Try our FREE burnout quiz.

Grab your burnout workbook HERE. 

To sign up for our difficult conversations and workplace culture workshop go here.

This week is actually a bit of a different style of episode. Normally, we interview a guest on a challenge they faced, but today is just you and I.

I wanted to spend some time reflecting on the year, on the incredible conversations that we've had. Every story, every tear, every quiet pause of challenge, and what it's taught me and all of us about what it truly means to grow through challenge. When I first started this podcast, I believed in the power of storytelling to shift us, to move something inside That logic can't quite reach.

But this year I witnessed something deeper. I saw how challenge doesn't just test us. It absolutely can transform us. It reshapes the way that we see ourselves, the way that we see our loved ones and the way that we live our lives.

In this episode I share:

-      How challenges transform people, not just test them, and the importance of our community’s honest, raw stories.

-      The theme of Recovery and rebirth we learnt from Yumi, Caroline, and Diana’s experiences and what it shows us

-      How Sarah, Dr. Adam Fraser, and Bo’s stories illustrate that growth comes from stepping into discomfort, self-trust, and daring to face the unknown.

-      Why Tara, Steve, and Kevin demonstrated that loss reshapes life, requires feeling the pain, and can be transformed into purpose and resilience.

-      How Andrew and Jordy’s stories show that rebuilding life after trauma takes time, patience, and many small choices.

-      Courage isn’t the absence of fear—it’s continuing to show up, breathe, and make choices even when life is uncertain or painful.

-      Transformation doesn’t happen in grand gestures; it comes from tiny, daily decisions that slowly shape who we are becoming.

Key Quotes

“The greatest gift you can give your children is learning to love yourself.”

“I don’t ever get over trauma. You learn to walk alongside it. To give it space, but not the steering wheel.”

More about

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: [email protected]

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website: http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Try our FREE burnout quiz.

Grab your burnout workbook HERE. 

To sign up for our difficult conversations and workplace culture workshop go here.

Trigger warning: Childhood sexual abuse, alcohol addiction

Our identity and how we see ourselves has a huge impact on our lives. But what if huge incidents in our early life caused us to create an identity that was harmful and complex and actually untrue to who we really are?

Nikole built a multi-million dollar company from scratch, and nearly lost herself in the process because of how her own self identity controlled her narrative.

Now sober, self-led and sharp as ever, she’s rewriting what success looks like beyond the hustle.

Her story isn’t clean. But it’s real. And it’s hers.

In this episode she shares:

-      Her early childhood and how she was abused by a family member

-      How her brother was hit by a car and passed away at 17

-      How her brother’s death was the catalyst that split the family

-      The months and years after her brother’s death and how she was introduced to alcohol

-      The destructive impact of her drinking and living with an inaccurate self identity

-      Her father’s death at 50

-      Having her house burn down shortly after giving birth

-      What happened when she entered the psych ward and why it didn’t meet her expectations

-      What she did to recover when she realised her drinking was impacting her marriage

-      Her experience with the retreat/rehab in Bali

-      How she made $12 million in one year

-      Understanding the pros and cons of the parts of herself that have developed from her trauma

Key Quotes

“I was abused during my childhood by a family member.”

“At my brothers wake I was introduced to alcohol...and that was it.”

More about Nikole

Check her out via her website or Instagram.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: [email protected]

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website: http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Try our FREE burnout quiz.

Grab your burnout workbook HERE. 

To sign up for our difficult conversations and workplace culture workshop go here.

The journey of fighting cancer is so much more than just: finding out you have it and then getting treated.

This week’s episode is part 2 of our chat with Melanie Staudt, an incredible woman who overcame breast cancer and all of its challenges. For this week’s episode Melanie will be sharing the challenges in recovery, post recovery and what happens when the cancer comes back.

Melanie is 51 years old, lives in the US in Ohio and is married with two girls age 22 and 18.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2021. It was three years of intensive healing and has had no evidence of disease for a year and a half. She continues to work on physical, mental and spiritual health and looks forward to life’s next chapter. 

