Two years ago, Ria was burnt out from her tech career in Silicon Valley, coming out of a difficult relationship, and struggling with mental health issues. Running became her way out.

Within a year, she went from struggling to finish a half marathon to setting ultramarathon records on world-renowned routes.

The Via Francigena: 1,014 km in 21 days

The Camino de Santiago: 780 km in 12 days

And now she has just started her journey to become the first human to run across Eurasia on the silk road, or what she calls: the 20000km Experiment.

In this episode, Ria shares how running helped her rebuild her life, the mindset shifts that enabled her to go from beginner to record-breaking ultrarunner, and the enormous logistical challenge of planning a 20,000km expedition through 17 countries.

Listen to this episode to learn about resilience, finding purpose after burnout, taking bold leaps into the unknown, and why sometimes the most "delusional" dreams are the ones worth pursuing.

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Who is Ria?
• Trying to run across the Asia and Europe on the Silk Road
• Currently being in her support vehicle in the northeast of China, approx. 17 days into her journey
• Calling in from the road after running 50km
• Growing up in China as a child figure skater
• Trying to make the Olympics
• Living on the edge of Beijing
• Moving to the USA at 14 for school
• Suffering from some knee injuries and not being into running
• Her final year of high school and trying out running in nature
• Going through a significant breakup
• Starting to run everyday for 30 days
• Struggling with depression and reaching the point where nothing made sense
• Having no control over the situation of her life
• Not knowing what to do with herself
• Being in Chamonix and being inspired by the humans running the UTMB
• Going to Egypt to become a free diving instructor
• The Sinai Trail in Egypt
• Going from a half marathon to running 539km
• Deciding to run across the length of the silk road
• Continuing to challenge herself in daily distances
• Running the Sinai Trail and what the experience was like
• The logistics and planning behind the trail
• Running in Egypt
• The logistics of the Silk Road Journey and pulling it all together
• Planning for over a year and a half
• Visa's and being able to run through 17 countries
• Being supported by her crew and how it works day to day
• Paying for the running, the crew and the gear
• Being supported by internet strangers and creating a GoFundMe
• "It's only delusional until it's not."
• The Planetary Run Club
• Running day after day
• The power of sleep and feeling more refreshed mentally
• Finding motivation in many different ways
• Rest days
• Dealing with a car accident and food poisoning
• Connecting with Ria
• Daily updates…. Planned!
• Planning on starting a Patreon, YouTube channel and podcast!
• Words of advice for women

Social Media

Website: 20000km.com

Instagram: @whereisriax

Youtube: @whereisriax

GoFundMe: gofund.me/8d624216f

Irene is a sports scientist, endurance coach, and ultra-runner originally from Spain, now based in the UK. She moved to the UK in 2013 to pursue a Master's degree, intending to stay only briefly, but quickly fell in love with the country and never left.

Her journey into ultra-running was entirely unplanned. She only started running consistently in 2017 during her PhD in Neuroscience, initially as a way to cope with academic stress. Distances gradually increased, and without even realising ultramarathons existed, she found herself constantly curious about how far she could go. Once she ran beyond 21 km, something clicked—and she never looked back.

Running became both a coping mechanism and, at times, a source of imbalance. A combination of PhD stress, under-fuelling, disordered eating, and overtraining led to injury after her first ultramarathon in 2021. While challenging, that injury marked a turning point. Although her academic career appeared highly successful from the outside, Irene was experiencing severe burnout and quietly drifting away from neuroscience.

In January 2023, she left academia altogether after a period of profound burnout. Ultra-running remained a constant during this time and ultimately helped her rebuild. By then, she had already completed coaching and sports rehabilitation qualifications, and the transition into applied sport felt natural. She founded Train4BodyMind, combining science, performance, and a more holistic approach to endurance sport.

Later that year, Irene began a second MSc in Sport and Exercise Science and Medicine, while simultaneously building her coaching business and working in a physiotherapy clinic. Throughout this journey, she became increasingly aware of a major gap in sports science: the lack of research and evidence-based guidance for women.

While searching for answers about her own body, she realised how little research existed on female endurance athletes—particularly in ultra-running.

This led her to investigate how the menstrual cycle affects performance in female ultrarunners, an area that had been largely overlooked despite the extreme demands of the sport.

Today, Irene is passionate about supporting women in endurance sports through evidence-based coaching and education. She is particularly focused on countering the widespread misinformation surrounding women's physiology and rigid cycle-based rules, which often create fear rather than empowerment. Her work aims to help women understand their bodies better, train with confidence, and use their physiology as a strength rather than a limitation.

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Originally from Spain, now living in Edinburgh, Scotland in the UK
• Working as a running coach for women, specialising in ultra marathons
• Being a sports scientistic and science nerd
• Her early years growing up in Spain
• Developing an eating disorder and spending time in hospital
• Not being able to get involved in sports
• Getting into running when she moved to the UK
• Starting her Neuroscience PhD in 2017
• Wanting to do an ultra marathon
• Becoming addicted to the ultra distances
• Experiencing burnout
• Deciding to do a shift in her career and move into coaching
• Getting into running to be able to disconnect
• Being an ultra runner before she knew about ultra marathons
• Using running to help manage stress
• Not fuelling enough during running and dealing with niggles and injuries
• Being very alone and not having support around her
• Getting injured and having to stop running
• The turning point in her life
• Working with a physiotherapist
• Starting to study coaching ultra marathons
• Losing the attachment with her career and starting a different path
• Leaving academia, her job and becoming unemployed at 33 years old
• Learning how to coach herself
• Going deep into the science of ultra running
• Studying for her masters in Sports Science
• Researching into the menstrual cycle and ultra runners
• Why the menstrual cycle is a health marker
• Dr Stacy Simms - Tough Girl Podcast episode
• Coaching women on an individual basis
• The importance of educating women about periods and menstruation
• Racing in Snowdonia
• Ultra Trail Snowdonia (UTS)
• Getting the balance right with training and work
• Being organised and the importance of knowing what you are doing
• Doing strength training and why it's non negotiable for a runner
• Breaking down the training into different phases and periods
• The final phase and tapering
• Making training work for her
• Visualising what can go wrong and right during the race
• Helping to prepare your mind
• Magical moments from UTS after DNF'ing the race previously
• Why it was one of the best races of her life
• Training your body and your mind
• The mental preparation- advice and tips for other runners to train their brain for success
• Her coaching philosophy
• Focusing on longevity
• How to connect with Irene
• Being most active on Instagram and Strava

Social Media

Website: www.train4bodymind.com

Instagram: @train4bodymind

Meet Helen Spencer, a veterinarian from Kent who swapped clinic life for the extremes of the world. From hiking in Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Yemen to caring for orangutans in Borneo, Helen has chased adventure across the globe.

