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Annabel Abbs is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. She grew up in Wales and Sussex, with stints in Dorset, Bristol and Hereford. Daughter of academic and poet, Peter Abbs, she has a degree in English Literature from the University of East Anglia and a Masters from the University of Kingston. She lives with her family in London and Sussex, and is a Fellow of the Brown Foundation. Annabel's debut novel, The Joyce Girl, won the 2015 Impress Prize for New Writing and the 2015 Spotlight First Novel Award, and was longlisted for the 2015 Caledonia Novel Award, the 2015 Bath Novel Award and the 2016 Waverton Good Read Award. It was a Reader Pick in The Guardian 2016 and was one of ten books selected for presentation at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival. Published across the world, Annabel discussed The Joyce Girl on BBC Radio 4's Soul Music. It is currently being adapted for the stage. Her second novel, Frieda: The Originial Lady Chatterley, was a Times Book of the Month, then a Times Book of the Year 2018 and one of five novels selected for presentation to film directors at the 2017 Frankfurt Book Fair. Frieda has been translated into six languages. Annabel spoke about Frieda on BBC Woman's Hour. Annabel's third novel, the story of Eliza Acton, Britain's first domestic goddess, and a best-selling cookery book writer (and a poet) will be published in the US in October 2021, by William Morrow as Miss Eliza's English Kitchen. In the UK, the novel was acquired at auction by Simon & Schuster, and will be published in spring 2022 as The Language of Food. It is currently being translated into sixteen languages. In 2021 it was optioned by Stampede Ventures and CBS. Annabel's first non-fiction book, The Age-Well Project, was published by Little, Brown in 2019, co-written with TV producer, Susan Saunders, and based on their acclaimed blog agewellproject.com, longlisted for the 2018 UK Blog Awards. Annabel's first foray into memoir and her first solo-authored non-fiction book, Windswept: Walking in the Footsteps of Remarkable Women, was acquired at auction by Two Roads and was published in June 2021. In the US, Windswept was acquired by Tin House and published in September 2021, with the subtitle Walking the Paths of Trailblazing Women. Windswept tells the extraordinary stories of eight women who walked long distances in wild and often remote places as they sought their own voices. They include Simone de Beauvoir, Nan Shepherd, Georgia O'Keeffe, Gwen John and Daphne du Maurier. New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time - Hit the subscribe button so you don't miss out. The Tough Girl Podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. Support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast and subscribe - super quick and easy to do and it makes a massive difference. Thank you. Show notes Who is Annabel Her latest book Her interest in walking Being interested in women who do long distance walks in challenging environments Where are all the women walkers? Researching the women who walk Having a strange childhood How walking was a part of her education the benefits for women walking in nature How wild places are not deemed safe for women And why women are encouraged to stay at home and get their time in nature from being in the garden Why women DO long hikes Women from 100 years ago who went out walking Focusing on 6 women for the book Windswept Recreating their walks Feeling trapped at home Having family walking holidays Planning the walks and incorporating her writing within the walks Using old maps to help plan Encouraging women to be able to navigate What Nan Shepherd said about walking in Scotland Why river journeys and coastal journeys were quite popular Why women should learn to navigate Doing the walks solo and the challenge involved Thinking of all the things that could go wrong Why walking is so much more complication for a woman What is was like walking solo Women and their relationships with the mountains The struggle of mental preparation before heading out to walk solo The long history of women doing walking pilgrimages on their own Why we need to see more women out there walking The dark side of walking solo and spending time on your own Walking in Texas, USA - night hikes? The importance of legacy Final words of advice Social Media Website: www.annabelabbs.com Instagram: @annabelabbs Twitter: @annabelabbs Book: Windswept Windswept is a feminist exploration of walking in wild landscapes. Annabel examines the role of walking on the lives, writings and art of several women including Gwen John, Frieda Lawrence, Nan Shepherd, Georgia O'Keeffe and Simone de Beauvoir. As Annabel walks their paths – the empty plains of Texas, the mountains of Scotland, the rivers and forests of France – she looks back at her childhood in remote Wales and asks why women have been overlooked in the literature of wild-walking.
