Kickoff Sessions
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Kickoff Sessions
#284 George Armstrong - The Biggest Problem with Modern Men
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Most men never learn how to lead.
They build businesses without a backbone.
They chase money without principles.
They call themselves founders without ever taking real ownership.
In my latest podcast with George Armstrong—a father, coach, and friend—we unpack what it actually means to lead with discipline, responsibility, and integrity.
We talk about:
→ The weight men carry in silence
→ The trauma most never process
→ The power of looking in the mirror and rebuilding who you are
→ Why true leadership starts with personal responsibility—not external wins
George doesn’t teach anything he hasn’t lived.
He’s walked through grief, addiction, loss, fatherhood, and business—all while taking full responsibility for every step.
And if you’re building a business, a brand, or even just trying to be a better person—this one will hit hard.
Because at the end of the day:
Leadership isn’t about running a team.
It’s about taking ownership of your life.
Smash that like button for more episodes like this!
(00:00) Preview and Into
(01:19) The Problem with Modern Men
(03:37) Psychedelic Therapy and Healing
(09:17) Exploring Self-Worth as a Man
(13:44) Fear of Fatherhood and Stepping Up
(17:32) Responsibility of Being a Father
(24:12) How Delicate Life Really Is
(28:02) Masking Pain with Addiction
(34:00) How to Build a Life on Your Terms
(44:53) The New Entrepreneur is an Athlete
(47:54) Why Morning Routines Don’t Matter
(51:50) Speaking, Influence, and Leadership
(56:53) Calling Out Men with Real Talk
(59:52) All It Takes Is One Person Who Believes in You
(01:06:10) Why Loyalty Builds Long-Term Success
Why don't you fix your body? Why don't you fix who you are as a person, instead of externally having this short-term high which is instant gratification, rather than building your body up because the best feeling in the world is being proud about you, looking in the mirror and saying, as a man, we've got so much weight on our shoulders, man, the responsibility we have to uphold as a man in society, to upkeep, to support your wife, your children. It's difficult, man.
Darren:This is why Most men never learn how to lead. They build businesses without a backbone. They chase money without principles. They call themselves founders without ever taking ownership. In this episode, I sat down with George Armstrong a father, friend, coach and operator who leads from the front. We break down what it really takes to lead your life and your business like a man Discipline, ownership and integrity. This is for the ones ready to stop playing small, take responsibility and build something that actually lasts. Dude, where I'd love to start is or what I wanted to think about and what I wanted to run by you was. We had our first podcast, like two and a half years ago, but one thing I always notice is the rate of change of the people that I've interviewed. When I interviewed them again, yeah.
Darren:And it's something that is a wake-up call to me, because it's like I need to constantly be evolving and getting better. But then I think it's actually really beautiful, because usually people that I interview one hopefully become friends and we get on really well. But then when I see them change over a year or two, the changes are crazy and dude, you've had a fucking monumental change, man. Yeah, How's it been for you?
George:Good change, man. Yeah, how's it been for you? Good yeah, it's just the the mindset I've got forcing myself to do it. When you see someone who's doing it, I notice people like whether they change their style, they change their hair, they change the way they look, they get cleaner, more jacked, or they're just they're purposely forcing themselves to grow. When you see someone who's doing that, they're on a mission, aren't they?
Darren:for you, though that was really, I think.
Darren:I met you a couple months after you were really coming through and everything with your brother yeah and, but then you were at the point where you were pushing so hard, but now you've made those changes. That's what's so interesting, right? You may have not realized it in that moment, but my observation of you was that, like you were making all those changes and now you're seeing the benefit. Yeah Well, you were always seeing the benefit, though I was in a lot of pain, though. Then how have things changed?
George:So in terms of like mindset In loads, when you, I think, two and a half years ago, I was still struggling, I was still figuring things out.
George:It was very raw, wasn't his death. So I was, I was troubled. I was actually really, really struggling. Um, I was just every day just trying to get by. Essentially, that was my mindset. I was in and I put all my energy and all my all my time into the business, because if I didn't, I would end up just um self-loathing and destruction. Drugs, things like that easy to do when you're you're soothing yourself through trauma, and I was filming a video today. It's that is trauma. The problem in society now is people think they're dealing with trauma, or guys, when they're struggling with the most low-level things, they become victims, don't they? So that was, that was. That was trauma. I was, I was troubled how'd you come over it?
Darren:how'd you overcome that?
George:time and realization. I had, um, actually an acid trip. Yeah, it wasn't. Well, the work has to be done, doesn't it? But I had a realization on an acid trip. I don't think it was. I don't know if it was the acid, but during that time it was. It was a.
George:It was the new year and I just thought I can't move into this new year doing the same stuff I'm doing and having this sort of negative mindset. I was living with a good friend at the time and he literally said I was like had this dark spirit over me, especially at night. He used to just see me zone out. So I was troubled man. I really, I really was struggling deep down and, um, the only way I was getting through it was hard workouts, ice baths, saunas, the good, healthy habits, and that's why I teach it now, because I've used it. I don't teach anything I don't use or I've experienced. I hate those people who try and teach them this. Like you know, you know it's you got to do it for yourself before you do for anybody, anybody else. Yeah, the business coaches who are teaching people business. We know that now, I hate saying I'm a coach.
Darren:I'm not even a coach. I hate using any label, bro. Yeah, in general, just like we're not, you're you right To get me? That's the big thing, is like the second. You put yourself in yourself severely, right, but I didn't mean to interrupt you, but what I always have to say is like you don't follow a fat personal trainer, broke financial advisor, your single relationship coach, and the list goes on and on. Right, just want to take one quick break to ask you one question have you been enjoying these episodes? Because, if you have, I'd really appreciate if you subscribe to the channel so that more people can see these episodes and be influenced to build an online business this year. Thank you, I saw through a different lens.
George:That's what it was. I was using acid at that time. That was the moment in my life where I ended up taking some and I had this just huge rush of wow. This is interesting. I wonder now why all these different business owners, leaders, visionaries took it and it clicked. I was like, well, I'm going to use this for a little while. I'm going to use it for maybe a few weeks, on and off, okay, and I'm that type of person If I see there's a growth in something, I'm going to use it, I'm going to play on it.
George:And it was a time of maybe a few weeks where I was experimenting with it and it was making me think differently. It was opening my mind, giving me a different perspective. But then one time I took it I think on like Saturday, giving me a different perspective. But then one time I took it I think on like saturday I was really relaxed and then I started thinking about my brother, had a conversation with who I was with and living with, and essentially something clicked and I had this huge awakening, crying my eyes out for hours, just like wow, he helped me, he helped me see it. If it wasn't for him and I thank him today. Um, I wouldn't have had a different perspective and now I'm healing. I wasn't healing then.
Darren:I was hurting myself that's such a major insight. Dude, how did he make you see that this is interesting? Right, Because we've all taken drugs. Right, and like I've taken.
Darren:I don't think it's the drugs. It's not the drugs. That's what I mean. It's the intentionality. Yeah, it's how it's used, right, because, like I've taken acid in a different context and it gets frightened me for four days, but then I've under the context of trying to understand myself more and it's worked to some degree. But what I mean is, like a lot of times when you're guided in the right way or someone opens up that idea for you, then it's it helps you the most in that instance. So it makes sense. It's like I'll give an example. It's like um, it's a ketamine therapy. So elisa's father, as you, went through ketamine therapy for depression and apparently it's changed his entire life. And if you met the guy now he's super calm, super soothing, super kind, super generous, super empathetic and apparently he was not like that beforehand and he's gone through ketamine therapy for like a year or two years or whatever.
