If you don’t already know who Brooke McIntosh is, you absolutely should! Brooke is running 14,000 km - solo around Australia; that’s between 60 and 100km a day, every day for 200 days, all with the ambition of raising $1.4 million for the Blue Tree Project’s mental health initiative. Brooke is doing this run without corporate sponsorship or media hype, just grit, purpose, and a small caravan crew.
There’s a bit of a gender discrepancy here because it’s likely you might not have heard of Brooke, despite her surpassing some other guys who did similar running challenges that got a lot of media attention.
Today we wanted to get a bit of an understanding of what Brooke is actually experiencing on the road: running through PMS cramps, worrying about creeps and safety, and dealing with online trolls all while staying committed every kilometre of the way.
We spoke about:
- Brooke’s mental health battle with drugs and alcohol before a bad car accident
- Why she got into running
- Why the woman running the country isn’t getting as much media attention compared to the blokes
- Pants off Friday
- The safety precautions Brooke has had to take
- The Blue Tree Project
- The physical impact on Brooke’s body and whether it’s more of a mental challenge
If you’re able to donate, you can do so here!
You can find everything from Brooke at her website
You can follow Brooke’s instagram
Brooke will soon become the first and fastest female to run the lap of Australia—14,000km in the same calendar year—while choosing conversations over kilometres, stopping in schools and workplaces to spark JUST ONE MORE conversation.
You can watch us on Youtube
Find us on Instagram
Join us on tiktok
Or join the Facebook Discussion Group
Tell your mum, tell your dad, tell your dog, tell your friend and share the love because WE LOVE LOVE! Xx
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This episode was recorded on Cameragle Land. Hi guys, and
welcome back to another episode of Life Uncut.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
I'm Laura, I'm Brittany.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Now today we have a very special guest and I'm
so excited to tell you about. Her name is Brooke Macintosh.
If you don't already know who she is, then you
absolutely should because what Brook is currently undertaking in Australia
is nothing short of incredible and crazy. Yeah, and absolutely
insane for someone who hasn't walked more than about three
kilometers in months now. Now, Brook is running fourteen thousand
(00:38):
kilometers solo around Australia, which is between sixty and one
hundred kilometers a day, every single day, for two hundred days. Now,
at the point that we are speaking, Brook has already
run one hundred and fifty two days of this challenge. Now,
this is all with the ambition of raising one point
four million dollars for the Blue Tree Project's mental health initiative.
And Brook is doing this run without corporate sponsorships or
(01:00):
any media hype, just grit, purpose and determination that I
would say ninety nine point nine percent of the population
absolutely do not have. Brook story though, is also one
that is very deeply personal to her. We had the
privileges being to Brook on the pickup recently, and she's
spoken about her own experiences of suicidal ideation and she's
a very fierce advocate of mental health.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
One of the parts about brook story.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
That's so interesting is, I mean, you guys know, there's
been a few runners in the last couple of years
who have set some pretty incredible records or who have
set some very ambitious goals, and it seems as though
all of Australia has gotten around them in terms of press,
in terms of pr in terms of profile, and there
is a big question mark as to why we haven't
had as much excitement and I guess camaraderie around what
(01:43):
Brook is doing so far, and we are absolutely here
wanting to change that. We also wanted to get an
insight into what it's been like for her running. When
you think about all the things that a woman has
to deal with when they are taking on a similar challenge,
I'm talking about getting a period, I'm talking about having
to worry about your own personal safety, and they're being
creeps and you know, I mean, we all know that
women face things that men simply don't, and Brook has
(02:06):
to deal with this day to day every day as
she is running. We're so privileged to have you here
on the pod. And also you're in a van on
the side of the road, pulled over, taking some time
out to come and chat to us all but Brook,
welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Thanks for having us. It's a blessing to be here.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Brook. We am going to get into like every single
thing about your running and how I mean personally. You've
been living rent free in my head for a little while.
Even though I woke up this morning thinking about this
interview and I was really trying to put into perspective
how far you're running every single day for so many days.
And I thought to myself, I don't reckon. I could
run one hundred klometers in six months and.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
You're doing it a day.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
That's what I thought to myself. I was like, oh
my god. Before we get into it, though, we kickstart
with an accidentally unfiltered, your almost embarrassing story. This can
be from any moment of your life. This could be
from your running journey, or it could be from your childhood.
Do you have one to share with us today?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
The one that stands out at the moment is literally
having to go the toilet on the side of the
road for one hundred and fifty days straight. And this
one time I forgot I did a number two and
I forgot toilet paper as well, so I had to
use a shirt that I was wearing, and it was
just yeah, anyway.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
That shirt went into the bin. So then when you're
let's just hey, here we are, let's get into it.
When you're going to the toilet on the side of
the road, are you running with like a little like
what do you call it? Toilet tent? Do you set
up a pop up zip toilet? Well, I've just made
it up in my head now, Like I'm sure you're
not just dropping your ducks and going like free range,
(03:33):
Like do you set up a toilet tent?
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Nah, I'm pretty much dropping my ducks if inside a bush,
if I can find it, or it's just like quickly
dropped ducks off. I go. Well, if you're in oh no, no, no,
Well through the cities, I definitely don't do that, And
sometimes I have to remind myself, no, I'm in a city, Nay,
you cannot do that.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
It's on the Harbor Bridge. She's like, guys, morning taking
a doll.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
She's like, I haven't seen a bush in a while.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
All this it's more just when you're like in somewhere
quite rural. I'm just picturing like a long, dirty, dusty
road or something, and then there you are.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Yeah, and sometimes there's no bushes around and you literally
just got it. It's just like rule it. And I
wear a massive floppy yellow hat as well, so everyone
conceive me and I'm like, no, Carl's coming quick.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Surely you can just use the yellow hat as like
a slight shield. But it's all happening. Just hold it
in front of yourself and that's it.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Brook.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Just so people get a bit of an understanding of
what the root's been so far, can you talk us
through kind of where you started, where you're currently at
and what's destination for you?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Yeah? Sure. So I started in Perth in March and
that we ran all the way down bottom of West
Australia to Esperance, back up to Norseman, across anotherybor, we
ran into Adelaide. Oh we did Adelaide, then Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane,
cut across at Rockampton when all the way mount Ees
are into Darwin. And now we're on the border of
the Mt and WS. So I've ran over ten thousand columnus.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Now aren't you scared that when you're running through these
places that like, I mean, I'm sure there's bigger things
worry about, but this is where my brain goes that,
like a crocodile is just going to come and get
you or something.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Oh yeah, I've jumped over three snakes in the last
two weeks.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Laura's laughing about me. That's fair, Like that's what you've
got to think about. What about when you're taking a
poop and they're like a killer snake or something.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Yeah. Yeah, And yesterday I got chased by a cow.
It was terrifying.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I don't think that's what anyone thinks you worried about,
is a cow. So how did you get into running?
I guess were you always an athlete growing up? Or
is you know this idea of anyone can run at
any age true?
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Oh, that's definitely true. Anyone can run at any age.
I only got into running two and a half years ago. Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
And now to be running around Australia, that's where it's
just it's all just a mindset game.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Talk us through a little bit about what that mindset
looks like for you, because I mean, I know that
there was a big catalyst that got you into running
and was pretty transformative for you in terms of your
mental health. But why I was doing this so important
to you? Personally?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
It was so important because when I had my catalyst
for change. So one, I've always been weight training growing up,
but to the athlete thing, I've always been won't train
and grow up. But in twenty twenty two, when I
was going through the depth of suicideal ideation myself and
I was involved in a massive high speed car accident.
Upon reflection, I was kind of just living a life
(06:12):
on repeat, a life that I just never really enjoyed
or liked. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol. I
was working six am to six pm, five FO long
shifts and every hour and r I would just go
away and just blow all my money. And when that
car accident happened for me, it was a massive moment
of me asking the question of who is Broot Macintosh.
