• The Olympian Who Never Planned to Be One : Steph Kessell's Story
    Oct 13 2026

    In this episode of She Who Dares Wiggles, I'm joined by Stephanie, Olympic marathon runner, one-to-one run coach and mum. She never dreamed of the Olympics, but after a marathon ballot she expected to lose, a pandemic and a run of injuries, she ended up on the start line in Tokyo. We talk about the races, the setbacks, and why starting her own business may have been the bigger dare.


    Timestamps

    0:00 From Hedge Fund Admin to Olympic Marathoner

    1:35 The Biggest Dare: Starting a Coaching Business

    3:24 Early Athletic Roots and School Sports

    8:02 The Berlin Marathon Ballot That Changed Everything

    12:34 Chasing the Olympic Qualifying Standard

    15:09 Valencia: A High-Stakes Olympic Qualifier

    24:21 The Olympic Trials at Kew Gardens

    39:10 Running the Olympics with a Fractured Shin


    💬 KEY TAKEAWAYS - You don't need a big dream to end up somewhere extraordinary. Small steps add up. - You won't tick off every training session, and that's okay. Flexibility beats perfection. - Get a diagnosis, make a plan, and use cross-training to stay fit through injury. - Stand in your value when you start something new. Prices can rise without losing clients. - Accountability helps: bring a friend along to the thing you've been putting off.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Find One More Step: The Everest Mindset for Hard Days With Squash Falconer
    Oct 6 2026

    This week on She Who Dares Wins, I'm joined by Squash: adventurer, speaker and high-performance coach.


    Squash grew up on a farm planning to be a vet, until a ski season, a view of Mont Blanc and a group of adventure-racing friends changed everything. We talk about how she bluffed her way into BBC and BMW backing to become the first British woman to paraglide off the summit of Mont Blanc, and what happened when she reached the top of Everest without doing what she'd set out to do.


    Then she gets honest about becoming a mum, the years that tested her most, and the simple tools that carried her through: breath, routine, the right people and one small next step.


    If you've ever felt you should be coping better, or you're waiting to see the whole path before you begin, this conversation is for you.


    KEY TAKEAWAYS

    - When you can't see the way, find one more step, and do it on repeat

    - A "failure" can still be the best story you tell

    - "And" is more useful than "but": you can be grateful and struggling at once

    - Other people often see your strengths before you do

    - Growth comes from discomfort, so say thank you to it

    - Small basics (breath, sleep, movement, a routine) hold up the big things


    IN THIS EPISODE

    0:00 Welcome and the story behind the name "Squash"

    1:14 Growing up on a farm and unconditional love

    3:02 From farmer to future vet

    5:34 The cow that changed her mind

    6:59 A ski season and a view of Mont Blanc

    10:34 Hitting the wall: "find one more step"

    13:00 When did you last do something for the first time?

    16:02 Nothing is ever wasted

    19:39 Three dreams, one wild plan

    22:57 Bluffing the BBC and BMW

    24:10 Taking off from the top of Mont Blanc

    28:05 "They don't make stuff up"

    30:00 GoPro, debt and the Everest "failure"

    33:57 Summit day and the way down

    38:59 Public speaking and the energy before a talk

    44:24 Motherhood: the part nobody posts about

    46:25 Simple daily practices that actually work

    50:25 The breath that changes everything

    52:54 "If your knickers are right, your day goes right"

    59:25 When things fall apart, they're falling together

    1:04:04 The dare: leave everyone a gift


    QUOTES FROM THE EPISODE

    "The only thing you've got to do is find one more step and do it on repeat."

    "When you think you're done, you're nowhere near done."

    "If your knickers are right, your day goes right."


    THE DARE

    Squash's challenge to you: leave everyone you meet a little better than you found them, and have the one brave conversation you've been putting off.


    MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

    - Mont Blanc and Mount Everest

    - The BBC, BMW and GoPro, who backed her early expeditions

    - The Salomon 36-hour adventure race

    - The Obstacle Is the Way (the book I mention, by Ryan Holiday)


    CONNECT WITH THE SHOW

    www.shewhodareswins.com

    Join Dare club: Here

    Become a Patreon member for all bonus episodes.


    If this episode helped you, send it to someone who needs a reminder that they're stronger than they think. A rating or review helps more women find the show.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • The 6:30 AM Sober Rave Movement: Quitting her Job to Dance and Bring Joy
    Sep 22 2026
    For twenty years, Leesa was deeply immersed in the corporate rat race—running global sales teams, traveling the world, and earning a living in a high-stakes, money-driven career. But behind the scenes, she was pushing herself to the absolute limit. When her mother passed away suddenly from lung cancer just nine months after diagnosis, and lockdown hit, Leesa faced a severe mental breakdown, burnout, and a prescription for one hundred and fifty milligrams of antidepressants that left her feeling like a zombie. Realizing life was far too short to stay trapped in a career that didn't serve her, she walked away from corporate sales with zero safety net.In this raw, liberating conversation, Leesa joins Michelle to share how a simple daily habit of "walking and talking" evolved into Rant and Ramble—a nationwide movement featuring sober coffee raves, holistic retreats, and vibrant community spaces. She opens up about the fear of stepping outside your comfort zone, overcoming imposter syndrome on social media, and how she helped her husband close his twenty-year electrical business to prioritize his mental health. From dancing sober at six thirty in the morning to discovering that true joy lies in stepping out of life's chaos, Leesa offers an inspiring roadmap for anyone ready to quit living on autopilot.✨ IN THIS EPISODE:The Birth of Rant & Ramble: How sudden grief and late-night walking led to a grassroots movement.Antidepressants & Mental Breakdown: Navigating burnout and finding calm in sound baths.Stepping Out of the Chaos: Designing holistic day retreats to help women switch off their brains.The Early Morning Sober Coffee Rave: Launching a morning rave that defied her husband's doubts and drew hundreds of women.Ditching Binge Drinking: Why dancing sober at dawn is better than alcohol-fueled nights out.Walking Away from Decades in Corporate: Leaving high-stakes sales during lockdown and retraining to do eyelashes.Collaborating with Davina McCall & Viral Growth: Expanding coffee raves nationwide and handling rapid Instagram growth.Overcoming Imposter Syndrome & Social Media Pressure: Why unedited, real content beats pristine online formulas.Transforming Lives & Corporate Productivity: How morning raves build genuine human connection and calorie-burning joy.Supporting Her Husband's Radical Pivot: How Dan closed his long-standing business to protect his mental health.The Weekly Dare: Why you must step outside your comfort zone every single day.💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:On stepping out of corporate chaos: "Stepping out of the chaos of life, as a woman, we've got so many things to think about... to-do lists of endless. We are constantly thinking about everyone else. We put ourselves to the bottom of the list."On the power of sober dancing: "Dancing without a drink is actually better than dancing with a drink. Like when you dance on the morning and all them amazing songs are on... everyone's just literally letting go."On why life is too short for autopilot: "I've definitely changed my life so much since she's gone. It's weird that it's took her to go to realize like what life is actually all about... I was always so money driven... work was my life... now I am just living in the moment."🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:Follow Rant and Ramble on Instagram/Facebook: @RantAndRambleUKVisit the Rant and Ramble Website: www.rantandramble.co.ukFind upcoming Coffee Raves & Retreats on EventbriteSign up for the newsletter to get your weekly inbox dares: www.shewhodareswins.comJoin the Dare Club community🎙️ WANT MORE?JoJo Kelly – An empowering discussion on walking away from a long broadcasting career to find creative freedom.Allie Bailey – Discusses sobriety, unpicking your identity from performance, and choosing core values over societal expectations.💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a five-star review – it helps more women discover these storiesWatch all episodes on YouTubeJoin Dare Club Now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • Bonus: The 5-Minute Bonus Dare for Long-Term Vitality: from Christine Hobson
    Sep 15 2026

    In this exclusive mini bonus episode, host Michelle Hands catches up with world-record endurance runner Christine Hobson to ask for one simple, powerful dare for women looking to take control of their health without feeling overwhelmed. Despite running marathons, Christine shares her startling discovery after wearing a continuous glucose monitor: even active athletes can experience major blood sugar spikes after regular meals.

