Velo Dulce: Recent Episodes
Lisa R Steingold
I'm Lisa šāāļø The bicycle is a great metaphor for life! It's up, it's down... So I decided to interview the bravest, most admired even the funniest of women who've found the sweet spot. Welcome Velo Dulce!
This is my last podcast episode.
2 years after starting Velo Dulce, I've decided to wrap up the show.
I wanted to wrap it up by saying thank you to all the incredible women I've had the privilege to interview over the years.
Thank you for all your wisdom, stories of bravery and courage, your authenticity and your wanting to make the world a better and brighter place.
There were a few lessons I personally learned from the show;
- You're just the same as anyone else and yet at the same time not at all so don't compare your journey to anyone else.
- It's always hard, so you just have to choose your hard.
- Learn to embrace rejection
- But never say die!
Thank you to all for listening!
I'll see you on the path! Cruzamos en el camino!
Lisa
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
My guest today doesn't describe herself as a cyclist but she probably cycles as much as the average pro. If she isn't running up a storm.
Miyelani Khumalo ran her first race on 19th January 2013, a 5km following her divorce.
She has done over 50 marathons (yes that means more than 42.2km), more than 20 ultra-marathons (anything greater than 42km), and 3 Comrades marathons (yes, a whopping 90kms!)
The 29th of July 2018 saw her take part in the Washie 100miler (162km) race in the Eastern Cape which is run over 26 hours! She didn't finish in the allotted time by 30 seconds but came back to finish this year. Check it out on Instagram!
She then started trail running and has done the āUltra trail Lesotho 50km, the 76km Addo trail run, the 50miler Mac Mac Ultra trail, and x6 50km trail races across the country but her pride remains the Karkloof 100miler which she completed in September 2021.
Miyelani is a single mother to 3 active children aged 12, 7, and 5. She holds a corporate job and is studying towards her 2nd degree.
Her other interests include golf. And she's currently training for the World Adventure Racing Champs and Ironman in April 2024.
Her advice to women is JUST START and ālive before you dieā in all you do!
PS We didn't chat about it during the show but afterwards I asked her about how she fuels her body for all of this?
"I havenāt gotten a lot of things figured out in my life, so much that I am still trying to figure out a fuelling strategy that works for my lifestyle. I do, however try to keep my eating clean, mainly made up of fruits and vegetables and meat as a form of protein. I have recently cut out alcohol from my diet and am very intentional about my water intake. Leading up to a big race or event, I toughen up my eating and take in a lot of protein in a form of supplements."
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
I was thrilled to chat to my friend Shanel Munger on this episode of Velo Dulce!
Shanel is the Learning Manager at the South African Reserve Bank. She has a passion for partnering with business to create development journeys that build capacity, empower performance and drive business growth.Ā
She's also a TEDX speaker and spoke Mindfulness at work: a superpower to boost productivity and wellbeing
And she's a phenomenal cyclist with a passion for the sport.
I hope you love the chat as much as I did!
You find Shanel's TED Talk here!
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
I've been thinking about #levellingup ALOT!
Is it that fate just shines on some and others no? Do some just have better luck?
The more I study and learn about pro-athletes and those at the top of their game, the more I see just how much of a difference Levelling up makes!
The 3 rules of Levelling Up from my perspective?
- Show up! (And keep showing up!)
- Know up! (Put yourself in the know by constantly learning and knowing thyself) and
- No up! Learn when to say No!
I hope you enjoy this episode.Ā
Here's to levelling up!
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
Tessa Kortekaas is the winner of the 2023 Titan Mountain Bike Race; a 6-day grueling event held annually in Morocco that goes through the Moroccan desert between the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert.
Long story short. It's no joke.
It was the first time Tessa took part in the race and yet she came out with the win.
