Lucy Bloom is an award-winning leader, international keynote speaker, consultant and author.  Her website says that “she uses her superpowers for writing and speaking about courage, trust, failure, change, maverick thinking, generosity and fun” -- all of which makes her the perfect guest for Sparta Chicks Radio! Lucy went from being a volunteer to the CEO and founding director of Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia (Australia) that raised funds to support the extraordinary work of Dr Catherine Hamlin to treat and prevent terrible childbirth injuries in Africa. So she has a heart as big as the hot pink mohawk that she proudly rocks.  She is honest, funny and open and I knew she’d be the perfect guest, even before I read her brilliant memoir ‘Get The Girls Out’ (which I highly recommend). In this conversation, we discuss confidence, change, scars, bouncing back from setbacks and why she doesn’t worry about what other people think. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Lucy on Instagram: @thelucybloom

Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

#170: Lucy Bloom on Getting the Girls Out

This week on Sparta Chicks Radio, I’m delighted to welcome data scientist, athlete and the Founder and CEO of Wild.ai, Helene Guillaume. Helene has combined her vast experience to found Wild.ai, an organisation dedicated to supporting active women through every phase of life. There are two things I love and admire about Helene’s work.  First, the brilliant Wild.ai app gives you personalised training, nutrition and sleep recommendations based on your specific physiology.  And secondly, Helene has also established a research department within Wild.ai that carries out groundbreaking research on women’s health (including a study currently underway about the impact of the Covid vaccines on women). Helene is a talented athlete in her own right - she has done everything from trail ultras to triathlons to ice swimming to rugby and surfing.  And she’s a data scientist who studied mathematics, her background was in using algorithms and AI to make smart investment decisions.  She now brings her vast experience to help you understand your body and to maximise your potential. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Helene on Instagram: @helene_wild_ai Follow Wild.ai on Instagram: @wild_ai

#169: Helene Guillaume on Unleashing the Beast in Women

Sarah Davis is a professional risk manager with a passion for risk-taking. And she’s back for her 4th visit to Sparta Chicks Radio! In 2019, Sarah became the first woman to lead an expedition along the length of the Nile (and joined me on episodes 34 and 134 to share that story). Then in February, 2021 (episode 155) she returned to share details of her next epic adventure, in which she planned to swap her paddles for pedals and ride (with her friend Tara Lal) 5,000km unsupported across Australia for charity. She’s back today to share how the epic adventure unfolded! Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Sarah on Instagram: @sarahpaddles

#168: Sarah Davis on Riding Across Australia

This week on the podcast I am joined by Strongwoman competitor, Leigh Holland-Keen.  As the name suggests, Leigh competes in what traditionally would be called Strongman competitions.  How strong is Leigh?  Well, in 2018 Leigh became the first woman in history to be awarded a clean lift of the Dinnie Stones. They are two legendary stones located in Scotland that less than 100 men have lifted in history. They weigh a combined total of (are you sitting down?) 332kg. That’s 733lbs! Yes, you read that correctly —332kg  Leigh was introduced to Strongman competitions by her step-father and was encouraged and inspired to compete by her mum.  Leigh’s mum - who we talk about in this episode - was a pioneer of the sport of Strongwoman in Australia and found her strength through the sport after an abusive relationship in her younger years left her with profound PTSD. Leigh is one of four women featured in a new documentary recently released on ABC iView appropriately called “Strong Women”. You can find that series here.  Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here https://www.spartachicks.com/radio/ Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks https://www.facebook.com/SpartaChicks Follow Leigh on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leigh.hollandkeen/

#167: Leigh Holland-Keen on Life as a Strongwoman

Kelli Jackson was first on the podcast in 2019. In that conversation, she shared how she transformed herself from (and I quote) an “unassuming middle age, overweight, unfit accountant who smoked” and who couldn’t ride a unicycle into an athlete and adventurer who planned to ride a unicycle around the world!  This time, Kelli returned to share her most recent adventure - becoming the first Westerner to ride a unicycle inside North Korea! I have never met or spoken with someone who has been to North Korea so I was very excited to hear about it.  Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here https://www.spartachicks.com/radio/ Follow Jen on Instagram: @SpartaJen Follow Kelli on Instagram: @1wheelonly

#166: Kelli Jackson on Riding a Unicycle inside North Korea

This week on Sparta Chicks Radio you’ll meet Ally Orr. Ally brings a unique perspective to the podcast; she is both a competitive Jiu-Jitsu player and an Exercise and Sports Scientist. A talented musician growing up in regional NSW, Ally moved to Sydney at 16 to attend music school.  Not long after, her then-boyfriend introduced her to strength training and weight lifting - and the rest, as they say, is history. She then found the sport of Judo before moving onto Jiu-Jitsu and has won (amongst other things) the lightweight Pan Pacific Championship and earlier this year, she became  Australian Champion in the 60kg division.  At about the same time she discovered her love of combat sports, Ally transferred her studies from music to Exercise and Sports Science. She now lives in Newcastle and works at Better Being as a PT and Exercise Scientist. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Ally on Instagram: @allyally_ally

#165: Ally Orr on Learning to Embrace Fear

Kathryn Bertine is an author, athlete, activist and filmmaker and you’ll meet her on Sparta Chicks Radio this week.  In 2006, Kathryn was a journalist who had been racing as a professional triathlete, when a journalism assignment with ESPN changed the trajectory of her life.  The task: to be a guinea pig and see if she could qualify for the Olympic Games in a sport within 18 months. And she chose the sport of road cycling.  Now, a spoiler alert: she didn’t make the team - but as she writes in Stand, “something wild happened”. She “almost” did. And the “almost” changed her. “[I]t is not the victories or losses that define our paths in life but the Wonder and What Ifs that lie between” Not only did she come to fall in love with road cycling during the ESPN assignment, but she also became aware and started to question the inequities she could see in the sport.  So she set 3 goals - to become a professional cyclist, to get women into the Tour de France and to quiet the demons of worthlessness in her head. She shares the stories of this — and much more in her compelling new memoir, Stand: A memoir on activism. A manual for progress. What really happens when we stand on the front lines of change.  Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpartaChicks Follow Kathryn on Instagram: @kathryn_bertine

#164: Kathryn Bertine on Standing on the Front Lines of Change

If you're struggling with motivation, your mojo is MIA or you feel like you've lost your spark, this is for you! You can find all the details here.

[Special] Have you lost your spark?

Josie is a New Zealand based runner and Holistic Wellness Coach who grew up watching her Dad compete in running events. As she tells the story in this conversation, she was a chubby kid who was teased about her weight so she started running during her teenage years to lose weight. Unfortunately, she soon found herself in a cycle of overtraining, under-recovery & under-eating for about 9 years. Ultimately it culminated in her experiencing the female athlete triad (as it was referred to then, which is a combination of disordered eating, amenorrhea and osteoporosis or low bone density) and ultimately a stress fracture in her hip. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks Follow Josie on Instagram: @springcoachingwellness

#163: Josie Askin on Stress Fractures, Perfectionism & Wellbeing

Neanne Alnafta doesn’t like labels. But it is hard to introduce someone without them.  So for this moment, I will share that she is a proud Muslim woman, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, an ocean swimmer and a volunteer surf lifesaver. She is also someone who is (and I quote) “freakishly scared” of the ocean. I came across Neanne’s story after reading an article about an organisation called ‘Swim Sisters’, an all-female swimming squad that empowers women, especially those from Islamic backgrounds, to feel more confident and comfortable in the ocean. You may know Swim Sisters by its former name - Burkini Babes, a group launched in France in 2016 by a group of women who were banned from wearing burkinis on the beach. In this conversation, Neanne and I discuss: - her love of soccer growing up, - why she felt like swimming and beach life weren’t for her after she started wearing the hijab,  - the power and importance of representation, - what prompted her to become involved in ocean swimming and then surf lifesaving (despite being “freakishly” scared of the ocean),  - the healing impact of ocean swimming on mental health, - why fear is not a bad thing. Get the full show notes for the episode here.  

