Tarryn Tomlinson: She lost her mobility at 18. Then she climbed Kilimanjaro | #ShiftHappens
7 October 2026
Tarryn Tomlinson began using a wheelchair as a teenager. In 2020, she travelled up Kilimanjaro in it, reaching Kibo Hut at around 4,720 metres.
In this episode of Shift Happens, Tarryn joins Richard Sutton to explore what happens when your independence is taken from you, and what it takes to reclaim it.
Diagnosed with aggressive rheumatoid arthritis in her final year of high school, Tarryn was living with constant pain at 18 while her friends moved into the next stage of their lives. An inaccessible school bus meant she had to complete her studies by correspondence.
In her early twenties, with no job and very little money, she decided to move to Italy. People told her to be realistic.
She went anyway.
Italy helped her rediscover adventure and independence. It also exposed the barriers that made everyday life difficult for wheelchair users, from entering buildings to finding accessible accommodation.
That shaped her work in accessibility. She founded the Bambini Dream Foundation Trust and LiveABLE, and later launched Able2Travel to make travel more accessible.
Then came Kilimanjaro. She said no for two years.
The conversation covers what changed her mind, and why accepting help can give us greater freedom to make our own choices.
IN THIS EPISODE
– Living with constant pain at 18
– Moving to Italy with no job and very little money
– Turning personal experience into work in accessibility
– Kilimanjaro, and the people who helped make it possible
– Reconsidering what independence means
What would you attempt if you allowed yourself to ask for help? Tell us in the comments.
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ABOUT SHIFT HAPPENS
Hosted by Richard Sutton, Shift Happens explores the turning points that shaped some of South Africa’s most accomplished people, and what their experiences can teach us.
ABOUT RICHARD SUTTON
Richard Sutton is an advisor on leadership, resilience and human performance, Director of SuttonHealth and Founder of FIRST/LIGHT™. His 25 years of experience include leading performance strategy for an Olympic gold-medal-winning team and advising seven former world No. 1 tennis players. He is the best-selling author of Shift Happens, Thrive, The Stress Code and Stressproof.
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