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Natalie du Toit

@natsdutoit

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Official Instagram of Natalie du Toit Olympic & Paralympic gold medals 🏊 🥇MBE
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Hi I am Natalie

If you are new to my feed, here is a short snapshot into who I am.

I am an Olympic swimmer and a Paralympic Gold medallist and world record holder - yes both!
I am an international keynote and motivational speaker.
I am a digital marketing consultant.
I am a content creator and consultant.
I am a trustee and committee member.
I am a television commentator.
I am an ambassador - going on two decades for Laureus Sport for good Foundation.
Proud member of the British empire and gold recipient of the order of Ikhamanga in Gold (our countries honours from our president).
I am a dog mom to one of the most mischievous boys you will meet.

I am the fortunate owner of 3 different legs which enable me to ‘live my life’ the best I can.
And after being involved in a scooter accident at the age of 17, I found myself understanding inclusion, diversity and accessibility as I experience these daily and now advocating for these in motivational speaking and my digital marketing daily.

I am now learning to run as I start up some exercise after quite some time.

And most importantly - I am a dreamer who believes that all my dreams will come true and that my happily ever after in business and yes, romance will happen.

#openforbusiness #digitalmarketer #smallbusiness #services #whoami by @natsdutoit

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2 years ago

She is choosing to become a beginner again, take a risk and discover what she can do in a completely different arena!

It has been a while!

#nataliedutoit #inspiration #sport by @natsdutoit

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2 days ago

Sometimes an opportunity comes along that you just can’t let go of!

#nataliedutoit #inspiration My first steps! by @natsdutoit

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4 days ago

Something happened the other day, reminding me of the ‘Old’ story of the mustard seed …
It starts as a small seed with almost nothing, easy to overlook and easy to underestimate.

But give it time, root it in the right ground and it grows into something big enough for others to find shelter in.
Crush it and it releases something sharp, something bold and something that changes the whole dish.

There is something quite beautiful in that story.
The mustard seed reminds me that beginnings do not have to look impressive. They can be small, uncertain and easily missed and you may not be able to see what they will become.

I think about that a lot.

I definitely have moments where I doubt myself and where I have walked into a room and wondered where I fit in.

Have you experienced that feeling?

Sometimes, you simply need to trust.

#nataliedutoit #inspirational #mustardseedstories Natalie du Toit at a cricket game by @natsdutoit

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19 days ago

You have to keep going!

A few days ago, I was preparing for a short motivational talk for people I spend a lot of time with.

And I found myself thinking: What does one say?

Then it dawned on me. The simpler, the better.

Sometimes, we need a reminder or a different way of looking at something. And most times, something just clicks.

There have been many moments in my life when I had no idea what the next step looked like. I did not always have a plan, but I knew, more or less, the direction I wanted to go.

Hard work, perseverance, peopel that believed in me and setting big dreams allowed me to put one foot in front of the other…

And then another…

And bam.

You look back and realise just how far you have come.

Resilience is not being fearless.
Make sure that you do not to let one difficult moment decide the rest of your story.

Take the next step.
And then take another.
And keep going

#nataliedutoit #inspirational Natalie du Toit swimming by @natsdutoit

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a month ago

I am back with a question I get asked all the time:
“What motivates Natalie du Toit today?”

Honestly? I still ask myself that some mornings.

When I sit for some time thinking, the answer isn’t that different from what drove me at 17, in a hospital bed, back into the pool, relearning how to swim after losing my leg. Scared. Frustrated. Not sure my body would ever feel like mine again.

Here is what I keep coming back to… every setback is only a tumble turn. You approach the wall. You turn. You push off, a little harder than before.

Because you have done it before and you can do it again.

“Different” doesn’t mean “less.” I had to believe that about myself before I could say it to anyone else.

What is your tumble turn moment?

#nataliedutoit #inspiration A head and shoulders painting of Natalie du Toit alongside a picture of her sitting in top of a starting block. by @natsdutoit

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a month ago

It has been 25 years! ❤️

Golly gosh. I received the best news recently: I could finally get new prosthetic liners.

And in that moment, I realised just how long I have been without a leg.
25 years!

Twenty-five years down, with so many good, bad, funny, frustrating and unexpected stories in between.
That got me thinking.

I have sacrificed so many things I have loved, but I wouldn’t change the journey. Or maybe I would change one or two things! 😉

There have been obstacles. Big ones!
Things I never planned for. Things that made me question myself. Things that forced me to find a different way forward.

But I have learnt to dig a little deeper and discover strength I did not know I had.

Some of life’s best things ask us to choose.

Choosing that extra effort.
Choosing discipline when motivation disappears.
Choosing to keep going when few believe you will make it.
Choosing to ultimately put your dream first, even when it means your personal life sometimes takes a back seat.

We often call these things sacrifices.
Maybe, just maybe, these sacrifices are actually an investment in the person we are becoming.
Your dreams will always ask something of you.

