

The Women's Running Podcast
Esther Newman
Running is the one thing that we all like talking about. Every week on the award winning Women’s Running podcast, we talk all things running, women, health and fitness with our own brand of happy, irreverent chat. Esther and Holly talk through their training highs and lows, and all the bits and pieces in-between. Every so often, we invite an expert to join us to help us figure out the confusing worlds of training, recovery, nutrition, health and more. And sometimes we get to talk to an incredible woman from the world of running, from Anna McNuff to Paula Radcliffe, Susie Chan to Nicky Spinks. So why do we do it? Because we realised that most of the running podcasts we listened to were full of blokes waffling on about quads and cadence (and we realised that we can do that perfectly well ourselves, thank you very much). Right here, we talk about all the things that affect us when we step out the door: sexism, hormones, menopause, food, pelvic floors, relationships, mental health, seagull attacks and wild weeing. But. BUT. We will also talk about races, PBs, shoes, training, starting running, enjoying running, finding the fun. And quads and cadence. This is the Women’s Running podcast, and it’s for women who love to run. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 22, 2025 • 34min
Ep 10. Am I Nuts... for worrying about Christmas2
Welcome to the second series of Am I Nuts. This is the last episode in a series of ten weekly podcasts from us at the Women’s Running podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. In this series, we wanted to explore some of the things that we’ve talked about on our big podcast – that’s the Women’s Running podcast – that don’t necessarily have anything to do with running. Hol and I are natural born worriers, and we’ve realized that in almost every episode, we talk about at least one of those worries – and we also realized that with many of them, we’ve thought we were the only ones. We thought we were nuts.In this episode, we’re considering whether we’re nuts to worry about Christmas, and I think we answer that before we’ve even begun. We talk about the emotional load of present buying, organising, food preparing and cooking, party hosting, and the stress of planning for one solitary day. Are we nuts? No we are not.Thank you so much for listening to us!Am I Nuts has been brought to you by the Women’s Running podcast – do please check it out wherever you listen to your podcasts for longer episodes to keep you company while you run. And if running is your thing, or you’d like it to be your thing, check out Women’s Running magazine – right now you can save up to 50% off the cover price. Just go to shop.womensrunning.co.uk to find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 18, 2025 • 1h 17min
Ep 280. Christmas, icks, training fails
Welcome to episode 280 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.Injuries and icksThis is the final episode we’re recording in 2025, which is kind of exciting because we’re very ready to put our feet up. After controversies involving red cabbage, we eventually get on to our running, you’ll be relieved to hear. We talk about impact injuries, general icks, and our high and low points in 2025. Have a very lovely Christmas if you celebrate it, enjoy your time off if you get it, and we wish you all a relaxed and peaceful new year. We have treats for you over the next couple of weeks with exclusive interviews with Kathrine Switzer and Lisa Jackson, so listen out for them on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day respectively.Join us!Now, if you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! Just head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.Lovely linksGet expert coaching with the Coopah app. Use the code WOMENSRUNNING for two weeks free, plus 20% off a year’s coaching. Just head to coopah.com/womensrunning Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE ITDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningEmail us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 15, 2025 • 39min
Ep 9. Am I Nuts to worry about... losing weight?
