Sharks, Crocs and Conquering the Impossible: Bonnie Hancock’s Journey Around Australia

Andy
From life threatening encounters to heart warming moments with her support crew, Bonnie’s story is one of sheer determination and inspiration. In this inspiring conversation, Bonnie shares how she conquered the unimaginable, the lessons she learned along the way, and why she believes that with the right mindset and support, anything is possible.

Ange
This is an episode you won’t want to miss.  

Andy
You’re listening to The Tradie Show. This is the podcast for trade business and contracting bosses like you who want to lead with confidence, make more profit and create a better lifestyle. 

Ange
We’re your hosts, Andy and Angela Smith, husband & wife team and co-founders of Lifestyle Tradie. Are you ready to have some fun?

Andy
Hell yeah!  Imagine, it’s a year from now, you wake up. The sun’s out and instead of rushing at the door stressed, you’re taking your time and enjoying your coffee. Your business is running smoothly, your cash flow is steady, and your weekends are actually yours. Sounds good, doesn’t it? But if you’re like most tradies I’ve met, that feels miles away from the reality right now. I’m Andy Smith and I know the grind. I know the late nights, the endless stress, and the feeling that your business owns you, not the other way around.  But I also know what it takes to turn that around and I want to show you. Let’s jump on a game plan call. It’s just 10 minutes. We’re going to cut through the noise, figure out what’s holding you back and build a clear roadmap  to get you to that better place. So go to lifestyletradie.com.au, tap the Game Plan Call button or scroll down and lock in a time that suits. You’re closer than you think to building the business you’ve always wanted. One call can change everything. Let’s make sure that 2025 isn’t just another year of struggling. But the year that everything clicks, let’s make it happen.  

Yeah, Bonnie, we’re lucky enough to have you speak at our Lifestyle Tradie event recently, where you captivated the audience with your incredible stories of your adventures and being in that elite level and also, um, elite level when it comes to extreme sports, and we just can’t wait to talk more about what was really needed to succeed, not just in the water, but how we can apply these lessons in the business world. So. Firstly, I just want to say a very special welcome to you. We can’t wait to be spending some time with you today, Bonnie. 

Bonnie
Oh, thank you so much, Andy and Ange. It was such a pleasure to speak at your conference and I certainly met a lot of amazing, inspiring people including yourselves on that day. So always such a joy to share my story and I guess most importantly, the learnings from those 254 days of paddling around Australia.

Andy
Yeah.  It’s absolutely crazy. And I can’t wait to get into it. And it just goes to show, you know, the human body is a lot stronger than what we think, but we’ll dive into that because Bonnie, you became the fastest and youngest female to paddle around Australia at the age of 32. Um, can you share what inspired you to take on such an incredible challenge?

Bonnie
Yeah, totally. So I grew up as a sprint athlete. I always loved swimming and board paddling and surf life saving was my main sport. Um, at the age of 17, I was lucky enough to become a professional iron woman. I moved to the Gold Coast with my sister, Courtney. Our races were anywhere between probably five and 15 minutes long. I never anticipated even dabbling, you know, in the area of ultra endurance or certainly breaking a world record. But mid COVID 2020, I picked up a book, we were in and out of lockdown and the book was called Fearless. And it was about Freya Hofmeister, the German woman who paddled around Australia in 2009. And she beat, there were three blokes before her that did it. She beat them to actually claim the record. So I don’t know if you know that feeling of when you Hear a podcast, read a book, just, just get that spark of inspiration to do something big. I had that from about a chapter in. 

Andy
Yeah. I had that inspiration once at one of our events where we had an ultra marathon runner on stage. And at the end of it, I stood on stage and went, Oh my God. Who wants to do a marathon with me? And I thought the whole crowd had put up their hand and there were about two. And, um, and it was the worst experience of my life. I managed just to stumble across the line five hours later. 

Bonnie
That’s amazing. I’ve always wanted to do a marathon. So that’s inspiring to me. 

Ange
Oh, Bonnie, we heard you say that out loud.  That’s going to be your next thing. So Bonnie, for those of you who might not be familiar with the sport, can you explain what it even means to paddle around Australia and the kind of preparation that goes into such an expedition?

