Kate Leeming - Australian Cycle Enthusiast, Educator, and First Women to Cycle Across the ‘New' Russia!

Kate is an adventurer, explorer, educator and speaker. She’s completed challenging expeditions all over the world, from cycling round her home country, Australia. To cycling across Africa and Russia. 

During this podcast we get to discuss in detail her expeditions, the reasons behind them, what she learnt on the way and how she’s applied that learning to her life. Kate also shares top tips and advice for you in completing your own personal challenges. 

Show notes

• Kate introduces herself and shares more about her early years growing up in Perth the most remote city in the wold
• Why she loves to travel by bike and remembering back to her first bike - a Malven Star Dragster!
• Heading off to explore the world at a young age and how she did it, even when she wasn’t confident
• Why structure is important to her when planning cycle routes
• The reasons behind her dream of cycling across Russia in  1993 and becoming the first woman to make the unsupported bicycle crossing.
• How the Trans- Siberian Cycle across Russia came about, from the planning, to finding team mates and communicating before e-mail
• How she built her confidence over the years with tips and advice for you to build your own confidence. 
• The problems she faced on the journey from trying to get out of St. Petersburg, crossing swamps, using old US military maps to getting accommodation while on the road. 
• What the physical demands were on her body and how she coped mentally with the challenge
• Why its important for you to understand the reasons behind your mission
• Why you should focus on the beauty of your surroundings and why your perception is your choice.
• The power of expeditions and what she’s learned on the way and how she’s applied it to her life going forward
• “GRACE” - The GReat Australia Cycle Expedition
• Being the first women to cross the Canning Stock Route (1,800 km long with over 1000 sand dunes) and the challenges involved and why it was one of the most spiritual experience of her life
• Coping with being alone and why she prefers it.
• Sustainability and why it’s so important for us all
• “Breaking the Cycle in Africa” - 2010 -22,040km journey across Africa from Point des Almadies in Senegal to Cape Hafun in Puntland, Somalia
• The story behind naming the book and film - “Njinga” 
• How she found the writing process and why its hard but worth it; her rules for writing and why hope plays such as important role in her stories
• Practical steps you can take to mitigating risk on expeditions from how to carry your money, from what support systems to have in place, from where to camp at night
• The Next Challenge: “Breaking the Cycle - South Pole” -  Once completed she will be the first person to cycle across the Antarctic Continent!

“What do you really want to do?”

Learn more about Kate here - www.kateleeming.com

Kate is on twitter @Leeming_Kate  come say hi!!I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL