Tough Girl Podcast

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 af

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 futu

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

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

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 Dea

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

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

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

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

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 b

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!

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 yoursel

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

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 h

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 mo

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

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 die

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 mee

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 hersel

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