Tough Girl Podcast

Jennifer is an adventurer, wellness professional, and founder of The Adventure Wellness Club, helping women connect with nature, challenge themselves, and build lasting friendships through experiences grounded in the 3 Cs: Challenge, Connection, and Community.
She designs international hiking adventures and UK-based experiences that blend movement, mindfulness, and wellness. Her work spans everything from planning logistics and designing programs to facilitating group hikes, yoga, sauna and ice-bath sessions, and breath work.
Jennifer lived in Trentino, Italy for four years, where she learned to speak Italian and fell in love with the mountains and the sports within them, including ski touring. Over time, she has also run ultra marathons and bike packed long distances. Adventure is what makes her feel alive!
As a late-diagnosed ADHDer, her adventures are rooted in wellness and informed by research like the 3 Day Effect, showing that just three days immersed in nature can boost attention, creativity, and emotional resilience — benefits especially meaningful for neurodivergent women. Each international trip ends with a sauna experience, which she considers essential for physical and emotional wellbeing.
Her experiences encourage women to step outside their comfort zones while feeling supported, mindful, and fully present. Through adventure, movement, and shared experiences, Jennifer helps women slow down, feel capable, and reconnect with themselves and each other.
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 New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
 Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x
 
Show notes
Who is Jennifer
Original from Manchester, but now based in Sheffield
When her running journey started
Maintaining a good level of base fitness
Running 50k in January 
Feeling the need to go for a run
Getting into ultra running 
Supported a guy who did the Bob Graham Round and running one of the legs
If he can do it - I can do it to
Knowing that she was capable of achieving 
Breaking down the goal 
Seeing the behind the scenes of planning a run and how it inspired her
The Japanese Odyssey 
Doing the next best thing - signing up to a race in Italy 
Being supported by people along the way 
Running the Edale Skyline with Barefoot John 
Digging into the planning and learning new planning skills
Being impulsive and spontaneous 
Being determined enough to do it 
Why it's not just about the planning, but also about the execution 
Coming up with a rough plan 
Planning, hormones, structure 
Not having the energy for hill reps and feeling fatigued
Beating herself up for not achieving it
Having to reframe the situation 
The night before the race and doing a race strategy with Chat GPT 
Working with a coach - S&C and following a 12 week running plan 
Why there isn't a right and a wrong - why it's what works for you
Looking at the training plan and listening to her body 
Running the ultra marathon while menstruating 
Fitting training into life and work 
Running to her cleaning job 
Starting a marketing contract for 4 days a week
Having a rest day on Monday
Being forced to find the time
Combing running with life 
Starting with a running coach and training for a 50k in April in Wales (She Ultra) 
The Ultra Race in Italy - being the only British women running 
 Her aim for the race
Why it's not about the other people racing - it's about you
Treating it as a fun day out - chatting to people in the mountain huts, changing her top, taking things steady
Teaching herself that she could do it
Sprinting towards the end, just trying to get there 
Gaining new experience 
SheUltra Race 
Wanting to build her confidence in her physical abilities 
Getting into plyometrics - for building bone density 
Founding the Adventure Wellness Club and what it's goals are
Wanting to bring people together to share her passion 
Being diagnosed with ADHD and starting to understand how her brain works and working on her self confidence 
Pushing herself out of comfort zone with travel and adventure
Delivering her first trip in 2025
Teaching herself that you can make your idea a reality 
Ending each trip with a sauna and spa experience 
The "3 Day Effect" - spending 72 hours disconnected from technology and surrounded by nature has a breadth of benefits for your mind.
Why adventure is key to wellness
Looking at herself with more compassion
Why it's not just a focus issue
Why a diagnosis does change everything
Trying medication and working with a nurse practitioner 
Starting to realise how awesome she is
Seeing yourself in a different way 
Issues with ADHD, perimenopause and mental health 
Her feelings with turning 40
Becoming more comfortable with not having children
Being more comfortable with how her life is
Wanting to age as strong as she can - keep pushing it, keep learning what it is capable of 
Wanting to go ski touring in New Zealand 
How to connect with Jennifer on social media 
Developing her website at the moment
Final words of advice for other women who want more adventure in their life 
The thing that you're thinking of doing that seems scary, follow the thread of that curiosity, it's there for a reason. 
 
