Matilda Egere-Cooper on Fly Girl Collective and empowering Black and Brown women through fitness

October 26, 2020

Matilda (aka Tilly) is an award-winning journalist, creative and avid runner who took up long distance running in 2011. Since then, she’s completed more than 30 race events including 15 half marathons, four marathons, an ultra marathon, Tough Mudder and the Ride London 100 mile bike ride. She’s passionate about encouraging black and brown women to pursue fitness, so in 2018, she qualified as a Leadership in Running Fitness coach to facilitate group sessions around London and beyond. She’s also an ETM instructor in training and will deliver virtual sessions from September 2020.

Fly Girl Collective is a London-based movement and a community committed to 1. Celebrating and promoting diversity and representation in fitness, and 2. Inspiring black and brown women to pursue a fitness lifestyle.

Fly Girl Collective Website

Also discussed in this episode:

Run Dem Crew
Track Mafia
Wmn Run 100
Inception of Fly Girl Collective
High prevalence of mental health disorders for Black women
Creating a structure of both membership and accessibility
Run for the Culture
Getting Black history into school curriculum
Book: Why I’m no Longer Talking to White People about Race
Matilda’s deep-dish cookie recipe

Quotes:

“There are so many components to systemic racism, like dealing with microaggressions and macroaggressions, dealing with stereotyping, dealing with unconscious bias. All of these things can chip away at the humanity of an individual. That is naturally going to have an effect on your mental health.”
“What’s been going on with Black Lives Matter and the way that it has reverberated around the world, especially in the UK, has empowered so many people to speak up and stand for what they believe in.”
“Sport presents people at their most vulnerable. And I think when you’re able to show your vulnerability, that’s where bonds are built and that’s how relationship can grow.”