The Midlife Rebel Podcast
Welcome to Midlife Rebel , the podcast for women in their 40s and 50s who are done playing by the old rules.
Here, we redefine what it means to thrive in midlife—where health, purpose, and freedom meet.
Each week, we explore the intersection of body, mind, and spirit through honest conversations about holistic health, emotional healing, and awakening to your next chapter. With expert guests, soulful stories, and practical wisdom, you’ll find the tools and inspiration to live with more vitality, authenticity, and joy.
Whether you’re reinventing yourself, reclaiming your wellbeing, or simply craving deeper meaning, Midlife Rebel invites you to embrace your evolution and design life on your own terms.
Contact Nadine: https://lifehealththeuniverse.podcastpage.io/contact
The Midlife Rebel Podcast
Finding the Diamond Within: Diana Esther’s Journey from Darkness to Light
From Soviet shadows to divine light — Diana Esther’s life is a testament to courage, trust, and the quiet power of listening to your heart. In this intimate conversation, she shares her journey of awakening from a world built on fear and control into one illuminated by truth, love, and freedom.
Through surrender, faith, and divine guidance, Diana learned to transmute pain into purpose — discovering the radiant “diamond within” that she now helps others uncover for themselves.
We explore what it means to live guided by your soul, to embrace challenges as catalysts, and to reconnect with the inner wisdom that always knows the way home. For anyone navigating midlife transformation or spiritual awakening, this episode is a reminder: the light you seek has always been inside you.
You can find Diana's profile in the Guest Directory https://midliferebel.beam.ly/guest-directory
If you know a midlife rebel who might enjoy this content, please share the podcast with them!
Welcome to the Midlife Rebel Podcast. It's time to rewrite the Midlife story for women who refuse to be put in a box. Because maybe midlife isn't a crisis. Maybe it's an awakening. My guest today is Daniel Brimblecombe, an entrepreneur who helps founders, coaches, and leaders grow their authority and have a bigger impact. He blends sharp business strategy with stoic principles, lived experience, and a good dose of Aussie wit. Having faced his own setbacks and rebuilt from the ground up, he brings honesty, humour, and practical systems that cut through the overwhelm. In this conversation, you'll hear not just strategies but insights on resilience, discipline, and how to lead with impact. All without losing your sense of humor. Daniel, thank you so much for joining me today. I'm looking forward to chatting with you.
SPEAKER_01:Great to be on the show.
SPEAKER_00:I just want to flag, as we we we were offline and we were just sort of determining, you know, how does this relate to the women, specifically the women who who this podcast is targeted at? And we sort of determine that we've got women who, yes, they're at this midlife crossroads and a lot of things happening. It can be relationships, it can be um health, um, but it can also be work and it can be the entrepreneurial journey. Um questioning what our purposes. There are all these things that come come about in our midlife. Um, it doesn't always happen in the same order for all of us, but this certainly has a lot of relevance for women in their midlife journey when it comes to uh work and I think leadership. So I'm really looking forward to to getting started with our conversation. Thank you for joining us.
SPEAKER_01:You're very welcome.
SPEAKER_00:Should we kick off by hearing a little bit about your own story? Because your story is and your work is really built on your own experience, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01:Yes, it is. Well, I've been doing marketing for a very long time, over 20 years, and I've I've fluctuated through the market conditions, I've I've I've been up and I've been down, and and I've had a I've had but a lot of the time, well the I've I've done marketing for basically everything uh in that time. So I've done uh three political campaigns, I've done marketing for on and offline marketing, uh for restaurants, cafes, also e-commerce websites. Uh and a lot of it has been built over that time, but I've then I've been in partnership on businesses, and a lot of the when things go wrong, like the partnerships, uh, people haven't done the wrong right thing by me, and I've sort of walked out of that with big debt and uh so on, and then things in life occur from relationship breakups, and and that sort of makes you reconfigure. And it you you go through all these different things, and it does pivot you in the in the direction that you want to be in. Uh, because uh I've almost gone bankrupt over a partnership, and it but uh there's always been the foundation that you've just always got to put your foot in front of one foot in front of the other to uh continue on. Uh and I and I think it's very common these days that everyone's gone through these different things, and they do uh you do sort of phase through a few different things in life now, uh unlike in the past that you'd work one thing and then do it all the way until the you retire.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, interesting. I think that we um I've I've just been studying astrology, so I'm I'm kind of at the moment looking at different points that have happened in my life and the astrological events, and um yeah, it's interesting how we can kind of follow the threads um of those journeys. Uh that's a kind of a little bit of an aside, but I wonder if there was like some astrological events happening in your life.
SPEAKER_01:Well, definitely. Well, I I've I've worked with a lot of psychics and medical intuitives and a lot of the uh energy, and I I find a lot of people that are moving into the the coaching space now, they include intuition into their uh space. I actually had a very interesting because I uh on my podcast, I had an interesting guy a couple of days ago, which I think I'll connect with you, because he does sort of the the life path and your and your numbers, number charts, and it actually links to uh because a lot of time we're denying our own uh our own strengths, trying to fit into a mold of what we should be. But it we because it's a good example that he said that a lot of a lot of people are told not to multitask, but they're actually really good multitaskers, and they're just trying to there's there's no straight line for everyone in what they're good at or what they're supposed to be doing.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, absolutely, and this podcast is really the the reason it's called Life Health in the Universe is because we're all on a similar journey as a human, but the way that we do it and the tools that we need might be different for different people, although although there are some common threads. When I was reading through um some of the work that you do um in your entrepreneurship, what I what came across to me was uh this idea of self-mastery. So I was reading through, you know, you've had this experience of bankruptcy, you've um you've talked about pivoting and needing to change direction because of the experiences you've had, but all the way through there's been this, it's like you're learning from those things and you're bringing them in and you're developing self-mastery. And one of the other things that I that really popped out to me was this idea of balance because we can get very caught up in our career, or we can get very caught up in our personal lives, but they do intersect and they bleed into one another. And how do we manage those things? So they're the things that I kind of that kind of popped up for me, and I think again, I'm doing a lot of talking, and I want you to do that. So this is kind of like what sort of dropped in when I was looking through um your stuff. Um women, when they do come to this intersection in their midlife, there are those questions, and I've certainly had them should I be spending more time with my family? Should I be, you know, is it wrong for me to want to build a business, for example? I'm working hard in my business, but my health is suffering. I've experienced burnout. So there's these, you know, these two sides and this push-pull that's happening. But it seems to me that you've been kind of working through some of those things in your own personal journey and in how you help others.
SPEAKER_01:Yes. Well, I I do work as as I've mentioned to you before the podcast, I actually get a lot of women in their 40s and their 50s come to me and they're at a point where they've never been in business before and they're stepping out of corporate careers, or or really uh I get a lot of women that come out of the nursing profession and and so on, and they've done they've done all these really high-level things in their careers, and now they're they're looking at being entrepreneurs, they've got a bit of a an idea of what they want to do, uh, but they uh they don't really quite know how to do it because it is a bit of a shift. Uh and it you don't need it a big thing these days is uh people can go soccer through multiple careers, but it's a shift from employee to an entrepreneur mindset, uh, which is uh you'd no longer uh they believe that they no longer have their weekends free and they uh there there is that tilt of balance, and now they've got a and uh sometimes they still have kids that require assistance because they got them in school and so on. Uh they're not always adult children. Uh but I think a big thing is that you've got to become uh getting gaining the clarity of what you actually want to achieve. Uh the biggest uh challenge in a in creating a business is not creating yourself another job. Uh and uh not uh because you want to be working on the business and not always in the business. Of course, early days in the business requires a lot of commitment to push, uh, but at the same time, you've got to be considering those systems and processes earlier uh in the in the state of the business. We place virtual assistance for businesses as well, which takes it off the plate. About probably about two years ago, uh, because uh after the pandemic was finishing up and the the whole market has shifted for us, and I kind of uh started to really rethink everything for myself then, uh, because uh I started to think a little bit more. I was at a bit more of a crossroads myself, and I was thinking the the business hasn't really done what I wanted it to do long ago, and it it hasn't done uh it hasn't set me free like I thought it would set me free. Although I'd been placing virtual assistants and I'd be delegating work, and uh that's that's one of the key things to be able to create those because uh uh one quote that I want to mention is uh until you have systems and processes, you don't have a business, you have a hobby. So that I think that's a a real key takeaway. I love that that quote. But uh what uh the original reason I think back to my my childhood, and it it goes back on that uh astrological path and so on, you actually knew what you wanted to be. You knew how you wanted to live your life. And uh, if you reflect on then, uh there's and it just because you have a family, just because you have kids and everything like that, I I've only got my my dog at the moment, but uh maybe in the next couple years I'll uh I'll uh have some kids myself. But I I can relate because I work with so many people uh in this space, and I uh I we have these deep discussions where I I'm understanding what they what they're going through. But just because you have all that doesn't mean you have to give up on all of your dreams. Uh it doesn't mean that you have to not put off not putting on a on a business, you just have to be strategic about it, and it or whatever the dream is. And my original dream, which I've started to talk about recently, was I wanted to be an archaeologist and I wanted to be like Indiana Jones. And uh realizing this and uh and remembering why I got into business, because in my year seven year book, as I've got graduating to go into high school, was uh become a businessman and travel the world. And the but the original reason why I wanted to travel the world and be an archaeologist, uh, I found out about Tutum Carmen, and uh what I realized that Harold Carter needed Lord Carnarvon to fund his expeditions, and I thought, well, uh if I don't have any funding, I can't be an archaeologist. Uh so I've got to become a businessman. So now into my late 30s, I've I've I've reverted to that because it's always been my my passion. And I thought, well, I want to be an archaeologist, which means I have to systemize my business. I have to make my business so I've got to step back from the, I can step back from the business in the next couple of years, and before I get it get to uh 40 myself and 40 plus, I can live those dreams while my body is is able to go do those things and I want to explore all the pyramids of the world. So that's really the the background where you've got to make the business actually work for you. So then I started to delegate things. I started dropping off a lot of things because I've done marketing for all these different things, and just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should. And I've done a lot of testing on on myself before, personality-wise and skills-wise. And the biggest challenge I've always had is I can do so many things. I can do the finance, I can do the sales, I can do the marketing, I can do, I can build the website out, I can I can do it all, which isn't which isn't good for me. It's it's kept me trapped in doing it all because uh I go, I won't delegate that, I'll just do it myself. So now I've I've stopped, I've gone, no, don't do that, Daniel. Stop doing that. And uh I've gone into my full delegation mode and down my track of doing my standard operating procedures to link up my businesses. I've dropped off all the other services that really aren't profitable and and take up a lot of my time. And uh when you're when you're work working into your business, you've got to have that vision of delegation. And uh and eventually, uh because even if you're just starting out on day one, you've got to decide how that thing can be done by somebody else. So you write start writing down your processes, and then you're looking to get yourself at least a virtual assistant to start taking on those tasks. And that way you're free, you've saved yourself uh hours each week, which means that those hours, of course, uh because you can really if you focus on your business and you focus on cash flow, uh, you can start delegating those things uh and uh remove yourself out of the out of the business processes, which I think is is always a really essential thing because you always see people that they're always stuck and they're and they're struggling and they're but they're struggling on things that aren't high value tasks. Uh, because we've all always got to come back to the fact that the most important thing in a business is cash flow. Because without cash flow, you don't have a business, and and you if you don't have systems and processes, you don't have a business either. You've just got to create create yourself a job. Is uh or a hobby. Okay, yeah, or a hobby. Yes.
