Speaker 1: This episode is brought to you by Prime Video's incredible
Speaker 1: new film Thirteen Lives, based on the gripping true story
Speaker 1: of the twenty eighteen tai Cave rescue. If you've been
Speaker 1: listening for a while, you'll know of this story from
Speaker 1: my all time favorite episode with doctor Richard Harris in
Speaker 1: episode one oh two, and now you can watch it
Speaker 1: unravel from August fifth.
Speaker 2: It's like taking those thoughts to court. I'm like, all right,
Speaker 2: we're going to court. We're kind of put this to
Speaker 2: the evidence, Like, what's the evidence that is there that
Speaker 2: says that this isn't going to work. To be able
Speaker 2: to know that something may end, something may not stay
Speaker 2: the same forever, it's really important to come to terms
Speaker 2: with as well. That's a natural cycle. You know what,
Speaker 2: if I look back in the last five years and
Speaker 2: know what I've done, if something was to happen tomorrow
Speaker 2: and we couldn't continue, it would still have been successful.
Speaker 1: Welcome to the C's the YA Podcast. Busy and happy
Speaker 1: are not the same thing. We too rarely question what
Speaker 1: makes the heart seeing we work, then we rest, but
Speaker 1: rarely we play and often don't realize there's more than
Speaker 1: one way. So this is a platform to hear and
Speaker 1: explore the stories of those who found lives they adore,
Speaker 1: the good.
Speaker 3: Bad and ugly.
Speaker 1: The best and worst day will bear all the facets
Speaker 1: of seizing your yea. I'm Sarah Davidson or a spoonful
Speaker 1: of Sarah, a lawyer turned funentrepreneur who swapped the suits
Speaker 1: and heels to co found Matcha Maiden and matcha Milk Bar.
Speaker 1: CZA is a series of conversations on finding a life
Speaker 1: you love and exploring the self doubt, challenge, joy and
Speaker 1: fulfillment along the way. Lovely neighborhood, I hope you're surviving
Speaker 1: the final weeks of winter. I can't believe how fast
Speaker 1: this year is going, but I'm okay with it if
Speaker 1: it means we're inching closer to spring. Thank you all
Speaker 1: so much for the lovely feedback on the past few
Speaker 1: weeks of episodes and the anonymous Q and A. I'm
Speaker 1: so glad that last week's fertility and IVF episode in
Speaker 1: particular did help some of you on your own journeys.
Speaker 1: Wasn't Aaron Holland just such an amazing woman? The adoption
Speaker 1: episode is also coming to you next week. But speaking
Speaker 1: of incredible women I've squeezed another amazing story in between
Speaker 1: this week. I heard about today's guest through her brother,
Speaker 1: who happens to be our editor here at CZA. Very
Speaker 1: huge shout out to Sam blackas Sam, I know you're
Speaker 1: listening at the podcast Butler if anyone needs anything podcast
Speaker 1: or audio related. He is literally a lifesaver, one of
Speaker 1: my favorite people, one of the nicest guys going around.
Speaker 1: So it was no surprise to me that his sister,
Speaker 1: Amy is just as much of a legend. Amy Blacker
Speaker 1: started out as a pediatric occupational therapist, even after not
Speaker 1: actually knowing what occupational therapy was until she finished high school.
Speaker 1: She's one of those amazing examples of not really knowing
Speaker 1: where you want to end up, meaning you're open minded
Speaker 1: enough to stumble upon you where you were supposed to
Speaker 1: end up all along. She is the co founder and
Speaker 1: director of Surfing the Spectrum, a not for profit surf
Speaker 1: therapy initiative working to positively impact the lives of families
Speaker 1: and their children with autism. In anticipation of their next
Speaker 1: fundraiser this Saturday, the twentieth of August, I just had
Speaker 1: to scream from the rooftops about the transformative work she
Speaker 1: and her team are doing, so I hope you are
Speaker 1: as inspired and moved as I am.
Speaker 3: Amy. Welcome to Seize THEA.
Speaker 2: Hello, Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: Oh it's a pleasure. Oh my gosh, I'm so excited.
Speaker 1: This is one of those rare episodes, you guys, where
Speaker 1: a lot of this information I will be hearing for
Speaker 1: the first time along with you. And though it's always
Speaker 1: like meeting a brand new person, is one of my
Speaker 1: favorite most exciting things ever.
Speaker 3: So thank you so much for joining such a pleasure.
Speaker 3: So before we get.
Speaker 1: Into it, you may have heard from your wonderful brother. Everyone.
Speaker 1: Amy's brother, Sam is the incredible editor of this show,
Speaker 1: and he has saved my life over and over and
Speaker 1: over again. So I already adore you and your family.
Speaker 1: But as you may have heard from Sam, before we
Speaker 1: get into your pathway, or as I say, your path
Speaker 1: and how you sort of got to where you are,
Speaker 1: my ice breaker question for everyone is what is the
Speaker 1: most down to earth thing about you? And I think
Speaker 1: if anyone encountered you through your work or through the
Speaker 1: chapter you are now, it's really easy to assume you
Speaker 1: know you've got it all together.
Speaker 3: You're changing the world.
Speaker 1: But you know, I think we all have something really
Speaker 1: normal and down to earth about us.
Speaker 2: Yes, I hope, so, I hope most of me is
Speaker 2: down to earth, the most down to earth thing about me?
Speaker 3: What would Sam say?
Speaker 2: What would Sam say? I never stick at anything. I
Speaker 2: don't know if that makes me down to earth, But
Speaker 2: growing up and still I remember that comment stayed with
Speaker 2: me from my brother, whether it was like karate or
Speaker 2: athletics or anything, except for surfing. Surfing has been the
Speaker 2: only thing in my life that's sort of stuck. But
Speaker 2: I'm pretty good at just testing out a few different things.
Speaker 2: I guess. Yeah, I think that's a good thing.
Speaker 1: I feel like you could either word that I don't
Speaker 1: stick at anything, or you could word it as I'm adventurous.
Speaker 3: I've got a good appetite for trying me Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't like to get pigeonholed.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: And also, you've stuck with one thing, and that's all
Speaker 1: you need to do.
Speaker 3: Only one thing needs to stick, right, I think?
Speaker 2: So I think so?
Speaker 3: Yeah, Oh, I like that one. I think that's very relatable.
Speaker 1: I think lots of people try lots of things and
Speaker 1: just don't stick with them forever.
Speaker 2: Yeah, And sometimes you feel like a bit like, oh,
Speaker 2: that's going to stick with this, and I was going
Speaker 2: to do every day or every week or whatever it is.
Speaker 2: And me and my partner actually were really good at
Speaker 2: not quite doing it, but knowing that that's just pretty
Speaker 2: human experience.
Speaker 1: I love all those memes that are like, you know,
Speaker 1: don't be a quitter. I'm like, actually, I'm a quitter. Yeah, no,
Speaker 1: I'm going to be a quitter today. I'm okay with
Speaker 1: being a quitter today.
