What an honour it was to chat to Queen of the Turf @michellejpayne_ – the incredible sportswoman, role model for our young girls and all round top chick, now the centre of a major film, directed by Rachel Griffiths, Ride Like A Girl. This extraordinary woman changed the identity of a nation when she was the first female to ride to victory in its 150 year history! A story of resilience, passion, determination and self belief. And more than that the story of family. Read her book! See her film! Watch her ride! It will stir your heart and give you courage
Forget the Kardashians and other Love Island evictees that saturate social media. This girl is everything I want my girls to aspire to be: Hardworking, talented, determined, humble and to persevere when life’s tough times get you down.
We often talk about #resilience and finding our #spark in schools and this amazing woman is just the living embodiment of that. She’s overcome more than most of us could imagine, been dealt some terrible cards (her mother passed when she was six months old and still breastfeeding her and her dad raised her and nine siblings alone) and yet she’s come out on top. More than that she changed the identity of a nation and did more for women living in a blokes world in one post-race sentence than most of us could dream of doing in a lifetime.
