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Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

Jen Brown - Running and Triathlon Coach, Author and Mindset Coach for Women SpartaChicks Radio brings inspiring stories coupled with practical, tried-and-tested-in-the-real-world advice from successful women in sport, business and life. Jen Brown from Sparta Chicks Radio is a Running and Triathlon Coach and Writer. The goal of Sparta Chicks Radio is to share inspiring stories coupled with practical, tried-and-tested-in-the-real-world advice from successful women in all walks of life about the realities of fear, self-doubt, courage, bravery, success and living life on your terms. From world class athletes, brilliant business minds to everyday women undertaking epic adventures, Sparta Chicks Radio will help you tap into your inner strength, courage, bravery and determination so you can chase your dreams and live a more fulfilling life on your terms. Find out more at www.spartachicks.com
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Now displaying: 2020
Dec 30, 2020

[CN/TW: Suicide, suicidal ideation]

Katee Pedicini has become a regular on Sparta Chicks Radio over the years. 

Yet this is a very different conversation from our previous episodes.

This time, Katee shared her story. 

It’s the story of her mental health journey over the last 20 years.

In her 20s, Katee was (finally) diagnosed with a condition called Pre-Menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (or PMDD) which affects between 3-8% of menstruating woman.

To describe it as, or compare it to, PMS doesn’t do it justice.

And in fact, it would do a disservice to those who suffer from it.

Katee describes it in this conversation as extreme PMS “wrapped up with anxiety, depression, sometimes psychosis and suicidality or suicidal tendencies”

We begin this conversation with Katee’s story. Her experience of the symptoms of PMDD, including suicidal ideation.

Then we transition into a broader conversation about suicide and mental health. 

Finally, we step back and discuss the intersection between mental health and endurance sports.

This was an extremely difficult conversation, for both of us. I’m in awe of Katee’s bravery and vulnerability. 

But lifting the shame around suicide and mental health requires brave and uncomfortable conversations and we both agreed that if this conversation saves one life, then it was worth it.

If you or someone you know needs help, in Australia you can contact:

Lifeline 24 hours per day on 13 11 14. Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 or the Black Dog Institute.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Katee on Instagram: @katee_holisticendurance

Dec 29, 2020

Tiffany Winchester is an ultra-endurance cyclist. 

She rides the kind of distances most of us hate driving!

She was first on the podcast June, 2019 (which was also the 5th most popular episode last year).

At the time we recorded that conversation, Tiff was 3 months out from competing in the iconic Paris-Brest-Paris race, a 1,200km cycling event that’s only held every 4 years and is effectively the Olympics of the ultra-endurance cycling world.

And so she returned in 2020 to share how it unfolded. 

In this conversation, Tiff begins by sharing her training and the lead-up to the event, the race itself (including why she had to apply white wine vinegar to her “lady parts”).

And then we talk about the aftermath - the trauma the race inflicted on her (and/or she inflicted on herself), the physical, mental and emotional toll it took on her, the depression that followed and how she was able to recover from it and get back on her bike.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Tiff on Instagram: @tiffo012

Dec 28, 2020

[CN/TW: anorexia and suicide]

Hanny Allston is no stranger to the trail running and outdoor adventure communities in Australia.

In 2006, Hanny won the Junior and Senior World Orienteering titles. In doing so, she became the first non-European to win an Orienteering World Championship and the first person, male or female, to hold both the Senior and Junior title in the same year.

In the years since, she’s achieved a long list of victories and records in the worlds of mountain and trail running, ultramarathons and sky running.

She’s also the co-founder of my favourite retail and online store - Find Your Feet - based in Tasmania with her husband Graham. 

We covered all of that, and more, in our first conversation in 2017.

This episode is very different.

This is a conversation about Hanny finding her feet.

She has just released her first memoir called ‘Finding My Feet’. And the best way to describe it as soul-full.

It's Hanny's incredible story (so far) that is brave and vulnerable and heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. It will make you laugh and it will make you cry. It’s one of the most honest memoirs and autobiographies I’ve read in a long time.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Hanny on Instagram: @hanny.allston

Dec 27, 2020

Lisa Blair is an adventurer, sailor, climate change activist and World Record holder who discovered a passion for sailing at the age of 22.

