HeadRightOut

Feeling fearful about trying something adventurous? Listen in to a hub of vibrant, honest and motivational audio content, designed to encourage women to head out of their comfort zone within the outdoors. Featuring both the everyday and longer, planned challenges, Zoe Langley-Wathen invites stories from resilient women about facing their own HeadRightOut Moments, despite potential personal barriers. With the aim to inspire and empower midlife women to question and remedy their own levels of resilience, Zoe knows first-hand the power of facing fears after beginning long-distance hiking, solo at the age of forty. With life-long benefits to physical and mental health, particularly in supporting a positive peri-and post-menopause experience, she believes all women should be encouraged to try new things. Though aimed at midlife women, all ages and genders can benefit from the impact of the messages offered.

The Big Swim for IWD and Cold Adventures 021: Nicky Chisholm 02/12/2025

The Big Swim for IWD and Cold Adventures 021: Nicky Chisholm Show Notes The Big Swim: 1,000 Women, One Epic Wild Swim! In this episode of HeadRightOut, I chat with Nicky Chisholm, adventurer, blogger, and founder of The Big Swim—an empowering International Women’s Day event bringing together 1,000 women for a sea swim in Brighton & Dorset. We dive into the power of adventure, resilience, and community, plus why Surfers Against Sewage needs our support now more than ever. Whether you're a seasoned swimmer or just wild-swim curious, this conversation will inspire you to take the plunge—literally or figuratively! 🔗 Full show notes below! The Big Swim for IWD & Cold Adventures 021: Nicky Chisholm In this episode of HeadRightOut, I chat with Nicky Chisholm, an adventurer, blogger, and founder of The Big Swim—a wild swim event bringing 1,000 women together on International Women’s Day. 🌊🏊‍♀️ We 'dive' into (pun intended): ~ The power of adventure for resilience & mental health ~ How wild swimming creates an uplifting, supportive community ~ The Big Swim—what it’s about & how you can get involved ~ Surfers Against Sewage – Why clean water matters now more than ever ~ Why taking small actions can create huge ripple effects Resources & Links Mentioned: - The Big Swim – Sign up or learn more: - International Women’s Day – Find events near you: - Surfers Against Sewage – Help protect our seas: - Adventure Stories Exeter – Get tickets: - HeadRightOut Newsletter – Stay updated & support my book launch: Want to help with my book launch? Become an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) reviewer Join my Street Team to help spread the word! Sign up via my newsletter above on headrightout.com Correction: I mistakenly said Bantham Sploosh instead of Bantham Swoosh! Sorry ... my bad. Tag us & share your takeaways! #TheBigSwim #WildSwimming #HeadRightOut @headrightout @pinknicky1 If you'd like to read through the transcription of this episode, please see below: Transcription Nicky Chisholm The Big Swim Nicky Chisholm The Big Swim [00:00:00] Zoe Langley-Wathen: Well, welcome back everybody to the Head Right Out podcast. This is the podcast where we are trying to encourage as many midlife women as possible to head out of their comfort zone in the outdoors doing things that they wouldn't normally do. Now, it has been a while since I have recorded. My name is Zoe Langley Watson and I have been Caught up, caught up in all sorts of life stuff. [00:00:39] Zoe Langley-Wathen We moved from our boat and we're now in a house, in Somerset and loving life and yeah, we have been caught up with all sorts of adventures and family things and yeah, personal circumstances with family that [00:01:00] needed more attention than I could possibly give if I was working and podcasting and writing. [00:01:05] Zoe Langley-Wathen: And yeah. Trying to get a book out into the world as well. So what have I got here to tell you? Yeah, there is lots of exciting news to share with you over the coming weeks. I'm hoping to record another couple of episodes, um, where I will include more stuff about my upcoming book, ways that you can be involved in the launch of that. [00:01:27] Zoe Langley-Wathen: And my adventure plans for 2025. So today we have a really fascinating guest and. I met Nicky at the Adventure Mind Conference 2023 and met up with her again in 2024 and we knew, in fact at 2023, we knew that we had to do a recording for the podcast but It just didn't eventuate, as I said, because I had all sorts of these family things going on. [00:01:57] Zoe Langley-Wathen: But, we have finally got it together [00:02:00] and I'm going to not chat anymore now. I'm going to get straight into the interview with