I am so thrilled to welcome our first international guest to The Joy of SUP today!  Vikki is a British-born adventurer  and founder of She SUPs, her paddleboarding business in Sydney, Australia. She SUPS is an all women's community focussed on empowering women + girls through SUP adventures.  Vikki moved to Sydney in 2015 + within a few months was hooked on paddling. First, it was kayaking, but then came SUP.  Being on the water helped her process working in a toxic corporate environment,...

I am thrilled to welcome Holly Pye to The Joy of SUP Podcast. I first met Holly when I asked in SUP Sisterhood for a sleep specialist. What I didn't realise that as well as working in the NHS as a sleep physiologist and running her own specialist sleep clinic - Stars Sleep Clinic - Holly is a very successful SUP racer and downwinder! Holly is a SUP racer living in South Devon. She enjoys the competitive side of the sport and has raced in the GBSUP National Series since 2017. In 2021,...

I am so thrilled to welcome Leanne Bird to The Joy of SUP Podcast.  As Founder of Leanne Bird Wellbeing & Adventure, Leanne’s mission is to support and inspire people to live happier and healthier lives, for the long term. Through her wellbeing services & adventure experiences, she is passionate about empowering people to discover themselves and ultimately, discover their freedom.  A qualified SUP instructor, surf coach, personal trainer and yoga instructor, Leanne brings together a...

I am so thrilled to welcome Emma Love to The Joy of SUP Podcast today.  Here's Emma: When I was 45yrs old, I along with my  very young son had our very first go on kayaks at Holme Pierrepont National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham.  While on the water, we saw some children playing on paddle boards. We quickly exchanged our kayaks for SUPs + I was hooked!  This was the beginning of an incredible journey.  Five years later, my writing is published online with British Canoeing, I was the 2nd...

I am so thrilled to welcome Sophie Witter to The Joy of SUP Podcast.  Sophie is one half of SUP It and Sea UK, the first pair to paddleboard from Land's End to John O'Groats in 2021. Sophie and her partner Dave are now hiking back to Land's End!  Sophie is a Celebrant and Mumma to her Cat + Teddy Bears. Having spent many years living a life that didn’t feel like hers and struggling with her anxiety and depression, Sophie is on a journey to take on the adventures she has always dreamed of as...

I am so thrilled to welcome Linn van der Zanden to The Joy of SUP Podcast today.  I met Linn in the summer of 2021 researching my book and we spent the most wonderful time paddleboarding along the south west coast of Scotland, cooking supper on the beach and camping on our boards overnight. I think you are going to love the helpful information Linn shares with us! A little more about her:  Linn van der Zanden is a SUP adventurer and instructor based on the South West Coast of Scotland. She...

I'm thrilled to welcome Caroline (Caz) Dawson founder of SUP Lass Paddle Adventures to The Joy of SUP podcast. I discovered Caz on Simon Hutchinson's podcast SUP fm and we met when I was researching my book in 2021.  Caz is an accomplished SUP Instructor and Adventure Guide with a passion for all things outdoors. Located on the edge of the Clwydian Range AONB, SUP Lass have access to the majestic River Dee, the world famous Llangollen Canal, plus lakes and coastlines.  Caz holds a huge...

I am thrilled to welcome Libby Bowles to The Joy of SUP Podcast today.  I first met Libby via Instagram and was struck by her commitment to the oceans and her energy for life. I was fortunate enough to meet and stay with her in Bristol when I went to Shextreme Film Festival and she is even more wonderful in person.  In this episode we talk about: Diving with whale sharksResearch with the world's leading expert on manta raysHer first paddleboarding moment in Byron Bay in 2011SUP with a...

I am thrilled to welcome Caroline Williams to The Joy of SUP Podcast today. I first discovered Caroline whilst reading and listening to her book Move! The New Science of Body over Mind and I was fascinated by the research she shared. It seemed to explain why we love to paddleboard and the science behind why it makes us feel so good. When I saw that she enjoyed SUP I was very excited to ask her onto the podcast! A little bit about Caroline: Caroline originally planned to be a PE teacher...

I am thrilled to welcome Lesley Robinson of Heron and Hush to The Joy of SUP Podcast. I  discovered Lesley on Instagram when I saw her fundraising for RED January, a campaign founded by Hannah Beecham encouraging us to move every day to Beat The Blues in January and fundraise for mental health charities.  Lesley tells us more: My love of the outdoors grew with me from a young age when we would go for hikes for my little legs, through woodland, farmland, fields, or by the lakes and rivers....

I'm thrilled to welcome Hayley Browning to The Joy of SUP Podcast today! Known for her infectious energy and love of the outdoors, Hayley is co-founder of the award-winning Paddle Cabin and British Canoeing SUP Coach, and it’s safe to say paddleboarding has completely transformed her life since her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2017 at the age of 27. Paddleboarding has allowed her to reconnect to nature, the feeling that had been missing for her since 2010 where she lived in a wooden cabin...

