IN THE SPOTLIGHT WITH SALLY KETTLE
Adventurer, advocate, and all-around force of nature, Sally Kettle is a woman who doesn't just talk about resilience; she lives it. From becoming the first woman to row the Atlantic Ocean twice (once with her Mum, no less!) to leading the charge for women's health as the founder of the Active Pregnancy Foundation, Sally is a master of navigating both literal and metaphorical rough waters.
Her journey is anything but ordinary. A seasoned explorer, she's faced hurricanes, sharks, and the kind of challenges that would make most people turn back, but Sally keeps moving forward. Off the water, her passion for empowering women shines through in everything she does, whether championing active pregnancy, mentoring young girls as Deputy Chief Guide for Girlguiding, or taking the stage as a speaker who knows how to captivate an audience.
Sally's story is one of adventure, grit, and a fierce belief in the power of women to overcome obstacles and rewrite their own narratives. She's living proof that anything is possible with courage, humour, a little bit of determination and a hot pink dash of resilience. Over to you, Sally…
SO, SALLY, WHAT’S YOUR STORY?
In 2003, I rowed across the Atlantic for the first time. I was 26 years old, and I went with my mother. We spent 4 months together in a boat smaller than the average bathroom and walked away with a World Record! Before that journey, I'd never been at sea or rowed before; Mum and I hadn't had the best relationship either, in fact, she scared me to death, so the row was my opportunity to prove to her and my family that I did, in fact, have a bone of common sense in my body. Getting across 3000 miles of open ocean changed my life and my outlook. It taught me resilience, perseverance and patience. My Mum also taught me kindness, and despite our past, I really couldn't have had a better teammate.
Previous to the row, I'd completed a theatre degree, which I loved – in fact, for my degree show, I spent 6 weeks in a launderette in Brighton, making a dress out of lint from the tumble driers and sewing it together with my own hair! The dress looked like rhino skin and was symbolic of my need for armour against the world. At the time I struggled with anxiety and disordered eating, so I wanted an 'exoskeleton' to hide what I was feeling inside.
I walked away with a 1st and straight into a secretarial job! I'd had ambitions to work for the BBC, but at the time, you could only get in if you knew someone or were prepared to work for free.
Unfortunately neither applied to me, so I had to put my ambitions on the back burner for a little while. After the row with my Mum, I landed a job as a producer for BBC Radio Northampton, but perhaps I should have known myself better. I had itchy feet, and I decided to row the ocean again a year after the first one, and I went with three other women. We rowed out into the worst weather in the Atlantic for nearly 200 years! We started as a four but ended as a three when one of the girls decided she needed to get off after injuring her back. We lost our rudder and were attacked by a shark, having survived the tail end of a hurricane and two tropical storms! It was 'interesting', to say the least!
I bounced from ocean rowing into becoming a professional adventurer, heading out on expeditions every year, from hiking in the Pyrenees to sailing across the North Atlantic in a 68ft racing yacht. I hit the road as an inspirational speaker, often being the first woman the organisation had booked to deliver their keynote address. I must admit I really felt the burden of doing a good job as there were so few women on the circuit at that time, and therefore, I had to justify my place on the stage. I also didn't want to let the 'booker' down. Often, it had been left to a woman in the HR team to select a speaker, and they took the risk of bringing in a female, so I couldn't let her down.
I went on to write a book about rowing, but as soon as it hit the shelves, my publisher went bust! I now sell the books on my own, which is empowering in its own way. The speaking proved to be the perfect segue into learning & development training, and I qualified as an executive and team coach a couple of years ago. So, I now have a portfolio career combining all of the elements – adventurer, speaker, trainer, and coach! I won't lie; it's a handful to manage, but every day is different, and I love the challenge.
