A Guide to Open Water Swimming.

Alice is founder of A Lotus Rises the swim blog for women who love open water, and on a mission to increase visibility, access and participation of women in swimming. Alice is Contributing Editor of Outdoor Swimmer Magazine and a qualified swim teacher. When not in or writing about water, her research and advocacy on responsible business have taken her to China, India, No.10 and the UN.

Her swims include: a 4 woman English Channel relay; 2 woman Lake Zurich relay; the Solent; the Thames Marathon; Dart 10k, and competing in the International Winter Swimming Championships in China. She is equally happy swimming with seals and jumping in waterfalls in the Isle of Skye, or eating cake with her swimming buddies at Tooting Lido and the Serpentine.

What is Alice talking about ?

From returning to the pool, learning to swim or embarking on the English Channel - A Lotus Rises will be exploring all that open water has to offer at the WAExpo 2017, with insights from across our women’s swimming collective and scientific contributions from the international institute of swim cake studies.

KEEN Adventure Session Speaker.

A love of adventure, the great outdoors and pushing her limits has led Anna to completing a series of adventures over the last few years. She’s trekked hundreds of miles across the wilderness of Arctic Sweden with just reindeer for company, spent months walking 1000 miles along ancient pilgrimage routes in France and Spain, and summited the highest peak in North Africa.
After graduating from university in 2016 and determined to continue living a life of adventure, Anna spends almost all of her free time romping around with her tent and camera, writing about her trips, or planning the next big adventure.

What is Anna talking about?

Anna’s session will be focusing on two main topics: inspiration and accessibility.She’ll be sharing her experiences, stories and lessons learned from her escapades as a solo female adventurer. The successes, failures, reindeer and tears… she’ll cover it all!

WAExpo 2017 Main Stage Speaker.

Main Stage Speaker Anna McNuff is an endurance athlete, adventurer and mischief maker. Named by The Guardian as one of the top female adventurers of our time, Condé Nast Traveller also recently included her in a list of the 50 most influential travellers in the world. Anna’s major journeys include cycling through each and every state of the USA, running the length of New Zealand, and most recently exploring the peaks and passes of The Andes mountains – a journey in which she ascended the equivalent to eleven times the height of Everest on a bicycle. Anna uses her human-powered journeys as a platform to inspire and enable kids to get outside, and get exploring.

A Guide to Getting Over Self-Limiting Beliefs.

Born missing her right arm below the elbow, living with multiple health conditions, a cancer survivor, a Muslim and coming from an ethnic minority, Anoushé has never let what society or culture thinks she should do limit her or dictate the direction of her life. She is constantly breaking the mould and challenging not only her own beliefs about her own potential but also that of society and her own culture. Anoushé uses her voice in whatever way she can to champion causes she holds close to her heart. She is heavily driven by teaching others to learn to shed their self-limiting beliefs and help empower them to reach their potential. In particular, Anoushé highlights the plight of those stigmatised by society in order to change the misconceptions around these groups. From blogging to the news, tv and radio, Anoushé is out there sharing her journey in a hope to help others reach their potential. Photo Credit - Sandy Carr

What will Anoushé be talking about ?

Human beings and the society we live in today are both incredibly good at allocating labels, expectations and putting people in boxes. As women, we are very good at limiting ourselves to these and not even considering what our lives could be if we chose to explore beyond. We are the experts in creating our own self-limiting beliefs. The thought of reaching beyond these limits we have set ourselves is terrifying. We think it’s impossible. By sharing my journey with you in my talk, I will show you how I am conquering my own self-limiting beliefs, the labels I have placed on myself and those placed on me by others. I will show you how I am turning what I thought was an impossible dream into a reality, how I learnt to turn the impossible into the possible.

WAExpo 2017 Main Stage Speaker.

Main Stage Speaker Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent is a travel writer, TV producer and director of Edge Expeditions. She’s written three books, penned numerous articles for magazines, set an unlikely Guinness World Record for driving a tuk tuk 12,500 miles from Bangkok to Brighton and filmed in remote locations from Bolivia to Borneo and beyond. She’ll be speaking at the Women’s Adventure Expo about her latest book, Land of the Dawn-lit Mountains: A Journey Across Arunachal Pradesh - India’s Forgotten Frontier (Simon & Schuster). Expect tales of shamans, lamas, leeches, animal sacrifice, sacred Himalayan valleys and much more.

WAExpo 2017 Main Stage Speaker.

Main Stage Speaker Beth French went from wheelchair-bound to world-class athlete. Beth stretches the horizons of her own possibilities, tackling seemingly impossible feats of endurance and adventure. She suffered with ME from the age of 10 and by 17, she was in a wheelchair. Overcoming debilitation, she forged a path to ultimate health her own way. In 2012, she swam the English channel and was back in time to put her son to bed. She became the first woman to swim the notorious Kaiwi channel of bones in Hawaii twice and the first person ever to swim from Cornwall to the Isles of Scilly. Earlier this year, she was named as one of the world’s top 50 adventuring female swimmers.

KEEN Adventure Session Speaker.