    Christine reveals how experimenting with a simple 20-minute brisk walk straight after eating completely transformed her glucose levels and metabolic health. Together, Michelle and Christine unpack the power of compounding daily micro-habits, why walking around the block while listening to an audiobook beats sporadic workout intensity, and how stepping out your back gate into nature can bring you right back to basics.


    ✨ IN THIS EPISODE:


    • 00:00 – The 5-Minute Health Dare: Michelle asks Christine for a simple first step for women who want to prioritize their health.
    • 00:45 – The Continuous Glucose Monitor Shock: Why Christine was appalled to find her blood sugar spiking into diabetic ranges after ordinary meals.
    • 01:30 – Testing the 20-Minute Post-Meal Walk: How Christine experimented with 40-minute and 20-minute walks straight after lunch to flatten her glucose graph.
    • 02:30 – Compounding Small Habits Over Big Spikes: Why daily consistency with simple movement matters more than sporadic, intense workouts.
    • 03:45 – Reconnecting with Nature at Your Back Gate: Discovering stepping stones and glorious nature right outside her home after 10 years of passing it by.
    • 04:30 – Back to Basics: Why long-term health and graceful aging come down to the simple triad of food, walking, and sleep.


    💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:

    On the power of a daily walk: "I think if you're wanting to look after your health... then I think that a walk every day is incredible."

    On the impact of small, compounding daily habits: "That goes back to that thing we were talking about—that compound of just a small thing can have a huge effect."

    On why simple habits are hard to prioritize: "It sounds really simple, but it's amazingly hard to prioritize things when life gets in its way."

    On taking health back to basics: "It takes it back to basics, doesn't it? Like food, walking, sleep.


    🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:


    • Zoe Continuous Glucose Monitor: The health testing device Christine used to track her metabolic response to meals.
    • Sign up for the newsletter to get your weekly inbox dares: www.shewhodareswins.com
    • Join the Dare Club community


    🎙️ WANT MORE?


    • Christine Hobson Main Episode – Listen to Christine's full story of retiring at 60, running 125 marathons, securing an Antarctica Guinness World Record, and becoming a 72-year-old viral TikTok star.

    💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?


    • Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts
    • Leave a 5⭐ review – it helps more women discover these stories
    • Watch all episodes on YouTube
    • Join Dare Club Now

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    7 mins
  • Bonus Episode: paralysing trap of external noise, strategising, and losing your true voice
    Sep 8 2026

    In this completely raw, unscripted, and single-take solo episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on a massive internal battle I’ve been fighting over the last six months: the paralyzing trap of external noise, over-strategizing, and quietly losing your true voice in the social media scroll.

    After 2.5 years of hosting this show and building a career on storytelling—from construction site cabins to high-production film sets—I recently realized I had fallen into a dangerous vortex. I was buying the courses, reading the books, obsessing over "traditional business formulas," and trying to force my creative brain into boxes where it just didn't fit. In the pursuit of perfection, I forgot who I was, how I wanted to show up, and why I started this journey in the first place.


    In this episode, I share the exact steps I took to break out of creative paralysis:


    🧠 The ADHD Diagnosis: How understanding my brain's wiring finally allowed me to challenge my toxic inner narratives and stop looking externally for validation.

    📴 The Digital Detox: Why scrolling social media is actively starving your creativity, and the science behind why our brains need to slow down to let gut instincts breathe.

    ⚡ Unpopular Business Advice: Why a successful business broker friend taught me that true success is built on bold risk-taking, not rigid corporate processes.

