Tough Girl Podcast

Fiona Oakes is a British marathon runner, who holds three world records for marathon running. In 2013, she won both the Antarctic Ice Marathon and the North Pole Marathon. She runs despite losing a knee cap from an illness when she was 17. At 48, she holds three world records, including becoming the fastest woman to run seven marathons in seven continents, plus the north pole, with an aggregate time of 31 hours 11 mins and 53 secs. Show notes Why Fiona describes herself as an animal advocate Going vegetarian at 3 years old in the 1970s Becoming vegan at 6 years old and her passion for animals Becoming an advocate for animals and needing a platform to speak out Where the running came from Working in London and coming from a cycling background Starting to jog to keep fit Not having a knee cap!! Considering herself as an amateur runner (even though running a 2.38 marathon!) Working out everything for herself Having determination and grit, but no talent… Deciding to go after ultras such as Marathon des Sables Ru

Cazz has developed a liking for taking on challenges that usually involve her walking long distances, running long distances, or swimming long distance! She’s a big fan of spontaneous adventures, dancing in the rain and eating cake! In June 2018, Cazz is pushing the boat out (pun intended) and rowing 2400 miles across the Pacific Ocean, she’s competing in the Great Pacific Race!  Along with two other women she’ll row from California to Hawaii in a 26ft Ocean Rowing Boat! There aim is to be the first ever crew of three (male or female) to row the Pacific and the youngest crew of three females to row any ocean in the world!  Show notes Growing up Taking a gap year, travelling around South East Asia and going off to university Her passion for sports and adventure, being new to the adventure scene Travelling solo at 18 and being encouraged to go by her parents Playing sports at school and loving athletics even though she’s not amazing at it! Her first big challenge or challenges - 12 challenges in 12 months! Wan

Charlene Gibson grew up as a studious bookworm, who wasn't keen on the outdoors. She is an only child who was brought up by her Mum and Nana in a pretty rough area of Scotland, near Glasgow. Although an avid reader of Enid Blyton's Famous Five books, there was really nothing adventurous about her at all. However, in her mid 30s, following the break-up of a long-term relationship, she discovered her inner adventurer when, to avoid spending Christmas alone, she booked on a trekking holiday to Morocco. Despite the horror of having to nip behind a rock, armed with only a roll of toilet paper and some matches, she discovered that she loved the trip (albeit still not quite used to nipping behind a rock!) and decided that she wanted more. Trips to Turkey, Morocco (again), Kazakhstan, India, Peru and Nepal followed, with each trip being more strenuous and challenging than the last. That could only lead to one thing - mountaineering! In 2013 she decided to aim high and successfully summited Mera Peak in Nepal, which i

Catching up with Anna-Marie Watson who we last spoke with a year ago. Anna-Marie constantly pushes her own mental and physical boundaries and has achieved considerable success at an elite international level in various endurance sports. Anna-Marie combines the disciplines of ultra running and long distance triathlon with the odd adventure race thrown in for good measure.   Her endurance journey spans over thirteen years with an initial gentle introduction with the London marathon (2004 and 2007), CCC race of the UTMB series (2007) and Everest Marathon (2007). Recent ultra-running career highlights include placing 7th lady in the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc (2017), 1st lady in Half Marathon des Sables Fuerteventura (2017) and finishing 2nd lady in the Marathon des Sables (2015) .   Over the last two years Anna-Marie has achieved podium finishes in the multi day trail runs organised by XNRG Cotswolds Way, Round the Island, Devil's Challenge along the South Downs Way, then placed 1st Lady in the Brutal Events The

As her day job, Katherine works as a physiotherapist for the Swedish Olympic sailing team. In her double life she is a qualified Yachtmaster Ocean, offshore racer and has won international speed sailing competitions and the women's European title in her foiling Moth. She has sailed in the far north and rounded Cape Horn. However and wherever she has travelled, her inspiration has remained the same, to share the beauty and fun of playing outdoors and inspire everyone to follow their own adventure. Show notes Growing up in the Midlands Being a sailor since she was a young age Where her love of sailing came from Wanting to turn her hobby into a job Female role models growing up Going back to uni and training as a physics Working with the Olympic sailing team, and getting to head to London & Rio Sailing a ‘Moth’ Competing at the Europeans and the world championships Learning new skills & trying new boats out Meeting new people who became like a family Training to get in shape for sailing What it’s like a

