Empowering Women Through Financial Literacy (ft. Amanda Thompson)

Jules (00:13) Welcome to She’s the Boss Disruptors podcast and today my guest is my very good friend and an absolutely inspirational woman, Amanda Thompson. Amanda, welcome. I know. That’s true, but we’re going to do this all about you today. So. Amanda Thompson (00:25) Hello, it’s so funny seeing you on Zoom or when I can normally touch you in person. Jules (00:38) I’m going to get you to introduce yourself. I was going to say ⁓ endurance, financial and conversations that matter, two of the things that you’re doing, but you introduce yourself and tell everybody what you do. Amanda Thompson (00:50) Hello everyone and thank you Jules. I am Amanda Thompson, a financial advisor, author, international speaker and founder of Endurance Financial which is a boutique financial advisory firm. I mainly help people change their relationship with money ⁓ so they make decisions with confidence not fear and create sustainable habits. But as you know Jules my work blends the traditional financial strategy with more so values, wellbeing ⁓ and behavioural type insight I’ve created or recently created the Money Goals framework which replaces that shame, guilt and structure that ⁓ our industry once believed in. Jules (01:37) likes to put on people. Amanda Thompson (01:39) Yes, and the idea is to get rid of the confusion and make decisions with clarity, purpose, but really values aligned. I work a lot with women, business owners, high performers who want to build their wealth in a way that actually aligns with their feelings and a life that they want, not a life that the website or our friends tell us what we want. ⁓ Jules (02:02) True. Amanda Thompson (02:03) Yeah, and so I suppose and more importantly for me at the moment is my passion and purpose which is the establishment of the community initiative conversations that matter which is growing to host workshops, speaking nationally and just talking about the financial truth telling or you know it’s that common question that we don’t necessarily understand when women are trying to flee relationships and there’s this too scared to Jules (02:16) Yeah. Amanda Thompson (02:33) too scared to leave concept which is is just heartbreaking to me because so many people stay and it must be because leaving is scarier where normally it’s got to do with money and housing. Jules (02:41) Yes. Or almost, yeah, or looks impossible because if you don’t have the financial reins in your relationship and you’ve got somebody that’s gaslighting you and whatever, I mean, trying to overcome that would be so hard. So what you’re doing is incredibly important, I think. So ⁓ next comes the why. You have been so amazing for me because I have to admit numbers are not my favorite thing as you know very well. And so the fact that you work with me and have shown me not to be scared of them I think is so important. So I’d love to know the why for that and then we can talk a bit about the why for conversations that matter. But what is it? Did something happen that made you decide to focus on women business owners particularly? Amanda Thompson (03:37) Look, I think being a woman in a man’s world, and by that world I mean the corporate financial industry at the banks, it took me a while to realise what that dislike or where I felt everything was going wrong. But the perfect example was with client last night, Jules, and he is a really successful business owner and we were just chatting how his son had got a recent ADHD diagnosis. Jules (03:39) You Yeah. Amanda Thompson (04:06) And I said, either you or his mum gonna go down the path of getting money said no He said I look back and there’s been times where I just went school was awful for me And I said to him I wonder if you were or are dyslexic or have dyscalculia which is like dyslexia with numbers and he said ⁓ Absolutely, yet he gets his sheets every day from work and I said I bet you look for patterns You know and he said that’s exactly what I look like and Jules (04:07) Mm. Yeah. You Amanda Thompson (04:36) And I think that’s the reason that I want to disrupt and my why is because too long we’ve been told to do things a certain way and if we didn’t fit that mould well so be it. ⁓ You don’t as you’re learning you don’t need to be an accountant you don’t need to be awesome with spreadsheets to have this understanding and I don’t think there is enough empathy led financial advice out there that listens to the person. It’s my job to listen to the person and try and give them knowledge and with knowledge becomes clarity and confidence around the decisions