Sam Gash on the Power of the Pause

If you have ever wondered:

“How do people actually do hard things when I can barely find the energy for mine?”

“Why does every achievement seem to cost me so much?”

“Is pulling back going backwards, or is it the smartest move I can make?”

- this episode is for you.

Sam Gash was a corporate lawyer when she decided to test the limits of what she was capable of. That decision made her the first woman, and the youngest person at the time, to complete the legendary Four Deserts Grand Slam: 1,000 kilometres across some of the world's harshest environments. She has since crossed India on foot to support education initiatives, traversed Nepal's Great Himalaya Trail, played Australian Survivor and become an AIA ambassador. But this conversation is not about running.

Layne and Tess sit down with Sam for a conversation about what it really takes to keep moving when life gets real hard: where unwavering self-belief actually comes from, why she stopped waiting to be invited and backed herself first, and what she learned when a natural disaster left her stranded for 12 days on a 50-day expedition. Sam is disarmingly honest about the cost side of achievement, the invisible rules she is still uncovering, and why she now walks on stage without a bow to put on the story.

At its heart this is an episode about capacity and self-leadership: honouring the person you are today rather than the person you were a year ago, finding an easefulness to effort, and using the power of the pause to catch your default settings before they run your day.

You will hear about:

• Why resilience is being adaptive, quicker and with greater ease, and why the reflection after a hard thing (not the hard thing itself) is what builds capacity
• What the Four Deserts Grand Slam actually involves, and what carrying everything on your back teaches you about your real baseline
• Why you should not wait to be invited: how Sam sponsored herself when nobody else would, and why action builds confidence rather than the other way around
• The 12 days Sam spent stranded on the Great Himalaya Trail, and how it rewired what success and finishing mean to her
• The AIA Do It For Life toolkit: the power of the pause, uncovering your invisible rules, and closing the gap between the person at home and the person in the outside world

Links text

Connect with Sam Gash https://www.samanthagash.com

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Disclaimer

The A Wake Up Call podcast is created for general informational, educational, and inspirational purposes only. The stories, tools, and insights shared are designed to support your wellbeing journey - not to replace professional medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. In fact, we believe therapy is non-negotiable in life.

If you're experiencing a medical or mental health condition, please seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional. Never ignore or delay seeking professional advice because of something you've heard on this podcast.

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