Latest / Sukany4: The Walk and Talk Podcast / Lauren Munroe-Bennett - Slater's Bridge - Ultra Athlete, Coach, Current Frog Graham Round Women's Record Holder (2025)

Transcript

Lauren Munroe-Bennett - Slater's Bridge - Ultra Athlete, Coach, Current Frog Graham Round Women's Record Holder (2025) · Sukany4: The Walk and Talk Podcast

• 0:05
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Zakania the podcast.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm your host, Sakania, and if you're new here, welcome.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: And if you've listened before, welcome back.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's lovely to have you here.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm being taken on a walk over Slaters Bridge and through Little Langdale in the heart of the Lake District with the fabulous Lauren Monroe Bennett.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Lauren is an ultra-runner, a coach, a walking running and swimming guide, and is someone who really values the joy of noticing the small, beautiful things like wood sorrel on your morning outing, which can matter just as much as conquering a mountain summit.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: Isn't that wonderful?
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: Lauren is quite some human.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: In 2025, she became the current women's record holder for completing the frog witten round in just over 12 hours.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: That is an epic achievement on this growing challenge, which involves running and swimming in four different days.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: Have you ever noticed how loud the world has become?
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Not just the traffic, the notifications, the constant buzz of one live, but also the noise in your own head, that relentless mental chatter that starts the moment you wake up and follows you through the day.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, me too.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: So today's conversation is something I'm really excited to share with you because it really brings home something I think we've all forgotten in our rush to achieve more, do more, be more.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: So when someone like Lauren with that level of physical achievement tells you that noticing small things in nature has been more transformative than any finish line she's crossed, you kind of want to listen.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_00: So in this conversation, we're exploring how silence and quiet surroundings can calm even the busiest, most anxious brain.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: Practicing looking outwardly instead of getting locked in your own narrative.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_00: We're talking about phone boundaries, bedroom rules, grayscale mode, the dopamine the dopamine hits that we're all chasing.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: What happens when your identity becomes so wrapped up in an achievement and performance?
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: And why do you absolutely not need to go on epic adventures to feel the mental health benefits of nature?
• 2:39
  SPEAKER_00: So on this day with Lauren, it's a fabulously sunny morning in August, and we're basking in the sunshine, and we hilariously realize that we're also wearing the same colours, just the opposite way around.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: So that was that was really fun.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_00: This chat is about finding stillness while moving forward.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: So grab your headphones, maybe step outside if you can, and let's walk together.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: This is my conversation with Lauren Monroe Bennett in Little Langdell.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_00: Let's walk.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: Morning Lauren! Morning!
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_02: How are you?
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: I'm really well, thanks.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: How are you?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm good, thanks.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: It's always fetty palms when you come to areas like this, isn't it?
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: With the narrow roads.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm always praying no one comes towards me.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, me too.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: Even after living here for a few years, like I still am just like, please don't meet anyone on the corner.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: Then I count every like pass I make, and I'm like, okay, right, I've got to the next one.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: I do need to get to the next one.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: I say it out loud so I remember where it is.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, so do I.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's well, it's good to know you do it as well.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I'm already regretting putting a long sleeve top on.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, the sun's come out because it's okay, we'll take it off later.
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so how how are things with you?
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: Good, thanks.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um it's been it's the first of August as well, by the way.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_01: I know, first of August! Can you believe it?
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: And we got the sunshine, which is so it's been pretty cloudy all week.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_00: This is awesome.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's really lovely.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm I'm good.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: I can't really think of what I've uh what I've been up to, but I think I've been busy, but good busy.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: Good busy, yes, yeah.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Well you're glowing.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: I mean you would do when you live here.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, absolutely gorgeous.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: There's so many sporty people around here, many so I wore my best sporting outfit.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's just stunning, I can't get over it.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_00: So where are we?
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we're in Little Langdale, uh-huh, and we're about to go to Slater's Bridge, which is like one of the one of the popular like tourist walks, I guess.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: Squeaky gate.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um in Little Langdale is at the bottom of Rhino's Pass, yeah, which is one of the in Bleatown, which is one of like the famous roads.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's one of the old Roman roads.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, is it?
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_01: Which is cool.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um you know I drove up it, don't you?
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: So proud of myself.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, if if I thought this was sweaty palms, like that was that was outrageous.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I think I actually I'd rather cycle up it just because of the stress of like meeting another car on the path.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_00: So you've got those blind, blind um what do you call them?
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: Blind c blank colours?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, there's blind summits.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Summits, yeah, that's it.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that was a nightmare, but really exhilarating and fun.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Like an adrenaline rush.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness, Lauren, you've got this on your doorstep.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: I feel incredibly lucky.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_01: You just wake up to this every day.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_01: I have noticed that I've lived here for like three years now, nearly, and I've noticed that the the quiet definitely helps my brain.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's just like, oh, I go to bed and it's quiet.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then I wake up and there's silence, and my brain's very busy, like super busy, like worrying all the time, yeah, constantly thinking.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: So just having that like not having external noise, yeah, is so nice to just feel like more grounded and calm.
• 6:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean the house party at Lawrence, yeah.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_01: Not for the neighbours all agreed, but yes, I'm just always welcome to come around.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_01: A walking party, yes, this is nice, yeah.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I just love the fells, like for me, yeah, the mountains are just so uh important and just amazing, and just like the views are just fab.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, oh well, thanks for inviting me on this walk.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: I can see how special it is to you.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, do you ever imagine being anywhere else?
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's a really good question.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like me and Drew have spoken about like where else we'd we'd go.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's really hard because this is the most incredible place ever.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really hard to then want to feel like leave, but then I also really like change uh in like um oh higher sheep.
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: And um, I really like kind of um being more curious and kind of like not getting stuck in one place, I think.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: So that that is always in the back of my mind.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and we do have thoughts of like going to Scotland potentially in the future.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, but I fully support a move to one of the islands.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm more than happy to visit you.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yeah, and I agree, like I've always tried to take off places, yeah.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: Never been quite brave enough to live somewhere quite so not connected, yeah, but happy to visit, cool and and I think it's yeah, it's definitely is a choice around the right.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, it is amazing, and there's so many cool perks to living in the middle of nowhere, yeah.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: But also there's like I guess trade-offs around like you know, access access-wise, like public transport and stuff.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so like I do have to cycle to Ambleside um to get the nearest bus and stuff.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but that's the tricky bit, isn't it?
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_01: They have actually just put on a temporary bus service at the weekends to heat from Ambleside to here, which I'm gonna try out this April.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully, they'll use it.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: Don't use it then, yeah.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_01: It dies always.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: No, so I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna use it this weekend to to test it in like be another person on that bus.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because yeah, it's cool that it's there.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: This is amazing.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, it's like what less than two minutes from where we met.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was stunning.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: So this is um the the massive mountain in the background is Weberlin and Blake Riggs, the littler one ahead of it, and then the one with the cool rock face straight ahead of us there, yeah, but to that that's um great cars, and there was like a famous plane crash on there years ago, and then then round to the right we'll see in a bit is Wet Side Edge, and that's one of my favourite descents like for fellow running off that because it's this beautiful, like grassy ridgeline, yeah, and you just kind of can get into your flow, and it's not super technical, and you just like woo feel like you're fine, you feel like you're fine.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so you'll be super proud of me, Lauren.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: So I um oh, two things.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: I wore my sporty t-shirt because I was thinking so.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: We need to take a picture of me and you with my sporty t-shirt.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: That's my Kosik to Barrow.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing, and I did it with this t-shirt, I did it in 10 hours 49 minutes or something.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: Incredible.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I was really proud of that.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, because I've I've only just got into running in the last two years, yeah.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_00: So I didn't run any of it, it was all walking, so I was super proud of that.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_01: That's amazing.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like walking long distance is I would say actually harder than running because it's always kind of you just have to like keep that momentum going and have to easily grieve.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: So that's that's absolutely incredible.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: Especially on the road, yeah.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, most of it is road.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: Well, I think all of it is road, actually, apart from that thermia bit.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: But um what was the second thing?
