The Passion Stories Podcast

What is textile performance? Why is a sewing machine so loud? Does technology have a place in art? This week, Emma is joined by Harriet Riddell, a textile performance artist who creates art with her sewing machine. Harriet stitches stories and portraits in public places as she sees them - think life drawing blended with free‑motion embroidery.  Harriet has travelled the world with her sewing machi...

This week Emma is joined by breathwork coach, mentor, and former professional rugby player David Jackson, known as Jacko. After a traumatic brain injury ended his rugby career, Jacko discovered breathwork. Now a Master Oxygen Advantage coach, he’s on a mission to make breathwork more accessible and help others use their breath as a tool for self-connection, healing, and high performance. Based in...

This week on the Passion Stories podcast, Emma is joined by Dr Sarah Ruggins, who recently smashed the LEJOGLE there and back overall record - cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End and back again in just 5 days, 11 hours, and 14 minutes.  That’s over 2,700 kilometres with 18,000 metres of elevation. Insane.  Sarah beat the men’s record by 6 hours 43 minutes, which was previously held by James M...

Can you be a professional athlete in two different sports?  In the latest episode Emma is joined by Annabel Fisher who is both a pro gravel cyclist and pro nordic skier. From March to October Annabel rides her bike, and in the winter she cross country skies for Switzerland. Annabel is a real force, from studying at Cambridge university and flying planes in the RAF, to winning the Gravel Earth Seri...

In this episode, Emma is joined by legendary animator, director, and filmmaker Aaron Blaise , best known for his work on Disney classics including The Lion King, Brother Bear, and Beauty and the Beast. Hand drawn over three years, Aaron opens up about his latest film Snow Bear which tells the story of a polar bear’s journey through a melting Arctic and explores the themes grief, climate change and...

Is indoor cycling a cult? Why is spinning so popular but also so divisive? Is there a difference between the two? This week, Emma is joined by Melissa Power, indoor cycling instructor and founder of Cadence Indoor Cycling in North London. With 17+ years in the fitness industry, Melissa shares what it’s really like on the instructor’s podium, how indoor cycling differs from spin classes, and what i...

This week Emma is joined by Mark Beaumont. Best known for holding the Guinness World record for cycling around the world in under 80 days, Mark has rowed oceans, been to over 130 nations and territories and written 6 books, all of which has cultivated another passion, impact investing. Mark shares how he got into investing early stage companies in science and technology, what he looks for in entre...

Did you know you can be prescribed a book? Joining me on this week’s episode is Lucy Pearson, a bibliotherapist and journalist known for starting The Literary Edit. Lucy is quite literally a human bookstore with a wealth of knowledge and passion for literature.  Lucy explains all about bibliotherapy, its origins, how it works, and why it works. She also shares how she got into prescribing books as...

What should you do if a rhino charges you? Joining Emma on this episode is wildlife conservationist and Africa travel specialist Callum Perry. Callum spent over 6 years out in the South African bush and has a host of incredible stories to share. Not least about getting chased by rhinos, more than once (!) but also about the threats African wildlife face as well as those trying to protect them. Cal...

This week Emma is joined by Ella Bloor, pro gravel cyclist and architect. From Australia, Ella is passionate about pushing her limits, and last year, rode solo from Perth to Sydney, covering over 4,000km in just two weeks, spicy. She shares the highs and lows of this trip and the raw motivation behind it all. Ella also talks about life as a pro gravel cyclist, from touring the US for the Lifetime...

Are you addicted to your smart watch? There’s been a massive surge in people wearing smart watches, with Garmin posting record results thanks to its sports watches, but why? In this episode Emma is joined by Janelle Chubey, director of OEM at 4iiii and sports data expert. Janelle shares her view on the evolution of data within sport, the impact of this demand not just on performance in sport but a...

Could you spend 97 days rowing across the Atlantic alone like this week's guest? In this inspiration-filled episode Emma is joined by Zara Lachlan who recently became the first woman and youngest person to row solo from Europe to South America, a phenomenal achievement. Setting off from Lagos on the Portuguese Algarve on 27th October 2024, the 21 year old spent 97 days alone at sea, rowing 4,000 m...

