This special episode of the Tough Girl Podcast brings together three incredible women—Tori James, Jo Bradshaw, and Rosemary J Brown—for an inspiring conversation about legacy, mountains, and the enduring spirit of women in adventure.
We’re diving deep into the story of Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest in 1975, and celebrating the 50th anniversary of her historic climb. Despite her groundbreaking achievement, Junko’s name is still unfamiliar to many. Tori, Jo, and Rosemary are determined to change that.
In this episode, we talk about how Junko inspired a life-changing all-female expedition to Yala Peak in Nepal, the launch of the First Females Podcast (May 16th 2025), and the wider mission to highlight the stories of women who were the first from their countries to stand on the roof of the world.
You’ll hear about:
- Rosemary’s journey to the mountains in her 70s.
- Tori’s return to Nepal, 18 years after climbing Everest.
- Jo’s vision for a meaningful anniversary tribute.
- The power of visibility, representation, and saying yes to adventure—at any age.
This episode is a beautiful tribute to Junko’s legacy, a reminder of the power of community, and a call to action for anyone ready to find their own summit. #MyJunkoJourney
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Past episodes with Jo, Tori & Rosemary:
Tori James - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/single-post/2015/09/29/tough-girl-tori-james-first-welsh-women-to-climb-everest
Rosemary J Brown - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/single-post/brown-1
Jo Bradshaw - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/single-post/2016/09/15/tough-girl-extra-catching-up-with-mountaineer-expedition-leader-jo-bradshaw-discussing-he
Jo Bradshaw TGP Extra - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/single-post/jo-bradshawtge
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New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.
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Show notes
- Speaking to 3 incredible tough girls!
- Rosemary Brown - Journalist & writer - drawing attention to women adventurers who have been forgotten.
- Working on her next book - women who have mountains named after them
- Tori James - 1st Welsh Woman to climb Mt. Everest, plus other record breaking expeditions over the years, mother of 2 children, living in Cardiff and working as a motivational speaker.
- Starting a new podcast - The First Females Podcast - launching 16th May 2025
- Jo Bradshaw - Everest summiter in 2016 (2nd attempt) on Everest, camp 1 when the earthquake struck in 2015. Working as an expedition leader and motivational speaker.
- Yala Peak - a mountain that Junko Tabei climbed in 1977 - 2 years after climbing Mt Everest.
- Individual connections
- Women’s Outdoor Expo
- Meeting Tori at the end of the the Wales Coast Path
- How Jo & Tori first connected at St. James Palace in 2016
- How Rosemary met Tori & Jo
- The History of Women in Exploration Conference in 2018
- Junko Tabei having mountains named after her on Pluto
- First Females - and celebrating the 1st female ascent of Mt. Everest
- Tori climbing Mt. Everest back in 2007 and not knowing about Junko and her achievement
- Why didn’t we know about Junko?
- Wouldn’t it be great to know who the other first females are from around the world who have summited Mt. Everest
- Junko passed away in 2016
- Putting the First Females Podcast together
- Speaking to Rebecca Stephens as the first British woman who climbed Mt. Everest.
- 800 women’s stories for the Tough Girl Podcast - 10 years
- There are still so many women’s stories that I haven’t shared yet
- Jo coming up with the idea to climb Yala Peak located in Langtang National Park in north Nepal.
- Making it at all female commercial expedition
- Connecting a team of 13 awesome women
- Adventurous Ewe
- What Rosemary’s experience was like climbing Yala Peak
- Deciding to make the commitment and finally saying yes to go on the trek!
- Climbing Kilimanjaro 13 years ago, and now being in her 70s
- Why each day was special
- Setting off an hour earlier on summit day
- The joy and experience of climbing the mountain
- The universe is your friend
- Feeling very grateful for her belief in herself
- Why it was a life changing experience.
- Making the trek work for you
- Tori heading back to Nepal after 18 years since climbing Everest
- Spending time at Yala Basecamp (2 days)
- Wanting to spend more time there!
- What Junko said on climbing Everest “here is the summit, and I don’t have to climb anymore”
- Junko’s story
- Book: Honouring High Places: The Mountain Life of Junko Tabei
- Her early years and being quite an ill child
- Her resilience shining through.
- Being encouraged to climb her first peak at 10 years old
- How restorative it can be, being out in the wildness
- Being a pioneer in getting a women’s climbing group together. Especially in Japan.
- What would Junko do? How would she make this happen?
- Finding it difficult to hear people crush their dreams with the word ‘but’
- Reaching ‘my’ summit if not ‘the’ summit
- Junko was also the first women to complete the 7 summits (which Jo has now completed)
- Wanting to get her name out more and to share her legacy
- Magical moments for Rosemary whilst out on her trek in Nepal
- Meeting Leo Houlding (Climber & Adventurer)
- How Junko’s positive mindset shines through
- Tori getting to speak to Junko’s son, husband and best friend
- Not thinking about failure
- Going against the stereotypes of the times
- How Junko was being supported by her husband - Masanobu Tabei
- 16th May 2025 #MyJunkoJourney
- What Jo is doing in Wiltshire - going to climb the highest Hill - “Milk Hill” 12.30pm (Junko Summit Time on Mt. Everest)
- Becky Bellworthy (climbing Everest 2012)
- Rosemary is going to go to the highest point in her town, Islington and going to watch the sunrise as a tribute and reminder to the trek in Nepal
- Sarah - What will I be doing? I’ll be heading out to climb Moel Famau in Wales.
- #MyJunkoJourney is happening all year - get involved!
- Advice and top tips from Rosemary - “Life is not a rehearsal, this is it. If you want to do it, you can do it.”
- Advice and top tips from Jo - being a reframer, and making it work for her. Jo does stuff (adventures), to show women that we are doing it and not that we can do it.
- It is possible and that by showing up (which is what Junko did, all the time) you can achieve great things.
- A lovely Japanese saying, ‘Ganbattekudasai’ - Do your best
- Advice and top tips from Tori - If you want to get into the mountains, you can do it.
- Thank you to Jo, Tori and Rosemary for sharing more about Junko and her 50th Anniversary.
Social Media
First Females Podcast - Launching 16th May 2025 - a podcast celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first female ascent of Mount Everest and recognising women in mountaineering.
In 1975, Junko Tabei became the first woman to climb to the summit of Mount Everest.
Over the past 50 years, almost 900 women have followed in her footsteps, defying cultural and physical barriers to reach the world's top.
Very few people have heard of Junko Tabei. The First Females Podcast is being made to shine a spotlight on her remarkable achievement and to celebrate the incredible stories of women from around the world who were the first from their countries to reach the summit of Everest.
In her interviews with female Everest summiteers from around the world, Tori will bring her unique perspective and firsthand experience to the conversation to inspire future generations of women to dream big, climb higher, and break barriers in their own lives.
Website https://torijames.com/firstfemalespodcast
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/51TEg62SrH7czqxk8Nw3zQ
Tough Girl Resources: Everest Summiters & Their Stories - https://www.toughgirlchallenges.com/mt-everest