Sparta Chicks Radio: Mindset | Confidence | Sport | Women

Sam Lane is an award-winning journalist who specialises in covering the Australian Football League (AFL) and cycling.  She has also covered 2 Olympic Games and the Tour de France twice. Sam has been a member of Channel 7’s AFL broadcast team since 2013 and has spent the last 15 years writing and talking about footy. In 2017, she published “Roar”, a book about the history and launch of the Women’s...

Lucy Barnard set off in February 2017 to walk the length of the world. From Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego in Argentina all the way to  Barrow, Alaska; a journey of 30,000km /20,000mi across 15 countries that will take her about 5 years. Yes, years. My first question to Lucy is probably the same one you’re thinking right now too; why? In this conversation, we talk about the logistics as well as the les...

Pamela Jabbour is an amazing woman. She founded Total Image Group at the age of just 21 with no previous business experience. In fact, Pam’s story of establishing the business is such a rare and incredible example of pure grit - she made 100 cold phone calls, every day, for 12 months before the company won their first client. Fast forward and in 2017, Total Image Group was selected as the official...

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 has gone...

These days, a Fitness and Sports Counsellor and Body Positivity Advocate, Leah Gilbert's relationship with food and her body wasn't always so, well, positive. A child who loved sport but who, because she was bigger than the other kids, was very self-conscious of her body. Leah openly admits that, as a result, she always limited the amount of effort she put into her sport (and therefore lim...

Recorded in 2018, this episode marked not only the 50th episode, but the first birthday of the podcast! So I thought this would be the perfect chance to share the top 10 most popular episodes of the podcast over the first season.

Caro Ryan describes herself as the “unexpected outdoors chick”. As a child, she wasn’t physically active. But after a 3 day experiential leadership training course in the Australian bush at the age of 21, the trajectory of Caro’s life changed and a deep love and connection with the bush was born. These days, she is one of Australia’s top bloggers in the outdoor space via her website  lotsafreshair...

Brad Stulberg is fascinated with the science of human performance. In 2017 Brad co-authored, with Steve Magness, a fantastic book I devoured on a flight called "Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout and Thrive With the New Science of Success." This book (and this conversation) is based around the concept of periodisation (which is - or should be - the principle that any and...

Terra Roam will, in 2018, also become the 1st woman to walk around Australia, solo and without the assistance of a support vehicle. For much of her walk, she was accompanied only by Dory, her bright blue and yellow custom-build barrow. Terra’s story is of a girl who discovered a love of, and connection, with nature from a very young age. But who didn’t realise until later in life that she had been...

Hayley Nixon could swim before she could walk. She then discovered, and fell in love with, rowing at University and was on track to make the team to represent South Africa in rowing at the London Olympics. But sadly just 3 months before the Games were to commence, she was informed she hadn’t been selected and missed out by one spot. After such heartbreaking disappointment, Hayley lost her love for...

Lucy Bartholomew was just 16 when she completed her first 100km race, after only taking up the sport the year before. By 18, she was the Sky Running Junior World Champion. Then in 2017, on her 21st birthday Lucy won the Ultra Trail Australia 100km race and again proved she was a force to be reckoned with on the international trail running scene with her victory at Ultra Trail Cape Town 100km in De...

I don’t know anyone more passionate about the sport of triathlon — and getting more women into the sport — than this week’s guest, Bel Fong. An institution in the Sydney triathlon scene, Bel has been involved in the sport since 2007. Her passion for the sport is only exceeded by her passion to get more women into the sport (she describes it as her “calling”). In this conversation we discuss how sh...

A Clearance Diver in the Australian Navy, in 2009 Paul was working in Sydney Harbour when he was attacked by a bull shark (the first attack inside the Harbour in 60 years). Paul lost his right hand in the attack and his right leg was amputated a week later. What’s remarkable about Paul is not that he was attacked. What’s remarkable is what he has done since then. Not only has he returned to the op...

We all experience the voice of the Inner Critic. This week on Sparta Chicks Radio, Tara Mohr, a women's leadership and wellbeing expert, will help you not only recognise your Inner Critic but share some practical tools so you can learn to live with your fear, self-doubt and Inner Critic, but not be held back by it. Tara specialises in helping women to 'play big' which is also the title...

From growing up in Canada then spending her teenage years in the Middle East, completing a PhD in women’s history through to a successful career as a professional triathlete and becoming President of Tri Equal, Sara has a diverse background which has given her a unique perspective on the involvement of women in sport and the importance of sharing stories about women. Since her retirement, Sara has...

Richelle Olsen is a force of nature. A 30-something plus-sized Aussie, Richelle is on a mission to introduce more plus-sized women to the outdoors and adventure through her non-profit organisation, Escaping Your Comfort Zone. In her own right, Richelle has done everything from hiking the Inca Trail and to Everest Base Camp as well as riding the 5,000km from Canada to Mexico (yes, Canada —> Mexi...

Abby Ehler is a professional sailor and, at the time this episode goes live, currently on a yacht racing down the west coast of Africa during the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. This is Abby’s 3rd time competing in this prestigious round-the-world yacht race, described as one of the longest and toughest professional sporting events in the world. In this episode, we discuss how Abby discovered...

Jo Bailey is just like you and I. An age-group athlete and busy mum who only discovered running in her mid-30s. At the time this interview was recorded in 2017, she had completed 9 ultra-marathons and is about to attempt her first 100mi/160km race through the Victorian Alps. Jo has openly discussed her struggles with the Imposter Complex and comparison, her fear of coming last and the “stories she...

Stacey Copeland has represented England at the highest levels in both football and boxing. These day, Stacey is a professional boxer, having gained her professional licence earlier this year. Stacey 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 sq...

Carin and her sons have a genetic condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). A rare condition related to the connective tissue in the body that results in many hospital visits and many stitchers and check-ups for her and her boys. This condition, together with the fact she didn’t think she was “allowed to do sports” because she was “bigger than average” as a kid, meant it wasn’t until Carin wa...

f there is one person to ask about fear and doubt, it’s Rhiannan Iffland. In 2016, in her rookie season and with a wildcard entry, she walked away with the 2016 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series title. And this past weekend, she has just successfully defended her title after victory at an event in Chile. Rhiannan grew up on Lake Macquarie, just north of Sydney, Australia and now travels the world...

In January 2018, Sarah will set out on her journey to paddle the length of the Nile, from its source in Rwanda, all the way to Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast in Egypt; a journey of 6,850km / 4,200 miles over 7 months. In this conversation, we discuss how she is using her corporate experience in risk management to mitigate the risks associated with this journey (including injury, disease and...

Jessica Douglas isn’t your typical elite athlete. She wasn’t a sporty kid. She was diagnosed Hodgkins Lymphoma when she was 14, had her 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 3 x World Champion in the incredibly gruelling 24-hour solo event in just 4 years after taking up the...

Karley Cunningham has a diverse background and a unique perspective on the world. At 8, she was being groomed to be one of the top pairs figure skaters in Canada (and the world). After quitting, she went on to compete in equestrian, cross country and golf (all at a high level) before discovering mountain biking. She became an elite mountain biker and raced for many years and now she’s come over to...

Amanda Batty is a professional downhill mountain biker race based in the US. She is also an outspoken advocate for women in sport and a vocal critic of the cycling industry for its treatment and portrayal of women. In this conversation, we discuss how cycling helped her find her sense of self and self-worth, that fear is healthy, why it’s important to remember why you are riding, how she handles t...