This week on the Tough Girl Podcast, I'm joined by Veronica White — a PhD student, photographer, and outdoor adventurer who is combining academic research with exploration in a truly unique way.
For her final year at the University of Exeter, Veronica set out on an extraordinary journey: cycling more than 2,000 miles across England to explore how women envision the future of farming. Her Farming Futures Tour— meeting and interviewing 50 women along the way who are shaping the future of food and agriculture.
Born in the US and raised in the Netherlands, Veronica's path into farming wasn't traditional. With a background in environmental science and food security, she's found her passion in connecting people, place, and purpose — and using adventure as both a research method and a personal challenge.
In our conversation, we talk about how she planned and trained for the project, what it was like to balance the mental and physical demands of fieldwork on the move, and why she believes surrounding yourself with people who say "yes" can make all the difference.
Tune in to hear how Veronica turned her PhD into a pedal-powered exploration of England's rural landscapes — and how adventure can open new ways of seeing, learning, and connecting.
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Show notes
- Who is Veronica?
- Final year PhD student at the University of Exeter
- Cycling over 2,000 miles across England for her PhD fieldwork
- Being born in the US and raised in the Netherlands
- Her interest in food and farming
- Studying environmental science for her undergraduate degree at the University of East Anglia
- Reading up more on food waste
- Deciding to do a Masters in Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture
- Not having a background in farming, but doing volunteer work on farms
- Doing cycling as a social activity
- Starting her blog during the pandemic in 2020
- Spending time exploring the South West Coast Path
- Naming her blog - Coves to Cliffs
- Using the blog to get away from social media
- Not getting sucked into the world of SEO and affiliate marketing
- Wanting the blog to be a collection of memories and stories and not just another marketing tool
- What The Farming Futures Tour is
- Speaking to 50 women on the tour
- The reasons for cycling
- Being supported and encouraged by her supervisors
- Spending a year planning and training for the project
- Finding the women to speak with
- What the fieldwork looked like
- The futures triangle
- Autoethnography method - reflecting on your own personal experiences - while cycling through the landscapes
- Planning and logistics for such a long trip
- Receiving funding from the Royal Geographical Society and a charity organisation, Act Big Live Small
- Setting off on the journey
- Balancing the mental and physical sides of the challenge
- Dealing with fatigue
- Finding new strategies to cope with the work load
- Doing voice notes instead of writing field notes
- The bike and gear set up
- Off Cut Gear
- The highlights from the trip
- Still having to write the PhD!
- Food and farming
- Finding lunch in rural areas
- Cycling hunger
- How to connect with Veronica
- Planning the next adventure?
- Final words of advice
- Surround yourself with people who say yes
Social Media
Blog www.covestocliffs.com
Instagram @farmingfutures_cycle
Youtube: @veronicaa_white