Her Spirit Podcast: Recent Episodes
Her Spirit
The Her Spirit Podcast is back for season 5, hosted by former BBC Breakfast presenter, journalist and adventure seeker Louise MinchinOur mission to inspire women everywhere to live a healthier, happier life. In these podcasts you will hear from phenomenal women in the world of sport and business, expert coaches and Her Spirit community members as they share their desires, vulnerabilities and spirited ways.Her Spirit believes in inspiring EVERY woman to become fitter, stronger and healthier. We believe taking small achievable steps will lead to big health and well-being changes.Her Spirit supports women of shapes, sizes, ages and abilities to achieve goals you never thought possible . These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Sport England www.sportengland.org Download the Her Spirit App https://herspirit.co.uk
Louise Minchin and Annie Emmerson talk to BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood.
Carol Kirkwood is a British weather presenter, trained by the Met Office, and employed by the BBC, in particular on BBC Breakfast and Victoria Derbyshire. In 2015, she participated in the 13th series of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, finishing in 10th place.
There's often a daredevil side to Carol's work. She can be found trying everything from racing high powered speed boats to a charity tandem ride for Children in Need. Somehow most Children in Need broadcasts find her trying something new, which usually involves dancing or singing live. She's appeared as part of the newsreaders' "Rocky Horror Show", The Weather Girls' "Raining Men", she's danced the Can-can and duetted on "Baby, It's Cold Outside".
In 2006 , she even learned to ice skate for charity - performing live for BBC One's New Year's Eve Special.
Carol talks to Louise and Annie about enjoying being active, from running and walking to cycling.
At Her Spirit we’re here for you.
We want to help you discover your potential, achieve your goals, ignite your fitness, find your community.
Head to herspirit.co.uk and sign up for our Core Membership, get access to our virtual classes, monthly challenges and expert advice. Plus, track your progress in our heath hub and find your very own cheerleading squad who will support you every step of the way.
Use the code HERSPIRITPOD3 and get three months completely FREE.
It’s time for You
Join us at herspirit.co.uk | Instagram | Facebook | Get the Her Spirit App
Louise Minchin and Annie Emmerson talk to The Sleep Scientist, Dr Sophie Bostock.
The Sleep Scientist was launched by Dr Sophie Bostock with the aim of helping more people to sleep well, and thrive. Sophie is a scientist and speaker with a bias for action.
Sophie has always been intrigued by why what makes us feel good and function well. Sophie's research pointed to sleep an unsung hero of mental and physical resilience.
In this episode learn how sleep can unlock so much mental and physical positivity in your life and how your very attitude to sleep may need to change.
At Her Spirit we’re here for you.
We want to help you discover your potential, achieve your goals, ignite your fitness, find your community.
Head to herspirit.co.uk and sign up for our Core Membership, get access to our virtual classes, monthly challenges and expert advice. Plus, track your progress in our heath hub and find your very own cheerleading squad who will support you every step of the way.
Use the code HERSPIRITPOD3 and get three months completely FREE.
It’s time for You
Join us at herspirit.co.uk | Instagram | Facebook | Get the Her Spirit App
This episode is all about open water swimming and host Louise Minchin speaks to Olympic Silver Medallist Keri-anne Payne , Her Spirit Co-founder Mel Berry and Her Spirit community members Gillian and Anna, about:
- Facing and embracing the fears that open water swimming can bring.
- Practical, professional tips for beginners and more advanced open water swimmers alike.
- How to motivate yourself to exercise when work and family demands your time and attention!
- The positive impacts open water swimming can have on your mental health
- Training tips for an open swim challenge In Lake Coniston of 5.25 miles this June.
At Her Spirit we’re here for you.
We want to help you discover your potential, achieve your goals, ignite your fitness, find your community.
Head to herspirit.co.uk and sign up for our Core Membership, get access to our virtual classes, monthly challenges and expert advice. Plus, track your progress in our heath hub and find your very own cheerleading squad who will support you every step of the way.
Use the code HERSPIRITPOD3 and get three months completely FREE.
It’s time for You
Join us at herspirit.co.uk | Instagram | Facebook | Get the Her Spirit App
This episode is our guide to your cycling journey. Host Louise Minchin speaks to cycling coach Michelle Sharland, Her Spirit Community Member and Yorkshire Lass sportive Founder Judith Worrall, World Endurance Athlete and cycling convert Mimi Anderson and Her Spirit Co-founder Mel Berry. In this episode we discuss:
- How to change a tyre
- Feeling in control whilst going downhill.
- Road safety and how to deal with motorists.
- Working out if cleats are for you.
At Her Spirit we’re here for you.
We want to help you discover your potential, achieve your goals, ignite your fitness, find your community.
Head to herspirit.co.uk and sign up for our Core Membership, get access to our virtual classes, monthly challenges and expert advice. Plus, track your progress in our heath hub and find your very own cheerleading squad who will support you every step of the way.
Use the code HERSPIRITPOD3 and get three months completely FREE.
It’s time for You
Join us at herspirit.co.uk | Instagram | Facebook | Get the Her Spirit App
Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Dr Megan Rossi, founder of The Gut Health Doctor, considered one of the most influential gut health specialists internationally.
A Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist with an award-winning PhD in gut health, Megan set up The Gut Health Clinic in London, where she leads a team of gut-specialist dietitians.
Her debut book, Eat Yourself Healthy (UK, Aus & Europe) and Love Your Gut (US & Canada), was first published in September 2019 as an easy-to-digest guide to gut health and beyond, immediately becoming an Amazon and The Sunday Times best seller.
The conversation offers great advice and a much deeper understanding around gut health and why its so important to look after your gut at any age.
At Her Spirit we’re here for you.
We want to help you discover your potential, achieve your goals, ignite your fitness, find your community.
Head to herspirit.co.uk and sign up for our Core Membership, get access to our virtual classes, monthly challenges and expert advice. Plus, track your progress in our heath hub and find your very own cheerleading squad who will support you every step of the way.
Use the code HERSPIRITPOD3 and get three months completely FREE.
It’s time for You
Join us at herspirit.co.uk | Instagram | Facebook | Get the Her Spirit App
This episode is our guide to your running journey.
Host Louise Minchin speaks to running and triathlon coach and PT Karen Weir, Journalist Bryony Gordon, Presenter and Mental Health Campaigner Shareefa J and Her Spirit Co-founder Holly Woodford.
In this episode we discuss:
- How to decide if running is for you.
- Practical, professional tips for starting out.
- Embracing mediocrity and taking the pressure off your running times.
- Focusing on your running purpose.
At Her Spirit we’re here for you.
We want to help you discover your potential, achieve your goals, ignite your fitness, find your community.
Head to herspirit.co.uk and sign up for our Core Membership, get access to our virtual classes, monthly challenges and expert advice. Plus, track your progress in our heath hub and find your very own cheerleading squad who will support you every step of the way.
Use the code HERSPIRITPOD3 and get three months completely FREE.
It’s time for You
Join us at herspirit.co.uk | Instagram | Facebook | Get the Her Spirit App
This episode is about fuelling your body through your exercise. Host Louise Minchin speaks to Renee McGregor, a leading Sports dietitian, specialising in Eating Disorders & author, Jesse Lambert-Harden, a nutrition expert & fuel coach for Her Spirit, Jane Haden, a Her Spirit community member and Holly Woodford, Her Spirit co-founder. In this episode you will learn:
- Why carbohydrates are so misunderstood.
- When to fuel.
- The importance of your salt balance.
At Her Spirit we’re here for you.
We want to help you discover your potential, achieve your goals, ignite your fitness, find your community.
Head to herspirit.co.uk and sign up for our Core Membership, get access to our virtual classes, monthly challenges and expert advice. Plus, track your progress in our heath hub and find your very own cheerleading squad who will support you every step of the way.
Use the code HERSPIRITPOD3 and get three months completely FREE.
It’s time for You
Join us at herspirit.co.uk | Instagram | Facebook | Get the Her Spirit App
To commemorate World Menopuase Month, this episode is all about exercising through the menopause.
Host Louise Minchin speaks to female athlete performance expert, Dr. Stacy Sims, NHS GP and women's health specialist, Dr. Nighat Arif and Her Spirit Co-founder Mel Berry.
In this episode we discuss:
- What the menopause is.
- Why less time exercising is more beneficial.
- How to prioritise your exercise.
- Why strength training really is the number one priority.
Couch2Kilos is a free strength challenge designed to help EVERY women get stronger in 6-weeks.
With four levels Couch2Kilos is suitable for women of all abilities from just starting out to those who are already active. Just go to the "Challenges" section on the app and start the level you feel appropriate to you.
It is totally flexible, you can do it anytime, from anywhere, at the gym or home and on any device. You can start with zero equipment and work up the levels and learn how use a variety of weights.
At Her Spirit we’re here for you.
We want to help you discover your potential, achieve your goals, ignite your fitness, find your community.
Head to herspirit.co.uk and sign up for our Core Membership, get access to our virtual classes, monthly challenges and expert advice. Plus, track your progress in our heath hub and find your very own cheerleading squad who will support you every step of the way.
Use the code HERSPIRITPOD3 and get three months completely FREE.
It’s time for You
Join us at herspirit.co.uk | Instagram | Facebook | Get the Her Spirit App
To celebrate her recent success in becoming Ironman World Champion, we revisit this episode where Louise Minchin and Annie talk to professional triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay about life as a triathlete, over coming career threatening injuries, and her disappointment of not making the 2012 Olympic swimming team.
At Her Spirit we’re here for you.
We want to help you discover your potential, achieve your goals, ignite your fitness, find your community.
Head to herspirit.co.uk and sign up for our Core Membership, get access to our virtual classes, monthly challenges and expert advice. Plus, track your progress in our heath hub and find your very own cheerleading squad who will support you every step of the way.
Use the code HERSPIRITPOD3 and get three months completely FREE.
It’s time for You
Join us at herspirit.co.uk | Instagram | Facebook | Get the Her Spirit App
n"Don't Think You Just Have To Deal With It, Because You Don't" - Menopause with Dr Annice Mukherjee & Amanda ThebeTo highlight World Menopause Month, revisit this episode where Louise Minchin speaks to Dr Annice Mukherjee, top UK hormone specialist & Endocrinologist, Amanda Thebe, Fitness & Menopause Expert & Best-Selling Author: Menopocalypse, Sam Walker, Journalist, Broadcaster, Podcaster & Her Spirit Community Member and Mel Berry, Her Spirit Co-founder.
In this episode you will learn:
- Common symptoms of the menopause.
- How alcohol affects menopause symptoms.
- Why lifestyle is so important.
- You are not alone.
At Her Spirit we’re here for you.
We want to help you discover your potential, achieve your goals, ignite your fitness, find your community.
Head to herspirit.co.uk and sign up for our Core Membership, get access to our virtual classes, monthly challenges and expert advice. Plus, track your progress in our heath hub and find your very own cheerleading squad who will support you every step of the way.
Use the code HERSPIRITPOD3 and get three months completely FREE.
It’s time for You
Join us at herspirit.co.uk | Instagram | Facebook | Get the Her Spirit App
What a result! In our final check in with the incredible Donna and Amy, we learn about their spectacular successes over the past 12 weeks.
From women who felt like they had lost their way in the world of exercise, with the help of the Her Spirit Community, they have achieved brilliant results beyond anything either of them expected!
Her Spirit founders Mel Berry and Holly Woodford share advice and tips around technique, kit and staying on track!
In this episode:
- We hear about the tricky transitions of Donna’s triathlon.
- How not to be demoralised when you’re at the back of the pack.
- The power of a support network when you’re reaching for your exercise goals.
- How regular exercise changes how you feel at all times of the day.
- How to make exercise a daily habit.
- How small steps can completely transform your life.
Don't forget to sign up to the Her Spirit April Challenge "Every Minute Counts" and YOU could be gifting an unlimited membership of Her Spirit to a woman on no or low income, just by staying active!
Sign up now at herspirit.co.uk
Hosted by Louise Minchin
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Find out more and come and join our community at https://herspirit.co.uk/ Join us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram or download the Her Spirit app!
“When we are tired, we're very susceptible to sleep procrastination. So try and make decisions about sleep when you are not tired.”
Ten weeks into their Her Spirit Challenge, Donna and Amy discuss how much their lives have changed!
The Sleep Scientist Dr Sophie Bostock joins Louise Minchin to share her expertise on how to sleep well.
In this episode:
- Amy has completed her first 10km run! How running for the first time after a two year break has changed her life
- How to deal with those tricky triathlon transitions
- How to cope with disrupted sleep
- How poor sleep affects men and women differently
- The surprising effect exercise can have on sleep
- Great tips for falling asleep and staying asleep
Hosted by Louise Minchin
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Find out more and come and join our community at https://herspirit.co.uk/ Join us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram or download the Her Spirit app!
Donna and Amy are now more than halfway through their commitments to feeling fitter and healthier and are seeing great results, but face some new challenges too.
Her Spirit founders Mel Berry and Holly Woodford share advice and tips around technique, kit and staying on track!
In this episode:
- How to mentally prepare for an event
- How to get back on track with exercise if you fall off the wagon
- The difference great kit can make to confidence and performance
- How to get fitted for the right saddle on your bike
- Fitting exercise around your existing commitments
- Getting back to exercise after illness.
Hosted by Louise Minchin
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Find out more and come and join our community at https://herspirit.co.uk/ Join us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram or download the Her Spirit app!
Poor fuelling can completely derail your exercise goals. Make sure you make the right decisions!
A new week brings new challenges for Donna and Amy, but some breakthroughs too.
Top nutritional expert Anita Bean joins the conversation and shares her knowledge on best practice around fuelling for all types of exercise
In this episode:
- “Bad’ runs and PB's - why both of those things happen when we’re training
- The difference correct fuelling can make to your training and performance
- The best Pre and Post exercise foods to help you achieve your goals
- Intermittent fasting if you’re exercising to lose weight
- Whether we should ever exercise fasted and the effects that can have
Hosted by Louise Minchin
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Find out more and come and join our community at https://herspirit.co.uk/ Join us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram or download the Her Spirit app!
Transformation can seem hard, but results can happen fast!
The fitness journey continues with Donna and Amy - two women who, like so many of us, have faced tough challenges to their health and huge demands on their time over the last couple of years.
Both of them wanted some help and support in changing their lives and feeling stronger, fitter and healthier.
For 12 weeks, we’re following their journeys - the highs and lows, the successes and the challenges - and we want you to come along too, set yourself some goals alongside theirs, so we can help and support each other along the way.
In this episode:
- Amy explains why keeping a fuel diary has been important.
- Donna talks about embracing core exercises and making concrete plans to keep active.
- Mel & Holly, Her Spirit Co-founders, talk about the encouraging rest and consistency.
- Her Spirit physio Gemma stresses the importance of strength training for runners
- The importance of healthy habit forming when planning a successful reintroduction to exercise.
Hosted by Louise Minchin
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Find out more and come and join our community at https://herspirit.co.uk/ Join us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram or download the Her Spirit app!
It's time to put yourself first in 2023!
In this episode meet Donna and Amy - two women who, like so many of us, have faced tough challenges to their health and huge demands on their time over the last couple of years.
Both of them wanted some help and support in changing their lives and feeling stronger, fitter and healthier.
For next 12 weeks, we’re going to follow them on their journeys - the highs and lows, the successes and the challenges - and we want you to come along too, set yourself some goals alongside theirs, so we can help and support each other along the way.
In this episode:
- Meet Donna and Amy
- Find out about the challenges they have faced and how this has impacted their sense of self
- Hear about the goals they are setting for the next 12 weeks
- Meet the incredible Dr Josephine Perry, an expert in how mindset can radically alter our ability to achieve our goals
- Top tips in staying focused and motivated though any challenge and how to quieten the self-sabotaging voice we all have inside our head!
Hosted by Louise Minchin
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Find out more and come and join our community at https://herspirit.co.uk/ Join us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram or download the Her Spirit app!
Host Louise Minchin speaks to Dr Annice Mukherjee, top UK hormone specialist & Endocrinologist, Amanda Thebe, Fitness & Menopause Expert & Best-Selling Author: Menopocalypse, Sam Walker, Journalist, Broadcaster, Podcaster & Her Spirit Community Member and Mel Berry, Her Spirit Co-founder.
In this episode you will learn:
- Common symptoms of the menopause.
- How alcohol affects menopause symptoms.
- Why lifestyle is so important.
- You are not alone.
Click here to listen to our last podcast about menopause with Dr Stacy Sims.
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Her Spirit mission - INSPIRING EVERY WOMAN TO BECOME FITTER, STRONGER AND HEALTHIER for more information go to http://www.herspirit.co.uk
Hosted by Louise Minchin
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Find out more and come and join our community at https://herspirit.co.uk/ Join us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram or download the Her Spirit app!
This episode is about wearing what makes you feel good during exercise. Host Louise Minchin speaks to Richard Edmonds, CEO & Co-founder of Runderwear, Charlotte Thomas, International Brand & Marketing Manager for ZOGGS, Sarah Porter, Her Spirit Open Water Swimming Coach & Runderwear Ambassador and Mel Berry, Her Spirit Co-founder. In this episode you will learn:
- Why we chafe.
- How Runderwear works.
- The importance of a good sports bra.
- How ZOGGS created their swimsuit for open-water swimmers.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
This week is all about the EPIC Lakes to London challenge for Breast Cancer Now. Host Louise Minchin speaks to Her Spirit Co-Founders Mel & Holly about their experience over the three days of intense exercise. Dr Liz O'Riordan, Breast Surgeon, endurance athlete and Lakes to London fundraiser joins the chat along with Breast Cancer Now CEO Delyth Morgan to remind us what the money raised will do for breast cancer patients.
Listen now for an incredible story of inspiration.
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Her Spirit mission - INSPIRING EVERY WOMAN TO BECOME FITTER, STRONGER AND HEALTHIER for more information go to http://www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
This episode is about fuelling your body through your exercise. Host Louise Minchin speaks to Renee McGregor, a leading Sports dietitian, specialising in Eating Disorders & author, Jesse Lambert-Harden, a nutrition expert & fuel coach for Her Spirit, Jane Haden, a Her Spirit community member and Holly Woodford, Her Spirit co-founder. In this episode you will learn:
- Why carbohydrates are so misunderstood.
- When to fuel.
- The importance of your salt balance.
- How to get involved with Lakes To London.
It's not too late to sign up to our six week Lakes to London Challenge and help us raise £100,000 for Breast Cancer Now.