Nicky Chisholm. [00:02:10] Zoe Langley-Wathen: Okay, welcome back everybody, I am so delighted that we have a much long awaited episode of the Head Right Out podcast. And I am here to welcome Nicky Chisholm. Good. Hello, [00:02:25] Nicky Chisholm: Nicky. [00:02:25] Nicky Chisholm: Hello, Luffy. Thank you so much for having me. [00:02:27] Zoe Langley-Wathen: You're very welcome. So Nicky is an experienced project manager. She is a blogger, also in the adventure industry, and she has been exploring since she was 18. [00:02:37] Zoe Langley-Wathen: So I am going to lead into a few questions where Nicky is going to explain all about who she is, what she's been doing, and what she's got coming up, because it's terribly exciting. So Nicky, could you explain where your love for adventure started? [00:02:53] Nicky Chisholm: Oh, that's a good one. I definitely remember I was 18 years old. [00:02:58] Nicky Chisholm: Um, I think just finished [00:03:00] a levels and I got invited to go along and attend a talk to be a crew on a tall ship. So it was the first time I think I've been away from home for any period of time. There were 36 girls on the ship. So it is learning about seamanship, learning about being away from home and homesickness and all You know, working and being with other people and in really cramped spaces and really wet and really windy and really seasick. [00:03:25] Nicky Chisholm: Um, it was a baptism of fire, but I really loved it. I remember going into St. Marlow Harbour in France and we'd basically manned the rigging. So we had all 36 of us up, up the three masts saluting as he went into St. Marlow. And I wish she'd had a photograph of that. Cause I, I feel really proud now. And that's like 30 years ago. [00:03:45] Nicky Chisholm: I just remember that moment, but it was before we all had. Cameras and drones and photos, but it just would have been a cracking, cracking shot. And I think that's. Although I was really homesick and I was really seasick, it sort of definitely [00:04:00] whetted my appetite for adventure and mum and dad were always into adventures as well when we were little, so I think it's their legacy to me and that's what I want to pass on as a legacy to my children to know that adventure and being outside is a way of navigating the many ups. [00:04:17] Nicky Chisholm: And downs and curve balls that life throws at you. It's a way of meeting people, new challenges, testing yourself, putting yourself, even in adventures, you have adventures in adventures, don't you? So if you go on an adventure, you're bound to have 10 adventures with inside one adventure. And it's all like a big puzzle that planes left. [00:04:35] Nicky Chisholm: I haven't got any money or that that's shut or that's closed. I'm not feeling very well. It's just like a massive puzzle all the time. So yeah, 18 years ago, still going strong now at 30 and yeah, loving it. [00:04:47] Zoe Langley-Wathen: Amazing. So, just hearing you talking about that tour ship adventure, I would have absolutely loved to have done something like that. [00:04:54] Zoe Langley-Wathen: When I was 18, I can imagine all of the emotions going on there, you know, the fear, [00:05:00] the adrenaline rush, climbing that rigging, the connection that you're making with one another, potentially the, the fractions as well, you know, the things going on, like the teamwork and how to work through things. So what do you think that experience taught you that you then brought through into later adventures and later life? [00:05:20] Nicky Chisholm: I think every experience has very similar pattern in terms. It's a resilience building is confidence building. It's problem solving. It's managing conflict. It's finding new opportunities. It's finding new people. They would be applicable to every one of us on every adventure that we've probably ever been on. [00:05:38] Nicky Chisholm: I definitely have a terrible habit of jumping in with both feet. I remember a few years ago for my 50th, I went to Greenland and ran a half marathon. I know I do it. I read the title, Half Marathon in Greenland. I just literally read a few words and I just signed up. And I always do that. I just sign up for something. [00:05:55] Nicky Chisholm: I don't read any of it. I just think I'm going to make it happen. I like the title. I like [00:06:00] the picture. I'm going to make it happen. So I do that. And I'm getting worse. I saw something yesterday. I thought, right, I'm going to do that. A hundred kilometers in a cross country ski in Sweden. Yep. I'm going to do that. [00:06:10] Nicky Chisholm: And then I just make it happen. I sort of work backwards. So I like jumping in with both feet. I don't know why. I think I'm not very