What the loss of her son taught Alisa Camplin about resilience
<p>Alisa Camplin doesn’t believe in the notion of bouncing back after experiencing hardship.</p>
<p>"When I lost my son, it was one of the worst things in my life," Camplin, 46, told 9Honey.</p>
<p>"That's when I realised <span>resilience isn't about bouncing back</span>, but bouncing forward. In life you never get to go back."</p>
<p>Camplin’s first child, Finnan, passed away 10 days after his premature birth in 2011 from congenital heart disease, following six operations to save his life.</p>
<p>While the loss was not easy to come to terms with, the resilience Camplin had learnt during her time as an Olympic athlete helped her cope.</p>
<p>Her career as an aerial skier saw her win gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics, the second winter Olympic gold medal ever won by an Australian.</p>
<p>Camplin went on to win bronze at the 2006 Winter Olympics, making her the first Australian skier to win medals at consecutive Winter Olympics.</p>
<p>During her sporting career Camplin suffered from a number of injuries including a broken collarbone, dislocated shoulder, broken hand, broken ribs, a ripped Achilles tendon, dislocated sternum, fractured ankles, torn knee ligaments and nine concussions - forcing her to build resilience.</p>
<p>That resilience remains her secret weapon, and she has made it her business to teach others how to improve theirs.</p>
<p>Ever since then, she has founded The Alisa Camplin-AIA Vitality Workplace Resilience Toolkit, which has evolved to include the challenges workers have been faced with since the beginning of the pandemic.</p>
<p>"It's important for leaders in workplaces and families to practice good habits visibly, not just in their heads, so their colleagues see them," the athlete says.</p>
<p>"You want to take them along on the journey with you."</p>
<p>“When I lost my son, it was one of the worst things in my life.”</p>
<p>Camplin and her family have been based in Hong Kong for the past two years for husband Oliver Warner's work.</p>
<p>"We came here for a bit of an adventure," she says.</p>
<p>"We followed my husband's work and thought it would be great for the family and it's been fabulous for us."</p>
<p>Their children Florence, six, and Felix, three, both adjusted well to the move.</p>
<p>"It's been pretty good," Camplin says.</p>
<p>"Kids are adaptable. They just need to feel safe and once they found friends it's been fabulous for them."</p>
