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October 19, 2024 15 mins
Join us in an inspiring conversation with Linzi Churchill as she shares her extraordinary adventure of through-hiking the 7,000-mile perimeter of Great Britain.

Over the course of 298 days, Linzi undertook this incredible journey to raise awareness and funds for mental health support organizations MIND and National Trails. Her trek included completing the equivalent of 169 marathons and climbing elevations matching 12 Everest summits, all driven by her personal connection to these vital causes.

In this podcast, Linzi opens up about how nature became a sanctuary after experiencing family losses during the COVID pandemic. Embracing outdoor challenges transformed her life, culminating in the creation of the Lindsay Walk Challenge, which earned a place in the Guinness World Records. 

Linzi emphasizes the profound impact this journey had on her mental health and underscores the therapeutic power of nature and creativity in overcoming depression and addiction. Listen as she reflects on the significance of outdoor exploration and shares her gratitude for the community’s unwavering support in promoting mental well-being. Linzi also teases the possibility of writing a book about her transformative experiences. 

Don’t miss this heartfelt conversation that highlights the importance of mental health awareness and the healing potential of the great outdoors. 🔗

Links: Donate to MIND: [https://www.mind.org.uk/donate/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsc24BhDPARIsAFXqAB0q62XlYEVRjiCeOp5itglLwtrmsFPaXSq3Ox23KJ-1ibW_1Amb_xIaArtOEALw_wcB]

Support National Trails: [https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/en_GB/contact/]

Follow Linzi’s Journey: [https://www.linziwalks.com/tracker] 💬 

Join the Conversation: Share your thoughts and experiences with outdoor challenges and mental health in the comments below. Let’s support each other in embracing nature and promoting mental well-being. hashtag#outdoors hashtag#adventure hashtag#wellness hashtag#wellbeing hashtag#mentalhealthawareness hashtag#backpacker hashtag#instagram hashtag#nature hashtag#linziwalksgb2024 hashtag#adventure hashtag#together hashtag#smile hashtag#map hashtag#greatbritain hashtag#challenge hashtag#dunnethead
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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Hi there.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
My name is Jill Tiny I'm from Collaboration Global and
this is our podcast, Being Human Hidden Depths. I'm going
to be interviewing some of our members from Collaboration Global,
and they're going to be sharing with you their extraordinary lives.
Although they would probably believe they're just normal, everyday, average humans,
but they are extraordinary. Like you and me, we all

(00:31):
have our story to tell. We've all been through difficult
times and we've come out at the other end having
learned an extraordinary amount about ourselves that we can share
with others. So I think you'll find lots of things
that will resonate with where you've been in your journey
as well. I look forward to seeing you on the
other side.

Speaker 1 (00:55):
Hi, everything out there. Let me just get rid of
that off the screen.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Okay, So we are recording now. This is going live
as I speak to the amazing Lindsey Churchill. We're recording
this for the World Mental Health Forum Summit, but also
for everyone within Collaboration Global, as we are partnering with
the World Mental Health Forum to create this summit for

(01:22):
this week. The reason I'm asking this, ladies, I've been
stalking her for probably the last I know three months,
six months over the summer, kind of jealous that I'm
not on the journey with her, and also sometimes very
glad I'm not so. Lindsay has set herself a challenge
like no other. Lindsay, tell us what crazy thing are

(01:45):
you doing at the moment?

Speaker 1 (01:47):
Mitterely Hello, Jill, thank you very much for having me
on here, Dary welcome. I decided that as of the
first of March, I would start through hiking, which means
to continue usle hike around Great Britain the perimeter of
our coastline, which totals an estimated seven thousand miles, and

(02:09):
I will finish on the twenty third of December this year,
which will be a total of two hundred and ninety
eight days hiking with nature non stop and an amazing
amount of beautiful souls that I meet every single day. Well,
that's what I'm doing, Jildren.

Speaker 2 (02:30):
Now you know why I say she's crazy, ladies, But
the stats blowing my mind? How many? You know, how
many marathons have you done so far?

Speaker 1 (02:40):
I've now done I think it's one hundred and sixty nine. Yeah,
one hundred and sixty nine, and I'm currently at the
equivalent of doing twelve everest, summitting them and coming back
down them again.

Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, I'm told that's a harget coming down, so Lesia
not having to do all of that coming down a bit.
But you've had some hills to climb.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
A lot of hills. In fact, that is probably one
of the most challenging and the elements. When I was
doing the South West Coast Path on one particular day,
I reached seven thousand elevation throughout that entire day, which
is the most I've done ye in one hit. The

(03:28):
most miles that I've done so far with nature in
one day is forty five miles. But to help raise
funds and awareness for mind which I'm doing it for
mental health, which help support people with their mental health.
For me, I believe every single one of us at

(03:48):
some point in our lives will need support with this.
Whatever that might be a minder. Their twenty four to
seven for you to talk to email however that best
suits you to get that support. I'm also doing it
for National Trails. Now, these guys are quiet warriors in

(04:09):
my eyes. They look after six thousand miles for us
to trail blaze along. They spend a lot of time,
sometimes fighting legal battles on our behalf that we have
no idea of taking place, just to protect and preserve
our natural trails throughout the UK.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
Yes, so so amazing causes and thank you. I just
I mean both very close to my heart for very
different reasons. But where did the idea? Who planted the seed?
Funny talking about nature? Who planted the seed for you?
What was happened? What was the catalyst that got you

(04:52):
doing this amazing thing.

Speaker 1 (04:55):
There's a couple of things in my own life. One,
I've always I was born up very much within nature anyway,
so it's been a place where I've been able to
discover myself, my skill sets, and feel happy and be
the best version I can be. But during COVID, I

(05:15):
lost some family members and that was a catalyst for
me to start walking more with nature, and that healing
process in itself was bloody incredible. And I also thought, right,
this bucket list that I have, I'm now turning this
into my livid now list. So for the past five years, anything,

(05:41):
any challenge that came up in my mind that was
to do with nature, I've gone out and conquered it basically,
So this one I did the Camino that was that
was five hundred and twenty seven miles. I did that
over to twenty seven days and it was the most

(06:05):
incredible experience. I everyone you meet from all over the world,
they're all on it for different reasons, but you've got
this shared purpose and meaning for why you're doing it.
And I got to the end of those twenty seven
days and said to myself, I feel so happy, so

(06:28):
content Yet life is so simple, So how do I
continue living like this and helping other people find this
sense of happiness and contentment and purpose, which then led
to me coming up with the Lindsey Walks challenge of
six thousand miles.

Speaker 2 (06:49):
Just a little thing, you know, just like really old
lundred and then just you know, treble it and trouble
it and add another number on the end. Incredible, But
also you've managed to get the Guinness World Records to
kind of follow what you're doing, haven't you.

Speaker 1 (07:04):
Well I applied back in twenty twenty three, so I
applied to them saying, well, I'd like to be the
first woman to walk Great Britain recorded with an app
not taking any fairies, and I can only cross an
estuary if there is a public foot path. Initially they

(07:26):
rejected this. I naturally went back and I said, could
I ask why you've rejected it? And how can I
now you know, how can we pursue this so that
it becomes a Guinness World Record? So they said, look,
we would need a map because at the moment, no
one's ever done it before, so we need to make

(07:47):
this measurable. So that's fine. I had a map anyway,
I've mapped it all out. They wanted daily routes, so
I sent them the GPX files for these, and then
this challenge began within six to eight weeks. They then said,
because I'm dropping it into a drop box for them
to review, they said, your route is slightly changing Lin's.

(08:11):
You know one day that what you've given us, and
I said it will because this cliff face has fallen
off helps the picture that the government says I cannot
go this way, I must go this way. So they
then suggested that come the end of this hike, this

(08:32):
will become whatever I walk that will now become the
official mapped route, which then they verify, which then becomes
the route for someone else to be And you know what,
I really hope that they come out in their hundreds
to do that, because for me, this is about inspiring

(08:53):
people to get outdoors. So if this helps someone think
I'm going to go and I'm going to go and
see if I can beat that, or if someone looks
at the section and says, oh wow, she did that day,
I'm going to go and do that day, then for me,
that's that's a win win. I do have obviously, as
you know, I have my live beacon, so I will

(09:16):
do this. It's like it's almost like I have a
flashy thing. So I have a live beacon. So every
if you go on to my website Lindsey Walks, l
I n zi Walks dot com. On the main page
there is a map and as I walk, that beacon

(09:37):
switches on and you can follow me, which which now
I've probably had nearly over three hundred people now join me.
So people walk up using that yeah map on my
website and say lindsay, I'm not stalking you, but can
I come and walk with you?

Speaker 2 (09:58):
Man?

Speaker 1 (09:58):
That is exactly what that is there, So it's it's working.
Please come on the stalk and walk with me. I
probably shouldn't.

