Tough Girl Podcast

Helen Mort has published two poetry collections with Chatto & Windus, ‘Division Street’ (2013) and ‘No Map Could Show Them’ (2015).    She won the Fenton Aldeburgh Prize for best first collection. Her novel ‘Black Car Burning’ was published in 2019.    She teaches creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and she is also the author of ‘Lake District Trail Running’ (Vertebrate).    Her new book is ‘Never Leave The Dog Behind’. Inspired by the story of Missy, a German Shepherd who was abandoned by two hikers in the Canadian Rockies, the book explores the relationship between people, dogs and the great outdoors, comprising interviews with dog owners and experiences with a variety of dogs as well as Helen's own observations as a runner and pet owner herself. This is a book for anyone who loves dogs or has ever been dogged by loneliness and found solace in animals and landscapes.    Helen in her own words:   “I’m a mum to a toddler, a step parent, a trail runner, climber and all round outdoor enth

Lee Vue is a creative professional with deep knowledge in communications and digital strategy committed to social impact. She graduated from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a degree in political science. Her professional career spans across multiple industries that include startups, academia, small businesses and nonprofit organizations.    As a current board member of Camp Menogyn, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and Building More Philanthropy with Purpose (BMPP) Giving Circle, she’s passionate about bringing the voices of underserved communities and communities of color to the climate, philanthropy and social justice movements.   When she’s not immersed in creative work and creating content, she’s exploring wild places.    Through YMCA Camp Mengoyn (2007), she spent 50 days paddling the Kazan River and Kunwak River in the arctic tundra of Canada.    In 2013, she paddled the entire Mississippi River (2,300+ miles) and then the following year, she paddled the Illinois River (200+ miles)

EmmaLucy Cole is a UK-based speaker, writer, explorer and researcher. She is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Associate Fellow of Higher Education Academy as a lecturer and co-director of the Vicarious Festival of Travel Storytelling. EmmaLucy is currently studying towards a PhD at the University of Bristol, researching how travel writers represent Arabic and Middle Eastern (SWANA) cultures.   After over two decades spent studying and representing North African and Middle Eastern cultures, in 2011 EmmaLucy decided to sell everything she owned in order to spend six weeks with a Bedouin tribe in Sinai, learning Arabic and researching local culture. Two years later she finally left, not only having gained a ginger Bedouin cat (called Bryan) and a myriad of stories, but also witnessing first-hand some of the ways in which marginalised groups can be misrepresented.   With this habit of visiting places and forgetting to leave, she has developed the concept of Downward Exploration: rather than travelling

Monisha Rajesh is a British journalist and travel writer whose writing has appeared in Time magazine, The New York Times, The Guardian, Vanity Fair and The Sunday Telegraph in which she wrote a monthly column about travelling the world by train.    Her first book Around India in 80 Trains (2012) was named one of The Independent’s top ten books on India, and her second book Around the World in 80 Trains was published in 2019 to great acclaim.    Monisha was born in Norfolk and mostly raised in Yorkshire – with a brief stint in Madras. She currently lives in London with her husband and two daughters.   Show notes Who is Monisha Moving to India when she was 9 years old Doing a French Degree at Leeds Moving to London Where her love of travel comes from Moving around a lot when she was younger Wanting to travel around India via trains F28 The cultural aspects of travelling The magical moments from India Her writing process Using a paste board Fitting writing into her life Writing her second book being 8 months pr

Kat is a climate change consultant based in Oxfordshire. Striving for a healthy work-life balance Kat spends as much time as possible outdoors, mostly walking and cycling, with a splash of paddle boarding.    Kat also spends a lot of the time with grease on her face as a volunteer mechanic for Broken Spoke, a community bike project in Oxford.   Listen to Kat on the Tough Girl Podcast!!    New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.   Show notes Early childhood and being an active family Having a passion for the environment  Having a work life balance  Starting her blog ‘Attitude over Ability’ Writing about her experiences  What does Adventure mean to Kat? Why you don’t n

The Queen Of Abs, Santia Deck, is a history-making Female Professional American Footballer and Social Media Influencer with over 700,000 loyal and engaged followers.   Santia Marie Deck was born in South Carolina and raised in Houston, Texas. She now resides in Atlanta and travels often. Since childhood, Santia has been running full speed after her dream of success. Now, she works tirelessly to inspire and empower young people and women around the world with her passion and determination.   Santia, 28, recently made history by becoming the highest-paid woman to play the sport, signing a multi-million-dollar deal with the WFLA. Recently, Santia made history again - becoming the first female athlete to own her own sneaker company, TRONUS.    Santia’s talents are by no means limited to the pitch: she is also a published author, a fitness model, TV personality, and a TV host. She has kept her fitness trainer certification and offers a variety of services to celebrity clients worldwide and her wide-ranging communi

