I Know I Can | Rafał Pikul | Legacy Talks EP. 08

He worked with Gary Vaynerchuk. He delivered a project for Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. He created content for Kamila Rowińska. He completed a Half Ironman after learning to swim as an adult.
If you met Rafał Pikul on the street, you would never know any of this. And that is exactly what makes this conversation one you need to hear.

In this episode of Legacy Talks, I sit down with entrepreneur, content creator and amateur athlete Rafał Pikul for a conversation that goes much deeper than his CV suggests.

We talk about ego. Not the kind that makes people annoying at parties. The kind that quietly drives everything you do and everything you avoid. We talk about what happens when you strip it back and what is left when you stop needing people to see you.

We talk about longevity. About the difference between how long you live and how well you live. About ketones, autophagy, fasting windows and the Nobel Prize winning process your body already knows how to do if you get out of its way.
We talk about fatherhood. About being the kind of dad your son will remember not just with love but with respect. About screens, about habits, about what you are actually teaching your children when you think they are not watching.

And then Rafał tells a story that nobody has heard before. Something that happened in the first sixty seconds of his Half Ironman swim. A moment of pure panic that could have ended everything. What he said to himself in that moment is the whole point of this episode.

We also go into what people never see behind success. The 4am video he made the night he met Gary Vee. The Warren Buffett project that took twenty five years to arrive. The training sessions at 6am when nobody was watching. The moment he decided to start before he felt ready.

Find Rafal here:
  / rafalpikul 
  / rafal-pikul   
www.pikul.agency

If you are building something, training for something, or trying to become someone your future self will be proud of, this conversation is for you.
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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

It's literally that. If you are prepared and opportunity happens, you you can grab it and make it happen. I don't have a multi multi-million uh dollar company.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Yet.

SPEAKER_02 0:09

Yet. A nice one. Thank you for reminding me. I haven't told anyone about it, about my wife, really, and maybe my coach. So you, Kasha, and now anyone who's watching it will hear about it for the first time. So I didn't want to risk it. I wanted to do anything I can to increase the chances. So that's what people don't see.

SPEAKER_01 0:26

Ladies and gents, my guest doesn't shout about what he has done. He just has it. And I found people learned to swim as an adult. He crossed the finish line of half Ironman. He built a business from nothing. He worked alongside some of the most recognized names in business and entertainment in Poland and beyond as well. And if you meet him on the street, you would never know. And this is what makes him extraordinary. Rafael, welcome to Legacy Talks. That's such an honor such an honor that you're here with me today.

SPEAKER_02 1:03

Thank you very much. But first of all, congratulations to you. It is your idea to talk to people and to allow them to share some of their insights and thoughts and tell their story. So without you, that wouldn't have happened. So I thank first of all, thank you to you, Katarina.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Accept it. Because I'm not going to deny that that wouldn't happen otherwise. And that's something I had to learn myself as well. Thank you. Thank you for recognizing that. Um I want to start with something very simple, not with a triathlon, not with business. With you. Rafael, how would your son describe you?

SPEAKER_02 1:36

He would describe me as a as a positively crazy dad that walks walks downstairs uh at 7 30 8 a.m. for a breakfast with him and sometimes dances with uh just sleeping shorts on and doing crazy movements of like, you know, funny and making the him laugh.

SPEAKER_01 1:55

Thank you. I know you privately and I know you're very, very conscious dad. And I'm going to ask about uh about it a little bit more because I feel that you are that's going to be a very interesting part of conversation. I feel that you're someone who does extraordinary things very quietly. Where does it come from? Because most of people who achieve what you achieved want the world to know about it. But you seem to be the opposite.

SPEAKER_02 2:25

Interesting. I mean I I partially agree with it. So uh because I think that there's this in there's this English saying that if I get it right, it's uh the proof is in the padding, I think, I think it exists, which basically says, you know, let's let's see if things work, let's let's make it happen. And obviously the action speaks more than a word, with more than words, which is probably more appropriate here than the previous one. It's yeah, it's an interesting question because I like everyone, I believe I go through phases in life. And uh, you know, on the one hand, we talk about phases of the day, week, months, and then years and decades. So, for example, 10-15 years ago, I was not doing any sports whatsoever, and then 10 years after that, I'm crazy about that. Ten years ago, I was posting a lot on social media. I was traveling with Gary Vaynertrook, doing a project for Warren Buffett and posting a lot. Then I've realized I don't have to do it, I don't need to do it, and I don't feel to do it as much as I did. And I focus on something else. These days I'm passionate about other things. So I think it comes with phases of life and maybe seasons of life. And again, the seasons could be daily, weekly, monthly, and then we we can look at 10 years, magazine, so on. Everyone is different now than he or she was 10, 20 years ago. So I think that's where it comes from. I'm still happy and proud of what I do and what I did. And the reason I probably don't talk about it as much now is that I believe in myself way more than I did in the past. And I think it's kind of growing every day. So today I believe in myself more than I believe in myself yesterday, and uh yesterday I believe myself more than I believed the day before, and so on. So I have less need. There is a this question and this answer, I believe, as well. When we discuss that, we need to touch on something called ego that we all have, and which, in my understanding, is showing off with no reason, just to make yourself feel better, and it usually comes or it's or is motivated by a low self-esteem and issues which are rooted with emotions and history and stories and so on. So I don't have a need to share that, but I may. Again, the things change, and sometimes I'm busy with one thing, something sometimes with the other. So uh when I start uh soon a new campaign for my new projects, I probably will be posting way more about social media and technology and AI. But these days I I I I I talk online about health and family and fitness and and and and super healthy supplements and movements and stuff like that. So yeah. What do you think?

SPEAKER_01 4:59

I feel with ego, I feel that every has an ego and there's nothing wrong about it. Because, for example, when when a child is two years old, they have they start having sense of identity and ego. Everyone wants to be seen, everyone wants to belong somewhere, everyone wants to be in their own system. Uh so I feel that if there is imbalance, then the aspect you taught as you said you mentioned that people start showing off because, for example, online world is the place where actually people could be seen because that fulfills that unmet need from being in their own space. Because, for example, the the way I understand what you told me, that you know who you are, you know where you are, you've got your space, you've got you've you're happy. So then you don't have the need to show things that you don't need people to see to be seen. Because you see yourself as a human being, as a partner, as a husband, as a business partner, as a dad. So I think it's really important. You showed me something. What is it?

