Ep. 90 The Stern Truth: Level Up Your Leadership & Business With Lucas Mattiello

My guest this time around on the Stern Truth is Lucas Mattiello of Level Up Living. Lucas has worked through anxiety and doubt through the years to put himself out there and level up his leadership. That created the impetus for helping others build their confidence through speaking and increasing their visibility. 

We talk about how a big responsibility of business owners is to be seen, to let others know they exist. Lucas and I go deep into this topic during this episode, because, really, you can’t help people if they don’t know you exist. As a business owner, as a leader of any kind, you need to put yourself out there.

Leadership, at least my definition of it, is what you do when no one else is watching. The quiet, behind-the-scenes work you do that no one sees when you are creating a path for yourself and others. 

Lucas started his business for a few reasons, one of them being that there was no public speaking training program at universities. Another part of it was bringing in the mental health aspect to confident leadership. Lucas has struggled with this first-hand, but that lived experience turned out to be a strong asset for him.

Lucas’ golden nuggets were so useful, and even things I’ve mentioned on the Stern Truth before. Talk about problems and be there to help them. Be of service to others. Show your authentic flavour. Embrace polarity because not everyone will like you.

I drop a few golden nuggets in here too. One was a quote that I was reminded of during our talk: "The best time to have planted a tree was 30 years ago. The second-best time is now.” And don’t skip the hot tub at the gym because you might get some great ideas in there. 

Connect with Lucas here:

Website: levelupliving.com 

I would love to hear your feedback on this or any episode. Send any comments or questions to me at marshall@marshallstern.net. 

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Marshall Stern: Many people, including yourself, may suffer from imposter syndrome, limiting beliefs, you know, kind of hiding in the background because you don't want to be seen. You don't want to step out there and put yourself out there. Something's holding you back. Something's holding you back to grow your business because you are, whether it's fear of success, fear of failure, whatever it might be, many people hide and don't put themselves out there for the fear of something.

[00:00:31] In today's episode, we sit down with the amazing Lucas Mattiello, founder of Level Up Living. I want you to hear his story of how he has overcome or has worked to overcome his anxiety, putting himself out there, and what he does for his clients in helping them level up their leadership through building their confidence, through speaking, through putting themselves out there.

[00:00:56] Grab your pad of paper and pen. There are so many golden nuggets. Enjoy this episode.

[00:01:09] Hi, I'm Marshall Stern and I've spent over 35 years leading and growing multiple small businesses. I know firsthand the struggles of entrepreneurship, feeling isolated, lonely, overwhelmed, and feeling like you have to do it all by yourself. I've been through multiple recessions, and I have felt the highs and the lows.

[00:01:28] I've been there, and I get it. This podcast is here to change that. Every week I will bring you straight talking advice, real world strategies, and honest conversations about what it takes to succeed in business without the fluff, the gimmicks, or the sugar-coated. If you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start making real progress, then you are in the right place. 

[00:01:51] This is The Stern Truth. 

[00:01:56] Marshall Stern: All right, welcome back everyone to another episode of The Stern Truth: Business Unfiltered. I would like to introduce you to the other person on the screen or on the other side of the microphone, to Lucas. How are you doing today, my friend?

[00:02:11] Lucas Mattiello: I’m doing excellent, thank you for having me on the show, Marshall.

[00:02:13] Excited. 

[00:02:14] Marshall Stern: I am as well. And it – hey, we were talking before we got on here, it is sunny today where we are, which is always a good day. 

[00:02:20] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely. 

[00:02:21] Marshall Stern: All right. So, Level Up Living. Tell us a little bit about Lucas and Level Up Living, what you do. 

[00:02:28] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. So, Level Up Living is my, my organization, my company there that we've been in business now for about 15 years and just helping, helping leaders and entrepreneurs to speak up, share their message, and do it with more confidence.

[00:02:43] Marshall Stern: Tell us a little bit more. How do, how, how do you do that? 

[00:02:45] Lucas Mattiello: How I do this, it's through in-person training and events. Okay. And that's, that's the big key. But I think the, the one thing that I'm, I'm seeing more and more of is two-day experience is good, and then there's the integration after. 

[00:02:58] And I think that's a, a big key that separates. So, it's not just the, the two-day training, it's also how do you follow through to actually have these skills be implemented and make it a, a long-term habit. 

[00:03:09] Marshall Stern: So, this is, primarily, you said, like, leaders and business owners. Who, like, who, who would be in a type of example of someone that you would work with?

[00:03:16] Lucas Mattiello: Mm. Examples from a demographic standpoint, I, I find typically 30 to about late 50s. And it's, it's either people in leadership positions or that are on a potential leadership journey. So, it's... I find that it's, it – for corporate, it's either they're vying for the promotion or they got the promotion and now they have this expectation that they're confident speakers, and then that's where they're like, "I, I wasn't expecting this," and there's pressure and, and that's where we, we can help them improve their delivery.

[00:03:50] Marshall Stern: So is it, is it, is the goal... I'm just going to pretend like I know nothing, right? 

[00:03:55] Lucas Mattiello: Yes. 

[00:03:55] Marshall Stern: I, I know nothing. Is the goal then if you were to work with, let's say I would work with you, is it for me to be able to deliver what I have to say as a speaker, as a, or a trainer, or in meetings and presentations, that sort of thing, deliver just more powerful, more powerful presentations and… ? 

[00:04:13] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah, that's a great question, Marshall, and, and oftentimes I find that with the, with the name, you know, Speak With Confidence, people typically think that it's for presentations only.

[00:04:22] Marshall Stern: Mm-hmm. 

[00:04:22] Lucas Mattiello: And that's where they'll say, "Well, I don't have a talk coming up, so it's not of, of use right now." And that's a, that's a very fair argument if it was just for conference speaking. But we look at it more as a holistic communication tool. So, whether it's you're leading a meeting, whether it's you're speaking up at these meetings, whether you're talking to your team, talking to clients, you have to communicate and put yourself out there, and, and you are judged on that every time you do.

[00:04:45] Marshall Stern: Interesting. Okay. 

[00:04:46] Lucas Mattiello: Mm-hmm. 

[00:04:46] Marshall Stern: Gotcha. So, it's more about, it's building the confidence to be able to just, it's just, what was a – to level up. 

[00:04:55] Lucas Mattiello: As, as the name would suggest, absolutely. Take it to the next level. 

[00:04:59] Marshall Stern: Okay. So, the question I have is why. Why, why did you start this business? 

[00:05:02] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah, that, that is a great question.

[00:05:04] And, and, you know, oftentimes people have this, "This was my dream," or "It's something I've always looked for," but with this type of training, it's, it's very interesting. There's no bachelor's of public speaking training program at a university. So, there was, there was no real path to get into it, and it just started through, I mean, a couple things through my own personal journey with panic attacks and anxiety.

[00:05:28] I went through a whole period of time where that was the, a dominant theme of my life, and then went through a, a recovery period, and part of that was actually to go and start speaking about our stories to destigmatize mental health. And that prompted the journey where I would have people in the audience say, "I struggle, too, and I'd like to share my story and get the confidence.

[00:05:48] You know, would you be able to help me?" And that's, that's really how it started. 

[00:05:51] Marshall Stern: Wow, okay. Okay. So, I love that because one of the things that we talk a lot about when I work with my clients is the why. 

[00:05:59] Lucas Mattiello: Mm-hmm. 

[00:06:00] Marshall Stern: Right? And we just talked about this in a, in a event that I run monthly just a couple hours ago, you know, the Simon Sinek thing.

[00:06:07] People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. 

[00:06:10] Lucas Mattiello: Right. 

[00:06:11] Marshall Stern: So, you have a strong why. 

[00:06:13] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely. 

[00:06:14] Marshall Stern: Like, it's, it's, it's, it's personal. Has that helped you through, I mean, I'm going to assume, correct me if I'm wrong, that... And if you're watch – if you're listening to this, you won't... Okay, pretend, because this could be on You might be watching this on YouTube or The Graph, right?

[00:06:31] I'm going to assume that your entrepreneurial journey has not been a straight line upwards. 

[00:06:35] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely not. 

[00:06:36] Marshall Stern: So, has this helped you through, like, being really connected to this why? Has that, has that helped you? Do you think it's helped you through the, the 15 years of Level Up? 

[00:06:47] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely. It's helped me in a, in a couple ways.

[00:06:50] Number one, I think, I feel like professionally too, you know, it's interesting too, even with your whole topic here of the show. It, it, it's about being honest and authentic. And what I encountered when I was starting off, I was doing a lot of stress management training and getting started with this, and even the topic of overcoming speaking nerves.

[00:07:07] And I would go to different corporations, and it was, it was interesting because it was polarizing because they would ask me about my background. And they would either say, I've talked to HR, and they'd say, you know, "What's your clinical background?" And I'd say, "Zero." But then it's more from a lived experience angle.

[00:07:23] And it was interesting to see that just the reaction. It was really 50/50. Half were saying, "If it's not clinical, it's, there's no credibility there." And it won't land with our, with our people." And the other half were saying, "Lived experience, this is so much more powerful than a textbook. This is a perfect fit."

[00:07:40] And so it was very interesting. So, to the why, it's you're sharing real experiences 

[00:07:45] Marshall Stern: Oh, and, and honestly, like I find, like if you look at, at the most influential thought leaders out there, they don't have university degrees or they don't have university degrees in whatever they're talking about.

[00:07:58] They're self-taught, self-made. You talk, you think about people like the Tony Robbins. Now he's done a lot of training, for sure. 

[00:08:05] Lucas Mattiello: Sure. 

[00:08:06] Marshall Stern: Okay, NLP and so much other, and his own research, but his life lived, Les Brown. 

[00:08:12] Lucas Mattiello: Mm-hmm. 

[00:08:13] Marshall Stern: Right? Even, I'm going to go totally away from that to someone like Steve Harvey, who's a comic and a game show host and a talk show host.

[00:08:21] He's done like everything, but he also does, if people don't know him, just YouTube, YouTube him. I mean, he does inspirational talks all the time, and it's not based on what he learned in university. I'm assuming he didn't go to university. It's about living out of a car and… 

[00:08:35] Lucas Mattiello: Right.

[00:08:36] Marshall Stern: …trying to make it and being completely broke and overcoming that.

[00:08:41] So one of the things we talk about on this, and I'm jumping to the go- I'm jumping to the good stuff. 

[00:08:47] Lucas Mattiello: Good, good. 

[00:08:49] Marshall Stern: Delivering the golden nuggets. What would you say to, what would one of your pieces of your golden nuggets, your, your pieces of wisdom to people listening to this who are... You know, I find a lot of people...

[00:09:01] Okay, back, quick back, not backstory, but a little bit of context to this. I see a lot of business owners, and I meet with a lot of them in my coaching, through Facebook groups, who are hesitant. They're wondering why they're not, they're not – they don't know they're hesitant necessarily. They're wondering why their business hasn't grown to where they need to grow.