(06:32):
Who does she want to be knowing for? Like, what
legacy does she want to leave behind and what impact
does she want to create? So in August twenty twenty three,
it just so happened that I ran sixteen hundred kilometers
and that just was a whole shedding of all the
old identities that I thought I had to be to
be successful. Make all the money, have the car, have
(06:53):
the house, all the overseas holidays, da, da da, And
it was just a massive shedding of that identity and
finding my happiness within complete solitude. So through running, I've
been able to rediscover who brit Macintosh is, and that's
a strong, bold, powerhouse female female who stands up for
what she knows is right. And I've found all that
(07:13):
through running, which is just insane. To stay out loud.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
You just mentioned you know you were having pretty dark
thoughts and suicidal ideation. Did that come before you started
running or are you still battling that after as well?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
No, that come before, So that come before I was running.
And then after my car accident, I survived and I
had no injuries or anything. But I went back to site,
back fi FO and I was on site and I
went to the gym one morning and then I was like, oh,
I'm just going to go for a run around site.
I just need to clear my head. I need to
get out in nature, and I did, and I round
two k's. It wasn't much or anything, but the sense
(07:49):
of clarity I got from running that two k's was everything,
and my mental state was just so bliss that when
I went back into my donga, I was like, tomorrow,
I'm going to see if I could do three ks.
And then I tried to set myself the goal to
run a marathon, but I never stuck with it. I
was like, Nah, this just doesn't excite me or anything.
(08:11):
And because what I'd suffer with mental health and the
conversations that I was having with the guys on site,
my therapist, my psychologist as well, and I started seeking
support around my mental health. I knew running was for
me and like that running was my transformation. So I
was like, you know what, I'm going to run sixteen
hundred kilometers to raise around ess and mental health in
(08:32):
our five POE workers. Because that excited me and that
ignited me, and then I stuck to the training program
and every single time I had to go out the
door and run a fifty kilometer run or a forty
five kilometer run, I uncovered more beliefs and I reriat
some stories, and I was like, I would go out
for a run and I would hit the biggest low
and then I would scream and I'd cry, and then
(08:52):
I'd come out and then I'd stop running, And I'm like,
did I really just transform all those old beliefs and
heal that part of me through running and through just
breaking through the barriers. It's all about just one more
for me. I just went one more step every time.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
And I remember when we spoke, when we were talking
on the pick up, one of the things you said
was like, not only was it just one more and
I know that that is the slogan of this campaign,
but also one more day for people who are really
in that depth of terrible mental health, one more day
and what life can look like with that next opportunity.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Yeah, And that's all I did. I just held on
for just one more day. Like at the end of
each day, when I was having those terrible thoughts creep in,
I would just say to myself, come on, Choky, you
can go just one more day. And then I would
and then the next day something would happen, or I
would just keep repeating that mattruck to myself.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
If we can sit in it for just a minute
to really set the scene of what your life was
like before, because I think I don't want to brush
over it. I think your transformation is so inspirational to
people who might think that their life is lost or
there's no way out, or how can I change my life.
I'm just one per that doesn't have the ability or
the support. What were the days like for you? What
(10:04):
did your life look like when you say you were
addicted to drugs and alcohol? Was this like an everyday
thing where you completely dependent on it? What was it
doing to your life and your relationships and your family.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
I turned to the drugs and alcohol when I was
when I was thirteen. Wow, I was starting to drugs
and alcohol when I was thirty from such a super
young age. And then it just kept escalating and escalating.
And when I was eighteen, then it was like heavier
and harder stuff. And it started off just as on
the weekends, and then when I turned eighteen, I was like, oh,
this feels good, so I'm going to have it Monday,
(10:35):
this Sunday. And it was every night after work. Every
night it was at least two or three drinks. And
then on the weekends that's when I would go, I
would write myself off completely, and I was always like
the life of the party, the fun girl, like always
up to dance and like go out and stuff and
get loose, Get loose, yeah, get loose. And I was
(10:56):
always the drunkest one there. But in doing that, I
remember this one time I went out and oh, it
actually just hits the spot me saying it. But I
went out and I was actually found in a ditch
by a taxi driver. And the taxi driver knew my
parents and he got me home safely. And I remember
waking up on the couch and I just looked at
(11:18):
my dad and I was at my dad's house, and
I remember just looking at my dad and I was like,
how'd I get here? This isn't my home because I
was living out at home. This was when I was
twenty two, and my dad was just like, a taxi
driver dropped you here, and you're so lucky that he did,
because I was in no state to be going anywhere.
I was just in no state. And I just remember
waking up the morning just feeling so embarrassed in myself,
(11:41):
embarrassed for my family, and I was like, did I
actually have fun? Last night, or was I just drinking
and using drugs to escape something deeper? And it was
for me to escape something deeper. So I had that
realization and then I started working on myself. I started
seeking some help, but I never actually embodied any of
the practice is that I learned. And it wasn't until
(12:02):
I had that high speed car accident did I embody
the practices.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Was that something that you were at fault for? Were
you just unlucky in a different stitution? Yeah, it was okay,
because I guess that's in a way different if you
know that you've done something to cause, you know, harm
to yourself.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Or somebody else, potentially someone else.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yeah. Yeah, And that was my biggest part in that
car accident, was this is how big my mask was
that I would put on for social media and for
the people in front of me. I was actually on
the way to or high school to deliver a talk
on confidence. Yeah. I hated myself. I was killing myself
inside and I hated every part about my life. But
(12:39):
it was always just such a show. And I was
driving along the highway and I missed the turn off,
and I tried to correct myself, and in that moment,
I was like, whatever, I could, just hit a concrete ballard,
and I did, and I smashed into a concrete ballard
growing one hundred miles an hour, and then a triple
semi trailer. So a massive truck come and clean me up.
And I was cancust for about three minutes, and then
(13:00):
I woke up. And I remember just rushing out of
the rushing out of my car, running over to the
truck driver, being like, oh my god, are you okay?
He was completely okay. Mentally, probably not. And then I
ran over to the other lady who who was involved
and who accidentally got a little bit clipped on the
side as well, and she was okay. Mentally again probably not.
But it was the first time in my life that
(13:21):
I realized I was like, what life am I living?
I'm putting everyone else else's expectations of me before my own.
And that was just like my biggest wake up to
be like, Nope, you need to change shit.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Brook you changed things in like such an incredibly radical way,
I mean, and what you're doing now, of course, there
is something in this for you in terms of your
own healing journey, but making it about those and for
those who also are struggling with mental health. You're working
with Blue Tree Project. What is this organization? How can
people get involved? And also why was that such an
(13:54):
important one to align yourself with.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
So when I was working FIFO, I would always see
little blue trees pop up and I was like, what
are these blue trees? They instantly just made me happy.
Though as soon as I seen it, I'm like, well,
that's a bit silly to paint a blue tree. And
then I started digging into it and I was like, wow,
this story is incredible. So the CEO can do of
the Blue Tree Project. She lost her brother to suicide
(14:17):
and before he passed away, they went into their parents'
paddock and painted a blue tree. So now she goes
around Australia and delivers mental health talks for STAI trainings
and delivers a lot of resources to our regional and
regional towns and communities. And by seeing a blue tree,
it is just a glimmer of hope and it's a
conversation starter around our mental health. Something so simple. But
(14:39):
I just see that as a woman who's turned her
pain into a purpose as well, and I want to
be able to support and give back in the same
way the Blue Tree has been able to help me
through my dark as the days.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And you've already been I mean, this is the part
that we think, I don't want to say fascinating. It
is fascinating, but it's very unfortunate. You're already out running
such high profile men that have tried to do or
have done the same thing, but you're just not getting
the same media coverage. And as much as I hate
to say it, there is such a gender disparity still,
and it's I don't quite understand it because I don't
(15:11):
want to say women are better, but you have it harder.