After receiving the sudden news of losing her father whilst on the other side of the world backpacking, Lindsey threw herself into adventure to deal with the grief. Having not ridden a bike since at school, she decided to cycle to Paris. She liked it. So, she cycled the length of Britain. She liked that too and then scaled the African continent. But, she didn’t just stick to adventuring on two wheels. She ran from her home in London to Manchester, carrying a ukulele to busk on arrival. Hearing the absurdity of her latest challenge, the local radio station got her to sing and play each night live. The only problem was that she couldn’t play or sing. She then turned to eight wheels, and roller skated to Paris, whilst learning en route. And, having been inspired by the story she read ten years earlier, she trekked for ten weeks on her own, across the Australian outback, following the Rabbit Proof Fence, retracing the amazing journey of three young sisters. Past Adventures 2017 - Truck Tales - circumnavigating Au

Cal is a stand up paddle boarder, surfer, ocean lover and vet. Increasingly upset by the amount of plastic waste she was finding in the ocean, she wanted to connect people to the harm that it was causing, but moreover to empower people to make positive changes to help prevent it. So she turned to adventure in 2016 she stand up paddle boarded the entire Cornish coast in a bid to demonstrate the problems surrounding single use plastic water bottles; a 260 mile epic ocean voyage. In 2017 she circumnavigated the Isle of Skye’s 400 miles of coastline on a paddle board! Cal also shares with us, what she has got planned in 2018! It's EPIC!!!  Show notes Living by the sea and why it is everything to Cal Being a surfer and a paddle boarder Paddle against Plastic Working as a vet part time Spending time in Australia and where she learnt to surf Falling in love with the sea Why surfing is so frustrating & why you have to persevere  Being a budding surfer and why it’s doesn't matter if you’re good or not Why she lov

Katie-Jane L’Herpiniere has a passion for adventure, challenging her limits both physically and mentally, and exploring this wonderful world in which we live.  After university Katie had the opportunity to build a career as a commercial model, on fashion shows for household names such as Marks and Spencer’s, Tony & Guy and Alexander McQueen, photo shoots and a number of Film and TV projects including having body-doubled for Cameron Diaz.  Then in 2005, Katie met polar explorer Tarka L'Herpiniere,  and they were quick to find they had little in common. Tarka was less than impressed with her manicured nails and face full of makeup, likewise, Katie did not see Tarka as the ‘all-action hero’ that his accolades suggest, more a really ‘odd’ Frenchman who seemed to find enjoyment in throwing himself into frozen lakes! It wasn’t long before the facades were broken and by 2006 Katie had left behind her life as a model and made the gigantic leap from exhibitionist to expeditionist. In 2007, after 167 days and 4500k

Jane was born in Edinburgh and brought up in North Yorkshire. After reading English at Somerville College, Oxford, she became an antiquarian book dealer, and later a writer. Her ten books to date have been critically acclaimed, and have confirmed her as one of our most engaging and original social historians. Jane lives near Oxford with her husband and - during university holidays - her two sons. She writes full time, apart from when she's happily travelling to give talks or broadcasts about her books, or working one day a week at Somerville College as an assistant archivist. Her most recent book came out in January 2018 - Hearts And Minds: The Untold Story of the Great Pilgrimage and How Women Won the Vote. This is a story of ordinary people effecting extraordinary change. By turns dangerous, exhausting and exhilarating, the Great Pilgrimage transformed the personal and political lives of women in Britain for ever. Jane Robinson has drawn from diaries, letters and unpublished accounts to tell the inside stor