SPEAKER_02 6:10

That sorry, because Yeah, we yeah, we can jump into that, but if if I may, just to reflect on what you said, um uh Katarina, it's yeah, it's it's it's very smart what you said. I'm I'm learning all the time, every day, and um, you know, saying ego is bad is it's or good, you know, I don't really know. But where I see the difference in real life is when I meet certain people who achieved things which are above average or almost extraordinary. So just to give you an example, um I'll give you a positive and a negative example. A positive one would be someone I mentioned quite a few times because uh in my business life and personal life, he's someone I uh influenced me quite heavily, which is Gary Weinerchruck. If you haven't heard of him, please Google him. He's a very interesting person, a very well-known marketer and public speaker. Now, I've had a chance to spend days with him, 18, 16 hour days many times. He's a very humble person, saying that when he's on the stage and uh and and and online, he speaks very openly about what he has and how how much his company is worth and so on. Um, but at the same time, he's not bragging about it and it does not the first things he says. He's a very down-to-earth person and he can speak to everyone, now which is for me a very positive uh example. Now, on the other hand, and I will not mention a specific name of that person, but there's someone who achieved uh a lot within a sports arena uh that I met uh a few years ago. And I met that person a few times, and every time I met that person within the first 10 seconds of of saying hi, that person says how great result that person achieved in the last week or two. There is there's very little, hey, how are you? What's going on? How his family is just, oh, last week I've done that and I bet my I did my PB, which is personal best. And you know, I'm just saying that very softly. So I think achieving great things is amazing and we should do that. Uh why? Because at this stage we have only one life, and we believe, I believe, that something will happen at some point when our bodies stopped working and died. But I don't know what's what's next. I believe. I'm I'm a Christian, so I have my belief, but no one really knows. Uh so let's use this chance that we have on this air to the best of our capabilities. So as you mentioned previously, a few minutes ago, yes, I I like training and movement. And four or five years ago, I couldn't swim at all. And now I can. That's why behind me over there I've got probably 10 or 15 medals where where most of them are from Tratlons, which is swimming, biking, and running. So, yes, I do like to be proud of it, and and uh which makes me feel good and makes my son and family feel good, because this is the good thing to strive for. I yeah, I kind of want to share that that there is achieving things is great, and we should be doing that, yes. Uh, but the way we uh handle it and and use it um is a different conversation.

SPEAKER_01 9:17

Absolutely, absolutely. And I just would like uh you don't know that ladies and gents. Um uh Rafa signed up for Triathlon and then he realized he can't swim. So this is why he le he started. And I know that because uh because Rafa is my guest, uh is a guest in one of my books. Um and we talk about do you remember what we were talking about?

SPEAKER_02 9:43

Yeah, um, I mean uh yes, but at the same time, conversations with you are always uh so amazing that I'm kind of here now, and when it when it when it stops, it's almost tricky to remember because I think that's that's called being the flow. So I want to say we talked about life. Uh but what precisely I think if I think if someone wants to know, they have to pick up the book, and I'm I'm sure they will find easily the links to Amazon on your profiles. Uh but yeah, we we talked about uh achieving things and doing things even if we don't really know how to do it. Richard Branson says uh if you have an opportunity and you're not sure how to do it, say yes and then figure out how to do it. I mean, example you are an example, very respectfully, but I don't believe that two, three, four years ago you knew how to record video, do podcasts, how to have a mic. I mean, you have a professional mic over there with like a little phone that that that that that that that gets rid of some puffing and like most people have no idea how to do it. I mean, and and even if they do, sometimes things don't work. Um, a few years ago we had this conversation, which was the initial plan before the book appeared. And even though I'm a techie person, something didn't work out, my headphones didn't work, and the actual quality of the conversation we had online, audio-wise, was not good. Now, does it matter? Yes, no, a bit, but you have achieved um a lot as well. So we learn all the time, and uh and I think we and you committed to that as well without really knowing what how to do it, and you figure it out on the way, and uh big kudos to you.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Yes, we were talking about attention to detail. That was really funny because it turned out because when you've got headphones on, you can hear it, but then I didn't shake my equipment, and um and I remember your your sound was wasn't very good either. Like we were talking in Poland it we've got saying um a shoemaker walking without shoes, so it was very, very similar.

SPEAKER_02 11:34

And perfect, perfect. But this is but some people, whether it's the guest or the host, at that at that point could have said, maybe let's not publish that. Because you know, you may you may say, hey, maybe people will not understand it because it's technically bad. I could have said, hey, you know, I am known as the video person who deals with camera sound and light, but then on the live feed, my sound was was below average, was was bad. But who cares? Like, did you know if we got 100 comments, was there one or two comments saying, Oh, the audio is really bad or something? And even if it was, who cares? So no one cares. That's another thing I've learned over the last years. No one cares. We all we all have our own problems. No one cares that that this audio quality was not that great, no one cares that you when you walk on the street, you don't have the latest shoes on the best car, because everyone on the street is in their own head with their own problem. So no one thinks about your problems. No one thinks about my problems. I I wish people thought about my problems. Like, hey Raf, how can we help you? I mean, there are a few people, but everyone has their own problems, no one cares about yours. So let's just, you know, let's do what we can, let's enjoy the live and do the best we can. Don is better than perfect, so yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Yes, this is what you I remembered uh that this is what you said in the I know our last conversation, and I think that very often we wait for the perfect moment, and this is not great. I would have to learn how to do professional makeup, but I'm not going to, and I'm still publishing things. And as you said, I didn't know how to do a podcast. I only knew I want to get people's stories out because I know how important it is, because my dad died when he was 54, and on the other side, my grandma is 98. So I could get so I could I've got the spectrum and I can see what time does people do what time does to people, and also what lack of time leaves when things are not answered. So this conversation, for example, your son will listen to this conversation, it went 20 years, in 40 years, and he will learn a lot about you as a human being and as a dad, as a as a man, because you'll be a man at that point. And you might be here. I hope you'll be, you'll be, you will live, you live long and uh in a good health, but we never know. And I think that having kind of important conversations is just we underestimate it, especially these when people don't know. We think that when someone when we we use our phones, this is our world, but actually interacting with someone else and having a conversation that may because sometimes one sentence may change someone's someone's life, and this is what it's about.

SPEAKER_02 14:24

Um you asking me about you asking me about that.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 14:28

Shall I go? Because you mentioned something interesting. You mentioned that I uh you hope I will live a long and and happy and healthy life, and obviously I hope the same, and I hope the same for you, for everyone. No one knows the future, correct? But if we if we believed in a belief that because no one knows the future, there's no point doing anything. I mean, what's the point leaving the bat? Because you can, you know, as you as I walk downstairs on my stairs, you know, people fall and bad things happen. So, like, you know, we cannot live this life, and let alone walking on a street and driving cars and flying, flying planes. So now on the other hand, the question is what can we do to help to help us live a longer and better life? And that's where interesting subject, which I have not mentioned to you recently, comes, which is longevity and health. And for those of you who may not be aware, I know Kasha, you are. Uh there are two two two two interesting concepts. Most people know what a lifespan is. Lifespan means a certain uh figure, certain uh number of how long one person lives. So it could be, you know, probably the average around 80, 85, 78, depending on uh place on the earth and whether you are man or woman. But let's say someone's lifespan, average life lifespan is 85, let's say. Now there's there's another interesting concept which is um health span, which talks about how long we are going to be healthy for until things start going really bad. Um in most cases, uh when someone um is elderly, let's say in their 70s, 80s, sometimes 60s, depending, or sometimes earlier, that their health uh gets worse. They start to get pain and this and that, and and there are different things happen. So now the question is so the so the lifespan is not really that important because someone might say, Hey, do you prefer to live uh 25 years but from 60 to 95 you will be you know barely walking and having to take 10 tablets a day, versus do you prefer to live 60 in a perfect health? I mean, there is uh conversations to be had. But what we can do to join this together? What can we do to uh to so the health span meet meets the life span? And that's what I got really interested in over the last a few years. And I think part of that I was partially I was motivated by having a son. It means hey, he's growing up, I want to be healthy for him when he is 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, and I want to be able to be around. Uh, second part is I was approaching a round number, and I will let you guess. I was not 30, I wish, and I'm not 50, so somewhere in the middle.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

18 plus V8.

