Tough Girl Podcast

Fenella shares more about her journey to becoming a professional triathlete. We learn more about her childhood and growing up, her loves of sports and competition. Fenella, also shares more about what day to day life is like, we go into training, recovery, nutrition, dealing with injury and the pressure to perform.  “Triathlon is achieving the unbelievable and pushing yourself beyond limits, to find inner power in the drive for success” Show notes Who Fenella is  Where she grew up  Falling in love with sport an physical education  Wanting sports to be a part of her future  Making money from triathlon  Life as a professional triathlete  The pressure to perform  Meeting her coach & partner The decision to go professional  The start of her triathlon journey  Making the leap to longer triathlons  Why the training is the most challenging part  Wanting to be World Champion  Mental Preparation - PPPPPP (Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance) Dealing with injury and staying positive  What off season is like  The most memorable race  Making the right decisions at the right time  What goes through her head during training and racing  Being committed to the decisions she’s made  Race recovery  Quick Fire Questions    Social Media Website www.trifenella.co.uk/ Instagram @fenella.alicia   Facebook @Fenella-Langridge-Triathlon   Twitter @Fenella_Alicia  

Kathryn Bertine is an author, athlete, activist and documentary filmmaker. During her pro career in cycling, she was a three-time Caribbean Champion, six-time national champion of St. Kitts and Nevis (SKN) and raced five years on pro circuit  with four UCI domestic and World Tour teams Colavita, Wiggle-Honda, BMW and Cylance Pro Cycling. Now retired from professional racing, Bertine serves as Trek’s Ambassador for Equality in Cycling. Off the bike, she is a filmmaker, activist, journalist and author of three nonfiction books, All the Sundays Yet to Come, As Good As Gold, and The Road Less Taken. From 2006 through 2012, Bertine was a columnist, author and senior editor for ESPN. When she pitched a documentary film on women’s pro cycling to ESPN in 2012, they rejected the proposal. So Bertine decided she would make it herself. After a two-year labor of love and crowdsourcing adventures, in 2014, HALF THE ROAD: The passion, pitfalls and power of women’s professional cycling was released. It won five film festivals, debuted in 16 nations, scored international distribution and successfully brought the hammer down on the corruption and sexism in sports. Half the Road is now available on iTunes, Vimeo, Amazon Prime and DVD. Five years later, she continues to receive royalties on a film ESPN said no one would watch.  As an advocate for equality in women’s sports, Bertine then started the social activism movement Le Tour Entier in an effort to bring parity to women’s professional road cycling, starting with the Tour de France. She and her team succeeded, and women’s field was included in 2014 with the addition of La Course by Tour de France. In 2017, she founded and serves as CEO for Homestretch Foundation, which provides free housing to female professional athletes struggling with the gender pay gap. Bertine was featured on the cover of Bicycling Magazine and profiled in Outside Magazine for her platforms of implementing change in the world.  As an activist, Bertine continues to serve as a public speaker/lecturer on equality and advocacy. She shares her journey and her message—that through passion, disruption, opportunity and focus, anything is possible and we’re all capable of effecting change—with corporations, universities and other professional outlets. She is currently at work on her fourth book. Show notes Kathryn introduces herself  Being an activist and athlete  Going back to the start of 2016 Why endurance athletes get better with age Deciding that 2016 would be her last year of racing professionally The big crash in April 2016  TBI - Traumatic Brain Injury  Recovery  Doing one final race Fear of getting back on the bike? How her body remembered what had happened  Friends and family’s fears  Preparing to transition out of the sport Opening a non profit foundation What’s happening in women’s cycling  Thoughts on the Tour de France Getting angry… Increasing awareness  How Kathryn is making change happen  Being a voice in her sport  Pro contracts that stop women talking about inequality  Being exhausted  Why anyone can create change  New book and the challenges of publishing  To self publish or not? Funding her lifestyle  Big shout out to TREK BIKES  Am I worthy The need to keep proving yourself  How we can support Kathryn with her work  Quick Fire Questions  Social Media CEO, Homestretch Foundation: www.HomestretchFoundation.org Author/Activist/Pro Cyclist: www.kathrynbertine.com  Documentary Filmmaker: www.HalfTheRoad.com   Twitter  @kathrynbertine  @halftheroad  @letourentier  @HomestretchFdn Facebook  @kathrynbertine  @halftheroad  @letourentier  @HomestretchFdn 