George:So it's, it's how intentional it is yeah, I don't believe using drugs or something external to make you feel better is the goal, is the answer. But I definitely think now, knowing the research out there, the tools aren't there. Yeah, of course, and you never know until you've taken it. You could be struggling for many years and you take something like this and it completely changes your life. But for me I was in the moment constantly, I didn't it's like when you get in good shape, a lot of the time you look at yourself and you still not. You still don't think you're good enough, you still want to push further, and you'll only notice when you potentially lose that condition and you look back and think, oh my god, I was absolutely shredded, I looked fucking incredible. And you look back and then you're like but at the time I was like I need, I'm not, I'm not ripped enough, I'm not ready for the show or I could be better, I'm not big enough here, there. When you, in the moment, you don't realize it, but when someone can give you a perspective and you can look at yourself for what, who you are, what you've been through, then you, you can, you can just see your life through a different lens. Essentially, that's what happened.
George:I looked at myself through a different lens. He gave me this perspective. It was essentially um. All I wanted was to know that my brother loved me as much as I loved him. That was it. Yeah, simple as that. It was pure love. And I didn't get that because he never said I love you. He never said he cared about me. I was, I'm always the one and, if you know, I always say I love you, bro. I always will make the effort to show my appreciation to people out loud. People show it in different ways. They don't say it, but they show it I think that's reciprocated in you.
Darren:Now, though, like we have a good relationship and like I don't message anyone, man, and I message you like once a month, and I'm like that's awesome, dude, that's sick, that's great. I think that you I think because of the energy that you put out is energy that you receive. Yeah, because you've done the work internally though. Right, yeah, do you get me like you're someone that I, you, can speak open and honest because you've done that work yeah, and that's it's confidence, isn't it?
George:it's confidence in knowing who you are, because you've been through hell and back and you've done the deep work. And when I walk into a room or when people talk to me, it's just confidence in a different way. Of course, I have an ego. I want to be the best, I want to win, I want to dominate. But it's not a front, it's real. I don't need to prove anything to anyone, apart from the man in the mirror. That's all I'm bothered about and that's why, when everyone else around me said, you did a fucking good job, george. You tried to help him out. You took him to therapy, you took him away. You were the most supportive brother that I could ever have. He could ever have. It didn't matter. It was the internal dialogue, it was the mind prison that I was talking about. I had to realize for myself.
George:I used to look at videos. I used to look at his YouTube and flick through. I went down a deep dive and went through his phone, went through his old YouTube and his YouTube channel had a video of me and Louis Armstrong armstrong in ibiza and it was for about 50 different times. So you look at one video. A week later he would look at the same video again, and it was. It was at the same time on the video and I was looking at it, of course, after his death, maybe a week after, tripping out like what the hell was he? Why was he looking looking at this? And I didn't realize he was inspired by me, he was motivated by me, that kept him in this world.
George:But I didn't realize. I was like what the fuck? Like, oh my God, I should have brought him out to Ibiza. I should have done this. I should have done that. Why, why? Why? Blaming myself, that was why it was eating me up. So, yes, I could have done more.
George:But when people say to you you couldn't have done more, george, I'm not that type of person who says, oh, if you know, you can do. It's like in the gym, when you know you've got one more rep in you, you know deep down, even that the guy says to you you had no more reps, you're like, oh, yeah, yeah, you're right, deep down, you knew you could have done one more. So I was eating myself up alive and that realization that my friend said george, you've got it all wrong. He was inspired by you, he was motivated by you. You were his like rock. I didn't realize all my life. I tried to help him for 10 plus years and that was it. It was just that. What Are you serious? He was inspired by me.
George:I never see or saw it, even if my mom said it. People around me said Will looks up to you, but until you have the feeling or the knowing, it's like once you've been exposed, you can't unsee something. But I couldn't see it, so I had my blinkers on and that was it. That was it. Anyway, it gives a perspective, isn't it? You could be in a mind prison for so long. Someone gives you some little golden nugget, whether it's in a book, whether it's on a podcast, whether it's a conversation to someone. It's on a podcast, whether it's a conversation to someone who's homeless you never know. You just never know it's going to come in around the corner that'll change your life and trajectory you mentioned recently about how you were scared to have a daughter after a butter oh, dude, like that, the worst, that that's the biggest fear.
George:That was my biggest fear because of how much I went through, of that pain of losing my brother, that part of me, the piece of my soul, I was like, no, I'm not ready for that, no way. It's the scariest thing ever. And this is why, when, like men have children or like they hook up with a chick, all right, it's like a one-night stand, like don't have the kid, but like no, I'm keeping it, you've. You fucked her, you spunked in her. You take responsibility, regardless of if she has it or not, if she has the baby. Don't run off, don't be a little bitch, be a man, suck it, suck it up, deal with it. And that's another realization I've had. Now having Gia, my baby, I'm like there's literally pieces of shit walking this earth who just just run.
Darren:Bro, it's fucking crazy, it's disgusting man, especially in Bali, bro, like the amount of guys that are like, oh, like you got to be the leader, like you, you have to. Like, you know, you have to have a legacy, have to have the legacy, bro. And then it's like, oh, where's your daughter? Oh, she's going into, uh, second class right now back in the uk. Yeah, and it's some dude just running around bali or thailand, like I know. I know several guys like that, not seen the kid in years.
George:Oh bro, it's fucking mental, horrible man. It makes you feel, makes you feel disgusting, like I actually look at these guys.
Darren:I'm like you're a piece of shit that's why, like I, you know I can give you a bit more context into like at least in myself. We're kind of like. We don't want children as of now. As of now we don't want to. And whenever we tell people that they're like what you're like, what the fuck like, you have to have to have a legacy. But it's the same. Guys have just abandoned their kid back in the UK. But I would. I know that if I did have a child I mean, at least they're married, right that I would put everything into that, right.
Darren:It's just that right now, that's not here. It's not here. I haven't done the development. Well, you would If it happened. If it happened, fuck, yeah, it would happen.
Darren:If it happened, I would be, because you're a man, yeah, and we're married and we're committed to it, of course, but what I'm trying to say is that it's the people from the outside that are telling you to do something who have not done the reps, and it goes back to the fat barstool trainer, the broke business coach. It's business coach. It's the same equivalent, right? But why I? Why I love speaking to you and following you and just and being friends with you, which I'm very grateful for is the fact that you take all these things on with more levels of ownership, responsibility and leadership, right, and like you kind of inspired me when we first met about like how you're running your team and I was like, okay, I want to do my team like that.
Darren:And then I had kind of followed in your footsteps in many ways and now I've seen where you are now and I'm like that's fucking amazing what you're doing now, and even as a father, and now you're taking that and I watch your videos you said, look, it is tough, and it's tough to balance time and give time to bailey and give time to the child and everything. But you stepped up in it but most guys don't. How have you? How have you internalized that? Did you kind of sit down and think, okay, I'm gonna be a really good example, or what was the process? Or did it just come? You're like, I'm gonna do it anyway, like gee, it wasn't planned.
