Summit Mindset: Grit, Growth and Grace

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Summit mindset!

For Alexis Diachkoff, this isn’t a cliché—it’s lived experience. Her path to leadership has been anything but linear, shaped by personal loss, professional pivots, and a deep, unshakable resilience. A true example of modern stoicism, Alexis has built a life and career around adaptability, integrity, and courage—choosing freedom over convention, and growth over comfort.

Now the HR Manager of two aged care facilities on the Sunshine Coast, Alexis is responsible for more than 300 staff. But behind the impressive title is a woman who has carved her own path, without a university degree, relying instead on real world experience and an insatiable drive to learn and grow.

Resilience, Not a Resume

Alexis left home at 17, bought her first house at 19, and has never stopped moving forward. Her early years saw her working in bakeries, specialising in the fine art of cake decorating, then onto a pharmacy and psychology clinic—learning the ropes of business and leadership from the ground up.

Later, a move to the Sunshine Coast with her police officer husband led to a string of roles in logistics, customs, and administration before she joined the aged care sector.

What began as a work-life balance inspired step back in her career to a reception job soon evolved. Her initiative and capability saw her progress through rostering, accounts, admin supervision and eventually to her current role overseeing HR across two sites.

“I kept stepping up when I saw a need,” she explains. “I didn’t have the qualifications on paper, but I knew I could do the work.”

Recognition That Matters

It wasn’t until Alexis found herself recruiting new staff with business and HR diplomas that she began considering Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for herself.

“I thought—if they have that qualification, why shouldn’t I? I’m doing the job.”

She reached out to Churchill Education and completed an RPL assessment that awarded her BSB50320 Diploma of Human Resource Management.

The process, she says, was straightforward: the hardest part was choosing which work examples to use.

“I had so many. I wasn’t sure which ones they were after, but once I pulled it all together, it was surprisingly quick.”

Not only did she gain a diploma, but when enrolling in a Bachelor of Psychology shortly afterwards, Alexis was granted a full year of academic credit—a powerful reminder of the value of real-world experience.

Choosing a Life of Freedom

While Alexis continues to challenge herself professionally, she and her family have made a conscious decision to prioritise freedom over accumulation.

They downsized their home, invest strategically, and travel regularly—summiting Himalayan peaks, exploring Jordan, and planning quiet surf escapes to Bali.

“We realised we didn’t want the biggest house or the fanciest things. We wanted time. Experiences. Freedom.”

It’s this same philosophy that guides her approach to career and learning. She enrolled in her psychology degree not to become a psychologist, but because she wanted to understand people better.

“I’m not chasing a title. I just want to keep learning.”

Hard-Won Wisdom

Alexis’s perspective on life is grounded in lived experience. She’s lost both her birth dad and stepfather, and her mother to suicide. She has also walked alongside others through deep grief and hardship. These experiences have only sharpened her empathy and resolve.

“Everyone has challenges,” she says. “It’s what you do with them that defines you.”

Her advice to others considering RPL?

“Don’t underestimate what you already know. You’ve earned it—even if it’s not written down yet.”

Whether she’s leading a team, summiting a mountain, or encouraging her son toward his own dreams of aeronautical engineering, Alexis continues to climb—one step, one choice, one hard-won insight at a time.

Her story is proof that you don’t need to follow a straight line to reach the summit. You just need the courage to keep climbing.

In Summary

Alexis Diachkoff embodies the power of resilience, self-awareness, and intentional living.

Her journey shows that experience is as valuable as education, and that real success comes from aligning your career with your values. Whether it’s through formal recognition like RPL or informal life lessons gained the hard way, Alexis reminds us that we each have more strength—and more wisdom—than we realise. And with that, anything is possible.