Beyond the Finish Line: Reinvention, Resilience and a Life in the Saddle and Beyond

From National Hunt jockey to the face of ITV Racing. Broadcaster Alice Fox-Pitt on building a career in sports commentary.Alice is a British equestrian broadcaster on ITV Racing, a former eventer and National Hunt jockey, and by one account the only woman to have ridden both at Badminton and over the Grand National course at Aintree. In this conversation with Caroline Cary she traces the path from riding winners to the commentary box, what good sports storytelling actually is, and how society's relationship with the horse is changing. She also talks about the harder chapters, her husband William Fox-Pitt's brain injury and the loss of both her sisters, and about the things she is building now: a rural workspace and pub built on the belief that we are better together, and what it means to be a responsible custodian of land passed down through generations.What we coverA "can do" family and a childhood with no fear of risk.Riding winners on the flat, over hurdles and over fences.Breaking into broadcasting through luck, good stories and saying yes.The craft of live sports commentary, and why she stays in her lane.Why society's relationship with the horse is changing, and why it is a partnership not a domination.William's fall in 2015, the coma, and a recovery no one could predict.Losing her sisters Katie and Elle, and the choice her mother gave her.Building a rural workspace on the "better together" idea, and why we were never meant to work alone.Why working from home can quietly make us the worst version of ourselves.Being custodian of land and estate: access, farming, community and the environment.Being solution based, and her three things: be brave, find your tribe, make time.About AliceAlice represented Great Britain in eventing and rode winners on the flat, over hurdles and over fences before moving into broadcasting, first with Channel 4 Racing and now ITV Racing. She is married to Olympic eventer William Fox-Pitt and is a mother of four. Alongside her television work she is developing a rural workspace, pub and community projects on the family estate in Dorset.Website: https://www.alice-plunkett.co.uk/Instagram: @alicefoxpittplunkettEat Nourish Love with Caroline CarySubscribe for more conversations on wellness, business, self-care and personal growth.Chapters00:00 Intro01:59 Meeting Alice, and where it all began03:25 A family with no fear of risk05:14 Early success, and getting lost at Aintree06:55 Breaking into broadcasting11:39 Reporting from the inside of the sport14:10 How our relationship with horses is changing16:54 William's fall and brain injury20:27 The road to recovery23:22 Stepping back from competition25:47 Family and the next generation28:32 Building a rural workspace on "better together"32:18 Why we are not meant to work alone33:22 The White Horse pub36:11 Custodianship of the estate: access, farming, community, environment38:37 Working from home vs showing up41:46 Losing both her sisters46:49 Vision for the future50:36 Three things to leave you with