Kim in her own words   I'm Kim Ingleby, Multi Award Winning Mind Body Coach, Author and TEDx Speaker.  With a passion and purpose to help you sharpen your mind, define your body, awaken your soul and lead the life you hope and wish for.     I am passionate about helping people embrace fear, grow their confidence, commit to themselves and take action. I coach incredible people from all walks of life around the World, including Team GB Athletes, Strictly Come Dancing Pro's and Media Personalities.    I founded Energised Performance in 2004, offering complete mind body management to help unlock your potential in life, sport and work.      I have a passion for helping others and making a difference, raising over £85,000 for charities through community events & running 10 wild world marathons, 1 ultra & 1 Ironman, and volunteering on aid projects in Sierra Leone, Nepal, India & Belize.    I'm currently healing post Weil’s Encephalitis, and trauma -  these experiences have added value to my profess

In 2006 Sophia became the first African American and first Black woman to climb Mount Everest in the Himalayas.   Sophia first major climb was at Mt Rainier in Washington State in 2002.  Over the next two years she climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt Baker, and Mt Kenya.     In 2005 she scaled five peaks: Grand Teton, Mount Katahdin, Mount Denali, Mount Tasman, and Ama Dablam.   During this episode Sophia shares more about her passion for mountaineering and how her climbing evolved. Sophia talks about her Mt. Everest experience and what it was like on the mountain for summit day. She shares advice and top tips to help you achieve your goals.   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlp

In 2019, Lauren Woodwiss, alongside her friend Jemma Rix, set the World Record for the fastest female pair to row across the Atlantic Ocean. 8 weeks after stepping on to dry land, she then went on to finish 4th female at the infamous Marathon des Sables.   Currently living on the island of Borneo, she's also recently set up Frontier Sapiens; a UK-based film and live events company celebrating human spirit and the untold stories of inspirational people from around the globe.   Although her real passion lies in mountain running and mountain sports, Lauren discusses what led to her rowing across the Atlantic Ocean with zero rowing experience, and how the crossing encouraged her to set-up Frontier Sapiens.     New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favou

Genny is from the sunny Dutch Caribbean Island of Aruba and moved to London 12 years ago. Prior to moving to the UK, Genny attended the University of New Brunswick in Canada where she fell in love with the great outdoors and learnt to cross-country ski and snowshoe and got into white water rafting and kayaking.   Genny in her own words:   In June 2008, I moved to the UK and lead a fairly healthy and active life until late 2013 when I suddenly fell inexplicably ill. Unbeknownst to me I had contracted Lyme Disease and my quality of life was severely affected until I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in the summer of 2016.    Once I had recuperated I knew I wanted to do something to raise awareness on the seriousness of misdiagnosis and how it can affect every area of life. I knew I had the choice between becoming angry and embittered at the system which had missed the tell tale signs of the disease or the choice to speak of up for the untold number of patients who were suffering unnecessarily.   The Goal   In the

Katie Holmes is a UK-based runner and charity consultant who loves cross country, track and park run. On her website she shares the stories of female runners over 50 and highlights their achievements.   Katie is also an independent sports historian, focusing on the history of women's endurance running. Her work is driven by a desire to capture stories which might otherwise be lost and to recover, and uncover, stories which have faded out of the collective memory due to the marginalisation of women in sport.    In 2020 she was awarded an Independent Researcher Fellowship by the Women's History Network.   Listen to Katie on the Tough Girl Podcast!   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.co

Nazia has been defying stereotypes from an early age, from fitting into her role as an athlete and what would be accepted as a Bangladeshi female.      Her Story   Nazia spent most of her life trying to attain the perfect body, leaving her mentally and physically tired. Calorie counting, fad diets all saw Nazia spiral into a destructive relationship with her mind and body. Insecurities and lack of self love eventually took its toll and she faced a dark period of depression facing unwanted thoughts.   Feeling lost and confused Nazia was able to recreate herself. Fitness was the catalyst for her change throughout the years. Exercise helped her overcome her old self, fight off anxiety and fear enabling her to step into the best version of herself in every area of her life.    With an unshakeable mindset and determined not to give up she now teaches other females to overcome hard times by connecting neuroscience and fitness together.     Nazia's mission is to get females from all backgrounds to fall in love with

During a journey to Nepal and the Himalayas, she first began to dream about climbing the world’s highest mountain herself. And – following four years of preparation – she accomplished the feat of becoming the first Swedish and Czech woman to reach the summit.   In 2005. Renata boarded her sea kayak at the quay in Lake Union in central Seattle. This was the beginning of an almost unbelievable adventure, circumnavigating the coast of the USA in 439 days, mostly in her kayak. The day on which she completed her journey, 15 September, has since been designated as ”Renata Chlumska Day” in Seattle.   For Renata, the thrills of adventure surpass the extreme efforts during her expeditions. The preparation process is a vital part of each new challenge: planning, financing, training, and getting the right equipment and teams together.   After each successful challenge, she focuses on the evaluation, documentation and use of her experiences to inspire others, not least as a very popular lecturer and speaker for companie