Just head to lakestolondon.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
This episode is about breast cancer awareness and the Lakes to London challenge for Breast Cancer Now. Host Louise Minchin speaks to Donna Fraser OBE, four time Olympian sprinter and Breast Cancer Now ambassador, Dr Liz O'Riordan, Consultant Breast Surgeon and Author and Her Spirit community member Lynne Tomlinson
- How to check your breasts.
- Why exercise is the key to recovery and remission.
- How to get involved with Lakes To London.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the UK. One in seven women in the UK will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Breast Cancer Now believe that they can change the future of breast cancer and make sure that, by 2050, everyone diagnosed with the disease lives – and is supported to live well.
The Her Spirit community is inviting you to play your part by raising funds for Breast Cancer Now and taking part in Lakes to London 500km virtual Challenge.
This is an inclusive challenge where you can accumulate any distance between 1km and 500km from 21st August to the 2nd October 2022 , with any mix of swimming, cycling, running, walking or wheeling.
If you are up for the ultimate challenge then you can swim 5km, cycle 453km and run 42km over 6-weeks or in 3 days the choice is yours! Either way everyone can earn rewards and help raise vital funds for Breast Cancer Now. CLICK HERE for more information.
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Her Spirit mission - INSPIRING EVERY WOMAN TO BECOME FITTER, STRONGER AND HEALTHIER for more information go to http://www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
This episode is all about the exercising through the menopause. Host Louise Minchin speaks to female athlete performance expert, Dr. Stacy Sims, NHS GP and women's health specialist, Dr. Nighat Arif and Her Spirit Co-founder Mel Berry. In this episode we discuss:
- What the menopause is.
- Why less time exercising is more beneficial.
- How to prioritise your exercise.
- Why strength training really is the number one priority.
Couch2Kilos is a free strength challenge designed to help EVERY women get stronger in 6-weeks.
With four levels Couch2Kilos is suitable for women of all abilities from just starting out to those who are already active. Just go to the "Challenges" section on the app and start the level you feel appropriate to you.
It is totally flexible, you can do it anytime, from anywhere, at the gym or home and on any device. You can start with zero equipment and work up the levels and learn how use a variety of weights.
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Her Spirit mission - INSPIRING EVERY WOMAN TO BECOME FITTER, STRONGER AND HEALTHIER for more information go to http://www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
This episode is our guide to your cycling journey. Host Louise Minchin speaks to cycling coach Michelle Sharland, Her Spirit Community Member and Yorkshire Lass sportive Founder Judith Worrall, World Endurance Athlete and cycling convert Mimi Anderson and Her Spirit Co-founder Mel Berry. In this episode we discuss:
- How to change a tyre
- Feeling in control whilst going downhill.
- Road safety and how to deal with motorists.
- Working out if cleats are for you.
This summer we have teamed up with Rutland Cycling to create Frightened to Fearless, a programme which enables you to clue yourself up on bike maintenance and learn how to ride with confidence. Supported by our partners British Triathlon we want to inspire more women to get on their bikes so why not take on our Fearless50 Ride Challenge on the 30th or 31st July. Ride 50k or 50 miles, you choose and sign up for the Fearless 50 virtual challenge.
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Her Spirit mission - INSPIRING EVERY WOMAN TO BECOME FITTER, STRONGER AND HEALTHIER for more information go to http://www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
This episode is our guide to your running journey. Host Louise Minchin speaks to running and triathlon coach and PT Karen Weir, Journalist Bryony Gordon, Presenter and Mental Health Campaigner Shareefa J and Her Spirit Co-founder Holly Woodford. In this episode we discuss:
- How to decide if running is for you.
- Practical, professional tips for starting out.
- Embracing mediocrity and taking the pressure off your running times.
- Focusing on your running purpose.
Give Me 5 https://herspirit.co.uk/give-me-5/ is a FREE programme (available 16th May) designed to help you with everything from breathing to posture, building strength to developing overall fitness, all with the aim of helping you run more easily.
More plans, including Take On 10k are available on the app.
Thanks to our partners Vitality London 10,000 and Sport England for your support.
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Her Spirit mission - INSPIRING EVERY WOMAN TO BECOME FITTER, STRONGER AND HEALTHIER for more information go to http://www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
This episode is all about open water swimming and host Louise Minchin speaks to Olympic Silver Medallist Keri-anne Payne , Her Spirit Co-founder Mel Berry and Her Spirit community members Gillian and Anna, about:
- Facing and embracing the fears that open water swimming can bring.
- Practical, professional tips for beginners and more advanced open water swimmers alike.
- How to motivate yourself to exercise when work and family demands your time and attention!
- The positive impacts open water swimming can have on your mental health
- Training tips for an open swim challenge In Lake Coniston of 5.25 miles this June.
If you fancy joining us for the Sunset Swim Series at open water swim venues across the UK https://herspirit.co.uk/sunset-swim-series/ or the Summer Solstice https://herspirit.co.uk/summer-solstice-swim/ on the 19th June in Nottingham and Cirencester sign up today.
Thanks to our partners Zoggs and Swim England for your support.
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. We believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. We are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn't be a chore but something you love to do. Our mantra is 'Together We've Got This' and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Her Spirit mission - INSPIRING EVERY WOMAN TO BECOME FITTER, STRONGER AND HEALTHIER for more information go to http://www.herspirit.co.uk
In series 5 of the Her Spirit podcast, journalist and endurance athlete Louise Minchin sits down with members of the Her Spirit community who are taking on extraordinary things, phenomenal coaches who will be supporting them to achieve there dreams, and the co-founder of Her Spirit.
This episode is all about swim - bike - run AKA triathlon and Louise speaks to Helen Jenkins Two-time triathlon world champion (2008 & 2011), Her Spirit Co-founder Holly Woodford and Her Spirit community members Hayley and Sue.
In this conversation Louise talks to Helen about what triathlon is, what advice and tips she can offer for newcomers such as Hayley and Sue as they get ready for Leeds Triathlon, and how triathlon is open to any woman.
Tune in to hear these truly inspiring stories and take away the belief that you can achieve your own goals, no matter how big or small.
If you fancy joining us as part of Team Her Spirit at Blenheim, Leeds or London? Just enter at https://herspirit.co.uk/try-a-tri/. Thanks to our partners Huub and British Triathlon for your support.
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. They believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. They are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn’t be a chore but something you love to do. Their mantra is Together We’ve Got This and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Her Spirit mission - INSPIRING EVERY WOMAN TO BECOME FITTER, STRONGER AND HEALTHIER for more information go to http://www.herspirit.co.uk
In this special Feet First February episode of the Her Spirit podcast former BBC Breakfast presenter and podcast host Louise Minchin, talks to Co-founder Mel Berry, Dr Nighat Arif and Hannah Ingram-Moore.
Hannah is the the Co-Founder of Maytrix Group and The Captain Tom Foundation, which along with her father and her family, established to ensure the message of hope and kindness he ignited becomes a lasting legacy.
Nighat is a family is a GP with a specialist interest in Women’s Health & Family Planning. Resident TV Doctor on BBC Breakfast, This Morning ITV & BBC LookEast. She is the host of Sunday Breakfast show on BBC3 Counties Radio. She is a passionate promoter of menopause care, wellness, self care & placing the patient at the centre of their care plan.
It's a great conversation on the benefits of walking and this month's challenge Feet First February, and an insight into the life of Sir Captain Tom Moore from Hannah and his love of the outdoors. Joining Louise, Mel, Nighat and Hannah is Her Spirit community member Julie Pollock
Come and join the Her Spirit community members and walk or wheel 150 minutes a week for 4 weeks. Then finish with the Feet First February Big Walk challenge on 26th or 27th February. Choose to walk 5k, 10k, 13.1 miles (half marathon) or 26.2 miles ( marathon!)
For every 500 minutes of walking accumulated by the community we will gift a membership to women on a low or no-income.
Over the month of walking please donate anything you have to the Captain Tom Foundation along the way https://captaintom.org/
Her Spirit is a global community of like-minded women all getting fitter, stronger and healthier together. They believe your mind, body and fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Regardless of your ability, location or stage of life Her Spirit has something for everyone. They are an inclusive bunch of women who believe that being fit and healthy shouldn’t be a chore but something you love to do. Their mantra is Together We’ve Got This and together we support each other to live life to the full and achieve mind, body and fuel goals we never thought possible.
Her Spirit mission - INSPIRING EVERY WOMAN TO BECOME FITTER, STRONGER AND HEALTHIER for more information go to http://www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this special Couch2Kilos episode of the Her Spirit podcast Louise Minchin talks to Co-founder Holly Woodford and the three Her Spirit coaches Becks Oladele, Elle Linton and Mel Young about all things strength.
Couch2Kilos challenge, supports our #IAMWOMAN campaign and helps us to shatter some of the taboos around strength training and healthy eating for women. Its a free strength challenge designed to help EVERY women get stronger in 6-weeks.
It's a great conversation around all the benefits of strength training and how it helps to build body confidence and feel more able to coupe with daily life.
Couch2Kilos is totally flexible, you can do it anytime, from anywhere, at the gym or home and on any device. You can start with zero equipment and work up the levels and learn how use a variety of weights.
Working with our team of coaches, Mel Young, Elle Linton and Becks Oladele, British Weight Lifting and Professor Greg Whyte, OBE, former Olympian, Sports Scientist and Comic Relief/Children in Need celebrity coach, we have created a programme that is not only accessible to every women, is also kick ass!
Couch2Kilos is suitable for women of all abilities from just those starting out to those that are already active. Couch2Kilos includes advice on healthy eating and how to look after your mind.
With four levels Couch2Kilos is suitable for women of all abilities from just starting out to those who are already active.
Level 1 – Bodyweight - No equipment need
This is perfect for first timers and those returning to exercise after a break. We will incorporate the use of strength bands to aid additional progression however these are not necessary to get started.
Level 2 – Strength Bands + Small Weights (1kg-5kg)
If you are fairly active (2-3 times per week) and have done some strength training at home or in the gym. You might have struggled with consistency and need to be motivated by others to keep you on track.
Level 3 – Small Weights + Barbell
This is for those that are active 3-5 times per week and already incorporating strength training into your routine. This will take you to the next level by increasing your strength for a range of activities. If you struggle with consistency and need a bit of a challenge this is for you!
Level 4 - In person and coming soon with our partners British Weightlifting.
Come and join us by signing up at https://herspirit.co.uk/programmes/couch2kilos/ and go to http://www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the eighth episode of season four of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson and Her Spirit co-founder Mel Berry talk to Her Spirit co-host Louise Minchin about her life in I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here , leaving the BBC Breakfast Sofa in September and how Her Spirit has supported her in so many ways.
Louise is a well-known and respected broadcaster and journalist. Louise presented the UK’s most watched Breakfast programme BBC Breakfast on BBC One for 20 years.
Before joining BBC Breakfast she was one of BBC News 24’s main anchors. Louise presents the BBC’s Triathlon coverage and has also guest presented The One Show and presented the BBC One series Real Rescues, Missing Live and Crime and Punishment and appeared in the Channel 4 history series Time Crashers. Louise also competed in Celebrity MasterChef, and was runner up in the final.
On Radio, Louise spent many years presenting a host of different programmes on radio including Sport on Five, and Drive on BBC Five Live.
Louise’s passion is endurance sport. Having given up competitive sport as a teenager, after a BBC Breakfast Christmas cycling challenge she was inspired to attempt her first triathlon in 2013 and went on to qualify for the GB Team age-group team to race in Chicago in 2015.
Since then she has raced in five World and European Championships and has gone on to compete in extreme triathlons including one of the toughest triathlons in the world, Norseman in 2019.
In February 2020 Louise took part in a 100 mile hike across the Namibian desert for Sport Relief - The Heat is On – raising awareness of mental health.
Louise talks about how I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here was the hardest challenge she has ever done. She learnt so much about herself over the 3 weeks and that we are all human and have are own struggles. It's a great conversation about her adventures in the castle and answers many questions from Instagram and the Her Spirit community.
We loved her advice about grabbing hold of life and not being scared about changing your life. Her mantra is "how hard can it be?" a wonderful attitude to life.
In 2021 Louise took on numerous Her Spirit challenges including the Summer Solstice 5K swim, and a 13K swim in Aberdovey with Her Spirit co-founder Mel Berry and Cath Pendleton and numerous Her Spiriters. She has also loved being part of the cycling community led by Coach Michelle and taken part in several stages of the Tour de Her Spirit.
In January 2022 Louise supported by the Her Spirit coaching team will be taking on the Rat Race Trans Andean Coast - Coast from Valparaiso in Chile and Buenos Aires in Argentina.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet. Come and join us for Couch2Kilos https://herspirit.co.uk/programmes/couch2kilos/ on January 3rd 2022. We are looking forward to supporting Annie and Louise and women across the UK.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Cotswold Outdoor. Cotswold Outdoor in-store experts will help customers make the right choice in the kit they buy, ensuring it will be the right fit and fit for purpose, and will last for many adventures.
They also help customers care for and repair their kit with there Repair & Care and Footwear Protection services, to keep well-loved kit performing for longer. And when that kit finally comes to the end of its life, customers can use the Cotswold Outdoor Recycle My Gear service to keep their kit out of landfill. Just go to h
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the seventh episode of season four of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson and Her Spirit co-founder Mel Berry talk to Hannah Ingram-Moore the daughter of Captain Sir Moore.
Overnight, Hannah Ingram-Moore became an integral part of 'The World's Greatest Philanthropic Lightning Strike' that saw her late father, Captain Tom Moore, raise £38.9m in three and a half weeks, with donations from 163 countries.
In the darkness of the pandemic, the event became a global voice for era-defining change, it offered a humanitarian connection that transcended boundaries to make a difference by representing the values of Honesty, Determination, Inclusivity, Integrity and Hope.
Proven to produce exceptional results in challenging environments, Hannah has been bestowed two 'Woman of the Year' awards, jointly received the George H.W Bush Points of Light Award and was asked to become a WHO Ambassador.
Hannah has so much sound advice around being resilient! "There is no perfection. You only have to be responsible for yourself and your own happiness. No one else can make you happy, Love yourself and believe in yourself and shield yourself from negative people"
She leads The Captain Tom Foundation and is also an acclaimed Business Strategist and Growth Expert who drives positive change around gender equality and representation.
As well as running her own successful business, Hannah and her family have been honoured to be at the centre of the fundraising phenomenon that was her late father, Captain Sir Tom Moore. A simple gesture of her family sponsoring him to walk round the garden led to £38.9 million being raised for the NHS. Hannah continues to be an integral part of the fundraising effort, making just under 4,000 media appearances across the world.
Along with her father and her family, Hannah created The Captain Tom Foundation so they could continue to raise funds and shine a light on the values held dear to her father, including Hope and Kindness. Hannah led the creation of The Foundation's brand, vision, mission and values, selected its Trustees and ensured charity regulation and governance was adhered to. Through The Foundation, Hannah and her family are proactively raising awareness of the significance of different generations working and living together, this subsequently led to the WHO creating a global conversation and webinar on Ageism.
Since Captain Sir Tom passed away in February 2021, Hannah has continued to raise further funds in his honour including the creation of the 'Captain Tom 100' campaign, launched on what would have been his 101st birthday in April. This encouraged the nation to raise over £1m in just three days and has given corporates, charities and individuals the opportunity to engage with others, have fun and raise much needed funds. People around the world took on their 100 challenge and the campaign reached over 12.8bn.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Cotswold Outdoor. Cotswold Outdoor in-store experts will help customers make the right choice in the kit they buy, ensuring it will be the right fit and fit for purpose, and will last for many adventures.
They also help customers care for and repair their kit with there Repair & Care and Footwear Protection services, to keep well-loved kit performing for longer. And when that kit finally comes to the end of its life, customers can use the Cotswold Outdoor Recycle My Gear service to keep their kit out of landfill. Just go to http
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the sixth episode of season four of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson and Her Spirit co-founder Mel Berry talk to author and broadcaster Clare Balding,
Clare is the winner of the BAFTA Special Award and RTS Presenter of the Year Award for her expert coverage of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Clare Balding is one of Britain's leading broadcasters.
She is also a best-selling and award-winning author of numerous books and children’s novels and an ardent campaigner for better coverage of women’s sport.
Clare has worked in radio since she left university in 1994, and has been presenting major events on television and radio since becoming the face of the BBC’s horse racing output in 1998. Since then, she has worked on various sporting fixtures including six Olympic Games, five Paralympic Games and five Winter Olympic Games as well as major Royal events including Trooping the Colour, the Queen’s Royal Pageant and the Royal Wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Clare has hosted walking series Ramblings on Radio 4 since 1999 and has presented Crufts for the BBC and Channel 4 since 2004. Clare was the main presenter for Channel 4’s coverage of the European Women’s Football Championships and fronted the documentary ‘When Football Banned Women’. She has also presented factual documentaries on Icons in sport, the Suffragettes, the Queen and Horses and a series about veterinary work on wild animals called Operation Wild.
From 2013-2018, she hosted The Clare Balding Show on BT Sport, interviewing some of the most famous names in sport. Clare presented the 2017 America’s Cup in Bermuda, the WTA Tour Finals from Singapore, Fed Cup tennis and women’s football, all for BT.
As well as winning a personal BAFTA, Clare has been part of many BAFTA Award-winning programmes, has twice been named RTS Sports Presenter of the Year, as well as Sports Presenter of the Year at the TRIC Awards, Racing Journalist of the Year, awarded the special achievement award at the Women in Film and Television Awards and been praised for “perfect presentation” by the judges of the Broadcast Awards.
A bestselling author, Clare’s first book, ‘My Animals and Other Family‘ was published by Penguin in 2012. Based on her childhood growing up in an unusual household, it was published to critical acclaim and went on to win biography of the year at the National Book Awards. Her second book, ‘Walking Home’ was published in 2014.
Clare has released four children’s books ‘The Racehorse Who Wouldn’t Gallop’, The Racehorse Who Disappeared’, ‘The Girl Who Thought She Was a Dog’ for World Book Day in 2018 and ‘The Racehorse Who Learned to Dance’ in 2019.
Her next book for children - Fall Off, Get Back On, Keep Going - will be published in the spring of 2021.
Clare lives in London with her wife, Alice who is a Radio presenter on Mellow Magic, with their cats Button and Eric.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Cotswold Outdoor. Cotswold Outdoor in-store experts will help customers make the right choice in the kit they buy, ensuring it will be the right fit and fit for purpose, and will last for many adventures.