Kristina shares more about her journey into running and how she ended up becoming the World Record holder for  - 48 hour treadmill running! Kristina is an introvert by nature, but she asked herself the question; “What can I do with this ability to run?”.   In 2015, Kristina took it upon herself to challenge her own  personal fears and prejudices. Kristina made the decision to run alone across Iran, a distance of 1,840 kilometres.  In the process, Kristina, became the first women to have run across Iran. She was running an average of 37 kilometres per day. She started in Bazargan by the Turkish border and finished in Bajgiran on the north-eastern border, the run took her 59 days to complete.  Kristina filmed the journey and created a film called:  Alone Through Iran - 1144 Miles of Trust. During this podcast, we will learn more about Kristina, her life, the challenges she has faced, how she has overcome failure, how she set a world record for treadmill running, as well as life on the road while running across Iran. We also talk about kindness, learning how to say no and why you have to be yourself.  Show notes  Some of the challenges Kristina has done Her early years growing up and being shy  Taking the first steps of adventure  Having her life turned upside down Losing everything that she thought was important at 32 Being afraid of failure  Travelling around China and SE Asia Starting to run more and more  Deciding to set a world record for running on a treadmill “What can I do with this ability to run?” Deciding to run through Iran Planning the run Dealing with all of the What If’s Writing down her fears (22 in total) What can I do to prevent the fears? Creating a network in Iran  The kindness of strangers offering support The fear of never being left along Being introverted  What life was like on the road while running through Iran Miscommunication and cultural confusion  Being an introvert on the road  Needing to be alone Having to be careful about what she wrote in her blog Writing a book about her run, 2 years later Needing time to digest everything that happened  How the run impacted her life going forward Having a great belief in human kindness  Quitting her job to do the run and coming back unemployed  Making a documentary about the run Dealing with the huge amount of publicity after the run How the run has changed her life Contributing to reforms in Iran  Introducing a 10K run in Iran in 2018 Courage and why it’s good to be a woman  Why feelings are just feelings  Why it’s ok to be scared  Why you have to focus on what you want to create How to handle fear  Staying focused on your goal  The motivation to carry on when things are tough  Focusing on the - ‘Right Now’   Let it go Not being able to say no  Needing her own space Why being kind to ourselves can be the hardest thing to do  Quick Fire Questions  Be Yourself    Social Media  Personal Website - https://palten.se/en/start-en/  Website Alone through Iran - https://www.alonethroughiran.com Facebook @kristina.palten  Instagram @kristina_palten 

Emily is an ocean advocate, skipper, international public speaker and advisor on issues relating to our ocean, her goals are around shifting mindsets and making changes for our future society.  Emily is on a mission to inspire and facilitate a community of change makers through her organisation eXXpedition. This will be done by training athletes and celebrities to be impactful advocates on ocean issues.  Emily believes in developing upstream solutions to the ocean plastic issue by working with corporate partners, scientists and government bodies. During this podcast we talk more about eXXpedition, its formation, plans and goals.  Emily has previously been on the Tough Girl Podcast (July 12th 2016), where she shared more about her early life and career.  https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/single-post/Emily-Penn   Show notes Working on projects to combat plastic pollution Brief overview of her career The idea behind eXXpedition and how it came about Micro plastics in her blood The power of bringing women together Getting blood tests done The changes in plastics over the past 12 years XX - why and how it has evolved Scaling the project up and funding The run up to launch day…. 300 women joining the journey Kicking off with a 4 day event in London Solving problems with diversity of solutions Deciding on the women  The power of transformative journeys Feelings of overwhelm when dealing with the plastic pollution  Why you have to break the problem down. Keeping things in perspective  Why every action counts Why there is not one solution Superpowers  - what makes us brilliant  What’s been going on….. 2016 and 2017 Working with Sky Sailing…. Going on the first leg of the voyage  How the sailing works on the boat Getting the thinking time to think about the problem  What is the dream, what is the ambition The 3 overall aims Why the following up is so important Mission Leaders, scientists, & sailors The concept of SHIFT Quick Fire Questions How you can make a change in your life   Social Media Website  - www.emilypenn.co.uk  Instagram - @missemilypenn  Twitter: @emilypenn  eXXpedition - All women's voyages to make the unseen seen, from the #toxics in our bodies to the #plastics in our seas.   eXXpedition is a Community Interest Company and not-for-profit organisation that runs pioneering all-female sailing research expeditions to investigate the causes of and solutions to ocean plastic pollution. Founded in 2014, they have run expeditions all over the world. Previous scientific research has highlighted the endemic nature of micro plastics within our ocean environments globally.  Their focus now is to advance a better understanding of the plastics issue as a whole and to work with industry to pinpoint solutions and policy at a global level by addressing knowledge-gaps and delivering evidence to inform effective solutions. Website - https://exxpedition.com  Twitter - @eXXpedition   Instagram - @exxpedition_    Facebook - @eXXpeditionCIC   Youtube - eXXpedition 

On January 1, 2020, walking therapist Carmen Rendell will leave her childhood home in Weston-super-Mare, and head south to follow the coastal path around the entire British Isles. Her goal is to raise awareness of the huge mental health benefits of walking in nature. Local communities and individuals across the nation will have the chance to join her along the way. Throughout her journey, Carmen will be hosting regular ‘Soulwalks’ – simple, short, group walks in nature for anyone to join. Her message is simple: families, individuals, schools, businesses can come together to walk for three kilometres. For no other reason than to be in nature and talk to each other.  People can also pledge to support an individual ‘Sole2Soul Walk’ with Carmen – where they, someone they nominate, or a stranger, can join her to walk and talk. As a trained integrative therapist, with experience as a private practitioner, Carmen will use this time to give individuals the opportunity for therapy, whilst walking in nature.  A Loughborough University Alumni, national league hockey player, sailor on the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and Camino de Santiago walker, Carmen is familiar with the benefits of exercise, sport and walking for mind, body and spirit balance. Commenting on her ambitious goal, Carmen says: “Walking therapy benefits us in many ways. Science has proven that walking in nature can improve our mental wellbeing, by quietening our nervous system, reducing inflammation, repairing our brain and lowering our blood pressure.” Reinforcing these benefits, neuroscientist Shane O’Mara says: “The experience of walking can allow you to escape yourself and this non-ego focus is healthy. We should spend more time not thinking of ourselves.” Carmen’s route will primarily follow the coastal path, and she will let people know the calendar of events on the Soulhub website – www.soulhub.co.uk. Soulwalks can be organised in towns, villages or cities along the route and people can contact Carmen to organise one on her behalf that she can join.  Carmen will be interviewing people along the way for her ‘SoulCast’ podcast. From local fisherman to business owners, teachers and artists, her goal will be to understand the true state of the nation and establish how people feel in the current social, economic and political environment. Carmen will also be hosting ‘SoulTalks’ in schools and communities and is keen to hear from anyone who would like her to come and talk about mental health and walking in nature.  Show notes Who is Carmen The life she leads now The different adventures she’s been on The School of Wizards   Discovering her passion  Setting up Soul Hub Her dream of walking around the British Isles  Being drawn to the sea Her love for nature and how it evolved Getting to know herself better  Struggling to know what she wanted from life Doing the Camino gradually  Sailing on the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race Why the experience was so intense  The inner journey  Being curious about life and trying new things Life is fun Listening to feelings of what feels good The planning and preparation for the walk around the British Isles  Being clear with her own intentions Wanting to bring people together  Book - The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life's Perfection  Why it’s not about the end goal but rather the journey  Fears and concerns about the challenge  Paying for the challenge and budgeting during the challenge Quick Fire Questions  Trust your own wisdom  Advice for women who want to spend more time in nature  Visualising the end of the challenge Social Media Insta: @soul_hub   Facebook: @soulhubstories  Website: www.soulhub.co.uk 

Yolanda Holder is a professional Ultra Marathon Walker. In 2019 at the Six Days in the Dome in Milwaukee she set a World & American Age Group Record 413 Miles (60-64).  Also, in 2019, Yolanda is the first African American Woman and second African American to earn a US Race Walk Centurion #94 and the oldest person (61 years young) to race walk 100 miles in under 24 hours (23:52:17).   Yolanda’s a 2-time Guinness World Record holder for “Most Marathons Completed in a Calendar Year”, finishing a staggering 106 marathons/ultras in 2010 and breaking her own record in 2012 finishing 120 marathons/ultras.  Yolanda is the first American Woman and African American to Run or Walk over 100 marathons in a calendar year and the first woman in the world to ever do it twice. Yolanda’s accomplishments are amazing, at the 2017 Sri Chinmony Self Transcendence 3100 Mile Race she set a World Record first Pedestrian (walker) finishing in 51 Days, 17 hours and 13 seconds and at the 2014 Ultra Marathon USA & World Championship in Anchorage Alaska met her goal of power walking 400 miles in the Six Day event placing 3rd female and 10th overall. Yolanda is a finisher of six, Six Day Races podium on all six and the American Woman Record holder 10 Day Race with 622 Miles. She has power walker over 540 lifetime marathons/ultras.  Yolanda is a Masters/Senior Athlete at her athletic peak setting and breaking World and American records with no plans on stopping.  Yolanda is also a wife, mother of two grown children, inspirational speaker and author.   Show notes Yolander introduces herself Running her first marathon at 40 in 1998 New challenges at 50 - 50 marathons in 50 weeks… Growing up doing dancing but never being an athlete  Over 540 marathon ultras! Dealing with the backlash of being a walker in a runners world  Getting her first Guinness World Record in 2010  Getting depressed in 2011 from the negative feedback How she got the name - the walking Diva  The Self-Transcendence 3100 mile race The logistics of the race The reasons why she wanted to do this one of a kind race Crossing the finish line and transitioning back to normal life  Getting the nutrition right Top tips and advice for you Quick Fire Questions Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you  Social Media Website - https://www.yolandaholder.com   Twitter- @WalkingDiva365   Instagram - @yolandaholder  Facebook  -  @yolanda.holder   The Self-Transcendence 3100 mile race is the world's longest certified footrace. In 1996 Sri Chinmoy created this event as a 2,700-mile race. At the award ceremony that year he declared that the 1997 edition would be extended to 3,100 miles.

On 1st July 2019 Shona left the comfort and safety of her life in the UK to fly to Seattle. After a busy couple of days sorting out food supplies, Shona started her Pacific Crest Trail hike on the 4th of July. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) is a 2,650 mile long distance walking trail in the U.S.A. Shona hiked south bound, starting at the Canadian Border – walking through the States of Washington, Oregon and California – until she reached the Mexican Border. Shona carried all of her kit and camping gear, she passed through towns about once a week to pick up a food resupply, shower, charge her phone etc. It took Shona just under 5 months to completed and she finished in late November 2019. Why this challenge?  Four years ago, Shona approached her 40th birthday, and admitted to herself that she wasn’t living the life she wanted and she wasn’t doing the adventures she’d dreamed off. She’d been waiting for her circumstances to change but changing they were not. Shona decided it was time to stop putting her life on hold and take action. Shona hiked the PCT knowing it would be hard. So hard that she’d want to quit many times. But she also knew that she’d love it and be changed by it. During this podcast episode Shona shares more about her PCT journey and answers questions from the Tough Girl Tribe. Shona also provides top tips and advice to help you make sure you are living the life of your dreams. Show notes Catching up with Shona Brief introduction  Heading out to America to start the trail Getting food boxes sorted at the start Heading out to the monument  Starting the trail on the 4th July 2019 How easy was it to do the food boxes in advance Having a plan for the start  The first night…. Walking 30 miles to reach the start line! Why it was so busy SOBO  What it was like….and why it was a relief  Being nervous at the start and wanting to make big miles Being worries about not being fast enough Dealing with the wet and cold  The time pressure of going SOBO The first 500 miles of Washington State Having rules on the trail Intentionally walking alone and being present  The challenging moments on the trail  Documenting the journey  Thinking the journey was going to be over  Asking for help when it was needed Learning that you don’t have to do everything on your own  Understanding why people do quit the trail  Trail name - My Sherona…. The Sierra Mountains and the fear of the snow Hating the cold  Trail Family  River crossings… Getting to the finish Being 20 miles from the border  Human kindness  Shoes….  Funding for a thru hike Raising funds for charity - Mikey’s Line  Is there going to be a book?? Life changing?  Advice and tips for you to achieve your own personal dreams  Listen to the first episode with Shona - Taking on new challenges at 40 & her preparation for thru hiking the Pacific Crest Trail - SOBO in 2019! July 9, 2019 - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/single-post/Shona-Macpherson  Social Media  Website - www.shonafitness.co.uk Facebook -  @shonamacphersoncoaching    Instagram - @walkwildcoach

London-based management consultant who likes to ride her bike far and fast. Previously mostly focused on speed and results, now in search of more adventurous challenges. Flatlander who loves a good headwind battle, not afraid of a bit of rain, but struggles in the heat, scared of gravel and goes backwards on hills. But… what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so embarked on a number of very hilly cycling challenges in summer 2019, clocking up more elevation in a month than she previously did in a year. Winner of various TT titles, including Best British All-Rounder (2014), National 12hr TT champion (2015) and both National and World 24hr TT champion (2017). Multiple 24 hour solo circuit wins: Le Mans (2013), Revolve (2017) and Zandvoort (2017) where she also placed in the top 3 overall.  Zwift distance record breaker (2017). Two failed LEJOG record attempts.  Audax UK member since 2015 with Super Randonneur awards (200km, 300km, 400km and 600km) 4 years in a row. First female finisher and top 10 overall London-Edinburgh-London (2017). Third fastest female at Paris-Brest-Paris (2019). First woman and top 10 overall at the 1000km BikingMan Oman unsupported race (2019).  Unfinished business with 1890km Race Around the Netherlands (so returning in 2020).  Also eyeing up some off-road cycling fun and a longer unsupported race for 2020... Currently enjoying giving back to cycling, women’s cycling in particular, by helping others with skills and fitness based training sessions and guiding rides. Show notes Who is Jasmijn Her main passion and love for cycling Cycling in the Netherlands… Moving over to London in 2007 Growing up on a farm in the Netherlands Trying to decide between dance and sports Losing her passion for dance Deciding to go travelling for 5 months…. Working as a Scuba Diving Instructor  Having to make a decision about university at 25 Doing a Masters degree in the UK Getting into rowing Her first 100 mile cycle ride and how it came about  Starting to do more Sportive events  Joining a local cycling club… Being born with built in endurance Doing her first 24hr race Deciding to see how far she could push it physically on the bike Starting to work with a coach in 2014 Winning Best British All Rounder (BBAR) in time trials  Having an intense year of riding in 2015 How her body copes with the challenges of riding The Challenge of riding the length of Great Britain from Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) Dealing with Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) in 2016 Her history with the record for LEJOG Riding on the A roads in GB Working a full time job while training and preparing for the LEJOG record Picking the right date to start Dealing with illness and sickness and not being able to continue How her big dream of breaking the record for LEJOG changed to becoming a burden Fixing her nutrition, taking time off work for the 2018 LEJOG record attempt How the UK weather impacted on the 2018 LEJOG record attempt Dealing with a speed wobble Dealing with the emotional aftermath of letting go of the LEJOG record Having some time out from cycling Being a peace with her decision Saddle sores…. Podcast from the - on saddle sores “flipping flash mash” The Wheel Suckers Podcast Having fun in 2019! Selling all her cycling gear Wanting to do more unsupported challenges Spending time with family Learning new skills and facing her fear of hills! Joining a women only cycling club Quick Fire Questions Social Media Website   - https://duracellbunnyonabike.com

