Sept. 15, 2019

Changing the brain with Sally Callie

Changing the brain with Sally Callie
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Changing the brain with Sally Callie
Changing the brain with Sally Callie
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Season 4 Psychology & Neuroscience Personal Growth & Healing

She finished fourth in three successive rowing regattas at the Olympic Games and has won numerous medals and awards along the way, but Sally’s true power lies in the recovery from her stroke and brain surgery. As Sallie says “Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it” and that has been true of her recovery. Sallie talks to Cass Dunn about challenging her audience and forcing them to look at the world from a new perspective, while reminding us that a firm mindset is the only way out of the darkness.https://www.sallycallie.com/
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Transcript
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A listener production.

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Hey guys, you're listening to Crappy to Happy. I'm cas done.

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I'm a clinical and coaching psychologist, a mindfulness meditation teacher,

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and author of the Crappy to Happy books. In this series,

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we look at all of the factors that might be

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making you feel crappy and give you the tools and

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the techniques that will help you to overcome them. In

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each episode, I introduce you to interesting, inspiring, intelligent people

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who are experts in their field, and my hope is

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that they will help you feel less crappy and more happy.

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Today I am talking with triple Olympian and four time

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national champion rower Sally Kelly formerly Sally Newmarch about how

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she used all of the strength, drive and tenacity that

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she developed as an elite athlete to recover from a stroke.

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Sally is a true inspiration and a champion, and I

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think after you listen to her.

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Story, you will have to agree.

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So Sally, just for listeners, I first met you when

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you actually invited me. You're a rowing coach now invited

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me to speak at your girls rowing camp about mindset

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and mindfulness in preparation for their rowing competition. And I

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soon found out who you were and figured you didn't

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need me at all to teach mindset and mindfulness knowing

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your background. So can we start with maybe telling our

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listeners a little bit about your Olympic background.

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You're a triple Olympian.

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Sure, you know as an Olympian, training is not just

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about training the body, It's about training the mindset, and

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that's you know. As an educator, I really wanted you

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to come in and talk to our athletes because they

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have so much we can learn, not just from the

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rowing boat, but we can transfer them into life. So

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you know, those life skills are so important. And for me,

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I began that journey. You know as a sixteen year old.

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I was in school one day and I visited, stepped

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up onto stage and said, are you tool? Are you sixteen?

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Would you like to go to the Olympic Games. Now

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this went in Australia, white though. This was done by

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every government, every local government in every state, and they

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grounded up four hundred kids from all over the state,

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brought them down to the Institute of Sport, measured them

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up and told them they were the next Olympic rowing champions.

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So I was talent, Id'd for the sport. Now this stage,

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I had no idea what was going on. I just

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knew I had to have long arms, good leg power,

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good speed, those sorts of things. So you were a

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rower though, Yes, you already know what sport were being

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talent id'd for, which was quite fascinating, you know, as

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a student being told you're going to be a future

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Olympic champion in.

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Just four years.

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Yeah, So parents were interviewed, we will measured up. They

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were narrowed it down to ten boys and ten girls

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in every state, and they said in four years you

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will be at the Olympic Games. And you were incredible. Yes,

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they set some pretty serious goals for us, and they

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did say if we didn't achieve those goals, you know,

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we weren't really required in the program. So it was

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quite taxing, you know, it was year twelve. Balancing the

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extra twenty hours of training on top of the academics

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was incredibly testing. Yeah, but you know, as you would know,

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with that comes some incredible life skills and transferable life skills.

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And I quickly noticed as my performance in the boat

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improved as a sixteen year old, my academics in the classroom,

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you know, went skyrocketed, so it was just amazing experience.

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And yes, within one year we're at the World Junior Championships,

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within two years the World Seniors, three years World Seniors

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and fourth year, oh my goodness, it was the Olympic Games.

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You know, all my dreams had come true.

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So which Olympics was that?

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So that was nineteen ninety six Atlanta Olympics and I

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was twenty you just turned twenty, so quite young, you know,

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one of the youngest on the team, which was quite

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an incredible experience, you know, things that you dream off

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as a sixteen year old, of.

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Course, and so you obviously then went on to Sydney

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two thousand and then Athens.

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Yes, yeah, I went on to do three Olympic Games,

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came fourth, fourth, and fourth, so you know, I built

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that resilience along the way. But our Athens campaign finished

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with a world record, which was fantastic, and it's an

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Olympic record that stands today. So you know, it's nice

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to take home something even though it wasn't the hardware

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of a medal. At least there's an Olympic record that

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still stands today.

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To this day. Nobody has broken your own.

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Has broken it, so my rowing partner and I Amber,

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you know, every Olympic Games we get together and yeah,

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we watched that Olympic Games.

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That's fantastic.

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You know, cross our fingers because it will be broken

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one day.

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Do a little high five when it remains unbroken. Yeah,

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So for anybody who was watching, you know, many of

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us were watching those games. So you were in the

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lightweight double skulls with Amber Halliday, that's correct, Yeah, the

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lightweight double skull Yeah. So just on that Athens Olympics.

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You had some challenges leading up to those games, right,

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because you were in a bike.

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I read that you were in a bike accident.

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Well, interesting enough, it was actually Amber that was in

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the bike accident twelve weeks prior to the games. She

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recovered within six weeks and then I came off my

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bike after that and broke my rib. So we had

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two bike accidents within it was likely about sixteen weeks

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prior to the games. Our reserve had gone home with

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the measles. So we had to raise that Olympic Games

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in the state that we were in. And it was

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a sports psychologist that pulled me aside and just said, Beauty,

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you know you've got eight weeks of the Games. You've

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six weeks to heal a broken bone. Let's get started

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on the visualization. And that was my final six weeks

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into the Games. Amber rode the single skull in the

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glacier lake in Switzerland where we were training at the time.

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Our double collected dust and I just sat there with

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a tree and some thera bands and just had to

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visualize movement, you know, while moving those THEO bands back

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and forth, working on that fine motor control. It was incredible.

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That's amazing.

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Yeah. So, because you know, we haven't really talked about

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it a lot, I don't think on this show about

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that power of mental rehearsal. And you know the fact

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that mentally rehearsing a skill, especially in elite sport but

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in anything, really can have as much effect on the

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improvement in your performance as actually physically.

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Absolutely many of us don't realize. Yeah, you know, it's

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not just physical, it's mental. And at that level, we

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were the same way, same height, all of our competitors.

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We were in a fifty seven kilo weight category. Everyone

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was identical, you know, identical physiology and anthropometrical measurements. It

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was a mindset that would separate us. And you know

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when we sat on that start line of the Olympic

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Games for the heat, you know, day one of the games,

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it was like a mind boxing match going on in

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my head. You know that in a critic just telling

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me I wasn't prepared and br and I hadn't actually

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raced together ever at this point. You know, that was

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another fact that was totally overwhelming. We lost our opportunity

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to do some speed work. So we sat there on

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the Olympic Games totally green, unsure how we were going.

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I didn't even know your partner in the boat.

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No, really, no, we'd trained together, but obviously not raced together.

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And it was it really was a mind back boxing

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match going on that start line, just trying to stay

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focused and and get that in a critic to turn

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into in a coach and tell you that could actually perform.

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I love that, turn the inner critic into the inner coach.

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So you obviously you could mentally rehearse the skill, the movement,

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but you can't mentally rehearse physical fitness exactly.

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But we were very fit. We're incredibly fit, and I

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guess could have been luck. I'm not sure, but the

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day of the heat, it was incredibly rough conditions. It

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was unrollable. You know, they pretty much canceled the regatta

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that afternoon. It was white caps. And in a rowing environment,

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if any of our listeners here have rowed, it's pretty

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easy to tip in, so you sort of like you're

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walking on a typewrote when you're actually rowing in those conditions.