So don’t fear the effort. Don’t resent the obstacles. Don’t wish away the seasons that challenge you ❤️

#NatalieDuToit #Resilience #DreamBig Natalie du Toit training in a different before qualifying for her dream Olympic Games 2008 by @natsdutoit

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a month ago

“Where is Natalie du Toit now?”

It is probably one of the questions I get asked most.

And honestly, it is not always an easy one to answer because my life has changed so much over the years.

“Do you still swim?”

Yes. These days, though, it is very different.

For most of my life, swimming was everything. It was where I spent my days, where I learnt about winning and losing and where I learnt to keep going when things didn’t go according to plan.

After losing my leg at 17, getting back into the pool became about much more than swimming.
I found my way back to myself, realising that my life could still be bigger than I had ever imagined.

And I think that is something I have carried with me ever since.

Life does not always turn out the way you planned. Sometimes the thing you thought was your whole purpose ends and you have to find a new way forward.

Maybe the finish line was just the means to becoming your best version.

#WhereIsNataliedutoit #Nataliedutoit #BeInspired #DreamBig Natalie du Toit sitting on top of starting block by @natsdutoit

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a month ago

Spring has sprung and today I turn one…

Perhaps the best part of where I am now is realising you never really return to where you started; instead, you arrive somewhere new, carrying everything you have learned along the way.

I am still surrounded by sport, but I see it differently now. I’m no longer the athlete chasing the next goal, the next race or the next medal. I get to experience sport from another side and to be honest, it is a side that was always a part of what drove me as an athlete.

I digress.

One year!

This year has taught me about leadership; most importantly, you have to believe in what you are asking other people to believe in.

Working in the NGO space has emphasised that so much of what we do comes down to people. People giving of their time. Opening doors. Making introductions. Supporting a cause, telling a story, contributing because they believe it can make a difference.
And that feels very familiar.
These are the same things that helped me succeed as an elite athlete.
Someone believed in me. Someone gave me an opportunity. Someone supported me. And along the way, I had to learn to ask for help and trust the people around me.

The medal that one wins at the end of a race tells an entire story of trials and tribulations. It tells a story of hard work, dedication, sacrifice, team work and so much more.
It is the opportunity that gets someone started.
The person who finds their belief.
The community that becomes stronger.
The story that finally gets heard.

So, maybe then … I haven’t moved as far away from being an athlete as I thought.
I think I have just found a different way to use everything that sport has taught me.

So, I am one year into this chapter and still so many lives to change. Natalie du Toit running out of the sea with two legs! by @natsdutoit

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a month ago

Para golds, and a place in the able-bodied 800m freestyle final. Natalie du Toit’s Manchester 2002 swim was a Games performance like no other.

Is this Your Greatest Games Moment? Round 1 voting is open now until Friday 10 July. Pick your top three at the link in bio. by @natsdutoit

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3 months ago

Do you dare to dream?

A day like today means more to me than most people realise, Olympic Day!

There was a time when very few people believed I belonged on the starting block. After placing fourth in the world at the World Championships, I was asked whether my competitors swam slower against me because I only had one leg.

Not whether I had trained hard enough.Not whether I had earned my place, but whether my success was due to others somehow holding back.

When people doubt you, it can make you question your own dreams. It can make you wonder whether the impossible is really worth chasing.

But sport taught me something powerful: it does not care about your circumstances. It does not care about what you have lost, what people say about you.

It only asks two questions: Do you dare to dream? And do the people that matter around you believe in you?

There will be moments when very few people believe you can do it. There will be voices that tell you to be realistic, to lower your expectations, or to stay in your lane.
Yet sometimes, that is exactly what makes achieving your dream even sweeter.

A big thank you to each person and organisation that played a part in reaching my Olympic Dream.

On this Olympic Day, I celebrate every person who continues to show up, work hard and dare to dream.

#OlympicDay #nataliedutoit Natalie du Toit carrying the flag at the Beijing open ceremony. by @natsdutoit

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4 months ago

Some days I wonder if I’m enough!

Has this line ever crossed your mind?
We work hard. We show up. We give our energy to the things and people that matter most.
And yet, there are times when it feels as though the effort isn’t making a difference, the progress is invisible and the finish line seems further away than ever.

Life rarely unfolds exactly as we imagine it will. Plans change.

In sport, you quickly learn that progress is not always measured by the clock, the medal, or the result. Some of the most important growth happens in the early mornings, in the difficult sessions and in the moments when nobody is watching.

If you find yourself in one of those seasons, remember this:

Let’s flip the script…
Keep going
Even when it’s quiet.
Even when no one is watching.
Even when you cannot yet see the finish line.

Especially then.

#natsdutoit #beinspired Natalie du Toit standing in a very old school telephone booth by @natsdutoit

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4 months ago