Ep.52 Revving Up Empowerment at Camp VC: Motorsport & Automotive Adventures with Laura Harris & Sophie McGinn

In this special episode, these interviews were recorded directly from Camp VC in Wales. Camp VC is an incredible festival that takes place in July, calling themselves "an epic world of adventure for women" so where better to find some inspiring guests who have answered their own call for adventure?!

So, what does it take to break free from a restrictive job and build an empowering community around adventure and cars? Laura Harris, founder of Be Right Back, joined me to share her inspiring journey from corporate confines to creating a vibrant, inclusive automotive community. Learn how Laura's experiences at Camp VC became the catalyst for her mission to bring together women from all backgrounds, celebrating the joy and freedom that cars provide. This episode is a testament to the power of taking risks and following your passion to create something truly meaningful.

I was also thrilled to sit down with Sophie McGinn, Motorcycle Presenter, Content Creator and the Marketing Lead for Monster Energy, who revealed her path to success in the world of motorsport marketing. From her early days in motocross to her dream role at Monster Energy, Sophie discusses the evolving opportunities for women in motorsports and the importance of community in achieving career growth. Together, Laura and Sophie highlight the significance of living authentically, embracing challenges, and continually setting new goals. Don’t miss their insights on creating non-competitive, welcoming environments where women (or anyone) can push their boundaries and explore new adventures.

Follow Laura here or go to https://berightback.uk/

Follow Sophie here or go to https://www.youtube.com/c/SophieMcginn

Chapters

• 0:00 Empowering Women Through Adventure and Cars
• 11:12 Living Authentically Through Adventure and Chaos
• 19:09 Empowering Careers Through Adventure and Growth

Transcript

Laura Harris: 0:00

So I just had to make the leap and just walk away from what was comfortable and familiar, to give myself the space to think about what came next.

Zoe Greenhalf: 0:09

Hey there, welcome, or welcome back to the Mischief Movement podcast. I'm Zoe, your guide on this journey to shake up the status quo and design a life that truly makes you feel alive. If you've ever felt disconnected, stuck on autopilot or trapped in a life that feels more like a treadmill than an adventure, you're in the right place. I know that change can feel scary, so let's turn down the fear and crank up the fierce as we transform your life from the inside out. Whether it's solo episodes packed with actionable advice or interviews with some absolute badass human beings who've dared to defy the norm by living life their way, we're here to inspire, activate, empower and challenge you each week. My mission is simple to help you reawaken your rebel spirit, break free from mediocrity and design a life that's anything but dull. You only get one wildlife life, so what are you planning to do with yours? If you're ready to stop settling, start living boldly and create a positive impact along the way, let's dive in and stir up some mischief together. Now buckle up and let's go so.

Zoe Greenhalf: 1:36

The mischief movement podcast is coming from camp vc, which is super exciting for me. There are so many badass women here to experience being on a motorbike, being adventurous and trying new things. So here we are. I'm right by the Days on the Dirt stand, which I experienced this morning as incredible, so, so good. So I really hope that this mic can pick up the motorbikes going around in the background. Um, you should see the smiles on people's faces. They are so big, so much fun. And, um, I am just gonna pop around and see who I can talk to it. It's all going to be a bit of an experiment and we'll see how it goes. Join me shortly, see who I get to speak to. So back on the roving podcast, on the pop-up podcast of Camp VC, and I have discovered Laura Harris from Be Right Back. So I've coerced her into a little cheeky interview. We sat in a tent and you will hear a generator in the background, but it all adds to the festival vibe. So, without further ado, laura, who are you and what is your?

Laura Harris: 2:56

mischief. So I am the founder of Be Right Back, which is an automotive community, and it coincides with my mischief, which is travel and adventure for sure, amazing and, like as with everybody on the podcast, there's always something a little bit rebellious about them.

Zoe Greenhalf: 3:18

Um, you are designing your life around the things that you love and that, for this podcast, is so fundamental. So where has this idea come from, and what is it that's driving you to build your community?

Laura Harris: 3:34

I just I found myself in a full time permanent job that was quite restrictive and I wanted to be more creative, but just didn't have the time or the energy to do it, and the only way to do it was basically work for myself and off the back of that, it gave me the freedom to then be able to create something that benefited other people, and that's kind of how BRB came about, and so I just had to make the leap and just walk away from what was comfortable and familiar to give myself the space to think about what came next, and I'm a consumer like what is next? What is next? What is next? I need another string to my bow, because apparently there is no such thing as too much work when you want to do a load of fun stuff. Um, so yeah, that's kind of how how it all happened, really, yeah and what is it exactly that you're building like?