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And I can remember the starter calling us up to

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the start line, and I can remember thinking, you know,

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this is going to be a really tricky race. So

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really short and tricky race because with a strong tailwind,

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starter called us in you know, Australia, Germany, France, and

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he calls out our names, attention, go, and off we went,

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and we just had to keep our head in the

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boat and just execute the technique. And before we knew it.

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The funny thing about rowing is it's a sport. You

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sit down and you go backwards, and so you're leading

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the race. We had the best spectator seat in the house,

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and we were leading by you know, more and more,

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only because we had that fine motor control that I

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had developed through the fine motor control with therabands, and

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Amber had developed that incredible skill of rowing a single skull,

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you know, in the lead up, so we were in

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the most perfect position and no one was more surprised

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than us in the heat when we crossed the line

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with the world record.

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Isn't that amazing? It was incredible.

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That's the epitome of silver linings, isn't it?

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Like we learnt so much? But when you're on top,

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it's pretty hard to stay there.

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Yeah. Yeah, So you went on in the final, you

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came fourth. We did.

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It was a strong head win. The race was perhaps

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two minutes longer. I think the only thing record is

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about a six forty seven, and I think the final,

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you know, was a lot longer. And my rib was

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just in pain by the end. So we crossed the

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line in fourth. We got mo down. We were leading

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most of the race, but I you know, it was

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a difficult place to be. But to walk away with

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an Olympic record is a pretty special place to be,

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of course.

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And so that was the end of your Olympic career

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so far sorting. You came home, got married, you weren't

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married at that stage, got married, had kids, and then

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I want to get to like your next big challenge,

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which was do you want to tell us about what

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ultimately led you to having a stroke.

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Yeah, so I actually couldn't wait to get home and

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settle and it didn't take long. I fell in love

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with a fellow olympian, We got married, we had two children.

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In world record pace was fourteen months. We produced two children,

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and life was perfect. I know it is possible, trust me.

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And I secured my dream job in education. Our life

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was absolutely perfect. But two weeks after the birth of

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that second child, you know, not long after finishing the

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Olympic Games, I.

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Had a seizure.

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So I was standing in the shower not long after

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giving birth, and my left side started flipping out. I've

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never had any health issues in my life, so it

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was quite nerve wracking. They took me away into the

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ambulance into hospital that night, and after a whole batch

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of MRIs and scans, I was told that I had

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a genetic brain malformation on my brain. So it was

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sort of like a something I was born with, and

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it was called an AVM, a cluster of blood vessels,

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and they said it would bleed in a time of stress.

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So obviously the childbirth caused the bleed and caused the seizure.

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And look, they said, you've got two choices. You can

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leave it and you will suffer a fatal stroke you

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in probably ten to fifteen years, or we can have

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a craniotomy, and a craniotomy involves a fifteen per cent

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chance of stroke, paralysis, coma, or death. Now I had

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a two week old baby. It was it was a

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terrifying decision. It was terrifying. It was you know, when

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you've just had a child, you want to put that

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child first, and that's what I did. I proposed to

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the surgeon to delay the surgery by six months, and

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I just needed six months to breastfeed that little boy,

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you know, just to get to know him, and just

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to live like these six months with my last It

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was an incredible six months because when you're not sure

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if that's going to be your you know your end date,

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you make sure those six months are going to be

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the best six months of your life. And I just

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finished reading Muttin Seligman's Authentic Happiness and also Flourish Positive Education.

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So I was in this fantastic place mentally where life

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was just great and I was ready for every single obstacle.

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So I made sure those six months were full of gratitude,

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you know, I've reconnected with friends, I engaged and everything

242
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I found, you know, achievement and everything in my life.

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I just saw every sunset sunrise, and I just got

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to this brilliant place in my life where when the

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dave of surgery came, I was ready. I was ready

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to win the race. I was so determined to go

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in there and treat it like an Olympic Games and

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come out as a success.

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And what happened.

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It was seven hours later. I woke up and the

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AVM was removed, so they took my skull off, removed

252
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the AVM, stapled my skull back on with twenty four staples,

253
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and I woke up and it was good news. The

254
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AVM was gone. But I woke up paralyzed down one side,

255
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and that was, you know, difficult. I went into an

256
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another MRI straight after that and they told me I'd

257
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survived a stroke during the surgery. So with some slight optimism,

258
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I was able to see that as a second chance,

259
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that I didn't die on the operating table, that I

260
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was still alive. So I really tried to run with that,

261
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but I couldn't help but notice that being paralyzed down

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one side of the body you know, I was an

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athlete in an infant's body, and that was the toughest part.

264
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You know, my whole identity was that of an athlete.

265
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My job, you know that I was a attorney to

266
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leave from, was that of a director of sport. You know,

267
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I was an athletic able person and in broad daylight,

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that was taken away from me.

269
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And meanwhile, also a mother of a six month old

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and a I'm trying to do the maths.

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I've half a year basically, yeah, and a mortgage and

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a husband and all those sorts of things. So I

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really a grieved for the loss of my husband's wife.

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I a grieved for the boy's mother, and I just

275
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grieve for the new burden they had. The doctors couldn't

276
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tell me whether I'd ever walk again, whether I'd either

277
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be able to dress myself, feed myself, sit up straight.

278
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I really was a burden and it was difficult.

279
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Can you talk us through?

280
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So how did you wrap your head around that? What

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was the what was the process that you went through

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in your mind?

283
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I mean it's a pretty dark place to be, incredibly dark,

284
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you know, when no one is able to give you

285
00:13:25.159 --> 00:13:28.679
hope and you're a young stroke survivor too, So I

286
00:13:28.759 --> 00:13:31.799
laid on my back in hospital for two weeks. There

287
00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:33.600
was no place in a rehab center for me yet

288
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we're in the public system. So I waited for two

289
00:13:36.159 --> 00:13:39.240
weeks in hospital, unable to move, just looking at a ceiling,

290
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trying to dig deep, you know, from the Olympic experience,

291
00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:44.759
trying to pull you know, all of those lessons. But

292
00:13:44.840 --> 00:13:46.879
I just couldn't draw much. You know. I was in

293
00:13:46.919 --> 00:13:50.120
a really dark place, and I laid on my back

294
00:13:50.159 --> 00:13:52.080
for two weeks, and every time a doctor came in,

295
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I just said, you know when when.

296
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We'll move and return.

297
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And each doctor was protecting me, I guess, with their

298
00:13:56.919 --> 00:14:01.559
vague sense of you know maybe perhaps, oh maybe never.

299
00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:04.720
But one doctor, as he leaves the room, he said,

300
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have you tried visualization? Was it was just incredible.

301
00:14:08.679 --> 00:14:09.039
I could have.

302
00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:12.080
I could have jumped out of bed if I could visualization.

303
00:14:12.159 --> 00:14:13.840
That was something I was damn good at, you know,

304
00:14:13.919 --> 00:14:17.480
visualization at something I'd practiced an Olympic level. So I,

305
00:14:17.559 --> 00:14:19.600
with all my energy, I pretty much wrote up a

306
00:14:19.639 --> 00:14:21.519
training program, you know, as best I could. You know,

307
00:14:21.720 --> 00:14:24.840
my head eat, sleep, train, repeat, and you know, training

308
00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:28.000
involved visualizing an awe in my hand, you know, visualizing

309
00:14:28.000 --> 00:14:30.559
cross wind on my face, you know, visualizing the rowing

310
00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:33.480
zoot suit, the uniform cutting into my shoulder, just trying

311
00:14:33.480 --> 00:14:37.440
to get that sensation back, trying to activate those neurons

312
00:14:37.440 --> 00:14:41.000
that were not awake, you know, trying to reconnect. And

313
00:14:41.039 --> 00:14:42.879
if you can see the movement and feel the movement,

314
00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:47.159
you can then strengthen those motor patterns. So I was

315
00:14:47.279 --> 00:14:50.600
so excited, you know, I was so empowered by being

316
00:14:50.639 --> 00:14:53.240
able to be accountable. And I think that was a

317
00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:55.440
lesson I learned as a patient. If I can get

318
00:14:55.480 --> 00:14:57.440
some accountability, then I can be in charge of this

319
00:14:57.519 --> 00:15:00.559
dream and I can be responsible. And with that, I

320
00:15:00.600 --> 00:15:03.799
began visualizing everything. You know, everything in that hospital and

321
00:15:03.840 --> 00:15:06.840
that rehab center became the Olympic Games for me. In

322
00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:10.960
my green hospital gown was my Olympic uniform. My wristband,

323
00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:16.600
my identification was my athlete accreditation, you know, my wheelchair

324
00:15:16.679 --> 00:15:18.759
was my rowing boat. And those six the ladies that

325
00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:20.799
I ended up sharing a rehab board with, they were

326
00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:24.919
my crew. So I just ensured that everything was full

327
00:15:24.960 --> 00:15:27.360
of optimism, and everything was visualized, you know, in the

328
00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:28.559
most perfect scenario.