Speaker 3: Yeah, that's fine by me.
Speaker 1: So the first section of the show is Your Way
Speaker 1: to which is really just going through all of the
Speaker 1: chapters of things that you might have tried and quit. Yes,
Speaker 1: just sort of show that you know, with serving the spectrum.
Speaker 1: As we'll get into, you know, it can appear like
Speaker 1: that's been your lifelong purpose, that you always knew this
Speaker 1: was going to be where you would end up. And
Speaker 1: the passion that you have now isn't necessarily always.
Speaker 3: The passion that you knew you'd have later.
Speaker 1: So I like to go back to sort of childhood
Speaker 1: and trace back through all the dots and see how
Speaker 1: they connect, because I think it's reassuring for anyone whose dots.
Speaker 3: Haven't connected yet.
Speaker 1: That. Yeah, you know, no one's pathway is straight or
Speaker 1: direct or obvious. So take us back to young Amy.
Speaker 2: It's actually interesting. I feel like in the past twelve
Speaker 2: months I've come back to maybe enjoy relate to young Daggy.
Speaker 2: That's my first goal for twenty twenty two was embrace
Speaker 2: your dagginess.
Speaker 3: Oh I love that, because I was.
Speaker 2: Just for so long didn't embrace it or tried not to.
Speaker 2: I think when I was a kid, I've had a
Speaker 2: lot of trouble at school really just with feeling quite
Speaker 2: on the outside or not quite fitting in or moving schools,
Speaker 2: being bullied. So for me, young Amy was quite shy
Speaker 2: and reserved, and now Amy is too shy too. But
Speaker 2: I suppose to a extent, And it's interesting feeling so
Speaker 2: yeah on the outside or disconnected, but moving through all
Speaker 2: that space, it's always been connected to people or community,
Speaker 2: no matter the sort of work or pathways that I've been,
Speaker 2: so something's always kept me within that field, I suppose.
Speaker 2: But yeah, young Amy had a lot more luck maybe
Speaker 2: doing lots of activities, whether it was surfing or being
Speaker 2: outside or being in nature or more connected to animals
Speaker 2: or things like that, rather than particularly people and social settings.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it's so interesting that you said that now
Speaker 1: you're sort of getting back in touch with that person,
Speaker 1: because I think whatever our childhood looked like, we very
Speaker 1: quickly let go of that person as we grow up
Speaker 1: and if anything, try and kind of stifle those things.
Speaker 2: And yeah, a similar aide, especially when you're going through
Speaker 2: those stages in young adolescents. Or I think for me,
Speaker 2: I've got and you know, it was always in my
Speaker 2: school reports, it was always in my jobs, like Amy
Speaker 2: is a great member of the team, blah blah blah.
Speaker 2: You know, but all these things because I'm really quite
Speaker 2: good at fitting in to do whatever needs to be done,
Speaker 2: or fulfill a role or work cohesively with other people.
Speaker 2: But sometimes when you're quite good at that, you don't
Speaker 2: really understand who you are or what parts of yourself
Speaker 2: you're not really living out. And I suppose that's where, yeah,
Speaker 2: I've made more of a conscious effort. I suppose that
Speaker 2: that's the parts that are me that need to be
Speaker 2: embraced by me.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 3: Yeah, Oh, that's so articulate.
Speaker 1: And I think it's a lot of people will resonate
Speaker 1: with I don't know our identity from childhood to adulthood
Speaker 1: is just there's so many layers, and there's unwrapping and
Speaker 1: there's rewrapping, and I think it's so fascinating. I had
Speaker 1: like a different pathway, but still remember being bullied quite
Speaker 1: a lot and suppressing all the parts of me that
Speaker 1: I felt led to that. And you just now as
Speaker 1: an adult, look back at small you and just like
Speaker 1: your heart breaks for that tiny person.
Speaker 2: I know.
Speaker 1: Yes, yes, so you obviously found a lot of solace
Speaker 1: in the water and in nature, and like growing up
Speaker 1: in put Mcquarry, obviously that's you know, a lot easier
Speaker 1: than it might have been in the same melt bed.
Speaker 2: Yes, yes, very lucky to have grown up in a
Speaker 2: coastal town. And me and my partner are actually moving
Speaker 2: back to put mcquarie soon, which is really exciting. Yeah,
Speaker 2: and I guess that's definitely the ocean's been such a space. Yes, solace,
Speaker 2: that's a good good way to explain it. I suppose
Speaker 2: and surface have quite a connection to nature just because
Speaker 2: you're so immersed in it. It's such an immersive experience
Speaker 2: from a sensory point of view, I suppose that's yeah,
Speaker 2: how you see, what you smell, how it feels like
Speaker 2: you can't escape it in any sense, so gets you
Speaker 2: quite connected with yourself and the environment around you that
Speaker 2: you can feel a little bit and not so much
Speaker 2: grounded I suppose for me, but alive.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So having that as you're obviously quite a common
Speaker 1: theme throughout your life, but not necessarily sort of wanting
Speaker 1: to be a pro surfer or have that as your career.
Speaker 1: I think one thing that's really interesting in people's pathways
Speaker 1: is finding a passion, then finding a profession, and whether
Speaker 1: they're connected or they're not connected, and sometimes they start
Speaker 1: disconnected and then they end up you move back closer
Speaker 1: towards something that you're really passionate about. When you were
Speaker 1: sort of in high school and trying to find your way,
Speaker 1: and the idea of a career started to first become
Speaker 1: a thing like I can't just do what I love
Speaker 1: and what makes me feel good, I actually have to
Speaker 1: like make a.
Speaker 3: Living and a job.
Speaker 1: Like you know, how did you start to decide who
Speaker 1: you were going to be at that stage in your life.
Speaker 1: Did you actually think about turning surfing into a job
Speaker 1: or was it always your passion on the side and
Speaker 1: then you were going to have a profession as well.
Speaker 2: I think like I think it was my job in
Speaker 2: high school was doing like surf coaching. That was like
Speaker 2: a dream as a teenager, that was the dream, Like
Speaker 2: I just got to spend all day at the beach
Speaker 2: and get paid for it that quickly, so we changes
Speaker 2: you get the quickie like this is actually a really
Speaker 2: exhausting job physically and you kind of isn't as exciting
Speaker 2: down the track. But as a teenager that was I
Speaker 2: guess as surfing was. But I suppose the passion was more. No,
Speaker 2: they weren't really connected. I suppose they were definitely separate things,
Speaker 2: and how they perhaps wove together was through some really
Speaker 2: great mentors of mine, and that when I started. So
Speaker 2: when I finished school, it was my mum who said,
Speaker 2: why don't you look at doing occupational therapy? And I
Speaker 2: was like, like most people at the time, they're like,
Speaker 2: what is occupation? What is that? Like? Is that work
Speaker 2: rehab or something like that, which is what I get
Speaker 2: masked all the time. But once I started looking into
Speaker 2: it and seeing how diverse it could actually be as
Speaker 2: a profession and it was enabling people to really do
Speaker 2: the occupations that were most important in their life, I
Speaker 2: was like, oh yeah, like, I can see I could
Speaker 2: see how that could fit and you could work in
Speaker 2: whether it's in a hospital getting people back home after
Speaker 2: surgery and making sure they've got the right equipment to
Speaker 2: keep them safe, whether it's doing home modifications for people
Speaker 2: with disabilities or wheelchair users, whether it's in mental health
Speaker 2: and supporting people. So occupations in the broadest sense is
Speaker 2: everything that we do, Like it's you running a podcast,
Speaker 2: it's me going surfing, it's kids playing in the sand.