Bonnie
Absolutely. So first of all, I paddled out on an ocean ski, which I always forget to sort of define the difference of people. So in Surf Life Saving, we use a surf ski. It’s 18 kilograms. Ocean skis are eight kilos. They’re carbon fiber. They’re 45 centimeters across. They’re really tippy. So I wanted to use that high performance ski to really get around as fast as I could. And you know, in those waters up north with the crocodiles, you don’t want to be in something heavy, like a 30 kilo plastic kayak beginner. Um, you want to be moving as quickly as possible. So that’s the ski I use. It was 12, 700 kilometers, this paddle. If you actually hug the coastline of Australia, it’s 22, 000 kilometers. So with that, it means that you’ve got to head out to sea and basically cut the corners and do as little distance as possible. So Freya had done 14, 000 kilometers. I knew that I wanted to do at least that or, you know, a little bit less. So I decided to cut directly across the Great Australian Bight at the bottom of the country. So 1200 kilometers in open water directly across that bite. And the other crossing was the Gulf of Carpentaria, which is 800 kilometers at the top. So just, um, yeah, wild seas out there, five to six meters, you know, great white sharks, crocodiles at the top, and you’ve just got to keep moving forward because it’s too scary to stop. 

Andy
That’s absolutely crazy. And I know I’ve jumped on a, um, Uh, I’ve been on a surf ski before, but I was in flat water in Pittwater up here in Sydney, and I kept falling off all the time. And I thought I had a pretty good core, the, um, motorboat surf life saving. I jumped on one there once I could not even get out past a small one full of waves. I was just completely fine. So I understand how tippy, when you say tippy, we’re talking tippy, tippy, right? But it’s not just tippy in a normal environment you’re talking about. You went across this great Australian Bight and you know, you face rough seas and as you said, the nature’s predators and other dangers surrounding you at all times. You know, what were some of the most challenging moments you actually encountered during your eight month journey? 

Bonnie
Definitely the night paddling. So across there, you know, paddling 16, 18 hours a day, um, there was a lot of night paddling. So it was learning to sort of anticipate the ocean when the swells and waves would hit you. All I could see was a meter in front of me, with a head torch, and then looking across to the side, just sort of like that meter. So it was really just this direct line of vision. And my catamaran, I mean, in the big winds, it would take them 500 meters to slow down if I fell off my ski and came back to me. So 500K out in the middle of the ocean, I actually fell out of my ski and I couldn’t get back in and it’s 10 degrees in that water. It’s three degrees ambient temperature. I remember floating there and just looking up at the stars. I titled my book, The Girl Who Touched Stars, because that often kept me going, the appreciation of the beauty of nature and trying to find positives in these really, you know, dark situations. So that was incredibly scary. It took a long time for my body temperature to get back up when they got me on board, but there’s that, but then there’s the crocodiles up and all off it. And, you know, you hear about these croc attacks all the time. And I feel incredibly lucky that myself or my crew, um, got out of that unscathed to be honest. 

Ange
I just can’t even imagine what it would even be like to keep yourself motivated to get up and do it again when your body is broken and you’re in that much pain because most people do actually really struggle with maintaining motivation just in general. So Bonnie, what strategies did you use to stay motivated throughout a 254  day paddle? 

Bonnie
Totally. It was just breaking it down. So I would look at each day and what I had to do for that day. So it didn’t matter what was coming the next day, what was coming the next week on that day, if it was 120 kilometers, if it was 90, if it was 200 kilometers, what was quite motivating was my team and having my skipper and that sort of chat, you know, like you do chatting with your colleagues, chatting with your boss. Kind of just talking through the strategies and how we were going to approach the day. But with that was adaptability because the skipper would say, you know, we’ve got 90 kilometers. That’s how far it is until the next safe Anchorage. He would come out halfway through the day and say, I am so sorry. It’s actually 130K that’s no longer safe.

Ange
Oh my gosh. 

