Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

Selene is a professional health and fitness writer who is also the author or co-author of 6 books including the incredibly popular ‘Roar’ with Dr Stacy Sims.Selene is also an extraordinary athlete in her own right. She’s been a semi-professional athlete since her late 30s and has competed in everything from Hawaii Ironman to 7 day mountain bike stage races and 200 mile (that’s 320km) gravel classics.And she hosts the popular podcast ‘Hit Play Not Pause' for active performance-minded women in their 40s and beyond.In this conversation we discuss:* how riding her bike helped her find herself after a series of abusive relationships and a really bad eating disorder left her feeling lost,* the line between having a healthy drive and an unhealthy one,* her advice for women interested in mountain biking or off-road cycling, and* how she came to meet and work with Dr Stacey Sims, and the changes she made as a result of what she learnt.Plus we discuss the new project she’s working; another book with Dr Stacey Sims

Leadership expert and outdoor adventurer, Ingrid Messner, joins me on Sparta Chicks Radio this week.An avid hiker, she has travelled to over 50 countries and most recently hiked Australia’s 10 highest peaks, carrying about 18kg of gear and equipment, over the space of a week.She’s come along way from the story she shares in this episode of twice having to learn to walk again. The first time after a hiking accident in 2017 (which took 11 months of recovery) and the second after contracting a viral infection in 2019.In this conversation, we discuss:* the hiking accident that resulted in needing to learn to walk again (for the first time),* the importance of being patient and persistent during your recovery from injury, especially when you don’t have a timeline for recovery (and why she outsourced her patience),* why you need to be careful about who you get advice from (ie, experts or people who have the same experience), * why she says walked (pun intended) out of the experience physically and mentally better a

A few weeks before recording this episode, Sparta Chicks Radio celebrated its 4th birthday. And there is no-one I’d rather share that celebration with than Lucy Barnard! Lucy is attempting to become the 1st woman to walk the length of the world.She set off in February 2017 from Tierra Del Fuego in Argentina to walk to Barrow, Alaska; a journey of 30,000km /20,000mi across 15 countries she anticipated would take her 5 years. Yes, years.Lucy was first on the podcast in March 2018.When I was preparing to speak to Lucy for that episode, I realised we share a unique connection; we both started our respective journeys - Lucy started walking and I published the first podcast - on the very same day in 2017.That conversation turned into our first anniversary / birthday celebration and we agreed to catch up each year for an update on her progress! This is our 4th annual episode and Lucy joins me to share how 2020 unfolded for her.

In 2019, Sarah Davis became the first woman to lead an expedition along the length of the Nile and joined me on the show in episodes 34 and 134 to discuss it.This time she returns to share her next epic adventure, in which she’s swapping her paddles for pedals and will ride 5,000 unsupported across Australia!In this conversation, we discuss:* why, just 8 months after finishing her Nile expedition, she decided to paddle the length of Australia’s longest river, the Murray - a journey of 2,500km* where (and when) the idea to ride across Australia came from,* the logistics involved and how she’s preparing her body - and butt! - for the ride,* what she the Nile expedition taught her about risk management and how you can manage the risks associated with your adventures, * mental health challenges, eating disorders and developing a deeper appreciation for what your body can do, as opposed to what it looks like.

Tara Diversi is a woman of many talents.A Sports Dietitian and an Accredited Practising Dietitian, Tara is also an accomplished athlete and marathon swimmer, having completed the English Channel, the Gibraltar Straight, the Rottnest Island swim and the Palm Beach to Manly swim here in Sydney (amongst many others).But the focus of today’s conversation is on her most recent, and coldest, challenge - becoming the first Australian woman to complete an Ice Mile. That is swimming one mile (1.6km) in water that is 5 degrees or less. To put that into perspective, ice baths used by athletes to help with recovery generally sit around 14 degrees.So why does a woman who lives in tropical Far North Queensland set a goal to swim a mile in ice water?Let's find out!

Mimi Anderson started running at the age of 36 (after a long battle with anorexia).Over the next 20 years, she went on to set multiple Guinness World Records.Her achievements include: * completing the Badwater Double; the return trip from Death Valley where the race starts to Mt Whitney, and back - a journey of 469km,* winning outright the 6633 Extreme Ultramarathon, a self-supported non-stop race over 560km in the Arctic Circle in which you drag on a sled everything you need to survive that took her almost 6 days to finish, and* setting Guinness World Record for the fastest time by a female running the length of England and the record for a woman running across Ireland.Now it hasn’t all been smooth sailing.In 2017, she attempted to set the record for running across America - that’s over 5000km. Sadly, that attempt ended due to injury and it also brought an end to her ultrarunning career.But you can’t keep a woman like Mimi down for very long!So in her late 50s, she learnt to ride a bike, overcame a life-long

