Tough Girl Podcast

In Summer 2015 Jessica did a thru-hike and hiked the full length of the Appalachian Trail all 2189.2 miles!  During this podcast Jessica shares with us, more about her journey, the highs, the low points, what she learned on the way and why she loves being outdoors! If you’ve ever wanted to go on a long distance hike - take a listen to this episode to learn more! Shownotes The Appalachian Trail Where the idea came from The steps she took to get to the start of the trail Telling her friends and family about her dream to hike the Appalachian Trail Dealing with fears Why you sometimes have to do things on your own Why she set her start date for March 29th Research & planning - especially around what gear to take! Where you can save some money on gear What’s it like being on the start line! Trying to figure out things as she went Getting her trail name! Being challenged on the trail and the hardest things she faced Being alone on the trail and taking the time to figure things out Money and the costs involved Having run in’s with wildlife & dealing with bears! Why you shouldn’t really plan your hike! Vlogging & blogging while on the trail What to do about water while walking What she learnt most while on the trail Getting to the end of the hike  Finishing the hike, dealing with the aftermath and what her next steps were Going for the Triple Crown in hiking! More details about her book - Take A Thru-Hike: Dixie's How-To-Guide for Hiking the Appalachian Trail!   Read Jessica’s book! Check out her blog  Follow her on twitter @HomemadeWL Watch her videos & subscribe to her Youtube channel here! A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE! Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

Myself and Emma Timmis headed off to run Hadrian’s Wall at the end of August and I wanted to share more of the story with you. So whilst I was away I thought about what the best way to do this was.  Although my interviews are very informal and relaxed they do take me a long time to edit. At the moment I don’t have the capacity to edit two full podcast episodes a week. So instead, as a compromise I thought I’d upload a raw, unedited conversation of what my previous guests have been up to since we last spoke.  So in essence…..Tough Girl Extra is an extra podcast episode that will be happening on an adhoc basic, it’s going to be released on a Thursday #ToughGirlThursday at 7am UK time. This is a new style for me and I would love to get your feedback. Please do let me know what you think. You can either comment below, send me an e-mail (sarah@toughgirlchallenges.com) or send me a DM on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL.  I hope you enjoy!   Shownotes What Tough Girl Extra is! Catching up with Emma Timmis & what’s she's been up to since we last spoke in August 2015 The costs of her three months Dolomites trip What the Australian Alpine Walking Track is and why she decided to do it Loneliness, hallucinating, and getting lost and seeing a side of Australia that she didn’t know existed Carrying half her body weight in her pack! Her 2 month adventure in Malawi Planning our Hadrian’s Wall trip & how it all came about Our training or lack of training for the challenge! Why you don’t necessarily need to do a huge amount of planning for challenges Having support verses doing independent challenges What we took! (You can also watch my packing video on Youtube) Deciding which way to run - East to West or West to East Starting at Wallsend on the west coast and why it was the best decision Day 1 memories! Camping at Robin Hood Inn for 2 nights for £5 per night! The tent getting flooded!! Day 2 challenges  Navigation on Hadrian’s Wall Path Toilet talk!! What we forgot to take with us! Camping along the route or not? Day packs and what we carried while we ran including the spot tracker Answering questions from the Tribe Poles or no poles - that's the question! Emma’s next challenge!   Watch our daily vlogs from our Hadrian’s Wall adventure on youtube    Check out Emma’s Website Here  To listen to the previous episode with Emma Timmis - CLICK HERE     A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE!   Future Events! 7th October - Tough Girl Tribe Social, Bristol 8th October - Women in Adventure Expo, Bristol 22nd - 23rd October - Yestival (I'm going to be speaking!!! Come along and say hi!)     Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!  

