Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

A 2x Ironman finisher, Ashley Wiles’ struggles with mental health and body image over the years inspired her to launch Sole Girls, an innovative empowerment program that shares, with girls aged 5 to 12, the tools they need for a confident, happy and healthy life.And she joins me on Sparta Chicks Radio this week.In this conversation, we dive into Ashley’s story including:- the ‘kilometre club’ at her elementary / primary school that laid the foundation for her love of being running,- how she manages her mental state if she can’t run due to injury,- how she discovered triathlons (and more recently, boxing and parkour), and- why she says running saved her life.Plus we dive into broader issues, including:- the importance of role models,- the impact a lack of role models has on the number of girls who drop out of sport,- the role of sports as “playtime” for kids and adults alike,- why running (and the body awareness it creates) is fantastic for dealing with anxiety or an overactive brain (how do you get out of you

Nicole Bradley joined the Australian Army at 20 and served for 22 years. And admits she ‘lost’ herself in the process.However after leaving the Army, and at the age of 42, Nicole discovered the sport of powerlifting - and life hasn’t been the same since.Nicole progressed quickly and set her 1st Australian Masters Record for the bench press (she now has 3 records) in her first competition!Injuries acquired during her service in the Army meant Nicole was eligible to compete (and was selected) to represent Australia at the Warrior Games in the United States and in the 2018 Invictus Games held in Sydney.And the honour didn’t stop there; much to her surprise, Nicole was appointed the co-captain of the 2018 Australian Invictus Games team! In this conversation, Nicole and I discuss:- why children need to see adults participating in sport,- why she turned down the first invitation she received to attend an Invictus Games training and selection camp,- the challenge associated with shifting identity from ‘Army Officer’

Meredith Quinlan and Jess Baker are two of Australia’s best ultramarathon runners with a string of victories and records to their name.In recent years, they have begun exploring what lies beyond organised races.In 2018, their love of travel and running took them to Iceland where they ran the length of Iceland - from the northern tip to the southern tip - and set a Fastest Known Time (FKT) in the process.The ‘Iceland Traverse’ was a self-supported journey of around 580km which took them 7 days and 13 hours to complete.In this (laughter-filled) conversation, we discuss:- how they each discovered running,- whether there was any sense of rivalry between them,- why Meredith doesn’t fear failure,- Jess’ experience with the Imposter Complex and why she says it can be helpful at times,- where the idea to traverse Iceland came from,- how Iceland’s rich history of strong women inspired them, and- the logistics involved in a self-supported crossing of Iceland, which included being powered by chocolate biscuits and slabs

An elite athlete in two sports and with a PhD in athlete wellbeing, Dr Hannah MacDougall has a unique perspective on emotional, mental and physical performance and wellbeing - so I knew she’d be the perfect guest for Sparta Chicks Radio.Hannah was 9 when she set the goal to become a Paralympian.She’s now a dual Paralympian, having competed in swimming at the 2004 Athens and the 2008 Beijng Paralympics.Unfortunately, Hannah suffered from burnout, fell out of love with swimming and eventually quit the sport.And that’s when she discovered cycling!Since then, she’s won multiple medals including Gold at both the Australian Para Cycling Championships and, more recently, World Cup events in Europe.She was also the first female amputee to compete in the “able bodied” women’s time trial race at the Cycling Australia National Championships.And her next goal is to represent Australia at her 3rd Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020, this time in cycling.On top of all that, she has a PhD in Athlete Well-Being and has studied, amo

“93% Harry Potter and 7% Bear Grylls”. That’s how Paul Watkins’ website describes him.There are lots of other labels that could be applied too; Pharmacist, mountaineer, full-time dad, ultramarathon runner, motivational speaker and property developer.However, the one label that doesn’t sit comfortably with Paul is “athlete”, which is difficult to appreciate when you consider his list of achievements.Paul has climbed major peaks on all 7 continents and competed in some of toughest ultramarathon runners in Australia and the world.Most recently, Paul competed in the 6633 Arctic Ultra; a 614km/380mi self-supported race in the Arctic Circle in temperatures ranging from -20˚ to -40˚ celsius (-4˚ to -4˚F) with an 80% drop-out rate.And not only did he finish the race, he won!There’s an interesting theme reoccurring through much of Paul’s story; he’s often “failed” on the first go.He ‘failed’ on his first attempt to summit Denali (the highest mountain in North America).I first met Paul in Argentina when we were on the