You are running, but you're doing this with periods. You're
doing this with cramps, pms, you're doing this with saw boobs.
I mean, we know most of our audiences female. You
know how debilitating a period can be, not just for
the week that you've got it, for the week before
everything that comes with it. Why do you think that
you are battling getting the kind of media coverage that
(15:34):
men are getting.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
I'm like one hundred and fifty two days into this
run and I still haven't got that part figured out
because I just have no idea why. And people don't
like to talk about mental health, because mental health isn't sexy.
So we actually experimented with some of our content and
now we're doing a lot more Pants Off Friday and
we're injecting. Now it's turned into a lot more joy
and happiness and lightheartedness and I'm having so much fun
(15:55):
with Pants Off Friday. But the reals and analytics has
to to show the reels where I've got no pants
on shows so much more.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yeah, I mean, you shouldn't have to be running around
with no pants on.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
I don't know how to get attention.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
I'll do it nude, like, Oh, it's funny, but it
makes me so angry.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Yeah. Yeah, But we did this as just an experiment
to see because like I was putting out, I've been
putting out so much bloody content, just smashing the content.
And then I was like, hey, guys, let's have some
more fun with this. But also I want to try
inject the sexing us into it. And not that we
ever want to sexualize ourselves or anything, but I want
to see if sex sells sex.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Sealth do Yeah, Like, I mean, obviously after this you'll
have all the life is behind you, and we're going
to push this as much as we can and the
time that you have left in this run. But also
there's another part of this, and that is something that
men don't have to face, and that is just the
dangers of being a woman on your own rural roads
running at times that might not feel safe being on
your own. What parameters are you putting in place to
(16:55):
keep yourself safe? And have you had any instances where
you felt like, Okay, this is a bit sketch.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Yeah, yeah, Actually, in like the last two weeks, it's
been extremely challenging. But this is for this is the
part where I've been stepping more into my truth and
speaking up as well, because if we don't call out
this bullshit behavior, then it just keeps spiraling. And this
bullshit behavior like sexualized comments, remarks everything else actually plays
on females mental health as well. And I mean, this
is why I was in such a spy, this is
(17:21):
why I was battling suicide of ideation. So me and
the crew we stay like ten kilometers within each other.
I have tracking devices on me, I have SOS, I
carry a two way and a radio. However, on the
flip side of all of this, like I have had
so much support from males out here on the highway.
The truck drivers have just been incredible. But back to
(17:42):
like the sexualized comments, it is still such a huge
thing and I'm like, come on austarlier in twenty twenty five,
why the fuck is it still a thing? And we
went into Darwin and this it just irks me so much.
But it also irks me because it was by a
group of males who represent Australia, who signed up to
(18:03):
represent Australia, and Susie, my manager, she was out handing
out stickers about the Run around Australia. The just were
more run around Australia for mental health and one of
them turned our Run around Australia and associated it with
pawn and was like, you girls are just out here
selling yourself. I don't want to have a look at that.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
What is it you mean? This is like a sports team.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
This was a organization who was out playing volleyball doing
their morning exercises and a few of the guys in
that group they made comments about the Australia Run and
turned into port sexualized comments and was just like, we
didn't even want to have a look at that, so
belittling dismissed, belittled, and that just really really just wound
(18:47):
my gears up right. So Sue's come back into our
apartment where we were staying in and she told me
what had happened. And sus was shocked. I could see
it in her face. I could see her draw jops
and I could see that she just wanted to cry.
I was like, Sue's what's happened? And she told me comments.
She told me what had happened in the remarks, and
I was just like, nah, I'm going to go shower.
So I went and showered. I walked back down and
(19:08):
I went back and had a conversation with the person
in charge. And the comment back from the person in charge.
I told him what had happened, and he was just like, oh,
you probably just called him off guard. And I was like,
excuse me, sir. Mental health catches people off guard. And
it's dismissing comments like this that diminishes females mental health
as well. So are you saying that we don't actually matter?
(19:29):
And then I went on about the statistics, went on
about what we're doing and about this run is way
bigger than just running. It's about the just one more conversation,
even if it's an uncomfortable one, and this is what
we need to have right now. So for me to
be able to stand up, speak up and say it
how it was to someone who come across as extremely intimidating,
like my hands were shaking my heart or shaking everything.
(19:49):
But I was like, this needs to be said, and
this needs to be called out because it's that bullshit
behavior that then ripples from one leader into all the
rest of the leaders and all the culture inside this organation.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
And what was his response.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
When I started coming out the statistics around his organization
and stuff. He was very like, more understanding, but it
was just the initial response of shutting it down straight away.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Good on you.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
But I was nahma, yeah, because they're not easy conversations
to have.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
But there are also conversations that no man would ever have.
That's the thing, like, you know, if there was any
other runner who was out there pushing what it is
that they stood for, talking about the fact that they're
running sixty to one hundred kilometers a day, they would
never have to have these conversations. It would never be minimized.
It would only be like, fuck, what a good bloke. Wow,
that's so amazing. What a legend, you know what I mean,
(20:40):
Like the fact that you've been faced with anything, but
that is just truly abysmal.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Yeah, And in that moment, I just asked myself the
question my mental health suffered from sexual assault and sexual
harassment harder. I remember going to work and I had
panic attacks. And it was the day that I had
a panic attack that I couldn't get off the bucks
that I was just like, you know what if I
don't speak up, what's such doing for the other females
around as well? Yeah, that's why I chose to slow cup.
And in that moment, it took me back to that
(21:06):
moment that I experienced all that, and I was just like,
if I don't speak up and be the change, then
what is this run really for?
Speaker 1 (21:13):
What impact has this had on your body? Because I
can't imagine running back to back marathons every single day
is particularly great for the endurance slash I guess like
the impact it has on the wear and tear on
your body.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Yeah, it's definitely. I'm definitely going to suffer after this,
and I'm already like I'm going to be bedbound for
two weeks, but I can start slowly now starting to
feel my body getting slower and slower and more fatigued
and tired. It is definitely starting to kick in. However,
the body has adapted really well, like females are designed
to be indurance, like we're designed to go for long distance,
(21:48):
so it has adapted well. But five days out of
the month is absolutely horrendous for me. And today's one
of those days where everything just aches so much more,
everything just feels ten times heavier, and the mind just
feels like giving up. But as those days that I
just I'm like, no, it s only five or six days,
and then the next three weeks will be blis.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
What is harder for you? Mental the mental fatigue and
the mental challenge and like getting yourself to take just
one more step, or physically trying to get your body
to continue. Because I imagine i'd want to say they're
probably on.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Par they're now starting to get on par. Yeah, and
my shins are starting to get so tender, like any
tiny little knock or anything, or my shins. I'm just
in agony.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
What about your toes? Will you always see runners who
have like no toenails their toes are black, they've got
broken feet like.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
I got, like a I lost the tone of from
Dancing with the Stars. I don't want to, I don't
want to compare myself to your brooke. But we're both
obviously athletes. We are very we're athletes. I did get
a black tone from Dancing with the Stars, just from
the overuse.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Are you losing toenails?
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Yeah, I'm up to six lost to.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
It makes me scofish.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Yeah, it's great. Lose them now and then they'll be
grown back in time for when I get home and
I can wear high heels and stuff again.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
And what about your periods? Because uh, you know, we
hear that a lot of endurance athletes or people that
are just really excessively exercising in any capacity lose your period.
Has you're still been regular?
Speaker 3 (23:18):
I'm still around and I'm so grateful for it. Yeah. Yeah,
I am very grateful to still have my period because
I lost my period when I was fourteen and I
didn't get it back until I was twenty four because
I was so Wow, I'm over exercising and under eating.
