1. First thing in the morning when you wake up, do you look at your phone? If so, what do you search?
If it is not my alarm waking me up it is Zander, so I always check my phone for the time before getting up to get him or hopping straight in the shower. I don’t usually get a chance to check Twitter or Instagram until I am eating breakfast, and that is where I find out what is happening in the world!
2. Are you a coffee or tea drinker and what kind?
I only ‘discovered’ coffee after Zander was born! I used to be a herbal tea drinker but now I really enjoy a Soy Latte (I am Lactose Intolerant) to get me going in the morning.
3: You always imagined growing up you’d be?
I actually never knew what I wanted to be growing up. I have had many ‘sliding door’ moments in my life that have steered me in different directions so I never dreamed I’d be where I am now! I have always loved sport, and come from a sports-mad family, and my favourite subjects at school were English, Modern History and Geography so I actually thought about heading down a Sport or Travel Journalist path….This was all before Swimming became my career, so I feel like I have come full circle. I had always been in awe of Olympic Athletes, but I never really thought I could be one until I made my first Australian Swim Team in 1998 as a 15 year old. Being on that team, rooming with my idols and the thrill of international competition was my ‘light bulb’ moment that sharpened my focus towards the Sydney Olympics.
4. Giaanxspalding came about from…
Giaan by Spalding for Target came about very organically. I was talking to Spalding about ideas I had in my head about affordable yet functional activewear that needed to multi-task, and Spalding were in talks with Target about doing the same thing, so it became a 3 way partnership that excites me all the time. I am very hands on, but have had to learn a lot about fabric quality, manufacturing costs, distribution and warehousing costs, timelines and what our Target shopper wants to wear rather then just what I want to wear! I think we get better with each range, and hopefully others think that too!
5. When women are negative it makes you…
Disappointed. I do however think negativity comes from a place of insecurity and insecurity is such a destructive force. Rather than being jealous or envious of others in a negative way, I like to use that emotion to motivate myself to get to a place that I am proud of, rather than a place where I feel inferior.
6. When women support one another you…
Feel proud. We have come a long way, and I think we are supporting one another better than we have before, especially with movements like QueenHood, which celebrate the female bond! Being an elite athlete taught me how to celebrate my strengths but more importantly it taught me to be aware of, and work on my weaknesses. I think women are so much stronger when we work together and applaud each other.
7. One thing you keep close to your chest (until now is)…
My anxiety. It doesn’t affect me everyday but I often have the feeling that people are going to figure out that I’m a complete fraud! I have high expectations of myself, I hate letting people down and I don’t let go of things easily…I wake up at 2am remembering that I haven’t returned an email or replied to a text message and feel guilty about it! It is often my Husband and my family that remind me that I am good at what I do, and the rest of the time I project confidence as my insides are churning!!!
8. To all those women who are negative on social media you’d say…
Recognise why you feel the need to be negative. What are your own insecurities that are making you feel the need to be negative? Are they stopping you from achieving your full potential? Does it make you feel better about yourself to make others feel bad about themselves?
9. If you could express one piece of QueenHood advice to working women you would say…
Being a working Mum, and keeping all the balls in the air is never easy, and there are going to be times when one or all of those balls takes a dive, but by prioritising what is important in your life, what you want your legacy to your children to be and feeling fulfilled, is the ultimate path to balance.
10. The never ending quest for balance between work life and family life you take on by…
See above!
11. The presentation of your Olympic Gold Medal in Athens in the 4 X 100 Medley Relay made you feel…
Unbelievable. I rarely look at the actual medal as the memories of that moment are far more important to me. I still become emotional whenever I hear the National Anthem, I always sing when I hear the National Anthem and I feel an incredible sense of Aussie pride whenever I see us succeeding on the world stage.
12. When you’re in work mode you are best described as…
Focused. I am not a ‘natural’ at anything in my life (even motherhood!). I really do have to work at things. My favourite quote has always been ‘The harder I work, the luckier I get’ and it makes success so much sweeter for me knowing how much work has gone into making that happen.
13. The legacy you hope to leave is…
I’m not sure just yet…I hope my kids say I was a good Mum, I hope colleagues say I was good to work with and I hope my friends say I was a good friend. My only hope is that when my time is up, I leave this world with no regrets.