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: Fell running.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_00: So I was trying to train myself because you know I've got this fear of descent, yeah.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: And um, and interestingly, you might do you might not be interested, but I'm obsessed with my my um physiology.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I remember you saying so.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: I went to a um uh physiotherapist, okay, and the good news is both my legs are the same length, so I'm not a mountain goat.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: You said I remember last time you said something like what you thought one of your legs might be longer or something.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm a bit obsessed with it, but apparently that's just an excuse.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_00: No, okay, so that's not the issue.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I did say to the physio, everyone's gonna be like, thank god we can move on from this now.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_00: We're not gonna have to talk about this leg difference because it's not different.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um but what she did say was my ankle mobility was very limited, okay, and that is probably what is causing my nervousness for my descent because I haven't got the movement to to kind of go down like other people with a bit more movement.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: So um that's really interesting.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I thought you might like that.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm pleased you did, well, I was secretly hoping you did.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: And now I'm like, oh, I wonder what you can do to like help support support that or manage that or yeah, try and improve it if you can.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so yeah, so I was using school knot to I got distracted then using school knot to um practice running down fells.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing to not overthink the descent.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_00: And actually I did alright, and then I got scared and then I'd stop.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: So I've done it a couple of times, but not this summer.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: But that's amazing that it shows that kind of how much the power of our brains are out, like and I find that when I'm more nervous, like I'm much more reserved on on descending and stuff.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: I still have that as well.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's it definitely is a mind game as well as like our bodies being able to do it.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: And I find that I'm much better when people ignore me.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, so you just don't don't watch, yeah.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's yeah, everyone has different yeah, so you don't feel like all eyes are on you.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: The sheep are very loud there.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: They are very loud.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_01: Can you see on this on the side of the field, like all this beautiful lilac?
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, um, it's all the hairbells have popped out, and I love the hairbells because they they look like bluebells, but they're like more lilacy, lilacy, yes, more screen.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I think they're really pretty.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_01: They kind of just pop out.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you can just see this like when you see one and you see this whole sea of lilac in the hall.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: They're called hairbells, hairbells, beautiful.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my goodness, everyone wants to be part of this conversation.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: They're probably warning each other that we're coming.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like can you got a podcast on?
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so let's wind this back a bit.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: So, who are you, Lauren?
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: What do you do?
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um who am I?
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I'm Lauren.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, essential questions.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: What do I do?
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_01: I have actually just gone fully self-employed.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: There's a heron.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry, there's a heron in my room, which is beautiful.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_01: It looks like a small a baby a heron.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I yeah, went fully self-employed this year, which is really exciting.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, but I kind of guessed what so I have my own business called LMB coaching.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, cool, which is always nerve-wracking to say.
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, and I guess what led me there was a really windy path.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like probably like most people, like it's never clear cut.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: But I did psychology and philosophy at uni.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: Oh wow.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and then what's the one you do for becoming a prime minister?
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_01: That's oh PPL, yeah, politics.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I was with some of those individuals at the Uni was moving.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_01: Interesting characters.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, so I was I did some of the philosophy modules with with them.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um I they always scared me because they were always so confident and I was like, why can you be like that?
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like, yeah, yeah.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: I think I've grown a lot since then.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so did that at uni, and then I went travelling, we went to Australia, did some like thing called woofing, which is working on organic farms.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay, which is really fun.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: So that's more like yeah, environmental nature stuff.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: And then Woofing.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, woofing, it's always a funny phrase.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: And what was that?
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: What did that involve?
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: What did your day look like?
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: So it was I I didn't get paid, but it was I got to live, I did a few hours of work in the day and then got to live and got food like in the area where I was working.
• 15:07
  SPEAKER_01: So it's I got to know lots of cool families and people who had like farms and stuff, which is really cool.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: I learned a lot about permaculture, which I found permaculture.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: God, I've it it's kind of like working with nature.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_01: Like the good bits of it is like working with nature, yeah, rather than against it's a kind of working with nature's principles to like farming.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I guess it's okay, you know, regenerative farming or positive stuff rather than it being overly, you know, using the land too much that it doesn't it doesn't grow back again, obviously.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: And kind of like, you know, simple example about a river.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: If you make it straight, that'll cause more flooding.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas if you let it naturally have its bends, yeah, then all these positives.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: But this is a very generalized.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not a specialist at it, but yeah, yeah, that's kind of my thoughts on that.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, cool.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sounds good.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_00: So you did that in Australia.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: And then how long was that for?
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_01: That was just under a year.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: And then you had a windy patch with my mental health when I got back, so I was just like, oh god.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_01: I think lots of things compounding, but yeah, so it took a few years to figure out what I what I wanted to do, yeah, and what where my path was going.
• 16:17
  SPEAKER_01: Really stressed about like what my purpose was in life and like kind of like needed.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: How old were you at this time?
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_00: Um ADM.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_01: About 21.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: I think 21, 22.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then that's when I um really had to like yeah, work through work through that, and then it was that was a good few years of like ups and downs.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: But then interestingly, did get a diagnosis of ADHD kind of towards the end of that, which makes great sense of things.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_00: But did lots of you've been quite candid on your socials, haven't you, about your mental health journey?
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and I think not in like it, I try to not be in like a meeting like labels and and things like that.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I I don't talk about as much as I used to, because I feel like I've it's it's almost weirdly so in the past now that it's kind of like it quite it feels like oh a different I'm in a different stage of my life, but it definitely was a really hard few years, and and I would not want like you know, anyone suffering like that is it's a really hard place to be in.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and it's hard to get get yourself moving out of it.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's so nice that I kind of yeah, put the work in to feel you know, to feel good now, and then like kind of got the right support in place and stuff, which is really it took a while, but yeah.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I think um talking about it as well helps process and heal, doesn't it?
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely, and sharing it helps other people.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_00: So I thought that was really great that you were so candid with it.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and it is, I guess, a part of my journey now.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: So, and rather than I think initially when I first like you know, when I first had a profession, which was fogly like nearly nearly 10 years ago now, was just like definitely felt judgmental about myself, like I was like, you know, ashamed of it and like why do I have this?
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: Oh okay, like but then god, so many, such a different perspective now.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's great.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um and so you know, when you have these degrees that uh like psychology, did you feel a bit of pressure that actually I've studied this stuff, I should know what to do?
• 18:21
  SPEAKER_00: And did that kind of make it worse?
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think like with yeah, there's definitely a lot of people that kind of wanted to go into that clinical psychology and kind of go on that path of like knowing what to do, and then there were other people who were doing graduate programs and all that stuff, which I just I knew none of that was what I wanted to do, and then um definitely felt pressure to feel like I had a proper job, okay, and then like not come back to the lakes, yeah, which was mind-boggling now because I love the mountains, but I felt this pressure that I've been to uni for this degree.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_01: I need to now like you know get a proper job, whatever that means, and then like and then like go somewhere else to be like because I am very independent, but like move somewhere else to where I grew up.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: But then it took me full circle.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Now I'm like super settled here and I absolutely love it.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: I've made my own like path with it.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: But at the time I was like, oh god, I need to like I need to create another space because I can't go back because that's like almost going back to the back.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they're meant to move forward, yeah, and move away.
• 19:25
  SPEAKER_01: But actually for me that wasn't high.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, for me that wasn't like that wasn't the the on the cards, yeah.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that makes sense, and it's so important.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_00: I think you I think it's amazing you did that at 21 rather than jump into the rat race like so many of us do, and then start unpicking it and thinking, I hate this.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_00: What is that?
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: This is my path.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's so interesting because I feel like so many people have said that, and I I really do feel like almost even that my challenges in my early 20s, mid-20s were really tricky.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, actually, I am now like you know, I sort of worried about what my purpose was.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm now like I feel like I've been through my my my midlife crisis so early, yeah.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_01: Like, and I've kind of really worked out what it is that that I am motivated by, what is how what I'm passionate about, because that's stuff's really important for me to be able to do a job or to be able to like feel happy in life and stuff and connect with others.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so I feel like I yeah, almost a few steps ahead.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, not that I wish I had to go through what I did, isn't this an amazing tree?
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, this is beautiful.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think it really um made me it asked those deep questions, yeah, and then I'm now in such a stronger position about a lot of my decisions and much more guided by my values rather than when and I don't worry about my purpose anymore.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: I'm like, oh yeah, that's kind of it used to be this abstract thing, yeah.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like, oh god, this feeling lots of pressure and negativity, but now I'm like now I feel very more grounded and solid in myself, yeah.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: So decisions like and more I'm like, oh, is this an opportunity?
