To Be Human

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have a wonderful woman with a solid mindset, Lisa Tamati. Lisa, over the past 25 years has ran over 140 ultra-marathons, from racing in the Sahara to the Gobi to Death Valley in the US which mind you reaches temperatures of over 50 degrees celsius, to the other extreme of running 222km in a non-stop race in the Himalayas! 

Lisa is a coach, international speaker, host of her own podcast ‘Pushing the Limits’, has produced many adventure film documentaries and even hosted her own TV Show. She is the author of three best selling books: Running Hot, Running to Extremes and her more recent one Relentless: How a Mother and Daughter Defied the Odds. I was fortunate enough to read all three books just before the podcast and it was a real journey to follow Lisa from her early beginnings.

Sometimes with people such as Lisa, you hear of 140 ultra-marathons, and put them subconsciously on a pedestal as if they are somewhat non-human. But as you are aware, for this very reason, I have this podcast, to humanise people such as Lisa, because she wasn’t always the lady she is today who has so much experience and a strong understanding of who she is. She was actually quite the contrast. 

In her earlier years, Lisa experienced toxic relationships that were all born out of a lack of self-worth, she was a self-assessed people pleaser and experienced depression with suicidal thoughts. But it is in this podcast she shares how the evolution of her running tied in with how she personally evolved. 

Lisa is a pretty real and raw kind of girl, she is a say it how it is type, and I personally love this approach as it takes us to the nitty gritty most are somewhat uncomfortable to talk about, even though it is indeed these topics that tend to be at times the most important. We get pretty deep, many times through story, such as carrying the shock of a divorce that happened 1 week before running 222km through a desert in Niger with food poisoning. That is an interesting one! We discuss how to navigate knowing when an endurance sport is doing more damage than what it is worth, and some pretty awesome mindset strategies of how to approach not only an event that is going to challenge you, but challenges that come into our everyday lives.

Towards the end Lisa shares her story up until date of her mum having a brain aneurysm that caused serious brain damage and resulted in her mum being, as she describes, like a baby in a woman’s body. I won’t share too much here, as she shares it with great detail in this podcast, but I will say, what has happened since then is a true miracle, and I like to think, they only ever happen if you believe they will happen, and relentless belief is certainly what Lisa had.

Connect with Jennah-Louise
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Lisa
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/lisatamati
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/lisatamati
Website | https://www.lisatamati.com/ 

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the warm-hearted and hilarious Sebastian Terry. Seb is a keynote speaker, international author of his book 100 things, TV Host & Founder of 100 Things Philanthropic Movement in which he has raised almost half a million dollars for charities. 

In his mid-twenties, Seb lost a close friend which influenced him to ask the more deeper and deliberate questions like,  “Who am I and why am I here?” But the question that changed the trajectory of his life was, “Am I happy?” In that moment, he realised the answer to this was no and this fuelled his motivation to create a list of 100 things that he wanted to achieve in this lifetime; an explorative journey focused on the pursuit of happiness. 

From cycling through Cuba, completing a triathlon, to delivering a baby, Seb has successfully ticked off 76 experiences on his list and inspired many during this time, to create and tick off their own lists. He even created an organisation called KindSum which he has integrated into 100 things that focuses on peer-to-peer, people-to-people, helping each other with acts of kindness. 

What I personally loved about this podcast is Seb’s humour and humility. He shares with us his development from being one who was searching for experiences far outside of his comfort zone, through ticking #26 on his list, ‘Help a Stranger’, he found his true purpose in helping other people tick off their own items. He emphasises the importance of, what he terms ‘healthy selfishness’, so you can in turn show up as your best self to be in service to others. He encourages us to know who we are and to be that, and also shares what he truly believes is the secret to a happy life.

Seb’s mother has early onset dementia, and in knowing this before the podcast I asked permission to speak with him about this. He shares vulnerably what it is like for a loved one to forget who you are, and really admirably shares his insight into how to continue living your life in an empowering way and upholding a close relationship with someone that is experiencing such impairment.

Connect with Jennah-Louise
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Seb
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/seb100things
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/100Things
Website | https://100things.com/

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the amazing Kevin Webber. In 2014, at the young age of 49, Kevin was informed that he has terminal prostate cancer, and may only live as short as two more years. What is truly just incredible about this story, is that Kevin is still with us, 7-years post-diagnosis. Yes you are Kevin! We love you! So, Kevin attributes his longevity in the context of a terminal illness to his running and his daily practice of planning tomorrow, today. I asked Kevin to send over his bio so that I could truly honour the running he has done, but I’m sorry Kevin, I just can’t. I am so proud of you as  there is just far too many to mention! From ultramarathons in Cambodia, Spain, Albania, Jordan, pulling a 40kg sled over 120miles, almost 200km, in the Arctic, being the only person with stage 4 cancer to finish MDS 4 times, a 250km stage run through the Sahara Desert, and more recently, due to Covid restrictions, decided to run the MDS in his own backyard, which totalled an astonishing 2,600 laps! Oh and he is on a running streak, having ran over 540 days in a row so far covering over 6,600km. 