they’re making. If I just point my finger and tell you to do it, that reason’s not going to be embedded with you. So I’m sick of hearing that people are bad with money. It’s just not true. So we need to fix this belief that money Jules (05:04) Mm-hmm. Yep. Yeah. Amanda Thompson (05:31) has to be complex or intimidating. ⁓ And that’s why I want to break that cycle of where women outsource their power, stay silent, ⁓ or just accept less than they deserve in their careers, relationships, futures. Jules (05:48) Why do you think it is that so many women are fearful or ignorant either or both around the numbers when it just doesn’t seem to affect men in the same way? It’s very rare that you’ll hear a guy go, I don’t really like the numbers. Obviously you had that conversation last night, but what do you think it is? Amanda Thompson (06:07) I think it’s more, and I could stir some trouble here, but I think it’s more about the men. It’s more about the men than the women. So you said you wouldn’t hear a man say it. That’s right. They wouldn’t admit to it. So all of a sudden we think men are good at this and it’s the women that aren’t. And so we bring ourselves because we’re happy to talk about, know, gee, this is, know, even when you go back to mothering your child, this isn’t working. A man would never say, I couldn’t do this with my kid. Jules (06:12) That’s sort of like we’re just having a chat. Yeah. No. Amanda Thompson (06:37) I know how to change nappies and I know how to do this. So the way that they present themselves is different, but it can sometimes cover up our fears because we’re too scared to say something. think, but if I come back to the mother part and… Jules (06:39) Safe. Yeah. Amanda Thompson (06:55) You know, it’s not just mother, but a lot of women just by general nature, we’re empathetic, we’re selfless in lots of different areas of life. And so we tend to be givers and the way we approach risk is different to a male. So we go very much with that security and safety hold viewpoint where a man does not. as time and this systemic nature of things go, we convince ourselves that we’re no good at something. Jules (07:07) Yes. Amanda Thompson (07:25) when we have to look at ourselves we’re so scared of what we’re not good at even though it’s a fallacy that then we remain ignorant we keep the know the paper bag over our head our head in the sand and we don’t do anything about it but as I’m sure most people know by now there is a real epidemic not just domestic violence but the number of older women in Australia who are facing homelessness and if those figures yeah and if those figures aren’t enough to Jules (07:49) Yeah. It’s horrific. Amanda Thompson (07:55) scare us into making sure we’re on top of our finances. I’m not sure what is. Jules (08:02) Yeah, very, very true. guess one of the things that I was thinking is I was talking just stupidly. My mum, you know, has a thing about her eyelids, you know, hanging over her eyes, which is just a genetic thing anyway. But I was talking about it with her and my sons and we were talking about how… As women, we look in a mirror at a certain part of our body and fixate on it when everybody’s looking at the whole of you. know, nobody’s looking at your eyelids in particular. I think it’s a little bit the same maybe with finance and business. You know, you don’t look at the whole thing, just go, I’m really bad with numbers. But actually, you can’t be. If you’re running a successful business, you’ve got to have a certain amount of literacy, you know, for the numbers or otherwise you wouldn’t exist. Amanda Thompson (08:46) And you won’t be able to scale or grow or direct money in the place that it should go. It’s funny, ⁓ if we talk about women entrepreneurs, ⁓ again, often we are our own worst enemy. So we go into these businesses and again, it’s an energy, a masculine versus feminine energy type thing. So we go into these business ⁓ with that Jules (08:52) Mmm. Amanda Thompson (09:13) As I said, we talked about the risk, the nature of risk. So we go into businesses and we try and do everything perfectly. And so we put all our time and energy into something and we don’t want to be seen as failures. therefore, again, it’s another reason why I’ll just let the money go. Because if I open my eyes and think I’m not good at that, then I failed in the whole business, which it’s actually actually not true. means that we outsource to the areas that we need to. And by outsourcing. And you do know this, Jewel. Jules (09:17) Yeah. Yeah. Amanda Thompson (09:43) education. know it’s education it’s not just Amanda you do this for me it’s I