PODCAST · health
Tough Girl Podcast
by Sarah Williams
The Tough Girl Podcast is all about inspiring and motivating YOU! I will be interviewing inspirational women from around the world, who've faced and overcome difficult challenges and situations, they will share their story, their knowledge and provide advice and essential tips for you to overcome your own personal challenges.
Episodes
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Natasha Sones – Wild Swimming, SUP Adventures and Writing Swimming Wild in London and South East England
Natasha is a year-round wild swimmer, qualified Stand-Up Paddleboarding instructor, freelance travel writer, and outdoor adventurer with a deep love of water in all its forms. Based in Suffolk, she is also a volunteer for the Bluetits Chill Swimmers and an Ordnance Survey Champion. Natasha's...
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Sylvia Malan-Gonzalez: Why Hiking is for Every Body | Fat Positive Hiking, Confidence & Community
Sylvia Malan-Gonzalez is a Fat Positive Hiker from Portland, Oregon, on a mission to show that hiking really is for every body. Although she enjoys being active, Sylvia didn't fall in love with hiking straight away. Getting started wasn't easy. Finding affordable gear that fit, overcoming...
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Helen Watson – Author of Tea and Grit and Cycling 15,000km Along the Silk Road from Scotland to China with Her Husband
Helen Watson is a traveller, writer, and conservationist based in the Scottish Highlands. Born in Scotland and raised in Switzerland, she has always been drawn to adventures that are both physically and culturally challenging. In 2009, shortly after completing her PhD, Helen and her husband Ed…
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Gaby Dijkstra – Outdoor Enthusiast and PhD Researcher Studying the Role of Gender in the Extreme Mountaineering Industry.
Gaby Dijkstra is an outdoor enthusiast, solo traveller, and researcher with a passion for remote mountain environments. Whether climbing, skiing, or paragliding, she feels most at home in the mountains and has travelled to all seven continents, breaking barriers as a solo female adventurer. After...
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Holly Budge: From Extreme Adventure to Protecting Elephants and Empowering Women Rangers
Holly Budge is a global keynote speaker on risk, innovation, and human potential, operating at the intersection of conservation, science, and bold ideas. As an Everest summiteer and the first woman to skydive Everest, she now focuses less on surviving extremes and more on solving the complex...
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Devin Brown - Learning to Endure on the Mississippi River and Reconnecting People to Water
Devin Brown is a Minneapolis-based paddler and founder of Sovereign Waters, an emerging organisation focused on connection, access, and purpose through time spent on the water. In 2024, Devin set out on an ambitious source-to-sea journey along the Mississippi River, paddling 1,025 miles before…
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Gina Johansen – Endurance Athlete Preparing for a Solo Unsupported South Pole World Record
Gina Johansen is a Swedish-born endurance athlete, adventurer, and a track work rider based in Sydney and Norway. She is currently preparing for a world record attempt to become the fastest woman to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole in 2026. She grew up on a horse farm in Sweden, where…
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Denise Leonard - The World's Toughest Row, 50 Days at Sea and Inspiring Women into Adventure
Denise is part of a team of women who have just successfully rowed 3000 miles, unsupported, across the Atlantic Ocean as part of the 'World's Toughest Row'. Rowing 12 hours a day for over 50 days, Denise drew on decades of experience from white water and sea kayaking, alongside years spent as an...
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Clare Dyson: Mountain Leader, Slow Adventure Advocate and Creating Space for Women in the Outdoors
Clare Dyson is a Mountain Leader, outdoor facilitator, and founder of the Women's Adventure Academy, based in the Lake District where she has spent over 20 years guiding people through the mountains and valleys she calls home. With a deep passion for slow adventure, Clare is dedicated to helping...
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Catherine Breed – From the Pool to the Pacific Ocean: Swimming the Length of California and Redefining What Adventure Looks Like Today
Catherine Breed is an endurance athlete, ocean explorer, and visionary storyteller redefining what modern adventure can look like — where human performance, environmental connection, and community impact meet. Drawn to the water from an early age, Catherine's journey began in elite competitive...
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Ria Xi - Running 20,000km Across the Silk Road to Redefine What's Possible
Two years ago, Ria was burnt out from her tech career in Silicon Valley, coming out of a difficult relationship, and struggling with mental health issues. Running became her way out. Within a year, she went from struggling to finish a half marathon to setting ultramarathon records on…
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Dr Irene Molina-Gonzalez - Running Beyond Burnout and Finding a New Purpose
Irene is a sports scientist, endurance coach, and ultra-runner originally from Spain, now based in the UK. She moved to the UK in 2013 to pursue a Master's degree, intending to stay only briefly, but quickly fell in love with the country and never left. Her journey into ultra-running was entirely...