SPEAKER_02 17:15

18 plus V8. I was approaching uh uh 40 last year, uh, and I thought, you know, kind of from many angles, it's uh this this symbolic number. So I thought, what can I do? So um when I when I said hey, I'll I will have this drink, again, it's it's it's a big conversation, and we probably could have another one at some point. But from a health and fitness point of view, I think there are a few pillars that there are a few things that we can do to improve our um um health span. One is movement, is is is moving our bodies in any way uh you want. Whatever someone likes, whether it's swimming, cooking, jumping, kingboxing, or pilates or yoga uh or walking, which is very underrated. It's movement is physicality. It's important to move, to raise your blood pressure, to increase your heart rate, and to sweat, and to do some aerobic and to lift some things. Not because we want to have big muscles and huge things like that. Yes, that's interesting, but with the reason we want to have that is because when I'm 70, I want to be able, or 80, I want to be able to go to the shop and grab a basket with shopping and carry that home. I want to be able to, if my son, God given, gives him, gives us um his children, so my grandkids, I would love to be able to raise uh them and and and cuddle. So that's what I need strength for in 10, 20, 40, 50 years. So physical movement, the other thing is obviously um food, which again is a huge topic, you know, eat well, less sugar, more good food. Huge conversation.

SPEAKER_01 18:42

Uh and there's some yes, it's a huge conversation, it's because what is good these days, and when we've got uh um like feed like the food pyramid and with with the latest discoveries, this is because we can talk about it for hours as well.

SPEAKER_02 19:01

Yeah, and um, you know, we we possibly may, but yes, food, which again, huge, huge, huge subject. And in many, many cases, I believe it's it's impossible these days not to not to take any extra things like supplements, like some vitamins and minerals to help each other. Because for many reasons, even the greatest food doesn't have enough nutrients and things that we need. Again, it's a different different topic. But the reason I bring it up because depending on on one what one needs, and I'm I'm not a health advisor and not a not a doctor, but I'm interested into that. Obviously, everyone should check and blood do blood tests and so on. But things like omega-3s and and vitamin D and magnesium and zinc and a few things like that are important. Ketosis. And what is ketosis? Ketosis is a state of the body where the body uh removes waste from the bodies. Correct. And it's create yes, and creates that from our storage of fat in our body. In our bodies, we have many things. To simplify, we have we have carbs, fats, and proteins. In this, you know, in in today's world, most of us eat too much carbs. And if we eat uh if we we don't allow our body to burn the fat that is in our body, because the way our body is designed is designed to burn the carbs, which turns into sugar, which initially is in our blood and so on, first. So it's very hard to create ketones for our body if there are carbs slash sugar in all the time. Because if we have a breakfast and we have you know the you know cereals or or or just too much bread uh and too many bananas, and I've learned that recently, uh, and so on. If if we have dad and we have a you know pizza or pasta or maybe some sort of a fizzy drink, there's sugar coming all the time. I mean, you know, yeah, I don't even mention sweets and and and stuff like that. But then only when we stop that and replace it with more uh good fats and proteins, body is able to start producing ketones, which are super important to the way our brain functions. It's uh that's probably the most important thing what ketones are for. That's why a few years ago, a company, which I found out probably through my health and sport journey, released ketones. They found a way to make ketones. So it is a bit of a cheat cheat uh or if someone already is in ketosis, it's a great top-up where you can drink something which your body would produce anyway, but you would have to have 14, 16, 18 hours without carbs, and only then body produces ketones. Um and that's where we go into fast and fasting windows and so on and so on, which is again a different conversation.

SPEAKER_01 21:43

Yes, because like for example, when you uh fasting for sixteen to eighteen hours, then the body goes into ketosis, so that is that so ketones are released and then the body can heal itself. So this is a shortcut, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 22:00

It is a bit of a shortcut, yes. I mean it's uh yes, but as we know, in most in most cases, unless you you you talk about uh driving a car and using shortcuts if you know your city, in most cases, shortcuts don't work for health or business. There's no overnight success and so on. It's you know, we obviously we did and we may talk about that. But the reason I'm saying it's it's probably the most supplement like that is probably the most useful when you already take care of yourself and your body. So if you are eating less carbs and ketosis kicks in, there's basically something like uh levels of ketones. Let me let me show you something here. So there are fancy ways of measuring ketones in the body. You can do it from blood and so on, but one of the simplest ones and uh uh simplest is to is to buy uh it's probably not in focus, but you to forgive me. Yeah, you need to buy uh ketone test uh strips or stripes. And uh this is interesting, which I have a box some remote, and I will ask you, uh Kasha, Katajina, to guess how do you do this test? What do you think if you have a strip like that? What do you think needs to happen for you to pee on it? Yeah, you're right, you're right.

SPEAKER_01 23:13

So first thing in the morning, and does it say the uh the level of acidity in the box?

SPEAKER_02 23:19

Of course, yeah, it's not really acidity, but it's basically measures the kitten. So it's it's a very simple way of testing and not extremely accurate, but it gives you an idea. So on the site here, there are different colors, as you can see, from a from a almost like kind of a almost white yellow to very dark.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

So that's really easy because it shows the level of where the where your body is at with it.

SPEAKER_02 23:40

Correct, correct. It does it does show that, and that's the easiest way, the cheapest way. There are some devices where you take a simple blood test. It's almost like if you were to measure your uh sugar level, uh it works a similar way, but it's just a bit more complicated and and and a bit more expensive. But you you are right in what you said about the time timing window. And yes, ketosis starts at some point, but my understanding is it's not usually the kind of a 14, 16 hours, it takes more time, and even when it starts, the levels of ketones, which are super healthy for our brain health, which gets rid of bad stuff and so on, and helps build more neurons, my understanding. But it it starts slowly, it takes anywhere from one to three days for it to really kick in. But when it starts, if you drink something like that, you suddenly your levels jump much higher, and and that's why this is a shortcut, but only if you do something. If you just drink it every now and then and eat bad food, it wouldn't work.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

But I'll stop you here. So, are you saying that if I eat biscuits every day and if I drink if I drink it, this will not work?

SPEAKER_02 24:44

No, it it it it it will the uh the effect you will get would be one percent of what you could get. So is it is it worth buying? Probably not, and this is not you know, and this is not cheap. It's I don't know, it's probably four or five, probably eight, maybe more pounds per, and it's like is a small thing. So if you need 10 of them or so, it's quite expensive. But then again you need a commitment for this, and then it's it's only worth drinking when you uh want to feel better and when you want to perform, it does help the brain, um, because then brain's brain uses fat. And my understanding is that when we don't have carbs in our system, which is to simplify sugar, all the carbs, you know, bad breads, there are some good breads, but breads, pasta and and cookies and all that stuff turns into sugar. The when when the initial load disappears and that's in that it is in the blood in 12, 14, 16 hours, then the the fat burning starts. And then around 14, 16 hours, something called autophagy starts.

SPEAKER_01 25:45

Yes, and there was a study, and uh there was Nobel Prize for for that because it heals many different diseases. And yeah, I will let you carry on with this.

