Steph and Friends have Zing: Recent Episodes
Stephanie
Steph and Friends have Zing is a new Podcast designed to inspire and share extraordinary people’s stories on their connection with exercise and how it has helped them cope through life’s trickiest moments. Steph is now a personal trainer and mum to two gorgeous boys. In her former life as a helicopter crewman in the Royal Air Force, Steph completed 4 tours in Afghanistan as well as arduous courses such as the Escape and Evasion and Artic Survival Course in Norway.Steph is a notoriously bad loser in tennis... She loves skiing and is desperate to get back into rock-climbing. Often seen out on the Thames on her paddle-board, Steph has completed numerous endurance challenges and as she enters her mid-30s that is where her strengths lie. Cycling from Oxfordshire to Milan and completing the 2018 world famous Marathon Des Sables is just the beginning. More adventures to follow. When her youngest son was born with Goldenhar Syndrome Steph’s coping mechanism was to run and it’s still her form of ‘free therapy.’ She hopes that by sharing her story and the story of others, you too will get the heart rate pumping and understand the huge power that exercising has on your mental health.
Sally Has Zing!
I first met Sally on a sand dune in the middle of the Sahara desert nearly 3 years ago and I’ve been lucky enough to follow her incredible fitness journey from that point onwards.
Sally Wellock (Taylor to be) is a knowledgeable and fun personal trainer, sports masseuse and newly published author of FIT FOOD. (The recipes are soo good, easy to make and nutritious)!
I love the concept and we’ll talk about why “Abs are made in the kitchen.”
Sally’s goal is to help busy women in realising that being healthy, fit and happy is both easy and achievable even with limited time to put towards it.
Sally’s biggest achievement so far is completing the 33rd Marathon Des Sables with her Dad. She also ran her first marathon at 18!
So many of us have dreams and career moves we’d love to try but aren’t quite brave enough to take the plunge. Sally was brave enough and I hope she motivates you to be brave with you career path and live too!
I'm so excited to chat to Caroline about all things Pilates!
Word of warning on this Podcast - you will want to start working on your Pilates immediately after listening!
After years of desk-bound jobs, and a rather poor attitude to fitness generally, Caroline ended up with sleepness nights through back and neck pain. The final straw was went she got stuck at the bottom of ladder at a play park because she didn’t have the strength to pull herself up.
Enough was enough. By luck there was a local Pilates teacher and, right from that first session, Caroline has never looked back. She has gone on to train with Body Control Pilates in London (Europe’s leading Pilates organisation, which is also medically approved) and has trained ‘classically’ with Peak Pilates in Rotterdam. She works with a range of ages and conditions, training NATO staff and their families, as well as others. The necessary move to online teaching opened up the world and she now teaches from the Netherlands but in the UK, Spain, Cyprus and Canada.
Pilates has made her, and her clients, physically and mentally stronger. From that first group class in a village hall to setting up her own studio in the Netherlands, the journey has been great fun and only just begun.
Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at just 9 years old, Hayley believes that this changed her path in life. Every day is a gift, she aims to live life to the fullest.
26 years after her diagnosis, Hayley has gone on to have her own two little boys, start her own business, run 1 ultra (2 if you include the 50km on the self-propelled treadmill in Lockdown!), 3 road marathons, and an array of half marathons and 10ks…even though she hates pressure and much prefers a bimble!
Type 1 Diabetes has a way of complicating many aspects in life. It adds an extra dimension of worry and self-discipline, but throwing long distance running and pregnancy in the mix made life even more of a challenge…but it can still be done with the most beautiful of outcomes.
Originally from Cornwall, Hayley grew her family and business in the Cotswolds, but Lockdown 1.0 encouraged her to take the leap and move back to her homeland. She now starts the task of building her business again in both fitness and hospitality, while training for her biggest event to date later in the year, Lakes in a Day.
It was such a pleasure to chat to Hayley and I'm bowled over by how inspiring she is! Enjoy! x
In this weeks podcast Steph looks to childhood friend of over twenty years about how exercise has helped her during life's trickier periods.
Alana's tenacity and grit is truly amazing and part of her incredible story is retold on this Podcast.
Having walked the cross country (and indeed the 1500m) at school due to hating running, Alana has since gone on to run 3 marathons and 2 ultra marathons. She's got a passion for raising awareness for mental health and has raised money for Mind along the way. During lockdown she also discovered a love of open water swimming and in January is still wearing a cossie, boots and gloves!
Our very first episode interviewing our host Steph discovering how she uses exercise as a tool to strengthen her mental health.
We look back at her life as a little girl to the challenges she faced in her Royal Air Force career. Steph reflects on the life changing moment her youngest son was born with a rare syndrome and shines a light on the importance and therapy she found in running.
Interviewed by her husband, this light hearted podcast is designed to introduce our host and leave you inspired and wanting to get active.