[00:09:21] When we dig down deeper, they're not putting themselves out there. They're, they're not level, leveling up, right? What are some tips or strategies that you can give to them? 

[00:09:30] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. So, I mean, if they're not putting themselves out there, we got to look at it, and, and I speak often in generalities because everyone's situation, their background, their lived experiences are radically different.

[00:09:41] So I can only speak to generally what I see. But one of the biggest obstacles for somebody to, that's hesitating from putting themselves out there would be a, a fear of not being liked by others or a desire to be liked by everyone, which is very counterproductive. Just like yourself, I mean you're doing this show, which is a, a major win because you're putting yourself out there.

[00:10:04] Whether people resonate with it or they don't, that's secondary. The fact is you're getting visibility. Even the people that don't connect with the show or the message, great. At least they know you exist, right? So that instantly positions you so much above everyone else. So, the first thing is I would say to not only give up the need to, to not be liked by everyone, but to actually embrace it because it is a superpower, right?

[00:10:26] And, and so if you can frame that by taking that pressure off by saying, "You are not going to be liked by everyone," and that is great. Well, now you can actually open yourself up to that authentic delivery because the opposite is where everyone becomes a chameleon, right? I want to, I want to be liked by everyone.

[00:10:44] And imagine if you're doing a presentation, you're scanning the audience, you're going to see somebody with their arms crossed or they have a, a look on their face that shows disinterest. People try to adjust their style to try to win them over, and then they lose the connection with the whole, the rest of the audience, and it's very counterproductive.

[00:10:58] Marshall Stern: But I guess a – the question is how do we... So, if we, if we have that realization, that insight – so people are listening to this, they're watching this, say, "Okay, maybe I, I mean, I know," or, or maybe they've heard me say, "You need to, you know... I've met with Marshall before. And I know I need to put myself out there."

[00:11:13] Everyone's talking about reels, everyone's talking about video. You got to get out there. Everyone's got to post more authentically as opposed to just more in, in more stories, more storytelling, right? I just, I, I, I, I don't, I don't know, I don't know what to do. Like, how do we get past... It's, it's a good thing to know, right?

[00:11:30] We talked about this before we got on. It's one thing about learning, now it's implementing. 

[00:11:35] Lucas Mattiello: Right. Yeah. I mean, so what we're looking at doing, there's a couple things. So, you're right, awareness is one key component. I would say that there's awareness is number one of the what's holding you back or what do you need to do, and then two is finding a compelling reason as to why.

[00:11:49] I, I feel that comfort is a big thing. If, if you don't absolutely... Like my, the, the most challenging clients that I have are typically ones that are quite successful because there's not any. But if they're struggling and they have to, well, now you have major urgency. And so, so I would say it's awareness and then connect with your why, as we were talking about previously too.

[00:12:10] Your why, what's the urgency? What are you going to get from it? Because then that reinforce it. But then three is I would just start off with a micro-commitment, something that's small just to get the momentum. Momentum is the biggest part. Once you have that momentum going, it's easier to build. But I find that often people get so excited and then they overcommit, and then maybe they do it for a few days and then it drops off.

[00:12:32] Marshall Stern: Yeah. Yeah. No, I – well, January 1st, New Year's resolutions. 

[00:12:37] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah, right. 

[00:12:38] Marshall Stern: Personal or business, right? Right. That's what happens. 

[00:12:41] Lucas Mattiello: Yes. 

[00:12:41] Marshall Stern:  I can't tell you how many day timers I have… 

[00:12:44] Lucas Mattiello: Mm-hmm. 

[00:12:44] Marshall Stern: …that I bought for January 1st, you know, and I started using it and it's like, "Oh." Or gym passes. 

[00:12:49] Lucas Mattiello: Right.

[00:12:49] Marshall Stern:  Now I'm good. Now I'm good.

[00:12:50] Yes. But, but it took like, honestly, it took like 30 years. 

[00:12:53] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. 

[00:12:54] Marshall Stern: Like, people are, say, "What did he just say?" It took me about 30 years. Imagine, just say, let's, let's talk, like, okay, when I first moved to Vancouver, I joined one of the big chains, Fitness World. Everyone knows, in Vancouver, Fitness World. 

[00:13:08] Lucas Mattiello: Oh, yeah. 

[00:13:08] Marshall Stern: I did it for off and on for about a year, right?

[00:13:12] And then I slowly went, life happened, whatever, moved here, moved there, whatever life happened. Go fast-forward to 2000, had kids, okay, whatever, did all the stuff. I wasn't going to the gym. It took me from 19... Okay, I'm going to age myself now. 1994, sorry, 1991, I was good. Actually, 1990, 1989, sorry, 1989 to '90, '91 maybe I was okay.

[00:13:34] I was good. But then I stopped. Actually, that's more than 30 years. Okay, 36... I started two years. 34 years, it took me to actually start consistently implementing going to the gym. Imagine, I'm talking to the listeners now, 34 years. Don't wait 34 years. That's a long time. I just look back and I don't have the regrets.

[00:13:56] Lucas Mattiello: Right. 

[00:13:57] Marshall Stern: I just know, and I don't want, I don't want to even think about it, but what if I had actually remained consistent? Not even, maybe even just twice a week, once a week – 

[00:14:05] Lucas Mattiello: Right. 

[00:14:05] Marshall Stern: 34 years ago, where I would be now. Let's translate that into our business or into anything else. If we had just... There's no better day to start.

