Tough Girl Podcast

Tara in her own words:   “I don’t really think of myself as tough. I’ve always loved adventures. I did my first expedition when I was 18 and it ignited a passion. I am now a firefighter. I’ve represented Australia in my slightly crazy sport of surf boat rowing at the age of 47 and I cycled 5000 km’s unsupported across Australia in 2021, yet I often think that the toughest challenges of my life have not been physical.    Rather it has been the journey to heal the relationship with myself after a traumatic childhood that has been the toughest challenge I have undertaken.   Writing my book ‘Standing on my Brothers Shoulders – making peace with grief and suicide’ was a huge part of that journey. It challenged me in every way possible but was also one of my greatest teachers and proudest achievements.    Although I am a physiotherapist and firefighter, my book led me to work in the field of mental health and wellbeing. I am now nearing the end of a PhD exploring the impact of suicide on firefighters.   In 2017, I

Lucy is attempting to become the first woman to walk the length of the world. She began at the bottom of Argentina in February 2017 and will cross 15 countries to reach the highest point of Northern America. She will travel only by foot, or when the terrain is impassable by kayak or swimming.   In 2019, Lucy became the first woman to have hiked the length of South America (from Argentina to Colombia).    Due to the pandemic, Lucy needed to pause her expedition and returned home to Australia in 2020 where she has been waiting for the travel bans and restrictions to lift.    In December 2022 Lucy will be flying back out to Columbia to meet up with her beloved dog Wombat - she will then continue on her way.    During this episode we catch up with Lucy to see what life has been like since we last spoke to her. Lucy shares more about the heartbreak of leaving Wombat behind when she needed to return to Australia. She fills us in on what she's been up to while her journey has been on hold.  She shares more about th

Annijke (she/her) is a new adaptive mountain biker and athlete.    In 2021, Annijke sustained a spinal cord injury in a horrible downhill mountain biking accident.    In 2022, Annijke is back to sport and is learning how to live as a full time wheelchair user.    Outside of loving mountain biking and being outdoors, Annijke also is passionate about making the outdoors and mountain biking a safe space for all.   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Subscribe so you don’t miss out.    To support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Sign up as a Patron -  www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Thank you.      Show Notes Who is Annijke Starting mountain biking in 2019 Learning how to live as a full time wheelchair user Returning to sport and mountain biking What Annijke was like as little girl  Starting ballet at 3 years old Having a keen interest for the arts Starting to interact with the natural world Being exposed to the outdoors through he

In late summer 2021 Abbie Barnes cycled from Dunnet Head and John O Groats to The Lizard Point and Lands End, via each of the UK's 15 National Parks and their highest peaks.   This epic 55 day expedition saw Abbie and her partner Anna (who drove the support van) travel over 2,000 miles and battle mental ill health, chronic pain, and a number of unanticipated life-challenges along the way. Yet the duo completed this life-changing venture and now have a 3-part film series on YouTube following the highs and lows of their journey.    We first spoke with Abbie Aug 26, 2021 - Founder and director of Spend More Time In The WILD, an organisation that seeks to inspire and empower individuals to get outside.   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out.    To support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Sign up as a Patron -  www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Thank you.    Show Notes Who is Abbie and what

Adriana in her own words:   “My aim is to become the youngest person to complete all 14 8000m peaks. The current record is 30 years 166 days, held by Mingma "David" Gyabu Sherpa, an absolute legend with whom I got to climb on both K2 and Everest. My plan would be to summit all 14 in 3-4 years meaning I would be 23 years old when I complete my mission.   In 2021 I summited three of them, Mt. Everest, Mt. Dhaulagiri and Mt. Manaslu all within 6 months.   This is a challenge of both mental and physical resilience, power and grit.   High altitude mountaineering is one of the deadliest sports in the world, this doesn't scare me. It ignites a fire of passion inside me.”   “Be the trailblazer of your own life”   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Subscribe so you don’t miss out.    Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media especially in relation to adventure and physical challenges. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Thank you.   Sh