Having held a long and industrious sporting career, which ironically isn't related to mountain biking at all!Ā
She's had various achievements in skating, swimming and triathlon having won World Champion in her age groupĀ 30-34 at the famous Ironman Hawaii (Kona).Ā
We spoke about what the Titan race meant to her, owning your superpower and life advice for going through tough times!
I hope you enjoy the convo as much as I did.Ā
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
I finally did it! I wrote the novel I've been waiting to write my whole life!
Learning to Love Lisa is the story of a woman stumbling through her forties in all her flaws and flailings. Moving (un)confidently from South Africa to Spain amidst a global pandemic, it all goes horribly wrong as she loses her job and realises that speaking Spanish is much more difficult than her app promised it would be.
So I thought for something different in today's show I'd read out Chapter 1 of the book.
I also wanted to share my thoughts on soul work and practising new things.
https://learningtolovelisa.com/
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
My guest today is Szifra Burke.
Szifra was born to Yiddish parents, immigrants from Poland to America. She grew up in Massachusetts deeply affected and inspired by her immigrant parentsā Holocaust experiences and their indomitable tenacity.
She has a real passion for storytelling, and for life too!
In preparation for her interview, I watched her talk on WorldChannel about he she got her name. Well needless to say I ended up in tears.
As with the women on my shows, this is one POWER house of a woman!
She produced Browsing Through Birkes, a documentary she co-produced about growing up in her familyās quirky retail clothing store with her irascible, opinionated father, well-liked mother, and their sometimes mistreated but loyal customers.
Today Szifra is an Executive Leadership Coach, Financial Behavior Specialist, and ally of immigrants.
BUT thatās not why Iām interviewing her!
Today I'm Chatting to Shifra about her recent book āIn Tandem: Pedaling Through Midlife on a Bicycle Built for Twoā.
We spoke;
- Cycling
- Relationships
- And tackling life no matter what age
I really loved our chat.
You've simply have GOT to buy the book! Get it here on Amazon!
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
Today's episode is a little outside the usual but I wanted to start the New Year by taking a look at the realities of life.
Insta vs reality.
It's a thing!
Sometimes when I'm on Instagram I get depressed when I see everyone living large and living the dream. Then I look at my own Insta profile and actually it looks the same but it doesn't feel like that.
This year I'm vowing to
- Stop comparing my life to others
- Allow myself to be human and acknowledge my struggles (Which is really hard for me)
- Own my mistakes
And from there we'll see what happens. Because I think being real is the key to those dreams becoming a reality.
In the end I think like most of us, I don't want Insta vs Reality, I want my reality to be great and if there's pics to show for it so be it.
I hope you enjoy the show. I do mention a blog called "The formula for life" in the podcast and you can just click here if you want to find it.
Love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time, wishing you love
Lisa
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
Eva Wiggelendam is the team travel coordinator for MotoGP team Repsol Honda, one of the most prestigious teams in the MotoGPā¢ World Championship.
She is the only female on the team that covered all the Grand Prix circuits in 2020 (the craziest year in history when the pandemic hit) and was featured as a #WomenInMotoGP star in 2021.
Eva is competitive, passionate and committed and it was an absolute privilege to chat to her about...
- Life in MotoGP
- The dedication needed for a high-performance career
- Cycling and sport in general
- Contributing to your purpose
- And living in Spain
Hope you love the chat as much as I did!
Lisa
Image courtesy of MotoGP
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
I last spoke to Ariane LuĢthi on the 23rd of September 2021 after her then-recent victory in the Swiss Epic.Ā
Since then a lot has happened. In her true courageous style Ariane has been public this year about her battles with Long Covid and chronic fatigue.
BUT not one to just lie around and let life take over, she used the break in training to create Pump for Peace
On this show, I love the stories of victory but the truth is victory is always fleeting. What is lasting is the Victorians themselves because they are shown not by their trophies but by the way in which they face up to lifeās tests. \
Ariane for me is one of those.Ā
We spoke;
- Long Covid
- Finding purpose
- Building Pump for Peace
I wanted to leave you with one of Ariane's own quotes as it felt so fitting;
"If you donāt have enough skills or power to get the win, remember that kindness will always make you a winner. š"
Wishing you all a blessed and beautiful December!
