PT Launch Lab — The UK Personal Trainer Podcast

From Addiction to Personal Trainer — Marcus (Mean and Clean)

• Callum Brown and Ryan Robinson • Episode 14

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In this powerful episode, Ryan sits down with Marcus, founder of Mean and Clean, to explore his raw and honest journey through addiction, recovery, and rebuilding his life through fitness.

Now leading a movement built on honesty, discipline, and self-improvement, Marcus shares how training became his foundation, what keeps him grounded, and what’s next for the Mean & Clean mission.

 

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Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r_4ZegftMY

🎯 Thinking about becoming a personal trainer?

Take the free PT career quiz: https://ptlaunchlab.co.uk/quiz

 

📞 Ready to start?

Book a call: https://ptlaunchlab.co.uk/book-call

 

🎓 NCFE Level 3 Personal Trainer Course:

https://ptlaunchlab.co.uk/courses

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#PTLaunchLab #PersonalTrainer #BoxingCoach #AddictionRecovery #FitnessUK

SPEAKER_00

What episode of Walking 15.

SPEAKER_01

Hi everybody, welcome to PC Launch and this is episode 15. Today I'm joined with Marcus Piella.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know anyone.

SPEAKER_01

I've never known how to pronounce it to me. What is it? Well, you wonder why you took a gum on the street when I wouldn't know this one or saying we've been mates all this year. Well, I don't remember, yeah. So uh going back how many years have we known it to you?

SPEAKER_00

Uh well the memory came up on my Facebook the other day, and I think it was like 16 years ago.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Something like that. And you were in the dog, you were in that dog cage thing in my mum's backyard. Do you remember that wooden built crate?

SPEAKER_01

And that's what's led us to here today, isn't it? So yeah, some crazy times, good times. Um, I think a lot of us start on the same route in that way, you know. Like we all love to enjoy the same, love to have good times, but didn't always leave us then at the best situation, which is um that's what we'll probably just start with, mate. So start back, we'll go as far back as you want, but um let's get on to um to the main bit when it sort of either started going wrong or did you start when when you were younger, were you into always into sports? How did it sort of crumble? How did it come back to where we are today?

SPEAKER_00

I think um I were always heavily involved in in sports, always had a massive interest in martial arts. My grandad Brian had lent me enter at dragon, Bruce Lee, and that would it, mate. I was knocking a lot at uh washy washy lime calling back garden, mate, tending it with a dummy and all that, and that was it, that's where he got birthed from, started doing taekwondo, everything like that. Very ambitious. It was mad because I wanted to be Bruce Lee, Johnny Depp and a fireman, you know what I mean? And I don't get where it all went wrong. Um, but anyway, we're taught at best in a way, but I think yeah, so very, very gravitated towards sports as a young man, you know, endurance track, all that type of stuff. And I was one of the first people in my year at school to be going to gym after school because I was looking up to older lads, you know, year a couple of years above, and I thought, I want to be like that. How old are you now?

SPEAKER_01

There, yeah, so so when me and me and I, honestly, I'd I'd like to say we were like the first ones that started training us because we my daddy used to have us in we had like a our house, which we converted into like a room down, and my mum is now, but that used to me my daddy used to have it in the gym and he always used he trained there for years. Like as soon as we were born, he didn't go to the gym anymore, but always trained at home. And I think we were the first ones because me and I genetically obviously the exact same being twist, and we both trained for six months, same weight, the same reps, same everything, and he his body completely changed, and I stayed the same. That makes sense, yeah. But uh me look like a small scale bodybuilder, and no one else uh at our school even were interested in weights at all.

SPEAKER_00

But yeah, it's mad, innit? There's always a few at school in one year that just gravitate to it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

Like some people up there play football, rugby, yeah, bad women, you know. Um some people smash him, and that were me. I remember nicking a bodybuilder magazine from shop, yeah, and and uh and local shop owner going absolutely lead because of it. And I'm upstairs pumping iron there, but it it kind of I think when you grow up, you know, you you'll be the same. You grow up, you get distracted, don't you? Yeah, whereas a little partying starts, being mischievous starts, all that type of stuff starts, you know, girlfriends, all that type of stuff when you're just sidetracked from everything, fitness becomes a hobby, not a passion anymore. Absolutely, you know, and then one thing leads to another.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, and that's who we are. Yeah, and our our was the same with uh with boxing again. That's why it led me to um to do the final run again for um to achieve my dreams. It's the last last one, like obviously it's not about me today, but our exactly the same. Whereas if I didn't have a fight setup, I'd be out. We used to be wouldn't have seen Friday, so yeah, yeah, I remember them, mate. I was still fight I was still fighting then, but then I'd I'd fight and then I'd celebrate for three months and thus they had a fight set up. And I always struggled then, never really realised how much it took me away from achieving things until now I'm 32 and I'm like, right.