Jenna has competed in rollerblading events since she was 8 years old. During that time she has amassed a lifetime of awards while competing across the globe in televised and major international events.  Jenna turned professional at age 12 which made her the youngest female skater in the world to ever turn pro!  Shownotes Growing up in a single parent family Getting her first pair of skates and falling in love Being told that skating wasn’t for girls and not being allowed in the skate park When her competitive career really started Her first competition being the only girl and getting last place Having the judges ignore her while she skated, all because she was a girl What motived her to get better and what motivated her to become a world champion skater Where her determination comes from and who’s inspired her on the way Starting to compete internationally at 11 years old and competing at the European Championships Bouncing back from setbacks and going back to her 2nd European Championships and winning Gold! Becoming a professional skater at 12 years old and breaking a world record by becoming the youngest professional skater ever! Why she likes proving people wrong  Why hard work does pay off! Creating bigger and bigger goals and going for gold at the world championships The challenges she faces while being a professional, trying to study while being a professional. Dealing with setbacks as a result of injury Going backwards in the world ranking every year for 6 years and how the gold medal was slipping further and further away Losing the feeling in her arm, and then losing the feeling in her feet and face Being diagnosed with MS a disease of the central nervous system right before the world championships and why she almost gave up Standing on the podium as world champion and why it was a dream come true Why visualisation has played a huge role in her life as well as focusing on her mindset and being able to block out the negativity Why you need to just focus on what you can control - “control the controllable" Dealing with fear and why you have to have believe in yourself - there is no room for any doubt Making the decision to retire and deciding on a new path working with young people  What she’s learnt from her professional skating career that you’ll be able to apply to your life Her next big goal - Wheels Extreme - which aims to improve the lives of young people Why you should stick to what you are passionate about  Visit Jenna's Website!   On twitter? Come say hi to Jenna @Jenna_Downing I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL   A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE! Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!   Thank you for listening!!  Sarah xx

In 2010 Lowri was the sole finisher of The 6633 Ultra, which is a notoriously difficult 350 mile non-stop footraces held in the Arctic over 8 days. In doing so, she became the 6th person to cross the finish line. As well as running, Lowri has travelled the world, seen the Titanic at the bottom of the ocean, raced in the 3 Peaks Yacht Race as well as being the Welsh Governments #YearofAdventure Ambassador! Shownotes Lowri introduces herself and tells everyone a little bit more about her background Growing up in Wales and where she gets her stubbornness from How her first passion was music and she dreamt of being a classical singer Changing her path to becoming a TV presenter and going on to become an adventurer  Being one of only 80 people in the world to see the wreck of the Titanic Being told at 18 that she would never run again, and what the impact was on the rest of her life Her mental strength, where it comes from and the race that pushed her to breaking point Why it’s important to have belief in yourself, and how to deal with insecurities Why she is always the most prepared person on the start line Why you have to be determined, why you have to work hard and why you will get to your destination in the end Thinking she wasn’t going to make it out of the jungle after being bitten by a swarm of hornets     “Glory is not by never falling, but in the way we rise when we do fall”   After her body gave up while running in the jungle her mind took over and it was a spiritual moment for her which she has carried with her since Why she believes all women can do whatever they want How she prepared physically for the jungle ultra and what she learn’t over the 18 months training  Going from running 40 miles a week to running 100 miles a week with a15kg backpack What she did for mental training! Getting the balance right while training and running such huge distances Being told she may need a pace maker as she has a genetic heart condition and how she’s changed her way of training Fitting in training with having a young family Why failure can make the successes so much sweeter Risk & fear, and how this has changed over the years with having a family  Coping with the extreme cold when it’s -72 with the wind chill & why she would love to go back to the Arctic Being the sole finisher of The 6633 Ultra in 2010 which made her the 6th person in the world to finish  Her sprint home from mile 100 & why distances are all relative and why you need to break races down into chunks Her next challenge and what she’d like to do in the future Final words of advice on why the hardest thing is having to face your fear Extra Bonus content at the end re the 3 Peaks Yacht Race!   Keep up to date with Lowri and her adventures by visiting her website On twitter? Come say hi to Lowri @_LowriMorgan I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL   A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE!   Future Events! 27th - 31st August - Emma & Sarah - Hadrians Wall Adventure - Follow along on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram! 1st - 4th September - Base Camp Festival, Peak District 8th October - Women in Adventure Expo, Bristol   Take a listen to these related podcast episodes… Sarah Williams - Racing the Marathon des Sables  Belinda Kirk - Base Camp Festival Sarah Outen  - One of the speakers at Base Camp Festival Emma Timmis - My running companion for Hadrian's’ Wall   Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Thank you!! xx  

