Tough Girl Podcast

  During this episodes we chat with Mimi Anderson, who describes herself as a wife, mother and grandmother, who likes to run. We get to share in some of Mimi many challenges, from racing in some of the most extreme environments on the planet, from the heat of the desert to the bitter cold of the Arctic. She shares her experiences, the hights the lows, and what she learnt from the races. She provides advice and tips and will inspire you to put your trainers on and go for a run! During this podcast we also discuss the following: Why she decided to start running & when she called herself a runner for the first time Making the change from the treadmill to running outside The 6633 Ultra Race - A 350 mile non stop, self sufficient race in the Arctic. Training for the event and having a plan for the race What it was like being in that environment Coping with being on her own during the race - and getting away from it all Coping with the cold and dealing with temperatures of -70! Why you don't want to sweat in t

Nat is a lover of endurance events, and anything to do with the outdoors! She loves being fit and active and during this podcast she shares with us some of the events she's participated in, from being involved in adventure races to  completing Ironman's and ultra endurances races in extreme conditions.  She also discusses why she decided to join the army and what military life was like while training at Sandhurst. She shares top tips and advice which you'll be able to implement in your life. Topics discussed during the podcast: -What Adventure Racing is and what to expect during a race -Tips for making decisions when tired and sleep deprived, and how she's learned from previous mistakes -Why communication and teamwork is so important during race conditions -How her journey into ultra events started and why she decided to do the 6633 Ultra Race - A 350 mile footrace in the Canadian Arctic! -How she trained both mentally and physically for the 6633 Ultra Race -Why it’s important to break your big goals down int

During this podcast we get to cover a whole host of different topics! From why Nics decided to join the British Army and what its like being a female in a male dominated environment. How sports at a young age from athletics to skiing encouraged her to try triathlons at university which led to her completing an Ironman! Nics also touches on the following topics: -The difference between Alpine skiing and Nordic skiing -The Bolton Ironman in 2012 and coping with the unexpected heatwave -Trying to get the balance right between training and studying -How she combined her fitness with studying to become a doctor -Mental preparation for the Ironman -Getting help with training and training programmes -The Winter World Triathlon Championships -Doing a Nordic Ski Season  -Top tips for running on snow -Coping with the cold! -The 6633 Ultra Race - One of the toughest races in the world. Held in the Arctic! -Her concerns before the race -150km Ultra race in Lapland, Finland -Coping with sleep deprivation and the thoughts

British polar explorer Felicity Aston MBE became the first woman in 2012 to ski alone across Antarctica. It was a journey of 1744km that took 59 days to complete and which gave her a place in the book of Guinness World Records. During this podcast Felicity shares her experiences of how she prepared both mentally and physically for this journey.  Felicity also talks about the following: -What first got Felicity interested in Polar Exploration -How she coped with preparing for her first expedition -Being 19 and heading off to the unknown for the first time -Tips on building self confidence  -How to retain your femininity in a male dominated environment -How to cope with criticism -Staying true to yourself -Her first job… moving to the Antarctica for 2.5 years! -Why she decided to ski across Antarctica -What skills she needed to develop before setting off on this challenge -What it felt like at the very start, when she was suddenly alone on the Antarctica coast -Preparation for being alone -Mental hygiene -Why i

In this podcast we talk about: How Megan first got into Judo and what she loves about it. Taking it to the next step and deciding to train full time How Judo built her internal self confidence Why she wants to be the best in the world Jumping from a green belt to a black belt at 15 years old The grading route verses the competitive route Coping with being diagnosed with OCD at a young age How her OCD impacted on her Judo Competing at the Cadet Europeans  How it works at Judo competitions The four main ways you can win in Judo The struggle to win and perform at a junior level How she needed to change her judo style to become a better athlete Keeping the faith and not giving up when she wasn’t getting the results Preparation for the Commonwealth Games “The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday” Why you need to focus on YOU! Facing her nemesis! - Sally Conway in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games 2014 Getting over her own mental block of being able to beat Sally Do