SPEAKER_00:Without getting too far into the business stuff, I would I'm kind of curious because we've talked about women going through, you know, potentially um they've gone from working in the corporate, now they've come to a point where they want to start their own business, they want to do something with more meaning and purpose. They um how quickly do they need to because they're obviously kind of oh, they want to bring their dream to life. How quickly does all of that happen? How quickly do they need to be thinking about systems and processes and making money um to be able to bring that dream to life?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I don't think it's all about uh uh making the money, of course. There's other people that want to they've they've hit the later in their 40s and 50s, and it's not even about the money. It's more driving awareness about something. So I I want to make sure that it doesn't matter what your purpose is, if that's something that you're passionate about and you can even fund it because you've because a lot of people have worked their career, uh, women have worked their career and they've done amazing work and they have money in the bank, whether it's shared money in their relationship, whether it's their own career money, uh, whatever the whatever the case may be, because there's there's all different scenarios. So it's definitely not all about business. Uh, but it it's really uh I I strongly believe in the in the small steps. And uh, you can't uh because a lot of people might listen to that first part and go, oh, I've got to do this, I've got to do that, I've got to do that. But if you sit down for an afternoon, it some people are gonna take 20 minutes, some people are gonna take an hour, some people are gonna take all uh afternoon, but still set yourself a deadline of making these decisions and decide where you want to be. And then you reverse engineer that into the the steps that it's gonna take. And you decide on it one step each day. Slow progress is better than no progress. And if you start building that, it creates uh that uh uh that business for you. And you don't need to make all the decisions on that piece of paper, just set a deadline and as you start moving into that, and that comes back to the energetic uh field where I I find that a a lot of my clients discover me after they're already in that motion. And I've got so some of my clients that are psychics, they actually send clients to me because uh they've started to review the the dream and the and the vision of this uh of this person, and they then start sending them to me, and uh, and that's the right timing for them uh to at least have that, and sometimes we'll we'll do a one-off bit of a service for them, which I'm trying not to do anymore because it's once again I I I hear your I hear your passion and I hear your story and I go, gee, I I I don't know how to help you, I don't want to help you. Uh but it just because I can help you doesn't mean that I should help you. And then I sort of uh then in the past I'd sort of met them at their budget. Uh, but more what I'd prefer to do these days is sort of book them in for a paid consultation so I can map it out with them if they're and give them the steps that they need to do and let them work themselves up to the level of being one of my clients. So I don't really think there's there's necessarily a time limit uh time set because everyone works at different paces, everyone's got different levels of complicated ideas, but as long as you're taking steps towards that outcome uh is is really the the path. Because a lot of because you always hear about people that go, uh they I I it was uh had a movie playing last night while I was doing something else that uh I think it's called Collateral with Tom Cruise, and uh he's talking to the cab driver, and the cab driver said, Oh yeah, I'm starting a yeah, he another lady said uh was in the cab before and he goes, I'm starting a limo business. And he goes, How long have you been working on that? And he goes, Oh, 12 years. And he hadn't hadn't made any any steps towards it. He was sort of just envisioning it, and he was still in the envisioning stage. There was no actual uh contacting or anything. Because a lot of the time uh connections is really the next key that you'll find some if you as I said about the energy, but if you're not going through the doors and you're not cu communicating and connecting with people, those opportunities are out there for you to have. If you've got the vision, uh the the path will become clear as long as you're starting to take the steps.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, and I've heard that um spoken about uh in other conversations where it it's action, isn't it? It's imperfect action, in fact. Like because we can get so caught up in the the what ifs, what if I do it wrong, what if this isn't the right way, what if it doesn't work? Um but if we if we take that step, then the path kind of opens up before us.
SPEAKER_01:Well, it's it always it always tends to for me if I if I'm really because it but if there's any sort of doubt, it doesn't open up. And it you've just gotta decide what you what you want and decide that you're going to get there. And uh you don't have to do it because some people go oversteer and they they go, I've got to do it and I've gotta let everything else go. But it's it's not true. You've just gotta you've got to merge it into your into your day.
SPEAKER_00:There's some things that you have obviously learnt through your own experiences, which you now bring into your work with clients. So I'd love to sort of dip into some of those because I've as I mentioned, you know, there's there's often that kind of bleeding, um, our lifestyle bleeds into our work and our work bleeds into our lifestyle. Um and you've you've kind of pinpointed some particular areas that people might need to to work on. Um so let's start with relationships. Um uh balancing ambition with personal relationships. Is this something that you've had you've experienced and learned from yourself and now you teach?
SPEAKER_01:Uh yes. Uh I've well I I I am in a relationship now, but it took me the you've got to find you've got to find the right partner.
SPEAKER_00:Oh well, yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I think that's I think that's always the the key. And uh I uh my my belief and uh is that you've got to grow together uh as well in that relationship. A lot of people were I find uh because I talked to a lot of my I actually I created a bit of a coaching thing for for men a while back, but I've I've sort of backed off from that because it's not although I can do it doesn't mean that I should do it.
SPEAKER_02:Right.
