg backpack
- What she did for mental training!
- Getting the balance right while training and running such huge distances
- Being told she may need a pace maker as she has a genetic heart condition and how she’s changed her way of training
- Fitting in training with having a young family
- Why failure can make the successes so much sweeter
- Risk & fear, and how this has changed over the years with having a family
- Coping with the extreme cold when it’s -72 with the wind chill & why she would love to go back to the Arctic
- Being the sole finisher of The 6633 Ultra in 2010 which made her the 6th person in the world to finish
- Her sprint home from mile 100 & why distances are all relative and why you need to break races down into chunks
- Her next challenge and what she’d like to do in the future
- Final words of advice on why the hardest thing is having to face your fear
- Extra Bonus content at the end re the 3 Peaks Yacht Race!
Keep up to date with Lowri and her adventures by visiting her website
On twitter? Come say hi to Lowri @_LowriMorgan I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
Future Events!
27th - 31st August - Emma & Sarah - Hadrians Wall Adventure - Follow along on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram!
1st - 4th September - Base Camp Festival, Peak District
8th October - Women in Adventure Expo, Bristol
Take a listen to these related podcast episodes…
- Sarah Williams - Racing the Marathon des Sables
- Belinda Kirk - Base Camp Festival
- Sarah Outen - One of the speakers at Base Camp Festival
- Emma Timmis - My running companion for Hadrian's’ Wall
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Thank you!! xx
Shownotes
- Getting to know a little more about Richelle and why she calls herself a 30-something, normal girls who has an adventurous spirit & why she loves the outdoors
- Deciding at 21 years old to travel around South America solo & what she learnt about herself while travelling
- Her experience of the Inca Trail; the trials, the tribulations, the challenges she faced and what she learnt from the experience and why that advice still holds true for today
- Developing her mental strength
- Experiencing Machu Picchu and being surrounded by Inca history
- The reasons for signing up for Everest Base Camp and why she’s up for having experiences around the world
- Training for Everest Base Camp and how being plus sized made her anxious being the trip
- Body image and how it can impact on what you do, or don’t do
- The impact on her normal life and why it’s “screwed up her sense of normal”
- Her business - “Escaping your Comfort Zone” - How it came about and why it took her a 5,000 mile trip on a bicycle before she started it
- Why it’s not about weight loss - but rather making friends and having fun!
- Why you’re not broken and you don’t need to be fixed
- Deciding to head off to cycle 5,000 miles from Canada to Mexico!!
- Why she decided to stop comparing herself to others and why she stopped doing it and why you should to
- Getting through the tough days on the road!
- Failure and why it doesn’t exist as long as your still learning
- Future challenges & goals
Follow Escaping Your Comfort Zone on Facebook or check out their website!
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
Future Events 2016!
27th - 31st August - Emma & Sarah - Hadrians Wall Adventure
1st - 4th September - Base Camp Festival, Peak District
8th October - Women in Adventure Expo, Bristol
To be kept unto date on Tough Girl Challenges - Come and follow the Facebook page. Click here
Shownotes
- Lucy introduces herself and why she decided to join the Royal Navy as a Warfare Officer
- Her first introduction to boxing and why she loved it from the start
- Being the only female boxer on board and training with the guys
- Why women’s boxing was banned and she wasn’t allowed to compete at the Navy Championships
- Having the ban on women boxing being over-turned and her first fight for the Women’s National Finals
- Handling the negativity that comes from being a female boxer
- Remembering back to her first time of getting into the ring to fight
- Why the nerves disappear as soon as the bell goes
- Fighting at the The National Championships and what she learnt from losing
- How failure has helped her in her career
- Understanding more about weight categories and why it does matter
- Getting female boxers into the olympics and how it happened in London 2012
- Having to retire from the GB Squad and why the Olympics was bitter sweet
- Deciding on which weight category to go for and how she made the decision
- The impact on her life and how she continued to train to be on the GB squad
- Retiring from boxing and why she had to listen to her body
- Looking back over the past few years and what she learnt from that time period
- Advice for women about boxing and why you should go for it!
- The women boxers at Rio and the rumours about the weight category changing for Tokyo 2020
- Starting a boxing club - Poseidon
Lucy’s Blog - https://punchingthrough.com
Come and say hi to me on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
Future Events!
20th August - Tough Girl Tribe Trip to Snowdonia
27th - 31st August - Emma & Sarah - Hadrians Wall Adventure
1st - 4th September - Base Camp Festival, Peak District
Take a listen to these related podcast episodes…
- Stacey Copeland (British Boxer 2015 Nations Cup Gold Medallist)
- Lois Pryce (Adventure Travel Film Festival)
- Belinda Kirk (Base Camp Festival)
- Sarah Outen (One of the speakers at Base Camp Festival)
- Emma Timmis (My running companion for Hadrian's’ Wall)
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Visit www.toughgirlchallenges.com for more information!
