Janine Garner grew up on a poultry farm in the north of England and worked her way up the corporate ladder to become the Marketing Manager for high-profile brands like Citizen Watches, Oroton and Ralph Lauren.
But ultimately the lifestyle and burnout prompted Janine to walk away from her career and pursue her own business.
Fast forward 9 years and she is now a sought-after international keynote speaker and trainer who fulfils her childhood dreams to be on the stage, albeit in a different capacity (you’ll have to listen to this episode to hear that story!).
Janine is the author of 3 books including her new release ‘Be Brilliant: How to Lead a Life of Influence’ which we discuss in-depth in this conversation.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Born and raised in Tehran, Shirin Gerami settled in the UK at the age of 15.
After discovering triathlons in University, Shirin became the first woman ever to represent Iran in triathlon (women had previously been banned from participating in the sport).
She then went onto become the first Iranian - male or female - to finish the Hawaii Ironman.
She is on a mission to show that clothing should not be a barrier to participation in sport for millions of women around the world who want, need or choose to cover their body (whether for cultural or religious reasons or even humility or sun protection).
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Melissa Browne first joined me on the podcast way back in early 2017 and then spoke at our conference, Sparta Chicks Unleashed, in 2018.
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 discover (what she calls) your “Financial Phenotype”. It’s the combination of your Money Stories, your Money Environment and your Money Type. Knowing these things about yourself then allows you to custom design your own 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 and 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.
However, Mel 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.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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A Clearance Diver in the Australian Navy, in 2009 Paul de Gelder was working in Sydney Harbour when he was attacked by a bull shark (the first attack inside the Harbour in 60 years).
Paul lost his right hand in the attack and his right leg was amputated a week later.
What’s remarkable about Paul is not that he was attacked.
What’s remarkable is what he’s done since then.
Not only has he returned to the open water, but he also confronted his fear and dived with bull sharks and even learnt to feed them by hand.
He’s also become an advocate for the protection of sharks and has hosted documentaries for the Discovery Channel during Shark Week.
In this conversation, we discuss his troubled childhood, what he gained when he joined the Army, his decision to become a Clearance Diver despite a “massive” fear of sharks and how he was able to overcome his fear to get back in the water.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Kemi Nekvapil is, quite simply, a force of nature.
You know one of those people that when you talk to them, you know they are fully ‘in’ the conversation. That’s Kemi.
Kemi has worked in the wellness industry for over 20 years.
First as a pioneer in the raw food movement in Australia and now as an accredited executive and personal coach, she is committed to helping women like you and I change how we feel about ourselves and how we express ourselves, so we can set boundaries and pursue what we want from life, without guilt or apology.
How good does that sound?
Kemi is the author of two books, Raw Beauty and the Gift of Asking.
She’s also a powerful speaker which is why I choose her to both open and close Sparta Chicks Unleashed, the conference we held in 2018.
Plus she’s a runner - a trail and ultra-marathon runner, Kemi has completed 11 x marathon distances races and two ultras of 100km or more. So she ‘gets’ us.
Kemi was my ‘secret weapon’ during 2018 when she was my coach for 6 months so I know what a powerhouse she is.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Dianne Whelan is the first to admit she is not an ‘extreme’ or endurance athlete. She describes herself as “just an artist from Vancouver”.
But there is no doubt the project she’s currently undertaking is pretty extreme.
In 2015, she set out to travel the length of the Great Trail (or the Trans Canada Trail) which stretches from one side of Canada to the other and is the longest trail in the world.
It’s a 24,000km / 15,000mi journey across Canada - including 7,000km of water - that she is travelling by foot, bike, canoe and snowshoe.
Dianne initially thought it would take her about 500 days and so she named the project, and the documentary film she is simultaneously making in the process, ‘500 Days in the Wild’.
5 years later, she is about 3,000km from finishing her epic journey.
And when she does so, she’ll become the first person to complete this epic traverse of Canada.
What makes Dianne’s perspective unique (at least to this podcast) is that this journey is not about the challenge or the athletic achievement.