can talk about money now and I know what’s happening and how good does that feel to have that transition in a mindset. Jules (09:45) Yeah. Yeah, totally. Totally, I think that that’s super important. Now, ⁓ this is all about disruption. So obviously in the finance space, you’re disrupting and I love what you do. I absolutely have always loved you from the moment that I met you, which was in a podcast in the lockdown. But now that I know you a bit better, you also had an experience that has led to you doing these ⁓ conversations that matter. Can you talk a little bit more about starting that up and what you want that to do and what you want to disrupting that space. Amanda Thompson (10:29) I think for me, ⁓ you know, it wasn’t really, I’d love to say it was this light bulb moment, but everything I do seems to be, you know, cemented with lived experience and this endurance mindset that I’ve got, both ⁓ as an advisor advocate, but also as a woman. And I’m a woman who’s rebuilt from trauma, ⁓ which is domestic violence trauma that then Jules (10:43) Yeah. Amanda Thompson (10:59) escalated to heart failure and so I’ve had to start over but the and you lived through this with me Jules so you can attest to it to what I’m saying I basically fell off the edge of the earth for two years because I Jules (11:14) Yeah. Amanda Thompson (11:17) felt so much shame and guilt about what had happened to me and again, knowing that I’m a selfless person, I’m normally the giver to having to rely on my then year 12 daughter or friends. It just sent me into this spiral, but so much so that I thought I was having a breakdown and I was determined to bring myself out of it and I went for a run and I never came home. I landed in hospital and And and behold, what I thought was all my fault and all my emotional and mental disruption in myself was blood clots in my lungs that had been as a physical result of the traumatic violence that I had endured a year earlier. So it took a year for that to all uncover. And I remember the professor from Alfred Women’s, I was lucky enough to be such Jules (11:56) physical. Wow. Amanda Thompson (12:17) strange case in the hospital that the cardiologist on call ended up calling the head of the women’s heart unit at Alfred this professor and she said to me being feeling unwell I said my god exhausted, tired, perimenopause, PTSD and she said we hear this so often with women just blaming themselves for something that is physical and then Jules (12:25) Yeah. Wow. Amanda Thompson (12:43) And the next morning after all that happened, I mean I had a massive cry thinking how dare he a year later still be coming at me to I can’t, I cannot let him keep writing my story. And so I, I, found, finally found purpose. I mean you were one of the people that kept saying to me there’s something in this, you’re the type of person that can, can come back from this, Amanda, and I’d love you to speak about it when you’re ready. And I wasn’t ready until I realised. Jules (12:50) still be affecting you. Yeah. That’s right. Amanda Thompson (13:13) what it was and it’s the hidden scars jewels it’s the things that we don’t see the bruises the scars fade but it’s what’s going on still inside a person you know whether it’s for me the shame of my year 12 daughter having to look after me and essentially look after herself in a year where we know that we want to be there as mothers it’s it’s the the guilt that you’ve got so many friends around you wanting to help and you’ve got no Jules (13:25) Yeah. Amanda Thompson (13:43) what they can do to help you and I suppose the spin on that and spins probably the wrong word is I’m an educated, supported, ⁓ financially stable woman and this happened to me. Jules (13:45) Yeah, yeah. and look how it affected you. Amanda Thompson (14:02) Yes and so and it’s not just domestic violence that I realize it’s trauma of any sort whether it’s the loss of a partner, whether it’s a betrayal that’s hit hard, whether it’s a health condition, it’s these scars that we Jules (14:09) Yes. Amanda Thompson (14:20) we carry with us and the smiles that we put out in pretend to say it’s okay, I’m fine, you know, and it’s why days like are you okay day matter so much, but you know what, I think the questions need to be extended more from are you okay? You know. ⁓ Jules (14:37) Yeah, yeah, because I feel like I mean look it’s definitely better than nothing But it’s kind of not enough to just go are you okay because someone can go you’re fine When you know that they’re not so tell us a little bit about ⁓ What this has ended up being for you? So what is conversations that matter and