Just 6 years later, she completed her first circumnavigation of the world as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht race. 

Since then she’s gone onto sail solo to New Zealand twice, to skipper the first all-female team in 16 years to race the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht race and set two World Records in the process of becoming the first woman to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around Australia.

In the midst of that, in 2017 Lisa set out on her most ambitious project to date; to become the first woman to sail solo unassisted and non-stop around Antarctica. And to break the men’s World Record in the process!

As you’ll hear in this conversation, that expedition did not go to plan.

And on a stormy night 72 days into her trip and 1,000 nautical miles from shore, her boat lost its mast and Lisa had to fight for 4 hours to save her boat -- and her life.

Not only did she survive the night and spend 9 days limping back to port in Cape Town, South Africa for repairs, Lisa then found the courage to head back into the Southern Ocean and finish the challenge - in doing so become the first woman to sail solo and unassisted (with one stop) around Antarctica.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Lisa on Instagram: @lisablairsailstheworld

Dec 26, 2020

[CN/TW: sexual assault and rape]

Melissa Browne is an author, financial advisor, speaker and financial wellness advocate who first joined me on the podcast way back in episode 18 in early 2017.

And now she’s back with a vulnerable new book and for a very personal and brave conversation.

Mel has just published a new book - her fourth book - called “Budgets Don’t Work (But This Does)”. It’s the culmination of her career first as an accountant and now a financial advisor. 

Her philosophy; just like diets and one-size-fits-all eating plans or training programs don’t work, budgets don’t work either.

So Mel has developed a process that helps you custom design a financial plan, habits and tactics that draw on your natural strengths (while minimising the impact of your weakness). Simply genius!

What makes this book so powerful is Mel’s vulnerability around her history, her story and how it has shaped her financial decision making over the years.

From the outside looking in, Mel appeared to have it all.

Yet as she reveals in this conversation, for years Mel was stuck in a ‘sabotage loop’ in her business and that she carried a victim mentality and story that she wasn’t “good enough” that caused her to work so hard she ultimately experienced burnout and a breakdown in 2017.

So she initially started working with a coach to help her navigate her ’sabotage loop’ in her business.

But she quickly realised she would also need to unpack the trauma she’s experienced and the way it and the stories she’s carried with her have shaped her personal life as well. 

This is Mel reclaiming her story, finding her voice & rewriting a new ending for her story

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Mel on Instagram: @moremoneyforshoes

Dec 13, 2020

Mimi Anderson started running at the age of 36 (after a long battle with anorexia).

Over the next 20 years, she went onto set multiple Guinness World Records.

Her achievements include: 

- completing the Badwater Double; the return trip from Death Valley where the race starts to Mt Whitney, and back - a journey of 469km,

- winning outright the 6633 Extreme Ultramarathon, a self-supported non-stop race over 560km in the Arctic Circle in which you drag on a sled everything you need to survive that took her almost 6 days to finish, and

- setting Guinness World Record for the fastest time by a female running the length of England and the record for a woman running across Ireland.

Now it hasn’t all been smooth sailing.

In 2017, she attempted to set the record for running across America - that’s over 5000km. Sadly, that attempt ended due to injury and it also brought to an end to her ultrarunning career.

But you can’t keep a woman like Mimi down for very long!

So in her late 50s, she learnt to ride a bike, overcame a life long fear of open water and finished her first triathlon.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Mimi on Instagram: @MarvellousMimi

Dec 6, 2020

Rebecca Stone is a busy woman. She’s a midwife, a mum, and someone who loves racing her mountain bike for 24 hours - all while living with fibromyalgia.

In 2010, after 9 months of severe pain which ultimately left her unable to work, drive or walk for more than 5m, Rebecca was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

A chronic condition, fibromyalgia causes widespread pain and sensitivity throughout the body.

There’s no cure and it is difficult to treat.

Getting back on her beloved mountain bike plan was part of Rebecca’s initial treatment plan primarily for the mental health benefits. 