Speaker 2: Whatever someone does with something to occupy their time is
Speaker 2: their occupation. And so in that sense, as an OT,
Speaker 2: you're ensuring that everyone else is going to be able
Speaker 2: to continue on with their passions and what gives them
Speaker 2: meaning to their life, I suppose, which was quite yeah, enabling,
Speaker 2: it feels like something that I was gonna participate in.
Speaker 2: And I was like, yeah, no, that sounds good. And
Speaker 2: it was my OT sort of teachers that connected in
Speaker 2: a more social justice framework that I started to see
Speaker 2: how surfing could fit in to this and build community. Yeah.
Speaker 1: So I was writing that you specialized in pediatric OT,
Speaker 1: and I think, firstly, it is so interesting that you
Speaker 1: didn't even know what OT was when you first graduated school.
Speaker 1: And I think that's a really big thing that we
Speaker 1: kind of think there's like seven jobs that exist when
Speaker 1: we're at school, and then you think you have to
Speaker 1: pick one of them forever, but you don't even know
Speaker 1: that there's actually a million different jobs. There are jobs
Speaker 1: that won't exist by the time you get you know,
Speaker 1: there's so many different things. So it's fascinating that firstly
Speaker 1: you didn't know what it was, but then when you
Speaker 1: did find out that you were like, this, this is it,
Speaker 1: this could be me, but that surfing wasn't part of
Speaker 1: it at the beginning, and that you know, everything unravels
Speaker 1: in chapters, so starting as in you know, the pediatric
Speaker 1: side of things, how did you actually qualify? And then
Speaker 1: how long did you work before you realized you could
Speaker 1: turn it into something else? Like how did it all develop?
Speaker 1: I'm sure it wasn't just like an overnight success.
Speaker 2: Was not overnight. Definitely, it was not overnight. It was
Speaker 2: it was these small tiny bits and pieces along the way.
Speaker 2: So I studied at Newcastle University and it's a four
Speaker 2: year course and I have to say, like, in the
Speaker 2: first few years is looking at anatomy a real body
Speaker 2: science based and you know what There's definitely times where
Speaker 2: I was like, this is really dry, what am I doing?
Speaker 2: But I kind of just it was one thing. Here
Speaker 2: we go. It was another thing that I was like,
Speaker 2: I'm sticking in. I'm doing this and finding some mentors
Speaker 2: along the way. And it was sort of in one
Speaker 2: class my teacher Alisa was giving us this. It was
Speaker 2: the project was like a call to action. So what
Speaker 2: occupational marginalization? So what's something that you're seeing that's in
Speaker 2: the community where a group is being marginalized or deprived
Speaker 2: of accessing resources or their occupation of choice, And how
Speaker 2: can you be a call to action to support them?
Speaker 2: And that really got me. I was like, we can
Speaker 2: do this as ots like this. This is another part
Speaker 2: of it too. It's not just the one on one,
Speaker 2: face to face stuff, but it's actually a social change
Speaker 2: component that we can contribute. And that's what sort of
Speaker 2: pulled me in. And I think I did a veterans
Speaker 2: surfing idea at that point in time because I saw
Speaker 2: there was an OT in the States, Kylie Rodgers, and
Speaker 2: she'd started a Veteran's surfing program to support them with
Speaker 2: PTSD as a way because of such big risk takers
Speaker 2: and the trauma that they'd experienced. Surfing was providing a
Speaker 2: space for them to explore that component of PTSD. Being
Speaker 2: a risk taking hobby as it is, but the modality
Speaker 2: of surfing and being outside and being in nature was
Speaker 2: really conducive as a therapeutic use. And I was like, oh, wow,
Speaker 2: that's really exciting. So that was sort of like the
Speaker 2: first point. And then my mum was working with the
Speaker 2: DVA at the time, and she kind of I think
Speaker 2: she must have said, like, why don't you just try it?
Speaker 2: And so we sort of just set up a day
Speaker 2: at the surf School in Port wa Quarry and I
Speaker 2: was like, I'm just going to give it a crack.
Speaker 2: What's the worst that can happen?
Speaker 1: I mean, babe, I can quit it later exactly exactly,
Speaker 1: like it's.
Speaker 2: Just and it went really well. I got my other
Speaker 2: friend who was a yoga teacher to come along, ran
Speaker 2: through like a yoga class with the guys, and because
Speaker 2: obviously I knew the cerf school owners, I got them
Speaker 2: on board and they all, yeah, they all had a
Speaker 2: really great time. Because Mum often coordinated the volunteer group
Speaker 2: for the DVA, and she would say the boys and
Speaker 2: the men would always do their meetings outside, like if
Speaker 2: they they had their weekly coffee catch ups, because they
Speaker 2: don't want to be inside or enclosed in these spaces.
Speaker 2: So it kind of fit. It was amazing to see
Speaker 2: how it could fit really well, and just it just
Speaker 2: sort of happened and I was like, oh wow, okay,
Speaker 2: I could do something with this, and then yeah, that
Speaker 2: was it for a while. Like that was just like
Speaker 2: towards the end of my fourth year of UNI, So
Speaker 2: I guess I let that sit for a while. That
Speaker 2: was a project that I did, and then there was
Speaker 2: one wave is all it takes Grant there in Bonda, Yeah,
Speaker 2: he's with the Fluo Fridays. Yeah. I sort of just
Speaker 2: got into that from there. Maybe after I finished UNI,
Speaker 2: I was working pediatrics, but this was in mental health.
Speaker 2: That sort of was really easy to flow between a
Speaker 2: few different things. I think that's sort of been something
Speaker 2: I've always done, is not just done one thing. I
Speaker 2: think I had my first OT job started full time
Speaker 2: and I think I was full time for about six months,
Speaker 2: so then like I was like dropping back and then
Speaker 2: and it was voluntary, like the fluo Fridays that I
Speaker 2: ran then led into waves of wellness, which they run
Speaker 2: mental health surf therapy program too, So before it was
Speaker 2: Waves of Wellness, it was one Wave Surf experience. So
Speaker 2: that was with job Hilgrim. He was an OT as
Speaker 2: well and a good friend, and so there was just
Speaker 2: all these things that sort of led to opportunities that
Speaker 2: I was like, I'm just going to pursue it. I
Speaker 2: suppose I was led more by that sensation or feeling
Speaker 2: about that feels right more so than what I should
Speaker 2: do is stay in this job that's five days a
Speaker 2: week and full time and I get all these benefits.