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_01: Is this something I'd want to do?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I don't worry about the bigger picture as much.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because that's so nice.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's great, yeah, because it liberates us, doesn't it?
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: And also stops us from walking away from absolutely the right thing for us.
• 21:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_00: Because we're trying to fit something that doesn't fit us.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, exactly.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: When did you decide on becoming a mountain guide lead?
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, a mountain leader, yeah.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_01: So then that was so I guess when I so I got out of my mental health stuff, and then it was locked down.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_01: And where were you?
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: Locked down.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_01: I was I actually was in Leeds.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's really warm, isn't it?
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's glorious.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I was in Leeds for a short time in lockdown, and then that was right.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_01: I actually that was the my last.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Depressive episode when I then managed to heal from that.
• 22:02
  SPEAKER_01: So okay.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_01: So that's cool.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_01: So then and then I at the same time in lockdown I decided to create L and V coaching, which was yeah, 2020.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_01: And then the first steps with that was getting my swim swim qualification first.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_01: So that was like the December of that year.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: So I got some did some cafe work, moved back to the lakes, did some cafe work, and then saved up to do this swim coaching qualification, which was in the dec the winter of that that year.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: And then got that, really enjoyed that course, and did was is always just this was like a passion thing initially, just like part-time alongside my other work.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: And then did my I think I did my mountain leader two years after that, one or two years after, so twenty twenty, yeah, two years later.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: So did did all my swim coaching, loved that, and then I was like, oh, you know, swimming was my first like sport, I guess.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: But then actually running is like my my true passion and walk and being out in hills.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: So being able to combine like taking people for a walk and potentially a swim was was something that would really excited me.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: So and I was like, oh, if I get my mountain leader, then I could combine those things and then and then I can do both.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: But it was a really challenging, like it's a really, really challenging qualification, like in terms of you have to do like 40 quality mountain days in the fellow.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: What does quality look like?
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: I so it's like six plus hours, I think you've got to be out for, and then you've got to kind of go somewhere different, so you're kind of testing your navigational skills, you've got to be more of a leader role, um so you're kind of taking someone out, and then you do you have two weeks of courses, so you have your like training course for a week, which includes camping and and stuff, okay, and then you have an assessment week, which which yeah includes rope work and like safety stuff, so it is really like it's intense, yeah, very intense.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: So you can see why because there's so much risk involved, yeah, exactly.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so yeah, I did that a few years ago, which added to my swim stuff, and that was um really what did the swim qualifications look like?
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_00: What did you have to do for that?
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so that was a bit different.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I've done both my SDA swimming coaching safety training awards, okay.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_01: And then that was my level two in swim coach, open water swim coaching, and then I've done my RLSS, which is a royal life-saving open water lifeguard qualification.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: I've done both of those.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so the SDA one was in lockdown, so I think it was more of a different setup to usual.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: That was like blended learning, so it's online course, and then and then it had uh in-person assessment where you you I yeah, I can't actually remember to be honest.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_00: I mean something like yeah, I guess you have to demonstrate that you can enact the things they're teaching you.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and then for the RLSS one, which was in May, which is more in my brain, that was much more around how you save someone in difficulty, or and then you know, the the first thing is they shouldn't be in difficulty, but then if you know, if they are, then like how you how you get them out of the water or how they help themselves get them out of the water.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's kind of was really important that course actually.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's incredible.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_00: Excuse me, thank you.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: I'm saying excuse me to gain.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, how British is that?
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: What is wrong with that?
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's just in our phones, isn't it?
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: Someone said, Oh, did you just say hi to something the other day?
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: I think I said hi to like a yeah, I can't remember what it was now, but it wasn't a person.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, I can get saying hi to the sheep because you see them all the time.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: They become your people.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's amazing.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: So you did the swimming and the mountain guiding, yes, sorry, mountain leadership qualifications.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: Do you have to refresh those anytime?
• 26:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you do have to do um like CPD work to keep them relevant and uh especi the the life-saving one for the lifeguard for the the swimming, you have to re-update it every two or three years, I think it is.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um so they're really on it.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's three.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_01: And then with the ML mountain leader work, you have to do CPD every year and show that you're kind of still using using the skills and not losing them.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that makes sense.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's good to be, yeah, keep using it, and then you have to do a first aid qualification, outdoor first aid every three years.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I just did that refresher as well.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, there's quite a lot of investment that goes into it staying, you know, which is really important, but it then it means that you have to like, oh, if you want to do make it into a job, yeah, yeah, you have to find a way of making it work like sustainably, yeah, as well.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_00: So it's difficult, isn't it?
• 26:56
  SPEAKER_00: Because it's so great that you're so passionate about it, but everyone has to work.
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: And everyone needs income.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: So how are you finding employ unemployment, self-employment?
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_00: It's yeah.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um are they yeah, basically I do.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, we um I feel like I'm re I'm really enjoying it, and I definitely I I do miss my old job.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like what was it?
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: It was so I yeah, I was working part-time for the last few years with a charity called Morgan Bay Partnership, and it was all about my most recent job before I left was uh a youth worker, so the I was their blue mentor in like youth work, and it was all about reconnecting young people to nature, especially those who have more barriers to getting outdoors, yeah, and it was just incredible work, like absolutely loved it.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: I just couldn't do both, yeah.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I was just like just made the decision to take the plunge, and I still do a bit of that work within my own like within some freelance stuff.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: So that's cool.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I still keep that alive, yeah.
• 28:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, I think I now look back and I'm like, oh my days, how did I fit like all of those things in?
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, my partner was always like, Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: How do you have exactly how do you have like 40 hours in the day?
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_01: And whereas I've just viewed it as that I love, I think I just get really excited about things and I kind of make it work, and then I then I'm like, oh yeah, no, wait, maybe this isn't sustainable.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, yeah, so I feel like well sustainable for you and your body, right?
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so definitely took a while to like readjust around feeling like okay, how much can I fit in in a day?
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_01: And like had a bit of like readjusting period, yeah, and now I'm really enjoying like being in charge of my own diary, and I don't have to fit in those three days around like my coaching work around those three days of my other job.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I have that total flexibility, yeah, definitely made me nervous around like we'll go this way.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, of course.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry, the only the only little hill.
• 29:02
  SPEAKER_01: Sorry, yeah.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um so no one's gone easy on me this week.
• 29:09
  SPEAKER_01: You're gonna get your step your steps in the last the last bit is nice and flat.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, it's stunning.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not complaining at all.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, my diary.
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_01: So, like I feel like I was quite nervous around how I would manage with being uh neurodivergent, having like no all flexibility of my diary, yeah, and but yeah, it's going really well actually so far.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_01: So just working out like what time I should spend on what, yeah, because I kind of have lots of different things that I do, so it's kind of like it all links in my brain, but I think to when you explain to someone else, you're like, how does that work?
• 29:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's it's gonna take a while to adjust, but I am really enjoying the process so far.
• 29:52
  SPEAKER_00: How are you advertising?
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, uh how am I advertising?
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I don't enjoy that bit at all.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_01: That's the word, yeah.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, yeah.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: I don't really I tr I just use social media, yeah.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but a lot of my stuff is through word of mouth and other referrals.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I don't I don't advertise loads, but I do, you know, I do need to at some point I keep saying I do need to put some time into um actually working out a marketing strategy and stuff like that.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I definitely get a block around like social media or the marketing and advertising stuff.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, when I when I'm feeling more like I have the funds to maybe get someone else to help with that, I will definitely cross that bridge.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, but it's it's it's doing well for what you want it to do for now.
• 30:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it is it's working at the moment, and I'd love to think about having like like more of a brandy thing so it's that fits with what I how I see the business, yeah.
• 30:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I don't I think I'm still in that like test and water and error, yeah, yeah.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_01: Like working, seeing what works and what doesn't.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_00: It feels sensible to me, and you don't know um how wide an audience you can attract as well, do you?