Bonnie
You have an extra 40K today. So, you know, mother nature just dictated everything. There were days where all I wanted to do was stay on the boat. We had an awesome tailwind. So I had to get out there. There were days where I, you know, wanted to paddle, but we were stuck behind an Island. So, you know, for up to 10 days a week sometime. So it was just working with my crew, but breaking it down each day. You don’t need to look at tomorrow. It’s how you get the best out of today and what you can do today and make the bad days a little better. And the good days, great. 

Andy
Yeah, it’s really interesting, isn’t it? Around this whole, you know, the toughness and the challenges. And we talk a lot about your mental fitness and the belief in yourself and, and just being able to, you know, your body can do so much more than you actually realize. And, and there’s no doubt about it, you know, any elite person in any sport just has this desire of they just keep going, keep going, keep going, no matter how hard those days are. And they just pop out the other end sometime and, uh, and they’re just so mentally strong. And I know you opened up a bit about your struggles during the journey. Can you talk about those down days? Cause it would have been so easy in 10 degrees of water, looking up at those stars saying, I am done. I’m done. 

Bonnie
Absolutely and it’s, and it’s incredibly isolating because, you know, there were days where I couldn’t get closer than 50 to a hundred meters from my boat. So I’m in that water on my own all day. And I can tell you, there’s only so much that music can do. You just crave that social connection. So I think that debriefing with my crew, I would just crave it. I would look forward to it at the end of the day, no matter what had happened, we’d sit there and we’d have a chat either as a group or one on one. And that really became like a coping strategy for me was actually just debriefing, unpacking it as best we could. And certainly when we got back to the flat water, having these awesome meals shared with the crew, and that’s something I would just really miss is just sitting at the dinner table and eating dinner with someone else, because whenever I would finish, I would just have to try and get whatever food was in. That I could hold down. Sorry. So yeah, I think it was actually leaning on the team, debriefing, unpacking, and then looking at, you know, improvements we could implement you moving forward. 

Andy
Just a question on this, right? You come from what I’d classify quite an elite family, I believe, and, and you’ve been elite from quite a young age. Did you have to do any sort of work around your mental fitness? Because this is a total different challenge to, as you said, these five to 15 minute races. Did you have to do some type of mind work? So how did you, what did you do in regards to that? 

Bonnie
Yeah. It’s totally, totally different. You know, elite Ironman racing. It’s that absolute peak performance. You’re going as fast as you can. You’re tapping into those fast twitch fibers. Honestly, this was a totally different ball game. I was talking to someone about this yesterday. This was most days feeling 85 years old, not able to, not able to lift a paddle above your belly button. It was just finding a way to keep moving forward. And honestly, it was ugly. It was gritty and it was messy. And that is the beautiful part of ultra endurance is you’re out there, you know, you’ve not had a shower for two weeks. You’ve got salt just like embedded in your skin. Your skin is blistered and red raw. You’ve got bulging discs in your back. I couldn’t straighten my fingers.  For most of it, but you find a way to keep going. And you know, you get to the other side, you get to the Western Australia, cross that border and go, Oh my gosh, we did that as a team. And you’ll always hear me say we, when I talk about this paddle, because it was never a solo mission. And I would look at that boat. I would look to my crew. And I would draw inspiration. And I find whatever field you’re in, if you’re ever struggling for motivation, just look at the team around you. And if you don’t feel like doing it for you, do it for them on that day. 

Ange
I really hear those words around. It’s not just about you. It really does take a village to even get you across the line about really leaning on these people. I’ve read your book, Bonnie, and I was just gobsmacked actually about the journey that you had, but what I loved was the fact that you found this really eclectic group of people, not just to be on the boat, but actually the people you met along the way, who I also class as your support crew, because each of them brought something very different to you. Can you tell us a little bit about the importance of having this support team and how they actually contributed to your success? 

