【2021 Archives】

Turia Pitt021 Archiveshilarious. She loves a laugh. And when she speaks, people listen.

And it's not just because in 2011, she made headlines for miraculously surviving a Western Australian bushfire, leaving her in a coma with burns to almost 70 percent of her body. It's not just because she's now an unparalleled motivational speaker whose resilience has inspired people ever since her accident.

It's because she's so damn real.

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Like most 29-year-olds, the mining engineer, humanitarian and athlete loves social media. But rather than comparing herself to other people or falling prey to Instagram fatigue, the Tahitian-born Aussie manages to strike the perfect balance -- motivating people online while not being glued to her phone either.

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Makes sense then, that Pitt would be given special mention in Instagram's #MyStory campaign. Launched last month in Australia, the initiative aims to highlight the work of inspiring women in the platform. And they don’t come much more inspiring than this.

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We asked Pitt for some of her thoughts on running an Instagram account with over 100,000 followers and how to get the most out of social media.

Here's what she told us.

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Just be real:

"I'm on Insta pretty much every day. I love how visual it is and how it connects you with people from all over the globe. I use it more like a personal account and try to make sure my posts reflect my personality and sense of humour. Because I'm pretty genuinely myself on Instagram, people see my journey for what it is. And if that inspires them that's kinda cool."

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Know when to log off:

"After the accident, I didn't use social media at all. In recovery I chose to be kind of selfish. I had to focus just on me and the goals I was setting. Now, on the other hand, sharing my goals with my followers helps me to stay accountable! I probably only spend 10 or 20 minutes on it most days."

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Don't compare yourself to others:

"There's this quote from Nasty Gal founder and #GirlBoss Sophia Amoruso that I love: 'Don't compare your hustle to their highlights reel.'

"It's so easy to compare ourselves to others online but you've gotta remember that social media so often is the highlights reel! We get to curate our lives on social media - we choose what we present to the world and what that looks like.

"Keep focused on what you're doing and when you feel like you feel like you‘re stuck scrolling through someone's beautiful Instagram feed and getting down, turn your phone off and go outside!"

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Social media can make a real world difference:

"Social media plays a huge role in my humanitarian efforts. On Instagram I can connect with like-minded people instantly and share stories that I know will resonate with people and I can bring awareness to a cause I'm passionate about really quickly.

"I'm an ambassador for Interplast and the fundraising adventures and other fundraising activities I organise always find support on social media.

"I hope my #MyStory involvement will help people take positive action in their own lives -- to step outside their comfort zone, challenge themselves, take on big goals, and ultimately see just how much they're capable of. Because we're all capable of so much more than we realise."

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Laugh at yourself:

"Humour is a massive part of my life and my upbringing. I think humour is one of the most incredible tools for breaking down barriers, relaxing people and connecting an audience. Also, I don't believe in taking myself too seriously -- life can be hard enough as it is, why not have a laugh in the process?

"I used humour a lot in my recovery. My mum made it a mission -- if we didn't have a day where we laughed, it was a wasted day. Laughing, biologically, also releases endorphins and why deny yourself some more of that?!"

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After recently completing the 2016 Ironman triathlon in Hawaii, Turia Pitt's next mission is to climb to "Mt Everest Base Camp with 30 legends," to fundraise for not-for-profit organisation Interplast.

They provide reconstructive surgical treatment and training to medical staff. Check it out.

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