SPEAKER_02 25:57

Yeah, it's interesting where we go with this conversation, but but but that's that that's coming back to the seasons of life. Yes, I am passionate about uh my work in business and marketing and video and AI, I love it, but I'm super passionate in this this phase of my life about health and longevity and sports and something like that. So uh autophagy autophagy, my understanding is that it's uh it's a process that starts in our body when the initial uh amount of carbs, uh, sugar, glucose probably is the most accurate word here, disappears. Obviously, there is sugar in different parts, probably liver, if I'm not mistaken, please don't quote me on it. But um uh when when it disappears from our our our uh uh our bloodstream, the body starts using fat and it enters the process of autophagy, which basically means the body starts to heal itself and start to eat itself, and it's smart enough to know that it should start with with bad and sick parts and and of it, which is basically the cells. So, yeah, as you said, it can heal many, many issues. So basically it is looking around the body with like scanners and okay, there is an issue, let's let's kill this this cell, let's digest it, and let's you know remove it from our system. Uh and it's smart enough because that's how that's how we survived for hundreds of thousands of years. And this autophagy is really helping with uh inflammation. Like I over the last over a year, almost two years, uh, I have problems with running. So, yes, on the one hand I do triatlons, but I've done my big ones two years ago, and then I've done a few shorter ones. And over the last year I haven't run properly because I I got an ankle injury. I tried many different things, but probably the best thing that helped me out of seven or ten, I and I've done physiotherapies. I went to I've done shockwave therapy, I've done uh I went for spores massage, and I've used different creams and plenty of things. The best thing that helped me so far that I figure out are the following. One is the weight loss, which we can touch on as well if you wish. Another one is uh autophagy, which is my body healing itself after it enters the state of ketosis. And the third one is which is kind of helping it a bit, but I reduce my coffee coffee quite a bit, which is helping. But yeah, uh, what do you think of that? And do you have any questions? Because I'm passionate about that. I can talk for another hour about it.

SPEAKER_01 28:22

There's one thing you mentioned because um not many people know that neurons neurons can be built even in adults when we're adults. So neurons are the part of our brain that help us thinking and reacting, and uh, we are both um uh content creators and we both work on different projects. So the recently there was a study say uh showing um that people, the children who spent more time than one hour a day on the on on the laptops, iPads, yes, on screens, they had symptoms of dementia. 10, 11-year-old children. Can you imagine that? And I think that new generation is going to have massive problems with this because our brain, and I think their recommendation was just not to use any screens at least once a week so the brain can reset itself, otherwise it will not be able to think. And in Sweden recently published studies where you had um they compared reading age from 90s till now, and uh then what they want to do because the reading drop and uh uh language acquisition and processing information and analysis was dropped dramatically, and what they want to do is uh ban electronics from school completely. And I think that what you said because we can work on our body, on our we can look after ourselves, but we need also we need to be mindful of the fact that using scrolling it damages our brain, and that is so so important because we think that oh that's uh okay, 10 minutes, okay, you can say 10 minutes, okay, 20 minutes, but then there's a great responsibility, and I think that as parents, not us people really, we don't often realize how dramatic impact this is going to have on kids because, for example, children learn through interactions and adults learn through analogy. When you've got you learn language, you think about it's something you know about, and then you just try to create another chain to this, and children learn through uh through interaction. I used to work with children so I could see that very, very clearly. And now when kids sit in front of the phones, element, element of playing is excluded from from uh from uh children's develop development. So then they don't play ball, they don't fall over, they don't know how to solve problems, they have a gap, and that will create important food.

SPEAKER_02 31:12

So we will not stop that. This is technology, it's it's what happened when car got invented. Well, uh, so we'll not stop that. I believe our thoughts have a superpower. I think we can create our future, not only by doing, but as well by sending energy and thinking good and creating good things. We can. So what we can control in the light of technology and kids, and and them using using screens is let's give them alternative. Because, as you know, I assume as a mom, and probably every parent knows, work. Let's replace it with something else. And that's part of the reason outside. He loves football, he likes swimming. I'm super happy that we, as my wife, lovely Eva, and and myself signed him up for classes when he was three, three and a half, and uh now he swims pretty much on his own. He goes to wiki classes. So we want to give them alternative to the screens so they are passionate about something else. And unfortunately, as you mentioned, these days there are even um clinics and and hospitals and places for kids who are um uh addicted to technology, are 7, 10, 12 years old that spend you know 12 hours a day from the phone. So what we can do is is to give them alternative and maybe not uh hide it. Because I I can hide a phone from my son for uh for a few years, but when he gets 12, 15, 18, he will he will have it. And it's you know, if we can help build a habit now, it will help him help him later. And the last thing to say on that is that kids uh learn from looking at their parents, um, as you probably said. So I try to be more conscious about this device and about spending time when I'm around him on the laptop and enjoy the beautiful sun that we have nowadays outside.

SPEAKER_01 32:58

Yeah, as you mentioned, giving an alternative is something really important, and yeah, I forget about it sometimes. I need to admit that you mentioned that to your dad, and uh I assume that when uh when your son was born everything shifted. What specifically changed in in you the moment you became a father? Not that you decided, but what you felt.

SPEAKER_02 33:21

I'm really happy that our son was born, and uh, it sounds I mean there's probably no one who is not happy that uh the kid was born, but uh the reason I'm saying that, and uh from an egoistic point of view, it may be made me step up my game because in in every area, you know, everything we talk about health, about work and business. I mean, all of my yeah, all of the big work projects I've done for for the famous people, 80% of them happened as my wife was pregnant, so we know a baby is coming, and then when our son Christopher was born. So yeah, it probably says something. So yeah, it it made me step up my game, raised my my ceiling, my comfort level increase in many areas health, work, finances, responsibility, and it only goes up because as as kids grow, as you know, because you've got a a teenager or two teenagers, and I'm not sure how old the daughter is, but I know your son is already a teenager. As they as they grow, they see more, they understand more. So things that you know it's probably easy to hide or cheat and not show things in front of your kid when he's two, three, four years old. But when they get, you know, five, six, seven, eight, they understand way more. They see things. So then is that the only option is to to be a good person and and to and to do good things, um and to do what you love. A plaque for uh we work, do what you love.

SPEAKER_01 34:47

Yes, I I I agree with this. You are a conscious dad. And I think feel that consciousness means something different to everyone. What does it mean to you specifically?

SPEAKER_02 35:00

Two things came to my mind. First of all, something we said a few minutes ago, which is being conscious, or I would say conscientious. I I do believe there is a slight difference there. It's basically when I spend time with with him and with my wife and with other beings. I try to be with them uh and not, for example, look at the phone. Simple thing. And I'm I'm quite good at it, but it's like for example, we we have a rule that yes, we have devices at home, but when we have any sort of meal in our dining room, there is no device that is on the table or within an arm's reach while we eat. And even if we have a guest, we just mentioned please put it away, because it's it's it's something it's one of our traditions. We want to keep that. Another thing, conscious creating memories and experiences is a huge one. And on the one hand, I know kids don't really remember most of the things. I mean, I now I don't remember things when I was four, five, and six. But I do.

SPEAKER_01 35:59

You feel you feel them still.

SPEAKER_02 36:01

Yeah. But there's a comma, but I do believe that what we do, obviously, even if consciously we we don't remember it, or kids will not, obviously, subconsciously they will, and that will create their character and open eyes, both literally and figuratively. And probably the last thing is being conscious is about being responsible and keeping promises, especially to myself. So responsibility in my in in health long term. What I do now will impact me in 10, 20 years, which we talk about. There is a part of financial responsibility. So what we can do that it will be easier, safer, better to live in five, ten, twenty years long term, technological responsibility, uh, but yeah, a few of those things. Thinking long term and knowing that things will not happen magically within a few minutes, it's a long-term game.

SPEAKER_01 36:51

Absolutely. So when we think about long term, when you when Christopher looks at you in 20 years and asks you who you are, what would you like him to see?

