As a young girl in the sport of BMX, Caroline Buchanan never really had any female role models to look up to.
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But now she is being the change that she always wanted to see, leading the way for female athletes in Canberra.
Buchanan is mentoring three up-and-coming BMX riders from Canberra, offering tips and advice on how to be successful in the sport and how to overcome any challenges they may face.
"I was that little girl that didn't really have too many role models in BMX to aspire to," Buchanan said.
"To leave that trail behind for the next generation gives me just as much energy and excitement as standing on top of those podiums myself."
In the midst of recovering from a life-threatening injury, which included two collapsed lungs and internal bleeding leaving her unable to compete for two-and-a-half years, the two-time Olympian is balancing her time with mentoring the three young Canberrans as well as training for the Tokyo Games.
Mentoring young Canberra riders isn't the limit to the Nutri Grain ambassador's generosity. She has also helped donate more than $75,000 in recent years to provide scholarships to young girls competing at World Championship level.
"There has been a scholarship every year, I've put 76,000 dollars back into supporting girls to go to the World Championships and compete internationally to get that exposure," Buchanan said.
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At the age of 13, Buchanan experienced what many kids would have viewed as a traumatising experience when her house burned down in the 2003 Canberra bushfires.
The Olympic hopeful knows what it feels like to experience these challenges at a young age, and now she's sharing her mindset in the hope young Australians could also learn about resilience.
"When we lost our homes, there was all this media instilled fear and they were always talking about how we were victims," Buchanan said.
"Me and my family were thinking we aren't victims, we're survivors and we are strong.
"It's all about that perspective shift and how you can have that resilience for a brighter tomorrow."
A month after Buchanan lost everything but her bike to the bushfires, she went on to become the Australian BMX champion.
Now Buchanan is teaching the younger generation that they too can overcome anything, whether that be a global pandemic or bushfires that ravaged Australia just 18 months ago.
Buchanan's mindset demonstrates that despite the negative circumstances you face, you have the power to respond in a positive way.
"There are only two things that you can control, your effort and your attitude," Buchanan said.
"It can be very easy to get caught in fear and the negative, you need to learn how to silence that and get back into a flow state where you are that champion performer."
Buchanan felt she owed it to the younger generation to be that positive role model, and to keep herself honest and consistent.
"It is so important for this next generation that they need that healthy, real role model," Buchanan said.
"It's part of what keeps me accountable to get up and work towards my dreams as well. To show that inspiration by my actions is so important, I can't express that enough."
Buchanan has turned her focus to the opening two rounds of the BMX world cup in Italy, as she looks to book her spot to Tokyo for the Olympic Games.