SPEAKER_00

I always say because like I've got clients now that are obviously in addiction and that you know some of them are really young, like 19, 20 year old. Um, and their biggest downfall is is that they think they're invincible, they've got all this time ahead of them. The age of people becoming addicted to stuff now is getting lower and lower and lower each time, and we're not talking about just dabbling, we're talking full-blown addiction. And I'm telling them, listen, this dream that you've got, it ain't gonna coexist with lifestyle you live in. And I can say that confidently because I had big dreams, I had big hopes when I were, you know, when we were younger, I wanted to do things, and because I prioritised the partying because it were new, yeah, you know, and we've got a bit of freedom. It I had to sacrifice all that.

SPEAKER_01

Do you do you do you think do you think there's a lot more awareness about because I just think like looking back, I've actually just spoke to the woman in the cafe this morning about this. Like when we're younger, and I think anyone generations before us, drinking or whatever, just it's always been the norm, especially in England. Yeah, everyone on the weekend junk and it's never been an issue. Like that's just the normal for most people, like is even to now, but um, I believe I think the awareness comes from what people can achieve if they're not doing it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, um I mean it it definitely see pattern icing is it is British culture. As soon as we turn 18, kids get a beer. It's not let me go do this way, let me show you that. I'll give you this experience. It's have a pint, have a vod of lu or something like that, and it's that that is sort of like the gateway, you know, an adult saying to you, welcome to the big world, have a pint of poison, yeah, and then we realise there's no restrictions now, and it's just downhill from there. Yeah, um, I think that that starts the ball rolling, yeah. You know, other factors can come into play, such as like, you know, if parents have been through addiction, all that type of stuff, or if parents had every drinker's party as, you know, kids pick up on that, and and it just sort of spirals from that point. Um but yeah, it's what what were your other point on it?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, so I just I just think like from me, for me, it's just because I've seen so out of all people that might gink out or whatever, like or do whatever they do, right? So most people do actually just they can get by or they can live a normal life or they're they're happy doing the the normal job, which is there's nothing wrong with that. It's the the few people that's literally ruined their life, yeah. And and each one of the people that start drinking could be them. That's the one that's the reason why I'm so big behind it. Like uh to try to push that message, uh if any, about like the drinking drugs would be just like how many people I've seen it ruin.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Like even to to to like my age or whatever, and I just think there needs to be, there needs to be well is is there any right amount? Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00

So I I see with alcohol, it it's weird because alcohol is such a an accepted drug, but it's probably the worst thing you could be addicted to. Like for me, sometimes it's easier to deal with 10 cocaine addicts than it is one alcoholic, just because it's so widely widely available, you know. Um but I think um it's not good for you anyway. As soon as you put it in your body, your body's trying to filter it out, it doesn't matter if it's a little bit or a lot. Um but I think um over time, it don't matter, it don't matter if you feel like you've you've got control of it. If you are doing it every weekend as a blowout, and you cannot just stop doing it, you have some kind of dependence to it.

SPEAKER_01

And I think that's you everyone would say it before, it's like you live for the weekend. Yeah. And I think that runs away with you, and that's where your time disappears when you're always looking, you can't wait just for a weekend. As soon as it hits Friday, right? It's time to have a drink. Yeah. But I just feel like a lot of dreams die in that routine.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, they do, they do because you've got to think as well, it's a depressing, right? And then whatever comes with drink when you're out binge drinking or with drugs and whatever, mental health's an absolute shed fruit week, and this is a big thing I'll touch on. Now, there's a lot of things out there now for men's mental health and everything like that, but they're not talking about the underbelly of it, which is drink and drugs, it's a taboo topic. That's why I get it out there as much as I can. Stop ignoring it. Like we we all know somebody around our age, sadly, that's taken their own life, and chances are they've been using around the time of the death, but nobody's gonna talk about that. People who salt them the drugs are gonna put talk to your boys, go to your local Andes Man Club meeting, do this, do that, but they're not you know, they're not gonna say stop taking drugs because that's the that's that's what makes you sing your final song and dance your final dance. And I'm sick of seeing that. Do you know what I mean? Like, let's get straight to Negree about it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so well, that would move on to the next bit then. So obviously you you've always been sporty, got a little bit kinda way with the uh with the party, and and then what ultimately led to uh to meaning clean, which is so it were there were a few things, obviously.