In this episode, she shares her journey to ski the last degree to the South Pole, including:

• Training, kit prep, and polar skills courses
• The physical and mental challenges of long polar expeditions
• Coping with loss, vulnerability, and finding strength on the ice
• Lessons in perseverance, confidence, and small steps toward big dreams

Helen's story is a testament to courage, resilience, and pursuing your goals—even when the journey is long and demanding.

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Who is Helen
• Being based in Kent
• Growing up on a farm and having a lot of freedom
• Becoming a vet
• Wanting more adventure
• Working for the charity: World Wide Veterinary Service
• In her free time loving to travel
• Leaving school and travelling with her backpack, and staying in hostels
• Starting to do a few solo and group expeditions
• Hiking in Afganistan, Madagascar, Mongolia, Yemen, Palestine, North Korea
• Recently skiing the last degree of the South Pole
• Building her confidence with travelling
• Earning enough money to go f www.interrail.eu/en
• Having a budget of £10 per day
• Spending time in Borneo looking after Orangutans
• Being a shy, farm kid growing up and being better with animals than people
• Having 5 years at university
• Having a neighbour who had a zoo and spending time helping out at the zoo
• Knowing what she wanted to do when she was 5
• Building internal confidence
• Hiking in Afganistan's Wakhan Corridor
• Why expedition are about the people you meet as well as where you go
• Getting the balance right between being social enough but also having time for herself
• Needing time out and making sure she has her own tent
• Having a 10 day tolerance on expeditions
• Her goal to ski to the the pole in Antarctica and where the dream came from
• Being fascinated by polar history
• A week long polar skills course in Finse, Norway
• Needing a challenge - being in bad mental and physical health
• Taking some time out after selling her veterinarian clinic in London
• Having a year to get in shape
• Training at the Altitude Centre in London
• Not being able to test her kit
• Receiving a lot of help and advice
• Heading to Loughborough Elite Sports Centre to have her fitness tested
• Dr Amelia Rudd
• Heading over to Antarctica and what it was like
• Antarctic Logistics Expeditions (ALE)
• Being out on the ice and why it was like being out on the open ocean
• Pulling the pulk at altitude on the ice
• Why it was a physical challenge but also a mental challenge
• Her way of coping with difficulties
• Wanting to feel small
• Being there mid summer, when the sun never sets.
• Rainbows and halos forming around the sun
• Being able to move forward after the challenge
• Trying to cope with the loss of her parents in an accident, 2 weeks before she was due to be married
• Being in a dark place
• Coping by being on her own and doing physical endurance
• Wanting to be broken down and feel vulnerable
• Getting to the pole and why it was hugely emotional
• Why it meant everything to her
• Kick on
• Fundraising £20K in memory of her mum who had Parkinson's
• Gaining confidence, a bit more self assurance and pride.
• Spending 3 weeks in Antarctica, and skiing for 8 days
• Tent life…
• Going to the loo! Code Brown! Pooing in a bag and packing out your poo.
• The worst bit of the expedition and having to leave your warm sleeping bag
• How to connect with Helen on Social Media
• Final words of advice
• Some dreams can take time
• Taking small steps and trying the thing you want to do
• Her mantras in life…. "Don't be a dick to yourself", "Don't be a dick to others" and Don't be a dick with our environment"

Social Media

Instagram: @adventure_vet_spence

Justgiving: www.justgiving.com/page/helen-spencer-1728903029666

Meet Dr. Shawna Pandya, Canada's first named female commercial astronaut and a leading figure in space medicine. From emergency medicine to aquanaut missions and suborbital research flights, Shawna has trained to thrive in some of the most extreme environments on Earth—and soon, in space.

In this episode, she shares her journey from a childhood inspired by Dr. Roberta Bondar, through neuroscience and medical training, to testing spacesuits in zero gravity and completing multiple NEPTUNE aquanaut missions.

We dive into:

• The challenges of spaceflight on the body and mind
• The "RIDGE" framework Radiation, Isolation, Distance, Gravity, Environment
• Using emergency medicine, diving, and piloting to build operational readiness
• Maintaining balance, avoiding burnout, and living a life aligned with values
• Preparing for her upcoming flight with Virgin Galactic

Shawna's story is a masterclass in perseverance, curiosity, and aiming for the stars—literally.

