People can do amazing things! EPISODE 31: Mark Berridge

What if the smallest action you can take is exactly the one that changes everything? In this inspiring episode of Recalibrating with Sharee Johnson, Sharee sits down with Mark Berridge — former chief negotiator for Rio Tinto Iron Ore, author of the award-winning book A Fraction Stronger, and spinal cord injury survivor — to explore what recalibrating might be required when a high-powered corporate career collides with a catastrophic cycling accident. 

Together, they unpack Mark's journey from the bottom of a stormwater drain with a shattered spine to summiting Tasmania's Three Capes Walk on hiking poles. Mark shares how controlling his breath became his first act of agency, why "momentum beats magnitude" became his guiding mantra, and how the FEET framework — Focus, Explore, Engage, Trust — now helps leaders and teams build strength that holds under pressure. 

A candid and uplifting conversation about reclaiming identity after trauma, the quiet power of everyday care from health professionals, the courage to ask for help, and why the stories we store about what we're capable of, matter, more than we think. 

• Agency Starts With the Smallest Thing You Can Control: Faced with a shattered spine in a stormwater drain, Mark's first act of agency was controlling his breathing. (19:15). 
• Momentum Beats Magnitude: Small, consistent actions — breathing exercises, wiggling toes every half hour — built the momentum that carried Mark through recovery. He now reframes this as "momentum not magnitude sustains effort." (03:10 and 1:17:33). 
• Identity Is Something You Reclaim, Not Recover: Mark describes the "embers of identity" — the small sparks of who you are that survive even the most devastating loss. Recovery isn't about going back to who you were; it's about finding what parts of yourself you can reclaim and fan back to life (30:46). 
• Hope and Reality Must Coexist in Healthcare: Healthcare professionals who can hold both reality and hope give patients the agency to drive themselves forward (42:09). 
• The FEET Framework — Focus, Explore, Engage, Trust: Mark distilled his recovery process into four pillars: a model he now brings into workplaces under pressure (05:40 and 56:15). 
• Asking for Help Is a Strength, Not a Weakness: Drawing on Debra Rickwood's research on help-seeking, Mark explores why the most fragile moments are when we're least likely to ask for help — and why the positive memory of having done so is what gives us courage the next time (57:51 and 1:05:00). 
• Goals Recalibrate — They Don't Just Shrink: When Mark realised he'd never cycle Mount Gravatt again, he didn't abandon goals; he recalibrated them — setting his sights on the Three Capes Walk in Tasmania instead. Aspirational goals give us direction; the willingness to adjust them gives us resilience (49:01 and 51:14). 
• The Stories We Store Sustain Us: The milestones we achieve — even when they take twice as long as they should — become the internal evidence of our own capability. (1:16:41). 

• A Fraction Stronger by Mark Berridge — Mark's award-winning book, born from his spinal cord injury and recovery journey. 
• Finding Your Feet Program — Mark's workplace programs helping leaders and teams build strength that holds under pressure. 
• Griffith University — Inclusive Futures — Where Mark serves as an Industry Fellow. 
• Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital — Where Mark is a patient ambassador and where his son Luke works as a physiotherapist. 
• Three Capes Walk, Tasmania — The multi-day hike Mark completed on hiking poles, approximately 57km and 5,000 stairs, as a recalibrated goal after his injury. 
• Debra Rickwood — Researcher (University of Wollongong) whose work on help-seeking behaviour Mark references in his book. 
• Karni Liddell — Paralympian whose story Mark recalled in hospital to generate hope. 
• Todd Sampson — TV presenter whose neuroplasticity episodes inspired Mark's approach to repetitive rehabilitation exercises. 
• Kurt Fearnley — Paralympian who crawled the Kokoda Track, referenced by Mark as an example of people achieving extraordinary things. 
• Kelly Irving — Book writing coach who connected Sharee and Mark during their parallel writing journeys in 2021. 
• Snyder — Hope Theory — Referenced by Mark regarding the science of hope as a driver of agency. 

"What they're achieving for other people every day is exactly the opportunity that was given to me of helping us become our best version of ourselves." — Mark Berridge at 1:18:50, his closing message to healthcare professionals 

Our theme music is "Caribbean" by Zambolino, sourced from FreeToUse.com/music/zambolino/caribbean. 

The content in this podcast is not intended as a substitute for professional medical or psychological advice. Always seek advice from your doctor or qualified healthcare professional. The views expressed are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily represent any entity they work with or for. 

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