[00:14:15] I'm looking at that amazing picture you have behind you, the painting be- you have behind you, okay? They say the best, you know, the, the, the quote, "The best time to have planted a tree was 20 years ago or 30 years ago." 

[00:14:27] Lucas Mattiello: Right. 

[00:14:27] Marshall Stern: The second-best day, time is now. 

[00:14:30] Lucas Mattiello: Right. 

[00:14:30] Marshall Stern: Go to the gym now. Plant that seed now, and nurture it, water it, keep doing it.

[00:14:36] Sorry, I went off on a little tangent there. 

[00:14:37] Lucas Mattiello: Well, and, yeah, and I'm curious, Marshall, for you, I mean, what changed recently to make it a, a habit? 

[00:14:45] Marshall Stern: It's a great question. I think for me it was enough is enough.

[00:14:51] It's like I didn't think about it at the time, 34 years. I mean, I did other stuff. It's not like I was doing nothing, but, like, I played hockey for a while until my kids were born.

[00:14:58] I did this, whatever. It's not like I was sitting on my butt all the time. But I think it was the point was I was getting older and I knew... Well, you, you know what it was? Getting older. 

[00:15:09] Lucas Mattiello: Mm. 

[00:15:09] Marshall Stern: That was it, right? Subconsciously, now that you ask me that question, I... There were people that were, like, five, 10 years younger than me that I was seeing that were passing away or having heart attacks, and some passing away, or cancer and, and all this, and it's like you, as you get older, it's like...

[00:15:27] Because when you're in your 20s, it's like, "I got this," whatever. You get into your 50s or even 40s, you start, your mortality, it's you're looking at yourself in the mirror. And I think that is what started for me to resonate a little bit more because I still don't believe, like, I'm turning a big number next year.

[00:15:45] Lucas Mattiello: Okay. 

[00:15:47] Marshall Stern: Um – 

[00:15:47] Lucas Mattiello: 40? You're turning 40 next year? 

[00:15:49] Marshall Stern: I'm turning 40 next year. 

[00:15:51] Lucas Mattiello: Okay. 

[00:15:52] Marshall Stern: It's a bigger number. 

[00:15:53] Lucas Mattiello: Okay. 

[00:15:53] Marshall Stern: And I still, to me it's just a number. 

[00:15:55] Lucas Mattiello: Mm. 

[00:15:56] Marshall Stern: But I think that was it. I think it was just a, it was... I guess it was a little bit out of fear of if I don't, if I don't start, if I don't start and be consistent – I've already wasted 34 years of not doing it, so that's done.

[00:16:12] I can't change the past, but I can change the future. And it doesn't have to be... And honestly, I do it my way, and I actually, I never used to enjoy going to the gym. Now I have a gym that I go to that I enjoy, and actually I've positioned it that there's a pool there, there's a hot tub there, there's a sauna there.

[00:16:28] So I do the gym, and my reward is going downstairs and doing the pool and the sauna and all that stuff. And that is actually probably for my business, that has been one of the probably most successful strategies that I've implemented, because now I'm feeling good physically doing the exercising, and now I'm actually doing the swimming.

[00:16:44] And now I'm in that hot tub, and I am calm, and that's where my ideas come. 

[00:16:49] Lucas Mattiello: Right, which that happens quite a bit. 

[00:16:51] Marshall Stern: Yeah, because you slow down. Because you slow down. 

[00:16:54] Lucas Mattiello: Yes. 

[00:16:55] Marshall Stern: Right. So, but so many people just, like, it's frustrating, right? You just see, like, just start. Just get out there and just start. But there's more to it than just start.

[00:17:06] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah, exactly. That's the, that's the, the, you know, the common advice of, of it's good. It's like I think we're in a world now that people know that exercise is going to be good for them. Like, it's, that's no mystery. But then why is it that every year it's a huge issue, right? 

[00:17:23] Marshall Stern: It's the why, but – 

[00:17:24] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. 

[00:17:24] Marshall Stern: Right?

[00:17:24] This feels like a therapy, a coaching session for me. 

[00:17:26] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah, yeah.

[00:17:27] Marshall Stern: But, but seriously, but that's what it is. It comes back down to the why, and that's what I say to my clients. If you don't put yourself out there – so, you know, I'm dealing with business owners, entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders. So, leaders in corporations, people who, who want to become a leader.

[00:17:44] If they're listening to this, that needs primarily, like, you're working with all these people, people who want to grow in their leadership or get to the next level, or people in business. If you want to grow, if you want to be seen... Or no, I shouldn't say that. Forget that. Scrap that, because some of them subconsciously don't want to be seen, right?

[00:18:00] In, in  – 

[00:18:00] Lucas Mattiello: Right. Right. 

[00:18:02] Marshall Stern: But if you want to grow, you want to get to the next level, we have to put ourselves out there. 

[00:18:05] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely. Well, you know, and you raise a good point, too, about the visibility and being seen as a leader. So even if you're a business owner, what I find, business owner, I mean, by extension it could go to leader, but you mentioned video specifically and, and putting yourself out there, so let's keep it to that.

[00:18:20] For most people, they, it's interesting, they know they need to put themselves out there. They know it'd be good for their business. That's not any mystery. And I used to run a course for a, a local real estate board here in, in the Lower Mainland, and it was amazing. I would, I, I would do a poll, it was about doing video, and I would do a poll every session, and I did the session about 10 times.