and what are you doing with it? And where do you want to take it? Sorry if I’m putting you on the spot Amanda Thompson (15:56) Yeah. No, no, so it started as an event in June of this year of me thinking I might get… Jules (16:18) Yeah. Amanda Thompson (16:21) 20 odd people together and let’s brainstorm how we can can fix this and that was born out of being invited to Parliament House because I won an award for community service and Melissa Horne our local MP here said well if you ever want to come to Parliament House you know and I went well if I am going to come I want to make it powerful so I got people in my industry family lawyers accountants psychologists mortgage brokers money coaches Jules (16:27) Right? Yeah! Amanda Thompson (16:51) and we went to Parliament House and sat around and we were visited by Jacinta, Jacinta Allen. Our Premier came in, Natalie Hutchins, the Women’s Minister came in and what they found was it was a room of 15 women actually trying to find ways to help ⁓ fix some of these situations that wasn’t necessarily saying to the government give us all the funding in the world and you have we weren’t pointing our fingers saying you you you it was about how can we and how can we as a group of 15 think of what we do next so I did this conversations that matter that ended up being 75 changemakers in the room we had Jules (17:14) Yeah. You have to fix it. Amazing people. Amanda Thompson (17:33) We had four mayors in the room. had counselors, had CEOs of ⁓ Rotary Safe, the head of the police, inspectors. had paramedics and young financial advisors and fathers of young girls in the room. ⁓ Jules (17:35) Yeah. You’re the head of the police as well, didn’t you? Amanda Thompson (17:52) people representing the LGTB or Q, I get that, always get it wrong, but community and a big shout, yes, know, big shout out to Peter Gay McLaughlin, know, she was there supporting like she always does. ⁓ And it wasn’t meant to be ⁓ an event where we just listened to a panel of speakers. The concept was that everyone in the room had a voice. Jules (17:57) LBGTQI. Yep. Yes. Amanda Thompson (18:17) ⁓ to the mayor of Moonee Valley, Ava Adams saying that they had a domestic violence policy. The first council to have these policies. To Rotary Safe, to ⁓ Donna from Left Right Hook, which is a child sex abuse survivors network. And said Marion Mays of Money Strong in terms of a safety card. So we’ve had these amazing people. I’m taking it to Jules (18:25) Wow. Amanda Thompson (18:47) Sydney, want to take it to Sydney and I’ve got another little Christmas event or Christmas gathering event which you’re coming to at the end of the year but it’s small, it’s small because I can’t deal at the end of the year with a massive thing but it’s about where are we as a community, as a collective going to take conversations that matter next year. Jules (18:57) Right. No. And where do you, in your heart and in your gut, want to take it? That’s what I’m interested in. You’re driving this bus, so where’s it gonna go? Amanda Thompson (19:14) Yeah. I want, you know, I am known to say we raise our voices now so that the generations that follow don’t need to shout to be heard. So I want to start breaking down the systematic issues that create a whole lot of things. But I want to be an advocate. I want these conversations to go like money, go into our kitchen tables, go into our workplaces, have organizations let me come in and talk and say about what I’ve been through instead of saying, well, no, Jules (19:21) Yes. Amanda Thompson (19:45) a bit of a touchy subject domestic violence we probably shouldn’t bring that into our workplace well why not because there’s probably five ten fifteen people that have suffered in some way or form some form of violence and what happens if just one or two of those people hear my story and find the strength to make a change and what happens if that is one or two lives we’ve actually saved from all of this bad news we see look at me getting all passionate so Jules (19:57) Yes. Yeah, yeah. Amanda Thompson (20:15) So, you know, and it’s my, it is my passion, Jules. You know that it’s, it’s my purpose. It is not a money making. ⁓ thing for me. ⁓ That’s my business. This is what I want to do and disrupt and call out any organisation that’s listening to say have Amanda along and let us speak to you so openly. As I said you asked me before this started is there anything out of bounds and you know what I’m going to stick to it no matter how hard some conversations are. Jules (20:36) Yeah. which I know it is because having to read, having to even talk about it, there’s a wonderful