GRIT Talk

On Wednesday, 14th August, our Year 10 students received an inspirational boost to their Revive Day, as we welcomed Steve Baker from Build Grit (Build Grit with Steven Baker), and former AFL and St Kilda Football Club player, to the David Perry Hall. Known for his tenacious playing style, Steve earned a reputation as one of the league's most relentless taggers.

Steve shared his journey of overcoming numerous challenges, both on and off the field, offering invaluable lessons in resilience and perseverance. Being the shortest kid in the class at school, his Mum said he had been born into adversity. Battling asthma, eczema, friendship issues and struggling academically, Steve found school a difficult time. However, Steve never let adversity hold him back. He gave 100% effort in everything he did, whether it was at school or tirelessly practicing football with his brother. Early on, his football coaches were impressed by his ability to get stuck in and smother, but Steve failed to make the Geelong Falcons. He was, however, invited to practice with the Falcons.

At a training camp there was a stamina challenge where you had to hold your arms out. It lasted 7 hours 20 min! Steve won and was given a game based on resilience and stamina in that task, and because he put in the most effort at training.

His persistence paid off and during that match an AFL recruiter in the crowd was impressed by Steve’s determination, offering him a chance to play for St Kilda. This tenacity continued throughout his career, where Steve’s resilience earned him a spot in the AFL, and ultimately led to his successful career at St Kilda.

Steve also shared a deeply personal story about his battle with depression following the loss of his father. He candidly spoke about how he turned to alcohol to cope, but eventually found his way back through the support of his family and a renewed focus on building resilience.

During his presentation, Steve introduced our Year 10 students to his “Grit Strategies” for happiness:

• Gratitude: Steve encouraged daily gratitude practices, such as writing affirmations, which he adopted from his football days. He wears a gratitude band on his wrist, and if he ever feels like complaining, he swaps the band to the other wrist as a reminder.
• Resilience: He emphasized the importance of challenging oneself, whether through physical feats like marathons or daily habits like cold showers and making the bed.
• Inspiration: Steve highlighted the importance of seeking out opportunity and taking action to achieve your goals, demonstrated by holding out a $50 note and asking who wanted it. One student got up and grabbed it which Steve concluded, "If you really want something, you've got to get off your butt and get it."
• Teamwork: He shared a story of how a friend pushed him to overcome the physical and mental hurdles of having his hip replacement, eventually leading them to complete an Iron Man challenge together.

Steve’s message to our Year 10 students was clear: no matter what obstacles you face, resilience, gratitude, inspiration, and teamwork can help you overcome them and emerge stronger. His visit left our students with powerful strategies to navigate their own challenges, both now and in the future.

Thank you to Ms Lattanzio and Ms Innes for organising this special event for our students.