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Overcoming Mental Health Tragedy, Quitting Weed & P**n - Stefan Ozich is Raising $1 Mill for Men

November 27, 202401:08:15
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Stefan ozich welcome to my podcast yeah
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it's good to be here Dom so first of all
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um who is stepan
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ozich um well I suppose [ __ ] if You' ask
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me that 10 years ago it would be a
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different answer asked me five years ago
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it be a different answer asked me that
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two years ago it would be a different
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answer so yeah kind of just that
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continual
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progression I guess Stefan I'm a well I
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guess I could say I'm an athlete um
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that's something that I've become
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obsessed with not only athleticism but
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just pushing pushing the body physically
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mentally and spiritually that's kind of
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become a lifetime Pursuit as I kind of
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became acquainted with um endurance as a
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as a Endeavor what four years ago
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so in in in in a synthesized form and
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that would be that and I would say also
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that um focused on service being service
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oriented that's a huge huge component of
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my life and something that I truly
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believe makes a life worth living and
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that that came along with my um training
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about four years ago also so yeah that
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would be good question to start with
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there yeah what's what's a it's funny
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it's should be the easiest question to
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ask a person but I don't know as new
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zealanders I think in particular we're
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kind of shy and awkward it's it's hard
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to answer that I think a lot of people
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would answer that by just saying what
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they do for a job I guess which is like
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it's not actually who you are as a
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person is it absolutely absolutely
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something you said there in that answer
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that I wanted to um uh pick up on I
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actually saw a quote from you it said my
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athletic Endeavors began out of out of
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necessity a bigger part of me knew I
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needed to change my bad deplorable
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habits now most people would say bad
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habits but you you added an extra word
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deplorable what were these bad
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deplorable habits um well you know I
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think
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we can all relate to like in New Zealand
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especially we got that um that culture
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of just going out and you know bad
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habits of drinking and um you know
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hidden hidden istic
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Tendencies pornography girls drugs
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staying up late every night lying
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showing up to work late excuses just the
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whole lony of of just just things that I
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knew that I was just missing the Mark um
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and I was also a heavy weed smoker um
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which was probably my worst habit I had
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and I realized very quickly this would
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have been about two years ago but I had
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to stop this and that that was the
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biggest habit that I had to give up and
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I knew that it wasn't going to bring me
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closer to where I knew I wanted to go
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and where I was aiming for in my life so
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I had to let that go alongside those
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other habits I just mentioned yeah and
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you've gone like completely the other
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way so you 've gone from um chasing
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cheap dopamine which is something that's
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easy that we all do all those things you
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mentioned you know drugs alcohol
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pornography uh whatever else um to
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chasing the most expensive dopamine
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imaginable with um the most extreme
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event but this is really cool so we
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we'll get into this then we'll get into
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your why yeah because I think
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um yeah I think if if the why something
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I've learned from doing this podcast and
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speaking to like all sorts of um
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fascinating people who've done amazing
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things um with anything if the why is
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strong enough the how sort of figures
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itself out yeah yeah so so you're you're
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embarking on this adventure to run the
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length of New Zealand uh twice on the ti
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how do you say Tor Trail Tor Trail yeah
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okay so you're going to go from um cap
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ranga to Bluff and then back up again
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back up again yeah 6,000 K all up yeah
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and you're no one's no one's ever done
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it before so just completing it a world
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record yeah which I find interesting cuz
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people could definitely do like I'm
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definitely not some like high stock I'm
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not coming from a rare breed rare oak
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it's something just someone no one's
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done I don't know why but I guess people
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are like why why would I run it twice
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that's probably their logic once is
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enough but yeah I found that was a good
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reason to do it cuz no one had done it
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brings more hype more for the um
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Foundation ultimately and and you hoping
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to do it in about a 100 days yeah that's
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kind of my target but honestly like the
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the first leg I would like to get the
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fkt which is uh just under 49 days
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George what does fkt stand for fastest
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SN in time oh so George Henderson he's
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the one that holds the current record
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absolutely good Stell bloke he helped me
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with everything in in regards to
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logistics for us just giving me
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information he holds the current one of
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of about 49 days so I'd like to get that
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and on the way back whatever's time's
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left is what time is left and I've given
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me that Target because it's already such
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an audacious task and go as it is I may
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as well just have that um kind of you
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know that that stick that that carrot to
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aim for yeah I'm not too I'm not too
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fuss but I definitely don't want to be
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going much longer you know if we had 105
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hey but if we start going
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longer I kind of don't want it to get to
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that point but it's just a good Target
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yeah yeah but if you shoot for like 100
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days that's an average of about 60k a
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day correct exactly which like a
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marathon and a half which is and and on
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Trails as well not on
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road it's it's it's a Nutty a by by most
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normal normal people's standards yeah
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hey it's crazy yeah yeah it's it's funny
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because I look back to where I was four
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years ago to now and it's like it's just
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become this normal normal sea now when I
