Tough Girl Podcast

At 35, Sam Taylor struggled to leave the sofa in the evenings and prioritised a wine over a walk. Working full time and running around after three children, she was facing a sedentary future. And then she decided to try something different. One hundred different things in a year, in fact.  As a self-confessed gymphobe, with a fear of heights and a questionable pelvic floor, she experienced challenges within challenges as she set about trying 100 different sports and fitness classes in a year. Her quest took her over 10,000 miles, as she tried everything from American Football to Archery and Boxing to Underwater hockey. She faced Olympic hopefuls, World Champions, European Champions and participated with people from 8 to 80, in all shapes and sizes. During this podcast we learn more about her story, the challenges she faced, what she leant about sport, herself and others.  This episode will encourage you to get out there and to try new things! Show notes Who Sam it How the idea came about  Being into hockey a

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

Professionally; Catherine has worked on the beaches of Costa Rica protecting leatherback sea turtles and their nests, and as a jungle guide in the Corcovado rainforest… She held the position of Forest Operations manager for Operation Wallacea, running jungle training courses, and organising logistics for extremely remote scientific biodiversity studies in the forests, mountains and coral islands of Buton, Kabaena, and Wakatobi national park, South East Sulawesi, Indonesia...  She has trekked for 700km down the ephemeral rivers of Namibia, tracking, (and being charged by), desert elephants, whilst leading groups of 17-25 year olds...  She’s built harpy eagle hack boxes in the jungles of Belize, explored hidden sinkholes, crystal caves and Mayan ruins, performed reconnaissance trips and developed a new county project for Operation Wallacea in the cloud forests of Honduras, Central America...  Most recently, she led The Matriarch Adventure, an all-women expedition to Namibia to track desert elephants and experie

Tough Girl - Pip Hare - Professional ocean racing sailor who was part of the all female team who won the 3 Peaks Yacht Race in 2016 Pip Hare is a professional ocean racing sailor, with a wealth of experience over the past 16 years in the marine industry, clocking up over 120,000 miles across the worlds’ oceans, including the Pacific, the Atlantic and as far south as Patagonia. With steely determination and a high ambition, Pip achieved has taken part in a major short handed Ocean Racing campaign every year since her first OSTAR in 2009. Since this first race Pip has become the Only British Sailor to every finish the coveted international mini transat race twice as well as winning the 2010 Two Handed Round Britain and Ireland Race overall with co-skipper Phil Stubbs. In 2016 Pip was part of Team Aperito, for the 3 Peaks Yacht Race, which was led by Elin Haf Davies – (Who has also been on the Tough Girl Podcast)– the sailors on the team were Pip and Nikki Curwen, – and the runners were TV presenter and Ultra ra

Suzy was the US Junior Record Holder at 1500m and won 3 National Junior Titles in High School. Competing professionally, Suzy won seven USA National titles, set two American Records, was a three-time Olympian, ran her specialty 1500m under 4:00 five times and at the time was the second fastest American Woman in history. In 2000, Suzy was the fastest woman in the world, but came last in her race at the Sydney Olympics. Triggered by feelings of inadequacy, Suzy slipped further into darkness and was eventually misdiagnosed with depression. The prescribed drug made her high, too high in fact, and soon, she was working as an escort in Las Vegas. Only being outed to the world and an eventual diagnosis of bipolar disorder led her to begin the slow process of recovery. Years later, she is sharing her story about her experiences with bipolar disorder as well as her struggles with life during and after running.    Show notes Growing up and wanting to be perfect, the reasons behind it and what drove her to this level o

Return to Kyrgyzstan is focused on raising awareness about the local community and a Kyrgyz man named Hayat Tarikov who is dramatically changing Kyrgyz children’s lives through skiing. It also tells the compelling story of Nayla’s own return back to Kyrgyzstan 4 years after a catastrophic accident there left her on the brink of death. She organises adventure travel trips with a focus on filming stories of interest in far corners of the world. Nayla was born in the French Alps to an Egyptian father and French mother and has been a devout traveler for her entire life. She is an avid skier and snowboarder with a true passion for the outdoors, adventure and global travel.  “To me snowboarding is not just an obsession, it is an insatiable craving that has lead me to discover new cultures, speak new languages, and form irreplaceable friendships.” Show notes Moving out to Costa Rica for 4 months How Nayla would introduce herself Being born in France, moving to the states when she was 2 years old Loving to travel fr