Hélène  has just come back to the UK after 18 months adventuring in her VW camper-van travelling with her bikes, and finding the best places to triathlon train in Europe! In 2016 Hélène represented Great Britain at Age Group level for the European ironman and half ironman championships in Poland and Austria, in 2017, it was Ironman Austria, where she qualified for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii! Show notes Deciding to go on an adventure Heading to Europe to do triathlon Her introduction into road cycling and swimming Her first triathlon in 2004 How her love for triathlon evolved Getting to explore the countryside Joining a running club to make it more social Where are all the women? Why you don’t have to be amazing at it all Working and training and trying to get the balance in your life Deciding to do an Ironman…. with 3 months to train for it Dealing with anxiety and fear before a race and why self confidence is so important Being on the start line for Ironman Wales Learning to not worry a

Hope Virgo suffered with anorexia for over 4 years, before being admitted to a Mental Health Hospital in 2007. She lived in the hospital for a year, fighting one of the hardest battles of her life. Since being discharged, she has fought to stay well.  Hope has now written about her journey with anorexia, in her book, Stand Tall Little Girl. Hope uses her experiences of mental health illness to champion the rights of others, inspire them to get well, and help break the stigma of mental illness. Hope lives and works in London. In her spare time, she volunteers for refugee charities, and charities that support young and abandoned children. She is a dedicated runner, and has a keen interest in maintaining good mental health through healthy eating and exercise. Show notes Growing up in Bristol Starting to run Developing anorexic   Having something else to think about Being admitted to a mental health hospital at 17 Learning to talk about her feeling Deciding to write about her story Learning to open up and being

Show notes Loving sports & science Coming from a sporty and academic family Playing lacrosse at school and University Deciding to take up high altitude mountaineering Climbing mountains in South America - Heading to Bolivia to climb 6,000 m peaks The struggles she faced at the start - dealing with the cold the wind and the altitude How she moved forward with mountaineering How she developed her skills with no money Climbing a non technical mountain and learning through experience The impact of altitude on her body The next mountain and heading to Alaska! Climbing Denali….with no guide Being stuck inside the tent for 12 days… The preparation that’s done in advance Summit night on Denali Fitting in climbing around her PhD Funding her expeditions to the Andes Collecting data and using the super computer! Identifying all of the mountains over 5,000 m in the Andes Finding Inca ruins on the summit of mountains Getting to name the mountains… 106 mountains over 6,000 metres…. Route planning in modern times Adjus

Anna, is a British born adventurer, motivational speaker, influencer and author. She was recently named by Condé Nast Traveller as one of the 50 most influential travellers of our time, and by the the Guardian as one of the top modern female adventurers . She is also proud to be the UK Ambassador for Girl Guiding, and the co-founder of Adventure Queens; the UK’s fastest growing women’s adventure community. Show notes Social Media Experiment…. riding across Europe… Thinking about journeys  Being a planner & getting uncomfortable Climbing over her back fence…. left, right, straight on?? What’s going to happen next? Making a change from walking to cycling Having an element of control Wanting to see the monkeys Focusing on the new opportunities & not dwelling on missed opportunities Accommodation while on the road Warm showers - https://www.warmshowers.org  The kindness of strangers and the people she met on the way Getting home.. train..plane? Going to Gloucester The love story…. following your passio

Faye found her adventure mojo in 2014, since then she’s taken on a new challenge each year;  from climbing Kilimanjaro, to cycling the length of New Zealand solo and most recently coming back from spending 6 months cycling the Andes. Show notes Living in Cornwall Being shy & feeling homesick Going to university and taking a gap year  Learning to live off very little money Spending time in Thailand Being called an Adventurer & why she  What she got up to after university Deciding to climb Kilimanjaro & getting the adventure bug Summit night on Kilimanjaro.. Making changes in her life Micro Adventures and meeting new people Joining the search and rescue team in Cornwall Deciding to cycle the length of New Zealand The fears, and making the decision to do it -  BE BOLD, COMMIT & GIVE IT A GO! Being a planner… Getting to meet Anna McNuff Starting her cycle ride in the South of NewZealand in 2015 Crying on the bike and having doubts Wanting to quit What she learned from her New Zealand experience Y

