Motivational speaker and author Turia Pitt has long been celebrated for her strength and determination following a life-altering accident in 2011, when she suffered severe burns to 65 per cent of her body after being caught in a grassfire during an ultramarathon in Western Australia’s Kimberley region.
In the years since, Pitt has undergone an extraordinary recovery and built a career around empowering others – releasing multiple books, delivering keynote speeches, and sharing her story with honesty and optimism.
Now, in her latest book Selfish, the married mother-of-two is challenging readers – particularly women – to rethink the idea that selflessness should be worn as a badge of honour.
“I just think that most of us, women in particular, we’re kind of conditioned to be selfless and that means that we’re always putting others before ourselves,” she told Today.
“We’re thinking of what other people need, we’re prioritising the comfort of others before ourselves and I think when we do that, the result can be – and it was in my case – that you’re frustrated, resentful, stressed and you might not be the best version of yourself.
“So I’m kind of propositioning that maybe we do things a little bit differently.”
Pitt and her husband Michael are full-time working parents to two young sons, and like many families, juggle the demands of home, work, and childcare.
Despite her background in personal development, Pitt admits she found herself ignoring her own advice.
“I’m really grateful to the project, because last year I went through a period where I was really burnt out, I was quite depressed and wouldn’t have realised that had I not been writing this book – I wouldn’t have got the professional help that I needed,” she said.
“Last year, I was solo parenting, Michael was working away a lot and I was running my business and rather than thinking, ‘hey, I’m going to need some help here’, my ego took over and I was like, ‘nah, I’ve got this. I can do everything.’
“So it’s funny because I teach people to get help, enlist a support system, but I didn’t listen to any of my own advice – I’m a hypocrite.”
Through Selfish, Pitt invites readers to reconsider what it means to take care of themselves – not as an indulgence, but as a foundation for showing up more fully in every area of life.
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