Denise is part of a team of women who have just successfully rowed 3000 miles, unsupported, across the Atlantic Ocean as part of the 'World's Toughest Row'. Rowing 12 hours a day for over 50 days, Denise drew on decades of experience from white water and sea kayaking, alongside years spent as an outdoor instructor.
Driven by a deep belief that adventure belongs to everyone, Denise champions the visibility of women in outdoor spaces. She's passionate about showing that ordinary women can achieve extraordinary things, and that authentic role models have the power to inspire the next generation of adventure-loving women.
In this episode, Denise shares what it really takes to row across an ocean, from raising the funds and building the right team to coping with exhaustion, fear and the mental challenges of spending 50 days at sea.
She opens up about the power of mindset, learning to be kinder to herself, and why focusing on what you can control can make all the difference in the toughest moments.
Listen to this episode to discover how adventure can transform your perspective, why saying yes to opportunities can lead to extraordinary experiences, and why Denise believes that adventure truly is for everyone.
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Show notes
- Who is Denise
- Working as a Lecturer at the University of Wales, Trinity St Davids
- Being based in Pembrokeshire in West Wales
- Growing up in the South of England in Wiltshire
- Her early years and not coming from an outdoorsy family
- Getting into slalom kayaking
- Her journey to becoming a lecturer
- Studying sports science at university
- Moving from kayaking into rowing
- After graduation and not knowing what she wanted to do
- Working at the National Water Sports Centre
- Finding her community of people
- Deciding to go traveling for the next few years
- Having an innate desire for freedom
- Being quite risk adverse
- Struggling with predictability
- Needing moments of real significant change in order to feel alive
- Saying yes to opportunities
- Putting one foot in front of the other and seeing the positive in things
- Rowing across the Atlantic Ocean and where the idea came from
- Being inspired by Jasmine Harrison
- Taking it from a dream/opportunity to making it happen
- Spending a year trying to get a crew together
- Not being able to get people to commit
- Starting to ask people again in January 2022
- Getting the crew together
- Raising the funds to pay for the row
- Why it was a 3.5 year process
- Working as a team and all bringing their best to the table
- Keeping motivated through the tough challenging moments
- Being able to rely on the team for support
- The start line and feeling a sense of relief
- When the nerves started to kick in a few days before setting off
- Journalling
- As the skipper feeling responsible for keeping the girls safe
- Starting the process of writing a book
- Not sleeping for 2 nights before the row
- Heading out in big conditions
- The simplicity of surviving
- When the nerves disappeared
- Why the row was the best form of CBD - Cognitive behavioural therapy
- Being forced to confront her thought processes
- Feeling so tired and physically exhausted
- Not having the space for anything that drains energy
- Seeing the positives in the situation and asking for help
- Learning acceptance while on the row
- The challenges from week 6
- Focusing on what you can control during the row
- What is my attitude, how am I talking to myself
- Being kinder to myself
- The team dynamics and how the tough situations were handled
- Working with an emotional performance coach
- Stop talking to my friend/yourself like that
- The power of self talk
- Seeing land for the first time and getting to the end of the challenge
- The final push at the end
- Picturing the finish line in her mind
- Being the first all welsh, women team to complete the row
- Singing the national anthem on land after 50 days on sea
- Adapting back to reality and getting back to 'normal' life
- Wanting to leave a legacy
- How to connect
- Merchedymor - Women/girls/sisters of the sea
- Final words of advice for other women who want to step outside their comfort zone
- Why it's about mindset
Social Media
Website: www.merchedymor.wales
Instagram: @Merchedymor2025
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-leonard-21b35638