Speaker 2: So that's not been something that I've experienced in the
Speaker 2: past eight years.
Speaker 1: Is.
Speaker 2: Stability, which, yeah, that comes at a cost itself, I
Speaker 2: suppose if that's what some people or how you feel,
Speaker 2: But it's given me the opportunity to explore the possibilities
Speaker 2: and the depth of what I could do in my
Speaker 2: role as OT. So then, yeah, I was running those
Speaker 2: through Fridays and the one wave surf experiences for twelve months.
Speaker 3: This is after graduation, during your first job.
Speaker 2: Yeah, during my first job, and then what happened, what happened.
Speaker 1: For me, I mean, even to that point, I think
Speaker 1: it's really cool that even once you do know what
Speaker 1: an OT is. I think from the outside, you kind
Speaker 1: of think hospital, you think like rehab center. Even inside
Speaker 1: that job, you don't necessarily know how diverse you can
Speaker 1: make it, you know. I think the way that people
Speaker 1: often perceive their careers is in a very reactive way,
Speaker 1: like it's this is what happens to me, not Oh,
Speaker 1: I could be proactive and I could make this into
Speaker 1: a more broad thing. I could go part time and
Speaker 1: do something else on the side and turn it into
Speaker 1: a fully, you know, fully fledged initiative. I feel like
Speaker 1: it's so reassuring to hear someone's story that just was like,
Speaker 1: I chose not to necessarily do the stability certainty route,
Speaker 1: and it's all worked out really well because I'm not
Speaker 1: suited to that. You know, we're all different and that
Speaker 1: suits some ots for sure, but not everyone has to
Speaker 1: go that way, and it can still work out exactly.
Speaker 2: There's more than one path way to move through it.
Speaker 2: I guess it's just being it's not even feeling confident.
Speaker 2: I suppose it's just making sure that you're listening to
Speaker 2: what actually feels good for you. Really, what's really going
Speaker 2: to be the path that you want to choose? Not
Speaker 2: what you're being told you should do. They shoulds Yeah,
Speaker 2: they should?
Speaker 3: Can I ask?
Speaker 1: In that context? One of the things we talk about
Speaker 1: a lot in the Nata, which is the challenges that
Speaker 1: you face along the way, and it kind of ends
Speaker 1: up weaving into the story anyway. But one of the
Speaker 1: biggest challenges people seem to have, and that I definitely
Speaker 1: have in trying something new, especially something a bit different
Speaker 1: to what's conventional, is the self doubt, the fear the
Speaker 1: whole like without stability, how am I going to make
Speaker 1: money or finances aside? Like can I do this? Am
Speaker 1: I going to fail? Is it going to look silly?
Speaker 1: What are people going to think?
Speaker 3: How did you.
Speaker 1: Tune in more to the how it feels good than
Speaker 1: how it feels bad? Because I feel like you often
Speaker 1: feel both at the same time, and some people get
Speaker 1: so overwhelmed by the fear side that they can't even
Speaker 1: hear anything else.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's really true. Definitely have heard a lot of
Speaker 2: the fear as well. And you know what, it's still there,
Speaker 2: it's still going and I mean it's maybe listening to
Speaker 2: it within reason. Yeah, I had and I've been talking
Speaker 2: to my partner about this too, But I feel like
Speaker 2: when and it feels like there's like a freight train
Speaker 2: running through your head of less like a nighttime all
Speaker 2: the thoughts come at once. You're like, huh, I don't
Speaker 2: know what I'm doing, so obviously that's not the best
Speaker 2: time to look at it. But that's usually when it
Speaker 2: comes to me, is that that nighttime freight train arrival
Speaker 2: of this, but this, but this's you can't do this
Speaker 2: because that obviously won't work, And so then I just
Speaker 2: it's like taking those thoughts to court, is how I'm like,
Speaker 2: all right, we're going to court. We're going to put
Speaker 2: this to the evidence, Like what's the evidence that is
Speaker 2: there that says that this isn't going to work? Like
Speaker 2: suggest it? Like what's really there? And obviously maybe there's
Speaker 2: some things like oh, there's not a big enough reach,
Speaker 2: people aren't going to be in the area, or usually
Speaker 2: there's not that much not as bad as you think anyway,
Speaker 2: yeah yeah, or even if it is there, it's like,
Speaker 2: all right, so that exists, but how can you manage that,
Speaker 2: Like if it really does get turn upside down, you're
Speaker 2: not stuck. Like even I suppose another really useful thing
Speaker 2: for us was and it's a whole other conversation around
Speaker 2: just setting up a charity to start with. I just
Speaker 2: went in completely blind. I had no idea what I
Speaker 2: was doing. Yeah, set up charity me and cute, Yeah, cute,
Speaker 2: we can do that. Yeah. But one mentor in the
Speaker 2: first meeting that Tullia. So Tullia is the co founder
Speaker 2: with me with Surfing the Spectrum. The first thing he
Speaker 2: said to us is what's your exit strategy? And me
Speaker 2: and Tali are like, you know, just at the start,
Speaker 2: we're like, what do you mean our exit strategy?
Speaker 1: Like we haven't even yeah, I haven't.
Speaker 2: Even entered abruptly. But it's only been in the last
Speaker 2: years that I've been like, that's actually been really important.
Speaker 2: And I guess that's also ensuring that we don't come
Speaker 2: across sort of founder's syndrome. I think that's what they
Speaker 2: call it, where you get really stuck in your ways
Speaker 2: and really stuck in thought. But the natural process of
Speaker 2: that life death life cycle, it exists. So it's to
Speaker 2: be able to know that something may end, something may
Speaker 2: not stay the same forever is really important to come
Speaker 2: to terms with as well. It's a natural cycle that
Speaker 2: you can't just be like, it's not going to work.
Speaker 2: It's like, well, you know what, if I look back
Speaker 2: in the last five years and know what I've done,
Speaker 2: if something was to happen tomorrow and we couldn't continue,
Speaker 2: it would still have been successful. What I did was
Speaker 2: still successful. So that's been really good to come to
Speaker 2: terms within the last twelve months with redefining what that
Speaker 2: sort of looks like.
Speaker 3: Yeah, oh my gosh, amazing.
Speaker 1: I feel like that whole last five minutes is just
Speaker 1: a SoundBite for the entire show, Like.
Speaker 2: That is so exactly what yeah, philosophy is abowt.