In this episode she shares:

-      Her second experience of cryoablation

-      The long term weight and energy of cancer treatment

-      Managing the fear and stress post cancer and how it impacts relationships

-      Learning to take care of herself and ask for and accept help

-      The story of how her doctor missed her active cancer

-      Using a trial treatment and having to get a mastectomy

-      Finding a lymph node in her sternum

-      What helped her to stop detaching from her body

-      Her lessons taken away after this experience

Key Quotes

“I felt like a failure, I felt like I had made all the wrong decisions.”

“People that haven’t been through can’t understand.”

More about Melanie

You can contact Melanie via Facebook or Instagram.

The pre surgery meditation link she mentioned is here.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: [email protected]

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:

http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Try our FREE burnout quiz.

Grab your burnout workbook HERE. 

To sign up for our difficult conversations and workplace culture workshop go here.

Cancer has a devastating effect both on those it afflicts and those around them.

For Melanie Staudt her cancer journey was full of challenges that often felt insurmountable.

Melanie is 51 years old, lives in the US in Ohio and is married with two girls age 22 and 18.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2021. It was three years of intensive healing and has had no evidence of disease for a year and a half. She continues to work on physical, mental and spiritual health and looks forward to life’s next chapter. 

In this episode she shares:

-      Why she identifies most with a monarch butterfly

-      What happened for her in the early days leading up to breast cancer discovery

-      Getting her biopsy and preparing for bad news

-      How the initial bad news led to positivity in her life

-      The moment she got more bad news and her experience of detaching from her body

-      How she discussed her reservations about chemo with her husband

-      What her treatment options were and what she decided

-      When she saw a naturopathic doctor and her experience with craniosacral massage

-      When she got imaging done and got the all clear

Key Quotes

“I couldn’t process anything, it was like I was out of my body.”

“I probably spent between 20 and 40 hours a week researching breast cancer.”

More about Melanie

You can contact Melanie via Facebook or Instagram.

The pre surgery meditation link she mentioned is here.

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: [email protected]

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:

http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Try our FREE burnout quiz.

Grab your burnout workbook HERE. 

Steve Pocock’s life has been shaped by early loss - and by what can grow from it. 

He was ten years old when his family fled their farm in Zimbabwe, one of thousands displaced during the country’s land reform era. The experience left deep scars that took a lot of time to heal from but also planted a conviction: that dignity and hope are worth rebuilding, even from the hardest places.  Steven joins us on the podcast to show just how far you go grow beyond the trauma in your childhood.

His conviction became a calling. From Papua New Guinea’s highlands to the mountains and coasts of Timor-Leste, Steve has spent his career helping others rebuild - working with governments, entrepreneurs, and communities to grow small businesses, strengthen markets, and create jobs that restore purpose.  At the heart of Steve’s journey is a simple belief: that we honour what we’ve lost by building something better - that real impact is measured not in projects or profits, but in the restoration of dignity, purpose, and possibility.

In this episode he shares:

• Some background about Zimbabwe,
• His upbringing there, and the loss of his friend
• His experience of their farm being invaded
• How things got harder before they got better after he moved to Australia
• His experience with depression and being hospitalised
• His professional football experience and spinal surgery
• The goal he made to make a positive impact in the world
• How writing an article spring boarded his career to what it is today
• His time working in PNG working under an aid program
• Returning home to Zimbabwe to tackle some of the country’s biggest challenges
• What happened when he went to Timor-Leste
• Some of the biggest life lessons he's taken away from these experiences

Key Quotes

“If I’m not going to fight for them who is?”

“If you start something you have no choice but to finish it.”

More About Steve

Follow Steve on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: [email protected]

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:

http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SINGAPORE workshop : Engagement and burnout in the workplace 

INDIA workshop: High Performance Leadership Summit

To sign up for our difficult conversations and workplace culture workshop go here.