They also help customers care for and repair their kit with there Repair & Care and Footwear Protection services, to keep well-loved kit performing for longer. And when that kit finally comes to the end of its life, customers can use the Cotswold Outdoor Recycle My Gear service to keep their kit out of landfill. Just to
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the fourth episode of season four of the Her Spirit podcast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Dr Megan Rossi.
Dr Megan Rossi, founder of The Gut Health Doctor, is considered one of the most influential gut health specialists internationally. A Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist for the last decade with an award-winning PhD in gut health, which was recognised for its contribution to science, receiving the Dean’s Award for outstanding research.
As a leading Research Fellow at King’s College London, Megan is currently investigating nutrition-based therapies in gut health, including prebiotics and probiotics, dietary fibres, plant-based diversity, the low-FODMAP diet and food additives.Megan also set up The Gut Health Clinic in London, where she leads a team of gut-specialist dietitians, as well as creating her own gut health food brand Bio&Me to bridge the gap between science and the food industry.
Frustrated that her findings weren’t reaching the public, and instead seeing fad and potentially dangerous misinformation on gut health being spread, Megan took to social media to share credible, evidence-based advice, building an engaged community of over 260,000 people so far.
Her debut book, Eat Yourself Healthy (UK, Aus & Europe) and Love Your Gut (US & Canada), was first published in September 2019 as an easy-to-digest guide to gut health and beyond, immediately becoming an Amazon and The Sunday Times best seller. Megan has also been recognised as Business Insider’s Top 100 Coolest People in Food & Drink and named Young Australian Achiever of the Year in the UK 2020.
The podcast offer great advice and a much deeper understanding around gut health and why its so important to look after your gut at any age.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
Come and join us for us for our challenges, such as the Winter Swim Challenge or the Huub Tour de Her Spirit.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Cotswold Outdoor. Cotswold Outdoor in-store experts will help customers make the right choice in the kit they buy, ensuring it will be the right fit and fit for purpose, and will last for many adventures.
They also help customers care for and repair their kit with there Repair & Care and Footwear Protection services, to keep well-loved kit performing for longer. And when that kit finally comes to the end of its life, customers can use the Cotswold Outdoor Recycle My Gear service to keep their kit out of landfill. Just to https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the fourth episode of season four of the Her Spirit podcast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to World, European & Two Time Paralympic Rowing Champion Lauren Rowles.
Lauren’s remarkable journey began in 2012 at the age of 13 when she woke up one morning paralysed from the waist down. From there She spent the following eight months in hospitals and rehabilitation units trying to regain the use of her legs. Despite being left physically impaired from Transverse Myelitis, Lauren was determined to make it as an Olympic athlete she had dreamed of as a young girl.
Lauren began her career as an elite athlete aged just 14 after she was inspired by the London 2012 Paralympic Games. She quickly found a talent in wheelchair track racing and she soon represented Great Britain on the international stage, including the Commonwealth Games and Junior World Championships. Lauren transitioned from Athletics to Rowing in 2015 after being scouted by the British Rowing Team and has gone from strength to strength ever since. Five months after she took her first stroke, Lauren won a silver medal at the Senior World Rowing Championships and qualified her boat for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio the following year.
Lauren made her mark on the global sporting stage after winning a Paralympic gold medal at the Rio 2016 Games at the age of just 18. Subsequently, Lauren was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2016 New Year’s Honours List for her services to Rowing and has been nominated for several prestigious awards, including the BBC’s Young Sports Personality of the Year.
Despite the challenges of near career ending injuries and a global pandemic, Lauren has claimed both the World and European titles. Most recently she has returned from the Tokyo as Two Time Paralympic Champion, defending her 2016 title over a new race distance. Looking forward, Lauren hopes to continue building her legacy in sport and changing perceptions around disability and the LGBT community.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
Come and join us for this years Winter Swim Challenge https://herspirit.co.uk/programmes/winter-swim-challenge/ it starts on the 31st October 2021 - 27th March 2022.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Cotswold Outdoor. Cotswold Outdoor in-store experts will help customers make the right choice in the kit they buy, ensuring it will be the right fit and fit for purpose, and will last for many adventures.
They also help customers care for and repair their kit with there Repair & Care and Footwear Protection services, to keep well-loved kit performing for longer. And when that kit finally comes to the end of its life, customers can use the Cotswold Outdoor Recycle My Gear service to keep their kit out of landfill. Just to https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the third episode of season four of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Olympic open water silver medalists, double world champion and founder for Straight Line Swimming Keri-anne Payne.
One of the UK’s best-known open water swimmers, Keri-anne is an Olympic silver medalist and double world champion for the 10km marathon open water event. She has spent a fair bit of her life in the water and is passionate about encouraging others to do the same. That’s why she founded Straight Line Swimming, where her team is committed to developing the skills of open water swimmers throughout the world.
She has always been a passionate swimmer, starting at the age of 4 in her birth country of South Africa. Following her family’s move back to the United Kingdom in 2001, she made her first international competition later that year. Following a successful pool career becoming European SC champion for the 400 freestyle, winning a bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and competing in the 200 and 400 Individual medley at the Beijing Olympic Games, Keri-anne discovered her real talent was in the open water.
Along with her Olympic medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, she has notably won the 10km at the 2009 and 2011 World Aquatics Championships and competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics, placing fourth. In 2014, she went on to win the LEN European Open Water Swimming Cup Super Final in Italy.
Keri-anne retired from competitive swimming in 2017, after competing at her 3rd Olympic Games in Rio and finishing 7th. Since then she has continued her career in open water swimming in a different way. She was at the forefront of the launch of the STA Level 2 Open Water Swim Coach qualification which is regulated by Ofqual and endorsed by CIMSPA – The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity.
She founded Straight-Line Swimming to empower the world to swim outdoors, sharing her enthusiasm for coaching the sport through all its many capacities. Be that competitive, recreational use, relaxation, or for charity events and races.
She now leads all the Straight-Line Swimming courses herself along with being an active member of the community. She has an open and positive attitude to inspiring others into the world of open water swimming and coaching which is apparent in everything that Straight-Line Swimming does.
Her Spirit are proud to be partnering with Straight Line Swimming for the Winter Swimming Challenge and you can enter today. Come and join us for this years Winter Swim Challenge https://herspirit.co.uk/programmes/winter-swim-challenge/ it starts on the 31st October 2021 - 27th March 2022.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Cotswold Outdoor. Cotswold Outdoor in-store experts will help customers make the right choice in the kit they buy, ensuring it will be the right fit and fit for purpose, and will last for many adventures.
They also help customers care for and repair their kit with there Repair & Care and Footwear Protection services, to keep well-loved kit performing for longer. And when that kit finally comes to the end of its life, customers can use the Cotswold Outdoor Recycle My Gear service to keep their kit out of landfill. Just to https://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the second episode of season four of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Paralympic Paratriathlete Champion Lauren Steadman.
Lauren is the current Paralympic, World & European Champion – a title which she has won 3 and 6 times respectively. Lauren was born missing her lower right arm, however this has challenged Lauren to be the best she can be, and she relishes the chance to overcome barriers. She has competed at two Paralympic Games as a swimmer. She has since specialised in Paratriathlon & represented Team GB in the sports inaugural entry to the Paralympic Games in Rio 2016, where she took home a silver medal.
Born in Peterborough, Lauren moved to a Devon boarding school at 14, enabling her to combine academic studies with her sporting skill. It was at this young age she attended her first ever Paralympic Games in Beijing, marking the start of a super successful career to come.
Lauren’s passion for swimming started at just 4 years and she represented Team GB just 11 years later in her first Paralympic games as a swimmer aged just 15.
She competed at her second Paralympic Games in London 2012, switching her preferred event from swimming to paratriathlon soon after. The accolades then came thick and fast, and by 2014 she had a cabinet full of trophies to show for her hard work. “In one year I had taken all three titles - British, European and World Champion - for the first time, and graduated from university with first class honours. It really couldn’t get much better than that!” she said.
Lauren was encouraged to switch to Triathlon by her Uncle who saw her potential to achieve in all 3 sports. She entered her first triathlon, the British Championships, in 2011 and finished second. Lauren has since gone on to achieve great things including her first Olympic medal. She is now coached by former Olympian Robin Brew.
In her time away from being a world class athlete Lauren successfully studied for and achieved her Masters in Business after gaining her degree in Psychology. She has a love for baking and salsa and was selected to take part in the 2018 season of the BBC ’s hit show Strictly Come Dancing.
Her drive to raise awareness for disability sport is immensely powerful "I like to think that I raise the standard within my category, and I want to raise it again to prove that disability sport can keep pushing the boundaries"
Lauren talks openly to Annie and Louise about her life challenges and love for what she does.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Hillarys. Hillarys are passionate about supporting health and wellbeing, partnering with Her Spirit for the Fitter Together challenge have supported women to be more active. This year they’re celebrating 50 years of providing great value made-to-measure blinds, curtains and shutters across the country. To find out more visit Hillarys.co.uk.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the first episode of season four of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to presenter and author Frankie Bridge.
Best known as one-fifth of the UK's leading girl band The Saturdays, it's hard to believe that twenty-nine-year-old Frankie Bridge has been in the entertainment industry for over 15 years. Outside of music, Frankie has established herself as a TV Presenter & Digital Influencer.
She hosted ITV1’s Cannonball with Freddie Flintoff, fronted Channel 5 immersive documentaries and regularly works with Channel 4 and BBC. This year, Frankie’s aim is to try new things - she’s performing with Disney on Ice around the country and has co-written a story with Cadbury for Easter. Frankie’s interests include fashion and beauty, fitness and well-being... as well as being a mum to her two young boys in Surrey.
Frankie is a versatile, striking and credible face and personality, that resonates with both young and older audiences, whilst achieving mainstream media attention.
Frankie became an ambassador for MIND after opening up about her experiences of anxiety, depression and panic attacks, after her hospitalisation in May 2012.
Having initially dealt with these issues in silence, Frankie has been keen to support MIND in making sure no one has to face a mental health problem alone. Recently, she's been a key player in helping to launch the MIND partnership with Heads Together, as well as lending her support to Time to Talk Day. Frankie launched her first podcast series OPEN MIND focussing on mental health in 2019 and which debuted in the top ten podcasts upon release.
Frankie talks very openly about her mental health challenges and how she gets the best out of herself and the support she gets from her family and friends. She gives so much sound advice for women struggling emotionally and the role being active plays.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Hillarys. Hillarys are passionate about supporting health and wellbeing, partnering with Her Spirit for the Fitter Together challenge have supported women to be more active. This year they’re celebrating 50 years of providing great value made-to-measure blinds, curtains and shutters across the country. To find out more visit Hillarys.co.uk.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the twenty fourth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to former swimmer and coach to Adam Peaty and 8 Olympic medals.
Melanie Marshall’s extraordinary international career as a British swimmer started over two decades ago, at the 1995 European Youth Olympics in Bath, where she achieved four gold medals aged only 13. In 2000, her journey with us at Loughborough began when she came here to study Applied Sport Science, and has remained part of our fabric ever since.
Melanie’s list of sporting accolades is significant. She is a double Olympian, five-time Olympic finalist, and the second most decorated female at the Commonwealth Games – taking home no less than six medals at the 2006 Melbourne Games alone.
In 2004, she was ranked number one in the world when she broke the British 200m freestyle record, which cemented her place in the Olympic Games in Athens. She has over 20 international medals across the World, European and Commonwealth Games.
Melanie announced her retirement from swimming following the 2008 Beijing Olympics and started her world-leading career as an elite coach. She joined City of Derby Swimming Club as Head Coach, before joining us here in Loughborough as the National Centre Lead Coach for British Swimming, where her swimmers include a name you may recognise - Adam Peaty.
Melanie has coached Adam Peaty to unprecedented success; he holds two world records in both 50 and 100m breaststroke and is one of just three British swimmers to have won gold at all four major national events – the Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Games.
In 2015 and 2016 Mel was awarded the title of British Swimming Coach of the Year. Before turning her hand to coaching, Mel had a successful career as a swimmer herself which included winning six medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia and Bronze at the World Short Course Championships in 2008.
Mel was awarded an MBE for her services to swimming and charity in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2021.
It is no surprise, then, that Melanie was named British Swim Coach of the Year three times in a row, and in 2014 she was named International Swim Coach of the Year.
In 2021 Mel had 3 athletes who won medals, Anna Hopkin who won Gold Mixed 4x100 IM relay ( World Record), Adam Peaty Gold 100 Breaststroke - Gold Mixed IM relay ( World Record) Silver 4x100IM relay and Luke Greenbank Bronze 200BK - Silver 4x100IM relay
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Boots. Boots believes everyone has the right to feel good it which is why they offer a huge wellness range to help you look after yourself, from the inside out.
So from brands like FitBit, Aromatherapy Associates and Vital Proteins to LoveHoney, The Gut Stuff and Headspace, Boots has something to help you stay on top
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the twenty third episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to sailor Tracy Edwards MBE.
Tracy was expelled from school at the age of 15 and with no exams or qualifications she left to travel the world. She began working on charter yachts in Greece at the age of 17 and learned how to sail. Tracy took part in her first Whitbread Round the World Race as cook aboard ‘Atlantic Privateer’ in 1985/86 becoming the first woman to race around the world on a Maxi.Upon completion she decided to enter the first all-female crew in the 1989/90 Whitbread and ‘Maiden’ crossed the start line on 2nd Sept 1989 and sailed into the history books. ‘Maiden’ went on to win two of the legs and came second in class overall. The best result for a British boat since 1977 and the best result for an all-female crew ever. Tracy was awarded the MBE and became the first woman in its 34 year history to be awarded the Yachtsman of the Year Trophy.
In 1998 Tracy put together the first all-female crew to race a Multihull, this time in an attempt to be the first all-female crew to sail around the world non-stop and win the Jules V erne Trophy for the fastest non-stop circumnavigation of the world by sail. Sponsored by Royal & SunAlliance, the women had broken five world records and were well on the way to beating the Jules Verne, when their 92ft catamaran was dismasted 2000 miles off the coast of Chile.
In 2002, Edwards created the first ever truly mixed gender team and broke four major world records in Maiden II.
In October 2003 she signed a sponsorship deal with the Gulf State of Qatar as part of a four year sailing programme. The Oryx Quest 2005 was the first round the world race to start and finish in the Middle East. The worlds’ four largest and fastest multihulls raced against each other for the first time in sailing history. The event ended with non-payment by Qatar.
In 2007 and 2008 Tracy worked for CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection) as Project Manager for their International Youth Advisory Conference. Working with the UN she assisted in the creation of the 2009 Resolution to the UNCRC. Upon completion of her contract Tracy enrolled at Roehampton University taking a 3 year degree in Psychology and graduating with an upper 2:1
In March 2013 Tracy founded Safer World Training Ltd which spent 2 years researching the impact of Online Reputation, Sexting and Cyber Bullying upon young people.
Tracy founded The Maiden Factor in the process of rescuing her beloved yacht Maiden. In 2016 she decided she wanted to do more than just restore Maiden, she also wanted to make sure she was used for something special. Tracy is Patron of, fundraises for and supports a number of small but effective charities who facilitate the education of girls around the globe. Once restored she will sail around the world raising funds for girls’ education. For Tracy, the drive to get girls who are currently denied the basic right of an education into school, is particularly poignant as she was expelled from school at 15. She now knows what she gave away.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Boots. Boots believes everyone has the right to feel good it which is why they offer a huge wellness range to help you look after yourself, from the inside out.
So from brands like FitBit, Aromatherapy Associates and Vital Proteins to LoveHoney, The Gut Stuff and Headspace, Boots has something
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the twenty second episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to five-time Paralympic Champion, and one of Britain’s best-known para-athletes Hannah Cockcroft MBE.
Hannah suffered two heart attacks within the first 24 hours of her life. These cardiac arrests left her with multiple areas of brain damage and a collapsed lung, with doctors questioning how the damage would affect her quality of life.
Yet, the problematic birth only helped in making Hannah a determined child. Raised alongside her brothers, Joshua and Daniel, she was never treated any differently to her able-bodied siblings. Hannah’s parents, Graham and Rachel, took every opportunity they could to get Hannah up onto her feet, strapping her into Kay-walkers, splints, twisters and standing frames.
Hannah was first introduced to para-sport at 12 years old, when the Cardinals wheelchair basketball team performed a demonstration at her secondary school. From this moment, she was hooked. At the 2007 School Games, run by the Youth Sports Trust, Hannah first witnessed wheelchair racing, whilst she competed for Yorkshire as a seated discus athlete. Invited to try out racing later that year at a British Athletics talent ID day, Dr Ian Thompson, husband of Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, put her in her first racing wheelchair and ran her through her first laps of the athletics track.
Hannah made her senior debut for Great Britain at 18 years old, representing her country at the World Championships in New Zealand in January 2011. Despite having only been competing for three years, Hannah became double World Champion, in the T34 100m and 200m.
The following summer, the world saw Hannah Cockroft line up at her debut Paralympics, the London 2012 Games. Cockroft took the world stage by storm, racing to victory over the T34 100m and 200m once again and setting two Paralympic Records in the process. Having become double Paralympic Champion on the home stage she was dubbed ‘Hurricane Hannah’ by the British media. An MBE followed in the 2013 New Years’ Honours.
Since then, Hannah’s lists of achievements have continued to grow. Hannah is the most decorated British athlete in World Championship history, with 12 World Champion titles to her name. She repeated her Paralympic success at Rio 2016, bringing home gold in the T34 100m, 400m and 800m, that same year adding three European Champion gold medals to her trophy cabinet. Hannah is currently the T34 World Record holder in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m.
Off the track, Hannah’s personality has seen her invited onto shows such as ‘The Great British Bake Off’, ‘The Crystal Maze’ and ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, which she won with her partner on the show, Pasha.
Hannah is also an ambassador for Run For All https://www.runforall.com.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet. Come and join us for our Fitter Together campaign https://fitter-together.raisely.com from the 28th June - 8th August and raise money for Mind.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Boots. Boots believes everyone has the right to feel good it which is why they offer a huge wellness range to help you look after yourself, from the inside out.
So from brands like FitBit, Aromatherapy Associates and Vital Proteins to LoveHoney, The Gut Stuff and Headspace, Boots has something to help you stay on top of your health, all year round.
Shop Boots’ wellness range in selected s
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the twenty first episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to BBC weather presenter Carol Kirkwood.
Carol Kirkwood is a British weather presenter, trained by the Met Office, and employed by the BBC, in particular on BBC Breakfast and Victoria Derbyshire. In 2015, she participated in the 13th series of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing, finishing in 10th place.