[00:18:38] Consistently, half the people had never done a video, right? So, the poll cumulatively, it's over 1,000 people. Half of them had never done a video. Probably 30-some odd percent do one video a month, which is not enough to even register. And then maybe, I don't, I don't know my percentages now, but it's where about, like, 7% would do it once a week, and then there'd be, like, you know, one to 3% that would do it daily.

[00:19:01] And the thing is, though, it's funny because they would say, "Well, I will put myself out there when I'm a leader in the industry." It's like, no, how do you become the leader in the industry? You put yourself out there, right? And, and that's the, that's the rub. That's the chicken or the egg. 

[00:19:15] Marshall Stern: Yeah. Yeah. For sure.

[00:19:16] Yeah. It's, it's, it's... You got to, you got to do the work first. I remember I was... I, I became a leadership coach back in 2011, 2012 actually, with the... I don't know if you're familiar with John, John Maxwell.

[00:19:28] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. 

[00:19:29] Marshall Stern: ...and someone during... He said this during one of his talks there at the, at the big leadership summit when we all gathered together, and he said, you know, because he had back then, he's now at the, what, like, book number 102 he's published.

[00:19:42] But back then it was, like, 75 books or so. And he said, "John, I want to be just like you." And he goes, "You really? You want to be just like me?" He goes, "Yeah." He says, "Well, if you want to be just like me, then you've got to do exactly what I've done. You have to write 75 books. You have to do this. You have to do this.

[00:19:56] You have to do this. You have to do this. You have to do this if you want to be just like me." 

[00:20:00] Lucas Mattiello: Right. 

[00:20:01] Marshall Stern: So, people want, want, want. 

[00:20:03] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. 

[00:20:04] Marshall Stern: Yeah. 

[00:20:05] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. And, and the thing is, I mean, they want what's being celebrated publicly, but they don't want to do what's, what's done in the, in the shadows, right? Yeah. 

[00:20:15] Marshall Stern: Yeah. Yeah. I always say, and my kids always say, "Ah, I don't get it.

[00:20:18] It makes no sense." Leadership, my definition of leadership is – the things that you are doing when you do not think anyone else is watching of what real leadership is. 

[00:20:30] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely. 

[00:20:30] Marshall Stern: So that's, like, what I was taught from one of my early managers in my career. Be the first person in the room before everyone else.

[00:20:39] Set for a meeting. Set up the chairs. Don't – people don't have to see you. You don't have to wait for someone to ask you, just do it. 

[00:20:45] Lucas Mattiello: Right. 

[00:20:45] Marshall Stern: If there's handouts, do the handouts. Stay late. Put the chairs away. Clean up the room. These kinds of things, what you're doing behind the scenes, that's where real leadership is.

[00:20:54] It's like Olympic athletes. All we see is them on the podium. 

[00:20:59] Lucas Mattiello: Mm-hmm. 

[00:21:00] Marshall Stern: What we don't see is them up at 4:00 AM or 3:00 AM seven days a week training for years and years and years. Right. For that eight seconds or that minute and a half, every, every four years. 

[00:21:13] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's true. And it's, it's one of those things too, I mean, even with the, you mentioned earlier, the entrepreneurial journey as well.

[00:21:21] I mean, so I've been in business 15 years, but I think the first five years it's just to see, is this thing a pipe dream? Because my pathway ... If I was buying a franchise, then it'd be a different story where this is the system, this is what you need to do. But, you know, in, in my journey, and I'm sure your journey too, it's you got to figure, you got to figure it out as you go.

[00:21:39] Marshall Stern: Yeah. Yeah, 100%. So how, how have you figured it out? What do you do?  How have – two questions. We'll go with that one. How have you figured it out? Or have you figured it out? 

[00:21:47] Lucas Mattiello: Right now, I will say that I have figured it out to the best of my abilities. I mean, there's always, there's always things that can be improved, but if I look at big milestones of how far I've come, I think how I've done it is two things.

[00:22:01] And I had a, you know, come back to the why. I, I don't know it's, if it's a delusional level of, I wouldn't say confidence, because I was nervous as hell, but it was more a delusional understanding of I can make this work. I, I believed that I could figure it out. And the other part too is willing to fail and make mistakes.

[00:22:22] And so it's ... And I think the, if you go back to it too, not that I ... This is going to be a therapy session for me over here, but I was in a business startup program when I was starting the, the business. I was unemployed at the time. So, after my mental health challenges and I was unemployed for a period of time, and part of it I joined this career exploration program, and that's where I was encouraged, first encouraged to, "Hey, you should pursue this anxiety, nerves, panic attack business.

[00:22:48] You, you seem very interested in." And I said, "Well, it is close to me." So, so I, I got into this business startup, and we had to get our plan. We build it up, and then we had to present to these five local business leaders, and they would give you feedback on your idea and, and push you to, to the next level.

[00:23:06] And so in this meeting, and it was interesting, because the one thing they said is, "Do not argue. Like, whatever happens, don't argue. Don't get a, you know, combative." And that's my natural default too, so that was very interesting. I was like, okay. So, I go there, and it was interesting because they were just tearing the idea apart, and it was conflicting sides, and there was some merit to it as well, I will say that.

[00:23:26] But it was, you know, this is mental health, and then this is about corporate work, and these are two different markets, and they, they, they're completely different. And, and but instead of... there was either you get pushed to the next round, they give you feedback on what to improve, or you can redo it. And they're like, or, or they just kick you out of the program.