And this is where it's the importance of if you're
exercising a lot, you need to consume a lot of food,
and the first side of an unhealthy female is pretty
(23:41):
much the period goes. So the fact that I've still
got my period, as much as it's challenging for those
five six days, I celebrate it those five six days
and I just have more compassion for myself. Brook.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
How do you deal with people who are online and
this happens across the board if this is not something
that I think is unique to the experience that you're having,
but people who question the legitimacy of it, people who
question like how is it possible? Or you know, question
how many kilometers it is that you're doing in a day.
How do you, one, I guess, justify or are able
(24:12):
to prove, but also how do you mentally deal with
people who are trying to challenge the things that you've achieved.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
I know that I just don't have to justify myself
to anyone, and if they want to know what it's like,
we'll come out and spend a day with us on
the road. I've never been a Strava person at all,
but at the start of this run there was so
many Straba trolls will like that were coming at us
and stuff and I was like, guys, I'm not going
to start posting on Strava just to please your needs.
That's not the kind of woman I am. We keep
(24:40):
track on Garmen, so if people weren't legitimacy, they can
see on Garmen. And it just depends what the comments are,
like this whole thing of like just ignore the comments.
D I think that's bullshit and that's just enabling more
and more trolls, more and more nasty comments. So yeah,
it just depends on what the comments are, whether I
say something back to her or I just ignore it.
(25:01):
But like being an athlete, being out here, it's not
to say that it doesn't play on my mind, because
sometimes it does. But then I just asked myself the question,
like am I being true to me? Am I being
true to this mission? Yeah? I don't need to explain
myself to anyone else if I don't want to.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
How do you know where you're going?
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Where I'm going?
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Yeah, like like you said it, like logistically you set
out for one hundred kilometers? Wait, are you looking at
a mapp? Are are you like lift your finger in
the wind? Are you looking at a map on your phone?
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Like? Physically?
Speaker 2 (25:28):
How are you navigating Australia.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Coming through the cities was really really bad, and I
had Siri talking to me every step of the way.
She's like, turn right here, turn left here.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
I was so annoying.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
But now that well, on the open road there's literally
one broad just go that way. But there's been a
few times where I've taken the wrong turn and I've
gone etch to ten column it is the wrong way
and that just was not fun.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Oh my devo because it's ten klometers back.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
How deflating when you're like, all right, I guess I'll
just do an extra bit today, Kellie. Catch up in
terms of the tireder that you're going for. You're going
for the fastest and the youngest woman to run around Australia.
Beyond what that record means for you, what does this
mean for you in order to achieve that, but also
to be able to get recognition for the just one
(26:13):
More movement, but also for the charity. Why is it
so significant to you?
Speaker 3 (26:18):
This whole thing is for me, is all about conversations
over kilometers, and it's how many lives we can impact
with our message and how many lives we can touch
on the run and it. It actually just means absolutely
everything for me purely because every single Australian, every single
individual suffers with mental health at least once in their
lifetime or knows of someone who stuffles with mental health.
(26:40):
So it's not something that we can just be like, nah,
I don't do it, I don't stuffle with it, or
I don't have mental health. It's like, actually, every single
person in Australia, every single person, every single human has
mental health and it's something that affects so many people.
So it means everything. And the ones who say nah,
is not an issue, they're just lying to themselves and
lying to So it absolutely means everything to finish this
(27:03):
mission and to raise the one point four to be
completely honest though, like the dollars is an extra added bonus,
because it's the lives, it's the conversations. It's getting this
in front of the people that matters the most.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
How are you funding this or surviving for I mean,
it's the better part of a year, just shy of
a year that you're dedicating to. Obviously you're not working,
you don't have those huge, big corporate sponsors on board.
Have you been receiving enough outpour from the community or
smaller sponsors to help fund this, or have you just said,
you know what, I'm going to dip into some savings
(27:36):
because this is how important it is.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Yeah, So long story short. In twenty twenty four, I
sold my house and I've been running my own AIRB
and B business for the last three years, and at
the start of this year, I sold that business to
be able to fund this whole run because I'm like,
my thing is, no one's going to make your dreams
come into reality. You have to do it for yourself.
And if I want to make this dream to run
(27:58):
around Australia reality, I need to do it. I need
to give it every single thing I can and put
every single thing I can into it to make it achieved.
And I'm grateful and I'm very fortunate that selling my
house and selling my business, I'm out here now getting
to save life.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Who is part of your crew because it isn't just
you out there you're the one running that. There are
you have support people and you said that they're within
ten kilometers most of the time, So who is it
with you?
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I do And I laughed so hard because my support
people have changed a few times over the time, and
we've got Sus So sus is with me, she's my manager.
She's managing everything from communications to logistics to where we're camping,
to food and all that. And right now we've got Grace,
So Grace actually come on board to be a full
time content creator. But now Grace is being dumped into
(28:46):
toe the caravan and do the cooking, do the cleaning
because we lost one of our team members two weeks back.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Yes, he had some family personal stuff on at home,
so we had to fly him out. But now it's
just us three girls getting it done. And if anyone
the GiB River, it's a massive six hundred and sixty
kilometers worth of corrugated road and we're going to tackle
that in the weeks to come. So that's just gonna
be hilarious.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Also for anyone who's a runner, I mean, I'm not
sure if this is something that you've had like other
runners joining you on this. Are they coming and doing
like you know, whether it's five kilometers, ten kilometers, twenty kilometers,
Are people at different towns joining you at different points?
And has that been something that's been beneficial for you?
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yeah, it's been incredible. So whatever town we're close by,
we'll post in our channel Instagram channel will put on
our stories where we are and I'll be like in
the middle of nowhere and then a runner will just
come join me and it just lifts my spirits, it
helps carry me and it actually helps me go faster too.
So we're definitely having so many runners come join with us,
and especially when we're finished in Perth, we're inviting the
(29:49):
whole of Perth to come round with us.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
So, Brook, your aim is one point four million dollars.
How much have you raised now and what have we
got to do to get you there?
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Yes, the aim is one point four million dollars and
we've raised one hundred and fifty thousand dollars already, which
I'm extremely grateful for every Australian digging into their pocket
or twelve hundred Australians digging into their pocket. We need
one million Australians digging into their pocket and donating one dollar.
It's one dollar, yeah, one dollar is nothing, Well, one
(30:17):
dollars is nothing, but is everything. So just give a
dollar or skip out on the coffee for one day
and donate that five dollars and then you'll cover five
diar fronts. Brook.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
You should be so incredibly proud of yourself. We are
absolutely like we said, we'll push this on socials. We
will make sure that all the life is know. But
also for anyone who's in our community who is a runner,
who wants to join you or wants to show their
support and run alongside you, where can they find you?
Where can they figure out where you are at different
points of the run. Your social media is all of
(30:48):
that stuff so that people can get behind it.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Yeah, so we post a lot on Instagram and Facebook
and it's Brooke Macintosh double Underscore or if you google
just one more Brook, that's where you can see our
live map where we've been, where we're coming to next,
and wa, what's definitely coming into Wi next and then
Australia will be done. So if you're in Melbourne, Sydney,
I'm sorry with Misterill.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
That perfect coming for you.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Yeah, you're incredible, Thank you so much for joining us today.
You're a true inspiration and for I mean a multitude
of reasons, but just hearing you tell your story about
the place that you were in before and how low
you were and what your life looked like from age
thirteen to now, I think might be the reminder a
lot of people need that you are in control of
(31:30):
your own destiny in a way, or maybe not even
your destiny, but you just said it then too. No
one's gonna just like waltz in and hand something to
you and make your dreams come true. But with a
bit of determination and grit and active choice, you can
really do anything. So you're just I mean, I'm so impressed.
I've actually just I just think about when you really
think about what you're doing, it is truly mind blowing
(31:52):
and the reasons you're doing it for, and you should
just be so proud. And I'm so sorry you don't
feel like you've gotten the support that you need from Australia.
It's really disappointing, especially when you look off the back
of the publicity that some men have received recently, and
it's just I wish we weren't there, but we are.