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Who is Shawna
• Being Canada's first named female Astronaut
• Her early years and growing up in the 90s
• Wanting to be an Astronaut since she was a child and being inspired by Dr. Roberta Bondar
• Simplifying things
• Wanting to follow in her footsteps
• Doing a neuroscience degree
• The influence of her parents
• Girl Guides of Canada
• Doing outdoor education during junior high and building her spirit of adventure
• Inheriting her work ethic from her parents - thinking the normal work day was from 7am to 10pm
• Sharing her goal and telling people what she wanted to achieve
• Taking a family trip to Australia at 12 years old and being obsessed with the Southern Night Sky
• Not knowing if it will work out or not - Having to love the grind and the journey
• Keeping focused on the goal
• Not letting other people opinions stop her
• Her parents wanting her to have a realistic career ambition
• The roadmap included medicine
• After doing her undergrad in neuroscience and applying for medical school
• Having a back up plan - just in case
• International Space University - Masters Program
• Asking medical school for a deferral
• Doing an internship at the European Space Agency European Space Centre and making a meaningful contribution to space medicine
• Dealing with criticism
• Having balance in her life and not suffering from burnout
• Pursuing the trajectory as a research astronaut - and still maintaining her clinical hours in emergency medicine
• Work life balance
• Why she does't burn out
• Living her life according to her values
• Having complete control over her schedule
• Being surrounded by good people
• Finding fulfilment and loving what she does
• Being inspired to be a better version of herself everyday
• Fitness and health in space
• Bone density and muscle mass
• Space Medicine
• The challenges of space flight environment and why it's trying to kill you
• The "RIDGE" Framework short for Space Radiation, Isolation and Confinement, Distance from Earth, Gravity fields, and Hostile/Closed Environments.
• Altered day night cycles - 1 sunrise/sunset every 90 mins - 16 sunrise - sunset cycles per 24hr period every and how it interferes with your sleep cycle
• Micro-gravity and how it affects your bodily systems
• Physical activity as therapy and using it as a way of investing in herself.
• The days she doesn't make it to the gym
• Needing to change something up - or end up burning out
• Learning diving skills and spending time underwater
• Looking for transferable skills
• Being operational good and a good team mate
• Operational environments: - emergency medicine, diving, sky diving and piloting
• The importance of having aqua-naught experience
• Going on 2 NEPTUNE Missions
• NEPTUNE (Nautical Experiments in Physiology, Technology and Underwater Exploration)
• Building her space flight readiness
• Learning to handle stress in challenging situations
• Why there is no room for ego
• Using emergency medicine as an example
• Escalation patterns of communication
• Question - Suggestion - Statement - Command
• Why there is a time and place for everything
• If everything is urgent - nothing is urgent!
• Urgency fatigue - not knowing what do first
• Being aware of what tools you have at your disposal
• High risk - high reward scenarios
• The countdown to flight
• Since 2021 - the launch of private companies into space
• Going to space for research
• What kind of astronaut do you want to be?
• Being a research astronaut
• Training flights as a team - and getting to fly with her good friends
• Kellie Gerardi
• Dr. Norah Patten
• Figuring out research priorities
• The outreach aspects of what they do
• Science diplomacy
• The lead up to the space flight
• Managing fears and concerns
• Having a job to do
• Being aware of the need to be prepared
• Deciding on the final payloads
• Dealing with periods in space
• Quick Fire Questions
• Being an evening person
• Not scheduling early morning meetings
• Starting her day at 9am
• Favourite movie and favourite space movie
• 2007 movie - Sunshine
• Book inspiration - Chris Hatfield - An Astronaut's guide to Earth
• Music inspiration - liking high adrenaline workout play lists
• Liking the John Wicks Soundtrack
• Beach or mountains..
• Favourite food at home and in space
• High RPM skipping
• Rest and relaxation
• Her love for birds - having a 56g Lovebird - 'Jules'
• Mantra and words she lives by - 'You've got this"
• Words from mum - "Keep going" - "Keep moving"
• Words from dad - "What's the difference between success and activity? Success is eating tomato soup with a spoon, activity is eating tomato soup with a fork"
• How to connect and follow along on social media
• Final words of advice and wisdom for other girls who want to pursue
• Pick what you want to do, aim to be really, really good at it.
• Aim to become the hardest working person in the room. Because the work ethic is free.
• Work really hard to get to where you want to be and then act like you belong there, because you do.
• You just need to make space for yourself.

Social Media

Website: shawnapandya.com

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/shawnapandya

Instagram: @shawnapandya

Facebook: @shawnapandyaofficial

Jeannette McGill is a seasoned mountaineer and executive leader who, at 52, became the oldest South African woman to summit Everest in May 2025. With more than 30 years of global climbing experience—including leading expeditions across four continents—she knows deeply that the summit is never just about standing on top.

Jeannette's journey is a testament to patience, resilience, and the quiet power of backing yourself, no matter how many setbacks you face. Beyond her personal achievements, she is passionate about demystifying the modern-day myths of Everest and advocates instead for the very real challenges mountain terrains face through climate change globally. Having been there herself, she brings an informed, honest perspective on what is truly happening above 8,000m.

Today, Jeannette combines her love for high-altitude adventure with leadership on Boards and helping others explore their own limits. She also supports future generations through leading snow camps in the Victorian Alps and mountaineering scholarships, believing that mountains are powerful teachers of courage and humility. Her story is not just about conquering peaks but about becoming the kind of person who dares to try.

