The Be Braver Podcast

"How to Face Big Change and Come Back Stronger "....the title of Helen Thorn's book gives you a peep in to what today's podcast is all about.

Helen has been one of the Scummy Mummies comedy duo for more than a decade, an author and a marathon runner.

But her life changed overnight when she discovered her husband of 22 years had been having an affair. What followed was divorce and, eventually, a complete rebuilding of herself.

It's a compelling chat - full of laughter, the impact of betrayal and the strength of transformation.

Annie tells us about helping out a local farmer with lambing and Josie gives a tip on being flexible.

You can follow Helen Thorn on instagram @itsmehelenthorn and @scummymummies

And please follow us on instagram @bebraverpod and we'd love you to give our podcast a rating and review.

Today's guest is a campaigner, advisor and ultrarunning athlete. Her first event was the iconic Marathon des Sables before she'd ever run more than a mile. And she has never looked back.

Sophie Power switched from being an investment banker to setting up her organisation SheRACES with an aim to educate races to be more inclusive to women. This followed a photo of her breaastfeeding her three-month-old baby during a 106 mile race, at the time there was no deferral policy in place for expectant and new mums.

You can learn more about Sophie from her book The Power Within.

Also on the pod Annie tells us about her experience lambing with a local farmer, feeding around 40 lambs twice a day.

Please follow us on instagram @bebraverpod

We've got a brilliant guest today. She specialises in communication, negotiation and influencing skills.

Nicky Perfect worked for the Met Police, becoming a hostage and crisis negotiator ending up in some high-stakes situations, working closely with the Government on overseas training, kidnap and terrorist incidents.

In 2018 she retired from policing and bought her local village garage, turning it in to a gym and coffee shop - eventually being awarded a British Empire Medal for services to the community during Covid.

There are some terrific learnings from this fascinating chat.

You can learn more about Nicky from her book

Crisis - True stories of my life as a hostage negotiator.

Thanks for listening! Please follow us on instagram @bebraverpod

Today's guest is making a switch in careers after being forced to quit cycling after an horrific accident.

Imogen Cotter grew up doing lots of sport, particularly running, and won the all -Ireland cross country and track medals when she was in her teens.

She went on a talent transfer programme and became a full-time cyclist with the Irish track cycling team based in Majorca. When things didn't work out she switched to becoming a road racer.

All was going well until 2022 when, during a training ride in Spain, she was hit by a van being driven at 60 km an hour on the wrong side of the road. Her injuries included a broken patella and radius and ruptured tendons and she needed five surgeries and a huge amount of recovery time.

Now she's training to become a sports journalist and already being successful.

You can follow her progress here: @imogencotter

Thank you for listening. Please follow us on instagram at @bebraverpod

Hello and it's lovely to be back with our 3rd season.

This episode is a catch-up on the thing that have happened to both Annie and Josie this year.

Annie reveals that her plan to take on a challenging race in early 2026 had to be abandoned. She lost confidence after a training accident and decided not to take part, just 36 hours before she was due to fly out. Annie reveals how she came to terms with it and what she got out of it.

Josie relates this to the Sunken Cost Fallacy in psychology, which can be applied to any project or relationship.

There's a discussion on the business of life and how not to be too hard on yourself if things don't get done and some thoughts on gratitude.

They recap on a previous episode with David Smith MBE whose health has deteriorated. He gave us one of Josie's favourite quotes - "Be where your feet are".

And Annie reveals a new career she's training for which has had some friends perplexed!

Thanks for listening. We'd love it if you spared a moment to give us a rating and review. And please follow us on instragram @bebraverpod

Hello, we're closing season 2 with a very special episode in which Josie builds a confidence jar for Annie....and at the same time shows how we all can do the same at home.

It's a technique to boost confidence and self-esteem and is easy to replicate.

The jar is for Annie who will start 2026 taking on an endurance challenge and it's there to dip in to when there are moments of doubt.

You'll hear Josie asking Annie about her strengths, skills, setbacks she's overcome and successes she's proud of.

We'd just like to say a big thank you for all of your support during the last 12 months. We wish you a Happy Christmas and a braver 2026! Please keep in touch on insta @bebraverpod and we'll see you in a couple of months.

Today's guest is Richard Whitehead who so many different insights in to bravery and living life with no limits. Richard was born with no legs and has gone on to be a double Paralympic Gold medal winner in 200m, a world record holder in marathon and a competitor in many TV shows such as Hunted and Splash, the celebrity diving show.

His story is one about taking on the norm from an early age. His parents fought hard to get him to be able to do school sport. He then went on to work in sports coaching. He's a charity fund-raiser, an active volunteer and has carried out humanitarian work in some of the world's troubled areas. A great believer in giving back to society.

Thanks for listening and supporting our podcast. You can follow us on instagram too on @bebraverpod

Today's podcast is a really powerful chat with someone Annie has known for a long time. Siri Lindley became World Triathlon Champion whilst she was training alongside Annie. But that's just part of Siri's story.

Siri's family life was shaken as a young girl when her parents separated and she and her sister found their mother trying to commit suicide.

Siri's suffered anxiety and OCD during her life and being diagnosed with acute myeloid eukaemia left her with another harrowing time.

But she remains so positive and wanting to make a difference.

She and her wife set up Believe Ranch and Rescue to save former rodeo horse that were heading to slaughter

So much to take from this - the power of gratitude, redefining fear and looking for meaning.

We'd love you to subscribe and follow the podcast and connect with us on instagram @bebraverpod

Our guest today is someone who has played sport at the highest level!

Charlie Hodgson is a former England international rugby player. He marked his debut with a national record-breaking 44 individual points...just missing out on a world record. He ended up with 38 caps. It would have been many more but he suffered from some serious injuries, including 2 ACL's, which kept him on the sidelines for long periods.

Charlie now uses his elite sport experience to support businesses and he founded rugby buddy, an academy offering mindset training and skills coaching.

He tells Annie and Josie about being brave at rugby, which at times is sink or swim. He draws on his experiences to give thoughts on life, sport and parenting...he's got 5 children! The chat moves on to dealing with pressure, the importance of breathing and taking control.

Thanks for listening. We'd really appreciate a review and rating if you have time. And please keep in touch with us on instagram @bebraverpod

Today's guest is Michael Caulfield who's an experienced sports psychologist with quite a story! It's a special pod for us as we all met in person at a studio in West London and the outcome is a terrific podcast.

Michael has quite a story. He developed an early love of horse racing and went on to work in a stable yard before a chance meeting saw him become Chief Executive of the Professional Jockeys Association.

After 15 years in the job he retrained as a Sports Psychologist following a conversation with champion jockey AP McCoy.

Michael calls himself a 'dustman' in his work - he takes the rubbish away from the clients he works with. He has a very authentic view of life and tries to make it simple...with a great belief in face to face communication and conversation.

We love to hear from you on instagram @bebraverpod

Thanks for listening!