#162: Neanne Alnafta on the Representation, Fear & Ocean Swimming

Growing up exercise was a source of shame and embarrassment for Brooke Nolan.  It was only in her late 20s that she discovered a love of outdoor adventure. Fast forward a few years and in March 2020, Brooke found herself on the first all-female team to cross the Finnmark Plateau, which is an ice plateau in Arctic Norway. The crossing was a journey of 250km 14 days that required the team to drag sleds weighing up to 50kgs up to 20km each day in temperatures as cold as -30. Oh, did I mention? Before committing to this expedition, Brooke had never seen snow before, and certainly didn’t know how to ski! Now we could have spent the entire episode talking about the expedition, but as I said, this was March 2020 and Brooke and her team were off the grid for 14 days. When they left, Covid-19 was a blip on the radar. By the time they returned, it had become a pandemic, borders were closing and it was a race to the airport to try and get a flight home, which ultimately took her over 4 months.  Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

#161: Brooke Nolan on Confidence, Compassion & Comparison (in the Arctic)

Jamie Mittelman is the host of my new favourite podcast - Flame Bearers: The Women Athletes Carrying Tokyo's Torch.  The podcast celebrates the journeys of unsung women Olympians & Paralympians. And she joins me on Sparta Chicks Radio this week! We discuss:  - the role sport and outdoor activities played in her family growing up, - sport as a mental health tool,  - her struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) particularly during College and how it affected her love of soccer,  - where the idea for the podcast came from and why it’s so important, - the episodes that have left a lasting impression on her, - some of the common lessons or themes her guests have shared, and - why she feels “athletically unqualified” to host the podcast and her experience with the Imposter Complex. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Jamie (and Flame Bearers) on Instagram: @flamebearers

#160: Jamie Mittelman on Mental Health & the Power of Women’s Stories

Based in Boulder, Erin Carson is the co-owner & operator of Rally Sports and is the head coach for EC Fit. Her clients include the dynamic duo of Mirinda Carfrae (3 x Ironman World Champion) and  Tim O’Donnell (fastest American ever at Kona). Aside from the World Champions she coaches, Erin also coaches everyday people - like me!  I use Erin’s ECFit on Demand app for my strength and conditioning program.  She’s a visionary who is changing what it means to be a strong athlete and the best strength training for endurance athletes.  Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Erin on Instagram: @ecfit_strength

#159: Erin Carson on Strength, Personal Power & Writing Your Own Story

Selene is also an extraordinary athlete in her own right. She’s been a semi-professional athlete since her late 30s and has competed in everything from Hawaii Ironman to 7-day mountain bike stage races and 200 mile (that’s 320km) gravel classics. And she hosts the popular podcast ‘Hit Play Not Pause” for active performance-minded women in their 40s and beyond. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Selene on Instagram: @fitchick3

#158: Selene Yeager on the Power of Cycling & Why Balance is Bullshit

An avid hiker, Ingrid Messner has travelled to over 50 countries and most recently hiked Australia’s 10 highest peaks, carrying about 18kg of gear and equipment, over the space of a week. She’s come along way from the experience she shares in this episode: of having to learn to walk again - twice! The first time after a hiking accident in 2017 (which took 11 months of recovery) and the second after contracting a viral infection in 2019. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks 

#157: Ingrid Messner on Outsourcing Patience & Learning to Walk Again

Sparta Chicks Radio shares inspiring stories coupled with practical, tried-and-tested-in-the-real-world advice from successful women in all walks of life about the realities of fear, self-doubt, courage, bravery, success and living life on your terms. From world class athletes, brilliant business minds to everyday women undertaking epic adventures, Sparta Chicks Radio will help you tap into your inner strength, courage, bravery and determination so you can chase your dreams and live a more fulfilling life on your terms. Find out more at www.spartachicks.com

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Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

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