Reinventing Yourself Through Purpose with Sam Cawthorn

In this uplifting episode, Celine sits down with global speaker and author and 2009 Young Australian of the Year for Tasmania, Sam Cawthorn to explore resilience, purpose, and the power of reinvention. After a life-changing car accident, Sam transformed adversity into impact, building a global movement that inspires others to bounce forward. It’s a heartfelt chat about purpose, vulnerability, and leading with authenticity.

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Transcript

Speaker: 0:51

Welcome, everybody to another with Selina Egan and friends. And today I have a lad I've Crikey. I want to say it's about fifteen At least I reckon it's even Did you know me before my car No. I met you not long after. Yeah, so that would have been Because my car accident was Oh, wow. It's pretty awesome. So besides watching your amazing you also were the person. Of course, that really, um, connected me on my faith journey again. And I really appreciate and love the Taylor Centre to hear you that way, but I came back the and it's just started me on a that journey too. So I thank you most sincerely journey, which was pretty cool. But for those of you who don't a little bit of his official bio man behind the bio. Sam Cawthorn is the CEO and and Speakers tribe. Author of eleven books? That's right eleven, including He is both the Young Australian of the Year and Entrepreneur of the year in two thousand and six. Sam's life changed forever when he was involved in a major car accident, which left him with an amputated right arm and a permanent disability in his right leg. Sam went on to become one of the professional speakers, so you of that get in the way. In twenty thirteen, Sam became an entrepreneur and built his training company that now runs events globally, teaching people how to master communication for influence. He's one of the globally recognised speakers on the subject of dealing with disability and mastering its blocks to live a productive life. Sam, you are amazing. That's a great start. Who is this person? And today we're actually going because it asks for little would put it prints in there. So Prince Sam. Um, tell us a little bit about Because you have a beautiful wife, three amazing children and, you know, and lots of other stuff that I know has gone on in your life personally and that what would you like to share with the audience who would like to get to know you a little bit better? Yeah. Look, uh, look again. Thanks for having me, Celine. And it's lovely to see you know Look, look, I suppose for me, I always knew, ever since I was a young kid that I exist in this world to make a positive difference in the lives of others. And I suppose that's really true When you know, deep down that you're making a positive difference in the lives of others, it brings joy to your life. Yeah. And so I, um, you know, I've had along the way. Uh, but certainly, you know, what's really important to me is, uh. You know, I've been married now Been with her for thirty years. Uh, we got three beautiful kids, Not like you, but, um, and, uh, businessman, so I got about, uh, another sixty part time staff. So we've got a huge team. Um, but also at the same time, I and connections, and, uh, and I So I take a lot of risks. Some of them pay off, some of Uh, yet at the same time, you exist, and I know what my calling is in life. And, uh, so from a real macro position, uh, I think that's a good overview. I love it. And you know what? I think what is really cool, you, as we said, for a long time of you develop because, you that, you know, things could Um, but you actually mentioned You know what your purpose is? You know what you're calling on And it may have shifted and it may have changed just form because you were always about adding impact, you were always about contributing in different ways and what it was you were doing. Um, but then as you kind of move very beginning of all of this, were adding impact there. And I what I've noticed in watching your journey, um, a little bit like another proud mama kind of thing because I've watched you kind of grow up into, you know, where you are the leader and the person you are today. I think it's always been about though subconsciously or consciously, you are adding impact in every step that you could go. Yes, you are building a career, adding impact along the way. Tell me about that. Beginnings. Like so after the accident. Um, and you know, that was a you were gone. Um, really? And through the grace of God, was work for you to do. You then had to redefine who you How did you kind of really come Yeah. Yeah. So, so look, um, for those Yeah. So I actually had a major car Only left me with one arm, and my leg also doesn't work, uh, either. And I suppose that that was a because I was in the prime of my old, the only breadwinner in a So, um, so we had two young And then even then, a third one came along about a year after my accident. Um, but but ultimately, it was That one of my surgeons, he you do live with a disability, using this rather than this. And and for me, that really spoke a lot, because one thing I knew that, you know, I'm quite uneducated in a traditional sense, so I've never sat an exam. I never went through university. I don't have a degree or But I do have this, I don't know, like this, this, this mindset that says anything is possible. And so going through that, um, you know, going through that tough time of, uh, physical disability, um, I knew that, you know, I needed to create, um, intellectual