Bonnie
Yeah. And I remember Ange talking to, uh, at the conference to you about that, how, how motivating it is to help others and how that’s that greater purpose to what we do. Uh, absolutely eclectic is totally the right word. Um, it was this motley crew of people. Um, so my husband actually found the crew. My job was to get the skipper, the catamaran sponsorship. His was to find if he could the car, the jet ski and the crew. So we delegated tasks. We had Blake who just left the mines and was planning to drive around Australia in his van, travel around Australia. We had Ben, who’s a uni student and, you know, would study sort of in the car, on the boat, sort of had the flexibility to come. And Jamie, who just walked off the set of Elvis as, um,  yeah, one of the assistant directors. So it was just this bizarre mix of amazing men and including my husband, who was actually on land for seven of the eight months. Um, you know, we have to get the exemption into WA. He had to continue to raise sponsorship funds because we could only come up with 100k. This was going to cost 250k. So these men every day, I would say to them, feel free to go home because I know how hard this is. You have, you have an hour if you want it. They said, we’re here, we’re in, we’re ride or die. We’re here the whole time. And I can tell you that if ever I felt like stopping paddling, I would look to them and remember what they said. They said, we’re in this for the long haul. And I thought, I’ve just got to paddle. I’ve just got to keep putting that paddle in the water and doing my job. I can’t control what’s going on on the boat. That’s their task. They’re sailing it. They’re, you know, preparing the food, all of that. And there’s something really, really motivating and, you know, uplifting knowing that you just do your job. You entrust your team to do theirs and together you come through and you come through stronger, these experiences.

Andy
Yeah, it’s amazing, isn’t it? And I think everyone needs this supportive team around them, no matter what you do. And especially in business, you need that team like yourself, Bonnie, you would have had to plan, you would have had to strategize, you had to know where you’re going, but once you started going, your job was to keep going and no matter what and never stop. And that goes back to like business and business owners, you know, you’ve got to have that plan. You’ve got to have that direction. You’ve got to know what you want. You’ve got to have a great team around you to help. But at the end of the day, we’re all going to be thrown curve balls, no matter what it is, business, life, personal life, family, whatever it is, but the people that just keep going, stay on course as best they can, and just keep winning at the end of the day, it all comes through and the success is yours.

Bonnie
Yeah, absolutely. And celebrating the small wins as you go, you know, sometimes it can be just. Getting through that day, you know, getting through that, that job, or maybe, um, something that your, your employee or your colleagues done that’s really impressed you just going, how lucky am I to have them on my team? And there were so many moments like that. We had an 18 year old, we joined up with different crews along the way on the different catamarans and this 18 year old who’d never cooked before, hadn’t lived out of home. Uh, one of the older boys taught him how to cook. And I remember the first meal that he cooked for the crew. And I was so just, I was proud. It was this moment of pride to see him do that. Right. And, you know, Ben, um, who never picked up a camera, snapped the cover shot of my book. He actually took that in the Northern territory because one of the boys had taught him how to use the camera. So it was all of these little moments that I thought, honestly, like I’m not the star of the show here. These guys are the real heroes. And, um, yeah, there’s something really humbling about that. And, um, yeah, that does keep you going on the hard day, seeing your team succeed. 

Andy
Yeah, it’s, it’s an incredible journey. I don’t know how you do it. I’m going to ask one quick question around this. When I did the marathon it’s definitely not about me, but I had this devil on my shoulder and, and I hadn’t prepared. So I hadn’t really done much work, but I had this devil. And even in the first kilometer, I was like, Oh my God, my knee, sore. Oh my God, this is sore. Oh my God. Like everything was sore in the first kilometer. I’m thinking, hang on, I’m going to do 42 of this. What am I doing? But I always had that devil, it was always in my ears just saying, you’re not going to make this. This is this sh*t. And you have to try and flick it off. Did you get that? Or you’re just so mentally strong that you never let it even get to that. 

Bonnie
Oh, no, I’ll tell you in the, um, 24 hours. So the women’s world record was 150 kilometers in 24 hours prior to my paddle. I managed to break that in the Great Australian Bight and then break it a few times. But when I got home, The furthest duck paddle was 213. I found out that the men’s record was 228. So I thought, right, I’m going to head back out two weeks after the paddle and go and try and break that. 

Ange
Why not?  