He has been awarded the British Empire Medal from the Queens Birthday Honours list and was granted the Freedom of the City of London. Kevin has raised over 250,000 pounds for Prostate Cancer UK and has inspired his family and friends to raise over 500,000 pounds, totalling to a life-changing and life-saving 750,000 pounds! 

So personally, what I love about this podcast is I very quickly came to realise, there was no necessity in hearing my own voice. Kevin is a storyteller, and you will find shortly into the podcast, I allow the space for him to share his very vulnerable story with no interruption. Yes this podcast goes for 2 hours, the man can sure talk, but I encourage you, that if at any moment you feel you don’t have enough time for this, you are in a hurry, other things to do, to be aware of those thoughts because for the next 2 hours these are the words from a man with a terminal illness. These are words from a man that has lived that so-many-things-to-do kind of life, and as he shares from the wise words of Confucius, “We have two lives, and the second begins when we realise we have one.” 

... I ask that we be the kind of people today that really take the time to listen to Kevin. For us not to be the person to be faced with the darkness of regret when we come to truly face death. But, as Kevin shares, to be truly proud of who we are everyday, to also enjoy what we do everyday and ensure we are always making good memories.

Connect with Jennah-Louise
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Kevin
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/webber2401
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/KevinWebberMakeTheMostOfIt/
Website | https://makethemostofit.org/ 

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the just magnificent, joyous, incredible Siri Lindley. Siri is both a Triathlon World Champion, Aquathlon World Champion and winner of the ITU World Cup Series having been the number 1 world ranked athlete in 2001 and 2002.

In 2003 Siri retired at number 1 in the world and proceeded to coach other athletes to 9 World Championship Crowns, 2 Olympic Medals and a lot more. She is the author of her book: Surfacing: From the depths of self-doubt to winning big and living fearlessly, and she is the co-founder of Believe Ranch and Rescue which focuses on rescuing horses from slaughter with her beautiful aussie wife Rebekah Keat, who is also a world champion triathlete!

Amongst all of this Siri is also a speaker for the legend himself, Tony Robbins, which is where I first personally connected with Siri. I was part of the virtual Unleash The Power Within Event last year, and immediately upon her speaking I felt the deep authenticity of her energy and in that moment decided I need to be in the space of this person. I signed up and participated in her Mastermind, then proceeded to do group coaching, and even get a little ultra-marathon guidance from her and fortunately for me, I can now call Siri a close friend and family.

In this conversation Siri shares vulnerably her story of not feeling enough. Through this feeling she became a people pleaser, and developed anxiety, depression and OCD which was only fuelled by her discovering she was gay and this not being accepted by some of those who were closest to her. She shares with us the way in which she overcame this sense of not enoughness leading her to becoming fearlessly authentic; to be free of suffering; to love herself, to feel truly worthy and to feel safe in her own skin.

In late 2019, Siri was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and she shares with us the importance of making a decision in those defining moments of what to focus on and what such adversity means. She encourages us to believe in our decisions and to do whatever it takes to make them happen; for her this meant not only surviving, but thriving. She emphasises the importance of the appreciation of simple things, of gratitude and of being present.

Connect with Jennah-Louise
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Siri
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/sirilindley
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/siri.lindley.3
Website | https://www.sirilindley.com

Hello beautiful people

On today’s podcast we have the wonderful Jamie Hildage who specialises in multi-stage ultramarathons. In 2016 he was the winner of the Big Red Run which is a 250km run over 6 days in outback Australia. In 2017 he came third in The Track which is a 520km run over 10 days between Alice Springs and Uluru, and is only 1 of 2 people who have finished The Track twice, his second time being in 2019. This coming September, Jamie plans on running 1,100km over 11 days from the South Australian border, across NSW to Bondi Beach in support of the Australian Childhood Foundation which he has named the Hard Way Home. Jamie is a father of two beautiful daughters, a Mindset Coach, motivational speaker, Revvies Energy Ambassador and a proud member of the Raidlight Australian running team.