You may be surprised to find out that on top of all this, I set up a charity with a group of passionate, like-minded women in Lockdown 2020. It's called The Active Pregnancy Foundation, and we support women in becoming or staying active throughout their childbearing years. It was born out of my own experience of trying to get advice when I was going through IVF. After my ocean rows, I'd qualified as a Personal Trainer – in fact, I ended up working with athletes at the London 2012 Olympic Games – so I knew I could be active if I did become pregnant, but I was frightened I might do something wrong, injure myself or lose the baby. By some miracle, I eventually became pregnant after 10 years of trying, and I was lucky enough to be able to afford to pay for a Pre- & Postnatal PT. I knew other women would not be as fortunate and may even rely on Dr Google or unqualified Instagram influencers to get their advice. I knew something had to change!
Getting the charity off the ground has been a bit of a slog, but we're already starting to see the fruits of our labour. We've upskilled hundreds of healthcare and fitness professionals and provided evidence-based advice to pregnant and postnatal women. It's been tough, but I know tough, right?!
Finally, as if I hadn't taken on enough, in 2023, I became Deputy Chief Guide for Girlguiding, a hugely prestigious voluntary role. I support the Chief Guide, and together with the Assistant Chief Guide, we work as a team to lead an organisation with over 285,000 young members and 75,000 adult volunteers. The learning curve has been ridiculous, but getting the opportunity to be part of a charity that played such a pivotal role in my childhood – I was a Brownie, Guide and Young Leader – is beyond a privilege. I love working with young women and girls, helping to improve their confidence and showing them they can do anything.I also get, and get to give out, badges… so what's not to love? We do need more people to volunteer with Girlguiding so we can continue to give girls a safe space to be themselves and have adventures.
YOU'VE FACED EXTREME CHALLENGES, FROM ROWING THE ATLANTIC TO TOXIC MASCULINITY IN THE ADVENTURE WORLD AND LEADING INITIATIVES LIKE THE ACTIVE PREGNANCY FOUNDATION. WHAT LEADERSHIP LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THESE EXPERIENCES, AND HOW HAVE THEY SHAPED HOW YOU EMPOWER OTHERS?
I'll be brutally honest and say the only thing I learnt about leadership during my hardcore adventurer days was, "I'm not going to do it like that!" There were very few expeditions where I experienced good leadership, which really made me wonder, "why?"! Why did so many men I worked with lead coercively – basically assertively telling or even shouting at their team? Also, few of my expeditions were led by women, so my role models weren't there.
Until I started working in the learning & development space and coaching, too, I didn't understand what good leadership could and should look like. Perhaps that's the problem, especially if our role models repeat the negative styles they were exposed to. I think we're in a transition phase though, where organisations understand that leadership skills need to be taught and that it's unrealistic to believe these should be picked up by osmosis.
Unfortunately, if world politics is anything to go by, coercive leadership is still being used to undermine and control. So, if I can empower others, it would be to recognise these behaviours for what they are and rally towards developing ourselves and young people and leading with integrity – but it takes work and self-reflection.
AS A FEMALE ADVENTURER, WHAT BARRIERS DO YOU THINK STILL EXIST FOR WOMEN IN SPORT AND LEADERSHIP, AND HOW CAN WE COLLECTIVELY BREAK THEM DOWN?
Aye carumba there are so many! It starts with young women and girls, they are dropping out of sport and physical activity in their droves. They feel self-conscious about their bodies and the impact of the pressure to look a certain way. For many, sweating on a football pitch (or in general) isn't something they want to do – even though physical activity has so many benefits. Also girls and women are frightened to go outside and be active after dark, especially during the winter months.
On the positive side, there has been an increased number of sporting role models, mainly due to the incredible hard work behind the scenes to bring greater representation at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, also in women's football, which is seen as the gateway game due to its popularity. If we can bring women's football in line with the men's game then we have more of a chance with other sports … but there's still a way to go.
Unfortunately we've created a culture where many women and girls don't believe physical activity is for them, so we can't be surprised when they're not participating. There are similar 'body confidence' concerns for women, but money and availability of suitable activities are also factors.
The problem is complex, but not unsolvable. The simplest start is to look at the barriers to why we, as individuals, are not as physically active as we could be and begin to break those down. In doing so, we can role model self-care and self-confidence – mothers, sisters and other female relatives hugely influence younger girls. Also, take your female friends along for the ride by finding an activity you can do together: a parkrun, a zumba class or joining a local netball team. Oh, and encourage your partner to look after the kids, if you have them! Our work through The Active Pregnancy Foundation suggests childcare is a significant barrier to being physically active.