But I want you to know that we're all rooting
for you.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
We're all behind you. Thank you so much. Yeah, the
support and the local towns and the country is coming
out and supporting that way. It just means the world.
So whoever supports I'm extremely grateful for that. And yeah,
nothing's just going to be given up to us in life.
We've got to go out and be the change and
create the change.
This episode was recorded on Cameragle Land. Hi guys, and
welcome back to another episode of Life Uncut.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
I'm Laura, I'm Brittany.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Now today we have a very special guest and I'm
so excited to tell you about. Her name is Brooke Macintosh.
If you don't already know who she is, then you
absolutely should because what Brook is currently undertaking in Australia
is nothing short of incredible and crazy. Yeah, and absolutely
insane for someone who hasn't walked more than about three
kilometers in months now. Now, Brook is running fourteen thousand
(00:38):
kilometers solo around Australia, which is between sixty and one
hundred kilometers a day, every single day, for two hundred days. Now,
at the point that we are speaking, Brook has already
run one hundred and fifty two days of this challenge. Now,
this is all with the ambition of raising one point
four million dollars for the Blue Tree Project's mental health initiative.
And Brook is doing this run without corporate sponsorships or
(01:00):
any media hype, just grit, purpose and determination that I
would say ninety nine point nine percent of the population
absolutely do not have. Brook story though, is also one
that is very deeply personal to her. We had the
privileges being to Brook on the pickup recently, and she's
spoken about her own experiences of suicidal ideation and she's
a very fierce advocate of mental health.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
One of the parts about brook story.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
That's so interesting is, I mean, you guys know, there's
been a few runners in the last couple of years
who have set some pretty incredible records or who have
set some very ambitious goals, and it seems as though
all of Australia has gotten around them in terms of press,
in terms of pr in terms of profile, and there
is a big question mark as to why we haven't
had as much excitement and I guess camaraderie around what
(01:43):
Brook is doing so far, and we are absolutely here
wanting to change that. We also wanted to get an
insight into what it's been like for her running. When
you think about all the things that a woman has
to deal with when they are taking on a similar challenge,
I'm talking about getting a period, I'm talking about having
to worry about your own personal safety, and they're being
creeps and you know, I mean, we all know that
women face things that men simply don't, and Brook has
(02:06):
to deal with this day to day every day as
she is running. We're so privileged to have you here
on the pod. And also you're in a van on
the side of the road, pulled over, taking some time
out to come and chat to us all but Brook,
welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Thanks for having us. It's a blessing to be here.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Brook. We am going to get into like every single
thing about your running and how I mean personally. You've
been living rent free in my head for a little while.
Even though I woke up this morning thinking about this
interview and I was really trying to put into perspective
how far you're running every single day for so many days.
And I thought to myself, I don't reckon. I could
run one hundred klometers in six months and.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
You're doing it a day.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
That's what I thought to myself. I was like, oh
my god. Before we get into it, though, we kickstart
with an accidentally unfiltered, your almost embarrassing story. This can
be from any moment of your life. This could be
from your running journey, or it could be from your childhood.
Do you have one to share with us today?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
The one that stands out at the moment is literally
having to go the toilet on the side of the
road for one hundred and fifty days straight. And this
one time I forgot I did a number two and
I forgot toilet paper as well, so I had to
use a shirt that I was wearing, and it was
just yeah, anyway.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
That shirt went into the bin. So then when you're
let's just hey, here we are, let's get into it.
When you're going to the toilet on the side of
the road, are you running with like a little like
what do you call it? Toilet tent? Do you set
up a pop up zip toilet? Well, I've just made
it up in my head now, Like I'm sure you're
not just dropping your ducks and going like free range,
(03:33):
Like do you set up a toilet tent?
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Nah, I'm pretty much dropping my ducks if inside a bush,
if I can find it, or it's just like quickly
dropped ducks off. I go. Well, if you're in oh no, no, no,
Well through the cities, I definitely don't do that, And
sometimes I have to remind myself, no, I'm in a city, Nay,
you cannot do that.
Speaker 2 (03:51):
It's on the Harbor Bridge. She's like, guys, morning taking
a doll.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
She's like, I haven't seen a bush in a while.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
All this it's more just when you're like in somewhere
quite rural. I'm just picturing like a long, dirty, dusty
road or something, and then there you are.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
Yeah, and sometimes there's no bushes around and you literally
just got it. It's just like rule it. And I
wear a massive floppy yellow hat as well, so everyone
conceive me and I'm like, no, Carl's coming quick.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Surely you can just use the yellow hat as like
a slight shield. But it's all happening. Just hold it
in front of yourself and that's it.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
Brook.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Just so people get a bit of an understanding of
what the root's been so far, can you talk us
through kind of where you started, where you're currently at
and what's destination for you?
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Yeah? Sure. So I started in Perth in March and
that we ran all the way down bottom of West
Australia to Esperance, back up to Norseman, across anotherybor, we
ran into Adelaide. Oh we did Adelaide, then Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane,
cut across at Rockampton when all the way mount Ees
are into Darwin. And now we're on the border of
the Mt and WS. So I've ran over ten thousand columnus.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Now aren't you scared that when you're running through these
places that like, I mean, I'm sure there's bigger things
worry about, but this is where my brain goes that,
like a crocodile is just going to come and get
you or something.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Oh yeah, I've jumped over three snakes in the last
two weeks.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Laura's laughing about me. That's fair, Like that's what you've
got to think about. What about when you're taking a
poop and they're like a killer snake or something.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Yeah. Yeah, And yesterday I got chased by a cow.
It was terrifying.
Speaker 2 (05:15):
I don't think that's what anyone thinks you worried about,
is a cow. So how did you get into running?
I guess were you always an athlete growing up? Or
is you know this idea of anyone can run at
any age true?
Speaker 3 (05:27):
Oh, that's definitely true. Anyone can run at any age.
I only got into running two and a half years ago. Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
And now to be running around Australia, that's where it's
just it's all just a mindset game.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
Talk us through a little bit about what that mindset
looks like for you, because I mean, I know that
there was a big catalyst that got you into running
and was pretty transformative for you in terms of your
mental health. But why I was doing this so important
to you? Personally?
Speaker 3 (05:52):
It was so important because when I had my catalyst
for change. So one, I've always been weight training growing up,
but to the athlete thing, I've always been won't train
and grow up. But in twenty twenty two, when I
was going through the depth of suicideal ideation myself and
I was involved in a massive high speed car accident.
Upon reflection, I was kind of just living a life
(06:12):
on repeat, a life that I just never really enjoyed
or liked. I was addicted to drugs and alcohol. I
was working six am to six pm, five FO long
shifts and every hour and r I would just go
away and just blow all my money. And when that
car accident happened for me, it was a massive moment
of me asking the question of who is Broot Macintosh.
(06:32):
Who does she want to be knowing for? Like, what
legacy does she want to leave behind and what impact
does she want to create? So in August twenty twenty three,
it just so happened that I ran sixteen hundred kilometers
and that just was a whole shedding of all the
old identities that I thought I had to be to
be successful. Make all the money, have the car, have
(06:53):
the house, all the overseas holidays, da, da da, And
it was just a massive shedding of that identity and
finding my happiness within complete solitude. So through running, I've
been able to rediscover who brit Macintosh is, and that's
a strong, bold, powerhouse female female who stands up for
what she knows is right. And I've found all that
(07:13):
through running, which is just insane. To stay out loud.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
You just mentioned you know you were having pretty dark
thoughts and suicidal ideation. Did that come before you started
running or are you still battling that after as well?
Speaker 3 (07:26):
No, that come before, So that come before I was running.
And then after my car accident, I survived and I
had no injuries or anything. But I went back to site,
back fi FO and I was on site and I
went to the gym one morning and then I was like, oh,
I'm just going to go for a run around site.