329
00:15:29.679 --> 00:15:32.320
And something else that I read online, which I'm not

330
00:15:32.320 --> 00:15:36.399
sure people know either. Is that Amber your rowing partner?

331
00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:41.279
She had also suffered a brain injury in following the Olympics, right.

332
00:15:41.279 --> 00:15:44.720
Credible coincidence. Absolutely, Amber, after the two thousand and four

333
00:15:45.039 --> 00:15:48.480
took up cycling, as many rowers do, won the national championships.

334
00:15:48.480 --> 00:15:50.480
So I went on to do great things. Yet in

335
00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:53.440
a race called the Tour down under an Adelaide, I

336
00:15:53.480 --> 00:15:57.080
think she ac colluded with a corner and came down

337
00:15:57.120 --> 00:15:59.480
and knocked her head quite hard. And Amber spent a

338
00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:02.240
very long time time in a coma and also ended

339
00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:05.440
up in a rehabilitation hospital, learning to walk, learning to

340
00:16:05.519 --> 00:16:08.639
speak and things like that. So Amber and I together,

341
00:16:08.960 --> 00:16:09.720
we studied.

342
00:16:09.519 --> 00:16:11.279
Neuroplasticity basically together.

343
00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:13.200
So I was going to say, so, what puts to

344
00:16:13.200 --> 00:16:16.039
she'd sort of she was recovering at the time this

345
00:16:16.080 --> 00:16:17.080
happened to you.

346
00:16:17.159 --> 00:16:19.639
So you were able to reach out to her exactly?

347
00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:23.440
Yes, Yeah, And I kept my disability incredibly private.

348
00:16:23.480 --> 00:16:24.600
I was so ashamed.

349
00:16:24.639 --> 00:16:26.519
You know, I was an athlete and I always just

350
00:16:26.559 --> 00:16:29.360
didn't know how to cope with now being disabled. So

351
00:16:30.159 --> 00:16:32.840
you know, I told my family, my close family, but

352
00:16:32.879 --> 00:16:35.320
they weren't allowed to tell any cousins aunties, uncles.

353
00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:35.840
Wow.

354
00:16:36.360 --> 00:16:38.559
And I did call Amber because I just had no

355
00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:40.960
idea what to do. But Amber just said, I've got

356
00:16:40.960 --> 00:16:43.759
one word for you, and that's neuroplasticity. So I went

357
00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:47.720
out and bought online the audiobook of Norman Deutsch, The

358
00:16:47.799 --> 00:16:51.320
Brain That Changes Itself, and that was incredible in understanding

359
00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:54.200
the mindset and what we can do by strengthening motor patterns.

360
00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:57.639
It's so that's so interesting, isn't it? Because I think

361
00:16:57.639 --> 00:17:00.600
there are still a lot of people who they might

362
00:17:00.639 --> 00:17:05.039
have heard the term neuroplasticity, but here's real, like living,

363
00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:08.119
breathing evidence, and there's so many examples in that book.

364
00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:10.799
The book is called The Brain that Changes Itself, that's correct.

365
00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:15.359
So many case studies of people who have recovered from

366
00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:20.880
like incredible challenges and brain injuries absolutely by through this

367
00:17:20.960 --> 00:17:24.799
process of actually rewiring your brain and actually redeveloping new

368
00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:28.240
brain cells. Absolutely, the case studies are incredible in there,

369
00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:30.160
and it talks a lot about cause and effect. You know,

370
00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:33.480
how bad habits can create bad behavior, but good habits

371
00:17:33.480 --> 00:17:35.759
can go on to loop into good behavior, and how

372
00:17:35.799 --> 00:17:39.079
we can strengthen our brain in mentally and strengthen our

373
00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:43.000
body physically. It's incredible, you know, so really opened my

374
00:17:43.039 --> 00:17:45.720
eyes up. The combination of the Olympic Games and living

375
00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:49.200
a year in a rehabilitation environment. Yeah, well, I was

376
00:17:49.559 --> 00:17:51.960
four months in the center in an elderly stroke unit.

377
00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:55.480
Some of our patients were palliative care, some were with MS.

378
00:17:56.039 --> 00:17:59.839
I shared award with six elderly patients. We became very close.

379
00:18:01.160 --> 00:18:03.960
We talked about regrets, you know, we had fantastic, deep,

380
00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:08.079
deep conversations. And I learned so much that year that

381
00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.079
I took off work. I learned more than I've you know,

382
00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:13.000
more in that year that I've learned in my life,

383
00:18:13.319 --> 00:18:13.480
you know.

384
00:18:13.519 --> 00:18:14.960
And I'm probably prouder.

385
00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:17.240
Of that year than the three Olympic Games combined, because

386
00:18:17.720 --> 00:18:20.079
you know, when you pushed into a hard place like that,

387
00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:24.039
you really have to, you know, make choices on you know,

388
00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:27.279
how you interpret the situation and how you respond and

389
00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:30.319
what you can pull from your patients, your fellow patients,

390
00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:33.079
how you can work together, yeah, to fight the odds.

391
00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:37.640
I hope you're enjoying season four of the show, And hey,

392
00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:39.440
I would love for you to check out my brand

393
00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:42.359
new YouTube channel, where I'm sharing even more tips on

394
00:18:42.400 --> 00:18:44.640
how you can feel less crappy and more happy.

395
00:18:44.759 --> 00:18:45.880
It's YouTube dot.

396
00:18:45.720 --> 00:18:48.720
Com forward slash cast Done, so come over check it out.

397
00:18:48.759 --> 00:18:51.160
I'd love for you to subscribe, And if you haven't

398
00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:54.160
already taken my free seven day happiness challenge, you can

399
00:18:54.160 --> 00:18:59.079
sign up for that at castdone dot com Forward slash Happiness.

400
00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:02.799
Sally.

401
00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:05.079
What I'm interested in is like, how important was it

402
00:19:05.119 --> 00:19:09.319
like when ambassid I've got one word neuroplasticity. How much

403
00:19:09.319 --> 00:19:11.359
of a difference did that make you? Just in terms

404
00:19:11.359 --> 00:19:13.680
of giving you that sense of hope?

405
00:19:14.640 --> 00:19:14.880
Did it?

406
00:19:15.160 --> 00:19:18.160
I assume it made all the difference. Again, like visualization,

407
00:19:19.039 --> 00:19:21.079
I felt accountable. I felt I could now be in

408
00:19:21.160 --> 00:19:22.839
charge of my dream. I could be a student of

409
00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:26.359
my purpose. And whether it's rowing or career or whatever

410
00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:27.880
it is, I think we all have to be in

411
00:19:27.960 --> 00:19:29.880
charge of our dream and a student of our purpose.

412
00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:32.960
And the word neuroplasticity gave me an opportunity to read

413
00:19:33.079 --> 00:19:35.880
up on the work of Norman Deutge and a few

414
00:19:35.880 --> 00:19:39.359
other neuroscientists and actually be in charge and take the

415
00:19:39.759 --> 00:19:42.839
pressure off the doctors and put it back onto the patient.