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when I hang around a lot of my Runner
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friends out in um Riverhead that they
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took me in cuz I started late I only
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really been running Ultras for two years
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and they they took me in really nice
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people and all of them run 5050 60k in
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the weekend like it's nothing it's just
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become this normal thing now like I look
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at it as if it's like my friend that
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runs a 10K it's got to that point so
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when you say that I agree but then
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there's this part of me that I don't see
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it as that which is I guess that's
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probably a good thing because I'm going
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in to this with that sort of naivity and
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that that sort of um without seeing the
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audacity of the goal I'm kind of seeing
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it as oh yeah it's kind of giving me a
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bit of uh a bit of Peace in a way you
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know I'm not too stressed about it
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somewhat doing doing things like this
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this um this podcast like prior to even
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beginning does that um add an extra
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layer of um fear or nerves n nerves 100%
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nerves fear yeah I suppose there is fear
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for sure but it's the nerves and the
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excitement the other two core emotions
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I'm feeling right now yeah just just
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like soaking it up it's kind of like in
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the previous events I've done in the
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past I have a similar emotion of like
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just that adrenaline but just Keen to
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get out there Keen for the gun to to go
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off yeah well I I I suppose like once it
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starts all you have to do is focus on
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literally putting one foot in front of
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the other but um before you start it's
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the training the preparation um all the
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logistics and we'll get into all that
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that sounds like an absolute nightmare
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yeah oh it's yeah as I was saying to you
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before it's almost a full-time job yeah
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yeah yeah so what's your CV when it
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comes to endurance like anyone listening
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to this um why should they assume that
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you are going to do this yeah good
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question uh well I've done I've done
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several marathons I've done several 100
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plus k um Ultra marathons and I've done
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200 mile races um I've done an Iron Man
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did that beginning of this year done a
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couple half Iron Man's but to begin it
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all which we might get into I actually
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began um this journey when I walked the
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Camino Santiago which is a pilgrimage in
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the north of Spain was about 1,000
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kilometers I did that in 28 days this is
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when I was UN untrained way heavier way
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unathletic and average nearly 36 K a day
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over 28 days so I kind of had that
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backbone somewhat and that was kind of
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my springboard into this um and yeah I
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guess that's really my resume from a
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physical standpoint but I think the the
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the key here is it's the mental
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component it's the waking up every day
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at 5:00 a.m. 5:30 a.m. it's the going to
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train the matter the weather it's the
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doing things every single day day and
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day out despite the feeling of whether
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you want to do it or not um it's the
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discipline with eating with diet with
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stretching those are the things I think
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that people any one person could go for
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something like big and extreme if you do
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the little things and I think that's
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where people um can really like forget
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that it's the compounding it's the
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building of the little things that over
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time over six months a year you've like
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built this whole new person because
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you've been doing those little things
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and I think the things behind closed
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doors you know not the stra segments you
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God it's it's it's the things that you
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do behind closed doors when no one's
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looking you know they're not the ones
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that are seeing you waking up in the
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morning and turning up at the track
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where it's pitch black and you need a
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freaking head torch to see you know so I
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think those are the things that's where
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I'm I'm leveraging off of from a resume
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standpoint yeah I think think what
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you're talking about is like the um the
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picture of the iceberg eh there's the
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the bed out of the water and then
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there's everything underneath which
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which no one sees which you can apply to
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like most sort of um high level things
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um exactly [ __ ] you're an you're an
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intense dude hey I I I get the feeling
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already 10 minutes and you're a guy
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that's got like a very addictive
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personality so I can see why you would
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have been very good at smoking weed like
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so you've you negative things you you
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know you go into it boots and all but
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the same as positive things which is
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what you're doing now would that be fair
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yeah that's interesting no people have I
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don't know if people have ever said it
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like that so it's funny yeah I think I
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am quite intense and I think I've kind
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of owned that in life you know people
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would say ADHD but I don't know um once
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I'm on something I'm like I'm in I'm all
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you could ask my close friends and they
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can probably agree um
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yeah I mean well you go to any sort of
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like ultra marathon event and there's
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there's there's a lot of twist of people
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there and you go you've got demons
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you've
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got Point we've all got that and I think
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and I think I think normalizing that and
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also not only normalizing it but showing
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that everyone like [ __ ] man if if we
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could get into everyone's heads would be
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like holy [ __ ] like you're messed up as
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me that's kind of cool I think people
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need a real realiz that we're all
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actually very similar in the way we
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think but obviously people manifest it
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and project it and show it very
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differently because you've obviously got
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the different um character types you've
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got you know the introverts and
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extroverts and they will display that
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differently but I think internally
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there's a lot of things that are going
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on that are very similar and I think
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that's kind of cool to kind of bring
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that to light which is why me doing this
