Sarah Williams

08/06/2026

“Live your life by a compass, not a clock.” — Stephen Covey

07/06/2026

COMING on 9th June!

Jeannette McGill: Everest at 52, Leadership at Altitude & The Truth Above 8,000m

Jeannette McGill is a seasoned mountaineer and executive leader who, at 52, became the oldest South African woman to summit Everest in May 2025. With more than 30 years of global climbing experience—including leading expeditions across four continents—she knows deeply that the summit is never just about standing on top.

Jeannette’s journey is a testament to patience, resilience, and the quiet power of backing yourself, no matter how many setbacks you face. Beyond her personal achievements, she is passionate about demystifying the modern-day myths of Everest and advocates instead for the very real challenges mountain terrains face through climate change globally. Having been there herself, she brings an informed, honest perspective on what is truly happening above 8,000m.

Today, Jeannette combines her love for high-altitude adventure with leadership on Boards and helping others explore their own limits. She also supports future generations through leading snow camps in the Victorian Alps and mountaineering scholarships, believing that mountains are powerful teachers of courage and humility. Her story is not just about conquering peaks but about becoming the kind of person who dares to try.

We first spoke with Jeannette on 7th January 2021 - Jeannette McGill - 1st South African woman to summit Manaslu, the 8th highest mountain in the world- https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/single-post/jeannettemcgill

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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

You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Stitcher!

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/tough-girl-podcast/id1024977070
https://soundcloud.com/toughgirlchallenges/tracks
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tough-girl-podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/4YeO1EN1L4Qk0IvSiO9kG3

31/05/2026

COMING on 2nd June!

Lauren Burnison – Pioneering the Sober Travel Movement and Adventures of a Single Mum

Lauren Burnison is the founder of We Love Lucid, the UK’s first alcohol-free travel company, and a trailblazer in the sober travel movement. From couch-surfing with nomads on the Mongolian steppe to snorkelling with sharks in Oman, Lauren has spent her life seeking off-the-beaten-path adventures—and this year, she took a two-month road trip through Spain and Portugal in a micro camper with her four-year-old daughter to celebrate ten years of sobriety.

In this candid conversation, Lauren shares her journey from self-destructive habits to sobriety, how travel became her school of life, and the joys and challenges of being a single parent exploring the world. She talks about starting We Love Lucid, the lessons learned while traveling solo and with her daughter, and how adventure can transform the way we see ourselves.

Explicit content: We touch on drugs, drinking, and addiction.

***

🎙️ 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

You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Stitcher!

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/tough-girl-podcast/id1024977070
https://soundcloud.com/toughgirlchallenges/tracks
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tough-girl-podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/4YeO1EN1L4Qk0IvSiO9kG3

30/05/2026

*** Future NEW June Tough Girl Podcast GUESTS!!! ***

📍2nd June - Lauren Burnison – Pioneering the Sober Travel Movement and Adventures of a Single Mum

📍9th June - Jeannette McGill: Everest at 52, Leadership at Altitude & The Truth Above 8,000m

📍16th June - Dr. Shawna Pandya – Canada’s First Named Female Commercial Astronaut & Space Medicine Pioneer

📍23rd June - Helen Spencer – Vet, Polar Explorer & South Pole Ski Adventurer

Thank you so much for all your continued support. Have a brilliant month. As always if you have any feedback or suggestions please feel free to get in contact. My DMs are open and you can e-mail me at [email protected]
xx

You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify & Stitcher!

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/tough-girl-podcast/id1024977070

https://soundcloud.com/toughgirlchallenges/tracks

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tough-girl-podcast

https://open.spotify.com/show/4YeO1EN1L4Qk0IvSiO9kG3

Feeling inspired week after week?

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode
If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!
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Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate a small fixed amount every month to help fund the runnings costs.
https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h

29/05/2026

Have you listened to our fabulous guests from May?

📍5th May - Paula McGuire – Stroke, Autism Diagnosis & Why She’s Still Saying Yes to Adventure

📍12th May - Lauren Roerick “Longway” – Thru-Hiking the World: PCT, HexaTrek & Te Araroa

📍19th May - Aisyah Rafaee - 2x Olympic Rower on Comebacks, Mental Strength & Redefining High Performance in Your 30s @‌ariesyah

📍21st May - Chloe Stead – From Navy Life to Nomadic Living, Caminos, Grief & Choosing a Simpler Way

📍26th May - Helen Dainty – First Woman to Cycle Across Libya & 9 Years Living on £50 a Week by Bike @‌hels.on.wheels

👉Every episode is full of inspiring stories of women overcoming great challenges.

🏆The Tough Girl Podcast won the Best Urban and Adventure Podcast Award in the Sports Podcast Awards in 2021. The Shextreme Best Adventure Podcast Award in 2019 & the Women's Sports Trust National Award for Media Initiative of the Year in 2018

✅To find out more about supporting and becoming a patron please visit - http://www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast . (Link in bio)

👉You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify & Stitcher!

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/tough-girl-podcast/id1024977070

https://soundcloud.com/toughgirlchallenges/tracks

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tough-girl-podcast

https://open.spotify.com/show/4YeO1EN1L4Qk0IvSiO9kG3

🎧New episodes go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time! Subscribe so you don’t miss out!

🎊Thank you, for all your support and encouragement!