We recorded this conversation in May 2018.

Later that year, as the mother of a 2-year-old toddler, Rebecca finished 2nd at the Australian 24 Hour Solo Championships in 2017 and 2018, and then finished 6th at the World Championships in Scotland in 2018.

In this conversation, we discuss motherhood as well as living, training and racing with chronic pain.

Plus she shares why she thinks she’s a better athlete because of it.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Rebecca on Instagram: @24hrracerchick

Nov 29, 2020

Alexx Stuart is on a mission to help people want to (not *have* to) make changes for the better in their lives.

She launched 'Low Tox Life' back in 2010 a few years after discovering she had a gluten allergy and going on a personal mission to find out what she was putting in, on and around her body.

Since then, Low Tox Life has become a thriving online education hub and Alexx has become a 4x best-selling author and podcast host (with over a million downloads), by the same name.

This is a conversation about conscious choice, hormones & why you should change your pillow :)

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here https://www.spartachicks.com/radio/

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow 'Low Tox Life' on Instagram: @lowtoxlife

Nov 22, 2020

Caroline Buchanan's cycling CV is quite extraordinary.

Not just because she's an 8x World Champion, but also because she has achieved those titles across 2 multiple disciplines within the sport of cycling (3x in BMX and 5x in mountain biking).

She is a 2x Olympian and has now competed at the World Championships in 4 different cycling events.

Off the bike, Caroline is committed to the next generation of cyclists and to encouraging more girls to get into the sport, including through her latest venture; a children's book series called 'Girls Can B'.

Needless to say, she's a woman of many talents - both on and off the bike.

We could have spent the hour just talking about her cycling career, but I wanted to go deeper than that; to discover the mindset and mental strategies she uses to manage her fear (in a risky and potentially dangerous sport) so she can perform on the world stage at her best.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Caroline on Instagram: @cbuchanan68

Nov 15, 2020

Eliza Ault Connell was a (self-described) normal kid with a pretty average childhood until she was 16.

It was then, in 1997, she contracted and nearly died from meningococcal disease.

She spent 2 weeks in a coma during which time her parents had to make the heartbreaking decision to amputate both of her legs to save her life.

Eliza later decided to have her fingers amputated for reasons she’ll share in this conversation.

During her recovery, Eliza was introduced to parasports and started as a runner, before she transitioned across to wheelchair racing - and she hasn’t looked back.

She has since won 3 World Championship medals, 3 Commonwealth Games medals and placed 2nd in a demonstration event at the Athens 2004.

After a 10 year break from racing to raise a family, at the age of 36 Eliza returned to the sport to chase her Olympic dreams once more.

And just a few weeks ago, it was announced that Eliza was one of the first 4 athletes selected to represent Australia at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here https://www.spartachicks.com/radio/

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Eliza on Instagram: @elizajane.ac

Nov 8, 2020

“Attitude is more important than fact” might seem like one of those weary and overused motivational slogans.

But Lisa Bentley lives it every day.

Lisa is an 11-time Ironman triathlon champion, including 5 straight victories at Ironman Australia.

She also has cystic fibrosis - a genetic lung disease that results in chronic infections with limited lung capacity.

Lisa was diagnosed in 1989 at the age of 20, when the average life expectancy for those with cystic fibrosis in Canada, was also 20.

The facts would suggest Lisa was never meant to excel at endurance sports.

She’s the first to admit she wasn’t the most talented athlete around, especially given her limited lung capacity.

But it was Lisa’s approach to the mental and emotional side of sport — her attitude — that set her apart.

We dive into her story and the tools she used to build that mental fitness in this conversation.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Lisa on Instagram: @lisa_bentley123

Nov 1, 2020

In this episode, we cover what’s happened, professionally and personally, over the last 2 years - including the new ‘hat’ I’m wearing and the work I’m doing as a Performance and Mindset expert (alongside my work here at Sparta Chicks and as an endurance sports coach).

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Jen on Instagram: @spartajen

Oct 25, 2020

Jill Wheatley was born in Canada and was working as a Physical Education teacher in Bavaria in September 2014 when she was hit in the head with a ball in a freak accident.