What I found personally fascinating about Jamie in this conversation, is that he was formerly an Executive in Banking for 20 years, and it was indeed the defining time in his life where he was made redundant from this work and separated from his wife, that truly fuelled his pursuit of long-distance running and a journey of deep reflection and self-exploration. Jamie wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to the trails, deserts and dusty tracks, and it is in this podcast that he shares with us what freedom came to mean to him in his transition from what he terms meandering through life, to now living with choice and intention. He emphasises the importance of making conscious decisions in our daily lives, to treat colleagues as we would friends and family and he inspires us to understand that at the core of your journey to achievement, the only person who can truly get you there, is you.

Please rate, review, subscribe, share with friends and family and become part of the To Be Human Collective.

Connect with Jennah-Louise
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Jamie
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/jamiehildage
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildOnAdventure
Website | https://www.jamiehildage.com

Hello beautiful people

At the age of 8 Alyssa was the youngest person to complete the grueling Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea, at the age of 10 she trekked to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, at the age of 14 she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and at the age of 19 she climbed to the top of Mount Everest, which awarded her with a record for being the youngest Australian to complete such a feat. 

Personally though, what I found the most fascinating about Alyssa was that in all her success, there was a point where it became less about the hype that came with breaking records and more of an intentional journey of self-exploration. At the age of 21, Alyssa became the youngest woman in the world to climb both the North and South Routes of Mount Everest, but amongst all the media available on Alyssa, this world-record breaking achievement was noticeably less spoken about. Naturally I asked the question why, and it is in this podcast that Alyssa shares openly about that turning point where she felt the need to connect with herself again and what she loved doing, outside of the attention she normally received. She speaks about the importance of being clear on your identity through separating what you do from who you are, and she shares vulnerably and courageously her experience with depression that was primarily due to her sense of directionless post-Everest and the pressure of people asking, “What’s next?” 

* Note: I had a little challenge with the audio; please bare with it as I tried my best with the new skills I am developing. What an opportunity to say, I’m human :)

Please subscribe, rate, review, share with friends and family, and become part of the To Be Human Collective.

Connect with Jennah-Louise
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Alyssa Azar
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/alyssaazar
Book | The Girl Who Climbed Everest: https://amzn.to/3w05XAP 

Hello beautiful people

In 2007, at just 41, Heather was diagnosed with Stage 1 Ovarian Cancer. Providing what she terms a ‘second chance at life’, this awakened her adventurous spirit that had been lying dormant in her former years. Now, she shares, is not the time to be wasted. At the age of 47 she participated in her first running event, a 4km park run, which unbeknownst to her was the beginning of a journey that would take her to now having completed over forty marathons and eight ultra-marathons. A mum of 2, she trekked 1,700km over 152 days along the Great Himalaya Trail in Nepal with her two adult children, and is currently part of a group of 10 who are running a virtual race around the world that spreads 50,000km of foot steps between them. An Ambassador for organisations such as Ovarian Cancer Australia, CanToo and the Indigenous Marathon Foundation, Heather places purpose and importance on raising awareness in conjunction with her adventures. 

In this conversation with Heather she shares insight into how the lowest times in our lives can be real turning points in who we choose to become, and that in those moments we need to choose to be brave. She challenges us to embody resilience, determination and perseverance in those endeavors of achievement that we seek, but not without passion, presence and a positive mindset along the journey. All our failures have ever been, she shares, are learning experiences and through that she encourages us that no matter what is sent our way in life, allow ourselves to receive it in the form of gratitude. 

Please subscribe, review, share with friends and family, and become part of the To Be Human Collective.

Connect with Jennah-Louise
Mindset Coaching | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au
Instagram Personal | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise

Connect with Heather
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/HeatherHawkinsAdventurousSpirit
Book: Adventurous Spirit | https://amzn.to/3f7saa0 

To Be Human with Jennah-Louise is a space of intimate conversation that sets the intention of humanising high performers by revealing the person behind the persona. Delving into the minds of those who are best known for their achievement, this podcast is a platform to seek deeper conversation than the common highlight reel.

Vulnerable, raw, at times confronting and certainly thought-provoking, my commitment is to inspire us all to reflect on the idea that no matter who we are, we have all as humans faced trial and tribulation in our lives, and it is in our capacity to overcome adversity and our beliefs of inadequacy that we set ourselves up to expand the reach of our own potential.

Please join me and our collective on this journey of self-exploration, expression and the depth of what it means To Be Human.

Connect with Jennah-Louise | https://www.instagram.com/jennah_louise/
Mindset Coaching with Jennah-Louise | https://www.jennahlouise.com.au/coaching
To Be Human Collective | https://www.instagram.com/to.be.human.podcast