Speaker 2 (10:06):
Say that, but there are on the same side just
come and have a little stroll along the path. And
some of the images that you've sent over and some
of the videos that you've sent Are you going to
do a book? What's going to happen after this? Are
you going to collate all this wonderful information. I think
you should have a coffee table book so we can
turn over and go, oh, I'm going to go there

(10:27):
one day.

Speaker 1 (10:28):
You know, I was asked before I started this, are
you're going to write a book? And my answer was
a flat out no, okay, And then doing this journey,
living it, breathing it, and the newness of every single day,
every single day is so different and gifts me with
so many different things that processing that it almost doesn't

(10:53):
occur at this moment in time because everything is happening
in the now.

Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yes, so yeah, I'll.

Speaker 1 (11:02):
Come back to you when you finel come back to me. Yeah,
I'll give back tweek.

Speaker 2 (11:05):
Off and then we find out how we're going to
do the book. All right, that will be cool because
I want to read this book. I'm sorry, but you
know you're going to have to pull your finger out
and get that done too. I mean, just walking around
the coast, that's a holiday. Still my mind is blown
by what you're doing, But also what fills my heart
with joy is why you're doing it, and this letting
people know about the trails, and so we keep them

(11:26):
open and we keep them sacrosancts because they are so
so special. But also for Mind as a charity, it
needs all the help it can get because more and
more people every single year we know are have been
suffering from mental ill health. And it should be the
same access to support as if you break your arm.

(11:47):
We know what happens when you break your arm. You
go in, you get X rayed, you get a plaster,
you come away so many weeks till you're feeling better,
and then you get on. Then you got physio, and
you've got all these things in place where if you're
suffering a panic attack and anxiety, where do you go?
What do you do? And GP equates in my head
to tablets and prescription. But what you're offering is joy.

(12:11):
Now you're not necessarily going to go from deep depression
bang to joy. No, but no, no, you've got you've
got a pathway to get there.

Speaker 1 (12:19):
I have very I have loved ones that have suffered
from addiction and depression in their life, and it's one
of my biggest motivations that're taking them out within nature.
Whether that's we're sitting strumming on a guitar, singing a song,
painting a picture, it doesn't have to be walking or dancing.

(12:41):
How that transforms them their mindset and their feelings at
that moment in time. That might be temporary, but it
does have a long lasting effect on their mindset and
their thinking process when that's done regularly in their lives.

Speaker 2 (12:57):
So yeah, absolutely, And then when that moment has passed,
you can still plug into that. A few days later,
you can you can remember it. If ever I'm down,
I go to the coast and to see that sea
kind of ser breathe in and breathe out. It fills
me with Okay, I can do this. It might be
a problem back over there, but now I've got this energy,

(13:17):
I can go home and deal with it. And then
two days, three days later, I'm like, oh, it's raining,
it's miserable, and that's sick. I can still smell it,
I can still feel that energy, and you just pulls
you that little bit up. So thank you for what
you're doing. Thousands of people that are following you. Thank
you so much for the mission that you have, for

(13:38):
the purpose that you have, for the people that you
want to support along the way. I just want to
say a little thank you from me that comes from
everybody else that's going to be listening to this little
Wherever we put this, whether it ends up as a
podcast or further afield, who knows, But I just want
to say thank you for all that you do. I
think you're an incredible lady and good likewise and the

(13:59):
rest of it. Because we come into winter now, so.

Speaker 1 (14:01):
Oh yes, three months along the east coast peak.

Speaker 2 (14:05):
Oh, it's going to be a bit nippy, but you'll
be fine. You'll be fine. I'll send the sunshiner. If
you see the sunshining, you'll scent it. That's what I
just here. It's coming earlier.

Speaker 1 (14:16):
Give the caravan.

Speaker 2 (14:18):
Oh, yes, how lovely you've had so many people buy
your coffee, by your lunch. Give you a room for
the night. That feels my heart with joy as well. Good.

Speaker 1 (14:26):
Yeah, a lot of kindness in this world, yea, there is.

Speaker 2 (14:31):
And on that note, I'm going to say thank you
so much. We will share this out with anyone that
wants to watch it anywhere we can put it, and
hopefully we'll do a longer version of a proper podcast
and dig a little bit more into who Lindsay is
as well, because you're crazy and wonderful and I love
you to pieces. Thank you for being there, Thank you,
thank you so so much.
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