Alexx Stuart is on a mission to help people want to (not *have* to) make changes for the better in their lives.She launched 'Low Tox Life' back in 2010 a few years after discovering she had a gluten allergy and going on a personal mission to find out what she was putting in, on and around her body.Since then, Low Tox Life has become a thriving online education hub and Alexx has become a 4x best-selling author and podcast host (with over a million downloads), by the same name.This is a conversation about conscious choice, hormones & why you should change your pillow :)I love that Alexx adopts a judgement-free perspective, that she recognises that it can be overwhelming when you start to realise the extent of changes you could make and that she encourages people to change one thing at a time.This might seem like an unusual conversation to have on this podcast.But I think there are two common themes.The first is around hormones and how easily they can be disrupted (in line with my previous conversati

Eliza Ault Connell was a (self-described) normal kid with a pretty average childhood until she was 16.It was then, in 1997, she contracted and nearly died from meningococcal disease.She spent 2 weeks in a coma during which time her parents had to make the heartbreaking decision to amputate both of her legs to save her life.Eliza later decided to have her fingers amputated for reasons she’ll share in this conversation.During her recovery, Eliza was introduced to parasports and started as a runner, before she transitioned across to wheelchair racing - and she hasn’t looked back.She has since won 3 World Championship medals, 3 Commonwealth Games medals and placed 2nd in a demonstration event at the Athens 2004.After a 10 year break from racing to raise a family, at the age of 36 Eliza returned to the sport to chase her Olympic dreams once more.And a few weeks before this episode was recorded in 2020, it was announced that Eliza was one of the first 4 athletes selected to represent Australia at the 2021 Tokyo Par

I’m back

Amazingly, Chloë didn’t learn how to swim until she was 11.Yet within 2 years, she was swimming at State level and eventually had her eye on Olympic qualification.Sadly, that wasn’t to be.But during her university years, she discovered triathlons which led to marathon swimming.The year was 2006 and the rest, as they say, is history!She now holds multiple world records including for the longest ever unassisted swim by any person - a mind-blowing 124.4km which she swam in the Bahamas in 2014.At the start of 2020, Chloë arrived in England with 31 crossings of the English Channel under her belt, and a plan to break the men’s record of 34 crossings.Postscript: this conversation was recorded in 2020. In 2021, Chloe set a new world record for the most English Channel crossings - with an incredible 44 crossings. It's a record that still stands in 2025!

A runner since childhood, Suzy’s (injury-plagued) track career culminated when she competed at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games in the 800m and 1500m.In the months that followed, Suzy and her husband moved to Singapore for her work (she was an accountant).Not long after, and on a whim, she entered a stair running race.The prize for winning it; a trip to New York to compete in the famous Empire State Building Run-Up, an iconic race that garners media attention from around the world.And she won — both her first race in Singapore and then her debut at the Empire State Building.And at the age of 33, a new career as a stair running champion was born.Since then, she’s gone onto win 10 x titles at the Empire State Building event (the most race victories of any athlete, male or female) as well as 9 x Tower Running World Cup titles.

Katee returns to the podcast for another important conversation about mental health.We begin by briefly discussing her experience as a first time mum during a pandemic.Next, we dive into the research and statistics around the impact that the pandemic has had on mental health in Australia (and some of the numbers are, quite frankly, shocking).Then we transition over to talking about what we can do to look after our own, and others, mental health, primarily around the idea of ‘holding space’ (or debriefing as I call it).Katee and I then discuss:- what it means to ‘hold space’- the power of connection and conversation especially during difficult times.- how to resist the urge to ‘fix’ how someone is feeling,- what you say after someone has shared how they’re feeling,- how to set boundaries and/or look after yourself if you don’t have the capacity to hold space for someone else (especially important if you’re struggling too), and- why it’s important to accept how you feel, regardless of how you feel (essentially,

Yewande Adesida grew up in London and is a self-described “up-and-coming amateur” cyclist who is currently undertaking her PhD on wearable technology in sport.Previously a former competitive rower, Yewande switched her focus to cycling - specifically track cycling in a velodrome - in 2016 and started racing in 2017.Just 2 years later, in 2019, and while still a relatively unknown face on the global stage, SRAM (which is one of the biggest and most well-known brands in cycling) decided to feature Yewande as the star of one of its global marketing campaigns.As you can imagine, in a sport where marketing imagery has traditionally involved skinny white men, SRAM’s campaign featuring Yewande both very quickly raised her profile in the sport and the discussion about the importance of the representation of people of colour in a sport and industry that desperately needs more diversity.