We first spoke with Jeannette on 7th January 2021 - Jeannette McGill - 1st South African woman to summit Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Who is Jeanette
• Corporate executive, board director and most importantly a mountaineer
• South African by origin, located in Melbourne and spending up to 5 months in Nepal
• TGP Episode - January 7th 2021 - - 1st South African woman to summit Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world
• Her Mt. Everest dream
• A one day - someday project…
• How climbing Mt. Everest came to the forefront of her mind
• To be a real mountaineer you needed to tick Mt. Everest off the list
• Deciding to go in a different direction in 1995
• The pivotal moment - university and having a career or entering the climbing competition
• Pursuing her career
• Was Mt. Everest a realistic goal?
• Growing into the project
• Adding Mt. Everest to the bucket list after covid
• Going through a back surgery and perimenopause and deciding that 2023 would be her Mt. Everest year
• Using Mera Peak as an acclimatisation strategy
• Getting sick and not recovering well, getting to camp 2 and not being able to continue.
• Heading back to Australia and deciding to go back in 2024
• Deciding to gift herself the power of a mid-life sabbatical
• Exciting her role in December 2023 and starting to train properly for Mt. Everest in 2024
• Joining a small team
• Mechanical failure on the mountain - her jumar not working and getting word that her house in Australia had burnt down.
• Getting to the South Col and not being in the right head space.
• Knowing she was making the right decision to turn around and head back down the mountain
• Dealing with the frustration and disappointment and why it was difficult
• Not being in a good head space. Needing to pivot and become nomadic during the winter
• Floundering and not knowing what was next
• Deciding that she would regret it if she didn't back herself one final time.
• Pivoting and making the best of the situation
• Having flexibility and deciding to do Mt. Everest one last time
• Figuring out where to do the winter work - in either Scotland or New Zealand
• Packing up and heading over to New Zealand to do training
• Doing more mountain work, on the NZ Alps in the South Island
• How it became a more personal/internal objective/goal
• What training looked like
• Working with a mental and physical coach
• Using Training Peaks
• Evoke Endurance Coach
• Returning to Manaslu in the fall of 2024
• Muscle endurance - steep hills in NZ out of Queenstown carrying 20kgs
• Following a structured gym program
• Her 'A' Team
• Figuring out through processes and what could derail her
• Having cheat sheets e.g. a mopey list to keep her focused on her goal and what she needed to do
• Heading back to Mt Everest in 2025 and wanting to do the Everest - Lhotse Double (having 2 permits)
• Acclimatising on Mt. Mera Peak
• Being an older climber and the changes she made
• Sleeping at camp 3 on her rotation
• Heading up to the balcony
• The challenge of the 2025 season
• Dealing with extreme winds and not being able to stand up
• Having to turn around - returning to her tent on the South Col and being hit with disappointment.
• Maybe climbing Mt. Everest just isn't going to happen again - shedding a tear
• Having her main sherpa needing to head back down to camp 2
• Having the opportunity to go for the summit of Mt. Everest the following night
• Now or never!!!!!
• Starting to prepare, getting herself together and heading back to the balcony before reaching the summit
• Reaching the summit - A surreal, glorious moment.
• Crying on the summit and why she will never forget it
• The descent back to base camp - dealing with fatigue
• Being able to look after herself on the descent
• The afterwards - Relief? Adventure blues?
• The pressure on herself to achieve the goal
• Being at peace with herself
• Needing to rest this calendar year and savour her summit
• Wallowing in the peace and knowledge of achievement
• How to connect with Jeannette
• Final words of advice for other women who want to take on their own mountains and challenges
• Keep stretching your fear muscle

Social Media

Website: www.mcgillsmountains.com

Instagram: @mcgills_mountains

Lauren Burnison is the founder of We Love Lucid, the UK's first alcohol-free travel company, and a trailblazer in the sober travel movement. From couch-surfing with nomads on the Mongolian steppe to snorkelling with sharks in Oman, Lauren has spent her life seeking off-the-beaten-path adventures—and this year, she took a two-month road trip through Spain and Portugal in a micro camper with her four-year-old daughter to celebrate ten years of sobriety.

In this candid conversation, Lauren shares her journey from self-destructive habits to sobriety, how travel became her school of life, and the joys and challenges of being a single parent exploring the world. She talks about starting We Love Lucid, the lessons learned while traveling solo and with her daughter, and how adventure can transform the way we see ourselves.

Explicit content: We touch on drugs, drinking, and addiction.

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Who is Lauren
• Coming from Northern Ireland Originally
• 41 years old
• Founder of We Love Lucid - The UK's First Alcohol-free Travel Company
• Being a single mum to a very energetic 4 year old girl
• Being an aspiring writer
• Reflecting back on her early years
• Being very creative, loving animals, and growing up in the countryside
• Where her love of travel came from
• Starting to learn Spanish in school and how her teacher inspired her
• Having a knack for learning languages
• Finding a diary entry from when she was 15 years old
• Having an ambition to learn Spanish and French and wanting to live in Spain
• Getting to visit Spain at 16 on a sports camp
• Having her eyes opened and feeling invigorated while travelling on the road
• Why A'Levels were such a slog and hated being told what to do
• Being confident about travelling
• Deciding to travel around South America
• Getting into drugs and going down a self destructive path
• Heading back home to go to university
• Spending 6 months in Barcelona - working in a pizza restaurant and living in a tent
• Getting her degree
• Being taken further down the path and still being self destructive
• Making changes at 32
• Wanting to explore and see more of the world - spending time in South Africa
• Getting in more and more trouble
• Turning 30 and heading to South Korea to work as an English Teacher
• Having the best and worst moments of her life
• Hitting rock bottom and deciding not to drink ever since
• Getting in trouble, and having the fear of losing her life
• Partying with Chinese Dwarfs
• Seeing how bad her behaviour had gotten
• Feeling and being alone on this part of the journey
• Drinking 4 nights a week
• The hardest part - being faced with this situation of not knowing who she was
• Who is Lauren? Having to deal with difficult emotions.
• Feeing so vulnerable
• The night she decided to quit drinking
• Creating 'We Love Lucid' and how it helped her stay connected with the sober community
• Visiting the vast empty spaces in Mongolia
• Growing up with horses and riding horses
• Wanting to ride horses in Mongolia and how it turned in to a trip of self discovery
• Trying to figure out the next steps
• Why life is not just good or bad - it's a mixture of everything
• Heading to the South of Spain and doing a workaday experience over there
• How the idea for - We Love Lucid came about
• Not having a positive view of sobriety
• Thinking about her experiences as a sober person travelling
• Starting to run the trips
• Why the trips are all about connecting with sober people
• Cycling from Beer to Soberton….
• Why not all projects turn out how you want them to
• Not wanting to be a quitter
• Getting to 70 miles…..
• Why it was a bit of a failure, but also a valuable lesson at the same time
• Riding up the East Coast of Korea on a bike to North Korea
• The goodness of people
• How travel and adventure changed after having her daughter
• Feeling as though her world has been shrinking
• How it affected her mentally - with not being able to travel
• The realities of being a single mum in Scotland
• How her life seems so normal
• Starting to go away with her daughter
• Being on a road trip in Portugal for 1/2 months
• Trying to escape the winter in the UK
• Needing to stay in the UK and going with that
• Starting to accept the reality
• Wanting to start her blog - "Adventures of a single, sober mum"
• Being able to afford a micro camper
• Why trips are a condensed school of life
• The beauty and joy of the quiet moments
• Walking with 12 women on the Santiago de Compostela
• Mandy Manners - Sober Coach
• She Recovers Foundation
• How to connect with Lauren
• The stigma around being a single parent
• Wanting to feel more empowered
• Final words of advice for other women
• Change is possible
• Being inspired by Terence McKenna
• Try something hard, push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Social Media

Website: www.welovelucid.com - The UK's First Alcohol-free Travel Company

Instagram: @welovelucid

Substack: adventuresofasobersinglemum.substack.com

In this Tough Girl Podcast EXTRA episode, we catch up with Helen Dainty — solo female cyclist, self-described "full-time global hobo," and one of the most committed long-distance bike travellers you'll ever meet.

