In this episode Paul will share the story of a courageous and inspirational man. John Maclean began life tough in the outer western suburbs of Sydney. He always dreamed of being a paid professional athlete and when he achieved that dream at a young age life was going great. However, one day in 1988 he was hit from behind by a eight tonne truck and all of a sudden he was fighting for his life. Thankfully John survived and was left an incomplete paraplegic with his dreams and aspirations shattered.
John embraced this massive change to his life and took on exciting challenges and opportunities. He never gave up and he went on to achieve extrordinary athletic feats such as
- becoming the first paraplegic to finish the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.
- first paraplegic to swim the English Channel
- competed at the Olympic and Paralympics winning medals in athletics and rowing.
- completing the Nepean Triathlon without the use of a wheelchair after regaining some use of his legs through Ware K Tremor therapy.
He is the founder of the John Maclean Foundation, which assists wheelchair users under the age of 18. and is a much sought after motivational speaker with his clients including eBay and Pfizer.
In order to accept change, John Maclean focusses and promotes the five M's.
Map- having a map or plan
Mindset- having the right mindset
Mentor- Accessing and experienced mentor
Motivation- Accessing one's motivation to change
Momentum- by accessing one's progress over time.

References

1. The Mindset Reset podcast 'Finding Opportunities in Obstacles', by Rob Dial 7/5/2023.
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Maclean_(sportsperson)
3. Flint rehab ‘incomplete paraplegia: frequently asked questions’ by courtney maher, 5/1/2021.
4. John mclean ‘how far can you go?” https://johnmaclean.com.au/
5. Change a constant challenge, john maclean, TEDxDesignTechHS, 26/6/2021.
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultraman_(endurance_challenge)
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathryn_Ross_(rower)
8. Research gate. ‘Introducing a Novel (very effective) Therapy for Programming and Reprogramming the Central Nervous System; “Ware K Tremor” Therapy– A Health Trigger Process
9. https://jmf.com.au/about-us/ ‘john maclean foundation’
10. Standing eight podcast “Featuring the inspirational John Maclean”, 2/8/2020.