woman that I must, you may know her, Lisa McAdams, do you know Lisa? Amanda Thompson (20:56) I think you connected us, but we’re here. Jules (20:57) Yes, she’s doing a lot of what you’re wanting to do as well, going in, she’s had a terrible abuse of past and she goes in and talks with corporates but she hit a wall and said, I can’t keep repeating what happened to me. So I know that that’s an issue for a lot of women as well to push yourself out there. So you’ve got to be careful. If you’re going to go out there and do that, realize that reliving the trauma all the time is very difficult for you. And so that makes it, I guess, extra. special what you’re doing. ⁓ Amanda Thompson (21:28) It is. just, you know, I know what it’s like to feel powerless and I want to entice, encourage, support other people to take back their power and not be silent anymore ⁓ because, you know, we are the change. We are the change jewels and it’s time we stood up and actually acted on it. Jules (21:54) So how do you, how are you going to bring the financial literacy and courageous ⁓ conversations that matter together? Because I feel like, you know, all of, and I guess I’m, this is just a conversation, but I mean myself, I’m running two businesses as well. And it’s hard because you get torn backwards and forwards. So can you bring them together? Have you thought of a way that you’re going to be able to bring it all together? Amanda Thompson (22:18) I’m very conscious of keeping my business viable while concentrating on a passion. But I think that, as I said, to start with, a lot of the reasons women don’t leave is due to money or shelter or security. And so again, I feel that by bringing… Jules (22:23) Right, yes, important. Yep. Yes. Amanda Thompson (22:42) things like the workshops I run or workshops other you know money coaches and things running and putting it in well-being ⁓ parts of business is the way forward in connecting those two you know it is going into those big corporates and talking about money goals but also bringing that to a space of well hang on I’m just like you probably here’s a little caption of my story and again I’m all over money and thank god I had a Jules (22:53) I like that. Yeah, yeah. Amanda Thompson (23:12) backup plan and things like that because I said I fell off the face of the earth which means I wasn’t working I wasn’t earning a lot of income but I had practiced what I’d preached so I think there are so many lessons that people could hear and learn and give to their employees and you know money stress is massive for productivity in a workplace any type of stress but money stress is huge yeah yeah yeah Jules (23:34) Money stress is massive for everything. It touches everything. So you want to go in and start helping people in that space as well. Yeah. Amanda Thompson (23:46) Absolutely and it is just me so I need to figure out or create this one-to-many approach and by one-to-many I don’t mean like you know this massive overload of courses online or things like that it’s just how can I get more people in front of me in one hit so that I can help that that amount of people. Jules (24:03) Yes. Yes, yeah. well, there’s a way I can help you build that community. OK, so look, normally I would get you to take me back to when you were a little girl. We’ve actually done that interview in the past. So I’m more interested in talking a little bit more about this and how if somebody is listening and they want to be involved, there might be a way that ⁓ they can do that. So you’re taking it up to Sydney and Brisbane, but that’s just an in-person event, isn’t it? Amanda Thompson (24:08) Yeah. Yes. It is, it is just to start with. ⁓ Okay, if anyone wants to collaborate or has got any ideas, I am open. Yep. Jules (24:39) I’m going to help you build up a Facebook community for it, think. I think that’s what you need next. Amanda Thompson (24:44) I’m open to it. ⁓ You know, if you want to have some insight into how I approach this, every Wednesday I’ve committed to writing on LinkedIn, you know, every Wednesday. Yep. And it’s ⁓ not a business push. I know that you’ll slap me on the wrist, Jules, but it’s… ⁓ Jules (24:55) ⁓ good woman. No, no, no, I’ve been seeing them. They’re great. Amanda Thompson (25:04) Yeah and every Jules (25:04) They’re really good. Amanda Thompson (25:05) Wednesday and they’re raw, they’re not pre-scripted so for example I mean ⁓ it’s Tuesday when we are recording this and I am off to court tomorrow to try and get my intervention order extended so no doubt tomorrow’s will be something about feelings or that but they’re very raw, they’re very real, they’re