Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

Caroline Buchanan's cycling CV is quite extraordinary. Not just because she's an 8x World Champion, but also because she has achieved those titles across 2 multiple disciplines within the sport of cycling (3x in BMX and 5x in mountain biking). She is a 2x Olympian and has now competed at the World Championships in 4 different cycling events. Off the bike, Caroline is committed to the next generation of cyclists and to encouraging more girls to get into the sport, including through her latest venture; a children's book series called 'Girls Can B'. Needless to say, she's a woman of many talents - both on and off the bike. We could have spent the hour just talking about her cycling career, but I wanted to go deeper than that; to discover the mindset and mental strategies she uses to manage her fear (in a risky and potentially dangerous sport) so she can perform on the world stage at her best. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on

Eliza Ault Connell was a (self-described) normal kid with a pretty average childhood until she was 16. It was then, in 1997, she contracted and nearly died from meningococcal disease. She spent 2 weeks in a coma during which time her parents had to make the heartbreaking decision to amputate both of her legs to save her life. Eliza later decided to have her fingers amputated for reasons she’ll share in this conversation. During her recovery, Eliza was introduced to parasports and started as a runner, before she transitioned across to wheelchair racing - and she hasn’t looked back. She has since won 3 World Championship medals, 3 Commonwealth Games medals and placed 2nd in a demonstration event at the Athens 2004. After a 10 year break from racing to raise a family, at the age of 36 Eliza returned to the sport to chase her Olympic dreams once more. And just a few weeks ago, it was announced that Eliza was one of the first 4 athletes selected to represent Australia at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games. Get the fu

“Attitude is more important than fact” might seem like one of those weary and overused motivational slogans. But Lisa Bentley lives it every day. Lisa is an 11-time Ironman triathlon champion, including 5 straight victories at Ironman Australia. She also has cystic fibrosis - a genetic lung disease that results in chronic infections with limited lung capacity. Lisa was diagnosed in 1989 at the age of 20, when the average life expectancy for those with cystic fibrosis in Canada, was also 20. The facts would suggest Lisa was never meant to excel at endurance sports. She’s the first to admit she wasn’t the most talented athlete around, especially given her limited lung capacity. But it was Lisa’s approach to the mental and emotional side of sport — her attitude — that set her apart. We dive into her story and the tools she used to build that mental fitness in this conversation. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: face

In this episode, we cover what’s happened, professionally and personally, over the last 2 years - including the new ‘hat’ I’m wearing and the work I’m doing as a Performance and Mindset expert (alongside my work here at Sparta Chicks and as an endurance sports coach). Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Jen on Instagram: @spartajen

Jill Wheatley was born in Canada and was working as a Physical Education teacher in Bavaria in September 2014 when she was hit in the head with a ball in a freak accident. Jill was taken to Emergency but was sent home after only about 15min to nurse what the doctors described as a ‘black eye’. Unfortunately, she spent the next 48 hours alone, drifting in and out of consciousness before she was found by a friend, rushed back to the hospital where it was discovered she had a fractured skull (amongst other injuries). 2 years, 7 hospitals and 3 countries later, Jill’s black eye never re-opened. She was left with a traumatic brain injury and only 30% of her vision. But that was not going to stop Jill from returning to her beloved mountains. So she set a goal to circumnavigate the world and run not only trails but what she describes as “illustrious mountain ranges” with her “differently-abled” body. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radi

Amazingly, Chloë didn’t learn how to swim until she was 11. Yet within 2 years, she was swimming at State level and eventually had her eye on Olympic qualification. Sadly, that wasn’t to be. But during her university years, she discovered triathlons which led to marathon swimming. The year was 2006 and the rest, as they say, is history! She now holds multiple world records including for the longest ever unassisted swim by any person - a mind-blowing 124.4km which she swam in the Bahamas in 2014. At the start of 2020, Chloë arrived in England with 31 crossings of the English Channel under her belt, and a plan to break the men’s record of 34 crossings. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Chloë on Instagram: @Chloemccardel

Heather Swan was a very normal, everyday woman with no experience in adventure or even camping until her 30s. A single mum with a distinguished corporate career, her life probably would have continued on that track until she met the man who is now her husband, Glenn. Glenn was a base jumper - and the rest, as they say, is history. After doing her first base jump at the age of 40, Heather was gone onto become a wingsuit pilot. She holds multiple world records (including for the world’s highest wingsuit base jump) and has flown her wingsuit over Sydney Harbour, the Grand Canyon and, most recently, Antarctica. We discuss fear, risk, self-doubt and the inner critic in this fun conversation. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Heather on Instagram: @heatherjswan

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. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Suzy on Ins