SPEAKER_00

Um I I looked at everything out there in terms of how to get clean, how to get sober, and it just didn't obviously I tried these things, but it just didn't click for me as a person, and this is why I widely believe that not one shoe fits all, you know. Um and for me I had to go back to my roots of what I like doing as a person, who I am, what's in my DNA, and and it is sports and training, and because I know it makes me feel good. I know I've got good genetics, I've got a good physique, and when I train, I look good, when I look good, I feel good. I'm ambitious, so I thought if I put all that together, like is that gonna take it out of it? Yeah, you know. Um went to a GEP to try to put me on antidepressants. I was like, no, because it's still substance dependence. You are literally just swapping drugs that make you gain to a drug that cuts off any natural dopamine release and gives you an artificial one. And I just I was like, no, like, and I don't want to go sit in a circle and talk about my problems. Yeah, I thought I want to be active, I want the natural dopamine release, I want to get fit, I want to get healthy, I want to put good stuff in my body, and I want to be around a bunch of people that are talking positive, not people that are dwelling up past, not people that are doped up on medication. I didn't want that, and I were very specific about what I wanted. And a lot of people were like, nah, nah, nah, you know, you've got to go this way because this is what's been done for years, and I'm like, no, like I I trust me instincts in that sense.

SPEAKER_01

And so so so do you reckon that's that's what made you want to make an alternative route to all people because you thought that they want a wide enough service available to obviously there's there's money in it for anyone medication-wise, and there's money for government-wise, as always, it's easier to give everyone tablets and medicated, and there's there's a system of money in it.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I mean I I will never go, I will never go to a GP for general health advice, right? Ever.

SPEAKER_01

If if we've got cold, if COVID ruined that for everyone, yeah, like no trust.

SPEAKER_00

But if you if you went to like that, there's a reason why people come to people like me and you, right? For for for health advice, they don't go up to the GP because they're just gonna put them on a tablet. Yeah, right? They don't know the foggy, it's about general health and fitness. They know how to treat an illness, not how to prevent an illness, they don't talk about it, right? According to them, a balanced diet. You see, balanced diet sheets, they give you it's so backwards, man. I'm like gonna get fat and high cholesterol off that. Um, but that that's that's it, and it's it's so sort of one-dimensional. And with me, I just thought, no, there's there's a different way, you know, because a lot of addiction starts in the GP's office. You work, you're back at work, you go to GP, you give you strong paying meds, right? They see you get addicted to them. They want you addicted to them, but when they see that it's point of no return, they stop giving you one. Yeah, not gonna phase you off them, just stop giving you one. And then what you're gonna do, you're gonna go buy drugs off a dealer, and then you're gonna end up back in that GP's office saying, Right, I'm addicted, not to your stuff, but to that guy's stuff. And then they're like, right, now take this other medicine and then you just go full circle again, right? So I thought, how do I break that cycle? How do I break that chain? Because I don't want that to happen. Because that happened to my dad uh before he passed away and he ended up going into heroin addiction. Uh so I thought, how do I not get to that point? Because I've done everything he did. Yeah, so how do I stop that? And it were a case of right, what makes me feel good, what do I need? And literally everything that I did in my own recovery, I was very I I self-researched, yeah, how I felt, I monitored everything, and I just started putting content out there and people people resonated with it. Yeah, and to go off quick though, didn't it? Massively. Just one video, just a just a I think over three months at the time, three months over. I put like a transformation video, not even that. So I started getting cleaning in November, it was December. I put the video on, so a month, yeah, and it got 2.4 million views on that video, and it just went bang bah bah bah bang, and now it's nearly two years old his company. So it's over a thousand people start the the journeys and counting, and it's just yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So so the recovery's heavily based on the fitness aspect, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

It's a million percent. Because I mean, when you exercise, obviously you've got ambitions and stuff like that, you know you have a natural sort of gift at doing that, but you do it because it makes you feel good. If it didn't make you feel good, you wouldn't do it, yeah, right now. Not everybody that I work with to help them get through you know beginning stages of recovery and and addiction, they're not athletes, yeah. Do you know what I mean? But the whole premise of it is to get the body moving to unlock that part of the brain.