very up and down, just like my life in that particular instance so if you want a bit of insight into I suppose the person I am Jules (25:21) about. Amanda Thompson (25:34) follow me on LinkedIn which is easy to find me with the blonde hair and the financial planner or just go to your LinkedIn and I’m sure they’ll find me through your connection. ⁓ Jules (25:39) Right? True and ⁓ then you’ve got, do you still have financially fit women in amongst endurance financial? Talk a little bit about what you’re doing there. Amanda Thompson (25:52) I do, that’s my workshop. So, Financially Fit Women was my first book. Notice how I said first book, Jules, hint, hint. There’s another one going to be written over Christmas, I have no doubt. So, Financially Fit Women is about that accessibility of financial advice or financial education for women. Jules (26:00) Yeah, very impressive. I love that line you use about women becoming their own CFO. Like really understand, yeah. Amanda Thompson (26:19) Yep, confident, focused and top of your money. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, so that’s my workshops. I will be relaunching some of those courses next year. Again, as you know, it’s been a slow transition back into life for me this year. But 2026, bring it on. Come at me. I’m ready. Jules (26:35) Yeah, yeah. I’d say watch out world. Amanda Thompson (26:42) And it will be World. I’m planning to get a couple of speaking opportunities overseas. So watch out World. Jules (26:49) Yeah, great, great. And is this really where you want to take your speaking from now on? it going to be around the money or is it going to be more around helping women who want to escape and flee? Amanda Thompson (27:02) I think it… believe it or not it is going to be a little bit more neutral in that… What I’ve realised Jules is that endurance is at the core of everything I do. And so in essence, it’s about goal setting, recovering from trauma and how I utilise that mindset through the ebbs and flows of life to recover. know, not every you don’t want to hear you do not trust me and you you know it. You do not want to hear about Jules (27:16) of everything you do. Yeah Amanda Thompson (27:40) my story. It’s awful. You don’t want anyone to have to really live that except you know to understand that it knocked me about. So I’m not going to be going around talking about what happened to me in the actual physical ⁓ Jules (27:46) No. Amanda Thompson (27:57) event but I am going to talk about what happens when your heart stops because of it and how do you regain love ⁓ and how I utilise that endurance mentality and also how from a sports person’s point of view I’m realising I was a sports person I mean I’ve represented Australia four times so I can yeah yeah Jules (28:03) Yeah, nice. Yeah, yeah, well I was going to go, I suddenly thought, we can’t end this without talking about you being an iron man, which kind of blows my head any way that you can’t be an iron woman. I remember you telling me that and I was like, what? Yeah, yeah. But you did that through a cancer, a cancer scare. That was when you started. I’ve been my god woman. Amanda Thompson (28:26) Yeah. Yeah. It’s a brand. It’s a brand. Yeah, we choose to enter that brand. I did. I did. Yeah. You know, and so this is what this, so this is, you know, it really will be a motivational type talk, but a real one, you know, not, not, it is about, I’m all for solutions, not sitting in the, not sitting in the dulls. Yeah. So, so I mean, I talk about those things and I’ve actually off to do a keynote for white ribbon day, ⁓ next week, next week. Yeah. But it is, it’s, it’s coming from the lens of an athlete and. Jules (28:45) Yeah, yeah. I think that’s why I love you. ⁓ fantastic, that’s a good fit. That’s a good fit. Amanda Thompson (29:08) happens when something so important to you like triathlon is taken away from you not by choice you know and and how do you recover and how do you find purpose and I mean this podcast has shown what I’ve replaced it with at the moment you know I’ve got to have a passion and I’m up for a challenge all the time I think I’m not I’m not functioning unless I’ve got a challenge in front of me so Jules (29:16) Yeah. No, but you know what, there’s something special about you Amanda because I watch you and I’m absolutely sure that you will move the dial. Like, I see people, there’s a lot of women, let’s be honest, and I’ve interviewed 450 of them, I’d say a good 20 or 30 have probably got a similar… theme or a similar purpose behind them. But I watch you and I’m like, just even your first conversations that matter and the