Shownotes Getting to know a little more about Richelle and why she calls herself a 30-something, normal girls who has an adventurous spirit & why she loves the outdoors Deciding at 21 years old to travel around South America solo & what she learnt about herself while travelling Her experience of the Inca Trail; the trials, the tribulations, the challenges she faced and what she learnt from the experience and why that advice still holds true for today Developing her mental strength   Experiencing Machu Picchu and being surrounded by Inca history The reasons for signing up for Everest Base Camp and why she’s up for having experiences around the world Training for Everest Base Camp and how being plus sized made her anxious being the trip Body image and how it can impact on what you do, or don’t do The impact on her normal life and why it’s “screwed up her sense of normal” Her business - “Escaping your Comfort Zone” - How it came about and why it took her a 5,000 mile trip on a bicycle before she started it Why it’s not about weight loss - but rather making friends and having fun! Why you’re not broken and you don’t need to be fixed Deciding to head off to cycle 5,000 miles from Canada to Mexico!! Why she decided to stop comparing herself to others and why she stopped doing it and why you should to Getting through the tough days on the road! Failure and why it doesn’t exist as long as your still learning Future challenges & goals  Follow Escaping Your Comfort Zone on Facebook or check out their website!   A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE!   Future Events 2016! 27th - 31st August - Emma & Sarah - Hadrians Wall Adventure 1st - 4th September - Base Camp Festival, Peak District 8th October - Women in Adventure Expo, Bristol   To be kept unto date on Tough Girl Challenges - Come and follow the Facebook page. Click here  

Shownotes Lucy introduces herself and why she decided to join the Royal Navy as a Warfare Officer  Her first introduction to boxing and why she loved it from the start Being the only female boxer on board and training with the guys Why women’s boxing was banned and she wasn’t allowed to compete at the Navy Championships Having the ban on women boxing being over-turned and her first fight for the Women’s National Finals Handling the negativity that comes from being a female boxer Remembering back to her first time of getting into the ring to fight Why the nerves disappear as soon as the bell goes Fighting at the The National Championships and what she learnt from losing How failure has helped her in her career Understanding more about weight categories and why it does matter Getting female boxers into the olympics and how it happened in London 2012 Having to retire from the GB Squad and why the Olympics was bitter sweet  Deciding on which weight category to go for and how she made the decision The impact on her life and how she continued to train to be on the GB squad Retiring from boxing and why she had to listen to her body Looking back over the past few years and what she learnt from that time period Advice for women about boxing and why you should go for it! The women boxers at Rio and the rumours about the weight category changing for Tokyo 2020 Starting a boxing club -  Poseidon  Lucy’s Blog - https://punchingthrough.com  Come and say hi to me on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL   A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE!   Future Events! 20th August - Tough Girl Tribe Trip to Snowdonia 27th - 31st August - Emma & Sarah - Hadrians Wall Adventure 1st - 4th September - Base Camp Festival, Peak District   Take a listen to these related podcast episodes… Stacey Copeland (British Boxer 2015 Nations Cup Gold Medallist) Lois Pryce (Adventure Travel Film Festival) Belinda Kirk (Base Camp Festival) Sarah Outen (One of the speakers at Base Camp Festival) Emma Timmis (My running companion for Hadrian's’ Wall) Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! Visit www.toughgirlchallenges.com for more information!

