Dame Susan Devoy on Receiving Death Threats, Peeing in a Trophy, Her Winning Mentality & More!
Episode Description
Dame Susan Devoy
As a teenager from Rotorua, Susan became the world’s greatest female squash player in the 1980s and 90s and is still considered to be one of the GOATS of the sport.
She won ALL the World Open Titles between 1985 and 1992.
She won the British Open eight times.
Then in 1992, at the peak of her powers, she shocked the world by retiring on top.
And that’s just the sporting chapter of this remarkable woman’s life.
Since then, she has raised a family, got a Knighthood, spent 5 years as race relations commissioner, donated thousands of hours to charity and fundraising, took part on a reality TV show and just wrote a new book called “Dame Suzy D: My Story.”
Thanks to the legends at Radix and Generate for making this episode possible.
Radix is a Waikato based nutrition company whose products have to be tried firsthand to get a full appreciation of just how good they are. Check them out for yourself: https://radixnutrition.co.nz/
Generate is an award winning KiwiSaver Scheme.
If you’ve never got KiwiSaver advice before, do your future self a favor and request a meeting with one of the Generate advisers. Head to: generatekiwisaver.co.nz/dom/
Brief Summary
Dame Susan Devoy discusses her squash career, family life, and experiences as Race Relations Commissioner in New Zealand.
Key points
- The Chaos of Family Life. Dame Susan shares her feelings about her children growing up and leaving home.
- Writing My Story. Dame Susan discusses the challenges and emotions involved in writing her autobiography.
- The Fear of Losing. A deep-seated fear of losing can drive champions to push themselves harder than ever.
- Media Pressure. The impact of media scrutiny can lead to a desire to disconnect from public opinion.
- A Wildly Successful Fundraiser. Raised half a million dollars for muscular dystrophy, a formidable achievement.
- Unexpected Royal Honor. Received a letter for a royal honor nomination after having her fourth son.
Ask about Dom Harvey
Episode highlights
- The Chaos of Family LifeDame Susan shares her feelings about her children growing up and leaving home.“I'd probably give my right arm to have that chaos back in our house.”3:15Apr 7, 2024
- Writing My StoryDame Susan discusses the challenges and emotions involved in writing her autobiography.“It's hard to write about yourself.”6:15Apr 7, 2024
- The Fear of LosingA deep-seated fear of losing can drive champions to push themselves harder than ever.“The more I won, the more I was scared of losing.”22:02Apr 7, 2024
- Media PressureThe impact of media scrutiny can lead to a desire to disconnect from public opinion.“I decided I couldn’t change what they were going to write or say.”27:30Apr 7, 2024
- A Wildly Successful FundraiserRaised half a million dollars for muscular dystrophy, a formidable achievement.“It was wildly successful like how much money was raised for muscular half ra half a million dollars which is huge.”36:23Apr 7, 2024
- Unexpected Royal HonorReceived a letter for a royal honor nomination after having her fourth son.“It was completely unexpected, completely out of the blue.”42:39Apr 7, 2024
- Meeting Sir EdA humorous story about visiting a famous person with young children.“You must be really rich for an old fell!”53:47Apr 7, 2024
- Prince Charles' Rude JokeA light-hearted moment during a barbecue with Prince Charles.“I hope you're having a lot of fun practicing!”56:31Apr 7, 2024