416
00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:45.039
You know that we it's up to us to choose

417
00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:47.279
how we interpret and how we respond and to do

418
00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:49.559
our own research. And there was some incredible things happening

419
00:19:49.559 --> 00:19:53.200
over in the US with stroke recovery. It wasn't happening,

420
00:19:53.279 --> 00:19:55.799
you know, in the government hospitals because obviously there were

421
00:19:55.799 --> 00:19:57.640
some policies as to what you can and can't do

422
00:19:57.720 --> 00:20:00.000
with patients. But I decided to do my own reas

423
00:20:00.000 --> 00:20:02.920
abilitation program while living in the hospital. And you know,

424
00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:05.559
when the nurses had gone, you know, to bed all

425
00:20:05.599 --> 00:20:08.559
back into their quarters, that's when my training began and

426
00:20:08.599 --> 00:20:11.440
I went to do well. You know, I was pretty angry,

427
00:20:11.519 --> 00:20:16.039
you know, because of course I knew I had a choice,

428
00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:19.119
and you know, I had two little children at home

429
00:20:19.160 --> 00:20:22.079
and a husband, and I knew I had to do

430
00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:25.519
something pretty unique. So, you know, I blew up balloons

431
00:20:25.519 --> 00:20:27.799
and I just spent evenings just trying to play volleyball

432
00:20:27.799 --> 00:20:29.680
with the left hand. Even though I couldn't even move

433
00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:32.720
my left hand. I'd be attempting to think about the

434
00:20:32.720 --> 00:20:36.279
connection of making a wrist connect with the volleyball. You know.

435
00:20:36.319 --> 00:20:39.200
I used my wheelchair as a squat machine. So the

436
00:20:39.319 --> 00:20:41.319
squats that I learned how to do in rowing, I

437
00:20:41.319 --> 00:20:43.839
would try and squat in and out of the wheelchair

438
00:20:43.880 --> 00:20:45.519
and if I fell forward, I'd fall into my bed,

439
00:20:45.519 --> 00:20:47.720
and if I feel back, I'd fall into my chair.

440
00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:50.839
I used my wheelchair as a walking frame as opposed

441
00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:54.599
to a wheelchair. Even when I started to get progress

442
00:20:54.680 --> 00:20:58.640
you need in walking, dressing, feeding, I decided I really

443
00:20:58.680 --> 00:21:01.160
needed to test myself. So I asked a nurse, a

444
00:21:01.200 --> 00:21:03.640
student nurse, if I could just step outside the rehabilitation

445
00:21:03.759 --> 00:21:06.680
center to you know, I get some fresh air. And

446
00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:09.079
I tucked my phone safe in my pocket, comb my

447
00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:12.759
hair over my half shaved head, pulled my sleeve over

448
00:21:12.839 --> 00:21:15.920
my rehab bracelet, my identification, and I walked to the

449
00:21:16.000 --> 00:21:18.880
nearest bus stop. So I staggered the four hundred meters

450
00:21:18.920 --> 00:21:22.000
with my foot dragging behind me. I just needed to

451
00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:23.680
do my limits, though cas I just needed to know

452
00:21:23.720 --> 00:21:26.720
where I was in society and whether I could go

453
00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:29.680
home and look after two children. I hopped on the bus.

454
00:21:29.960 --> 00:21:31.720
I went all the way into the city, and my

455
00:21:31.799 --> 00:21:33.559
goal was to go and get a coffee, you know,

456
00:21:33.720 --> 00:21:38.319
just like any normal person, my benchmark. But it was

457
00:21:38.359 --> 00:21:40.119
just thrilling being on a bus. You know, the streets

458
00:21:40.119 --> 00:21:42.400
were winding, you know, I had to hold onto a

459
00:21:42.480 --> 00:21:45.359
rail obviously to stop my body from falling. Over. But

460
00:21:45.440 --> 00:21:47.599
the man next to me, he was in his business suits.

461
00:21:47.599 --> 00:21:50.440
It was peak hour, of course, and he was staring

462
00:21:50.480 --> 00:21:52.920
at me, and I could not figure out what he

463
00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:56.000
was looking at. And I was as horrified as him

464
00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:59.160
when I noticed that my left hand had flopped into

465
00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:03.920
his lap. So I picked up that misbehaving hand, wedged it.

466
00:22:03.960 --> 00:22:05.519
Betwere my thighs, and I got off at the next

467
00:22:05.559 --> 00:22:08.519
bus stop, and I'd found my limits. So I safely

468
00:22:08.559 --> 00:22:10.799
went back to the rehab center and ticked that box

469
00:22:10.839 --> 00:22:12.759
that you know. Now I know where my limits are.

470
00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:15.200
You know when you said, you know, you took back

471
00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:17.799
your power to take charge of your recovery. And I

472
00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:20.480
think that's such an important message to take that responsibility.

473
00:22:20.519 --> 00:22:22.759
But you know, what were you up against in terms

474
00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:25.279
of what the doctor's expectations were like, what were they

475
00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:26.599
sort of preparing you for?

476
00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:29.359
They were teaching me to how to adapt to my disability.

477
00:22:29.480 --> 00:22:32.319
When I first arrived in the rehab center, where I

478
00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:36.119
shared award with six elderly stroke patients, I was issued

479
00:22:36.119 --> 00:22:39.400
a commode, a wheelchair, and adaptive cutlery. You know, we

480
00:22:39.519 --> 00:22:42.440
were there were points where we were we were offered

481
00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:46.359
to rent there equipment or perhaps purchase it. So those

482
00:22:46.359 --> 00:22:48.519
sorts of decisions. You know, the house was going to

483
00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:52.200
be modified, you know, there was an appointment where I

484
00:22:52.200 --> 00:22:54.359
guess the medical team would go into my house and

485
00:22:54.640 --> 00:22:57.359
talk about the cost of modifying our home, you know,

486
00:22:57.400 --> 00:23:00.400
putting ramps in and things like that. It was really

487
00:23:00.440 --> 00:23:03.079
difficult because I really believed in my body. I knew

488
00:23:03.079 --> 00:23:05.319
how to train this body. This body has never let

489
00:23:05.359 --> 00:23:08.480
me down. I was talking to Amber, you know, I

490
00:23:08.519 --> 00:23:12.119
had to be so headstrong, you know, around a medical team.

491
00:23:13.000 --> 00:23:15.880
I've been reading a book called wolf Pack by Abby.

492
00:23:15.759 --> 00:23:17.799
Oh, yes, I have heard of it, but I haven't

493
00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:18.079
read it.

494
00:23:18.160 --> 00:23:20.680
She talks about ain't no little red riding hood. Now

495
00:23:20.680 --> 00:23:23.000
I can really relate to that. You know, you don't

496
00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:25.359
have to stay in that garden path, you know, you

497
00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:28.000
can actually step off the path and create your own dream.

498
00:23:28.400 --> 00:23:30.000
And that's what I felt like I was doing in

499
00:23:30.039 --> 00:23:32.240
rehab hospital. I had to wear devil horns and make

500
00:23:32.279 --> 00:23:34.359
sure I got my way because if it wasn't for that,

501
00:23:34.480 --> 00:23:36.559
I would have been a burden, you know, and I

502
00:23:36.599 --> 00:23:38.359
wasn't willing for that on my family.

503
00:23:38.839 --> 00:23:43.039
That takes such strength, because often we do feel like

504
00:23:43.079 --> 00:23:45.799
even just going to the GP, we often feel kind

505
00:23:45.799 --> 00:23:50.279
of powerless, especially in medical situations, like they're the experts

506
00:23:50.279 --> 00:23:51.960
and we kind of just have to take their word

507
00:23:51.960 --> 00:23:54.240
for it and listen to what they say, and we're

508
00:23:54.319 --> 00:23:57.359
kind of treated you know, I disrespect to the medical profession,

509
00:23:57.359 --> 00:23:59.559
but we're sometimes kind of treated like that. If you

510
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:02.799
even if you google something yourself, Oh you've been consulting

511
00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:05.240
doctor Google? Have you? You know, leave that to the experts.