Jack joined BBC Radio 1 in September 2018, playing rock and alternative music from emerging artists. He now hosts the Future Artists show Monday to Wednesday 10pm – midnight and Radio 1's Indie show on a Thursday. Jack began his journey on Nottingham Trent University's student radio station Fly FM. After being appointed Station Manager, Jack lead the station to its best ever Student Radio Awards haul of nine nominations: five golds and one bronze. He won the first ever SRA Selector competition in his final year at university and got the chance to present on Ibero 90.9 in Mexico City. Sombreros, tequila and radio - doesn't get better than that! Jack joined Kerrang! Radio in the summer of 2014, and went on to join Radio X in 2015 as their Early Weekend Breakfast presenter. In less than a year, Jack covered the Radio X Evening Show, weekday afternoons and The Chris Moyles Show, before securing his own mid-morning slot on Radio X. Jack also promotes his own monthly gig night named Hopscotch. Recent gigs have featured names such as The Amazons and Frank Cater & the Rattlesnakes. Jack took Hopscotch on a UK wide tour in 2018 and 2019 which concluded on a special end-of-year gig at renowned Scottish venue, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut. He recently appeared on Channel 4's Celebrity Gogglebox for Stand Up to Cancer, alongside Yungblud. Since 2017 Jack has worked with MTV, interviewing Green Day, Ed Sheeran and Biffy Clyro and in 2o2o he took on the role as host of MTV Rocks – a countdown of the week's biggest singles based on sales, streaming and airplay data. A competent host, he has also presented the UK Blog Awards. An avid gamer, Jack took 2020's national lockdown as an opportunity to use the growing Twitch platform to connect with fans and so Quarantine Karaoke was born. Sunday nights were transformed as artists joined Jack for a live stream of karaoke, chat and more karaoke. Jack is also a supporter of the mental health charity MIND and has recently hosted a panel for the highly successful iWeigh movement. @jackxsaunders Host: Jamie Neale @jamienealejn Discussing rituals and habitual patterns in personal and work life. We ask questions about how to become more aware of one self and the world around us, how do we become 360 with ourselves? Host Instagram: @jamienealejn Podcast Instagram: @360_yourself Music from Electric Fruit Produced by Tom Dalby Composed by Toby Wright
Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit from a simple Twitter account through which he rapidly became the 'most followed teacher on social media in the UK'. In 2015, he was nominated as one of the '500 Most Influential People in Britain' by The Sunday Times as a result of being most influential in the field of education. He remains the only classroom teacher to feature to this day ... Sharing resources and ideas online as @TeacherToolkit, he has built his website (c2008) which has been described as one of the 'most influential blogs on education in the UK', winning the UK Blog Awards (2018). Ross is also a best selling author of ‘100 Ideas for Secondary Teachers’, ‘Teacher Toolkit: Helping you Survive your First Five Years’, ‘Mark.Plan.Teach’ and ‘Just Great Teaching’ We discussed the following blogs during the episode and i'd highly recommend delving deeper into Ross' blog: https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2020/04/14/teaching-memory/ https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2019/09/28/verbal-feedback-report/ We also discussed Effective Teacher Development which can be found on the following blog from Ross: https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2019/05/05/effective-cpd/
Vicki Psarias is a critically acclaimed blogger and vlogger, running her own blog ‘Honest Mum,’ former filmmaker and TV director, AND best selling author of 'MumBoss,' and she joins us for today's podcast episode. Vicki recently won Inspirational Role Model of the Year at the M Power Awards as well as Best Baby and Parenting Blog for Honest Mum at the UK Blog Awards 2019. Vicki is regularly featured on international platforms in print & on TV on as both a presenter and parenting expert (regularly appearing on BBC News and ITV). Vicki brings a wealth of knowledge to TLC, as she reveals how to position yourself as a thought leader, the importance of PR and how to get it, and how she created a 6 figure online business & blog. Learn how to build your personal brand with our FREE 5 Step Personal Brand Accelerator Guide which is available at https://www.livconlon.com/free-personal-brand-guide