During this podcast we speak with Rachel Gibson a mum of two from the Wirral, UK. Rachel shares her experience of the Spartan races from competing and placing at the Manchester Spartan Race and her journey to the Spartan World Championships in America. In this podcast we talk about: Getting back into fitness after children Why the Spartan Sprint races appealed to her What to expect at a Spartan Race from the obstacles to the atmosphere What happens when you fail an obstacle Why the Spartan spear throw isn’t as easy as it looks Top tips for rope climbs What happens after you win a “Spartan Coin” Advice for balancing training with work and having children Why you should always read the small print for races Dealing with the brand new Spartan course What it felt like at the start of the race & the Spartan chant The obstacles that challenged Rachel and pushed her to her limits Coping with the ice cold water during the swim Hitting the wall and still moving forward Future challenges Raising money for Cancer R

This week on the Tough Girl Podcast we talk to Sarah Outen where she discussed her journey from London all the way around the northern hemisphere and back to London by rowing, kayaking and cycling. In order to do this Sarah had to overcome a variety of challenges. She’s endured extreme conditions in remote environments, often being alone for months at a time.  A typhoon during the North Pacific crossing forced a mid Ocean rescue from her rowing boat in 2012 and a hurricane on the Atlantic this summer forced a pre-emptive evacuation after 143 days at sea. She has also kayaked some of the most treacherous waterways in the world and cycled across North America during one of the harshest Winters on record. After 4.5 years and over 25,000 miles, Sarah has made it back home, arriving back on midday on the 3rd November 2015. Sarah shares the following on the podcast: Her background and what’s inspired her to achieve what she’s achieved Becoming the first woman to row across the Indian ocean Turning her dream into a

Elin Haf Davies got into sports later on in life. When she moved to London, she started with rugby, and for 9 years her life was all work and rugby, until she got dropped by the rugby team and divorced. All of this happened at the same time and massively impacted on her confidence and took her to a dark place.  She decided she had to move on and change her life and this is when her love of challenges and adventures started. During this podcast we discuss: Her Inspiration - “Rowing it Alone” by Deborah Veal Rowing across the Atlantic in a pair Raising funds for Metabolic Research How she approached the preparation for the Atlantic row Not getting on at school but going back to academia to get her degree, masters and PHD.  Learnings from the Marathon Des Sables where she failed to finish Rowing across the Indian Ocean in the first female crew What life was like rowing every day - sleep deprivation, rowing in shifts, the drive and motivation Why you row naked! Mental preparation before and during the race. - “W

During this podcast Amy talks all about her love of fitness and how she came to take up the sport of powerlifting. To put this in context, Amy had never done any weight training before and had never even picked up a dumbbell! Five months later she had entered her first powerlifting competition.  Amy shares her journey from entering local competitions and progressing to the British Championships before taking on the European Championships where she gained the European Junior Bronze Medal.   Amy talks about the following: What powerlifting is What happens in a competition How to overcome nerves and focus on what you're doing Why having goals are important to helping you achieve The difference between weightlifting and powerlifting Why powerlifting isn’t recognised as a sport Competing in the European Championships How she overcame her nerves What goes through her head when she lifts How “mind over matter” works in powerlifting Breaking the British Junior Record Squat Training cycles Rest & recovery Nutriti

I first noticed Ali on twitter, as she’d just completed a 24 hr endurance running race!  I was really interested in the whole event and wanted to understand more about it. Plus I thought it would make an awesome episode for the tough girl podcast! In this episode we talk all about running, whether it’s 800 m sprints, 5K park runs, trying to break the 3 hr barrier for the marathon as well as ultra running races, such as the Marathon Des Sables and Endure 24.  Ali is a personal trainer and certified running coach and has loads of top tips.  She discusses: - Goal setting Training How to run faster Different runs you can do Ultra running This episode will make you want to go for a run!  So put your trainers on, download this episode and go for it! New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast are out every Tuesday at 7 am. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out!! If you’ve enjoyed this episode then please send Ali at tweet @AliJYoung. I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL. 