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_00: And I feel like with your skills you would appeal to so many people, and with your nature, yeah, you know, you're so calm and kind and there's no judgment.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: So that enables people like to to try a fairly difficult walk with you, yeah, but feel completely safe.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I think that's great, and then to get to the end and have that sense of achievement, yeah.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_00: It'd be so empowering for people.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love that you're giving people that opportunity.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's so I think I that's definitely what what like ignites my passion, yeah, is it and I think being a a good coach is definitely it's so important to be non-judgmental and like just listen to that person, yeah, you know, and like that hold that space for them because I as well as my sport coaching, I do like I do more mindset type coaching, I guess, okay, like performance coaching stuff for some individuals, and I think that that's more recently.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_01: So after being my ML, I might need I did a a master's level qualification.
• 32:13
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my goodness, Lord.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: For goodness sake.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: What does this woman see?
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um in exec coaching, executive coaching, which was so kind of that was like a a whole nother shift around I that's always been I think the like you said, bringing in so the coaching, bringing nature and outdoors into it, but but also like how how powerful our minds are around when we're being stuck in certain thoughts and things like that.
• 32:40
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, and I think I try what I my vision for my business is definitely trying bring in like the outdoors and using nature to support people's well-being.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: That's I haven't quite put my finger on how that looks, they're all a bit separate at the moment.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm doing some events that are all they're definitely linked, but yeah, yeah, I haven't quite worked out that, but that'll I'm sure that'll come with with time.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that sounds ace, I love that.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: So bringing the three things together will probably just take shape organically, won't it, when you've done a few different yeah, walks and combinations of your skills with people and see what works naturally.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: I think like the the skills that are kind of all interlink through bits, which is really cool.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_01: Um would love to yeah, just keep continuing developing my like more exact coaching skills and then but then keep you using the outdoors maybe with that at times, um, and just yeah, seeing what opportunities come in the future.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, that's cool.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's amazing, and actually it's a really, really nice mission to be on, and probably links back to the thing that you're not thinking about, which is your purpose, yeah.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's probably always been there, yeah, exactly.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I think just having that like taking off that pressure of like, oh what do I want to do with my life?
• 34:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, actually, like trusting myself, yeah, that's probably the biggest missing jigsaw bit in the past where I didn't trust like my gut, and actually my gut like instinct is pretty solid, like all of ours are, and just knowing that oh no, I do know deep down like what is good for me and what what is important to me and what what I'll really not enjoy doing, and then I'm trying to use more like be more intuitive around that, and obviously, you still have to pay the bills.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_01: I'm trying I'm really trying to be more purposeful around like what work I want to do and try and carve that out because we do, yeah.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm in a I feel very fortunate that I'm I'm in a position to have that that choice, and that's an incredible thing to have.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_01: So I should um like not take that lightly and kind of really like use that, yeah, which is cool.
• 34:57
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and also when you talk about it, you just kind of your energies change, your energy body language shifts, like big smiles, broad shoulders.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's really nice, so clearly on the right path, if that's anything to go by.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, thank you.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_01: That's really nice to hear, yeah.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you're welcome.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_00: So, one-to-one coaching, then how does that work?
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so I have a few people who I coach online, uh-huh, and we so what does online coaching look like?
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's it's interesting, isn't it?
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_01: Because you're like, oh, how does that actually work?
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_01: So for me, the people that I coach online I set them like a training plan.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and that always sounds people say if they're not as like sporty that oh gosh, but actually, you know, people who I coach have a total different range of like what their goals are.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_01: Some people it's more well-being focused, some people it's more like you know, a sporting goal in mind.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: So I set them like a plan and now do you focus on clients who want to achieve something sporting specifically, or could it be anyone?
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I've got so literally like people, I've got people who uh someone wants to try their first triathlon.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_01: Oh I've got like a like a swim type triathlon, okay.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_01: I've got people who are doing like trail half marathons, okay.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_01: I've got someone doing like a swim run, tend to who else?
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_01: Tent people who is doing like multi-day cycle tours.
• 36:34
  SPEAKER_01: Some of them are not like events, some of them are more personal challenges.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_01: Uh-huh.
• 36:37
  SPEAKER_01: Tend to I've had a few more higher-end athletes, like more, you know, performance-focused, but I tend to coach people who who it's their like first time and their or their have their personal goals, and it's like that's why I love coaching kind of around the person getting the best out of for them, because it's and like who are doing it out of their their love for it and they're pushing themselves, yeah.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: Because I think I'm not as like stats, stats or like things are not as it don't come as well to me, like in the for the my brain, whereas the more like the psychological stuff is much more where my skills are.
• 37:15
  SPEAKER_01: I kind of know that that's that's my skill set rather than like if someone oh I want to run a fifth 15 minute 5k, right?
• 37:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's I'm probably not the right coach for them if that makes sense.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, that does make sense.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_00: Because I was just thinking when you were reading all that off, those all sound really scary to me.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_00: And I would be really intimidated at the thought of doing any of those things.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so it's really nice to know that actually you're working with people who are at the beginning of that journey.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely, yeah.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, obviously you're working with people on all parts of the journey, but for a novice, it's nice to know that there's someone out there like you who I could turn to who will help me achieve that.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's really it can be really intimidating and a scary place, especially if you've like not grown up with with a sport or you've you don't know how the landscape looks, like it's really um it can be really scary coming into it.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: So I think yeah, I've definitely know my privileges with that, and then I'm like I want to try and use that to support other people.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_00: I just thought actually, what would be really nice with your business is to offer introduction to yiking or something like that.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_00: Because there will be people who I mean, I know people who live in the area who've never been up a fell.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_00: I'd love I love doing that stuff so much.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: That would be so important as well.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you could do like a once a month course or something and build a community.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that is and yeah, community is so important.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_01: You can have that one for free.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you.
• 38:53
  SPEAKER_01: But I'll make a note of that.
• 38:55
  SPEAKER_00: I thank you for later.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_00: Do you know what?
• 38:59
  SPEAKER_00: When it takes off, because it will, I'll just come on one.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm more than happy to be a paying customer and support your business.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_00: So we've talked about oh yeah, we were gonna talk about events.
• 39:11
  SPEAKER_00: So you've got some events coming up.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, do I?
• 39:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I do.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_00: So we and then in August.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, yeah, so I'm doing a sketch and swim event.
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_01: Sketch and swim with Future Fixers, and so Karen is from Future Fixers.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_01: I used to be a director for for them and did one of their first like start-up business start-up programmes as well.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_01: So kind of yeah, doing a collaboration event for them with them, and Karen's in the sketchy bit, and I'm gonna do the the guided swim bit, so I'm really looking forward to that.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's in Langdale, uh starting at the village hall, and we're gonna we're gonna go for a dip around there, so that'll be cool.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_01: And then we've got some creativity nature connection events in September, yeah, which is all about using reconnecting with nature, kind of because I think that's another thing.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like uh Rowan's actually spoken about this with with some of his embodiment work, yeah.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_01: Around like we we can be, what did he say?
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_01: You kind of we can be in nature, yeah, but we're not like with nature.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_01: So kind of like I think nature connection is really important around like noticing it more rather than like, oh, we're going for a walk, and you know, I'm guilty of this when I go for a run, like kind of just like whoosh, going for a run, and I'm not really as present.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas like things like going for a walk and just like doing some activities to feel more yeah, part of nature can be really powerful.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, I've got some events with Gemma Hardy, who's a nature connection researcher.
• 40:43
  SPEAKER_01: So, we're gonna hopefully yeah, that's some good days in September with that, which will be great.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so yeah, that's like the event size, but working on that balance of like how many events you put on in a year versus like the other stuff that I'm doing.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm not doing loads of events, but it's nice to have a few there.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm doing some I'm excited to do in September.
• 41:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm going down to the Peak District um with Black Trail Runners.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_01: Um they've put on a taster, I think yeah, a peak skills training workshop weekend.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, okay.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm doing the navigation aspect of that for them, so that would be cool.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_01: So like in like kind of a bit of supporting their navigation around like when you're out on runs and things.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, so your network is actually quite national.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's yeah, it's not just sort of restricted to no to like no, and then like coach people, you know.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_01: I've had people in Canada, Islands, um international best-selling coach at Mountain Leader, America, yeah.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_01: So kind of like it does got a yeah, a random eclectic mix, which I love.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and so do they just find you on social media or something or word of mouth?