I just need to clear my head. I need to
get out in nature, and I did, and I round
two k's. It wasn't much or anything, but the sense
(07:49):
of clarity I got from running that two k's was everything,
and my mental state was just so bliss that when
I went back into my donga, I was like, tomorrow,
I'm going to see if I could do three ks.
And then I tried to set myself the goal to
run a marathon, but I never stuck with it. I
was like, Nah, this just doesn't excite me or anything.
(08:11):
And because what I'd suffer with mental health and the
conversations that I was having with the guys on site,
my therapist, my psychologist as well, and I started seeking
support around my mental health. I knew running was for
me and like that running was my transformation. So I
was like, you know what, I'm going to run sixteen
hundred kilometers to raise around ess and mental health in
(08:32):
our five POE workers. Because that excited me and that
ignited me, and then I stuck to the training program
and every single time I had to go out the
door and run a fifty kilometer run or a forty
five kilometer run, I uncovered more beliefs and I reriat
some stories, and I was like, I would go out
for a run and I would hit the biggest low
and then I would scream and I'd cry, and then
(08:52):
I'd come out and then I'd stop running, And I'm like,
did I really just transform all those old beliefs and
heal that part of me through running and through just
breaking through the barriers. It's all about just one more
for me. I just went one more step every time.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
And I remember when we spoke, when we were talking
on the pick up, one of the things you said
was like, not only was it just one more and
I know that that is the slogan of this campaign,
but also one more day for people who are really
in that depth of terrible mental health, one more day
and what life can look like with that next opportunity.
Speaker 3 (09:25):
Yeah, And that's all I did. I just held on
for just one more day. Like at the end of
each day, when I was having those terrible thoughts creep in,
I would just say to myself, come on, Choky, you
can go just one more day. And then I would
and then the next day something would happen, or I
would just keep repeating that mattruck to myself.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
If we can sit in it for just a minute
to really set the scene of what your life was
like before, because I think I don't want to brush
over it. I think your transformation is so inspirational to
people who might think that their life is lost or
there's no way out, or how can I change my life.
I'm just one per that doesn't have the ability or
the support. What were the days like for you? What
(10:04):
did your life look like when you say you were
addicted to drugs and alcohol? Was this like an everyday
thing where you completely dependent on it? What was it
doing to your life and your relationships and your family.
Speaker 3 (10:14):
I turned to the drugs and alcohol when I was
when I was thirteen. Wow, I was starting to drugs
and alcohol when I was thirty from such a super
young age. And then it just kept escalating and escalating.
And when I was eighteen, then it was like heavier
and harder stuff. And it started off just as on
the weekends, and then when I turned eighteen, I was like, oh,
this feels good, so I'm going to have it Monday,
(10:35):
this Sunday. And it was every night after work. Every
night it was at least two or three drinks. And
then on the weekends that's when I would go, I
would write myself off completely, and I was always like
the life of the party, the fun girl, like always
up to dance and like go out and stuff and
get loose, Get loose, yeah, get loose. And I was
(10:56):
always the drunkest one there. But in doing that, I
remember this one time I went out and oh, it
actually just hits the spot me saying it. But I
went out and I was actually found in a ditch
by a taxi driver. And the taxi driver knew my
parents and he got me home safely. And I remember
waking up on the couch and I just looked at
(11:18):
my dad and I was at my dad's house, and
I remember just looking at my dad and I was like,
how'd I get here? This isn't my home because I
was living out at home. This was when I was
twenty two, and my dad was just like, a taxi
driver dropped you here, and you're so lucky that he did,
because I was in no state to be going anywhere.
I was just in no state. And I just remember
waking up the morning just feeling so embarrassed in myself,
(11:41):
embarrassed for my family, and I was like, did I
actually have fun? Last night, or was I just drinking
and using drugs to escape something deeper? And it was
for me to escape something deeper. So I had that
realization and then I started working on myself. I started
seeking some help, but I never actually embodied any of
the practice is that I learned. And it wasn't until
(12:02):
I had that high speed car accident did I embody
the practices.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Was that something that you were at fault for? Were
you just unlucky in a different stitution? Yeah, it was okay,
because I guess that's in a way different if you
know that you've done something to cause, you know, harm
to yourself.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
Or somebody else, potentially someone else.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yeah. Yeah, And that was my biggest part in that
car accident, was this is how big my mask was
that I would put on for social media and for
the people in front of me. I was actually on
the way to or high school to deliver a talk
on confidence. Yeah. I hated myself. I was killing myself
inside and I hated every part about my life. But
(12:39):
it was always just such a show. And I was
driving along the highway and I missed the turn off,
and I tried to correct myself, and in that moment,
I was like, whatever, I could, just hit a concrete ballard,
and I did, and I smashed into a concrete ballard
growing one hundred miles an hour, and then a triple
semi trailer. So a massive truck come and clean me up.
And I was cancust for about three minutes, and then
(13:00):
I woke up. And I remember just rushing out of
the rushing out of my car, running over to the
truck driver, being like, oh my god, are you okay?
He was completely okay. Mentally, probably not. And then I
ran over to the other lady who who was involved
and who accidentally got a little bit clipped on the
side as well, and she was okay. Mentally again probably not.
But it was the first time in my life that
(13:21):
I realized I was like, what life am I living?
I'm putting everyone else else's expectations of me before my own.
And that was just like my biggest wake up to
be like, Nope, you need to change shit.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Brook you changed things in like such an incredibly radical way,
I mean, and what you're doing now, of course, there
is something in this for you in terms of your
own healing journey, but making it about those and for
those who also are struggling with mental health. You're working
with Blue Tree Project. What is this organization? How can
people get involved? And also why was that such an
(13:54):
important one to align yourself with.
Speaker 3 (13:56):
So when I was working FIFO, I would always see
little blue trees pop up and I was like, what
are these blue trees? They instantly just made me happy.
Though as soon as I seen it, I'm like, well,
that's a bit silly to paint a blue tree. And
then I started digging into it and I was like, wow,
this story is incredible. So the CEO can do of
the Blue Tree Project. She lost her brother to suicide
(14:17):
and before he passed away, they went into their parents'
paddock and painted a blue tree. So now she goes
around Australia and delivers mental health talks for STAI trainings
and delivers a lot of resources to our regional and
regional towns and communities. And by seeing a blue tree,
it is just a glimmer of hope and it's a
conversation starter around our mental health. Something so simple. But
(14:39):
I just see that as a woman who's turned her
pain into a purpose as well, and I want to
be able to support and give back in the same
way the Blue Tree has been able to help me
through my dark as the days.
Speaker 2 (14:48):
And you've already been I mean, this is the part
that we think, I don't want to say fascinating. It
is fascinating, but it's very unfortunate. You're already out running
such high profile men that have tried to do or
have done the same thing, but you're just not getting
the same media coverage. And as much as I hate
to say it, there is such a gender disparity still,
and it's I don't quite understand it because I don't
(15:11):
want to say women are better, but you have it harder.
You are running, but you're doing this with periods. You're
doing this with cramps, pms, you're doing this with saw boobs.
I mean, we know most of our audiences female. You
know how debilitating a period can be, not just for
the week that you've got it, for the week before
everything that comes with it. Why do you think that
you are battling getting the kind of media coverage that
(15:34):
men are getting.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
I'm like one hundred and fifty two days into this
run and I still haven't got that part figured out
because I just have no idea why. And people don't
like to talk about mental health, because mental health isn't sexy.
So we actually experimented with some of our content and
now we're doing a lot more Pants Off Friday and
we're injecting. Now it's turned into a lot more joy
and happiness and lightheartedness and I'm having so much fun
(15:55):
with Pants Off Friday. But the reals and analytics has
to to show the reels where I've got no pants
on shows so much more.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Yeah, I mean, you shouldn't have to be running around
with no pants on.