Her BBC career began when she became part of the secretarial reserve in London. In 1993 she joined the BBC's Television Training department at Elstree as a presenter. She has become a fixture for Breakfast's many outside broadcasts over the years too.
There's often a daredevil side to Carol's work. She can be found trying everything from racing high powered speed boats to a charity tandem ride for Children in Need. Somehow most Children in Need broadcasts find her trying something new, which usually involves dancing or singing live. She's appeared as part of the newsreaders' "Rocky Horror Show", The Weather Girls' "Raining Men", she's danced the Can-can and duetted on "Baby, It's Cold Outside".
In 2006 , she even learned to ice skate for charity - performing live for BBC One's New Year's Eve Special.
Even though she claims she has no culinary expertise, she's appeared several times on Ready, Steady, Cook! All of this is in addition to her regular job as one of the BBC's most experienced weather presenters - appearing on all BBC platforms both for radio, television and interactive services.
She's been recognised for this work by the Television and Radio Industry Club (TRIC), winning the award for best weather presenter six times!
Her soft Scottish brogue means she can be heard voicing a wide variety of audio projects from children's stories about fire breathing dragons to advice about digital TV.
Carol talks to Louise and Annie about enjoying being active, from running and walking to cycling. The Her Spirit coaching team is excited about getting Carol back on her bike with coach Michelle.
Her Spirit believes in inspiring EVERY woman to become fitter, stronger and healthier. We believe your Mind, Body and Fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet. Come and join us for our Fitter Together campaign https://fitter-together.raisely.com from the 28th June - 8th August and raise money for Mind.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Boots. Boots believes everyone has the right to feel good it which is why they offer a huge wellness range to help you look after yourself, from the inside out.
So from brands like FitBit, Aromatherapy Associates and Vital Proteins to LoveHoney, The Gut Stuff and Headspace, Boots has something to help you stay on top of your health, all year round.
Shop Boots’ wellness range in selected stores, at boots.com or via the Boots app.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the twenteeth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Para climber Anoushé Husain.
Anoushé is a champion for all those experiencing barriers and self-limiting beliefs. Born missing her right arm below the elbow, living with multiple health conditions, a cancer survivor, a Muslim and coming from an ethnic minority, Anoushé has never let what society or culture thinks she should do limit her or dictate the direction of her life. She is constantly breaking the mould and challenging not only her own beliefs about her own potential but also that of society and her own culture.
She has become a role model to anyone facing a self-limiting belief or barrier and is sharing her journey to help others unlock their potential. Anoushé candidly talks about her life, how she has remained resilient in the face of huge obstacles and talks about issues that we as a society do not talk about enough. In particular, Anoushé highlights the plight of those stigmatised by society in order to change the misconceptions around these groups. She is heavily driven by teaching others learn to shed their self-limiting beliefs and help empower them to reach their potential.
A civil servant by day, Anoushé is a paraclimber in the UK and an ambassador for both Ehlers-Danlos Support UK and Limbpower, the leading charity for amputees and those with limb difference. She also supports the Grit&Rock Foundation which aims to help teenage girls aged 13 to 15 from deprived, inner city backgrounds develop greater grit, determination and self-confidence.
Anoushé is the 2017 Asian Women of Achievement Award winner for Sport and the 2017 recipient of the Helen Rollason Award for Inspiration at The Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards.
It's a very open and honest conversation with Annie and Louise and one that will inspire any woman.
Her Spirit believes in inspiring EVERY woman to become fitter, stronger and healthier. We believe your Mind, Body and Fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet. Come and join us for our Fitter Together campaign https://fitter-together.raisely.com from the 28th June - 8th August and raise money for Mind.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Boots. Boots believes everyone has the right to feel good it which is why they offer a huge wellness range to help you look after yourself, from the inside out.
So from brands like FitBit, Aromatherapy Associates and Vital Proteins to LoveHoney, The Gut Stuff and Headspace, Boots has something to help you stay on top of your health, all year round.
Shop Boots’ wellness range in selected stores, at boots.com or via the Boots app.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the nineteenth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to adventurer Jasmine Harrison.
Jasmine is the youngest solo female to row the Atlantic Ocean, and the youngest woman to make the 3,000-mile journey alone. She relished the freedom of doing it all by herself. At just 21, she's the youngest female to have rowed solo across any ocean; she's a trailblazer, a pioneer, somebody that will inspire women and girls all over the world.
Harrison is a rare breed of solo adventurers, an ocean rower who'd never even picked up an oar until she decided to go for it at the end of 2019. Female solo rowers are even rarer. Fewer than 200 have successfully navigated an ocean and just 18 have made it across the Atlantic on their own.
It took her a year to convince herself to take on this challenge and in December 2020 Jasmine departed from La Gomera in the Canary Islands and landed in Antigua in the Caribbean 70 days, three hours and 48 minutes later. Jasmine relished the time away from the stresses of life and Covid, and far from feeling isolated, she used her satellite phone to make plenty of calls back home, talking to more people than she would usually.
Along the 3,000 mile (4,828km) route she encountered a vast array of wildlife – a few whales, a striped marlin, triggerfish, a pod of dolphins, which followed her for days, and pilot fish that swam under her boat and would come to her hand every morning.
She was roughly halfway through a daring solo adventure -- rowing across the Atlantic -- when she realised that she was teetering on the brink of total calamity. Her tiny 550-pound (249 kilograms)rowing boat was on a collision course with a drilling ship, which could easily have swatted her asunder without ever knowing that she was there.
Jasmine talks to Annie and Louise about taking on the challenge and wanting to be truly pushed, and see how far she could be pushed. Her tips to have your #BestYearYet are: Don't be worried about being scared - Its not going to take longer that 70 days to do it.. Always think about WHY? you are you doing it? If you need to.. make it more enjoyable, do something that makes you laugh and link into Jasmine's mindset about knowing you will always finish stronger.
Her Spirit believes in inspiring EVERY woman to become fitter, stronger and healthier. We believe your Mind, Body and Fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Boots. Boots believes everyone has the right to feel good it which is why they offer a huge wellness range to help you look after yourself, from the inside out.
So from brands like FitBit, Aromatherapy Associates and Vital Proteins to LoveHoney, The Gut Stuff and Headspace, Boots has something to help you stay on top of your health, all year round.
Shop Boots’ wellness range in selected stores, at boots.com or via the Boots app.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the eighteenth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Professional Triathlete Lucy Charles-Barclay.
A former competitive swimmer, Great Britain's Lucy Charles-Barclay made the switch to Ironman triathlons and is now a regular contender for top titles.
In 2014, Lucy Charles-Barclay decided to enter a triathlon after a 10 year competitive swimming career that included an Olympic Trials final for Great Britain. Never mind that she had no triathlon experience and had to actually learn how to ride a bike, Lucy threw herself in at the deep end of the toughest triathlon discipline of all – Ironman – and amazed by finishing Ironman UK.
Her talent shone instantly in Ironman and it took Lucy less than a year to become an a double world champion in the Female 18–24 age group, winning both the Ironman and 70.3 titles in 2015.
After turning pro in 2016, again it took her just one year to achieve her first professional victory. She won the 2017 edition of Ironman Lanzarote by demolishing the field in a course record time.
Now the British phenomenon has achieved several podium finishes and it seems just a matter of time before she claims her first full Ironman World Championship title.
Lucy only learned to ride a bike in 2014 and almost ended up doing her first Ironman on a mountain bike! It's a brilliant insight and conversation with Annie and Louise into her life as professional triathlete and how she has overcome many challenges over the last ten years.
Her Spirit believes in inspiring EVERY woman to become fitter, stronger and healthier. We believe your Mind, Body and Fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Boots. Boots believes everyone has the right to feel good it which is why they offer a huge wellness range to help you look after yourself, from the inside out.
So from brands like FitBit, Aromatherapy Associates and Vital Proteins to LoveHoney, The Gut Stuff and Headspace, Boots has something to help you stay on top of your health, all year round.
Shop Boots’ wellness range in selected stores, at boots.com or via the Boots app.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the seventeenth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to The Sleep Scientist, Dr Sophie Bostock.
The Sleep Scientist was launched by Dr Sophie Bostock with the aim of helping more people to sleep well, and thrive. Sophie is a scientist and speaker with a bias for action.
Sophie has always been intrigued by why what makes us feel good and function well. She studied medicine at Nottingham University, followed by an MSc in Entrepreneurship. After several years in consulting, she completed a PhD in Health Psychology at University College London (UCL), investigating why happiness protects against heart disease, and how to improve wellbeing at work.
Sophie's research pointed to sleep an unsung hero of mental and physical resilience. She spent the next 5 years working on Sleepio, Big Health's award-winning digital sleep improvement programme, first as a research scientist, then UK Innovation Lead. She has published research in collaboration with the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute in Oxford, and international researchers, demonstrating the impacts of better sleep on mental health and performance.
Sophie became a passionate advocate for the importance of sleep, and evidence-based therapy. Sophie was awarded an NHS Innovation Accelerator Fellowship in 2016, and helped to make Sleepio available on the NHS to a fifth of the UK population. Sophie has been invited to deliver talks for Tedx and Talks@Google, and regularly features as a sleep expert in national media.
When not sleeping, eating, rowing, climbing, swimming or windsurfing, she provides keynote conference talks, consultancy and coaching for teams and individuals interested in improving their sleep patterns to boost wellbeing and performance.
On 13th June, Sophie will be setting off with 11 other intrepid rowers on board Roxy, a brand new ocean rowing vessel, which almost has... well.. almost enough room for all of them to sleep on. Sophie will be tracking her sleep, or lack of, during the trip. Many of the crew will switch over each week, but 4 of them will be on board for all 1650 nautical miles. We imagine they will all know a lot about sleep, and lack of it, by the end of it.
If you would like to done just go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/SophieRows she is raising money for The British Heart Foundation as her Dad had a triple heart bypass operation a few years ago.
It's a great conversation about the importance of sleep and attitude to life and understanding what is important.
Her Spirit believes in inspiring EVERY woman to become fitter, stronger and healthier. We believe your Mind, Body and Fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Her Spirit http://www.herspirit.co.uk supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet. This podcast is part of Mental Health Awareness Week and the Her Spirit 21 day walking challenge.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Boots. Boots believes everyone has the right to feel good it which is why they offer a huge wellness range to help you look after yourself, from the inside out.
So from brands like FitBit, Aromatherapy Associates and Vital Proteins to LoveHoney, The Gut Stuff and Headspace, Boots has something to help you stay on top of your health, all year round.
Shop Boots’ wellness range in selected stores, at boots.com or via
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the sixteenth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Emmy Brunner.
Emmy is a Personal Empowerment and Transformation Coach, Psychotherapist, Hypnotherapist, CEO, Author and Speaker with more than 20 years of experience in both the business and clinical worlds. She believes that we’ve all experienced trauma in our lives and that what we refer to now as ‘mental illness’ is actually our response to those traumas with my clinical work framed by this belief.
Throughout her career, she has discovered remarkable patterns in the ways women are conditioned to respond to life challenges. It was this insight that inspired her to create a bespoke coaching program designed to empower and free you to fully step into your power, elevating you to your highest potential. She truly loves sharing everything that she has learnt with other women and watching their lives transform in the most incredible ways.
In 2019, she released my debut e-book, Trauma Redefined – an easy-to-digest short read with a foreword by singer-songwriter, Gabrielle Aplin, designed to help you take control of your journey to better mental health. Her next book is out later this month "Find Your True Voice".
It's a very open and honest conversation about anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Emmy goes into how she works with so many of her clients and that many women don't have the confidence to back themselves and we don't trust ourselves to achieve more.
Emmy stresses the importance of self care, being kind to yourself and nurturing yourself. If you want to focus on your own self development, it is so important to reflect on your own internal narrative. At Her Spirit we use out 7 day reflect diary which is an important tool to use.
Out of work Emmy loves Bruce Springsteen and being active, from boxing - yoga - swimming she loves how it empowers her and motivates her young daughter to join her on her adventures.
This weeks podcast is supported by My Menopause Centre https://www.mymenopausecentre.com/. Come and join us for a LIVE Q & A on Wednesday 28th April at 8pm. For more information go to www.herspirit.co.uk and go to the events section for login details.
We believes in inspiring EVERY woman to become fitter, stronger and healthier. We believe your Mind, Body and Fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Her Spirit supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the fifteenth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to 4 time Olympic medalists Rebecca Adlington OBE.
Becky first got into swimming at the age of 3 when her parents wanted her to learn a life skill. She fell in love with it straight away and knew that I wanted to be a swimmer. She has two older sisters who Becky has always looked up to and who inspired her to become competitive but she didn’t think that she would ever become a multiple Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European medallist. Becky has competed in four Olympic finals, over two Games, winning two gold and two bronze medals in Beijing and London respectively.
Since retiring from swimming, Becky has enjoyed challenging herself and exploring different avenues, including taking part in a variety of TV shows – From I’m a Celeb in 2013, to The jump in 2016 and Masterchef in 2017.
Becky has also been part of the BBC punditry team since 2013, and covering The Olympics in Rio 2016, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Games.
An extra special bonus in Becky's career came when breaking the World Record in the 800m freestyle in 2008. The record was 19 years old, the same age Becky was in Beijing; it was the highlight of her swimming career and a stand out moment for her personally. She still can’t believe she gets to say "I get to say I’m the greatest swimmer that Great Britain has ever produced!"
She feels incredibly privileged to have been part of Team GB at our home Olympic Games in 2012 "To experience the whole atmosphere, spirit and camaraderie of London is something I will never forget"
Becky's motto of the 2012 Olympics was to ‘inspire a generation‘, a legacy which inspired her to set up my own learn to swim program. This has become her greatest challenge in swimming and her mission to see every child in the UK leave primary school being able to swim 25 metres. She is very proud to say that there are now 10,000 children a week learning to swim ‘the Becky way’ on our programmes across the country.
Becky talks to Annie and Louise about the recent arrival of her son Albie in early March, with her partner Andy and the brother to Summer her first child. She talks about her struggles during COVID to stay active and what swimming means to her during her times as an Olympic years and founder of and is a partnership between Becky and Total Swimming Ltd, one of the UK's largest and most innovative private specialist swimming companies in the UK.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for one of our challenges this spring and summer https://herspirit.co.uk/our-programmes/
We believes in inspiring EVERY woman to become fitter, stronger and healthier. We believe your Mind, Body and Fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Her Spirit supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the fourteenth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to 3 x Winter Olympian Sarah Lindsay.
Sarah is a British short track speed skater who has competed at the Winter Olympic Games on three occasions. Lindsay made her debut for the Great Britain team in 1996 and from 2000 was British Ladies Champion for nine consecutive years.
A three-time Olympian is now a personal trainer like no other. A European gold medalist, 2x world silver medalist and 10x British speed skating champion, Sarah is an inspiration to anyone looking to reach their full potential.
After finally retiring as an athlete in 2010, Sarah made the transition into full time coaching and crossed over into the personal training industry. She has steadily become one of London's most recognised female personal trainers, and the incredible results she achieves with clients are a reflection of her innate ability to inspire people to achieving their own personal best.
Sarah has trained the likes of Ellie Goulding, Nick Grimshaw, Mel B, Pixie Lott, Christine Lampard, Professor Green and Sheridan Smith to name a few.
Passionate about health and fitness, Sarah truly practices what she preaches and has a unique ability to inspire, empowering her clients to take control of their lives.
Sarah talks to Annie and Louise about the importance of being strong for everyday life. She also talks about the living a healthy life and eating well.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for one of our challenges this spring and summer https://herspirit.co.uk/our-programmes/
We believes in inspiring EVERY woman to become fitter, stronger and healthier. We believe your Mind, Body and Fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Her Spirit supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the thrirteenth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to founder of MegsMenopause Meg Matthews.
Meg turned fifty and began to experience the first symptoms of the menopause. She was shocked at the lack of support and understanding shown to women during this time in their lives and made it her mission to break the stigma around the menopause.
An icon of the nineties Brit Pop scene, Meg Mathews is a former music industry PR, events planner and designer turned entrepreneur and advocate for the menopause.
For the past few years, Meg has continued her mission on female empowerment and supporting women through the menopause. Her overall goal is to educate the general public more about the menopause as it is a greatly underrepresented subject and is not talked about enough in the media.
Meg talks to Annie and Louise about life growing up in Guernsey, growing up in South Africa and the great outdoors and being active from an early age. She talks about the colourful 80's & 90's Brit Pop scene and life as a very well recognised IT girl and how the media has not always been kind to her.
She has recently moved to Cornwall and has instantly immersed herself into the community and has loved getting to know the local open water mermaid swimming group. Meg is a massive advocate of open water swimming for her anxiety and has regularly taken cold showers every week over the last 10 years. She describes it as her daily cold water swim as her re-set and that for up to 6-8 hours she feels real calm.
Meg was diagnosed with osteoporosis relatively young aged 47 after she broke her wrist in a fall. She was both shocked and frightened to receive her DEXA scan result as she had seen how this devastating illness had affected her mother, who died of the disease.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for one of our challenges this spring and summer https://herspirit.co.uk/our-programmes/
We believes in inspiring EVERY woman to become fitter, stronger and healthier. We believe your Mind, Body and Fuel are intrinsically linked and taking small achievable steps will lead to big changes.
Her Spirit supports women of all shapes to sizes to achieve goals you never thought possible and have your #BestYearYet.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the twelfth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to former international athlete turned broadcaster Jeanette Kwakye.
Jeanette started out in athletics aged 15. Born and bred in East London, she began running for her local club Woodford Green with Essex Ladies. She soon realised her potential and worked her way through the junior ranks to compete for Team GB in her first major junior international in 2002, where she gained a bronze for the 4x100m relay.
Soon after this she attended Loughborough University where she studied Politics and Economics. Graduating in 2005 with a second class honours, Jeanette then focused all her efforts on training for the 2008 Olympic Games.
Jeanette was a multiple British champion over the 100m and 200m. Her highest ranking achievement being the 100m Olympic final in 2008. The first British woman to achieve this feat in 24 years.
An unfortunate series of injuries were to keep Jeanette out of the London 2012 Olympics, despite maintaining her position as British No. 1 across 100m during 2011.
Having since retired from athletics, Jeanette, now a qualified journalist currently works for the BBC, Sky Sports and Channel 5. She reports and presents on Olympic sport for BBCSport and has covered European, World and Commonwealth Games.
She has also worked for Channel 4, been featured on the One Show and published by the Guardian and other national publications.
