What Does It Take to Row an Ocean (and Beat Cancer)? — Felicity Ashley

I’d love you to check out my new book, Start With Values — https://values.institute/start-with-values-book/. It’s packed with tools to help you live in alignment with your core values, reducing stress and increasing fulfillment.

In This Episode

Felicity Ashley — mother of three, ocean rower, cancer survivor, award-winning motivational speaker, and best-selling author of “Stronger than the Storm” — joins me to explore how fear can become fuel, why preparation builds real confidence, and what it takes to keep saying “yes” to life’s biggest challenges. From a two-month row across the Atlantic (as one of fewer than 250 women to row an ocean) to a stage-three bowel cancer diagnosis, to completing the world’s highest marathon at Everest Base Camp, Felicity’s story is a masterclass in resilience, courage, and purpose.

Big Ideas

🌊 Leaning into fear: why discomfort is a signal for growth and how preparation (physical + mental) turns terror into competence.

🏁 Race day mindset: community, camaraderie, and the electric moment the dock slips away on an ocean row.

🌪️ Storm skills: riding giant Atlantic swells, safety protocols (tethers, cabin doors, self-righting boats), and the “white-knuckle” night shifts.

🛠️ Control the controllables: two-year training cycles, visualization, and normalizing the unknown.

⏳ Sleep on an ocean: two-hours-on, two-hours-off (often 2:1 by day), and why motherhood was a “superpower” against sleep deprivation.

🩺 Cancer in the slipstream: noticing symptoms after the row, early diagnosis, surgery + chemo, and using visibility to save lives.

🏔️ Everest Base Camp Marathon: pre-acclimatization with a hypoxic tent, trail realities (downhill with 3.5 km of climb), and the generosity of the Nepalese people.

🧠 Reframing setbacks: hip replacement before the Atlantic row, turning limits into leverage.

🎤 Speaking with purpose: sharing hard-won lessons so others act sooner, braver, and wiser.

🧭 No-regrets living: the “rocking-chair test,” saying yes, breaking goals into bite-size steps, and asking for help without shame.

🌊 Next horizon: training for the Mid-Pacific row (Monterey to Hawaii), variable conditions, crew dynamics, and race requirements.

Connect with Felicity Ashley

Website: https://www.felicityashley.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felicityashley

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/felicityashleyspeaker/

Book — “Stronger than the Storm”: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1068489103