Boxing has always been a part of the Copeland Family. Stacey’s father was a professional boxer and her granddad has been involved in the family gym, which has been teaching boxing for over 40 years.  Stacey was brought up at gym and spend many happy hours down there from a young age learning how to box, and she would happily spar with the boys not knowing any different. It was only as she got older, she was made aware how unusual her passion for boxing was. She’d wanted to take boxing to the next level, but because boxing was illegal for women, she had to put her dream on hold and instead decided to follow her other passion, football, and after playing for her country at under eighteen, she then became a professional and headed off to play football for clubs around the world.  After twelve broken bones, it was time for Stacey to retire from football and at 29 she decided she was going to follow her dreams and see if she could make it at boxing!  Although many people said at 29 Stacey was too old to take up a

Helen is a Triathlete and Duathlete who is enjoying success as an age group athlete representing Great Britain. Since competing in her first triathlon in 2006 Helen has been very successful in multi-sport competitions, securing a number of victories and podium places in both, local, national and international Triathlons and  Duathlons. Helen takes us back to how she first got into running and cycling and why she decided to take it up again, later on in life. She explains how she became a World Champion in both the Duathlon and Triathlon for her age category.  We discuss a wide variety of topics from coping with self doubt and how to break down large challenges into smaller more manageable chunks. In the Tough Girl Podcast, we discuss the following: What a duathlon is Which is harder - duathlons or triathlons Why coaching helped to propel her forward  Tips for balancing fitness & training with a full time job The benefit of having a to do list Coping with self doubt & coping with the pressure of havin

We recorded this episode while Natalie was sat outside a cafe on the streets of New York & I was at sat at home in England! It was great to talk to Natalie about how she first got into fencing and how she progressed in just seven months to competing at the Junior Olympics!  She has a really insightful view point on training and what the different aspects are. It was really interesting talking about the mental side and how meditation was so important in her sport and being present, being aware and being in the moment. Lots of advice and tips that you can apply to your life, even if you don’t fence.  Natalie explains about the different types of fencing and how the scoring and competitions work. I didn’t know anything about fencing before this interview and feel as though I’ve a better understand of what’s involved. I now want to give it a go and see what it would be like to hold an epee!  Natalie is super down to earth, very friendly and loves her sport. She’s just about to start competing to secure her in

Robyn Baldwin is not your typical women, she’s a hard one to define.  She’s a girly girl, who in her own words is a little vain and does fitness and exercise as she wants to look good naked! But there’s the other side; the career women, the women who’s driven to achieve not only in her career but in anything she sets her mind to; whether that’s being a bikini competitor or competing at an elite level in obstacle course races. She’s ambitious, driven and has a strong personality and I like her. I want to be around her, she inspires me and after talking to her, she’s made me feel, its ok to be an Alpha Female and its ok to be driven and its ok to go after what you want. She doesn’t hold herself back for anyone, therefore I’m not going to hold myself back and after listing to this podcast you won’t be holding yourself back anymore.  Robyn, may seem like the perfect poster child of a woman who has it all going for her; pretty, smart and outgoing, but behind that image she’s been through and handled a lot.  We onl

It’s October and the Rugby World Cup has kicked off in the UK and I thought this would be a fantastic opportunity to talk all about rugby, with a former England player and Captain. Catherine Spencer loves rugby, and always has, she was born into a rugby playing family and she started playing with her twin brother when she was just eight years old. She was one of the only girls playing on the team, but that did not stop her, she loved the game and she found out she was pretty good at it!  One of the great things about podcasts is you can hear the passion in peoples voices when they talk about something they love. In her own words, “Rugby is the best game in the world”. I was so inspired listening to Catherine, it’s made me want to go and give it a go and see what it’s all about! Rugby is a physical full on contact sport which generally women haven’t been involved in. It was not offered when I was at school and it was something that girls just didn’t do. But this attitude has been shifting especially over the p

