Story:Gabrielle Chariton a winning From carving up 50-foot waves to openingup the world of surfing to women and girlsacross Australia, it seems there’s nothing Layne Beachley can’t do, once she sets her mindset mind to it.Growing up on Sydney’s Northern Beaches witha natural affinity for the water, Layne’s ambition to become a champion surfer set in early, and set in hard. ‘[By my early teens] I had established a goal Committed, fierce, and as audacious as becoming the best of the best,’ she says. wise: a decade after ‘My self-identity was wrapped up in achieving my retiring from professional goals … nothing was ever going to stop me.’ sport, surfing superstar This steely determination saw Layne rise to the pinnacle of her sport, collecting a total of seven Layne Beachley AO surfing world titles and countless awards to achieve continues to inspire us to legendary status as the world’s greatest-ever follow our dreams. female surfer, before retiring from competition in 2008. Today, Layne channels her unstoppable drive and energy into enhancing the lives of others. She gives her time to a range of charities and philanthropic causes, and as part of her ongoing – and transformative – contribution to Australian surfing, continues to nurture the next generation of Australian athletes. When interviewed by Housing, she was heading home from a training camp for promising junior surfers in northern NSW, where she spent three days ‘coaching them and surfing with them and inspiring them and motivating them’. Life on the pro surfing circuit taught Layne a lot about the power of self-belief and overcoming adversity in the quest for success. And in her current career as one of Australia’s most engaging and inspiring public speakers, she shares these hard- won lessons with audiences all around the world. At the HIA National Conference in Singapore earlier this year, she talked about how we can all achieve our goals with a clearly-articulated vision, by surrounding ourselves with the right ‘dream team’ and by overcoming the fear that holds us back – a concept she illustrated by describing how she conquered the terror of riding a 50-foot wave by tuning into her ‘internal dialogue’. Here, she reveals more of what she’s learnt about getting the most out of life, and her daily strategies for wellness and success. LAYNE SPEAKING AT THE 2018 HIA NATIONAL CONFERENCE 110 HOUSING SEPTEMBER 2018