Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

Recorded in 2018, this episode marked not only the 50th episode, but the first birthday of the podcast!

So I thought this would be the perfect chance to share the top 10 most popular episodes of the podcast over the first season.

Caro Ryan describes herself as the “unexpected outdoors chick”.

As a child, she wasn’t physically active. But after a 3 day experiential leadership training course in the Australian bush at the age of 21, the trajectory of Caro’s life changed and a deep love and connection with the bush was born.

These days, she is one of Australia’s top bloggers in the outdoor space via her website lotsafreshair.com.

In this conversation, we discuss why she describes herself as the “unexpected outdoors chick”, how the outdoors and “red bandana girl” changed her life, the stories we tell ourselves, including in Caro’s case that she “wasn’t a runner”, the importance of using words, labels and phrases (such as “I’m a runner”) before you believe them, how to manage and mitigate the most common fears of being in the bush and how being in the outdoors is such a powerful catalyst for change for so many women.

Brad Stulberg is fascinated with the science of human performance.

In 2017 Brad co-authored, with Steve Magness, a fantastic book I devoured on a flight called "Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout and Thrive With the New Science of Success."

This book (and this conversation) is based around the concept of periodisation (which is - or should be - the principle that any and all training you do should be based on); stress + rest = growth.

Unfortunately, this formula isn’t well understood or applied which results in injury, illness, burn out or overtraining.

In this conversation, we discuss how stress isn’t always a bad thing and how you can use it to your advantage. Plus we talk about smartphones, sleep and meditation as other factors you need to consider if you want to get the best out of yourself and feel good about it.

Terra Roam will, in 2018, also become the 1st woman to walk around Australia, solo and without the assistance of a support vehicle.

For much of her walk, she was accompanied only by Dory, her bright blue and yellow custom-build barrow.

Terra’s story is of a girl who discovered a love of, and connection, with nature from a very young age. But who didn’t realise until later in life that she had been using walking as a form of therapy to recover from the trauma she has experienced and the social anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) she has since been diagnosed with.

This is a story about hope and recovery and the importance of connection to nature.

Hayley Nixon could swim before she could walk. She then discovered, and fell in love with, rowing at University and was on track to make the team to represent South Africa in rowing at the London Olympics.

But sadly just 3 months before the Games were to commence, she was informed she hadn’t been selected and missed out by one spot.

After such heartbreaking disappointment, Hayley lost her love for rowing. But fortunately, she soon found flat water ocean paddling and then canoe ocean racing (which is like a surf ski). Then only two years after taking up that sport, and only a month ago, Hayley won the World Championship.

Of course, as she rightly points out, that title has twenty years in the making.

In this conversation we discuss resilience and how you bounce back from heartbreaking disappointment, why it’s important to remember everything you’ve achieved, done or accomplished in your past and why you shouldn’t assume the race is over if you have a bad start.

Lucy Bartholomew was just 16 when she completed her first 100km race, after only taking up the sport the year before. By 18, she was the Sky Running Junior World Champion.

Then in 2017, on her 21st birthday Lucy won the Ultra Trail Australia 100km race and again proved she was a force to be reckoned with on the international trail running scene with her victory at Ultra Trail Cape Town 100km in December, 2017.

And while Lucy’s rise in the sport of trail running has been rapid, it hasn’t been easy. She has been the subject of much criticism for her decision to take up ultra running at such a young age.

I don’t know anyone more passionate about the sport of triathlon — and getting more women into the sport — than this week’s guest, Bel Fong.

An institution in the Sydney triathlon scene, Bel has been involved in the sport since 2007.

Her passion for the sport is only exceeded by her passion to get more women into the sport (she describes it as her “calling”).

In this conversation we discuss how she got into the sport (despite being a kid who would do anything to avoid PE at school), how she is only just realising after 10 years in the sport that she has more potential than she has ever given herself credit for, her experience with the Imposter Complex and why its so important to be aware of your thoughts and stories you tell yourself (especially during a race).

A Clearance Diver in the Australian Navy, in 2009 Paul was working in Sydney Harbour when he was attacked by a bull shark (the first attack inside the Harbour in 60 years).

Paul lost his right hand in the attack and his right leg was amputated a week later.

What’s remarkable about Paul is not that he was attacked.

What’s remarkable is what he has done since then.

Not only has he returned to the open water, he confronted his fear and dived with bull sharks and even learnt to feed them by hand. He’s also become an advocate for the protection of sharks and has hosted documentaries for the Discovery Channel during Shark Week.

In this conversation, we discuss his troubled childhood, what he gained when he joined the Army, his decision to become a Clearance Diver despite a “massive” fear of sharks and how he was able to overcome his fear to get back in the water.

We all experience the voice of the Inner Critic.

This week on Sparta Chicks Radio, Tara Mohr, a women's leadership and wellbeing expert, will help you not only recognise your Inner Critic but share some practical tools so you can learn to live with your fear, self-doubt and Inner Critic, but not be held back by it.

Tara specialises in helping women to 'play big' which is also the title of her book, which was named by Apple's iBooks as a "best book of the year". She has been featured in the New York Times, the Today Show in the US, Harvard Business Review & Oprah.com.

We spend much of this conversation dedicated to the Inner Critic.

Tara also turns the tables on me and we discuss my struggles with the Inner Critic around this podcast. 

From growing up in Canada then spending her teenage years in the Middle East, completing a PhD in women’s history through to a successful career as a professional triathlete and becoming President of Tri Equal, Sara has a diverse background which has given her a unique perspective on the involvement of women in sport and the importance of sharing stories about women.

Since her retirement, Sara has established a media company, Live Fiesty Media which creates unique content around women in sport, including via the popular podcast, Ironwomen.

In this conversation, we discuss her awareness at a young age of the gender differences in society, how she spent a long time feeling scared and afraid she would never win an Ironman race as a pro athlete, the importance of changing the narrative or story you’re telling yourself, her experience with the Imposter complex, the obstacles to equality for women in sport and what you and I can do to advance it.