MEET THE CHALLENGERS
SIOBHAN STIRLING
Founder
Mother, writer, business woman, avid walker and evangelical mid-life runner, Siobhan came up with the idea of 50 Challenges after emerging from the Foul Forties stronger – physically and mentally – than at any other time of her life.
For a while, it was no more than a personal ambition, until she realised that her friends and peers were either in the same place, or in need of a new definition and identity for the next chapter of their lives, when the best decades are still to come.
ISLAY O'HARA
Marketing Expert
Islay O’Hara is a seasoned PR and marketing pro, who’s covered everything from new launches to educational campaigns.
When I am not devising new personal challenges such as walking the South Downs Way or climbing Mt Snowden, my favourite things to do are to wind down with family and friends over a great meal, read a book and practice yoga.
FLORENTIA ANASTASIOU
Fitness & Nutrition Expert
A qualified personal trainer, body builder and keen footballer, Flo helps her clients achieve and exceed their goals, providing expert fitness, nutrition and mindset coaching on a one-to-one or collaborative basis.
She is working with 50 Challenges initially to help our founder Siobhan to achieve her endurance challenges across her 50s, starting with overcoming an ankle injury to launch 50 Challenges at the New York Marathon, November 2017. Flo has a BSc (Hons) degree in Sports Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention from Middlesex University – and she drives herself harder than any of her clients!
LISA BEAUMONT
Challenger
Mother, stroke survivor, poet, fighter, creative thinker, marketing practitioner, Catholic – Lisa’s challenges are as unique as she is. Rebuilding her life after a debilitating stroke six years ago, her first challenge was to walk into her 50th birthday party unaided. After that she aims to have a poem published, earn her own income again and recover some movement in her left arm.
Why is she taking part in 50 Challenges? "Because setting goals has become even more of an integral part of my life since I suffered and survived a life-threatening brain haemorrhage when aged 44. 50 Challenges is about celebrating life, which is something that I do every day."
KAREN SPARROW
Challenger
I tend to re-evaluate my life every 10 years, moving jobs, taking stock. So I have moved from High Street optometrist, to optometry trainer and mentor, to volunteering in Africa, to helping to reduce global blindness.
The decade of my 50s is going to be memorable for many reasons. 50 challenges will allow me to make progress towards my hopes and dreams for the next ten years. The next decade will define me in unique ways. It is part of my journey, part of my adventure!
SUE PEMBERTON
Challenger
As a mother, partner and professional pensions adviser, turning 50 has been a very positive experience for me. I didn't want to let the next decade pass without making the absolute most of my time.
I set my own 50 challenges before I met Siobhan and set out to complete them in a year. They have been a combination of indulgences, new experiences and a few to help others, and I now see them as a spring board to the next stage in my life. I hope my enthusiasm to make the most of every experience life can throw at me can inspire other people to feel positive and set their own challenges.