#

19/05/2026

Total Stats 🥾 Camino Inglés Spain 🇪🇸

ℹ️ with 🥳
Weather: rainy with 2 dry days
🗓️17th April - 22nd April 2025
Away for 6 Days - Hiking for 5.
From: Ferrol
To: Santiago de Compostela
Accommodation: Private rooms - all booked in advance via booking.com
🏔️Terrain: mostly flat, roads, tarmac, country lanes, through forests, by the coast.
📖Cicerone Guidebook - The Camino Ingles and Ruta do Mar £14.95

🥾Total Km: 129 - daily average 26km
🥾Total Miles: 80 - daily average 16
🦶Total Steps: 166,600 - daily steps 33,320

Earliest start time: 8.46 am
Latest start time: 10am
Earliest end time: 12.30pm - final day
Latest end time: 5.30pm - first day

👟Trainers & Backpack: Use TOUGHGIRL15 to get a 15% discount

💷💶Total costs: £628 / €720
💷💶Average costs per day (6): £105 / €120

💷💶Total costs not including travel: £262 / €300
💷💶Daily costs not including travel : £44 / €50

💷💶Total Accommodation Costs: £139 / €160
💷💶Average Accommodation Costs - 4 nights £35 / €40

Staying in private accommodation made sense as I was travelling with Gemma, so it was a lot cheaper to get private rooms and get good sleep rather than staying in Albergue - which is a lot cheaper.

💷💶Total Food Costs: £111 / €127
💷💶Average Food Costs Per day: £18.50 / €21.20

I had bought some snacks along with me such as Kendall mint cake, trek bars and naked bars. Mostly shopped in supermarkets, had a few hot chocolates and 2 meals out. Plus breakfast at two of the accommodations.

💷💶Travel Costs: £366 /€420 - flights, taxi, train, bus.

💷💶Misc costs: £11 / €12.50 - umbrella, camino certificate and pilgrims passport.

Subjective feeling out of 10 on:

😀Total Enjoyment: = 62% Enjoyment - this score is always massively impacted by the weather.
😫Total Fatigue average: = 40%
⛰️Total Ease of terrain: = 32% very easy going.

Challenges: the rain, the wind…. Getting there!

✨Highlights: honestly, whenever the sun came out, reaching the accommodation at the end of each day and getting to Santiago and finally having a little bit of sunshine!

It’s a good short camino, very manageable, gives a great idea of what a longer camino would be like. A great first camino.

❓Any questions or comments regarding the Camino English ?

🙏Thanks for following along I have filmed the experience and the film will be coming out on the Tough Girl YouTube channel soon 🥳

18/05/2026

New Patrons Update!

Big Adventure News! The GR5, Training Updates & Podcast Life by Sarah Williams on Patreon. Join Sarah Williams's community for exclusive content and updates.

18/05/2026

Tough Girl Podcast has been climbing the Apple Podcast Fitness charts around the world 🌍💪

🥇 #1 Macedonia
🥈 #2 Swaziland & Ecuador
✨ Top 10 in Ireland, Austria, UK, Norway & Israel
🔥 Top 20 in Turkey & Kyrgyzstan

To every single person who listens, downloads, shares and supports — THANK YOU ❤️

854+ conversations, countless stories of courage and adventure… and we’re still going 💥

18/05/2026

“I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on earth. Then I ask myself the same question.” — Harun Yahya

17/05/2026

COMING on 19th May!

Aisyah Rafaee - 2x Olympic Rower on Comebacks, Mental Strength & Redefining High Performance in Your 30s

In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we’re joined by Aisyah Rafaee – a two-time Olympic rower from Singapore who competed at the Rio 2016 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the single scull.

After taking an eight-year break from the sport, Aisyah made the bold decision to return—qualifying for Paris 2024 as one of the oldest athletes in the field and redefining what it means to be a high-performing athlete in your 30s.

Originally from Singapore and now based in Boston, USA, Aisyah grew up with four brothers and discovered rowing after being scouted during an indoor competition at school. With limited rowing culture and opportunities in Singapore, she carved her own path—training overseas in Sydney, qualifying through a fiercely competitive Asian selection process, and representing Singapore on the world stage.

But her journey hasn’t been linear.

From struggling with pressure at her first Olympics to working with mental skills coach Hansen Bay, from stepping away from elite sport to rediscovering her love for movement, from fracturing her ribs a month before Paris to qualifying with just six months to go—this is a powerful conversation about identity, resilience, vulnerability, and growth.

Now working as a HYDROW Athlete and Mental Performance Coach with 3HP Athlete Coaching, Aisyah shares insights on:

- Building confidence and resilience
- Letting go of expectations
- Separating identity from performance
- The realities of returning to elite sport after time away
- Training and mindset during pregnancy
- Why rowing is a lifelong sport
- Her philosophy of the 3Hs: Happy, Healthy & High Performing

This episode is about trusting your timing, embracing new chapters, and asking yourself: Is this smart for me?

Aisyah’s story is proof that it’s never “too late” to chase a dream — and that high performance can evolve with you.

***

🎙️ 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

You can listen to the Tough Girl Podcast on the go via iTunes, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Stitcher!

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/tough-girl-podcast/id1024977070
https://soundcloud.com/toughgirlchallenges/tracks
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/tough-girl-podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/4YeO1EN1L4Qk0IvSiO9kG3