Fran talks to David AKA Blumineck, the archer and pole athlete who combines history, fantasy and all things geeky on his wildly popular social media channels.

We go into his origin story, what it takes to get into pole and archery, performing for the public and what is coming up in the future.

Fran talks to Cleveland Steel Historical Fencing founder and lead instructor Lacey Eck about the importance of emotional regulation in HEMA.

We discuss what emotional regulation is, how emotions affect us as fencers, and what we can do to actively improve our training spaces and develop as a community.

Zoya is a mindset coach and fencing mentor based in Chicago USA. In this episode she talks to Fran about how to fence authentically under pressure, and deal with our own inner battles - often our biggest challenge.

Listen to Zoya’s story for advice on how to approach your own fencing mindset, dealing with mental hurdles, and the path to mentoring and coaching for yourself.

Fran talks to Physio and Osteo Anna Wiederänders about training safely and effectively for HEMA.

We explore Anna’s martial arts background, good practices for HEMA training, and her top tips for safe and effective practice.

Fran meets Aurora Simmons, longsword and armoured fighting instructor at Toronto Historical Combat in Canada.

We discuss the importance of creating training spaces that are welcoming to all genders: what to avoid and what to include.

Aurora also talks about her extensive background in martial arts such as taekwondo and jeet kune do, along with 15 years experience in HEMA alone.

In this episode Fran talks to Spencer Waddell: a champion fighter and title holder of many styles including reenactment, SCA, HEMA, AMMA, boxing, buhurt and light sabre.

We discuss his background and his unique perspective on heavy hitting in sword arts, when it’s appropriate and when it’s a bad idea.

Fran speaks to Janna Datahan in the US about why HEMA is political, and how world events affect our hobby and all the people who participate in it.

In this episode I rant about the frustrations of trying to change martial arts culture for the better, especially when the unwillingness to change hampers any progress from the outset. After sixteen years I am so very tired. If we genuinely want to improve our communities we need to put the work in, all of us.

Have you not been to class for a while? Do you miss swords? Whatever your hobby, I break down the steps and approach you need to make returning to the thing you love a pleasure not a pain.

Fran

URG centred HEMA events, coaching, content and podcasts. Historical European Martial Arts.

💻 Website https://bythesword.net

⚔️ courses and coaching https://ko-fi.com/swordwomen

🎞️ Instagram @swordwomen

https://www.instagram.com/swordwomen?igsh=eGU2NHFxeGplZTh3&utm_source=qr

📱 Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/share/17UjsbpFSe/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🩵 Support

https://Patreon.com/swordwomen

https://ko-fi.com/swordwomen

I attended Scotland’s very first URG HEMA event in October 2025, and took the opportunity to interview the two organisers to gain an insight into the process and goals of this awesome historical fencing Weekender.

URG centred HEMA events, coaching, content and podcasts. Historical European Martial Arts.

💻 Website https://bythesword.net

⚔️ courses and coaching https://ko-fi.com/swordwomen

🎞️ Instagram @swordwomen

https://www.instagram.com/swordwomen?igsh=eGU2NHFxeGplZTh3&utm_source=qr

📱 Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/share/17UjsbpFSe/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🩵 Support

https://Patreon.com/swordwomen

https://ko-fi.com/swordwomen