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For our Team Builders Podcast, Team Challenge Company directors Jonathan Hazley, Stephen Hazley and Gerry Crowley speak with the exceptional Leanne Maiden – a mother of two who rowed solo across the Atlantic in the world’s toughest race.
In the epic interview Leanne Maiden discusses the challenges she faced, and the mindset needed to get across 3,000 miles of ocean by herself. Here, we digest some of her key takeaways. You can listen to the full interview on our dedicated podcast.
I was at sea for 66 days and five hours, and averaging around 30 to 40 miles a day.
During the first week I had quite a bad knockdown at night when my boat capsized. It went right the way over and then came right back again.
It absolutely spooked me, and after that, I just couldn't row at night and had to row really long hours during the day. It probably wasn’t the most efficient, but it became my routine.
Ultimately, though, it's the thing you fear the most that you inevitably have to face.
Towards the end of the race, I had to do a lot more night-time rowing because I was in a position where I was having to get to a certain point before the next weather system came in. And the nights that I had to do night rowing, it was overcast, it was raining, it was a new moon. You literally could not see anything. You can't orientate yourself against it. The stars or anything like that. The nights that I did end up having to row, it was in the pitch black.
Now that I sit here on dry land and in hindsight of the whole adventure, it was hand on heart the best thing that I've ever done.
There are a lot of challenges that are out of your control. I've definitely learned that you can worry about the weather and the currents and the everything else, but all the worrying in the world is never going to change that so sometimes you've just got to really appreciate the good times and know that they too will pass as much as the bad times.
Sometimes you’ve just got to dig deep and know you'll get there in the end. Every obstacle is an opportunity.
Was it Gary Player that said the more you practice, the luckier you get? You have to show up for your own destiny.
I'm definitely going to be a lot more present in my business and more vocal about what I want and how I see my business running.
I found little things on the boat which made feel like I’d won the lottery.
That moment when I found the clean towel, the extra tin of peaches and the jar of Nutella I’d hidden on the boat really made me appreciate the small things.
I wish I'd set out more positively because I would have been on a far better foot, but I wouldn’t have learned the lessons that I've learned had I done that.
All I knew was that one of two things was going to happen. I was either going to finish or I was going to die at sea.
However, once I'd set off and we'd gone over the start line, I knew that I was getting to the other side.
You put in what you get out and nothing happens by accident.
Listen to the episode with Leanne Maiden on our dedicated podcast channel.
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