George:Let's get that straight. I'm not gonna lie, and I thought I was going to have a child late 30s, because it's not a selfish thing. I just wanted to do what I wanted to do, on my own, without anyone there, and like it's. Like you said, you don't want to have a child, yeah, and there's nothing wrong with that. Yeah, you want to do whatever you want to do and you want to get set up and you want to live your life on your terms at the moment.
George:But when it, when it happened, it was a massive shock and awakening. I'm not gonna, I'm not going to let this kind of cause me go down a bit of a down spiral. I wanted to rise up to the challenge. I think this is meant to be. It's up to me now, isn't it? At the end of the day?
George:And my biggest fear was having a child, because I know the responsibility that you've got. There's nothing bigger, isn't it? It's when it's happened, when the child is born, that's it. Your focus is looking after them, providing for them, supporting them, building and building them up, hoping that they're gonna go out into this world with the tools and the knowledge that you've given them to be a good person, to treat people well, like I was literally yesterday how I had baby g in my hands and I was like you're gonna be kind, you're gonna be caring, just like speaking just pure love into her about just just. It's not affirmations but it's. I was just potentially speaking out loud of who I want to be in this world and my values and my morals, and I was just just sending them straight into her, just subconscious and when, when she was born, it was just this overwhelming feeling of love. This this is it now, like I'm gonna really level up as a human being was the scared element.
Darren:Did that go away when she was born like um?
George:well, I think, leading up to it, because of how dangerous it is to have a child, yeah, that was one of the biggest things, because there was there's a lot of different complications. She didn't nearly make it and all that. And at that time, when she didn't nearly make it, I was just like, wow, I've been through this with my brother and you know what. I'm actually pretty pretty not ready, but I knew I could have dealt with it if it didn't go in a positive way. Anyway, we'll lose insight here, I think.
George:Personally, I'm not someone who runs away, regardless of how bad it is. If it's with a friend, if it's with family members, I will step up. I will put my life on the line to do the right thing and just be a good person. I've made many mistakes. I've fucked up, done stupid shit, said the wrong things, but I know deep down I want to be a good person in the world and the responsibility as a father is probably the biggest thing you're ever going to go through. So stepping up was just in me, mate. All I've done all my life most of my life anyways build people up, so I know what to do that's so awesome, man.
Darren:I'm so glad to to see you in that position though, right and I think I said it's at least straight away when I saw the photos and it was it's almost kind of like a little movie, right. Yeah, I know you've, I know you've had a fucking tough couple years, but it's like a beautiful way to come out of that. I was like and that's why I guess I said it to louis, I think it was I was like, if it's anyone, it's george that should be a father, though. Like if it's anyone. I appreciate that because I think you're more conscientious of it. Oh, do you get me. You're more conscientious of it. Oh, do you get me. You're more conscientious of life versus death. Because you just preck and they've felt it. You know. They say, like a lot of people don't experience death until their 30s or 40s, because then it's usually their parents or their fucking friends and you know care, crashes or cancer or whatever. But, like you've kind of experienced these things a lot of people don't experience. I haven't really experienced, like you know. I haven't really had crazy experiences like that, so I felt like you've had. But you've had a few difficult situations, though haven't you probably not giving yourself enough credit, though.
Darren:Yeah, I think a lot of stuff that I've talked very openly about, like I had a lot of issues with like um, like I guess you could call it like ptsd when I was younger, like a lot of like really bad abuse, like physical abuse, emotional abuse, like psychological abuse, like really, really messed up shit. That I didn't remember until my mid twenties, oh wow. And then when I started remembering it I joke about it because it was, like you know, in the Bourne Identity, when he's walking down the street and he's getting hit with all these ideas and all these like flashbacks, that was kind of what it was like and then I got like fucked into therapy. From there I was like I was really fucked, dude. Like there was a period where I was like I am fucked, like mentally I was totally off it. But then on the business, I was still like everything was so sharp because that's where I find comfort it's just like it's just results, stripe accounts, and I had gone through that like and I still haven't gone fully through it, but, yeah, just like the main thing was like the physical abuse, like as a child and everything. So when that starts coming up, that for me, was like it.
Darren:Just it makes you like a better leader, makes you better. I don't know. I don't know what it makes you better. I've come through a lot of it, but there's still a lot of work to be done. There's always more to be done, dude, you know. But I feel like it's kind of like where I'm at is like level one with it. You know, like when the guy, when you see $10,000 online and they know everything right, I feel like I'm at that level of like awareness With it, with it yeah do you get me?
Darren:It's like my levels of awareness are so low that I think I know, I think it's okay, you know, does that make sense? Yeah, yeah, yeah, so you don't know? Yeah, and I have been working on it. To be fair, that's where it's nice to see you getting the result at the end of what you've been through.
George:Yeah, man I took. My dad has not seen gia. Yeah, so took when I was in the uk the other day, took him, took her sorry to see my dad, and that was such a, that was such a. I was crying in the car on the way there because seeing my dad go through that, wow dude, that um, that yeah hits the spot. So seeing him lose his son, just the pain, the trauma, and now he's got this new life. Yeah, when one door closes, another one opens and it was such a good feeling when he was holding Gia in his arms he's just like, yeah, this is amazing, this is what it's all about.
George:But I was just afraid of how delicate life can be. You know what I mean. You take one path and it leads to death potentially. Something gets in your head and then you go down a dark path. You're taking medication, prescription drugs, and then you hooked up to something else and it's just very delicate. Delicate and even them some of the best fathers in the world, our best parents, experience what we've been through and their child doesn't go in the way that they thought they would go. So that's it. You know.
George:I'm saying I had a friend who told me about she had, um, an eating disorder when she was younger. Okay, she was in. Uh, she went to ballet school in london and the dad was some like preacher, like well-known, amazing guy used to watch tony robbins every day. I was like, wow, he's fucking cool. When she was talking about him I was like he's a man, he's a good person, helps people. He even went through cancer. He's nearly gonna die and he's still trying to help people.
George:He had to go through that with his daughter. She nearly killed herself through eating disorder because she went to the school of ballet and it triggered basically just this huge uproar of eating disorder because in the ballet school back in the day, they want you to be small, you don't eat anything, you're too big. He was probably one of the best well-equipped human beings you could have with the knowledge and just a good, wholesome person, but he still nearly went through hell with his daughter and his arms were strapped around his back. So that's it. It's the unknown. Unknown, isn't it? But you can't live your life worried about the unknown and fearful of what if the fruitful things of life happen through trauma and things like that and loss you only experience. You only know what life's all about. When things happen like that and at the edge of that hell is where that amazing feeling of love can be.
Darren:Before we go any further, I have one question for you. Do you want to generate more leads for your business? Well, I've put together an entire system how anyone can use a podcast to generate more leads for their business, and the best part is, you don't even need a podcast to get started. I've created an entire guide and framework for you to be able to get more guests, more clients, more customers, more people in your pipeline and generate more revenue. This exact system is available right in the description down below, and you'll be able to leverage a podcast to generate more leads for your business and be able to increase your exposure, increase your authority and increase your influence in your industry. So check that out right down below and even just to finish up on that point specifically, like I think that's where a lot of people just sued with alcohol, drugs and just put the mask on and don't experience it like you've experienced the full length of the pain.
