Carol Murray: Surviving a Parachute Failure and Building Resilience Through Community

In this episode of Resilience Unravelled, Dr Russell Thackeray and guest Carol Murray discuss her resilience after a skydiving accident 29 years ago in which both parachutes failed, causing a 3,100-foot fall; she endured 26 surgeries, chronic pain, two and a half years in a wheelchair, and relearned to walk, noting fear was a major psychological barrier and that hydrotherapy helped rebuild confidence. Murray reflects on risk, emphasising considering consequences and ripple effects, and critiques inadequate safety training and oversight at the skydiving school. She explains her career as a professional fundraiser who has helped raise over $50 million, describing fundraising as donor-centered relationship building across mail, major gifts, and legacy giving. Murray shares a resilience framework focused on community, values, perspective, and mindset, and encourages being true to oneself, not giving up, and “borrowing strength” from others; she can be found at carolmurray.ca. 00:00 Welcome and Introductions 01:33 Meet Carol Murray 01:55 Skydiving Accident Story 02:36 What Went Wrong 05:16 Aftermath and Recovery 05:47 Risk and Consequences 07:52 Learning to Walk Again 10:50 Career in Fundraising 11:49 How Fundraising Works 15:12 Resilience Framework 17:17 Borrowing Strength 19:22 Connect and Closing You can contact us at [email protected]