SPEAKER_01:Uh so I'll put that I'll shove that off to the side, but I'm actually gonna partner with another coach just to because I think it's very valuable information. But I really think that you've got to uh finding the right partner is always the key and not you don't and you don't need to to necessarily find the perfect partner. I think that's where people get it get it wrong. It's becoming the right person for the right partner for you. Uh I think that's uh that's really the the best advice in that. And then also just investing in in time. The a relationship uh can sometimes feel like effort, uh, all relationships can. Uh but you don't it doesn't need to feel like effort all the time if you're motivated to be with that person. But I think it's always having uh shared goals is also the thing. And whether it's a romantic relationship, a business relationship, or a friendship uh that you want to build on, there's always got to be something shared in that, uh in the in the goal space. Because then there's also the crossover in that. And with the with the work bleeding over into other times, uh that's also comes down to the systems and the the shared excitement and the uh and wanting each other to do well. Because what I can see sometimes uh in the in husbands and wives is that sometimes that one one partner doesn't want the other partner to do better than them, and maybe that's not the right uh relationship, or maybe that conversation needs to be had more directly, uh, and uh maybe that's something they need to work for. And and normally that's an internal uh challenge, and that comes down to personal development uh as well, where you've got to let go of a lot of the things that are holding you back in order for your partner to thrive as well. Uh, because a lot of the time we're the the amount of self-sabotage we see in the world, especially today, because we all uh uh and uh probably a good thing is turn off social media, stop getting your relationship advice from uh from posts and and from these people trying to get your attention from drama because uh a lot of people are they're addicted to the drama, and that's where uh the drama creates uh the drama and the relationship because they expect to have drama.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:I I always think that's the uh really the case, but it definitely goes it goes deeper and it's uh it's that compatibility for one and uh and really uh having those open conversations and having yeah that that sharedness in that relationship.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, because I would imagine that it could be quite challenging if you know you're in a long-term relationship, for example, as many people at at my sort of age are you know, 50, been in a long-term relationship, been doing all of the life things, you know, the work, the mortgage, the family, and then you get to this point and you go, I I want to do something different. Um yeah, balancing that ambition with your partner, um that's something that a process that I'm sure you would have to obviously consciously work through, but could could end up having some some challenges if it's not.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, well, quite quite often uh uh when I'm working with either the the man or the or the lady in the relationship, they'll bring their partner into the call and they'll be they'll be the most harshest on me uh for what they're uh but I will stick up for my client and I'll sort of because I've done I've done the NLP courses, I've done the uh everything along the life coaching end of things, and I'll I'll sort of maneuver in there uh uh placing those seeds of of support into that relationship. And uh it's because well quite often you you do another role and you end up in a lot of other roles as well, especially when I'm dealing with people consulting-wise. I end up being a bit of their relationship counselor, they're a bit of a uh trauma counselor as well. Sure to an extent. And they do uh yeah, I'm not gonna tell any story because I keep it very confidential. Yeah, and a lot of my clients feel they can confine in me a lot of those those things because uh building a business uh can be a bit of an extension of of yourself and it can be very much a passion project. So it is it's very an emotional, it's it's creating another uh child in in your life, essentially. So it's and uh and sometimes that the people the people around you might not understand. And but then I do see couples as well where uh the wife is starting a business, the husband doesn't want to know, he he's he's not interested, he he goes, good luck. Uh and uh and he goes, Uh I hope you do well, but I I just want to this actually gives me more free time. And and uh and he he's happy about it because he then she's off his back a bit. But that works for them. They're very happy. And I don't think I don't think we should once again, I don't think we should be trying to fit into a mold of of what the the perfect relationship or anything like that should be. And that's where we we shouldn't be taking as much external uh input on uh on how we should be, because often uh you'll see people even post out things on their on their social media and everyone will weigh in their two cents. Uh and uh but the and before that happened it was a perfectly fine situation, and uh both both husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend or whatever the the situation will be will be perfectly happy. Uh but then everyone's put in their two cents and they're like, hold on a minute, maybe he should be doing more for me, maybe she should be doing more for me, maybe she should be there to support me. But but before that, they just had they had a good relationship, it worked for them.
SPEAKER_00:I think it's quite interesting actually. This thing just popped up for me, just with relationships and you know, some of the things that can come up um when someone is thinking about changing their job, starting something new, pivoting. Um that it does bring up a lot. It's a um it's a very personal journey, especially if there's um yeah, especially if it's a passion project, but it can bring up a whole bunch of things uh that can be part of a healing process. That's just like popped into my head. I feel like my experience as a podcaster has been a being that experience, but I didn't go in intentionally with that as the outcome, but those things come up, like you know, being what will people think of me sort of thing. You know, that's a wounding experience that's come out of some something that happened to me a long time ago. You know, that sort of thing is you probably see a lot of that coming up, and I think that's you know why this is kind of interesting to talk about, because there are so many interconnected things when it comes to work, when it comes to health, relationships, purpose, like they're all kind of yeah, they all merge, don't they?