My guest today, Sarah Williams, started her career in the reasonably conventional manner of a successful woman: high class university education, graduate training programme and a career in the City, with the work-hard, play-hard London high life of a twenty-something hitting their goals and forging a lucrative successful career in finance. But after a few years, Sarah realised she was burning out, frustrated and overwhelmed by a lack of support in a male-dominated environment, over-worked on projects she wasn’t invested in, and struggling to maintain enthusiasm in a job she no longer enjoyed. So she quit, did a ski season, travelled the world, and took the time she needed to appreciate what her passions and strengths were, namely inspiring women and girls through sport and exercise. In 2014 Sarah started her blog, Tough Girl, and subsequently completed the Marathon des Sables in 2016, one of the world’s most extreme endurance races. She has gone on to undertake a major expedition each year since: in 2017 she through-hiked the Appalachian Trail in the USA, which sounds casual, but only 20% of people complete this challenge in an average of 6-7 months. Sarah did it solo in half that - finishing in 100 days - which pushed her to her physical and mental limits. As we speak, Sarah is currently undertaking her 2018 challenge, namely cycling 4000km down the west coast of North and Central America, through to the Baha Divide in Mexico. Sarah combines these challenges with her ongoing media work under the Tough Girl brand. Her Tough Girl podcast has had over half a million downloads, and earlier this year won the Women’s Sports Trust #BeAGameChanger Media Initiative of the Year Award. She has been recognised by the Guardian and by Red Bull as one of the most inspiring contemporary female adventurers to follow, and the Tough Girl Blog has twice been nominated in the UK Blog Awards. Sarah is also a coach and mentor, and as someone who has benefitted from her wisdom and experience, I can vouch for her success in motivating and helping others. I posted on Instagram this week that I am currently in training for my first ultramarathon, and it is in part thanks to Sarah’s motivational skills that both this podcast and that challenge have got off the ground for me in 2018. In this interview we discussed: - The Tough Girl brand, the different components of Sarah's business and how she would describe herself and her career to others - Her initial career in the corporate world, how she progressed rapidly but fell out of love with her job in the City - Stepping away from a lucrative career and the challenges she faced in leaving - Establishing Tough Girl, and training for her first big challenge, the Marathon des Sables - How her initial training regimen affected her health and the lessons she learned about how to train for endurance events without compromising your body - How others respond to the extreme nature of what Sarah does, particularly the physicality of her 2017 trip through-hiking the Appalachian Trail - The satisfaction she gains from having a goal and a purpose, and achieving that goal no matter how hard it is - Building a brand and the business behind Tough Girl, including marketing, monetisation, promotion and growth - Finishing her Masters in Women and Gender Studies, and the skills and knowledge she has acquired from the course, as well as her dissertation on Adventure, Women and Fear. - Her latest expedition cycling the Pacific Coast Highway down the West Coast of North America, a journey of around 4000km, documenting her journey and the planning of the trip - The future of Tough Girl, her dreams for the brand, a life of freedom as a digital nomad - The sacrifices Sarah has made to follow her passion, including living with her parents for four years to allow her to financially survive and build Tough Girl - The monetisation of adventure, and the 'fake it til you make it' mentality of social media and how every woman has the capacity to be a micro-influencer in her own sphere Links Twitter - https://twitter.com/_TOUGH_GIRL Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/ Blog/website - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/ Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.co.uk/Tough101/ Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/SarahWilliamsToughGirlChallenges
New Rising Media is a finalist in the UK Blog Awards. Since they are happening tomorrow, I got a little too nervous/busy and forgot to research any topics... Therefore, I’ve poached their blog hour questions and turned that into a podcast! Here is the story of new rising media.
Like what you hear? Please vote for NRM in the UK Blog Awards - http://newrisingmedia.com/vote
Tough Girl Daily - 21st April - UK Blog Awards! Strength & Conditioning at the gym Train to London The Tube!! If you want to see pictures check out my Instagram account @toughgirlchallenges Fun night Didn’t win :-( Eating lots of carbs!! Goodie Bag Have a great day
Andrew Corry, a Kynren volunteer and blogger, joined us for Saturday Breakfast. Andrew talked to us about his experiences as a volunteer and blogger of all things "Kynren". Andrew has been shortlisted for an award at The UK Blog Awards event in London on 21st April. We wish him the best of luck!