YOU ARE A FANTASTIC SPEAKER, AND YOUR PASSION SHINES THROUGH IN EVERY CONVERSATION. HOW DO YOU OVERCOME NERVES WHEN SPEAKING TO LARGE CROWDS, AND DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR WOMEN WHO WANT TO BUILD CONFIDENCE IN PUBLIC SPEAKING?
Well, I teach public speaking and presentation skills, so this is bang in my ballpark! My mantra is "Confidence comes with competence, and competence comes with practice." That's easier said than done when so many people rate public speaking as worse than death! I'll confess I've always been happy jumping up in front of people and saying something, but then, a few years into my speaking career, I started to 'get the fear'! It had a massive impact on my confidence, and I almost stopped doing the job. I would get really anxious, and with the anxiety came the sweating, and once I started sweating, I'd spiral down into nausea and worry, and I stopped enjoying the work. I ended up having Botox in my armpits to break the sweating cycle; I also have a 'sweat' wardrobe, basically clothes that don't show the wet patches.
I still get nervous, but I've been doing this for so long now that I've literally made ALL the mistakes and survived. Many people worry about letting themselves down or looking like an idiot, but I genuinely believe we need to survive our mistakes to become more competent. Frankly, nobody has died, except maybe you are on stage! Although I've had a few close calls. I started out speaking at ladies' luncheon clubs, and I've had audience members fainting, falling asleep and breaking a hip. When I was pregnant, I had terrible morning sickness, and I remember getting up on stage, vomiting into my mouth, swallowing and getting on with the job… since then, nothing can be as bad as that!
BASED ON YOUR OWN EXPERIENCES, WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING YOUNG WOMEN TODAY, AND WHY IS IT CRUCIAL TO PROVIDE SPACES WHERE YOUNG GIRLS AND WOMEN CAN DEVELOP CONFIDENCE, STRENGTH, AND INDEPENDENCE?
There's a worrying rise in misogany, but more broadly, the rights of women and girls are being eroded worldwide. On the face of it, you could end up feeling a little depressed. I try my best to remember I can only do what I can with the tools and influence I have. I love the phrase, "When eating elephants small chunks at a time!" We may not always be in a place to influence thousands of people, but we can influence the people around us.
It's one of the reasons I reengaged with Girlguiding. It's an organisation with a mission to support young women and girls by giving them a space to be themselves, to learn life skills, as well as play and act silly whatever their age… and girls want that, I think boys do too! Kids need to be given the autonomy to take risks and have adventures big and small. Through this, they gain resilience and empathy and learn to work as a team. We definitely cottonwool our children way too much, and that needs to change.
HOW DO YOU HANDLE CRITICISM?
This is an interesting one because it really depends where the criticism is coming from. If it's from someone I trust and respect, I'm entirely down for it; bring it on! If it's from someone who wants to share their view because it's more about them than me, well they can just shove it up their… anyway!! I've been subject to opinionated mansplainers all my working career, and quite frankly, I'm not interested. Also, I do think we've become a feedback culture… I don't want to be rated out of 5 and I'm not that keen to rate other people either. I use Vinted quite a bit, and for crying out loud, why do I need to 5-star someone just because they've bought my jumper?! Rant over!
HOW CAN WE GIVE YOUNG WOMEN STRONG ROLE MODELS AND THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO NAVIGATE TODAY'S CHALLENGES?
I've got to admit this is a challenge because role modelling is inevitably intrinsic to personal values, so my view of a strong role model may be very different from what other people believe. For me, though, integrity wins out. Also, whether we see it in ourselves or not, we all role model all the time. Every action we take influences and impacts the people around us. So, can we say, with hand on heart, that we act with integrity? I mention this with the knowledge that people are messy, and there are circumstances that negatively affect our behaviour, but wouldn't it have an incredible impact on society if everyone took steps towards integrity?