good at reading manuals and I just jump in. Let me see if I can swim. Let me see if I can do it. And now over 30 years, I've done that so many times that the transferable skills have always been, okay, well, I can't do this, but I can do that. [00:06:31] Nicky Chisholm: And I think they've definitely transferred, transferred, transferred. And now I'm actually quite good at jumping in with both feet and not drowning. [00:06:37] Zoe Langley-Wathen: Yeah, no, that's, that's great. That's a bonus. What resilience and confidence to have carried through all of those 30 years since that experience. I was actually going to ask you about your next big adventure, which you've just touched on there. [00:06:51] Zoe Langley-Wathen: So I love the fact that you dive in head first, you grab it. That's not the way I can do it. I have to read through every tiny bit of small [00:07:00] print first before I, I'll commit myself. So it's funny how we're all so different. But yeah, so you said you've done this, was it a half marathon in Greenland? Is that what you said? [00:07:10] Zoe Langley-Wathen: Yes. Yes. [00:07:11] Nicky Chisholm: Yeah, yeah. So that, that was for my 50th. That was a couple of years ago. Yes. And I wanted to do something for my 50th, I thought. And I really like cold places. I like cold adventures because I always run really hot. I'm in cold places. I feel like I'm at a normal temperature. So I think that's why I really love wrapping up and getting out in the snow and in the cold. [00:07:26] Nicky Chisholm: So Greenland was for my 50th. That was a half marathon. So I trained for that. Um, I'm not a runner. I'm a terrible runner. And I run like a snail. But I run. And I like the adventure bit. So yeah, Greenland was a couple of years ago. Okay. [00:07:39] Zoe Langley-Wathen: Okay. Right. Just rewind. So you're not a runner. I mean, oh my gosh. So there's that whole thing of, we are what we think we are. [00:07:48] Zoe Langley-Wathen: We do something, you know, I write things down. So I call myself a writer. I might jog up the road so I can call myself a runner, but, but you're saying you're, you're not a runner, but you still signed up for this half marathon. [00:07:59] Nicky Chisholm: Yeah, [00:08:00] because I wanted to go to Greenland and I wanted to do something punchy and powerful for my 50th to mark me being me at 50. [00:08:07] Nicky Chisholm: And I just thought, well, I'll just do the training. So I started with a couch to 5K, then you did a 5K, then an 8K, then a 10K. Then I did a half marathon in Brighton to see if I could do the distance. And then I thought, well, I can definitely do the distance. Now I need some power and some sort of gas in the tank. [00:08:23] Nicky Chisholm: So. When you're out in Greenland, it takes much longer. You're running on snow. You're running in spikes. You're running at minus 10. It's all very different. So you can do the distance, but you kind of need more of a sort of a superpower inside, so you need to be stronger. And I knew that if I could do the distance here, it was like building your comfort zone. [00:08:40] Nicky Chisholm: So building, building, building, building. And I knew, knew that I could do it. So I know I did love Greenland and I'd definitely go back there. That is, is [00:08:46] Zoe Langley-Wathen: just so empowering. Yeah, there are times where I think, Oh, I would love to go back to running, but I don't because I keep getting injuries. But now I'm thinking, Oh, [00:08:55] Nicky Chisholm: I really did enjoy running. [00:08:56] Nicky Chisholm: Yeah, running is good. I think some people love it, really love it, and they get up and [00:09:00] think, I've got to go for a run. I never think that. I always think, I have to go to run because my training schedule today, which is stuck to my fridge, says I've got to do four miles. So I will follow it, but I'm not a kind of a natural runner. [00:09:10] Nicky Chisholm: I'm a natural at being outdoors and loving being outside, but that was the particular medium. For Greenland. So the next adventure that I'm doing is actually coming up in a couple of weeks. We're going as a team of eight to cross country ski a hundred kilometers in Finland. So yeah, we'll be pulling our pulks. [00:09:27] Nicky Chisholm: It's self, um, well, I can't think of the word, self supported, self contained, self supported, that's the word. It's all self supported. So we need to travel as light as possible. And I'm a terrible bag lady. I carry spares. I carry barbecues. I carry umbrellas. I carry boots and flip flops. I carry everything. [00:09:44] Nicky Chisholm: So this is like, I'm. It's been spread over my bed and floor for weeks. I just cannot get it down to really light