Social Media
Website: www.adventurewellness.club 
Instagram: @adventurewellness.club 
Facebook: @adventurewellnessclub

In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we're joined by Marie "Lootie" Leautey, the second woman in history to run around the world solo and unsupported — and the fastest woman to do it.
Lootie's journey began in France, far from the running world. A former smoker and corporate finance professional, she swapped cigarettes for daily runs at 25, building up to her first marathon in just eight months. That spark turned into an audacious dream: to run across the globe — 26,000+ km, across four continents, relying entirely on herself.
Starting her run in Europe in December 2019, Lootie faced deserts, mountains, and long stretches between resupply points, carrying only a 12–15kg stroller packed with her essentials. Along the way, she experienced the kindness of strangers, the thrill of new cultures, and the incredible mental discipline required to run a marathon every day for years.
Beyond the physical feat, Lootie shares how her journey is rooted in purpose: raising funds for Women for Women International, honouring her grandmother's legacy, and inspiring women to ask themselves, "Why am I doing this, and is it aligned with who I want to be?"
This is a story of grit, adventure, and the extraordinary power of chasing your own path — a reminder that there's very little you can't achieve once you set your mind to it.
***
 New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
 Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x
***
Show notes
Who is Lootie
Becoming the 2nd woman to run around the world - solo and unsupported
Fastest women to run around the world 
Her early years growing up in France
Coming from a sporty family but not being interested in running
Her love for team sports 
Being a smoker
Being out of shape at 25/26 years old
Swapping her cigarettes for a run ever day
Her wake up call in Greece while learning how to windsurf
Building up to a marathon distance- 8 months later
Leaving France when she was 20  - working in finance for big corporates 
Having the idea to run around the world
Going on Google - has anyone run around the world before
The World Runners Association (WRA) 
Her route and the rules and how they gave her structure 
Needing to cross a minimum of 4 continents, and run in one continuous direction 
Running a minimum distance of just under 30,000 km (The runner must cover a total of at least 26,232 km on foot)
Making the decision and the commitment 
Understanding her WHY and having it at the forefront of her mind 
Self financing the challenge 
Deciding to run a marathon per day 
Taking 2 years in the planning and preparation 
Running without time pressure
The daily thoughts, the novelty of running 
Never thinking of giving up as this is exactly what she wanted
Her running set up - and keeping it as light as possible (12 - 15kg)
Researching with google maps - trying to figure out her location every 40km
The longest distances without resupply - and knowing she would need to camp and to be self sufficient. 
Having a stroller with waterproof bags 
The mental side of the challenge while running 
Having a sensory experience while running 
Not being bored on any of the days - even while crossing the desert in Australia
Speaking French, English, German and Greek
Starting her run in Europe and why it was such a challenge (covid)
Starting 6th December 2019
After leaving Europe and heading to America (Getting an exception from the WRA)
Arriving in New York in Mid November 2021
What daily life was like on the road 
Starting running at dawn and being done by lunchtime 
What the afternoons would look like 
Carrying 2 GPS trackers - and updating the info daily (or as often as possible when wifi was available)
Going to bed by 9pm and sleeping very well throughout the challenge - going from sleeping 5hrs a night to 9/10 hours of sleep at night
Eating what you find, eat until you are not hungry anymore
Not being dependent on certain types of food, drinks, gels, supplements etc
Running in South America (her first visit was on the run), starting in Patagonia 
Running up to 4,000m of altitude 
Being inspired by her Grandmother who was the director of the first feminist library in France  
Being taught the differences between the treatment between men and woman 
Being encouraged to do what ever she wanted
Wanting to use her voice to share that message with women 
Running for Women for Women International 
Wanting to rise $1 per km run 
The challenges of running in Australia: - road trains, distances between resupply points
The kindness of strangers 
Running in Australia between May and August - which is Autumn time 
Finishing the world run in Sydney, Australia and coming to the end of the run and the experience.
Feeling a little bit of satisfaction and also wanting the run to continue - a cocktail of strong and contradictory emotions 
Feeling at peace now - 3 years after the run
The day after and not needing to run anymore
Never missing the running, even though she enjoyed it everyday 
Struggling to run casually after the end of the world run
Flying back to France and going back to the normal world 
Having a publishing contract in France and being ready after 2/3 months to start writing about the experience
Feeling that the adventure was so rich - that she wanted to write the story in English and finding a publisher in the United States
The next challenge….
Deciding to run across Africa
Wanting to be a teacher
How to connect with Lootie on social media 
Final words of advice for other women who want to take on their own personal challenge
Whatever you're doing — at work or in your life — pause and ask yourself: Why am I doing this? And how aligned is it with who I am, or who I want to become?
There's very little you can't do once you set your mind to it.
Her motto - Wanting to see the world, enjoy it and appreciate every step of the way. 
 
Social Media
Website: lootie-run.com 
Instagram: @lootierun
Facebook: @lootierun
Strava: www.strava.com/athletes/48402997

Stephanie Ho is a 24-year-old adventurer, endurance athlete, and exercise physiologist based on the Gold Coast, Australia. From rock climbing and ocean swimming to triathlons and mountain expeditions, Stephanie has always chased the outdoors — but her biggest goals lie in the polar regions.
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, Stephanie shares her journey from discovering hiking and camping as a teenager to trekking Everest Base Camp, running 43km a day for a week, and skiing 540km across Greenland. She opens up about the mental and physical challenges of polar expeditions, the lessons she's learned in extreme environments, and what it takes to keep motivation alive when the goal seems impossible.
Stephanie is now preparing for a solo 1,200km expedition to the South Pole in 2026 — hauling a 100kg sled through temperatures as low as -50°C — a feat that, if successful, will make her the first Australian woman to achieve it. Along the way, she talks logistics, training, nutrition, dealing with fears and unsolicited advice, and the importance of listening to your body while chasing what sets your soul on fire.
This conversation is a masterclass in mental toughness, gratitude, and stepping beyond your comfort zone. Stephanie's story will inspire you to dream big, push limits, and embrace adventure — no matter your age or background.
 New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time).
 Support the Tough Girl mission via Patreon: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast
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Show notes
Who is Steph
Being based on the Gold Coast, Australia 
24 years old
Working as an exercise physiologist - both in the office and in a clinical setting 
Her love for any activity that is outdoors from rock climbing to hiking, cycling, ocean swimming, skiing and doing triathlons 
Her main goal is to train for big skiing expeditions and big mountain expeditions 
Her early memories and not being encouraged to be that active 
Growing up as an only child 
Wanting to do more running
How things changed at 14 and going camping for the first time in her life
Finding friends who wanted to go hiking and camping 
Heading over to Nepal to do the Everest base camp after graduating high school 
Wanting to spend some time alone reflecting on the past 18 years 
Having a good reset before starting university 
Why her trip to Nepal was so formative 
Trekking to Everest Base camp in Winter 
Getting up to 5,500 metres
Climbing Kala Patthar, Nepal 
Enjoying being in the cold, remote environment
Knowing that her next big adventure was going to be Antarctica 
Starting to plan her training trips to Norway and Greenland 
Having everything put on hold until 2023
Doing her Polar Training course in Norway
Skiing across Greenland in 2023
Doing more solo expeditions in the polar regions
Planning to head to the South Pole at the end of 2026
Polar training and the lessons learned 
Being part of a team to do the Greenland crossing in May 2023
30 days on the ice - starting on the west coast and heading to the East coast 
Learning how to cope in the cold and the wind
Dealing with polar thigh
Why the journey has been rewarding and feeling a lot of pride with what's been achieved.
Thinking about what's next and struggling to be satisfied with the achievements 
Running for 43k a day for 7 days…
Learning how to suffer mentally while out on the ice
Staying positive and the other lessons learned to help mentally 
Practicing gratitude and being grateful for where she it 
Keeping the motivation alive
The logistics and finances to pay for the expedition 
Working with ALE 
Training and what that looks like
Recovery and paying more attention to nutrition 
Being vegetation, but eating some white meat, such as chicken and fish
Having cold showers
Concerns and fears to mange before the trip
Managing unsolicited opinions and advice 
How to connect with Stephanie 
Advice to motivate and inspire other women to step outside their comfort zone
Don't be afraid of what other people might think of you. 
Listening to your body and what you want to do 
Do something that sets your soul on fire 
 
Social Media
Website: solosouth.com.au

Birgit Hermann is a global leadership coach, speaker, executive leader, ocean advocate, professional freediver, and extreme endurance athlete who translates lessons from the edge into meaningful impact for people and planet. 
She supports purpose-driven leaders to turn bold challenges into grounded, values-led action.
She has raced the Marathon des Sables, run a marathon in Antarctica, freedived beneath Arctic ice without a wetsuit, and cycled across the African continent — often as the only woman on the start line.
Alongside these edge-tested experiences, Birgit brings over 20 years of leading and coaching teams across marine conservation, climate resilience, international development, and peace building in more than 20 countries.
Based between Timor-Leste, Germany, New Zealand, and Egypt, she is the founder of Inspired by Nature and the author of B.O.L.D.E.R.™ — a leadership framework forged at the edge and built for real-world change.
***
 New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
 Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x
***
Show notes
Who is Birgit
Growing up in Germany
Spending a lot of her life in Asia- Pacific, specifically New Zealand
Considering herself a change maker 
Working in management positions in relation to climate change adaptions, marine conservation, supporting livelihoods and communities to make changes for the better 
Growing up sporty and active 
Becoming an outdoor lover after moving to New Zealand 
Being a competitive swimmer for many years
Trying all sports from judo, to volleyball and cycling 
Being interested in different cultures and travelling 
Deciding to do her Masters Degree in New Zealand 
Deciding to take on Tour d'Afrique
Cycling 12,000km from north to south Africa
Feeing unsettled and wanting more from life 
Getting her courage together to sign up for the challenge 
Planning and training for a 4 month challenge
Changing her perspective on what's possible 
The physical achievement and trusting herself
Realising how all the small steps accumulate over time especially at the end of the journey and looking back on what's been achieved
Knowing that there was more to what she believed she could achieve 
Deciding to spend more time in Africa 
Freeing herself up to be open to something new 
Testing herself in a new environment 
Making something close to impossible happen
Starting to think and dream big 
Why the physical experience can change your mindset 
Knowing that the next step was the right step 
Why it wasn't easy 
Deciding to head back to New Zealand
Being a pioneer and looking to find a role model 
Continuing to take on big challenges
Living in Timor-Leste in 2016 
Wanting to share her experiences of traveling the world while doing endurance challenges 
Her experience in Antarctica and wanting to raise awareness and funds for climate change
Learning how to free-dive and the benefits experienced 
The importance of relaxing - truly relaxing
The journey over the last 3 years and putting all the lessons together
Boosting her confidence and starting to work for herself
Deciding to write her book
Being a trail blazer, and shifting culture
The lessons to be learned 
Inspire change, shift culture and build sustainable impact - without burnout! 
Who would benefit from reading from the book
Wanting to make a positive change in the world
Shout out for the Tough Girl Podcast!
How to connect with Birgit
Final words of advice for other women who want to live bolder 
Talk about it!!
Why it's the first step - talking about it out loud. 
There will be people who will support you. 
Social Media
Website: www.birgithermann.com
Instagram: @b_inspiredbynature
Facebook: @b.inspiredbynature
Youtube: @b.inspiredbynature 
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/birgithermann
Direct link to the book: www.birgithermann.com/bolder.html

