One True Measure

Dr Lydia Johns Putra is a surgeon, medical leader, humanitarian and Hero of one of New Zealand’s most devastating natural disasters, the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

A respected Australian urologist, Lydia has built a remarkable career spanning medicine, surgical leadership, education and humanitarian service. Lydia is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons. She has held senior leadership roles within the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand, helping shape the next generation of surgeons.

But Lydia’s story goes far beyond the operating theatre. In the aftermath of the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, she and over 400 Australian doctors found themselves at a conference in the city on the day of the earthquake. On that horrendous day, not many people ran toward the epicentre of the quake. Lydia did, helping provide medical aid to a man trapped in a collapsed building. Lydia, a firefighter, a police medic, and an anaesthetist worked together to save his life; all were presented with New Zealand’s highest Bravery Decorations in 2014.

Lydia has also taken her surgical skills into some of the world’s most challenging environments, volunteering with Australian Doctors for Africa in Madagascar, where she has helped deliver surgery and training to local medical teams, a passion she continues to this day.

Lydia’s story is ultimately about much more than surgery. It is about courage under pressure, leadership, resilience, service and what it really means to step up when other people are depending on you.

Damien’s story is one of extraordinary courage, resilience and reinvention. Inspired by his grandfather's military service, Damien joined the Australian Defence Force and, at just 24, achieved his dream of becoming a Commando and joining one of Australia’s top-tier special forces units.While serving in Afghanistan with the 2nd Commando Regiment, Damien’s life changed forever. In April 2009, whilst on night patrol in Southern Afghanistan, Damien’s unit drove over an improvised Taliban bomb. Damien suffered horrendous injuries in the explosion, which resulted in both of his legs being amputated. The damage to his body was so severe his medical team claim it is a miracle he wasn’t killed.Since then, Damien has shown his unconquerable spirit to make the most of his life by hiking the exceptionally arduous 100km Kokoda Trek dedicated to a fallen mate, Scott Palmer. Represented Australia at the Invictus Games. Wrote the best-selling autobiography Without Warning. Grown a new career as an actor, appearing in the Academy Award-winning film Hacksaw Ridge directed by Mel Gibson Competed on Australian Survivor: Champions v Contenders (2018). Rebuilt his life again post-military as a golfer, now ranked #1–2 in the world in multi-amputee golf.He is also world-class motivational speaker, sharing his journey of triumph against adversity; the power of positive attitude and ambition for the future that continues to resonate with people from all walks of life.What do these things have in common special forces and service, Prince Harry, Mel Gibson in flip-flops, Kokoda, golf and Top Gun nicknames? The exceptional and the unbreakable Damien Thomlinson!Learn more about Damien: Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/damienthomlinsonofficialInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/damienthomlinson/Website - https://www.damienthomlinson.com/

Luke Richmond is a professional adventurer, author, endurance athlete and world record holder.

He grew up in the Australian outback and joined the Army at 17, serving with 1RAR and deploying to East Timor. After four years he packed it in, chasing the next challenge overseas, and ended up in the UK.

The move out of military life didn't go the way he planned. Heavy drinking and drug use followed, and eventually rockbottom: addiction, and time in one of Her Majesty's prisons.

That became the turning point. Luke moved to Thailand to train Muay Thai full time and detox his body and mind from the ground up.

Since then he's climbed the highest peak on six continents, survived minus 60 degrees in Antarctica, rowed across the Atlantic and set a world record doing it, and trekked 1,800km across Mongolia's Gobi Desert, dragging his wife along to stress test their marriage.

But the real story isn't the mountains or the ocean. It's the gap between what we think we can handle and what we're actually capable of.

Through his books, expeditions and speaking, Luke talks about fear, suffering, resilience and how little time we actually have.

His philosophy comes down to two words: One Chance.

Learn more about Luke:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/olocadventures

Instagram - @luke_olocadventures

Website - www.olocadventures.com

Without Blake in the chair this time, Jack Fryer turns the mic around and sits down with Jayden Francis for a conversation about his own story. In the chat they talk through Jayden's childhood growing up in Singapore, being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at just 14, and being on Mount Kinabalu with his Tanjong Katong Primary School group during the 2015 Sabah earthquake. They also unpack what it was like moving from Singapore to Perth, how those early experiences shaped the way he sees resilience and risk, and the highs and lessons of his entrepreneurial journey.

Blake and the team sit down to discuss the conversation with Dr Dan Pronk, their takeaways, key learns, as well as heading down a few philosophical rabbit holes. In the chat the team talk through Dan's path from chasing a professional triathlon career to an Army medical scholarship and passing SASR selection, and what four deployments to Afghanistan as a Special Forces combat doctor taught him about leadership and decision-making under fire. They also unpack his openness about post-traumatic stress and the transition to civilian life, the practical strategies behind The Resilience Shield, and how he juggles emergency medicine, TacMed Australia, SAS Australia, three businesses and counting, and life as a dad of three boys.

Blake and the team sit down to discuss the conversation with Mark Direen, their takeaways, key learns, as well as heading down a few philosophical rabbit holes. In the chat the team talk through Mark's 20 years in the Australian Army, from infantry sniper with 1 RAR to passing SASR selection in 1997, and how he recovered from being seriously wounded by an IED in Afghanistan in 2007 to return to operational service. They also unpack what almost two decades in Afghanistan taught him about its people and culture, his transition into expedition guiding in places like Mongolia and Papua New Guinea, and how founding Point Assist, writing What's the Point? and creating Dog Tag Whiskey reflect his belief in continuous learning and adapting after adversity.

Blake and the team sit down to discuss the conversation with Julian Pace.In the chat the team talk through how Julian turned profound personal loss into the mission behind Happiness Co. Why he believes happiness is something you can build rather than wait for, and what speaking to more than 63,000 people across 10 countries has taught him about human connection. They also unpack his recent trek to the Everest and Annapurna base camps, which raised over $165k for charity, and how he balances an ambitious goal of positively impacting 10 million lives in 10 years.

The One True Measure:

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Blake and the team sit down to discuss the conversation with James Jensen. In the chat the team talk through why James chose the front line over an officer's path despite graduating from ADFA, what 14 years as an SAS Patrol Commander taught him about leadership under real pressure, and how accountability looks different when lives are on the line. They also unpack his transition from soldier to consultant, and why he believes the principles that build elite military teams translate directly into building high-performing businesses.

The One True Measure:

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Blake and the team sit down to discuss the conversation with David Flanagan.In the chat, the team talk through what it takes to build a billion-dollar company from a junior explorer, why loyalty and relationships can matter more than pure strategy in volatile industries, and the courage it took to return and rebuild Atlas Iron. They also unpack David's transition from mining entrepreneur to educator and philanthropist, and why he believes leadership is ultimately measured by the people you bring with you.

The One True Measure:

Follow us on:

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LinkedIn

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Website

https://www.onetruemeasure.com.au/

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Blake and the team sit down to discuss the conversation with Ian Prior. In the chat, the team talk through what it takes to lead a franchise through its most turbulent period, why identity and heritage can become the deepest source of motivation late in a career, and how a 14-year professional run led to an unexpected second chapter for Ian.. They also unpack the discipline behind reinventing yourself at the elite level, and why Ian believes the proudest moment of his career might still be ahead of him.

The One True Measure:

Follow us on:

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/onetruemeasure

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-o-connell-a829b369/

Website

https://www.onetruemeasure.com.au/

LinkTree

https://linktr.ee/onetruemeasure