SPEAKER_01

Don't you think that addicts make the best trainers once they get going though? Because any any addiction's addictive personnel, and once they get the teeth stuck into anything, like as soon as they start training, they're obsessed with training, and that's they're great people to work with. So once obviously there can be there can be places where they fall off it, like don't get me wrong, but usually when they're on it, they're like they're so switched on, so highly motivated, most dedicated, because they've got something else that they can get stuck into. There's something like and more importantly, something I can be more proud of.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's it. I think I see. I don't know, this is another big thing. I don't look at addiction as a disease, I just personally don't. Um that I wasn't so much an alcoholic, I was a drug addict, so people might look at alcoholism as a disease, and you know what, to respect that. Um, I look at addiction as an energy, right? It's addictive energy, and you've and it and it can be a superpower. It worked pretty well for me channeling it into business, fitness, helping people, everything morally good. You know, if I can channel that there, then you're gonna get a positive outcome from it. If you channel it into wrong things, there's gonna be negative outcomes, simple signs. Do you know what I mean? Um, but what I've found with people is when I get them into the routine of exercising and they start to see the benefits, they feel the benefits first, the dopamine hit, everything, the you know, cold water therapy, um, saunas, all that type of stuff, just general self-care, because that's where it starts from, just learning to be hygienic again, yeah, right, and feel good in yourself, and then they start to see weight loss and muscle gain, and then they feel confident in the clothes, and then before you know it, they're going bang, bang, bang, and they're running IROX races, they're getting ready for photo shoots, and it's it's great to see like the the first picture they send me when you know it's crackhead vibes, yeah, yeah, and now and now they look like they're ready to go do the first pro iROCs, it's unbelievable.

SPEAKER_01

But I feel like I feel what's great about about being willing to start the training is that naturally they want to start trading people because of how good they felt. Yeah, they're doing it, got a story, it there's no there's no limit to it. That's what I'm saying. That addictive personality is like, what can I do next? How can I make it, how can I feel even better? Like, even though they feel amazing, they want to feel even better and battle that's not helping people myself. I feel unbelievable, and they want to pass all that on to someone else. So I feel like it just keeps going up in these stages, and there's like a there's like a version of it where it it's going up like a pyramid to yeah, yeah, yeah. Then they start returning it back to everyone else.

SPEAKER_00

Because you look at it, it's um I can't remember what I'm saying now, but it's it's basically, yeah, it's like anything, like you to make a successful business if you don't have a degree, if you don't have anything like that, and you want to met somewhat yourself, you you sell the solution to the problem that you were in, yeah. Right? And I am heavy on this with my guys. I say, look, you don't have to copy what I do, but what I want you to do when you get to that stage is I want you to find a way to help people, whether that is through being a PT, being a nutritionist, being a psychologist, being you know, whatever it is, you know, like find a way to help people and duplicate that process. Yeah, you know, it's all about duplication, and that's that's a big thing for me. Like, if you want to if you want to make the world healthier and fitter, right, and you want to get rid of war on you want to fight the war on drugs, you know, you don't take dealers off the street, right? You get people clean, cut off the the demand for the supply. That's it. Because you take one dealer off a tree and three more swan up, yeah. Do you know what I mean? Like some cod. You know, just get people clean, get people healthy, get people back in gyms, get them training, you know, get them shredded, and and mate, we're laughing. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? We we we've just probably cut mental health problems in half, obesity in half, addiction rates in half, everything. You know, and when and and when you train, you'll know it it creates discipline, you know, which can which can then create discipline over your money, over family life, all these type of temptations. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, fitness for me has been the core fundamental.

SPEAKER_01

And and where do you want to go with it in the end? What's the what's the overall goal? Is it just help as many people as possible?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I I mean uh it's mad because I I always see that you're doing like good new deals with people or big collabs with with with with people like that as well.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah, is it just keep scaling it and see how many people can help, or is it to get, like you just said, more people on board, more people telling their story, or sort of wonder to say banner really get a big widespread and just keep infecting everyone with his good benefit?

SPEAKER_00

See, see I I've sort of drawn like I had all the I had this big plan that I want to do this or what to do that. There would there will be a wellness centre opening in the near future that sort of sign still delivered in a sense, but I want more, as many as I can, um simply just to offer a new a new form of recovery, you know, a different route for people. Um but I've kind of just learnt now that how it is for me is working absolutely fine personally. The method I take with people is helping people, I don't want it to go to a point where it can't be managed, yeah, because it could easily get to that point. Like I say, I put one video online and it could generate eight new, eight to ten new clients a week. You know, at the minute we're just over 100 clients, so it's like, you know, and there's me and somebody else working for me that was a client of mine, yeah. So it's it's managing it right. So I have to go through growth stages, maintaining stages, growth maintain, that type of cycle. Um, but I just um I'm just gonna see where it goes, yeah. But obviously, my main interest is making sure that the clients are safe, everybody's looked after, everybody's needs are getting met, you know. That that's the main thing.