property. I needed to I needed to find out what were the experiences that I had and what did I learn in that experience? And so and so when I grabbed then created IP. And then with that IP, I then that out in in books and also in, you know, in in using instrument in speaking about it. And so and so, you know, I and the last twenty years now of I've needed to reinvent myself Now, I've seen a lot of people spaces, you know, whether we are in my industry, it's more And I see a lot of sort of one And I see a lot of people in the years and then no longer in it. And so, you know, like everything, having that level of longevity requires a level of reinvention constantly. But the beautiful thing is, is that just staying true to that inner voice, that inner calling that says, I have to make a positive difference in the lives of others. I do see myself as a very simple I don't like getting too And so, you know, as long as I continue to have learnings in to develop intellectual property Um, that's all that really I think, you know, there's a really want to speak into that I people who are listening. One is the longevity piece. Um, people do, and we see it the It's the same. People come, people they go, they don't get the instant success. Um, so they, they think, oh, And that instead of actually leaning in and being able to learn. But the part also that's important about longevity, which you actually said is reinventing yourself. It's actually staying up to And that will look different in different professions like speaking and all the rest kind of thing. But really, even, you know, if evolved, I know that you have about, you know, staying up to speakers and the speaking It's the same for people within Is that and in any business shifting, what is changing, kind of thing. It's not about the fundamentals We want to make an impact. We want to be able to share a message, whatever that might look like. However, some of the practical skills around that may evolve or may change. And I think that that's what speakers will come in. And because Covid was a perfect example in that pregnant pause, people went from being on stages to having to shift into how do I now communicate with people effectively? And some did that really well, We haven't heard from them since disappeared in that. What was your learnings through Because if I think about the last even five to ten years, particularly out of your speaking career. A lot has evolved and changed in ahead of the curve. Definitely up with the curve. But from my observation ahead of makes that a reality for you? Look, um. Good question. Look, look, I actually wrote a It's, um, and it's my latest book and it's called People Follow People. So. So I suppose what that means is, is that, um, is that, like, if we renew our mind, if we become obsessed about, you know, giving value to others, then we have to be someone worth listening to. And so and so for me, um, what we've noticed, uh, before in the past, like we're talking twenty, thirty plus years ago, we used to follow brands and companies and logos and government and media, etc., but now no longer we trust that we don't trust it anymore. So people trust more human And so what that then means is that we're now living in the profile economy. Um, and so it's really important profile, uh, not only get our again, sharing the experiences did we learn through those vulnerable through that? You know, as someone that is a And, you know, the word etymology of the word Latin word vulnerability, which And I think one of the greatest ways to build trust with other human beings is by is by showing your scars, and by showing your scars, you're showing to other people that you've been there in the trenches. You've you've had the struggle as well, but you've learned something, how to get through that struggle. So for me, um, yeah, reinventing say, hey, look, I'm living life I'm going through the struggles times, but I've learned how to Let me help. Let me share. And so I actually think I've bit of a gift in how to overcome problems, find the formula and Well, I love that, I really do. I'm one of your books, of course, is called How to Bounce Forward. Um, and that too. And I, you know, again, you've always had that attitude of, um, okay. Yes. We go through hard times, everybody does some more than others. And your accident was probably a But you had a choice in that kind of to, to learn there was a reason and that. What was that reason? How can I actually turn this And your mess became your think is so powerful. And I feel for I feel for a long afraid of their mess. They've wanted to hide it. They've wanted to kind of, you know, step away from it or whatever. And yet we're human beings And yet I think by showing how we come through and we overcome, there is always somebody who's going to be able to learn from that lesson. And, and I really want to honor you in that space because you constantly made sure that you've done that because life is, you know, yes, there was the accident. But like, you know, every one of You know, we've got marriages. And like I said, you've been together with your amazing woman. She's just gorgeous. Anybody who ever gets a chance But like, you guys have been together, like you said, you know, twenty five plus years, um, myself and Mick this, you know, we're forty odd years now and that. But in that, that is an everyday So again, you get to be able to live the mess that is relationship. You get to be able to, uh, you you also get to model that and The same with raising children, have blessed