PODCASTS
Richard's Most Memorable Guests: Gill Hicks
Conversations is bringing you a summer treat — a collection of Richard's most memorable guests through out the years.
Gill Hicks lost both her legs in the London bombings in 2005. But from the start of her recovery, she was determined not to dwell on hate or revenge, instead focus on the love that surrounded her, from family, police, doctors and nurses and complete strangers. She formed a charity called MAD for Peace, which invites us all to look for peace in our lives.
Gill Hicks was living in London in 2005. One morning she boarded a train on the Picadilly Line, and in the crowded carriage she was standing next to Jermaine Lindsay who was carrying a bomb.
When the bomb was detonated, she felt as though she was being enveloped in inky blackness. When the emergency lights came on she saw her legs and feet were shattered.
Gill heard two insistent voices in her head: one was female, inviting her to surrender into the peace of death. The other voice was male, and it was demanding that she choose to live.
As Gill waited for help to come, she made a contract with herself to survive. But she says, she wasn't fully aware of the 'fine print'.
Gill became close friends with the many police officers and medical staff who saved her life. She says the love she received from complete strangers is much more important to her than the hateful attack on herself and her fellow passengers.
Gill founded a charity called MAD for Peace, which invites people all over the world to look for peace in their own lives.
This episode of Conversations contains discussion about terrorism, bombs, bombings, Jihad, terrorists, London, underground, the Tube, relationships, disasters, religion, London Bombings, rescue operations, rescuers, ambulance, first responders, Jermaine Linday, Mad for Peace, Piccadilly Line, Adelaide, expats, mad nests, charities, walking, prosthetics, prosthetic legs, disability, fundraising.
Gill Hicks AM MBE
Motivational Speaker for Peace, Artist, Performer, and Survivor
Today it's an honour to bring you a conversation with the brave and inspirational Gill Hicks.
Gill was a hugely successful young woman working in publishing and music, when, in a split second, her world was dramatically changed. On the morning of 7th July 2005, she was sat on a bus, on her way to work, two seats away from a suicide bomber. Gill was the last survivor dragged from the carnage of that horrific day, so badly injured that in hospital her name tag read, “One Unknown, probably female.”
In this life-affirming and deeply moving episode, Gill discusses her life before and after the attack and the extraordinary life she lives now, dedicated to peace, reconciliation and combating radicalisation. She talks about young people, resilience and how together, we can change the world for the better.
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About the host
Richard Gerver is a sought-after speaker, world-renowned thinker, and bestselling author of books including Change and Simple Thinking. His career began in education, first as a teacher and then as a school principal, when he turned the fortunes of a failing school and its pupils around in just two years.
Now regarded as one of the world's leading thinkers on human leadership and organisational transformation, Richard has worked with an extraordinary range of people, from elite athletes to former US President Barack Obama. Named UK Business Speaker of the Year three times, Richard has been invited to speak on the world’s most recognised stages, including TED, the RSA and the BBC.
Follow Richard on Twitter @richardgerver and on LinkedIn.
Standing Tall
with Gill Hicks AM MBE
In my view, the very embodiment of courage and resilience is my friend Gill Hicks. As a young woman Gill travelled to London to find adventure and a new life. She found success and everything she had hoped for in that wonderful city. But that all changed in "a breath", when she was just meters away from a detonating suicide bomber on the London Underground in July 2005. The ghastly physical impact was just the beginning of a journey that would lead her on a quest to literally promote world peace. Gill is articulate, kind and outspoken about her vision of what humanity could look like. I need to sit down with her for a few more hours to hear more of her philosophies!
Gill's book "One Unknown"