SPEAKER_01

I think um I've talked about it on all nearly every podcast, to be honest. It's just enjoy it, journey, then you find it. Just enjoy it. Like I love everything about whether it's doing this podcast and it's getting to see you again after all these years, sort of all similar qualities that bring us all back to this point. Like we've all had his bad stages, some worse than others. Uh, but all of them it's a fitness stuff that brings everyone back, and I think no matter what your goals are in, and we've all got very much in common. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I think you know, people like me and you, we get to a stage where we settle down, we have kids, right? We had we had this, you know, we had these ambitions and stuff like that, and we're kind of fucked about with ambitions a bit. Do you know what I mean? We're like, didn't you say it? You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, we weren't quite ready to go out with you, but then as soon as you have them burns, mate, you're like Games changed is a bit Dalcent. And then, but if you notice you get you get to around your 30s and early 30s, and everybody starts taking it serious now because you realize you're not getting any younger. 100%. Right, I ain't just escaped, on it. Exactly. But but I think I don't know. I'm looking at it like, is it is that how it should be? Yeah. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. This is it because some people never realise though. No, they don't.

SPEAKER_01

Some people never realise all this. I do um you always get I wish I'd done it when I was younger. Like for me, there's no time like the present, doesn't matter if you're if you're 50, done that, if you're 20. Like when you you hit a realization point in some point where there's more out there, or there's getting out of that small town mentality, or the dreams that you've got and ambitions, like they're achievable, but it's down to you. Like every time, every time you do that, like I don't care, like no one says once you drink, even if you're drinking on if you're drinking a Friday, if you've got big ambitions, like if you're happy to do to do your nine to five that at all power to you, that's fine. If you have got the massive ambitions, like every time you do any of the things you're drinking, you just you're knocking your time back, like I thought you are, and you've got no way you're you're as highly motivated on the Monday as you are midweek, once once you start getting your real dopamine again. And it's the often's like, I feel like depending on the scale you want to go at, and I think that's what it's um hardest because the people with the piggy streams then realise they need to really go out and chase it last. Yeah, they don't.

SPEAKER_00

Um it's see for me it were weird because I would like we even mentioned before we started filming then that I would do in multi-level marketing when I was younger, or dip my toe in loads of types of businesses. So, but I believe everything that I've done in past has led to this point, yeah. You know, everything, even the addiction, like to me, it was meant to be. Yeah, and for me, I always I thought, I don't know, I always used to say openly, I feel like there's something, there's something for me, there's something lined up for me, and I couldn't quite you know, but I was always quite thinking that I never had a degree, I didn't have any of this stuff, I couldn't be house going to uni, but I thought, how am I gonna get there without doing all that? Yeah, and then to be at this position now, because anybody that can start a business from scratch and make an income for the cent, that's off to you, yeah, you know, without getting in student debt, student loan debt, that's massive. Um and and even through the course of my sobriety, I was like, Yeah, it's a lot of attraction working for me because I you know that and then and then I just I started like um I started really thinking about it, and I'm like, nah, nah, it's it's bigger than that. Do you know what I mean? That there's something bigger at scale here. Yeah, yeah. So go from what I went through, the people I were involved in, yeah, the stuff I've gone through, to now be doing what I'm doing, yeah, right. And they say blowing my own trumpet, but I can put words out there and it can impact people's lives. And I think that's that's not just a skill, because sometimes I don't even know what I'm gonna say when camera comes on. Yeah, I just get a talking, and but it'll impact somebody in Australia who will say, I saw that this video six months ago, and I'm six months clean, and they're like, I'm just talking shit, mate. Right?