Darren:Same with that man, an individual, same with myself that I've realized like, oh, like I want to be with Elise, I want to be married, I want this type of life because I've gone through it, like I've exposed myself to it, and now that I've gone through a thousand days of no alcohol. I've realized that I had issues with alcohol and I grew up around alcoholism, grew up around prescription. I didn't even realize it until I had spent at least 800 days after alcohol. That I'd realized being like maybe it's not okay to have two or three cans every single night, growing up and being around that every single night, or maybe four or five or a bottle of wine at the weekend just because you weren't able to get to the pub. Maybe that's not okay. I'm 800 days into it.
Darren:I had that realization. It's not the fucking first month, dude, it was two, three years, years, whatever that may be. So what I'm trying to say here is like, because you take off the mask and you just sit in life and you realize the severity of things, that you start to see these things for what it's worth, right, um, and then you try to explain this to someone and they're just like wait, what? Uh, no, get on with it. And I think that was a very interesting thing that I've really picked up on. And then it's like okay, when I was younger, I definitely had an issue with drinking. Definitely. Probably all did Right, probably just all did you know? Just?
George:ridiculous. As a man, we've got so much weight on our shoulders, man, man, I was doing a post today about a video and the responsibility we have to uphold as a man in society to upkeep, to support your, your wife, your children. It's difficult, man, and this is why suicide is is prevalent, because it's not easy yeah, but if you don't speak up? If you don't, it's not easy, yeah, but if you don't speak up, if you don't ask for help, then it's not going to go away.
Darren:Have you seen the drama with Gary Stevenson and Daniel Priestley? Have you been familiar with it? If you haven't, that's fine. Basically, gary Stevenson is a guy that's based in the UK, based in London. He was a trader for Citibank. He's basically kind to come out and being like oh, like you know, it's impossible to be wealthy. All the wealthy people have all the money. Yeah, so he's not. He's not. He's basically saying that, like, it's not your fault that you're broke and lazy and and that you're not in control of your life. And he's like oh, all the wealthy people have the money. It's all the wealthy business owners. You're the reason why you're getting taxed so much. You can't afford your house because of these people. Instead of taking a responsibility, it's buy and pill, yes. And then Daniel Priestley, who's a friend of mine, he's the opposite, which is like look, you have self-sovereignty, you can get up, you can either move to Dubai or you can just get the skills, learn the skills, create. So they run diary, the ceo, and they had a massive like debate and that guy, gary, is pushing like oh, like you know, we need to tax the wealth people. Then that money needs to be dispersed to people, but you, but it's not your fault that you're like fat lazy broke, basically the ethos, right? I hate that exactly. I absolutely hate that too. Um, which is why I had a video on it which went like super viral. And um, I've tried to sit down with this guy, gary. I want to sit down with him next month, actually in may, to go through this.
Darren:But the whole logic with all this and the reason I'm saying it is because I was in a position. You were in a position. You're from a normal family, right, but you learned the skills, you took responsibility and, as a man, that's why we loop around to this. As a man, you did what was necessary and now you're able to take care of your daughter and of your girlfriend. Right, you're in that position that when you had a child unexpectedly, it was fine. You're not the one bitching and moaning around paying your electricity bill, right, yeah, and it's because you took the road. Less travel, like this is a really important point. Right, like, as I said to you earlier, decade dude. Right like, and it's still in many ways, like I'm still only just starting, but I've spent a debt on 29. I spent a decade chewing glass. It's built three startups when I was in my beach, built three startups before I was 24. It all went to zero, right, you know, I've been through it to the point that now things come easy. Right, don't fucking come easy.
George:But when people say it must be easy for you, it must be easy for you.
Darren:Well, the biggest thing that I get is that that I was lucky. I get comments on that every day from people that are from Ireland. Bear in mind. I don't get compliments or feedback positively from anyone that's from Ireland. No one. It's America. America is people.
Darren:People hate on what they gave up on, but people hate going against the grain in Ireland, specifically because the system isn't designed for you to go against the grain. You know spiral dynamics. Have you heard of spiral dynamics? One of the levels, like level six, is that when you're in the system, you're so far in the system, a system that you don't realize that there's a system.
Darren:And that's part of like irish and uk culture is that this guy, gary specifically, is saying like, look, you know, it's not your fault that you can't pay your electricity bill, right? Not saying what you've done all your entire life. Because they're just such part of that. And this is the irony scenario his audience is huge. Why? Because during in the bell curve, majority of people are in that fucking middle losers, so no wonder his audience are big and the whole. The whole problem with the whole reason why he had that massive debate was daniel, and daniel put out a video being like hey, if you support me, please support me in this video because he's part of the minority yeah, like my mom's a nurse, she worked all her life nursing amazing woman.
George:She doesn't. She didn't get paid enough. Nowhere near like. That, for me, is annoying. That's frustrated. That pissed me off, because you're literally on the front line saving lives on a daily basis. You're in the system. You don't get paid enough. You're doing a job which should be represented as um, getting paid fucking very well what you do, but you don't. I think that's not a nice thing to experience and if you are in that, you kind of stuck. Yeah, really, because you want to help people, you want to, you want to change lives, but you you're fixed, aren't you? To a degree?
Darren:yeah, I completely that pisses me off. Yeah, and in that way, firemen and all that kind of stuff, you know the vocation that you take, because they wanted to help people. I guess it's all like the other people who are just random accountants that are making 30k a month, right, 30k a year, and then they're not changing their own scenario. But you still have a choice. That's what I mean. You've that choice, right, but they're not. Bro, if you're doing accounts for kpmg, you're not doing that to give back to the world and to be fucking clear, right, you picked the pad because you took comfort versus doing something different yeah, I'm literally in a point now where I I don't need anything like I've.
George:Actually, I feel like I've got one of the best lives in the world I have, and I believe that I'm so grateful for it. I've got an amazing girlfriend, I've got a beautiful daughter, I've got a great business, I've got good cash coming in, I can travel, I'm free, I can move wherever I want. I'm not tied down or anything like that. I've built my life on my own terms. Where it's a joke, it's a dream. I'm living a dream and every day I'm grateful for it, and I want to pull other people up, ie my team followers, people who can use what I've learned to have the same sort of life. I look at other people who like, for example, I've got one of my good friends back in school. He's struggling a little bit at the minute. Yeah, he's been drinking too much. He won't listen to this, but he wouldn't be bothered anyway because I talk to him like this Okay.
George:You know what I'm like, so I'm saying listen, you're out of shape.
George:yeah, you used to be a good footballer, he knows that you're drinking too much, you're smoking weed, you're smoking vapes, you've just had a daughter. Yeah, I get it. Life's fucking hard, bro, and you can compare yourself to me and I'm I'm at chapter 12 and you you're at chapter one. But you need to get out of your own head. You're so negative, you feel like nothing's working, you've got nothing going for you, when you've just had a beautiful daughter, you've got a lovely supportive wife, you've got the roof over your head, you're healthy, you fit your family's good Like.
George:Start looking at the positives. Start with the basics. Let's get off the drugs, let's get off the drink, get yourself in the gym. The fitness is the gateway drug to success. I've mentioned this over and over and how you can stay aligned and disciplined with the ice bath that'll get you centered. With the sauna that'll completely cleanse any negative thoughts and burn them alive. And then you've got the good healthy, nutritious foods no junk food, no processed crap, whole foods. That's going to make you feel alive, not just physically but mentally. And then you want to hang around with a community men who are on the same mission as you. So I'm just teaching him this. I'm like listen to what I'm saying right now and he's listening, but for many years he didn't. And he's inspired by me because I'm one of his best mates and he's not even doing the things that I do. But I don't look down on him, I just want to pull him up.
