Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

A runner since childhood, Suzy’s (injury-plagued) track career culminated when she competed at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games in the 800m and 1500m.

In the months that followed, Suzy and her husband moved to Singapore for her work (she was an accountant).

Not long after, and on a whim, she entered a stair running race.

The prize for winning it; a trip to New York to compete in the famous Empire State Building Run-Up, an iconic race that garners media attention from around the world.

And she won — both her first race in Singapore and then her debut at the Empire State Building.

And at the age of 33, a new career as a stair running champion was born.

Since then, she’s gone onto win 10 x titles at the Empire State Building event (the most race victories of any athlete, male or female) as well as 9 x Tower Running World Cup titles.

Katee returns to the podcast for another important conversation about mental health.

We begin by briefly discussing her experience as a first time mum during a pandemic.

Next, we dive into the research and statistics around the impact that the pandemic has had on mental health in Australia (and some of the numbers are, quite frankly, shocking).

Then we transition over to talking about what we can do to look after our own, and others, mental health, primarily around the idea of ‘holding space’ (or debriefing as I call it).

Katee and I then discuss:

- what it means to ‘hold space’

- the power of connection and conversation especially during difficult times.

- how to resist the urge to ‘fix’ how someone is feeling,

- what you say after someone has shared how they’re feeling,

- how to set boundaries and/or look after yourself if you don’t have the capacity to hold space for someone else (especially important if you’re struggling too), and

- why it’s important to accept how you feel, regardless of how you feel (essentially, that it’s ok not to be ok).

Whether your mental state or life has been directly affected by the pandemic or you’re someone who has thrived this year, I know you will take a lot away from this important and, at times, uncomfortable conversation.

We have two ‘asks’ of you after listening to this episode:

- ask someone how they are, and

- do something to hold space for yourself today.

If you or someone you know needs help, in Australia you can contact:

Lifeline 24 hours per day on 13 11 14. Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636 or the Black Dog Institute.

Yewande Adesida grew up in London and is a self-described “up-and-coming amateur” cyclist who is currently undertaking her PhD on wearable technology in sport.

Previously a former competitive rower, Yewande switched her focus to cycling - specifically track cycling in a velodrome - in 2016 and started racing in 2017.

Just 2 years later, in 2019, and while still a relatively unknown face on the global stage, SRAM (which is one of the biggest and most well-known brands in cycling) decided to feature Yewande as the star of one of its global marketing campaigns.

As you can imagine, in a sport where marketing imagery has traditionally involved skinny white men, SRAM’s campaign featuring Yewande both very quickly raised her profile in the sport and the discussion about the importance of the representation of people of colour in a sport and industry that desperately needs more diversity.

Peter Baines joined the NSW Police Force at 19 and worked first as a uniformed officer before he transferred across to join the Forensic Services Group and become a real-life crime scene investigator (long before it was cool).

Little did he know that decision would change the trajectory of his life.

He is now an author, speaker, consultant and the co-founder of an amazing charity called ‘Hands Across The Water’.

Peter’s work as a forensic investigator took him first to Bali to identify victims following the 2002 Bali bombing that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Then 2 years later in 2004 he made his first trip to Thailand to assist with the identification of victims following the Boxing Day tsunami that killed between 250,000 and 300,000 people.

In a strange yet beautiful twist of fate, during his third rotation in Thailand, he agreed to raise money to fund a home for a group of children he had met who had been orphaned by the tsunami.

And so ‘Hands Across The Water’ was born; a charity that now owns and operates 7 homes across Thailand and cares for hundreds of at-risk children.

In his conversation, we discuss:

- why action leads to clarity and that if you wait long enough you’ll find reasons not to do the thing,

- the ‘postevent’ blues and the struggle with adjusting to ‘normal’ life after an experience that shifts your view of yourself and/or the world,

- the importance of understanding your measures of ‘success’ and making sure they align with your ‘why’,

- where the idea for the charity rides originated from, and

- the impact that bushfires and COVID-19 have had on their fundraising efforts in 2020.

Raised in India to adventure-loving parents, Vedangi Kulkarni set out on her first epic ride - crossing the Himalayas - when she just 17.

Then in 2017 at the age of 19, she set out on her quest to become the fastest person to circumnavigate the world and to complete the journey in 100 days.

And while she missed both of those goals, after riding 29,000km / 18,000mi and 160 days, 14 countries and 1 birthday later, she became the youngest woman to ever circumnavigate the world on a bike. She was 20.

In this conversation she shares:

- her 850km solo cycling adventure across the Himalayas at 17 and what gave her the confidence to attempt it,

- where the idea to circumnavigate the world came from,

- the role visualisation played in helping her mentally prepare for the ride,

- how she still struggles with worrying about what people think,

- being told “this adventure jam is for white people” and the importance of not automatically taking on other people’s stories and beliefs,

- her experience as a woman of colour in endurance sports, and

- whether she felt like an imposter when asked to be part of a new book called ‘Tough Women Adventure Stories” that will be published later this year.

