Share with us your thoughts What happens when you stop asking "where should I live?" and start asking "who wants to go for a swim?" A drowning cow in the River Thames. A thousand miles on foot along a fence in the Australian outback. Roller skating to Bude in a nude suit, because it rhymed. And a two-week cycle to Scotland that somehow turned into six months of swimming with strangers, from the most northern beach in Shetland to the Isles of Scilly. In this episode of the VOOM Performance Podcast, adventurer, author and "urban mermaid" Lindsey Cole joins Mel Berry to talk through a life of curious, purpose-driven adventures, and the new book that came out of the most unexpected one of all: Swimming with Strangers. This is a warm, funny and deeply honest conversation about what drives someone to keep saying yes. Lindsey talks openly about losing her dad while backpacking in Australia, and how a triathlon became her way of finding a path through grief. She shares the story of retracing the 1931 journey of Molly, Daisy and Gracie along the Rabbit-Proof Fence, meeting Daisy at 96, and being welcomed in by Molly's family at Jigalong. She explains how a sting from a piece of plastic while freediving in Bali led to swimming around 120 miles of the Thames in a mermaid tail in November, living on ginger nut biscuits, and how one viral newspaper headline about a rescued cow opened the door to a whole community of wild swimmers across Britain and Ireland. Along the way she covers her four Ironman-distance races, how she coaches nervous swimmers back to basics, why she's "the worst person to ask about nutrition", and an impulsive trip to Miami for the 2026 World Cup in the middle of IVF. Lindsey is an adventurer, author, cold-water swimmer and environmental campaigner based near Bristol. She has cycled to the World Cup in South Africa, walked the Rabbit-Proof Fence, circumnavigated Australia with truck drivers and swum the length of the Thames as a mermaid to highlight plastic pollution. She is the author and illustrator of the children's books The Mermaid and the Cow and The Mermaid, the Otter and the Big Poo, and Swimming with Strangers is her first book for adults. Whether you're dreaming up your first adventure, nervous about getting into open water, or just looking for a reminder of how much kindness there is out there, this episode has something for you. In this episode you'll learn How Lindsey went from TV sports broadcasting to full-time adventurer, and why her first triathlon became a turning point after losing her dadWhy every adventure needs a purpose, from investigating hamburgers on roller skates to raising money for the British Heart FoundationThe story behind walking 1,000 miles of the Rabbit-Proof Fence in 2016, and what it meant to meet Daisy and Molly's family at JigalongHow a piece of plastic in the Indian Ocean led to swimming the Thames in a mermaid tail in six-degree water, and why monofin swimming is so tough on the bodyHow rescuing a drowning cow outside Oxford went viral and turned into six months of cycling and swimming with strangers across Britain and IrelandWhat "home" means when you've spent years on the move, and the communities that made cold water feel like belongingLindsey's back-to-basics approach to coaching nervous swimmers: push off like a rocket and learn to love being streamlinedHonest fuelling lessons from Ironman Nice, multi-day swims and why ginger nut biscuits (and passion fruit cheesecake) earn their placeWhy you should listen It's easy to look at Lindsey's list of adventures and assume she's fearless, organised and endlessly confident. She's the first to say she isn't. What comes through in this conversation is someone who feels everything deeply, who says yes before she's worked out how, and who keeps finding that ordinary people are kinder than we give them credit for. Her mantra, that you'll never know if you don't give it a go, is a nudge for anyone sitting on an idea they've been too nervous to start. If you're interested in wild swimming, adventure, cold water communities, grief and resilience, or just want an hour of brilliant storytelling, this is an episode you won't want to miss. If you enjoy this episode of the VOOM Performance Podcast, please subscribe, leave us a review and share it with someone who would love Lindsey's story. Resources & Links Learn More About VOOM Nutrition VOOM Nutrition creates science-backed sports nutrition products designed for endurance athletes, helping support energy, hydration, recovery, and performance across training and racing. Explore the full range of products at: https://www.voomnutrition.co.uk/ Whether you're training for your next ultra, marathon, sportive or open water swim, Voom Nutrition helps you fuel smarter so you can perform at your best. About Lindsey Cole https://www.instagram.com/stompycole/ Lindsey Cole is an adventurer, author, cold-water swimmer and environmental campaigner. Her journeys include cycling to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, walking 1,000 miles along Australia's Rabbit-Proof Fence, circumnavigating Australia with truck drivers, roller skating to Paris and to Bude, and swimming the length of the River Thames as a mermaid to highlight plastic pollution, rescuing a drowning cow along the way. A former TV sports journalist with a master's in journalism, Lindsey now writes and illustrates environmental mermaid picture books, runs storytelling and environmental workshops in schools, and coaches swimming. She can usually be found in Clevedon Marine Lake, near her home in Bristol. Swimming with Strangers https://www.adventurebooks.com/products/swimming-with-strangers Lindsey's first book for adults is out in paperback on 5 November 2026 from Vertebrate Publishing (£14.95). It picks up where the Thames swim left off. With her last single friend newly engaged and no idea where to settle, Lindsey started getting messages from strangers who'd seen the "Mermaid Saves Drowning Cow" headline, offering her a swim and a bed for the night. So she set off from Devon on her bike, heading for the inaugural Scottish Winter Swimming Championships and staying with swimmers along the way. It was meant to take two weeks. Six months and thousands of miles later, she had followed invitation after invitation through Mallaig, the Isle of Harris, Orkney and Shetland, then all the way south to the Isles of Scilly, swimming in rivers, lochs, lidos and seas with people she'd never met. Warm, funny and uplifting, it's a celebration of wild swimming, ordinary kindness and the communities that make Britain's cold water feel like home. Lindsey is aiming for the Sunday Times bestseller list, and launch-week sales count most, so if you'd like a copy, order it from your local bookshop or Amazon around publication day. Amazon: https://amzn.to/4yt5J4F Waterstones: https://bit.ly/4dG5D23 Bookshop.org: https://bit.ly/4incWhG Lindsey's website https://www.lindseycole.co.uk Adventures, talks, school visits and Lindsey's children's books, The Mermaid and the Cow and The Mermaid, the Otter and the Big Poo. About Robyn Davidson https://australian.museum/about/history/exhibitions/trailblazers/robyn-davidson/ Asked which adventurer she'd most like to bring into the conversation, Lindsey chose Robyn Davidson. In 1977, aged 27, Robyn walked around 1,700 miles (2,700km) alone from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean with four camels and her dog, Diggity. Her account of the journey, Tracks, became a bestseller and was adapted into a 2013 film starring Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver. Lindsey sees a kindred spirit in her: someone comfortable being alone in the desert, who notices more of its magic because of it. If Lindsey's Rabbit-Proof Fence story grabbed you, Tracks is the natural next read. Mentioned in this episode Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara, Molly's daughter: the book Lindsey carried with her along the fenceTracks by Robyn DavidsonProfessor Greg Whyte's swim of the River ThamesListen & Subscribe If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to: ⭐ Follow the VOOM Performance Podcast ⭐ Leave us a review ⭐ Share this episode with a training partner or teammate Every review helps us bring more expert conversations to the endurance community. Connect with VOOM Website: https://www.voomnutrition.co.uk/ Instagram: @voomnutrition Facebook: VOOM Nutrition
