This week, I enjoyed talking with Sophie Grace Holmes, a Badass with cystic fibrosis, an adventurous spirit, and enough passion and drive to last a lifetime.
Sophie has never known a life without chronic illness, as she was diagnosed as an infant. But, she was an active child who grew into an active adult, and her medical team has grown to adjust their expectations upward, as they prepare her for the next goal.
As Sophie tells us, she believes in “setting goals so big they scare the hell out of you, goals that are so big that you can’t achieve them yet.” Her big goal this year was the 980-mile Deliotte Ride Across Britain, from Lands End to John O’Groats, which she recently completed. Sophie describes some of the challenges she faced during the bike race.
Next year, she’s going to become an Ironman. Once you listen to her interview, you’ll be as certain as I am of that.
In addition to the traditional endurance disciplines, Sophie has tried plenty of other sports, from boxing to horseback archery to whitewater rafting. She speaks lovingly of her summits of high peaks in Europe and Africa, as well as of a trek in the Himalayas.
With experience as a personal trainer and schooling in massage therapy, Sophie listens to her body as she trains, and she shares some ways that she trains mindfully. For example, even while incorporating specificity for an upcoming adventure, she is careful to maintain her running program, which is essential to her lung health.
Sophie wrote that she is “just a girl who enjoys suffering” and that “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” She talks candidly about her mental health practice, which includes three things daily: increasing her mental toughness, doing something that makes her happy, and enumerating things for which she is grateful.
If you’d like to follow Sophie, you can find her at sophiegraceholmes.com or as @sophiegraceholmes on Instagram and YouTube.
Links from our discussion:
- RideAcrossBritain.com
- The Chimp Paradox,* by Dr. Steve Peters (*This is an affiliate link; as an Amazon Associate, our nonprofit earns from qualifying purchases.)
- Tom Otton – @tomotton on Instagram
- Marcus Smith – @mjd_smith on Instagram
- Brian Keane – @brian_keane_fitness on Instagram
- Ross Edgley – @rossedgley on Instagram
To contact us about the podcast or your own Badassery, email podcast@chronicallybadass.org. And, for your daily dose of Badass athletes who are redefining what it means to be chronically ill, follow @chronicallybadassclub on Instagram and Facebook.
Podcast music by: Caleb Ritchie