At just 15 years old, Naomi Kutin has already established herself in the world of powerlifting gaining her first world record at nine. While powerlifting may not seem the typical sport of choice for a young girl, Naomi has grown up with it. Naomi’s father is an accomplished powerlifter himself and now, after watching Naomi’s success, her younger brother Ari has also taken up the sport, making it a family affair. Being an Orthodox Jew, Naomi sometimes encounters difficulties with her training and competition, as she can only eat certain foods and cannot travel or compete on Shabbat. Yet, despite these cultural barriers, Naomi has become known as arguably one of the strongest girl’s in the world and gained the nickname ‘Supergirl.’. Naomi can lift nearly three-times her weight and is a force to be reckoned with in her sport of powerlifting. Naomi holds multiple records and gold medals from competitions. In addition to her academic and powerlifting pursuits, Naomi runs track and works weekly with special needs s

Tina Muir is a 2:36 marathoner and Great Britain runner who recently shocked the running world by taking a hiatus to focus on starting a family and overcoming amenorrhea. Tina created the Running for Real Community to foster a healthy mindset around running. This is a space where runners can explore, embrace, and get better from setbacks through inspiring podcasts, videos, and blog posts, and most importantly, sharing thoughts and experiences. Behind every personal best, there are plenty of personal not-so-bests, from beating ourselves up about just-missed PRs to the injury blues to embarrassing falls. Running can really hurt, but we don’t have to go through it alone.    Show notes Moving over to America at 18 in 2007 Meeting her husband in the States Running when she was younger Doing cross country at school and hiding in the toilets Making the school team and coming 4th in a competition  Deciding she wanted to win Joining a running club Being coached by Brad Plummer in the UK Deciding to leave her family a

Achievements 2013 - Ladies British National Champion at Double Ironman! 2015 - RAAM - 12 days 9 hours and 12 mins to become the first British Women to do so and the 37th women ever!    Show notes Growing up on a farm and not being sporty or outdoorsy, but getting use to cycling as she had to cycle everywhere Taking up football when she went to university Moving to London and trying to fit in health and fitness at the same time Jumping straight into triathlon from football Liking to challenge herself What she liked about triathlon The Double Ironman! With ENDUROMAN Times for Ironman Becoming the Ladies’ British National Champion in 2013 Dealing with sleep deprivation  The finish of Enduroman and why it’s special The 24 hour time trail and not realising the significance of the event Why she would never do it again Qualifying for RAAM - Race Across America Why her strength is endurance and not speed Her mental strength to just keep on going Growing up knowing there was nothing she couldn’t do and why she doesn’

Despite roots in one of India’s most conservative rural Haryana state notorious for its skewed sex ratio in favour of boys, Nungshi and Tashi Malik, by 23 years old had achieved several global gender iconic milestones.  They are the world’s first siblings and twins as well as youngest persons and the first South Asians to complete the ‘Adventurers Grand Slam’ (scaling highest peaks in all continents including Everest, and skiing to North and South Poles). Guinness World Records has already featured them for several of these including ‘first female twins to scale Everest, first twins and siblings to scale the Seven Summits and youngest person to complete Explorers Grand Slam’. Popularly known as ‘Everest twins’, Nungshi and Tashi dedicated their adventure mission to Indian girl child with the motto ‘Gender Equality Now: Fight Female Feticide’. They use their climbing as metaphor for the ‘invisible’ mountains of gender discrimination, exclusion and denial of basic rights that millions of girls in India have to