Tils (as she is generally known) grew up in country New South Wales chasing 3 older brothers around the paddock. So it’s hardly surprising her first foray into sport was on the rugby league field.Sadly, she had to give up the sport in her early teens because once girls reached a certain age, they were no longer allowed to play against boys - and, of course - there was no girl’s league at the time.Fast forward a few years and Tils discovered triathlons. And just 4 years later, she made the jump to the professional ranks - which, in hindsight, she now admits was too early.These days, Tils is an “amateur professional” cyclist who rides at a National level here in Australia with the #1 ranked women’s cycling team in Australia - Specialised Women’s Racing - including at the Tour Down Under in January, 2019.In this conversation, she shares:- growing up with male athletes as her role models (because there weren’t any women with a profile in the sport),- why she says she became a professional triathlete too quickly,-

Shelly Horton’s High School career guidance counsellor told her she was too opinionated and warned her to tone it down. Instead, she ignored him and turned it into a career!Shelly is a journalist, TV presenter and producer and her opinions can be heard multiple times each week on Channel 9 in Australia.Shelly is also not afraid of open and honest conversations about difficult topics. So I knew she’d be the perfect guest for Sparta Chicks Radio.In this conversation, Shelly and I discuss:- the early days of her career (which started in radio) including the very personal reason she didn’t explore a career in TV,- the “soul-destroying” conversation with her boss about her weight that destroyed Shelly’s confidence and derailed her TV career for almost 2 years,- the goal-setting course (and the exercise she learnt at that course) that fundamentally changed her life,- the biggest myths around confidence,- her experience with the Imposter Complex,- how she deals with online trolling and public criticism, and- her exp

In 2007, Bonnie Tu was the CFO of Giant Bicycles and decided to join the former Chairman who was riding the Tour of Taiwan, a 900km ride that circumnavigates Taiwan.At the time Bonnie was in her late 50s and had not ridden a bicycle since High School (and never a bike with gears!).But when Bonnie walked into a Giant Bicycles retail outlet, she was shocked to realise she couldn’t find a bike or any apparel to suit her needs.The ride proved to be a "very painful experience". And 12 months later, Liv Cycling - the first comprehensive cycling brand dedicated to female cyclists - was born.Fast forward to 2019 and Bonnie is now the Chairperson of Giant Bicycles and is still incredibly driven to ensure women are empowered to participate in the sport of cycling, via everything from cutting edge components on Liv bikes through to exploring cycling clothes for Muslim women.Bonnie is a joyous, passionate woman and I am excited to welcome her to Sparta Chicks Radio this week to discuss:- her childhood growing u

The Body Image Movement can only be described as a revolution.And it began in 2013 when Taryn Brumfitt posted a ‘non-traditional’ Before + After photo one night on Facebook.On the left, the ‘before’ photo showed ‘ripped’ Taryn on stage at a bodybuilding competition.On the right, the ‘after’ photo showed a ‘softer’ Taryn with visible rolls around her tummy looking content and happy.The switching of the photos (not to mention Taryn’s obviously content and happy nature in the ‘after’ photo) clearly resonated.Overnight the image went viral and within 12 months, it had been viewed by 100 million people!That led Taryn to produce the ‘Embrace’ documentary which explored why so many people (and women in particular) hate their bodies.She’s also founded the Body Image Movement (BMI) which is on a mission to help people love and embrace their body, regardless of shape, size, ethnicity or ability.

Muay Thai may, on the surface, appear to have nothing in common with endurance sports, but you might be surprised…I was certainly was when I spoke with Sylvie von Duuglas-Ittu for this week’s episode of Sparta Chicks Radio.Sylvie is an American born woman living in Thailand who currently holds the record for the most number of Muay Thai fights by any Westerner - male or female - which (at the time of writing) stands at 242.And, much to my surprise, she’s been a long-time listener of Sparta Chicks Radio too!Since taking up what she describes as a “beautiful sport” in New York, Sylvie and Kevin have since moved to Thailand so Sylvie can pursue the sport on a full-time basis, and chase her next goal; the World Record for the most number of professional fights. This record of 471 fights has stood since the 1920s!In the conversation, we discuss:- what she gains from listening to the podcast (given she doesn't participate in any of the sports we traditionally cover),- why she thinks Muay Thai and endurance spor

