Jessica Hepburn is an award-winning author, arts producer and adventure activist. In 2022 she became the first woman in the world to complete the 'Sea, Street, Summit Challenge’ - that is: swim the English Channel, run the London Marathon and climb Mount Everest - all of which were inspired by her own journey through infertility and IVF. She is the author of two books - The Pursuit of Motherhood and 21 Miles: swimming in search of the meaning of motherhood; the former CEO of the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith and Fertility Fest; and has been officially recognised as a ‘Woman of Suffragette Spirit’ by Amnesty International. 

In this episode, Jessica talks about her first book - The Pursuit of Motherhood - which is a raw and honest description of her journey through 11 rounds of unsuccessful fertility treatment. This led to Jessica setting up Fertility Fest, which brought together artists and fertility specialists to explore infertility. She also discusses her second book - 21 Miles - which chronicles her inspiring journey to successfully swim the channel and how along the way, she ate with 21 women and asked them “does motherhood make you happy or can you have a fulfilling life without children”. Jessica also talks about running the London Marathon and how she finally conquered Everest to become the first woman in the world to complete the sea, street, summit challenge. Listen in to find out what motivates Jessica, what makes her happy and her advice to her younger self. 

www.jessicahepburn.com 
Twitter: @JessicaPursuit 
Instagram @ jessica_hepburn_ 

Date of episode recording: 2023-01-30
Duration: 47.36 mins
Language of episode: English
Presenter:Joyce Harper
Guests: Jessica Hepburn
Producer: Joyce Harper