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_01: So another coach who I'm coached by Sarah McCallmack, uh-huh from Miss Lynn Coaching, she referred a few people to me because he was full class who was at that point in time.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um so that was their Sarah's Irish, and so that grew my Irish contingent, which is cool.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_01: But then I've had a few more reach out since then, which is cool.
• 42:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then, yeah, other people have just been reaching out three social media uh website and things, fabulous, which is really cool.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's amazing.
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_00: I really enjoyed doing your navigation skills course.
• 42:25
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, thank you.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I did, and I was out on a walk, on a podcast walk, and actually, two of them where my two guests had maps on separate walks.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, cool, and could I remember anything, Lauren?
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_00: For goodness sake.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_00: Oh no, so we might need a refresher.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I'll bring Pat along.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yeah, we'll do refresher, that would be great.
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, love doing and I definitely love doing like intro stuff because I think and yeah, refresher stuff, definitely.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I think feeling confident with with things is just so like it can be so rewarding because then you can it opens up so many doors, and then you're kind of like, Oh, I can now do this.
• 43:08
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, I before my mountain leader, honestly, I've I've gotten lost an embarrassing amount of time.
• 43:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I thought I could navigate, and then yeah, um, oh god, yeah, I got some stories of that.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_01: But then when I did my mountain leader, I was like, it actually made me really hone in on my navigation, and I really practiced, and I'm like, okay, no, like just and then keep using those skills, it it really pays off.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, it doesn't, you know, it takes a lot, quite just yeah.
• 43:35
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I think I yeah completely underestimated how hard it is to look at a map and work out where you are.
• 43:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and because we're so reliant on phones and devices and GPS, but I do when you have to use your own brain is your GPS, it's like, oh my god.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I was sharing the story about how as part of the course, which was excellent, by the way, I thought it was really well thought through.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: You did the bit about the compass.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, you set us free, and we were all starting from the same point, and we had to get our bearings, and we all went off in different directions.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_00: That was so funny.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_00: It is because they like recorded that because you must have predicted that was gonna happen.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_01: We had, yeah, we had just everyone going off, and yeah, it's like herding cat together, like yeah, yeah.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_01: Oh that's it's over.
• 44:26
  SPEAKER_00: But then once we had a few chats, and then we end we did end up on that on that spot that we that we um but what was also really good was everyone was authentic, like no one, despite the fact we knew we were trying to get to the same place, we all stayed true to our wrongness.
• 44:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was great, it was and and yeah, compass bearings are oh yeah, they're just yeah, it's my new favourite ornament in my house.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: I do need to take it out and practice.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_00: So, I so what I was gonna say was when we were finishing up a walk, we got the map out, and it was with our topping, yeah, and he got a blade of grass, yes, reminding me not to use my finger and trying to work out where to go.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_00: So that was really cool.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's cool.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and did the same with um Alice and Marsden.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
• 45:15
  SPEAKER_00: We were in um Wetz Leddall.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_00: Have you been to Wet Slead?
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: Oh wow, not for years!
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_01: So pretty lovely, yes.
• 45:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's so beautiful.
• 45:24
  SPEAKER_00: I've like done so many different walks this in this series, which has been so nice.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_00: I feel like yeah, you've you really um like explored so many areas, which is cool.
• 45:34
  SPEAKER_00: It's really nice, and it's really like totally for my benefit obviously with your business then, and with all the things that you juggle, even though you say you've like dropped one, which is your part-time job, how do you find self-care?
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_00: How do you find time for it?
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_00: And what do you do?
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_01: I definitely being out in nature is like so integral, I think, for me in my just yeah, looking after myself.
• 46:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so that can look different with depending on like how much energy I've got, yeah, how how busy I am, but definitely fell running is like my one true love.
• 46:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_01: So in trying to get out and yeah, get out in the fells, but that can be like short or as long depending on what time I've got.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 46:23
  SPEAKER_01: But just be but then also like I've got a spot where I go for a dip and just clear my head, but then also just with like, and that's really yeah, really good like swimming, but not in a way of relying on any of these things, like exercise-wise, like definitely just more clearing my head because that can be a whole whole nother thing.
• 46:41
  SPEAKER_01: And so, like, I've tried I've got more more passive hobbies, I guess.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I've started bird watching, which I absolutely love.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_01: Even just like in the garden, like I just get so excited about when I see another bird, and like I've got my binoculars with me, because I just get like, yeah, I'm like, oh, what's that?
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_01: And and my memory isn't great, so like I'll find that same with plants and stuff, I'll be like, Oh, I found another bird that I didn't act I haven't seen before, like for me.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_01: And then, like, and then you know, I remember like last year I maybe saw it, but then like at that time, I'm always like, Oh, it's like something you get to experience that fresh joy, yes, it's just great.
• 47:18
  SPEAKER_01: So I try and frame it in like okay, my memory's really bad, but actually I get to re-experience like discovering something new to me.
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_01: Again, yeah, and then definitely seeing friends like usually involves going for a run or something like that, but and then just doing community like be being part of a community, I've definitely realised is really important for my for my well-being as well, but not but feeling like it's authentic rather than performative, yeah.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_01: And that's I've definitely over the last few years really worked hard on.
• 47:48
  SPEAKER_01: So it's part of your values, yeah.
• 47:50
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely like authenticity is always comes up like in that top three, or pretty much top one every time.
• 47:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I think finding like like ARC and stuff, yeah, finding in that community was like really So that's anti-racist and real.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, sorry, yeah, really powerful.
• 48:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I think a mixture of like nature stuff, but then also people have always like I've always worked with people, and so I am like social connection, but I also notice I definitely probably used to think I was an extrovert, yeah, but I've I know now in the last few years, like I need my own space to just like process those things and like just recalibrate and then have my own alone time in in the outside world for a little bit and then and then I can like I'm pretty much the same to be honest.
• 48:36
  SPEAKER_00: I have my lockdown weekends, yeah, my hermit time.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, like people who know me really well will send me messages saying, Are we being a hermit or are we socializing this weekend?
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because I really value that time to myself.
• 48:51
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just one of these people who I have no problem with spending time by myself.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I just really enjoy it.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think it's really important as well to like get to know yourself, yeah, definitely, yeah, and then being okay with being on your own.
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_01: Like I I love it as well.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_00: Like I'm I think actually that'd be really interesting, wouldn't it?
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_00: Because I think from a coaching perspective, that there are people who will be busy for busyness sake to not be on their own.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, definitely.
• 49:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I and and almost like flex that busyness thing of like, oh, I'm so busy, and I I I try to really like watch out for that.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like I'm saying I'm busy because I feel like oh that's like a I'm wearing it as a badge of honour because actually it's not what I want to be, that's not what I want to strive for.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_00: And that's not how it came across.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_01: So from a self-care perspective, yeah, and then actually like sorry, no knowing like that you said about other people like spending time can they spend time on their own or not?
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_01: I think yeah, it can be a good barometer and oh, is that person avoiding something about how they're feeling?
• 49:53
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, I'm always curious about people stuff.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_00: So, with your charity volunteering, what do you do?
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_00: Who do you volunteer for?
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_00: Because there's two places, aren't there?
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, there's I'm involved with a few different charities.
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_01: So I do some stuff about trail runners, okay.
• 50:09
  SPEAKER_01: So support them getting more back and round people on the trails and feeling confident like and and safe on the trails, yeah, kind of support their work and just pausing there.
• 50:19
  SPEAKER_00: So, do you need different shoes if you're starting at trail running?
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_00: Do you need to change your trailers?
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_01: Technically, technically, you'd want trail shoes just to feel confident on like more slippier, you know, more more rough terrain.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but if it was something like this that we're on now, like a track, yeah, you don't need I think road shoes would be would be sufficient, but not you at some point you would want to invest in a pair of trail shoes, yeah.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 50:48
  SPEAKER_01: So kind of like off-road shoes.
• 50:50
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, okay.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_01: Please come.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um and then I am an A team member for Trash Free Trails, who are all about free trails.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_01: A volunteer, like a yeah, they call them part of like the A-Team, I think it's different.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_01: Oh cool, and yeah, and you have a barn.
• 51:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, and um, yeah, and that is all about reconnecting people to nature through through the act of removing single-use pollution.
