How I Got Here: Caroline Buchanan
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Admit it, we’ve all been there—deep dive stalking social media and LinkedIn profiles, trying desperately to figure out how the hell someone got their dream job.
It seems impossible and yet there they are, living out your career fantasy (minus the itchy business suit). It might seem hard to believe, but once upon a time, they were also fantasising about their future career, and with some hard work, they made it.
HerCanberra’s How I Got Here series reveals everything you wanted to know about the secrets of career success. Today we meet world BMX and mountain bike champion Caroline Buchanan.
Existential crisis time: Who are you and what do you do?
I am Caroline Buchanan, a Canberra-born little tomboy who wanted to be a BMX bandit when she grew up. Fast forward an epic 15-year career and it’s an honour to have represented Australia at two Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016 and have won eight world championship titles, been the first women in the world to accomplish a front flip on a mountain bike, written kids books, given $115,000 back into women in sport through my scholarship mentoring program, and thrived on the journey!
Let’s go back to when you were a kid, have you always dreamed of working in this industry?
When I started racing at age 5, it wasn’t long until my parents saw my competitive edge and desire to dream big. By the age of 9 I had personal trainers was traveling to world championship events and sitting down at 10 years old to have mentor meetings with Robert De Castella, Olympic Marathon runner. This was the foundation to success—I was all-in and my family helped align me with good people around me to constantly support my career.
Tell us about when you were first starting out, what set a fire in your belly to get here and how did you do it?
I turned pro at 14-years-old and hustled hard to never have a “real” job. I had task lists after school each day: how to write emails to brands, add 200 people on LinkedIn, learn photo shoots and create personal-branding material, listen to self help books, train hard, goal set and align with mentors like Layne Beachley. I had a plan A to be a professional athlete and in the process knew I needed to be the first to break the mould and elevate the identity of the sport as well as myself to make it a reality.
Recall a time when you wanted to chuck it all in; what did you tell yourself when it got too hard?
The saying “this too shall pass “ has been a vivid pillar throughout the good and the bad. Through life-threatening injuries, years of rehab to heal a sternum break, punctured lungs and a punctured heart wall. I knew this too shall pass, the pain will pass but all the opportunities for success and opportunities to train harder that my competition and ways to build brand value, a legacy and an impact would also pass!
This has really kept me present and in control of the only two things you can control “ your effort and your attitude “
What was your biggest break?
Winning my first mountain bike world championships in 2009 in my home town of Canberra was definitely my big break!
It was not only a career highlight, but it really cemented who I was going to be as a multi-disciplinary athlete and gave me the confidence to move forward.
Growing up it was not normal to compete at Olympic level for BMX and also be a World Champion mountain bike athlete. This came with a lot of push back from the national sporting federation, control, rules and and people trying to limit me and put me in a controllable box! I decided to let this fuel me.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
I had the pleasure of working with Nam Baldwin, a high-performance mindset coach. He told me “To get so clear with your why!!!” and that it fuels you through the hardships and guides you to open the right doors and stay on track.
For me my why, I believe I was put on this earth to elevate action sport and to bridge the gaps in a male-dominated sport.
I want to leave a legacy as a legend and champion and one of the most accomplished and respected action spot female athletes of my generation
I want to invest back into my sport and community and continuously provide inspiration to leave the ladder down behind me and to constantly build momentum.
What is it about your industry that you love and what makes you want to pull your hair out?
I love the challenge, risk-vs-reward and adrenaline of action sport, I love that success is on you and failure is on you!
Initially the grind of building a brand and building a mainstream identity created hair-pulling moments. And injuries are always hair pulling moments!
This has all made the champagne taste so much sweeter on the podiums!
Tell us how you ‘stay in the know’, what media do you consume?
I consume and follow through social media people that motivate me and are excelling in their careers. I love to stay in-the-know via mentors and surrounding myself with media liaisons, coaches, managements and marketing agencies that are at the top of their game and constantly challenged me to elevate with them.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I see myself with a healthy and happy family, with a few more accolades on the bike, with a microphone in my hand challenging myself to more field reporting and commentating jobs, staying fit and healthy through exercise and owning a successful online mentoring/coaching platform to give back to the action sport community and upcoming athletes.
Why should people follow in your footsteps?
I encourage people to jump off the trail and forge their own trail. Don’t be afraid to be different, unique and consistent towards your goals!
What advice would you give your past self?
I would simply tell little Caroline that all the hard work will pay off and that “ how you do anything is how you do everything—keep passion and excellence in the present!
