I had a stroke. Here’s my story. | Ep. 36
Six years ago I had a stroke. It taught me some valuable life lessons that I share in this episode of the Board Shorts Podcast.
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What it taught me
- The vitalness of sleep.
- How powerful our brains are.
- The importance of energy management.
- Compassion and empathy: everyone is going through or has been through something significant.
- Start from understanding.
Why it matters in the boardroom
- It reminded me that we are all human beings who require inputs to be able to give productive outputs. We can’t produce 24/7.
- We’re not machines and we have feelings – board members are people too.
- The way we treat board members flows throughout the organisation; their wellbeing reflects the organisation’s wellbeing.
Why I’m sharing my story
- Raising awareness of stroke in young people. I was 30 when I had my stroke.
- What to do if you think someone is having a stroke. Remember the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke. These are Face (droop). Arms (can’t lift one or both). Speech (slurred and do they understand you). Time (quickly calling triple 0 in Australia – critical and could be the difference between major consequences or minor consequences).
- Raise funds. Donate directly to the Stroke Foundation Australia or enrol into a Get on Board Australia course (1% from all course revenue in August is being donated to the Stroke Foundation).
- Champion preventative health activities and actions – More than 80% of strokes can be prevented (at a minimum, the Stroke Foundation encourages to know your blood pressure and see a medical professional if it is outside of the 120/80 range). Other recommendations include: staying active, eating well, quitting smoking, and consuming alcohol in moderation.
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