Carla is a Clinical Psychologist, queer vegan and a lover of all things outdoors; adventurer, runner, endurance cyclist and lapsed climber based near the Peak District in the UK. She is an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities taking up space in the outdoors and is a committee member with the awesome Peak Queer Adventures (PQA) based in Sheffield and member of the Women of Colour Cycling Collective (WCCC).    Carla’s love of the outdoors started from an early age, however gender roles and expectations sadly stopped her from fully embracing that love as a teenager. She reconnected with the outdoors and solo adventures after moving to North Wales to undertake her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in her mid-twenties, and hasn’t looked back.    She was awarded the Ultra Distance Scholarship in 2021, which is aimed at increasing representation of BAME cyclists in ultra distance cycling and getting them to the start line of an ultra distance race, a typically overwhelmingly white and male niche of cycling

Shona's most herself when she's moving outdoors - paying attention to and connecting with beauty. She works as a counsellor and a life coach. She lives a simple and contented life in the highlands of Scotland, sprinkled with adventures.   Shona has shared her passion for the outdoors on previous episodes of the tough girl podcast.    You can listen to those episodes here.    Jul 9, 2019 - Taking on new challenges at 40 & her preparation for thru hiking the Pacific Crest Trail    Dec 26, 2019 - Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail - 2,650 miles SOBO from Canada to Mexico!   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out.    To support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Sign up as a Patron -  www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Thank you.    Show Notes Who is Shona Living in Inverness Woking as a counsellor and a life coach Her passion for connecting with other people and the natural world First speakin

Purusha Gordon - mum of two, aged 43 is no longer a stranger to wild challenges after a change of mindset 6 years ago transformed her life.    Having battled with depression and weight gain after the arrival of her children, Purusha realised something had to change. Approaching her 40’s in the worst shape and health she’d ever been in, Purusha’s mission became to create a healthy lifestyle, to rebuild confidence and self belief, living life for each day.   After completing 40 challenges in her 40th year, the love and passion for living life healthy and well opened up an opportunity to take on the challenge to build a team and row unsupported across the Pacific Ocean in 2021.    Purusha believes it is never too late to make a positive change to your physical and mental health and with a bucket load of determination and hard work, 6 years later she has set a new World Record, rowing across the Pacific Ocean as part of the Ocean Sheroes team.    Pulling together a challenge of this enormity in a global pandemic

Rue founded Outdoor Afro as a social enterprise in 2009.    The now national not-for-profit celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. Headquartered in Oakland, California, Outdoor Afro incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 2015. Today, the staffed organization includes more than 100 trained volunteer leaders, led and designed by Rue to innovate not-for-profit as movements of change.    International cruise line Hurtigruten Expeditions made cruise industry history with the creation of its Black Traveler Advisory Board. Hurtigruten invited Rue to become one of its founding members. Rue took an 18-day Antarctica voyage in February 2022 to help drive change and new opportunities for Black people in the adventure cruise industry, increasing visibility and inclusivity of Black travellers.   When Rue shares stories from the land, people of all walks of life listen. She’s served on national platforms with congresspeople, outdoor professionals, corporate partners, and global leaders.   “Nature Swagg

Gill in her own words:   “My name is Gill Castle, and in October 2011 I gave birth to my son, Sam, at 34 weeks gestation, a traumatic birth which resulted in a permanent stoma (colostomy). Over the following years I have set out to prove to myself, and others, what is achievable with a stoma, as initially I was presented with a lot of “no, you can’t do that with one of those”. I also wanted to overcome the trauma of the birth, which resulted in the loss of my job as a police officer, and which forced me to create a new identity for myself.    On my website I signpost people to all the amazing organisations out there who can help, like the Birth Trauma Association, the Masic Foundation, Purple Wings, Samaritans, Colostomy UK to name but a few.    Am I superwoman? Absolutely 110% not. Lots of women suffer like me and come out the other side ok. But when you are experiencing such a load of shite there is often no one who has made it out onto the other side who is shouting about the good life that is possible.   