George:So, he potentially might even be coming out in Bali, just to.
Darren:You're on a mastermind man, you're on a small retreat. Yeah, I do them once every four months and they, they're amazing for that reframe. I didn't mean to interrupt you, but have you ever wrote Never Split the Difference.
Darren:I have yeah you know the point he says about behavioral changes and that it has to be a situation where it says that's right versus you're right. You know that point. So the way he explains it is that if someone has a triple bypass and the doctor comes in and is like, oh, you need to change your lifestyle, the guy's like, thank you so much, thank you so much, you're so right, you're so right. But the guy never made the change himself, so he doesn't take ownership of the behavioral change. So a big part of coaching is getting guys to say that's right. So if I said to you, you have an amazing daughter, you want to make sure she has a great life, that's right. And you want to be a good, get into the fucking gym. They own that decision.
Darren:And what I've even found is working like we have 100 plus active clients. I still can't say to some people bro, fucking, post it on YouTube. They have to take ownership as to why they're doing it. And I'm learning this because Tom Spark, which I think you know as well, tom's really fucking clued in. He used to teach disadvantaged kids in Wales Guys from Somalia.
George:Mm-hmm.
Darren:So he was very indexed on the psychology around it and it was just an interesting observation because I'm very similar to you. I'm like, fucking, just do it, make him figure out for themselves Exactly. And it's funny because that's coaching, isn't it? And you can give people the tools, bring the tools, bring a horse to water, right. It's a typical example, but it's interesting because that guy has so much potential.
George:But he has to see it, there's a difference between motivation and inspiration. You're giving people, you want to give people inspiration. You motivate them. It's short-lasted Inspiration's within. So that's what we're doing. Can say, right, bro, look at me, I'm jacked. Look at me training the gym. Look at me lifting this weight train like an absolute beast. Look at the life I've got. That's motivation. That's the inspiration needs to come from within. It's completely different. So you can't just tell people what to do. You unravel them and then, oh okay, yeah, that, that is correct, that's what I need to do. It's like when I struggle, I didn't, I couldn't see it, but once they've been exposed to it, they can't unsee it hmm, dude, I want to get into a few of your uh quotes.
Darren:So I pulled up my phone a minute ago not to yeah, mom, no worries, I pull up some uh hilarious. I want to start with this. But then I just, uh, I was like you know what? Fuck that, my dad? A lambo isn't a flex if you got man boobs. What was the uh, what was the realization for that?
George:I just well, I work with I work with high performers, donna, and I work with business, business owners and you see an influx of people posting their cars, which probably a lot of them can't afford these guys anyway. But they think that it's a massive flex when they're driving a nice car. But they get out and you know there's a lack. It's not real confidence, it's external, it doesn't come from within. So someone like myself, you and others, you can just see it for what it is, but others can't. So I'm just like dude, I know deep down you don't like yourself. You have to buy these things, these flashy things. And don't get me wrong, I love nice things. Yeah, I love nice cars, watches, nice clothing same, I love it and I get it.
George:Why people do it? But why? Why don't you fix your body? Why don't you fix who you are as a person, instead of externally having this short-term high, which, which is instant gratification rather than building your body up? Because the best feeling in the world is being proud about you looking in the mirror and saying, yeah, fuck, I'm a stud, not, yeah, I've, I've bought my wife it. It's just a wake-up call, isn't it what I'm here to do, man, and I've had quite a lot of clients sign up because they've heard that quote and it makes them think about why don't you work on yourself because you'll feel so goddamn good. You don't need the cars to make yourself feel better.
Darren:It was you as well that said about spending the money on the gym and food, right that, like you know, people are fucking scrimping and scraping over gym memberships for $15 gym memberships and shitty food or just even low quality food, when spending that money on yourself is what's going to give you the biggest, biggest benefit. And it's funny enough because, like because I've always prioritized high quality food, but recently I've actually prioritized expensive food in terms of if something's expensive, I still get it. Why I don't drink, I don't party, I don't go out, I don't do anything. I literally don't do anything, bro. I literally just work and go to the gym.
Darren:So me, him, so me, I mean, at least now that she's back eating meat again for her stomach uh, she might look at a steak here that could be like 60. I'm gonna just get it because you're gonna feel great and she's like I feel amazing. And then I'm like, fuck, I'm just gonna get it too. So we just try priorities, like really good quality food it doesn't have to be expensive but trying to really not scrimp on that because it's a fucking. It's the motor fuel, right, it's the fuel to do everything else.
George:I get so annoyed. Man, I can be on a call with someone. I'm like, okay, I know, I know what I'm doing. I'm like, okay, what's your job? What do you do? What car do you drive? What's your lifestyle like? I've got X, y and Z supercars. Okay, cool, I'm thinking, is this guy got these cars mot'd? He's putting the best quality gasoline, he's got all the best features on his car. But then I look at him and I'm like dude, you've not even looked in the mirror, you're not looking after your hygiene, how you actually feel, your mental health.
George:It's a crisis amongst ceos and business owners. A lot of them die young and have heart attacks, high stress they do. It's a thing it's called I think it's called snipe, something sniper interesting should look it up. Man. Yeah, essentially, once you've been hit with that heart attack, you're gone and it's prevalent. I see it all the time. So I say to them okay, this is the program, let's say it's five grand and they go.
George:So if sis, come on, man, can you give me a discount? I'm like, fuck all discount, like I should actually put the price up. Yeah, I think you're getting a good deal here. And I said how, what car have you got again and they'll say I'm going again. Listen, you have got the complete wrong mindset. You are not investing in you, which, if you invest in your health and invest in your body, you get your blood work done. You boost your energy, you double your deep and REM sleep, which I have. You take the right supplements, you will be a better leader, you will better be a better husband, a better business owner. You'll make more money. Bicep veins make more money.
Darren:They're working too much, dude 100. So I've gone through a period, uh, where I've done another book because I felt like I lost a bit of muscle, staying lean, and then I've come back down. So it was like five months up and now I'm, uh, 10 weeks down. So I lost like six kilos in the last 10 weeks and I said to to my coach yesterday. I was like I think I might just stay lean. I was like I just get it. I literally just get like better engagement when I'm just leaner and like this is my head just talking right and it's just more authority, right, because it's how you do one thing is how you do everything. And like people joke on LinkedIn thing because it's like, yeah, because most guys are just fat and lazy, but, dude, it's a fucking interesting point that you made about the guys not wanting to invest themselves, but they're business owners, because all business is is the outcome, it's all about outcome. So I often found, oh, I gotta get your feedback.
Darren:Selling people who have a job is quite difficult because it's fixed outcome, because they just get paid a salary. So it's like I can be a little bit fat, I'm still gonna get paid. You know, somewhere in their head. They're saying that, whereas for a business owner and I think all personal development, that health offers should never be discounted, because it's like you need to pay with your wallet to make the change, otherwise you're not going to change. And it also like the more you pay James Kemp famously says, the more you pay me. Just looking for those small tweaks, right, you know, literally stop going to McDonald's. How much will that change your life? How much is that worth to you? It's my favorite question in a sales call If I teach you this. How much is that worth to you? It's worth everything to me Perfect. It doesn't matter what the price is.