Welcome to the second series of Am I Nuts. This is the ninth episode in a series of ten weekly podcasts from us at the Women’s Running podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. In this series, we wanted to explore some of the things that we’ve talked about on our big podcast – that’s the Women’s Running podcast – that don’t necessarily have anything to do with running. Hol and I are natural born worriers, and we’ve realized that in almost every episode, we talk about at least one of those worries – and we also realized that with many of them, we’ve thought we were the only ones. We thought we were nuts.Should we worry about losing weight?In this episode, we wonder if we’re nuts to worry about weightloss. There’s a lot to cover here, from our own relationships with our bodies, as well as what’s going on in wider society in terms of the body positivity movement, and the rise in popularity of weightloss drugs. How do we feel about all of those things? And how do you feel about it? If you have thoughts on this, or any other subject we’ve talked about this series, then please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 11, 2025 • 1h 11min
Ep 279. Christmas, marathons, 10K PB, January reveal
Welcome to episode 279 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.Running & the juggleWe’ve got a bit more Christmas overwhelm to begin with. But we cheer up and start talking about running on Christmas day, which Holly is particularly joyful about. Even better than that, we have an update on Hol’s 10K PB attempt – a good one – and then we’re into our training and expectations for the Bath Half and the London Marathon, and doing all that while juggling all this Christmas nonsense. And we have news for January! Lots of exciting things are happening on this very podcast, but we need you to help us shape it – listen in right to the end and get back to us with your thoughts on Patreon, Discord or over email on wrpodcast@anthem.co.ukJoin us!If you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! And we have our Christmas special all booked in for December 15th – do come along to our very silly quiz. Just head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.OTHER THINGSSubscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE ITDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningEmail us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 8, 2025 • 57min
Ep 8. Am I Nuts... for worrying about cleaning
Welcome to the second series of Am I Nuts. This is the eighth episode in a series of ten weekly podcasts from us at the Women’s Running podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. In this series, we wanted to explore some of the things that we’ve talked about on our big podcast – that’s the Women’s Running podcast – that don’t necessarily have anything to do with running. Hol and I are natural born worriers, and we’ve realized that in almost every episode, we talk about at least one of those worries – and we also realized that with many of them, we’ve thought we were the only ones. We thought we were nuts.In this episode we’re talking about the thing that prompted me to want to do a second series in the first place: are we nuts for worrying about having a tidy home? From Marie Kondo, to sparking joy, we are on a mission to remove the stress and hard relate to everyone here, specifically just before Christmas!If you have thoughts on this, or any other subject we’ve talked about this series , then please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 4, 2025 • 1h 19min
Ep 278. Christmas chaos & gifts for runners
We launch straight into Christmas stress and then we’re on to my exciting weekend at the footie, followed by some actual run content. Wish Hol luck for her 10K PB attempt this weekend! Eventually, we get on to our 2025 unofficial Christmas Gift Guide – links below.Do join us on Patreon for £2 and you can come along to our Christmas special on December 15th. Just head to patreon.com/womensrunning. CompressSports Jacket / BAM yoga top / BAM Contour / BAM fleece / Ronhill Tights / Bimble & Bolt leggings / B&B advent calendar / Step One pants / Nixi pants / Maaree Empower bra / Coopah membership (use WOMENSRUNNING) / Absolute mugs, NB FuelCell Rebel / NB Fresh Foam 1080v14 / Mizuno Neo Vista 2 / Veja Condor 3 / PF&H marathon taster pack Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 1, 2025 • 45min
Ep 7. Am I Nuts... to worry about having kids?
Welcome to the second series of Am I Nuts. This is the seventh episode in a series of ten weekly podcasts from us at the Women’s Running podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. In this series, we wanted to explore some of the things that we’ve talked about on our big podcast – that’s the Women’s Running podcast – that don’t necessarily have anything to do with running. Hol and I are natural born worriers, and we’ve realized that in almost every episode, we talk about at least one of those worries – and we also realized that with many of them, we’ve thought we were the only ones. We thought we were nuts.Having kidsTrigger warning: in this episode we discuss pregnancy and miscarriage.In this episode we want to find out if we’re nuts to worry about having kids. There’s a lot of huge topics here; so many we think we could do a whole series on this. There’s a lot to unpack and worry about: the societal (and familial) pressure to have kids at a certain age, the concerns and struggles with fertility, the question of how to tell people you have chosen not to have kids, the conversations about miscarriage, and the prejudice around fertility, motherhood and women in general.If you have thoughts on this, or any other subject we’ve talked about this series , then please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk ----- Thank you so much for listening. Do please like and subscribe, so that you’ll be first to know when the next episode in this special series dropsAm I Nuts has been brought to you by the Women’s Running podcast – do please check it out wherever you listen to your podcasts for longer episodes to keep you company while you run. And if running is your thing, or you’d like it to be your thing, check out Women’s Running magazine – right now you can save up to 50% off the cover price. Just go to shop.womensrunning.co.uk to find out more. Helpful linksTommy’s – the pregnancy and baby charityNCT – the UK’s leading charity for parentsMaternity Action – the UK’s maternity rights charityThe pregnancy page on the NHS websiteMaternal Mental Health AllianceGingerbread – the single parent charity Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 27, 2025 • 1h 44min