SPEAKER_02 37:01

So there's a twist on a question you asked me as the first question, which is what he would think now. She's saying 20 years, long-term game. I would like him to see or think that uh dad and mom, because we were a team with my wife, I'm lucky to have a great wife, uh, did things 20, 30 years ago that influence our reality now, which is the future that we talk about. So let's say we talk about 20, 20, 40 or 2045, yes. And again, it it links to the to the pillars I described, which is uh in 20 years, I want to be fit and fit person that can do sports, and I don't want to take any medications for any issues I have, like people in my family, including my my parents, who I loved deeply, but unfortunately they struggle with health, like many people all over the world in currently. The other thing I would love my my son to you know think of me or or when he looks at me is um a financial responsibility. I want to do things now that will make us be safe and creative and open-minded financially in 20 years, but it starts now. And I want him to know that when that whether he's seven or twenty-seven, forty-seven, he can come to me and I will do my best to help him with no judgment and support and love.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Do you ever worry that the ambition and the discipline you have in you and the extraordinary things you do as a as an athlete, as a businessman, I take something away from you as a dad?

SPEAKER_02 38:39

I I don't have a multi-multi-million uh dollar company yet. Yet. A nice one, thank you for reminding me. But I do projects, yes, I run my own business and work for myself. I hire people when needed. So correct. Now, in both circumstances, I believe that uh the only thing that I think that could take away from family life and and and my time with my son would be the time. But then the time would be spent on something else anyway. It's it's rare that I work often 10 hours a day. That's the reality. I usually don't. I I've got systems and I try to be efficient and and work around my other plans. So yeah, I would probably be less with my son if I had a day job versus my my business. And when it comes to training, uh, I'm not a professional athlete, but I am an amateur athlete who is passionate about the sport, and I train anywhere from three to six hours a week, so or three to six sessions. Now, in reality, I believe that if I did not train, someone else could have spent this time on their phone, could have spent this time in the evening watching Netflix, which I sometimes do as well, but I find a way to do it. And but even if I take the six hours away from the time with my kid, which I don't because I find a way to swim. I mean, after this call, I've got two things to do. And at around 12:30, I will go for 45 minutes swim. And that's one of the beauties of being able to manage my day in many cases. And uh when I swim, I my my son is at school anyway. So I try to fit that around the schedule. But then even if I took this three, four, five, six hours a week from the time with my son or wife, I believe that this, whether it's a work or or training, it gives so much more than it takes. Because not only it makes me a fitter and healthier person for now and for the future, but as well it shows in this example my son that this is a right thing to do and important thing to do. And he knows that this is the reality. This is a normal thing that dad goes for training, that mom goes for a run. This is a normal thing. This is the reality, this is the baseline that he has. Other kids have a different baseline. I want him to understand that this is a normal thing, this is not something extraordinary.

SPEAKER_01 40:54

And I think that motivates him as well because he looks up at you and he wants to be like that. He wants to do things as that. Um you mentioned when before we started recording and when when we had a conversation about the podcast, um we started talking about the why what what we're going to talk about. And you mentioned success because you said people think that success happens overnight. And I would like to ask you about that part that took the longest, that the part that nobody saw, the part that you did alone at six o'clock in the morning when no one was watching, when people were watching Netflix. What kept you going in this these moments?

SPEAKER_02 41:43

As I said literally a few minutes ago, and you kind of say the similar things again, but they touched so many different layers and angles that is important. So, yeah, the when you mentioned the the the kind of 6 a.m. wake up, that the first the first thing that came to my mind was uh was the movement, was the training. Yes, many times I had a you know 6:30, 7 a.m. swim, and I got home around 8, 8.15, and that's when my son was kind of starting having breakfast. Now, majority of my training was was while he was still asleep. That's going back to the previous question. Uh yeah, plenty of trainings, cycling in uh rainy conditions, in windy things, and figuring figuring out the way, going to sleep early. This is uh this is this that sounds so crazy, but in order to wake up in the morning strong and healthy, so you can do training or go to work and have a strong brain, you need to go sleep early and relax. It's I believe it's such a big problem for for people to go to sleep early and healthy and um and relax. So there is the whole thing about the evening routine, which again I'm super passionate about. We can talk about that. Uh, but that's that that's the aspect of training. But I think what's what kind of uh portrays this answer to this question more is an example that is the realization I had that when I was when I was a teenager, I saw my my parents working very hard. And uh as it was in most families in the 80s and 90s, uh when parents had kids uh who are you know not teenagers, usually mom stayed at home and dad goes to work. So my mom stayed at home, and then when we were older, she went back to work. But initially she was at home and she was working hard and taking care of the household and good and so on. And then when she goes back to work, well she went back to work, she uh she did both really, and then dad worked a full-time job. But I saw her working hard and I thought, uh, you know, I appreciate it and I'm grateful for it. But there must be a different way. There must be something else. There may must be different ways so I can live an easier life for myself and and my future family. And that's probably when I got interested in in psychology and mindset and self development. That was when I was sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, which is like I don't know, almost twenty five years ago. Sounds scary. But um When that happened, I didn't know the word self-development. I knew the word psychology. So I believe I Googled psychology at the school because obviously I didn't have a computer or internet at home. And somehow, somewhere, I I got into self-development and I started learning about mindset, positivity, responsibility, about financial intelligence. And when I learned about that, learned about a few people who were super famous and who were like, you know, big figures to look up onto and get inspirations from. One of them, 25 years ago, was Mr. Warren Buffett, who at that time and still is considered to be the most famous and the biggest investor in the world. And he started extremely humbly when he was, I don't remember now, but he was a young. He was maybe in his 20s, I believe. And he started investing uh bits of money here here here or there. Basically he built uh hundreds of billions, I assume, empire based on uh properties and then different investments. And that's that that that I've heard about him, and he was obviously it was like you know, Elvis Presley of music or uh or or maybe in in our Polish football, football Lewandowski of football, like the most famous there, there's no one better. And then fast forward uh 20 years later, I am asked if I'm available on a certain day to create uh a marketing video project for Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in London that is owned by Mr. Warren Buffett. And I did that, they were super happy. I met his right hand, Mr. Gino Belfari, uh was an amazing person and very humble as well. Mr. Warren Buffett at that age was already quite elderly, and I assume he was not extremely active in day-to-day life, so that's why he didn't travel. But he did his project, everyone was really happy. I got a big letter saying amazing.

SPEAKER_01 46:04

I saw that letter. I saw that letter because you published it, and I was just so proud of you.