SPEAKER_01:Definitely is well, there's a few things that they where we sort of return to what we actually wanted to do a bit later in life, and we sort of let go of a lot of our misconceptions on life. And uh it definitely I I feel the same way, and I love doing my podcast because I get to have different conversations and deeper deeper listening. And uh, I always like uh I've done so much sales training over the years, and that I would I think the saying for the for the best salesman, they have two ears and one mouth, and that's the water they sort of sort of speak in. Where I think when you when you're doing a lot more of the podcasting, you listen so much more actively because you're you're engaging at it at a deeper, deeper, deeper level. And it you just never know where you're you are gonna end up. Because I I shared with you uh before uh this the that uh my dog and I had a were attacked a week ago, and uh because of my history, I've I've now become uh the face for responsible dog ownership in my in my state. And I didn't mean to do that within a week. In a week. In a week. I've been asked to speak at a at a conference next month uh of for animal protection. I've been uh uh uh the MP wants to talk to me, the member of parliament, uh, and uh and people were uh saying thank you so much for speaking up. This is such a big issue. And I'm going, well, all I wanted was a a bit of recognition for the for how it was handled for me. I didn't realize it was such a massive issue. And uh within a week, uh, because I've got over a hundred thousand Aussies across my Facebook groups because I'm a I'm a marketer, and I put it out there, and there's absolute outrage. And uh the it when when I spoke to the because the the local rep council elect contacted me directly as well, and uh, and people were reaching out to me, and uh I I didn't realize how far the the reach actually was on that. But I guess I already I already had the following for it, uh, but it wasn't my intention. But at the same time, right now, people going, or even if you don't get justice for yourself, uh if you can do something about it, you should. You should say something, and you just never know what the what will drop into your path. And it and sometimes that energy comes in and it comes towards you because you are the most capable, and uh, and possibly somebody else is putting out that energy, uh waiting for somebody else to get because they don't have a voice. And uh you just you never know because where you start doesn't mean where you have to to end up uh at all. And if if life throws you a curveball, it's it's possibly a redirection to something better. Uh even even the most traumatizing, most horrific experiences can sometimes turn into the most beautiful outcomes.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:I think it's I think it's very important because a lot of the time we I I follow Stoicism very deeply, and I'm a I'm a big uh follower of Marcus Aurelius and and his teachings, and I think that the the ancient. And stoic wisdom being applied to the modern day world where life has ups and downs. And if you were and as soon as you accept that and you don't take it's it's also like the saying that I like you don't you shouldn't shoot out the other three tires just because you got one flat. Uh and it's uh it's where you can just change that tire and and and keep going. I know it's it's it's very that's uh there's a lot of variables in that, but at the same time, it's not a and it's also it's not a terrible life when something bad happens to you. It's we've all got to go through these these terrible things that that hit us in life. We uh uh we're actually we're blessed to get older, uh, number one, because not everyone has the blessing of of uh seeking even uh uh yeah into the middle age or even into the I've got I've got friends and we're and I think that's something else that we reflect on as we get older as well, that uh we've lost so many people over the time but never got a chance to uh live their dreams. And it's uh I think that's a that's a big reflection. Because I what I find is uh a lot of the there's entrepreneurs uh that are entrepreneurs now, they've come to me and they've they've now they've hit their 40s and 50s and now they've lost their parents, they're they've lost a lot of the the people in their lives that they uh unexpected and the the trauma they've turned that trauma and that pain into into a reawakening and and uh how long do we have left in in life? It's so we should be doing what we we want to be doing.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, totally agree. Yes, it can turn up in all sorts of different ways, can't it? Um that that kind of midlife crisis. Um you talked about stoicism. This is a big part of your life, and it's a big part of the way that you approach things now. When we um when I mentioned right at the start of our conversation this idea of self-mastery, I think that stoicism has a had a big role to play. It is um can you tell our audience what is Stoicism, and then we'll kind of get into how it's sort of played out in your life.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, definitely. Well, Stoicism is uh ancient Greek philosophy, and it was Marcus Aurelius was the emperor of Rome, and he practiced uh Stoicism. I can't remember the exact definition, but Stoicism was based off the translation of where they first started talking philosophy and sitting on the set of stairs, and uh there's Seneca and all those other Stoics in there, and it's just really the the exchange of ideas and the philosophy for the good life, and accepting a lot of the things in life as as normal and uh and realizing the the that life won't uh last forever. And it's also uh it's uh the philosophy that they it's been developed over those thousands of years in order to uh decide how to navigate life's challenges and how to think and how to because uh as I said before, life has its ups and downs. That's probably the simplest way of the describing stoicism. There's all these different concepts, and there's uh there's uh slogans like a more fatai, which means love of fate, uh, which means that you love the fact that uh this is life, this is what happens, and whether it's good or bad, you you just gotta love it and keep going. Uh Memento More, which is uh remember you uh you must die, uh, because uh that reminder each day is how you can live today, uh, because knowing that uh some because we're we're all gonna we're all gonna end up in the same place, sadly, no matter what happens. And well, who knows if it's sadly we don't we don't know. But the thing that I love about stoicism, it's not religion, uh, it's it's very much a philosophy. And if we think a little bit more deeper about these topics, uh then we we we decide how that we're going to do a lot better and we're gonna help other people. And it's about also uh I find Stoicism about very much about doing the right thing, even if it even if it costs you. And I find a lot of people feel uh sometimes uh a torn on that, uh, where doing the the right thing can sometimes cost them money, some sometimes costs them a bit of peace for a bit, uh, feel like they their their reputation has been cost, but if you uh uh uh because people uh something an accident comes out and then people know about it. I think but I I believe doing the if you're doing the right thing all the time, uh you can always uh face anything head on. And if if so and things go wrong, and I think uh by making that more acceptable, people are also more accepted in uh taking the leap, having it and uh knowing that they can keep going.
SPEAKER_00:It's amazing, isn't it? It's like thousands of years old, the stoic um these stoic philosophies, they're thousands of years old, but there's still so much relevance that they have in uh the 21st century. I'm really curious. I have read some of Ryan Holiday, Halliday.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, I've got all his books as well, Ryan Holiday, which I love.
SPEAKER_00:To a degree, I feel like they kind of are well, they're written by men thousands of years ago. And perhaps not all women would connect to Stoicism. I don't know. I could be just making that up because I find I found it really interesting and and relevant. Have you found that or is it yes?
SPEAKER_01:I I I agree with you. It's very it's written very masculine uh in a sense, but there has been female stoics over the uh the time. I uh I'm sorry I can't name any, but I I I have read I have read their stories.
SPEAKER_00:They are out there.
