From Crying in Supermarkets to Ageing Joyfully, Bravely and Creatively in the Outdoors

In this uplifting and relatable workshop, Jo Moseley will share her journey from sobbing in the biscuit aisle of her local Tesco in her late 40s overwhelmed and anxious to becoming a bestselling award winning adventure author and short filmmaker in her 60s. She’ll share lessons she learned along the way plus tips and resources on how the outdoors can help you build a joyful, courageous and creative life, whilst still juggling all the things the world throws at you.  

More About Jo:

Jo Moseley is a 61 year old single Mum who lives with and looks after her 92 year old father in an old fisherman’s cottage on the Yorkshire coastline.

She dips, saunas and paddleboards at sunrise, has discovered a love for running and gig rowing and spends nights under the stars in her van Summer. You’ll often see her turning her beach clean into a beach workout!

Jo is a bestselling and award winning author of three gorgeous books about paddleboarding, a podcast and festival host, speaker and award winning short filmmaker.

She credits the outdoors with helping her navigate grief, menopause, a heartbreaking plot twist at 60, empty nesting and the joy and responsibility of caring for her Dad.

In 2019 Jo became the first woman to paddleboard coast to coast from Liverpool to Goole, picking up litter & fundraising.

A film about her adventure called Brave Enough - A Journey Home to Joy by award winning filmmaker and ShAFF co-director, Frit Tam, has been screened at prestigious adventure festivals to an incredible response.

Jo’s first book Stand Up Paddleboarding in Great Britain – Beautiful Places to Paddleboard in England, Scotland and Wales was published in 2022 with Vertebrate Publishing. It was and remains the first and only GB wide book dedicated to paddleboarding.

This was followed in 2024 by Stand Up Paddleboarding in the Lake District – Beautiful Places to Paddleboard in Cumbria, which won the Lakeland Book Awards Zeffirellis Guides and Places Award 2025.

In October 2025 her third book Adventures on the Water - The Power of Paddleboarding to Change Lives was published. It is a collection of 27 personal essays from inspiring paddleboarders sharing how SUP has positively impacted their lives, plus science on blue health and helpful tips. As a result, she was nominated for The Great Outdoors Magazine Writer of the Year 2026.

In 2025 Jo collaborated with Sara Barnes, author of The Cold Fix and debut filmmaker Emily Cartigny to create Skinny. A short, beautiful film it documents Jo’s first skinny dip in a Lake District waterfall aged 60 after she asked Sara to help her realise her dream.

Skinny celebrates the freedom of ageing, the healing power of immersing oneself in nature and what happens when woman reaches out her hand to help another. It was commended in the The Great Outdoors Magazine Film of the Year 2026 and shortlisted for the BMC Women in Adventure Film Awards.

Jo has a particular interest in how outdoor adventures - big and small - can help us age well and lead a healthier, happier and longer life.

She believes you’re never too old for an adventure and it’s not too late to make a difference. “If you have even the tiniest spark of a dream, you owe it to yourself to try & make it come true.” she says.

SHAFF holds a special place in her heart after being inspired and encouraged at the 2019 festival ahead of her 162 mile coast to coast litter picking, fundraising SUP adventure. She is also so proud that the film documenting this challenge - Brave Enough - A Journey Home to Joy by festival co-director Frit Tam was screened at SHAFF in 2021.

You can find more about her on Instagram @jomoseley and Facebook Jo Moseley, and on her website