"The inspirational true story of an Aussie bloke from the outback, crippled with depression, who challenges himself to swim the English Channel as a way of managing his mental health struggles.
Brendan Cullen manages Kars Station, a 10,000-head sheep property 65 kilometres outside Broken Hill, New South Wales. In 2022, despite his nearest beach being more than 600 kilometres away, he swam the English Channel.
Taking up swimming was part of Brendan's recovery from severe depression, an illness that had seen him cope in highly unhealthy ways – drinking, overwork, being emotionally absent – for years. But then he found the strength to walk through the doors of Broken Hill Hospital and ask for help.
After watching his brother compete in an open-water swim in 2015, a year later Brendan was doing the same. Despite it being exhausting and challenging, it made him feel vitally alive. In 2018 he happened to see an advertisement encouraging swimmers to take on the English Channel. A spark of an idea was lit.
Through COVID-19 restrictions, he trained for hours at dawn in the murky Menindee Lake system, and in icy local waters, determined to take on one of the world's most challenging ocean swims. And he did, completing the Channel crossing in 17 hours, after strong currents dragged him off course and extended his journey to 64 kilometres – almost double the shortest possible distance a swimmer might cover to make it across.
The Desert Swimmer shows the good that comes from facing challenges head on."
"What’s the point of making the numbers but not making a difference?
What’s the point of being a brilliant leader in the workplace but a failure at home?
What’s the point of building great relationships but underdelivering on promised outcomes?
Paul Mitchell reveals how in a period of just seven weeks, you can take your leadership to a whole new level. He inspires us to see ourselves as diamonds that just need a little polishing to really shine. You’ll discover simple, practical advice, for time-poor leaders who wish to transform the way they lead at work, at home and in their communities."
"Imagine if you could send your child to school secure in the knowledge that they will receive a great education, meet new friends and develop the confidence to be successful in all areas of life. If you want these opportunities for your child, then this is, without a doubt, the book you need to read.
Building People Not Fighters™ will show you how to use your knowledge and experience to discover and nurture your child’s true potential. Written specifically for parents with children attending preschool and primary school, this book can be read in three different ways:
1. Read from cover to cover to get new ideas to help your child through various stages of development.
2. Go to Part 10 where you will be able to get a quick understanding of issues that hold children back. From here you will get directed to further information in the book or to a story of hope, where martial arts has changed a child’s life.
3. Go to Part 11 where you will have two paths to choose from. One for preschool and one for primary school. This will take you on the path to finding your child’s true potential and help you prepare your child for the daily challenges of school.
As you travel through this book, you will be provided with information on how to build your child’s resilience to stand strong against adversity, understand the value in working with others, and learn how to develop friendships that stand the test of time. In sharing his knowledge and experience, Master Paul hopes he can be the role model you and your child are looking for.
Recognised as one of the most inspirational leaders in martial arts, Master Paul Mitchell has shared his knowledge and experience for over 40 years and was inducted into the Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame for his superior leadership, teaching performance, dedication to martial arts and contributions back to society. To sum up what Master Paul does – he “builds people not fighters”.
WWW.BUILDINGPEOPLENOTFIGHTERS.COM.AU"
Join our community for the latest bookish news, reading recommendations, exclusive opening extracts, author events and competitions. It\'s all free. And enter a monthly draw to win a £50 Gift Card. See past winners here
