Freestyle Media
Weekly podcasts, all for the sport we love.
Episodes
199 episodes
#198: The Sets We Never Forget
Julie and Helen ease into Julie's first episode as co-host by doing something a bit different. They turn the mic on themselves and swap the training sets that never left them: the ones scrawled on a whiteboard years ago that somehow still live ...
#197: National Open Water & Exciting News with Alex Thurston & Julie Howe
We’re celebrating four years of the Freestyle Media podcast with some exciting news! Woking’s Julie Howe joins the podcast team as a regular presenter. Find out what she’ll bring to the show and what listeners can look forward to.Helen i...
#196: European Masters Preview with Craig Ward & Vicki Payne
Craig Ward and Vicki Payne join Helen Gorman to preview the pool swimming events at the European Masters Championships in Slovakia. From race goals to relays, travel and the excitement of competing against Europe’s best, they share ...
#195: Shark Bite to Oceans Seven: Paul Leonard’s Extraordinary Journey
Paul Leonard shares the extraordinary story of becoming only the 44th person ever to complete the Oceans Seven challenge. From surviving a shark bite during his Molokai Channel attempt to returning a year later to finish the swim, Paul reveals ...
#194: What Is SIPE? Henry Goodlud’s Story & Woking’s World-Record Formula
Woking Swimming Club’s Henry Goodlud joins the podcast to share his experience of developing Swimming-Induced Pulmonary Edema (SIPE), a potentially serious condition that forced him out of the water just weeks before the British Masters Champio...
#193: In My Father’s Lane: Adam Wilkie’s Incredible Challenge
Adam Wilkie is taking on one of the boldest challenges in swimming. Nearly 50 years after his father, Olympic champion David Wilkie, won gold and set a world record in the 200m breaststroke at the 1976 Olympics, Adam is attempting to match that...
#192: MS Won’t Stop me Swimming with Nicci Beynon
Masters swimmer Nicola (Nicci) Beynon shares her journey of balancing sport, career and family life while living with multiple sclerosis.Nicci talks about resilience, adapting to challenges and the role swimming continues to play in her ...
#191: Aberdeen 2026: Records, Revelry & Masters Magic
World records, epic performances, travel tails and pornstar martinis…Olly Espinasse (Basingstoke Bluefins) and Molly James (Trafford Metro) join Helen Gorman to break down the biggest moments from the 2026 British Masters Championships i...
#190: Inside 20+ Years of Swimming Journalism with Liz Byrnes
We’re joined by respected swimming journalist Liz Byrnes, who has spent more than two decades at the heart of the sport covering Olympic Games, World Championships and some of swimming’s biggest moments.From the super-suit era and Duncan...
#189: Aberdeen Awaits: Previewing British Masters 2026 with Charlie Harris
Join Charlie Harris and Helen Gorman for a preview of the 2026 British Masters Championships in Aberdeen.As the host of Scottish Swimming’s Aqua Pod and a member of their media and marketing team, Charlie brings a unique insider perspect...
#188: Sam Lawman's Pre-Race Routines That Work
In this episode, super sprinter and sports scientist Sam Lawman lays out exactly how to nail the final 30 minutes before you step onto the blocks. From smart priming techniques to mental cues and race-ready routines, Sam shares prac...
#187: Jo Corben’s Training Camp Tales
Back from a week training with Trojan SC in the Lanzarote sunshine, masters world record holders Helen Gorman and Jo Corben discuss everything from tough morning sets to celebrity selfies, sightseeing and cheese.The pair discuss why Lanz...
#186: Nicola Charlesworth on Masters Swimming, Deaflympics and Determination
Nicola Charlesworth shares her remarkable journey as a deaf swimmer, her return to the pool after a 17-year break, and the record-breaking performances that have made her a name to look out for in masters swimming.Her path back to succes...
#185: Swimming Pool to Sofa: Rehab Reality with Chris Malpass
Trafford Metro’s Chris Malpass chats about life in the early stages of recovery from knee surgery. Confined to the sofa rather than the pool, he shares the realities of rehab, adapting training, and the mental resilience needed to stay motivate...
#184: Racing Through Olympic History
Join Olympic medallist and coach Brian Brinkley for a trip back to one of the most turbulent eras in sport.From the shadow of the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics to the podium highs of 1976 Summer Olympics, Brian shares what ...
#183: Masters Making Waves at Aquatics GB Championships
Helen Gorman catches up with masters swimmer John Wood following his standout performances at the Aquatics GB Championships in London, where racing shoulder-to-shoulder with the country’s elite pushed him to a lifetime best in the 100m butterfl...
#182: The Science of Altitude Training & Elite Insights from Mike Peyrebrune
Mike Peyrebrune, coach and sports scientist at Loughborough University, joins us to share expert insight into altitude training and warm weather camps. Drawing on his experience working with Olympic swimmers, Mike explains how elite athletes us...
#181: Inside the British Masters Decathlon
We sit down with 2025 British Masters Decathlon champions Michelle Ware and Mike Hodgson to unpack one of swimming’s most intriguing competitions.They break down what the Decathlon actually is, how it works, and how any masters swimmer c...
#180: From Tradition to 20.88: A New Way to Train?
We discuss the radical training behind the fastest man in the world. Sonny Trigg shares what he learned from spending time in Brisbane with Cameron McEvoy.Fresh from witnessing the build-up to McEvoy’s world record-breaking 50m freestyle...
#179: Siân Clement and the Art of Extreme Swimming
Meet Siân Clement, an intrepid open water and ice swimmer dividing her time between South Wales and Orkney and rarely choosing the easy path.In this episode, we learn about her remarkable journey from swimming alongside penguins in Antar...
#178: The Art of the Taper
Jamie Ingram joins us Helen Gorman to discuss his tapering strategy ahead of the Aquatics GB Swimming Championships this April. He’s one of Britain’s top butterfly swimmers and a Commonwealth Games medallist from 2022. Jamie explain...
#177: Can Baking Soda Make You Faster?
This week we dive into the science of lactate, that familiar burning sensation you feel in the closing stages of a hard race, and explore why bicarbonate of soda – baking powder – is being used by elite athletes to slow down lactate acid produc...
#176: From Olympic Heartbreak to King of the Channel
Michael Read MBE is a legend of British swimming. He has spent more than six decades pushing the limits of endurance in the water. Selected for the 1960 Olympic team before an accident ended that dream, he went on to carve out an extraordinary ...