Samantha Gash will show us the importance of living our lives beyond our comfort zones.

We’re thrilled to present the speaker line up for Limitless: The Other Side of Impossible, our next event on June 5. Samantha Gash will be joining the speakers that we’ve already announced, Dr. Vanessa Pirotta, a pioneer in the use of emerging technologies for whale conservation and Dr. Han Lin, who will be talking about the unlimited potential of graphene, a material that will help us solve what current batteries can’t. Can it get any more exciting than this? Stay tuned as we post the profiles of more of our speakers! And don’t miss your chance to be part of it and buy your tickets now!

Samantha Gash’s journey is an odyssey. The first woman and the youngest person, at the time, to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam in a calendar year. Samantha ran 1000 kilometers across the driest (Chile), windiest (China), hottest (Sahara) and coldest (Antarctica) deserts on Earth. She’s run across the wildest environments.  Now you’ll discover when she started running. Plus how she’s juggling multiple hyphenates that make her the outstanding woman she is. An endurance athlete, a social impact entrepreneur, a speaker, an author, and an ambassador for World Vision and the Royal Flying Doctor Service and recently, a mother.

But if you can, listen to her. You’ll be able to hear the sound of her footsteps while she runs, stretches her purpose and makes a change for communities around the globe. Because in the end, having a ‘why’ is not enough. The tricky thing is making it palpable, transforming it into your own reality.

Samantha was born and raised in Melbourne and is both thrilled and nervous to be presenting on her home turf at TEDxMelbourne. ‘To distill my thoughts, experiences and insights into one clear idea is going to be a challenge for a naturally verbose communicator. I have personally experienced the power of someone who can do it well. It has the capacity to deeply resonate with people and potentially move them into action. I feel privileged to have this opportunity in my home city connected to a great theme’.

She’s run over 20,000km and raised approximately $300,000 for charity. Encountered untold human stories dyed by different colours, many marked by the causes she advocates for: access to education and women’s empowerment, amongst others. Imagine having to fit the depth and breadth of everything all off this implies in 12 minutes.

‘I am passionate about making my footsteps count and living a meaningful life. I do this by using the things I am good at to serve a greater purpose.’

Samantha was the smallest one in her class. But that didn’t stop her from breaking barriers that seemed indestructible. She started running while she was on a break from studying law. Her debut was at the Melbourne Marathon. It was a valuable experience because although fatigue almost stopped her from reaching the finish line, she managed to do it with the help of a close friend who was also running. Teamwork is a crucial part of what she does. Samantha has learnt so much about the importance of taking turns in partnership; at times we have the determination to lead, and at others we need to take a break and allow others to help us.

There is almost nowhere on Earth she hasn’t run. From the Himalayas, Australia’s Simpson Desert to South Africa’s Freedom Trail. In India she ran from the west to the east, covering 3253km in 76 days. This was for Run India, a campaign held by World Vision to support children’s education, it’s also been made into a documentary. Can you find a better definition for limitless?

Last but not least, what better than some advice from a local? ‘Head to the Dandenong Ranges and experience the beautiful big trees, clean air and hilly trails. It’s only 35kms from the CBD!’.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be profiling many of our amazing speakers. To stay in the loop for announcements, follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Reach out, listen, ask and get inspired.