• 51:22
  SPEAKER_01: And actually with with that, I that's where I still get my work around working with uh young people and reconnecting them to nature.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm I'm going up to Scotland in the end of August where we do a week's work of like the more educational side of work where we get these young people out on mountain bikes, and then we also do loads of cool creative uh tasks, which gets them thinking about what's around them, and honestly, the feedback is always incredible, and you can see how much the young people get from it, and I so I love that work.
• 51:55
  SPEAKER_01: So that is yeah, that's some but I also is that's that's paid work, but the volunteering side we do some like trash trash cleans or trail cleans, where just basically collecting collecting litter from the trails, and then um volunteer for anti-racist Cumbria, which is all about making Cumbria the first anti-racist county, which is an incredible vision, and yeah, it took me a few years to feel I kept turning up to things.
• 52:23
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, Oh, like okay, we'll get be super anxious, and then be like, oh god, I don't know anyone here.
• 52:28
  SPEAKER_01: Ah, and then like it's then it seems to be now a few years later I feel much more like settled in my own skin, and it's definitely about what was coming up for me as well, and yeah, just love love being part of that community and of joined the choir, which honestly blows my mind that I'm part of a choir, but I'm really enjoying that.
• 52:46
  SPEAKER_01: And Ella's amazing the the person who leads the choir, and all all the members are just so yeah um encouraging there.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_00: Do you want to do you want to sing anything?
• 52:55
  SPEAKER_01: Oh god, no, not without other people.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_01: Nope.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_00: One day, one day you're gonna climb up the bell and you're just gonna have to urge to belt out the song.
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_01: Please record it with it.
• 53:08
  SPEAKER_01: Oh god, I will I will, I'll send it to you.
• 53:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, and then and then I'm actually hopefully doing some um facilitating work as well, which is very exciting.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I just I think very busy.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's been like part a very um hiya dog.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's been amazing to to join that community and kind of really unlearning a lot of things for me and relearning where my white privilege shows up and like just just different perspective shifts, and yeah, yeah, a good, a very important journey, which I'm just so grateful that we have anti-racist Cumbria in Greece.
• 53:43
  SPEAKER_00: This county, which yeah, agreed.
• 53:45
  SPEAKER_00: I've learned a lot as well, and I keep learning, and I think it's so great to connect with so many people who are on different stages of their anti-racist journey, and we have a space that is so open to support and helping people understand because it's it's not easy stuff.
• 54:06
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's not it's your whole personal ecosystem that's being challenged, actually.
• 54:12
  SPEAKER_00: And that's really difficult once once you open those doors and those lights, it's really difficult.
• 54:19
  SPEAKER_01: And you can't if you have a conscience, you can't then go back.
• 54:23
  SPEAKER_01: No, and then things start like being, yeah, like uh, what's the word?
• 54:28
  SPEAKER_01: Like kind of jolted, and you're like, Oh okay, you really have to look inward, yes.
• 54:32
  SPEAKER_01: You know, Claire always reminds me, how your chickens like kind of yeah.
• 54:38
  SPEAKER_00: We're getting all the little friends out today.
• 54:41
  SPEAKER_00: No, it wasn't yeah, sorry.
• 54:44
  SPEAKER_01: I was thinking, I was yeah, kind of around how you can't just walk away from it once you turn the lights on.
• 54:49
  SPEAKER_01: And how much Antoine's work is that internal, like what's coming up for me, and like I definitely have to constantly yeah, check in with that and keep you know, it's just not in a and again having that not in a white supremacy lens of being perfectionist, yeah, like being a perfectionist, because that he's like, Oh, that's cropped up again, but like okay, what's like what's coming up?
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_01: Not holding yourself to that ridiculously high standard that's that's probably impossible anyway, but like yeah, having that compassion to be like, okay, no, like to to be curious about what's coming up and like keep showing up in that space.
• 55:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, is there anything else you're hiding from me, Lauren?
• 55:26
  SPEAKER_01: I realised I haven't mentioned the reason I did my master's level ILM level seven was in executive coach and was to work for uh Rini McGregor, the sports dietitian, yeah, amazing human.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_01: Author she's authority author.
• 55:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, she she came like 33rd female in the latent 50 last weekend, so she's yeah, she's amazing, amazing human, and so she has a clinic.
• 55:54
  SPEAKER_01: Um she came 30 in the latent 50.
• 55:57
  SPEAKER_01: 33rd female and 15th 40, I think, yeah.
• 56:02
  SPEAKER_01: She's in the last last year as yeah, yeah, that's it.
• 56:05
  SPEAKER_01: Just yeah, and she she beat her time from last year by like 45 minutes.
• 56:09
  SPEAKER_01: Wow.
• 56:09
  SPEAKER_01: So she yes, oh my god, I thought you were gonna say like four minutes because that's still hard.
• 56:14
  SPEAKER_01: I know, she did amazing.
• 56:16
  SPEAKER_01: She's did she just smashed out of the ballpark, which is great, very cool to see.
• 56:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 56:21
  SPEAKER_01: So she has a whole team of people working for her, a team, Rini McGregor, and that was why I got that qualification was to then move my coaching to use my psychology undergrad and then blend it with that that qualification to then support individuals that kind of come to Rini for support.
• 56:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um the the work I do is more around their mindset and helping shift raise awareness around where beliefs are coming up and shift their perspective, and it's with individuals who who are struggling with either dysfunctional relationship with food or exercise.
• 56:55
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 56:56
  SPEAKER_01: So, and what does it what kind of what how does that manifest?
• 57:00
  SPEAKER_01: It can be lots of different ways to kind of I think generally with our society, like we we're constantly told you know, to there's an obesity crisis and things like that, yeah.
• 57:10
  SPEAKER_01: And you and you kind of and which obviously that that that's a that's a whole nother issue, yeah.
• 57:15
  SPEAKER_01: But for for the more majority of population, there's we're constantly being bombarded with like move more and eat less.
• 57:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_01: But actually, for individuals who are already active, um, who maybe have more perfectionist tendencies, yeah, who are constantly striving, who need to feel like they need to prove themselves, who have low self-worth, for example, loads of these things can fall into the trap of like, yeah, exercising too much for what your body actually needs, and then not eating enough, and and lots of things can fallout can happen from that.
• 57:45
  SPEAKER_01: But also a lot of people don't realise that actually how much energy it is being used when we're exercising, and so Rainy just has an amazing, like sensible approach around how we really need to fuel our bodies and you know how different stages of your life is affected by this, and you just need to look after your body rather than like push through and ignore that it's say an injury or an ignore X, Y, or Z.
• 58:09
  SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, I kind of support individuals and they're more once they've been seen by Rini or a dietitian, I work work alongside them to then support their helping grow awareness around maybe where those behaviours coming from that aren't serving them, and then building a more um healthy, sustainable approach to like returning to running or sport, but then like not using it as a crutch for like maybe coping mechanisms around what they're avoiding feeling.
• 58:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, if that makes sense.
• 58:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that sounds quite tough.
• 58:39
  SPEAKER_00: Like, how do you um how do you protect yourself when you're done with the tough session?
• 58:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it is intense work.
• 58:46
  SPEAKER_01: So I always have like time before and afterwards to like de decompress each reflect on it and you know process it through that time, and then I have supervision.
• 58:57
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so talk about cases kind of through supervision, and that's clinical supervision as well.
• 59:03
  SPEAKER_01: I also have my own counsellor um who I still see, so kind of have another space to talk about it, or you know, just things that are coming up, so kind of yeah, and I think you know, how old am I?
• 59:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's 30 now, and like I I feel so I feel like I'm so much more self-aware, and I know that's always gonna grow, but like I'm I'm so much more in tuned with I still take me sometimes like oh what emotion am I actually feeling, but like much more in tune with what I need, and like I can then listen to that.
• 59:31
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, I need to go for a dip, or I need to um, yeah, I need to kind of go out and just sit in the woodland by our house and just like breathe and to try and rather than ignore those signs and either go a bit woo high energy and like not stop, yeah, get busy, like we said before, or like or just like have a you know days where I'm like, oh I'm so tired, you know, if things too much.
• 59:54
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I try and be much more on top of those signs where things are where I'm noticing my own internal world, yeah, like telling me I need to either slow down or that's really something else.
