Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

Michelle was a business owner, gym junkie and busy mum when she broke a foot in December, 2017.

After experiencing balance and walking issues she attributed to a second broken foot in December 2018, Michelle was eventually diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder (CMT) in March 2019.

Both neurological conditions, MS and CMT have left Michelle unable to run or move her legs quickly.

But that didn’t stop her from entering - and finishing - her first (and last) triathlon at the Husky Triathlon in February 2020.

Michelle tells the story in this conversation of what unfolded, her experience of crossing the finish line and what that race means to her.

And trust me when I say this — you're going to need a tissue ;)

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Lesley Paterson is a professional mountain biker, 5x World Champion in off-road triathlon, an Ironman Triathlon Champion, coach and (according to her bio) foul-mouthed Scots lassie.

Simon is a sports psychologist with a distinguished career. He's a former Professor, has published over 100 scientific articles on the psychology of exercise, been cited in scientific literature over 10,000 times and had real-world practical experience as the Performance Psychologist for the BMC Racing team, a pro cycling team that competes in the Tour de France.

They are also married, the force behind Braveheart Coaching and the co-authors of a fantastic book I highly recommend to all athletes called The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion.

In this conversation, we talk about everything from:

- why Lesley initially retired from sport at the age of 20 due to her disillusionment and frustration and this lead her and Simon to work together to develop this model,

- how your brain works (and is wired to work),

- Lesley’s experience dealing with the Imposter Complex/Syndrome,

- why it’s important to understand your athletic identity and how that can cause you to feel like an Imposter,

- why an alter ego is a powerful tool you can use to change the actions you take (really, it helps you fake it till you make it — or perhaps more correctly, fake it till you believe it).

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Mel is an inventor and adventurer who has tried it all: kayaking, climbing, caving, mountain biking and, her favourite, skiing.

Mel also has a rare form of Dwarfism and so most commercially available sporting and outdoor adventure equipment doesn’t fit or suit her.

Luckily Mel grew up with an interest in fixing things (initially with sticky tape) and parents who taught Mel and her two sisters - who also have Dwarfism - from an early age to adapt and find ingenious ways to get around the challenges their height presented them.

That interest not only led Mel to get a Masters Degree in Mechanical Engineering but develop the skills to adapt or make from scratch her sporting and adventure equipment including kayaks, paddles and wetsuits.

Mel starred in a fantastic documentary called (you guessed it) ‘Mel’ which aired at the Gutsy Girls Adventure Film Tour in 2019.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Self-belief is such a murky, fluid concept.

Some days you feel on top of the world and unstoppable. The next, it’s gone and you’re convinced you were fooling yourself.

So how do you develop unwavering self-belief (and keep it)?

In 2017, I asked Olympic Gold Medalist Natalie Cook

In this interview, we discuss her 4-year journey of personal development after the Atlanta Olympics when she realised she didn’t have the mental toughness or emotional stability needed to achieve her goal of winning the Olympic Gold medal in Sydney.

Plus in an unexpected twist, I got called out on why I was hiding behind my fear and not telling the world about one of my goals.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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The TransCon is a self-supported, single-stage bike race across Europe. The clock starts and doesn’t stop until you arrive at the finish. And aside from a few checkpoints, there’s no set route. Participants map and plan their way across Europe and decide where and when to ride, eat and sleep along the way.

In 2016, the race started in Belgium. And 3,800km and 13 days, 10 hours later, Emily arrived in Istambul, winning the women’s category in the process!

While we discuss some of the events and adventures she’s had over the years, there are 2 key themes throughout this conversation.

First, why it's important not to let what you've done (or not done) in the past define or limit what you think you’re capable of in the future.

And secondly, being open to the idea that things which currently seem impossible actually aren’t.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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How do you use your fear and self-doubt to get the best out of your yourself?

That's the question we explored in this conversation from 2017.

Siri was 2x-ranked the #1 triathlete in the world and the 2002 ITU World Champion. Since retiring, Siri has gone onto have an extraordinarily successful career as a coach and is regarded as one of the best triathlon coaches in the world.

Even if you aren't interested in triathlon, I have no doubt you'll gain a lot from Siri's heart-centred approach training, racing and life.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Molly Galbraith’s love affair with strength training began in 2004 when she discovered powerlifting.

A few years later, she began competing in figure competitions.

And yet it was during this time that she began a vicious cycle of stripping weight to compete, then binging and regaining weight for several years until her “body hit a wall” and she was diagnosed with Hashimotos, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and adrenal issues.

What began as a mission to change how her body looked, Molly now leads the team at GGS on a mission to educate and encourage women to have agency and autonomy over their bodies.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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10 days ago, Sparta Chicks Radio celebrated its 3rd birthday.

And there is no-one I’d rather share that celebration with than Lucy Barnard!

Lucy is attempting to become the 1st woman to walk the length of the world.

She set off in February 2017 from Tierra Del Fuego in Argentina to walk to Barrow, Alaska; a journey of 30,000km /20,000mi across 15 countries she anticipated would take her 5 years.

Yes, years!

Lucy was first on the podcast in March 2018 (you can find that episode here).

When I was preparing to speak to Lucy for that episode, I realised we share a unique connection; we both started our respective journeys - Lucy started walking and I published the first podcast - on the very same day in 2017.

That conversation turned into our first anniversary / birthday celebration and we agreed to catch up each year for an update on her progress! (Our second episode can be found here)

This is our 3rd annual episode and Lucy shares how her expedition has unfolded over the last 12 months.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Lisa Blair was 22 when she discovered a passion for sailing.

Just 6 years later, she completed her first circumnavigation of the world as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht race.

Since then she’s gone onto sail solo to New Zealand twice, to skipper the first all-female team in 16 years to race the Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht race and set not one but two World Records in the process of becoming the first woman to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around Australia.

In the midst of that, in 2017 Lisa set out on her most ambitious project to date;  to become the first woman to sail solo unassisted and non-stop around Antarctica and to break the men’s World Record in the process.

As you’ll hear in this conversation, that expedition did not go to plan and on a stormy night 72 days into her trip and 1,000 nautical miles from shore, her boat lost its mast and Lisa had to fight for 4 hours to save her boat -- and her life.

Not only did she survive the night and spend 9 days limping back to port in Cape Town, South Africa for repairs, Lisa then found the courage to head back into the Southern Ocean and finish the challenge - in doing so become the first woman to sail solo and unassisted (with one stop) around Antarctica.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Ultra-endurance cyclist Tiffany Winchester returns to Sparta Chicks Radio for the second part of our conversation about her race at the iconic 1,200km Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP) cycling race in 2019.

You can listen to the first half of our conversation here.

This time, Tiff returns to share the aftermath of the race - the physical, mental and emotional trauma it inflicted on her, the depression that followed and how she was able to recover from it and get back on her bike.

This is a very different conversation from part 1.

It’s a very raw and vulnerable conversation and I truly appreciate Tiff’s honesty in sharing her struggles after PBP, the support she received and how she found her way through.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Follow Tiff on Instagram: instagram.com/tiffo012