George:So I think that's it's very and it's good to call people out on that bullshit. Right, damn right, man, they spend thousands every year on the car, mts, the best gadgets or anything, but when you say invest in you, um, they scrimp. They scrimp all the time, mate, and it's just. It's annoying, it's frustrating. You've got a broken mindset. There will be such a better person and a better leader make more money if you're in shape, because the fundamentals of being in shape you know, just like running a business, the consistency, eating good. It's just. The new entrepreneur is now the jacked, healthy, lean, healthy, lean, fit athlete. That's it.
George:Because if they don't put the stress out in something productive, what is it going to be To interrupt Hocus? Going out, partying, drink, drugs, alcohol, clubs, late nights, hungover, that's it. There's a time and a place to do it. I think I'm going to be going out for my birthday next month. It's my 30th Sick, why not? I've not been out for probably six months. I'll go out, I'll have some drinks, I'll party, I've paid for a table. I want to watch this dj who I've not watched for probably three years. Sweet, how many times are you doing that? You know, you know I'm saying yeah, I'm not doing it often anymore. But these guys need a massive wake-up call because they've convinced themselves that that life of pie in going out, hookers, all this crap, just because you got a bit of money and you're flexing is, is cool. It's not cool. Cool is getting up, hitting a workout, eating good, getting in the ice bath, sauna, breath work. Everyone used to think all of that was weird. Yeah, why are you doing that breath work? Why are you journaling? Now it's changing and we're in the time right now where it's becoming cool with the morning routines. You've seen it, it's absolutely exploded. Don't get me wrong. You do not have to do that morning routine. My morning routine at the moment has changed.
George:Okay, I was traveling for a little bit. Didn't do the saunasas, didn't do the ice baths, anything like that. I didn't even listen to any podcasts. I've got back and I'm like I wake up, have my coffee. Actually, no, wake up, feed gia, have my coffee, start work. I've not done anything else. I start with the hardest things. I move into something productive. How am I gonna best serve my team, the world, my clients, my family? That's it. Just start off like that. I've not done anything else. These people who do the morning routines are usually people who have so much fucking time on their hands. They're not successful. They're not business owners, they're not. This is procrastination, it's just bullshit. And if and they actually become successful by filming the morning routines and what I eat in the day, that's how they become successful and that's why I was saying before they've not got an actual business.
Darren:There's no business, it's just and that's why it's funny, because I was telling you about how, like we've changed a lot of stuff we've done in our business, because what I've realized is like people don't want content, don't want a personal brand, they want money, bro, they just want money. And it's like, how do you get the money? You just teach them how to talk to people and get them turned to customers. So, like we have people who actually leave our program, because what I'll usually do is be like, because we'll build them like an offer or whatever, right, have a middle offer. And I'm like, how much should we be talking to that, bro? Like you, should I do 50 a day? 50 people, yeah, 50 new people, 50 existing people. If you do that for a month, you're not going to be broke. I'm telling, I'm telling you, man, I'm telling you, just do it like this, and then they still will go back into like, oh, I'm fixing this and you know I'm creating content and stuff. It's all. It's all bullshit. Bro, you have to work on the most important part, just like we're training. Your nutrition is just as important as your training. And you have to do it and you have to move right. And if you just do those things, your life will change. You have a fucking change, man right. So I think there's a lot of like band-aid stuff, even especially with fitness, like it's like oh, don't worry about it, don't rest out, rest out, deload, deload. All this kind of stuff where it's like, if you just get to the point of doing the thing that you fucking were meant to do in the beginning, you're not going to have an issue.
Darren:The majority of my guests run content businesses. They've used content as the main element of their business to drive more revenue and build their influence online. We've been doing this through a podcast for many years. We have many guests, clients and even customers use a podcast as their main source of driving more revenue for their business and building their influence online, and we're offering a handful of spots to book in a call with our team to learn how you yes, you can leverage a podcast to generate more revenue for your business and drive your influence online. Many of our clients and customers start from nothing, but each one of them are action takers and they want to learn more about how to build a podcast and a brand right around their business. So if you want to learn more and you're really interested in building a podcast, check out the link down below and book in a free call with our customer success manager and he will guide you into how you can build and generate more revenue from your podcast.
George:This year I do the most productive thing every single day, like I've got that I pretty much can take months off at a time. I would hate it, though I literally couldn't think of anything worse, but I've set up and delegated my team. Now I'm the leader and I can do whatever I want to do. What's going to move the business forward for me? What's the best time for my money and book to get the best outcome? Yeah, it's not being in my business, it's working on it. It's working with AI systems, hiring people, building processes, figuring out how to time-lapse us to make the most amount of money and move this forward. So for me, it's marketing social media, speaking on camera. The better I can get at speaking, the more influence I'll have and I'll make more money and I'll win. That's why I'm winning, because I don't see many people in the industry who speak the way I do.
Darren:Dude, I have to introduce you to my public speaking coach. He's an animal bro.
Darren:He's an animal, he's from the UK, lived in Hong Kong for 15, 20 years. And he's an animal he's from. He's from the UK, lived in Hong Kong for like 15-20 years and I was at that point that you're at, which is like I just make way more money if I can speak well or show up and articulate my thoughts, and I knew the guy from Singapore and I was like you look to be that and you knew, I, just you knew you were like outcome, like he knows, because it's outcome, right, how?
Darren:powerful it is and like I do a lot of stage work now and I do a lot of workshop stuff and like we crush it right, we actually we're bringing back selling from stage. Remember that phenomenon like Russell Rosses do I'm actually able to do it, like I'm physically able to do it from my coach and he's a fuck. He's so expensive, like it's really expensive. And I was like it's not expensive.
Darren:No, it's really expensive no, it's not yeah, it's not expensive because it's the investment, because they cost us down the road. But other people will think exactly what? What?
George:what, what, what, what, what, what, what. What are you for, mate? What?
Darren:have you just done? But listen to this. This is the funny part is that when he said it to me, I was like let's go, because I know that it's going to work, and you're going to say this is bullshit and I'll send you the video. We started working together and the next day I had a call and I'll give you an example. This could be helpful for you too.
Darren:Got on a call with him initially. You're super high on competency, you know your shit, you know what you're doing. You're very low on warmth. I was like what the fuck does that mean? He was like you don't smile, you don't interact, and then, therefore, people don't warm to you. So I need a bit of that, probably. Yes, oh my god, check your person. I'm going to stay away from him because I think you do, because you're funny, right, you kind of.
Darren:I think the problem with me was that I was I kind of got into a position where I was working or interacting with people that were very senior or like killers, very young, like I had like no business and I was meeting some guys making fucking 10 million a year, right. So I was kind of always at this stage whereby I was just kind of like down here. So I had to over index on competency, yeah. And then he kind of taught me to loosen up and like smile more and I record my sales calls. And I swear to God, this is true. The next day I hopped on a call with this individual and they had all these problems, whatever. And I just smiled and I was like, yeah, yeah, of course. And I was like, yeah, we can help you this way. Yeah, help you this way. And I just sat down. I was like what else?
Darren:Initially sent me 10k and then a following 10k after that and I sent I have the video that I sent to Michael afterwards and he was like, yeah, bro, he was like that's because people actually like you. They like you from what you're doing and what you're saying, because you've just changed a small few things. So it could be helpful. Man, he's a lovely guy. He's a lovely, lovely guy just have a chat with. But that was on my mind many times, because it was on my mind, yeah, and I was too much of a bitch to be like I have a problem. That was it.
