On Friday April 26th , Nicki Kelly and Rachel Smillie joined 50 women at the River & Rowing Museum to share their story of their time as part of Team Excelsioar.  Team Excelsioar is an extraordinary 3 woman team who recently crossed the Atlantic in a rowing boat as part of a race known as the World’s Toughest Row.

For 60 days, 13 hours and 32 minutes, the all female team were battered by unprecedented weather conditions. They suffered with sea sickness, bangs on the head, hallucinations, salt burn, exhaustion, 20 ft waves and so much more.

The story was one of extreme challenge, resilience, perseverance and joy and it was a powerful reminder of all that we are capable of achieving when we put our minds to it. Nicki and Rachel are not superhuman. They are people. People like all of us, with fears, doubts, blows to their confidence, logistics to manage and injury to contend with. And yet, here they were standing in front of us, living proof that when you really put your mind to something; when you commit to do something despite all of those things; when you lean in to ‘what if it all works out’ – then anything really is possible.

Rowing the Atlantic, isn’t just about rowing the Atlantic. Rachel and Nicki talked us through the  three year project that involved everything from convincing terrified family members to back the idea, to securing sabbaticals from work, to finding sponsorship (huge shout out to Val Wyatt Marine who were not only their headline sponsor, they were also headline sponsor for HFN this month), getting fit, learning everything about the boat, navigation, safety precautions and everything else in between. The focus, dedication and determination it takes to get from that first conversation ‘hey, shall we row the Atlantic?!’ to actually rowing away from La Gomera and is extraordinary.

Whilst most of us will never choose to row the Atlantic, we will all have our own challenges to face. Some we will choose for ourselves – a 10k or a marathon, launching a new business, learning a new skill, plunging ourselves into an ice bath…. the list goes on. Others may be out of our control – redundancy, illness, changes in technology and who knows what else. But whether you choose the challenge or the challenge happens to you, there is so much to take from these amazing women. The right mindset, a can-do attitude, good people around you, and a whole lot of passion can see us through an awful lot.

Rachel told us that she truly believes that anyone is capable of rowing an ocean if they decide they want it enough. And Nicki, who only came to rowing herself at 46 told us that they wanted to inspire women to see that anything is possible. After watching those emotional moments as the landed at their finishing point in Antigua, I certainly walked away feeling inspired to believe them.

Henley Female Network Breakfast Conversations

Every month 40 – 50 local women get together for conversation, inspiration and connection at the Henley Female Network breakfast conversations, supported by Experience Henley. The group was created to bring women together in a warm, supportive and inclusive environment. The focus is always on connections over contacts – it’s not about sharing your business card with as many people as possible. It’s about making real genuine connections that will last for both life and business.

Extraordinary guest speakers create a sense of shared experience as well as sparking truly authentic conversations. From prison rehabilitation to finding joy and from the lived experience of refugees to Olympic dreams, the subjects covered are diverse and fascinating.

The next session on Friday 24th May will mark Mental Health Awareness month. The guest speaker, Kate Lloyd will share her family story of living with mental health, acceptance, and rebuilding life after loss.