> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.grantgiles.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Laura Dennis: Overcoming Serious Adversity
- URL: https://www.grantgiles.com.au/laura-dennis-overcoming-serious-adversity/
- Published: 2022-10-17T23:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T05:15:38.000Z
- Description: Professional triathlete Laura Dennis, hit by a car in training, on presence, intention, gratitude and visualisation in recovering from serious injury.
- Author: Grant Giles
- Tags: Podcast, Mind

In life we have times where we meet a crossroads where we have to make a choice. 

## The guest

Laura Dennis is an Australian professional triathlete. She raced ITU before moving to half Ironman, and she also works as a solicitor.

## In this episode

- Laura’s serious head injury after being hit by a car in training
- Life change as a crossroads, and a shift in how we see ourselves
- Presence, intention, gratitude and visualisation in recovery
- How the brain can change its own perception and heal

Profound life change can be a portal to a deeper existential shift in our perception of ourselves as human beings. 

This week we had a chat with professional triathlete Laura Dennis who is being faced with that challenge right now. 

Laura sustained a serious head injury after being hit by a car in training, and today we chat to her about the significance and the meaning of presence, intention, gratitude and visualisation in changing our perceptions not only of what has happened but also of where we want to be and what we want to experience. 

The human brain is an amazing organism that has the capacity to literally change its own perception and heal itself. 

I hope you enjoy the listening. 

Gilesy

## From the episode

> I've found that comfort isn't safe. It isn't actually safe. It's a default.

> So the intention has to override our mind's capacity for victimhood and negativity.

## Where this fits

What looks career-ending can become a turning point, depending on what you do with the cards you're dealt. Choosing gratitude and intention over victimhood is what keeps an athlete going, in sport and out of it. That's the Thrive part of how I coach. More on that in [Thrive](https://www.grantgiles.com.au/pillars/mental-progression/thrive/).

## Keep reading

- [Hitting the Ground](https://www.grantgiles.com.au/hitting-the-ground/): the moment of injury is your opportunity
- [A painful Story](https://www.grantgiles.com.au/a-painful-story/): playing bad cards well
- [Identified](https://www.grantgiles.com.au/identified/): you're more than your job title or results