512
00:24:05.880 --> 00:24:08.240
But you know, it's really important to take that power

513
00:24:08.279 --> 00:24:11.039
back and to take some control of our health and

514
00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:12.400
our destiny. Yeah.

515
00:24:12.400 --> 00:24:14.440
I've been quite fortunate to speak at a few hospitals.

516
00:24:14.480 --> 00:24:17.200
I spoke at the Wesley not long ago here in Brisbane,

517
00:24:17.680 --> 00:24:20.400
and the doctors and the nurses want that they want

518
00:24:20.440 --> 00:24:23.240
patients to take accountability. No obviously to an extent, but

519
00:24:23.279 --> 00:24:25.839
they want them to sort of realize that it's their

520
00:24:26.279 --> 00:24:28.319
their problem. They need to be a student of their purpose,

521
00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:31.519
not the doctors. And being in a rehab center with

522
00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:34.599
elderly stroke survivors, there were so many patients that were

523
00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:37.599
making it the medical problem, making it the medical professionals

524
00:24:37.640 --> 00:24:40.400
problem and not their problem. And I think once we

525
00:24:40.480 --> 00:24:44.920
start owning it, taking accountability, even using it as an

526
00:24:44.960 --> 00:24:47.920
our authentic identity. I think we really need to own

527
00:24:47.960 --> 00:24:50.599
it and actually, you know, find the silver lining and

528
00:24:50.640 --> 00:24:51.480
do something with it.

529
00:24:52.039 --> 00:24:53.400
Can you just talk more about that. What do you

530
00:24:53.440 --> 00:24:56.079
mean when you say take authentic identity?

531
00:24:56.920 --> 00:24:59.799
Well, I guess when I had my you know, after

532
00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:03.160
a I was deemed well enough to be out of

533
00:25:03.160 --> 00:25:06.880
the medical system and stop the organized rehab, and I

534
00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:11.119
was frightened about going back into my workplace. My identity

535
00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:13.680
was that of someone that was physical and able, and

536
00:25:13.720 --> 00:25:17.119
my job of a director of sport was to stand

537
00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:19.319
in front of a school cohort and speak, and I

538
00:25:19.359 --> 00:25:19.839
couldn't do that.

539
00:25:19.880 --> 00:25:20.480
I had a slur.

540
00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:24.119
It was to perhaps drive a school bus of athletes

541
00:25:24.119 --> 00:25:26.359
to training, and I couldn't drive because I didn't have

542
00:25:26.359 --> 00:25:30.119
a license anymore after a brain injury, and frightening enough

543
00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:33.960
was to I guess, demonstrate archery in pe. Now the

544
00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:36.160
work health and safety manager was more concerned than I

545
00:25:36.240 --> 00:25:39.440
was where that arrow would end up. But I really

546
00:25:39.480 --> 00:25:43.160
had to close that identity and embrace something new. And

547
00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:47.039
it wasn't until I, i guess, opened up my mindset

548
00:25:47.319 --> 00:25:51.119
and embracing new possibilities that didn't involve my physical ability.

549
00:25:51.319 --> 00:25:53.559
I started to realize that I've got something authentic here.

550
00:25:53.640 --> 00:25:56.240
You know, I'd spent a whole year reading about neuroscience.

551
00:25:57.039 --> 00:25:58.640
What was I going to do with that knowledge? Now?

552
00:25:58.680 --> 00:26:01.279
So that really pushed me in an education in science.

553
00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:04.200
So I'm no longer involved in sport in the educational

554
00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:06.680
field and science is my new passion. And it just

555
00:26:06.720 --> 00:26:09.160
shows that one door closes, another one opens. And it's

556
00:26:09.160 --> 00:26:11.960
not until we let go of our past perceptions judgments

557
00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:14.960
who we are, that we're able to embrace a new possibility.

558
00:26:15.359 --> 00:26:17.359
And I think we all need to be open to

559
00:26:17.519 --> 00:26:19.759
change and open to be students of our purpose and

560
00:26:19.799 --> 00:26:22.279
open to be I guess, being accountable for who we

561
00:26:22.319 --> 00:26:23.359
are and moving with change.

562
00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:24.319
Yeah.

563
00:26:24.559 --> 00:26:28.799
And so for the people listening, you have now, from

564
00:26:28.799 --> 00:26:31.400
what I can tell, have made a complete recovery.

565
00:26:32.200 --> 00:26:35.559
We hide our disability well, so you know I walk

566
00:26:35.599 --> 00:26:38.200
with a limp, just a slight limp. My handwriting is

567
00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:39.039
very messy.

568
00:26:39.319 --> 00:26:40.039
Are you left handed?

569
00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:42.519
I'm left handed, But that's actually a great thing. I

570
00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:45.480
have read that it's wonderful. Well, the best side to

571
00:26:45.519 --> 00:26:48.480
stroke on is actually your dominant side, because you're more

572
00:26:48.640 --> 00:26:50.920
likely to gain some sort of movement back because you're

573
00:26:50.960 --> 00:26:53.039
more likely to reach for a door handle, or at

574
00:26:53.079 --> 00:26:55.039
least think about reaching for a door handle with your

575
00:26:55.079 --> 00:26:57.400
dominant side. So even though I may stand and look

576
00:26:57.440 --> 00:27:01.279
at a door, you know, after the brain injury, the

577
00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:06.079
whole sensation of that brain to hand pathway was always

578
00:27:06.119 --> 00:27:09.519
going to be there. So yeah, my handwriting's messy. I

579
00:27:09.519 --> 00:27:12.680
walk with a limp. I can't dance anymore very robotic.

580
00:27:13.240 --> 00:27:15.480
But I can mother, I can teach, I can coach,

581
00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:17.759
I can do all these wonderful things. And I've learned

582
00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:20.799
so much, you know, I've learned so much, and I

583
00:27:20.839 --> 00:27:22.920
just want to share the knowledge that I have now

584
00:27:23.720 --> 00:27:26.160
because it's a lonely place when you're a young stroke survivor,

585
00:27:26.200 --> 00:27:28.839
and I had no role models around me, no one

586
00:27:28.839 --> 00:27:30.839
to help me out. And my goal now is to

587
00:27:31.000 --> 00:27:33.920
share my knowledge and help others in similar situations that

588
00:27:33.960 --> 00:27:34.640
there is hope.

589
00:27:35.160 --> 00:27:35.839
It's amazing.

590
00:27:36.640 --> 00:27:38.319
So, Sally, I want to really pick up on this

591
00:27:38.640 --> 00:27:42.559
neuroplasticity because it is a really new it's new science.

592
00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:46.720
When I did my undergraduate degree in psychology late eighties,

593
00:27:46.759 --> 00:27:50.720
early nineties, we were taught, we were taught clearly there

594
00:27:50.880 --> 00:27:54.279
is no growing new brain cells. You are born with

595
00:27:54.319 --> 00:27:56.200
a certain number because there's various ways you can kill

596
00:27:56.240 --> 00:27:58.799
your brain cells, which we're all doing at the time,

597
00:27:58.839 --> 00:28:01.480
you know, drinking during you but you know, but you

598
00:28:01.519 --> 00:28:03.640
couldn't grow new ones. And obviously now we know that

599
00:28:03.839 --> 00:28:07.279
not only can you grow new neurons, but you can

600
00:28:07.319 --> 00:28:10.880
also create new neural pathways through as you said, like

601
00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:14.319
repetition and habit and changing patterns. And I teach people

602
00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:16.960
that mindfulness meditation is one way that we know is

603
00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:21.039
proven to develop new brain cells and to rewire your brain.

604
00:28:21.599 --> 00:28:25.960
And you've obviously talked about, you know, the power of visualization.