Speaker 3 (16:08):
I don't know how to get attention.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
I'll do it nude, like, Oh, it's funny, but it
makes me so angry.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
Yeah. Yeah, But we did this as just an experiment
to see because like I was putting out, I've been
putting out so much bloody content, just smashing the content.
And then I was like, hey, guys, let's have some
more fun with this. But also I want to try
inject the sexing us into it. And not that we
ever want to sexualize ourselves or anything, but I want
to see if sex sells sex.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Sealth do Yeah, Like, I mean, obviously after this you'll
have all the life is behind you, and we're going
to push this as much as we can and the
time that you have left in this run. But also
there's another part of this, and that is something that
men don't have to face, and that is just the
dangers of being a woman on your own rural roads
running at times that might not feel safe being on
your own. What parameters are you putting in place to
(16:55):
keep yourself safe? And have you had any instances where
you felt like, Okay, this is a bit sketch.
Speaker 3 (17:00):
Yeah, yeah, Actually, in like the last two weeks, it's
been extremely challenging. But this is for this is the
part where I've been stepping more into my truth and
speaking up as well, because if we don't call out
this bullshit behavior, then it just keeps spiraling. And this
bullshit behavior like sexualized comments, remarks everything else actually plays
on females mental health as well. And I mean, this
is why I was in such a spy, this is
(17:21):
why I was battling suicide of ideation. So me and
the crew we stay like ten kilometers within each other.
I have tracking devices on me, I have SOS, I
carry a two way and a radio. However, on the
flip side of all of this, like I have had
so much support from males out here on the highway.
The truck drivers have just been incredible. But back to
(17:42):
like the sexualized comments, it is still such a huge
thing and I'm like, come on austarlier in twenty twenty five,
why the fuck is it still a thing? And we
went into Darwin and this it just irks me so much.
But it also irks me because it was by a
group of males who represent Australia, who signed up to
(18:03):
represent Australia, and Susie, my manager, she was out handing
out stickers about the Run around Australia. The just were
more run around Australia for mental health and one of
them turned our Run around Australia and associated it with
pawn and was like, you girls are just out here
selling yourself. I don't want to have a look at that.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
What is it you mean? This is like a sports team.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
This was a organization who was out playing volleyball doing
their morning exercises and a few of the guys in
that group they made comments about the Australia Run and
turned into port sexualized comments and was just like, we
didn't even want to have a look at that, so
belittling dismissed, belittled, and that just really really just wound
(18:47):
my gears up right. So Sue's come back into our
apartment where we were staying in and she told me
what had happened. And sus was shocked. I could see
it in her face. I could see her draw jops
and I could see that she just wanted to cry.
I was like, Sue's what's happened? And she told me comments.
She told me what had happened in the remarks, and
I was just like, nah, I'm going to go shower.
So I went and showered. I walked back down and
(19:08):
I went back and had a conversation with the person
in charge. And the comment back from the person in charge.
I told him what had happened, and he was just like, oh,
you probably just called him off guard. And I was like,
excuse me, sir. Mental health catches people off guard. And
it's dismissing comments like this that diminishes females mental health
as well. So are you saying that we don't actually matter?
(19:29):
And then I went on about the statistics, went on
about what we're doing and about this run is way
bigger than just running. It's about the just one more conversation,
even if it's an uncomfortable one, and this is what
we need to have right now. So for me to
be able to stand up, speak up and say it
how it was to someone who come across as extremely intimidating,
like my hands were shaking my heart or shaking everything.
(19:49):
But I was like, this needs to be said, and
this needs to be called out because it's that bullshit
behavior that then ripples from one leader into all the
rest of the leaders and all the culture inside this organation.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
And what was his response.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
When I started coming out the statistics around his organization
and stuff. He was very like, more understanding, but it
was just the initial response of shutting it down straight away.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Good on you.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
But I was nahma, yeah, because they're not easy conversations
to have.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
But there are also conversations that no man would ever have.
That's the thing, like, you know, if there was any
other runner who was out there pushing what it is
that they stood for, talking about the fact that they're
running sixty to one hundred kilometers a day, they would
never have to have these conversations. It would never be minimized.
It would only be like, fuck, what a good bloke. Wow,
that's so amazing. What a legend, you know what I mean,
(20:40):
Like the fact that you've been faced with anything, but
that is just truly abysmal.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
Yeah, And in that moment, I just asked myself the
question my mental health suffered from sexual assault and sexual
harassment harder. I remember going to work and I had
panic attacks. And it was the day that I had
a panic attack that I couldn't get off the bucks
that I was just like, you know what if I
don't speak up, what's such doing for the other females
around as well? Yeah, that's why I chose to slow cup.
And in that moment, it took me back to that
(21:06):
moment that I experienced all that, and I was just like,
if I don't speak up and be the change, then
what is this run really for?
Speaker 1 (21:13):
What impact has this had on your body? Because I
can't imagine running back to back marathons every single day
is particularly great for the endurance slash I guess like
the impact it has on the wear and tear on
your body.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
Yeah, it's definitely. I'm definitely going to suffer after this,
and I'm already like I'm going to be bedbound for
two weeks, but I can start slowly now starting to
feel my body getting slower and slower and more fatigued
and tired. It is definitely starting to kick in. However,
the body has adapted really well, like females are designed
to be indurance, like we're designed to go for long distance,
(21:48):
so it has adapted well. But five days out of
the month is absolutely horrendous for me. And today's one
of those days where everything just aches so much more,
everything just feels ten times heavier, and the mind just
feels like giving up. But as those days that I
just I'm like, no, it s only five or six days,
and then the next three weeks will be blis.
Speaker 2 (22:09):
What is harder for you? Mental the mental fatigue and
the mental challenge and like getting yourself to take just
one more step, or physically trying to get your body
to continue. Because I imagine i'd want to say they're
probably on.
Speaker 3 (22:20):
Par they're now starting to get on par. Yeah, and
my shins are starting to get so tender, like any
tiny little knock or anything, or my shins. I'm just
in agony.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
What about your toes? Will you always see runners who
have like no toenails their toes are black, they've got
broken feet like.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
I got, like a I lost the tone of from
Dancing with the Stars. I don't want to, I don't
want to compare myself to your brooke. But we're both
obviously athletes. We are very we're athletes. I did get
a black tone from Dancing with the Stars, just from
the overuse.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:52):
Are you losing toenails?
Speaker 3 (22:54):
Yeah, I'm up to six lost to.
Speaker 2 (22:58):
It makes me scofish.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
Yeah, it's great. Lose them now and then they'll be
grown back in time for when I get home and
I can wear high heels and stuff again.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
And what about your periods? Because uh, you know, we
hear that a lot of endurance athletes or people that
are just really excessively exercising in any capacity lose your period.
Has you're still been regular?
Speaker 3 (23:18):
I'm still around and I'm so grateful for it. Yeah. Yeah,
I am very grateful to still have my period because
I lost my period when I was fourteen and I
didn't get it back until I was twenty four because
I was so Wow, I'm over exercising and under eating.
And this is where it's the importance of if you're
exercising a lot, you need to consume a lot of food,
and the first side of an unhealthy female is pretty
(23:41):
much the period goes. So the fact that I've still
got my period, as much as it's challenging for those
five six days, I celebrate it those five six days
and I just have more compassion for myself. Brook.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
How do you deal with people who are online and
this happens across the board if this is not something
that I think is unique to the experience that you're having,
but people who question the legitimacy of it, people who
question like how is it possible? Or you know, question
how many kilometers it is that you're doing in a day.
How do you, one, I guess, justify or are able
(24:12):
to prove, but also how do you mentally deal with
people who are trying to challenge the things that you've achieved.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
I know that I just don't have to justify myself
to anyone, and if they want to know what it's like,
we'll come out and spend a day with us on
the road. I've never been a Strava person at all,
but at the start of this run there was so
many Straba trolls will like that were coming at us
and stuff and I was like, guys, I'm not going
to start posting on Strava just to please your needs.
