Routines unlocking Revelations

On 24 July 2025 I had the honour of speaking at the Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital Foundation (RBWHF) Celebration of Giving event. It was incredibly special to be introduced to stage by a snippet of the 40 years strong story featuring my son Luke and I, crafted by the incredible Nick Earls.

Read the full Nick Earls article here.

For me personally the event is also a celebration of receiving. My life would be starkly different without the expert skills, care and guided motivation that I received in March 2019 (and beyond), after a devastating spinal injury upturned my world.

You can imagine I am eager to give back to RBWHF whenever I can. To express my gratitude in a way that resonates. To help the foundation extend the impact of the extraordinary power of giving. On that subject, grab a table for your team to join the Ruby Gala Ball (Sat 30 Aug 2025).

Each opportunity I get to mingle and meet inspiring staff, researchers, ambassadors and donors invigorates me.

Yesterday I got to say thank you. Again. I hope the foundation never tire of me saying it, even if the format of that gratitude will naturally evolve.

In my speech I celebrated a nurse - Nicole. Doing her job and having the compassion to pause, listen and encourage me to broaden then change my perspective. Helping me focus back to the next small action that would drive me forward, rather than remaining floored by a piece of unexpected news.

I had the pleasure of sitting with a (the) rugby league legend, Wally Lewis, who is a committed advocate and ambassador of the RBWHF. Thank you Wally and Lynda - and Christine, Leanne, and Simone - for your lovely company.

After my talk, a health care leader shared the satisfaction they feel from meeting my fellow patient ambassadors and I. Because health care professionals (including researchers) so rarely see the finished product of their collective handiwork. It is also essential that their care focuses on the current (and future) patients, not the past.

That is probably true for many vocations, whether in healthcare, corporate, or community life. It is easy to underestimate the extent to which your everyday excellence might elevate someone else.

💡Pause to celebrate how your routine may be someone's revelation.💡

Routine moments, delivered daily, do change lives. Distinctly.