with three amazing However, there was lots of mess get to be able to teach that. Um, and so for you, I suppose you just said there. I love how you talked about And I think that that's really agree with you. We used to trust the brands. We used to trust the people in power. And for whatever reason, there eroded over time. And so it is really important to, I suppose, show up in a way where people know that they can trust you. What is it? What have you found? That is the best way to be able Because primarily, I suppose A lot of that kind of from a profile perspective happens online, but also happens in person too. What do you feel is the best way to make sure that you are doing that? If people were thinking, well, Like, how do I, you know, become a person that people want to follow? Good. Look, um, it's really A few of my facilitators, me for over ten years, and trenches with us. They're still volunteering. A big part of what we've done actually created a massive Um, and then we then had no other choice but then to create a non-for-profit and it's called Speakers Tribe. And now there's tribe gatherings all around the world, which is huge. We just recently had a a speakers tribe leadership, um, tribe leader um, retreat in Bali. And so everyone not only do they and every month, they still then to come and be a part of a we had over sixty people there. It was amazing. But my point being is this without vision, the people perish. Yeah. And and sometimes if we do not following, then are we really And so ultimately, for me, I want to make sure that I create this epic vision that everyone shares together, that everyone can see that possibility, and everyone can then can see their role into into getting us there as well. And if that's communicated start a movement or the like. You know, I've got a we've now got a database of of over half a million people all around the world. And we've got their email We've got like a whole heap of And that's just simply because, you know, there's there's there's so many people out there that are craving that sense of belonging. So if I was if I'm a small business owner, a direct seller this, um, what would be two or about increasing your profile? So what would that look like to really kind of get into that space? Good. Uh, no. Know your know your origin story, um, and your conversion story. Now, now, the reason why be really key for every single people follow people and if you trust and be likeable and be at the same time. You must learn how to share your business story, your own Because, um, we are informed through logic, we buy through emotion. So it's really it's really important for you to learn how to emotionally connect with another human being, because information will inform, emotion will transform. And I think every human being needs to be in the every leader needs to be in the game of human transformation. And so, um, learn your origin basically that chronological you are today. And so, you know, when someone says, hey, tell me a little bit more about you, you need a you need absolutely nail that origin story. Now as a professional speaker, I might have a repertoire of, stories and each one of these have a thirty second version, a minute version, seven minute a twenty minute version of all And so know your origin story at least, and make sure that you do have like a a polished thirty second version, one minute version, a three minute, twelve minute. Yeah. The the second story that you call your conversion story. So a conversion story is time where a decision was made It's like a sliding doors Now we every single human being It's one of the most powerful stories to influence someone, to take action. And and when you, when you have have have nailed your origin story and your conversion story, share these constantly whenever you have a chance to to talk, to communicate, etc. because as we know, we are only as good as how well we can communicate and when we are in every situation, in leadership or in or in family or in community, in our personal or professional life, uh, I'd strongly encourage you to learn how to share more powerful stories, because it's the stories that connect us as human beings. It's the stories that allow us It's the stories that allow us to feel, um, and allow us to to catch things and remember things as well. So I love that, I love it, I We have an old saying in our profession facts tell, stories sell. And it is really about we need to be able to speak to that person's heart and find the problems. The best people are problem solvers, so you can't you can't actually get to somebody's problem unless you've built trust. And trust comes from your story. Um, so I love that. Get your origin story down pat. Now I'm going to say, guys, it plumber or electrician, whether you're a speaker, whatever, people are interested in people. Like Sam has already said, we about people following people. They've got to know, you know, that we used to say, they've got you, they've got to trust you. That comes from that beautiful origin story and that the conversion story. Because the other thing that I think is really important when you share that, when you share your story and you share your conversion story, there's that aha moment where people go, you know what? Maybe I could do that. They paint themselves into the picture then that you've kind of put out there, you've given them a bit of a blank canvas, but you've also given them belief that they could possibly do the same. So I just love that. I love that sound. That's been amazing. That's really, really