Karen Barrett has a remarkable story which reinforces for me of the power of choice and the power of self-belief.A talented runner as a child, Karen had an offer to train at the Australian Institute of Sport. But was forced to turn it down due to her difficult family circumstances.Fast forward a few years and she had become “virtually homeless” and had developed a 2-pack-a day (and more on the weekends) smoking habit.Then in her early 40s, she decided it was time to quit. She started walking her dogs daily and built up to running 5km - in her steel capped work boots no less - before she discovered and bought her first pair of running shoes as an adult.That transformation started in 2009, and she hasn’t looked back.Since then she’s gone onto win and set the women’s course record for the Buffalo Stampede Grand Slam (a series of races in the Victorian Alps over 3 days) and this year, in 2019 she became the first woman ever to finish the Down Under 135, a 135mi/217km race described as Australia’s “gnarliest” foot

Settle in and buckle up; this is a fun, deep, long and laughter filled episode of Sparta Chicks Radio.Tiffany Winchester is an ultra-endurance cyclist, with a love of doughnuts, who is currently preparing to ride the Paris-Brest-Paris; an iconic 1,200km endurance cycling event in France later this year.Tiff finished her first bike race as a child and then took a “25 year rest week” from almost all forms of exercise.It wasn’t until her 30s that she started walking and “procrasta-hiking” (as she calls it) as a way to clear her head and clarify her thoughts while working on her PhD.After a brief (yet deep) love affair with trail running, Tiff was introduced to the world of cycling 3 years ago - and hated it at first!Ultimately, she has since found her ‘happy place’ in the incredibly gruelling world of ultra-endurance cycling.In this conversation, Tiff and I discuss:- why she had to stop racing for mental health reasons,- why she didn’t consider herself a ‘cyclist’ until after her first 1,200km ride, and- the imp

I could fill a page just listing Samantha Gash’s achievements.In 2010, and in her first ultramarathon, Sam became the first female and youngest person to complete the Racing the Planet 4 Deserts Grand Slam, running 4 ultra marathons across the driest, windiest, hottest and coldest deserts on Earth.That was followed in 2011 by a 222km non-stop race through the Indian Himalayas.It was during that run across the Himalayas that Sam decided to use her running for a greater purpose.Since then, she’s run 379km solo, non-stop across the Simpson Desert in Australia as well as the length of South Africa’s Freedom Trail (almost 2,000km) to raise funds and awareness for the work of Save the Children.Then in 2016, as an ambassador for World Vision, Sam set out on her most ambitious project to date; running across India.Over 76 days, she ran 3,253km from the west to the east of India and, in the process, raised close to $200,000 to fund 6 programs to improve access to education for children in India.In this conversation, S

Sarah Anne Evans and Pippa Lyon who are both members of the Veloroos; an Australian non-professional women’s cycling team.This is Sarah Anne’s second time on the podcast. She joined me with her Veloroos teammate Julie Ann Hazlett in July 2017 to talk about winning their category at the 5,000km Race Across American in 2015 (you can find that conversation here).In 2019, Sarah Anne and Julie Anne, together with a third team member, Pippa Lyon (who you’ll meet today on the podcast for the first time) are about to tackle their hardest challenge to date.The ladies have joined an international women’s cycling team called the InternationElles for an ambitious project.Together with a female women’s cycling team, the InternationElles will ride every stage of the 2019 Tour de France, one day ahead of the men’s professional race.So basically, yes, they are riding the Tour de France!It’s a journey of 3,640km over 21 stages, which works out at roughly 1200km of cycling per week - for 3 weeks!And, if that’s not hard enough,

How does ocean surf ski paddling figure into one woman’s version of a mid-life crisis?We ask Quona Ross Atkinson on Sparta Chicks Radio this week!Quona grew up on a cattle station in North Queensland and started competing in rodeos, camp drafting and show riding from the time she was 3.An extensive career in barrel racing followed before she took up adventure racing in her 40s.Fast forward to 2019 and after just 5 years in the sport of ocean surf ski paddling, she’s about to compete in the famous 52km Molokai Challenge (considered the hardest ski paddle race in the world) as well representing Australia for the first time at the age of 51 at the Ocean Racing World Championships.What’s incredible about Quona’s story is that she is a FIFO worker (‘fly in, fly out’), so for 2 weeks every month, she works 800km from the ocean!Plus with 2 sons and a husband who is deployed overseas for 6 months at a time, she somehow manages to find the time to chase her extraordinary goals.The secret: being truly committed to them