because I've got to pull it. I'm a bit rubbish at that. So I'm going to need some help with my crew, which I'll meet out in Finland. And then they'll say, Nicky, you can't have that. You can't have that. [00:09:59] Nicky Chisholm: [00:10:00] And you can't have that. I can imagine it. And so how long have you been training for this then, Nicky? So, I've basically been going for the last couple of months, so I always give myself a three or four month lead in to make sure I'm strong enough. And one of the things I found really hard last time I did it, is every time you fall over, you've got a rucksack on, and your pulk is attached to you, and you've got two skis attached to you. [00:10:22] Nicky Chisholm: Getting up was just, sometimes I couldn't do it. I had to take the rucksack off, then take the pulk off, then stand up and then do it all again. And every time you use that uses up tons and tons of energy and it's quite demoralizing. So one of the things I have been doing in my kitchen every morning and my boys think I'm mad, I sort of fall over and get up. [00:10:39] Nicky Chisholm: So I'm doing that 30 times I fall over and get up. So it's just a way of trying to replicate that weird sort of movement to get myself up and down. Because one time I just couldn't get up and the girls had to literally lift me off the ground. So I just needed to be stronger. Yeah. So it's muscle [00:10:55] Zoe Langley-Wathen: memory and strength, core strength. [00:10:57] Nicky Chisholm: Yeah, strong, really, yeah, core strength. So I'm doing [00:11:00] lunges back and forward in the kitchen and across the front room. And yeah, my son's a personal trainer. So he's been saying, Mom, you've got to do this. You've got to carry these weights. So he's been helping me. Oh, that is just amazing. Really, [00:11:11] Zoe Langley-Wathen: really inspiring. [00:11:12] Zoe Langley-Wathen: And so there's so many things that are happening for you. And this is, I guess, this is your superpower because you are a project manager. You can have lots of things happening at any given time. And you know, which direction to take them, you know, how to follow them through, you know, how to see them to a conclusion, but there's something big happening in March, isn't there? [00:11:34] Zoe Langley-Wathen: Would you like to share with us about that? I [00:11:38] Nicky Chisholm: would love to. Um, so yeah, project manager is my day job. So I project manager for products, services, websites in the adventure industry. But that's what I do for bread and butter. But my passion project, which I've been running for the last three years, is called The Big Swim. [00:11:53] Nicky Chisholm: So it is a wild swim for women in Brighton to celebrate [00:12:00] International Women's Day. International Women's Day is a worldwide, it's a global day. Um, on Saturday, March the 8th, which basically marks a special day for women. So women all over across the world, they want all sorts of activities, workshops, conferences, activities, online and offline. [00:12:18] Nicky Chisholm: And it's a way of one day for uniting and drawing attention. To women, where we've come from, where we need to go in terms of politics, education, medicine, um, law, um, social community, all sorts. So wherever you are in the world, there is definitely something there for you. Now, what I want to do is I'm a massive supporter of women. [00:12:39] Nicky Chisholm: I'm really good at getting women together, uniting them and getting them doing stuff. So I wanted to do something and get women together. So we use the medium of swimming. We've all been swimming like lunatics since during lockdown and afterwards and loving it. I've been for my dip this morning, you'll be very proud. [00:12:55] Nicky Chisholm: Freezing. Gosh, yes, it would have been, what, about [00:13:00] minus one today? I was too busy screaming. I'm a horrible, like, go and scream and yelp and then get out again. I'm rubbish. That would be me. I'm not sophisticated or quiet. Yeah, I'm properly rubbish. So the swim is, we've done for the last few years. The first year we had 250 swimmers, second year we had 500, and I thought we'd set ourselves a little goal of getting a thousand this year. [00:13:23] Nicky Chisholm: So, um, we're going to do 500 swimmers in Brighton and 500 swimmers in Dorset. And what we want to do is have a thousand swimmers on that day. They've been sold out the last couple of years and I know they'll sell out again. The day is It's only a couple of hours, because obviously it's March, it's a dip in the sea, it is freezing. [00:13:42] Nicky Chisholm: But the energy, and the spectacle, and the noise of 500 women, and their supporters, and their kids, and their