Tough Girl - Jade Paveley a professional sports car driver for Mazda Motors UK & competing independently in the Motorsport New MSV Championship for 2015/16. Jade introduces herself and shares more about how she got her start in racing! We also discuss: How her Dad pushed her from a young age to try new things and purposefully put her in situations to challenge her! Racing karts at 15 years old and how she found it at that age. Moving from karts to race cars when she was 17. The differences between racing verses driving on the roads! Why self belief is so important not just for racing but life in general - and how you just have to get on with it. Explaining the difference between racing and rallying. Are women bad drivers?! The experience of racing, the highs, the lows, the crashes, the adrenaline and the danger! Top tips for getting over her nerves before the start of races. Working closely with her navigator, Sarah while rallying and why team work and communication are so important! Why its important to look to where you want to go! Describing how endurance races work and what some of the tactics are! Why fitness is so important, the training she does to keep her in the best physical condition and how that helps her concentration and focus. Understanding how formula one works and why there are no female racers. Sponsorship for women in the motorsport industry - and why being a female in a male dominated sport has helped her. Top tips for driving & why following the speed limits on the roads are important! Jade’s career highlights so far, and her goals for the future. You can follow Jade on Twitter @JadePaveley and like her Facebook page Jade Paveley Racing. I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL The Tough Girl Blog has reached the finals of the UK Blog Awards 2016! Check out the blog to learn more about the inspirational women on the Tough Girl Podcast. You can also be kept unto date with my training for the toughest footrace on earth - The Marathon des Sables, which I’ll be running in April 2016! To be kept unto date on Tough Girl Challenges - Come and follow the Facebook page. Click HERE!
During this podcast we also discuss how she was the first person to bum board from over 8,000 metres, a title she gained on Cho Oyu, the 6th highest mountain in the world. Squash has also summited Aconcagua, Mustagata and Mount Everest. Squash is a fantastic speaker and very passionate about sharing her stories and adventures. One of the many things you’ll learn on this podcast is how by having the right attitude every one of us can achieve incredible things. We also discuss: How it all started for Squash, and making the decision when she was younger to try as many life experiences as possible. Her first big mountain attempt in South America - Aconcagua. Learning as she climbed and how she started to challenge herself both physically and mentally “Whats to lose? What's the worst that can happen? Am I prepared to live the rest of my life this way?” Being open to opportunities and being ready to take advantage of them The challenges she faced while climbing Mustagata, from dealing with death on the mountain, to horrendous weather conditions and deciding when to turn back Advice for dealing with emotionally challenging situations and how deciding to go after your dreams can be hard How she deals with failure and why she says it’s not important and why its, your decision on how to look at failure Her adventure on Cho Oyu - the 6th highest mountain in the world Learning how to paraglide How by sheer determination she rode a motorbike from the UK to the foot of Mount Blanc, before summiting and then flying from the top! “Fear can focus you” Remaining calm while falling off the mountain and what she learnt from that experience How the challenge of climbing Mount Everest came about, and how she dealt with the negativity from friends when she told them about it Finding her own pace on the mountain and how she used her time alone to think about the challenge ahead and to prepare herself. How she found a deeper level of mental and emotional strength, when she had nothing left to give which helped to get her off the mountain safe Tips & advice to help you achieve your goals - “If your knickers are right, your day goes right!” Learn more about Squash by visiting her website - Come and say hello to Squash on twitter @SquashFalconer . I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL If you’ve enjoyed this episode please share with a friend! Help to spread the word about the Tough Girl Podcast! The Tough Girl Blog has reached the finals of the UK Blog Awards 2016! Check out the blog to learn more about the inspirational women on the Tough Girl Podcast and be kept unto date with my training for the toughest footrace on earth - The Marathon des Sables, which I’ll be running in April 2016! To be kept unto date on Tough Girl Challenges - Come and follow the Facebook page. Click HERE!
UK Blog Awards; Virtually in New Zealand; Brewdog bites; Bob Hoskins; Max Clifford; Never ever wing it; How to avoid being Paxoed; Be Original, Be Relevant, Be There; An interview with Gered Mankowitz; Music from Dawn Langstroth
Happy weekend!; UK Blog Awards app; The Small Business Book Awards; Lui Bolin; Silence in court; The practice of practice; No sleep for the media; Four social media tools; An interview with Jolene Jang; Music from the Lost Hollow Band
Alongside his studies Rhys Stevenson manages to oversee Global Metal Apocalypse [http://globalmetalapocalypse.weebly.com/], a blog which aims to give bands from around the world an international platform for their music. His Business Management degree is helping him develop the site commercially, but has also been vital in developing his blogging skills. Now he has been nominated twice in the UK Blog Awards (#UKBA14) in the Arts and Culture category and Young Persons category following an online vote. Rhys will find out on Friday 25 April if he has won. Find out more: www.essex.ac.uk/news/event.aspx?e_id=6450
Sunshine and Floods; A great story from Sochi; Sid Caesar; Sam Rubin; Toughen up your speech; Please release me; I'm on the train; An interview with the co-founder of the UK Blog Awards, Becki Cross; Music from Klara Kjellen