Best-selling author Sam Bloom to speak at International Women’s Day 2021

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #ChooseToChallenge and with local Sam Bloom the guest speaker at our breakfast event on Monday 8 March, we’re not surprised the event sold out in a matter of days.

Not only is she the inspiration behind an international best-selling book, and global movie sensation Penguin Bloom, Sam is a Newport-based mother of three, wife, and two-time World Para Surfing Champion.

We were lucky enough to get a sneak peek into Sam’s thoughts on the global movement ahead of International Women’s Day.

“I could not think of a better way to celebrate International Women’s Day than starting with such a wonderful morning surrounded by the Northern Beaches community”, Sam said.

This year’s theme #ChooseToChallenge implores us all to challenge the status quo, call out gender bias and inequality, and seek out and celebrate women's achievements so we can collectively create an inclusive world.

 “I think everyone regardless of age, ability, or gender should choose to challenge themselves. It’s how we discover our true potential and what we are capable of,” Sam reflected in our conversation.

Sam has experienced more than her fair share of challenges over the years. In 2013, while holidaying in Thailand with her family, she fell six metres onto concrete in a near-fatal accident that shattered her spine, ruptured her lungs, and caused severe bleeding on the brain.

With her body, soul and spirit crushed, this once active and adventurous mother was convinced if she could not have her old life back, her new one was not worth living.

A serendipitous encounter with a frail and injured magpie chick, her sons dubbed Penguin, was to transform her attitude, change the course of her recovery, and save her family.

Sam and Penguin’s remarkable bond and extraordinary story of parallel recovery was sensitively captured by Sam’s husband, acclaimed photographer Cameron Bloom and, in a collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Bradley Trevor Greive, resulted in the international bestselling book, Penguin Bloom.

This beautiful and powerful story inspired a major film starring Naomi Watts (with whom Sam has now become close friends) and Andrew Lincoln.

Sam’s is a story for the times, with profound messages for us all - of the power of love and family, and of our innate ability to find determination and courage in the face of adversity.

We can’t wait to hear more about her journey, the challenges she has faced, and appreciate her candid account of her life so far.

Background:

International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

The first Women's Day was declared on 28 February 1907 when American women, many drawn from the garment industry, organised huge demonstrations and meetings to demand voting rights for women and improved working conditions.

In 1915, International Women's Day (IWD) was transferred to March 8, and by 1920 it had evolved into an international day of struggle for the full liberation of women, not just a day focussing on industrial issues.

Today, IWD belongs to all groups collectively everywhere. IWD is not country, group or organisation specific.