Tori James is most well known for being the first Welsh woman to conquer Mount Everest in 2007. However, she has also raced to the magnetic North Pole in an all female team, cycled the full length of New Zealand and completed the first Beeline Challenge in Britain. Tori loves a challenge and an adventure, when she sets her mind to a goal, nothing or no one will stop her; not sea sickness, not injury, not the cold, and certainly not people telling her she can’t do it because she’s too small! Tori at 5’1 is not afraid of pushing herself to her limits and finding out what she’s capable of doing. (Which is a lot!)  If you want to be inspired and learn more about one women's journey from being in the Girl Guides to scaling Everest, then this is the podcast for you. Hear about her journey, what drove her and understand the steps she took to achieve her goals. Learn how you to can break down your next challenge and make it happen.  During this podcast, Tori takes us right back to where her love of adventure really s

In this episode we get to hear from Great British high jumper, Isobel Pooley who is a remarkable young women, she’s passionate, driven and loves what she does. Isobel has had a stunning start to her career, winning a medal at the Commonwealth games in 2014 and then going on to smash the British high jump record which had stood for over 32 years.  It hasn’t alway been easy for Isobel, she has faced challenges from a young age, being over six foot tall in her teens, and having to deal with random strangers coming up to her and commenting on her hight. She has dealt with loneliness, being unhappy and not fitting in. During this podcast, she talks openly on how she coped and handled these situations.  Isobel shows a real love for her sport and she has shown commitment and maturity in her approach to how she trains and how she gets the best out of her body. She talks about physical and mental preparation for competitions as well as what it feels like being in the big sporting arenas. While she talks, I could pictu

Tough Girl Challenges is all about motivating and inspiring women and girls. This is an episode not to be missed, especially if you’re interested in swimming or want to know more about open water swimming.    Lisa Williams is a down to earth normal woman in her thirties, who has gone on to do an extra-ordinary challenge. Lisa has just swam the English Channel, the 21 miles from England over to France!   During this podcast, Lisa explains how she first got into swimming as a young girl and why she decided to take it up again later on in life. She clearly explains everything, and gives awesome actionable tips on how to get involved in swimming through masters clubs, and how to make an individual sport, fun and sociable. It has certainly encouraged me to go for a swim, but definitely in a heated pool!    Let Lisa tell you more about the challenges involved in training for the English Channel swim, the hours of dedication over a two and half year training plan and having to put on over two stone in weight!

Tough Girl Challenges is all about motivating and inspiring women and girls. As well as interviewing athletes, explorers and adventures. I also think it’s important to interview the women behind the scenes, the women who support and help others to achieve their goals.   In this episode I interview Gale Bernhardt, she has a real passion for helping others and she found this passion when she was sixteen years old. As a renowned Olympic Coach with over twenty years experience she knows what she's talking about. She’s also heavily involved in cycling and multi-sport athlete development.   In this episode, Gale gives a fascinating insight into how the sport of triathlon has grown over the years since its birth in 1976. She has been there from the start. Gale was one of the first female coaches to realise how big triathlons were going to be in the future. Gale reminisces about her first event, and why she became hooked on the sport. She provides advice and tips for women who want to do their first sprint triat

Tough Girl Challenges is all about motivating and inspiring women and girls. In this episode I interview Liz Yelling.    Liz is a British long-distance runner, who excelled in the marathon distance (26.2 miles), and her personal best is a staggering time of 2 hr 28 mins 33 seconds! Liz has competed in two consecutive Olympics Games, Athens and Beijing, she’s also a Commonwealth medalist winning a Bronze medal in Melbourne in 2006.   During this podcast, Liz talks about how she first got into running, and how she progressed from running cross country at school, to joining an athletics club before becoming a professional and making the transition from 10K races, to marathons.    For anyone interesting in running and wanting to understand the mind set of how runners train for the big event. This is the podcast you need to listen to. Liz has a fascinating story to share, its full of highs and lows and during this interview she is very open as she discusses a variety of topics, from confidence, how she trai