Kelli Jackson was in her 40s and an “unassuming middle-aged overweight accountant who smoked” when, at a retreat in Bali, she blurted out that she wanted to ride a unicycle around the world.That was in 2010, but it wasn’t until she “survived” 2015 that Kelli started pursuing her goal - which included:- learning to ride a unicycle (she didn’t know how when she set the goal!), and- getting a large tattoo of a unicycle and the date she planned to start her adventure.Talk about being committed to your goals!Since then, Kelli has ridden her unicycle the length of Taiwan (430km) and later this month will set out to ride the length of South Korea (635km) and hopefully become the first Westerner to unicycle inside North Korea!

With a background in social work and after losing her beloved Dad tragically to bowel cancer, it’s hardly surprising Annie Crawford decided she wanted to “make a difference” rather than returning to the paid workforce when she returned to Australia after living in the US for several years.And she’s made a profound difference in the lives of thousands of Australians ever since.Annie founded Can Too in 2005, a charity with the goal of creating a healthier and fitter community while also funding innovative cancer research.To be honest, I always thought of Can Too as a cancer fundraising organisation first and foremost.But as Annie points out in this conversation, Can Too is dedicated to promoting health and wellbeing and encouraging people to step out of their comfort zone, by committing to an event - perhaps their first 7km, first marathon or first ocean swim - with the support of like-minded people and professional coaches, while raising funds for cancer research.If you’re in Australia, you’ll no doubt be fami

Emily Duggan’s story is a perfect example of why it’s important to share the stories of women in sport.When Emily was a little girl, she was watching TV one weekend and came across the Supercar motor racing series here in Australia and was instantly hooked.However Emily, in that moment, also realised there were no women racing and thought it was a “boy’s sport” and put it to the back of her mind (as the saying goes, “you can’t be what you can’t see”).Thankfully the voice that whispered to Emily that day never disappeared and as soon as she started working, she began saving for her first racing car - and hasn’t looked back since.In 2016, Emily became the 1st female driver to race in the V8 Touring Car Series here in Australia and now in 2019 is racing in the Super3 series (which is the 3rd tier in the Supercar series here).And sometime soon, I know we’ll see Emily line up on the start of the iconic Bathurst 1000 race (a race I’ve promised to watch, for the first time ever, when she does!).Emily shares her stor

In November 2013, Renee Kiley joined friends to watch the Noosa Triathlon. And life hasn’t been the same since.At the time Renee was an overweight, unhealthy, pack-a-day smoker.Yet the race reignited Renee’s childhood love of competitive sport. And despite not having ridden a bike or swum laps since she was a kid, Renee set a goal to compete in the Noosa Triathlon the following year.She did that, and more.In March 2014, Renee lined up at the start of her very first triathlon; a Sprint distance triathlon.And less than 3 1/2 years later, Renee raced for the first time as a professional triathlete. Many people involved in endurance sports have undergone dramatic transformations; from losing weight, quitting smoking and overcoming major health issues.But I was curious how Renee was able to take her performance and achievements to the next level and became a professional athlete in a sport she didn’t know even existed only a few years ago.So I asked :)

If there is one woman who has had an up-close-and-personal relationship with fear, it’s Kristen Ulmer.At 20, Kristen was skiing for the love of it and in jeans.By 23, she was on the US moguls ski team, starred in the first of 20 extreme skiing movies and was named the ski media as best woman big mountain extreme skier in the world (a ‘title’ she held for 12 years).This is a woman who came face to face with fear, in life-and-death situations, regularly and she developed a very intimate relationship with it.However it was only towards the end of her career, as injuries, illness and PTSD took their toll, she began to realise her relationship with fear wasn’t healthy and that it has caused or contributed to many of these problems.And so she began an in-depth study and obsession with fear.Fast forward to now and she’s the author of a book called 'The Art of Fear: Why Conquering Fear Won’t Work and What To Do Instead'.The premise behind it is that conquering, mastering, and trying to overcome fear doesn’t w