parents, and dogs, and cousins, and aunties. There is hats, and bobble hats, and picnics, and champagne, and cups of tea. It's just brilliant. Honestly, I can feel [00:14:00] my heart filling, literally, I can feel it. [00:14:02] Nicky Chisholm: If I could just bottle that. Honestly, we'd be millionaires. If you could bottle that feeling, it's almost like you can feel it. You could feel the energy. I can feel it here. It's palpable just hearing you talk. It's so lovely and then it's really brilliant. We've got drone footage of everyone going in the sea. [00:14:21] Nicky Chisholm: So then you hear 500 women all going in the sea, going screaming and weeping and laughing. And everyone makes a real effort with like sparkles and headdresses and colourful outfits. You know, there's. Sequins and we've got one. She's a professional mermaid SJ. She comes. She has the whole mermaid outfit and she looks amazing and there's 500 women on that beach and for the first year I was so involved in it. [00:14:47] Nicky Chisholm: I didn't really get to chat to loads of people, but last year it was so lovely. People were saying, you know, I've been looking forward to this all year. I'm struggling with my mental health. I wanted to come down and do something. I met a grandma and then her daughter and [00:15:00] her granddaughter. So there was Three generations of them swimming. [00:15:03] Nicky Chisholm: There's people celebrating birthdays. There's people celebrating milestones in their lives. And I just thought this is, I was really proud and women are so good. They've their natural connectors, put them in the right place. They are natural connectors and you just hear the noise and they're sharing cake and chatting saying, where have you come from? [00:15:22] Nicky Chisholm: You know, how long have you been swimming? They really good. They just blossom, put them in the right place and you can literally see them flourishing. That's beautiful because... /episode/index/show/headrightout/id/35247910

Trailblazing the Wales Coast Path in 2012 & other adventures - 020: Arry Cain 05/05/2022

A Donkey, Children & Slow Ways; inspiring human-powered home travel: Hannah Engelkamp - 019 03/23/2022

A Donkey, Children & Slow Ways; inspiring human-powered home travel: Hannah Engelkamp - 019 Hannah Engelkamp talks about walking Wales with a spirited donkey, children, adventures and the pandemic. Her current passion is inspiring others to walk Slow Ways routes, a new network of direct paths, from settlement to settlement, across Great Britain. Hannah is a writer and editor with a background in adventure magazines and websites. In 2013 she travelled waywardly around the circumference of Wales, 1000 miles, with a characterful donkey called Chico as her companion. In 2015 she published ‘Seaside Donkey’, a book and a feature-length film of the same, detailing her unusual adventure. In this episode, Zoe talks with Hannah about her adventures with her young children, taking on the position of wardens on Bardsey Island for six months with her partner, and her experience of the pandemic, with no garden and two children to occupy. There are surprising similarities between donkey and toddler, Hannah reveals. More recently, Hannah was appointed as the Culture, Imagination and Story Lead for Slow Ways, a project working towards creating a trusted network of walking routes that connect settlements and encourage people to walk and engage with the land for their everyday routines in addition to leisure walking. There will be a later episode of HeadRightOut in which full attention is given to Seaside Donkey, as Chico would naturally expect... SHOW LINKS: Hannah Engelkamp - Website: ( for the book and film) Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Slow Ways - Website: Swarm including the link to the Google doc for submitting film clips from your walk. Map to use for searching for routes needing verification or choosing new walks to pioneer: Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: Where to find HeadRightOut and Zoe on social media: Music used in this episode: Intro, outro and transitions - ‘Stay Strong’ by Caffeine Creek Band SHOW NOTES: To follow FULL TRANSCRIPTION: To follow /episode/index/show/headrightout/id/22537301

Fell Running, Marathons & Mountain Biking; Founder of Element for Active Women - 018: Ruth Pickvance 02/09/2022