Peter Baines joined the NSW Police Force at 19 and worked first as a uniformed officer before he transferred across to join the Forensic Services Group and become a real-life crime scene investigator (long before it was cool).Little did he know that decision would change the trajectory of his life.He is now an author, speaker, consultant and the co-founder of an amazing charity called ‘Hands Across The Water’.Peter’s work as a forensic investigator took him first to Bali to identify victims following the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.Then 2 years later in 2004 he made his first trip to Thailand to assist with the identification of victims following the Boxing Day tsunami that killed between 250,000 and 300,000 people.In a strange yet beautiful twist of fate, during his third rotation in Thailand, he agreed to raise money to fund a home for a group of children he had met who had been orphaned by the tsunami.And so ‘Hands Across The Water’ was born; a charity that now owns a

Raised in India to adventure-loving parents, Vedangi Kulkarni set out on her first epic ride - crossing the Himalayas - when she just 17.Then in 2017 at the age of 19, she set out on her quest to become the fastest person to circumnavigate the world and to complete the journey in 100 days.And while she missed both of those goals, after riding 29,000km / 18,000mi and 160 days, 14 countries and 1 birthday later, she became the youngest woman to ever circumnavigate the world on a bike. She was 20.In this conversation she shares:- her 850km solo cycling adventure across the Himalayas at 17 and what gave her the confidence to attempt it,- where the idea to circumnavigate the world came from,- the role visualisation played in helping her mentally prepare for the ride,- how she still struggles with worrying about what people think,- being told “this adventure jam is for white people” and the importance of not automatically taking on other people’s stories and beliefs,- her experience as a woman of colour in enduranc

Janine Garner grew up on a poultry farm in the north of England and worked her way up the corporate ladder to become the Marketing Manager for high-profile brands like Citizen Watches, Oroton and Ralph Lauren.But ultimately the lifestyle and burnout prompted Janine to walk away from her career and pursue her own business.Fast forward 9 years and she is now a sought-after international keynote speaker and trainer who fulfils her childhood dreams to be on the stage, albeit in a different capacity (you’ll have to listen to this episode to hear that story!).Janine is the author of 3 books including her new release ‘Be Brilliant: How to Lead a Life of Influence’ which we discuss in-depth in this conversation.

Melissa Browne first joined me on the podcast way back in early 2017 and then spoke at our conference, Sparta Chicks Unleashed, in 2018.And now she’s back with a vulnerable new book and for a very personal and brave conversation.Mel has just published a new book - her fourth book - called “Budgets Don’t Work (But This Does)”. It’s the culmination of her career first as an accountant and now a financial advisor.Her philosophy; just like diets and one-size-fits-all eating plans or training programs don’t work, budgets don’t work either.So Mel has developed a process that helps you discover (what she calls) your “Financial Phenotype”. It’s the combination of your Money Stories, your Money Environment and your Money Type. Knowing these things about yourself then allows you to custom design your own financial plan, habits and tactics that draw on your natural strengths (while minimising the impact of your weakness). Simply genius!What makes this book so powerful is Mel’s vulnerability around her history and her st

Dianne Whelan is the first to admit she is not an ‘extreme’ or endurance athlete. She describes herself as “just an artist from Vancouver”.But there is no doubt the project she’s currently undertaking is pretty extreme.In 2015, she set out to travel the length of the Great Trail (or the Trans Canada Trail) which stretches from one side of Canada to the other and is the longest trail in the world.It’s a 24,000km / 15,000mi journey across Canada - including 7,000km of water - that she is travelling by foot, bike, canoe and snowshoe.Dianne initially thought it would take her about 500 days and so she named the project, and the documentary film she is simultaneously making in the process, ‘500 Days in the Wild’.5 years later, she is about 3,000km from finishing her epic journey.And when she does so, she’ll become the first person to complete this epic traverse of Canada.What makes Dianne’s perspective unique (at least to this podcast) is that this journey is not about the challenge or the athletic achievement.Ins

Jeanette McGill grew up in South Africa and mountains and the outdoors were a massive part of her life up until her mid-late 20s.And then her career took over - and took off.A geologist by training, Jeanette began working in the mining industry and she has gone onto to become a senior mining executive and was named as one of the Top 100 most influential women in mining in the world.But unfortunately, that came at the cost of her health, fitness and her time in the outdoors.However, some soul-searching and a moment of synchronicity while channel surfing in 2013 reignited her passion for the mountains and she set a seemingly audacious goal; to summit an 8,000m mountain!In this conversation, we discuss the importance of understanding your ‘why’ and the role it plays in securing your self-confidence, and how she was able to reframe her biggest ‘Imposter’ moment.

Hanny is no stranger to the trail running and outdoor adventure communities in Australia.In 2006, Hanny won the Junior and Senior World Orienteering titles. In doing so, she became the first non-European to win an Orienteering World Championship and the first person, male or female, to hold both the Senior and Junior title in the same year.In the years since, she’s achieved a long list of victories, records and placings in the worlds of mountain and trail running, ultramarathon running and sky running.She’s also the co-founder of my favourite retail and online store - Find Your Feet - based in Tasmania with her husband Graham.And on top of all that, she’s a performance coach and the host of an incredible podcast also called ‘Find Your Feet.We cover all of that, and more, in our first conversation for the podcast. This conversation is very different.This is a conversation about Hanny finding her feet.She has just released a memoir - her first memoir - called ‘Finding My Feet’.I was lucky enough to read an adva