Maggie was always in trouble before she found rugby at age 14. During this podcast we learn more about Maggie, her rugby career and how playing rugby gave her a new found confidence and changed the direction of her life.
Maggie retired in 2014 after winning the Rugby World Cup, before that she’d represented her country an impressive 74 times! Scored 28 tries, and helped England win a record breaking 7 consecutive Six Nations crowns. Maggie is an ambassador for the “Spirit of Rugby” program as well as being a regular commentator on live rugby matches for Sky Sports & the BBC.
Shownotes
-An update on what’s been happening in women rugby over in Rio
-Why Maggie is visiting my home town….Liverpool as an ambassador for Spirit of Rugby
-How Maggie first got into rugby and what’s it like being in the field and dealing with the big tackles
-How rugby impacted on her confidence at a young age
-Why having someone believe in her made all the difference in her rugby career
-The importance of having visible role models in the media and how they inspired her
-Setting her first BIG goal at 14 to play rugby for England
-Wearing the England shirt and playing on the international stage for the first time and how she approached that challenge
-Dealing with pressure and why you treat pressure as a privilege
-How to keep a winning mindset going
-Dealing with failure and the process they had to go through to come out on the other side even stronger
-Having the difficult conversations in order to improve the team
-Winning the BBC - Sports Personality Team of the Year
-Why Maggie is known as “Maggie the Machine”!
-What Maggie has learnt from playing rugby and why she decided to retire after the World Cup in 2014
-Trying out athletics and wanting to make it to Rio
-How women’s rugby has changed over the years and why you should give rugby a go!!
Maggie is on twitter @MaggieAlphonsi I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
Future Events!
12th - 14th August - Adventure Travel Film Festival, London
20th August - Tough Girl Tribe Trip to Snowdonia
27th - 31st August - Emma & Sarah - Hadrian's Wall Adventure!
1st - 4th September - Base Camp Festival, Peak District
Take a listen to these related podcast episodes…
- Catherine Spencer - Former England Women’s Rugby Union player & Captain
- Lois Pryce (Adventure Travel Film Festival)
- Belinda Kirk (Base Camp Festival)
- Sarah Outen (One of the speakers at Base Camp Festival)
- Emma Timmis (My running companion for Hadrian's’ Wall)
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
In 2012, Lizzie decided to take a career break and she spent nine months eco-adventuring in remote locations all over the world. She hiked through the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of south west China before travelling to Mongolia!
Shortly after returning to the UK in 2013 she was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer which re-defined her and, ultimately, gave her a new sense of purpose.
Shownotes
- Growing up in Tenerife, being sporty and loving the outdoors from a young age
- Being surrounded by inspirational people at work and how it encouraged her to take a career break
- Spending time in Russia, China & Mongolia & the challenges she faced on a daily basis
- How plastic pollution first came to her attention
- Travelling by train on the Trans-Siberian railway - being offered chicken feet & vodka!
- Dealing with vulnerability while travelling in Mongolia & learning how to take a step back from situations and assess them
- Heading back to the UK and dealing with the reality of being diagnosed with cancer at twenty five, and how it impacted the direction of her life
- How she learned to focus on the short term goals and milestones
- What she said to herself while she was lying in the hospital bed
- Quitting her job, not having a plan and why you can never have a plan
- Friends, family, nature and how her values changed
- Why she started paddle boarding as a way of restoring her health and fitness
- How the #SuperSUPEngland challenge came about
- Why she decided to take matters into her own hand to help people understand the scale of plastic pollution in our waterways
- The challenges she faced on the waterways and how she kept on going during the tough days
- Having great adventures in the UK & working as an Ordnance Survey Champion!
- What she’s learnt from her paddle boarding experience
Learn more about Lizzie by visiting her website & following her on twitter @Lizzo010
Support - Water Aid & Water Trek
Help the Tough Girl Podcast get to 100,000 downloads by 4th August 2016! - Tell your friends about the Tough Girl Podcast!!! Share these inspirational stories!
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
Events!
6th August - Tough Girl Tribe Trip to Snowdonia
10th August - Make it Happen - Networking Evening for Ambitious Women
12th - 14th August - Adventure Travel Film Festival, London
20th August - Tough Girl Tribe Trip to Snowdonia
1st - 4th September - Base Camp Festival, Peak District
Take a listen to these related podcast episodes…
- Emily Penn (Skipper, ocean advocate and artist dedicated to studying environmental challenges in the most remote parts of our planet)
- Lois Pryce (Adventure Travel Film Festival)
- Belinda Kirk (Base Camp Festival)
- Sarah Outen (One of the speakers at Base Camp Festival)
- Emma Timmis (My running companion for Hadrian's’ Wall)
ALL THE LINKS YOU NEED!
- Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/
- Blog/Website - www.toughgirlchallenges.com/
- FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/
- Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com
- Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/
- Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h
Renee McGregor is a leading sports and eating disorder specialist dietitian. She is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council, the Sports and Exercise Nutrition Register, and is a member of the BDA’s Sports Nutrition Specialist Group.
With over 15 years' experience working in nutrition, Renee works with elite athletes, coaches and sport science teams to provide nutritional strategies to enhance sport performance and manage eating disorders.
She is the author of the best-selling book Training Food, which went straight to number one in Amazon's Fitness Training category in April 2015.
Renee is a regular contributor to health and fitness publications such as BBC Food, Triathlon 220 and Outdoor Fitness. Renee speaks at nutrition conferences across the globe, and was recently keynote speaker at the Sports Performance Conference at The University of Bath, and the Bone Health and Stress Fracture Conference at the Institute of Sport Exercise & Health.
Show notes
- What’s the difference between a dietician and a nutritionist and why it matters
- Where her passion for food, diet & nutrition came from
- How she developed her career and why it was important for her to continue her education while she had young children
- Growing up in an Asian family and her relationship with food, and how family impacted on it
- How the message around healthy eating has got everyone confused about what to eat
- Getting your nutrition right while training and how you can do this with a family
- Body image and why we shouldn’t all be trying to achieve just one body type
- Having young daughters and being a role model to them
- Why your attitude is so important
- The biggest myths that need to be debunked! Do carbs make you fat? - True or False?
- Lets talk about sugar….
- How much protein do you need?
- Health bloggers…..
- Being diagnosed with an auto immune disease and the impact its had on her life
- How’s best to recovery after a training session - is it a protein shake or a steak?
- Supplements and why you should be taking Vitamin D every day
- Training Food: Get the Fuel You Need to Achieve Your Goals - Before, During and After Exercise
Links
Renee Website
@mcgregor_renee I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
Help the Tough Girl Podcast get to 100,000 downloads by 4th August 2016! - Tell your friends about the Tough Girl Podcast!!! Share these inspirational stories!
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
ALL MY LINKS!
✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl
✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/
✩ Blog/Website - www.toughgirlchallenges.com/
✩ FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/
✩ Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com
✩ Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/
Ann has dominated long-distance running for nearly two decades. During her career which spanned over 20 years, she’s broken 20 world records in distances ranging from 40 to 100 miles, qualified three times in the marathon for the US Olympic trials, won the Western States 100 14 times, and set a course record at the Leadville 100 that has stood for more than 20 years.
Ann now lives a quieter life in the country, in this podcast we get to go back in time to learn more about Ann and how she first got into running, why she’s so passionate about the sport and why she ensures she’s having fun!
Show notes
- Ann introduces herself in her own words
- How Ann first got her start into running
- Running her first six minute mile!
- Going back to high school when girls were not meant to run
- Dealing with failure at a young age and how it motivated her to perform
- Why hard work pays off
- Why being able to solve problems can make you a better ultra runner
- 6 weeks to train for her first 50 mile race at 25 years old and getting to meet her running idol
- Dealing with self doubt and how it motivates her to try harder
- Messing up her training by doing too much and how it took failure at Western States for Ann to learn from all her mistakes
- A brief history of Western States
- The Leadville 100 and dealing with pain and tiredness
- Why you need your own mantras when running
- The Ps in ultra running - Positive, Planning, Preparing, Pacing, Problem solving, Progressing
- Trying to stay in the moment and living in the now
- Her race strategy and why pacing was key
- Winning Comrades Marathon by 2 mins!
- Dealing with the loss of her mum and being a mentor for the runners she coaches
- Final words of advice for potential ultra runners
Links
Ann Trason - Website
Help the Tough Girl Podcast get to 100,000 downloads by 4th August 2016! - Tell your friends about the Tough Girl Podcast!!! Share these inspirational stories!
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Emily is an oceans advocate, skipper and artist; a graduate of Cambridge University with a degree in Architecture; and Director of global organisation Pangaea Explorations.
She is the youngest and only female recipient of Yachtmaster of the Year, awarded by HRH Princess Royal after rounding the planet on the record-breaking biofuelled boat, Earthrace; spending 6 months living on a tiny Tongan island organising the largest ever community led cleanup; and discovering previously unknown oceanic gyres – huge areas of marine plastic pollution accumulation.
Her organisation, Pangaea Explorations, specialises in enabling scientists, filmmakers and everyday people to explore the most remote parts of our planet to collect data on global issues and develop solutions to the challenges facing today’s society.
Show notes
- Emily introduces herself and shares more about what she does and why she loves the ocean
- Joining the boat “Earthrace” at 21 and having the opportunity to travel the world.
- What Emily learnt about herself while traveling at such a young age and how it changed the direction of her life
- What the ocean taught her about living in the moment and why you need to reacts and respond to your external circumstances.