Fell Running, Marathons & Mountain Biking; Founder of Element for Active Women - 018: Ruth Pickvance Ruth shares her passion for the mountains, becoming an international fell running champion, fast marathons and how mountain bike orienteering has captured her interest aged 60. She is the founder of Element, offering active courses for women in Wales. In 2012, Ruth Pickvance, an adventurous, retired international fell running champion and super-fast marathon runner, left her well-paid head of faculty role at a Sixth Form College, to set up Element. The business offers women the opportunity to find confidence in outdoor pursuits such as Yoga for Runners, Beginning Fell Running and Mountain Biking for Beginners. At sixty years old, Ruth herself has discovered that she enjoys mountain bike orienteering, which marries her love of the outdoors with the joy of moving her body with less impact on her joints than perhaps those marathons of her forties had created. Living in the beautiful Brecon Beacons, Ruth shares more about her involvement in local environmental projects and conservation, as well as offering some first-hand wisdom regarding facing our fears and stretching those comfort zones. SHOW LINKS for RUTH PICKVANCE: Website: Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: ***PLEASE VOTE FOR HEADRIGHTOUT IN THE SPORTS PODCAST AWARDS:*** In the Best Urban and Adventure Category Where to find HeadRightOut and Zoe on social media: Music used in this episode: This Minimal Technology by from Morning Garden - Acoustic Chill by from The Cradle of Your Soul by from - Simple Piano Melody by from Intro, outro and transitions - ‘Stay Strong’ by Caffeine Creek Band SHOW NOTES: Welcome to the episode 00:51 Request for votes in the Sports Podcast Awards - Best Urban and Adventure Category - currently ranked in third place - this is likely to change 01:17 Different format for episode due to mic problems when recording. Please let me know if you like the format or preferred HeadRightOut’s original style 02:27 What to expect in our conversation. 03:23 Where Zoe and Ruth first met and Ruth’s bio: International Mountain Runner, Former British Fell Champion, fast marathon runner, exploring nature and founder of Element 04:06 How Ruth came into racing, visiting the Lake District one Christmas around 1985 and making a spontaneous decision 06:20 How quickly Ruth became good at the sport and why it touched a chord with her 08:42 How old Ruth was when she started racing and where her deep-rooted love of the mountains stemmed from 09:33 Zoe talks about the Gold Hill 10 race in Shaftesbury, Dorset - the strength needed running uphill vs the fear of running downhill 10:41 Where the fear comes from and how it affects us when running downhill 11:42 How to let go and deal with the fear head on 13:10 Understanding resilience both personally for Ruth and in general 15:13 What is fear, to Ruth? Recognising negative cycles and what we need 18:36 About perimenopause symptoms for Zoe 21:19 When menopause kicked in for Ruth and how she handled it 22:44 Ruth’s love for swimming and other activities - cycling, running, strength work, land management, walking 24:35 Zoe hearing about positive impact of exercise from other women in perimenopause including Jo Moseley 26:05 Ruth’s recommendations to see a GP or specialist doctor in menopause and HRT if symptoms are debilitating 26:42 Zoe’s experience with some of the perimenopause symptoms 27:27 Ruth talks about bringing curiosity to fear in order to see fear differently 29:09 Digging deep when the doubts and thoughts of being hopeless creep in 31:32 Mountain biking for beginners with Element - Ruth shares what some of the participants have said about the two-day course 35:28 What Element offers to women coming on the workshops and courses 38:14 Ruth’s volunteer work with , planting a million trees 42:50 Guardian articles and reviews, Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent and Kate Rawles 44:42 Talking about Ruth’s days racing and fell running in the UK and Europe 46:08 Types of sponsorship available and the preference to not be fully professional as an athlete 48:32 Ruth’s HeadRightOut Moment 50:40 Running marathons and choosing fell running over the Olympics 51:57 Where to find Ruth on her website and on social media 53:50 Laughing about talking for fifty minutes. Thanks from Zoe to Ruth 54:40 Zoe shares Ruth’s PB for her fast marathon. Subscribe to Ruth’s newsletter for Element 55:08 Lou Lloyd’s HeadRightOut Moment - wild camping solo in the Brecon Beacons and WWOOFING on a smallholding 57:00 Zoe taking a short break to deal with family things 59:44 Please let Zoe know what you thought of the episode format 1:00:10 Please vote for HeadRightOut in the Sports Podcast Awards 1:00:43 Thanks to the listeners, thanks to the guests and an invitation to plan and then step out of your comfort zone 1:00:55 HeadRightOut Hugs to all 1:01:39 /episode/index/show/headrightout/id/22063076

Truffles, Tribes & Tragedy; Healing Through World Foods & Adventures - 017: Sue Plastow 02/02/2022

