Fearless: Everything Turned to Gold… Until it Didn’t | Fear, Resilience & Change episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 16, 2025 · 41 MIN

Fearless: Everything Turned to Gold… Until it Didn’t | Fear, Resilience & Change

from What's Fear Got to Do With It | Fear, Growth & the Mind · host Jo Wiese and Anne Wicking

What happens when your world crumbles to the point where you can't afford a ham sandwich? Martin Mileham shares his compelling journey from unstoppable success to standing at an ATM with just $2.40 to his name. When the Asian currency crisis hit, Martin lost everything society told him equalled success, but in this loss, he discovered an unexpected gift.With remarkable honesty, Martin reveals how his "ham sandwich moment" became his greatest teacher, eventually leading him from Perth to Dubai, where he rose from site inspector to Vice President overseeing iconic projects like the Burj Khalifa. His story challenges our assumptions about success and security, while offering powerful insights about resilience and the courage to begin again.About Our GuestMartin Mileham has an Architecture degree and over 40 years of experience as a registered Architect.  He has worked internationally on everything from delivering enormous palm-shaped islands in the Arabian Gulf, to being responsible for the tallest building in the world, through to designing one-off street furniture.   He has been the CEO of the City of Perth, the capital of Western Australia and has lived in London, Dubai, Muscat and Melbourne.  Martin and his wife now reside back home in Perth where Martin continues to consult in construction and development.Read the full show notes on our Substack: https://whatsfear.substack.com/p/s1e1000:00 Martin Mileham Intro04:18 Lessons from Financial Struggles: Pride and Reality08:28 Reassessing Values: What Truly Matters12:41 The Journey to Dubai: Luck and Opportunity20:53 Personal Growth: Flexibility and Life Lessons22:15 Navigating Failure and Courage25:34 The Liberating Experience of Disconnection30:15 Embracing Change and the Concept of Luck35:03 The Role of Fear in Motivation39:44 Lessons from the Ham Sandwich Moment43:01 It's A Wrap This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whatsfear.substack.com

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Dec 16, 2025

Embed this episode

Ready to play

Fearless: Everything Turned to Gold… Until it Didn’t | Fear, Resilience & Change

0:00 41:57

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of What's Fear Got to Do With It | Fear, Growth & the Mind?

This episode is 41 minutes long.

When was this What's Fear Got to Do With It | Fear, Growth & the Mind episode published?

This episode was published on December 16, 2025.

Can I download this What's Fear Got to Do With It | Fear, Growth & the Mind episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!