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as well that's going to be a big part of
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that I'll be sharing a lot of that um
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the demons in the dark days that I'll be
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inevitably um encountering like to show
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that yeah man this is very much part of
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the the process you know yeah and um
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yeah it's The Human Experience too you
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know there is um you like like shame and
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I guess guilt associated with um like
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demons but it's like they there within
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all of us yeah so you you're um you're
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hoping to raise $1 million for a charity
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called the last last chance project
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um Gees we're in a cost of living crisis
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a million dollars is a lofty Target yeah
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but I I I still think power to you like
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if you get 10% of that it's still
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100,000 which is amazing so if you fall
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short there's absolutely no shame in
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that but what is the last chance project
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great um yeah they're basically uh men's
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mental health Foundation um they're a
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trust that were established in
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2022 and the reason a big part that I
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got um drawn into them is one of the
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chair uh man on the chair uh Sam he's a
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good friend of mine um and he knew my
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brother Jerome and he was went to the
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old school same school as us and he's
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the one that introduced me to the whole
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um foundation and what their kind of you
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know their their MOS um and a big part
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of it was about just really bringing up
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and um pushing forward the men that were
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in you know fragile situations but not
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only that creating really robust forms
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of um change and how we can actually
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change ourselves inside out and how we
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can as an individual you can begin that
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process to then contribute and add to
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the people around you so there I've got
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some core pillars which is uh I'm still
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kind of memorizing in but I believe it's
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change um
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connect um and oh what was the third one
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um I forget what the third one is but
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basically they're coming from the idea
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that if you want to you first have to
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connect with the individual and their
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whole thing is about brotherly
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connection and about connecting to the C
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to where they're struggling and then
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from there when you can when you can
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connect you're more likely to want to
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change cuz you know the adage you can
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lead a horse to the water but you can't
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get it to drink you know so their whole
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thing is about guiding them to that
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water tra and teaching them how to drink
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the water and then carrying on and
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telling their peers and friends around
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them as to how to actually drink this
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water because we're in a situation now
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where as we know with mental health that
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men were at the we're at the peak of it
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you know with with with even just taking
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our own lives you know it's it's very
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common for men to do so and with Last
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Chance project V trying to change that
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conversation but bring men to the
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Limelight to say that okay it's okay to
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be a man it's okay to be uh aggressive
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and it's okay to be disciplined and it's
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okay to have these goals and Ambitions
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um because it's very characteristic of
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men to have those qualities but we're in
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a society now where that's almost not
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allowed and I think that's a big problem
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because we need to be fundamentally who
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we are and LCP is at the really trying
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to aim and push that idea of male
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empowerment but in a healthy way you
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know it's being hijacked with media with
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Society the societal norms and with um
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you know Hollywood and through music and
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all this all this culture that's quite
00:14:15
toxic uh but we're bringing them
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bringing forth and LCP are bringing
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forth the idea that you know we we we
00:14:21
are able to do more and men men are able
00:14:24
to do more and men are strong um and
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yeah as a as a foundation that's kind of
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the a big a big part of whereever
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they're wanting to go towards and
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they're looking at it holistically too
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which I think is a real big difference
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that a lot of um you know not naming
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names but there's foundations out there
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that are that are talking about it which
00:14:43
is amazing and I think that's a great
00:14:44
step but how can you initiate and bring
00:14:47
in Practical um approaches you know for
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example like how how are people eating
00:14:52
how are they drinking how are they
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sleeping what's their relationships like
00:14:55
what kind of work and Korea are they and
00:14:57
what's their relationship like with
00:14:59
their wives and with their um their
00:15:01
spouses and with their children all
00:15:03
those behind kind of you know that
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Iceberg analogy it's all what's
00:15:07
underneath the ice and that's what LCP
00:15:09
are focused on really getting to the
00:15:11
core as to what's under the ice where
00:15:13
are the things that are faulty and how
00:15:14
can we better improve that and you know
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make a change for these men yeah and you
00:15:20
haven't even started this um Adventure
00:15:22
yet and you've already raised like how
00:15:23
much like 50k yeah yeah 50 5% of the
00:15:26
money it's bloody amazing yeah it is it
00:15:28
is amazing even even if not a not
00:15:30
another scent gets donated it's still an
00:15:32
impressive donation it's really cool
00:15:34
yeah it is it is and I think that's
00:15:36
what's amazing like kind of being a bit
00:15:39
um you know I guess again that naive a
00:15:42
like [ __ ] cost living crisis you made
00:15:44
the point you're very right but imagine
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if just a fifth of New Zealand's
00:15:50
population just gave
00:15:51
$5 like the thought of that it's like
00:15:55
damn so it's like okay that's kind of
00:15:58
another reason why wanted to do two
00:15:59
lengths one length people might pay
00:16:02
attention but two people would be like
00:16:03
oh okay may as well shoot so far for the
00:16:07
moon because it's an extreme thing I'm
00:16:08
doing inherently why not have the target
00:16:10
be Extreme as well because either way as
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you said if even if we get a tenth of it
00:16:16
20th of it that St a big amount of money
00:16:18
for that Foundation to then start
00:16:20
helping these men so yeah that was my L
00:16:23
it's a bit reductionist and simplified
00:16:25
way of thinking but I figured why not
00:16:27
you know no it's it's it's great but how
00:16:29
how will you feel yourself if you fall
00:16:31
way short of that of thatty Target
00:16:35
um is what it is I mean end of the day
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wherever we get to um we'll be
00:16:43
definitely further away from where they
00:16:45
are now you know so wherever it ends up
00:16:48
that's going to be that much more
00:16:50
exposure and awareness for this
00:16:51
Foundation than it was at the start so
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that's a win in my books and I don't
00:16:55
want to be too attached to that outcome
00:16:57
too cuz then very quickly I'll become
00:16:59
too attached to that outcome and if I
00:17:00
don't meet that then I'll feel like a
00:17:02
failure and I think that in itself will
00:17:04
become its own kidle of fish that won't
00:17:06
serve me or even serving the men and the
00:17:08
people in the foundation because it's
00:17:10
not about that really we want to just
00:17:11
get the message out there as much as we
00:17:14
can and get as much resources for these
00:17:16
men as as possible so yeah I I love that
00:17:19
that yeah that's a good answer CU you
00:17:21
got to yeah control the controllables
00:17:23
don't you yeah absolutely which in my
00:17:25
case is running running it's out of your
00:17:28
out of your hands okay let's get to the
00:17:30
white um see you mentioned um your
00:17:32
brother Jerome um a couple of minutes
00:17:35
ago so um yeah you want to talk about
00:17:37
this you want to take us back to May 5
00:17:39
last year yeah yeah oh man it's like
00:17:44
yeah like is he your older older brother
00:17:47
slightly older brother two years older