Truffles, Tribes & Tragedy; Healing Through World Foods & Adventures - 017: Sue Plastow After the sudden death of her husband, Sue Plastow and her family left their Italian truffle orchard to return to the UK. Less than 12 months later, she is finding her feet again with exciting plans ahead that involves outdoor adventures, good food and a space for women to walk and talk. Her children experienced a wonderfully feral upbringing of travel and freedom. Now it’s Sue’s turn to find adventures to honour her late husband’s memory. Her positivity and zest for life is infectious. While she is aware that she is still grieving, Sue knows that the only way forward is to reach back to old skills, reach out for support, and reach up towards the future. SHOW LINKS: Instagram: Twitter: Facebook: ***PLEASE VOTE FOR HEADRIGHTOUT IN THE SPORTS PODCAST AWARDS:*** In the Best Urban and Adventure Category You can email Zoe: SHOW NOTES: An audio clip from Sue’s conversation [00:00] Zoe’s introduction to the guest [00:45] Thank you for voting and news about HeadRightOut being a finalist in the Podcasting for Business Awards in the Best Health & Wellbeing category. Request to vote in the Sports Podcast Awards [02:33] Sue Plastow’s bio across thirty years of family travelling and living abroad [03:58] Sue’s fears and reservations about adventuring with a young family of four children under the age of five [07:37] How Sue’s children, now young adults, have benefitted from a childhood of freedom and away from the conventional education system [08:52] Children barefoot and feral, roaming anywhere; living in the mountains, and near the Med, snowboarding, skiing and sailing [09:52] What her children are doing now and about their healthy emotional wellbeing [11:12] Why Sue thinks she’s always been resilient [12:24] Sue’s study/travel timeline, into a relationship, marriage and children, normal life attempt and then campervan adventures with the family in Canada [13:09] What you learn to live without - living simply on the road [14:36] Getting cold in Canada so moving to Dubai, doing desert drumming and sandboarding [15:27] Talking through the personal circumstances that’s brought Sue and family back to UK [17:23] Global Financial Crisis (GFC), Australia, Malaysia, South of France, Switzerland, Italy and Sue’s husband’s death [17:41] Quick thinking prior to travel corridors closing due to the pandemic - rapid move back to UK and how everyone is coping [18:32] Not wanting others to think they have to just crack on because Sue did [19:45] How Sue and the family have found the things they need to survive and move on; honouring her husband’s life [20:32] Sue looking back through her arsenal for skills to draw upon - what could she do? Cookery, social/communication, teaching English, gaining TEFL qualification [21:56] The importance of connection with other midlife women [23:57] Zoe’s similar experience of grief/loss [24:36] A lurching horror vs a transformation - not wanting to be prescriptive about grief [26:44] Message to all: You’re not alone and there are glimmers of hope [28:27] Zoe’s old saying from someone years ago ‘Out of every adversity…’ [28:42] The importance of food and travelling, cookery classes and a bridge between cultures [29:50] Travel adventures with food, outside and a podcast about it [30:36] New events kitchen - called Naked Tartufi [31:35] New concept of outdoor adventure, food and walking along the South West Coast Path - a Moveable Feast [32:23] A therapy, communication, tribe, group of women coming full circle from the bonding experiences of bringing up the family tribe [34:38] The magic of walking and talking [35:24] The impact of travelling so much on Sue and her children. Seeing a million ways to live a life [37:10] Sue’s HeadRightOut Moment facing her fears and driving her children in the snowy, icy mountains to their activities [38:02] Sue’s message that anyone can do it - if she can, they can [39:59] Discussing Sue’s presence on social media - Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, including both the Naked Tartufi account and English Language Cookery School and her podcast, Eat Yourself Alive [40:23] Zoe’s reflection on the episode [42:09] Zoe’s own HeadRightOut Moment from exactly two years ago - Mount Tremper, upstate New York, 100ScaryDays [43:26] Invitation to listen in next week - Ruth Pickvance next week’s guest - international champion fell runner, now running Element Active business - women in the outdoors [47:01] Grateful reminder for listeners to vote for HeadRightOut on Sports Podcast Awards in the Best Urban and Adventure category [47:42] HeadRightOut Hugs [47:56] /episode/index/show/headrightout/id/21991547