In a recent interview, with renowned Mental Health Keynote Speaker Ryan Campbell, he unraveled his extraordinary journey from a record-breaking pilot to a plane crash survivor with a paraplegic diagnosis. Campbell shared insights into how prioritizing joy became a potent instrument for personal and professional resilience, aiding individuals and organizations in overcoming challenges and navigating change.

Tell me a bit about your backstory.

As a young kid from a normal Aussie family, Campbell had a passion for flying that led him to pursue a world-record-breaking flight. After two years of fundraising and planning for his wild idea, he became the first teenager to fly a single-engine airplane solo around the world culminating in a 70-day flight with 35 stops across 15 countries and 24,000 nautical miles. At 19, Ryan Campbell was named one of Australia's 50 great explorers and was quickly swept up into the limelight as a young adult.

Tragically, only two years after his record-breaking flight, Campbell was in a plane crash that left him as the only survivor, with a paraplegic diagnosis and a life-changing perspective as he coped with his new reality.

With over five months in the hospital and eighteen months in rehabilitation, his journey to recovery eventually led him back to walking and flying. Even with a long list of permanent physical limitations, Campbell’s recovery is one of adaptability and resilience. In his own words, “Life if won and lost above the shoulders.”

Is there anything you can pinpoint about your recovery process that helped to shift your perspective in a positive way?

“I realized that I was in the driver's seat ... I watched quadriplegics leave the hospital with a better head on their shoulders than incomplete paraplegics who walked out of the spinal rehabilitation ward having won the lottery in the spinal injury world and that made one thing very clear for me: your physical recovery is not linear to your mental health.”

This realization led Ryan to seek out tools that could help his mental health. He leaned into his support network, strengthened his relationships, and kept his outlook on life as positive as he could. Slowly but surely, life began to look pretty good.

What drew you to the keynote stage?

Just as Campbell began to walk again and found himself back in the seat of an airplane, living a relatively normal, happy, and healthy life, another serious injury put him back in a wheelchair for months. He realized that the journey from his record-breaking flight to where he was now would be an impactful message of resilience if he shared it. So, he picked up his life, moved to America, and started on a speaking circuit.

How does the pink Cadillac fit into your story of resilience?

Campbell’s message is about resilience and he is indeed resilient, but sometime during the speaking circuit he began mentally struggling again.

“I'd worked so hard to rebuild my life. I ticked all the boxes that everyone told me I needed to tick in order to be happy and successful again but I was struggling with my mental health more at that point in my life than I ever had, including just after the accident.”

During this period, Campbell decided to make a seemingly irresponsible and absolutely whimsical purchase — a 1960 pink Cadillac. He soon realized the positive impact this silly car had on his mental well-being. Driving his pink Cadillac became a source of joy for him. Cruising around town, he connected with people drawn to its nostalgic charm. Passersby would pause their activities to request photos or simply stroll by with beaming smiles, creating reciprocal joy for Campbell. This seemingly small change allowed him to readjust his priorities and gain a renewed outlook on life.

In his own words, "My most significant lesson in resilience didn't stem from a world record-breaking expedition, a plane crash, or a paraplegic diagnosis. It was found right in my driveway."

Can you elaborate on the importance of the pink Cadillac and the shift it brought to your approach as a speaker?

“When I first asked the question during a keynote, “What's your pink Cadillac?” I didn't ask it for the audience’s sake. I asked it for mine because it had been such a big change in my life that I was just intrigued to know … what do you do that makes you smile? What role does it play in your life? Where does it show up? What change does it create? And it was asking that question purely out of my own self-interest and being intrigued about what the response may be that allowed me to see the magic and the moment and the crack in the door that appeared as a result of that one question. Ever since then, it's been jamming a pry bar in that crack and opening it up as wide as we can to take what I know is such a powerful, rare thing that we've stumbled upon and turn it into a really powerful concept.”

And so, Campbell’s tagline was born ... “What’s Your Pink Cadillac?” This simple shift in perspective allowed him to hone in on a major tool that drives the power of resilience — prioritizing joy.

Why do you believe the emphasis on prioritizing joy is a powerful message?

Campbell believes his message encourages individuals to stop, reassess, and recalibrate their lives to help them identify the things in their lives that bring them joy. So, when times are tough, they have these tools readily available to lean on. The ultimate goal is to help people understand the benefits of activities they already enjoy, leading to a transformative change.

Do you find that the topic of prioritizing joy, in a work context, is challenging for organizations to champion when thinking about productivity and quality of work?

Campbell stresses that “Prioritizing joy and integrating activities that make us smile into our routine is one of the most accessible ways to benefit mental health, performance, and overall well-being.” He notes the importance of avoiding burnout by allowing individuals to step back periodically, as pushing people harder without breaks leads to decreased satisfaction and engagement.

"For organizations, it's about getting your people to give their best 90% of the time, and allowing them the space to step back for the remaining 10% to recharge and rejuvenate."

Have you seen any creative ways in which companies have incorporated this concept of prioritizing joy into their company culture beyond your keynote?

"The greatest impact is when the company takes the conversation and continues it within their culture, creating networks and communication channels based on shared interests.” Campbell emphasizes that it’s one thing to prioritize joy on your own and that is impactful, but if you see your coworkers, boss, or executives taking time to recharge and engage with their ‘pink Cadillac’ the whole perspective shifts and their sense of acceptance around the topic changes.

Campbell has seen companies implement ‘personal days’ once a quarter for people to take off, completely separate from their PTO. He has also seen companies offer reimbursements for recreational activities, all of which are great ways to show your employees that you care about their well-being.

Have you seen this conversation change with the shift to remote work?

Campbell acknowledges the challenges individuals face in finding a balance between work and personal life in a remote setting. "In the remote work world, it's crucial to help people be more confident in their decision-making regarding where to draw the line between work and personal life."

Are there any tools you’d like to pinpoint to help people lean into the concept of prioritizing joy

In order to build joy into the foundation of your life, Campbell suggests you use the following tools:

1. Identify — Figure out what your ‘pink Cadillac’ is.
2. Implement — Schedule that activity, put it in your calendar, and take action on it.
3. Maintain — Whatever your ‘pink Cadillac’ is, make sure it is always ready for you to engage with. If it’s biking, make sure your tires are pumped up and ready to go. If it’s knitting, make sure you always have yarn and knitting needles ready. If it’s mowing the lawn, make sure your lawn mower is in good working condition.
4. Share — Invite someone to join you. Share your ‘pink Cadillac.’
5. Encourage —Talk about and think about why you do it and what impact it makes on your mental health. Identifying these benefits will help you to clearly see the ‘why’ behind prioritizing your ‘pink Cadillac’.

So, ‘What’s Your Pink Cadillac?” Contact Executive Speakers Bureau today to bring Ryan Campbell to your next event to explore new ways to find joy.