Hello everyone, this is Tiffany Soithongsuk, or Tiffany Soi as I may be better known, and I am so pleased to be hosting this Friends of WeMove podcast themed Living Beyond Limits & Mental Resilience: an exploration into other’s personal relationship through these themes, not to mention their movement journey. First off, I am supremely grateful to Chris & James for asking me to enquire into these ideas, after having been a guest on the WeMove podcast myself way back in Episode 10 [http://www.wemovemagazine.com/podcasts/2018/7/31/tiffany-soi-climber-astro-physicist]

In order to introduce this series, I thought I would briefly recap that conversation that has led to here: we covered my personal history as as an athlete, more recently as a competitive climber, formerly as a young gymnast with real Olympic goals; my life as a female astrophysicist in science & STEM industries, whilst simultaneously upholding thespian passions; and also being a mixed race woman (at a time where there were few). Within that, we uncovered the personal hurdles I faced in inadvertently challenging a multitude of stereotypes & stigmas about women in science, sport, and the creative space - and with that, the mental health difficulties I worked through in terms of burnout & depression. These are dark and deep topics that I wasn’t expecting to talk about and there is still a lot of fear and stigma attached to talking about these topics for many people. But these were drawn out of me through the powerful and honest conversation we were having. 

I am far from alone in these experiences: these themes of living beyond perceived limitations & constructs, mental health/resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity are ones that will resonate with many of you listening. I feel fortunate to be connected to truly inspiring women & men who are achieving incredible things on a mental-physical level. I do believe the extraordinary is occurring around us under the guise of lives labelled ordinary: these are individuals on their own profound journey in breaking boundaries and exercising great mental resilience.

I’m so excited to share my first conversation with Dr Heidy Khlaaf, a woman and friend who is a testament to themes of this series. We had such a big and deep conversation - there are so many juicy nuggets as well as harsh realities that we venture through: from the real impact of poverty trauma; racial prejudice and sexism as an ethnic minority woman; survival mode and eroded mental health; olympic dreams, physical impairment to climbing passions; cultivating healthy partnerships without compromising on self; and the overriding untainted belief in pursuing her true calling as the only real motivator to carrying her through to where she is now - as an athletic, successful, modern woman. Even the f-word that is feminism was dropped. It took some reflection after our conversation for me to process the enormity of the journey Heidy has made and just how powerful inner conviction, sense of truth and tenacity has served in the long haul, not to mention good humour. 

Heidy is a Doctor of Computer Science: she received her PhD from UCL, where she also partnered with Microsoft Research. She now works on analysing & developing technology safety systems for industries in nuclear power, aviation, autonomous transport and more. When not immersed in changing our futures on a daily basis, you can find her busting out strong moves at her bouldering gym or crag in London. 

I hope there is something that resonates with you in this insightful, open and honest