• 1:00:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's really good and a sign that you are you are looking after yourself and you've done the work to to build that awareness because that doesn't just happen, does it?
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_01: No, it's all days, it's like a whole that yeah, it's it's a long process, and I know it'll be a lifelong process, but like being much more open to that and not resisting, like resisting those those emotions that are coming up and don't deny yourself, yeah.
• 1:00:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and so I try to do some mindfulness.
• 1:00:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you know, at the moment it is it is more ad hoc.
• 1:00:37
  SPEAKER_01: I'd like it to be more regular, but you know, it's a start.
• 1:00:40
  SPEAKER_01: And I use Tara Brack, who's a wonderful psychologist, and she does she's a mindfulness teacher, and she has a lovely little podcast, and she talks about kind of how pain times resistance equals suffering.
• 1:00:52
  SPEAKER_01: So kind of like when yeah, and I I really like that analogy of like, oh okay, like I can pain times resistance equals suffering.
• 1:00:59
  SPEAKER_01: So the more we resist, the more we suffer.
• 1:01:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, so kind of trying to allow those emotions pass through me rather than because I know I am with my neurodivergence, I feel things very intensely, right?
• 1:01:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, kind of very high emotions, like ups or downs, yeah.
• 1:01:15
  SPEAKER_01: And so kind of just like giving space that I'm working through those emotions, yeah, and having some guided mindfulness just for like 10 minutes.
• 1:01:24
  SPEAKER_01: I know when I do those I do feel more like settled and grown, but um yeah, it's it is one thing that slips when you know either my routine goes out of whack or life gets a bit busy, yeah.
• 1:01:36
  SPEAKER_01: But that is another way I I try and look after myself if it's not as like inhabitual compared to like going for a run or something like that.
• 1:01:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but I try not to use going for a run to look after myself, I do it as that because I enjoy it.
• 1:01:49
  SPEAKER_01: So it's very intentional, isn't it?
• 1:01:51
  SPEAKER_01: Massively like you know, I've been on a whole journey with with exercise and yeah, yeah, and and why we do it, and you have to keep checking in checking in with that, yeah.
• 1:02:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's a great message.
• 1:02:04
  SPEAKER_00: So you were talking about Renee's achievement.
• 1:02:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, is there something you want to tell us about, Lauren?
• 1:02:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, she's Rini's on the front cover of women's running magazine.
• 1:02:16
  SPEAKER_00: She is.
• 1:02:17
  SPEAKER_00: But I was thinking about something else, and that is awesome, and it's so nice to see Renee at the front.
• 1:02:22
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, something to do with frogs.
• 1:02:25
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, they were frog graying.
• 1:02:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I now understand the link.
• 1:02:30
  SPEAKER_00: Just that little thing that you'd see this year.
• 1:02:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes, it was amazing.
• 1:02:36
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you, thank you.
• 1:02:38
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, phenomenal.
• 1:02:39
  SPEAKER_00: What is this like?
• 1:02:40
  SPEAKER_00: Top of the leaderboard, yeah.
• 1:02:45
  SPEAKER_00: In the country for the frog gray.
• 1:02:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, what is it the such funny language that I know?
• 1:02:54
  SPEAKER_01: So, how was that?
• 1:02:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that was an adventure.
• 1:02:58
  SPEAKER_01: Congratulations, yeah.
• 1:03:00
  SPEAKER_01: That was a really cool day out, yeah, and yeah, so the frog graham.
• 1:03:05
  SPEAKER_01: Cool day out.
• 1:03:06
  SPEAKER_00: I just I just went from a cool day out and it came as the top number one fastest woman in the frog gray round.
• 1:03:13
  SPEAKER_00: Amazing.
• 1:03:13
  SPEAKER_00: It's a bit I want a day out like that.
• 1:03:15
  SPEAKER_00: It's a bit wild, isn't it?
• 1:03:16
  SPEAKER_00: I know.
• 1:03:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's fantastic, so yeah, it's like it's such a weird thing because I know it's it's so a niche to the late district, like these challenges, but I think FKTs are kind of coming a bit more um widespread now.
• 1:03:30
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, for anyone that doesn't know fastest known times, kind of laughing of like good like the Bob Graham and other rounds, things have been created like oh I've got the fastest no time for this.
• 1:03:40
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, but yeah, these kind of random rounds like the Bob Graham and the Fog Graham are so niche to the late district and Cumbria, and yeah, and I guess anywhere where there's hills to be fair, like Scotland and Wales, but um yeah, I guess should I say what it is?
• 1:03:55
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's probably yeah, um not I mean I still don't believe it.
• 1:04:00
  SPEAKER_01: So told me again, yeah, it's 40 for just over 40 miles in total of then running and swimming, and then the running is like I think just under the 40 miles of running with 4,800 metres of elevation.
• 1:04:17
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my god.
• 1:04:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then the swimming is like two and a half miles of swimming in total, but they're like the swims are like split up, so they're kind of different legs, but it's all continuous.
• 1:04:26
  SPEAKER_01: And so within the 40 miles of running is swimming.
• 1:04:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, the swimming in between.
• 1:04:30
  SPEAKER_01: So kind of like I had about four different swims throughout it.
• 1:04:34
  SPEAKER_01: And what's lakes with those?
• 1:04:36
  SPEAKER_01: You start in Keswick and then you swim, you swim in Bassanthwaite, crumak water, bottom year, and then finally dermant mortar.
• 1:04:44
  SPEAKER_01: And you need different swim work for each one.
• 1:04:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, so because of biosecurity, yeah, um, unfortunately, there's invasive species.
• 1:04:52
  SPEAKER_01: Oh sorry, being found in you're in good company, yeah.
• 1:05:02
  SPEAKER_01: We look at this fungi on the wall there.
• 1:05:03
  SPEAKER_01: That's oh yeah.
• 1:05:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um so yeah, biosecurity, it's in there's invasive species in Durant Water and in Basanthway, and unfortunately it's been found in Quimock Water as well.
• 1:05:14
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, Bottomie is the only clean lake.
• 1:05:18
  SPEAKER_01: Oh gosh.
• 1:05:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so you kind of have to make sure you yeah, you switch your kit so it's all clean and dry before getting in into like a clean lake.
• 1:05:26
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, we made sure that was all good.
• 1:05:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I had support crew with different kit and things like that, yeah, um, which is great, and yeah, just it was just the most incredible day.
• 1:05:35
  SPEAKER_01: Like I've been uh through a lot of perspectives around sport for me, and yeah, you know, started as a youngster was it was compet sport was competitive and kind of yeah, c had to then work through realizing and realised that my sport was achieving and sport was my identity, and that wasn't good because it was kind of like I had to, you know, if I didn't do well then I then like it.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_01: impact yeah it it meant that I didn't feel like a good enough person and and like you know it had a huge impact.
• 1:06:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah so I all self-inflicted and so that and the environment I was in and not feeling like good enough self low self-worth and all of that jazz.
• 1:06:13
  SPEAKER_01: So then this this big goal that I had to like oh do the for graham and yes you know I would love to have got the record it it brought up those I noticed it brought up those old beliefs around like so I had to really like yeah be in track with those and and did have you know the you know and in a much different position than I was years ago and I'm like okay like if I don't get a record it's fine like I'm still I'm still a human who is loved and blah blah blah.
• 1:06:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah and so I had all that support around me.
• 1:06:42
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah but it's just interesting how those old beliefs that kind of pop up in in and when you're like oh I've I've worked through all of that and then oh here it comes again.
• 1:06:50
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah so it was an amazing day out and we had just the best day like it was just it was a hot day which made it interesting so now it was just like get me in that lake and we'd be like run leg.
• 1:07:02
  SPEAKER_01: Get me in the water but I had just the best support team like you know I had people running with me on each of the run legs and then we just had a wonderful day and it was really hard I'm probably forgetting all the pain and there was lots of pain and like moans for me but yeah I I managed I finished in like 12 hours and eight minutes and we'll do that again.
• 1:07:27
  SPEAKER_01: 12 hours and eight minutes yeah in like that you know all day uh thing and yeah and then haven't done anything too strenuous since then no give your body some time and your mind I guess yes definitely had to dig really deep I did yeah I really pushed it to the point where the last little because so I was had a schedule my friend Ewan had made a schedule um for me to try and stick to so I would get the record up I had to get up Skidor from Keswick Mute Hall up just to the top of Skidore in one hour and four minutes.