00:17:49
so I got a family of six siblings and he
00:17:52
he was a second I'm the youngest and he
00:17:53
was the second youngest um so we were
00:17:56
tight we're extremely tight him and I um
00:17:59
but yeah on on May 5th um I get a
00:18:02
freaking knock on well my brother
00:18:05
smashed on my door didn't even hear it
00:18:08
slip through it and then my brother came
00:18:10
around later on came around to the door
00:18:12
and said like yo Steph step and I was
00:18:15
like what the what the heck and then
00:18:17
open the door and he just said he's gone
00:18:19
so my brother yeah Jerome he he took his
00:18:21
life and
00:18:23
um [ __ ] man like I can't even
00:18:27
explain just that pain you know like you
00:18:30
know he was just such a such a beautiful
00:18:33
man and someone like that um for those
00:18:37
watching if if if you knew Jerome you
00:18:39
know you could agree he just like he was
00:18:43
just a rare human being um and yeah as
00:18:47
last chance project they they the
00:18:50
language they use as he took his last
00:18:52
chance and I think that's a real
00:18:56
um it's I think it's a real
00:19:00
gentle but also very direct way of
00:19:02
saying that yeah that's that's what what
00:19:04
what he did and um yeah it was
00:19:07
yeah man that that that moment
00:19:11
um yeah it's intense like it's still to
00:19:14
this day it feels like it's like just
00:19:15
this blur and I was writing in my diary
00:19:19
the other day uh that you know with this
00:19:21
Mission I'm doing nothing comes close to
00:19:23
the pain that my family and I
00:19:26
experienced on that night having to get
00:19:28
that that call from the cops or receive
00:19:31
that information you know about about
00:19:33
our brother when we had to go identify
00:19:35
him and it's just like what the [ __ ] you
00:19:38
know so so so yeah and I think the thing
00:19:41
about it as well is um we were all
00:19:43
acutely aware our family we very tight
00:19:46
family we're very vocal we're very
00:19:49
intense as as you said um we're very
00:19:52
direct and we speak yeah we don't we
00:19:54
don't beat around the bush when it comes
00:19:56
to things and we're all
00:19:59
you know we all bound together to um
00:20:02
help drum because he was very vocal
00:20:03
about what he was going through and we
00:20:05
were trying to get all the support and
00:20:08
so yeah it was in that process of seeing
00:20:10
my brother suffer but also seeing um
00:20:13
from a support standpoint what was
00:20:15
available and and what wasn't available
00:20:17
and it was just it just opened my eyes
00:20:20
because you know when you're not in it
00:20:21
you've got no idea right um and because
00:20:23
we were involved in it and had to go
00:20:25
through that process we um yeah we very
00:20:28
Qui realized like holy [ __ ] there's like
00:20:31
like for what is available there's so
00:20:33
many wait times and not only that the
00:20:36
approaches they take and you know you
00:20:37
can't the thing is with about I can't
00:20:39
put the blame on that on that system
00:20:42
because they they theyve got the
00:20:44
resources that they've got right and
00:20:45
I've got the information that they've
00:20:47
got so there's this very it's a very
00:20:50
deep deep issue um but that was the big
00:20:53
part of it and that's yeah this is why
00:20:55
I'm here where I am now and doing this
00:20:58
thing and but the the other intense
00:21:01
thing just a year prior I lost another
00:21:05
like he was literally like I got a tight
00:21:07
group of friends and he was in that
00:21:09
tight group same same
00:21:11
circumstance um but for him I had no
00:21:14
idea none of us had any idea that was
00:21:17
what was that was what was intense we
00:21:19
had no clue you know that's the complex
00:21:22
thing about mental health isn't it it
00:21:24
seems like your mate's more um what we
00:21:26
associate with male suicide you know
00:21:28
that's why these slogans that it's not
00:21:30
weak to speak and it's okay to ask for
00:21:32
help it's to try and um target people
00:21:34
like that but then there's people like
00:21:35
your brother Jerome who um from what
00:21:38
I've from what you've suggested had no
00:21:40
problem um you know sharing his
00:21:42
vulnerabilities and his struggles and
00:21:44
still that wasn't enough no and the
00:21:46
thing with Jerome he's he was such an
00:21:49
acutely aware emotionally High iqed
00:21:52
individual like he he he was the kind of
00:21:56
guy that like in any room if was a
00:21:59
discussion and then everyone agreed he
00:22:01
would be like well he wouldn't appease
00:22:05
the crowd you know appease the group of
00:22:06
people he'd be like well no he would be
00:22:09
like no like that's this that this that
00:22:12
he would have such a direct Gentle Way
00:22:16
of affirming his stance in anyone's
00:22:19
situation and I think that was one of
00:22:21
his real gifts and real talents he
00:22:23
wouldn't shy away from that and then
00:22:25
despite that sort of
00:22:29
emotional you know um intelligence and
00:22:32
still it got you know it got him now how
00:22:36
long had he been in well for really it
00:22:38
was the start of last year where it
00:22:40
started to kind of yeah show up before
00:22:43
that we were kind of aw you know like
00:22:45
not really but he he was pretty like
00:22:47
saying how we felt but it was nothing it
00:22:49
was nothing that we thought kind of like
00:22:52
that would stood out but it was in the
00:22:54
beginning of the year where he moved to
00:22:56
Wellington stayed with my auntie
00:22:59
uh and yeah just things went wrong and
00:23:03
then he came back to Oakland and then
00:23:05
yeah just kind of went downhill from
00:23:07
there that was the it was just it was
00:23:09
like a it was like a snowball it just
00:23:12
just grew momentum and it just got so
00:23:15
fast so
00:23:16
intense yeah
00:23:19
um yeah man it's just it's
00:23:23
just yeah it's insane man cuz you feel
00:23:25
it's like the equivalent of someone
00:23:29
um you know when someone's got cancer
00:23:32
right you kind of you have hopefully if
00:23:35
it's isolated you can have cancer and
00:23:37
cut out the tumor whereas with
00:23:40
this it's just in its head you know no
00:23:43
one could affect except for really
00:23:46
themselves that's the hardest thing
00:23:48
could start to you know have that
00:23:51
surgical procedure but it wasn't like a
00:23:53
tumor you wish you could just have
00:23:55
surgery and cut it out but you couldn't
00:23:57
yeah yeah it's um it's so difficult is
00:24:00
man I'm so sorry for your loss like how
00:24:03
you how are your parents how have they
00:24:04
been I I can't imagine the hole at
00:24:06
leaves oh man like at at First mom yeah
00:24:10
Mom was a mess you know out of everyone
00:24:13
like we're all messes we're all [ __ ]
00:24:17
we're like we're all traumatized fragile
00:24:20
broken you know I I went I got very dark
00:24:23
which was very scary and it's something
00:24:26
I want to also share on this journey as
00:24:28
it progresses too that you know I got I
00:24:30
got very yeah very dark myself but then
00:24:33
my parents yeah Dad dad's a bit more of
00:24:35
a old school sto because he's in his 70s
00:24:37
so he's just got that old school kind of
00:24:39
stoicness about him and he speaks and
00:24:41
shares what needs he's not so much at
00:24:43
his reserve but he just speaks and
00:24:45
shares where he thinks and what he
00:24:48
thinks is necessary you know whereas Mom
00:24:50
she's way more emotive and vocal she was
00:24:52
a teacher um so she obviously wasn't
00:24:54
teaching so she was just having to deal
00:24:56
through that whole process but then you
00:24:58
know over time she's she's she's got
00:25:01
better but she still has days where she
00:25:03
just breaks down you know just thinking
00:25:05
about that her son's gone she just has
00:25:08
sometimes it comes and hits her in waves
00:25:11
but but the thing is where she was to
00:25:12
where she is now she's extremely better
00:25:15
so I think that's kind of a thing like
00:25:17
the idea of like time is the best healer
00:25:19
and really like time has been the best
00:25:21
healer for all of us yeah I don't know
00:25:24
if um you people said Time Heals um all
00:25:27
the wounds but I don't I don't know if
00:25:28
the wound heals I think you just learn
00:25:30
to live with it we we'll have these
00:25:32
scars for the rest of our lives yeah
00:25:34
yeah what about what about you yeah oh
00:25:36
man it was it was it was it was dark man
00:25:38
it got very dark I got very afraid
00:25:41
actually how dark I got I'd never been
00:25:43
in that space you know I had suicide or
00:25:45
ideation and I've never in my life been
00:25:47
that way and all of a sudden it was like
00:25:50
a defense
00:25:51
mechanism yeah and that got scary man
00:25:54
like what keep you going um faith and
00:25:57
knowing that I could doing that this was
00:26:00
it would pass yeah and I kept training
00:26:03
like like at the time I was doing I
00:26:05
don't know if you know a 75 hard
00:26:07
challenge have you heard of oh yeah yeah
00:26:10
um what is it drink nothing but water
00:26:11
all day two workouts a day uh 10 pages
00:26:15
of um some
00:26:17
positive eating 75 and if you if you
00:26:20
slip up on one day you have to resit and
00:26:22
go back to zero yeah last I did it the
00:26:24
year before and failed about 30 days in
00:26:27
I was like damn did it again I think I
00:26:29
got 25 days and I was like damn did it
00:26:31
again I got 60 I think 55 or 60 days in
00:26:34
failed and I'm like [ __ ] I was going
00:26:36
overseas then I was like n I'll have to
00:26:38
come back do it again so then this year
00:26:41
I did it well last year I was doing it
00:26:43
and I was about 30 days in and then my
00:26:44
brother died and I'm like holy [ __ ] like
00:26:47
I can't continue this I was like no
00:26:49
like if I'm able to persever in the My
00:26:53
Darkest most painful most uncomfortable
00:26:57
situation in my life life having to
00:26:59
griev the loss of my brother then how
00:27:01
how am I ever going to do it and I just
00:27:04
continued and that I think was a huge
00:27:07
part as to my healing I just knew the
00:27:09
pain I was feeling which was very
00:27:11
intense would pass and I just honestly I
00:27:14
just persevered and just continued I was
00:27:16
very vocal with my friends how I was
00:27:18
feeling um I didn't hide anything and at
00:27:20
that point I'd stopped smoking marijuana
00:27:22
so I was very clear I wasn't dripping a
00:27:24
drop drop of alcohol I wasn't having
00:27:26
sugar no process I wasn't giving my body
00:27:29
any more extra dopamine it was just
00:27:31
raw rawness just sitting in your
00:27:34
emotions sitting in it speaking it
00:27:36
sitting in it hugely um and again that
00:27:39
ties in to the earlier question about my
00:27:41
resume that I'm I'm leaning on that I'm
00:27:44
leaning on that majorly with what I had
00:27:46
to go through last year experiencing the
00:27:48
loss of my brother and working through
00:27:50
that 75 hard while going through that
00:27:52
grief you know that was a [ __ ] grind
00:27:55
like you know so yeah that's and how I
00:27:59
am now I'm definitely in the best space
00:28:01
I've been since it's happened probably
00:28:03
ever but I think now I've just the but
00:28:06
you know there's a there's a degree of
00:28:08
like you know you could say a bit of
00:28:10
numbness for sure in some instances like
00:28:13
people say things that are horrific I'm
00:28:15
like I'm kind of unfazed because it's
00:28:18
just I can't compare it to you know
00:28:20
losing Jerome can you remember your last
00:28:23
um conversation with him yeah yeah I can
00:28:26
it was it was a phone call and we
00:28:28
actually meant to catch up the following
00:28:29
day it was on the Friday we're catching
00:28:31
up on the Saturday I was going to go
00:28:33
pick him up from the Respite Center
00:28:34
we're going to hang out for the day
00:28:36
what's a what's a resp Respite Center
00:28:38
it's basically like a facility where you
00:28:39
go when you're in kind of like a an
00:28:41
acute um sense of you know could be uh
00:28:45
like a mental breakdown or in a sense of
00:28:48
drone where you're where you attempted
00:28:50
to you know take your life um or someone
00:28:53
that's in like just emotionally volatile
00:28:55
State it's kind of a place to Center to
00:28:57
go and kind of get a bit of a reprieve
00:28:59
and have some support workers there just
00:29:01
to kind of guide you through the day and
00:29:03
just be relaxed and just don't down
00:29:05
regulate um so I was going to pick him
00:29:07
up from there and with two of his best
00:29:09
mates Tom and Maurice they're like they
00:29:11
were like that and we were all going to
00:29:13
come and it was all great and we had a
00:29:15
little back and forth text and then I