Fed up with 9-5 living, Bex Band quit her job early 2016 to pursue her real passions in life. Despite being an unfit and totally unsuitable adventurer, she successfully completed her first expedition, hiking 1000km the length of Israel self-supported. She is now a full time adventure blogger, writing about adventures for the ordinary on her blog while fitting in some expedition leading and conservation work in between. Recognising that lack of female role models in the outdoor industry held her back for so long, Bex also co-founded Love Her Wild, a community to encourage and support women in adventure.

What is Bex talking about ?

In her workshop, Bex wants to talk honestly about the things that have really made this life a possibility. Money, building a brand and sponsorship.

KEEN Adventure Session Speaker.

Cal is a stand up paddle boarder, surfer, ocean lover and vet. Increasingly upset by the amount of plastic waste she was finding in the ocean, she wanted to connect people to the harm that it was causing, but moreover to empower people to make positive changes to help prevent it. So she turned to adventure and last year stand up paddle boarded the entire Cornish coast in a bid to demonstrate the problems surrounding single use plastic water bottles; a 260 mile epic ocean voyage. This year she is circumnavigating the Isle of Skye’s 400 miles of coastline on a paddleboard.

What is Cal talking about ?

Adventure with a purpose. One of the most powerful elements of adventure is reconnecting with our natural world. So it’s no wonder, when seeing the damage that is done to our beloved environment first hand, adventure instils a desire to protect it! Cal’s workshop on Adventure with a Purpose will be focussing on grassroots activism, how to connect people to the issues at hand and how to create positivity around a harrowing subject. Cal will be focussing specifically on the huge and sometimes overwhelming problem of plastic pollution, and how we can all be a part of the solution, and encourage others to follow suit.

A Guide to Adventuring With and Without Children.

Catherine Edsell is a female adventurer, expedition leader, PADI divemaster, Reef Check trainer, yoga teacher, FRGS and mother of two (she calls that last one her hardest challenge). Catherine has been working in the expedition arena since 1997 and encourages parents to balance family life with adventure, and has taken her daughters to remote areas of Thailand, Indonesia, China, has walked the Camino de Santiago with them in Northern Spain and trekked in the Himalaya. Most recently Catherine led The Matriarch Adventure, all women transformative adventure into the Namibian wilderness, tracking elusive desert elephants.Matriarch Adventure’s next expedition will take place in November 2017.

What is Catherine talking about ?

The best of both worlds – how to adventure with and without your children

This workshop is aimed primarily at mothers, (or fathers), or parents to-be, and aims to identify what obstacles we perceive are in our way when it comes to going on an adventure, with the added responsibility of being a parent. Would you like to go on an adventure with your children, but don’t know how to organise it? Will it be safe? How can you book things in advance when you are not sure of the capabilities of your children? What if it all goes wrong?

Or… would you prefer to leave them all behind for a week or two? How do you organise the logistics of that? Will they miss you too much? Are you being selfish? What if something happens! Practical solutions to getting out there with your children in tow, and equally practical solutions on how to leave them behind.

A Guide to Adventure - Getting to the Starting Line and Beyond.

Della Parsons went from non-sailor to circumnavigator in 18 months when she took part in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race in 2009-10, the only global yacht race for amateur crew.

The 11 month-long Clipper Race is an extraordinary adventure over 40,000 nautical miles, which crosses the world’s biggest oceans in some of the toughest conditions imaginable, all on board twelve identical 70ft yachts.

Della was working in production for the BBC in Hull when she decided to swap her desk for the race of her life. After completing her first circumnavigation, she put her BBC TV background to good use by becoming part of the on board documentary team for the 2011-12 race edition.

A self-confessed adrenalin junkie, Della can often be found ice climbing, jumping out of a plane, parachuting or skiing. She has tried everything from hang-gliding over Rio de Janeiro, shark cage-diving off the coast of South Africa and ski-mountaineering in the Alps and also has a passion for wildlife and conservation.
Della now works for the Clipper Race inspiring others to step outside their comfort zone and achieve something remarkable and says it was a hugely challenging, positive and inspiring experience for her.

What will Della be talking about?

Adventure can be challenging. That’s why most of us are in search of it. But there are additional challenges for women, not just in the participation itself but often more so in the “getting to the start-line”.

Using her experience of interviewing and helping hundreds of women “get to the start” of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, Della Parsons, Race Recruitment Manager, who has also circumnavigated herself with the Clipper Race, explores some of the issues that face women who are looking for adventure. Pressures from work, family and friends along with planning your time and budget can often make it feel like a step too far. Using real examples of some of her Race Crew, Della will show you that with determination and the right attitude you can make it happen. Join her workshop and �?throw off the bowlines…Explore. Dream. Discover’.

Wild Camping Workshop With Adventure Queens.

Are you intrigued by the idea of wild camping, but not quite sure where to start? Or perhaps you’ve been one or few times, but still have a few unanswered questions? Then this short does-what-it-says-on-the-tin workshop is for you. Join Adventure Queen-Bees Anna McNuff and Emma Frampton on a journey through the basics of getting wild in the forests and on the hilltops of the UK. From advice on kit, to staying safe, general etiquette and tips on how to find the perfect secluded spot. They’ll even talk about dealing with pees, poos and periods. Ooo errr missus. By the time you leave the room you’ll be itching to get into the wilds for a night in your very own million star hotel.