• 1:08:02
  SPEAKER_01: And if I had to kind of think like if I was in chance of you know like getting and that was like that is you know that's for me that's like that's that's quite a tall order and then I have to run you know another 30 odd miles after that.
• 1:08:15
  SPEAKER_01: And but yeah I I managed to get there bang on one hour and four minutes oh we did that and then and then just kept so it was a hard pace and the go and then the last few miles so you go up the last leg running you go up Robinson Dalehead made them all cat belts and then drop down and he swim across Dermotmore because at that the last few miles of the the session but that bit Rini was on with me then and then my partner drew and like I was just like I was suffering so much and then they were just like oh Lauren you perfected the ultra shuffle and I was just like shuffling along like that but yeah I got I got the end in one piece where I was cramping nearly crying and yeah but yeah and it's so nice that you had Drew and Rainy at the end.
• 1:09:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah that was the like the perfect yes team to see you to the yes they definitely were yeah well that's an amazing achievement I'm so proud of you.
• 1:09:14
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you awesome thank you so if there's anything you would like to share with people in terms of being outside mental wellness anything at all what would it be that you that you that you choose to live like yeah I think so for me I think what's helped more recently noticing more noticing more what's around me when I'm in nature so like even if that's just the amount of things I found like when I'm walking through town for to go to work or something like and I spot like a cool mushroom or a cool bit of fungi or a cool plant and I'm like oh that's or a tree.
• 1:09:54
  SPEAKER_01: And like I try and because I can be quite get locked into my own brain so I like look outwardly and like be amazed at what's around me and then that you know frees up the space so you don't have to feel like you have to go on a crazy long walk or run to to feel something to feel good.
• 1:10:14
  SPEAKER_01: Like to me the excitement I feel when I find wood swell is just I get so excited because you find this in like woodland more wet mossy woodland and then you get and you can eat it.
• 1:10:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm like and not that I should encourage eating anyone eating it but it's just such a cool and it's just like a pretty little like love heart shaped almost like a clover so noticing things yeah like when I when I find when we see a red scribble in the guard I'm like oh my god there's a red scribble or like notice it like the birds I'm just rather than getting caught up in my own narrative yeah just having a a bit of time where I'm like okay I'm just gonna not be on my phone because I I notice when I'm on that too much like and just try and yeah be open to what's around me in nature.
• 1:11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah and I think you're right like the whole phone thing is such a drain it's a brain drain and I notice as well that I just feel exhausted so what I do now is I leave my phone in the kitchen and I'll watch TV and I'm actually watching the program and engaging.
• 1:11:18
  SPEAKER_01: Paying attention or reading a book or yeah but the phone is nowhere near me because it doesn't need to be no exactly it's like it becomes like a glue to our hand yeah yeah and I just don't want that for my future yes yeah I'm the exact same and I know and I know my you notice when it I'm like oh yeah like it's crept back in.
• 1:11:39
  SPEAKER_01: I have a rule of like it phones literally are not in the bedroom like it just you know night so I sleep like I do I put it downstairs and um yeah but definitely other areas I'm like oh it's because right you know I use it for work something like I'm trying to like find better boundaries with that but yeah yeah I do wonder now because you know so many people don't have house phones anymore I do wonder about the the only thing that worries me is emergency calls.
• 1:12:05
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah and so I do keep my phone in my room but I put it on do not disturb yeah and it goes black and white who wants to watch TikTok on black and white that's just rubbish and um and I've said which phone calls can come through do not disturb so that's the only reason I keep it in my room but otherwise I I've like forced myself not to look at it which is you know it's a temptation isn't it is and yeah and it is an addiction my dope oh I know yeah my dopamine like hit is like I want it yeah yeah but yeah um totally oh well thanks Lauren that's been amazing I've loved spending time with you so nice it's so nice and I've just noticed we're wearing reverse colours oh my gosh yes and green buttons and green and black lovely coordinated it's been lovely you are welcome that was beautiful right huge huge thank you to Lauren for being so open so honest and for sharing both her incredible achievements and her vulnerable moments with us.
• 1:13:24
  SPEAKER_00: You know I went into this walk expecting to talk about trails and training and physical challenges of ultrunning and that kind of thing.
• 1:13:35
  SPEAKER_00: And of course we talked about all of that and Lauren's frog wit and round achievement is stunningly remarkable and so congratulations again Lauren it's amazing.
• 1:13:48
  SPEAKER_00: What I didn't expect was to come away thinking about the quiet of the Lake District morning about how we've all become so locked inside our own heads our own narratives and our own anxieties.
• 1:14:02
  SPEAKER_00: Lauren said something that often comes back to me that she can be quite locked into her own brain so she tries to look outwardly and be amazed at what's around her.
• 1:14:12
  SPEAKER_00: How gorgeous is that that's it that's the whole practice right there.
• 1:14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Not some complicated wellness routine or expensive retreat just stopping and noticing looking outward and being amazed by what's already there.
• 1:14:34
  SPEAKER_00: This nugget of wisdom is coming from someone who pushes herself to extraordinary physical limits someone who's run well over 40 miles and swum across many many lakes and summited many many mountains but she's telling us that the real transformation the real peace comes from the small moments the fungi on the wall the red squirrel in the garden and that quiet when you wake up I just love that so much.
• 1:15:05
  SPEAKER_00: I also want to acknowledge how brave Lauren was in sharing her journey with sport and identity.
• 1:15:12
  SPEAKER_00: That realisation that I'm still a human who is loved and valuable regardless of the record regardless of the finished time regardless of the achievement that's the work we could all do with investing in isn't it whether it's sports or career or parenting or anything else we've attached our worth to at some point we have to separate who we are from what we do.
• 1:15:41
  SPEAKER_00: And I loved Lauren's honesty about phones.
• 1:15:44
  SPEAKER_00: This isn't some tech free purist who's completely disconnected just like all of us she's still figuring it out but I really like the idea of keeping a phone downstairs at night the boundaries that we keep allowing to creep in and then being able to reset them.
• 1:16:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's so refreshing to hear someone say you know like yeah I noticed it's crept back in and and then start doing it again.
• 1:16:14
  SPEAKER_00: And you know Lauren that's me too so before I go I want to leave you with some questions for you to sit with so the first one when was the last time you noticed something small in nature that genuinely excited you so not like a grand vista but something tiny a bird a specific tree a mushroom can you remember the last time you let yourself be amazed by something small the second one is what noise internal or external is taking up the most space in your life right now?
• 1:16:57
  SPEAKER_00: And what would silence or quiet create room for?
• 1:17:01
  SPEAKER_00: And finally if you're honest with yourself where has your identity become too wrapped up in achievement where are you holding yourself to a standard that says your worth depends on your performance alone just if you fancy it take a moment to sit with those.
• 1:17:19
  SPEAKER_00: If this conversation resonated with you please do share it.
• 1:17:23
  SPEAKER_00: Send it to that friend who's always pushing themselves too hard send it to someone who thinks they're not too outdoorsy enough send it to someone who just needs permission to slow down and notice.
• 1:17:37
  SPEAKER_00: Please also do leave a review I know I know like literally every podcast says this but the reviews really do help other people find these conversations.
• 1:17:48
  SPEAKER_00: Someone out there is searching for exactly this message possibly and your review might be what helps them discover it.
• 1:17:57
  SPEAKER_00: And finally which one of the things are you going to commit to would you consider a phone free walk this week it doesn't have to be anything too long it doesn't have to be into the mountains it's just about you taking yourself out and noticing so leave your phone at home or put it in airplane mode and actually just stop and look around you and see what happens see what comes up if you want to connect with Lauren for coaching or guiding or to follow her adventures in the Lake District and beyond her details are available on my website and remember you don't have to move mountains to feel better.
• 1:18:46
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you just have to notice the moss growing on them.
• 1:18:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Sakania and this has been Sakania the podcast and I'll see you next time.
• 1:18:56
  SPEAKER_00: Until then keep walking keep moving and keep noticing those small glimmers of nature that bring so much joy.