Bonnie
Right, right. But I taught, right. And I thought, easy, like, I’m going to smash this. I’ve had two weeks off, you know, I’m conditioned. I tore my bicep, um, 72K in and I thought, you have a choice here, right? You can either keep going or you can stop. And I thought, no way am I stopping here. I will never know how far I would have gotten. And I was aiming to do 250. That’s what I’d had in my mind at 50 or by the end of the paddle, I could only paddle on one side. So the last five to 10 kilometers, I was paddling on one side and I ended up doing two 35, but that whole what’s that hundred and 60 kilometers. That devil on the shoulder was there as my bicep continued to tear. And it was just finding a way to get through. And I would break that down sometimes into one kilometer at a time, sometimes 10 kilometers at a time. And it was absolute agony. And that devil was there just saying, stop, just quit. There’s the boat right there. You can get on the boat. You don’t have to do this. You already have the women’s record. But it was just finding a way like you did through each kilometer and you get to the end and go, I am so proud of myself to have just kept going, even though it was disgustingly ugly and gritting your teeth. That’s what it takes sometimes, right? The beauty is in the ugly. 

Andy
And the beauty is in the ugly. And what I got from doing it so ugly, it really set me on another level in business and everything I did, and there’s no doubt since you’ve done what you’ve achieved paddling in Australia, that mental grit and toughness, you must feel like you can run through brick walls. 

Bonnie
It does. I mean, like everyone has their days and certainly there’s a lot of challenges that pop up as you’re saying, and in personal, in business. But, you know, writing the book was the big challenge after, which was quite cathartic, but I, again, that self doubt, I’d never written a book. I’d always loved writing and the publishing world can be really brutal and quite cutthroat. So it was trying to take some of those strategies into that and saying, right, I’ve got self doubt, but it doesn’t mean I can’t do it. Like you can have the fear and still do it anyway. And I think a lot of people look at successful people, and this is why it’s so powerful the story you share. People would look at you guys and say, Oh my gosh, they’re fearless, right? They’re confident every single day and sharing some of those stories around. I did have that devil on the shoulder, but I found a way to keep going. That can really inspire people to whatever their goal is. Keep going. So yeah, I. Still have that all the time. 

Andy
And it’s interesting because I talked to business owners and, um, you know, a lot of people that work with us get some really good results and then all of a sudden something happens. And I go, that is life in general. It doesn’t matter how good everything seems to be at any stage. It’s only a matter of time before a brick hits you between the eyeballs and sets you straight again. And it’s the people that know how to deal with those challenges, know how to react with those challenges that can get through it a lot easier than everyone else.

Bonnie
Absolutely. And, you know, back to those same things, like the same, you know, the crossover between elite sport and or ultra endurance and businesses, having the team around you, leaning on them when you need to, having the debriefs and being adaptable and going right, like this was the way originally. Now this is the way it looks a little bit different, but it doesn’t mean you can’t get to that outcome still. And there were so many times we adapted, you know, I had the typical, the leg leash that we use to attach me to the ski that was snapping in the huge wind gusts. So I had to go to a carabiner and a safety line, which was What sailors use, it was the only thing that was strong enough. So we just made that change. Um, I couldn’t hold any food down during the sea sickness, but I knew my body would lose weight, but on the days off I would calorie surplus basically to get the weight back on. So it was just looking at what you could do and kind of continuing to pivot and adapt, um, around those challenges. 

Andy
Yeah, absolutely. And you chose, um, Gotcha4Life as a charity and we support them as well at Lifestyle Tradie. It’s all around mental health and mental fitness really. But how did the support from the community and your charity work impact you during that paddle? 