Welcome to part 2 of my chat with Sarah Davis, the absolute powerhouse who went from working in banking to completely throwing herself out of her comfort zone.

In this episode we return to Australia to discuss what happened when she decided to cycle across Australia and how her decision to get out of her comfort zone made her decide to do 52 uncomfortable things in 52 weeks.

In this episode she shares:

-      The challenge of choosing her next adventure

-      Why she picked cycling across Australia

-      The purpose attached to her challenge of cycling across Australia

-      What went wrong during the cycle

-      Why road trains were the biggest risk and what they are

-      The challenge of losing Leif, the 21yo cyclist she met along the way

-      How losing Leif changed the trajectory of their trip

-      What she took away from this experience

-      Her next adventure

-      Her challenge to do 52 uncomfortable things in 52 weeks

-      What were her takeaways of this experience

-      What were the things she said no to

Key Quotes

“I noticed that being out of my comfort zone wasn’t as familiar.”

“My comfort zone had gone from the back garden to the size of a national park.”

“Failure isn’t fatal.”

More about Sarah

Find out more about Sarah via her website, Instagram and LinkedIn.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: [email protected]

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:

http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SINGAPORE workshop : Engagement and burnout in the workplace 

INDIA workshop: High Performance Leadership Summit

To sign up for our difficult conversations and workplace culture workshop go here.

Imagine being an introvert who works in banking and deciding to be the first women to lead an expedition down the Nile where you face attacks from crocodiles, hippo’s and more.

That’s what happened to Sarah Davis who, in her forties and in search of more out of life, she decided to step away from her corporate life & attempt to paddle the length of the Nile.

She survived hippo attacks, being arrested & detained in Burundi & running lethal rapids. Now, her expeditions in Oman, Australia and more have given Sarah insights into what it takes to overcome fear, thrive through uncertainty & succeed in challenging environments. Her best-selling book, Paddle the Nile: One Woman's Search For a Life Less Ordinary was published in July 2022.

In this episode she shares:

• How she was a desperately shy and quite child
• What brought her to Australia
• The vulnerability she felt from sharing her blog
• What happened when her passport got stolen
• Her experience going back into banking
• Why she decided to pursue an expedition
• The risks and preparation she had to learn about
• What she did in advance to mitigate the risks
• Seeing big white bags of contraband next to the river
• How the rapids worried her due to a near drowning experience
• Her experience being attacked by a hippo on day 6
• The pep talk she gave herself to get through
• The other challenges she encountered on the expedition
• Getting food poisoning the day before the last day
• The lessons she now carries with her

Key Quotes

“I felt like I had a really beautiful piece of clothing that just didn't suit me.”

“The intel we got was that they were going to detain me if I went there.”

“This huge hippo’s bitten into the back of the raft. I'd never felt real primal fear before.”

More about Sarah

Find out more about Sarah via her website, Instagram and LinkedIn.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: [email protected]

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:

http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SINGAPORE workshop : Engagement and burnout in the workplace 

INDIA workshop: High Performance Leadership Summit

To sign up for our difficult conversations and workplace culture workshop go here.

This episode is a bit different to our normal ones.

A lot of you have been repeatedly asking me to cover Imposter Syndrome and how to fight it, so I’m delighted to welcome back Clifford Morgan to get his expertise on the subject.

Cliff is a leadership expert and endorsed organisational psychologist with over seventeen years of service with the Royal Australian Air Force. His years of service leading and coaching people, both in uniform and out, bring a wealth of experience that provides a unique perspective to assist his clients. During this time he has trained hundreds of leaders to use coaching skills to develop people and lead more effectively. As a coach Clifford has worked with CEOs, military commanders, government executives and business and community leaders across a wide variety of industries.