Vedangi Kulkarni was born and raised in India and currently lives in the UK.    She’s an adventurer, endurance athlete, writer, expedition/project manager and a business owner. She loves organising mountain biking and bike-packing events, managing a million projects simultaneously and talking to a ton of new people.    In 2018, she rode 29,000km around the world in 160 days, mostly solo and unsupported, at the age of 19/20, becoming the youngest woman to circumnavigate the globe on bike.    She’s always keen for an adventure, be it cold water swimming, long distance hiking or cycling, climbing, mountain biking, skiing or travelling through remote places.    On her most recent expedition, she skied across Svalbard.    Her happy place is anywhere outside, in the wild, and on the move. She tells stories from her adventures both digitally (through her social media channels) and through in-person events.    When she isn't out and about, you can find her reading non-fiction books or writing something in one of her

Ellen started to get into adventure in her late 30s. By day she work as an engineering, by night, she dream of adventure.    In 2017 she wanted a new, big, scary challenge and decided on an arctic expedition - crossing Svalbard.    Ellen has never been anywhere that cold before and she didn’t’ know how to ski! She didn’t know if the challenge that she had decided on would even be achievable.   The Svalbard Expedition was meant to go ahead in 2020, when Ellen was 42. It was postponed from 2020 to 2021 and again to 2022.    To keep herself motivated, during the delays and wanting to focus on building her endurance, she set herself a more local project – the Cheshire Challenge to walk all 25 long distance paths in Cheshire totalling 1,500km.   In January 2022, Ellen had her sabbatical booked, and found out the Svalbard crossing would be going ahead in April.    During this podcast Ellen shares more about the challenge, the lessons learned and provides top tips and advice to help you with your next adventure.   

After a lengthy battle with a rare brain disease, Crystal Gail Welcome came to recognize the healing power of nature.    She now uses her intersecting identities; Black, disabled, lesbian to break down barriers so more people can access the outdoors.    Crystal is an experiential educator, author, storyteller, activist, backpacker, and Black outdoor leader. She chooses to speak out against racial injustice in the United States by hiking and giving voice to her experiences.     New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Subscribe so you don’t miss out.    You can support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media especially in relation to adventure and physical challenges. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.  Thank you.     Show notes Who is Crystal Gail Living in Minnesota  Turtle racing! Growing up in Florida  Where Minnesota is located in the States Not being exposed to the outdoors  Not thinking the outdoors was for her Her first visit to a

Jennifer Strong McConachie is a life-long outdoor adventure athlete.   She has traveled the globe, raced an ultramarathon on five of the seven continents, swam the Hellespont from Europe to Asia, escaped Alcatraz, climbed several of the Seven Summits, and conquered an American epic by running across the Grand Canyon and then back again.   For more than 30 years, Jennifer has competed in running, swimming, triathloning, and adventure racing as part of her global endurance sporting lifestyle. She also trains for various kinds of paddling sports and mountain ascents around the world.   When not tackling tough adventures, Jennifer is an award-winning marketing executive based in the US, with more than 15 years of experience working with local, regional, national, and global firms.    Jennifer most recently became a Fellow in the Royal Geographical Society after writing her first book, Go Far: How Endurance Sports Help You Win At Life. https://amzn.to/3ciFo4O    New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every

Julie Bradley was born with adventure genes and shares her passions in her books “Escape from the Ordinary” and “Crossing Pirate Waters”. Both are true stories about an 8 year adventure of sailing around the world with her husband, Glen.    After twenty years in the Army as a Military Intelligence Officer she traded her uniform and worldly possessions to pursue the dream that had inspired her to keep going through the long separations of military deployments.  During those years her stack of Cruising World, Sail and Latitude 38 magazines grew to hoarder proportions until the big purge of all belongings to buy their new home: a French built Amel blue-water sailboat.   Julie shares more about her passion for adventure and sailing and what it was like selling everything she owned to sail around the world.   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out.    To support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media.