Bonnie
Oh, it was amazing. You know, I couldn’t have anticipated the hundreds, if not thousands of people who were following the journey, you know, sharing their stories of struggles with their mental fitness, you know, losing people close to them. And it sort of felt like, you know, I was called the greater purpose that the paddle became about so much more than me, just paddling a surf ski around Australia or even breaking a world record. And the ironic thing was there were only a handful of times I thought about that record throughout this paddle and I realized that at the end, I thought that wasn’t really what was driving me. It was actually knowing that maybe if I could find a way to keep going, it could inspire someone else who was going through a hard time. And I think a lot of people sort of jumped on and would watch, watch me each day and whatever challenges I was facing, kind of just find a way to get through. And it was really interesting because the posts that had the most interaction were not the beautiful glamorous, you know, bays with the clear water and white sands and me on a day off. It was me gritting my teeth in the middle of the ocean, you know, sunburnt from head to toe, bleeding from chap lips.  That’s where people said, thank you for sharing this. Thank you for showing what it’s taking.

Ange
Unbelievable. Like we were saying, it’s amazing what a human can endure when you’re motivated by something somewhat bigger than you. Bonnie, you are still incredibly young and you have, you have achieved so much already and you are clearly very driven by a very specific goal, whatever that is you choose. To have even come back and decide two weeks later, I’m going to get back in the water and go for another record is just beyond me. 

Andy
To beat the males.

Ange
I really see the next level, hats off to you. What’s next for you? What new challenges or adventures are you looking forward to? Or like, what’s next? 

Bonnie
I know there’s a lot of water out there in the world, right? I, um, it’s funny. There’s, there’s a few kinds of challenges. Um, I was speaking to someone the other day and no one’s ever actually paddled down around Tassie and back up. So I’m like, you know, your brain starts thinking that would be an interesting one to do.  No one’s ever paddled, you know, an ocean ski, um, you know, in Antarctica, we get these huge winds and could probably have a crack at the 24 hour record. There’s so many things that I’ve, I’ve actually written a kid’s book. Um, which is sort of that next stage is being illustrated by Bernadette Wallace, who’s an Olympic canoeist. So I think sort of sharing that story and some of the lessons with the kids is something I’m really passionate about having a NIPA coaching background, but yes, you do start to get itchy feet and you kind of. You know, I’m watching the wind kind of come through the trees here and you go, Oh, you get that bit of a craving for the next adventure. So nothing locked in yet, but, um, it’s funny as well. Um, and you know, this is a barrier for a lot of people in business is the financial barriers actually just getting to the start line. It’s incredibly expensive, but, um, You know, we managed to sort of scrap together the last, um, expedition. I don’t see why we couldn’t do the same for another one.

Ange
It’s amazing how quickly that becomes a goal when you just commit though, right? When you just throw yourself in and you go, I’m just going to make this work. Yes. I have to do some work to ensure financially we’re going to be supported, but you just go all in. Bonnie, is your husband a little bit scared every time you raise a little eyebrow and he thinks, Oh no, what’s she going to say to me next? 

Bonnie
Oh, absolutely. I’m sure you two can relate to that different, you know, different ideas at different times. Um, he’s just the most incredibly supportive person and, um, you know, he’s, he’s a real hero of that trip because I never would have been able to even start day one without him. He motivated me when it was in, you know, this was pre-COVID. As I said, no, no one was handing out money. Particularly. There were so many reasons not to do this paddle. He was in my corner. He made that sacrifice to go on land. We would say bye for a month at a time. I would go into the middle of the ocean where there was no reception and you know, he was on land with his own struggles that he didn’t really didn’t want to share with us and try and, you know, perhaps burden us with that. So yeah, it was him and, um, you know, the crew that I think deserve all of the credit. And at the end of the day, I just had to put a paddle in the water and, and find a way to keep going.

Ange
You make it sound so simple. 

Andy
Yeah. It’s a lot harder than that, but I love the fact that you do that. So your journey has inspired so many people. There’s no doubt about it. But for some of our listeners out there that are actually, they might be facing their own challenging goals. Whether that being personal or business, what advice do you say to them? 

Bonnie
Yeah, absolutely. I think just start, you know, just start, take that first step and know that the most successful people have that self doubt that is totally normal as human beings. We have that, we have that imposter syndrome. We have that fear. Fear of, you know, perhaps reaching and, you know, feeling like we’re going to overreach. But at the end of the day, what’s the worst thing that’s going to happen? Like what is failure? Is it learning something about yourself along the way? Is it, you know, taking those lessons and implementing and finding another way or perhaps adapting the goal? Like there’s so many reasons not to do something, but if it’s You know, deep down something you want to strive for, then you only need that one reason. And the list of why, why the why nots was huge on this paddle, sharks, crocs, sea, uh, huge seas, financial barriers, but it was just that curiosity of finding what I was capable of. So be curious. 

