- Peggy Renders - Chief Customer Officer - Telstra Enterprise & Chief Laps Officer, Telstra
Peggy shares her personal connection to swimming in the Laps for Life Challenge. You can donate to support Peggy and ReachOut here.
Two weeks before school started, I found myself standing at the base of Kilimanjaro, in my hiking boots, with my two teenage sons. One an aspiring mountaineer and one a reluctant rebel.
It was my younger son I was thinking about most. 14 years old and, if I’m honest, not that excited about being here at all. The previous year at school had been a hard one. At home, he’d been withdrawing, spending more time in his room and less time connecting with me. Getting him to agree to do this trip took patience and a fair bit of effort!
About Laps for Life
Laps for Life is a ReachOut annual swimming challenge held throughout March to raise funds and awareness for youth mental health.
Participants set their own swimming distance goals to complete in pools or the ocean, with funds supporting ReachOut’s online services, including peer support and coaching for young people.
As a parent, you can sense when something isn’t quite right, but you can’t always reach it. And when it comes to teenagers, especially boys, mental health doesn’t usually announce itself loudly. It shows up quietly. In withdrawal. In frustration. In moments when they’re physically present, but not really there.
Well, the mountain wasted no time testing us. Temperatures dropped to –25 degrees, the days were long, and the physical effort was full on. There was no phone reception, no distractions, no easy way out.
Everyone was cold. Everyone was tired. Everyone had to keep moving.
What surprised me was how quickly my 14-year-old stepped forward.
Despite being the one who’d least wanted to come, he became the first one up every morning, ready to go before anyone else. Day by day, he found his rhythm. Before long, he’d naturally become the leader of the pack, connecting with the guides and other hikers. At night, device free in the tent, it was about card games and laughing and a deeper connection.
It was never more obvious to me that metaphorically and literally, I need to walk alongside my child.
There were small moments that meant a lot to me as a mum. At home, he’s always been a picky eater, meals can be a negotiation. On the mountain, he ate everything put in front of him. No fuss. No resistance. Just fuel for the climb. It felt symbolic. He was present, accepting what was needed, trusting the process.
There were still moments when things felt heavy. Times when he went quiet or pulled back. But without the noise of everyday life, those moments didn’t linger. They passed. Confidence and connection built through doing and talking.
That experience has stayed with me; it’s something I think about in my role as Chief Laps Officer for Laps for Life.
Because I saw it play out so clearly on that mountain: being in motion shifts your emotions.
Movement doesn’t have to be fast or impressive. On Kilimanjaro, progress was measured one step at a time. You can’t control the weather. You can’t rush the climb. You can only focus on what’s directly in front of you, the next step, the things you can control.
That’s exactly what Laps for Life is about.
You don’t have to swim far. You don’t have to be quick. Some days it might be a few laps. Some days it might be none at all. But showing up, moving your body, and being part of something shared has a quiet power. It creates connection. It builds confidence. It allows things to shift.
By the time we came down the mountain, all three of us were exhausted and all three of us were changed.
As a mum, it reminded me that growth doesn’t always come from fixing or forcing change. And as Chief Laps Officer, it’s why this challenge means so much to me. Laps for Life isn’t just about swimming. It’s about movement, connection, and creating space for change. One lap, one step, one moment at a time.
Sometimes, being in motion really does change how we feel. And walking alongside the people we love is where the real meaning and possibility for change is.
About ReachOut Australia and Telstra Foundation
Funds raised in the Laps for Life Challenge go to ReachOut Australia’s leading online mental health service. Since launching in 1998, ReachOut has been connecting and supporting young people, and their parent, carer and teacher networks to a range of mental health services that are available when and where they need it. They are the pioneer of an online model of mental health support for young people all over Australia.
ReachOut takes an evidence-based approach to providing 100% online free mental health resources and support for young people across Australia. These resources include one-to-one peer support and moderated online communities, tips, stories and resources that are accessible to anyone in need.
Telstra and the Telstra Foundation have a longstanding relationship with ReachOut partnering to help young people access personalised, youth‑designed digital mental health support faster, using technology that is safe, ethical and shaped by lived experience.
