Get Back Up: A Real Conversation About Resilience, Inclusion and the Power of Change

Behind every job title, every shift pattern and every email signature is a person with a story. Often, the moments that shape us most are the ones nobody sees coming. That belief has shaped my work for years, not just as a motivational speaker, but as someone who lives the reality of resilience and inclusion every day.

My own story changed without warning. I was 33 when I woke up, tried to swing my legs out of bed, and realised nothing was moving. Overnight paralysis. No accident. No build-up. Just life dividing itself into two parts:

The day before.
And everything after.

It was frightening. Raw. Human. And it pushed me into a truth I now share with companies, schools and teams around the world:

Resilience isn’t who you are.
Resilience is something you build.

Muscles grow under pressure. People do too.

Rebuilding Life: Finding the First Step Forward

Progress rarely looks heroic. It usually looks messy. It seems like starting again when you don’t feel ready. It looks like pushing forward even when your confidence hasn’t caught up.

For me, rebuilding meant challenging the limits I thought defined me. That journey eventually took me to some wild places:

• Everest Base Camp
• Mount Kilimanjaro
• 2015, A year of pushing myself through extreme physical challenges

People imagine resilience as a big moment. In reality, it’s the step you take when nobody is watching. It’s choosing to try again tomorrow. It’s testing the limits in your mind and discovering they’re not as fixed as you thought.

That mindset now underpins my work and my message: Get Back Up.

What Inclusion Means in Real Life

My lived experience as a disabled person completely reshaped my understanding of inclusion, not as corporate policy, but as behaviour.

Inclusion is simple:

• Treat people fairly, not identically
• Make sure people have the tools they need to be their best
• Value different ways of thinking and working
• Recognise that not every struggle is visible
• Build an atmosphere where people feel safe to show up as themselves

When people feel seen and supported, they don’t just contribute more, they thrive. And that atmosphere is created through micro-behaviours:

Who do we interrupt?
Who do we include?
Who do we listen to?
Who do we assume things about?

Inclusion is not found in a document. It’s found in the way we treat each other.

Read this Blog Is Your Workplace Accessible or Just Compliant? Time to Find Out. Now ask yourself this exact question.

Working Across Cultures: Why Difference Makes Us Stronger

In my work as a global speaker, I’ve seen how resilience and inclusion translate across countries and cultures. People may communicate differently, but at the root of it:

Everyone wants to feel respected.
Everyone wants to feel they belong.
Everyone wants to contribute without judgment.

When I climbed to Everest Base Camp, our team represented multiple cultures and countries. Yet on that mountain, difference wasn’t a barrier — it was a strength. The goal was simple:

Get everyone to safety, together.

Great multicultural teamwork isn’t about removing differences. It’s about recognising them as an asset.

Understanding Change: The Human Side We Don’t Talk About Enough

Change is uncomfortable. Always has been. Always will be.

And it doesn’t need to be dramatic to throw you off balance. Sometimes the quiet changes hit hardest:

A new chapter.
A shift in identity.
A loss.
A move.
A relationship ending.
A realisation that life is heading in a direction you didn’t expect.

We’re not great at talking about the messy bits. We tell ourselves we should cope, keep going, hold it together. But the truth is:

Change doesn’t wait for permission.

My life shifted in an instant when I lost my mobility. I lost my identity. Direction. Confidence. But in time, I gained something else:

A new purpose.
A new understanding of myself.
A path I never would have imagined.
A deeper appreciation for the people around me.

Change closes doors, yes.
But it opens others, often the ones we needed all along.

Resilience is not pretending everything is fine.
Resilience is trusting that you can build something even in the messy middle.

How We Support Each Other Through Inclusion and Resilience

Inclusion and resilience don’t come from grand gestures. They show up in the everyday moments:

1. Be curious, not judgmental
Ask questions. Don’t assume.

2. Recognise every voice
People contribute differently, speaking, typing, observing. All valid.

3. Signpost instead of solving
You don’t need all the answers. You just need to guide.

4. Watch the micro-behaviours
Who gets included?
Who gets overlooked?
On the other hand, Who gets encouraged?
But, Who gets interrupted?

5. Lead with empathy
Even when you don’t know someone’s story.

6. Protect your own energy
You cannot pour from an empty cup. Sustainability is resilience.

A Final Thought

If you take anything from this, let it be this:

People break.
But, People rebuild.
People surprise you.
People matter.

Inclusion is giving someone the space to show what they can do.
Resilience is giving yourself the chance to become who you could be.

You don’t need a dramatic moment to change your life.
However, You don’t need perfection.
You don’t need a mountain.

You just need one choice:

Don’t stay where you fell.