I have to admit — I always hated uni subjects that covered risk management.
But after speaking to this week’s guest, I appreciate why adopting an objective “risk management” perspective is a great way to manage and reduce your fear and self-doubt.
Sarah Davis has a corporate background in risk management and is drawing on everything she learnt as she prepares for her extraordinary journey - she is attempting to become the first woman to paddle the length of the Nile.
It’s a journey of around 6,853km / 4,200mi from the source of the Nile in Rwanda, all the way to Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast in Egypt.
There are numerous risks Sarah needs to assess and manage on this trip - everything from disease, illness and injury (in many places, she'll be far from medical treatment so even mild problems can quickly become serious), the human threat (as she will pass through poverty-stricken and war-torn regions) and the threat posed by the crocodiles, snakes and hippos that live along or in the Nile.
We discuss how she is not only managing these risks, but her fears and doubts associated with those risks.
We also talk about how you can more objectively (and less emotionally) assess and respond to the risks you face and your fears, whether they are related to sharks, snakes or bike crashes.
In this conversation, we discuss:
* the surprising realisation she had when she had to quit running due to injury,
* how she discovered new sports she never knew existed when she moved from the UK to Australia,
* the logistics involved in her Nile expedition,
* how she is using her background in risk management to assess, manage and mitigate the risks the journey poses (and how you can adopt the same approach to objectively, and less emotionally, assess your fears),
* what her mum said when Sarah told her what she was planning to do,
* her experience with the Imposter Complex in her corporate days and how she’s learnt to manage it,
* why it’s so important to use baby steps to build up your confidence, and
* why it’s important to share your stories.
I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did and that you follow Sarah on her journey (via her website)
Click here to listen on iTunes.
Postscript May 2018: Sarah has just announced that she will begin her journey on the 18th October 2018!
Notes and resources:
iTunes | Stitcher
To find out more about Sarah or to say hello, you can find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and via her website at www.paddlethenile.com.
You can also donate to CARE Australia via Sarah's website here.