SOMETIMES a compelling story of courage and overcoming dire adversity brings an audience to tears while at the same time motivating them to believe there is life during and after suffering, and this was the case with Sam Bloom’s presentation to a packed house of Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce (CHCC) members and guests on Thursday 16 February at C.ex Coffs Harbour.

On holiday having fun with her family, on a day when she felt life couldn’t get any better, the diminutive wife and mother of three boys fell through a rotten balcony railing, crashing six metres onto concrete below.

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She miraculously survived but suffered catastrophic injuries.

Drawing on her lived experience of a dream life shattered in an instant by a freak accident, Sam spoke to what it means to become truly resilient and to be able to face your deepest fears and greatest challenges, and to emerge on the other side.

She spoke of her journey to becoming a bestselling author, a two time World Para Surfing champion and the inspiration behind the international hit movie ‘Penguin Bloom’.

“She was vulnerable in speaking of her struggles with depression and daily thoughts of suicide after the accident in Thailand left her a paraplegic,” Coffs Chamber President Ray Smith told News Of The Area.

“We heard of the timely arrival of a wild magpie, Penguin, and how this unique relationship offered her hope and healing.

“It’s safe to say the entire audience was glued to every word,” he said.

Talking about how Sam Bloom came to be a guest speaker at CHCC, Ray noted that the past few years have been a challenging time for everyone, not least for those in ownership or leadership positions in local businesses.

“The pandemic, and now the ongoing challenges of the current economic climate, has put pressure on many, and highlighted the need for even greater discussions around mental health, resilience and navigating through change,” said Ray.

But changing environments and often challenging decision making is nothing new for those in business.

“It’s for this reason the Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce has had a long-standing partnership with the wonderful team at Key Employment, who help us to bring inspiring speakers to town each year (Covid years aside) who have often overcome challenges, excelled in their field, or faced adversity head on.

“Their stories always hold powerful lessons for those in the business community.

“Key Employment does a fabulous job of bringing their wider team across the Mid North Coast together for their own team events.

“They then generously sponsor a Chamber event to allow an even greater number of people in our community to hear from the great speaker they bring to the Coffs Coast.”

Sam Bloom was the recent guest at Key Employment and consequently at the Chamber luncheon.

Past speakers have included Kurt Fearnley, Steven Bradbury and Natalie Titcume.

“Through her visually immersive presentation (largely credited to her talented photographer husband, Cam) the personal story that Sam shared held powerful messages for everyone in the room, as we navigate our own personal and professional challenges,” said Ray.

Key Employment (KE) is proud to support the Coffs Harbour Chamber of Commerce.

“It is our absolute privilege to be able to bring such inspiring people like Sam and Cameron Bloom to the Coffs Coast,” Key Employment CEO Jodi Wood told NOTA.

KE is a not-for-profit disability and community service that is dedicated to helping people achieve their dreams.

“Having the local business community listen to people as amazing as Sam helps bring awareness around issues of accessibility in the community, disability employment and mental health.

“Sam Bloom’s story is unique, however there are many thousands of people living with disability in our own community that show the same amount of resilience and are just as inspiring, breaking down barriers every day.

“We hope that Sam’s story really resonated with members of the business chamber, who we hope will go on to commit to diversity, inclusion and social responsibility within their own workplaces,” she said.

By Andrea FERRARI