Fiona is an adventurer, speaker and entrepreneur who loves to get outside and push her limits on expeditions big and small, meeting new people and discovering tasty cake stops en route. In 2017 she walked and cycled the length of Britain and in 2018 is due to set a new world record by becoming the first person to SUP Britain. When she's not adventuring you'll find her running Adventure Book Club and coaching entrepreneurs.  Show notes Who is Fiona? Being inspired by Al Humphries Being an entrepreneur and wanting to direct her own career and life Hating the corporate life & quitter her job after 6 weeks Setting up her first business Getting into cycling The freedom of Adventure and what she loves about it The self development side of adventure Cycling from London to Brighton How she ended up cycling the length of Great Britain Cycling home for Christmas Not being a runner or a swimmer Why she loves adventuring on her own The challenges she faced while cycling and why she had to stop on her first attempt K

A former corporate business management specialist within the banking sector, she's now fully focused upon soul sustaining adventuring with purpose. Megan has mountaineered across the globe and has scaled some of the world’s most famous peaks such as Elbrus and Mera Peak. Megan is one half of the all-female adventure team Dare two Do. Megan is an advocate of adventures in any shape or size, is partial to an overnight bivi wild camp under the stars as well as an epic self-powered voyage, and is an avid fan of all that’s deemed a challenge. Show notes Walking away from her stable job Being drawn to the outdoors Heading to Borneo when she was 17 & getting to climb her first mountain Getting distracted by university her job and her career Deciding she needed to do something with her life Running away to the mountains at every opportunity Everest Base Camp, the preparation before hand and getting ready to go there Arriving into Kathmandu & meeting new people with a similar mindset Being changed by the whol

Mina is a 36 year old Primary School teacher who discovered the beauty of long-distance running in her late 20's. She would say she’s very ordinary and just someone who has a love of long distance running and spending time outdoors.  She hopes by sharing the different challenges and adventures she has, that it might in some way inspire you to take that step to actually do the things you really want to in your life. She believes that just by telling people the things you want to do it will start to make them more of a reality.  So say out loud what you want to do with your life and see what happens!  Mina is not a sponsored athlete, she doesn’t win the races she enters, she is a normal woman who has followed her passions! Show notes Based in Wellington in NZ Being someone who loves being outdoors and loves running Not being a runner & being un-sporty Why it all changed in her mid - 20’s Her first Half Marathon…& how she got into long distance running What if she could do the Marathon des Sables? 3 yea

Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent is a travel writer, TV producer and director of Edge Expeditions. She’s written three books, penned numerous articles for magazines, set an unlikely Guinness World Record for driving a tuk tuk 12,500 miles from Bangkok to Brighton and filmed in remote locations from Bolivia to Borneo and beyond.  Her latest book, Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains: A Journey Across Arunachal Pradesh – India’s Forgotten Frontier. Show notes Living in Bristol and growing up in Norfolk Being inspired by her parents and her grandmother Family holiday Going straight to University and using her holidays to travel Deciding to drive a tuk tuk from Bangkok to London in 2006 “Ting Tong" the bright pink tuk tuk and raising £50K for the charity MIND Quitting her job, planning the trip, and raising the funds! Getting ill in Bangkok Taking a month to cross China How the trip changed her perceptions of herself Adjusting back to real life after the trip The Ho Chi Minh Trail adventure and how it evolved Loving the histo

Maria Leijerstam is a Welsh British polar adventurer and a Wales 2016 Year of Adventure ambassador. She was the first person to cycle to the South Pole from the edge of the continent in 2013.  Leijerstam started her expedition on the Ross Ice Shelf at the edge of the Antarctic continent. She cycled for 10hrs to 17hrs each day with no rest days, and the total distance cycled was 638 km (396 mi). Leijerstam cycled a uniquely designed, three wheeled Polar Cycle, a modernised form of polar travel, demonstrating that cycling can be more efficient than skiing to the South Pole.   Show notes Why she doesn’t call herself an explorer Growing up and wanting to be an astronaut  Her childhood Getting into more extreme adventures Always living in a mans world Joining the Officer Training Corps Learning how to look after herself How she started her journey into adventure Doing the Marathon des Sables! The lead up to the race, dealing with nerves and preparing her body for the heat Knowing how your body responds during a c

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