Lisa
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
Being a high-performance athlete requires dedication, persistence, hard work and unrelenting commitment.
And Chanelle Zackey-Prinsloo is the ultimate corporate athlete.Ā
Not only is she theĀ National Marketing Director of the worldās most iconic brand, Ferrari but she has a vision that stretches far beyond her own ambitions.Ā
Coming from humble beginnings, she truly represents what it means to be a champion.
We chatted;
- Challenges
- What it takes to succeed
- And being South African
I hope you love the conversation as much as I did!
Lisa
Sign up to my mailers if you'd like to receive thoughts on what it means to 'go beyond what you thought was possible'.
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Take good care of you!
Lisa
Vera Looseris a professional cyclistfrom Namibia. She's represented her country in the Olympic Games, is fluent in 3 languages and competes at the highest level in cycling riding for a European team.
Vera caught my attention some time ago when she rode the Titan Dessert Race (and came 2nd in the GC!) which is only one of the toughest mountain bike races around.Ā
Vera's list of 2022 titles ALONE include;
- Winner of Namibian road champs,
- 2nd in the Titan Desert Race
- 4th in the commonwealth games AND
- A recent stage win in the Swiss epic with Kim LeCourt
Whenever I check out a guest for this show I like to get a sense of who they are, rather than what theyāve done and for me Vera portrays guts, grace and beauty in equal measure.
I recently cycled the Camino de Santiago.
I wanted to share my thoughts here not because it was some epic physical feat but rather because it was a soulful excursion with a couple of life lessons learnt along the way.
I learnt that 'el camino' means 'the way' and it really was a reflection on life and how we find ourselves on and off our paths.
If you want to check out the 1-minute video, check it out here.
Thank you for listening and see you next month!
Lisa
Katee Gray founder of Holistic Endurance.
She is a Performance Coach, Sports Nutritionist and self-confessed hormone nerd. Katee has a serious passion for optimising athletic and human potential utilising an integrated approach of wellness and performance for the everyday athlete.
She spent over 15 years racing triathlon. She has a Bachelor Exercise Science (Major Sports Psychology) and has a Post graduate in Human Nutrition to name just a few of her qualifications!
She is also the host of the Podcast "Healing Grumpy Athletes" which is incidentally how I stumbled onto her work. If youāve seen me hangry after a long ride or if youāve felt hangry after a training session then this show is for you!
We spoke about
- Hormones - it's a real thing!
- Why you need to train properly
- How having boundaries helps burnout
And why most symptoms we think are 'normal' are actually not normal!
I highly recommend Katee's work and her books "Healing the grumpy athlete" and "Rejuvenation Protocol". You can also check out the Healing Grumpy Athleteās podcast episodes here and podcasts she's been featured on here.
Listen up and as usual, I'd love to hear what you thought of the show!
Stay fabulous!
Lisa
Carrie Leaf is a practising psychotherapist, holistic mindset coach, and hypnotherapist. She holds her undergraduate degree in Psychology. She completed her master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy.
Carrie is a mother to two twin boys (toddlers!) and a stepmother to their older brother and sister. She is a furbaby mom to two boxer dogs.
AND she recently released her book "Therapize Yourself".
I wanted to chat to Carrie because I was intrigued about how on earth she does it all and on her views on mindset.
She had some GREAT points which include:
- Systemizing your life
- Taking ONE step at a time
- And taking accountability for the life you want to live.
Hope you enjoy the episode as much as I did!
Love to hear your thoughts!Ā
Lisa
Today, my superhuman guest is Hannele Steyn from Cape Town in sunny South Africa.
Hannele is the former Sport and Wellness Advisor of the Intercare group, runs her own whole foods company Passion4Wholeness, has represented South Africa and has Springbok colours in biathlon, triathlon, duathlon, road cycling AND mountain biking.
