I’m really happy to announce that I’ve become a SisuGirls champion. Sisu is Finnish for ‘bravery, courage and resilience’ but it’s more than that – it’s a mindset, a spirit, a belief in ourselves that says ‘yes, I can do this’, no matter what. There are so many inspirational women who’ve helped me along the way and I hope I can sprinkle a little of that chutzpah on the path ahead for girls I know growing up today.

The SisuGirls program helps young girls to develop ‘Sisu’ through adventure programs and inspiration from incredible female role models who are out there ‘living’ their Sisu on mountain, bush and beach adventures around the world.

You can watch one of my favourite ultra runners, Anna Frost talk about Sisu and raising brave children at TEDExter here or check out SisuGirls for more info.

A few months ago, I suggested to some girlfriends that we do a mountain trail race. None of us were fit or experienced or even had the right gear. But we did it. When we didn’t want to train, we encouraged each other. When we didn’t know how to prepare, one of us found out info. When one of us fell on race day, another picked up the pieces, when one was tired, another waited, when we finished we ran each other in and celebrated together. It wasn’t easy but together we found our Sisu and ‘made it’. And now we’re doing another one.

I’m looking forward to encouraging more girls (& women) in my community to sign up for an adventure!

(And if you’re interested in Trail Running in Campania, Italy – I have a race schedule – message me and I’d be happy to send it out. Or try http://www.trailcampania.com to start.)