It's a great conversation about elite sport and life experiences, shared moments and being influenced by Angela Rippon at an early age to follow a path into broadcasting. An early career at Radio Berkshire helped to shape Jeanette's broadcasting career into one where she has a regular slot at BBC Radio London and covering sports from boxing - track & field - swimming.
We love her attitude to life and realising it "Follow the passion and build a career around it" and that she approaches life to know that nothing is certain and nothing is a given.
As a mum of two she is a massive supporter of girls and sport and having dropped out of sport in her late teens, she came back to become British No.1.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for March's "Mix It Up March" challenge or the Tour de Her Spirit on the 27th March at 10.30am.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the first of two anniversary episodes of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Claire Danson, Deborah James, Stacey Copeland and Maxine Peake.
All four guests talk about there challenges over the last twelve months from Stacey Copeland's retirement from boxing, Maxine Peake's acting industry suffering catastrophic affects, Deborah James battles with bowel cancer and the 3am feeling of loneliness and Claire Danson adapting to a life as a para-triathlete.
It's an episode all about female support, fun and laughter and the power of togetherness. It includes so many great ways to look at life over a challenging year and making sure you have many "positive petrol tanks" around you.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for March's "Mix It Up March" challenge or the Tour de Her Spirit on the 27th March at 10.30am.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the first of two anniversary episodes of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Dr Nighat Arif, Dr Zoe Williams and Prof Greg Whyte.
Twelve months on from the start of season two hosted by Louise and Annie, they talk to Nighat, Zoe and Greg about life over the last year and predications for the years ahead.
An informal but very informative discussion with three of the UK leading physical activity and medical professionals about their own personal experiences. They discuss the impact that COVID has had on them and the nation.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for March's "Mix It Up March" challenge.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the ninth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Mimi Anderson.
Mimi is one of the world’s most inspirational female distance runners, having made an incredible journey from stay-at-home mother of three to multiple Guinness World Record Holder. With hard work and determination Mimi has shown that it’s never too late to fulfil your dreams and achieve the impossible.
Pushing herself to the limits has strengthened Mimi’s resilience and taught her its importance in boosting her mental and physical health, especially having suffered with the eating disorder anorexia for 15 years. Hearing Mimi speak about her amazing experiences with honesty, humility and humour, will leave you inspired to seek out personal challenges of your own and be much more aware of how to develop your own resilience and well-being.
Mimi Anderson is an endurance athlete who found her love of running at the age of 36 very quickly discovering her ability to run silly distances by taking the Marathon des Sables in 2001 a race billed as “the toughest footrace on earth” with just over a year’s running under her belt.
Mimi has taken part in extreme races around the world running across Deserts, mountains, enduring the freezing temperatures of the Arctic the heat and humidity of the Peruvian jungle and the extreme heat of Death Val- ley in America setting course records, World Records and on occasions beating the men!
As well as taking part in races Mimi enjoys organising her own adventures; in 2004 she ran from Paris to London starting with the Paris Marathon and fin- ishing the 300 plus mile run with the London Marathon. In 2014 Mimi, who was co-founder of Freedom Runners, ran 1,223 miles across South Africa to raise awareness and funds to support an initiative that addressed feminine hygiene management and education in that country, providing 400 girls with re-usable feminine hygiene products enabling them to remain in education. In September 2017 Mimi took on an epic run to try and break the female world record to run across America a distance of 2,852 miles. The run was brought to an abrupt end due to an injury after running 2, 217.2 miles in 40 days, on track to smash the record. She is well known for her “doubles” tak- ing on some of the worlds toughest endurance races and not just doing them once but running back to the start once she has finished.
Mimi talks to Annie and Louise about life in lockdown, her new challenges, learning to love swimming and her journey into triathlon in 2020.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for March's "Mix It Up March" challenge and celebrate International Women's Day with us on the 8th March.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the eighth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to award winning writer Kate Mosse.
Kate is the author of nine novels & short story collections, including the No 1 multimillion selling Languedoc Trilogy - Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel - and No 1 bestselling Gothic fiction including The Winter Ghosts and The Taxidermist's Daughter, which she is currently adapting for the stage. Her books have been translated into 38 languages and published in more than 40 countries. She has also written three works of non-fiction, four plays, contributed essays and introductions to classic novels and collections.
A champion of women's creativity, Kate is the Founder Director of the Women's Prize for Fiction - the largest annual celebration of women's writing in the world - and sits on the Executive Committee of Women of the World. She was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to literature and women and was named Woman of the Year for her service to the arts in the Everywoman Awards. She is a regular guest on book & arts shows on radio and television.
Kate was awarded a Fellowship at the Writer's House in Amsterdam in 2019. She is also Professor of Creative Writing & Contemporary Fiction at the University of Chichester.
Kate's approach to life is wonderful and how she advocates "you have just got to have a go" and how she has created and written "old fashioned adventure" and how her books "get the girls to hold the swords" and her approach to life and reading is about keeping it fun.
Kate is passionate about supporting women in journalism and has supported many including Louise through her career. Kate is a great believer in creative writing and how can you can't teach imagination but you can teach skill and structure a book.
We love her quote from Pablo Picasso “Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.”
Look out for her next book coming out in June "An extra pair of hands".
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for March's "Mix It Up March" challenge and celebrate International Women's Day with us on the 8th March.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the seventh episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Dr Pixie McKenna.
Dr Pixie is best known for her role as on screen doctor in Channel 4s BAFTA winning medical series Embarrassing Bodies. She is a regular contributor to print and broadcast media.
She is an accomplished speaker on a variety of medical topics including sexual health, women’s health and health promotion. In addition to her work on the hit show, Pixie has presented various shows including Freaky Eaters for BBC 3, Channel 4’s Food Hospital and Health Freaks.
Pixie co-presented You Should Really See a Doctor for RTÉ Television, The series followed several patients as they went on a journey to discover their true diagnosis. She also fronted Pixie’s Sex Clinic (RTÉ Television) – the first Irish TV series dedicated to education in sex, sexual health and behaviour, all with a healthy dose of tongue in cheek and playful winks.
Dr. Pixie’s sequence of child development books with Igloo Books kicked off with the first of the series ‘Dr Pixie’s First Foods’ in January 2016. Including over 100 healthy meals for weaning your baby. Her second book ‘Dr Pixie’s Meal Planner’ focuses on how to plan and prepare effortless, balanced meals for growing children. In addition she also released two sets of Flashcards ‘Activities You And Your Baby Will Love’ and ‘Activities You And Your Toddler Will Love’.
Pixie is a practicing GP in London as well as being an ambassador for Dreams Beds, Waterwipes and Spotlight Oral Care.
She is an accomplished speaker on a variety of medical topics including sexual health, women’s health and health promotion.
Pixie talks to Annie and Louise about life in lockdown, her love of the outdoors and life as a mum to Darcy and wife to Mitch. She talks about life as an older mum and the importance of being active for your mental and physical health.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for Feet First February https://herspirit.co.uk/programmes/feet-first-february/
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the sixth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to sports presenter Jacquie Beltrao.
Jacquie is a sports presenter at Sky News and Olympian (1984). She is currently going through Breast Cancer again, having been diagnosed for the second time in June 2020. Jacquie is a mum of three, wife to Eduardo, sister, and loves her rescue dogs and yoga.
She joined Sky News in 1992, where she first worked as a publicist before later becoming a sports reporter and presenter. She now presents updates on weekends (Friday to Sunday ) during Sunrise and for the first hour of the following programme.
For more than six years, the popular Sky News sports presenter had lived disease-free after first being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013. Jacquie, who has worked at Sky for 28 years, was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer on Christmas Eve 2013 and underwent chemotherapy, a mastectomy and reconstruction.
Doctors told her the chances of the cancer returning in the next five years were around three in 100 — odds she described as “pretty damn good”. But after she found a pea-sized lump just below her collarbone, in June 2020 her worst fears were confirmed. She was diagnosed with aggressive, stage four breast cancer.
Her approach to enhancing her wellness was to gave up dairy, changed her diet, and run three times a week, and loves yoga. Attending her annual check-up in January, she was told she was still cancer-free.
She talks openly to Annie and Louise about how she has approached her life with cancer, family life with Eduardo her three children and time in Rio and her "feisty" approach to life. Her love of yoga has helped her on her road to enhanced wellness as has getting back to running in the outdoors.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for Feet First February https://herspirit.co.uk/programmes/feet-first-february/
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the fifth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to rugby player Zainab "Zee" Alema.
Affectionately known as Zee, Zainab has had an inspirational impact on female players across the UK as well as in Ghana and Morocco. Her passion for playing has seen Studs In The Mud providing equipment and funding to allow women to play where rugby is not freely on offer and she continues to use her social media presence as a platform for encouraging more women to join the game.
Zee is a much loved Barnes teammate, wife and mother of three children aged four, three and one, Zee is also on the NHS frontline as an intensive care neonatal nurse at Chelsea & Westminster Hospital. She founded the rugby charity Studs In The Mud, she has been recognised in many awards for encouraging black and Muslim women and girls to play rugby.
From the moment she was born prematurely at only 26 weeks, she was a fighter and says she had an innate drive: "If I want to do something, I try my hardest to get it done". She liked sport at school but until that PE class, she never loved any sport. That same PE teacher who encouraged her to give it a go got her into a training session at Ealing Trailfinders, but even then, Zainab's rugby journey almost didn't get started.
Growing up, Zainab never thought about playing rugby - she didn't even know women could. But from the moment she first got "stuck in" during a PE lesson at 17, she relished every second of "feeling free and just running". The game became intertwined in her life "like an old friend". But like old friends, there were times she'd question the relationship, feeling sometimes like an outsider, someone who didn't belong.
Her first rugby experience was aged 14 in Chiswick school PE lessons, she loved it and her PE teacher Meg Macaulay told her to stick with it. Then, while doing A Levels aged 17, her teacher Paula Middleton seeing her potential got the school to sponsor Zainab for a season and encouraged her to go to training at Ealing Trailfinders. It wasn’t easy as, unlike team mates who got dropped off by parents, she had to make the journey on public transport, walking alone down dark streets.
But Zainab wasn’t put off, in her hijab, rugby ball in her hand, she didn’t fit the African Muslim stereotypes but she has delighted in smashing them.
When she started nursing and needed an escape from the inevitable stress of the job, she looked for a new rugby club and joined Millwall. There, thanks to a move where at No 8 she picked up the ball at the back of a scrum and ran at the opposition 10, she earned the nickname Bulldozer. Smashing and demolishing stereotypes as well as the opposition was something Zainab took in her stride and defined her philosophy on life as a career woman, wife, mother and rugby player.
In 2020 Zee was announced as the Sunday Times Grassroots Sportswoman of the Year.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for Feet First February https://herspirit.co.uk/programmes/feet-first-february/
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the fourth episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to motivational speaker and amputee Victoria Milligan.
Victoria Milligan, lost her husband Nicko, an executive at Sky, and Emily, 8, when they were thrown from their speedboat doing a sharp turn off Padstow during a sunny bank holiday weekend in May 2013. The empty boat, stuck going in circles, struck them.
Victoria lost her left leg while her three surviving children - Kit, then 4, Olivia, 10, and Amber, 12 - were also injured by the engine's propeller.
Ever since the tragedy, Victoria has been a tireless charity fundraiser. Over the years she has raised more than £1 million for good causes including £500,000 for the Cornwall Air Ambulance.
Victoria experienced devastating loss and huge challenges in her life through which she has learnt the incredible strength of the human spirit. She truly believes that we can all cope with anything that life throws at us, big or small. In fact she believes that we can become even better than we were before and appreciate life in a different way.
Victoria talks openly to Annie and Louise about the accident, life without Nicko and Emily and the importance of being active for her recovery and how a healthy body means a healthy mind.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for Feet First February https://herspirit.co.uk/programmes/feet-first-february/
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the third episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to ice swimmer Cath Pendleton.
Cath Pendleton is an NHS worker from Merthyr Tydfil. She's also known as The Merthyr Mermaid and is the subject of a BBC Wales documentary. Cath works for the NHS' smoking cessation team - and managed to fit in her impressive training into her day-to-day life.
Cath took up wild swimming after discovering the calming and therapeutic effects of the cold water. She found her ‘reset button’ whilst swimming in the cold waters of the local lakes and reservoirs around the area.
Cath's impressive feat is becoming the first person to swim a mile in the Antarctic Polar Circle – the coldest place on earth. She prepared for the challenge by training in her shed - and when we say training, we mean, lying in a chest freezer.
Cath’s previous achievements include swimming the English Channel in 2018, which began with her spontaneously googling “how do you swim the Channel” one night. Following that, she was then incredibly selected to represent Great Britain at the World Ice Swimming Championships in Russia, where she came third in her age group.
Cath is planning to complete the seven swim Ice Sevens challenge in 2022.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk and come and join us for Feet First February https://herspirit.co.uk/programmes/feet-first-february/
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In the second episode of season three of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to jockey Hollie Doyle.
Hollie is a British jockey who competes in flat racing. She set a new record for winners ridden in a British season by a female jockey in 2019. The following year, she came fourth in the Flat Jockeys Championship, the highest result for a woman to date. She came third in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award 2020, and was also named The Sunday Times sportswoman of the year.
In December 2020 Hollie took third place in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award, and was awarded three Lesters including flat jockey of the year.
The 24-year-old comes from a racing background. Her father, Clonmel native Mark Doyle, is a former jockey and her mother, Caroline, rode in Arab races.
Hollie grew up in Herefordshire, where the family had ponies and point-to-pointers. She was a member of the Herefordshire branch of the Pony Club and first took to the saddle aged nine.
Her first ride under Rules as an amateur jockey came at Salisbury in May 2013 on a horse called The Mongoose — and it was a winning debut. After completing her GCSEs in 2013, Hollie joined the yard of David Evans in Wales. During the winter months, she spent six weeks riding out in Santa Anita, California.
On becoming an apprentice jockey, Hollie moved to the Wiltshire yard of Richard Hannon in 2014 and she rode out her claim in November 2017. As an apprentice, she was victorious in the Listed Upavon Fillies’ Stakes on Billesdon Bess at Salisbury in August 2017.
Hollie may be small in stature but she is as tough as they come. In June 2018, Hollie took a nasty tumble in a race at Haydock and suffered facial injuries, including several lost teeth. However, just 10 days later she returned to her day job race-riding.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 1st episode of season 3 of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Judy Murray OBE.Named as the "The mother of tennis" Judy started playing tennis at aged 10 and played tennis internationally and won 64 Scottish titles. In 1995, she qualified as a coach and went on to initiate the Scottish Development School programme, which produced champion players including her sons, Jamie and Andy.
At the age of 19, Judy trained as a tennis coach - something she’d become grateful for in 1994, after she became a full-time coach and initial trainer for her sons Andy and Jamie. In 2011. As a testament to her coaching ability, Judy was chosen to lead the British Fed Cup team as their captain. Judy flourished in this role, but she also had another incentive - to raise awareness of female coaches. Commonly unrepresented, Judy tackled sexism in sports head-on by proving that female tennis coaches are just as capable as male coaches.
Judy become a household name when she competed on hit BBC1 show Strictly Come Dancing in 2014, partnering king of the ballroom Anton Du Beke.
Judy's mantra is "If you tell me I can't do something, I will go out of my way to prove you wrong" and we love her comments about people "Its not about what you have, but what you do with what you have and if you surround yourself with good people and you all work together you have no idea what can happen"
In recognition of her contribution to tennis, female empowerment and charity fundraising, Judy was appointed an OBE in 2017. An advocate for the power of sport, she founded the Judy Murray Foundation, a charity that improves the opportunities for tennis in Scotland.
Judy loves the mental challenge and her 3 key coaching questions are, How do you cause trouble? How do you avoid trouble? and how do you get you out of trouble? She is facilitated about getting the best out of anyone she works with and improve to get the best out of them.
Known as a disruptor and friend of the likes of Billy Jean King she has a passion for equality.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 39th episode and last of series two of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson round up series 2.
This third of three round up episodes that feature guests from series 2. Today's episodes features Claire Danson, Maxine Peake, Dr Louise Newson and Bryony Gordon and many others.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 38th episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson round up series 2.
This second of three round up episodes that feature guests from series 2. Today's episodes features Naga Munchetty, Helen Skelton, Dame Kelly Holmes and Stacy Copeland and many others.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 37th episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson round up series 2 with so many guests.
This episode is the first of three round up episodes that feature guests from series 2. Today's episodes features Mel C, Deborah James, Sophie Radcliffe, Eleanor Mills and Alice Dearing,
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 36th episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to former British number 1 professional tennis player and TV presenter Annabel Croft.
Despite her potential and being amongst the world's top 25 players, Croft retired from professional tennis at the age of only twenty-one, tired of the relentless travel and feeling she no longer enjoyed playing.
Since retiring as a Tennis player in 1988, Annabel moved into the Television world starting with Survivor on Channel 4 and Treasure Hunt. Since then she has worked on numerous light entertainment shows and documentaries and had a blast.
Her focus in more recent times has been covering the Women’s and Mens Tennis Tour on Eurosport, Sky TV and BBC. Watching and working on Live Sport and interviewing the top players all over the globe . It's her dream job and one she is passionate about.
Nutrition is a huge part of health and Wellbeing and having been quite a “chubby teenager” she has learned what works for her to stay fit and healthy. Annabel love's good food and thinks it’s one of the real pleasures of life. .
Annabel talks to Annie and Louise about the importance of being active and eating well.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 35th episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Olympic Gold Medalist and conservationist Crista Cullen.
Crista is an accomplished athlete, achieving both Gold and Bronze medals in three Olympic appearances, culminating in 197 international caps and a three time World All-Star team member. She has a strong belief in the power of teamwork – built through the highs and lows of a 15-year international hockey career.
Having grown up in rural Kenya, Crista spent her teenage years at boarding school in England, where she found a sense of belonging through sport. Over the next decade she progressed through the ranks of elite hockey. From the lows of failure to qualify for the Athens 2004 Olympics, to the highs of Olympic gold in Rio 2016.
At the Olympics in 2016 Cullen notched her 58th international goal in the final against Netherlands, arguably her most important strike to date. It helped GB to a 3-3 draw with a gold medal following from the shootout win.
Throughout her athletic career Crista maintained her role in the corporate world – creating a sense of balance and perspective that was central to her sporting performance. One that embedded in Crista a deep belief in the crucial role of culture, community and teamwork.
A belief in cultures that empower, not enforce. A belief in communities that embrace diversity and constantly seek alternative perspectives. A belief in teams that create genuine alignment around shared values.
Crista is now using the lessons learned from her personal journey to help other teams, organisations and individuals with their journeys.