605
00:28:26.599 --> 00:28:29.000
I would love for you to talk some more about,

606
00:28:29.160 --> 00:28:34.440
you know, really exactly how what you did to repair

607
00:28:34.480 --> 00:28:34.960
your brain.

608
00:28:35.400 --> 00:28:38.440
Sure. Yeah, the last decade we've seen enormous change with

609
00:28:38.519 --> 00:28:41.720
the brain and neuroscience and neuroplasticity is a new term

610
00:28:42.519 --> 00:28:44.839
made famous I think by Norman Deutge with the brain

611
00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:47.079
which changes itself. And it's a great read because the

612
00:28:47.119 --> 00:28:51.119
case studies are fascinating, fascinating to see what people can

613
00:28:51.559 --> 00:28:54.000
do with I guess, a damaged brain and that's what

614
00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:56.240
I had, and that's where my strength came from the

615
00:28:56.240 --> 00:28:59.359
case studies. You know, with the science mind, it's really

616
00:28:59.359 --> 00:29:03.759
wonderful that these things can change, and for me, you know,

617
00:29:03.880 --> 00:29:07.480
the you know, visualization, the neuroplasticity was quite similar. You know,

618
00:29:07.480 --> 00:29:11.160
it was about feeling movement and being there. And when

619
00:29:11.200 --> 00:29:13.799
I talk about these games with visualization, it was about

620
00:29:13.880 --> 00:29:17.119
making sure the situation is familiar. We you know, at

621
00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:19.440
an Olympic level, you really only get to race internationally

622
00:29:19.440 --> 00:29:21.200
three or four times a year, so the nerves do

623
00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:23.119
get the better of you and you get distracted and

624
00:29:23.160 --> 00:29:26.559
you get very externally focused in that environment. But visualization

625
00:29:26.680 --> 00:29:29.200
is all about being internally focused a little bit like

626
00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:32.200
mindfulness and meditation, making sure you're in control of the

627
00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:36.119
feelings and you're highlighting those positive feelings or those feelings

628
00:29:36.119 --> 00:29:40.920
that I guess bring on fantastic technique, those sorts of things. Now,

629
00:29:40.920 --> 00:29:44.960
when it came to a brain injury, visualization, I guess

630
00:29:44.960 --> 00:29:48.960
it was about being very internal with my thoughts and

631
00:29:49.559 --> 00:29:53.799
the plasticity side of things. I discovered a I guess

632
00:29:54.799 --> 00:29:58.240
a methodology called CI therapy. I think it was called

633
00:29:58.279 --> 00:30:00.799
constricted of induced therapy. I might have to check that

634
00:30:00.799 --> 00:30:04.039
one out, but we just called it CI therapy. And

635
00:30:04.400 --> 00:30:08.480
what involved was strapping my good side, so my right

636
00:30:08.519 --> 00:30:10.839
side to my body and being forced to use my

637
00:30:10.960 --> 00:30:13.839
left side now, even though my left side was completely paralyzed,

638
00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:17.759
but just the neuron pathway, just reactivating that neuron pathway,

639
00:30:17.920 --> 00:30:21.079
you know, not long after a brain injury brought huge progress.

640
00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:24.400
Slowly I would start to see my thumb move, and

641
00:30:24.440 --> 00:30:26.319
then another finger would move, a toe would move, then

642
00:30:26.319 --> 00:30:28.319
my knee might move, and that happened over a six

643
00:30:28.359 --> 00:30:31.440
week period. I got huge amount of success, whereas my

644
00:30:31.559 --> 00:30:36.799
fellow patients who were just following the typical old school physiotherapy,

645
00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:39.119
they weren't getting the progress that I was getting. And

646
00:30:39.160 --> 00:30:42.440
when I brought this concept to the head physio it

647
00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:46.400
was deemed it was unsafe, that would be exhausting, unsafe

648
00:30:46.440 --> 00:30:48.480
because I'd probably fall over if my good side was

649
00:30:48.480 --> 00:30:52.359
strapped to me. Physically exhausting because the brain is still

650
00:30:52.400 --> 00:30:55.680
recovering from injury. So we need to actually relax the

651
00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:58.079
brain rather than stress the brain. But from what I read,

652
00:30:58.240 --> 00:31:01.279
neuroplasticity is all about stretching brain, you know, putting it

653
00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:04.680
under pressure, treating it like a muscle. In the fact

654
00:31:04.680 --> 00:31:06.319
that we have to train the brain like we have

655
00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:08.960
to train the body. And what I loved when I

656
00:31:09.039 --> 00:31:11.519
started to read more about neuroplasticity is it. We can

657
00:31:11.559 --> 00:31:13.359
train it for good or for bad. You know, bad

658
00:31:13.400 --> 00:31:17.480
habits become cemented in our brain if we keep practicing

659
00:31:17.599 --> 00:31:21.880
over and over again, whereas good habits, positive thoughts, mindfulness,

660
00:31:21.920 --> 00:31:24.240
you know, having space between that detection and the response.

661
00:31:24.279 --> 00:31:26.519
You know, when we make decisions, you know it has

662
00:31:26.559 --> 00:31:29.200
to be practiced, and you know, yes it does.

663
00:31:29.240 --> 00:31:31.599
Incredible. I'm curious to know.

664
00:31:31.759 --> 00:31:34.759
So back in those early days, like how many hours

665
00:31:34.759 --> 00:31:37.640
a day, for example, would you be spending on this

666
00:31:37.880 --> 00:31:40.000
kind of mental work.

667
00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:43.160
Every moment, really every moment. I was living in a

668
00:31:43.160 --> 00:31:46.640
rehabilitation center, my children were at home with my husband.

669
00:31:47.319 --> 00:31:52.119
I had, you know, a very a very determined training program,

670
00:31:52.279 --> 00:31:54.640
and I had read you know that it would I'd

671
00:31:54.640 --> 00:31:57.680
get the most progress within three months, and just by chance,

672
00:31:57.720 --> 00:31:59.640
it was actually three months to the London Olympic Games

673
00:31:59.640 --> 00:32:02.440
at the time. So I really visualized competing at these

674
00:32:02.440 --> 00:32:05.079
London Olympic Games if there was absolutely no chance I'd

675
00:32:05.119 --> 00:32:07.720
ever get there with my disabled body, but just that

676
00:32:07.880 --> 00:32:10.119
visualizing what my fellow Olympians were doing.

677
00:32:10.119 --> 00:32:10.759
Right at this time.

678
00:32:10.799 --> 00:32:12.599
They were eating well, they were sleeping well, they were

679
00:32:12.640 --> 00:32:15.200
training hard, and they were visualizing and I just made

680
00:32:15.240 --> 00:32:17.599
sure I took on that training program with ninety days

681
00:32:17.640 --> 00:32:20.000
to go, and I had a huge amount of progress

682
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:22.240
in those thirst three months, and then it plateaued a

683
00:32:22.279 --> 00:32:24.240
little bit after that. Yeah.

684
00:32:24.279 --> 00:32:27.920
Wow, So I mean really, all of your this is

685
00:32:27.960 --> 00:32:32.319
available to everybody, clearly, but your experience and that discipline

686
00:32:32.920 --> 00:32:35.680
and the strength and the tenacity that you cultivated as

687
00:32:35.680 --> 00:32:39.559
an Olympian, like it really stood you in pretty good stead. Yeah.

688
00:32:39.559 --> 00:32:42.079
I feel very fortunate, you know, to have the Olympics

689
00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:43.839
under me and know how to train my mind and

690
00:32:43.880 --> 00:32:48.240
my body when I suffered this debilitating brain injury. But

691
00:32:48.319 --> 00:32:51.440
then again, you know, anything is possible, and I say

692
00:32:51.440 --> 00:32:53.880
that with such an open heart. When we are pushed

693
00:32:53.880 --> 00:32:56.640
into a corner, we have to fight, you know, you

694
00:32:56.680 --> 00:32:58.960
cannot just roll with it. We have two choices. We

695
00:32:59.000 --> 00:33:01.559
can quit and blame it on something, or we can

696
00:33:01.799 --> 00:33:04.279
pull everything we've got and become a student of our purpose.