00:29:16
think a day before that we had a call
00:29:18
but man he he was just yeah it just
00:29:21
wasn't him you know that was the hardest
00:29:23
thing he just so flat you know sharing
00:29:26
how he fouled and
00:29:28
yeah that that was really it that was
00:29:30
kind of like the last proper proper call
00:29:34
yeah man I'm so sorry yeah did did he
00:29:37
leave the note or anything yeah he did
00:29:39
the he did well so he he attempted once
00:29:43
but he pulled out he left a note then
00:29:46
the second time he didn't leave a note
00:29:49
apparently that's very common yeah yeah
00:29:51
yeah yeah it's it's it's kind of rare I
00:29:53
believe for a night to be yeah left yeah
00:29:57
[ __ ] Yeah man so yeah and that's like
00:30:01
ultimately this
00:30:03
Mission that's that's the why you
00:30:06
know him and then Jordan and then before
00:30:09
that sha really CL he used to be my best
00:30:12
friend in primary um
00:30:15
sorry at College in year seven and eight
00:30:17
were like same same circumstances all in
00:30:20
a three-year period so except I've um
00:30:24
I've I've lost one friend this this way
00:30:26
and um it had a Prof impact on me yeah
00:30:29
like made me almost um you know uproot
00:30:32
my whole life in a lot of ways cuz I I
00:30:34
thought no one ever saw this coming and
00:30:36
I thought if this if this can happen to
00:30:38
this particular friend um who seemed
00:30:40
like the life of the party and wore a
00:30:42
[ __ ] good mask um it could easily be
00:30:45
me um and that made me really look deep
00:30:48
and look into things it's
00:30:49
um yeah the um the the ripple effect of
00:30:53
these things is um unimaginable isn't it
00:30:56
EXA yeah exactly right is that why what
00:30:59
started kind of your journey cuz you got
00:31:00
deep into your running right in the last
00:31:03
yeah definitely yeah yeah 100% it was
00:31:06
wow wow um and just yeah just other
00:31:08
aspects of my life as well just
00:31:09
completely like look under the Bonnet
00:31:10
work out what's working and what's not
00:31:12
working and make some drastic changes um
00:31:15
which is good in a way but it was
00:31:16
motivated by fear fear that I could end
00:31:18
up in the same space I think that's
00:31:20
that's the powerful thing he when it
00:31:22
comes to like tragedy and um yeah very
00:31:25
very like uh horrific circumstan s is
00:31:28
that we can actually turn that into
00:31:29
something powerful but it's just crazy
00:31:31
it has to be that way but sometimes it's
00:31:33
just the way it is in times of Crisis um
00:31:36
and there's this there's this idea it's
00:31:39
like a it's like a quote I think it's by
00:31:41
what's his name um the cave or How does
00:31:45
it go the cave you fear to enter is um
00:31:47
the most is the cave you must enter into
00:31:50
something along those
00:31:51
lines um and I think that's a big part
00:31:54
of this is that yeah when we're in those
00:31:57
places of Crisis that you know we got to
00:32:00
go down that place where we know we got
00:32:03
to go I think we're very aware of where
00:32:04
we need to go but it's it's very
00:32:06
daunting but sometimes in times of
00:32:08
Crisis it forces us to go there and you
00:32:12
um you lost your uncle uh last year as
00:32:15
well same month as your brother J
00:32:17
literally like literally within a month
00:32:19
what was what was that yeah he had a
00:32:21
stroke Jes so yeah his circumstances
00:32:24
were um quite like it was somewhat a
00:32:27
blessing because he had a stroke in 2012
00:32:30
and then he lived you know what's that
00:32:34
like 12 years on which in itself was a
00:32:37
miracle and then he but he had a second
00:32:39
one and it just unfortunately he was two
00:32:41
he was 72 years old so he was just too
00:32:44
old unfortunately um so yeah that
00:32:48
happened as well which f for my dad you
00:32:50
know cuz it was his brother yeah that's
00:32:53
why I felt so so worried and and and and
00:32:56
and sad for my dad dad cuz he had to
00:32:58
deal through that you know he didn't
00:33:00
really have the tools you just you start
00:33:02
to feel beaten up you're like what the
00:33:04
[ __ ] is going to happen and then two
00:33:06
weeks before that my cousin's wife gets
00:33:08
diagnosed with cancer so that all
00:33:10
happened in that period of like two
00:33:12
months like just felt left right and
00:33:14
center and I think this ties into the
00:33:17
mental health um thing as well is that
00:33:20
you know it can feel like the world's
00:33:22
against you and we just getting blows
00:33:24
from all angles but if you if you have a
00:33:26
why you know that I be any for any why
00:33:29
you can bear anyhow but if you have that
00:33:31
why if you continually progress on there
00:33:33
anything that comes yes it'll be painful
00:33:35
and you'll be afflicted to a lot but man
00:33:37
if you persist you can we're so much
00:33:40
stronger than we think just got to
00:33:42
continue though even you know in that
00:33:44
dark dark path we're on that there's
00:33:46
that light you know and that light will
00:33:47
get brighter and brighter but it's
00:33:49
always there I think it's always there
00:33:51
but when you're in the darkness you feel
00:33:52
blinded by it cuz it's so dark but
00:33:55
there's always a light there I think
00:33:56
that's something that
00:33:58
yeah is the driver of all of us for me
00:34:00
and I think for everyone that's going
00:34:02
through it that you know you may feel
00:34:03
like you're just in the ringer and you
00:34:06
you are you will be the pain you can't
00:34:08
deny it but man you can persevere more
00:34:11
than you think you know yeah so it's
00:34:14
unimaginable tragedy that you've gone
00:34:16
through and um yeah I mean on top of
00:34:19
this both your parents have survived
00:34:20
cancer as well yes yes like it's like
00:34:24
man how how how have you been how's your
00:34:26
mental health well it was it was man it
00:34:29
was it was [ __ ] Rocky last year um
00:34:33
but yeah where it's at now it's in a
00:34:35
place of like you know cuz I'm I'm a man
00:34:38
of faith and that's something that got
00:34:39
introduced to me last year my my path to
00:34:42
God and accepting um accepting Jesus
00:34:45
fundamentally and the teachings um of
00:34:48
him and and and really trying to like
00:34:50
surrender and reduce yourself down into
00:34:52
something that's bigger than you and
00:34:54
that's been a huge huge Factor to my
00:34:58
mental health and my peace I have now
00:35:00
because I don't see things that are
00:35:02
happening to me anymore I see them as
00:35:04
things that are happening for me for the
00:35:06
betterment of my service and that's why
00:35:08
service is so important to me so I think
00:35:11
yeah answering that question it's like
00:35:12
I'm in a place now where I just want to
00:35:14
serve um I want to be the best Beacon of
00:35:17
light that I can be and the best servant
00:35:19
to God fundamentally that's how I see my
00:35:21
life now and that keeps me keeps me
00:35:23
quite humble because with this Mission
00:35:26
heaps of people were saying oh you you
00:35:28
you you and you're and I'm like it's not
00:35:31
really about me even though I'm the one
00:35:33
running yes but I see it that I'm just
00:35:35
working as like a conduit and I'm just
00:35:37
going forward and doing this thing and
00:35:40
and and the reasoning is working through
00:35:41
me and I just happen to be the person
00:35:43
The Vessel that's doing it you know and
00:35:45
it keeps me humbled because I don't want
00:35:46
to let the ego the ego can trickle in
00:35:48
and start to hijack the whole thing so
00:35:52
yeah that's keeping my my head space um
00:35:54
it's keeping me grounded you know I
00:35:56
don't want to get my head up in the
00:35:57
cloud and um let those things kind of
00:36:00
infiltrate me and affect me uh so yeah
00:36:04
but yeah it was it was it was tough last
00:36:05
year honestly it was very very
00:36:08
tough uh just yeah just felt
00:36:12
like it was just unending you know even
00:36:16
though I knew I just knew that I was
00:36:19
going to get through it and it would
00:36:20
pass it was still felt so like intense
00:36:23
at times so it made me feel bad for
00:36:26
people that have no tools and have no
00:36:28
faith or have no friendship friendships
00:36:30
or have no families around them um I'm
00:36:33
like damn that's I'm not surpris that
00:36:36
you see a lot of you know the homeless
00:36:37
like most of it so many of them are I
00:36:40
read the statistic that's high
00:36:42
percentage of them have mental health
00:36:44
issues you know for sure that's that's
00:36:46
what's that's what's like gave a lot of
00:36:48
perspective when I see homeless now I'm
00:36:49
like damn like that could have been my
00:36:51
brother if he didn't have our family
00:36:52
like
00:36:53
obviously in this sense that that
00:36:56
decision was made but had that not been
00:36:58
made he probably would have ended up on
00:36:59
the streets if he had no support network
00:37:02
and that's like probably just as bad
00:37:04
yeah you know how did how did you get
00:37:06
introduced to Faith was it through a
00:37:08
friend or was it yeah in a way well I
00:37:10
grew up in a Catholic Family and you
00:37:12
know growing up I was always kind of
00:37:14
like oh I don't want to go to church
00:37:16
like you know Dad would knock on the
00:37:17
door I'd be pretending to be asleep
00:37:19
which is stupid because he's going to
00:37:21
wake me up anyway you know I never
00:37:23
wanted to go to church and then it was
00:37:25
the beginning of last year which ties to
00:37:27
why I stopped smoking marijana I joined
00:37:29
a men's group and the men's group was
00:37:31
about um just becoming a better better
00:37:34
man in this world becoming no discipline
00:37:36
structured living a life of virtue um
00:37:39
living a life of um humility um but
00:37:43
being very passionate and driven and
00:37:45
around that ethos was daily prayer um
00:37:48
and I was like oh interesting and then
00:37:51
one day I got on my knees started to
00:37:53
pray and then all of a sudden just this
00:37:54
floodgates of emotions and love just
00:37:57
filled my body and yeah it was quite
00:37:59
intense like I must admit but it felt so
00:38:02
good um honestly like a like was like a
00:38:05
drug like I'd never had before and and
00:38:09
receiving that I was like oh interesting
00:38:12
that's quite profound so I continued on
00:38:14
that path and then it was when Drome
00:38:16
died
00:38:18
um I was continuing on that you know
00:38:21
that path of you know the the daily
00:38:22
prayer and I wasn't smoking and you know
00:38:25
75 heart Etc and then I had had a
00:38:27
brother's friend happen to text me um
00:38:30
and prior to that probably a week prior
00:38:32
had this inkling about baptism I was
00:38:34
like okay I'm kind of pulled there for
00:38:36
some reason I don't know what it was and
00:38:37
then this friend not knowing that I had
00:38:40
that thought text me saying hey bro I
00:38:42
felt called to text you that we're doing
00:38:44
baptisms at the church um this weekend
00:38:47
and I was like what the heck I was like
00:38:50
okay yeah did that and then from there
00:38:52
ever since then it's kind of just been
00:38:54
that path I've been on now just yeah
00:38:57
just too many odd circumstances um so
00:39:01
yeah that's and now now as
00:39:03
I've willingly and consciously um
00:39:06
accepted um that path and gone the path
00:39:09
of you know accepting God and Jesus and
00:39:12
those those ideas that it's changed from
00:39:13
when I was a child so yeah and that's
00:39:16
kind of how it began and where it's
00:39:18
going now so yeah it's pretty geez
00:39:20
you're not you're not a guy that does
00:39:22
anything by halves yeah it seems like
00:39:26
whatever you do you to 110 yeah cuz cuz
00:39:30
before that I was on the spiritual path
00:39:32
you know I did the passers did a couple
00:39:35
10day silent Retreats and went down the
00:39:38
path of Buddhism joined the Buddhist um
00:39:41
Center when I was living in Christ
00:39:43
Church and and you know was all a part
00:39:45
of that and just seeking that that that
00:39:48
that internal peace you know and then um
00:39:51
yeah so I've I've I've seeked and I've
00:39:53
I've shopped around as you would say you
00:39:56
know so yeah fun you say that it's it's
00:39:58
very much the case of yeah go in you
00:40:01
know yeah and are you so so this the
00:40:05
time we're recording this um the
00:40:07
challenge that we're doing uh 100 days
00:40:10
hopefully uh running the length of the
00:40:12
country twice um yeah what about your
00:40:15
mental health on that there's going to
00:40:17
be some dark times some Dark Places yeah
00:40:19
I guess same answer as before um I
00:40:22
honestly see that God's using me as a
00:40:24
vessel and I'm just doing his will so