For the past decade, Helen has spent nine years on the road, travelling exclusively by bicycle and living on around £50 a week. She's cycled across Australia, ridden from London to Nordkapp and back, travelled extensively through the Middle East and North Africa — and in 2025 became the first woman to cycle across Libya.

When war in Sudan forced her to abandon an overland route into East Africa, Helen adapted and rerouted — because that's what life on the road demands: flexibility, resilience, and the ability to trust the process.

In this episode, we dive into what's happened since we last spoke in January 2022. From navigating complex visa systems (including Algeria and Libya), to travelling with police security details, being detained in Libya, and accepting incredible hospitality through the Warm Showers community — Helen shares the raw, practical realities of long-term cycle touring.

We also talk about:

• The logistics of visas with a British passport
• Working with visa agents and last-minute plan changes
• Cycling in Algeria and Libya
• Budget travel (sticking to AUD $100 per week)
• Her bike setup — switching from chain to belt drive
• Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres and long-distance reliability
• Not collecting souvenirs and living with less
• Documenting her journey on YouTube (and the time spent editing!)
• Saying yes to unexpected opportunities

Helen also opens up about going through perimenopause and menopause while cycling through deserts — dealing with extreme sadness, brain fog, hot sweats in the middle of the night, and coming out the other side feeling stronger and more balanced. At 47, she believes she has another strong decade of adventure ahead — and she's not slowing down.

Looking forward, Helen plans to spend the next two years cycling down the west coast of Africa in an attempt to circle the continent, before eventually heading back towards Australia through Asia.

Her advice for women wanting to do something different?

Say yes to the opportunity — you can work out the details on the way. Accept without hesitation.

Raw, honest, practical and deeply inspiring — this is a powerful catch-up with a woman who has built her entire life around two wheels.

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Who is Helen
• Catching up since we last spoke
• Cycling through the Middle East and Africa
• TGP Episode - January 2022 -
• TGP Extra Episode -
• What's changed?!
• Going back to the start of 2022
• Taking the ferry from Turkey to Lebanon
• Flying home to surprise her family for Christmas
• Setting off toward Iran in 2022
• The practical side of travel - visa's, entering and leaving countries (with a British Passport)
• Saudi Arabia and Oman using a E-visa system
• Getting a visa for Algeria - paperwork, needing to be in your home country while applying for the visa, face to face visit to the Embassy in London
• Visa's for Libya - not being issues and needing to work with a contact to get a visa
• Using a visa agent - Tap Persia
• Last minute change of plans and trying to extend a 2 week visa while in the country - which proved impossible
• Booking accommodation to get the visa
• Cycle touring being a little stressful at times
• Cycling in Algeria for a few days and what the experience was like
• Warmshowers hosts
• Accepting hospitality
• Having an Algerian security detail (police) and what that entails
• Needing to trust the process
• Having her passport taken off her…
• Arrested/detained in Libya by the police
• Finding affordable accommodation
• Tourist sites in Algeria and Libya
• Not meeting other bike packers in Libya
• How it all happened….
• Saying yes to opportunities as they present themselves
• Libyan Cycling Centre
• Starting to share videos on Youtube and documenting her trips
• Working on improving the sound quality
• Aiming for 8 min vlogs
• The time spend editing….
• Sticking to her budget of AUD $100 a week
• The bike, the bike set up and new gear
• Changing from a chain to a belt drive
• Getting a new saddle - Repente
• What is a belt drive and needing a specific frame for it and how it works
• Why it's popular with long distance tourers
• Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires
• Not collecting souvenirs
• Day to day emotions and loving life on the road
• Not having any plans to stop cycling
• Heading into Western Africa - and taking 2 years to cycle down the coast
• Planning to cycle back to Australia through Asia
• 47 years old - another good decade ahead of her
• Going through menopause 3/4 years ago
• Not knowing what was happening in 2021/2022 and not undertaking that she was going through perimenopause
• Experiencing extreme sadness and brain fog
• Feeling more balanced and having less brain fog, and less depression bouts
• Having hot sweats in the desert, in the middle of the night
• Feeling glad to be on the other side of it
• Starting to think about bone density
• Cycling down the West Coast of Africa
• Using this downtime over winter to plan out her route and sort out visa's.
• Taking her dad to Ethiopia
• How to connect with Helen on social media and follow along with her journey
• 9,570 subscribers on YouTube - wanting to reach 10k!
• Final words of advice for women who want to do something different and take on new challenges
• Say yes to an opportunity -you can work out the details on the way
• Accept without hesitation!

Social Media

All links: helsonwheels.bio.link

Instagram: @hels.on.wheels

Facebook: @Helsonwheelswithmlt

Youtube: @helsonwheels

In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we meet Chloe Stead — 42 years old and currently living in a rustic tiny shack in the bush in Tasmania with her husband — but her journey to this simple life has been anything but ordinary.

Since 2008, Chloe has been living a travelling, nomadic lifestyle. After leaving school at 18 to join the Navy and later working in health and safety in Perth, Australia, she reached a quiet breaking point while staying at the Whim Creek Hotel in 2006. A simple but powerful thought surfaced: There has to be more to life than this.

Within a week, she sold her house, packed up a shipping container, took her dog, and began driving solo around Australia with just $500 AUD — despite being petrified of sleeping in a tent. That leap of faith set the course for the next chapter of her life.

But Chloe's story is not just about adventure — it's about grief, reinvention, and learning to live on her own terms.

After the sudden death of her partner Willy in 2013, everything stopped. In the depths of grief, Chloe stepped away from social media, let go of her old life, and slowly began again. Meditation, yoga retreats, and eventually walking the Camino de Santiago in 2014 became turning points. Carrying everything on her back, she discovered a deep love for minimalism, simplicity, and self-reliance.