[00:23:43] And I'm driving home after the meeting, and the, the head, the head of the program calls me. He's like, "I'm at a loss." He's like, "They decided to kick you out." And we've had over 1,000 people through this program. We've had less than 10 kicked out, and they got kicked out because it was like a scam product or, you know, whatever.

[00:24:01] He's like, "I don't know what to say, but we have to part ways." And I remember I was very devastated that day. And even my mom, I told her, and she's like, "These are professionals." Like, "You should just give up." I'm like, "Are you kidding me?" I'm like, "I'm not going to... That's their opinions. I'm not going to give up."

[00:24:15] And I doubled down. I'm like, "I have my laptop, I have an internet connection, and I can put myself out there." So, I'm the only person that can stop me from moving forward. They can kick me out, take away the funding, take away the mentorship. But that was a real turning point where I'm like, "Okay, well, this isn't over until I give up, and I'm not going to give up."

[00:24:31] Marshall Stern: Mm. 

[00:24:32] Lucas Mattiello: And, and so I think that had a bit of a chip on my shoulder definitely to prove that I could make this work. And then the other part is, I mean, for years it's, do an event, training, try a new variable. Did it work? Did it not work? What would I change? And then you just keep doing it, and then, you know, month after month after month, you start refining a process that works.

[00:24:52] Marshall Stern: Interesting. And I want to, I want to acknowledge you for that for what it's worth because a lot of people would just run home, grab, get a, order a pizza, or some Doritos – 

[00:25:03] Lucas Mattiello: Right.

[00:25:03] Marshall Stern: ...you know, and just sit on the couch and, and just, whatever, feel sorry for themselves and stuff, and not do anything. And now you could still do that.

[00:25:10] Don't get me wrong. 

[00:25:11] Lucas Mattiello: Yes. Sure. 

[00:25:12] Marshall Stern: And then you wake up the next morning, it's like, "Enough of this crap," and you just clean up and you say, "Now I'm get..." You know, "Giddy up, it's, it's go time." But a lot of other people wouldn't. They'd just continue down that rabbit hole and, and quit. 

[00:25:22] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. And, and actually there's one part of the story that I, I now you, you reminded me of, is so that happened...

[00:25:27] There's a couple key dates that... my birthday is May 14th and I was turning 30. This happened on May 12th. And May 13th there was this ticket that I bought, because I was in, getting into the mental health space, called the Courage to Come Back Awards, put on by Coast Mental Health, and it was $250. And I was like, and that was a lot of money for me at the time.

[00:25:45] Like, wow, that was like, how much for this? But I'm like, I'm going to go, I'll probably network. It could be good for business. So, you know, it made sense. And so, I got kicked out the 12th and I, I went to the event on the 13th. And I was in this event and they would bring up these speakers and stories of people that had overcome tremendous obstacles in their life, severe mental health challenges, abuse, this, and they'd rebuilt and they'd been successful.

[00:26:09] And I sat there, and I, I did feel down and upset, and I was going through all the emotions. But when I saw all this evidence of people that had gone through adversity exponentially more difficult than what I'm having, it just gave me a perspective shift that I'm like, "Okay, well, these five people don't agree with it."

[00:26:27] Actually, one individual reached out to me after, and he, he, one of them, and he didn't need to, and he said, "Hey, I, I disagree with their decision to kick you out. And if you'd... I'd love to meet with... for coffee if you're open." And I did, and I met with him, and I – I got kicked out of a program at Douglas College Coquitlam, and then I ended up getting accepted into the Douglas College New Westminster program.

[00:26:46] So, the, the world has... But it, but it was that event and that perspective shift that I look back and going, "This is nothing." 

[00:26:53] Marshall Stern: Yeah, yeah. So that, do you want to call it failure – 

[00:26:56] Lucas Mattiello: Right. 

[00:26:57] Marshall Stern: ...right, that life experience actually helped propel you to where you are today. 

[00:27:03] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely.

[00:27:03] Marshall Stern: To a, to a certain degree 

[00:27:04] Lucas Mattiello: Oh, yeah, absolutely 

[00:27:06] Marshall Stern: Right?

[00:27:06] Like Tony Robbins says if he had had the mother he hadn’t had, he would never become the person that he has become. 

[00:27:12] Lucas Mattiello: Mm-hmm. 

[00:27:12] Marshall Stern: Sorry. You know what I meant by that. I do If he had... Yeah. Well, I have to say it so, because people don't know what I'm saying. If he had had the mother that he had wanted, because his mother was not very kind to him, there was abuse and just everything, verbal and everything.

[00:27:26] If he had had the mother that he had wanted, he wouldn't have become the man he is today. 

[00:27:30] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely. 

[00:27:31] Marshall Stern: And he thanks, so he thanks her every day for that, right? And he's close with her and whatnot, but he thanks her because he learned what not to do and in spite of. And there are other people, so other... When you, you know, like, Ben Affleck, if you never saw the movie, Ben Affleck, his famous quote from the Oscars when he won for Argo, best, Best Actor for Argo, he said, "In life, you're going to get knocked down, but you got to get up."

[00:27:55] And too, too many people just don't get up. 

[00:27:58] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. 

[00:27:59] Marshall Stern: Or in this case, don't level up. 

[00:28:01] Lucas Mattiello: Yes. I like that.

[00:28:04] Marshall Stern: You like that? 

[00:28:05] Lucas Mattiello: Well, you know, and it, and it is a good point though, because it's, it, it is, it's bringing it back almost full circle to it, where it's if how much weight are you putting in other people's opinions?