Maggie was always in trouble before she found rugby at age 14. During this podcast we learn more about Maggie, her rugby career and how playing rugby gave her a new found confidence and changed the direction of her life. Maggie retired in 2014 after winning the Rugby World Cup, before that she’d represented her country an impressive 74 times! Scored 28 tries, and helped England win a record breaking 7 consecutive Six Nations crowns. Maggie is an ambassador for the “Spirit of Rugby” program as well as being a regular commentator on live rugby matches for Sky Sports & the BBC.   Shownotes -An update on what’s been happening in women rugby over in Rio -Why Maggie is visiting my home town….Liverpool as an ambassador for Spirit of Rugby -How Maggie first got into rugby and what’s it like being in the field and dealing with the big tackles -How rugby impacted on her confidence at a young age  -Why having someone believe in her made all the difference in her rugby career -The importance of having visible role models in the media and how they inspired her  -Setting her first BIG goal at 14 to play rugby for England -Wearing the England shirt and playing on the international stage for the first time and how she approached that challenge -Dealing with pressure and why you treat pressure as a privilege  -How to keep a winning mindset going -Dealing with failure and the process they had to go through to come out on the other side even stronger -Having the difficult conversations in order to improve the team -Winning the BBC - Sports Personality Team of the Year -Why Maggie is known as “Maggie the Machine”! -What Maggie has learnt from playing rugby and why she decided to retire after the World Cup in 2014 -Trying out athletics and wanting to make it to Rio -How women’s rugby has changed over the years and why you should give rugby a go!!   Maggie is on twitter @MaggieAlphonsi  I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL   A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE!   Future Events! 12th - 14th August - Adventure Travel Film Festival, London 20th August - Tough Girl Tribe Trip to Snowdonia 27th - 31st August - Emma & Sarah - Hadrian's Wall Adventure! 1st - 4th September - Base Camp Festival, Peak District   Take a listen to these related podcast episodes… Catherine Spencer - Former England Women’s Rugby Union player & Captain Lois Pryce (Adventure Travel Film Festival) Belinda Kirk (Base Camp Festival) Sarah Outen (One of the speakers at Base Camp Festival) Emma Timmis (My running companion for Hadrian's’ Wall)   Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

In 2012, Lizzie decided to take a career break and she spent nine months eco-adventuring in remote locations all over the world. She hiked through the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces of south west China before travelling to Mongolia! Shortly after returning to the UK in 2013 she was unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer which re-defined her and, ultimately, gave her a new sense of purpose. Shownotes Growing up in Tenerife, being sporty and loving the outdoors from a young age Being surrounded by inspirational people at work and how it encouraged her to take a career break Spending time in Russia, China & Mongolia & the challenges she faced on a daily basis How plastic pollution first came to her attention  Travelling by train on the Trans-Siberian railway - being offered chicken feet & vodka! Dealing with vulnerability while travelling in Mongolia & learning how to take a step back from situations and assess them Heading back to the UK and dealing with the reality of being diagnosed with cancer at twenty five, and how it impacted the direction of her life How she learned to focus on the short term goals and milestones  What she said to herself while she was lying in the hospital bed Quitting her job, not having a plan and why you can never have a plan Friends, family, nature and how her values changed Why she started paddle boarding as a way of restoring her health and fitness How the #SuperSUPEngland challenge came about Why she decided to take matters into her own hand to help people understand the scale of plastic pollution in our waterways The challenges she faced on the waterways and how she kept on going during the tough days Having great adventures in the UK & working as an Ordnance Survey Champion! What she’s learnt from her paddle boarding experience   Learn more about Lizzie by visiting her website & following her on twitter @Lizzo010 Support - Water Aid & Water Trek   Help the Tough Girl Podcast get to 100,000 downloads by 4th August 2016! - Tell your friends about the Tough Girl Podcast!!! Share these inspirational stories!   A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE!   Events!   6th August - Tough Girl Tribe Trip to Snowdonia 10th August - Make it Happen - Networking Evening for Ambitious Women  12th - 14th August - Adventure Travel Film Festival, London 20th August - Tough Girl Tribe Trip to Snowdonia 1st - 4th September - Base Camp Festival, Peak District   Take a listen to these related podcast episodes… Emily Penn (Skipper, ocean advocate and artist dedicated to studying environmental challenges in the most remote parts of our planet) Lois Pryce (Adventure Travel Film Festival) Belinda Kirk (Base Camp Festival) Sarah Outen (One of the speakers at Base Camp Festival) Emma Timmis (My running companion for Hadrian's’ Wall)   ALL THE LINKS YOU NEED! Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/  Blog/Website - www.toughgirlchallenges.com/  FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/  Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com  Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/  Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h