SPEAKER_02 46:09

Yeah, so that's probably the biggest thing, but it took almost 25 years. And no, I did not work for 25 years with aim to uh to do a project and work for War Warren Buffett to ask him or his company to hire me because of recommendations of other jobs that I've done and the clients were happy. But I believe that the seat was there when I was 15, 16, 70, and I saw him as a multi-billionaire. And then through my mind work, self-belief, and work, mindset, uh and uh a less of self-doubt, I build it over the 20 years. So that's possibly one of the longest uh uh overnight success story uh that happened to me. It's literally that if you are prepared and opportunity happens, you you can grab it and make it happen. So it's when when probably when preparations meets opportunity. So if we are prepared to do something and something happens, we have bigger chances to grab it versus not. And we just need to do anything that so we so we can to increase the chances. And now there's another short story. I'll try to keep it short or long, but uh, you probably know this one, Kasha. Some people some people who watch it or listen may not. But another amazing project that I've done, a few of those, was for Gary V that I mentioned before. And to answer your question, the things that people have not seen and don't see is how I got this project. So again, I've heard about Gary V for years probably. He was an amazing person, doing great things. I'm like, oh my god, it would be so amazing to do video content for him and to meet his team and to do stuff for him. Long story short, he he plans to open an office in London. He's based in America. First, he was the first non-American office. Now there are probably 10 all around the world. There is a conference in London that he's going to talk to, talk during um and answer questions. So I go there, I manage to get a ticket, I go there. Then the Q ⁇ A session starts. I and I myself being a non-native English speaker, it always did, and now I I don't care, but I always did in the past kind of create a bit of a I mean, I just speak publicly in English, and I mean uh in in England, it's like there's a bit of a different emotions going on. But I still rose my hand during this Q ⁇ A session, and at some point the mic got to me. So I grabbed the mic, stood up, and I asked Gary a question, which he answered, but then I said, Hey Gary, I would love to do a video content for you and to be your content person in Europe when you travel here. And what he said, yeah, that's that's possible. You know, let's uh let's speak later. Send something to us. And that answer was enough for me to take the next step. And that next step is something that people don't see, which is after the conference, I people were, you know, I got to him, people were taking selfies and and and taking autographs and so on, and I did the same. But then I got home, and it was like it was the event was in the evening. So I got home around 8 a.m. 8 p.m. Uh and I said, okay, what can I do to increase my chance? What can I do now? Obviously, I can send him an email because he said, Hey, send me an email at garry at garyv.com, which is a very public email. It's not like he's given me his private number yet. I got it later. But he said he he just said email me. But I do know as well that many famous people just say, Yeah, email me. And uh I assume Jeff Bezos has uh Jeff at Amazon.com, but I don't believe it's his personal email that he checks daily. So I knew that just the fact that he said email me doesn't mean much. It means a lot. There's opportunity, but he said that. So I got home and I thought, what can I do? So yes, I can definitely sit and write an email and say, Hi Gary, we just met. Here are some examples of my work. I would love to do work for you. What do we do next? That's one option. What can I do to increase my chances of getting the response I want? So two things came to my mind. First of all, I will email everyone that I know that works around Gary in this company. So if he misses it, which there is a chance because he gets hundreds of thousands of emails a day, other people will pick it up. So I knew the head of content there and I knew his email because I did a bit of a research. So I added him to the email and then I added two, three other people. But the other thing I do, I said, hey, rather than just sending an email saying that's what I do, let me be a bit more creative. Let's go the extra mile. So basically I made a video. I got home. I got home probably around 9 p.m. because it was a bit of a travel. I set up two cameras, lights, microphones. My wife went to sleep. That was 10 years ago, so before Christopher, obviously. And I and I recorded a five-minute video, which initially became almost one hour recording and then two hours of editing. And I created a five-minute video where basically I say something alongside, hi Gary, is it's the night that we've met a few hours ago at the conference in London. I just want to make this quick video to show you what I've done and I would love to work for you, and this and that, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I edited it with examples of my content. Long story short, I got sleep around 4 5 a.m. My wife was kind of waking up to go to her work, and I pressed the send button and the email went forward. What happened later is the history where I got a positive response and I did many projects for him and with him. Now, would that have happened if I did not make this video and just sent him an email saying, hi, it's Raf. I'm a video creator, let's work together. I don't know. Maybe that maybe this email would be enough. Now, did I increase my chances of getting the positive response because I've done all those things? Yes. So I didn't want to risk it. I wanted to do anything I can to increase the chances. So that's what people don't see. They would just see that, hey, I just spent days with him and and he showed me in, you know, he shows me in his video. So that's another example.

SPEAKER_01 51:46

I remember you also had um interview with uh with Gary. Is it still available if anyone would like to watch it?

SPEAKER_02 51:54

It is, it is, it is. It is for you and for anyone who wants literally Google Gary V, Rafael P. Cool, Rafael P will see it. Uh is on my YouTube and and and Instagram. But it's an interview I did um in Warsaw, which again, uh blessingly enough, after uh this project, more opportunities opened. And one of them was that a big uh conference and events organizer in Poland, which is my my home country, reached out to me and said, Hey, let's let's invite Gary, but he couldn't get to him directly because Gary is a very well-known person. And I had a uh good contact line with Gary and his team, so I initiated this conversation. And yes, we got Gary V to Poland for the first time. He was at a huge conference, which was a big success. And uh before that, before this event in Poland, yes, I interviewed him. Uh, it was amazing as well because he traveled with his mom, and he very rarely does it. He's got a very good relationship with his parents because um Gary and his parents were born in Belarus, which is the old Soviet Union. And when he was, let's say, five or so, when he was a small kid, his parents migrated slash run from that regime. They went to New York. I think they had some family or friends there. So that's where he grew up and built his business. But his uh and and and his parents' uh roots are in kind of a far eastern Europe. So Poland uh has been close to him. So when when they heard that he's traveling to Poland, he took his mom, which was amazing to hear. And you Kasia as well and others, I would I would encourage you to Google Gary Mam, because he talks very highly of her.

SPEAKER_01 53:32

Because you know, I'm um I'm I'm a fan of uh Gary and the content he creates, very often he answers questions when he speaks to people in the background somewhere, and I try to apply as much to my uh to when I raise my when I raise my kids. So if there's anyone who watches it and doesn't know how Gary V, you have to because of the content he creates and uh because of the way he speaks about his mum. And I think I found similarity between you two because you're both humble, because you're both very, very honest and you're both very hardworking, and because of that respect you've got for another human being, this is this is something truly, truly incredible. It's really we we know each other for many years, and I'm not sure if yeah, if if I ever told you. Um, I uh used to watch uh Martin Osman, and then he had some kind of live on Facebook and asked him how can I start doing lives? And he just said, Kasha, you just need to do this, this, this. And because of Martin Osman, I started um I started doing lives. That was very, very stressful, but I started it somehow. And then I saw him and you working together on some projects, and I thought, I know you because we know each other from for a different project. So I didn't even didn't know how famous you are.

SPEAKER_02 55:00

Oh, thank you. Yeah, again, I've I've I've I've met Martin, who's a great guy as well, and hi, if you're watching it, uh uh uh and and and and and the reason there was that he is linked to Caribbean because he is the book publisher in Poland of great books in Polish mainly of authors from abroad. Uh so he he his company translates books usually from from and he does business books, doesn't he? Yes, business self-development, that's the majority of it. But um one of the authors he translates and publishes in Poland is Gary V, and we probably were the only people that had that kind of relationship with him. Whereas he's yeah, I was probably the only one, the only Polish person that spent days with him for 16, 18 hours traveling the Europe. But yeah, Martin is a is a good guy. And just to finish on Gary's Gary's mom, what he said said what he said recently, because I believe in America not too long ago was was Mother's Day. It's a bit different here in the UK and in Poland, but I think in America it's been a vision. But uh a piece of content showed up and he said that he's grateful to his mom because she was the greatest mom in the world. Uh, and she he she uh uh installed in him the self-belief and she did tell him many, many times that you are amazing, you are the greatest, you do great things. And on the one hand, I think there is a bit of a risk in saying that because it's easy to to uh um to raise someone who uh who may not respect others by thinking they are the best, but if we do it the right way, I believe both is possible. And I I would prefer my son to be a tiny bit overconfident than underconfident and don't do things. Let's do something and see what happens, and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work, and if something goes bad, it's in most cases better to say sorry after and carry on.

