The Be Braver Podcast

The Fear Opportunity, how Feeling Fear builds Strength and Confidence - Victoria Pendleton CBE

Today's guest is one of GB's most successful women athletes. She's Olympic gold medal winning cyclist Victoria Pendleton CBE and she's total fun and full of incredible experiences which have given her strength in life and shaped her new book. Victoria won 9 cycling world titles along with Olympic triumphs in Beijing and London. After retirement, she switched to being a jockey, winning a race and finishing 5th at Cheltenham in the Foxhunter Chase. She's attempted to climb Everest, learnt to high wire and been a contestant on Strictly and Celebrity SAS. She's now doing a major house renovation. Victoria's new book is just out. It's called The Fear Opportunity - how feeling your fear builds strength and confidence. It's published by Bluebird and is in trade paperback, ebook and audio. We hope you're enjoying the series. Please follow us on instagram at @bebraverpod

Thriving after Betrayal - 'Scummy Mummy" Helen Thorn

"How to Face Big Change and Come Back Stronger "....the title of Helen Thorn's book gives you a peep in to what today's podcast is all about. Helen has been one of the Scummy Mummies comedy duo for more than a decade, an author and a marathon runner. But her life changed overnight when she discovered her husband of 22 years had been having an affair. What followed was divorce and, eventually, a complete rebuilding of herself. It's a compelling chat - full of laughter, the impact of betrayal and the strength of transformation. Annie tells us about helping out a local farmer with lambing and Josie gives a tip on being flexible. You can follow Helen Thorn on instagram @itsmehelenthorn and @scummymummies And please follow us on instagram @bebraverpod and we'd love you to give our podcast a rating and review.

Changing Sport for Women after Breastfeeding during an Ultra Race - Sophie Power

Today's guest is a campaigner, advisor and ultrarunning athlete. Her first event was the iconic Marathon des Sables before she'd ever run more than a mile. And she has never looked back. Sophie Power switched from being an investment banker to setting up her organisation SheRACES with an aim to educate races to be more inclusive to women. This followed a photo of her breaastfeeding her three-month-old baby during a 106 mile race, at the time there was no deferral policy in place for expectant and new mums. You can learn more about Sophie from her book The Power Within. Also on the pod Annie tells us about her experience lambing with a local farmer, feeding around 40 lambs twice a day. Please follow us on instagram @bebraverpod

Lessons in Communication from a Hostage Negotiator - Nicky Perfect

We've got a brilliant guest today. She specialises in communication, negotiation and influencing skills. Nicky Perfect worked for the Met Police, becoming a hostage and crisis negotiator ending up in some high-stakes situations, working closely with the Government on overseas training, kidnap and terrorist incidents. In 2018 she retired from policing and bought her local village garage, turning it in to a gym and coffee shop - eventually being awarded a British Empire Medal for services to the community during Covid. There are some terrific learnings from this fascinating chat. You can learn more about Nicky from her book Crisis - True stories of my life as a hostage negotiator. Thanks for listening! Please follow us on instagram @bebraverpod

"Win the Day" - Imogen Cotter's Philosophy on Being Brave and Reaching Goals

Today's guest is making a switch in careers after being forced to quit cycling after an horrific accident. Imogen Cotter grew up doing lots of sport, particularly running, and won the all -Ireland cross country and track medals when she was in her teens. She went on a talent transfer programme and became a full-time cyclist with the Irish track cycling team based in Majorca. When things didn't work out she switched to becoming a road racer. All was going well until 2022 when, during a training ride in Spain, she was hit by a van being driven at 60 km an hour on the wrong side of the road. Her injuries included a broken patella and radius and ruptured tendons and she needed five surgeries and a huge amount of recovery time. Now she's training to become a sports journalist and already being successful. You can follow her progress here: @imogencotter Thank you for listening. Please follow us on instagram at @bebraverpod