00:40:27
whatever that happens whatever I'm
00:40:29
feeling I'll accept it embrace it work
00:40:32
through it um but yeah I've got the the
00:40:35
path to go you know again it's kind of
00:40:38
like that um kind of approaching it from
00:40:40
a more stoic standpoint that yes I'm
00:40:42
feeling his emotions and I'm 100% going
00:40:45
to be feeling these emotions um allow
00:40:48
them feel them I'll have my crew to talk
00:40:50
to so yeah it's kind of just coming from
00:40:52
that same way I've been processing
00:40:54
through with derome it's just accepting
00:40:55
it embracing it not ignoring it working
00:40:58
through it knowing that it will pass
00:41:01
each day is going to be its own
00:41:02
Challenge and taking it day at a time I
00:41:04
think I shared this in The Herald
00:41:06
article that the hardest thing of this
00:41:08
obviously physically that's inevitable
00:41:10
but it's just not thinking far ahead I
00:41:13
have to be in each day each each segment
00:41:16
of each day so each 20K block that's my
00:41:18
focus for that time just bit by bit and
00:41:21
it's the same as running 100 miles the
00:41:23
moment you think about the Finish Line
00:41:25
you're [ __ ] or at least you're going
00:41:26
to be
00:41:28
overwhelmed Yeah well yeah it's a it's a
00:41:31
a cliche but it is literally just
00:41:33
putting one foot in front of the other a
00:41:34
and it's um there's so so many good
00:41:36
metaphors for life that I love with um
00:41:38
distance running it's like um you you
00:41:41
you you've got to expect it's going to
00:41:42
be hard and difficult and then when that
00:41:44
does happen you're not going to be
00:41:45
surprised or shocked yeah and that's
00:41:47
like life as well exactly right so um
00:41:50
you've been working through your
00:41:52
training you you work in a Vineyard work
00:41:54
in a Vineyard y y so been doing that now
00:41:57
on off since 2019 um there was a period
00:42:00
where I was working in a working
00:42:01
laboring um as well in that but yeah in
00:42:04
the vineyard which as I was saying off
00:42:07
off off the camera before was um it's
00:42:09
good time on feet you know that's the
00:42:11
good thing about it like I'm on my feet
00:42:13
all day every day so I'm essentially
00:42:16
walking all
00:42:18
day so it's great cross training and and
00:42:21
your employers that they've obviously
00:42:22
been really good and really
00:42:24
accommodating real accommodating I had
00:42:26
to give my notice for this one though
00:42:27
but that's I think now it's just a way
00:42:29
of formalizing what do they what do they
00:42:31
make of you what do they think um I
00:42:33
don't know I've never actually asked
00:42:35
they think you're Bonkers yeah I don't
00:42:37
know I'd have to ask I'd have to ask
00:42:39
David he might yeah he's been aware cuz
00:42:42
I I I left about two years ago and I got
00:42:45
reemployed over just just over a year
00:42:47
ago now and he was very acutely aware of
00:42:49
my my Endeavors and he was quite
00:42:51
accommodating in that respect so but
00:42:53
yeah I've never actually asked him I
00:42:55
don't know you would have to contact him
00:42:57
yeah
00:42:57
I mean it's a huge it's a huge
00:42:59
undertaking you know people talk about a
00:43:01
um big hairy audacious gold this is
00:43:04
definitely that yeah yeah absolutely
00:43:06
yeah so um TR what's training looked
00:43:08
like yeah cool so it's been I've self
00:43:12
coached because I've I've I've you know
00:43:15
somewhat built a pretty good knowledge
00:43:17
base and I had a coach in my Iron Man
00:43:19
Simon Cochran you probably know him I've
00:43:21
had him on the podcast I have yeah he's
00:43:23
a Savage Savage so inspiring yeah he so
00:43:26
he he was my my coach when I did my
00:43:28
first Iron Man this year and like and
00:43:30
then prior to that having have done my
00:43:32
own um you know 100 miles and previous
00:43:35
races I kind of with his with his
00:43:38
expertise for his coaching and through
00:43:39
my prior um experiences I kind of just
00:43:42
Amalgamated all that and obviously now
00:43:44
with my further knowledge I've been
00:43:46
researching through like podcasts and
00:43:47
articles and reading like the nutrition
00:43:50
literature all that stuff and it's kind
00:43:51
of just kind of culminated into this
00:43:54
into this sort of uh blueprint that I've
00:43:57
formulated so key is obviously time on
00:44:00
feet that's been a huge component so
00:44:02
with work but it's also just running I
00:44:05
was running basically every day for like
00:44:07
at one point for probably two months
00:44:09
close to two months that in itself I
00:44:11
think was a good stimulus um Progressive
00:44:15
overload so progressively and gradually
00:44:18
building up volume and sustaining it and
00:44:20
then building up again dropping it
00:44:22
building up so the the technical term is
00:44:25
called periodization so you like little
00:44:27
Peaks and troughs throughout that phase
00:44:29
and I had about a 16 we specific build
00:44:32
for this I was leveraging obviously the
00:44:34
Iron Man I've done this year and a few
00:44:36
Ultras i' done prior to that I was very
00:44:39
much using that as a launch pad into
00:44:41
this um and then yeah obviously a lot of
00:44:45
long runs backto back long runs that's
00:44:47
been a big a big fact you know being
00:44:49
able to run 50k and that be easy like
00:44:52
that's a good sign I think I'm in a good
00:44:53
place cuz I do 50k now I'm like oh yeah
00:44:55
cool mean feels like ran 10K so having
00:44:58
that sort of mental and physical
00:45:00
feedback was like real good signs um and
00:45:03
obviously just eating eating a lot this
00:45:05
last three four weeks I've put on
00:45:08
probably four 5 kg I'm definitely
00:45:10
heavier than I usually am doing a lot of
00:45:12
gem as well yeah I was going to ask when
00:45:14
when I meet you at the doorstep you've
00:45:15
got sort of like more definitely more of
00:45:17
an Iron Man body than a a marathon body
00:45:20
I was I was I was wondering what I was
00:45:22
going to see at the doorstep cuz yeah I
00:45:24
thought you might be like um beefing up
00:45:26
as much as you can you're going to L so
00:45:29
you start running it doesn't let you
00:45:31
carrying any of extra fat or
00:45:33
anything yeah somewhat but I'm
00:45:35
definitely are heavier than usually
00:45:36
usually around the race I'm like 88 87
00:45:38
and now I'm about a now I'm about 92 93
00:45:41
kgs so yeah eating a lot more um I'm
00:45:44
quite a strict and quite like intense
00:45:47
with my diet but this time I've been
00:45:49
very like laxity cool like having pies
00:45:51
more cuz I'm going be eating a lot of
00:45:53
Pies on the mission you know um and just
00:45:55
having like lot just more volume more
00:45:58
volume um so yeah diet eating is being
00:46:00
very imperative just making sure I'm
00:46:02
getting a lot of protein you know I want
00:46:03
to be heading 20 100 plus grams a day on
00:46:06
the mission so making that staple now
00:46:08
has been very kind of a key focal point
00:46:11
um so yeah that's good and then
00:46:13
obviously recovery that's huge so like
00:46:15
you know trying to massage as much as I
00:46:17
can self massage um yoga as much as I
00:46:20
can sauna sauna is huge I do that at
00:46:23
least at the moment cuz with work it's
00:46:26
been hectic so I've been going at least
00:46:28
once a week to the sauna I think that
00:46:31
alone is better than nothing but it's
00:46:33
also just for replenishment um and also
00:46:36
it's just good for recovery for blood
00:46:37
flow that's a good thing with sauna um
00:46:40
cuz once you start you're not going to
00:46:41
be a to do any any saing are you yeah
00:46:44
yeah probably not I'd like to but
00:46:46
probably not I probably won't be able to
00:46:48
yeah got a ice bath that but that'll be
00:46:51
that'll be in during I've got like a
00:46:53
little inflatable one um I'll be using
00:46:55
every time we have access to water and
00:46:58
ice we'll do that as much as we can cuz
00:46:59
that's huge there's yeah I don't know
00:47:02
much about the um about about the trail
00:47:06
I think I've ran like parts of it myself
00:47:08
but it runs the entire length of the
00:47:09
country but um yeah a lot of it you're
00:47:11
completely isolated right yeah yeah
00:47:13
South irand is going to be the most
00:47:15
isolated about 50% of it I'll be very
00:47:17
much like on my own and it'll be about a
00:47:20
two-day 1 to two day period where it'll
00:47:22
be literally like inaccessible to the
00:47:24
crew fortunately I've got I've got my of
00:47:27
my crew Sam good old Sammy boy um he'll
00:47:29
be pacing um along with me at certain
00:47:32
points so that's going to be real good
00:47:34
just for morale but just to have him
00:47:36
take some of the load that obviously the
00:47:38
weit CU obviously don't want to be
00:47:40
having too much extra weight and that's
00:47:41
another thing as well I I'd be remissed
00:47:43
to not not add his um rcking that's been
00:47:47
huge so what that means is basically
00:47:49
backpack on 20 25 kgs of weight in the
00:47:53
backpack and going for hikes uphills
00:47:55
that's been a real huge uge component to
00:47:57
my training too just time on feet
00:47:59
walking with very tired legs but also
00:48:01
walking with a lot of load you're kind
00:48:03
of emulating how you'll feel obviously
00:48:06
I'm not going to be running more than
00:48:07
100ks but when you run 100ks your body
00:48:09
gets very heavy and tired so I've kind
00:48:11
of just been emulating that a bit just
00:48:13
to kind of have that bit of um you know
00:48:16
specificity to that adaptation it's it's
00:48:19
going to carry over especially when in
00:48:20
the South Island portion where there's a
00:48:22
lot of hiking um that will be the case
00:48:25
yeah so yeah so the um the um the sort
00:48:28
of average we we're going for us like
00:48:29
60k a day which works out to be 420 km a
00:48:32
week which is exactly it's nut it's
00:48:35
insane
00:48:37
um yes so the support so who is it semi
00:48:41
semi um Mark he's camera guy Logistics
00:48:45
and then Joel he's Logistics and also
00:48:47
cooking he's a real good cook right so
00:48:49
they're just sort of driving like State
00:48:51
Highway One St and then the meeting with
00:48:53
you yeah some point State high one they
00:48:56
will be yeah yeah that's T Trails
00:48:58
obviously not on State Highway one but
00:49:01
yeah we'll be yeah exactly right meeting
00:49:02
they'll go ahead yo boys I meet you in
00:49:05
like 3 hours cuz I'm probably averaging
00:49:09
you know I'd like to be it's pretty slow
00:49:12
like 8 minute pace 9 minute pace some
00:49:14
days um what's different terrain you're
00:49:16
running on so you can't really go by
00:49:18
can't you can't really be too yeah
00:49:20
exactly you can't really go by distance
00:49:21
it's more time Pace feel because you
00:49:24
have a moment you start going too quick
00:49:26
that just com compounds you know and so
00:49:28
um so you'll be sleeping in the back of
00:49:31
they've got like a camper van and meet
00:49:32
with them okay right so you're not
00:49:34
taking a sleeping bag and are there some
00:49:36
parts that you'll be sleeping in the
00:49:37
bush yeah the South Island part there'll
00:49:39
be about a two day period or one and a
00:49:41
half day period where I'll be by myself
00:49:43
so I have to take my backpack take my
00:49:44
sleeping bag but we'll stay in dock cuts
00:49:46
which is pretty cool the thing with the
00:49:47
Tor Trail it's a sanctioned trail that
00:49:50
was opened in 2011 and um in the south
00:49:53
island that that would probably be the
00:49:54
most popular so to say um section of the
00:49:57
trail and that's where there's a lot of
00:49:59
dot Cuts along the way and yeah very
00:50:01
available and so availability is high so
00:50:03
in that case I'll have somewhat of a
00:50:05
place to sleep and I'll take my little
00:50:07
gas cooker burner just my dehydrated
00:50:10
food and just on we go oh good yeah um
00:50:15
yeah what about logistics and planning
00:50:16
like how much man I'd I'd really want to
00:50:18
share this we when did this start like I
00:50:22
can't imagine what a mind [ __ ] this is
00:50:24
mind [ __ ] man like honestly there's a
00:50:26
part of me that had I knowing what was
00:50:28
involved I'd almost like wait five years
00:50:31
10 years until I'm more like business
00:50:33
savvy in my brain but um really I I
00:50:36
thought about this around when Jordan
00:50:38
died last not last year year before so
00:50:41
probably about two years ago I'd thought
00:50:43
about this um so somewhat that was kind
00:50:46
of you know the seed you could say but
00:50:48
it was only around it was around when
00:50:52
Jerome died that I was like yeah like
00:50:54
I'm [ __ ] doing this you know and then
00:50:57