Melissa has completed the Epic 5 in Hawaii, 3 Ultraman triathlons, and is now the 1st female to have ever completed the UberMan, which she did in October - she also broke the swim record and smashed the previous course record by approximately 31 hours! During this episode we learn more about the details from the challenge, the high points, the low points, the support of crew members, what the finish was like and how she is getting back to ‘normal life’.  We have been following Melissa’s journey since February 2019, when Melissa did a Facebook Live for the Tough Girl Tribe - this was then turned into a Tough Girl Podcast EXTRA episode.  More about UberMan…. UberMan is the world's most challenging Ultra Triathlon.  The 556 mile course goes from the Mists of Avalon to the Snows of Mount Whitney.  Starting on Catalina Island, participants swim 21 miles in the open Pacific Ocean to the shores of Palos Verdes. The 400 mile bike route leaves the city of Angels and climbs 20,000 vertical feet before descending to Badwater basin, at 200 feet below sea level, the lowest point in North America. From Badwater, athletes run 135 miles  through Death Valley before ascending 13,000 feet to the trailhead @ Mt Whitney, the highest peak in the Continental United States. Show notes Back in Australia Who is Melissa More information about her background What Uberman is and why she wanted to do it Wanting to be the first female to complete the race Wanting  a different challenge 8 months to train Wanting to focus on running  Doing 5, 50K runs Doing a 60K run and a 100k run in training Overloading on one discipline a week Building fatigue  Why this training was so hard mentally  Needing to take a break  Dealing with the fatigue and starting to get sick The lead up to the race  The work that goes on behind the scenes The start line… Never thinking about the event as one big thing Swimming at night for the first time Starting to feel the cold Being sick during the swim and not being able to pee The hardest part of the swim The importance of having a good support team Splitting the support team into a day shift and a night shift  The first transition from the swim to the bike Riding on the roads and the Pacific Coast Highway!! Feeling angry and being aware of her emotions Sleeping for 2 hours was the sweet spot Planning on 5/6 days for the event Running through Death Valley Trying to figure out the approach for running over 200K Having your muscles seize up  Mount Whitney! Wanting to finish during the day! Having a few emotional moments towards the end Reaching the finish! Not being able to process the achievement! The documentary!  Adventure blues and transitioning back to normal life Post race recovery time What Melissa has learned over the years  A book?!!! The recovery  Final words of advice and top tips    Social Media Website - https://rangamel.wordpress.com  Instagram @rangamel  Facebook Melissa Urie  Twitter @rangamel  Read the race report here - RACE REPORT     

Emily is a writer, adventurer, climber, and comfort zone smasher. Put on her first international flight at 3 weeks old, she's been addicted to adventure ever since. From wandering the forests of Sweden alone at age nine, to solo trekking in the Himalayas of India, to joining the circus as a professional aerialist, Emily is a big fan of the "just get out there and do it" mentality. She loves inspiring others to go outside, travel, and get curious about everything. As John Muir so aptly put it, "going out is really going in.” Emily works as a freelance journalist based out of Los Angeles and has written for Outside Magazine, Backpacker Magazine, Mountain Life Magazine, Outdoor Project, Modern Hiker, Territory Supply, The Outbound, Women Who Explore, and many others. Some of her notable outdoor accomplishments include: hiking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, backpacking the High Sierra Trail in California and finishing atop Mt. Whitney, trekking the Laugavegur Trail in Iceland, summiting Illiniza Norte in Ecuador, summiting Vinicunca in Peru, hiking the Inca Trail with her mom, solo-trekking the Backbone Trail, climbing Cactus to Clouds in the winter, trail running Yosemite Rim to Rim, and dozens of other high-altitude peaks in the Sierra Nevada and California. Show notes Her alter ego when hiking Where the Brazen backpacker idea came from Being brazen and wild Moving to LA at 17 Being inspired by her mother Leaving Texas behind How the outdoors became part of her life The mental barrier to access to the outdoors Her first backpacking trip at 28 The challenges of altitude Her hiking journey  Her passions for getting more women out hiking Her relationship with her mum Hiking the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal Dealing with periods and tiredness on the trail The basics of backpacking Steep and Cheap - https://www.steepandcheap.com ONLY in the US - for Europe - alpinetrek.co.uk  The magic of face wipes The best problem to have! Heading to Iceland for adventure Quick Fire Questions I am loving awareness  Social Media  Find out more about Emily’s writing and photography here: https://brazenbackpacker.com/ and follow on Instagram @brazenbackpacker