I'm thrilled to welcome Steph Barnicoat to The Joy of SUP Podcast today! Steph lives in Cornwall with her beautiful dog and SUP companion Percy. She works in marine mammal acoustics and also runs a bespoke SUP business called SUP with Steph on The Gannel, Newquay.  In this episode, we talk about: Her 95 km paddleboarding adventure along the Cornish coast raising money for Seaful Charity founded by Cal MajorHer business SUP with Steph sharing the beauty of sunrise and sunset SUPs in...

I'm thrilled to welcome Cath Knight to The Joy of SUP Podcast today! Cath is a very inspiring woman whose recent river paddleboarding and fundraising adventure on the River Wye  with her friend Ginny Cooper really moved me.  Cath lives in a village called Taplow close to the River Thames and Maidenhead. She has a busy life with two sons Jack 15 and is a Forest School Leader as well as being part of and volunteering at a plastic free Refill Shop. In May 2021 Cath and a childhood friend,...

I am so thrilled to welcome Anni Ridsdill Smith to the podcast today! Anni is the owner of Frangipani SUP Limited, a long established and very popular British Stand Up Paddle Association (BSUPA) approved SUP school in Essex, with an experienced team of qualified instructors offering courses and certification for beginners, tourers and racers.   She is a Director of BSUPA and trains Instructors in Essex and around the UK, supported by a Masters Degree in Training and Performance Management...

I am so thrilled to welcome Evie to the podcast today! Evie is a mental health nurse from Devon and co tribe leader of OneWave Sidmouth where she combines her love of the sea and paddle boarding with her passion for making blue therapy accessible to all.  She believes that everyone should have the chance to feel the benefits of the sea, talk openly about mental health and be part of a supportive community.  @OneWaveisallittakes is a non-profit surf community raising awareness of mental...

I am so thrilled to welcome Nicky Green to the podcast today! Nicky is Chief Operating Officer at The 2 Minute Foundation.  She is 42 and lives in Croyde, North Devon with her 2 girls, husband Graham and her dog Pixie.  In 2019 I fundraised for The 2 Minute Foundation with my C2C SUP adventure from Liverpool to Goole, creating 4 beach clean stations. I am a very proud Ambassador.  After graduating with a BA degree in 2000, Nicky travelled to Mexico + New Zealand. She worked in...

I am  so thrilled to welcome Becky Dickinson to the podcast today! Becky is a paddle boarder based in the South West of the UK. She took up paddling in 2013 after her friend Guy set up Jurassic Paddle Sports in Sidmouth, Devon. Although Becky was born in Yorkshire and spent her early years living in Hebden Bridge, her family moved to Devon when she was 6 years old and has been a water baby ever since. She started sailing at the age of 7 and spent many weekends playing in the surf on the...

I'm so thrilled to introduce Dr. Sarah Perkins to you on The Joy of SUP Podcast! Sarah is a wildlife biologist at Cardiff University whose work focuses on wildlife diseases. She works mostly outdoors, in the field, collecting data on everything from small wild mice to (extremely large) polar bears, but no matter the size of the study animal, she’s always got her eyes on the community that lives on, or in, her study species; the parasites.  When not studying disease transfer in wildlife,...

I am so thrilled to welcome Gill Ryan to the podcast! Gill lives in a town in Hampshire on the South Coast surrounded by water but this doesn’t mean she grew up as a water baby, in fact the opposite. She tried SUP in the summer of 2019 and instantly fell in love and SUP soon became a big part of her life. There was just one challenge and that was getting over her fear of the water! Being married and a mum of 2, Gill loves nothing more than getting her family out on the water with her, she...

I am so thrilled to welcome Clare Rutter to The Joy of SUP Podcast!  Clare, a graduate with a working background in Youth Work and Justice, is an Outdoor Activities &+ Paddlesports Instructor at Adventure Beyond & Cardigan Bay Active based on the beautiful West Wales coastline and a keen volunteer.  She holds roles within both the UK Scout Association and  Canoe Wales, is an Emergency Responder for the British Red Cross, a paddlesports Event Leader for the mental health in the...

I am so thrilled to welcome Linzi Hawkin to The Joy of SUP Podcast. I first met Linzi in 2018 when we were paddleboarding on the Thames with Active 360 and Adventure Uncovered before Adventure Uncovered Live. I remember hearing her speak about SUP Kids and being really intrigued and keen to find out more. I think you'll find her story and the work she is doing to make a difference fascinating! Linzi is a creative strategist and environmental educator living in a tiny house on a pretty...

I am so thrilled to welcome Anna Little to The Joy of SUP Podcast today. I discovered Anna on Instagram and her energy  for SUP shone through. Anna is 47 years old, from Wylam, Northumberland. She used to be a PE teacher, but when she had her1st son 13 years ago, she gave up work and retrained as a biomechanics coach & personal trainer. She now runs her own business, enabling her to work around her 3 children. She has always loved sports and being active. However, it has only been...

I am so thrilled to welcome Emily Hague to The Joy of SUP Podcast today. I discovered Emily on Instagram and was so interested in her work with On The Killer Whale Trail. Emily is a marine biologist, specialising in marine mammals - whales, dolphins and...

I am so  thrilled to share Sarah Thornely with you on The Joy of SUP Podcast. She is one of the most inspiring, knowledgeable and kind women in the paddleboarding community and I am sure you will love her story.Having had no previous sporting history,...