SPEAKER_01 56:47

As long as you try. Because I think that in Poland, like when when I used to go to school in Poland, and as a teacher, I can say that we are being punished for making the mistakes, and just and I I think that this is what would um differ Polish school and British school, that you can make mistakes, mistakes keep you make you learn. And I think that okay, failing is good as long as you try. And just having that mindset is it's a m game changer. I decided that this I was looking at your form, and that was that phrase stood up for me. I know I can. Three words. So when did you first say these words and actually believe them? Not performed them, but actually felt them. I know I can.

SPEAKER_02 57:37

It's tricky to answer to find the time when. I think on the one hand, it goes back to the belief I had when I was a teenager, when I was 15, 16, 17, and something I described a few minutes ago, which is I know there's another way, I know there is something else, I know I can do something else. And I was thinking about studying uh psychology, uh, and um it ended up I did study English, which again I'm really happy with, it helped me in the future. Um I knew I knew I can. I didn't know how, but I don't believe it matters as much. It definitely doesn't matter as much as believing that I can. Because how can we figure out on the way if we believe? But then there is there is an example which is very descriptive. I think that's the word that may show you and maybe others the the fra the importance of I know I can, which goes back to my triathon and my half ironman, which for those that may not know, it's almost a two kilometer, 1.9 kilometers, 1.2 mile swim in open water, so a lake, sea, sometimes a river, 90k on a bike, which is around 52 miles, I think, and a half marathon, which is 21.2 kilometers, which I think around 13 miles. The I know I can happen in two circumstances there. Firstly, when I sign up for it and paid, it is not a cheap event. So that was a commitment, but I knew I wanted to do it, similarly to signing up for first rathlon, even it was a very short one without knowing how to swim. Now, even though I knew how to swim and I knew how to bike and so on, signing up for Havir Roman has been a big, big thing. Now, the I know I can sunk in my brain within the first minute of this Havai Roman, which I haven't told anyone about it, about my wife, really, and maybe my coach. So you, Kasha, and now anyone who's watching it will hear about for the first time. It is when when the swim starts. So, for those that don't know, the way it usually happens, usually swims are in the lakes. So that happened in Bolton, in Norton, kind of in Midlands, England, and there is basically a queue of people. There's been 2,000 people doing this this event that day. And we the swim starts at 6 a.m. So it's an early wake-up, all that stuff, great energy, lots of people, and you basically queue to the starting line. And when you start, there is a mat and you you you have a you have a like a chip sensor that is on your ankle. So the minute you cross this line, the time starts, and it ends when you finish the when you get to the finish line. What happened there is when I started the swim, you walk down a small ramp that takes you to the sea level, lake level. And for some weird reason, I basically walked, and it will sound weird, but I I missed the step, or I basically kind of went under the water very quickly rather than just starting the swim. You know, if you know how to swim, you basically you know you go on the water, and depending which style you swim, you can do something like that, or you you can swim like that. And for some reason I I walked and rather than just starting to swim, I took another step. And basically, as there is a ramp and the water starts here, I walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, and suddenly I just went down. And that was already like two, three meters depth. That's big, big, big, big lake. And I I just should have just gone on the water and and swim. But this moment almost uh stopped me doing the whole thing within the first minute. Why? Because I uh because I panicked, because I didn't know what's happening, because suddenly, rather than starting to swim, I suddenly, you know, as it's almost as if walking on ice and you suddenly the ice collapse and you go two, three meters under the water. Weird things happen. Now, so uh obviously I went under the water and came up, and I was in a completely different mindset because my mind was, hey, let's swim, let's swim for 40-50 minutes, this two-kilometer loop, and then do the next thing, and suddenly I'm under the water. I drank some water, I'm like this orientated rather than swimming. And very closely, maybe two, three meters away, there are there is a kayak. So basically on this route, there were safety boats, big and small, for safety reasons. And and there is a kayak just at the very beginning for those that uh you know need help or need a break. Now it is on swims like that, and uh it is okay to approach a kayak or a boat if you need any help. And obviously, if anyone needs to to stop swimming, they will help you out for safety reasons. But you can you can approach this this boat and hold it for a minute if you need a bit of a break for many different reasons. And that's what I did. So I swam a few meters and grabbed it, and then I thought, okay, I'm I'm I'm kind of you know, uh I'm a bit I feel weird because I should be swimming. I'm kind of the time is flying, and and you know, I drank some water. Like what happened? I'm okay, okay, what do I need to do? And I got the guy asked me if I'm okay, if if if I need help, and I said, no, I just need a I just need a minute. And uh, and that's when the I know I can uh rank because I know I can swim because I've been doing that for the last year or two. I swam. I swam the 2K distance many times in my training. So the only thing that that changed was the sudden punch in the face I got from this little mistake, which comes from just a bad luck or lack of experience, maybe a bit of luck and so on, or maybe stress. And I think that translates to our life. We have plans, we do things, we prepare, we know our value, and then something happens, and we we are punched by by by by the life and sometimes land on the floor. So when I when I went under the water and got up, I was punched big time. And I I could have just said to the kayak guy, yeah, let's help me get out, and and and that's all because I was scared, I didn't know what's going on. I could I just panicked within a minute, but I knew I can. So I started and in the second, I will do it. I knew I can, I know I can, I know I can. So I took a second, I said, fine, I'm good. And I started the swim and I finished the swim in a really good time for me, and then I finished the rest of the half iron man, and the rest is the story. So that's a very interesting and descriptive example of I know I can.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:39

That's amazing. Especially as you mentioned, you could give up at that point because and that's that oh no, that's some that's that wasn't a part of the plan. This experience, what did it teach you in sense of fear? What uh what are you not longer afraid of?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:56

I want to say almost anything and then to almost nothing. Um in reality, yes, if I'm outside and there is a tiger there, I will be afraid of it. But when it comes to day-to-day situations, things like oh, let's start this project, what if it doesn't work out? Let's um let's go to the gym and and show that you know I can only lift certain weight and someone else can do more, or let's go to the pool. And if you if you go to the pool, yeah, you pretty much you have your trunks, and in the case of men, you don't have anything up there, and yes, I don't have a six pack yet, but I go to the pool, and so on and so on. So I'm not afraid of of judgment, of failure, failure in in most spaces, because I think that fear, I've heard this phrase recently, and I try to remember it about fear, and I think it said that fear is uh it's kind of a taking an action, you know, it's important to to try despite fear.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:45

Take the action despite the fear.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:47

Yes, yeah, so it's it's normal, it will be there, just do it. So, yes, was I afraid after this unfortunate first step I took when I got into the lake, that I didn't anticipate to go under the water and for 30 seconds panic of saying, Oh, what's happening? Why why did happen? I should have just swim. Was I afraid? Yes. Did it cross my mind for half a second to stop? Not really, because I know I can. Uh I just needed to recompose myself and so on. So when things like that happen in my life now, when I get punched in the face by by life, by experience, you take a minute break, one minute break. You take a breath, stand up, and just know I know I can, I know my word, I know what I can do, I know my field of expertise, and I can do it. So I know you can as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:31

Someone is listening to this right now, they have a goal that feels impossible. It might be a marathon, it could be a long term commitment, it could be something that life feels too big who they think they are now. They have been waiting for you to feel ready. What do you say to them? Not something encouraging, but something true.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:56