Darren:So now I work with him, I send him a YouTube, I have a video that comes out every Sunday which is a solo video. I send him the video. He sends you back a 10 minute voice note. He's like this is shit, that's good, this is shit. Here. My assistant will take all the notes, build out an AI note taker for us. Now I know, going into a video, that I'm low on warmth. I need to improve, like my alliteration, my speed, my velocity, long short, long, seven short, seven minutes, right.
George:So cool, isn't it? But we don't get it. They don't get how important it is. It's everything as a leader for me, speaking on a Zoom video or when I interact with someone, one of my team, I'm thinking about how I speak, how I communicate the words, because I used to be so bad at public speaking. I failed public speaking. I got an e. Yeah, I was at the back of the class, the last sets. There was eight sets in my school. I was the last set. I would never put my hand up all through school because I struggled with English mate. Now, look, the work I have done on my speech is outrageous, do?
George:you have a coach for it, or like would you watch YouTube videos or slow down, it's just analyzing myself and that's been one of the biggest things that I've worked on that people don't understand how much work is involved with something like that. To the level I've been at, it's probably the same amount of work as I've done on my body, as I do on my, my speech, and I'm nowhere near where I need to be your reels are fucking sick, dude, the ones that you're talking.
Darren:I actually picked up on that, like, even like the way that you're rolling your thong, it's very unique, it's very cool. And the way that you're able to, like, hold your frame, do you get me?
George:Yeah, that's my thing at the minute I'm going to do. You know what I was going to say? Hundreds of videos and that's gonna, I think, be my shift on instagram real talking to the, to the phone, raw talk, a message going out daily to men to build them up hard truths. That's it. That's what they need. They need something to say fuck, you know what?
George:George is right, let's get up, let's stop being a bitch. Let's get to work. Let's fucking go now, bitch. Let's get to work. Let's fucking go now. They need that because there's so much noise and bullshit isn't there. There's so much and they don't get called out enough. They get told everything's going to be okay. You're going to make it. We're all going to make it. Brother, it's like that Z's thing back in the day. We're all going to make it. Man, I used to. You should love that. You're not. Let's get it straight. You're not gonna make it if you don't change and you don't change your habits and do the internal work so how much of an influence have you had on louis wow?
Darren:well, you probably know well, just, he's changed so much and he's done a. He's done an awesome job. You know, he's really where he's worked really hard, he's put his time in I'm proud of him.
George:Probably, looking at anyone right now, he's probably the guy that I'm most proud of in terms of a friend. His potential was always there and will be there. The guy's got a gifts, especially with building a community and things like that. He was just living a life of running away from his problems, running away from his potential, running away from doing the fucking work, and he hated himself and I was in the process of him changing and I and I saw how much he didn't like what he was doing to himself in ibiza the drinking I remember that story of you confronting him in ibiza yeah, he literally just squirred right up to me, right literally to my face, and I was just like the whole club was watching.
George:oh, I thought it was a home. It was in ibiza, the club, a club. Oh, I thought it was a house. No, it was out, it was a home. It was in Ibiza, a club, a club. Oh, I thought it was in a house, no, it was out. It was out in one of our favorite spots we used to go to, and he just squared right up to me.
George:And you could just see in his eyes. I just called the bullshit and I called him out and he hated it and he knew I was right. But it took him a while to come to terms with it and say you know what? You're a fucking good guy, george. I appreciate that.
George:at the start he thought I was trying to make fun of him and trying to embarrass him, but I wasn't and we nearly ended up scrapping that that night. But I've always wanted those people to be around me because in those moments of me going off track, fucking up, you don't get them, man. You need those individuals who just say listen, you're way better than this, dude, you can do more, you can go harder, you can make more money, you can get more jacked. You. Putting some belief into someone is probably the biggest gift you can do. Knowing how many clients I've worked with, it's a gift. It's crazy, dude. Dude, it blows my mind. You can literally just put some belief into someone and they're off and you're like whoa, it's like you put a fucking rocket up their ass, dude it's just one person needs to believe in you, bro.
Darren:Do you know? Your first clients are sick and I'm still with them four years later. Oh, that's cool. Two, four years later.
Darren:I remember it was like that where I was just like eating concrete and eating fucking sawdust. And then I met him and he was like you obviously know what you're doing. And I was like not really. And then he was like you want to just take over my youtube? And I was like okay, and that was literally how it happened. And then I was like I gotta figure this shit out. And he's like, yeah, it's great. Like he's like clips are going good. I like the thumbnails, I like this, just keep going. And it was like the first person. I was like holy fuck, and bear my mind, I've done so much ownership in the past that I never felt here right, because you actually do need the validation of someone. You have to respect them, though. That's what I mean. So I looked up to Rob, like all when I was younger, bear in mind, I'll never forget the first.
Darren:How I learned how to diet was his video on YouTube Home. It was how to count your macros, and it was literally one of. It was his second video of all time on YouTube. It was. I was like 18 or 17 years old. I watched it and I was like Jesus, fucking Christ, that's when I went down the path of like him, joe Delaney just kind of that's how I got into that space. But then when I connected with Rob, I had him on my podcast once or twice and then that's literally what happened. It was the craziest thing ever and I say this to everyone. And now I have team members saying it to me, being like you actually believe in me, when no one else did, and I'm like, yeah, bro, because you have that thing. You just need someone to fucking kick you off the ledge to go fly. You know, dude, I have people, as I said, in vietnam, a woman in pakistan making fucking thousands a month, thousands, pakistan that's sick.
George:She's a fucking killer. Yeah, become the man you respect. 100 and become the man you admire. If you didn't respect Rob, it wouldn't have mattered. It wouldn't have mattered. It wouldn't have mattered, yeah. So, like, that's all I try to do Become a man that people respect. I don't want to be liked. I hate that. I like him, you like him. Oh, that's not what I want to hear. I respect him. He's the man. He walks, he talks, he acts in a certain manner that that guy is a respectable person in society, not I like him.
George:I hate nice guys as well, the amount of nice guys who have fucked me over in my business, who the past past six months, the business has completely changed. I've got such a sharper team a players, absolute killers, snipers, people who are on the same mission as me, but there's individuals in there who didn't have my back, who were selfish, all about themselves. Not a team player, yeah, but when you've got a big team, sometimes you don't know and when you're hiring fast, you end up hiring the wrong person. I was new to this shit, so, like I look now and I've been screwed over, fucked over, burnt, ridiculed, make all this thing and I I look at it and I just laugh in a way of like, yeah, you know what you're a fucking bad person karma will get you. You can do what you want, mate, but you know what you. You you're not gonna have the effect on me. You can screw me over and try and take clients. I've had even people go try and go through old leads. They're not even in my business anymore. I've had the craziest things happen, like the breaking the laws. These people screwed me over for money, you name it. It doesn't. It doesn't affect me anymore. I just think it's making me a better person. It's making me more well-equipped to be a father person. It's making me more well equipped to be a father, to be a leader. You're gonna get burnt and you're gonna get kicked in the dick so many times in business.
George:You know I mean you've got to be thick skinned if you like this, this game, we're in it's, it's, it's exciting, it's. It keeps you on your toes, it keeps you on the edge. If you're not going through some sort of issue or fires the import out, you're not growing enough. You're not forcing yourself to like we gotta go harder. I had a word with one of my head, my head coach yesterday I was like you know what you didn't come across in that meeting? Right, you weren't intense, you weren't pushing these guys hard enough. I'm like would you want to get these guys to where we want to be? Do you want to get the retention and you want to hit that? I'm like I need to see intensity, I need to see relentlessness like dude, I must come on, let's go.
