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Lara Hamilton is an Australian Trail Runner, Ski-Mountaineer, DJ & Vocalist, and Digital Growth Hacker and is currently training for the Skimo 2026 Winter Olympics Trials.

She was also diagnose with Ankylosing Spondylitis, also known as the ‘young person’s arthritis’.

Lara’s journey of elite athlete, to battling an undiagnosed condition, to finally receiving a diagnosis and working back to her Olympic dream is absolutely awe inspiring.

Outside of training and the incredible amount of sports and music she does, Lara wants to make an active impact on athlete climate education and sustainable outdoor practices. One way I can assist in the digital world is to make athlete climate sustainability resources.

In this episode she shares:

- What her childhood and family life was like

- Her experience with music and her creativity outside of sport

- The highlights of her career so far

- How her struggle to believe in herself impacted her

- Her biggest lessons from childhood that she's pulled into what she does today

- How being diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis affected her journey

- How she manages having this lifelong condition that gets worse over time

- Tools she uses to enhance her performance

- Tools she uses to manage anxiety

- What ski mountaineering is and what is her experience with it

Key Quotes

“Opportunities are gonna open up to you if you believe in yourself and if you don't, fake it.”

“If you smile at people and you stand tall, it makes other people bright and happy too.”

More about Lara

Check out Lara’s website and follow her on Instagram.

You can get involved with the podcast online

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

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.com

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

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

http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

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

Try our FREE burnout quiz.

Grab your burnout workbook HERE.

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

Trigger warning: Alcoholism

Imagine starting a journey of alcoholism and addiction from the age of 5.

That was the case for John Griffith who still remembers the life altering impact of the first drink he had as a child and how it lead to over a decade of addiction and reliance before he finally became sober at 18.

Now, living a continuous sober life since April 1991 at the early age of 18 John is familiar with the effects of alcoholism and drug addiction. Whilst achieving success in the private sector, the cornerstone to John's life has been working with those suffering from alcoholism.

He is a CEO with a hands on approach towards Sunrise Way residents and a belief that providing tools for living and re-immersion into the community is part of the long term solution.

In this episode he shares:

- Why one of the first most significant events in his life was first trying alcohol

- What some of the tough lessons he had to learn in life were

- How alcohol impacted his life

- His experience going to a 12 step program and how it offered him hope

- How trauma can affect the lives of the people around him

- The work he's doing now and how his challenges led him to that

- Some of the challenges he faced during his work

- What message he has for people in a similar situation who need help

Key Quotes

“I wasn’t looking for somewhere to get sober I was just looking for somewhere safe to stay.”

“When I got sober at 18 and a half, I had the emotional maturity of a 4 or 5 year old.”

“My life was painful sober and I would drink to feel ok.”

More about John

Find out more about Sunrise Way via their website.

You can get involved with the podcast online

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

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.com

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

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

http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

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

Try our FREE burnout quiz.

Grab your burnout workbook HERE.

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

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

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

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

In this episode I share:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Key Quotes

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

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

More about

You can get involved with the podcast online

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

Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus

If you want to contact the podcast, email us here: support@challengesthatchangeus.com

Or check out our website: www.Challengesthatchangeus.com

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

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