Sheās completed the infamous TransAlps, Ironman. She is also 1 of 3 people in the world who have completed all 18 Cape Epic races and the only woman! (a race WHICH incidentally she won in 2005!)
In case you thought Hannele was just a beautiful face, well she has a BSc Microbiology Genetics, a Diploma in Nutrition, a Marketing AND a Diploma in Triathlon Coaching
Without further adieu, I present to you HANNELE, the lioness of the Cape Epic!
We spoke:
- Resilience
- Nutrition
- Finding your WHY
- What it means to have belief
And to live with NO REGRETS!
I just loved this conversation with Jasmine Davis!
Jasmine is an artist, photographer, world traveller and freshly initiated rookie aka "novata" into Asturian-Spanish culture.
She's also the maker of sentwithlovefrom
Jasmine and I met, by mistake, on purpose as it happens and we discovered we both felt we were both meant to be Oprah!
We discussed;
- What it's like NOT being Oprah
- Dealing with grief
- And being JOY so that others find you joyful!
As always, listen, share and let me know what you think!
Lisa
Iāve been wanting to chat to Cherise Willeit no jokes for about 10 years now as she seems to be someone whoās had her fair share of challenges and yet seems to smile through it all whilst still managing to voice her opinion and power her way forward.
Cherise describes herself as Wife ā¤Mother šØāš©āš¦āš¦ Cyclist, Olympianš“š¼ Seeking adventure with my family. šā°šProudly South-African living in Germany š©šŖ šæš¦ #ismile4burry
We spoke
- Overcoming grief and loss
- Second chances
- Professional cycling AT THE SAME TIME as being a mom and wife
- Moving back to South Africa
And the future of women's cycling
Cherise has the rare ability to be down to earth and reach for the stars at the same time and one thing that has struck me over time is just how she smiles through it all!
Hope you enjoy this as much as I did!
Lisa
PS Apologies for the sound blips on occasion - technology wasn't smiling on me during the day of the interview but I didn't want to let the opportunity pass.
Molly Yurick is a "maatjie" as we say in South Africa or a mate of mine.
Molly joined me on a 50km cycle as a newcomer to road cycling and it brought back memories for me of what it meant to first climb on a bicycle.
What really blew my mind however was one night sitting on the couch seeing her name on the credits of Season 5 of Netflix's most-watched series "Money Heist"! I just knew we had to chat! And I've since dubbed her (excuse the pun) as the World's Best Spanish-English subtitler!
We chatted cycling, success and language (or in my case lost in translation!)
AND what living your life with freedom looks like.
Love what you hear or want to comment?
Head on over to www.lisasteingold.com or drop me a mail on coach@lisasteingold.com
Until next time
Lisa
A couple of people have been asking about my story but more than that I wanted to share the message of rest and resilience and what that really means.
Don't have time to listen? Okay here it is;
- When you try new things, you probably will fall on your ass but that's okay - it's how you level up
- Resilience means showing up, not just doing the same thing over and over
- You can rest while working
Recently Velo Dulce was ranked no 13 in The BEST 40 Cycling Podcasts! I started this show because I wanted to promote women in cycling and felt like their stories needed to be shared. This year they were stories of courage and resilience often despite the odds.Ā
Thank you to all the ladies for sharing their stories this year! Ladies and gentlemen of ALL walks of life, here's to a POWER-filled 2022 and see you all next year!Ā
Remember to keep it rubber side down!
Lisa:-)
Please drop me a mail on coach@lisasteingold.com or check out www.lisasteingold.com
Kim Brearley describes herself as "one of the ladies who rides" but having recently completed The Munga, one of the toughest races on earth, I'd say she's anything but.
The Munga is a non-stop semi-supported mountain bike race through the remote Karoo in South Africa. Riders have 120 hours or five days to ride 1155km and make the cut-off.