Darren:I I've I had the exact same conversation with a very senior employee, which was like do you think that if you were a client you would be happy? It was just very simple. It was just like after you think that if you were a client you would be happy? It was just very simple. It was just like after what's happened, if an event happens, would you keep paying? It's just like looking through that mental model, right, because everyone's just thinking about I'm doing my job, doing my job, doing my job.
Darren:But can you truly get in the mind of the people that are paying you to come back and come back, and come back? And it's all about like, about. Like you know, the wolf in sheep's clothing. It's very apparent, right, it's very apparent. That does pop up with people that go behind your back, dude. I've people that own like, oh my gosh, because we take percentages of businesses, right, so we run their content and then, if it's a good opportunity, we'll either buy into the business or we'll take a percentage of the business. And there's guys that have used the funnels to sifle money off into a different product and then keep the money separate. And then there's guys that owe us cash that have not paid out, and I have two different things I can do. I can bitch and moan and whine about it, or I can just fucking get better clients, make more money, just more successful it's just, bro.
George:Scaling it's great. I'm like you fucked me over. Cray, more fucking fuel on the fire.
Darren:Let's light it up, let's go and I think similar enough to you is like if people truly just stayed with you and like we're behind you, they will be so successful. Yeah, yeah, we have like lots of people like that. We're just like if you just don't fuck me over, you're going to become successful. Like the commissioner, we we're paying out our sales reps and even our team. They're super grateful, super, super happy and when they were in the early stages and they were considering like quitting and doing X, y and Z, I'm like just fucking stay, if you just stay, it's going to work.
Darren:Yeah, man, they think grass is green, but they come back around right, they see the awakening basically.
George:Yeah, I've had people try and come back in and I'm just like no.
Darren:But I'm saying people that stay in. If people stay in, put a hand around them fucking coach them.
George:They make good money For coaches in the industry. I want to be known as the team who pay their coaches the most, because they've earned it and because they're the best. Yeah, that's it. I want people to be like I want to work with that company, like they're legit, they're the best, they look after their team. It's all about the team, man.
George:If you look after people, most of the time they will look after you. Some people won't. Of course, they'll try and screw you over and burn you burn. You ever had people come on and try and take clients and then they come on and they all go. Oh no, it's just not for me anymore. And I'm like two months later they've got their own coaching business. Where does that go? Nowhere, nowhere. I'm like I'll just look at them and I'm just like, well, I know what opportunity you could have had, man. And you just think about what the life is going to be like now, because you know that when you give someone opportunity, it's going to be an amazing journey for them. It might be hard, it might suck. You'll push them to places they've never been before. Push them to places they've never been before. They might think you're a cunt. But you want them to succeed and you want them to succeed with you just as much as they want you to succeed, it's not about you.
George:It's about how can you facilitate their goals and dreams as well.
Darren:You know what I'm saying. Yeah, and that's rule number one of public speaking man as well. You know, it's not about you, right? It's not about you, right? It's not about you, it's about them. They don't care about you. Mate, I was at an event recently and I was like the last speaker. I did the keynote, and the first couple of people got on there like I did this and I did this. And I turned to one of the team members and I was like you'll never hear me say the word I for the next 45 minutes. We'll just say about myself, but I'll say the word you, and it's the same with your team. Just same, it's the exact same with your team.
Darren:What I've found as well, and what I get thoughts on this as well, is like a lot of people that we've hired were entrepreneurs. They've tried something themselves. They've either had minor success or whatnot, and then I'm like look, come in, I'll teach you. Like I'll give you a salary and I'll also teach you. All the guys just want to stay for the most part because they're being thought other things and we're opening their eyes up to other stuff. They could be doing something internal and then they'll work with some clients and then I'll teach them something to do with coaching, we'll put them on like a 30-day horizon of learning xyz, and they don't leave and, lo and behold, treat like. A year later we're at like a company retreat in bali and they're like, yeah, I don't want to build anything in the future, I'm happy to just stick with you.
George:It's happened several times, yeah, but how much you've had to grow tremendously for them to stay. If you didn't grow and if you'd improve on your speech, the way you are, the way you behave, the way you treat people, the way you look at the team, the way you've set up a trajectory of how much they could earn, if you didn't force yourself to continue to look for growth, they probably wouldn't be in here. Yeah, right now.
Darren:You know what I mean it's because the entrepreneur only gets paid for outcome, but the employee gets paid for output so it was about how do we engineer the business to be an outcome.
Darren:I mean, man, I mean, if it's a fucking short form, click on, tick. If the guy's thinking about the outcome, we'll all have a better experience, right. So it's like, how do you train that? And I tried thousands of models and even when I worked in startups in the past, how did they fail at doing it? Because it's all learned from experiences, right, and that's just been a big thing for me. And I think that there's a lot of things beyond the money that you can help people with. Like we have our mastermind. In May, I was like I have a villa that's open by Obsidian, oddly enough, and I just said to everyone like, get your way here If you're coming from fucking Brazil. Figure out a way and I'll pay for the flight. Just figure out a way. So we're trying to do two of those a year at least.
George:It's like what you mentioned. Those guys are coming there and they just need to hear it, potentially from you in person, to get that inspiration. They could listen to thousands of people online some of the best philosophers to ever walk the planet but same again, if they've not got something connected to potentially that person who's going to move them forward, it's like they need a five minutes with you and you could just say listen, right, this is what it's going to take. It's going to suck, it's going to be so hard. You. You probably going to end up feeling like you're losing your mind. But you know what, if you stay there and you hustle and you grind and you do, I say you're gonna make it.
George:And it's like really yeah, yes, sir, sweet, I'm gonna do it. Six months later he's earning good money. 12 months later, he's moved away abroad.
Darren:Whatever he's doing, dude, I'll finish on this note. I know you need to get to a call um. So we got a young guy on our team. He was coming out of high school, yeah, and he was working with Jack Hopkins at the time and then he came into work with us on like editing and guy was awesome, very nice guy, and he stayed in his hometown and just paid him, paid him well and so on and so forth, and I messaged him. I was like can you come to our event next month? And he was like bro, what the fuck are you talking about? Just come. And he was like no, no, I just bought my first investment property, so I need to stay here just to do the deeds. I was like, bro, you're 19. He was like, yeah, I am. He was like thank you actually.
Darren:I was like I got a call and I was like no fucking way, wow, that's the biggest flex in it. He was in high school two years ago. That's crazy. And I was like, bro, can you see this? Now he's like, yeah, I didn't even realize it. I guess we've just been moving so fast. We've worked 14 hours a day and I was like man, that's sick. I was like so happy for you and I was like, yeah, I don't mind coming, we'll go to the next one, retrospect. Right, that's so cool. I must make you feel so good, bro.
George:It made my entire day what happened like last week crazy. That's the biggest flex that I think like when I see a team buy something, treat the family, go on a holiday they always wanted to, that's the most fulfilling thing. Me buying something, I just don't get the same feeling man yeah, it's about the team and big thank you thanks a lot, bro, really appreciate it. Good to see you.
Darren:We could probably do another two hours. Yeah, dude, whenever we have podcasts, I always leave. I'm like, oh, there's so much more. I want to ask him though.