Instead, she describes as an ecological pilgrimage to honour both the land and to pay respects to the First Nations people of Canada, to learn their stories and share their lessons.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Jamie Moreno is a Latina woman on a mission to empower girls and women to get involved in motorsports and to follow their dreams regardless of age, race or gender.
Jamie grew up with a passion for cars after spending hours with her dad as a child in the garage working on cars.
However, she didn’t start racing until she was 25 because she didn’t realise it was an avenue that was open to her (sadly, another example of the effect of ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’).
It was also her love of motor racing that led Jamie to investigate health problems she had since childhood that left her with anxiety and depression for most of her life.
In fact, she credits motor racing with saving her life.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- her childhood, the time she spent hanging out with her dad in the garage working with cars,
- one of her favourite memories from childhood that involves wanting to go fast on a ride at Disneyland (but being stuck being a slow older man!),
- the pressures of growing up in a Latino family and the expectation to conform,
- her experience as a woman, and a woman of colour, in a male-dominated sport,
- why it’s important to her to be a role model for young girls,
- how she regained her confidence after it was shattered after a particularly bad crash, and
- the 4 lessons she’s learnt from racing and how those lessons are equally relevant in endurance sports.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Jeanette McGill grew up in South Africa and mountains and the outdoors were a massive part of her life up until her mid-late 20s.
And then her career took over - and took off.
A geologist by training, Jeanette began working in the mining industry and she has gone onto to become a senior mining executive and was named as one of the Top 100 most influential women in mining in the world.
But unfortunately, that came at the cost of her health, fitness and her time in the outdoors.
However, some soul-searching and a moment of synchronicity while channel surfing in 2013 reignited her passion for the mountains and she set a seemingly audacious goal; to summit an 8,000m mountain!
In this conversation, we discuss the importance of understanding your ‘why’ and the role it plays in securing your self-confidence, and how she was able to reframe her biggest ‘Imposter’ moment
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Nadine Champion is a Thai Boxing and Kickboxing Champion. Now, I’ll be the first to admit I don’t have any interest, whatsoever, in martial arts (and I tell Nadine this early in our conversation).
But this isn’t a conversation about martial arts.
It’s a conversation about a normal woman with big dreams trying to find a way through her fear and self-doubt, realising she was seeking approval and validation from her Sensei because she didn’t believe she was ‘enough’ and who (in order to achieve her goals inside the ring) had to confront the reality of who she was outside the ring.
These days, Nadine is a professional speaker after her talk at TEDx Sydney talk in 2015 (also, her first-ever public speaking gig) produced a standing ovation and has since been described as one of the most memorable TEDxTalks of all time.
Nadine is also the author of a book called “10 Seconds of Courage”. It’s a very real, raw, emotional and honest account of Nadine’s career as a kickboxer, her battle with cancer and her experience of letting her guard down (for once) when she walked onto the TEDxSydney stage.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Hanny 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, records and placings in the worlds of mountain and trail running, ultramarathon running 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.
And on top of all that, she’s a performance coach and the host of an incredible podcast also called ‘Find Your Feet.
We cover all of that, and more, in our first conversation (which you can find here).
This conversation is very different.
This is a conversation about Hanny finding her feet.
She has just released a memoir - her first memoir - called ‘Finding My Feet’.
I was lucky enough to read an advance copy. 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.
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Eloise grew up in a family of runners and, while watching the Olympics at the age of 10, set the goal to become an Olympian.
By 16, she had qualified for her first Olympics; the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000.
But sadly, Eloise’s early career was beset by injuries.
As one article I read so painfully wrote, ‘it would be 12 years, 11 stress fractures and 3 failed attempts later’ before she finally made her Olympic debut at the London Olympic Games in 2012.
Eloise and I recorded this conversation in midst of the Covid-19 crisis and so that’s where we start our conversation today - with how she’s navigated the impact of it with two small children at home and how it’s affected her training and her attempts to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (now being held in 2021).
Eloise is also the co-founder of an extraordinary organisation called the Love Mercy Foundation which she co-founded with Ugandan Olympian and former child soldier, Julius Achon that works to empower communities in Northern Uganda to overcome poverty caused by the horrors of war.