[00:28:14] I mean, these are five individuals. It's, it, this isn't a compilation of all the business owners in, you know, in Canada that are giving advice. It's five people, and – 

[00:28:24] Marshall Stern: Yep ... 

[00:28:24] Lucas Mattiello: Maybe it was a three to two. Maybe it was a four to one. Maybe it was a five to zero vote. I don't know. But – 

[00:28:29] Marshall Stern: Yeah. 

[00:28:30] Lucas Mattiello: …it's like, it... And the thing is too is even with these business owners you were talking about earlier, I mean, what?

[00:28:36] You're going to... How much power are you going to give to a potential negative comment to stop yourself from growing your business? Somebody may or may not say something bad about you. 

[00:28:44] Marshall Stern: Lucas, I say bring it on. 

[00:28:46] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah, right? 

[00:28:46] Marshall Stern: If you, if you, if you... I'm serious. Like I tell people, if you are not getting the odd negative comment or pushback, then you're not putting yourself out there enough.

[00:28:55] Lucas Mattiello: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. 

[00:28:55] Marshall Stern: If you're not getting the no’s, that's the other part. If you're not getting the no’s, because that's a huge thing, people are like, "Oh my God, someone said no to me." If you're not getting the no’s, I'm telling you, you're not getting the yes’. 

[00:29:05] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely. 

[00:29:06] Marshall Stern: Right? Yes, lands in the, yes lives in the land of no.

[00:29:11] Lucas Mattiello: Right. 

[00:29:11] Marshall Stern: Right? So, even, and I've talked about this recently on the podcast, I was, I posted a couple weeks back, it was two weeks, two weeks back in a very authentic post. It was 100% my words, and someone in my Facebook group went out there with a fake name, but I know who it was, said, and she might be watching this, and I've mentioned this a few times, I will not mention your name though.

[00:29:35] She said, "While I appreciate your comments and your feedback or your viewpoint," or whatever it was, "this screams 100% AI."

[00:29:42] Lucas Mattiello: Oh. 

[00:29:43] Marshall Stern: Okay. So, in that moment I could, like, change it and, like, well, first of all, it was 100% me, so there was no... Even, so if it was AI, so let's say it was AI –

[00:29:53] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah. 

[00:29:54] Marshall Stern: …because it wasn't. So, and I wasn't defensive saying, "No."

[00:29:56] I just said, "Okay, I appreciate your thing. I have used AI in the past, 100% for sure, but this is 100% me." And the backlash against her got so bad because everyone was like, "What the, what... First of all, this is, sounds pretty authentic, and even if it is not, even it, like, it's, even if it is AI, who cares?

[00:30:14] Marshall delivers a lot of value," blah, blah, blah. So anyway, she ended up deleting all the comments so no one can see it anymore. But if it was AI, I had a choice. Do I, like, shrivel and say, "Oh my God, one person saidm she, she's a marketing person too, so she should know better.”

[00:30:30] Lucas Mattiello: Right.

[00:30:30] Marshall Stern: One person said this, I better stop," or do I keep going?

[00:30:34] Now, unless you're really honestly hurting someone – 

[00:30:37] Lucas Mattiello: Mm-hmm. 

[00:30:38] Marshall Stern: …that's a different story. Okay. But we do need, like – people just hold back for too many reasons, and there are going to be naysayers out there. There's going to be people who, like, might, like, so honest, look, you got, people are watching, you got some cool hair going, okay?

[00:30:54] Lucas Mattiello: Thank you.

[00:30:54] Marshall Stern: You got a good hair, right? I'm into the hair thing. Like, good. Yeah, yeah. Right? Some people might say, same thing with me, "I'm just picking on the hair. What's up with the hair? This dude." So, are you going to, like, not put your video out there be – now people have to, now people are going to go to YouTube to try to check out what's Marshall talking about?

[00:31:10] Right? Like, we cannot control what other people do or what other people say. 

[00:31:16] Lucas Mattiello: Right. 

[00:31:17] Marshall Stern: But if something's in, if something's in line with our why, in line with our values… if we could also, the other part of it is, like for example for you putting yourself out there and leveling up, you're doing it because you're helping others.

[00:31:30] If you don't put yourself out there, no one's going to know about you, and there are going to be people out there that go through what you've gone through or hide in their job and are never seen. 

[00:31:42] Lucas Mattiello: Mm-hmm. 

[00:31:43] Marshall Stern: And that's sad. So, we have, we have a responsibility. Everyone listening who's in business have a respon- has a responsibility, I'm going to go back to your company name, to level up with themselves so that they are seen and other, and they can, other people can come find them, connect with them, and maybe help them. 

[00:32:02] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely. 

[00:32:03] Marshall Stern: Right? Okay. 

[00:32:04] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah, yeah. 

[00:32:05] Marshall Stern: Yep, continue. 

[00:32:06] Lucas Mattiello: Oh, cool. Well, I was going to say it's, it's a really good point because I, I do think that there's a lot of people, a lot of my clients they'll say that they don't even know this type of service exists, or they go to Toastmasters, which is, you know, very well known globally.

[00:32:18] Marshall Stern: Yep, yep.

[00:32:18] Lucas Mattiello: They're like, "Yeah, I did Toastmasters, but it's not helping me from the nerves," or the, they're struggling with imposter syndrome or, "I don't feel good enough," and, and it's just not, it's not designed for that. 

[00:32:30] Marshall Stern: Yeah. 

[00:32:30] Lucas Mattiello: And so, a lot of times people are like, "I didn't even know this existed." Okay, great, and that's, that's an issue on my end.