From Marrakesh, Antarctica, the ancient Mayan city of Palenque in Mexico, to Paris, Boston, London, you name it, you can run a marathon on all seven continents, and this week’s guest can make it happen.  For this episode Emma is joined by Jeff Adams, President of Marathon Tours & Travel and multi-marathon runner. Sharing his views on the boom of the adventure tourism industry, Jeff talks all t...

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an adventurer? This week Emma is joined by adventurer and author Alastair Humphreys. Known for his epic expeditions including cycling round the world, walking across India and rowing across the Atlantic Ocean, Alastair is a tour de force when it comes to living adventurously. He chats all things adventure from his inspirations, to what it’s really like t...

To kick off 2025, Emma is joined by ultracycling extraordinaire Jana Kesenheimer who literally eats mountains for breakfast. Having started life as more of a runner than a cyclist, Jana shares how she got into cycling an extremely long way, what drives her and her goals for 2025. She also dives into the details of how she came 13th overall, and first woman, in the 2024 Transcontinental Race, Europ...

In this festive special episode, Emma is joined by Rosh Gammampila of the Devagiri Tea Estate. First bought by her grandfather in 1947, Devagiri was struggling but in a turn of fate, Rosh was visiting the estate with her partner when they realised it was in dire need of help. Rosh and her partner decided to buy it and move their corporate London life to Sri Lanka two years ago and focus on tea. Ro...

This week Emma is joined by ultra runner and musician Charles Costa. Charles recently ran 90 marathons in 90 days along the Pacific Crest Trail in the US, raising money for two suicide prevention charities St James place and the Jed foundation. An extraordinary feat, Charles ran 2,650 miles from Canada to Mexico and climbed 13 times the height of Mount Everest in three months. He shares the highs...

This week Emma is joined by Canadian gravel and MTB cyclist Haley Smith. Haley talks about finding herself in this year's Unbound bunch finish sprint, when she wasn't even sure she would start the race due to her struggles with Long Covid.  She shares how she navigating moving from MTB to gravel (although she’s still a 50% MTB rider!) and how she found big sponsors like Maap and Trek. What’s espec...

This week's episode Emma is joined by Rob Hobson, renowned nutritionist and author. Rob shares his journey into nutrition, his top tips for eating healthily in winter, and why he wrote his book how to unprocess your life. He also talks frankly about how he feels about trying to help people eat healthily amongst the swathe, and power, of the marketing machines of massive processed food manufacturer...

This week’s guest is Jess Silva, presenter, commentator, and co-founder of Carbon Jacked and Second Nature Sisters , and Jess is all about adding some spice. Hugely passionate about sustainability and sport, Jess shares how she has carved a successful career which combines the two, from starting off working for England netball, to presenting for Sky Sports and Formula E, and talking at Sport Posit...

This week’s guest is Rosa ter Kuile, also known as the artist RTiiiKA. Rosa is an award-winning artist and creative based in bristol and her work spans illustration, murals, street art, and live bike portraits. Passionate about bringing people together, Rosa’s playful art often has a much deeper meaning. We talk about her inspirations, the importance of fluidity in her work, her impact on communit...

This week Emma is joined by Olympic silver medallist, Ollie Wynne-Griffith. Rowing for GB, Ollie won silver this summer in the Paris 2024 men’s pairs race, gold in the 2024 European Championships, and has a host of other rowing accolades including bronze in the men’s eight at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. But Ollie isn’t just an achiever on the water, he also has a degree from Yale, and an MBA from Cam...

This week Emma is joined by Dr Nick Prior. Nick is an NHS psychiatrist specialising in mental health and also co-founder of Minderful, a mental fitness platform. Motivated by his own diagnosis and family struggles with bipolar disorder, Nick trained as a doctor and psychiatrist and now works in the NHS. He shares how his own mental health journey gives him a unique insight into the importance of t...

This week Emma is joined by ultracyclist, Robin Gemperle. This summer Robin won the Transcontinental Race (TCR), known as the hardest European ultra cycling race, in a remarkable 8 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes. The race is free route while encompassing several control points and this year it started in Roubaix, France, and finished in Istanbul, Turkey, with riders covering over 4,000km and trave...

This week Emma is joined by Muay Thai fighter Ellie Harber. At just 18, Ellie already has a lot of success to her name including multiple Muay Thai world titles. She started training at the age of 7, and at 10 she stepped into the ring for her first fight, her passion for the sport is unrelenting from the get go. Now fighting adults, Ellie shares her unique insight into the principles and traditio...