Molly Huddle is an American long-distance runner who competes in track and cross country running events.    Molly has won 28 USA titles, held six American records, looked down the start line of two Olympic finals and four major marathons.    Molly set the American record in the 5000 m at the 2014 Herculis Diamond League meet in Fontvieille, Monaco (14:42.64). She also set the American record in the 10,000 m at the 2016 Olympics, with a time of 30:13.17. Molly lives and trains in Providence, Rhode Island.   Molly has recently co-authored “How She Did It”, with college coach Sara Slattery.The book is the ultimate roadmap for female distance runners—featuring 50 candid interviews with women who’ve made it   The book begins with key information from the professionals who help make athletic excellence possible: trainers, physicians, nutritionists, and sports psychologists. Then, you’ll hear the first-person accounts of fifty women who’ve done it themselves. From the pioneers who fought tirelessly for women’s inclu

Anyika 37, is a retired British sprint track and field athlete who competed in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres, and also the 4×100 metres relay and 4x400 metres relay.   Anyika is one of the few GB athletes of the past 20 years to achieve a full set of major medals.She has won medals at the Olympic Games, the world championships, Commonwealth Games and European championships.   Anyika has published a book about her life called - My Hidden Race.     “My Hidden Race is the story of Olympic medallist Anyika Onuora, who stood on the podium at every major championship in athletics.   This book won't go into detail about the technicalities of her sport or the beauty of the Olympic spirit however.   In the era of the Black Lives Matter and Me Too, this is an unflinching testimony of what it takes to pursue your dreams as a Black British woman against all odds.   This three-time Olympian will lift the lid on the reality of life as a black female athlete in Britain in a way that nobody else has done before h

Siobhan is 62 years old. She retired from the BBC two years ago, after 30 years working as a Reporter, Presenter and Producer in News. During that time she juggled being a single mother with working full-time. When she was nearly fifty and her daughter went off to university, she took a gap year from work and backpacked solo around the world. It was then she hatched a plan to one day travel around in a motorhome when she retired.   By her mid-fifties she felt burnt out after dealing with symptoms of the menopause, ageism and bullying. She realised she needed to find her escape plan.   So it was in 2019, aged sixty, she bought a motorhome and embarked on her solo trip around Great Britain, to champion positive ageing and to challenge ageism and ageist stereotypes of what society thinks a retired woman does. She wants to change narratives around ageing from ANTI-AGEING to POSITIVE-AGEING. She has faced her fears and weathered severe storms and a pandemic along the way but she feels the highs and lows are all wo

Abby in her own words:   “I used to be a competitive ultra-runner. I competed in 100-mile mountain races and was pretty decent at it. In 2013 I competed and won (female division) the Grand Slam of Ultra-Running. This is 4 x 100 mile races in a 10 week span.   But too much endurance + too little calories and carbs= Burnout. Anyone that doesn’t believe burnout or adrenal issues are real is a liar. It’s real and it’s debilitating to your body and mind.   I was forced to stop running and I eventually found weight-lifting. I tried my best at CrossFit but really gravitated towards heavy lifting and fell in love with Powerlifting.    I worked with a Nutrition Coach and spent years reverse dieting to support my body and goals and un-do all the years of damage I did as an endurance athlete. My sole purpose was to lift as much as I possibly could in a weight class sport and I was pretty decent at it. In 2018 I competed in PowerLifting Nationals. At 138 pounds my best squat was 290 pounds, bench 190 pounds, and deadlift

About Sabrina   Sabrina Pace-Humphreys is a 44-year-old mother of 4 and grandmother of 3, an award-winning businesswoman, an ultrarunner, a social justice activist and a recovering alcoholic. She is a mixed-raced woman, the daughter of a white Scottish Roman Catholic woman and a Black man.    In July 2020 she co-founded the fast-growing community and campaigning charity, Black Trail Runners, and is also a well-known ultra-marathon runner. She finished the 'toughest footrace on earth', a 250km multi-stage marathon across the Sahara Desert known as the Marathon des Sables, as 10th UK woman and most recently she completed the Spine Race, a non-stop 268 miles race down the Pennine Way.    Sabrina is the author of Black Sheep: A Story of Rural Racism, Identity and Hope “In Black Sheep, Sabrina reveals how she got from there to here: about growing up in a home, a school and a town where no-one looked like her and her subsequent struggle to understand and find her identity; about her lived experience of rural rac