As a fresh-faced 30-year-old hoping to pursue a career in international sportswear marketing, Lee den Hond was determined to make it big in New York City. But when her unrealistic expectations were followed by a brutal knife attack, she found her dreams derailed. Down but not out, Lee returned home to South Africa with barely $20 to her name. From rock bottom, she built up a multimillion-rand events company, won South African Businesswoman of the Year and transformed herself into a remarkable extreme athlete.
In her memoir, Lee details how, instead of focusing on all the reasons not to do something, her mindset is to focus on why she should do it. Whether it’s tackling the pinnacle of physical human endeavour, Mount Everest, running across the Sahara, or inspiring others to reach their full potential, for Lee almost anything can be achieved if you set your mind to it. In What Happens When You Say Yes, she asks, what’s your Everest? Then she inspires you to climb it.
“There’s so much to do in this life; do it for a reason; do it for a purpose. It’s the ‘why’ you’re doing it which leads you to the ‘how’ and ultimately across the line. Just say, yes!”