SPEAKER_01:They they are out there, and there are female Stoics today. What I what I always believe is that you've uh I I talk about Stoicism, but uh I always adapt the because there's not ever not everything in Stoicism I agree with. Okay. And uh and that's where I uh try to sway away out of politics and supporting parties and so on, because not every everything that one uh thing does uh is is 100% agreeable. I think you've you've got to it what I what I found out many years ago is you've got to read 12 different books to get 12 different opinions on uh on the on a topic and then form your own opinion. Because you don't you can take all the concepts that you because but people tend to close off. I I don't like that, I don't like that. Uh that means they close off from the there's all this other stuff that they could get massive value from, and they don't like this much, so they close the book on everything else. And I always find that to to be a big thing, and and it's it's our society, that's how we're conditioned, and we're seeing a lot of that uh in the US right now, uh, around the shooting that happened. I'm not gonna go too much into that, but uh uh essentially there's a few things that people didn't agree with, and that's why it's turned into this. Uh, but it they they didn't say they disagreed with everything he said, they just said that they disagreed with this much. Uh, but it it's that all this other stuff was disregarded for this this small uh points. And I think if we if we educate people more that you can get you can take you can give and take on things. Just because somebody has a different opinion or anything like that, you don't have to hate them. You don't have to yeah, you don't have to throw out complete the the full book. Because I've got clients that that disagree with me, and sometimes they're uh well I uh that's probably the wrong wording, but you know that they're they can be right, yeah. And uh and I can be wrong, and sometimes they're wrong, and I'm right.
SPEAKER_00:Uh but it doesn't mean that it doesn't mean you don't like each other, right?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's it. Yeah, it's everyone can be everyone can be right and wrong, and I it that's well, one thing I like in something else in Stoicism, which is why I like it as a philosophy. And if probably if we get some more women writing on it and actually decoding it, uh and I think that would be amazing, because then it can really open up the value in it. But uh something Marcus Aurelius says is if anyone can give him new information that it that goes against his beliefs that changes his mind, he'll happily take on that belief. And I think that's uh really the the amazing message for today. And if I can, yeah, if I uh uh if I can pass that on and I can reword it in in such a way that people can take that on, because it doesn't matter, man or woman, it's it's still the that message is still very valuable, especially for the modern world.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I totally agree. There's so much, well, this whole idea of cancel culture, like if you don't agree with someone, you just shut them out, you tell you you know, you unfollow rather than having open debate, open discussion where you can go, well, you know, I really like you, Daniel, but I don't agree with what you said.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that's it.
SPEAKER_00:It's the end.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And I I hope that we can have more of that. And I hope that's the the indication uh from from after this. I hope that's the what people steer towards instead of more hatred.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, and more like you're talking rubbish or whatever. Yeah. Yeah, just I agree. I agree, I totally agree with that. Um so one of the a couple of the things that I think stand out for me when I was reading through some of your material was uh when it came to stoicism, is um this idea of staying disciplined.
unknown:Yes.
SPEAKER_00:Can you talk to us a little bit about that? It sounds very strict.
SPEAKER_01:Well, yes, I I know I know it sounds very strict, and none of us are perfect as well. Uh, but I th I really think when I talk about staying disciplined, it's about doing those those steps, though whatever steps you've decided on that you want to build your ideal life and and create your business or your career or anything, what it doesn't have to be, whatever your purpose is going to be. Uh, because I think staying disciplined is uh to me uh removing because uh normally the US uh even makes uh the word stoic mean unemotional and unavailable, which isn't the correct definition uh for it under what the actual philosophy stands for. And I think discipline has a bad rap as well in that sense, because uh we think very military, very uh get up at 4 30 in the morning, push-ups, push-ups, push-ups, which isn't really it's not really the case. It's really discipline to me is very much showing up even on the days that you don't feel good. Uh, because if you want this, because uh discipline uh is normally uh you feel like you're being ordered to do something, and you feel like you're you're you that comes back to fitting the mold. But discipline to me is really about every single day I'm gonna do this regardless of how I feel on that day. Just because it I know by doing this I'll feel better down here.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And that's I think that's a very, yeah, it's a very important uh difference in that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. It um reminds me of James Clear. Have you read um Atomic Habits where he says never never miss twice? Yes. Um that that sense of yes, you have you want an outcome and you can take those small regular steps. And if you miss once, it's okay, but don't miss twice.
SPEAKER_01:Get back on the back. And and don't don't punish yourself uh for for missing, because uh a lot of the time we well uh another thing is stoicism is uh which is a common saying, which is we suffer more in our mind than in reality.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, that's so true.
SPEAKER_01:It is, yeah. And uh we punish ourselves and shame us into inaction, which it starts that cycle again, and that also it triggers those old traumas, whether it's from childhood or something that's happened later in life, and that just puts it in a spiral. Be kind to yourself. It's it's yeah, and uh that that's it. Well, it it's always it's always good in theory, but it's uh but uh everyone's got a different uh different uh demons to battle.
SPEAKER_00:That's right. Well, uh a lot of the people I uh speak to on the podcast say that you know it's part of the it's part of the human experience, it's part of the journey because it's it's part of the the forgetting and going through that whole you know negative self-talk, the challenges, the overcoming the obstacles. Well, isn't that a stoic principle?
