Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

Jamie Moreno is on a mission to empower girls and women to get involved in motorsports and to follow their dreams regardless of age, race or gender.

A Latina woman, Jamie grew up with a passion for cars after spending hours with her dad as a child in the garage working on cars but didn’t start racing until she was 25.

However, she didn’t start racing until she was 25 because - despite a love of cars - she didn’t realise it was an avenue that was open to her (sadly, another example of the effect of  ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’).

In this conversation, we discuss:

* her childhood, the time she spent hanging out with her dad in the garage working with cars,

* one of her favourite memories from childhood that involves wanting to go fast on a ride at Disneyland (but being stuck being a slow older man!),

* the pressures of growing up in a Latino family and the expectation to conform,

* her experience as a woman, and a woman of colour, in such a male-dominated sport,

* why it’s so important to her that she is a role model for young girls to help and inspire them to chase their goals regardless of the age or gender,

* how she regained her confidence after it was shattered after a particularly bad crash,

* the 4 lessons she’s learnt from racing and how those lessons are equally relevant in endurance sports.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Nicole Bunyon is a trail runner, mum of 3 and founder of Running Mums Australia (RMA).

RMA is an Australian wide network and community for mums who love to, or are interested in, running. You can’t go to a running or triathlon event in Australia without seeing a woman sporting their distinctive logo.

While RMA shares many women’s stories, I wanted to turn the tables (and microphone) and Nicole and share her story. We discuss how she started running as a child and why it appealed to her at that age, her first marathon, how being diagnosed with a melanoma (skin cancer) in 2016 changed her perspective and why it’s so important to trust your gut instinct.

Nicole is also an ambassador for several running events including Ultra Trail Australia so we discuss whether she feels the weight of expectation of others or pressure to perform as a result of her public profile in the sport.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Amanda is a professional downhill mountain biker race based in the US.

She is also an outspoken advocate for women in sport and a vocal critic of the cycling industry for its treatment and portrayal of women.

In this conversation we discuss how cycling helped her find her sense of self and self-worth, that fear is healthy, why it’s important to remember why you are riding. Plus Amanda shares how she handles the fear associated with crashing (especially after one crash described as the worst face plant you’ll ever see) and why she continues to share her deepest darkest secrets and fears about body image on social media.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Rebecca Stone is a busy woman. She’s a midwife, a mum, and someone who loves racing her mountain bike for 24 hours - all while living with fibromyalgia.

In 2010, after 9 months of severe pain which ultimately left her unable to work, drive or walk for more than 5m, Rebecca was diagnosed with fibromyalgia,

A chronic condition, fibromyalgia causes widespread pain and sensitivity throughout the body. There’s no cure and it is difficult to treat.

Getting back on her beloved mountain bike plan was part of Rebecca’s initial treatment plan primarily for the mental health benefits.

In 2017, she finished 2nd at the Australian 24 Hour Solo Mountain Bike Championships. And this year, she will line up at the Australian Championships in September before going onto contest the World 24 Hour Solo Mountain Bike Championships in Scotland in October.

In this conversation, we discuss motherhood as well as living, training and racing with chronic pain. Plus she shares why she thinks she’s a better athlete because of it.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Katee Pedicini is a triathlon coach based in Melbourne, Australia and has a degree in Exercise Science who specialises in managing fatigue, stress and hormones in endurance athletes to achieve not only athletic performance but optimal health and happiness.

Kate first appeared in episode 21 (our most popular episode in 2017!). You can find it here.

This time, we dive deeper into two specific issues concerning women’s hormones and health; peri-menopause and menopause (and how they impact on your athletic ability, strength, training and racing) and why you should take advantage of your natural cycle by structuring your training program around it.

The more I speak with Katee, the more I learn and the more I wish I’d been exposed to this knowledge in my 20s and 30s.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Sarah is an accomplished rower, rock climber, multi-day cyclist and triathlete. She’s completed the Race Across America twice, including as part of the winning Velouoos squad. And she is now returning to competition after a terrible accident left her in a coma for a month.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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If there is one complaint I hear from women more than any other, it is their frustration about not losing weight despite the hours and hours of training involved with endurance sports (or worse, that they’ve put weight on!).

So I wanted to call in an expert for Sparta Chicks Radio this week to explain why this happens — and, most importantly, what you can do to change it.

Katee Pedicini runs Holistic Endurance in Melbourne, Australia.

She’s a triathlon coach with a degree in Exercise Science who specialises in managing fatigue, stress and hormones in endurance athletes.

But this isn’t only a conversation about weight.

It’s a conversation about your health and the widespread impact stress has on your body.

From your risk of injury and illness, the results you get (or don’t get) from your training, how quickly you recover from hard training sessions, how tired you feel, whether you hit the wall at 3pm and have to reach for coffee/chocolate/sugar, you feel like you're constantly on a short fuse to whether you need a glass of wine at the end of a busy day to wind down.

These are all factors that are influenced by the amount of stress in your life and the hormonal response your body has to that stress.

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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“The decision to believe in yourself can be done instantaneously. Then to become unwavering belief, it’s a daily practice.”

How do you develop self-belief?

This question is at the core of my discussion with Natalie Cook - a 5x Olympian and dual Olympic medallist, including the Gold medal in Beach Volleyball at the 2000 Sydney Olympics - this week on #SpartaChicksRadio.

Although Nat and partner Kerry Pottharst won the Bronze medal in Sydney, Nat will be the first to admit that, at the time, she didn’t believe she had the mental toughness or emotional stability to win. So she went on a 4-year journey of personal development and self-discovery to understand the power of the mind and how to develop deep-in-her-bones self-belief.

In this fun interview, we discuss everything from a fear of failure to the power of using an alter ego to find the inner strength and conviction you need. (What alter ego would you adopt?)

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Tanya Geisler is a Leadership Coach based in Canada who specialises in the Imposter Complex.

You may not have heard of it before but I can assure you that you’ve felt the sting of it. It is found in the stories - or lies - we tell ourselves about not being ready, good enough, that we don’t belong or that we are fooling everyone and that any moment everyone is going to find out we have NFI what we’re doing. We dive deep in this personal and revealing interview.

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 explore in our interview with Siri Lindley who was 2x-ranked the #1 triathlete in the world and the 2002 ITU World Champion in 2002.

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.

The author of Surfacing: From the Depths of Self-doubt to Winning Big and Living Fearlessly, in her book and this interview Siri talks openly about her struggles with self-doubt as an athlete and how recognising and challenging your fears is the key to getting the best out of yourself.

And once you hear the story of her first triathlon, I think you’ll agree that nothing is impossible with self-belief, passion and hard work. 

Get the full show notes for the episode here.

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Follow Siri on Instagram: instagram.com/SiriLindley