By Brendan Rees
Motivational speaker and marathon runner Samantha Gash told a crowded business breakfast that their “passion has to be greater than the reasons your suffering for it.”
The professional endurance athlete was guest speaker at the first Casey Cardinia Business Breakfast for 2018 at the Cranbourne Turf Club on Wednesday 23 May.
Starting out in corporate law, Ms Gash could not have known how different her life would be only a few years later when she would become the world’s youngest and first female endurance athlete to complete the 250km ultra-marathon known as the ‘Four Deserts Grand Slam’.
Since then, Samantha has channelled her talent for running to raise funds and awareness for causes that help vulnerable women around the world.
This passion lead her to collaborate with UK runner Mimi Anderson in 2014, together running South Africa’s Freedom Trail and raising $55,000 on behalf of Save the Children to support an initiative increasing access to feminine hygiene products and providing education on the importance of attending school for South African girls.
Ms Gash says team dynamics and showing an armour of toughness – which she has endured in marathon running – is no different to a running a successful business.
“Sometimes we do things that are so out of our comfort zone that they don’t actually stick and resonate with who we are.
“You don’t need everyone that’s like you. In fact, it doesn’t work if everyone’s like you. You need people who have strengths to complement your weaknesses, expertise and insights.”
“And you need to know how to celebrate the small successes,” she added.
Ms Gash referred to her project in India which saw her run 3253km over 77 days as an ambassador for World Vision 18 months ago to explore the barriers to why children were unable to access a quality education across the country.
“Every single day we had different sets of challenges and I needed to keep remembering those moments of the team being completely united that helped me with the motivation each time I faced those new challenges,” she said.
The best thing leaders can do is also a show a degree of vulnerability, she said. This In order for the “people in their team to be empowered, take greater responsibility and feel excited to move forward towards that goal as well.
“Your objective should also be to get everyone to be empowered and strong moving to that finishing line together.”