Adventure Queens is UK based, not-for-profit women’s adventure community, run by adventurer Anna McNuff and tribe builder extraordinaire, Emma Frampton. Set up with the aim of delicately smashing down the barriers that prevent women from heading off on adventures, they provide practical information, tips and advice on all things wild camping and the great outdoors. Little by little, bit by bit, Adventure Queens is helping women from the UK and beyond have the confidence to get out there and get WILD.

Emma Frampton AKA ‘Framps’ is Kiwi-Brit hybrid, living in the big smoke-London. Experienced in leading and building tribes, she is marketer, a connector, an event organiser, excitable explorer, co-working coffee enthusiast, and a lover of the great outdoors. She is one half of a duo running UK women’s community - Adventure Queens.

Gwen has been in the waste industry for more than 14 years and has previously worked in both local authority and consultancy. In Bristol Waste Company Gwen is looking to improve the service delivery for residents within the city while working together with the development team and operations team to achieve this. Gwen also has a remit for Sustainability, to create a sustainability culture within the company and to ensure that these issues are given key consideration in all areas of the company’s operation. Gwen is also striving to support residents to make Bristol a ‘greener’ city by wasting less and recycling more.

www.bristolwastecompany.co.uk

Fourth Element’s Overseas Account Manager Jes is a keen diver and lover of all things Ocean. Growing up in a small Cornish fishing village punctuated by extensive sailing trips in the Med, Jes learned to dive at the tender age of 13. At 18, after sailing across the Atlantic, she submersed herself in the underwater world of the Caribbean.

Jes is now involved with a vast array of marine charities, such as British Divers Marine Life Rescue and the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust, in 2013 she walked the 300 miles around the Coast of Cornwall raising money for Grey Seal Conservation. Her main hobby is diving, and doing so with local charity Fathoms Free, who organise underwater clean-ups and ghost fishing gear retrieval. It is this ghost gear, and others collected around the world, which go into Fourth Element’s Ocean Positive swim and dive products.

KEEN Adventure Session Speaker.

Laura Kennington is a British adventure athlete and motivational speaker with a passion for the endurance capability of the human body. A strong believer in the positive impact that adventure and sport can have on children and adults alike, Laura uses her human powered journeys as a platform to inspire and encourage others to get outside. Laura’s adventures have included running Fuenteventura, swimming around Sark, sailing home from Sweden and cycling the Wild Atlantic way and her next challenges will focus on surf, sky and snow.

What is Laura talking about ?

With adventures ranging from solo kayaking in Russia and solo cycling the world’s longest coastal route in Ireland, to circumnavigating 3 of the Channel Islands as part of a rather extreme triathlon and running the length of Fuerteventura – if there’s one thing that Laura is certain of, it’s that we’re all capable of much more than we realise. Laura’s talk will focus on the importance of mindset when it comes to challenges of any kind - from the planning and logistics that go on behind the scenes, to unlocking the endurance capability of the human body and how to deal with the unexpected!

WAExpo 2017 Main Stage Speaker.

Main stage speaker Mollie Hughes is the youngest woman in the world and the first English woman to summit Mount Everest from both sides. Mollie is a mountaineer, adventurer and motivational speaker based in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2012 Mollie became one of the youngest British climbers to stand on top of the world when she summited Mount Everest from the South side, at the age of just 21. In 2017 Mollie successfully reached the summit of Mount Everest from the North side. Achieving this feat at the age of 26 made Mollie the youngest woman in the world and the first English woman to successfully summit from both the north and south sides of the world’s highest mountain.

A Guide to Adventure Blogging and Writing.

Sian Anna Lewis is an award-winning travel and outdoors journalist, presenter and blogger who regularly writes for titles including The Independent, Evening Standard, BBC Countryfile, Coast, Outdoor Enthusiast and Sunday Times Travel. Her work as an adventurous writer has taken her around the world in the name of a good story, exploring Bolivian jungles, kayaking in Greenland, diving with turtles in Australia, conquering mountains in Africa and learning the hard way that peeing on a jellyfish sting doesn’t help in Thailand. Her blog, www.thegirloutdoors.co.uk, is all about championing easy adventures that beginners can try. Sian’s first book, The Girl Outdoors, is out in spring 2018, published by Bloomsbury.

YOUR WAExpo 2017 HOST!

Our WAExpo 2017 host Squash, believes �?if your knickers are right, everything goes right’.
Aside from being the first British woman to fly from the top of Mt Blanc, Squash has summited plenty of other big mountains, including Cho Oyu in 2008, where she became the world’s highest ever bum boarder, to Everest in 2011 with bad weather being the only reason she didn’t paraglide from the top. Squash’s day to day life involves trail running, paragliding and skiing the mountains of Tignes in between speaking and sharing her ongoing adventures with those who also wish to challenge themselves.