Speaker 1: It's like Bijoya sees it and then it evolves and
Speaker 1: it's not like this is static place that then I
Speaker 1: can founder the charity. It's everything I ever wanted. It's
Speaker 1: doing exactly what I wanted to do, and it's going
Speaker 1: to stay there forever. Like no, yeah, it's not supposed to.
Speaker 1: You're not supposed to stay the same either.
Speaker 2: No, that's it. And that's the same with passion. Like
Speaker 2: passions a feeling, it's a sensations. You know, I'm when
Speaker 2: I am surfing, when I'm in the bush, when the
Speaker 2: sun's in the trees, it's a sensation or a feeling.
Speaker 2: It's when you're cooking for people that you love. It's
Speaker 2: not just one thing. It's not just like this is
Speaker 2: my passion. Or if you just sort of like standing
Speaker 2: there being like I'm just you know, looking for my passion,
Speaker 2: just sitting around waiting, it's like, oh, you're never gonna
Speaker 2: find it. Like you just need to see it in
Speaker 2: every little bit of things that you do each day
Speaker 2: because it's there, because it's a feeling that we experience.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I love that lovely neighborhood.
Speaker 1: It isn't you to anyone that Episode one or two
Speaker 1: with doctor Richard Harris is possibly my personal favorite episode
Speaker 1: of all time. One of my ultimate messages here is
Speaker 1: that it doesn't matter how unusual or unique your personal
Speaker 1: combination of yay is. Someone out there is looking for
Speaker 1: exactly that, And nobody could ever have known that an
Speaker 1: anethetist cave diver was the key to one of the
Speaker 1: hardest rescue missions of our time. They say, you remember
Speaker 1: exactly where you were the moment you heard about a
Speaker 1: disaster like thirteen young boys getting stuck in a cave
Speaker 1: almost impossible to reach for eighteen days. It may just
Speaker 1: be me, but I feel like the details of just
Speaker 1: how impossible the rescue was went over my head at
Speaker 1: the time, and I never really grasped that they may
Speaker 1: not survive. So what I do remember was the moment
Speaker 1: two years later when I realized the dive just to
Speaker 1: reach them was so hard it took the life of
Speaker 1: a Navy seal and could take eleven hours return, That
Speaker 1: it was through coffee colored water in tunnels so narrow
Speaker 1: it touched both their chest and back at the same time,
Speaker 1: that the boys had to be sedated to prevent panic
Speaker 1: in the multi hour dive, and restrained to stop their
Speaker 1: limbs getting cut off by jagged rocks, and that even
Speaker 1: the divers themselves weren't sure they'd come out the other
Speaker 1: end until hours later when they did. These and so
Speaker 1: many other details of this impossible feat still give me goosebumps.
Speaker 1: It's one of my favorite stories to hear over and
Speaker 1: over again. And now you can watch the mission unravel
Speaker 1: in the incredible new film based on the true story,
Speaker 1: Thirteen Lives on Prime Video, directed by Ron Howard and
Speaker 1: starring the likes of Joel Edgerton and Colin Farrell. You'll
Speaker 1: get goosebumps, spine tingles, tiers of despair and tears of hope.
Speaker 1: It is streaming from August fifth, so it's out and
Speaker 1: now do not miss out. So Talia was in the
Speaker 1: disability sector, you were working as an OT. Both deep
Speaker 1: love for surfing, yes, and then this idea, yeah, I
Speaker 1: think the spectrum yep.
Speaker 2: Yeah. By then I'd been doing the One Way Surf
Speaker 2: Experience and the Fleury Fridays. Talia and I still both worked.
Speaker 2: See I still worked as a surf coach and an
Speaker 2: OT at the same time because I just loved not
Speaker 2: doing just one thing. Yeah, yeah, exactly. And my job
Speaker 2: at the time as an OT, I was driving a lot,
Speaker 2: so from Newcastle, driving up you know, up to Scone,
Speaker 2: up the Hunter Valley. It was a lot of driving
Speaker 2: to more rural areas, which I really enjoyed, but it
Speaker 2: wasn't as physically active as I really needed. And so
Speaker 2: that sort of gave me a break when I just thought,
Speaker 2: I'm just going to do some surf coaching one day
Speaker 2: a week, just to diversify. And so we were still
Speaker 2: really connected with the Surf School and they were doing
Speaker 2: There was an American organization called Surfers for Autism and
Speaker 2: they came out once a year to Australia. Yeah, to
Speaker 2: do pretty much what we are running now, which was
Speaker 2: setting up the events. The kids could come with their
Speaker 2: families and a whole bunch of local surfers surf schools
Speaker 2: would volunteer their time to allow the autistic kids and
Speaker 2: their families to come to the beach for the day.
Speaker 2: And Talia and I were doing that. At one point
Speaker 2: it stopped just with things that were happening, whether it
Speaker 2: was the board or funding, and Talia and are like,
Speaker 2: oh no, like we can't, this can't stop because all
Speaker 2: the surfers were wanting to keep giving in some in
Speaker 2: some sense. So Taliah and I we're so young, yeasy.
Speaker 2: We talked to the owner of the surf school, like, well,
Speaker 2: we can't just let this stop. Let's just do it
Speaker 2: as a day. Let's just at least get I think
Speaker 2: they used to have hundreds of kids come down like
Speaker 2: it was a huge event. We were like, let's just you know,
Speaker 2: do a little Facebook event and say we've got you know,
Speaker 2: fifty families want to come along. We can get them
Speaker 2: in the water thanks to the surf school. And I
Speaker 2: think in about fifteen minutes, like all the spots were
Speaker 2: sold out and we're like, oh no. So then we
Speaker 2: put up another fifty spots sold out again and we're
Speaker 2: like wow, oy no, it was in demand, like they
Speaker 2: families really wanted it. And so from that point Talia
Speaker 2: and I thought, oh, we can't just not do this,
Speaker 2: like we know how to do this, so we could
Speaker 2: make this into something more. And that's when we started
Speaker 2: in the whole rash, let's do this, let's create a charity.
Speaker 1: Don't you think though, that if you had been less
Speaker 1: naive to what it would actually involve, that nobody would
Speaker 1: start anything like that. Sometimes it's better that you aren't aware. Oh,
Speaker 1: just how much is ahead of you, which is why
Speaker 1: the whole like start before you already thing is so valid,
Speaker 1: because if you were ready, you wouldn't start because that's
Speaker 1: too hard.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it is too It was just I think we
Speaker 2: got it was like a startup fund. We picked yet
Speaker 2: it was the same thing that I had practiced at
Speaker 2: from from my OT course. Was a quarter action. We
Speaker 2: had three minutes to pitch our idea and you'd get
Speaker 2: the seed funding. It was a local community thing in
Speaker 2: Newcastle and so with a thousand dollars which was our
Speaker 2: first money that we received as the charity. We're like, yes,
Speaker 2: that's where we got linked up with. What was even
Speaker 2: more important were the mentors, and then they linked us
Speaker 2: up with the lawyers who actually did all the constitution
Speaker 2: and legal parts that it wouldn't have happened if we
Speaker 2: didn't have those connections. So it was really interesting to think,
Speaker 2: like we're at the start, were like, we just need
Speaker 2: the money, We need money. But what was so important
Speaker 2: in that first part of setting up the charity was
Speaker 2: the connections, because yeah, there's no way we could have
Speaker 2: paid for lawyers. That was definitely going to be the
Speaker 2: case throughout our constitution and then you know, get DGR
Speaker 2: status and doing all these bits and pieces. It was
Speaker 2: the connections. So getting yourself out there, which is not
Speaker 2: my favorite thing or to the favorite thing to do.