Amanda Duling is an endurance athlete, writer, and founder of One Gear Short of Normal™. 
A post-bariatric, perimenopausal gravel cyclist and Ironman 70.3 finisher, Amanda uses grit, science, and unapologetic humour to tell the stories no one else is telling about endurance sports, women's bodies, and doing hard things later in life.
Through her writing and community work, she challenges the "suffer in silence" culture of endurance athletics and advocates for smarter fueling, better hygiene, realistic training, and radical honesty—especially for women navigating menopause, major weight loss, and endurance sport at the same time.
When she's not riding gravel roads or lifting heavy things, Amanda writes research-backed, laugh-out-loud essays on endurance life, parenting, and why choosing your hard matters more than perfection.
***
 New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
 Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.
 Your support makes a difference.  Thank you x
***
Show notes
Who is Amanda
Living in Kansas City, USA
Working as an IT professional during the day
Mum to a special needs son 
Building a brand in relation to being a post-bariatric endurance athlete 
Publishing an e-book in relation to saddle sores 
Why reinvention is possible 
Growing up in a small rural community 
Being into reading, writing and art
Having a lot of anxiety about her body and body image
Enjoying being active 
Not having the confidence when she was younger 
Getting married and settling down
Having gastric bypass surgery in her early 40s 
Having an Roux-en-Y gastric bypass - having a large portion of her stomach removed along with a large portion of her small intestines 
Having the surgery at the beginning of COVID and being stuck at home
Her journey with food, health and fitness 
Going for walks with her husband 
Finding the motivation for the next step
Feeling uncomfortable wearing shorts and form fitting clothes 
Starting to walk a little quicker 
Hiring a personal trainer at the gym to gain some of the lost muscle back
Seeing her strength coming back 
Thinking about doing a half marathon 
Finding a couch to 5k program 
Not making a lot of progress due to not being able to eat a lot
Starting to work with a dietician 
Having to re-learn eating 
Passing out after exercise and having no energy 
Dumping syndrome - when the body is not able to process sugar
UCAN and Waxy Maize
Finding support through community 
Joining a run club and meeting new people 
Being able to complete the half marathon 
Confidence and having confidence around her body
Building her self confidence
When things started to change
Showing up to different races
Doing hard things 
Wanting to encourage individuals starting out to volunteer at a couple of events
Overcoming a challenge during a race
Gravel cycling/racing, and why it's the hardest disciple in endurance sports
Unbound Gravel Race 
Breaking down the challenge into smaller and smaller steps and grinding it out
Logistics of gravel racing in relation to hydration and fuelling 
Electrolytes
UCAN Fuel— ucan.co 
Running on sheer grit 
What training looks like and why she needed a lot of structure
Training Peaks
Learning about heart rate training 
Training in the morning and making training work for her and her family
The importance of social interactions during workouts
Being surrounded by the right people and how it can help with motivation 
How to connect with Amanda on social media
Her love for writing and sharing her stories on Substack
Final words of advice to motivate and inspire you
The importance of showing up 
 
Social Media
Website: onegearshortofnormal.gumroad.com/l/prrdc
thecookiewaitlist.com
Instagram: @onegearshortofnormal
Facebook:  Amanda McMahon 
Substack: @onegearshortofnormal1
Youtube: One Gear Short of Normal