Over the years, Chloe has:

• Walked multiple Caminos including the Camino del Norte, Camino Primitivo and Via de la Plata
• Hitchhiked and walked along the beaches of Uruguay
• Taken a 10,000km road trip with her dog Dexter
• Lived off less than $100 AUD per week
• Worked seasonally to fund months of adventure
• Cycled from Alaska to San Francisco (86 nights in a tent!)
• Walked the Wales Coast Path and the Portuguese Camino
• Chosen to stay off social media to be fully present on trail

Now married, Chloe continues to design a life built around freedom, movement, and intentional simplicity. With big adventures planned for 2026 — including walking the South West Coast Path and the GR10 — she shares honestly about navigating partnership on trail, managing knee issues, strength training gains, and why getting to the start line is often the hardest part.

This conversation is about:

• Letting go of possessions and expectations
• Living with uncertainty
• Processing grief through movement
• Creating "trail life" off-trail
• Why you don't need technology to experience adventure
• Trusting that the universe conspires to keep you going
• And why you should "give it a crack and get to the start line."

Chloe's message is simple but powerful:

Life is uncertain. Don't put things off. If there's something you want to do — take the plunge.

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Who is Chloe
• 42 years old, currently living in Tasmania in a rustic tiny shack in the bush with her husband
• Living a travelling lifestyle since 2008
• What was the lead up to making changes in her life
• Leaving school at 18 and joining the Navy
• 2006 living in Perth, Australia and having a job in health and safety
• Starting to feel different when staying at the Whim Creek Hotel
• Thinking that there has to be more to life
• 100 things to see and do in Australia before you die
• Selling her house within a week, filling up a shipping container
• Taking her dog and starting to drive solo around Australia
• Being encouraged by a friend - to just do it!
• Not being in tune with herself
• Highlights from spending time on the road, driving around Australia
• Starting off with $500 AUD and getting a job
• Spending the trip just driving around
• Being petrified of staying in a tent
• Pitching her tent and staying in it for the first time
• Meeting a boy, Willy (which wasn't part of the plan!)
• Deciding to move to New Zealand (2009 - 2010)
• Backpacking around Europe for 3 months
• Planning every day and having a very tight schedule
• Feeling disheartened with her experience
• Needing to do something spontaneous
• Backpacking around Cambodia for 3 weeks with no plan
• Seeing a flyer about yoga and meditation
• Struggling with mental health and things in life
• Doing a yoga retreat in Australia and doing a deep dive into meditation
• Starting to work in farming around Australia
• 2013 and the year of her 30th birthday
• Deciding to go to South America to visit Machu Picchu
• Willys death and how it stopped everything
• Not knowing how to cope
• The funeral and not wanting to live where she was living or work where she was working
• Getting rid of her phone and getting off social media
• Starting again and wanting to forget
• Needing to deal with the grief
• Going back to mediation and doing a workshop which helped
• Learning about the Caminos in Spain
• Walking the camino in April 2014 (The way of st James)
• Not knowing what she was doing and carrying far too much stuff
• Learning a lot on the way
• Not being very open on the French Camino
• Learning a lot from Willys death and making a promise to him
• Doing what she wanted to do with her life - no excuses
• Falling in love with a minimalistic, simple way of life
• Waling with everything on her back and how it agreed with her
• Finding her passion and purpose
• Living this simple life
• Needing to create trail life, while off trail
• 2016 - waling the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo
• 2017 - hitchhiked and walked along the beaches in Uruguay
• Feeling safe and not feeling alone
• 2018 - ten years since starting her nomadic journey and taking a 10,000km road trip with her dog - Dexter
• Needing to sort out her stuff in the shipping container
• Feeling so much lighter without all of her possessions
• Losing Dexter in 2019
• Doing a silent retreat in Bali
• Wanting to do a 5 year walk around the world
• Not having any more responsibility and having ultimate freedom
• Working in Tasmania in 2020 and dealing with Covid and why it was so difficult
• Buying a block of land and a 1976 Volkswagen Kombi Van
• Self reliance and simplicity
• 2022 and the world starting to open up again
• Starting to work again to make money and giving up on the idea of the 5 yr walk around the world
• Her 40th birthday and wanting to walk 2,000km to celebrate it
• Meeting Will
• 2023 - Walking the Wales Coast Path and the Portuguese Camino
• Discovery the Tough Girl Youtube Channel!
• Buying the Cicerone - Wales Coast Path Guidebook
• Trying to plan the first few days
• Wild camping on her first night
• How things just kept working out
• Heading to Bali in 2024
• Doing some backpacking in 2025, throughout Vietnam, Laos and Thailand
• Needing to thru hike these caminos by herself
• Finishing the Camino Via de la Plata.
• Getting married!
• Being the planner in the relationship
• Deciding to do a bike trip in America - cycling from Alaska to San Fransisco (86 nights in the tent)
• The challenges of adventures with a partner and navigating them together
• Needing to focus more on recovery and needing to put more effort into training before adventures
• Adventures booked for 2026 - Walking the SWCP and the GR10! Starting 1st June!
• Thinking this is crazy and how am I going to do this!
• Why you just need to start and the rest will unfold
• Why getting to the start line is always tricky - mentally
• Noticing her improvements in running at park run after strength training
• Having some knee problems
• Starting on the creatine and having more energy during the summer
• The South West Coast Path
• Not being on social media and being in the moment.
• Final words of advice for other women who want to live life differently and live life on their own terms
• Life is pretty uncertain, and definitely our time here is uncertain.
• Don't put things off to the future. If there's something that you want to do, take the plunge.
• The universe conspires to keep you going
• Learning to live with less over the years and how money has become more abundant
• Working for 6/7 months of the year, and 1 month of earnings goes towards her future
• Living off less than $100 AUD a week
• Stopping working after earning $20,000 dollars and coming back to a $3,000 dollar tax cheque
• Give it a crack - get to the start line.
• Keep that dream at the front of your mind
• Don't be afraid NOT to use technology on trails - walking the trails with just a guidebook or map

Social Media

None.

