Not everyone likes public transport, but when you are totally blind and have not caught a bus for 20 years it can be terrifying!

Amanda was a government lawyer and in 2014 her position became redundant. She decided to become a speaker, trainer and coach and once she finished her training was approached by Guide Dogs NXW/ACT to become a PR speaker for them. “I said I’d love to, because I get to practice my speaking skills and get to give back to guide dogs. I’ve had four guide dogs. It’s fantastic, because I’ve been doing it on a voluntary basis on and off for years.”

During her initial interview they asked Amanda how she planned on getting to her speaking engagements “I said ‘by taxi’ like any other self respecting person who can’t drive. And they said ‘Ah, what would you say if we said, we wanted you to get to as many of these as possible by public transport?’

“And I hadn’t caught a bus in 20 years, because I’ve been lucky enough to have always had someone at work who was willing to give me a lift. Apparently, all the colour drained from my face. I just about nearly threw up in the interviewers lap, because I was convinced that if I caught the bus on I on my own I’d get lost, and that would be a disaster.”

Amanda was reassured that she would not be on her own, they would train her first. And they did! 2 weeks of intensive training followed.

“And so we started with just getting on and off a stationary bus and finding a seat. And I was really anxious because I said, ‘oh, maybe I’m taking too long the bus driver is gonna yell at me’. But no, it was all good. And then the bus driver drove round and round the block in the pouring rain. And while I practiced getting on, ringing the bell and getting off the bus. Then gettting back on and finding a seat before ringing the bell. So we did this and then we had a short a short trip where we went half a dozen stops with the guide dog instructor next to me.

“And then we got to the point where I got to travel into the city on my own and met the instructor there. We had a coffee and then I travelled back again. And now I travel all over Canberra by bus to speak. So that was very definitely stepping out of my comfort zone.”

Amanda was still very nervous – but there were the bus announcements, an app to tell her when her stop was coming up and the bus driver as a last resort. She did get lost once, but called her mum to collect her.

“I travelled to and from a speaking engagement, do the talk. I’d come back and I’d have to have a nap because I’d be absolutely exhausted.

“But it felt really good knowing that I could do it, that I had conquered one of my greatest fears. And it felt really great. And now I’ve got to the point where I can actually check my email and send out an invoice between stops!

“And now ironically, I actually helped to train Canberra’s bus drivers on how to make bus travel more accessible for blind people.”

Amanda had advice for anyone reading this blog “Firstly, you have to want to enough, because if you don’t want to enough, if your why’s not big enough, you won’t bother. So you have to really want to do it.

“Then just take a deep breath and figure out how you can make that possible, how you can overcome that fear. Perhaps using something like the three steps: look at it on the catastrophe scale, figure out the consequences, and then what can you do to mitigate those consequences?”

Lastly Amanda advises to change your thoughts from the reasons why you can’t to ‘How can I?’ thoughts instead.

Thank you Amanda for sharing your story of overcoming a big fear!

Amanda Heal is a published author, professional keynote speaker, sought-after empowerment coach, podcaster, and entrepreneur. For years, she has inspired and encouraged clients and audiences alike to reach their full potential by finding hope, courage, and purpose.
Amanda is the sort of person who, if you tell her she can’t do something, will usually find a way. You may not think that is a big deal, but she has been totally blind since birth, so what you might find easy often creates challenges for her that she overcomes.
Surviving premature birth in 1970 was the first of those challenges. At birth, she weighed just 0.750kg (1 lb 9 oz) and was 24.5cm (10” ) long.
Amanda was the first totally blind student to graduate with honours in Law from the Australian National University. She has climbed to an altitude of 3,210m/10,531 ft, in Nepal, retrained as a speaker and coach after being unexpectedly laid off at the end of a seventeen-year legal career, and is a podcaster and published author of multiple books.
Amanda has made a number of television appearances, including appearing on ABC News  (Australia),  60 Minutes , and The Midday Show (Australia). She has also done quite a number of radio interviews.
As a speaker, Amanda uses her life experiences to inspire and encourage audiences to take courageous action to overcome the challenges that keep them stuck so they can reach their full potential in work and life.
As a coach, Amanda helps people discover their life’s purpose, overcome their limiting beliefs, and follow their dreams so they can celebrate rather than tolerate what they do each day.
Amanda currently lives in Canberra, Australia, with her guide dog Sadie and her budgie Maestro.