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This week we talk to Katy Roberts who has combined a passion for cycling, community and advocating for mental health. She cycled round the entire coast of Britain, started a cycling community, shared stories and connected people. But how does she do all this and look out for herself?

You asked and we delivered, this week we talk to Vicky Balfour. Vicky is a wonderful wordsmith and I am sure everyone will resonate with something she says in her calming reassuring way. You never know what the future may hold the best you can do is be kind to yourself and find tools that increase your resilience. I hope you can feel the warmth she gives our through her words.

This week we speak to Lauren Munro-Bennett working as a guide and coach in the Lake District UK. Lauren opens up about her journey with running, mental health, starting a business and her work with others in the outdoors. She tells the very relatable story of going from always pushing and running away from her problems, never enjoying the moment or physical landscape she was in, to now stopping to enjoy the view and make space for the rest she needs.

If you have heard her talk before you will know Claire has endless stories to renew your faith in humanity and inspire you to seek out adventure. What we learn far more about in this episode is how Claire sustained full time travel by riding her bike vast distances, earning money and mostly staying healthy. We then explore the complex adjustment that is settling into a more conventional life in the UK after years of cycling around the world.

This week we hear from Vedangi Kulkarni. She has cycled round the world, not once but twice, with the first time being at aged 19. She has balanced this alongside arctic adventures, writing work, creating events, riding her bike for fun and enjoying her 20s. We delve into what it means to be an athlete, how our perceptions of ourselves can be so different to how others see us. We talk about where her love for adventure and drive comes from. We have a candid conversation about where the line lies between pushing ourselves and risking our health.

This week we talk to Emma Whitaker. We look at their journey through the downhill mountain bike racing scene, how hard it can be balancing risk and reward whilst not losing the love for something that started out as pure fun.  We look at the hard work that goes into building outdoors or sporting communities, why its so worthwhile but how planning everyone else’s rest days doesn’t always leave time for your own. They share how working creatively in the cycling industry has allowed for a work pattern that can leave space for other parts of life. As someone getting into gravity mountain biking I fangirl a bit and get some advice on how to find my place in the mountain bike community, we talk about why this is particularly hard right now due to a big hole in grassroots mountain biking. There is a lot of focus on time outside on a bike being fun and that there should be space for everyone to enjoy this.

This week we have a brilliant guest, Phoebe Sneddon who many will already follow and think of as a superhuman. She is a Consultant in children’s emergency medicine which is notoriously one of the hardest jobs out there not just for lifestyle but also for emotional burden. She has spent over a decade racing bikes to varying levels but in this episode shares a whole new sporting journey that she has just discovered. She has two children and much of this episode features on what we can all do to make the next generation happier and healthier. We delve deep into how she manages to find any balance amongst this and what keeps her afloat.

This was the first ever episode recorded with the person who I ran to tell as soon as I had the idea. Not only is she one of my closest friends she is also one of the biggest inspirations in my life. Hetty is a guidebook author, champion for women in the outdoors, endurance cyclist, member of the team that run Peak Gravel Gang the cycling community, and incredible friend. We discuss everything from where the drive to work hard comes from to how hard it can be to hear the body asking for rest. We explore the beautiful journey Hetty has been on since becoming a Mum and how this new phase taught her a lot about rest despite being one of the hardest times in her life to get any.

The one and only Immy Sykes. If you don’t already know who Immy is your life is about to get a lot better. Immy works for a community benefit society where she uses her masters in environmental sustainability, she is a writer of diverse content, she volunteers for her local run club, she climbs, she reads lots of books and tells people about them and very importantly she really loves crisps. I would say ignore all of that except the crisps because through this episode we will find she is many things I didn’t expect and many things that caused her to question how she describes herself. Most importantly she is honest, genuine and has a beautiful story, enjoy

This week I interview Emily Williams. It is hard to describe Emily in a few sentences as she is so full of life and stories. Emily challenges us to not introduce ourselves by the things we do which makes this easier because the list of positive contributions she has made to the outdoors world is too long to document.

Veronica a climber, a cyclist, a photographer, an advocate for everyone in the outdoors but also so much more than these things. She shares her journey in the outdoors and how she finds balance in life.

We talk to Jess about how her balanced perspective has formed through years or achieving in sport but not always finding joy. Jess shares how she keeps things fun but has a healthy dose of challenge in her life.

The first ever episode of the Rest Days Community Podcast. In this episode I interview the ultimate hype person Claire Sharpe. Claire rides her bike with a childlike playfulness and wants everyone else to have the opportunity to do this too! I talk to Claire during a shift in priorities, her word for the year is balance and she is working out what this means for her. Claire provides us a unique insight into what rest days can be and is the perfect interview to bring this podcast into the world.