Zoe Greenhalf: 4:31

I know that there are cars involved, but I also know that it's not an exclusive car club, it's not something elitist, it's very inclusive. So tell me about the kind of vision of where BRB is kind of going.

Laura Harris: 4:46

So BRB was inspired by Camp VC. I came for the first time last year, so 2023. And I just had the most amazing time and I met the most amazing people, and there just seemed to be nothing like this that existed for women who like cars, and I just thought I can either wait for someone else to do it or I can just do it myself, and I just wanted it to be a community that celebrated the adventure that cars give us. So, whether people work with cars, build cars, paint cars, shoot photographs of cars or just have an adventure wagon that gives them the freedom to go anywhere they want, I wanted everyone to be included. Um, and that was really important.

Laura Harris: 5:34

That was a really important element to me, because there are car clubs and they are very specific. You know, if you don't have a supercar, you can't join this one, or if you don't have that, you can't, you can't sit with us, kind of thing. Um, and that's just not. That's not my kind of life mantra. I I want people to be connected and I want to see, I want to see women do really well in communities with other women, and VC was the catalyst for it yeah yeah, um, what things are you specifically looking for by creating a life on your terms, and what changes have you made or goals have you set yourself in order to achieve that?

Laura Harris: 6:15

I just wanted more freedom. Um, I've always and it was actually really difficult because I've always been in jobs that have been very structured, working in retail environment or in an office environment and I was like, why am I miserable all the time and I just had no freedom and again, like leaving that permanent job was, was the step, like I just had to take it. I got to a point in life where I was like I'm not getting any younger, I have to take this step to create space, freedom to go and do all of the things that I want to do, um, so that, so that was that was a big thing and goal. Goals beyond that are still work in progress. I think there's a new one every day. Um, but it's just keep building something, keep having purpose in what I'm doing. Like that's a really big thing, like you know, instead of thinking what is my purpose, just make everything have purpose.

Zoe Greenhalf: 7:12

That's such a good point. Have you started to see some of the impact that this community and this group have had on people? Have you had any stories like feedback to you where the community's been able to impact their lives and things like that?

Laura Harris: 7:28

yeah, and there's there's one super specific one and uh, it's one of the one of the girls that I met through camp vc last year. Um was a super nervous driver, never wanted to go long distances in her car, gave her panic attacks and um, it was just not not an enjoyable experience and and through having my car be the connector between us and she reached out to me on instagram and then I started building be right back. She took the leap to come to a social session on her own in winter and it was dark and it was quite a big deal for her. And she's come now to almost every single event that I've put on and to hear her say that this year driving to Camp VC, she had no panic attacks, she didn't want the drive to end because she was really enjoying it. And now a two-hour drive, nothing, and she absolutely loves it.

Laura Harris: 8:26

To hear her tell me that what I've done has changed her life was like really quite incredible, and sometimes you just don't see it and a lot of people will never say it, but that's. Maybe there are other stories, but that's that's the one that always really sticks out to me, because she is just a completely different person from when I first met her and it's just being reminded that she is capable of doing anything that she wants to do, because she was in a position where she felt like she couldn't. And now to see her know all the people that we've brought together and new friendships and you know everyone's got mutual stories from all of these events like it.

Zoe Greenhalf: 9:11

yeah, it's brilliant, it's really really cool yeah, and I mean testament to the fact that you had an idea and you went ahead with it, so like, really well done, because it's doing what you wanted it to do, which is like connecting people, isn't it really?

Laura Harris: 9:24

Yeah, absolutely. And just having different women from different walks of life you know, our youngest sort of event attendee is 14 and our oldest one is 74. And they can sit down and share experiences like there's no age difference and everyone's got some bit of wisdom to impart, or can potentially open a door to someone who never would have thought to ask or had that opportunity put in front of them before, and like, and seeing those connections come out of it as well, of like oh, I know someone that can help you with that, or you know, like, I can teach you how to fix your car, or you know anything, no matter how mundane it might seem on from the outside, like that that's. That's what it was all about for me was just bringing people together and no ego, no competition, like we're all in this together and we all just want to have a good time.

