1. What inspired you to start Ookin? 

I’ve always been really into coffee. As a professional athlete, you avoid unhealthy foods and alcohol, so coffee was the one thing that would really light me up. I’d try new coffees all around the world and became genuinely passionate about it.

When I was coming to the end of my athletics career in 2023, me and my friend — who also loves coffee — were chatting about how fun it would be to open a coffee shop. That’s definitely the long-term dream. But we also started thinking more practically. We’d been going to running events, and my husband runs marathons, 10ks, and 5ks. I’m always there watching him, and there’s never any good coffee.

So we thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we created a trailer or pop-up coffee set-up that we could take to races, so people could get good coffee while they’re standing around for hours watching?” That’s really where the idea for Ookin started.

2. Does your athletic discipline carry over into business? 

Definitely. Everything I learnt as a professional athlete has helped in the business world. I always did my own books — I ran my own company, Holly Bleasdale Ltd — so I already understood things like tax returns, VAT registration, and the general admin side of running a business.

But the biggest crossover is the mindset. Running and building a business is hard. The resilience, determination, and commitment I developed while training to win Olympic and World medals has really helped me. There’s so much I learnt in sport that I’ve been able to put into practice while developing the business and brand.

3. What’s been your proudest moment so far? 

My proudest moment has to be winning my Olympic medal in Tokyo. The years leading up to it were incredibly tough. Covid happened the year before, so it ended up being five years of preparation for the Olympics. Great Britain had one of the stricter lockdowns in 2020, and on social media I’d see competitors still able to train on the track while I was stuck at home, feeling like everyone else was getting better.

To come through that, stay committed and disciplined, and then win an Olympic medal the following year — I’m proud of the medal, but I’m even more proud of how I won it. Competing in an empty stadium with no crowd made it feel like the purest version of the sport. No glamour, no noise — just who could deliver in that moment. That’s why it stands out as my proudest moment.

4. What drew you to pole vault? 

I’ve always loved trying loads of different sports and always been quite crazy. I had a gymnastics background, played football — anything active, I was up for it. Pole vault was so unique and a bit weird, and as soon as I tried it, I just wanted to get better. Every single session, I improved, and it completely hooked me.

I was fast from football, and gymnastics gave me core strength and body awareness, so it just felt like the perfect sport for me. Within six months, I knew it was my event. I was pretty good at hurdles, football, and gymnastics, but pole vault just clicked in a different way. I knew it was the one.

5. Favourite coffee memory while travelling? 

Ooo, that’s a tough one — I’ve been to so many amazing places. But I think Australia stands out. The coffee culture there is incredible. During the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, they had pop-up coffee carts all around the athletes’ village with proper baristas — it was epic. Coffee in Australia is just another level.

I remember this amazing coffee shop on the Gold Coast, in what I think was an old barn, and the coffee was unbelievably fruity and smooth — the fruitier the better for me.

Travelling also gave me a sense of purpose with coffee. I’d arrive in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere and think, “Right, where’s the best coffee shop?” It became a fun challenge everywhere I went. There are so many great spots that it’s hard to choose just one.

6. If you could share a coffee with any athlete, who would it be? 

This is another tough one, but I think I’d choose a group rather than one person. I’ve had a long career — 15 or 16 years — and I’d love to get together with 10 to 15 pole-vaulters I’ve competed with over that time.

There are people I competed with in 2011–2012 who I haven’t seen since, and others who came onto the scene around 2015 that I got on really well with but lost touch with. I’d make a list of all the pole-vaulters I became friends with over the years — especially the ones I haven’t spoken to in a while — and just catch up over a coffee. I’d love to hear what they’re up to now. I think that would be really cool.