Female Athlete Diaries
Podcast Description
Real stories and conversations of the challenges females face during exercise, training, and racing through all stages of life. Stories of being steam rolled by PMT, the yo-yo of peri-menopause, losing confidence in your body, the diet that went too far, and many more. Listen to the experiences of other women, connect and breakthrough.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast tackles issues such as hormonal health, body image, disordered eating, and the unique struggles of female athletes through episodes like discussions on PMT, the fluctuations of peri-menopause, and overcoming body confidence challenges. Specific focus areas include training strategies for older athletes and the impact of nutrition on performance.
Real stories and conversations of the challenges females face during exercise, training, and racing through all stages of life. Stories of being steam rolled by PMT, the yo-yo of peri-menopause, losing confidence in your body, the diet that went too far, and many more. Listen to the experiences of other women, connect and breakthrough.
Denise Wilson: Starting Endurance Sport at 40 and Finishing UM Australia at 61
In this Female Athlete Diaries episode (third mini in a four-part “ultra-woman” series), host Kirsty Sheehan interviews 61-year-old solicitor and business owner Denise Wilson from Port Macquarie about becoming an endurance athlete later in life. Denise began running at 40 after seeing the London Marathon, progressing from marathons to trail ultras like Sixfoot Track and UTA 100, learned to ride at 50 and to swim in her early 50s, then completed her first Port Macquarie Ironman at 55. She entered Ultraman Australia in 2022 after crewing and finished two and a half days before stopping mid–way through the run day due to conditions, and other reasons. Returning to complete Ultraman in 2026 after her sister’s death prompted her to pursue meaningful goals. Denise discusses defining success beyond time, training consistency, safety and emotional load as a woman, the value of support and coaching, nutrition and chafing solutions, self-belief journaling, and encouraging women to pursue their own challenges.
00:00 Series Intro and Guest
02:14 Denise Starts Running
03:39 Finding Community and Consistency
05:54 Learning to Love Running
08:03 Cycling and Swimming Later
10:00 Learning Swim as Adult
12:29 Why Ultraman Feels Possible
15:29 First Ironman and Racing Mindset
17:56 First Ultraman in Lockdown
20:17 Returning After Loss
21:06 What It Takes
22:06 Time Passion Support
23:56 Hardest Parts
26:40 Ultra Tribe Mindset
28:13 Women Safety Load
30:52 Training That Worked
33:01 Self Belief Journal
35:17 Advice Why Not Me
39:44 Crew Gratitude Next Goals
Link to self-belief journal:
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