That's 120 hours with little sleep and extreme temperatures!
Alex Harris, the Race Director describes The Munga in these words;
āAt the Munga we celebrate what it is to be human. We know the fight. We know what it means to grovel, and grind, and crawl in desperation to the light at the end of the tunnel. We know what itās like to hang on to a thread, but claw and pull it back till itās a tight rope, and walk that thin line, balancing the life and death of dreams, till at last we lean forward and the momentum of action carries us inexorably towards our destiny! At the Munga, we know what itās like to live, but really liveā
I had the great privilege of chatting to Kim recently to get her perspective on her experience of The Munga.
Her message of friendship and beauty really struck home with me.
I loved this video of Kim and her very big smile!
I also though these videos will give you some idea of the crazy weather conditions.
Rain, rain and more rain!
And a little more rain!
Keen to enter for next year?
Here we go!
https://themunga.com/
Maria Olsson is the VP of Creative for Peak Performance and former head of design at Rapha cycling where she was the driver of significant innovations in the technology, styling and design of the premium clothing brand.
She lives in Stockholm, worked in London, and studied design at the University of Technology Sydney. Ā
Earlier this year Maria was featured as one of Cyclistās most Inspirational Women!
We spoke about
- How she came to be "Eagle Eye" and one of Europe's top design specialists in sportswear
- Shaping Rapha and the sport of cycling for women
- Your MUST-HAVE winter boots:-) CLICK HERE if you want to check them out an NO I wasn't paid to feature this product:-)
- My favorite red cycling top (you've seen it on Insta I'm sure:-)
- AND managing self-criticism
I particularly loved her approach to challenge and change.
Listen up and share with a friend!
Until next time!
Lisa
Katy Curd is a three-time British 4-cross Champion and former 4-cross Pro Tour winner
Katyās titles include Downhill National Series Champion, European 4 cross Champion, 4crossĀ Pro Tour winner as well as having 7 other World Cup Podiums.
She left pro-riding to focus on coaching.Ā I caught up with her to find out what on earth 4-cross is and to talk her approach to scary things.
I REALLY loved her philosophy of Learn. Progress. Play. - it's something she really lives!
Check her out on Insta and www.katycurdcoaching.com
Born in Newcastle Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, Buhle started riding just 4 years ago.Ā
Just two years after an introductory urban fixie ride through the streets of Soweto, Johannesburg South Africa, she finished the 2019 Cape Epic, in the mixed category, with a male riding partner.
And in October 2021 she completed the Cape Epic for the 2nd time placing 10th in the all women's category with fellow South Africa Remofilwe Moeketsi.
I recently caught up with Buhle and we chatted "Being BEST", the deepest moments of the Cape Epic 2021 and on going forward!
IMAGINE taking professional photographs while sitting at the back of a motorbike?
Karen M Edwards, hailing from Cork, Ireland is a cycling photographer. Sheās released a number of books including āChasing Racesā, āGods, Rockstars & the Cobblesā in 2017 and is about to release her next book āChasing Rainbows and Rockstarsā.
Sheās worked with the Top brands in cycling including Bora and the release of their book āBoys and Bikesā and shot at events including Volta a Catalunya, Criterium Dauphine, Tour de France and Vuelta Espana.
Karen (who has the loveliest of accents by the way) and I spoke
- What it means to be a professional cycling photographer
- Divorce and the big comeback
- How she got the shot of Julian Alaphilippe
- Music, family and cycling in Ireland
Check out her INCREDIBLE picture of Peter Sagan! And do yourself a favour and check her out on Insta!
Okay but seriously, one day you're just walking down the road in Las Vegas and the next you're halfway across the world to Rwanda to develop cycling?
Not a word of a lie but this is what Kimberly did when, as she described it, she reached a proverbial fork in the road.