Zoe Greenhalf: 10:20

Yeah, and you mentioned just then about Camp VC being a bit of a catalyst. So what is it that makes Camp VC so special and you know why do you want to be a part of that?

Laura Harris: 10:34

It's just this kind of. It's just this wonderful bubble of you know, a concentrated source of inspiration, you know, seeing women forge their own path and create the lifestyle that they want, which is, you know, kind of part of your questioning and, and you know you, there's so much to take away from it and I, honestly, I felt so inspired. I was like how do I do something with this inspiration? And I first came across VC in 2019 and did one of their introductions to motorbikes and it took me a while to end up at the camp, but I think it probably changed my brain chemistry. Like just, I was like this is incredible.

Laura Harris: 11:16

Like you know, these women are just doing things that most of us get told that we shouldn't be doing or we can't do, or leave it to someone else, um, and I've not been anywhere else, I've not been to another event that has this vibe, um, that has left me feeling the same way. I leave camp VC, um, I just don't generally don't think you can find it anywhere else yeah, and I've spoken to so many people who would say exactly the same thing.

Zoe Greenhalf: 11:42

There's like just something magic that happens here, because you come away feeling a little bit invincible. Um, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, listen, um, I really want to thank you for contributing to this little mini act of mischief of the roving pop-up podcast. Um, where can people find out more about you? Have you got any events coming up? Um, where's the best place to connect with you? And what you're getting up to with be right back.

Laura Harris: 12:11

So the best way is, the easiest way, is probably instagram, because we're all on it, um. So the handle is be right back underscore uk. Um. All the events get announced on there, um, and there's links to join the whatsapp group so you can meet other people coming to events and bits and pieces, um. Aside from that, the website has all of the event listings on it as well, and that's be right back dot. Uk.

Laura Harris: 12:34

Um, we run a social every single month on the fourth thursday at caffeine and machine in stratford-upon-avon. Um, that is a free-for-all. Come along, have a pizza, meet some other awesome women, and then I'm trying to do structured events every single month. So the next event, august, is a bit of a month off. It's been a busy year, but the next event is a workshop tour around Tuthill Porsche in Oxfordshire, which is already sold out because the women are on it, and then in October we're going down to Deus Lodge to stay and learn how to surf and probably drink a lot of seawater. Um, so those are the next couple of events that are coming up, but the monthly socials every single month, everyone's welcome. Doesn't matter what you drive, as long as it brings you joy, come in it and and have a good time and just meet a load of other really awesome people. Laura, thank you so much for joining me on the podcastie mcginn into joining me.

Zoe Greenhalf: 13:51

Um, if you haven't met sophie yet, I'll allow her to introduce herself. Sophie, what is your mischief?

Sophie McGinn: 14:00

oh my god, what isn't my mischief? Um, uh, first off, thanks for having me. I know you've been trying to sort it out for quite a while. You're so welcome, gosh. What is my mischief? Um, living authentically, I'd say 100%. I know a lot of people struggle with doing that in the industry and what we work in, and I kind of feel like, well, it's not really a mischief to me, but it might be to other people. But yeah, just living authentically, being 100% myself, and yeah, just causing some chaos.

Zoe Greenhalf: 14:38

On two wheels. Usually isn't that right yeah.

Sophie McGinn: 14:41

Anything, two wheels I can get my hands on. So, whether that's road, off-road push bike, yeah, I started, well, started buying skateboards now, so that's going to be my next thing. Folks, if I'm in ADHD, you're hyper-focused on something all the time. But yeah, I'd say so.

Zoe Greenhalf: 15:04

Yeah, 100% Cool. Something all the time. Um, but yeah, I'd say so, yeah, 100% cool. Um, as with everyone on the podcast, there's normally something a little bit rebellious about the way that you are designing your life. Um, so where has this come from and what drives you to to live that way?

Sophie McGinn: 15:17

yeah, I mean, I've always been told by by family, ever since I was a kid. I was very strong-headed. Whether that be determined to, I don't know, get something off the side that I shouldn't be getting, or I've always been, uh, really focused and I won't give up on something until I've given it 110 percent. Um, whether that's come to my jobs, my riding, my experiences through life, it's always been something that I've put everything into and yeah, like I say, I won't give up unless I've give it 110. But I think, dry, the thing that drives me the most is to make the most out of life.