Guin was introduced to rowing by her sister at 19 whilst at Southampton University. In her early years Guin excelled in a variety of school sports, playing county hockey and athletics. During this podcast we learn more about the set backs that Guin faced trying to follower her dream, from being told she would never make it as a rower, to being so broke she was sleeping on changing room floors. This is a story of courage and conviction and how by work hard, using everything you have you can achieve your goals. Guin provides lots of top tips to help you face your own challenges, and also shares more knowledge on how you can take up rowing and maybe one day row an ocean! Show notes When she started rowing Loving sport at school and how she learnt the rules of life through sport Rowing in the novice pot and taking 3 years to win it What she loved about rowing Growing up in West Africa and going to boarding school when she was 9 Being expelled from school at 11 Deciding she wanted to go to the Olympics Making the

Kim broke her neck while doing a backflip on her snowboard. After making a complete recovery, she reinserted adventure back into her life with things like competing in big mountain snowboarding and even going to school to learn how to become a stunt woman.  She is the Editor-in-Chief of Purpose2Play.com, a U.S. based digital publication that tells the positive and inspiring stories in sports. She routinely explores how and why athletes are able to overcome great physical and mental challenges. She believes that the talent she has for telling others' stories is rooted in her own desire to challenge herself physically and mentally and live her life at full throttle.   Show notes Where she is now and where she grew up Why she is a story teller first Being fearless since a young age Snowboarding off the roof when she was 8 years old Loving spending time outside Not knowing what she wanted to do Having to change career direction Becoming a sports writer and being willing to try something new Being in a major snow

Show notes Being a free spirit Growing up with 3 older sisters Being a spoiled brat while growing up Leaving home at 18 to travel Hopping around for 4 years, changing countries and jobs Dealing with anxiety at college Living on her own, working on her own and doing it all on her own Every step took her further and further away from home Dealing with a broken heart and trying to fill the empty void Arriving in Mexico - sorting out a job and a place to live within 3 days Doing Jaguar conservation work Leaving Mexico after 4 months Duolingo for learning languages Deciding to sail home across the Atlantic Crewbay.com  The cow scull Trying to get to the boat with no money  Sailing to England  Surviving on four hour sleeps Having an argument and not being able to get out  Sailing to Ireland and not England! Getting itch feet and wanting to get travelling again Cycling Ecuador to Argentina with no money Operation South America Getting her plans in place and dealing with the negativity Why you should smile at strang

EXPEDITIONS:  •First female to stand up paddleboard 1000 miles (Missouri river, USA) •Cycled solo + unsupported 2000 miles across the USA •First female in history to swim the length of the Thames River (UK) •400 mile run – 15 marathons back-to-back (London to Land’s End, UK) •Namib Desert solo fatbike expedition (2016) •Upcoming: Record attempt – first female to row the Pacific Ocean solo and non-stop   Show notes Not being a natural adventurer Coming to exploring later on in life Being an accidental adventurer  Deciding to change her life Looking for her passion in life Losing her best friend at university Deciding she no longer wanted to be an introvert and what she did to change it What would you do, if you could not fail Her conservative family and growing up in South Africa Why we need more females in endurance sports getting the spot light  Her list of how to live rather than things to do Her fear of failure Losing her best friend at 20 years old Deciding to live her life her way Deciding to do SUP - M

In 1982 at age 22 Elspeth set off on a solo motorbike trip around the world. The journey took her 2.5 years and she covered a distance of 48,000 miles taking in the sites of North America, Australasia, Asia & Europe.    This was all done in the age before mobile phones and internet. During her travels Elspeth rode through post-revolutionary Iran during the war with Iraq. She survived life threatening illnesses and numerous accidents. She witnessed civil uprisings that delayed her journey and forced her to fake documents to cross brokers.   This is one hell of a story not to be missed!   Show notes   How would Elspeth introduce herself Understanding more about her childhood Being encouraged to explore and push the boundaries Going to boarding school at a young age and being expelled at 16 How she found her love of motorcycles Buying her first bike and understanding the travel potential of having a motorbike Doing what she wanted to do Going on a 10 week trip with her brother, riding across America What sh

