At just 8 weeks old Naomi was diagnosed with a condition which meant she could not see colour and was extremely sensitive to light. She faced bullying at school affecting her self-confidence. Her love for rowing developed at University leading to Naomi winning six World Championship titles, Bronze in Beijing, Gold in London 2012 and an MBE in 2013. Upon retiring from GB Rowing Team in 2013 Naomi wanted to keep testing her resilience and established a new Guinness World Record – to row the length of the Thames (165miles) non-stop in a single sculling boat which she did in just over 47 hours! She's became the 1st woman to row the Navigable Thames.
Naomi also does quite a bit of motivational speaking at corporate events and schools and motivation is the topic we're going to focus on today.
We ask Naomi:
- Do you still row?
- How has relationship with food changed over the years?
- Do you have a nutrition plan you follow when you're training to make sure you get the right balance of various food groups?
- Key strategies to maintain resilience?
- Motivational tips to stay healthy in current climate and on dark damp mornings?
- Nutrition motivation tips to avoid unhealthy eating?
About Naomi
At the London Paralympic Games in 2012, Naomi achieved what some athletes only dream of - winning a Gold Medal in front of a home crowd.
For most of her young adult life, this level of achievement was, quite literally, unimaginable. Not least because at just 8 weeks old, she was diagnosed with Achromatopsia, along with a cocktail of other eye conditions. This means that she has no colour vision, and is extremely sensitive to light.
During her years in mainstream school, she was severely bullied; and her differing needs were generally not well understood. All of this led her to significant academic under-achievement, and seriously affected both her self-confidence and self-esteem.
During her second year of University, she was offered the chance to try out for the GB Adaptive Rowing Team. Of course, she grasped this opportunity with both hands; and just four months later became a World Champion in the GB Mixed Coxed Four. Over the next 10 years, during which Para-Rowing developed into a full-time, Lottery-Funded Paralympic Sport - she went on to win six World Championship titles, Bronze in Beijing, and Gold in London.
Amidst all of this achievement, she was always driven by a burning desire to prove that she should never to be defined by her disability.
Having retired from the GB Rowing Team in 2013, she decided, in 2016 to test her resilience a little further. Her ambition was to establish a new Guinness World Record - by rowing the entire length of the Navigable Thames, in a single sculling boat. With the help of a veritable army of generous volunteers and supporters, she covered the 165 miles from Lechlade to Gravesend, non-stop, in forty-seven hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-four seconds. In doing so, she became the first woman to row the Navigable Thames.
Naomi is now motivating and inspiring others with her incredible story and has presented to audiences large and small, young and old... working with individuals, companies, teams, and charities. What really motivates her is helping people to be the best that they can be.
Follow Naomi on the following social media channels:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomiriches
Twitter: NaomiRichesMBE
Instagram: naomiriches_mbe