Two things. The first would be committed to something and Start today now small, but start this minute. So if you mentioned Marathon Sports Event, it's it's easier to explain or things like that because easier to measure. But it can be applied to many things. So again, on my example, I knew I wanted to do a triathlon. So I found the shortest possible triathlon, which is super sprint, probably 300 meters swim in a pool versus 2k of a firearm, maybe 20k on a bike versus 90 and 5k run versus 21. So I found the shortest thing I can do that is that that I believe I can achieve, but it will take it will help me make the first step towards the main goal. So find the first thing and commit to it. Like me, I sign up for this first thing and I did not know how to swim. I sign up for it, and then next week I took five, six swimming lessons in a row, which is not the best idea, but life circumstances made me to do it. I trained for another few months and I accomplished it. So commit to something and start small, but start today, do something. Another example could be the Facebook Lives or something else. If someone is afraid to do it, literally grab your phone, go live and share things that you do. If you have a service, if you have a business, if you have a life story, if you plan to do something, press the button and do something small. Even smaller step would be if you're afraid to do it live, grab the phone and film yourself with a camera on your phone. See how it is to speak to the camera and have this experience. And second step would be, which is part of the first step anyway, is to break it down into small chunks. So do it slowly. So the project may be write a book, which again you are an expert in, and you can probably answer that better. But if if you want to create something, break it into small parts and do it's set a goal and do one thing at a time, because it's it's it's having a too big of a goal in Red Commas, it's scary for our brain. It's it's it seems impossible. Our brain tries to protect us because the way it's been designed, it it doesn't want us to go to the jungle and fight with a lion because it knows it will die. So it tries to protect us from big things which are scary. But if we first start start to work or fight on something on something small, it will be easier. So to summarize, start literally today and commit to something, put it in your calendar. I mean, funny enough, I mean, gosh, this is incredible that this conversation is today because yesterday I was experiencing with a bit of a software and and and and and some AI tools, and and I've built I've built a software and a website which is live, which is helping someone plan to plan trainings and then tick them off as they go and see the progress, including the training load and weight. Because I was trying to improve my things. I wanted to start and I do trainings, but I wanted to be consistent, do them on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or men, Monday, whatever, and send them consistently. So I thought, let me write let me plan it. So yes, I can do it on a paper, but I can put it in a spreadsheet, which I did, but that's the kind of spreadsheet. I thought, let's use the technology I know. So I build a website, I build a software, which is live now, which I can share with you later, which which helps that with consistency and planning and ticking things off.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:03

So when you were just one thing, when you were talking about it was 1111. So I think that's uh of course it's a coincidence, isn't it? I would like you to create generate me a link with that software so I can add it to their to the yeah, to the description of the uh podcast. So everyone who watches you will be able to use it. And I think that would be and if you need any people for testing, uh I've got some friends who run. One of my friends, Gosha, she lives in Wales. She was she was she did a half marathon and she was fed, and then that was like the one you run up and down mountains. It's like you feel it's painful even look watching her. But I'm happy to to help you with this. What is the one thing you wish someone had told you before you started?

SPEAKER_02 1:09:56

To take action before I feel ready. One thing this answer will be short.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:01

But that is so so deep because we need to become a certain person before we achieve something. So our goal needs to be much, much higher than we are right at the point at the point when we make a decision. That's a that's a gosh. Rafa, last question. And this question is for you. It's not for me, not for the podcast, not for the listeners. Imagine that you are in the water and you are a l you are learning to swim. You don't know yet that you will finish. You don't know yet who this is going to make you. Your son is watching you from the side. What do you want him to see in you in that moment?

SPEAKER_02 1:10:41

That I give it a go despite many reasons why I shouldn't or couldn't, or maybe and fear that I give it a go. Let's see what happens. Let's try and let's see what happens. Because if I don't, there is no way, there's no chance for results to be to be achieved. So I want him to see that, hey, let's let's try it. Maybe it will work. Maybe but if I don't, if I don't take the first step, nothing will happen. If I do, there is a chance. If I do take the first step and put attention and thought and action into it, I can increase my chances of my gold happening. So give it a go and let's see what happens and enjoy the ride. Once again, Kasha, thank you for uh creating this project, the legacy talks, inviting people, taking care of people around you. I know that probably many people, including me, sometimes are responding a bit later to you and and so on, and you still handle it very professionally with amazing attitude and uh care for me, for us. So thank you for that. Possibly the only thing I want to add is that and it's it is easier said than done, but let's I wish everyone, I I wish you, the listener and the watcher, that you find ways to enjoy your life and at the same time try to do it in a way that helps others. But I know last time we we discussed that, so yeah, let's uh let's give it a go. You know you can give it a go, have fun, and let's see what happens.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:15

Thank you. Thank you very much for your time because I know you're a very busy person, and uh I know that and I think this is why um not pushy, because I know everyone is busy in what they do. And for me, my time is my biggest value, and I feel that it's something it's similar to to you and to guests I'm interviewing. This is why I'm respectful about it, and I don't feel rejection, I just know this is part of the process. So thank you very much for this reminder. Success and things that are worthy require time, sometimes 25 years, sometimes um, sometimes a week, sometimes a few years. But if you want to have things with a click of the finger, and if we get it, probably it's not worth it to have. So, Rafa, thank you very much for your time. And ladies and gents, if you have any questions, please uh please put them in comments, and I'll be happy to forward them to Rafael on your behalf. And also if you would like to work with Rafael, I'm going to add his uh socials in the bio in the description so you can so you can uh you can get in touch with Rafael. And I'm sure if you ask him questions about health, he'll find time for you.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:36

Yeah, I will do my very very, very best, yes. Thank you so much. You're doing amazing things and uh keep going. You you do help inspire people and by by proxy others. Uh so you create something meaningful. Great job you've done so far on the books and sharing the stories of of your grandmother and others and and your colleagues and your network. So you're doing something amazing. So, yes, guys, I'll I'll I'll I'll share this conversation on my social. So please do uh follow Kasha. And uh she uh she hasn't spoken much about what she does. Uh so maybe one question to you, Katarina. You have one minute, you meet someone in the elevator, and you have a chance to for them to possibly help you with your business or invest lots of money, 60 seconds. Who you are, what do you do?

SPEAKER_01 1:14:19

I just say no, it's difficult to say now. Um, I would just smile because then I think that if you try to establish what kind of problem does the person have, then you find a way to solve it. And if you come in, oh I'm here, I'm selling this. No, no one is interested. It's like I want to see a human, I want to see a person as a person without labels. And if you once you see a person, then you see the story. And ever as I mentioned, everyone wants to be seen, everyone wants the story to be told, and no one has a space to do it. And as long as we are alive, we have time. And when we have time, this is what we this is why I give space for people to do it.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:06

And it's lovely. And and one thing that if someone asks me who is Katajina and what she does, I would say a few things, but one thing that stands out to me is that you're an expert in book creation and writing and making them happen. So you you've written a few books, and I do believe that you help others do it. So if among few other things, uh if if if you ever thought about uh writing a book, I'm sure you can ask Katajina a question and she will help you directly or or indirectly. So that's that's my belief. Plus many other things that you're great at. So thank you so much. Have a great day, everyone.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:40

God, that's I don't like talking about myself. He does not post about his training at five in the morning. He just trains. He doesn't announce what he's going to do, he just does it. And somewhere in the middle of learning to swim as an adult, of building a business without a safety net, of becoming a father who shows up fully. He found the three words that changed everything. I know I can. Take care of your story. It is the most important one you'll ever tell.