That's not the kind of woman I am. We keep
(24:40):
track on Garmen, so if people weren't legitimacy, they can
see on Garmen. And it just depends what the comments are,
like this whole thing of like just ignore the comments.
D I think that's bullshit and that's just enabling more
and more trolls, more and more nasty comments. So yeah,
it just depends on what the comments are, whether I
say something back to her or I just ignore it.
(25:01):
But like being an athlete, being out here, it's not
to say that it doesn't play on my mind, because
sometimes it does. But then I just asked myself the question,
like am I being true to me? Am I being
true to this mission? Yeah? I don't need to explain
myself to anyone else if I don't want to.
Speaker 2 (25:13):
How do you know where you're going?
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Where I'm going?
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Yeah, like like you said it, like logistically you set
out for one hundred kilometers? Wait, are you looking at
a mapp? Are are you like lift your finger in
the wind? Are you looking at a map on your phone?
Speaker 3 (25:28):
Like? Physically?
Speaker 2 (25:28):
How are you navigating Australia.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Coming through the cities was really really bad, and I
had Siri talking to me every step of the way.
She's like, turn right here, turn left here.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
I was so annoying.
Speaker 3 (25:40):
But now that well, on the open road there's literally
one broad just go that way. But there's been a
few times where I've taken the wrong turn and I've
gone etch to ten column it is the wrong way
and that just was not fun.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
Oh my devo because it's ten klometers back.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
How deflating when you're like, all right, I guess I'll
just do an extra bit today, Kellie. Catch up in
terms of the tireder that you're going for. You're going
for the fastest and the youngest woman to run around Australia.
Beyond what that record means for you, what does this
mean for you in order to achieve that, but also
to be able to get recognition for the just one
(26:13):
More movement, but also for the charity. Why is it
so significant to you?
Speaker 3 (26:18):
This whole thing is for me, is all about conversations
over kilometers, and it's how many lives we can impact
with our message and how many lives we can touch
on the run and it. It actually just means absolutely
everything for me purely because every single Australian, every single
individual suffers with mental health at least once in their
lifetime or knows of someone who stuffles with mental health.
(26:40):
So it's not something that we can just be like, nah,
I don't do it, I don't stuffle with it, or
I don't have mental health. It's like, actually, every single
person in Australia, every single person, every single human has
mental health and it's something that affects so many people.
So it means everything. And the ones who say nah,
is not an issue, they're just lying to themselves and
lying to So it absolutely means everything to finish this
(27:03):
mission and to raise the one point four to be
completely honest though, like the dollars is an extra added bonus,
because it's the lives, it's the conversations. It's getting this
in front of the people that matters the most.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
How are you funding this or surviving for I mean,
it's the better part of a year, just shy of
a year that you're dedicating to. Obviously you're not working,
you don't have those huge, big corporate sponsors on board.
Have you been receiving enough outpour from the community or
smaller sponsors to help fund this, or have you just said,
you know what, I'm going to dip into some savings
(27:36):
because this is how important it is.
Speaker 3 (27:38):
Yeah, So long story short. In twenty twenty four, I
sold my house and I've been running my own AIRB
and B business for the last three years, and at
the start of this year, I sold that business to
be able to fund this whole run because I'm like,
my thing is, no one's going to make your dreams
come into reality. You have to do it for yourself.
And if I want to make this dream to run
(27:58):
around Australia reality, I need to do it. I need
to give it every single thing I can and put
every single thing I can into it to make it achieved.
And I'm grateful and I'm very fortunate that selling my
house and selling my business, I'm out here now getting
to save life.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
Who is part of your crew because it isn't just
you out there you're the one running that. There are
you have support people and you said that they're within
ten kilometers most of the time, So who is it
with you?
Speaker 3 (28:25):
I do And I laughed so hard because my support
people have changed a few times over the time, and
we've got Sus So sus is with me, she's my manager.
She's managing everything from communications to logistics to where we're camping,
to food and all that. And right now we've got Grace,
So Grace actually come on board to be a full
time content creator. But now Grace is being dumped into
(28:46):
toe the caravan and do the cooking, do the cleaning
because we lost one of our team members two weeks back.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
Yes, he had some family personal stuff on at home,
so we had to fly him out. But now it's
just us three girls getting it done. And if anyone
the GiB River, it's a massive six hundred and sixty
kilometers worth of corrugated road and we're going to tackle
that in the weeks to come. So that's just gonna
be hilarious.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
Also for anyone who's a runner, I mean, I'm not
sure if this is something that you've had like other
runners joining you on this. Are they coming and doing
like you know, whether it's five kilometers, ten kilometers, twenty kilometers,
Are people at different towns joining you at different points?
And has that been something that's been beneficial for you?
Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yeah, it's been incredible. So whatever town we're close by,
we'll post in our channel Instagram channel will put on
our stories where we are and I'll be like in
the middle of nowhere and then a runner will just
come join me and it just lifts my spirits, it
helps carry me and it actually helps me go faster too.
So we're definitely having so many runners come join with us,
and especially when we're finished in Perth, we're inviting the
(29:49):
whole of Perth to come round with us.
Speaker 2 (29:51):
So, Brook, your aim is one point four million dollars.
How much have you raised now and what have we
got to do to get you there?
Speaker 3 (29:57):
Yes, the aim is one point four million dollars and
we've raised one hundred and fifty thousand dollars already, which
I'm extremely grateful for every Australian digging into their pocket
or twelve hundred Australians digging into their pocket. We need
one million Australians digging into their pocket and donating one dollar.
It's one dollar, yeah, one dollar is nothing, Well, one
(30:17):
dollars is nothing, but is everything. So just give a
dollar or skip out on the coffee for one day
and donate that five dollars and then you'll cover five
diar fronts. Brook.
Speaker 1 (30:27):
You should be so incredibly proud of yourself. We are
absolutely like we said, we'll push this on socials. We
will make sure that all the life is know. But
also for anyone who's in our community who is a runner,
who wants to join you or wants to show their
support and run alongside you, where can they find you?
Where can they figure out where you are at different
points of the run. Your social media is all of
(30:48):
that stuff so that people can get behind it.
Speaker 3 (30:49):
Yeah, so we post a lot on Instagram and Facebook
and it's Brooke Macintosh double Underscore or if you google
just one more Brook, that's where you can see our
live map where we've been, where we're coming to next,
and wa, what's definitely coming into Wi next and then
Australia will be done. So if you're in Melbourne, Sydney,
I'm sorry with Misterill.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
That perfect coming for you.
Speaker 2 (31:09):
Yeah, you're incredible, Thank you so much for joining us today.
You're a true inspiration and for I mean a multitude
of reasons, but just hearing you tell your story about
the place that you were in before and how low
you were and what your life looked like from age
thirteen to now, I think might be the reminder a
lot of people need that you are in control of
(31:30):
your own destiny in a way, or maybe not even
your destiny, but you just said it then too. No
one's gonna just like waltz in and hand something to
you and make your dreams come true. But with a
bit of determination and grit and active choice, you can
really do anything. So you're just I mean, I'm so impressed.
I've actually just I just think about when you really
think about what you're doing, it is truly mind blowing
(31:52):
and the reasons you're doing it for, and you should
just be so proud. And I'm so sorry you don't
feel like you've gotten the support that you need from Australia.
It's really disappointing, especially when you look off the back
of the publicity that some men have received recently, and
it's just I wish we weren't there, but we are.
But I want you to know that we're all rooting
for you.
Speaker 3 (32:11):
We're all behind you. Thank you so much. Yeah, the
support and the local towns and the country is coming
out and supporting that way. It just means the world.
So whoever supports I'm extremely grateful for that. And yeah,
nothing's just going to be given up to us in life.
We've got to go out and be the change and
create the change.
Popular Podcasts
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!