If anyone is more passionate about sharing women’s stories than me — it’s Sara Gross.
Sara’s background is diverse which gives her a unique perspective on the world.
From growing up in Canada, she and her family relocated to “a small town in the middle of the desert” in the province of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates when she was 13.
Years later, she completed a PhD in Ancient History & Religion with a dissertation on women’s history, specifically in the first two centuries.
Then, it was onto a career as a professional triathlete and a role as the President of Tri Equal (an organisation dedicated to equality in triathlon and the force behind the 50 Women to Kona campaign).
Now retired, Sara recently founded a media company, Live Feisty Media, which creates unique and inspiring content for an audience that is largely female, including the popular IronWomen podcast).
In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss:
* her love of soccer and team sports as a child,
* the move with her family to the Emirates and how the change resulted in her focus switching to swimming and running,
* the differences she noticed in the amount of participation by women in sport in the Middle East over the years,
* her memories of how inspired she felt watching her first triathlon by women, whether they were in first or last place,
* how she was aware, even at an early age, of the differences in opportunities available to women,
* the fear she carried for a long time during her professional career that she would never win an Ironman,
* the most important lesson she learnt from elite sport (that we can all apply),
* how she deals with the Imposter Complex when it bubbles to the surface,
* what Sara thinks is the biggest obstacle to equality for women in sport, and
* the need to be aware of the language we use, especially in the way we talk to each other or the way we encourage each other.
Click here to listen on iTunes.
Notes and resources:
iTunes | Stitcher
Check out the IronWomen Podcast on iTunes, Instagram or on the website.
For all the projects being produced by Sara's media company, check out LiveFiesty.com.