Sophie McGinn: 15:59

I have a little saying that you should always say yes to every opportunity and that's paid off for me very well so far. So I think anything like, anything you get offered whether you get asked to go somewhere or invited to places, or you know someone lets you go on their bike or anything like that always say yes, like what's the worst that could happen. Yeah, you might have a little crash, but as you can well, you can't really see on the podcast, but I am bruised to hell or down my legs at the minute. But, yeah, always say yes to everything. It's the best way to live.

Zoe Greenhalf: 16:31

I agree. What are some of the crazy things that you've said yes to that? Maybe, like inside, you're like, oh god, no. But at the same time, hell, yes, yeah there's a.

Sophie McGinn: 16:43

There was something that I did last year. Actually, that's always been on the bucket list for a while and I thought that's absolutely gonna scare the shit out of me. But I did, um, a pillion ride with a, the GP rider, last year in in Misano in Italy. So I literally had half a day on the circuit, kind of got my head around to where it went anyway, half the day, and then went out on the back of a V4 Ducati with him and I screamed and screamed the whole way around and I was like what the fuck am I doing? Why am I doing this? Why am I?

Sophie McGinn: 17:15

Sat here and I was like you said yes, like there's only one time you might get that experience again, ever. So I was like, got off it and I couldn't speak for a little bit but I was like, yeah, that's sick, but no, there has been a couple of times where I've kind of gone, yeah, all right, and then afterwards thought, oh my god, but yeah, it tends to be, uh, saying yes to a lot of if, going to events or work experiences or stuff like that. It's always been something that I've kind of just gone with and then just saying, yeah, it'll be all right it'll be all right, wouldn't it say yes and figure it out later?

Zoe Greenhalf: 17:55

um, what things are you specifically looking for by creating a life on your terms, and what changes have you made or goals have you set yourself in order to achieve that?

Sophie McGinn: 18:08

gosh, that's a really cool question, isn't it? Um, I think again, just being authentic and as true to myself as I possibly can, I think, um, you know I'm quite outspoken, so if I have an issue or the there's a problem or something that I don't want to do, I won't do it, save again strong-minded. But, um, yeah, I think pretty much, like I said before with the, with the yes theory, it's a case of doing the things that you want to do and putting the, the processes and steps in place to get where you want to be. Like, I've just landed like a dream job for me, which I'm nearly four months into now, and it's hard work, but it's something that I've wanted to do for years and I thought, right, if I focus enough on that's the end goal, then that's where I'll be, and I'm a big believer in, like, the law of attraction and manifesting and all that sort of stuff. So, yeah, I think it's.

Sophie McGinn: 19:09

It's always good to have, um, the next goal post. So, like now I'm in this role, the next goal post for me would be to move up into the, into a further role. So there's always something there to keep you focused and driven, because otherwise you can kind of get a little bit complacent and a bit like, oh, I'm happy here for a little bit, whereas I'm always keen to to climb to the next, the next big thing so what is the role?

Zoe Greenhalf: 19:34

and, um, can you think of something that you've done to kind of get you nearer to that, because you did say it's your dream job, isn't it?

Sophie McGinn: 19:41

Gosh. So my role is marketing lead for Monster Energy. So growing up obviously around that's a cool bike. I know you can't see it, but so sick.

Sophie McGinn: 19:56

So yeah, growing up doing a lot of motocross, um, and stuff like that from a young age, monster has always been prevalent. Wherever I've been to any tracks or, you know, race circuits or car stuff, it's always there and it's always been on my face and it's been one of those funny things where I've always noticed it places I'm going, I'm going to work that one day. It's always been there and by chance it came up towards the end of last year and it's notoriously known hard to get into company and I have a friend that works there and she's like this role's come up, it's for you straight away, and I was like OK, let's go with it, absolutely crapped myself during the whole process because I was like nah, this can't be true, like this isn't right, this is, this is what I've like been speaking about for the past two years and then it's happened. So speaking stuff into existence is, um, yeah, it's pretty cool, but I'd say anyone that's trying to progress, especially in the motorsport industry, it's a very niche thing for females to be in, but it's rapidly changing.