- Explaining the role of ocean advocate and what she does to create positive change
- Heading out to Tonga to help educate the people, work with the local government, and arranging a massive clean up of the coast line
- The Pangaea Exploration
- Studying the plastic pollution of the oceans and how micro plastics are impacting on the planet
- Exploring Greenland by sailing along the North West Passage & seeing the raw beauty of the Arctic
- Becoming a skipper and what she’s learnt about leadership from the role
- Her first big trans-atlantic crossing & the challenges she faced and overcame
- Feeling like a fraud and faking it till you make it
- Exploring Mindsets & why a shift in thinking can change the world
- Exploring the Mississippi
- Questions to ask yourself in order to find out your values
- Finding out what’s next for Emily and why she heading back to land
Links for Emily!
Emily Penn Website
Emily Penn twitter @EmilyPenn
Instagram @MissEmilyPenn
Emily Penn on Facebook
Come say hi to me on twitter - I’m @_TOUGH_GIRL
Help the Tough Girl Podcast get to 100,000 downloads by 4th August 2016! - Tell your friends about the Tough Girl Podcast!!! Share these inspirational stories!
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!
Belinda has worked on numerous major international expeditions over the last 22 years; as a diver, field biologist, expedition leader, expedition manager, and award winning adventure film-maker.
She founded Explorers Connect with the belief, “there is an explorer in everyone and adventure is one of the best things in life”. Her goals are to; inspire and support the adventure community through collaboration and connections.
Show notes
- Having a wild childhood and growing up feral on a small island
- How the Duke of Edinburgh Award changed the direction of her life
- Making the decision when she was 18 years old to spend a year working and traveling in Africa
- Dealing with the challenges that Africa threw her way and why she decided to continue travelling
- Why heading off to Africa on her own was the best decision she ever made
- Leadership skills and what makes a good leader
- Her rowing challenge around Great Britain and getting a Guinness World Record at the same time
- Why she decided on this rowing challenge and why she needed to do something that she could fail at
- Why she set up Explorers Connect
- Advice about money and funding for expeditions
- The adventure industry and how it has changed over the years
- Why women are changing the adventure industry slowly and what you can do to help to keep the momentum going
- Final words of advice to inspire you to go on your own adventure and why you need to start now!!!
Links
- Wild Night Out
- Britain’s first adventure festival for grown-ups “Base Camp Festival”.
- Explorers Connect
- Belinda’s Website
Say hi to Belinda on twitter @ExplorersTweet - I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
Help the Tough Girl Podcast get to 100,000 downloads by 4th August 2016! - Tell your friends about the Tough Girl Podcast!!! Share these inspirational stories!
The Explorers’ Grand Slam is the ultimate adventure challenge that involves climbing the world’s highest peaks on each of the seven continents as well as trekking to the geographic North and South poles.
Masha began her Explorers' Grand Slam challenge in October 2015 she has now scaled the world’s highest peaks on each of the seven continents – Everest (Asia), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Vinson Massif (Antarctica), Aconcagua (South America), Carstensz Pyramid (Australasia), Mt. Elbrus (Europe) and Denali (North America) as well as trekked to the geographic North and South poles.
The extraordinary demands of the challenge mean she's been pushed to the edge of her physical endurance and mental resilience. She's spent over a 100 days in a tent and spent three weeks trekking on skis to the North and South Poles in -40C weather and exposed herself to the “death zone” – the high altitude above 8,000 where there is not enough oxygen for humans to breathe.
Only two other people have completed the Explorers' Grand Slam challenge (including the two poles) in under a year and just 45 in total. The previous female world record title holder was Vanessa O’Brien who completed the record in 11 months. Masha did it in 8 months!
Show notes
- Early years and growing up and not being athletic!
- Falling in love with the mountains and getting that sense of achievement from adventure
- What the Explorers’ Grand Slam is and how it came about
- Negotiating time with the family to make time for the challenge
- Remembering back to taking the first step of the challenge
- The importance of having a sounding board
- What aspect of the challenge worried her the most and why
- Getting fit and building up her endurance
- Starting the Explorers Grand Slam with climbing Kilimanjaro in 24 hours
- Everest and attempting the summit
- Dealing with fragility and how it became a story about grit
- Teaming up with Lydia Bradey and deciding to climb or not with the potential for 50 mph winds on the way
- What they had to do, to remain safe on the mountain.
- Knowing your limits and why you need to put things into perspective
- Getting off Everest and why that can be the riskiest part
- Grit & Rock the charity, how it came about and why its so important for young women
- What Masha learned most about herself throughout this experience.
- What her children thought about her adventure and how its changed her children
Check out the Grit & Rock Website for more info!
A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month! CLICK HERE!
You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud & Stitcher!
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!