Executive PA Australasia October November 2016 | Seite 14

MOVING FORWARD
Turia says she decided she’d start speaking at schools
about the strategies she used to rebuild her life.
“I don’t re-live the fire, what’s the point, accidents
happen all the time and anyone can get injured, I’m not
unique, but what is unique is how I’ve rebuilt my life,
which is as good as, if not better, than before.”
She says she got such a good response from the
schools she spoke to she thought this could be her future,
and so she got some training and filmed herself and
watched it back and worked on it.
After an appearance on 60 Minutes, she was
approached by some speaking agencies to be a
motivational speaker.
She now speaks all over the country, and the world,
and has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Angelina Jolie
and Brad Pitt, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Susan
Sarandon and Delta Goodrem - to name just a few.
She has written a book of her survival, was named
NSW Premier’s Award for Woman of the Year, was a
finalist for Young Australian of the Year and runs online
goal setting system, School of Champions, where she has
mentored close to 6,000 people.
Turia is also ambassador for Interplast which provides
money and support for children with burns in developing
countries and has helped raise more than $1 million.
Her fitness has also gone from strength to strength.
She’s walked across the Great Wall of China, trekked
Kokoda and the Inca Trail and completed her first Iron
Man competition and right now (October 2016) she’s
competing in the Ironman World Championships in
Kona, Hawaii. She’s also just announced plans that she’ll
be leading a group of 30 people to Everest Base Camp next
year as a fundraising trek for Interplast.
Saxton Speakers Bureau Director Nanette Moulton
says her success has been because she embodies an
extraordinary ‘never give up’ attitude with never a trace
of blame or bitterness for what she has suffered.
“She is extraordinarily positive, an achiever beyond
the odds and has a wonderfully engaging personality
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2016 | WWW.EXECUTIVEPA.COM.AU
with a characteristically self deprecating and cheeky
sense of humour. Audiences aspire to have the courage,
determination and singular perspective on life that
Turia delivers.”
So what Turia’s advice for those struggling against
adversity?
“If people are trying to develop a career you have to
put in the work .. because it’s like with Ironman training,
if you do the work and show up day in and day out and
be consistent, that’s how you get results.”
She’s unapologetic for her firm stance about whingers.
“There’s absolutely no point looking backwards and
whinging about what’s happened, it serves no purpose.
Just move forward, look to the future and put the hard
yards in and things will start to happen.” E
Turia Pitt and her
fiancé Michael Hoskin