She recently set up her own charity Tofauti, her deep understanding of the challenges facing Africa’s animal and human populations – the place she grew up and the place she still calls home.
Team Tofauti is now small but growing. Diverse in our backgrounds, experiences and skill sets. United in our goal. To come together to make a difference for Africa’s wildlife and communities.
Crista talks to Annie and Louise about adjusting to life at boarding school in the UK, her journey over 15 years playing hockey and her zest for people and excellence.
To find out more about Crista's charity go to www.tofauti.org.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 34th episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to marathon swimmer Alice Dearing. She is our youngest guest to date at 23-year-old from hails from Birmingham.
Alice is one of Great Britain's top female marathon swimmers, having represented Great Britain at numerous international competitions, including three World Championships.
She placed 11th in the Mixed 5km Open Water event in Gwangju in 2019, after finishing 17th in the Women's 10km race.
Dearing previously competed at the World Championships in Budapest in 2017, where she achieved a top-25 finish in the individual 10km event and helped achieve a placing of fifth against a talented international field in the Mixed 5km Team Relay.
Between those Worlds appearances, Dearing placed 12th over 10km at the 2018 European Championships.
In 2016, she was crowned World Junior Open Water champion in Hoorn, the Netherlands, which cemented her position on the world marathon swimming stage.
Her senior international bow came at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, when Dearing raced the 5km distance.
Next summer Alice Dearing, who is Britain’s best open-water swimmer, intends to flip 125 years of history on its head in Tokyo – the small matter of a global pandemic permitting. And, as becomes clear over a thought-provoking and nuanced conversation, that is only the start of her ambitions.
“Being a poster girl for black swimming is exciting, because genuinely I love the sport and I want to see as many people doing it as possible,” Dearing says. “But it’s also terrifying because there’s a lot of pressure. I have rationalised it – if not me, then who? And I want this to happen as soon as possible, to break that barrier.”
It is not the only one Dearing intends to shatter. Last year she became the lead ambassador for the Black Swimming Association, a charity that encourages black people to swim, and she illustrates the scale of the challenge by citing shocking figures from Sport England, which show that 95% of black adults and 80% of black children in England do not swim – while only 1% of registered competitive swimmers with Swim England identify as black or mixed race.
Alice talks about her family background and how she got into swimming and her Olympic ambitions and desire for cultural change.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 33rd episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to journalist and mental health campaigner Bryony Gordon.
Bryony’s bestselling memoirs "The Wrong Knickers: A Decade of Chaos", "You Got This", "Mad Girl", and "Eat, Drink, Run" have deservedly earned Bryony critical acclaim – and a multitude of loyal readers worldwide. Uncompromising in her truthfulness, Bryony challenges the stigma that surrounds addiction and demonstrates a determination that whatever life throws at you it is to be lived and cherished.
In Bryony’s new book ‘The Glorious Rock Bottom’, she recounts the traumatic consequences of her personal addiction journey, and her experience in treatment as well as in recovery. The abundance of integrity, dignity and humanity Bryony brings to her writing invites the reader to relate to her own experiences and, in so doing, may help others to open up about their own difficulties with a view to seeking treatment and support for themselves or their loved ones.
She recalls waking up drunk and drugged lying on damp grass, a man's head between her thighs. That man was not her husband - he and their daughter Edie were half a mile away sleeping in the grounds of the country estate they were staying at to celebrate her friend's birthday.
Gordon was 37 and when the man, who had given her cocaine, phoned up the following week asking if she was still up for a threesome, she realised she didn’t know herself, or what she had said or done, while intoxicated that night
She has charted the journey through alcoholism and subsequent recovery in her no-holds-barred new book, Glorious Rock Bottom. Her husband [financial journalist Harry Wilson] knows all of it. I've always been very honest with him about what happened when I was drinking. We've worked through that.
As her career soared, her mental health plummeted, she continued to drink and do drugs, even though she had become an ambassador for mental health. During her regular binges she'd black out - not be able to remember the next day what she'd said or done.
Had she continued drinking, she believes it would have killed her. "It doesn't bear thinking about what would have happened if I hadn't got sober," she says now. "I don't drink any more but I'm still an alcoholic.”
She talks to Annie and Louise about this journey and how she felt the worst mother possible. A staunch campaigner for mental health and now feels lucky to be alive.
Her ground breaking interview with Prince William raised the awareness around her mental health work. She enjoys being active and has run and how 'Running Made Me Realise That Anything Is Possible'
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to http://herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 32nd episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to actor Maxine Peake.
Maxine has appeared as Twinkle in Dinnerladies and Veronica Ball in Shameless, barrister Martha Costello in the BBC legal drama Silk, and Grace Middleton in the BBC drama series The Village, and starred in the Black Mirrorepisode "Metalhead". She has also played the title role in Hamlet.
Maxine went to college in Salford when she was 16 and it was all-singing, all-dancing, and everyone had their sweatpants on and their jazz shoes and I was like, 'What? I've got to change into my what gear? Dance gear?'. I knew I wanted to act but I didn't want to be your typical actor, I suppose." said Peake.
Sport was something Peake always enjoyed and played Rugby League for Wigan for several years, before she left and spent more time in the acting world and eventually being accepted at RADA.
Her teachers at Rada told Maxine to go on a diet, but it was Victoria Wood, creator and co-star on her first major TV series, the BBC sitcom Dinnerladies, who finally persuaded her to shift an impressive five stone. "Victoria did it in a better way than they did at drama school," she says. "I was told by one teacher, 'If you don't lay off the chips you'll never play Juliet' and I was kind of, 'Juliet? She's a wimp anyway'. Victoria said, 'Look, you're big, you're northern, it's going to be funny roles... it's going to be really difficult for you'.
Beryl Burton was one of Britain's greatest cyclists, but did not get the recognition she deserved. Maxine Peake has tried to rectify that by writing a stage play about Burton while juggling TV shows, films and preparations for playing Hamlet on stage.
In 1967, Beryl Burton was competing in a 12-hour time trial when she came to overtake the leading men's cyclist Mike McNamara.
McNamara was on his way to setting a new men's record of 276 miles in 12 hours. On her way past him, Burton took pity and offered him a liquorice allsort.
"Poor Mac," she later wrote. "His glory, richly deserved, was going to be overshadowed by a woman."
Burton covered 277 miles that day. It would be two years before a man beat that distance. Despite advances in design and fitness, no woman has done so yet.
Maxine also loves two wheels and is an avid cyclist and loves the freedom and friendship it brings. Lockdown has also got Peake running and am sure will go on to do a triathlon in 2021 with Annie and Louise.
Her #BestYearYet tips for every woman are great and you can find them at www.herspirit.co.uk and by listening to this podcast.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Medichecks offers an easy and affordable way to check your health from the comfort of your own home with their simple and personal at-home blood tests. From hormones and nutrition, to cholesterol and diabetes, there is something for everyone. Visit
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 31st episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to endurance runner Susie Chan.
Susie has taken on races of all distances from 1 mile to 100 miles. It's been 10 years since I started running. It's something I love. You'll find me frequently on the running scene, especially ultra marathon.
Races have included running the Marathon des Sables more times than any other UK female, breaking a 12 hour treadmill World Record in 2016 and enjoying running in some of the hottest places on earth.
As well as the long races you'll find Susie at local races, half marathons and marathons including finishing all of the World Marathon Majors.
Lucky enough to be named and “the number 1 runner to follow on Instagram” by Runners World, and the Evening Standard, she has been on the cover of Runners World, Women's running and featured in Athletics Weekly and other publications.
Susie overcame Thyroid Cancer in 2017 and she talks to Louise and Annie about her battle. After Marathon des Sables she had a terrible cough. After a course of antibiotics it shifted. Presuming it was likely to be inhaled sand in her lungs, she thought nothing more. Fast forward to Chicago Marathon, and her cough had returned, this time far, far worse.
Susie passed out at the finish line (six start medal still around her neck) this time, worried about it being something worse, she called the doctors. Doctors found a large tumour in her neck, and quite a shock to Susie. It was mighty impressive too, over 5cm. She lost half her thyroid with it. A histology report told us the lump as cancer.
Her #BestYearYet tips for every woman are great and you can find them at www.herspirit.co.uk and by listening to this podcast.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to https://herspirit.co.uk and we hope you have found her Your Best Year Yet tips helpful.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this 30th episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to double Paralympic champion Libby Clegg MBE.
Libby took up athletics aged 9, joining Macclesfield Harriers AC. She originally tried middle distance running and cross country before starting sprinting.
Libby is a Scottish Paralympic sprinter who has represented both Scotland and Great Britain at international events. She represented Great Britain in the T12 100m and 200m at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, winning a silver medal in the T12 100m race. She won Gold in Rio at the 2016 Paralympic Games in 100m T11 where she broke the world record and T11 200m, beating the previous Paralympic record in the process, thus making her a double Paralympic champion.
She has a deteriorating eye condition known as Stargardt's Macular Dystrophy disease giving her only slight peripheral vision in her left eye and is registered blind. Libby runs with the aid of guide runner Chris Clarke.
In October 2018, Clegg announced she was expecting her first child with fiancé Dan Powell in March 2019. In April 2019 Clegg gave birth to a son, Edward, via emergency C-Section.
She has had physical injuries and has been affected by mental health issues. Her guide dog, a black retriever/Labrador cross, is named Hatti.
In 2020 Libby took part in Dancing on Ice "It's been a learning process". On the track I run with a guide runner and we're attached all the time. It's like learning a different vocabulary to communicate. Myself and my [ice skating] partner Mark Hanretty use touch and verbal communication.
I'm not as bad as I thought I was going to be, but it's not as easy as it looks. It's very technical. Libby finished third on Dancing on Ice, which is a phenomenal result.
Libby talks openly about the loss of her eye sight, life as a mum and many new obstacles in 2020 that very few women have had to overcome.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to https://herspirit.co.uk and we hope you have found her Your Best Year Yet tips helpful.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this twenty seventh episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to GP and Menopause Specialist Dr Louise Newson.
Louise is a GP and menopause specialist and has an Advanced Menopause Specialist certificate with FSRH and the BMS. She feels passionately about improving education about the perimenopause and menopause and also improving awareness of safe prescribing of HRT to healthcare professionals. She has written many articles and editorials and in 2019 launched her first book, Menopause Manual with Haynes Publishing, which went on to be an Amazon bestseller.
Louise has lectured extensively at numerous meetings (including the RCGP annual meeting) on this topic and has been a director for Primary Care Women’s Health Forum and an editor for the British Journal of Family Medicine.
Louise has worked regularly with West Midlands Police and many other large organisations to provide advice regarding menopause in the workplace and has contributed to menopause related articles in different newspapers and magazines and been on numerous radio and TV programmes.
Louise has also set up a not-for-profit company – Newson Health Research and Education – and is involved in research with colleagues in Warwick University, London School of Tropical Medicine and also Kings College London. In addition, she is working closely with HIV charities including Sophia Forum to help menopausal women living with HIV.
Find out more about The Menopause Charity at www.themenopausecharity.org
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to https://herspirit.co.uk and we hope you have found her Your Best Year Yet tips helpful.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this twenty sixth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to sports phycologist Dr Josephine Perry.
Josephine has a background in communications and behaviour change having worked for many years in journalism, marketing, public relations and crisis communications across private corporations and government. She has a MSc in Communications, a MSc in Psychology and a MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology. She also has a PhD in Political Communications.
She is a Chartered member of the British Psychological Society (BPS) and a member of the Association of Applied Sports Psychologists (AASP). She is registered with the Health Care Professions Council. She writes features for sports magazines and websites and is regularly quoted in the media on how athletes and other performers can use applied sports psychology to enhance their performance.
With a long background in communications she first started learning about performance psychology after competing in Ironman Melbourne in 2013. It was a really windy day with huge waves. For someone used to swimming in a 20 metre London gym pool this was way out of her comfort zone.
She heard the commentator mention the waves. He said “you can’t control the conditions. What you can control is the way you choose to react to them.” A light bulb moment. She realized it was her choice if she was scared or not and had to choose not to be. It became the fastest Ironman she’s raced and set off a full career change, from a conversion course to learn all the basics of Psychology to the MSc in Sports and Exercise Psychology.
She loves the idea that psychology isn’t just used to help those with mental health problems get better but can be used by those already doing well to function even better. She is passionate about how it can be used positively to improve performance; whether as a professional athlete, working in business or as an amateur, competing in a sport you love.
Alongside the MSc she also spent some time working at UK Sport to learn how elite sport is run in the UK. This was an invaluable way to understand the pressures on athletes, the support they get and the machinery of the elite UK Olympic and Paralympic systems. Sport at this level is no longer a fun hobby. It is strategic and it is business.
Her approach uses a mix of humanistic and cognitive behavioural psychology and will teach you strategies so you feel more comfortable and in control when entering potentially stressful situations and ensure you are able to perform to your maximum potential.
Her Spirit are supporting the Better Health Every Mind Matters campaign, that provides expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.
This World Mental Health Day (10th October), answer 5 quick questions to get your free Mind Plan. It has tips to help you deal with stress and anxiety, improve your sleep, boost your mood and feel more in control.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to https://herspirit.co.uk and we hope you have found her Your Best Year Yet tips helpful.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this twenty fifth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to four time winter Olympian Chemmy Alcott.
With a career high ranking of 8th in the World, 7 x British National Overall Champion and the only British female skier to ever win a run in a World Cup, Chemmy Alcott is widely regarded as one of Britain’s greatest ever skiers.
In a time where competing at a Winter Olympics was unusual for a British athlete, Chemmy defied the odds and pioneered a skiing movement that has inspired a generation. Resulting in not just skiers, but British Winter Sport athletes as a whole seeing the Winter Olympics as a realistic and achievable goal.
Since retiring from competing on the world stage after The Sochi Olympics in 2014, Chemmy has immersed herself in the world of TV & media, where she now presents for the BBC on Ski Sunday and commentates on the World Cup Ski Series for Eurosport amongst being a guest on many other show. Furthermore, she competed in ITV Dancing on Ice in 2012, where she finished 5th.
In addition to her TV commitments and hosting events and despite retiring, Chemmy continues to constantly push her body to the limit, competing in multiple physical challenges including the World’s Toughest Ski Race in Greenland, the 100-mile road race in London and climbing Mt Kilimanjaro, raising over £800,000 for charity in the process.
Charity work is very important to Chemmy, where she acts as an active ambassador for Right to Play, Ski4Cancer, SnowCamp and United Learning. She has visited multiple under-developed countries such as Rwanda and Tanzania, raising money for areas of conflict resolution and also to promote sport and play to educate ‘over one million children in some of the world’s poorest communities.’
Chemmy is an inspiration to all, having broken 49 bones in her life including her neck aged 11. She is no stranger to adversity and remains committed to inspiring the next generation and educating people from all over the world through sport. Most notably, she created the ‘X-Elle’ scheme, which aims to develop girl’s confidence through sport. Part of her passion involves travelling the world, visiting countries such as Dubai and New Zealand, in addition to her travel across the UK, telling her story and inspiring others. From school pupils to businesses, she helps give them the confidence to create big dreams and do everything humanly possible to achieve them.
In 2018, Chemmy became a well-loved BBC Winter Olympic Sport Commentator. She was enthusiastic, empathetic and gave a unique insight into the games that only someone who has been through the experience as an athlete could give.
Currently Chemmy is presenting BBC Ski Sunday, and looking after her two young boys.
We all put things off but its a great time to get active. For ideas to get you started, visit https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/ and come and join the Her Spirit community and download the Her Spirit app.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to https://herspirit.co.uk and we hope you have found her Your Best Year Yet tips helpful.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this twenty fourth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Dr Nikki Kanani MBE.
Dr Nikki Kanani is a GP in south-east London and is Medical Director of Primary Care for NHS England and NHS Improvement. Prior to joining NHS England she was Chief Clinical Officer of NHS Bexley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Nikki has held a range of positions within healthcare to support the development of innovative models of care, highly engaged clinical, patient and public leadership and is passionate about supporting primary care, improving service provision and population wellbeing.
She is a member of The King’s Fund General Advisory Council and holds a MSc in health care commissioning. With her sister she co-founded STEMMsisters, a social enterprise supporting young people to study science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine. She has two young children (8 and 12 years)
Running has been her savour during the height of COVID19, and she took the time most days to run 5K with her two kids. It was her "me time" with her family during such challenging times.
We all put things off. But the Great British Week of Sport is a great time to get active. For ideas to get you started, visit https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/ and come and join the Her Spirit community.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to https://herspirit.co.uk and we hope you have found her Your Best Year Yet tips helpful.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this twenty third episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Mel C.
The start of Melanie’s career really needs no explanation at all, as it is rather well documented…
After the iconic 1996 debut single ‘Wannabe’ topped the charts in 37 countries, Spice Girls’ debut album ’Spice’ went on to sell more than 31 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album of all time by a female group. The girls went on to sell more than 85 million records, releasing three studio albums, 13 singles and winning a host of awards including a BRIT for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.
Her struggles with depression and eating disorders are well-documented. They began in the midst of the Spice Girls' mind-boggling run of chart and media dominance in the late 90s. The band sold 31 million records, scored nine number one singles and upended music industry conventions about the viability of girl bands.
Merseyside-born Chisholm was the best dancer and strongest singer, but she was caricatured in the tabloid press as "the plain one at the back, who doesn't really do much".
She didn't recognise the person who was being portrayed in the media, amplifying her feelings of inadequacy.
Her road to recovery began with therapy for clinical depression in the early 2000s. The arrival of her daughter in 2009 also marked a turning point.
"Being a mum was so liberating because for the first time in my adult life, it wasn't all about me," she says. "It made me not only realise I had a huge responsibility to her but I have a huge responsibility to myself. In being her teacher, I had to treat myself better."
Melanie talks openly about her struggles in life and how she is still work in progress. Her 5 tips to live "Your Best Year Yet" are very relatable for every woman.
Melanie is a lover of sport hence the name "Sporty Spice" and her aspirations to qualify as a GB age group triathlete.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit and "Your Best Year Yet" go to www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this twenty third episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Claire Danson.
Triathlete Claire Danson, won the 30-34 age category at the European Championships in June 2019, she was paralysed following a cycling accident at the end of August 2019. Danson is the sister of England and Great Britain hockey player Alex Danson.
Claire was involved in a collision with a tractor while riding her bike. She suffered two punctured lungs, broke a finger, both wrists, the head of my humerus and both shoulders.