Andy
It’s really interesting because procrastination is huge with a lot of people. And there’s some people that just go f*ck it, just, just do it, right?  There’s different people out there, but do you give any advice about someone that does procrastinate a lot? How do we change their thinking to go, let’s just get in, get it, get it done.

Bonnie
Absolutely. I think talking it through with someone can be a really good strategy as well. Like, like sort of sharing some of those doubts and getting them off your chest and saying, Oh, I really want to do this, but I’m afraid of X, Y, Z might just be that trusted person to say, well, you know, at the end of the day, like, yeah, those, you know, the crocodiles are in the water. Yes. But what can we do to overcome that? We can, you know, for me, it was heading far out to sea and, you know, trying to give yourself the best chance. It could be paddling the ocean ski, like whatever’s kind of that relevance within that field is all right. Yes. The crocodiles or equivalent are there, but what can you do to help negate those challenges and what equipment do you need? What team do you need? Like actually being productive and looking at what you can do. That kind of makes it less scary actually looking at the strategies as opposed to focusing on the challenges. 

Andy
Yeah. I absolutely love that. Yeah. There’s some great tips there. And like I, I go surfing and if I’m the only one out, I’m freaking out, you know, but I’m also a spear fisherman, so I’m, I’m feeling more comfortable in the water being a spear fisherman, then I am actually on a surfboard with my legs dangling. And I always love someone else to be near me because now the chances are 50, 50, you’re out. Like I would have taken a buddy. So at least you could have pushed him over and get, okay, there’s a croc. There’s you, he’s all yours, you know, and we can move on. But Hey, Bonnie, um, an amazing chat. So inspirational. We always play this little bit of a game where we’ll fire off three rapid fire questions. And you’ve got about 10 to 20 seconds to answer them. Are you ready? 

Bonnie
I’m ready. Let’s go.

Ange
Okay. Question number one. What is one strategy you use to start your day right?

Bonnie
Oh, always a good brekkie. I find that’s really important. I’m a dietitian, so I should be so brekkie and um, lots of color in their green smoothie. It’s my fave. 

Ange
Perfect. 

Andy
Love that. Love that. And starting that day is something that most trade, a lot of tradies just do not do well. And I hate picking on you guys. But a can, a mother and a Mars bar is not the way to start the day. Um, some, one of the guys said to me, Oh, you have a coffee when you start the day. And I’m like, Oh, mother coffee is a bit of a change, but I get that. I get that. But what’s something that has made you smile recently?

Bonnie
Oh, we went to a midweek wedding yesterday. So on a Wednesday, it was absolutely beautiful. And at the end of the night, everyone was on the dance floor to Jerry Halliwell, It’s Raining Men. So  lots of fun. 

Ange
Yeah. Love a midweek wedding. Got to be  so fun. Bonnie, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? 

Bonnie
Oh, strive for progress, not perfection. And I think particularly in ultra endurance, in the trade industry, it doesn’t have to be perfect. As we said, it can be ugly. It can be messy and that’s okay. And as I said, I think that’s where the beauty is. 

Andy
Exactly. You just gotta do it at that 80 percent that great, just push through and have a go. Bonnie, it’s been absolutely amazing having you join us here on The Tradie Show. I love hearing all your wisdom and insights on your incredible journey. What an incredible life you’ve led as this elite athlete and world record holder, we can’t wait to see what is next for you. 

Bonnie
Thank you so much. Such a pleasure to be on Andy and Ange and continue to inspire people because you’re amazing.

Andy
Thank you. 

Ange
Thank you so much, Bonnie. It really is so wonderful to have you with us. We really appreciate your time. All right, crew, that’s it for this week. Make sure you tune in next week for another great episode of The Tradie Show. 

Andy
Have an absolute cracker. 

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