Speaker 2: We both hate it, but yeah it was worth it. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Funny what you can actually push yourself to do when
Speaker 2: you're like, oh no, this is this is the only way.
Speaker 1: And I think purpose makes it so different, Like what
Speaker 1: you think that you aren't able to do until you
Speaker 1: maybe you just haven't found the thing that you care
Speaker 1: enough about.
Speaker 3: To push you to do it.
Speaker 1: Like when there's a greater purpose driving your whole mission.
Speaker 1: It kind of I don't know, it changes things. It's
Speaker 1: not just unattached to a purpose and something that you
Speaker 1: want to actually achieve as a legacy or to help others.
Speaker 3: I don't know.
Speaker 1: I feel like it suddenly all the things aren't as
Speaker 1: scary when your purpose is so clear. But it's also
Speaker 1: really interesting to me that as someone who's first couple
Speaker 1: of sentences about your childhood or that you found such
Speaker 1: solace in nature and that the people part wasn't really
Speaker 1: your favorite, that the ongoing theme of how this whole
Speaker 1: journey developed for you is like pivotal moments from mentors,
Speaker 1: from people and interactions and relationships and connections, even if
Speaker 1: it wasn't your forte that like, it's often not so
Speaker 1: much what you can do or how you do it,
Speaker 1: it's who you do it with or who helps.
Speaker 3: You along the way.
Speaker 1: And I think that's coming through so clearly that like
Speaker 1: you might have at different sliding doors moments chosen not
Speaker 1: to do it or not thought you could do it
Speaker 1: if you hadn't had people to sort of just just
Speaker 1: push you a little bit closer.
Speaker 2: Yes, that's exactly hot. Yeah, there's definitely those moments where
Speaker 2: I would have thought, no, I can't, I can't do this.
Speaker 2: This isn't something that I'm good at. Would be the
Speaker 2: narrative in my mind that goes over and over is
Speaker 2: I'm not good enough. I'm not good enough. That one's
Speaker 2: that that's a favorite for putting on repeat.
Speaker 1: Yeah, butbe I have that CD too. Oh god, it's
Speaker 1: the best seller.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like really scratched, well used, it's been played
Speaker 2: a lot.
Speaker 1: But went platinum. Like it's on the charts everyone in Australia.
Speaker 3: It's great.
Speaker 2: Yeah, everyone could relate to that one, I'm not good enough,
Speaker 2: I can't do this. But having yeah, having those people
Speaker 2: there to sort of introduce you to those networks or
Speaker 2: lead you in or where there's some points where yeah,
Speaker 2: it's not going to happen unless you do it. And
Speaker 2: I think that's what you were saying. With regards to
Speaker 2: the purpose and the families and the kids at the
Speaker 2: events give t Leia and I are a lot of purpose,
Speaker 2: along with the surfers as well. They are the ones
Speaker 2: that kind of, you know, when it was all stopping,
Speaker 2: they're like, well, we want to keep volunteering, like what
Speaker 2: can we do? What can we do? And we've never
Speaker 2: had an event where we haven't had enough volunteers, Like
Speaker 2: having volunteers is not our problem. We usually have too
Speaker 2: many volunteers. It's not oh my god, like trying to
Speaker 2: you know, really it's not a real challenge in that sense,
Speaker 2: like they're getting just as much out of the day
Speaker 2: as the kids who for some of them, you know,
Speaker 2: they they often don't get to the beach because of well,
Speaker 2: whether the it's a single parent or just changes in routines,
Speaker 2: new environments, busy places, especially the beach on the weekend
Speaker 2: or in summer or where it can be pretty full on,
Speaker 2: whether it's the sensory experiences where it's the waves, whether
Speaker 2: it's the sand, the seaweed, the loud noises, the sun,
Speaker 2: the brightness, all these all these factors, and it's just
Speaker 2: so hard and challenging for parents to sometimes get the
Speaker 2: kids to get there, like that's that's the biggest challenge.
Speaker 2: And then when they're at the beach, knowing that it
Speaker 2: doesn't it doesn't really matter what happens, like if there's
Speaker 2: a meltdown, if they're not coping, no one's there judging.
Speaker 2: And that's probably the biggest comment we get from from
Speaker 2: our families is like, I don't feel judged. I can
Speaker 2: come to the beach as my family is, as they are,
Speaker 2: just as they arrive, and I'm accepted just as that.
Speaker 2: And to know that that's not something that they experience
Speaker 2: in almost any other environment that they're in day to
Speaker 2: day is enough to know that it's like, Okay, this
Speaker 2: is really meaningful for these families.
Speaker 3: Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I mean, tell us a little bit more
Speaker 1: about how you designed what Surfing the Spectrum would offer
Speaker 1: and how often you do it, if it's events, if
Speaker 1: they're like even just surf therapy in general. I know
Speaker 1: there's so much research now into the benefits of water
Speaker 1: for mental health, physical health, Like you know, surfing a
Speaker 1: site just water generally. Then there's like surface specific therapy,
Speaker 1: and then there's serving the spectrum and what you guys
Speaker 1: offer in particular. How did you develop your program and
Speaker 1: what does it offer?
Speaker 2: I think definitely grew out of the Surfers for Autism,
Speaker 2: which was an American model which we sort of adapted,
Speaker 2: and obviously ours has grown and shifted over the last years,
Speaker 2: which has now included neurodivergent members of our team. So
Speaker 2: Jay is autistic and Jay originally came along as a
Speaker 2: volunteer and then their knowledge has been really powerful to
Speaker 2: making sure that we are allies to the autistic community
Speaker 2: and ensuring that what's coming through is supporting them. So
Speaker 2: we run events at the moment, so from pretty much
Speaker 2: the Gold Coast down to Jerringom on the South coast
Speaker 2: and then hopefully getting to TALKI sum yeah, hey you
Speaker 2: can come along. Oh my gosh, one hundred yes, I'll
Speaker 2: keep you posted.
Speaker 3: Please do.
Speaker 2: And at the moment it sort of works that we'd
Speaker 2: sort of come in. It's a one day event and
Speaker 2: we connect in with the local surf school in the area.