She also fractured all the bones in her neck, including a break to one, and had multiple fractures and breaks to every one of my ribs. Unfortunately, she suffered a complete sever to her spinal cord at T9, which means that she is paralysed from her belly button downwards.
Claire's ask is for you to remember that she is still exactly the same person. She still has crazy hair and a mad laugh, she is still the clumsiest person you have ever met and she will still tell the most long winded yet entertaining stories. Her request is to please treat her as the same old Claire. Nothing has changed there.
Her sister Alex says Claire is the most resilient, hard working and inspiring person you will ever meet.
This podcast is so inspirational for anyone and her passion for life and laughing is phenomenal.
**This podcast was recorded on the 1 year anniversary of Claire's accident.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this twenty second episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Olympic cyclist, commentator and public speaker Jo Rowsell
Jo began competitive cycling relatively late – aged 16 – having been talent spotted at school aged 15. She wasn’t a cyclist at all previously and having been talent spotted was faced with a steep learning curve into the world of cycling skills and tactics. Perseverance lead to junior National Titles and representing Great Britain at the junior World Championships in only my second year of racing.
Jo grew up in London but after finishing my A Levels relocated to Manchester to be a full time cyclist and within 9 months won my first World Title in the women’s Team Pursuit. A series of setbacks throughout 2010 put her place on Team GB at a home Olympic Games in jeopardy as she subsequently suffered a bad year in 2011, but she battled back to become World Champion, World Record holder and Olympic Champion in 2012.
In 2013, Rowsell broke her collarbone at the London cycling festival but, five weeks later, after an operation and training on the Wattbike with a pillow on the bars, she won the Women's Pursuit on the track at the International Belgian Open.
After the London Olympics Jo focussed more on individual events and in 2014 completed the World Championships and Commonwealth Games double with gold medals at both events in the Individual Pursuit that year.
Jo made Team GB again in 2016 for the Rio Olympics but this time she went in as the underdogs having not won the World Title that year. However the team blew the competition away to take a gold medal again and 3 new World Records in the process.
In March 2017, Jo announced that she was retiring from the sport. "The decision to step away has been the hardest I've ever had to make," she said. "I believe I have more to offer the world."
Jo has suffered with alopecia, resulting in hair loss, since she was 10 years old which has brought with it many challenges to overcome as she grew up. She talks openly to Annie and Louise about this and how sport helped to normalise it.
She gives some great motivational tips about being active and motivating yourself and others.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this twenty first episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Professor Greg Whyte.
Greg Whyte was awarded an OBE in 2014 for his services to Sport, Sport Science & Charity, and was voted as one of the Top 10 Science Communicators in the UK by the British Science Council. Greg is an Olympian in modern pentathlon, and is a European and World Championship medalist. He is an expert in the field of sports and exercise science. Graduating from Brunel University, he furthered his studies with an MSc in human performance in the USA and completed his PhD at St. Georges Hospital Medical School, London.
Greg is currently a Professor of Applied Sport and Exercise Science at Liverpool John Moore’s University and Director of Performance at the Centre for Health and Human Performance at 76 Harley Street, London. Greg's former roles include Director of Research for the British Olympic Association and Director of Science & Research for the English Institute of Sport. And currently sits on the Her Spirit advisory board.
Greg is the preeminent authority on Exercise Physiology and Sports and Exercise Performance in the UK. An internationally recognised expert in the field, Greg has extensive professional experience assessing, treating and improving the performance of patients, sporting enthusiasts and athletes ranging from cancer sufferers to celebrities attempting their first mountain summit to Gold medal seeking Olympians.
Greg is well-known for his involvement in Comic Relief, since 2006 Greg has applied his sports science work to assist various celebrities in completing some of the toughest challenges. Greg has trained, motivated and successfully coached 23 Sport & Comic Relief Challenges including: the comedian David Walliams to swim across the English Channel the Gibraltar Straits and the length of the Thames; James Cracknell to run, cycle and swim to Africa; a team of 9 celebrities including Cheryl Cole, Chris Moyles and Gary Barlow to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro; Eddie Izzard to run a remarkable 43 marathons in 50 days; Christine Bleakley to waterski across the English Channel; Dermot O’Leary, Oly Murrs and others to cross the driest desert in Africa; John Bishop to complete 'Bishops Week of Hell’ that involved John cycle, row and run from Paris to London; and Davina McCall in her 'Beyond Breaking Point' 506 mile ultra-triathlon. Greg supported Jo Brand on her 'Hell of a Walk' from Hull to Liverpool and Radio 1's Greg James on his 5 triathlons in 5 cities in 5 days.
In 2019 Greg trained Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly for a 24 hour Danceathon and raised over £700,000 for Comic Relief. 10 years on since Greg took the original 9 nine celebrities to Kilimanjaro, he found another 9 celebrities to attempt the challenge the list included Dani Dyer, Osi Umenyiora, Dan Walker, Alexander Armstrong, Shirley Ballas, Ed Balls, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Anita Rani. Greg and the celebrities completed the challenge overcoming some obstacles with the main one being altitude sickness.
As a result of his work, Greg has helped raise over £45million for charity. His book 'Bump it Up' was released on the 25th August 2016 and is a great read for every woman.
We love his approach to life and that "nothing good comes easy and "doing more today than you did yesterday" is a great way to approach being active.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this twentieth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to professional boxer and England footballer Stacey Copeland.
Stacey is deeply passionate about making a difference to others and uses her love of sport to have a positive impact wherever she can.
Her community and charity work, activism around progress for women in sport and gender equality and involvement in encouraging sport for all has led to much recognition both within and beyond sport.
Boxing plays a big role in Stacey’s family, her dad was a professional boxer and her granddad has run the family gym for over 40 years. From a young age she learnt the basics in the gym, attended boxing shows, and grew to love the atmosphere and everything about the sport. She always wanted to be a part of it, however at that time, there were no opportunities within boxing for females.
As a youngster, Stacey also loved football and after joining a local team her sports career truly took off. She played for Doncaster Belles in the Premier League, England U18s, and eventually went on a football scholarship to America graduating with a degree in Sociology. After graduation Stacey played in the women’s semi-pro league in Dallas, and finished her football career in Stockholm, Sweden for Vasalunds FC.
Returning home from Sweden, injuries meant Stacey could no longer play football at elite level but she was not ready to give up competitive sport. Having always boxed for fitness, and having a real passion for the sport Stacey decided aged 29 to finally pursue her first sporting dreams of becoming a competitive boxer. Stacey was very much aware that this was ‘old’ to be taking up a new sport, especially such a tough and male dominated sport, but she was determined to give it everything. She began training, lost 5kg for her first fight, and won; the nerves before that first fight were like nothing Stacey had ever experienced before! The feeling when her hand was raised at the end was the best feeling ever, and that was it, Stacey was hooked!
She reached the ABA national final in her first year but had to pull out due to illness, however she recovered and went onto win two ABA national titles, as well as four Boxcup tournaments in Europe.
In 2013 Stacey attended an emerging talent camp at GB boxing, and the experience made her want to take boxing to the next level. The following year she competed in her first international contest winning a tough contest against a New Zealand opponent and following this, Stacey was selected to represent England at the European Boxing Championships. To box in the welterweight category she had to drop a further 6kg, so began a strict diet and training programme. Stacey arrived at the European Championships with less than 20 bouts experience and was in awe of the whole experience; however, trusting her coaches and team mates advice she gave her all in each fight. She reached the final beating the Italian champion, the Russian number one seed, and the Irish national champion along the way and although she did not win the final, Stacey was delighted to come away from her first major competition with a silver medal.
It just shows that no matter what obstacles are in your way, whether it be age, injuries, or anything else, if you work really hard and give everything then you can achieve amazing things!
We love her Brene Brown quote "We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can't have both. Not at the same time.” and that we are all in the same storm but not the same boat.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.co
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this eighteenth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to four time Olympian Donna Fraser.
Donna started her career in athletics by winning six consecutive English Schools 200m titles and a European Junior 400m gold medal. With the support of Croydon Harriers AC, she went professional in 1996.
Donna’s athletics career spans back over a decade and has an amazing story to share on and off the track. She made a smooth transition in the Senior Athletics arena where she went on to compete for her country on numerous occasions and earned recognition as a serious World Class athlete when she came 4th at the Syndey 2000 Olympic Games, breaking the 50 second barrier for the first time.
Donna Fraser had one of her best years in 2005, where she achieved a fine 200/m400m double at the AAA Championships and was the first athlete to do so since 1945. In 2002, 2005 and 2007 she helped Britain to 4x400m relay bronze in the World Championships and became the BBC Athlete of the Year in 2005.
In 2009 Donna Fraser was forced to retire from the world of athletics due to her being diagnosed with breast cancer; in that same year, she made a life-changing decision to undertake a mastectomy. With the 2012 Olympic Games being held in London, Donna Fraser’s passion to inspire others, drove her to return to the track in 2012.
She achieved the qualifying time to compete at the Olympic trials, which was a personal goal she had set following her breast cancer ordeal.
After 19 years at EDF Energy, Donna returned to her passions in 2017, taking on a new role with UK Athletics as their Equality, Diversity & Engagement Lead and for the organising committee of the 2017 IAAF World Athletics Championships and World Para Athletics Championships in London.
Donna is the current Vice President of UK Athletics. She is tasked with overseeing the success of the UK’s current athletes and creating the pathway for the potential world champions of tomorrow.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk and sign up and download the Her Spirit app.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this nineteenth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to TV presenter Julia Bradbury.
Credited with revamping Sunday night primetime television on BBC One’s Countryfile, and dubbed “Lady of the Lakes” following her many walking series, Julia Bradburyis one of the small screen’s most popular and versatile presenters.
Outside her television life and following her dedication to environmental causes, she is an ambassador for Keep Britain Tidy, The National Trust and a champion for Ordnance Survey. Julia is also proud to be the first female President of The Camping and Caravanning Club. Following her involvement with the BBC programme Famous, Rich and Homeless, she has now become a staunch supporter of the Big Issue and the plight of homelessness.
She talks about her love of the outdoors, walking and her passion for sustainable tourism. She champions the need to reduce plastic and raising the awareness of plastic pollution.
As a mum of three she shares the importance of being active and how walking is a special thing, most of us have a special memory, or sense of play.
Julia is co-founder of The Outdoor Guide with her sister Gina, a free online resource for all things connected to the outdoors. www.theoutdoorguide.co.uk
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this eighteenth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Claudia Hammond is an award-winning broadcaster, author and psychology lecturer.
In her work she shares the ways that psychological and medical research can help us in our everyday lives, whether through radio, TV, podcasts, public events or books.
Claudia is the presenter of several podcasts and radio shows including All in the Mind on BBC Radio 4 which covers psychology, neuroscience & mental health and the weekly global health show Health Check on BBC World Service.
She is Visiting Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Sussex. Claudia gives talks on psychology around the world and often chairs public events on psychology, medicine and science. She writes a regular column on medical myths for BBC Future.
Her latest book, The Art of Rest, examining the science behind our struggles to rest and relax, is published by Canongate. She is also the author of Mind Over Money, Time Warped and Emotional Rollercoaster.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk and sign up and download the Her Spirit app.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this seventeenth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Dame Kelly Holmes, Double Olympic Games Gold Medallist.
Double Olympic Champion Col. Dame Kelly Holmes MBE (mil) is one of the UK’s most popular athletes, respected throughout the world as a role model and an inspiration.
Setting and still holding the British records in the 800m and 1000m, Kelly is an Olympic, Commonwealth and European champion that has achieved seven Gold, eight Silver and four Bronze medals throughout her career. This includes her double win in the 800m and 1500m at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, becoming the first Briton in over 80 years to do so. After her Olympic success, she won BBC Sports Personality of the Year, European Athlete of the Year and was honoured with a Damehood from the Queen.
Kelly was raised by her mum on a council estate in Kent. She attended the local secondary school where, due to the belief and support of her PE teacher, she pursued her talent at running. Ferried to race meetings up and down the country by her family, she knows the importance of having a supportive team.
At 18, Kelly left professional running to pursue her first dream, to be in the British army. She became an HGV driver and then a Physical Training Instructor, before being awarded an MBE for services to the British Army in 1998. In 2018, Kelly was appointed Honorary Colonel of the Royal Armoured Corps, marking her return to the army. The accolade was approved by Her Majesty the Queen, making it the first time an individual has been appointed Honorary Colonel to a regular unit.
Kelly could never shift the dream of Olympic gold that she had since a child, but it was a very tough journey there. Her running career was overshadowed with repeated injury and disappointment. Recurring physical injuries contributed to periods of clinical depression and self-harm that continued to affect her just one year before her Olympic double win.
Soon after this win, Kelly set up the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. The charity helps guide disadvantaged young people, getting their lives back on track by using world class athletes to engage, enable and empower, attitudes they need to fulfil a positive life. She encourages the same philosophy that she lives by, nothing is impossible.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk and sign up and download the Her Spirit app. It's FREE till the end of June 2020.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this sixteenth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Jo Whiley, Radio DJ and TV presenter.
Arguably one of the most recognisable voices in British Broadcasting, Jo Whiley has had an exciting and varied career and is considered one of the nation’s favourite radio DJs. Jo was born in Northampton. After studying in Brighton and dabbling on BBC Radio Sussex’s new music show, her first broadcasting job was as a presenter for WPFM, Radio 4’s youth culture and music show. She then moved over into TV, initially on satellite, then to Channel 4 as band booker for ‘The Word’, giving Britain its first television taste of bands such as Nirvana and Rage Against The Machine.
Jo joined Radio 1 in the Spring of 1993 and in September she became permanent co-presenter of The Evening Session with Steve Lamacq. Four years later she landed her own daytime show, and remained part of Radio 1’s weekday line-up until 2009, when she began a new weekend programme. Jo currently presents her evening show Monday - Thursday on Radio 2.
Jo has also presented coverage of the Glastonbury Festival on Radio 1, Channel 4 and BBC-TV, plus she’s hosted several music programmes for Channel 4. Jo is a celebrity ambassador to Mencap, a UK charity that works to support people with learning difficulties. She hosts the Little Noise Sessions concerts, in aid of the Mencap charity enlisting the support of many well-known international music artists. Jo is also a supporter of Tommy’s - The Baby Charity and the Patron of the Cri du Chat Syndrome Support Group.
Jo talks about how she got into triathlon after a call from Louise in 2019 and has gone on to complete her extremely demanding triathlon challenge for Sport Relief in 2020, in which she did three triathlons in three days in three different cities and raising money for Sport Relief.
She talks about her love of swimming, menopause and life in lockdown with her husband Steve and 4 children.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk and sign up and download the Her Spirit app. It's FREE till the end of June 2020.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this fifteenth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Eddie Brocklesby AKA Iron Gran and founder of Silverfit.
Eddie’s personal drive to get fit was spurred on by her husband Phil's sudden death in his fifties. Phil was diagnosed with colon cancer, which had progressed into pancreatic cancer. Being active and running with my friends helped me dramatically after I lost my husband at such a relatively young age. When I started swimming, at 56, I couldn’t do front-crawl at all and swam breaststroke with my head above water like most women of my age. When I could swim properly, I could start doing triathlons, and from there I entered the Ironman competitions.”
Eddie has now undertaken 10 Ironman challenges – which is made up of a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride and then a marathon – and finished six of them.
Known as Iron Gran by many, her fantastic children and grandchildren think a more apt name would be Mad Gran. But her advice would be to make the best of your life – and have fun.
The impressive Eddie launched her charity Silverfit in 2013 to promote sport for older people. It began with running events in London’s parks and has since swelled to 2,000 members at 17 venues across nine boroughs. Silverfit goes into areas of economic deprivation, where they know they can make a difference, Last year they had 23,000 attendances and 60% of their members tell them they now exercise for at least 90 minutes each week.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk and sign up and download the Her Spirit app. It's FREE till the end of June 2020.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this fourteenth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to adventurer, motivational speaker, influencer and author Anna McNuff.
Anna, a British born adventurer, motivational speaker, influencer and author. She was recently named by Condé Nast Traveller as one of the 50 most influential travellers of our time, and by the the Guardian as one of the top modern female adventurers . She is also proud to be the UK Ambassador for Girl Guiding, and the co-founder of Adventure Queens; the UK’s fastest growing women’s adventure community.
She is best known for her recent attempt to run the distance of 100 marathons through Great Britain, in her bare feet.
The daughter of two Olympian’s she grew up in a family where the pursuit of physical and mental excellence was encouraged. Seeing the respect and admiration that her parents received led her to me harbouring ambitions from an early age to be an Olympian myself.
As a middle sibling sandwiched between two brothers, she could often be found down the local BMX track, up to her armpits in mud or playing football in the local boys’ team. Growing up, she simply did what the boys did because it’s all I knew. By aged 16 she had moved on from football, and taken up the sport of rowing, where she went on to represent Great Britain. During her time in the Great Britain squad, she became a World Champion at the University Games in 2006, and won a Bronze medal at the 2007 European Championships.
Dogged by injury in her twenties, she made the difficult decision to retire from the sport and to let go of my Olympic dream. She then embarked on a new life as an adventurer – darting around the world on the hunt for new and exciting endurance challenges.
She talks to Annie and Louise about her passion for cycling and adventures such as cycling the Andes. We love her saying "Just give it a bash" and her attitude for life.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk and sign up and download the Her Spirit app. It's FREE till the end of June 2020.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this thirteenth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to TV presenter Helen Skelton. She talks about her time on SAS Who Dares Wins, life as mum of 2 boys Ernie & Louis and her priorities in life.
Helen Skelton joined the Blue Peter team in the summer of 2008, as the 33rd presenter of the long-running show. Staying until 2013, her natural personable style and adventurous streak won her many loyal fans and saw her cement herself as one of Britain’s best-loved presenters.
Since leaving the children’s show Helen has presented Countryfile, The Instant Gardener and covered some of the historic sporting events of Rio 2016 and London 2012 for the BBC. Helen has continued to establish her presenting career in covering the London Marathons in 2010 and 2011 for BBC 5 Live team, reporting from the Epsom Derby and Wimbledon Championships for the same station.
Alongside her day job, Helen is a part-time adventurer, in 2009 she was crowned the second woman ever to complete the Namibia Ultra Marathon. Not stopping there, only two weeks later she ran to prestigious London Marathon for Leonard Cheshire Disability. Running isn’t the only outdoor event Helen excels at, she has climbed out of a Moulin on an Alaskan glacier, beaten a world power boat champion and come in 6th place in the UK Women’s Downhill Skateboarding Championships.
