Tough Girl Podcast Jo Bradshaw - Dealing with grief, climbing Mount Denali and a 7 summits update!
Jo in her own words…
My job title is now an Outdoor Instructor and Expedition Leader and since going self-employed I have led 30 expeditions on Kilimanjaro along with numerous other expeditions on foot, 2 wheels and horseback, most at high altitude, all around the world with both charity and private clients.
In the UK I teach and assess the expedition element of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award from Bronze through to Gold as well as leading many a challenge on bike and foot in the UK and Europe. I also help to deliver corporate team building events and expedition training weekends as well as public speaking about my experiences before I discovered the outdoors, Everest, the earthquake and beyond to corporates, schools and groups.
To be honest I never thought I would summit Snowdon even once so becoming the 3rd British woman to reach the true summit of Manaslu, the world’s 8th highest mountain standing at 8163m in September 2013 and then being the 36th British woman to reach the summit of Everest in May 2016 have been huge and unexpected achievements.
I have gone from having severe vertigo and a great ability to say no way too often to facing my fears, saying yes more and turning my life around. I am now on route to complete the 7 summits and continue to raise funds and awareness for children’s mental health charity Place2Be.
*Please note during this episode we do talk about grief and mental health. Please ensure you are in a good place before you listen to this episode.
Show notes
- Catching up with Jo
- How has it been 3 years!
- Who is Jo
- What does she do
- Coming to terms with climbing Mount Everest
- Getting back from Everest and going back to normal life
- Dealing with the expedition come down
- Sleeping for 10 days
- Dealing with the void after expeditions
- Being sponsored
- What’s next?!
- Coming up with a plan to complete the 7 Summits (4 done - 3 to do!)
- Heading off to Alaska to climb Mount Denali - June 2017
- Dealing with the death of her father at the end of 2017
- Taking a break from the 7 summits in 2018 and focusing on mental health and work
- Going on a cruise with her mum
- 25th Anniversary of Place2Be
- Carstensz Pyramid closed and the trip being cancelled
- Hoping the unrest in Chile doesn’t cancel the next summit attempt
- How she has changed since the earthquake in Nepal
- Why there is no Plan B or second chance
- The amazing sponsor!!!
- Taking students to Everest Base Camp
- Finding a way to make it work
- Getting into debt
- How Jo approached climbing Denali
- Why she wanted to climb Denali
- Getting at fit as possible and wanting to be on top form
- Training with Dave the tyre!
- What the weather was like on Denali
- The 24hr walk out
- Coping mechanisms and practical pieces of advice
- “it’s just another day on the hill”
- Positive Polly & Negative Nelly
- Carry shit….
- Reading - Rebecca Stephens Book - On Top Of The World
- Reflecting back on 2018
- Blog post - Mission Self-Destruct: successfully aborted
- Starting to drink too often
- Being proud of her mum
- Why there is no time frame on grief
- Quick Fire Questions
Social Media
Website - https://www.jobradshaw.co.uk
Facebook - @jobradshawadventurer
Instagram - @_jobradshaw
Twitter - @_jobradsha
Support PLACE2BE - HERE