697
00:33:04.319 --> 00:33:07.039
Like I said earlier, read up, you know, find case

698
00:33:07.079 --> 00:33:10.000
studies and go for it. And I really want to

699
00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:12.559
share that message with every student I teach, with every

700
00:33:12.599 --> 00:33:16.160
friend I have. We really have a choice on how

701
00:33:16.200 --> 00:33:18.640
we choose to interpret and respond to these situations were

702
00:33:18.680 --> 00:33:19.119
put in.

703
00:33:19.720 --> 00:33:22.480
You are obviously because now you said you're not in

704
00:33:22.480 --> 00:33:24.839
sport anymore, but you're still the head rowing coach right

705
00:33:24.880 --> 00:33:27.720
at Brisbane Girls Grammar. How lucky are those girls to

706
00:33:27.799 --> 00:33:29.920
have you to I'll just be able to teach them

707
00:33:30.920 --> 00:33:34.480
the physical skill, like the physical technique of rowing, but

708
00:33:34.720 --> 00:33:36.480
all of this mindset stuff.

709
00:33:36.240 --> 00:33:38.200
Well, I feel fortunate that I've got a platform to

710
00:33:38.200 --> 00:33:40.880
share this knowledge on it and my rowers are also

711
00:33:40.920 --> 00:33:44.480
my science students, and we have so many transferable thinking

712
00:33:44.519 --> 00:33:47.240
skills that we move from the boat to the classroom,

713
00:33:47.359 --> 00:33:50.839
and we're always talking about grit, you know, obstacles or opportunities.

714
00:33:51.519 --> 00:33:53.599
You know, what it's like to be a lifelong learner,

715
00:33:53.880 --> 00:33:56.319
how to get your daily habits, you know, to find

716
00:33:56.319 --> 00:33:59.160
out your why. You know, we are constantly moving those

717
00:33:59.279 --> 00:34:01.599
lessons from the to the classroom and back again. And

718
00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:04.279
I have so many wonderful old girls that are perhaps

719
00:34:04.279 --> 00:34:07.039
studying at Harvard now or run on the Australian team,

720
00:34:07.160 --> 00:34:09.599
and you know, they're using those lessons today. And I

721
00:34:09.639 --> 00:34:12.679
just feel so fortunate that together we can work together.

722
00:34:12.719 --> 00:34:15.480
And I have incredible kids that are willing, you know,

723
00:34:15.679 --> 00:34:18.719
to be resilient and take on such a resilient co

724
00:34:18.800 --> 00:34:22.840
curricular sport like growing swimming, you know. And I have

725
00:34:22.880 --> 00:34:25.400
two children of my own, and I've spent a lot

726
00:34:25.400 --> 00:34:27.559
of time thinking about how do we create how do

727
00:34:27.559 --> 00:34:31.320
we build gritty children, And it is through co curricular

728
00:34:31.360 --> 00:34:36.800
sport or it's really through anything that teaches, you know, grit, resilience,

729
00:34:36.840 --> 00:34:40.159
anything that's tough in life that has delayed gratification. Yes,

730
00:34:40.599 --> 00:34:43.280
so I know you've got a daughter, Yes, you know,

731
00:34:43.320 --> 00:34:45.880
and it is important to be teaching delayed gratification, whether

732
00:34:45.920 --> 00:34:49.000
it's through sport or chores, and then being able to

733
00:34:49.079 --> 00:34:51.559
unpack when they do fail, when they do come to

734
00:34:51.639 --> 00:34:54.079
decisions that perhaps don't go their way.

735
00:34:54.199 --> 00:34:58.880
So such important life skills. And Sally, you know, I

736
00:34:58.960 --> 00:35:00.719
know you're a listener of the pod cast, and in

737
00:35:00.760 --> 00:35:03.239
the last season we had cheerier pit on and you know,

738
00:35:03.280 --> 00:35:05.679
she's obviously an inspiration as well. And she has said

739
00:35:05.679 --> 00:35:09.320
publicly that she in many ways is grateful for the fire,

740
00:35:09.440 --> 00:35:12.239
for the for the lessons learned, and the opportunities that

741
00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:15.159
have come as a result of that. I'm curious to know,

742
00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:17.360
is there any part of you that feels like grateful

743
00:35:17.440 --> 00:35:18.840
for the experience.

744
00:35:19.000 --> 00:35:21.159
Yeah, Look, I'm grateful for a second chance. I know,

745
00:35:21.159 --> 00:35:23.480
I'm lucky I survived a stroke. Not many people do

746
00:35:23.559 --> 00:35:28.800
survive strokes. And I'm lucky also that this happened after

747
00:35:28.840 --> 00:35:31.719
three Olympic Games, after two beautiful children were born, and

748
00:35:31.760 --> 00:35:34.559
after a husband, and it could have easily happened before.

749
00:35:35.159 --> 00:35:38.639
But those three things gave me the motivation to move through,

750
00:35:38.719 --> 00:35:40.719
you know, the Olympic Games, my children, and my husband

751
00:35:41.159 --> 00:35:44.559
were my fuel to move onwards and upwards. And I

752
00:35:44.599 --> 00:35:47.679
feel so grateful. The combination of three Olympic Games and

753
00:35:48.000 --> 00:35:51.280
a year spent in a rehabilitation center with elderly stroke

754
00:35:51.360 --> 00:35:55.079
patients was the most incredible journey. I feel so wealthy

755
00:35:55.119 --> 00:35:59.880
and knowledge and so fortunate to be standing up again

756
00:36:00.079 --> 00:36:01.360
and on the other side of the hill.

757
00:36:01.639 --> 00:36:04.920
Basically, so Sally, just you know, we've talked about this,

758
00:36:05.159 --> 00:36:07.960
the power of visualization, and even as a life coach,

759
00:36:08.000 --> 00:36:10.519
you know, and in the industry, in a coaching industry,

760
00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:15.199
we often talk about people visualizing themselves achieving their goals

761
00:36:15.199 --> 00:36:17.800
and the power of that visualization. So is there any

762
00:36:17.800 --> 00:36:20.800
advice that you have to share, not just about the

763
00:36:20.840 --> 00:36:25.480
mental rehearsal of you know, physical skills and that neural wiring,

764
00:36:25.559 --> 00:36:28.159
but just the power of visualizing anything that you might

765
00:36:28.199 --> 00:36:30.880
want to achieve or work towards in your life.

766
00:36:31.119 --> 00:36:34.079
Yeah, visualizing is incredibly important, you know. I think as

767
00:36:34.119 --> 00:36:35.599
a life coach, you know, I think a vision board

768
00:36:35.639 --> 00:36:38.599
is a great way to see you know where you

769
00:36:38.639 --> 00:36:40.400
want to get to and how you're going to get there,

770
00:36:40.440 --> 00:36:42.599
and then you can put your habits and your your

771
00:36:42.639 --> 00:36:43.320
plan in there.

772
00:36:44.400 --> 00:36:45.719
I think, so I'm just gonna jump in there.

773
00:36:45.719 --> 00:36:47.880
I think that's so important because it is not just

774
00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:52.840
about visualizing something and then just waiting for the universe

775
00:36:53.000 --> 00:36:57.440
to deliver. It is about having the vision, but then

776
00:36:57.559 --> 00:37:00.639
putting the actions and the habits in place, making action

777
00:37:00.840 --> 00:37:02.400
right towards those things, and.