Jill was taken to Emergency but was sent home after only about 15min to nurse what the doctors described as a ‘black eye’.

Unfortunately, she spent the next 48 hours alone, drifting in and out of consciousness before she was found by a friend, rushed back to the hospital where it was discovered she had a fractured skull (amongst other injuries).

2 years, 7 hospitals and 3 countries later, Jill’s black eye never re-opened.

She was left with a traumatic brain injury and only 30% of her vision.

But that was not going to stop Jill from returning to her beloved mountains.

So she set a goal to circumnavigate the world and run not only trails but what she describes as “illustrious mountain ranges” with her “differently-abled” body.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Jill on Instagram: @mtnsofmymind

Oct 18, 2020

Amazingly, Chloë didn’t learn how to swim until she was 11.

Yet within 2 years, she was swimming at State level and eventually had her eye on Olympic qualification.

Sadly, that wasn’t to be.

But during her university years, she discovered triathlons which led to marathon swimming.

The year was 2006 and the rest, as they say, is history!

She now holds multiple world records including for the longest ever unassisted swim by any person - a mind-blowing 124.4km which she swam in the Bahamas in 2014.

At the start of 2020, Chloë arrived in England with 31 crossings of the English Channel under her belt, and a plan to break the men’s record of 34 crossings.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Chloë on Instagram: @Chloemccardel

Oct 11, 2020

Heather Swan was a very normal, everyday woman with no experience in adventure or even camping until her 30s.

A single mum with a distinguished corporate career, her life probably would have continued on that track until she met the man who is now her husband, Glenn. Glenn was a base jumper - and the rest, as they say, is history.

After doing her first base jump at the age of 40, Heather was gone onto become a wingsuit pilot.

She holds multiple world records (including for the world’s highest wingsuit base jump) and has flown her wingsuit over Sydney Harbour, the Grand Canyon and, most recently, Antarctica.

We discuss fear, risk, self-doubt and the inner critic in this fun conversation.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Heather on Instagram: @heatherjswan

Sep 27, 2020

A runner since childhood, Suzy’s (injury-plagued) track career culminated when she competed at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games in the 800m and 1500m.

In the months that followed, Suzy and her husband moved to Singapore for her work (she was an accountant).

Not long after, and on a whim, she entered a stair running race.

The prize for winning it; a trip to New York to compete in the famous Empire State Building Run-Up, an iconic race that garners media attention from around the world.

And she won — both her first race in Singapore and then her debut at the Empire State Building.

And at the age of 33, a new career as a stair running champion was born.

Since then, she’s gone onto win 10 x titles at the Empire State Building event (the most race victories of any athlete, male or female) as well as 9 x Tower Running World Cup titles.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Suzy on Instagram: @suzywalsham

Sep 20, 2020

I could fill a page just listing Samantha Gash’s achievements.

In 2010, and in her first ultramarathon, Sam became the first female and youngest person to complete the Racing the Planet 4 Deserts Grand Slam, running 4 ultra-marathons across the driest, windiest, hottest and coldest deserts on Earth.

That was followed in 2011 by a 222km non-stop race through the Indian Himalayas.

It was during that run across the Himalayas that Sam decided to use her running for a greater purpose.

Since then, she’s run 379km solo, non-stop across the Simpson Desert in Australia as well as 2,000km along South Africa’s Freedom Trail to raise funds and awareness for the work of Save the Children.

Then in 2016, as an ambassador for World Vision, Sam set out on her most ambitious project to date; running across India.

Over 76 days, she ran 3,253km from the west to the east of India and, in the process, raised close to $200,000 to fund 6 programs to improve access to education for children in India.

Sam’s run was capture in an amazing documentary called ‘Run India’.

In this conversation, Sam and I discussed:

- the tipping point when Sam transitioned from running for herself to running for others,

- what inspired the ‘Run India’ project as well as the impact it had on her,

- how running has changed her as a person,

- why she cringes at the word 'inspiration’,

- her experience with the Imposter Complex,

- the power of (and what it means to be) truly committed to a goal.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Sam on Instagram: @samanthagash

Sep 13, 2020

Katee returns to the podcast for another important conversation about mental health.

