Whether researching pain in young people, completing her PhD, or competing on a reality TV adventure show, pain researcher Hayley Leake definitely relishes new challenges. In the 2022 edition of Harvest, the College alumna and reigning ‘Sole Survivor’ explained how she bounces back from failure and why she would rather try and fail than never try in the first place.

What drew you to physiotherapy and pain research?

To be honest, I found it very difficult to decide what to study at university. In school, I really liked studying biology, and I really, really liked maths. I considered engineering (I even studied 6 months of Engineering at University), but ultimately I was more interested in how people work rather than how things work. Physiotherapy met my needs of learning about the body and working with people; it also gave me access to working in a hospital setting, which I really love.

However, after a few years of working as a physiotherapist, I wanted to diversify my skill set. I was really attracted to learning research skills, and so I started a PhD. I’m naturally very curious, and I like to solve problems. Research allowed me to do that, and I got to apply maths again, through statistics.

As for pain research – well, pain is incredibly interesting. As a physiotherapist, I mostly work with biological things – muscle length, re-training nerves after stroke – that kind of thing. But pain is both biological but also psychological. Being able to study the brain really fascinated me, and it’s an important part of pain research.

How did your time at St Joseph’s College prepare you for your career?

St. Joseph’s College allowed me to explore a number of interests. I was really attracted to science and maths, but I also loved dance and the arts. The diversity of options at St Joseph’s allowed me to pursue both of those passions.

What do you feel is your highest achievement?

It’s really hard to answer this question because my idea of ‘achievement’ might not align with others’. To be very honest, my best achievement is that I have really good relationships with my family and friends – a lot of my most important friendships are people that I met at St Joseph’s when I was in Year 7. (I am 32 years old now.) I know that no matter what other achievements I may have (or failures), those friends will stick by me, and that is incredibly important to me.

Besides that (and in another non-traditional approach to achievement) I am very proud that I have challenged myself to do difficult things. I am proud I started my PhD. I am proud that I applied to go on Survivor (and while I won, I would be just as proud to have played without winning). I am proud that I have given 110% to everything I have tried, should I have succeeded or not.

What is your favourite college memory, subject, and camp or excursion?

So many amazing memories from my time at SJC. The school camp in year 12 was a huge highlight for me – reading letters from my parents at that camp was very moving. Year 8 camp at the Grampians was an amazing experience – I still remember doing the high-ropes course, and down-hill mountain biking. It was really thrilling. I wonder if it was part of the reason I ended seeking those thrills later in life – bungee jumping, sky diving!

Two other key memories were taking part in Tournament of the Minds. This was a problem-solving inter-school challenge, where I got to learn about social issues and find creative solutions. Another memory was creating a dance for May Day with two friends, Jessica and Hannah. I’m not sure if you still celebrate May Day, but we put together a dance and performed it in front of the whole school. We were so nervous, but we ended up having a great time, and we won!

What motivates you to keep working towards your goals when faced with challenges?

It has been valuable for me to acknowledge that life isn’t like it looks on Instagram. Everyone has ups, and everyone has downs. Sometimes I am really focused on my goals, and sometimes it is much harder to stay focused. Acknowledging that takes away any guilt I might feel when life isn’t ‘going to plan’. Over time, I have learnt what works for me. I do best when I have a routine. A routine that includes exercising (predominantly to keep my mind healthy), good sleep hygiene, realistic goals that are written down, and a support base of people around me that I communicate well with.

When you fail, what do you do to pick yourself up?

When I fail, I take some time to feel whatever emotions I might be feeling. I find it really helpful to write in a diary; it helps me reflect take my worries out of my mind and put them somewhere external. I find someone who I trust and who is safe to me, and I talk through my thoughts. Sometimes I go to YouTube and listen to people who inspire me and listen to them talk about their failures and how they learnt from them. Then, I remind myself that failure is a great way to learn. I would rather reach high and fail, than not reach high at all.

What advice would you give to our students who might be inspired by you?

Advice that I have valued has been to reach out to people working in the area you are interested in. For example, if you want to be a physiotherapist, reach out to a physiotherapist, and ask if you can go observe their work. If you want to be in research, reach out and see if you can sit in on a virtual meeting. I have found it helpful to find someone to act as a mentor, who can provide guidance and answer questions. It might take a while to find a good match, but people are interested in helping. I have learnt a lot from having a network of people around me, especially some that are a few years above me in my career path.

Besides winning, tell us about your favourite experience on Survivor.

One of the best experiences on Survivor for me was walking out onto the matt on day one. I had been a childhood fan of Survivor since I was 11 years old – that’s 20 years of watching this game. I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would even apply, let alone get picked to play. Walking out on day one, you had 23 other people about to start the same game, hundreds of camera crew and producers, and it was very overwhelming. I was so nervous the host would ask me a question, I kept averting my eyes. But once the game started, somehow it became your life. For 48 days, your day consisted of finding a soft patch of dirt to sleep on, keeping the fire going, cooking rice, and trying not to be the target of the vote.

What do you miss most about Mildura?

There is so much I love about Mildura, but one thing I miss a lot is the nature. I miss the river, the smell of it, the feel of the water, the sound of the wildlife. That is the most grounding ‘home-like’ experience for me. It makes me feel calm and brings back a lot of childhood memories.

What do you want to achieve next?

I am about a week away from clicking the ‘submit’ button on my PhD. This has been a four-year endeavour: a lot of challenging times, a lot of self-motivation. So, I will be incredibly proud once that is submitted. I have plans to continue working as a pain researcher in academia. I am focused on looking for better interventions to help teenagers with chronic pain. Chronic pain is really challenging and misunderstood in the lives of young people – I am excited to keep working in that space.

Besides that, I am nesting. I’ve just purchased a house (thanks, Survivor!) and am doing some renovations to it, getting ready to start a tribe of my own.