Sophie McGinn: 21:08

I've noticed the past few years. A lot of my close friends are going for the big marketing roles. One of my friends works at Triumph now. She's heavy into the marketing side. I've got another friend that works at harley davidson. She runs, you know, like a load of event stuff for that it seems to be there's there's a lot of strong women now coming through and are working for these big brands and they're the companies are actually seeing the value in it now to have that connection to, for example, like women ride outs and all that sort of stuff. So yeah, super cool.

Zoe Greenhalf: 21:44

That's amazing. Um, I'm just thinking that some of the listeners won't have been to camp vc before, but it is a really special event. Um, so can you tell me why you decided to be a part of it and describe a little bit of the experience for them?

Sophie McGinn: 22:01

Gosh, so this will be my third Camp BC. Now. I actually came a few years ago randomly on my own. I was working for Offroad magazine at the time and I found the event because one of my friends had been and said how good it was and she's like it's all you, you 100% enjoyed it. So I got in touch with them and came to have a look the following year.

Sophie McGinn: 22:29

Um, like I say, I came on my own like, slept in my van, did my own thing, didn't know what to expect, was super nervous coming to something like this on my own because it's like you don't really know anybody and the instant friendliness and welcome from all the other women here is something that I've experienced each time I've been.

Sophie McGinn: 22:53

And for people that haven't been to Camp VC and want to come and try it, just a hundred percent to do it, even if you do come on your own, there is, uh, whatsapp groups for people that travel on their own to these events so you can join them. But the whole thing for me there's nowhere else on, well, nowhere else that I know of that you can come and like ride trials, bikes, you can skate, you can paint a helmet, you can ride an enduro bike, you can friggin throw axes, like there's all this cool stuff that you can do, and it's just done in a place where there's no judgment, there's no friendliness. Sorry, there is friendliness, but there's no. There's no um. Yeah, like competitiveness, yeah, and it's just a nice chill atmosphere and no one's like trying to one up each other or there's no egos, there's none of that crap and there's a hell of a karaoke as well in the evening.

Sophie McGinn: 23:47

So that sold it for me.

Zoe Greenhalf: 23:51

Amazing. Well, listen, it's been short and sweet, but thank you so much for letting me speak to you today. Where can people find out more about you?

Sophie McGinn: 24:03

Gosh. So Instagram would be the place to be, I imagine. So Sophie McGinn, 33, and you'll see all of the crazy wildlife style that I have now going on there. So yeah, but no, thank you so much for having me. It's been, it's been great to chat to you finally.

Zoe Greenhalf: 24:16

You're welcome. Perfect. So that was a little bit of a roving reporter style episode, but it's a bit of an experiment, but I hope you enjoyed it. Um, I really love doing it, so I'd like to think that in the future I might go out and do a bit more of that, because it was really fun anyway. Uh, before we here are my takeaways from this awesome episode.

Zoe Greenhalf: 24:40

So, number one make the leap from what feels comfortable and familiar and give yourself the space to work out what comes next. Number two feeling miserable at work can be a sign that the work you're doing just doesn't align with your values, for example, freedom, adventure or creativity. Could this episode be the sign you were looking for to try a career pivot? Number three instead of thinking what is my purpose, you could also reframe it into making what you do have purpose. Number four if you lean into the things that light you up, the chances are, consciously or unconsciously, you have a positive impact on someone.

Zoe Greenhalf: 25:23

Number five age is just a number. Meaningful connections go beyond how old you are and, as I often say, it's never too late to get involved in something. Number six when you put yourself in the company of others, doing what you want to do and being who you want to be. It changes the game, because you feel empowered and you're able to see exactly what's possible for you. Number seven say yes and figure out the rest later. Number eight being authentically yourself is the best way to attract people, jobs and opportunities that align with you. And number nine don't be afraid to show up alone. If you're at an event with like-minded people, you'll probably make friends before you know it, and the experience might be exactly what you needed. Exactly what you needed.

Zoe Greenhalf: 26:18

That's a wrap on another episode of the Mischief Movement podcast. If today's content stirred something in you, let's keep in touch on Instagram or connect with me on LinkedIn. You can even click the link in the show notes to sign up to my Mischief Mail newsletter, where you'll get exclusive insights on upcoming episodes and your chance to submit questions to future guests. But shh, don't tell anyone, it's our secret. For more info on ways to work with me and some fun free resources, check out the website themischiefmovementcom. Until next time, stay bold, stay rebellious and, of course, keep making mischief you.