Speaker 2: And for me as the OT, it's really important to
Speaker 2: make sure that we are enabling our community instead of
Speaker 2: coming in and offering something and then leaving when the
Speaker 2: community is then left with not the resources, knowledge or
Speaker 2: know how of how to continue this support. It's much
Speaker 2: more important for us to empower communities to build this
Speaker 2: for themselves. So we find it's really important to include
Speaker 2: the local surf school, get them on board, local therapy services,
Speaker 2: and the autism community groups. So the kids come down,
Speaker 2: they sort of have like half hour sessions in the water,
Speaker 2: they get like social stories sent to them beforehand, so
Speaker 2: they have able to anticipate what's going to happen during
Speaker 2: the day. So for our autistic friends, the routine or
Speaker 2: in knowing what's coming next is quite grounding in that
Speaker 2: sense and reducing anxiety. Same as if you were going
Speaker 2: for an interview and you know the questions beforehand, it's
Speaker 2: sort of like, oh, okay, I know what effect. So
Speaker 2: we try and make sure that for all the kids
Speaker 2: they know what's going to happen throughout the day, and
Speaker 2: then we train up the volunteers to support them with communication,
Speaker 2: with social skills and get them in the water. However
Speaker 2: they want to be in the water, so our mottos
Speaker 2: just to be safe and have fun. So there's obviously
Speaker 2: an idea out there about how surfing should look, and
Speaker 2: for us, it's very much stripping that back to be
Speaker 2: surfing can be whatever you want it to be. It
Speaker 2: can be lying on a boogeyboard, can be sitting on
Speaker 2: a surfboard, it can be body surfing. But it's that
Speaker 2: knowing that how therapeutic our relationship is with the water.
Speaker 2: Like you were saying before, there is more research coming
Speaker 2: out around surf therapy and we know that or stick
Speaker 2: children and or to see people in general are quite
Speaker 2: drawn to bodies of water. And whether that's to do
Speaker 2: with we'd call it like the appropriate receptive input, or
Speaker 2: that's our body awareness, so knowing where our body is
Speaker 2: in space, so shifting that whole. Obviously it changes so
Speaker 2: much when we're in water or we're floating in water,
Speaker 2: and you often find they like to spend a lot
Speaker 2: of time under the water because perhaps that sensory experience
Speaker 2: is giving them a better or different understanding of where
Speaker 2: their body is in space. Yeah, so we just want
Speaker 2: to encourage whatever their experience is of surfing, Yeah, whatever
Speaker 2: that's going to look like. And so yeah, our events
Speaker 2: will run up and down the coast local surf schools
Speaker 2: and then at the moment, we're just setting up a
Speaker 2: training program for surf coaches to be able to then
Speaker 2: keep these sessions ongoing in their community. So whether that's
Speaker 2: being able to access the NDIS and for the participants
Speaker 2: to keep engaging with their local surf school and keep
Speaker 2: building up their skills, whether it's I must have had
Speaker 2: one kid, this was in football quarry and he was
Speaker 2: so unsure about coming to the beach. He had quite
Speaker 2: low tone, so his body and his muscles were quite weak,
Speaker 2: I guess is the way to describe it. Mum and
Speaker 2: dad like they came hours late because it had been
Speaker 2: so hard for mum and dad to get the two
Speaker 2: brothers to come to the beach for the day and
Speaker 2: shift them out of their usual routine. They got there,
Speaker 2: they were quite unsure about it, didn't really want to
Speaker 2: have a go. So a lot of it is following
Speaker 2: their lead but still giving them autonomy and choice and saying, well,
Speaker 2: you know, we can sit on the surfboard up here,
Speaker 2: or maybe we can go down down to the shoreline.
Speaker 2: Eventually getting him in the water, catching a few waves
Speaker 2: and just the smile on his face was huge, and
Speaker 2: he came in. He was like, this is better than
Speaker 2: the iPad. It was just like, yes, I've got him.
Speaker 3: Now we've got to get him out of the water.
Speaker 2: To get him out of the water. But it was
Speaker 2: just knowing that because that is obviously another a big
Speaker 2: component to the physical activity side of things. So with autism,
Speaker 2: there's the neurological component, but that also impacts motor skills
Speaker 2: and function along with you know, if there's medication that
Speaker 2: kids are taking, which he's shifting their weight gain. So
Speaker 2: physical activity just on its own is so important, but
Speaker 2: being able to combine that with connecting with a community
Speaker 2: group of surfers outside is kind of where the magic
Speaker 2: sort of happens.
Speaker 1: I think, Oh my gosh, it just sounds extraordinary. I
Speaker 1: can't wait me to come to talking. I want to
Speaker 1: come so much to an event. I don't know where
Speaker 1: I will fit in because I am not a good
Speaker 1: enough server to coach anybody who don't.
Speaker 2: Have to be. There's like sand play and sand castes
Speaker 2: on the beach play.
Speaker 1: I'm going to help sound playing perfect be the same castle, Quinn.
Speaker 1: So I also know that, like very soon you're having
Speaker 1: your next fundraiser, and I imagine part of a not
Speaker 1: for profit is you know, as you mentioned, there's no
Speaker 1: shortage of volunteers, which is incredible, there's no shortage of ideas,
Speaker 1: there's no shortage of need, But like actually funding the
Speaker 1: activities that you do is like the really difficult bin
Speaker 1: and even just there's so much generosity out there, but
Speaker 1: it's just connecting with that to the.
Speaker 3: Cause that you're actually working on.
Speaker 1: So this Saturday, the twentieth of August, what do you
Speaker 1: have going on?
Speaker 3: And how can we support it?
Speaker 2: Well, there are so many ways to support it. I've
Speaker 2: tried to make it as easily support we are. Yeah, yeah,
Speaker 2: any platform you can support us. We have for those
Speaker 2: people that live locally to Newcastle. Obviously there's there's a
Speaker 2: paddle battle on in the morning where people are doing
Speaker 2: a little paddle race. They've all got their profiles though
Speaker 2: that you can donate to. It's five kilometers and we've
Speaker 2: got a couple of the board riders teams are all
Speaker 2: joining in and all their board rider team members are
Speaker 2: jumping on board to paddle the five kilometers on any
Speaker 2: sort of craft. So that one is the first time
Speaker 2: we've done something like that, So one's going to be
Speaker 2: a little bit interesting. I don't exactly know how it's
Speaker 2: going to work again, which is the exciting thing. If
Speaker 2: I knew how it was going to work, maybe I
Speaker 2: wouldn't do it or wouldn't have done.
Speaker 1: It, But yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2: And then at the night time we have an evening
Speaker 2: event at the local gin Distillery in Newcastle, RBS with
Speaker 2: some local bands, some pretty good auction prizes as well.
Speaker 2: But what we're doing is that the auction prizes, there's
Speaker 2: like a must be two nights at Crown Towers, the
Speaker 2: Opera House, Opera House Views and Champagne a Skydek and
Speaker 2: a few other things. And there's like Mark Richards is
Speaker 2: a surfer here in Newcastle is a fort Home World champ.