778
00:37:02.360 --> 00:37:05.360
Being accountable and having that accountability buddy, you know, sharing

779
00:37:05.440 --> 00:37:09.000
that vision so someone can help keep you accountable. But

780
00:37:09.039 --> 00:37:11.679
when we talk about, you know, the brain and visualization,

781
00:37:12.559 --> 00:37:15.000
I think it's really important to know that when we

782
00:37:15.039 --> 00:37:18.039
get off track, we need we need to know that

783
00:37:18.079 --> 00:37:19.760
we have a choice, you know, and we can actually

784
00:37:19.880 --> 00:37:22.719
choose how we interpret and how we respond because the brain,

785
00:37:23.320 --> 00:37:26.599
you know, perceives things differently for each person. What may

786
00:37:26.599 --> 00:37:29.679
seem like a tragedy of someone perhaps you know, is

787
00:37:29.719 --> 00:37:32.440
actually sometimes a celebration or a new beginning to someone else,

788
00:37:33.079 --> 00:37:35.920
and visualization helps us stay on track. So and so

789
00:37:35.960 --> 00:37:38.719
does that optimistic explanatory style if we can see something.

790
00:37:39.159 --> 00:37:41.079
And I've heard you talk about the three p's before,

791
00:37:41.119 --> 00:37:45.000
and it's very much about explaining scenarios in an optimistic

792
00:37:45.039 --> 00:37:48.320
way so you can stay on track with that vision. Yes,

793
00:37:48.519 --> 00:37:51.440
that's such an important point when things go wrong, when

794
00:37:51.480 --> 00:37:53.639
things don't go to plan, Like how do you make

795
00:37:53.679 --> 00:37:55.880
sense of that? How do you choose to interpret that?

796
00:37:56.360 --> 00:37:58.599
You know, is that defeat and you know it's all

797
00:37:58.639 --> 00:38:04.000
over or is that just you know, information to redirect

798
00:38:04.159 --> 00:38:06.159
or as you say, just get back on track.

799
00:38:06.320 --> 00:38:08.400
Yeah, And when we do experience failure or we're in

800
00:38:08.400 --> 00:38:11.599
the pit, and especially growing up, we need to understand

801
00:38:11.599 --> 00:38:13.440
that that's where the skills are built. You know, it's

802
00:38:13.480 --> 00:38:15.960
actually that point of failure or that point of the fit,

803
00:38:16.039 --> 00:38:18.079
is where we do get the strategies the tools to

804
00:38:18.079 --> 00:38:21.880
actually dig ourselves out. And I really feel through co

805
00:38:22.039 --> 00:38:25.039
curricular sport, through my Olympic games, I was learned, you know,

806
00:38:25.079 --> 00:38:28.079
I talked, so gained those skills and I was able

807
00:38:28.119 --> 00:38:31.440
to use them perhaps in learning to walk again and

808
00:38:31.519 --> 00:38:33.400
learning to be able bodied again.

809
00:38:34.039 --> 00:38:35.800
How long did it take you out of interest, like

810
00:38:35.840 --> 00:38:38.920
from the stroke to really sort of getting back to

811
00:38:39.159 --> 00:38:41.360
I know you say you've still got some disability or

812
00:38:41.360 --> 00:38:44.679
some slight sort of impairment which nobody else can see,

813
00:38:44.719 --> 00:38:46.639
by the way, But how long.

814
00:38:46.519 --> 00:38:47.079
Did it take?

815
00:38:47.360 --> 00:38:51.280
It took four months living in a rehabilitation center, and

816
00:38:51.320 --> 00:38:54.760
then another six months living out and visiting three times

817
00:38:54.760 --> 00:38:58.320
a day to the hospital as an outpatient three times

818
00:38:58.360 --> 00:39:01.599
a day. Yeah. Actually, fortunately I lived next to the hospital,

819
00:39:01.639 --> 00:39:04.719
so I was able to access and I was incredibly determined,

820
00:39:05.320 --> 00:39:07.639
you know, as an Olympic athlete that that was my

821
00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:11.239
lifeline really, and then probably another two months doing some

822
00:39:11.559 --> 00:39:14.199
serious rehab at home and getting tested on a once

823
00:39:14.239 --> 00:39:18.079
a fortnight. And even today I'm still moving, you know,

824
00:39:18.119 --> 00:39:20.519
I'm really that is my rehab. Once I stopped moving,

825
00:39:20.599 --> 00:39:23.760
then I stop you know, progressing. And I'm always trying

826
00:39:23.760 --> 00:39:26.119
to pick up a pencil rather than type on the computer,

827
00:39:27.320 --> 00:39:29.679
or always you know, trying to run rather than take

828
00:39:29.880 --> 00:39:31.719
you know, the stairs or something like that. So I

829
00:39:31.800 --> 00:39:35.400
always make sure I make the right choices to maximize

830
00:39:35.440 --> 00:39:36.079
my ability.

831
00:39:36.519 --> 00:39:38.719
And Sally, you did mention to me off air that

832
00:39:38.800 --> 00:39:40.599
you are working on a book at the moment. Have

833
00:39:40.679 --> 00:39:43.239
you got anything to share about that. It's been a

834
00:39:43.280 --> 00:39:47.199
fantastic journey. I'm halfway good for you. It's really a memoir.

835
00:39:47.320 --> 00:39:49.480
It's about from the boat to the bedrails and what

836
00:39:49.519 --> 00:39:51.639
it's like to be an athlete in an infant's body

837
00:39:51.960 --> 00:39:54.519
and the lessons I learned, you know, spending a year

838
00:39:54.559 --> 00:39:59.320
in rehabilitation with DOKE survivors, some palliative care patients, and

839
00:39:59.400 --> 00:40:01.000
the lesson that I gained from that.

840
00:40:02.039 --> 00:40:03.039
I can't wait.

841
00:40:03.480 --> 00:40:05.000
And also just one of the things I forgot to

842
00:40:05.039 --> 00:40:07.079
ask you, So how long ago did all of this happen?

843
00:40:07.400 --> 00:40:09.559
This happened six and a half years ago, so it's

844
00:40:09.599 --> 00:40:12.199
still quite raw for me. I mean, I haven't talked

845
00:40:12.199 --> 00:40:15.239
about it publicly very often, so I'm still trying to

846
00:40:15.239 --> 00:40:18.840
discover what the learnings were. And the more journey I

847
00:40:18.880 --> 00:40:21.119
take on that, the more excited I am to share this.

848
00:40:21.760 --> 00:40:24.119
I'm so I'm so excited that you are sharing it.

849
00:40:24.159 --> 00:40:25.519
I think there will be a lot of our listeners

850
00:40:25.519 --> 00:40:27.480
who obviously would have seen you at the Olympics and

851
00:40:28.079 --> 00:40:30.280
would not even realize that what has happened since then.

852
00:40:30.400 --> 00:40:33.119
So I really appreciate you sharing your story with us.

853
00:40:33.159 --> 00:40:34.880
Fantastic Thanks again, Cas.

854
00:40:39.360 --> 00:40:42.079
Well, I for one am really looking forward to Sally's

855
00:40:42.079 --> 00:40:43.599
book coming out, and if you want to find out

856
00:40:43.639 --> 00:40:46.280
more about Sally, you can head to her website, Sally Kelly.

857
00:40:46.440 --> 00:40:49.320
It's SA double L y C A double L I

858
00:40:49.519 --> 00:40:55.239
E dot com. My new book, Crappy to Happy Love

859
00:40:55.280 --> 00:40:57.679
What You Do is out in all good bookstores, so

860
00:40:57.719 --> 00:41:00.360
if you want to find more happy in work and

861
00:41:00.440 --> 00:41:03.519
check it out. On the next episode, I'll be talking

862
00:41:03.519 --> 00:41:06.599
to mas Compton about her decision to quit drinking and

863
00:41:06.679 --> 00:41:09.000
why she thinks more of us should take a closer

864
00:41:09.039 --> 00:41:12.239
look at whether our drinking is really making us any happier.

865
00:41:15.119 --> 00:41:17.880
Crappy to Happy is presented by cast Gunn, produced by

866
00:41:17.920 --> 00:41:20.800
Davis Vilenski, Audio production by Darcy Thompson.

867
00:41:25.840 --> 00:41:26.320
Listener