Stay Wild Women - SOPHIE GRACE HOLMES

As a brand we are constantly inspired by and in awe of the wonderful women in our community, the women who support us, the women who model for us, the women who wear our swimwear. So we decided to capture these wonderful women on film camera and share some of their stories with you. We hope you fall in love with them all as much as we did 🌊

Tell us a little about you,

My journey has been a little different to most being born with a life threatening lung disease - Cystic Fibrosis, meant i was always being told I could not achieve anything in life because I was dying - with life expectancy being thrown around like a toy I decided that I wasn’t going to conform and I was going to defy the odds - to make the impossible possible, to live limitless and past 16, 20, 30 - I do this via Ultra Endurance Events.
My outlook on life is a unique - you must have the courage to seek your own adventure in life and live it on your own terms - being brave and bold with life is important to me - we live everyday, lets all start acting that way and simply by taking actions and pushing limits Ive been able to change not only my own life but the perceptions that can sit around CF - especially being a personal trainer, athlete and online coach I can now directly impact the lives of others for the better which is the ultimate goal.

You have documented your life with Cystic Fibrosis so openly and in such a raw honest way so thank you. How have you found opening up and talking about everything you went through online? 

I think being open in the face of adversity is so important, not only for self acceptance of circumstance to be able to evolve but also with the view that my story could help others, even save a life by simply inspiring and providing hope - the never giving up attitude.  I am an open person so i find it easy to be able to but also for me its actually helped me set my own expectations and intentions - accountability to ensure i practise what I preach.  

You have done some incredible challenges and tested yourself mentally and physically - can you tell us a little more about them and what inspires you to do these challenges?

I am inspired by human capability, performance and simply pushing our own limits mentally and physically to see what we can do especially living with Cystic Fibrosis - we are all capable to achieve the extraordinary - for me this is via ultra endurance events.  I have summited a number of mountains including mount Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc, Himalayas, Grand Paradiso alongside an 100km ultra marathon, conquering the length of Britain on my bike from Lands End, Cornwall to John O’Groats, Scotland adding up to 1000miles as well as other various races.

Why do you think community and supporting each other is so important?

I believe that by supporting each other we can all achieve more - there is room for everyone to succeed and by clapping each others success we will only become ore successful and ultimately more fulfilled and we can then help others more. The world then just becomes a better place.

We loved shooting with you - why did you want to be part of our shoot and community? 

I love the ethos behind Stay Wild, the sustainability, I also love the ocean and a girl cannot have too many bikinis - I love to support others businesses especially friends who I know have worked so hard to make the change the world needs to see.

At Stay Wild we are passionate about the planet and creating a more sustainable way of doing things. Can you describe what the planet and sustainability means to you?

 
For me, planet and sustainability is about protecting and preserving the world we live in via the choices we make everyday - we can all only do our best whether it be from what we eat, where we source clothes from to doing out bit in nature and picking up litter. if we all did at least one thing the planet would be 7 billion + times better. we have to look after the world we live in as we all love to explore beautiful beaches, countryside, woodland and if we love it so much we should also be giving back as much as possible.

What was your favourite Stay Wild piece and why?

My favourite is the Sierra Bikini - I love the colours and the versatility - you can tie tip at the back or front so it’s like having to bikinis in one and I would definitely also wear with an outfit.

What’s next for Sophie?

The next challenge is Ironman, Austria, July 2020 - it’s going to be one incredible journey!

Follow Sophie on Instagram: @sophiegraceholmes