Janine Garner grew up on a poultry farm in the north of England and worked her way up the corporate ladder to become the Marketing Manager for high-profile brands like Citizen Watches, Oroton and Ralph Lauren.

But ultimately the lifestyle and burnout prompted Janine to walk away from her career and pursue her own business.

Fast forward 9 years and she is now a sought-after international keynote speaker and trainer who fulfils her childhood dreams to be on the stage, albeit in a different capacity (you’ll have to listen to this episode to hear that story!).

Janine is the author of 3 books including her new release ‘Be Brilliant: How to Lead a Life of Influence’ which we discuss in-depth in this conversation.

Melissa Browne first joined me on the podcast way back in early 2017 and then spoke at our conference, Sparta Chicks Unleashed, in 2018.

And now she’s back with a vulnerable new book and for a very personal and brave conversation.

Mel has just published a new book - her fourth book - called “Budgets Don’t Work (But This Does)”. It’s the culmination of her career first as an accountant and now a financial advisor.

Her philosophy; just like diets and one-size-fits-all eating plans or training programs don’t work, budgets don’t work either.

So Mel has developed a process that helps you discover (what she calls) your “Financial Phenotype”. It’s the combination of your Money Stories, your Money Environment and your Money Type. Knowing these things about yourself then allows you to custom design your own financial plan, habits and tactics that draw on your natural strengths (while minimising the impact of your weakness). Simply genius!

What makes this book so powerful is Mel’s vulnerability around her history and her story and how it has shaped her financial decision making over the years.

From the outside looking in, Mel appeared to have it all. 

Yet as she reveals in this conversation, for years Mel was stuck in a ‘sabotage loop’ in her business and that she carried a victim mentality and story that she wasn’t “good enough” that caused her to work so hard she ultimately experienced burnout and a breakdown in 2017.

So she initially started working with a coach to help her navigate her ’sabotage loop’ in her business.

However, Mel quickly realised she would also need to unpack the trauma she’s experienced and the way it and the stories she’s carried with her have shaped her personal life as well.

Dianne Whelan is the first to admit she is not an ‘extreme’ or endurance athlete. She describes herself as “just an artist from Vancouver”.

But there is no doubt the project she’s currently undertaking is pretty extreme.

In 2015, she set out to travel the length of the Great Trail (or the Trans Canada Trail) which stretches from one side of Canada to the other and is the longest trail in the world.

It’s a 24,000km / 15,000mi journey across Canada - including 7,000km of water - that she is travelling by foot, bike, canoe and snowshoe.

Dianne initially thought it would take her about 500 days and so she named the project, and the documentary film she is simultaneously making in the process, ‘500 Days in the Wild’.

5 years later, she is about 3,000km from finishing her epic journey.

And when she does so, she’ll become the first person to complete this epic traverse of Canada.

What makes Dianne’s perspective unique (at least to this podcast) is that this journey is not about the challenge or the athletic achievement.

Instead, she describes as an ecological pilgrimage to honour both the land and to pay respects to the First Nations people of Canada, to learn their stories and share their lessons.

Jeanette McGill grew up in South Africa and mountains and the outdoors were a massive part of her life up until her mid-late 20s.

And then her career took over - and took off.

A geologist by training, Jeanette began working in the mining industry and she has gone onto to become a senior mining executive and was named as one of the Top 100 most influential women in mining in the world.

But unfortunately, that came at the cost of her health, fitness and her time in the outdoors.

However, some soul-searching and a moment of synchronicity while channel surfing in 2013 reignited her passion for the mountains and she set a seemingly audacious goal; to summit an 8,000m mountain!

In this conversation, we discuss the importance of understanding your ‘why’ and the role it plays in securing your self-confidence, and how she was able to reframe her biggest ‘Imposter’ moment.

Hanny is no stranger to the trail running and outdoor adventure communities in Australia.

In 2006, Hanny won the Junior and Senior World Orienteering titles. In doing so, she became the first non-European to win an Orienteering World Championship and the first person, male or female, to hold both the Senior and Junior title in the same year.

In the years since, she’s achieved a long list of victories, records and placings in the worlds of mountain and trail running, ultramarathon running and sky running.

She’s also the co-founder of my favourite retail and online store - Find Your Feet - based in Tasmania with her husband Graham.

And on top of all that, she’s a performance coach and the host of an incredible podcast also called ‘Find Your Feet.

We cover all of that, and more, in our first conversation for the podcast.

This conversation is very different.

This is a conversation about Hanny finding her feet.

She has just released a memoir - her first memoir - called ‘Finding My Feet’.

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy. And the best way to describe it as soul-full.

It's Hanny's incredible story (so far) that is brave and vulnerable and heartbreaking and awe-inspiring. It will make you laugh and you cry. It’s one of the most honest memoirs and autobiographies I’ve read in a long time.