I could fill a page just listing Samantha Gash’s achievements. In 2010, and in her first ultramarathon, Sam became the first female and youngest person to complete the Racing the Planet 4 Deserts Grand Slam, running 4 ultra-marathons across the driest, windiest, hottest and coldest deserts on Earth. That was followed in 2011 by a 222km non-stop race through the Indian Himalayas. It was during that run across the Himalayas that Sam decided to use her running for a greater purpose. Since then, she’s run 379km solo, non-stop across the Simpson Desert in Australia as well as 2,000km along South Africa’s Freedom Trail to raise funds and awareness for the work of Save the Children. Then in 2016, as an ambassador for World Vision, Sam set out on her most ambitious project to date; running across India. Over 76 days, she ran 3,253km from the west to the east of India and, in the process, raised close to $200,000 to fund 6 programs to improve access to education for children in India. Sam’s run was capture in an amazi

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 (es

From the self-described “fat kid” at school, Caro Ryan's life changed and a deep love and connection with the bush was born after a 3-day leadership training course in the Australian bush when she was 21. These days, she’s now one of Australia’s top bloggers in the outdoor space via her website lotsafreshair.com. In this conversation, we discuss: - why she describes herself as the “unexpected outdoors chick”,  - how becoming the “red bandana girl” changed her life,  - the stories we tell ourselves, including in Caro’s case that she “wasn’t a runner”,  - using words, labels and phrases (such as “I’m a runner”) *before* you believe them,  - how to manage and mitigate the most common fears of being in the bush and  - how being in the outdoors is such a powerful catalyst for change for so many women.  Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Caro on Instagram: @lotsafreshair

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. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook

Stacey Copeland began training in the boxing gym run by her Granddad when she was 6 or 7. But she was too young to realise that, at the time, boxing was banned as a sport for women. So when the boys in her training squad turned 11 and were allowed to compete, Stacey was left on the sidelines outside the ring, watching. An incredible football career followed. And by the time Stacey retired from football, the ban on women’s boxing had been lifted so she returned to the sport she loved. In this episode, we don’t discuss boxing so much as Stacey’s experience of being a girl and woman involved in two sports that are traditionally seen as “male sports”. Stacey talks openly about how she’s struggled with the perceptions and labels given to her by others who think that boxing isn’t suitable for women and how that lack of recognition fed a longstanding struggle with the Imposter Complex. We also talk about: - what it was like growing up in a boxing gym, - the impact that having no female role models in her sport had o

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 Australia. Then 2 years 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

Jess Douglas isn’t your typical elite athlete. She wasn’t a sporty kid. In fact, she was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma when she was 14, had her beautiful daughter at 20 and only got serious about her riding in her 30s. But that didn’t stop her from discovering a love of mountain biking and then going on to become a World Champion in the incredibly gruelling 24-hour solo event in just 4 years after taking up the sport (and now she's a 3x World Champion!) These days, she’s a cycling coach who is passing her unique perspective and experience onto her athletes and is passionate about getting more women on bikes. In this conversation we talk about: - why she describes being diagnosed with cancer as a “beautiful time in her life”, - the powerful way she uses role models to gain courage in situations where’s she’s feeling scared or doubtful, - how important it is to understand your ‘why’, - her struggle with depression and - her 1% rule which was the key to her fast progression in the sport (and how you can use i

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

Madhu Tamilarasan is a GP (general practitioner doctor) now living in a regional country town in New South Wales who discovered triathlons in her mid-30s and has since fallen in love with off-road triathlons and mountain biking. She’s gone onto race at both the Australian and ITU World Cross Triathlon Championships. A proudly gay woman with an amazing wife, Madhu is also English born of Indian descent, and so she brings a unique perspective to the podcast. And I am incredibly grateful to her for her vulnerability and openness in this very broad-ranging conversation. We discuss everything from coming out to her parents, how she discovered triathlons, her experience as a woman of colour in a strikingly white sport and why she writes BADASS on her arm before a key race. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Madhu on Instagram: @mvt550

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. Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Janine on Instagram: @janinegarner

Born and raised in Tehran, Shirin Gerami settled in the UK at the age of 15. After discovering triathlons in University, Shirin became the first woman ever to represent Iran in triathlon (women had previously been banned from participating in the sport). She then went onto become the first Iranian - male or female - to finish the Hawaii Ironman. She is on a mission to show that clothing should not be a barrier to participation in sport for millions of women around the world who want, need or choose to cover their body (whether for cultural or religious reasons or even humility or sun protection). Get the full show notes for the episode here. — Visit the Sparta Chicks Radio website here  Follow Sparta Chicks Radio on Facebook: facebook.com/SpartaChicks  Follow Shirin on Instagram: @ShirinGeramiTri

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 h