Challenges That Change Us

135 {Stephanie Burns Part 1} Kicked out at 15, became human behaviour expert and military trailblazer

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Episode notes

Trigger warning: domestic violence


Today we are joined by someone who has truly lived a life of challenges, lessons and intriguing turns.

From navigating violence in the home as a teenager, to being a woman in the military when they had only just started accepting women back into the technical fields, Stephanie Burns has seen a lot.

In 1973, Stephanie became one of the first women trained as an engineer by the U.S. Army Signal Corp. Graduating #1 in her class, she received orders to be trained as a military instructor. After leaving in 1976, she worked in corporate roles before starting her own training company in 1981, with NASA as her first client. Others, such as, ABC-TV and presenting at computer Expos in cities throughout the US followed, focusing on helping adults adapt to the desktop computer revolution. The experience working with adults as students fuelled her intense curiosity about the development of new skills and knowledge, taking advantage of the adult brain and nervous system. This led her to make a complete shift from the tech industry to the fields of human behaviour and adult education. A move to Australia in 1987 led to the development of the Learning to Learn program and many others, presented in corporate, government and education sectors. This program, along with others, and numerous books, have impacted many thousands.

In this episode she shares:

  • Her journey to getting into the military
  • Why she became an independent contractor
  • What made her realise that adults in school behave like children
  • The challenge of teaching higher ranking adults in the military
  • The influence of Stephanie's father and intense pursuits
  • The importance of a supportive community
  • How a family change led her mother to abuse
  • What happened when her mum thought she was doing drugs and submitted her into a heroin outpatient centre
  • Her journey to find her dad at 15 when she was kicked out of her mum’s home


Key Quotes

“I thought, she's gonna bloody kill me. She's gonna kill me and she's not gonna know she did it."


“In my first class were 30 men, they all outranked me, they were older than I was and they were physically bigger.”


More about Stephanie Burns

Find her books and email info via her website or go to her facebook or linkedin.


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If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website: http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au

For her other business you can find it through the websites: www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au


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