SPEAKER_01

But it's got that ability to help somebody, and I thought that the summer feels like so I know the level that this is gonna go to, so just in between before you get there. So, do you feel like as a person though, it's weird how you fall through like your trials and tribulations, aren't you? So I feel like even through hardship is where you learn the most lessons. Of course you do. So whether people come from tough backgrounds, tough upbringing, whether it's down to parents' side that they've had to see that and realise and make the change. Yeah. Uh people who again we're to talking about addiction, people have gone through that, then to get away from that is mentally tough anyway. So being able to get through that is a lot of growing involved. Uh, again, through everything, like you've said, spinning entrepreneur, also dealing with them demons at the same time. Like all of this sort of forges into who we are today, and I think it makes us we out we are those trials and tribulations. Um we wouldn't have to be as strong as we as as as you are. Exactly. Uh I know like what we want you to come up to now. Sure, so uh something like you did mention to me, I think that'd be I think they'll be interested to know.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I mean I uh I said too before doing that, I feel I do feel a bit of an hypocrite now. Yeah. Right? Because I've I've never slandered like um religion or anything like that. I've always said if that's what you believe in, that's what you believe in. And don't get me wrong, I'm like hardcore atheists, even at the start of my addiction, like start of my recovery. Do you know what I mean? I'm like, it's all me, and I've put the effort in and everything, and I have to a certain degree. But when I start backscaling stuff, and I don't know what it was, right? Literally, there's been at least 10 lads over the past couple of weeks that have come to me and says they've had some form of awakening, right? And anybody that knows me watching this will go, is he has he relapsed? No, I have right, I haven't, but trust me, and if you're watching this and you've had a similar experience, right, it might resonate. But to go from being an hardcore atheist and believing in yourself as like this self-righteous person that's the main character, yeah, the main character, and then all of a sudden you realise, hang on a minute, someone just did shit. I mean, past few weeks late, I pieced everything together. Yeah, it made sense that the moment that because I tried going different places to get clean, yeah, and no were working, and the moment I got on my knees and said, Cap living and do this, but God, can you just give me a starting point and I'll do the rest? And then shortly after that, like the day after, found somebody that was gonna help me, and things started happening, and then the vision for me in clean a couple of days into being clean, the logo, the name, the awards night, the auction choice awards, being what it is now, all this podcast, everything, it's all coming to reality, and just the the ability to go and I've seen evil now. I've been around evil, do you know what I mean? I've been around groups of people that literally embody what sin is, yeah, you know, and I and I lived it. And I I just look at all that and I thought, well, nah, I can't, I'm too too much of a mess up for God to come to me. You know what I mean? Like, why is Jesus gonna come with me? Yeah, you know, but you don't go to perfect people, you know, it'll go to people that are messed up, people that did commit sin, people that did commit murder, all that type of stuff, and that's who he who chooses to be messenger. And I don't know what it was, I I just got hit with it. I'll be honest with you, I saw the video of Charlie Kirk getting peaked, and that gave me a pain that I've never felt before. You know, I watched the guy's videos, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Oh liaity swing. You can even see stuff like that on social media. I didn't even mean to watch it and I seen it. I I just got sent it. That can't be good for no for people to see it.

SPEAKER_00

No, but I I I just got sent it and they were like cross view of it, and I just dropped me my bottle of water on the floor, and I was like, no. And it just gave me this pain for days after, and I found myself getting drawn towards God again. Me, I'm like checking my temperature and everything. What's going on here? And I was getting emotional, mate, really, really emotional. And I'm looking back at my life and everything, and it was just like this warm feeling, everything. And I just got to a point where I said, you know what? I'm not even denying it anymore. I'm not even denying it, mate. I went upstairs. Well, I went to my mum's, got my Bible that I had from when I was a kid, everything got my rosaries, and I prayed and I started reading, mate. And it just yeah, it's just there.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's right. I think that's where I must be going wrong. So it's what it's like a funny touch on it because I think at times everybody looks for a night power, whoever it is, whatever it is. I I I mess about with it saying it's like five gods as well. And I don't know who I'm talking to. But I know, especially like fight week, I'm just like, no matter what, just please just give me let me let me give me a sign or just make give me some guidance for it, and I'm and I'm massive on it. And maybe maybe he's not always looked after me because I only ask him when I need him, but but Zephyr's people use him as an ATM machine. 100% I feel like we've all got to that point, but um, but I'm also then taught between everything I put for a reason. I love all the stuff with the the universe, and as I always look do you remember the film uh Bruce Almighty? Yeah, yeah. When he's sweet it floor up and everything's that's going good, like you said, self-care, looking after yourself, and I always feel like that's that's massive though. Like so as I start looking after myself and putting energy into the right things and positive, similar to law of attraction, things good start happening.