Following her double marathon triumph in 2009, Helen kayaked 2,010 miles down the Amazon in support ofSport Relief just one year later in 2010. Breaking two Guinness World Records; the longest solo journey by kayak, and the longest kayak by a woman in 24 hours, Helen put her name in history books as Blue Peter documented her trip in a two-part special for SportRelief.
For Comic Relief 2011, Helen decided to train in the art of high wire walking and completed a 150-metre-long, 66-metre-high walk between the towers of Battersea Power Station. ‘Girl on Wire’ was aired as a BBC1 special, and it led to her being nominated for Best Presenter at the 2011 Children's BAFTAs.
In 2012 Helen became the first person to reach the South Pole using a bicycle, and continuing her adventurous streak in 2013 she took on seven challenges for Comic Relief, hoping to inspire her Blue Peter audience. Despite failing in two challenges, she still succeeded in 5!
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk and sign up and download the Her Spirit app.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this twelfth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Commonwealth Champion and GB triathlete Jodie Stimpson.
Jodie achieved double Commonwealth gold at Glasgow after competing in both the individual Elite Women event as well as the Mixed Relay (2014). She is also a Relay World Champion (2011) and has claimed multiple 1st place finishes at ITU World Triathlon Series events.
Jodie has been a triathlete nearly all of her life, having started training when she was eight and won her first race as a nine-year-old. She has competed for Great Britain at all levels from winning the world junior Aquathlon title as a 17-year-old through to standing on top of her first World Series podium at Kitzbuhel in 2013 and claiming the Commonwealth individual and Mixed Relay titles in 2014.
She talks to Louise and Annie openly about the recent loss of her dad Ian, and how he was such a strong role model for her. She believes he will still continue to be her biggest strength when she starts racing again.
Not making the Olympic team in 2016 was something she found devasting, she reflects on this now in terms accepting what you can and can't control. She knows she gave it her all to make the Olympic team but it was unfortunately not meant to be.
She talks openly about her relationship with food and knows it has not been good and knows she still has issues with it. She knows her unhealthy relationship with food, and unhelpful eating habits compounded this relationship. She has worked closely with her nutritionist and trusted in her to make the changes she needs in her athletic career and for the future.
She knows her attitude with her own body confidence is also something she battles with all the time. It's so important to be real through social media and not caring about how you look.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk and sign up and download the Her Spirit app.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this eleventh episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to BBC Breakfast Naga Munchetty.
Naga Munchetty is a journalist and presenter on BBC Breakfast, the UK’s most popular breakfast news programme.
As well as making sure that the audience stays informed during breaking and developing news stories, she enjoys asking questions that the audience would like to ask. Naga has grilled countless political heavyweights from Hillary Clinton, to David Cameron and Tony Blair.
She thrives on challenges, notching up some big sporting achievements. She took up golf in 2008 and now plays off a handicap of 9. She ran the London Marathon in 2013 and cycled 100km for Ride the Night in 2015.
Away from the sports arena she appeared in the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2016, and was a judge on the Bailey’s Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2016.
She talks openly about her approach to social media and life on the red sofa, how she always strives to be her best self and how being active is so important for her physical and mental health.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this tenth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Endurance athlete, blogger and speaker Sophie Radcliffe.
She is the only person in history to have climbed the highest mountains in the eight Alpine countries and cycled between them, climbing five times the height of Mount Everest in 32 days. She has cycled 300km from London to Paris in 24 hours on nine occasions, completed multi-sport adventure races around the world, raced her bike coast to coast across the USA, completed 100km ultra-marathons, and she is a two-time Ironman finisher.
In January 2013 she gave it all up to create a new story. She was 27 and running the commercial division at one the UK's fastest growing technology startup. She had everything society told her she should need to feel happy, but she was restless.
The night before she decided to quit her job, a friend said to her:
"A ship in a harbour is safe, but that's not what the ship was built for. Go Sailing."
Making the decision to forge a new trail where there was no set path, was one of her toughest decisions, but it led to her being who she is today.
She believes that through challenging ourselves that we stretch our limits, break down barriers and realise we can achieve far more than we think.
Her mission is to empower you to feel invincible and as though you can do the most badass, inspiring and challenging things that scare and excite you in equal measure. To explore what your body and mind can do through the world of adventure and endurance sport.
Sophie believes that fitness is about what your body can do, not what it looks like. She focuses on functionality rather than aesthetics, on developing a strong mind instead of focusing on negatives.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this ninth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support Lynda Thomas.
After starting a family at twenty-eight, she decided to shift direction and volunteered with NCH Action for Children. This led to a full-time position and launched her career in the third sector.
She joined Macmillan as joint Head of Media in 2001 and became Director of External Affairs in 2007, playing a significant role in transforming Macmillan into one of the UK’s most trusted charities. In 2011 Lynda became Director of Fundraising, overseeing the launch of successful new fundraising events and a significant growth in donations.
Lynda became Chief Executive of Macmillan in 2015, 14 years after she first joined Macmillan.
Her biggest challenge at Macmillan is now and the significant affects of COVID19 to the organisation. As head of an organisation, Macmillan will have a shortfall of income up to £100 million in 2020. The cancellation of London Marathon in 2020 alone has meant a loss of fundraising up to £2 million.
Lynda knows that people are at the heart of Macmillan and you should never forget the power of volunteers. She never does and makes sure the 22,000 volunteers are always thanked the supported.
As a mum of three she talks openly about her daughter Bella's battle with food and her eating disorder. The impact within the family unit was complicated and she acknowledges that this is the hardest thing she has ever had to overcome.
She loves exercise and running especially, and how if it was bottled it would be a "wonder drug". She is a massive Arsenal (Gooner) supporter and misses Saturdays on the stands with her husband.
Let the hero leaders... be the hero leaders.. Lynda knows that other people are what makes you great and surrounding herself with a great team. She loves being part of a team and when asked what she would tell her younger self, she said "Take the opportunities presented to you, don't take yourself seriously and ask for the support you need".
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this eighth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Helen Jenkins MBE.
Helen is two-time triathlon world champion (2008 & 2011), one of Britain’s most celebrated triathletes having represented Team GB at the Olympic Games (2008, 2012 & 2016) and Wales at the Commonwealth Games (2006).
Helen won her first senior world championships in Vancouver in 2008 and went on to place 21st in Beijing on Olympic debut. After reclaiming the world title in 2011, in a summer which included a commanding victory in the London Olympic test event, Helen then overcame injury to place fifth at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Her mantra has seen her through all of her key life moments "You've got to just concentrate on doing what you can do". This mantra helped her get through the 2012 Olympics having not been able to run for three months prior to the games.
Another memorable triumph on Gold Coast in 2016 confirmed Helen’s qualification for a third Olympic appearance in Rio, where she finished 19th.
Following the birth of her second child, Helen had a lower back fusion surgery in 2018 and has six screws and plates in her spine. This surgery stopped her competing for three years, but Helen was determined to return to professional racing and compete at the highest level. Early this year she came back to triathlon with her first Half Ironman/70.3 distance
Finding your WHY? Is so important to Helen, and Helen knows being active is really important and how it makes her feel. She knows being active makes her a better mum, wife and person.
Helen was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to triathlon.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this seventh episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Dame Sarah Storey.
Sarah has competed in 7 Paralympic Games (3 in cycling as Sarah was previously a swimmer), Sarah is now Great Britain’s longest serving athlete.
Sarah began her Paralympic career as a swimmer, competing in four games: Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, picking up a combined total of five gold, eight silver and three bronze medals.
Following Athens Sarah decided to make the switch to para-cycling and has enjoyed incredible success as she not only dominated para-cycling events but has also enjoyed significant success in non-disabled events.
Having given birth to her second child in October 2017, Sarah announced her return to international competition with a dominant display to win two gold at the 2018 Paracycling Road World Championships and since then at the 2019 Track World Championships Sarah won 2 gold and a silver, along with securing victory in the Omnium test event and briefly holding the Flying 200m Time Trial world record before it was broken two minutes later.
She was appointed at in May 2019 as Active Travel Commissioner for the Sheffield City Region. Her role will involves championing active travel and working alongside Mayor Dan Jarvis to create a region in which more people travel on foot, by bike or by public transport.
She talks openly about her relationship with food, which in her teens wasn't a very positive one, and being close to being hospitalised with an eating disorder. Her approach now is about being strong and not being obsessed with numbers to determine your own health.
Her mantra is about being the best version of you and the team hashtag #BestVersionOfYou.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org.
For more information on Her Spirit go to www.herspirit.co.uk
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this six episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Dr. Nighat Arif.
Dr Nighat is a family GP specialising in women’s health and family planning. She is also medical educator and organ donation advocate.
Dr Nighat Arif is based in Buckinghamshire and is able to consult fluently with patients in Urdu and Punjabi which brings a great deal of trust from her community. Nighat is a medical educator and provides teaching to local trainee GPs as well as at National conferences. She works as an outreach clinician, meeting with doctors, nurses, community teams and residents to discuss the unmet health needs for Pakistani communities who are less likely to engage with health professionals.
Dr Nighat has three children of her own and is currently an independent local GP working privately and for the NHS. She has worked for the NHS for 10 years and privately for 3 years so has a wealth of experience.
She talks to Louise and Annie about the lack of encouragement from her family going up to be more active, and it wasn't until her son's birth and putting on on extra weight that she revisited getting fitter.
Opening up the dialogue at home with friends and family around wellbeing is really important. Awareness is one thing but making it specific to the person is very important, and this is what she champions with her patients and those around her.
Goal attack and netball was her passion and her love of team sports. For Nighat this linked into finding her own identity and how it was a universal language and who she was.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org
**This episode was recorded before the COVID19 lockdown
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this fifth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Rev. Kate Bottley.
In 2012 Kate was part of a wedding flashmob video which went viral with over 7 million hits on YouTube. This led to her being approached by Channel 4’s BAFTA and NTA winning series Gogglebox.Kate currently presents Good Morning Sunday on BBC Radio 2 alongside Jason Mohammed. She previously presented The Sunday Hour (BBC Radio 2) and has appeared as a contributor on Saturday Breakfast with Dermot O’Leary and Pause for Thought on Chris Evans’ Breakfast Show, for which she won a Jerusalem Award.
She talks to Louise and Annie about her love of life, life in isolation during COVID19 with her husband and two children, and keying into your bravery every day. She's loving fancy dress to keep her humour alive during lockdown, and keeping her spirits alive.
Reflecting on her three triathlon's as part of Sport Relief 2020 she would key into this bravery every day with her mantra "Yes this is scary, Yes this is tricky, Yes this is going to push you but the gain is even more. And the view from the top of the mountain is even more beautiful".
As a lover of open water swimming and at times lakes swimming, she laughs with Louise and Annie about sharing the open water with "Tri Babies". She recommends to every woman - Think about what you can do and not want you can't do.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this fourth episode of the season of the Her Spirit podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Lorraine Candy.
Lorraine is the Editor-in-Chief at Style Magazine. She joined from Elle UK, where she spent 12 years at the helm. Lorraine is renowned in the industry for her digital content innovation, knowing her audience inside out and delivering luxury and fashion content to them. Lorraine also writes a weekly parenting column for The Sunday Times Magazine.
She talks to Louise and Annie about home schooling her four kids during the current COVID19 situation and her love of open water swimming. We love her quote from Ross Edgley "You've got to be gullible enough to start and stubborn enough to finish".
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this third episode of season two of the Her Spirit Podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Eleanor Mills.
Eleanor spent 22 years with the Times Newspapers and is Chair of Women in Journalism. Mills joined The Sunday Times in 1998 as its youngest ever features editor. She was editor of the Saturday edition of the Times in 2008 but returned to its sister title a year later.
She was named Sunday Times editorial director in 2012 and editor of the Magazine in 2015. During her editorship the magazine won Supplement of the Year at the Press Awards for the first time.
She talks to Louise and Annie about her love for open water swimming, her life in journalisms and meeting some of the greats such as Michelle Obama and Sheryl Sandberg the COO of Facebook.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this the second episode of season two of the Her Spirit Podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to Deborah James and Lucy Gossage.
Deborah James AKA Bowel Babe is a former head teacher, cancer campaigner and has lived with cancer over the last three years. She campaigns and fundraises alongside major UK cancer charities, writes and presents the award winning, chart topping podcast 'You, Me & the Big C' for BBC's Radio 5 Live.
Lucy Gossage is a cancer doctor and 13 x Ironman champion. She set up the charity 5K Your Way, Move Against Cancer. She is passionate about the role of exercise for your physical and mental health.
Two wonderful strong women who are united in the current COVID-19 times around the power of exercise, creating a routine especially in these challenging times and living in the moment.
Please note this podcast was recorded on Friday 27th March to reflect the current Coronavirus situation in the UK.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this first episode of season two of the Her Spirit Podcast BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin and BBC Triathlon presenter Annie Emmerson talk to the BBC's Trust me I'm a Doctor, Dr Zoe Williams. Please note this podcast was recorded on Friday 20th March and has been updated to reflect the current Coronavirus situation in the UK
As well as a practising NHS GP in London, Zoe was recently named on the Pulse Power 50 list as one of the most influential GP’s in the country. Zoe is a passionate advocate of the benefits of physical activity and is a Public Health England clinical champion for physical activity and is also the founder of Fit4Life, an organisation that delivers workshops to children to inspire, educate and motive them to lead healthier lives.
Zoe talks to Louise and Annie about being in self isolation, coronavirus, the importance of being active and her passion for health and fitness and how she accidentally became 'Amazon' in Gladiators.
Louise, Annie and Zoe also answer questions from the Her Spirit Community about coronavirus and how to stay physically and mentally active and well during a time of mass isolation and national uncertainty.
These podcasts have been made possible through the support of Medichecks www.medichecks.com and Sport England www.sportengland.org
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
Toni started her career in retail as a graduate at Sainsbury’s and discovered her love of working with people and being close to customers and why people do what they do. This led her into the marketing world and soon became a marketing leader at P & G.
She has been supported by many to help develop her, as she supports many up and coming female’s in business. She knows the common theme is unlocking knowing you are so much better than you think you are and asking what is it going to take for you to believe in yourself.
Toni has her own tool box “The Toni tool box” which keeps her grounded and knowing the importance of this linked into her work – family and health.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
Annie Emmerson has over 20 years in the world of triathlon as an elite athlete, coach and broadcaster with the BBC. She launched the Tripod podcast with BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin in 2019 to enable more people to be inspired to take part in triathlon.
She talks about always believing that something amazing is always around the corner. For her being active is still very important and recommends that you find someone one to be active with and setting a little goal with them. And keep plugging away to find something you enjoy.
As a mum of 2 she keeps her kids busy and active but not too busy and make the time to be together with friends and family.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
Melanie Marshall is the UK's most decorated female athlete at the Commonwealth Games, Double Olympian and coach of Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth swimming champion Adam Peaty. As a coach Mel believes female coaches bring a different dynamic, she talks about that men and women see some things differently, and she think's that’s important. With anything in sport, the more dynamics you have, the more equipped you are to move forward.
She talks about her journey through life as a swimmer growing up in Lincolnshire and her Olympic disappointment, her relationship with Olympic champion Adam Peaty and trying to be the best person she can be. At times she is challenged by this and through the support of her friends and being active together it gives her the support and help she needs.
Mel is a graduate from Loughborough University in Applied Sports Science and has worked with a charity in Zambia called Sport In Action.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
Susan has more than 30 years’ experience working in the digital industry and is a leading influencer in the Internet world. She has always believed in the power of data and knowledge, and that successful digital engagement and transformation drives business success.
Susan was awarded an MBE for services to entrepreneurship and innovation in the Queen’s Honors 2018. Also in 2018, Susan was made a Fellow of the Institute of Direct Marketing. She is a Freeman of the City of London and a Trustee of Nottingham Castle. She is also chartered member of CIM and CILIP. Born in the USA, Susan has resided in the UK since 1985.
She talks about saying YES to anything in front of you and then figure out how to do it! As Richard Branson said “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!” It's a wonderful way to explore new paths.
Susan shares her views on how she stays resilient, how to celebrate the small steps you achieve, her love of the outdoors. Her three top tips to handling the lumps and bumps of life are:
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Be grateful of one small thing every day
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Do random acts of kindness
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Be active outdoors every days
It’s obvious she loves what she does and the importance of confidence for her and every woman is critical.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
Paula was the fastest British female sprinter during the 90s with a time of 11.15, and went to the 1988 Olympics Games. Over her athletic career she won numerous Commonwealth Games and national titles.
Paula was appointed in 2012 as the ParalympicsGB Track and Field head coach, this appointment meant she was the first female and black head coach appointed by British Athletics. She talks about how its too tiring to be someone else and through confidence she discovered she just needed to be herself and only herself.
She wants anyone around her to reach their true potential and believes in coaching the person as they achieve the medals.
A mum of two boys believes a good network around you is essential. With them and her husband she is able to achieve being the best her in all aspects of her life
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
In this candid podcast, Becky talks openly about being a mother for the first time and the instant guilty you feel when you do something for yourself. "I don’t understand why we do that as mums? It's so hard to balance being a mum and I have learnt I need to look after myself. Exercise and a healthy lifestyle is so important. It makes me a better parent."
Becky gives a rare insight into how she really felt post the Beijing Olympics and the criticism she received about her body shape. “ Your ugly, your fat, you look like a whale” I wasn’t trying to be a super model I was an Olympic swimmer. I was only 19 years old which is a difficult time for any young girl or young women. It was so unexpected. I didn’t coupe with it and I still don’t understand it. I learnt to block it out."
The turning point for Becky was becoming a mum. She talks about learning to love and accept her body and why it has taken her to 30 years old to accept herself and why she is very careful about what she says in front of my daughter.
Becky shares her views about social media and the culture we have created around diet and fitness. "Everyone wants an easy route to everything. You can’t just take a tablet or drink this tea and become a size 10. It’s not about eating lettuce it’s about balance and enjoying life."
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk
Jayne is Managing Director of True Story who are a creative agency for retailers, consumer businesses and brands. Jayne is also the Founder of White Hot and inspiring women to embrace their grey or white hair as a stylish colour choice. Jayne and the team at True Story have also been the inspiration behind the creation of the Her Spirit brand identity.
Jayne talks openly about her life over the last couple of decades and why it's more important than ever to free ourselves from the tyranny of thinking there is only one way to be. She discuss why we are in danger of losing empathy for each other and why the diet and fitness industry isn't creating solutions that work for people long term.
Hear from mum-of-two Sarah about how running changed her life in her fifties and how much the Her Spirit community means to her.
Find out more at herspirit.co.uk