Speaker 2: He's donated one of his own boards the auction off.
Speaker 2: So we're doing it live on Instagram first time again
Speaker 2: for so anyone can be anyone. Anyone can jump on
Speaker 2: or we've also got some pretty amazing Raffle tickets and
Speaker 2: Raffle prizes that are also online, so anyone can buy
Speaker 2: a Raffle ticket.
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, you've thought of it all. I know.
Speaker 1: I know.
Speaker 2: So anyone, no matter where you are in Australia at
Speaker 2: least can jump on board for any of those things.
Speaker 2: I suppose, like you said, yeah, no short if there's
Speaker 2: volunteers and the support is out there. But Erica Gleason,
Speaker 2: she founded Autism Swim, which is another really amazing grassroots charity.
Speaker 2: She had a video the other day which she said
Speaker 2: and really resonated with me. She's like, I don't own
Speaker 2: Autism Swim and for Telia and I it's the same,
Speaker 2: we don't own surfing. The spectrum in essence, it's owned
Speaker 2: by the community. We're just here to serve the community
Speaker 2: in running the charity. Someone can own a charity except
Speaker 2: for the community. So the only reason why they exist
Speaker 2: is because it's a community need, and the only way
Speaker 2: they can keep existing is if we're supported through the community.
Speaker 2: So that resonated with me a lot, because I think
Speaker 2: sometimes people can look on the outside and they get
Speaker 2: a bit, oh, it's going so well, things are going
Speaker 2: really well, and they are. It's great, We've got such
Speaker 2: a great reach and we're fulfilling a lot of the
Speaker 2: missions that we have, But it's based on what the
Speaker 2: community have presented, is their missions. It's just being enacted through.
Speaker 2: To Leia and I, we're just bringing it to life,
Speaker 2: but it's what is come through from the community, and
Speaker 2: it's yeah, it's really owned by the community, these small
Speaker 2: grassroots charities. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I love how that ties in with what you said
Speaker 1: before about over the last sort of twelve months being
Speaker 1: okay with being guardians for what's happening, and like you've
Speaker 1: created this movement that kind of transcends people. It's now
Speaker 1: its own thing with its own momentum, and I think
Speaker 1: that's so incredible. That you've created this thing that now
Speaker 1: if you one day weren't around, it's still got its
Speaker 1: own life, you know what I mean. Like that is
Speaker 1: so incredibly special. To think this will transcend me, Like
Speaker 1: that's extraordinary.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's the goal in that sense.
Speaker 1: Yeah, well, I am just so inspired by you and
Speaker 1: I can't.
Speaker 3: Wait for it to come further down South.
Speaker 1: But we'll absolutely share all the links to the raffle
Speaker 1: tickets and the live for this Saturday Saturday Yees Saturdayturday, Saturday, Saturday,
Speaker 1: the twentieth of August. Everyone listening in the neighborhood, please
Speaker 1: tune in and support in any way that you can.
Speaker 1: Will of course make a yahborhood donation as well, but
Speaker 1: if you can all tune in on Saturday, that.
Speaker 3: Would be extraordinary.
Speaker 1: Thank you guys, so many to Amy, You're just doing
Speaker 1: amazing things, and congratulations as well. Like as you mentioned,
Speaker 1: it's a long journey. It's not easy to like DG
Speaker 1: our status alone is like a total disaster.
Speaker 2: Yeah. No, it's been a great and is still a
Speaker 2: great journey. I wouldn't have wanted to do, Yeah, anything else.
Speaker 2: I'm happy with the pathway I suppose and being open
Speaker 2: to what's arriving amazing.
Speaker 3: Well, very last question, just to finish up.
Speaker 1: Do you have a quote that kind of represents serving
Speaker 1: the spectrum or that you would like to leave everyone
Speaker 1: with on their own pathways?
Speaker 2: Do I have a quote? I don't. I suppose there
Speaker 2: was some words that I was saying to a group
Speaker 2: of fourth Coot students that I had and that was
Speaker 2: sort of a round passion that might be I guess,
Speaker 2: guess of relevance from definitely what we've said today, but
Speaker 2: talking that passion is each and every moment that you're alive.
Speaker 2: So don't give into that societal expectation that it is
Speaker 2: somewhere outside of yourself. So each day instead, be useful,
Speaker 2: don't wait for passion, be useful, solve problems, connect with people,
Speaker 2: and find ease, because this is where you will see motion.
Speaker 2: For Remember, passion is a feeling and energy, and you
Speaker 2: will start to see your passion arise where your energy
Speaker 2: and effort reach is someone's need.
Speaker 1: Oh my gosh, that's beautiful and so perfect for everything
Speaker 1: we've spoken about and everything that this show is about.
Speaker 1: So thank you so much for your time, Amy, and
Speaker 1: I hope this weekend and beyond goes incredibly.
Speaker 2: Thanks so much.
Speaker 1: Oh, as promised, there will be links to everything for
Speaker 1: Saturday and beyond in the show notes. Please get behind
Speaker 1: Amy and Serving the Spectrum. I mean, what a woman
Speaker 1: and what an incredible initiative. I would so love the
Speaker 1: neighborhood to help spread the word by sharing the episode,
Speaker 1: to thank Amy for her time, time and work tagging
Speaker 1: Saving the Spectrum and of course us so we can
Speaker 1: keep growing the neighborhood as.
Speaker 3: Far and wide as possible.
Speaker 1: I am somehow off again to another overseas wedding, truly
Speaker 1: seizing the AA at the moment before the family chapter
Speaker 1: of our life begins and the spontaneity maybe slows down
Speaker 1: a tiny bit, so not saying no to any.
Speaker 2: Of life's delights.
Speaker 1: But as I mentioned the adoption episode, we'll be going
Speaker 1: live with another amazing guest and story shortly after that,
Speaker 1: so you won't be missing out, I promise. I hope
Speaker 1: you're having an amazing week and is seizing your YA.
Speaker 1: And of course if you haven't caught up yet you
Speaker 1: might not have heard. I'm pretty sure you have. We
Speaker 1: have a new show called Feast Pod with three or
Speaker 1: four time maybe five time guests now cone on one
Speaker 1: of my dearest friends, which has been such a hoot.
Speaker 1: Speaking of spontaneity, it literally started twenty four hours after
Speaker 1: we first had the idea. That was only a couple
Speaker 1: of weeks ago, and we're about to be four episodes in.
Speaker 1: So far so Feast is our spicy little sister, a
Speaker 1: little bit cheekier than sees the AA. But if you
Speaker 1: run out of ya in the meantime, head on over
Speaker 1: to Feast Pod for some chaotic laughs and serious curiosity quenching.
Speaker 1: I hope you guys enjoy that just as much