YOUR IVF JOURNEY IS A DEEPLY PERSONAL PART OF YOUR STORY. HOW HAS THIS EXPERIENCE INFLUENCED YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON WOMEN'S HEALTH, AND WHAT CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IN HOW SOCIETY AND HEALTHCARE SUPPORT WOMEN ON THIS PATH?
Don't get me started on this one! Well… I've sat in many a meetings where we've discussed the woefully inadequate research, or at times, complete lack of research into women's health conditions. This leads to poor health outcomes for millions of women. The tide is changing very slowly, but it feels like it's being led from the ground up. Women are really beginning to advocate for themselves and bring issues into the public eye. Still, investment is needed to ensure organisations that work in these spaces can do what they need to do to change things. Many of these organisations are charities whose success and sustainability stand and fall on grants and donations.
We know access to good health is linked to economic status – basically the less money you have the more likely you'll suffer from poor health. There needs to be a top-down push to prioritise health support, but it must also be accessible, locally delivered, and tailored to individual needs. We also have to do it together! Women are integral to this as, statistically, we're still the primary caregivers to both the young and the old. Improve the health of women, and you'll improve the health of their families and communities.
YOU'VE NAVIGATED PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL HARDSHIPS, INCLUDING MOMENTS OF SELF-DOUBT AND STRUGGLE. HOW DO YOU LEAD WITH RESILIENCE, AND WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO WOMEN FACING SIMILAR CHALLENGES?
If you're in the struggle, "This too shall pass" if you're not at the moment, then consider adopting a positive, pragmatic approach. I know everything changes, so today's calm and happiness could easily be grief, despair or hardship tomorrow, but I truly believe I can get through it. I have done so in the past, so I can do it in the future. Don't get me wrong, in the depths of my PTSD, I really felt I'd reached rock bottom, but even there, I knew if I rallied support around me, and that included getting therapy, I would eventually get through it. I still have relapses, but they don't last as long, and I have strategies for working through them.
When it comes to leadership, we have to be honest about our struggles, perhaps only share the intimate details with those we trust, but otherwise be open to vulnerability. I have a major professional crush on Brené Brown – her work on vulnerability and trust is mind-blowing, and she's so bloody 'human' as well. I definitely recommend listening to her podcasts and talks.
THE ACTIVE PREGNANCY FOUNDATION IS MAKING STRIDES IN SUPPORTING ACTIVE PREGNANCIES, BUT THERE'S STILL WORK TO DO. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTIONS YOU'RE FIGHTING AGAINST, AND HOW CAN WE BETTER EDUCATE AND SUPPORT WOMEN IN STAYING ACTIVE BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER PREGNANCY?
"Put your feet up and eat for two!" I think we've all heard that phrase, right? Some women may be influenced by this, but many are just unsure about what they can do. If you struggled to conceive or suffered a miscarriage or baby loss, the fear is very real. Without proper evidence-based advice, women often decide it's safer to do nothing than risk doing something they think might harm their pregnancy. Women with healthy, uncomplicated pregnancies often feel this too.
There's also a lack of provision for pregnant and postnatal women. What I mean by this is there aren't enough spaces and places where they can be active. Their midwives and GPs don't talk to them about being active; they just don't have the training. Online information is often misleading or incorrect, and every woman's pregnancy is different, so they need tailored advice.
It doesn't help that, societally, we are prejudiced against active women. We've heard many stories of women being told they're selfish for running or they've been shamed for being in the gym. For some communities, it's just not the done thing to be active whilst pregnant.
Partners and other family members can be critical too, and without their support, many women miss out on opportunities and benefits. We need a significant cultural and system change, but we also exist in a society where the general population is not as active as it could be.
BALANCING MOTHERHOOD AND WORK IS OFTEN A CHALLENGE FOR FEMALE FOUNDERS. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR OUR READERS ON HANDLING MULTIPLE PROJECTS AND A FAMILY?
I have nothing to give, hahaha! I drop balls, have epic mother guilt and I've been known to miss my daughter's Christmas play. A really good friend told me you can have it all, just not all at the same time. I keep having to remind myself of that and try my best to be 100% in what I'm doing at any one time, whether playing with my daughter or pulling together a PowerPoint. I still mess that up regularly, but humans are messy, right!?
LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST GOALS FOR THE ACTIVE PREGNANCY FOUNDATION AND YOUR JOURNEY EMPOWERING WOMEN WORLDWIDE? HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR LEGACY SHAPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF STRONG, EMPOWERED WOMEN?
I think Marlize (my co-CEO) and I both want The APF to reach a point where we're no longer needed – a bit like Nanny McPhee! If we've done our job properly, and every woman in the UK is given the advice and support she needs to be active in a way that's right for her by the people she trusts, i.e. educated healthcare and fitness professionals, then we've reached our goal! Unfortunately, that's going to take a while. We're struggling to find the significant funding we need to get the job done – supporting health initiatives for pregnant women just isn't all that sexy. We'd love more people to run marathons or hold bake sales for us; we'd love more grant-giving bodies to accept our applications. It's a long slog, but I think you'll know by now I'm up for the challenge, and who knows, if we can get it to work in the UK, then perhaps global domination awaits. We could change the world's health one mum-to-be at a time!
As for the next generation (beyond the healthy babies born to healthy, active mothers), I'm working to inspire the girls and women of Girlguiding to be more adventurous, physically and in their outlook. I'm only in the role for five years and still working on my legacy, so watch this space!
WHICH MOTIVATIONAL SONG WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO ADD TO OUR CEO RADIO PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY FOR YOU?
'The Lost Words Blessing' by Spell Songs – I've listened to CEO Radio's fab playlist, and there's a tonne of wonderful upbeat songs, but this one is a soft folk wonderment. It's based on the discovery that many nature words have been taken out of a children’s dictionary, such as 'acorn', 'bluebell', 'kingfisher' and 'wren'. As someone who loves nature and has spent so much of my working adventuring life in nature, this song speaks to me of the importance of keeping these words alive.
WHAT DO YOU KNOW FOR SURE?
I know that one day I'll die, and I've carried the weight of this knowledge since I was a small child. This is it, no dress rehearsal, no second chance. It doesn't mean I live every day as if it's my last; that's entirely impractical and unrealistic, but I do have a sense that I should take risks, be bold and have the courage to give something a go, even if it doesn't work out.
DO YOU HAVE A BOOK OR FAVOURITE PODCAST RECOMMENDATION FOR OUR READERS?
I'm the podcast QUEEN! I'll get stuck into one and boxset the lot over weeks, sometimes months. I'm entirely convinced that listening to podcasts makes me more intelligent, too, even though there is absolutely no evidence of this. I listened to 169 episodes of The Infinite Monkey Cage, and the only things I remember are spaghettification and the invaginated fly – basically, a female fly that sits on the back of a bat and inverts herself until she's one big vagina!
I'm currently listening to 'All Killa, No Filla', it's two fab female comedians chewing the cud whilst talking about serial killers. Oh, and "My Dad Wrote a Porno" had my screaming out in hysterical horror on more than one occasion! "You're Dead to Me" and "Lady Killers" are also favourites. As for books, 'Adventure Revolution" by Belinda Kirk is entirely inspiring, but "I Am Pilgrim" is my all-time favourite.
WHAT MAKES YOU TRULY HAPPY?
I have many moments of happiness… spotting a particularly interesting fungus on a tree trunk, getting excited about the sheep coming into the field behind our house, the dogs yapping as they run towards me, tails wagging as I come through the front door. But I'm more truly content when I'm doing something meaningful. I love my work, and I love my volunteering roles, too. I love being a mother, with all its joys and challenges. I love my garden, even the snails that insist on demolishing it. I also love the challenge of being married – the tender moments, the sitting on the sofa box-setting Nordic noir, the squabbles and the bickering. So, what makes me truly happy, it's hard to pin it down. One thing I am conscious of, though, is that I've been so much happier since I started HRT – perimenopause really was kicking me in the teeth… I needed help, and I asked for it.
If you want to know more about Sally and her work, check out sallykettle.com