Eloise shares how you can help to support the work of Love Mercy by participating in their virtual “Mother Run” which is on this month (May, 2020).
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Michael Milton knows all about fear, self-doubt, bravery and courage.
After losing his leg to bone cancer at the age of 8, he has gone onto become one of Australia’s most talented, decorated and all-round athletes.
He is a 5x Paralympic Gold Medalist who has competed in 6 Paralympic Games, both in Winter for skiing and in Summer for cycling.
Michael also holds World Records for speed skiing and for the fastest marathon on crutches. And he’s also summited Kilimanjaro and walked the Kokoda track twice.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- what it’s like to ski over 200km/hr (132mph),
- his experience with fear, self-doubt and the Imposter Complex,
- why he’s entered many races over the years knowing he’ll finish last,
- why you should keep pushing forward when your instinct is telling you to back off, and
- his experience competing in the Ultra-Trail Australia 50km race in 2017.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Michelle was a business owner, gym junkie and busy mum when she broke a foot in December, 2017.
After experiencing balance and walking issues she attributed to a second broken foot in December 2018, Michelle was eventually diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder (CMT) in March 2019.
Both neurological conditions, MS and CMT have left Michelle unable to run or move her legs quickly.
But that didn’t stop her from entering - and finishing - her first (and last) triathlon at the Husky Triathlon in February 2020.
Michelle tells the story in this conversation of what unfolded, her experience of crossing the finish line and what that race means to her.
And trust me when I say this — you're going to need a tissue ;)
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Lesley Paterson is a professional mountain biker, 5x World Champion in off-road triathlon, an Ironman Triathlon Champion, coach and (according to her bio) foul-mouthed Scots lassie.
Simon is a sports psychologist with a distinguished career. He's a former Professor, has published over 100 scientific articles on the psychology of exercise, been cited in scientific literature over 10,000 times and had real-world practical experience as the Performance Psychologist for the BMC Racing team, a pro cycling team that competes in the Tour de France.
They are also married, the force behind Braveheart Coaching and the co-authors of a fantastic book I highly recommend to all athletes called The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion.
In this conversation, we talk about everything from:
- why Lesley initially retired from sport at the age of 20 due to her disillusionment and frustration and this lead her and Simon to work together to develop this model,
- how your brain works (and is wired to work),
- Lesley’s experience dealing with the Imposter Complex/Syndrome,
- why it’s important to understand your athletic identity and how that can cause you to feel like an Imposter,
- why an alter ego is a powerful tool you can use to change the actions you take (really, it helps you fake it till you make it — or perhaps more correctly, fake it till you believe it).
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Mel is an inventor and adventurer who has tried it all: kayaking, climbing, caving, mountain biking and, her favourite, skiing.
Mel also has a rare form of Dwarfism and so most commercially available sporting and outdoor adventure equipment doesn’t fit or suit her.
Luckily Mel grew up with an interest in fixing things (initially with sticky tape) and parents who taught Mel and her two sisters - who also have Dwarfism - from an early age to adapt and find ingenious ways to get around the challenges their height presented them.
That interest not only led Mel to get a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering but develop the skills to adapt or make from scratch her sporting and adventure equipment including kayaks, paddles and wetsuits.
Mel starred in a fantastic documentary called (you guessed it) ‘Mel’ which aired at the Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour in 2019.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Self-belief is such a murky, fluid concept.
Some days you feel on top of the world and unstoppable. The next, it’s gone and you’re convinced you were fooling yourself.
So how do you develop unwavering self-belief (and keep it)?
In 2017, I asked Olympic Gold Medalist Natalie Cook
In this interview, we discuss her 4-year journey of personal development after the Atlanta Olympics when she realised she didn’t have the mental toughness or emotional stability needed to achieve her goal of winning the Olympic Gold medal in Sydney.
Plus in an unexpected twist, I got called out on why I was hiding behind my fear and not telling the world about one of my goals.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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The TransCon is a self-supported, single-stage bike race across Europe. The clock starts and doesn’t stop until you arrive at the finish. And aside from a few checkpoints, there’s no set route. Participants map and plan their way across Europe and decide where and when to ride, eat and sleep along the way.