In 2009 (just 15 years after the genocide in Rwanda) Kimberly tracked down Tom Ritchey (legendary racer and also the founder of Project Rwanda) and within two months sheād quit her job, got on a plane headed for Rwanda.Ā
She said sheād stay three months, but ended up staying eight years and co-developing Africa Rising Cycling.
What a story and excuse the pun but what a ride!
We talking Africa, living 'on purpose' and developing women's cycling:-)
Tracy Moseley is a legend in mountain biking and one of Britainās most successful and best-known female mountain bikers! Do yourself a favor and check her out on Google or Wikipedia. No word of a lie, she has more winning titles than the Duchess of Alba.
BUT more than that, Tracy has a degree in Biological Science, is a wife, mom to 3-year old Toby AND works for Trek Bikes supporting athletes in their careers.Ā
We talked motherhood, doing it all, eBikes, enduro, life at 41 and how to survive a crazy world.
TWO things stood out for me in our conversation.Ā
- ONE was Tracy's approach to fear which she describes as practicing confidence.
- AND the other was on slowing down and making a conscious effort to keep life simple which is a philosophy she wants to impart to her son.
I was fortunate to chat to Tracy just before she takes a break.
Image thanks to DA Sports Photos
Grace Elvin is a 2-time winner of the Australian National Road Race Championships and the only Australian female rider to podium finish at the Tour of Flanders for Women.
Sheās represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games and Olympics.
She left pro racing in 2021Ā to say to pursue life outside cycling but that isnāt true. Gracie has reinvented her career and is giving back her all to the sport. Sheās currently a writer for Cycling Tips and co-founded The Cyclists Alliance, an organisation which fights for the rights for pro-female riders.
**As Iāve come to find out Gracie is also something of a comedian which is no small task given the gravity of the causes she fights for.Ā
Today I chatted to Gracie on;**
- The art of reinventing yourself
- Courage and holding courageous conversations
- The Cyclists Alliance and how it's supporting women in the sport
Shew these conversations keep blowing me away!
Take a listen and let me know what you think
Lisa
Malcolm Gladwell once defined an outlier as a truly exceptional individual "who doesn't fit into our normal understanding of achievement.ā
This is clearly the case with Faranak Partoazar.Ā
Born and currently living in Shiraz, Iran, Faranakās story to begin cycling and follow her passion is an unusual one.Ā
As a girl born in a traditional society, she fought passionately to be able to ride freely, and perseverance saw her become a professional rider in 2014, competing with the Iran national team.
Faranak isn't just physically determined but mentally too and also has a Masters Degree in Structural Engineering.
In this edition of Velo Dulce, Faranak shares
- what it means to have grown up cycling in Iran
- her fight for the start line
- AND that the only thing that matters in life is putting it all on the line
Hailing from Switzerland, Ariane LĆ¼thi is arguably the country's most prolific cross-country marathon racer. She's a 4-time Swiss XCM national champion and 5x Cape Epic Winner.Ā
"You only really start to change things when you go into the deep stuff... You change when you have no other choice and when it's really painful. If you haven't changed something you weren't far enough in yet"
I spoke to Ariane LĆ¼thi on dealing with pain and pressure what it means to be resilient.Ā
To say I was blown away by our conversation is an understatement.
Jenni Green is the founder of Bia Cycling and one of the most impressive women I know reducing the barriers to entry for women in cycling.
Having run one of South Africa's and even the world's biggest mass participation cycling events, Jenni then turned her attention to founding Bia Cycling; a hub for women's cycling in the UK and beyond..... all whilst battling Lyme Disease.
Today we talk what it means to cry and keep pedaling as well as how to find the inner strength you need when you need it most; something Jenni terms #thepowerofi
Sarah Hill is Professional Mt Biker for @livcycling is a coach, Level1 MTB Skills coach and is currently doing her Masters in Psych but more than that, she's real!
It was her article "You're not Alone" that really captured my attention in July this year.Ā
Sarah, real and courageous and in the very first episode of Velo Dulce, shares her struggles on depression and her journey from here.