Glenda Mitchell, the 439th person I’ve met on my quest to have lunch with 500 strangers, grew up as a hyper-competitive high achiever who wanted to stand out from others.

These things were interrelated for Glenda, because she recognised that if she could perform better in sport or attain higher marks in school, she could carve out her own niche. Also, she says, she’d be able to win validation from those around her, which was important to her at the time.

Glenda grew up in South Africa, before moving, in 1995, to Sydney, with her husband, Walter. Glenda remained just as driven in her new home, where she pursued (and attained) one goal after another. Thanks to her hard work, Glenda was able to build a successful life – until, in 2016, she almost lost it.

Glenda flew to Paris to run a marathon, during which, she believes, she developed deep vein thrombosis. When she returned to Sydney, she couldn’t understand why she was feeling so much discomfort. Eventually, after being rushed to hospital, doctors found a 36cm blood clot in her leg and multiple clots in her lungs.

That near-death experience caused Glenda to reflect on her approach to life. She decided to be more intentional – to do things because she really wanted to do them, not because she was expected to or because she wanted to impress others. That said, Glenda feels she might’ve come to these realisations anyway, due to the wisdom we accrue as we get older.

Glenda has always been an action-taker: if she wants to do something, she does it, which is why it would frustrate her when people would tell her about things they’d put on their bucket list. “Why can’t you do it now?” Glenda would reply. Earlier this year, Glenda published Kicking Out the Bucket List, a part-memoir-part-guidebook that teaches people how to live life with intention and passion.

For about two decades, Glenda has worked as a coach, teaching individuals and teams how to be more successful and more fulfilled. Just as a financial adviser helps people with their financial portfolio, Glenda helps clients with their life portfolio. We don’t have to wait for retirement to get what we want; we can start building that life now.

I’m looking forward to reading Glenda’s book – not in the distant future, but over the Christmas holidays.