Alice is currently the only black person swimming for Britain on senior team. She is the World Junior marathon swim champion (2016). and is training to qualify for the Olympic games and when she does, she will become the first black woman to compete for Great Britain at the Olympics in swimming.    Alice is a Co-founder of the Black Swimming Association (BSA) which is promoting and advocating for the inclusion and welfare of people of colour in aquatics.   Alice is studying for an MA in Social Media and Political Communication.   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.   Show notes Who is Alice What life was like growing up Getting into swimming and falling in love w

Jeannette is the 1st South African woman to summit Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world. She is also the first South African to ever attempt Dhaulagiri, 7th highest mountain.  She is passionate about leading individuals and teams to achieve things they never thought possible. She consistently achieves this with enthusiasm and empathy.    Jeannette balances a corporate career leading the mining services business for a blue-chip Australian company with her mountaineering pedigree and passion.   Jeannette is a Non-Executive Board member and holds a PhD from the Colorado School of Mines.    Jeannette has been chief instructress for Veld and Vlei, now Outward Bound; a guide for the South African National Parks Board; and the first female leader in 20 years for the Mountain Club of South Africa’s winter camp.     8000m mountaineer - with Manaslu summited, and 1 attempt on Dhaulagiri (first South African ever); my mountaineering goal is 7x 8000m summits, my version of the "7 Summits" The challenges and re

Lola has photographed and dispatched from 70+ countries for various publications. She is the 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Bill Muster Award recipient.   In addition to contributing to several books, she is the author of the following books – 2018 Lowell Thomas Award winner for best travel book, DUE NORTH, & bestselling LAGOM: Swedish Secret of Living Well available in 18 foreign language editions.    Lola has been recognised with multiple awards and nominations for her work, including a Pushcart Prize nomination, and was honoured with a MIPAD 100 (Most Influential People of African Descent) Award within media and culture in 2018.    Lola owns and runs Geotraveler Media – a multimedia and travel consulting agency providing a spectrum of travel media-related services.   Listen to Lola now on the Tough Girl Podcast!!   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The Tough Girl Podcast is sp

“Road To 50 Miles” chronicles the journey of two women as they train for and run a 50-mile race, an ultramarathon.  Their journey leads them on a discovery to find their true heroes and inspires an entire community to help them get across the finish line.    Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUMZYK0Y_vU   Kara Wilson in her own words:   As a child I was always one of the fastest in the class. I was tall and skinny and though awkward I was light and could fly confidently quicker than most on the field or the track. Running wasn’t a chore back then. If I would get a pair of fresh sneakers I would want to see how fast and far they could take me the minute I fastened them to my feet. It wasn’t until I hit puberty that I started to slow down a bit and running soon became a bore. I didn’t need to run to lose weight and I didn’t quite understand why anyone would want to run  longer than once around a track. As time passed by I just grew completely disinterested in it. It wasn’t until I moved to England a

Alison Walker is a U.K. based Malaysian ultra runner who started running ultras in 2019.    Alison holds several fastest Malaysian ultra times and has most recently the first person to complete the Smog Graham Round.    Over lockdown, she had also completed 4 other FKTs from 18 miles to 120km.   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.   Show notes Who is Alison Growing up in Malaysia and going to school in Singapore  Not being into sports or exercise when she was younger moving over to the UK to attend university Getting into running for the first time  How her running increased  2015 moving to East London Running with a group called - Run Fast  Starting with a runni

Gillian Larson and her equine partners have accomplished numerous long distance solo rides on remote wilderness trails in the U.S. Together they have traveled from Mexico to Canada three times: twice on the Pacific Crest Trail (2014 and 2016) and most recently on the Continental Divide Trail (2018).    Gillian has also completed the Arizona Trail and the Colorado Trail in 2017 and rode from the Grand Canyon across Utah to Wyoming in 2019.    Since embarking on her first thru-ride at age 22, Gillian’s main goal has been to learn how to mitigate the many challenges of wilderness riding through proper planning and preparation, and to share this information to help others safely explore backcountry trails on horseback.   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your

Megan is a runner, writer and adventurer from Manchester, UK.    Megan in her own words:   “I’m a relentless optimist who always tries to say yes to living life to the fullest. I was born hearing impaired, I am completely deaf in my left ear and partially hearing impaired in my right ear.   In 2018, during one of the hottest heatwaves Britain has ever had, I ran from John O’Groats to Land’s End completely unsupported, becoming the youngest woman to do so. I covered around 1000 miles in 40 days and I’m now writing a book about it.    I believe in being good and kind, I believe in saying yes and I believe in the power of positivity.”   New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit the subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgi