Tough Girl Podcast

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

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 adventu

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 feel

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 su

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

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

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 hou

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

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

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

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, intend

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 oranguta

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 suborbit

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 o

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 nomad

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-

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 h

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 Gam

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 th

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