the logistics the real planning started
00:50:59
just before my Iron Man so that would
00:51:01
have been around uh Jan FIB this year
00:51:03
where I started to like start reaching
00:51:05
out to people and start formulating what
00:51:07
this actually looks like buying the
00:51:09
Tiora like travel book I reached out to
00:51:12
George Henderson who I mentioned before
00:51:13
he was such a such a good guy with all
00:51:16
his information reached out to the uh
00:51:18
female fkt holder um um oh her name's uh
00:51:24
Brooke um
00:51:26
oh man her book her name's Brook her
00:51:29
name's Brook but I forgotten her last
00:51:30
name she she holds the current fkt she
00:51:32
was real helpful um so having them and
00:51:35
it kind of just culminated that
00:51:36
information and I just started reaching
00:51:38
out to sponsors and I I did the cost
00:51:41
First you know looking at about 65 grand
00:51:44
for this to be paying to be um servicing
00:51:47
all the needs of myself and the crew
00:51:50
food um averaging about $80 a day per
00:51:54
head which is pretty it's a good good
00:51:56
good good head room in case you know
00:51:57
some nights we want to go out and have
00:51:59
like a good feed so the boys are
00:52:00
somewhat you know comfortable cuz
00:52:02
they're going to be working their butts
00:52:03
off too you know like if anything I've
00:52:05
got the easy part I'm just running
00:52:07
they're going to be prepping Logistics
00:52:08
driving so that and then the um fuel
00:52:12
costs obviously that's quite massive um
00:52:14
averaging about $60 a day or diesel so
00:52:18
you know that's still quite aggressive
00:52:19
as well so I went pretty aggressive with
00:52:21
the with the cost because if we
00:52:23
encounter you know emergencies we want
00:52:25
to have that contingency buffer so the
00:52:27
cost side of things was a huge part and
00:52:29
from there I was like okay I got to
00:52:30
raise 65 Grand where the [ __ ] do I start
00:52:33
this when we're in a recession you know
00:52:35
so I just reached out to businesses
00:52:37
companies let them know the Spiel and
00:52:39
that's what it's been really just been a
00:52:41
grind of reaching out to companies
00:52:42
reaching out to businesses people that
00:52:45
feel they want to get behind the mission
00:52:46
get behind the vision and it just
00:52:48
started from there and that those emails
00:52:50
started being sent once I finished the
00:52:52
IM man I was like man now I can fully
00:52:54
invest into this at first it was kind of
00:52:57
like on my own terms you know emails
00:53:00
whatever but then once I did the Iron
00:53:01
Man I was like sweet I'm all in now I
00:53:03
can just focus solely on this so I
00:53:05
reached I obviously had to find the crew
00:53:07
so at the vineyard one of the crew um he
00:53:10
works with me so he we got real close
00:53:13
over the last few years he was actually
00:53:15
Old St peters's boy old school went to
00:53:16
same school all all of the crew happened
00:53:19
to all go St Peters which I found pretty
00:53:20
funny just a
00:53:22
coincidence um so yeah and just from
00:53:24
there just kind of built over time once
00:53:26
I got the once I got started again some
00:53:28
sponsors once I built the media press
00:53:31
kit the deck with all the information
00:53:33
about the vision and about the story
00:53:34
with my brother um my reasoning for it
00:53:37
my goal with the
00:53:38
foundation um and obviously again
00:53:41
finding out the foundation that was its
00:53:42
own process too I already had an idea I
00:53:45
wanted to go with them cuz I actually
00:53:47
had met Jerome Tai had who's the founder
00:53:50
real good man um and he was behind it um
00:53:54
and he knew he was kind of some what
00:53:56
aware of like my kind of my buzz with
00:53:59
endurance and then I reached out to him
00:54:01
and he was just stoked to you know know
00:54:03
that I wanted to do for them and once I
00:54:05
was committed that helped because it
00:54:06
allowed the uh approach to all the
00:54:09
businesses and companies to become more
00:54:11
clear and refined you could say Well it
00:54:14
it sounds like from from your
00:54:15
perspective like the hard work is done
00:54:17
yeah I'd say so honestly you just want
00:54:20
the game to start I just want it to
00:54:21
start now you know this week's busy got
00:54:24
to get the motor home wrapped um got get
00:54:26
the t-shirts in to get printed um got to
00:54:29
get the last last few bits of funding
00:54:31
that are coming through got to get the
00:54:32
kit got to buy some of the food that I'm
00:54:35
going to be and then there's a big
00:54:36
another thing a big shout out there's a
00:54:39
massive event on Sunday happening that
00:54:41
Mitchell's bone bro protein pow one of
00:54:43
my main sponsors they actually putting
00:54:45
on an event um out on Tamaki drive at
00:54:49
that Hyundai Marine Center MH I think
00:54:52
that's the name of it um it's called Uh
00:54:54
brighter days and it's basically a a
00:54:56
wellness morning workshop where we'll be
00:54:58
doing contrast therapy so ibath sauna
00:55:01
there'll be some movement some running
00:55:03
with grave Runners be a Q&A with myself
00:55:06
a Q&A with Ty a founder of Last Chance
00:55:08
project and a conversation with a
00:55:10
psychologist um that will be just
00:55:12
talking about all things yeah mental
00:55:14
health and wellness and yeah I think
00:55:16
that in itself is going to be like the
00:55:18
Launchpad which will be real exciting
00:55:20
that's kind of like the last last
00:55:23
logistical thing that can then launch
00:55:25
myself and the crew into us and we can
00:55:27
just start you know and then see you
00:55:29
drive the camper van up
00:55:32
toang and the trail starts on 90 Mile
00:55:35
Beach does it or no it's literally at
00:55:37
the Lighthouse right so you got to
00:55:38
Gravel Road for a little bit then you're
00:55:40
on beach for ages yeah yeah yeah so 90
00:55:43
Mile Beach that's going to yeah I've
00:55:45
been watching a lot of and it's it's
00:55:46
literally like yeah I'll probably just
00:55:49
go bare feet to be honest when I'm on
00:55:50
that I just don't see the point of
00:55:51
wearing shoes on Sand doesn't make sense
00:55:54
I'm already such a Barefoot person as it
00:55:56
is
00:55:56
how many How many pairs of shoes have
00:55:58
you got here marked for 10 10 what are
00:56:00
you wearing like hocus or Vivo Barefoot
00:56:03
right right yeah I've been I've been
00:56:05
that way inclin for about four years now
00:56:07
um and they jumped on board to support
00:56:09
which was amazing um yeah teaches the
00:56:12
feet integrity and strength and for what
00:56:15
I'm doing it's slow so I'm not needing
00:56:17
that feedback from like a spring Soul
00:56:19
I'm not needing that sort of feedback in
00:56:21
this case it's just grinding just slow
00:56:23
plot all day and I want something that's
00:56:25
going to strengthen me as I go along not
00:56:27
not you know atrophies I never get
00:56:30
blisters in these in these shoes too so
00:56:32
another thing that fers cross it I went
00:56:35
heft to encounter so you're allowing for
00:56:37
how long each day like 10 hours a day 8
00:56:39
hours a day 10 to 12 10 to 12 yeah yeah
00:56:42
yeah and and what about um like eating
00:56:45
each day just whatever you obviously you
00:56:46
have a backpack with yeah that'll
00:56:48
that'll have like I'll probably have
00:56:50
some Tailwind electrolytes um one of the
00:56:53
main sponsors a light they they
00:56:55
electrolyte company that have um jumped
00:56:57
on board and supported me that'll be
00:56:59
huge so hydration obviously and then
00:57:01
during during those mid portions like
00:57:04
yeah I'll be snacking and whatnot but
00:57:06
it's going to be more so the the break
00:57:08
periods where I'll be feeding up so
00:57:09
breakfast will be massive will be like
00:57:11
oats with like shitload of protein
00:57:14
powder heaps of cream heaps of fruit
00:57:16
that's going to be the first thing
00:57:18
coffee of course um with cream can't go
00:57:20
wrong you know and then do that portion
00:57:23
and then lunch will be kind of somewhat
00:57:25
similar like a protein pancake type
00:57:27
thing levered with um bacon and maple
00:57:30
syrup and eggs very dense carbohydrates
00:57:33
um but also a lot of protein and in the
00:57:35
evenings way more carbohydrates than
00:57:38
protein so evenings will be like very
00:57:40
carbohydrate Rich because you want that
00:57:41
for the replenishment to V start the
00:57:43
next day so that'll be look like Kuma
00:57:46
and um potatoes rice not really a pasta
00:57:49
man and I don't really want to
00:57:50
incorporate that now because it's not
00:57:52
something I really eat much because I
00:57:54
just think I could get I can get a bit
00:57:56
inflamed from pasta um so I usually like
00:57:59
the whole forms of carbohydrates com
00:58:02
potato um rice um and then obviously
00:58:05
hick load of meat and like mints easily
00:58:08
digestable of course and then um dessert
00:58:11
would be just like fruit with cream and
00:58:13
yogurt and so it's just Whole Foods very
00:58:16
Whole Food oriented for sure um but then
00:58:20
in the days when I'm running like yeah
00:58:22
I'll probably have snacks for sure
00:58:23
absolutely like but I'm more focused on
00:58:26
on those those rest stop periods so
00:58:29
breakfast lunch dinner are going to be
00:58:30
very pillar like they just need to be
00:58:32
targeted and very dense cuz you want to
00:58:34
be heading about 8,000 calories a day
00:58:37
Hing 10,000 is quite hard um from a
00:58:39
digestive standpoint is's a certain
00:58:41
point where you can't take much more in
00:58:43
and I'm not a bodybuilder I'm not going
00:58:44
to be able to wake up at 2: a.m. and eat
00:58:48
because that'll affect my recovery you
00:58:49
know and and what about um like ear
00:58:51
plugs or music are you going to be
00:58:53
listening to anything or you going to ra
00:58:54
dog usually honestly usually I do raw
00:58:56
dog but I'm going to have them on hand
00:58:58
because I don't want to again like I'm
00:59:01
already doing something so intense so I
00:59:02
may as well have that at my disposal you
00:59:05
know yeah usually I do raw dog I don't
00:59:07
usually listen to much when I run and
00:59:08
train but usually in the evenings when
00:59:11
I'm you know I know what I could be like
00:59:13
I'll be pretty like unmotivated so it's
00:59:15
a matter of just being like sometimes
00:59:17
just jamming in some you know who knows
00:59:20
what it would be I've kind my my music's
00:59:22
weird like I don't listen to like ACDC
00:59:24
or like Hype music when run I listen to
00:59:27
like freaking like um radio head or I
00:59:30
listen to like sometimes like jazz or
00:59:32
like classical music weird somehow it
00:59:35
just Cals me and fires me
00:59:38
up whatever flat your individual um
00:59:42
exactly a lot of these a lot of these
00:59:44
epic um endurance challenges um I've
00:59:46
seen this happen time and time again um
00:59:48
they capitulate because there's like
00:59:50
issues with the crew or the crew gets
00:59:52
disillusioned and it all falls to Pieces
00:59:55
um have you guys discuss like how are
00:59:57
you going to not not be a pain in the
00:59:58
ass when you get tired and grumpy how
01:00:01
how are you going to make sure the crew
01:00:03
you know stay on track and stay focused
01:00:06
is it something you've good good good
01:00:08
question in a way yeah like that's a big
01:00:10
reason why um because obviously my crew
01:00:13
are not going to be um getting paid I'm
01:00:16
not I haven't really got the budget but
01:00:19
I've set it up so that all their needs
01:00:21
are met and paid for so that's what a
01:00:23
lot of that cost um that I've raised for
01:00:25
from all these companies that are that
01:00:27
are sponsoring us and supporting us a
01:00:28
lot of that cost is going towards them
01:00:30
too so that their needs are met so that
01:00:32
they're somewhat comfortable so that
01:00:33
they if they want to um go out and have
01:00:36
a beautiful lunch for themselves that
01:00:38
that money is there 80 bucks a day per
01:00:40
day per head food each it's a pretty I
01:00:43
feel that in itself I want at least
01:00:45
those sorts of needs me I think that
01:00:46
ties into what you're saying so that
01:00:49
their needs are met they're in a good
01:00:50
head space so that if I am a grouchy
01:00:52
[ __ ] they're at least like well I'm
01:00:55
I'm pretty replenish today I don't think
01:00:56
I will be I'd like to think that I'll be
01:00:58
pretty stable but obviously if I'm in
01:01:00
that space I'll be like y boys as I've
01:01:02
told them like you [ __ ] tell me how
01:01:04
it is if I'm being a [ __ ] or being an
01:01:06
annoying annoy sorry for swearing
01:01:09
annoying mother
01:01:11
AKA tell me as it is I don't want us to
