International Women’s Day Special
When Jen dropped me a message to say she wanted to get a chat sometime I didn’t envisage it would lead to our Derailed Podcast hosting an International Women’s Day special, with 6 amazing women chatting about their life in mountain biking. Our chat initially focused around wellbeing, coaching, mental health and a load of other topics including what Christo, Morg and I were doing with The Contour Collective.
I’ve known Jen for a few years now after meeting her at a few of the Scottish Enduro Series races and again in Finale Ligure in 2017. She’s always had this incredible energy and positivity and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind me saying she’s also had some challenging points in her life, like many of us. What I’ve always got from Jen is an unquestionable passion for mountain biking. She’s not a high level racer nor is she a slouch on a bike but she just thrives from it. Although she was a late entry into cycling in her 30’s, it’s not held her back from creating a great network of friends and contacts in this super friendly and inclusive sport. Of course not everyone finds their feet straight away in mountain biking, and it can be seen as an intimidating pastime with complicated bikes, specific kit and maybe a few too many rad people doing insane stunts. Through the videos we create, podcasts, articles or the people we meet while out on the trails The Contour Collective aims to break some of these barriers down in some way.
Our conversation diverted to Jen wanting to contribute to what we were aiming to do; increase participation in cycling largely mountain biking. Things then moved on….what about a podcast I suggested? So we bounced a few ideas around and Jen took it away. If we were doing something for International Women’s Day this shouldn’t be driven by the full male team of The Contour Collective. Jen took the reins and we were there to create the platform and support it as best we could. Having others involved was what I always envisaged The Contour Collective to be when dreaming it up a few years ago: Somewhere others could share their story, passion and conversation. I didn’t expect it to come so quickly so having Jen support things so early is amazing.
I’m delighted to put this conversation out through the Derailed Podcast. Jen reached out to some incredible women who all have a very different perspective on riding and are involved in the industry in different areas. Aneela has many interesting hats (listen to hear just a few), Katy and Mikayla are top level athletes, Jules is a top level suspension mechanic, Anna coaches across north Scotland, and well Jen just absolutely loves mountain bikes, has a talent for hosting a podcast and has a few ideas up her sleeve when it comes to wellbeing and mountain biking.
So before I ramble on too much I’d encourage you to head over to watch or listen to the conversation. It’s enlightening, and surprising at times listening to this powerful wave of diverse women making strides in mountain biking. Thanks for taking the time to read this and following what we’re doing at The Contour Collective. It’s been awesome so far and we’re less than 8 weeks into things.
So how did Jen get involved in this project?
Jen expands on how this podcast came about and introduces herself to those who don’t know her.
I wanted to get some women together for International Women’s Day to celebrate women mountain biking in Scotland and really shine the light on the great things already happening to hopefully encourage more women into the sport. I also want to get advice on how to approach working in the industry.
I started mountain biking in my early 30’s, about 9 years ago now and it’s had such a positive impact on me in so many ways, particularly my wellbeing. I want to promote mountain biking for everyone from this angle and start the conversation about how we can support more people into mountain biking but also make the link to wellbeing.
This group interview is basically a chat with some of my bikey mates, about women in mountain biking, our take on the industry and how it impacts our wellbeing....
Lastly, a massive thanks to Jen and all the rad women who took part. You can find out more about them in the links below.