Renee McGregor is a leading sports and eating disorder specialist dietitian.  She is accredited by the Health and Care Professions Council, the Sports and Exercise Nutrition Register, and is a member of the BDA’s Sports Nutrition Specialist Group. With over 15 years' experience working in nutrition, Renee works with elite athletes, coaches and sport science teams to provide nutritional strategies to enhance sport performance and manage eating disorders. She is the author of the best-selling book Training Food, which went straight to number one in Amazon's Fitness Training category in April 2015. Renee is a regular contributor to health and fitness publications such as BBC Food, Triathlon 220 and Outdoor Fitness.  Renee speaks at nutrition conferences across the globe, and was recently keynote speaker at the Sports Performance Conference at The University of Bath, and the Bone Health and Stress Fracture Conference at the Institute of Sport Exercise & Health. Show notes What’s the difference between a dietician and a nutritionist and why it matters Where her passion for food, diet & nutrition came from How she developed her career and why it was important for her to continue her education while she had young children Growing up in an Asian family and her relationship with food, and how family impacted on it How the message around healthy eating has got everyone confused about what to eat Getting your nutrition right while training and how you can do this with a family Body image and why we shouldn’t all be trying to achieve just one body type Having young daughters and being a role model to them Why your attitude is so important The biggest myths that need to be debunked! Do carbs make you fat? - True or False? Lets talk about sugar….  How much protein do you need? Health bloggers….. Being diagnosed with an auto immune disease and the impact its had on her life How’s best to recovery after a training session - is it a protein shake or a steak? Supplements and why you should be taking Vitamin D every day Training Food: Get the Fuel You Need to Achieve Your Goals - Before, During and After Exercise Links Renee Website  @mcgregor_renee I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL Help the Tough Girl Podcast get to 100,000 downloads by 4th August 2016! - Tell your friends about the Tough Girl Podcast!!! Share these inspirational stories! A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE!   ALL MY LINKS! ✩ Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl ✩ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/  ✩ Blog/Website - www.toughgirlchallenges.com/  ✩ FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/  ✩ Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com  ✩ Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/  ✩ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h

Ann has dominated long-distance running for nearly two decades. During her career which spanned over 20 years, she’s broken 20 world records in distances ranging from 40 to 100 miles, qualified three times in the marathon for the US Olympic trials, won the Western States 100 14 times, and set a course record at the Leadville 100 that has stood for more than 20 years. Ann now lives a quieter life in the country, in this podcast we get to go back in time to learn more about Ann and how she first got into running, why she’s so passionate about the sport and why she ensures she’s having fun! Show notes Ann introduces herself in her own words How Ann first got her start into running Running her first six minute mile! Going back to high school when girls were not meant to run Dealing with failure at a young age and how it motivated her to perform Why hard work pays off  Why being able to solve problems can make you a better ultra runner 6 weeks to train for her first 50 mile race at 25 years old and getting to meet her running idol  Dealing with self doubt and how it motivates her to try harder  Messing up her training by doing too much and how it took failure at Western States for Ann to learn from all her mistakes A brief history of Western States The Leadville 100 and dealing with pain and tiredness Why you need your own mantras when running  The Ps in ultra running - Positive, Planning, Preparing, Pacing, Problem solving, Progressing Trying to stay in the moment and living in the now Her race strategy and why pacing was key Winning Comrades Marathon by 2 mins! Dealing with the loss of her mum and being a mentor for the runners she coaches Final words of advice for potential ultra runners Links Ann Trason - Website Help the Tough Girl Podcast get to 100,000 downloads by 4th August 2016! - Tell your friends about the Tough Girl Podcast!!! Share these inspirational stories! A massive thank you to everyone who has become a patron! You too can support the Tough Girl Podcast from $2 to $5 per month!  CLICK HERE! Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!