Ep 277. Awards, Raynaud's, Hidden Race, Gift Guide
Welcome to episode 277 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.First up, we have some exciting news about awards, and some honest thoughts on the wine we were served. Then we talk about The Hidden Race, produced by SportsShoes.com and Hoka that's all about the crews behind the runners. Raynaud's syndromeWe talk to Louise Parker from the Raynaud’s Clinic. We ask all the questions to find the answers – how can we keep warm, is it dangerous, what can women who run do to help themselves, and how does it affect us as we get older. Also, she confirms that one treatment path does include a well-known blue pill… Gift guideDo continue to listen in to the second half of our general chat, as we also have the start of our gigantic Pod Gift Guide. All the links to some brilliant products are in the show notes below. Lovely extra bitsWatch The Hidden Race here Check out the Raynaud's Clinic for more info, and fyi you can self-refer...Our Gift Guide top picksBlack Friday Women’s Running deal! Save a whopping 62%! It's MADNESS!Gym+Coffee Industry Fleece, £80Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro, £399Petzl SWIFT® LT, £53Monkey Sox Classic Quin Sports Socks, £17Garmin Forerunner 570, £459.99Asics Novablast 5, £134.99Higher State Allover Reflect Women's Hooded Jacket, £39.99 PLUS:Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE ITDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningEmail us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 24, 2025 • 43min
Ep 6. Am I Nuts... to worry about UPFs
Welcome to the second series of Am I Nuts. This is the sixth episode in a series of ten weekly podcasts from us at the Women’s Running podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. In this series, we wanted to explore some of the things that we’ve talked about on our big podcast – that’s the Women’s Running podcast – that don’t necessarily have anything to do with running. Hol and I are natural born worriers, and we’ve realized that in almost every episode, we talk about at least one of those worries – and we also realized that with many of them, we’ve thought we were the only ones. We thought we were nuts. If you have something you think we should talk about, then please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.ukUltra processed foodsWe’re talking about ultra processed foods, otherwise known as UPFs – are they the devil incarnate? Can we avoid them? Should we be as worried as the media is making us?Thank you so much for listening. Do please like and subscribe, so that you’ll be first to know when the next episode in this special series dropsAm I Nuts has been brought to you by the Women’s Running podcast – do please check it out wherever you listen to your podcasts for longer episodes to keep you company while you run. And if running is your thing, or you’d like it to be your thing, check out Women’s Running magazine – right now you can save up to 50% off the cover price. Just go to shop.womensrunning.co.uk to find out more. LinksFind out more about the food you’re buying at Open Food Facts – you can download the app Holly talks about there. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 20, 2025 • 1h 25min
Ep 276. The Hidden Race
Welcome to episode 276 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.This episode is sponsored by Coopah, the running app. Find out how you can bag 20% off the annual subscription with us!The Hidden RaceApols for the start of this podcast which is very scatological, as you’ll soon find out. Moving quickly on, this episode we have a special guest in the shape of Hannah from Hoka, a field experience rep. She’s talking to us about The Hidden Race, a film that’s been created in collaboration with SportsShoes and Hoka to focus on the crew behind the runners. This is where you find all the love and support that fuel the people who run these big races like UTMB. Hannah has crewed for her partner Darren, and she explains how she got into doing that, what you have to do as a crew member, and how she ended up featuring in this film, and what we can expect when we watch it this weekend – it airs for the first time at the Kendal Mountain Festival, but will be available to everyone on the SportsShoes Youtube channel.After the interview, we’re back in the room to talk about how rubbish we’d be at crewing (obviously). Right at the end, we talk about a controversial race that never happened…Am I Nuts?Don’t forget to listen to Am I Nuts on a Monday – this week we’re talking about whether we should be worried about getting married, and it is all kicking off.Join us on PatreonIf you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! Just head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.Lovely extra bitsGet 20% off an annual subscription to Coopah with Women's Running!Find out more about SportsShoes and Hoka - we'll link to the film next week when it's releasedSubscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE ITDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningEmail us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