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Helen Spencer – Vet, Polar Explorer & South Pole Ski Adventurer
Meet Helen Spencer, a veterinarian from Kent who swapped clinic life for the extremes of the world. From hiking in Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Yemen to caring for orangutans in Borneo, Helen has chased adventure across the globe. In this episode, she shares her journey to ski the last degree to…
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Dr. Shawna Pandya – Canada's First Named Female Commercial Astronaut & Space Medicine Pioneer
Meet Dr. Shawna Pandya, Canada's first named female commercial astronaut and a leading figure in space medicine. From emergency medicine to aquanaut missions and suborbital research flights, Shawna has trained to thrive in some of the most extreme environments on Earth—and soon, in space. In this...
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Jeannette McGill: Everest at 52, Leadership at Altitude & The Truth Above 8,000m
Jeannette McGill is a seasoned mountaineer and executive leader who, at 52, became the oldest South African woman to summit Everest in May 2025. With more than 30 years of global climbing experience—including leading expeditions across four continents—she knows deeply that the summit is never…
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Lauren Burnison – Pioneering the Sober Travel Movement and Adventures of a Single Mum
Lauren Burnison is the founder of We Love Lucid, the UK's first alcohol-free travel company, and a trailblazer in the sober travel movement. From couch-surfing with nomads on the Mongolian steppe to snorkelling with sharks in Oman, Lauren has spent her life seeking off-the-beaten-path...
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Helen Dainty – First Woman to Cycle Across Libya & 9 Years Living on £50 a Week by Bike
In this Tough Girl Podcast EXTRA episode, we catch up with Helen Dainty — solo female cyclist, self-described "full-time global hobo," and one of the most committed long-distance bike travellers you'll ever meet. For the past decade, Helen has spent nine years on the road, travelling exclusively…
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Chloe Stead – From Navy Life to Nomadic Living, Caminos, Grief & Choosing a Simpler Way
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we meet Chloe Stead — 42 years old and currently living in a rustic tiny shack in the bush in Tasmania with her husband — but her journey to this simple life has been anything but ordinary. Since 2008, Chloe has been living a travelling, nomadic…
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Aisyah Rafaee - 2x Olympic Rower on Comebacks, Mental Strength & Redefining High Performance in Your 30s
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we're joined by Aisyah Rafaee – a two-time Olympic rower from Singapore who competed at the Rio 2016 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the single scull. After taking an eight-year break from the sport, Aisyah made the bold decision to return—qualifying for...
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Lauren Roerick "Longway" – Thru-Hiking the World: PCT, HexaTrek & Te Araroa
Lauren Roerick, known on trail as Longway, is a long-distance backpacker, filmmaker, and outdoor educator who has hiked across North America, Europe, and Oceania. From the Pacific Crest Trail to New Zealand's Te Araroa, and becoming the first North American woman to thru-hike France's 3,034 km...
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Paula McGuire – Stroke, Autism Diagnosis & Why She's Still Saying Yes to Adventure
In this Tough Girl Podcast EXTRA episode, we catch up with Paula "Must Try Harder" McGuire — author, speaker, triathlete, wing-walker, double TEDx speaker, mental health ambassador… and proudly, a trier. Based just outside Glasgow, Paula has been adventuring since 2015 and has built a reputation...
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Rebecca Dent: High-Performance Dietitian for Ultra Runners & Mountain Athletes
Rebecca Dent is a high-performance dietitian specialising in ultra runners and mountain sport athletes — from passionate recreational runners to world-class professionals. Based in the Chamonix Valley for the past 10 years, she combines her expertise in performance nutrition with a life immersed…
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Manika Gamble – Racing 155-Mile Desert Ultras & Chasing Bold Adventures
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we meet Manika Gamble — an Atlanta-based trail runner who thrives on testing her limits in some of the world's toughest ultra races. Manika's running journey started with casual neighbourhood runs, but soon she found herself racing 155-mile desert ultras...
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Lisa Jackson: Still Running After All These Tears — Grief, Running & the Triumph of Tenacity
Lisa Jackson is a hypnotherapist, running writer, Runner's World columnist, and the author of three bestselling running books, including Your Pace or Mine?, Running Made Easy, and her deeply personal latest release, Still Running After All These Tears – A Runner's Journey Through Grief.…
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Dr. Erin Ayala – Psychologist, Mental Performance Coach & Endurance Athlete
Meet Dr. Erin Ayala, a Licensed Psychologist and Certified Mental Performance Consultant from Minnesota, specialising in supporting female endurance athletes. With over a decade of research and clinical experience, she's a published author, sought-after speaker, and advocate for mental health in...
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Jennifer Doohan – Founder of The Adventure Wellness Club, Helping Women Challenge Themselves and Connect in Nature
Jennifer is an adventurer, wellness professional, and founder of The Adventure Wellness Club, helping women connect with nature, challenge themselves, and build lasting friendships through experiences grounded in the 3 Cs: Challenge, Connection, and Community. She designs international hiking...
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Marie "Lootie" Leautey – Solo, Unsupported & Fastest Woman to Run Around the World
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we're joined by Marie "Lootie" Leautey, the second woman in history to run around the world solo and unsupported — and the fastest woman to do it. Lootie's journey began in France, far from the running world. A former smoker and corporate finance...
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Stephanie Ho: Adventurer and Endurance Athlete Skiing Solo to the South Pole & Pushing Beyond Limits
Stephanie Ho is a 24-year-old adventurer, endurance athlete, and exercise physiologist based on the Gold Coast, Australia. From rock climbing and ocean swimming to triathlons and mountain expeditions, Stephanie has always chased the outdoors — but her biggest goals lie in the polar regions. In…
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Birgit Hermann – Turning Extreme Endurance into Bolder Leadership for People and Planet
Birgit Hermann is a global leadership coach, speaker, executive leader, ocean advocate, professional freediver, and extreme endurance athlete who translates lessons from the edge into meaningful impact for people and planet. She supports purpose-driven leaders to turn bold challenges into…
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Amanda Duling: Endurance Sport After Gastric Bypass — Grit, Fueling & Radical Honesty
Amanda Duling is an endurance athlete, writer, and founder of One Gear Short of Normal™. A post-bariatric, perimenopausal gravel cyclist and Ironman 70.3 finisher, Amanda uses grit, science, and unapologetic humour to tell the stories no one else is telling about endurance sports, women's bodies,...
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Lyla "Sugar" Harrod – Triple Crown Hiker & Appalachian Trail Record Breaker
Growing up near Boston, Sugar discovered hiking in her early twenties while exploring the White Mountains of New Hampshire. After getting sober at 30, she found herself with the clarity, time and capacity to pursue the life she truly wanted. What followed was a decision to live authentically,...
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Sara Eydmann - Ultra-marathon runner on attempting to run 500 miles, mental health and changing the narrative
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we're joined by Sara Eydmann — ultra-marathon runner, counsellor and therapist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. At 30 years old, Sara is no stranger to pushing her limits. From attempting to run 500 miles to taking on the North Coast 500, her journey into...
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Starre Vartan: The Stronger Sex — Women's Bodies, Endurance, and the Science We've Been Missing
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, I'm joined by Starre Vartan — science and environment writer, author, and lifelong question-asker whose work sits at the powerful intersection of the human body and the natural world. With a background in geology and biology, Starre began her career as…
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Emma Karslake, FRGS, is an adventurer, writer and cycle tour guide who has spent much of the past eight years exploring the world by bike.
From ultra-light hotel bikepacking on a road bike to six-month expeditions in remote regions on a heavily laden hybrid, Emma has experienced nearly every form of bike travel, including ultra-endurance racing. She is a passionate advocate for slow travel as a means to reconnect with nature…
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Lorraine Lewis: Author of Dare to Dream, Ultra Runner, and Co-founder of The Lewis Foundation
Lorraine Lewis is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Lewis Foundation, an award-winning cancer charity providing free gift packs and ongoing support to adult cancer patients across 17 hospitals in the Midlands. Founded from lived experience, the charity has become a lifeline for thousands of people...
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Alexandra Nemeth: Beyond the Seven Summits — Highs, Lows, and Life in Extreme Places.
Alex is a qualified International Mountain Leader, Polar Guide, and a professional Photographer based in St. Moritz, Switzerland. From scaling the world's highest peaks to leading expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctica, she thrives where the wild meets the extreme. Her passion for high-altitude...
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Bonita Norris – Mountains, Mindset, Motherhood and Mastering the Impossible
Bonita Norris became the youngest woman to reach both the summit of Mt Everest at just 22 and the North Pole at 23, and her story is nothing short of extraordinary. In this episode, she shares the journey that took her from school trips in North Wales to climbing some of the world's highest…
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Jacquetta Megarry – Founding Rucksack Readers, Walking Adventures, and Building Confidence in the Outdoors
Jacquetta Megarry didn't grow up in the outdoors, and she certainly didn't see herself as an adventurer—or a publisher. But turning 50 sparked a journey that would transform her life. From walking the West Highland Way with friends to summiting Mt Kilimanjaro, Jacquetta discovered the power of...
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Sabrina Pace-Humphreys – UTMB, Trail Running, and Building Community: The Journey of a Runner and Advocate
Sabrina Pace-Humphreys is back on the Tough Girl Podcast for her third appearance, sharing her incredible journey as a runner, coach, and advocate for representation in trail running. From being a mum of four and grandmother of three, to taking on some of the toughest ultramarathons in the world,...
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Becky Wandell – Reinvention, Solo Travel, and Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail at 55
Becky Wandell is a Teacher, Writer, Tour Guide, Volunteer, and Solo Traveler. At 47, while weathering a difficult divorce and the death of four close relatives, she clawed her way up from the depths of grief and, in her words, set out to "find her way back to Becky again". To do this, she quit…
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Denisa Krásná – Flow, Fear, and Female Adventure: Redefining Women's Stories in Extreme Sports
What does it mean to challenge the limits of both body and mind—and to redefine what success looks like along the way? Denisa Krásná, scholar, author, and adventurer from the Czech Republic, takes us on a journey into the world of women in extreme sports. From her early days trekking with her...
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Sarah Williams: Solo Reflections Episode, GR10, the Numbers and Plans for 2026
Happy New Year! I'm taking a moment to look back at the last six months of 2025—what's worked, what hasn't, and what the numbers tell me about the year so far. I reflect on the journey I've been on, the adventures, the challenges, and the mindset shifts that have shaped my life. I talk about...
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Dr Latika Nath – Nat Geo's Tiger Princess: Pioneering Conservation and Studying Big Cats in the Wild
From the jungles of India to the global stage of wildlife conservation, Dr Latika Nath has spent her life studying and protecting big cats, becoming the first woman in the world to study tigers in the wild. Known as Nat Geo's "Tiger Princess," she shares stories from deep in the forests where she...
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Kaytlyn Gerbin – Motherhood, Mountains, and 100-Mile Runs: Her Ultra Running Comeback
What does it take to return to the top of the ultra running world after major life changes and a "career-ending" surgery? Kaytlyn Gerbin knows. In this episode, Kaytlyn shares her journey from a scientist with a love for the outdoors to a world-class trail and ultra runner. Growing up active but...
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Sheryl Ramstad – Surviving the Impossible: A 1% Miracle, Radical Resilience, and Rebuilding Life After a Plane Crash
Sheryl Ramstad's story is nothing short of extraordinary. After surviving a catastrophic plane crash with less than a 1% chance of survival, Sheryl's life was forever changed. What began as her first solo flight at age 29 became a harrowing journey through life-threatening burns, multiple...
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Hillary Allen – Ultrarunner and Author of Out and Back: A Runner's Story of Survival Against All Odds
Hillary Allen, famously known as the "Hillygoat," is a world-class ultrarunner celebrated for her fearless climbs on steep, technical terrain. But in 2017, at the peak of her career as the #1 ultrarunner in the world, Hillary faced a life-changing setback: during a race in Norway, she fell 150…
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Lani Woods – Inspiring Women to Ride, Explore, and Belong Through Cycling Adventures
Lani Woods is a passionate cyclist, adventurer, and creative force behind a vibrant community of outdoor enthusiasts. Known for blending her love of cycling with a flair for design, Lani leads initiatives like Triple Crown Adventures to inspire others to explore the world on two wheels. Whether...
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Charlotte Fisher – From Zero Running Experience to Elite Ultra Runner
From a council estate on the Isle of Wight to conquering some of Europe's toughest mountain ultras, Charlotte Fisher's journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Less than three years ago, she had never run competitively. Today, she's a full-time ultra runner chasing elite races like UTMB and...
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Paula Ralph – Cycling Solo from Cape Town to Nordkapp: 12,290 km Across 17 Countries - When Everything Seemed Impossible
What happens when a dream is so big, so audacious, that you commit to it long before you have the skills, money, or confidence to make it happen? For Paula Ralph, that dream was to cycle from Cape Town, South Africa to Nordkapp, Norway— a 12,290 km journey across 17 countries. What began as a...
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Sharon Jessop – Ultra-Endurance Runner & Conservationist: Running 3,500 Miles Across Africa for Rhino Conservation
This week on the Tough Girl Podcast, I'm joined by Sharon Jessop — an ultra-endurance athlete, conservationist, keynote speaker, and serial entrepreneur whose running adventures are driven by a mission to protect rhinos in Africa. From growing up barefoot in the South African bush to covering…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The Tough Girl Podcast is all about inspiring and motivating YOU! I will be interviewing inspirational women from around the world, who've faced and overcome difficult challenges and situations, they will share their story, their knowledge and provide advice and essential tips for you to overcome your own personal challenges.
HOSTED BY
Sarah Williams
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Tough Girl Podcast have?
Tough Girl Podcast currently has 869 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Tough Girl Podcast about?
The Tough Girl Podcast is all about inspiring and motivating YOU! I will be interviewing inspirational women from around the world, who've faced and overcome difficult challenges and situations, they will share their story, their knowledge and provide advice and essential tips for you to overcome...
How often does Tough Girl Podcast release new episodes?
Tough Girl Podcast releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 869 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to Tough Girl Podcast?
You can listen to Tough Girl Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Tough Girl Podcast?
Tough Girl Podcast is created and hosted by Sarah Williams.
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