SPEAKER_01:The obstacle is the way yes, the obstacle is the way, yeah. And you never know what what redirection it uh comes in. And uh, and last week my really my discipline to knowing that I didn't want to stay in that place, because I uh I can find uh I told you a bit and I've openly discussed this now, that it last week my my mental health was was up and down, and it's mainly because of uh the fear for the safety of my little man and uh after that that attack. But uh essentially, you uh that sh terrible uh traumatic event is now going to pivot me into other directions for more positives. Uh and I just my discipline kept me running my business, my discipline kept me adjusting uh things for that. And it and I accepted that I I uh it was terrible. And uh and I uh openly say that as a and I'm not a man who's very uh uh I wouldn't say I'm not very emotional and I always feel for other people. I'm very empathetic to everyone, but I'm not really a a big crying man. I because I and that's part of my conditions from from childhood. I was told boys don't cry and and everything like that. But I think it's it's important that we can accept that the those emotions come come out, and uh we can have bad moments and we can have but it doesn't have to be a bad life, yeah is always the key.
SPEAKER_00:Can you talk about entrepreneurship and emotional resilience?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, well uh emotion uh yes, well, entrepreneurship is probably the most emotional thing that you can decide to do. It's it's basically deciding to take a rejection and taking all your because all your all your fears will come out and all your trauma, all your self-consciousness, uh everything will whip you on a on a daily basis in entrepreneurship, especially in the early days. So you do have to develop a well, they say a thick skin, but I always in in my years now, like I used to take things very like a client would have a bad experience or something like that, and it could be well out of my control, or it could be a mistake that we've made, and uh, I could hold on to that all day and I would lose sleep over it, and so on. And that's also where the the stoicism did come in and it completely changed my perspective on that. But you've got to you've got to expect that things are gonna go wrong, and you've gotta you you've also got to find your own tools, uh, because I I always uh call it emotional stamina as well. Uh uh allow yourself to cope with a with a situation. So something bad has happened, uh could be a a late payment, could be a client thing, could be a because cash flow is always a a thing that goes because sometimes when you you could be an amazing business, but you could be uh you could go a week without getting paid. And that uh but it it doesn't reflect on the facts uh that your business is bad, it just reflects that you've got to wait and you've got to work your way through that. And that's an emotional taxing on people because especially when you were used to being an employee before that, uh because an employee mindset is I get paid, I pay my bills. But in business, you've uh sometimes you're not gonna get paid until down here, but all your bills are included in here. But you've got to keep turning up every single day. But it's it's definitely having the tools that work for you. I always like to switch off for a moment, I switch all my phones on silent, I close my eyes, I breathe in, I hold hold my breath, I breathe out, I hold the breath out, and uh and just uh really calm that nervous system uh down so you can uh hit again. But you've got to, yeah, it does definitely come back to being kind to yourself again and understanding that it of course, yeah. Don't uh I know I know for men it's difficult. Uh I know women are very much around validating those those thoughts and feelings, and and men can be very devalu uh uh and uh devalidating of those thoughts and feelings. And sometimes men can be incentive insensitive to women, uh, even in a relationship when uh when uh if you've men out there, if you've got a a partner that's that's building a business and and going through these waves of emotions, uh you've gotta yeah, you've got to just put yourself a bit more in their position and and and uh do validate, even if you don't uh necessarily see the because uh once again the the mind is the thing we're suffering more in there, and sometimes we'll see a mountain, a molehill is a mountain, and uh you it's it really yeah, tap into those support networks as well. And and uh yeah, if the relationship is because that comes back to that to that relationship and that that circle of support that you have, uh, but yeah, it's it's it's a it's a big a big topic, isn't it? Yes, it is, it is you're right. Yeah, we we could probably do we could probably talk an hour just on that.
SPEAKER_00:I feel like um part of the emotional resilience is having tools, like you say, and we'll talk a little bit about some of some of that stuff in a in a minute. Um having the tools, having a better understanding of ourselves, but uh again, something that I've experienced with um getting into podcasting is uh that sense of self-worth and doing the work, learning more about myself, having more self-expect acceptance. I can now kind of look at my numbers and my stats and go, oh, you know, in a different rather than I've done something wrong or I'm not good enough, I look at it in a very different light. So there's a there's a whole bunch of work that can potentially need to be done so that we can see things from a much more straightforward point of view, but we connect so much of our emotional experience to wherever it comes from to what we're doing right now. Again, that can be part of the healing journey.
SPEAKER_01:I don't think we can. Um yeah, but that's well, I feel like a lot of people when it comes to podcasting, uh, that people compare their uh their chapter one to somebody's chapter 22.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:They they think that things should grow. And it it's like the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy.
SPEAKER_02:Yes.
SPEAKER_01:Uh so you've got to you've got to be happy with the results that you're getting and and uh the fact that you've you've made progress. And putting yourself out there, what I because we work with podcasts at all different levels on both sides of the fence. Both we manage them and we we also and we manage everything for them from editing to guesting to to even doing the research, everything. And it then we also do the the guesting for our our clients on this side. So we actually reach out to a lot of podcasts, and I always find that there's there's even a bit of emotional difference between a podcast that's already up here and a podcast that's just sort of starting out, and we sort of want to get uh that our client on there because they've got a relatable audience, but we find that the ones that are starting out are a little bit more uh it's a little bit more difficult to deal with them because and it and often they're the they're not looking at in a professional process in a sense, and they're very touchy about certain things, but the podcasts that are up here aren't aren't as touchy. They they just want to go through the motions of putting them in. Because occasionally we've had uh things where uh they've they've sort of uh given us bounce back over whether our client is watching their episodes and all this other stuff. Okay, and then and yeah, and then uh then occasionally because of our our data isn't correct, so we've got the host name wrong, so they've back at us, and I've got the complaint. And it's just like look, I'm really sorry, but this these things happen. Uh, but it's it's really it's putting things into perspective as well, where uh can we can we just uh move past this little incident because uh I'd love to see these people down here get to up here with their with their work, and I think it and we always find yeah, that very difference in that. And uh, as you said, that in the early days, they are dealing with an emotional hurdles and they're dealing with uh some of them, uh I don't like to say it, but they they they act like they're they're bigger than what they are, uh in the in the great state state of reach. And it I just being I I don't say that out of arrogance or or ego, I just I feel uh because I want to see them do well, and if they can just uh let that humbly go, I I'd be happy to to work with them and and uh bring some guests on and realign because uh we had one uh yesterday, and I had a client message me because this lady uh she got sent two guests from us that were weren't aligned with her podcast. Okay, and she she went completely off. And uh and I went looking into it, and it was based off her uh on our system, her keywords were incorrect and all this other stuff. So it really came down to to that. But she messaged our client on LinkedIn, she's sent me an abusive email, and she's just she's just spent too much energy on this uh on this molehill, essentially. And uh where I'd be I'm always prepared to have a conversation with anyone uh in order to do better ourselves. And uh I always think that if we if we look at every step of the way as a refinement and it then uh uh then something that's actually uh damaging.
