It’s midday and Sandra Sully is appearing on Zoom with her adorable black shoodle, Keiko, excitedly bouncing around her. Casually dressed in a blue puffer, with sunglasses propped up on her head, she comes across as relaxed, easygoing and happy. I get the feeling not much fazes her – not even when Keiko tries to steal her one AirPod from her ear. “This COVID puppy has probably been one of the best decisions I’ve made in a very long time,” Sandra says, laughing.
Watching Sandra it’s surprising, yet refreshing, to see her so unguarded, especially as it contrasts what you may have come to know from seeing her on screen as the 10 News First presenter for Sydney and Brisbane.
Aside from her busy career in front of the camera, Sandra has always prioritised staying fit and active and is a big sports enthusiast. She’s been vice president of Hockey Australia since 2019 (and a director and board member for seven years), as well as one of the first female members of the Carbine Club of New South Wales, which supports children in sport. “I’m really passionate about building support for hockey in Australia,” she beams. “It’s been a steady build for the Hockeyroos and we have high hopes for them. It does take up a lot of my time, but, you know, it never feels like hard work when you do something you love.” Sandra has also been a Patron for SpinalCure Australia for more than 20 years, actively fundraising to support research into spinal cord injury.
Back On Her Feet
But life has been running at a slower pace for Sandra over the past few years due to some foot trouble. “I love to run and I’ve had a treadmill at home for about six years,” she says. “I could always just nip downstairs and jump on the treadmill for 20 minutes, but then, two years ago, I had major foot surgery and that was a really big challenge.” Working through the rehab was difficult. She couldn’t walk for a couple of weeks and, once back at work, managing in front of the cameras with a big moon boot proved to be an exercise in patience and creativity. “I couldn’t wear heels for more than two months and we had to get clever with camera angles,” she remembers.
For someone who’s always been active, Sandra tried to keep perspective. “A lot of people are far worse off with injuries,” she says. “This is a product, and I say this begrudgingly, of age and joints wearing out and, like everyone, I’m just trying to manage that [ageing] process.
“I’ve been back to running for about a year, which has been great, but I just have to watch how much I do,” she says. And she admits she always wants to do more, “but then I pay a bit of a price”. Sandra’s top workout tip? Schedule it in.
“I actually diarise my exercise, and also having to walk my dog every day has been great.” Keiko is a constant happy companion while we chat. “This little guy has been the best tonic!” Sandra says, smiling. “I’m such a dog person and I’ve wanted a dog for so long.” She credits him with helping her appreciate the smaller things. “Going for a walk in the park, being in the sun and playing with him is so joyful. You can’t underestimate how important that is when you’re feeling down or struggling.”
Finding Peace
Sandra admits that the 2020–21 pandemic was hard. “I’m not going to pretend that I did it tougher than anyone else – I didn’t,” she says. “I had a job to go to every day for the past two years and I felt extremely privileged that I could go to work every day.” But, during the height of the lockdowns, she encouraged her husband of 11 years, former banking executive Symon Brewis-Weston, who was working in a different state, to stay where he was.
“I told him not to come home, knowing he’d be trapped in the house and not be allowed to go outside for more than an hour a day,” Sandra says. “It was better for his mental health to be in Queensland. He could get out, walk and run and he actually got really fit during that period! He’s just very jealous that Keiko has now become mine,” she says, jokingly. And, as hard as it was being apart for that time, they made it work. “I had one of my best friends move in for four and a half months,” she shares. “She helped me look after Keiko and is an amazing cook and we had one too many vodkas together! Not really, but I was just so fortunate to have her keep me company and it’s how we both survived.”
Looking back, Sandra says that uncertain period has taught her to surround herself with what you need most in life, and for her, “that’s family, good friends and keeping life simple”.
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Her Other Half
I ask her about her twin sister, Lyn. She just laughs. “I realised early on that you pay a price for living a public life and I realised I didn’t want to do that to her,” she says. “I love what I do, but I don’t think I owe anyone an explanation or insight into my personal life and so I keep it private for that reason. There’s no great secret; it’s just private.”
But, in a world where social media is king, she does like sharing some insights into who she is with the public. “I have a wicked sense of humour and I’ll share things that I find interesting and funny,” Sandra says. “I love dance, so I like to share great dance moves or joyous moments of kids singing and performing together on Instagram.” But that’s as far as it goes. She believes in keeping the deeper and more important parts of her life for those people who really care about her. “It’s created a framework for me that has really helped me navigate the madness of social media.”
Learning To Say No
It’s symptomatic of the approach that Sandra has mastered in getting the most out of life, while keeping all the balls in the air. “By setting my own boundaries, I don’t let the rest of the world take over my time,” she says. “I make sure that I quarantine my time. Just like I schedule exercise, I schedule the rest of my day. If you don’t, and you’re not conscious about keeping aside time for you, specifically, you’ll get lost. Other people will be controlling your narrative and you’ll be pulled into a million different directions.”
Learning to focus on your priorities and being able to say no when you need to is an important skill to hone, which is something Sandra is doing. “I regularly recalibrate what my priorities are and then make sure I get what I need. When you’re young, you think the runway is long and it really isn’t. Then, suddenly, you wake up and you’re 40 and then 50 and you think, ‘Hang on a minute, how much time have I got left and do I really want to be doing this?’ For me, I want to be supporting hockey; I really want to be involved, not if, but when we find a cure for spinal cord injury, which will have a profound and significant benefit for people around the world. Invest your time in what you’re passionate about, that’s my philosophy.”
Freedom Of Choice
What is Sandra like today compared with the Sandra from five years ago? “I think I’ve become quite comfortable in my own skin,” she reflects. “As you get older, you become increasingly less worried about what other people think. That’s one of the joys of getting older: you have more clarity in what matters to you.”
As for what’s next, Sandra is leaving a blank page. “I’ve never really been a goal-orientated person,” she says. “I’ve only ever really wanted to enjoy the ride, and if I’m not loving what I’m doing, I’ll jump off and find something else. I know that, in the next decade or two of my life, there will be changes. I don’t know what they’ll be, but I’m quite open to what they might be.”
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