We begin by briefly discussing her experience as a first time mum during a pandemic.

Next, we dive into the research and statistics around the impact that the pandemic has had on mental health in Australia (and some of the numbers are, quite frankly, shocking).

Then we transition over to talking about what we can do to look after our own, and others, mental health, primarily around the idea of ‘holding space’ (or debriefing as I call it).

Katee and I then discuss:

- what it means to ‘hold space’

- the power of connection and conversation especially during difficult times.

- how to resist the urge to ‘fix’ how someone is feeling,

- what you say after someone has shared how they’re feeling,

- how to set boundaries and/or look after yourself if you don’t have the capacity to hold space for someone else (especially important if you’re struggling too), and

- why it’s important to accept how you feel, regardless of how you feel (essentially, that it’s ok not to be ok).

Whether your mental state or life has been directly affected by the pandemic or you’re someone who has thrived this year, I know you will take a lot away from this important and, at times, uncomfortable conversation.

We have two ‘asks’ of you after listening to this episode:

- ask someone how they are, and

- do something to hold space for yourself today.

If you or someone you know needs help, in Australia you can contact:

Lifeline 24 hours per day on 13 11 14. Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 or the Black Dog Institute.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Katee on Instagram: @katee_holisticendurance

Sep 6, 2020

From the self-described “fat kid” at school, Caro Ryan's life changed and a deep love and connection with the bush was born after a 3-day leadership training course in the Australian bush when she was 21.

These days, she’s now one of Australia’s top bloggers in the outdoor space via her website lotsafreshair.com.

In this conversation, we discuss:

- why she describes herself as the “unexpected outdoors chick”, 

- how becoming the “red bandana girl” changed her life, 

- the stories we tell ourselves, including in Caro’s case that she “wasn’t a runner”, 

- using words, labels and phrases (such as “I’m a runner”) *before* you believe them, 

- how to manage and mitigate the most common fears of being in the bush and 

- how being in the outdoors is such a powerful catalyst for change for so many women. 

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Caro on Instagram: @lotsafreshair

Aug 30, 2020

Yewande Adesida grew up in London and is a self-described “up-and-coming amateur” cyclist who is currently undertaking her PhD on wearable technology in sport.

Previously a former competitive rower, Yewande switched her focus to cycling - specifically track cycling in a velodrome - in 2016 and started racing in 2017.

Just 2 years later, in 2019, and while still a relatively unknown face on the global stage, SRAM (which is one of the biggest and most well-known brands in cycling) decided to feature Yewande as the star of one of its global marketing campaigns.

As you can imagine, in a sport where marketing imagery has traditionally involved skinny white men, SRAM’s campaign featuring Yewande both very quickly raised her profile in the sport and the discussion about the importance of the representation of people of colour in a sport and industry that desperately needs more diversity.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Yewande on Instagram: @yewie_a

Aug 23, 2020

Stacey Copeland began training in the boxing gym run by her Granddad when she was 6 or 7.

But she was too young to realise that, at the time, boxing was banned as a sport for women.

So when the boys in her training squad turned 11 and were allowed to compete, Stacey was left on the sidelines outside the ring, watching.

An incredible football career followed. And by the time Stacey retired from football, the ban on women’s boxing had been lifted so she returned to the sport she loved.

In this episode, we don’t discuss boxing so much as Stacey’s experience of being a girl and woman involved in two sports that are traditionally seen as “male sports”.

Stacey talks openly about how she’s struggled with the perceptions and labels given to her by others who think that boxing isn’t suitable for women and how that lack of recognition fed a longstanding struggle with the Imposter Complex.

We also talk about:

- what it was like growing up in a boxing gym,

- the impact that having no female role models in her sport had on her,

- why role models are so critical,

- the power of language and

- why it’s so important to be aware of the words we use and the labels we give others.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Stacey on Instagram: @staceycopelandboxer

Aug 16, 2020

Peter Baines joined the NSW Police Force at 19 and worked first as a uniformed officer before he transferred across to join the Forensic Services Group and become a real-life crime scene investigator (long before it was cool).

Little did he know that decision would change the trajectory of his life.

He is now an author, speaker, consultant and the co-founder of an amazing charity called ‘Hands Across The Water’.

Peter’s work as a forensic investigator took him first to Bali to identify victims following the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 202 people, including 88 Australia.

Then 2 years in 2004 he made his first trip to Thailand to assist with the identification of victims following the Boxing Day tsunami that killed between 250,000 and 300,000 people.

In a strange yet beautiful twist of fate, during his third rotation in Thailand, he agreed to raise money to fund a home for a group of children he had met who had been orphaned by the tsunami.

And so ‘Hands Across The Water’ was born; a charity that now owns and operates 7 homes across Thailand and cares for hundreds of at-risk children.

In his conversation, we discuss:

- why action leads to clarity and that if you wait long enough you’ll find reasons not to do the thing,

- the ‘postevent’ blues and the struggle with adjusting to ‘normal’ life after an experience that shifts your view of yourself and/or the world,

- the importance of understanding your measures of ‘success’ and making sure they align with your ‘why’,

- where the idea for the charity rides originated from, and

- the impact that bushfires and COVID-19 have had on their fundraising efforts in 2020.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Hands Across The Water on Instagram: @handsacrossthewater_anz

Aug 9, 2020

Jess Douglas isn’t your typical elite athlete.

She wasn’t a sporty kid. In fact, she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma when she was 14, had her beautiful daughter at 20 and only got serious about her riding in her 30s.

But that didn’t stop her from discovering a love of mountain biking and then going on to become a World Champion in the incredibly gruelling 24-hour solo event in just 4 years after taking up the sport (and now she's a 3x World Champion!)

These days, she’s a cycling coach who is passing her unique perspective and experience onto her athletes and is passionate about getting more women on bikes.

In this conversation we talk about:
- why she describes being diagnosed with cancer as a “beautiful time in her life”,

- the powerful way she uses role models to gain courage in situations where’s she’s feeling scared or doubtful,

- how important it is to understand your ‘why’,

- her struggle with depression and

- her 1% rule which was the key to her fast progression in the sport (and how you can use it too).

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Jess on Instagram: @jedouglas73

Aug 2, 2020

Raised in India to adventure-loving parents, Vedangi Kulkarni set out on her first epic ride - crossing the Himalayas - when she just 17.

Then in 2017 at the age of 19, she set out on her quest to become the fastest person to circumnavigate the world and to complete the journey in 100 days.

And while she missed both of those goals, after riding 29,000km / 18,000mi and 160 days, 14 countries and 1 birthday later, she became the youngest woman to ever circumnavigate the world on a bike. She was 20.

In this conversation she shares:

- her 850km solo cycling adventure across the Himalayas at 17 and what gave her the confidence to attempt it,

- where the idea to circumnavigate the world came from,

- the role visualisation played in helping her mentally prepare for the ride,

- how she still struggles with worrying about what people think,

- being told “this adventure jam is for white people” and the importance of not automatically taking on other people’s stories and beliefs,

- her experience as a woman of colour in endurance sports, and

- whether she felt like an imposter when asked to be part of a new book called ‘Tough Women Adventure Stories” that will be published later this year.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Vedangi on Instagram: @wheelsandwords

Jul 26, 2020

Madhu Tamilarasan is a GP (general practitioner doctor) now living in a regional country town in New South Wales who discovered triathlons in her mid-30s and has since fallen in love with off-road triathlons and mountain biking.

She’s gone onto race at both the Australian and ITU World Cross Triathlon Championships.

A proudly gay woman with an amazing wife, Madhu is also English born of Indian descent, and so she brings a unique perspective to the podcast.

And I am incredibly grateful to her for her vulnerability and openness in this very broad-ranging conversation.

We discuss everything from coming out to her parents, how she discovered triathlons, her experience as a woman of colour in a strikingly white sport and why she writes BADASS on her arm before a key race.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here 

Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

Follow Madhu on Instagram: @mvt550

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