SPEAKER_00:It seems to me like from our conversation, I feel like you have um we've got uh entrepreneurs that come to you and what have they got this big hold all bag of all of their stuff? They do, and Daniel's there and he's like pulling out this bit and going, all right, okay, let's let's deal with this. Let's okay, we got some issues here. Um you want to do this, uh, but there aren't any systems, like whatever it is, and that you're you're there to kind of start to you take everything out of the bag and you go, All right, how can we organize the bag so everything fits back in a bit better? That's kind of the it's it's very accurate. And I'm trying to kind of the imagery I'm getting.
SPEAKER_01:But I love I love working with people with uh with a vision, and sometimes their vision isn't uh it's clear, but it's not uh systemized. So that's very much accurate. And it and sometimes they'll they'll come to me to to talk to me about starting a business and we start a podcast because uh because uh uh my podcast is attention as the currency, and uh something that I'm a strong believer. I'm writing a book at the moment, which I'll uh let you know when I uh when I've got when I've finally finished it. But it's about attractive character marketing and it because I believe that uh in the modern day world, because of the way things are, you've got to build up your personal brand, and then you can relate it to any business opportunity. And building a personal brand is the easiest path uh to getting fervor now, because people want to deal with people uh now more than ever in this in this yeah, in the state of AI and all these deep fakes, they want to feel like they're they're engaging with someone, even if they're not engaging with them necessarily through the business because uh because smart business owners have systems in place, and uh normally when you email me, you're dealing with my assistants. I've got four, and uh they they they're really lovely ladies that that make sure everything uh runs perfect for me. And uh, but at the same time, they're doing it, they're doing it as if I would, because I've I've trained them to be me, essentially.
SPEAKER_00:Amazing. My uh final thoughts as we come to a close, Daniel. I've written this on my notes, and this is kind of again like what I gleaned from your um work, is the message is you can have it all. That work doesn't have to be at the expense of your relationships, it doesn't have to be at the expense of your health, but you we need to be intentional about how we do it so that we aren't just um putting work into what is it, what did you say, so it's not just another job, but that you can get you can become more aligned with um creating more impact and um uh a stronger message, purpose.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, 100%. I uh yeah, I stand behind that completely that you can have it all, uh, but it's definitely about being intentional and being present uh in this world. And uh I uh I talk to as you do, I talk to many coaches and many uh uh many uh people that help in the personal development space, and it is tackling those those things in the early days, and none of us are perfect, and uh we all uh I I can I can talk about discipline all day long and all the actions that I commit to take every single day, but uh not every day that I I can I take those actions. Things life gets in the way, but if you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and and go again, but knowing where you want to end up is really the key and and uh allowing yourself to visualize uh that outcome for yourself because some people also fear success. Right. Uh because uh there's there's also the identity end of things, and their identity is that they're a struggling, struggling uh mother in a career that they don't like, or uh that they're uh yeah, that they're a single mother, or because we I see some of them come through and start businesses and do really well. Uh or there's people when you're stuck in your identity, you've got to be prepared to release that identity to to go to where you actually want to be. And that's where uh seeing that it's not it's not something that you should stress yourself about, but it is something that you need to work yourself uh along to. And it you can't, yeah, you can't have it all if you if you're looking for it all, and accept that sometimes sometimes relationships don't work out. Uh quite frequently businesses don't work out, but uh did that business not work out because uh because I I I like my saying in business, and I've been saying it for years, that it's not what you what you can do, it's what you won't do uh to be successful, and I think that reflects on on uh many things, because a lot of the time people won't put themselves out there, won't because of course you're gonna and you've got to look bad at first in order to look great later. And it happens, yeah, and people don't care as much. You actually if you put yourself out like this, uh onto a podcast or onto uh onto a stage or onto videos on social media, which because we can we've got an amazing world now. When I started in marketing uh over 20 years ago, you you'd be hard pushed to get it to get this much attention as you you can in two clicks now. Right. Yeah, it's so we're we're in it in this golden age. So just put yourself out there and and most people will admire you because they won't do it themselves.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. Daniel, thank you so much for joining us. I know you've got a wealth of um you've got a wealth of knowledge when it comes to like really helping uh people gain clarity and uh traction in their field of purpose. Um and uh yeah, I really appreciate appreciate your time in sharing some of that.
SPEAKER_01:I'm happy to be here and I and I appreciate you putting me on the on the show because I I I do love to share and love to help.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, well, well, thank you. Mutual appreciation. And I wish you all the best of luck with your recovering pup, also.
SPEAKER_01:Thank you very much.
SPEAKER_00:Thanks, Daniel. Hey there, Rebel. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Midlife Rebel Podcast. If you'd like to support the show, you can buy me a coffee by going to buy me a coffee forward slash midlife rebel podcast. Thanks for listening.