Join the Wild Women Community for a free event to celebrate Women’s Health Week on 10 September 2021 and support the amazing work of Jean Hailes.
Wild Women Panel Discussion and Virtual Screening of Women’s Adventure Film Tour
Get your household together on Friday 10 September for a virtual evening of inspiration and empowerment, hosted by our Chief Adventure Chick Di Westaway. Our expert panelists will share their experiences on the path to health and wellness and achieving fitness goals before a free screening of the inspirational Women’s Adventure Film Tour.
Our panel of adventure goddesses includes Ultra Trail Runner & Adventure Seeker Lucy Bartholomew, Journalist and Coastrek Patron Jennifer Byrne, CEO of World Expeditions Group, Sue Badyari and Director of Fit 500, Millie Walker.
Meet the Panel
Jennifer Byrne
Jennifer Byrne is well known for her adventurous life as one of Australia’s most respected journalists, but away from the news desk she has embraced a life of adventure where hiking and trekking have taken centre stage. The important role these outdoor pursuits played in her life became even more apparent when a training injury sidelined her and the true impact of an active lifestyle on mental and physical health were reinforced. Now fully recovered and back on the trail, as our Coastrek Patron, Jennifer Byrne embodies the philosophy that Wild Women on Top promotes – connecting with and championing women in the outdoors and setting ‘hairy, audacious goals’ that keep life interesting and challenging.
Lucy Bartholomew
Lucy Bartholomew is an ‘accidental ultra-runner’ by her own admission: “Running began for me when I was 15 as a way to spend time with my Dad. When he decided to run a 100km race through the Blue Mountains, I trained alongside him every step of the way. On race day, I ran from place to place to see him and accidentally ran my first ultra!” Fast forward and Lucy, now 25, is one of Australia’s most prolific and successful ultra-runners. Her list of achievements is long with highlights including winning the Ultra Trail Australia 100km (on her 21st birthday!); 1st Female, Great Ocean Road 100km and placing 3rd in the in the Western States 100, her first 100-mile event which she ran, blissfully unaware of how far 160km actually is! Lucy’s most recent achievement – tackling the 250km Larapinta Trail in outback NT in April 2021 – is chronicled in this year’s Women’s Adventure Film Tour.
Millie Walker
Millie Walker has been involved in the health and fitness industry since 2003. Running fitness franchises on beautiful beaches and developing corporate wellbeing programs in Sydney for over 10 years, she developed a lifelong passion for helping others achieve active and healthy lifestyles. Starting as a trek training coach with Wild Women on Top 12 years ago, she took 17 women trekking in the Andes, and helped establish the first Coastrek in 2008. Millie is a 4-time Australian Ironman finisher, has raced 6 x 100km ultra-marathons and in 2020, won the Kangaroo Island Triathlon. She has presented on The Morning Show, hosted surfing and mindfulness retreats, trained movie stars and taught yoga in Thailand, but her new passion is stand-up-paddleboarding the coastline between Adelaide and Victor Harbour in South Australia.
Sue Badyari
Sue Badyari is CEO at adventure travel company, World Expeditions Travel Group. Sue cites a family trip to Nepal when she was 14 as the beginning of her love affair with her favourite destination – the Himalayas. She returned to the region solo with a backpack as soon as she completed her formal education and the experience provided her with a thorough knowledge of the people and geography of Nepal and India. She met her husband on these early travels and spent many months in Kashmir with his family before returning to Australia and beginning her career in the travel industry. Her favourite destinations are anywhere she can walk in the mountains.
Di Westaway
Di Westaway is the Founder of Wild Women On Top and Coastrek, which has inspired and empowered over 40,000 women to fall in love with fitness through hiking adventures. Her health challenges have raised over $40 million dollars for charities including Beyond Blue and The Fred Hollows Foundation. Living up to the wild woman philosophy, Di holds the record for the world’s highest handstand on Mt Ama Dablam, 6,982m, Nepal – but when she’s not doing handstands on knife-edge summits, she is a passionate hiker, climber, mountain biker, coach, mum, mentor and fun-raiser, as well as the author of Natural Exhilaration and How to Prepare for World Class Treks. Di was awarded an OAM in 2020 for services to women’s sport, recreation and charitable services.
Join us on Friday 10 September to enjoy an evening with these inspiring women and a free screening of the Women’s Adventure Film Festival.