7 Women - 7 Challenges PART 4 At the start of 2017 after feedback from the Tough Girl Tribe. I started 7 Women - 7 Challenges. Throughout the year I will be interviewing 7 women as we follow them on their journey of going after their own personal challenges. We will learn what really has to happen for people to achieve their goals, we will hear about their frustrations, disappointments, set backs, as well as their successes and achievements.  It is real stories, from real women, living real lives.   Schedule of future episodes Part 1 - 1st January LIVE Part 2 - 12th February LIVE Part 3 - 2nd April LIVE Part 4 - 28th May LIVE Part 5 - 1st October Part 6 - 19th November Part 7 - 31st December   Show notes Rae Red Feeling a bit weird in January Finding out she was pregnant! Knackered, dealing with morning sickness Stopping training Going on a mental roller coaster Not being able to tell people Moving house & being surrounded by boxes Processing the news Being angry Going throug

After 6 years of living a 9-5 lifestyle, she had had enough. She was fed up of being stressed and overworked and had a mountain of baggage to contend with. She was burnt out, didn’t sleep well, was over-thinking all the time and had bouts of depression. She didn’t feel healthy. So, she decided to make a change. She quit her job, signed up to do a few challenges and…..here she is! Adventuring, travelling and living her absolute dream life. Since leaving her job she has completed the 240km London Loop on an adult kick scooter, sailed across the North Sea and hiked 1000km the full length of Israel.    Show notes Where Bex is at the moment Going to Africa at 18 where she got the travel bug Settling into adult life and getting a regular job as a teacher Making the decision to quit her life and go travelling full time Making another big change in her life for the second time Having a small amount of savings  Making money while on the go Deciding to head off to hike 1,000km the full length of Israel Getting herself

Phoebe Smith is an adventurer, author, editor, presenter, speaker and filmmaker. By day she is award-winning editor of Wanderlust Travel Magazine, travel writer and presenter, by night she’s an extreme sleeping outdoors adventurer who thrives on heading off to the wildest locations she can find to sleep in the strangest places she can seek out. She was the first person to sleep at all the extreme points of mainland Britain – including the centremost point – which she did solo, on consecutive nights in 2014.  She has completed the Three Peaks Sleeps Challenge – in which she overnighted on the summits of the highest mountains in Wales, England and Scotland. She is also the author of 7 books including the bestselling Extreme Sleeps: Adventures of a Wild Camper,Wilderness Weekends: Wild Adventures in Britain's Rugged Corners  and the first ever guidebook to Britain’s free-to-stay-in mountain shelters –Book of the Bothy.   Show Notes   Backpacks & her favourite Lowe Alpine pack How Phoebe would introduce hers

Dr Laura Gush is a patron of the Tough Girl Podcast, a member of the Tough Girl tribe and a phenomenal runner. She’s raced in The Iron Man, Marathon Des Sables and a number of ultra races and marathons. Laura took a year off her medical career in 2015 and took that time to get her personal training qualifications and race in the Marathon Des Sables. Laura shares what she does to train for a race and how her educational perspective had an impact on her running. We talk about how Laura got into running with no background in sports and what her future challenges will be. Show Notes Growing up in South Wales with a musical background Running in the 2008 London Marathon Training for her first marathon Getting shin splints and underestimating the challenge Becoming like the people you’re closest to Deciding to participate in The Ironman Laura’s strategy for getting through The Ironman Mallorca Running a marathon while feeling terrible How being a doctor affects Laura’s running What it felt like to be an Ironman Ba

Last year Georgina Cleere Won the Women’s Soloist title at Revolve24 2016 completing 127 laps (305 miles) and climbing 8,128m (26,670 feet). Her passion had always been horses, and horses were her life, her own horse Mr Darcy broke his leg and had to be put down and this changed her life. She no longer had a social life, she no longer did exercise, she had no direction and didn't know what to do with her time.   She decided to buy a bike through the Cycle to Work Scheme, and with the encouragement from her husband, she  joined a cycling club and soon found herself cycling all the time.  This is her story of what she has learned along the way and how cycling has changed her life, she shares the challenges she faced, the learnings she's made and her plans for the future as well as her dream to ride non-stop across America! Show Notes Her childhood and adventures with horses, including her very own Mr Darcy Finding her feet again through losing her horse and her father being ill Starting to ride a bike throug