In this episode he shares:

• What is imposter syndrome?
• The archetypes of imposter syndrome
• How to differentiate the archetypes
• What does 'overwork' mean and look like?
• What are the basics of your life to be brilliant at first?
• Some coping mechanisms
• What it means to adopt a mask
• The difference between adjusting and masking
• What is happening in the brain with imposter syndrome
• Why building a body of evidence can help
• How finding strong allies can help combat imposter syndrome
• How to intercept your negative thoughts
• Ways to reframe failure

Key Quotes

“A lot of high performers have imposter syndrome.”

“The more social groups that we're a part of, the less likely we are to be depressed or have mental health issues.”

“Are you doing it from a place of fear or for the benefit of someone else?”

More about Clifford

Find out more with Clifford via his website.

For Cliff's course on Impsoter syndrome go here.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: [email protected] Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website: http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SINGAPORE workshop : Engagement and burnout in the workplace 

INDIA workshop: High Performance Leadership Summit

To sign up for our difficult conversations and workplace culture workshop go here.

Trigger warning: Domestic violence, PTSD, child deaths

’Domestic Violence does not discriminate, and sadly the systems and law enforcement don’t always protect us.

One person who knows that all too tell is Courtney Burchard. 

Courtney is a former Forensic Scientist and Queensland Police Officer with 15 years of service. After being medically retired in 2024 following a complex PTSD diagnosis, she has embraced her lived experience as both a survivor of Domestic Violence and institutional betrayal. Courtney now uses her voice to raise awareness around trauma, resilience, and mental health, sharing her journey through the power of poetry.

In this episode she shares:

• Her experience joining the police
• Her experience working in forensics
• The lead up to having PTSD
• Her experience with DV and how dangerous it got
• How she was experienced with DV applications and hers still didn't go through
• The symptoms of trauma she experienced
• How working on Hannah Clarke's case triggered her PTSD
• How her career ended
• Her panic attack
• What happened when she saw a doctor about her PTSD
• The process of starting medication and therapy
• Her healing journey
• The grief around leaving the police force
• What has surprised her about this process
• What needs to change around DV

Key Quotes

“I had to tell my male boss intimate details.”

“He still has access to a firearm.”

“After the relationship had ended there was an incident where this person has broken into my home.” 

More about Courtney

Follow Courtney on Instagram

You can find Small Steps 4 Hannah, the charity started by Hannah's parents on Instagram here.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: [email protected] Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website: http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

SINGAPORE workshop : Engagement and burnout in the workplace 

INDIA workshop: High Performance Leadership Summit

To sign up for our difficult conversations and workplace culture workshop go here.

Coming back from a deadly illness and stroke is big enough challenge in itself, but the equal challenge that many don’t think about is having to survive with the disabilities from that incident, in a world that does not make any space for disability.

That is what Lisa Cox has had to do and not only has she manage that, she has made it her mission to remove the barriers and systemic injustice faced by people with a disability,

Lisa Cox OAM is an author, university researcher, TEDx speaker and internationally awarded thought leader. Her work is focused on changing social attitudes about disability using world's most powerful industries - like media.

In this episode she shares:

• Her early life
• What happened when she had a stroke at 24
• Her first memories of this experience
• How she found out her leg would be amputated
• How she had to relearn how to do basic everyday tasks
• Her worst day in recovery
• The process of coming to grips with what happened
• What happened once she was out of hospital
• Getting back into the gym
• The process of balancing grief and gratitude
• How because of her disability she met her husband
• Teaching herself to type again with her new fingers
• Having perspective
• Getting back on the dating scene
• The social expectation that she had to lower her standards to find someone
• What shopping for a wedding dress with her disability was like
• The ableism she encounters in life now
• How her now husband was patted on the back for proposing to a disabled woman
• What life looks like now
• Her work in rebranding disabilities

Key Quotes

“There's this idea that once you acquire a disability your life will be tragic.”

“All of my organs shut down and every cell in my boy died.”

“I realised I had a tonne of internalised ableism.”

More about Lis

Find out more via her website.

You can get involved with the podcast online

On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: [email protected]

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website: http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.