Deana Ortega is a badass single mom who has jammed her way around the roller derby circuit for the past 12 years. Having overcome addiction, negotiated difficult relationships, and endured numerous traumatic losses within her family, she has survived against the odds to become a successful derby captain, triathlete, and hairstylist.    Hailing from the vibrant border city of El Paso, Texas, she is the author of Forget Soldadera: A Book of Personal Poetry (Ghostlight Creative, 2018) and My Derby Romance (April, 2020).   New episodes every Tuesday and Thursday at 7am UK time - Make sure you hit that subscribe button so you don’t miss out.    The tough girl podcast is sponsorship and ad free thanks to the monthly financial support of patrons. To find out more about supporting your favourite podcast and becoming a patron please check out www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast.   Show notes Growing up in Texas Having a positive attitude Spending a lot of time alone  Loving being on her roller blades Dreaming for some normality in her life Getting into sports at a young age Not being able to graduate school Feeling very lost at a young age Going back to school to get her GED Finding roller derby in her 30s Forgetting how to enjoy life What is roller derby Derby Names The awesome community at Roller Derby  Getting back into Roller Derby after babies Deciding to stop drinking for good Celebrate Recovery   Working on her self worth issues Being roller derby captain Lessons learned from roller derby Looking within The importance of having balance - “you can’t do life without balance” Her book - Derby Romance  Getting through tough times Balance and harmony Deciding to write her first book Changing her beliefs about herself Figuring out her purpose Changing from the inside out Words of advice for those women who want to give roller derby ago “Nothing is ever as hard as we think it’s going to be” Final words of advice for those going through a tough time     Social Media   Instagram @queenbumble_dee   Facebook @deana.l.ortega