[00:32:36] I got to be more outgoing and, and getting more visibility. 

[00:32:40] Marshall Stern: Yeah. Yeah. Okay, two things to finish up. One golden, one more golden nugget for our listeners and – how can people get in touch with you? I'll put your stuff in the show notes, but what's the best way to get in touch with you? But first, a gold nugget for our listeners.

[00:32:57] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah, absolutely. So, the first one that we mentioned previously was about embracing polarity, right? That you won't be liked by everyone and, and when you can observe that and embrace it, that is something that sets you out. It, it, it gives the space for you to seize opportunities. That's the first one.

[00:33:15] Marshall Stern: Okay. 

[00:33:15] Lucas Mattiello: And then the second one is then when you are putting yourself out there, I use an analogy called, like, the ice cream technique. And so, what it is, just imagine you go to an ice cream shop. Do you love every flavour equally? No. There's going to be some you like, some you don't like, some you're indifferent to.

[00:33:30] Marshall Stern: Mm-hmm. 

[00:33:30] Lucas Mattiello: And for a business owner, you know, to look at it and say, "Well, what flavour am I in this ice cream shop? What is my flavour?" And that's what gives you the power to start thinking about your personal brand and how you want to come across and what are the characteristics. So, if you can... A lot of times when people can wrap themselves around the analogy of the ice cream is, is go, "Okay, I'm a flavour."

[00:33:52] There's no universal flavour that's for everyone. And then that gives them more of the permission to say, "This is who I am," and then allows you to attract the right people. Because if you don't, and then the challenge is you're going to shape-shift or you're going to put on a false persona online, and then they meet you in person and there's a disconnect, and now trust is, is dropped.

[00:34:10] So I, I would say number one is see it as an opportunity to stand out, polarize. Two, showcase your authentic flavour. And three is... Biggest mistake that I see is people are so willing and they're eager to jump to their solution. And when... I'm talking more from the messaging standpoint, is you got to start off with a problem and, and grab their attention because people are so quick to, "Hey, let me tell you about my, you know, my thing, my product, my services."

[00:34:37] If there's no clear problem, you're, you're just selling. So, people want to buy, but they want to solve problems. So, be the problem solver, right? Have your authentic style, your authentic flavour, but then also be a problem solver in your mindset, and whether that... And that ties into the pieces that people, I find, are very excited to help others, but they're hesitant to sell.

[00:34:59] Marshall Stern: Yes. 

[00:35:00] Lucas Mattiello: So, show, show up. Just switch your mindset that I'm a problem solver, talk about problems. I'm here to help people. Take the focus off, oh, how are people going to perceive me? Am I going to mess up? Am I going to say the wrong thing? Or am I going to get... It's not about you. Be of service, be a problem solver, and, and then talk about what you do.

[00:35:19] Marshall Stern: I couldn't agree with you more. 

[00:35:20] Lucas Mattiello: Amazing. 

[00:35:20] Marshall Stern: Couldn't agree with you more. That is amazing. So how can people get in touch with you? 

[00:35:24] Lucas Mattiello: Yeah, absolutely. The website levelupliving.com. That's the, the best way to go there. And then, yeah, just people go there, check out the content, book a call, and see if... I offer free consultations for people to see if it's the right fit.

[00:35:37] For some people it is, for some people it isn't, but that's the, the best step for them to go. 

[00:35:41] Marshall Stern: That is perfect. Well, I've taken... So, I always say, like, grab a pad of paper and notes, and I'm going to just mention it again at the beginning of this one because this is, like, I've got a whole… 

[00:35:50] Lucas Mattiello: Oh, amazing. 

[00:35:51] Marshall Stern: …couple pages of notes here.

[00:35:52] I need to, I need to get a, instead of flipping the – I need to get, like, one of those, like, legal size notepads because this was, this was awesome. This was awesome. Amazing. And I know this is going to resonate with a lot of our listeners because I think too many of us hide behind, and I won't even say they hide behind a camera.

[00:36:06] They won't go behind a camera, but they just, they just hide behind their busyness, right? So, thank you very much for your wisdom. 

[00:36:14] Lucas Mattiello: No, thank you for having me on. 

[00:36:16] Marshall Stern: Thank you for leveling up with us. 

[00:36:18] Lucas Mattiello: I appreciate it. 

[00:36:19] Marshall Stern: All right gang, go check out Lucas and his amazing stuff at levelupliving.com, right? Correct?

[00:36:24] levelupliving.com. 

[00:36:25] Lucas Mattiello: Absolutely, you got it. 

[00:36:26] Marshall Stern: And we'll see the rest of you next week on another episode - oh, comment below also. Do all that stuff. Subscribe, give us a five-star review, all that kind of stuff, but I really want to hear your feedback. Email me. It's down below, marshall@marshallstern.net. I would love to hear your insights from this, and do you resonate with that?

[00:36:42] So that's my action step, my accountability for everyone who's listening to this. Okay. Thank you. We'll see you guys again next week on another episode of The Stern Truth: Business Unfiltered. Bye for now.

[00:36:56] Thank you so much for tuning in to the Stern Truth. If you found today's episode helpful, we would love to hear from you. Please like, share, and leave us a review. Also, if you'd like to be a guest in an upcoming episode or join us in one of our Momentum accountability group sessions, simply email me to marshall@marshallstern.net.

[00:37:18] That's marshall@marshallstern.net. And don't forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode. Until next time, keep pushing forward and leading with confidence.