cool. Um, so let's kind of progress a Um, I think one of the things about getting really good at that, though, is also getting good coaching. I believe in coaches and Um, I know you do, too. And I've got them in my life all And it could be in different whether it's business, whatever So right now for you then, like if somebody is they may not be say they might they might not want to be a speaker, but they definitely want to be able to craft their stories better and share improve how they communicate. What do you feel? Do you guys, you know, teach Tell me a little bit about what So the tribe really intrigues me other people as well. Um, but also because you're people feel supported in what it What does that look like for How can people get involved in Yeah, let's let's first of all, mentoring thing, which I, which You know, we've all heard of the We are the average of our five The company that we keep Yeah. And we also do know that ourselves, we we think we can do And we don't need help. Right. Um, there's a lot of humility um, for someone to put their Yeah. And my encouragement to you, if in life, if you want to fast we're teenagers and we wanted to Even all the way through to if when we want to upskill track something or or the like. Here is the thing, and bravery and you say, I need help now. Secondly to that is this, um, craving this next breakthrough If the breakthrough is financial or if it's, you know, um, fulfillment or if it's influence and impact, We are craving that breakthrough. Now, you cannot get a breakthrough without a sacrifice. Okay. Now the smaller the sacrifice, The bigger the sacrifice, the What's a sacrifice? A sacrifice could be money. It could be time. It could be resources. It could be, um, you know, it It could be feeling But the bottom line is this to requires a sacrifice. Yeah. And then if you're willing to Then you're willing, then you're for a bigger breakthrough. Yeah. Now, now I now, ultimately, this journey as well. The the times that I've been say I don't need help. The times that I've grown the fastest is when I'm humble and I'm brave. And I put my hand up and I need Um, and this is where, you know, Um, sacrifice is needed in order for you to get that breakthrough. Now, ultimately, you know what? Um, it took it took us years to But basically, if for those any of our programs, we do around the world. Um, and these are on these are from the Middle East through to Singapore, Australia and New five states here in USA. So we run in-person events of these countries and cities Now, our programs are more are boutique, meaning we only like in the room we have. We have about ten coaches in And um, and as our student, you what we do. What we know is that you can You can learn all of that, um, But if you really want to master this thing, you've got to get quality feedback. Uh, and the greatest way to get practice side of it. Yeah. Getting up on stage, getting some quality feedback going, working on that, then getting back up, you speaking, you sharing, you presenting, getting quality feedback and so on and so forth. That's how we've orchestrated Um, and it's, um, it's, uh, it The other thing I will share is this when you get really, really good at communication and presentation, you will be asked to speak. When you're asked to speak. It's a good feeling when you get thousand people or five thousand It's an even better feeling when you're renumerated for that as well. So this is so, so for me, being getting paid forty thousand It is it is incredible this So so yeah, my encouragement to you all um, would be upskill this number one skill set on the planet because we are only as good as how well we can communicate. There's a few really important that I've just written down here You cannot get a breakthrough And it is so true. It is about investing in yourself and and some I remember way back when, when, you know, things were very tight and you were trying to figure out you were you invested in coaching, um, and that we worked together for a while and, you know, that was back when, you know, honestly, you were figuring out how you were going to be, again, supporting your family at that point in time and to you invested right from the get go, as soon as you knew that you needed to shift where you were going to be going to provide for your family first and foremost, and then, of course, build a greater impact. You you did you put your money You did do that. And I think we can all also relate to the conversation where you said the parts when we struggle the most are when we're the most prideful, when we feel like we've got it, we've got it all sorted. And I'm exactly, exactly the Um, and the other thing I would continue to uplevel where it is you go as well. Um, so last year I invested in, you know, working with Jack Delisa and his company, the entourage and that and again, because it was that next one, it was getting uncomfortable, um, and getting outside of the box of going, okay, well, this is what we do in direct sales, but what happens out here that may actually impact us positively in here. And again, being prepared to be vulnerable, show the scars, um, and learn and be open to going, you know, because oftentimes people can get onto a training or listen to a podcast like this and go, oh yeah, but I know what. If you were to pretend that you just pick up something new. There's going to be something kind of go, you might have when you're open to hearing think it is actually when it has the, the, the the most. The other thing that you said there is the