    🎥 The Birth of She Who Dares Wins Productions: Why standard "podcast clips" don't tell real stories, and how I'm shifting back to my true love of filmmaking to share human journeys in a bigger way.


    If you are currently over-analyzing, stuck in procrastination, or drowning in the pressure of trying to get things "perfect" before you launch, this video is your wake-up call to sit with yourself, shut out the noise, and trust your gut.


    The answer doesn't lie in another online course. The answer lies within.


    Now, let's start daring.

    📍 Chapters

    00:00 - The Spitball Session: Why I’m Not Editing This Video

    01:15 - My Story: From the Construction Site to the Mic

    02:40 - Sucked Into the "Social Media Vortex"

    04:30 - The Trap of Over-Strategizing & Buying Into the Formula

    06:45 - The Truth About My ADHD Diagnosis & Internal Battles

    08:50 - The Creative Reset: Journaling & Disconnecting the Dopamine Loop

    11:20 - Unpopular Business Advice: Risk-Taking vs. Over-Processing

    13:40 - The Birth of She Who Dares Wins Productions

    15:45 - Putting Down the Phone & Reconnecting With Nature

    18:10 - The Weekly Dare: The Answer Lies Within


    Join Dare club: www.shewhodareswins.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    16 mins
  • From Head Teacher to 125 Marathons at 72: Outrunning Retirement with Christine Hobson
    Sep 1 2026
    The 125-Marathon Grandma: How a "Virtual Paper Bag" and an Audacious Goal Built a World Record at 72 with Christine HobsonDescription: What do you do when you retire on a Friday after a high-stress career managing failing schools, only to face a terrifyingly silent weekend? For Christine Hobson, she stood at the starting line of the London Marathon just two days later at age 60, crying tears of transition. Rather than stepping onto the "scrap heap," she strategic run-walked her way to completing an unbelievable 125 marathons, including a peak year of running 34 marathons in just 12 months at age 67. In this heartwarming episode, Christine shares her extraordinary journey of securing a Guinness World Record as the oldest person to run the Antarctica Ice Marathon in brutal -30°C conditions.✨ IN THIS EPISODE:00:00 – From Friday Retirement to Sunday Marathon: Making the terrifying leap at age 60 to prove she wasn't on the "scrap heap".03:15 – The 14-Year-Old "Class Nuisance": Christine’s hilarious memories of doing everything she could to escape PE at school.06:45 – The "Big Black Hole" of Retirement: Surviving the sudden silence when you walk away from a consuming career.14:15 – The Road to 125 Marathons: Deciding on her second marathon that she would join the exclusive 100 Marathon Club.15:30 – 34 Marathons in a Year: What it physically and mentally takes to run nearly three dozen marathons in 12 months in your late 60s.16:45 – Chambered on Shoulders in Buenos Aires: Breaking stereotypes as a "little old lady" in a young man’s running world.20:15 – The Race Walkers of New Zealand: Finding out the hard way that New Zealanders walk "like bats out of hell".31:10 – The Beast from the East: Surviving 17 marathons in 7 days in freezing -7°C temperatures.35:00 – The "I Jacked It In" Lesson: The Newcastle race that taught Christine the vital power of persistence.43:15 – Guinness World Record in Antarctica: Tents on the mainland ice, hot water bottles, and becoming a world record holder.66:00 – Running to Powerlifting: Shifting to heavy iron when injury sidelined her running.77:00 – The Ultimate Challenge: Why you must never sit and watch daytime television waiting to die💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:On leaving her career and crossing her first starting line: "As I crossed the starting line, I cried... because I was leaving one life behind and had no idea what I was going to do with the rest of it."On total reinvention in retirement: "I retired with not a clue what I was doing. And I have totally reinvented myself as something that I would not in my wildest dreams ever thought I would be."On why growing older is a superpower: "I've never ever found that my old age is an advantage, but now it is. Because on this front, it is a big advantage... it gives that trust and belief that it's possible."🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:Follow Christine on TikTok: @ChrissyWorldRecordFollow Christine on Instagram: @ChristineHobson60Read Christine's book: Chris HobsonLearn more about the Jeff Galloway Run-Walk MethodSign up for the newsletter to get your weekly inbox dares: www.shewhodareswins.comJoin the Dare Club community🎙️ WANT MORE?Jo Moseley (S4: EP21) – How Jo embarked on paddleboarding adventures at 58, proving you are never too old to start a brand new adventure.Louise Padrow – An empowering discussion on why being 60 is actually amazing in 2025 and rejecting societal limitations on age.💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps more women discover these storiesWatch all episodes on YouTubeJoin Dare Club Now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • I Was Written Off at 14. Here is My 15-Year Revenge on "Success"
    Aug 25 2026
    Imagine being fifteen years old and having your head teacher tell you straight to your face that you will amount to absolutely nothing. For years, Gina carried that heavy, wounding line with her, pouring her energy into a relentless, high-stakes, fifteen-year career in corporate tech and consulting—constantly striving, doing more, and trying to prove her worth. But after years of managing massive, multi-million-pound projects for major organisations like the NHS and Sainsbury's, her body and mind finally hit a breaking point. She realized that society's version of success was nothing more than a fast track to burnout, and she had to learn a completely new way to exist.Together, Michelle and Gina unpack the psychology of overwhelm and how to outsmart it using simple, daily micro-steps. From treating your "future self" with kindness—like wiping down the kitchen sides before bed or packing with rucksack cubes—to her weekly ritual of "F*** It Thursdays," where she shoots for the stars to train her brain that it is safe to fail, Gina shares an actionable blueprint for mental freedom. They discuss why the word priority was historically only ever meant to be singular, why we must stop letting technology hijack our attention spans, and how to unpick our identity from our jobs so we can finally start living on our own terms.✨ IN THIS EPISODE:00:00 – Introduction: Meeting Gina, corporate tech consultant turned founder of Kind Too.02:15 – Written Off at 14: Surviving her head teacher's rude prediction and forging a career in tech consulting.04:15 – Directness as a Superpower: How living in Serbia forced Gina to ditch the email emojis and speak her needs in three words.07:15 – Touching the Ground: Learning to live with the seasons from her Serbian in-laws and finding happiness in simplicity.10:30 – Moving Millions: Working on high-pressure projects for the NHS and Sainsbury's while running from her past.12:10 – The Packing Cube Shift: Managing transitional moments and the physical structures built to protect her future self.16:15 – Compounding Kindness: Launching Kind Too and why taking three simple breaths is the ultimate act of self-care.22:15 – The Singular Priority: Why "priority" was never meant to be plural, and the danger of running on 18 focus areas at once.26:15 – The Overwhelm Trap: How Michelle battled a full-time workload schedule and why we must learn to strip things back.30:30 – Object Permeability & Accountability: The whiteboard trick, why out-of-sight goals disappear, and how to use "body doubling" to conquer boring admin.39:00 – Smaller Cycles: Building software, building lives, and why shipping the "scrappy blueprint" builds deep trust.48:15 – F* It Thursdays:** How shooting for the stars trains your brain that it is safe to fail.1:00:30 – Who Are You Without Your Job? Reconnecting with non-work hobbies and why Gina would tell her old teacher: "Thanks for the fuel."💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:On treating your future self with kindness: "Doing the smallest thing possible that will make future Gina a bit happier, or a bit calmer."On why priority must always remain singular: "Not everything can be a priority. Like priority is a singular word... Priorities wasn't added into the dictionary till like the 17 or 1800s... So, you only have one."🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:Sign up for the newsletter to get your weekly inbox dares: www.shewhodareswins.comJoin the Dare Club community and eliminate self-doubt🎙️ WANT MORE?Sophie Main – discusses audacity, the delusion needed to chase your dreams, and why showing up as a "human shit show" is far more powerful than perfection.Allie Bailey – discusses outrunning self-hate, separating identity from performance, and why we must align our daily choices with our core values.💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps more women discover these storiesWatch all episodes on YouTubeJoin Dare Club Now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 25 mins