SPEAKER_00

Again, no law of attraction. I just think now I were massive on that for yeah, yeah. Now even I'm looking at it saying that's an atheist way of using God's word. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, mate, unless I was it. Paul, I love all these. Um that's what I'm still stuck between because um I got Christian because I'm uh I'm somebody's uh Godparent, so I got christened for that. And I've never really been like I don't know what you believe in. Like I said, everyone looks to an higher power at some point in their life. I don't care who you are, you'll be sat there and things are getting hard, you're just like, why is it to me? Or uh I think that's a good way to put it. Everyone using like ATM machine, you just all of a sudden you're like, man, I need you today. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

It's like people that that are uh uh you know swear down that they are atheists that they don't believe in it, yeah. But why do you go get your kids christened? Yeah, yeah. Right? Why are you celebrating Christmas? Why, you know, why why when somebody's passing away in your family, do you pray? You know, why why do you say sending prayers? What are we praying to you don't believe it, old dear? Do you know what I mean? So it's there, but I think we without the end.

SPEAKER_01

I think a lot of it comes from desperation, though, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_00

It does, but you know what? And you've got nothing else. Well, if you know it's that when you're praying desperation, mate, things happen. Yeah, yeah. That's you know what I mean? Because you're not just oh god, let me win lot of it. Do you know what I mean? But it's like you know, I got on my knees and said, God, just give me a stand, but I'm dumb. And in fact, like God went, right now you're done, I'm gonna take over me.

SPEAKER_01

Do you know what? Like, again, it's I didn't like I never thought I'd be having these conversations, but I didn't enjoy any. I didn't, but um, but I'll do it the same, but then I've had that and then I lost my fight. But then I also then thought, well, that that was the reason because that made me feel like I realised how much I did, wasn't it? Yeah, and there's always a sign behind it. Again, don't know if that if there's signs written in stars already. I'll I sometimes sometimes I like to look at it like that, that me the future's already been chosen, depending on the the things that I'm doing, if I'm doing everything right, if I if I'm sober, if I'm training, if I'm looking after myself, a good dad, a bit of good feeling to say, if I'm doing all the right things, that everything will lead, they'll work out properly. I love that mentality because it keeps me in the right right frame of mind. And even if things, even if things go wrong, when I'm going into my fights, I think I've done everything I should have done. Whatever's meant to happen is meant to happen now. And like I said, God's got the plan. You have to find the lesson. Yeah, 100%. And I and I feel like there's so many lessons, even through your losses, then, because I just sort of wanted to come back in, jump in pro, sort of skip queue again. And with everything that happened, brought me like uh the change of rules. I've had to go back through the boxing thing, and all that made me realise just how much I wanted to do it. Like, I just thought I'd come in or I know then I can say right, I thought I've been pro and then I can live my life off that, but now I've had to pay my dues, I've had to earn it, I've had to learn loads of new skills on a completely separate higher skill level, and again, all happened for a reason.

SPEAKER_00

So so so remember, like you're you're getting to a point, it's going well for you now. Yeah, but you lost all that at one point, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

When I were in addiction, I was begging for my family about this, or about this business, or what the life I've got now. Yeah, yeah. What had to happen first? I had to lose it. Yeah, yeah. Right? There's a pattern, and I think there's a design to it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00

And you won't design that, I ain't designed that. Who's designed that? Do you know what I mean? So so it's it is bizarre, and like I say, I there's still a part of me that was like, mm-mm. But the more I get into it, I'm like, I'm the same mindset as you, as long as I stay clean and sober, right? And I'm a good person, yeah, and I do what I'm meant to be doing, look after myself, number one, because if I don't look after myself, I can't look after anybody else. Yeah, I'll I'll I'll get anything I want. Yeah, but I need to be of service to other people as well. And when you look at that, it it's it is the life of a righteous man. I'm not saying I'm perfect, no is perfect, you know what I mean? But you you start reading Bible and stuff, New Testament, you realise that everything you've read in a self-help book, every business code, everything is from there. Yeah, do you know what I mean? And your eyes just open and you're like, obviously, there's bits of it, you're like, is that is that right? Is that right? And for me, it's it's mind-boggling because I am meaning clean, sort of being built on the no higher power thing. So I've been honest, but because every bit of my journey, I used to help other people. That's what it is. I've got no degree in this, I'll go off my own experience, and I've told all my clients, I've said, look, this is a no higher power programme, right? This is a non-religious programme, but I've got to tell you what I've gone through. But the difference is that I'm two years clean and sober when this has happened, yeah, not brought into religion in a vulnerable state. Yeah, yeah. That's the thing, you know.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, no, that's a good word. That's because like I've been saying, it usually comes at your time at your most desperate need, where you're like, please, someone, just whoever it is, just help me. Uh, but obviously yours came out completely different title. So the other problem the usual person, yeah, is it chosen?