practice part. So you talked about, you know, they will get on stage. They'll get the feedback, and they'll go do it again. No matter what you're doing, whether you are a speaker on stage or whether you were somebody who was in a sales role or anything in between, the only way that we truly learn is from doing. We can have all of the book We can do all of the courses, but if we're not prepared to actually put ourselves in the arena to actually get dirty with We're trying. We will never truly learn. And I have a mentor of mine, um, me this, uh, one time. I would kind of. I was getting quite prideful reading, and he actually asked He said, how many of them could And I went, what do you mean? He said, honestly, though, he said, yes, we can consume knowledge, but when it comes powerful is when you can teach it. And it was like, whoa, okay, And that. So I was consuming knowledge and yes, I was using some for myself. But actually when you are reading something or you're learning something with the outcome that you know, you want to be able to teach this to at least one other person, you come at it from a whole different space. You really dig deep into it. And that's what I would And that's what I love about Because as they get up to practice on stage, they get the feedback. They come back, they get up again there, then two steps ahead of the next person who's coming along. And so they've got the wisdom already to be able to then give feedback to that next person as well. And so it creates this beautiful practicing learning, going again pay that forward. So I just wanted to really pull there was gold in there, mate. That was really good. Thank you. Hey is your is your have you Yes I have I have is um is is learner in your top in your, um things. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I love learning I love learning, there was a number of years ago and I definitely shifted. Really. I love learning to teach. I do love that because I love Um, however, it just shifted my really, really keen around that. Oh my gosh, it's amazing. Um, a couple more questions What are you excited about as part of your journey around What is it that you feel that you're excited for in this journey? Look, um, look, I've been obsessed about, uh, AI for the last, probably the last nine months. And on average, I spend anywhere on AI, um, and and and also, one there in my industry and talking these are the people that um, and I talk to them all And then I'm also now looking at, um, at the impact that AI will make in the personal development self-help space in general. And it's fascinating. It's it's going to be really, Um, here's something that Are you ready? About a year and a half Online Wow. Okay. Because you know something? You know something. In a year and a half, you could conversation with me, and I'll I'll sound one hundred percent Every single question I'll do. And you would literally you put you on a lie detector test saying, yep, this is this is awesome. And it could be my digital twin. So just recently I created a webinar for a lot of my top tier students. And we and I showed them exactly how to create their own digital twin. This is through their own voice, through their own gestures, their own facial expressions, their own speed of speech, um, all the way through to, um, how they formulate their words through to their story, all of that. And so now I could show you a be very, very, very difficult actually me or not. Me. Now, now, when, when we're superintelligence, which will be It's going to be fascinating, particularly with, you know, um, AI agents as well, because I could I could literally get this ready. I could I could create one be the prompt. Ready. Listen. Is it'll it'll say this search, um, all the viral things um, all throughout online for the last two months in direct selling, analyze exactly how they went viral, create, um, create thousands of people of pieces of of my own intellectual property based on the theory of how these were viral and then post it a hundred times every single hour click. And I and I and you know something and you know something. I believe we're only about a And so the bottom line is out there, they're going to do that. And so unfortunately, what I more demand for analog, high And so if you can, if you can, um, finesse and nail that, well, um, it's going to be it's going to be a great it's going to be a good thing. And that's something that we're And that back to that in-person trust because people are not if it's real or if it's not kind So, um, yeah, I love it. We've been doing a lot of around AI as well, and how it yeah, and everything else and authentically, um, to. So I think that's really Excellent. Love it, love it, love it, love Okay, a couple of questions. These are the rapid fire that I If you had one piece of advice what would it be? Study software and coding. I love it. What's your favorite book right Um. Ray Dalio's on leadership Principles? Sorry. Okay. What song do you listen to when Or do you have a playlist? Yeah, I have a playlist and it So it's all the latest worship Awesome. Uh, what's your favorite quote? The best is yet to come. That one, I love it. Thank you, my friend. It has been amazing, as always It's been too long. Thank you so much for the wisdom that you've shared with us all today. We will be sharing in the show notes how you can connect with Sam, how you can be following him, and how you can grab his books. So again, my friend, thank you, thank you, thank you, appreciate you. You're welcome. Loved it. It was awesome. Thank you.