A Masterclass On Honesty, Courage and Perseverance | Charlie Webster

Charlie Webster (0:00)

I'm resilient because I've gone through this.

Just to wake up each morning, just to get through everything you've got through, you need to be resilient. If there's anybody out there that's gone through some kind of trauma and doesn't feel resilient, you are goddamn resilient because you've got through each day. Sometimes it takes so much resilience to get through each day, but to me, I don't think that's what we should be teaching.

Michael Gervais (0:30)

Okay, welcome back, or welcome to the Finding Mastery Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Michael Gervais, by training and training a high-performance psychologist. And I am super excited to sit down with Charlie Webster for this week's conversation. Charlie is incredible.

She understands deep pain, and more importantly, how to work with it. And that's why I wanted to have her on. Professionally, her work spans across broadcasting, journalism, and she's a writer, a documentarian, and endurance athlete. Her body of work is extensive, to say the least.

She pushes on the edges in everything she does. In 2016, she was put on life support and given 24 hours to live. We dive right in to explore what drives her. What is she working towards? And how does she take care of herself amidst a life of constant doing and high achievement? And I know that you can relate to that tension too. So, as you'll hear in this conversation, Charlie is so much more than her accomplishments. Her honesty is striking. And she's navigated her life with incredible perseverance. And I think we all have something to learn from her journey of becoming. And if you're enjoying this podcast and haven't already, just a quick reminder to hit the subscribe or follow button and to drop us a review wherever you're listening. It is the easiest and zero-cost way to support the show. So with that, let's jump right into this week's conversation with Charlie Webster.

Okay, Charlie, I need to read this to set the scene because of your history and your breadth. So I want to get this piece right here. You are the first woman to host a televised boxing world heavyweight championship title fight.

You have hosted and produced at least seven different podcasts. You've created a TV documentary for BBC. You had a serious near-death experience.

It's like a check, check, check.

Charlie Webster (2:26)

I would like to get the box as you read.

Michael Gervais (2:28)

You've run 14 marathons.

Charlie Webster (2:30)

Oh, I think I might have done 15

Michael Gervais (2:31)

15

Charlie Webster (2:32)

I did one in November, so I think that needs to be added.

Michael Gervais (2:35)

There we go.

Charlie Webster (2:36)

To the list.

Michael Gervais (2:36)

Three Ironman triathletes?

Charlie Webster (2:38)

Yeah.

Michael Gervais (2:39)

They're triathlons? You're currently an SVP for Lionsgate.

My goodness. And somehow I feel like I'm just scratching the surface with that list.

Charlie Webster (2:50)

Yeah, that is definitely the surface.

It's kind of weird as well because I can be a little bit funny when people read achievements. I need to either make a joke, which I think I had to do about the checklist. And then sometimes maybe it's an English thing, like won't feel embarrassed about the achievements and because I don't see myself as that. I just see myself as just me and haven't really, don't really stop sometimes. I'm trying to get better at it to actually go, oh yeah, I did that.

Michael Gervais (3:26)

Okay, so there's a lot and you've been doing a lot for a long time. And what I hear you saying is like, okay, there's a little bit of like an almost an embarrassment or something. I don't know if that's the right word. I introduced that word.

Charlie Webster (3:37)

But I did say embarrassed.

Michael Gervais (3:38)

You did say that? Okay.

Charlie Webster (3:39)

But I shouldn't be. So for anybody listening, you should never be embarrassed about what you've done.

Michael Gervais (3:45)

But I understand what you're talking about. It's a little weird, right? And at the same time, you know, I'm fascinated by, I want to know, like, where you're coming from. I want to know what's driving this big motor that you have. So let's just pause there.

Where are you coming from, from the inside out?

Charlie Webster (4:02)

That's a big question. Well, I think it's changed over time.

So if I look back now, I think it's not a coincidence that I went into a very originally male-dominated industry, an industry that was very, very hard to get into, but one that did give you a voice. So I think what drove me isn't the same now. So what drove me originally, I think, was feeling like I didn't have a voice, feeling like people coming from where I come from don't get those opportunities. People like me don't get to experience those things. And I think that was a huge driver in a good and a bad way, though, because it meant that I never let up and nothing was ever enough because it was coming from a place of not being good enough.