Birgit Hermann – Turning Extreme Endurance into Bolder Leadership for People and Planet
Release Date: 03/17/2026
Marie “Lootie” Leautey – Solo, Unsupported & Fastest Woman to Run Around the World
Tough Girl Podcast
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...
info_outline
Stephanie Ho: Adventurer and Endurance Athlete Skiing Solo to the South Pole & Pushing Beyond Limits
Tough Girl Podcast
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...
info_outline
Birgit Hermann – Turning Extreme Endurance into Bolder Leadership for People and Planet
Tough Girl Podcast
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...
info_outline
Amanda Duling: Endurance Sport After Gastric Bypass — Grit, Fueling & Radical Honesty
Tough Girl Podcast
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...
info_outline
Lyla “Sugar” Harrod – Triple Crown Hiker & Appalachian Trail Record Breaker
Tough Girl Podcast
Growing up near Boston, Sugar discovered hiking in her early twenties while exploring the White Mountains of New Hampshire. After getting sober at 30, she found herself with the clarity, time and capacity to pursue the life she truly wanted. What followed was a decision to live authentically, prioritise long-distance hiking, and become what she proudly calls a professional dirtbag. In 2021, Sugar set out on the Appalachian Trail. While she knew she was a strong hiker, she also faced the uncertainty of what it would mean to walk the trail as a trans woman. Feeling the isolation of not seeing...
info_outline
Sara Eydmann - Ultra-marathon runner on attempting to run 500 miles, mental health and changing the narrative
Tough Girl Podcast
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, we’re joined by Sara Eydmann — ultra-marathon runner, counsellor and therapist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. At 30 years old, Sara is no stranger to pushing her limits. From attempting to run 500 miles to taking on the North Coast 500, her journey into ultra-running has been anything but straightforward. But behind the miles is a powerful and deeply honest story about mental health, identity, resilience and learning to change the narrative. Growing up as an only child, Sara was always active — until an eating disorder at 14 forced her to...
info_outline
Starre Vartan: The Stronger Sex — Women’s Bodies, Endurance, and the Science We’ve Been Missing
Tough Girl Podcast
In this episode of the Tough Girl Podcast, I’m joined by Starre Vartan — science and environment writer, author, and lifelong question-asker whose work sits at the powerful intersection of the human body and the natural world. With a background in geology and biology, Starre began her career as an environmental geologist before pivoting into journalism to tell the stories behind the science. Over the past 15+ years, she’s written for publications including National Geographic, Scientific American, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and New Scientist,...
info_outline
Emma Karslake, FRGS, is an adventurer, writer and cycle tour guide who has spent much of the past eight years exploring the world by bike.
Tough Girl Podcast
From ultra-light hotel bikepacking on a road bike to six-month expeditions in remote regions on a heavily laden hybrid, Emma has experienced nearly every form of bike travel, including ultra-endurance racing. She is a passionate advocate for slow travel as a means to reconnect with nature, embrace minimalism, and discover alternative ways of living. Her travels have shaped a deep commitment to sustainability, wild camping with minimal impact, and challenging the idea of nature as a park or playground, separate from our everyday lives. You can sign up to her newsletter for monthly updates and...
info_outline
Lorraine Lewis: Author of Dare to Dream, Ultra Runner, and Co-founder of The Lewis Foundation
Tough Girl Podcast
Lorraine Lewis is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Lewis Foundation, an award-winning cancer charity providing free gift packs and ongoing support to adult cancer patients across 17 hospitals in the Midlands. Founded from lived experience, the charity has become a lifeline for thousands of people diagnosed with cancer. Beyond her role as a charity leader, Lorraine is a highly sought-after motivational speaker, inspiring audiences ranging from school children to corporate professionals. She has delivered talks for organisations including The Eden Project, the European Chartered Institute of...
info_outline
Alexandra Nemeth: Beyond the Seven Summits — Highs, Lows, and Life in Extreme Places.
Tough Girl Podcast
Alex is a qualified International Mountain Leader, Polar Guide, and a professional Photographer based in St. Moritz, Switzerland. From scaling the world’s highest peaks to leading expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctica, she thrives where the wild meets the extreme. Her passion for high-altitude exploration took her on a relentless quest; climbing the highest mountain on every continent, culminating on the summit of Mt. Everest in 2018. She became the first ever Hungarian to climb the Seven Summits. This journey ignited her mission to guide others through the raw beauty of the mountains...
info_outlineBirgit 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/
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_
Facebook: @b.
Youtube: @b.
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/
Direct link to the book: www.birgithermann.com/