SPEAKER_00

What probably probably what mate it it's I just yeah, but you know what's weird as well, where I just sort of see like every I don't even feel I feel like it's not done yet. Like some people think, like, right, you're at mean you're at the stage where you are now with meaning clean. What's next? You know, what's next? And I'm like, well, I don't know because it just went pretty well, and now it's all down with me. You know, has God got a plan for me next? And now this has happened, it's like this is the first time I'm talking about this. I've not put anything, I've shed a few soys, but nothing, yeah, you know, explaining it. This is the first time, and I don't know what the reception from it's gonna be like, but you know what, everybody's healthy. What do you know what? But you know what though? I wish people mate.

SPEAKER_01

I just did just this this alone, like I've spoken to so many people already, and everyone's everyone's path's been different. Everything's every one of them the thing in common is it's got fitness involved. Yeah, this is another great great path, mate. So uh whether it was said at the right time, and again, one person might be watching it who's very, very similar to you, or had the awakening, or in the same each guest I get on, like I feel like it's gonna help at least one person. And like I spoke to you before this, I never I never set this up to um I just enjoy doing it, you know. Well, I enjoy doing it, like we've said earlier, enjoy the journey. I listen to podcasts constantly all the time. So to be able to come on and give other people a platform and even just show how many different stories related around the same industry or through like completely different paths, like it's just mad, and if different ways though they're dealing with them, or different ways how they're giving back, and I think that's what's gonna ultimately set separate this podcast as well, which I love is yeah, um, it's just growing while everyone else is growing. Yeah, I think that's great, like a little slogan for it.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah, I thought that's it. And it's I mean, I I'm big on what is it, me? I'm but I'm big on giving back as well. Do you know what I mean? Like, there's been bit I don't announce it really. It's probably gonna be the first time I mentioned this as well, but there's been other businesses, you know, other podcasts meeting you were being on No Bones Fire Top. Yeah, yeah. And I shout out to them, boys. I wanted to give them, you know, I wanted to support them when they went over really. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wanted to support them out, so we're like, yeah, you know, is a bit of a donation, get yourself up because I'd rather do without support a starting business than a charity. Yeah, do you know what I mean? Somebody's made paid in that charity. I'm okay, I it's a massive scam. Meaning cleaning to charity is a for-profit business because if I'm gonna do this right, I need to get paid so I can do this full-time, right? But I will donate to make to other people to make their dreams come true. Yeah, I'd rather do that than donate to something that well they're gonna get three percent knowing charities, don't they?

SPEAKER_01

I did look, I did loads of research on that and what a scam that is, and that it's just put me off everything when about life insurance, May Law, all of them. Like, just yeah, what I could that's a separate separate podcast on its own, but yeah, it's like just crazy, innit? When they come around and I feel bad knocking them back, but now when I realise that three percent of money's going on, everyone who's yeah, CEOs that business have got five million pound houses, but there's still people struggling, man.

SPEAKER_00

You can't but again, again, it feeds back into what we're talking about about fitness and and health and nutrition and stuff because it's like yeah, I mean you've heard saying, you know, um, there's more money in uh treating a disease than curing a disease. If you cure it, it's done. Yeah, do you know what I mean? So it's like they're always gonna constantly want that thing, and that's where it gets your dad big rabbit hole and wormhole of you know, to try to poison you so that you get cancers and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01

We don't need to do another podcast for it. But we did we did a separate podcast just for the East, so that'd be that'd be chessy, mate. I feel like we've got a lot in common on that. Um big farmer love. So I think on on that note, Maxit, where where can people find you, mate?

SPEAKER_00

Uh Facebook, just meaning clean, uh Instagram, TikTok, meaning clean UK, uh meaningclean.co.uk on the internet. You can book a consultation, all that type of stuff. Just search me there as well. You can find that links for everything's on there. Uh on YouTube under Meaning Clean UK also. Um, and yeah, I'm gonna be getting my own podcast out again soon. Oh, good. Sort of put them on back there.

SPEAKER_01

That's awesome. Well, we'll definitely get you on again, mate, because I feel like just that last two minutes, I realize some of fun fun topics that we can talk about. So it's been mint of your own market to see you again, but in very few. Remember everybody, like and subscribe. Hey, can we go at that time?