quality, I hate saying that because people say that about She’s the Boss and I’m like, what are we, cattle? But the quality of the women and the connections that you brought together, I think, and I think that’s really important because they need to talk to each other. It’s not even necessarily, it’s like, we need to bring these people together so they’re talking to each other and the solution will come. Amanda Thompson (30:01) Hehe. Well do you know, the inspector that came and spoke ended up going and speaking for a family law firm that was there. ⁓ Safe Steps, which is the charity I support, the mayor of the ⁓ region where one of their sanctuaries was there and she had never been through sanctuary and now, you know, so I’ve connected, it’s amazing the amount of people. So you know, it’s actually networking with purpose, isn’t it? As opposed to, it’s pretty cool. Jules (30:35) Wow. Yeah. It is. And it actually makes networking much more pleasant. Let me say for anyone out there, if you’ve got a purpose and you’re going after those people that can help change the thing, then it’s great kind of networking. It’s thoroughly enjoyable. Okay, so if someone wants to help, what is the best way of them doing or getting involved other than LinkedIn? Is there a website they can sign up to? That’s okay. Amanda Thompson (31:03) Yep, yep, so it’s only my own website at the moment which is endurancefinancial.com.au or email me amanda at endurancefinancial.com.au ⁓ I promise to get back to anyone that wants to talk about this. Jules (31:14) Okay. Brilliant, brilliant. Okay, now I’m just going to lighten the whole tone. It’s a silly question for the end, but I love it. A journalist told me, and I think you’ve answered it before, but I’m sure you’ll have something different this time, is there a quirky fact about you that most people don’t know that you’d be up for sharing? Having said that, I know you’re pretty much an open book, but, you know, I said to the last person, you burp the alphabet? It really doesn’t matter what it is. It’s just like… Amanda Thompson (31:39) I am, ⁓ you know it. Do you know, and this is a little bit rude, but we’re going to go with it because I could go down my triathlon training and how, you know, being absolutely physically exhausted is where I do my best thinking. But I can shot a drink with my hands behind my back, you know, and I remember doing it one day. Jules (31:54) Yeah, go for it. my god, is that the putting your whole mouth over it and throwing it back? Amanda Thompson (32:10) Yep, yep. And I remember doing this one day because people were saying, what’s your party trick? And I don’t really have one. And I am known as a prude and pretty naive. Right. And I did this party trick and yeah, absolutely. And I did this party trick and there was an anethetist standing next to me who I know quite well. And he looked over at me and you know, I’d taken this big swallow of this drink with no hands. And he said, and tell me why you’re single again. Jules (32:19) Who likes a drink though? Yeah. Ha ha ha! Amanda Thompson (32:39) and it took a while to register what he he meant and I went my gosh there there’s my rude it’s yeah not that I have put that into practice the other way but I I find that quirky Jules (32:43) my god, now you’re now… I didn’t clock that at first either. No, but if you ever have a dating, if you ever have a dating profile, you’ll have to say, can down a shot with my hands behind my back. You’ll have them all knocking on your door. Thank you. Amanda Thompson (32:59) I had taught my daughter that when she was 18. So I showed her that trick as well. said, don’t you and your friends try and beat mum at sculling until you can do this. Jules (33:10) I like it that you’re teaching her the right values. ⁓ I’m only teasing. Amanda, thank you so much. I love what you’re doing. I’m very inspired by it. I will be doing everything I can to support you and help you. And I really wish you hadn’t gone through the experiences you’ve gone through, but I’m so friggin’ glad that you are kind of taking it and running with it and helping a whole lot of other women not go through the same thing, or at least know they’ve got support. So, thank you. Amanda Thompson (33:36) It takes one to know one, Jules, and you don’t get celebrated enough either because I know that the time, energy and heart you put into what you do. So it does take one to know one. And so I’m glad we run in the same circle. Jules (33:51) So am I. There’s something about having a passion, I think, that makes it not really like work. But thank you. Amanda Thompson (33:57) Yeah, you’re welcome.