  • Moving Through Doubt: The Mindset Behind a 285kg World Record with Strong woman Shauna Moar
    Aug 18 2026
    In this incredibly inspiring and humbling episode, Shauna joins Michelle to share her jaw-dropping journey from being a "floppy baby" who would collapse from a gentle gust of wind, to becoming an unstoppable rugby player, to holding the 285kg world record in the trap bar deadlift, putting her in the top 0.01% of global strength athletes. Shauna shares the tough, unglamorous reality of her condition, including the grueling "zombie state" recovery days she spends in bed after competitions because her nervous system takes ten times longer to recover than a typical athlete.✨ IN THIS EPISODE:00:00 – The 4-Year-Old Diagnosis: Being told by doctors she would live life as a "couch potato" in a wheelchair.03:15 – Understanding Hypotonia: The daily reality of low muscle tone and the conscious struggle of brain-to-muscle communication.08:10 – The Power of a Stubborn Mom: How Shauna’s mom refused to let her give up, letting her struggle to tie her shoes to build independence.10:30 – Healing Through Play: Using horse riding for the disabled and high-level swimming to build a physical foundation before puberty.17:30 – Rugby at 24: Joining Shetland’s first women’s team and transforming from the kid who fell over in a breeze to the player nobody could tackle.27:00 – Discovering Strongwoman: Finding her true strength block by accident and setting a world record on her very first try.34:00 – Banish Self-Sabotage: How working with a mindset coach completely cured Shauna's imposter syndrome.39:00 – The 285kg World Record Lift: Breaking her own deadlift records year after year and what it takes to stay at the top.43:15 – The Dark Recovery Side: The post-competition "zombie state," speech slurring, and why her nervous system takes 10x longer to heal.51:10 – The Gym for People Who Don't Like Gyms: Creating an inclusive, safe space for non-traditional lifters, complete with pride flags and limited capacities.63:00 – Inspiring the Next Generation: How Shauna's amputee client went from wheelchair training to holding her own strongwoman world record💬 QUOTES TO REMEMBER:On refusing to let a label define you: "I dared to not let my disability define me... I was told by the doctors I would be in a wheelchair as an adult and I'd be nothing more than a couch potato. Proper quote from the doctor."On the reality of her extreme athletic recovery: "I have the same recovery as everyone else, just 10 times to the extreme... I'll be like a zombie for 3 days at least... sleeping all the time. When I get really tired... I can barely speak... what comes out is just like mumbly."On conquering imposter syndrome: "A lot of the things I struggled with was sort of self-sabotage... imposter syndrome... thinking I'm not good enough. We've worked a lot on that. And I've got rid of that completely. I'm like yeah, I deserve to be here. I've worked extremely hard to get to where I am."🔗 LINKS + MENTIONS:Sign up for the newsletter to get your weekly inbox dares: www.shewhodareswins.comJoin the Dare Club community and defeat self-doubt www.shewhodadareswins.comSupport us on Patreon for exclusive bonus episodes and guest advice on how they became their most daring selvesGet your Dare Club Merch: Check out the clothing on the site and use code POD10 for 10% off🎙️ WANT MORE?Chloe Brennan – discusses how she broke boundaries as a World Champion Natural Strongwoman while grappling with her own "not good enough" complex.From Burn OUT to Elite CrossFit Athlete (Connie’s Story) – discusses moving from burnout to elite CrossFit and fighting the quiet self-doubt of training alongside world-class athletes💌 LOVE THIS EPISODE?Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcastsLeave a 5⭐ review – it helps more women discover these storiesWatch all episodes on YouTubeJoin Dare Club Now Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    42 mins