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Having begun her sporting journey as a paraswimmer, Charlotte Henshaw represented Great Britain for over a decade across three Paralympic Games, bagging silver and bronze medals for swimming. Until she found her way into paracanoe and won the paracanoe world championship ten times. Winning gold at Tokyo 2020, was followed by Charlottes incredible double gold win at Paris 2024 where she competed in the inaugural VL3 event (watch here). For her services to canoeing she was awarded an MB in the 2021 New Years Honours List.

In this episode, Charlotte and I dive deep into her incredible journey to Paris, where she made history by winning double gold at the World Championships and then repeating that triumph at the Paris Games. But this wasn’t just about victory—it was about the whispered dreams of an athlete, the intense pressure of competition, and the courage it took to break barriers as a woman and as the first-ever double gold para athlete in canoeing. We explore the highs, and the profound sense of grief that accompanies standing on the podium, only to return home 24 hours later to face the post-Paris blues—a reality many athletes know all too well.

Charlotte’s mantra for Paris was simple yet powerful: “Be Courageous.” We unpack how this mindset, shaped by her partnership with a new sports psychologist just 10 weeks before Pairs, helped her navigate pressure, and inner fear. Her journey holds invaluable lessons for all of us, offering practical tools to confront our own challenges and fears.

But Charlotte’s story doesn’t end there. She opens up about her personal battle with endometriosis—a condition affecting millions of women worldwide—and the eight long years it took to receive her diagnosis.

Kate Christowitz is a retired Olympic rower with a passion for building equity in rowing, for women. As the chair of the athletes Commission for RowSA, Kate is also a dedicated coach who loves sharing her knowledge for rowing with young athletes. She is also the director of rowing at St. Stithians College where she maintains and develops the rowing fleet.

In this episode, Kate shares her journey from discovering rowing as a young girl at St Mary’s to becoming an Olympian, highlighting the transformative power of sport and community. We dive into the Women in Rowing initiative, a movement uniting women across South Africa to tackle key issues in the sport and celebrate their shared passion. From the first event in Joburg, to exciting plans for provincial gatherings, we discuss how this vibrant community is growing and making waves. Discover the camaraderie, resilience, and connection that define rowing, as Kate shares stories from her career and her work with young athletes, and the joy we felt at seeing Paige compete in the 2024 Olympics.

Whether you’re a seasoned rower, a coach, a supporter, or just curious about the sport, Kate Christowitz also provides all the details on how to join and become a part of this growing community for women in rowing.

This year Red Bull King of the Air has created its first ever Women’s Division in this premier kitesurfing competition which always features the best athletes from around the world. We will get to witness a unique showcase of female talent and athleticism in this historic event that is sure to be a game changer for women’s big air. Joining me to talk about the upcoming competition and her journey as one of the participants is Jasmine Cho. Born in Korea, raised in the U.S and now considering Blouberg as her home base, Jasmine has been a big air kitesurfer for a number of years, with prestigious events behind her name. 

On the podcast we talk about her journey from being a film director in New York City, to fully dedicating herself and her time, to the sport of kitesurfing. Having applied for King of the Air three times in the past, Jasmine Cho always believed in the need for women’s inclusion in Big Air and with this year’s competition, she talks about the meaning of this inclusion for women, and the effect this will have on other competitions. We talk about her recent crash in Brazil, and dealing with the process of the fear factor following her fall, and how she is embracing this as part of the journey. We unpack the wind factor in Cape Town and how she is acclimatising to the denser wind conditions that Cape Town offers. Among the female competitors, Jasmine lets us in on the support for one another and the unique sisterhood and friendships that have formed through competition, and how being on the big air circuit has created a unique energy among the women.