In 2016, the race started in Belgium. And 3,800km and 13 days, 10 hours later, Emily arrived in Istambul, winning the women’s category in the process!
While we discuss some of the events and adventures she’s had over the years, there are 2 key themes throughout this conversation.
First, why it's important not to let what you've done (or not done) in the past define or limit what you think you’re capable of in the future.
And secondly, being open to the idea that things which currently seem impossible actually aren’t.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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How do you use your fear and self-doubt to get the best out of your yourself?
That's the question we explored in this conversation from 2017.
Siri was 2x-ranked the #1 triathlete in the world and the 2002 ITU World Champion. Since retiring, Siri has gone onto have an extraordinarily successful career as a coach and is regarded as one of the best triathlon coaches in the world.
Even if you aren't interested in triathlon, I have no doubt you'll gain a lot from Siri's heart-centred approach training, racing and life.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Molly Galbraith’s love affair with strength training began in 2004 when she discovered powerlifting.
A few years later, she began competing in figure competitions.
And yet it was during this time that she began a vicious cycle of stripping weight to compete, then binging and regaining weight for several years until her “body hit a wall” and she was diagnosed with Hashimotos, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and adrenal issues.
What began as a mission to change how her body looked, Molly now leads the team at GGS on a mission to educate and encourage women to have agency and autonomy over their bodies.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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10 days ago, Sparta Chicks Radio celebrated its 3rd birthday.
And there is no-one I’d rather share that celebration with than Lucy Barnard!
Lucy is attempting to become the 1st woman to walk the length of the world.
She set off in February 2017 from Tierra Del Fuego in Argentina to walk to Barrow, Alaska; a journey of 30,000km /20,000mi across 15 countries she anticipated would take her 5 years.
Yes, years!
Lucy was first on the podcast in March 2018 (you can find that episode here).
When I was preparing to speak to Lucy for that episode, I realised we share a unique connection; we both started our respective journeys - Lucy started walking and I published the first podcast - on the very same day in 2017.
That conversation turned into our first anniversary / birthday celebration and we agreed to catch up each year for an update on her progress! (Our second episode can be found here)
This is our 3rd annual episode and Lucy shares how her expedition has unfolded over the last 12 months.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Lisa Blair was 22 when she discovered a passion for sailing.
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 not one but 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.
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Ultra-endurance cyclist Tiffany Winchester returns to Sparta Chicks Radio for the second part of our conversation about her race at the iconic 1,200km Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) cycling race in 2019.
You can listen to the first half of our conversation here.
This time, Tiff returns to share the aftermath of the race - the physical, mental and emotional trauma it inflicted on her, the depression that followed and how she was able to recover from it and get back on her bike.
This is a very different conversation from part 1.
It’s a very raw and vulnerable conversation and I truly appreciate Tiff’s honesty in sharing her struggles after PBP, the support she received and how she found her way through.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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Tiffany Winchester (aka Tiff or Tiffo) was first on the podcast in June 2019.
In that conversation, Tiff shared her background and her preparations for an iconic event called Paris-Brest-Paris (or PBP) - a 1,200km event held in France every 4 years considered to be the Olympics of the ultra-endurance cycling world.
This time, Tiff returns to share how the event unfolded, the trauma it inflicted on her, the physical, mental and emotional toll it took on her and how she was able to recover from it.
An iconic race - and a great storyteller - require a long conversation. So I have divided this episode into two parts.
In Part 1, Tiff shares the final stage of her preparation and how the race unfolded - including why she had to apply white wine vinegar to her “lady parts”.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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[TW/CN: this post and episode discuss suicide]
One of our most popular guests, Katee Pedicini, returns to Sparta Chicks Radio this week.
Yet this is a very different conversation from our previous episodes.
This time, Katee shares 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).
Katee describes PMDD 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; why suicide is often still seen as a ‘taboo’ and what Katee believes needs to change to enable it to be discussed more openly, and with less shame.
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.
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.
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