In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we're joined by Aisyah Rafaee – a two-time Olympic rower from Singapore who competed at the Rio 2016 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the single scull.

After taking an eight-year break from the sport, Aisyah made the bold decision to return—qualifying for Paris 2024 as one of the oldest athletes in the field and redefining what it means to be a high-performing athlete in your 30s.

Originally from Singapore and now based in Boston, USA, Aisyah grew up with four brothers and discovered rowing after being scouted during an indoor competition at school. With limited rowing culture and opportunities in Singapore, she carved her own path—training overseas in Sydney, qualifying through a fiercely competitive Asian selection process, and representing Singapore on the world stage.

But her journey hasn't been linear.

From struggling with pressure at her first Olympics to working with mental skills coach Hansen Bay, from stepping away from elite sport to rediscovering her love for movement, from fracturing her ribs a month before Paris to qualifying with just six months to go—this is a powerful conversation about identity, resilience, vulnerability, and growth.

Now working as a HYDROW Athlete and Mental Performance Coach with 3HP Athlete Coaching, Aisyah shares insights on:

• Building confidence and resilience
• Letting go of expectations
• Separating identity from performance
• The realities of returning to elite sport after time away
• Training and mindset during pregnancy
• Why rowing is a lifelong sport
• Her philosophy of the 3Hs: Happy, Healthy & High Performing

This episode is about trusting your timing, embracing new chapters, and asking yourself: Is this smart for me?

Aisyah's story is proof that it's never "too late" to chase a dream — and that high performance can evolve with you.

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Who is Aisyah
• Being based in Boston, USA
• Originally from Singapore
• Working as a HYDROW Athlete
• Working as a Mental Performance Coach
• 3HP Athlete Coaching
• 2x Olympic rower in the single sculll
• Competing at the 2016 and 2024 Olympics
• Learning to live a normal life outside of sports
• Growing up in Singapore with 4 brothers
• 3 older brothers and 1 younger brother
• Being sporty and learning to be competitive
• Living a simple life and being raised by her mum after her parents got divorced
• Not knowing where her mindset comes from
• Wanting to be the best version of herself
• Not being surrounded by high performance individuals
• Starting rowing, Singapore not having much of a rowing culture
• Getting scouted at her secondary school during an indoor rowing competition
• Singapore Rowing Association
• The importance of hight in rowing
• 5'8 (173cm)and being tall for an Asian Woman
• Learning how to row on land with the ergo
• The challenges and continuing to show u to training
• Not enjoying it at first
• Getting out on the water and spending more time in the water than on the water
• The lack of opportunities in Singapore
• Why the Olympics was not on her radar
• Wanting to be the best at it and wanting to represent Singapore
• Team sport (Netball) V individual endeavours (Rower)
• The South East Asia Games
• Rowing in a single scull
• Winning gold in 2013 and beating a 2x Olympian
• Quitting her job and training full time in Australian
• When the seed got planted about going to the Olympics
• Deciding to go and train over in Sydney, Australia
• Building confidence and winning competitions
• Qualifying for the 2016 Olympics - the Asian Qualification Criteria for that cycle
• 16 countries competing for 7 spots
• Dealing with the pressure of going to the Olympics and being able to perform at the highest level
• The weight of expectation and not being able to perform
• Working with the mental skills coach Hansen Bay
• The power of letting go of expectations, facing the fear, how losing can tie into identity, building confidence and resilience
• The practical side of mental preparation
• Communication and trust
• Learning how to be vulnerable
• Why it took more than 1 session
• Taking an 8 year gap and what happened
• Trying to retire from sports and wanting to focus on her career
• 2018 and deciding to do some soul searching and heading to the USA to work as a rowing coach in Boston
• Meeting her current husband
• Getting into marathon running and thinking about trying out for the Paris Olympics
• 2023 - visiting Paris
• Thinking she was too old to row in the Olympics in her 30s
• Having 6 months to qualify for the Paris Olympics
• Qualifying in April 2024 and getting the last spot available
• The Paris Olympics and what it was like
• Fracturing her ribs a month before the games
• Having her family there to support her
• Handing the pressure the 2nd time around
• Motivation during training
• Keeping her eye on the prize
• Moving her body
• Being in a different chapter in her life
• Being a HYROW Athlete and how it works
• Advice for women who want to get into rowing
• Why it's a lifelong sport
• How to connect and follow along with Ariesyah
• 3Hs - Happy, Healthy and High Performing
• Training for a marathon in 2026 and finding out she's pregnant!
• Fitness and health during pregnancy
• Top tips and advice to listen to your body
• Is this smart for me?
• Think of the bigger picture

Social Media

Website: 3hpathlete.com

Instagram:

@ariesyah @3hpathlete

Lauren Roerick, known on trail as Longway, is a long-distance backpacker, filmmaker, and outdoor educator who has hiked across North America, Europe, and Oceania. From the Pacific Crest Trail to New Zealand's Te Araroa, and becoming the first North American woman to thru-hike France's 3,034 km HexaTrek, Lauren shares her adventures and the lessons they've taught her.

In this episode, she talks about stepping into the world of long-distance hiking in her 30s, navigating challenges on remote trails, making decisions in the moment, and learning to trust herself. Through her storytelling and filmmaking, Lauren inspires women to build confidence, resilience, and a deeper connection with the outdoors—proving that it's never too late to take that first step.

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Who is Lauren
• Long distance backpacker and film maker
• Currently in California, but normally based out of Vancouver, Canada
• Her early year growing up in a small city in Southern Alberta called Lethbridge
• Not getting into backpacking until her 30s
• Playing a lot of sports, being a gymnasts, playing rugby and doing jujitsu
• What changed in her 30s
• A walk in the books by Bill Bryson - the classic thru-hiker read
• Having the courage to take the step to make her dreams come true
• Why the first step is the hardest
• You get one life….
• Being willing to sacrifice the other things
• What's really important to you
• Support from family
• March 2020 and being on the trail when the pandemic started
• Moving in with her mum in Southern California for 4 months
• Making the decision to leave the trail
• Why it wasn't an easy decision to make
• Heading back the following year (2021) and not knowing if she would get the chance to hike again
• Being made redundant after 6 months
• Finding a southbound permit for the PCT at the end of June
• Being drawn to hike on long trails
• Making life long friendships and building community while hiking
• Starting to document her hikes as soon as she started
• Vlogging for THE TREK
• Being a documenter - but not having experience in vlogging
• Her biggest challenge while being on the PCT
• The fires, the weather and needing to adapt to the trail
• Making the decision to fly to Colorado to hike the Colorado Trail
• Doing back to back hiking since 2023
• Wanting to make a career out of this
• Needing to go all in
• Deciding that it was ok to be tired
• Her love for the trails
• Taking things a little slower when you need to
• Finding a balance that works for her
• Deciding to hike the HexaTrek
• Choosing a trail off the beaten track
• Not speaking French
• HexaTrek is a 3034 km hiking trail, connecting 14 of the most beautiful nationals parks and crossing France from the Vosges to the Pyrenees.
• The people on the trail
• Wanting to make more solo decisions and building those skills
• Making decisions when you don't have good options
• Trusting her gut and intuition
• Learning acceptance while on the trail
• Thoughts on the Hexatrek and why it's not a beginner trail
• Spending 4 months on the trail (121 days)
• Feeling strong and fit at the end of the trail
• Having 3 months before heading out to New Zealand to hike the Te Araroa Trail
• Heading NOBO on the TA - starting in Bluff and heading to Cape Reinga (the non traditional way)
• Highlights from the trail and why it's such an interesting trail
• The hut system in New Zealand
• Why it's not just about the hiking
• The logistics off the trail - and why it was frustrating
• The lessons learned from hiking the TA
• Changing from a purist hiker to a hike your own hike, hiker.
• Making it her own adventure, doing side quests and making the adventure unique to her
• Sharing her stories online and hiking while being observed
• People expectations of her while hiking
• Figuring out what works for you
• Hiking in Georgia - and loving it!
• Transcaucasian Trail
• Nutrition and food while on the trail
• Eating the same food day after day and being ok with it
• Wearing trainers on the trial
• Hiking Plans for 2026
• Hiking with a group of content creators - The Drakensberg Grand Traverse, South Africa
• Working with Jack Wolfskin
• The Wolf Trail
• Being booked out until October
• Feeing excited about the future
• Advice and tips for new hikers - the tropics that should be talked about me
• Don't get overwhelmed by the whole trail
• How to connect with Lauren online
• Final words of advice for women to step outside their comfort zone
• It's okay to want things for yourself. It's okay to prioritise yourself and your dream - even it that sometimes means putting them ahead of other people's goals.

Social Media

Website: www.laurenroerick.com

Instagram: @laurenroerick

Youtube: @laurenroerick

Patreon www.patreon.com/laurenexplores

In this Tough Girl Podcast EXTRA episode, we catch up with Paula "Must Try Harder" McGuire — author, speaker, triathlete, wing-walker, double TEDx speaker, mental health ambassador… and proudly, a trier.

Based just outside Glasgow, Paula has been adventuring since 2015 and has built a reputation for trying something new every day — including completing 366 new experiences in 2020. But the years since we last spoke have brought extraordinary challenges.

Paula shares openly about being diagnosed as autistic at 44, having a stroke at the end of 2021 and developing epilepsy, going through a divorce after 15 years of marriage, losing her home to a flood, and navigating post-stroke fatigue — all while spending six months in enforced van life.

We talk about how adventure supported her through the hardest moments, how her neurodivergent brain fuels her love of planning and trying, and why you don't need to be the best at something to enjoy giving it a go. Paula also reflects on writing her book Adventures for Bored Adults (commissioned by Penguin), rediscovering her love of swimming, and learning acceptance in the face of uncertainty.

Honest, funny and deeply human, this conversation is about resilience, identity, and continuing to say yes — even when life doesn't go to plan.

***

New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.

Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.

Your support makes a difference. Thank you x

***

Show notes

• Who is Paula
• Being based just outside of Glasgow
• Being adventuring since 2015
• TGP Episode
• Working as an electronic note taker and captioner for deaf people
• TGP Extra Episode
• 6 years since we last spoke
• How things have changed over the past few years in quite negative ways before eventually turning to a positive thing
• In 2020 trying something new every day 366 new things (leap year!)
• Starting off the year really positively
• How it became an adventure in creativity
• Feeling exhausted after the year was over
• What that the last few years have taught her
• Figuring out her place in the world of adventure
• Being ready to relax
• Social media not coming naturally to her
• Struggling with the negativity of social media
• Paula has tried hard enough - Paula is done.
• Being diagnosed with Autism at 44
• 6 months of enforced van life (November 24 - May 25)
• At the end of 2021 having a stroke and developing epilepsy
• Her husband leaving her after 15 years and going through a divorce
• Losing her house after a flood
• One thing after another
• Feeling that the universe had turned against her
• Feeling very lucky
• Brain tumour??
• Start to prepare for Paula last Christmas
• Moving on with a stroke and the potential for more strokes in the future
• How the adventures from before really supported her
• Reminding herself of things she achieved, things that she'd failed at and survived
• Adventure and acceptance
• Continuing to do fun things
• A to Z of Adventure
• Post stroke fatigue
• Not sticking to things - buying all the gear
• Getting the most mental stimulation in the trying
• Wanting to be the person who tries it all
• Her love for swimming and going back to it again and again
• Her neurodivergent brain - the planning, the execution, the reflecting
• Being butterfly minded
• Why you don't need to be the best at everything to enjoy having ago
• Coping with how your brain works
• How her entire life has become clear after her diagnosis
• Advent(ure)
• Writing a book commissioned by Penguin
• Book: Adventures for Bored Adults: Games. Challenges. Activities. Treats.
• How to connect with Paula on social media
• Supporting people with mental health
• Advice for women going through lots of challenges

Social Media

Website: www.paulamusttryharder.co.uk

Instagram: @pmusttryharder

Facebook: @pmusttryharder