01:01:13
get on the bad Leaf you know I've been
01:01:15
quite upfront don't want to beat around
01:01:17
the bush so we've been pretty clear
01:01:18
about that from the onset that like
01:01:20
let's just be real you know we're going
01:01:22
to be together and in close confines for
01:01:24
a long time and that motor home will
01:01:26
probably smell like a den you know so I
01:01:29
want to make sure that we're all
01:01:31
somewhat like we're on the same boat
01:01:33
here so yeah that in itself is kind of
01:01:36
like a mitigating anything that gets
01:01:38
messy along the way um yeah yeah cuz I I
01:01:42
genuinely believe with these sort of
01:01:43
things like I've got no doubt physically
01:01:44
you can do it but I I think yeah this is
01:01:46
the trouble with these things cuz you're
01:01:48
you're busy all day every day running um
01:01:51
and just basically fueling and then
01:01:53
rinse and repeat and then you've got
01:01:54
these these guys that are in a car
01:01:56
they're driving for a bit then they're
01:01:58
parked up for hours just playing on
01:01:59
their phone and I suppose that's when
01:02:01
the head thoughts creeping yeah yeah
01:02:03
yeah AB you're so right and I think I
01:02:06
think for them too that they've all kind
01:02:07
of come to a place where they grateful
01:02:09
that I've got them on board which is
01:02:11
awesome to hear that back but also they
01:02:14
know and I know they know that this is
01:02:16
going to be an adventure and an intense
01:02:18
learning for them too like we're all
01:02:20
even already where we are now were
01:02:22
different people to when we started this
01:02:23
but I know for a fact that these guys my
01:02:27
crew in particular they're going to be
01:02:29
different after at the end of this as
01:02:31
well for them this is going to be an
01:02:32
intense like I think they're going to
01:02:34
learn a lot about themselves too and I
01:02:36
feel that's another reason why I have
01:02:39
leaned on these guys is that I've I want
01:02:41
I trust them but I know that they want
01:02:45
more from themselves in life too so I
01:02:47
feel that them going into that and me
01:02:51
knowing that they want that it's kind of
01:02:53
like this like yeah let's let's we're
01:02:55
all on the same boat here we're all
01:02:56
going into these Uncharted territor so
01:02:59
yeah it's it's it's intense and I think
01:03:02
um also we'll get we learn real quickly
01:03:04
to where things need to be you know the
01:03:06
first week I think we'll be able to
01:03:08
tease out a lot of the points that we
01:03:10
didn't even know
01:03:12
were teething problems yeah what what
01:03:14
about unforeseen like um injuries or
01:03:16
illness you just you have a like a day
01:03:19
off or two days off if you need to or
01:03:21
well I mean
01:03:23
like yes or no like yeah it's it's all
01:03:26
it's all going to be a day-to-day like
01:03:28
management basis I got a I got a good
01:03:30
crew of physio on on tap I've given me a
01:03:33
list of Nationwide physios that I'd
01:03:35
recommend so like it's all going to be
01:03:38
management right like I I'll just be
01:03:40
real honest like okay if this is feeling
01:03:42
like this is getting bad I'll get this
01:03:44
checked up but if it's feeling okay I'll
01:03:46
go through it a day and then go the next
01:03:48
day try it out if it's not getting
01:03:50
better then I'll go get it checked up
01:03:51
it's going to be kind of like all a
01:03:53
management basis really that's kind of
01:03:55
how I'm to approach it um in terms of
01:03:58
day offs I haven't really like planned
01:04:01
that in but hey there's contingencies
01:04:03
definitely in the plan but I haven't
01:04:04
planned that in as the a priority if
01:04:07
that makes sense yeah so so you have and
01:04:09
also you haven't planned in any rest
01:04:11
days you yeah no but they're in there as
01:04:13
contingencies for sure but if they're
01:04:15
needed yeah exactly right but ideally
01:04:17
you just run run consecutive days cuz
01:04:20
cuz the thing is as well that the part
01:04:22
of the T Trail is you go on the woi
01:04:25
river so I may have a two-day period
01:04:27
where I'm going just be on the kayak
01:04:28
which is going to be intense for Le
01:04:30
because I'll stiffen up but at least you
01:04:32
know you've got as well exactly you know
01:04:35
yeah oh my God so things like that like
01:04:38
yeah so so we're recording this um late
01:04:41
September you're starting next yeah
01:04:44
Monday Tuesday Tuesday one week one week
01:04:47
right it's Tuesday today yeah literally
01:04:50
exactly we today and what date you're
01:04:52
starting on first of October first of
01:04:53
October nice number so ideally you'll be
01:04:56
you go all the way from the top of the
01:04:57
North Island to the bottom of the south
01:04:59
island and Back Again finishing maybe
01:05:01
early January y y yeah early Jan so
01:05:04
where will you be for Christmas Day
01:05:06
funny we'll probably be well actually
01:05:09
yes that's probably the only planned bre
01:05:11
day because around Christmas day will be
01:05:15
around um Huntley and then that day
01:05:19
we'll draw the mark for day and drive up
01:05:21
to Oakland and have Christmas with our
01:05:22
family and then drive back the next day
01:05:25
so I think Christmas day is actually the
01:05:26
only like in the plan rest day maybe
01:05:29
even boxing day we have a rest day I
01:05:31
can't remember but I know boxing day we
01:05:33
definitely have as a rest day just so we
01:05:34
can be with our families I think if you
01:05:37
were if you were really mentally tough
01:05:38
you'd spend Christmas day in Huntley
01:05:40
yeah way that's what I thought that's
01:05:42
mean sorry to people of H oh that's cool
01:05:46
oh that's really cool I think that'll be
01:05:47
good for the morale and you know it'll
01:05:49
be good just to have that birthday that
01:05:52
that Christmas um Tucker you know
01:05:55
nothing beats
01:05:56
oh God you've got that look in your ey
01:05:58
like you're really excited about this
01:05:59
you're ready to go yeah yeah oh oh man
01:06:02
like I can't explain if I
01:06:04
could like pel up the form of what I'm
01:06:07
feeling you know that excitement but
01:06:09
that but that nerves it's just this yeah
01:06:12
I must admit there's some nights where
01:06:14
I'm just okay I can't be thinking about
01:06:16
it because I'll end up staying up all
01:06:17
night so I'm just like okay I'll just
01:06:19
figure to back in the head go to sleep
01:06:21
but yeah man it's
01:06:24
it's I'm I'm I'm obsessed you know
01:06:27
really yeah in terms of logistics um you
01:06:30
seem really well organized but there's
01:06:32
got to be something youve forgotten man
01:06:34
there has to be something that you you
01:06:36
figure it out on the go though right
01:06:37
yeah guarantee it like the sponsorships
01:06:40
too there's going to be something you
01:06:41
sit up be like [ __ ] okay mate I'm sorry
01:06:46
I just fully you know yeah I can already
01:06:48
see that happening but yeah and are you
01:06:51
crew going to deal with everything like
01:06:52
that like you don't have to deal with ad
01:06:54
while you're doing it or yeah yeah yeah
01:06:55
yeah that that's a lot that they'll be
01:06:57
the they'll be the masterminds behind
01:06:59
that I'll still I'll still be on my
01:07:01
phone in terms of like um doing updates
01:07:04
but the crew will be doing a lot of the
01:07:05
content but I'll be the one that will be
01:07:07
like writing the captions there'll be
01:07:08
some days obviously where they'll
01:07:10
they'll tap in and share but um yeah I
01:07:13
still want to you know main goal is
01:07:15
obviously to run end of the day like I
01:07:17
just want to raise the money and just
01:07:19
raise as much awareness for this
01:07:20
Foundation as possible that's the bottom
01:07:22
line and obviously finish it like but
01:07:25
that found Foundation just for them to
01:07:27
just get that to get that exposure they
01:07:29
need and to get the eyes and ears and
01:07:32
the resources that they need that's
01:07:34
that's just the main focus yeah yeah I
01:07:38
think that's probably a good place to
01:07:39
end yeah awesome St raising hopefully a
01:07:44
million dollars for the last chance
01:07:45
project by running the length of the
01:07:47
country twice um Good Luck ma'am thank
01:07:50
you Don appreciate the conversation yeah
01:07:52
pleasure to sit down with you today and
01:07:54
sorry for everything you've been through
01:07:55
and I hope this goes well yeah agreed
01:07:57
thank you Don

Podspun Insights

In this episode, the podcast dives deep into the journey of Stefan Ozich, an athlete on a mission to run the length of New Zealand twice on the Te Araroa Trail. The conversation kicks off with Stefan reflecting on his transformation from a life filled with 'deplorable' habits to one focused on endurance and service. He candidly shares his past struggles with substance abuse and how they fueled his desire for change.

As the discussion unfolds, Stefan reveals his audacious goal: to complete a staggering 6,000 kilometers in about 100 days, aiming not just for personal achievement but to raise $1 million for the Last Chance Project, a charity dedicated to men's mental health. The emotional weight of this mission is palpable as he recounts the tragic loss of his brother Jerome to suicide, which serves as a powerful motivator behind his endeavor.

Listeners are taken on a rollercoaster of emotions as Stefan discusses the challenges of endurance running, the mental fortitude required, and the importance of community support. He emphasizes the significance of sharing vulnerabilities and the need for open conversations about mental health, particularly among men. The episode is a blend of inspiration, heartache, and determination, leaving listeners with a profound sense of hope and a call to action.

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This episode stands out for the following:

  • 100
    Most inspiring
  • 100
    Best concept / idea
  • 95
    Most emotional
  • 95
    Most heartbreaking

Episode Highlights

  • Stefan's Journey to Endurance
    Stefan shares how he transformed his life through athleticism and service.
    “I've become obsessed with pushing the body physically, mentally, and spiritually.”
    @ 00m 41s
    November 27, 2024
  • The Last Chance Project
    Stefan aims to raise $1 million for a men's mental health foundation.
    “If just a fifth of New Zealand's population gave $5, it would be significant.”
    @ 15m 50s
    November 27, 2024
  • A Personal Loss
    Stefan opens up about the loss of his brother Jerome to suicide.
    “He was just such a beautiful man.”
    @ 18m 33s
    November 27, 2024
  • The Pain of Loss
    Reflecting on the intense pain experienced after losing a brother.
    “Nothing comes close to the pain that my family and I experienced on that night.”
    @ 19m 21s
    November 27, 2024
  • Mental Health Awareness
    Discussing the complexities of mental health and the importance of communication.
    “It’s not weak to speak; it’s okay to ask for help.”
    @ 21m 30s
    November 27, 2024
  • Faith and Healing
    Exploring how faith has played a crucial role in coping with loss.
    “I see things that are happening for me, for the betterment of my service.”
    @ 35m 04s
    November 27, 2024
  • Emotional Awakening
    Floodgates of emotions and love filled my body, leading to profound realizations.
    “Floodgates of emotions and love just filled my body.”
    @ 37m 54s
    November 27, 2024
  • Facing Challenges
    Embracing the journey ahead, acknowledging the mental health challenges during the run.
    “Each day is going to be its own challenge, taking it day at a time.”
    @ 41m 04s
    November 27, 2024
  • Training for the Journey
    Self-coaching and progressive overload have been key components in preparing for the run.
    “Key is obviously time on feet, that's been a huge component.”
    @ 44m 00s
    November 27, 2024
  • Logistical Planning
    The planning for the run involved reaching out to sponsors and estimating costs.
    “I got to raise 65 grand; where the [ __ ] do I start?”
    @ 52m 30s
    November 27, 2024
  • Crew Management
    Ensuring the crew's needs are met to maintain morale during the intense journey.
    “I want to make sure we're all somewhat on the same boat here.”
    @ 01h 01m 31s
    November 27, 2024
  • Running for a Cause
    Raising a million dollars for the Last Chance project by running the length of the country twice.
    “Good luck, ma'am!”
    @ 01h 07m 44s
    November 27, 2024

Episode Quotes

Key Moments

  • Self-Discovery00:30
  • Mental Health Awareness11:21
  • Intense Pain19:11
  • Mental Health Struggles21:22
  • Journey of Healing25:15
  • Training Regimen44:00
  • Crew Dynamics1:00:10
  • Pre-Run Nerves1:06:09

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown