This is the almost famous podcast with iHeartRadio.
Hi everybody, this is Trista And unfortunately I don't have Bob here to join me this morning for the almost Famous OG podcast.
He has a work obligation. But I am really.
Excited to talk to Billy and Rudy, who are two of the four ds that ran the course My Special Forces Course.
Season three Mark Billy Billingham is.
A decorated SAS soldier and led hostage rescues and received the Queen's Commendation for bravery like these these guys, you guys, they are hardcore, legit soldiers who I walked into this respecting, but walked out of it respecting even more. Rodolfo Rudy Reyaz is a decorated Special Forces operator, a former US Marine Corps recon marine. He's also an actor, spokesperson and
a fitness role model. I mean those muscles have muscles. Anyway, I'm really excited to talk to them about how they got into their careers, what they saw kind of behind the scenes on this show, any advice they could give. I just want to know all the things, and I really wish I could do this in person. But Zoom is the next best thing, and I'm really really excited to welcome them to the almost Famous podcast. Hi, guys, welcome to the Almost Famous OG podcast. And I say, guys, hello staph.
Yeah, break body, you better hold yourself at the position of attention.
I'm trying. I'm trying. How are you.
It's so good to see you face to face and not yelling at me and yeah, I'm sure you could an instant.
Oh, I don't need to give you a reason.
We do well.
We're doing well, and you know you're doing well.
You look great.
Thank you.
I yeah, I mean that was the hardest thing I ever did in my whole life, and you saw me in the middle of it, so you know, I life is good.
Life is good.
I'm home, I'm good, and I'm so excited to talk to you because I felt, like, you know, at the reunion, a lot of us were talking about how we hoped that you guys would surprise us because because we wanted to see you in person and actually give you a hug and thank you and get to know you more on a like one to one level. So I'm so
excited that I get the chance to do that. I'd love to start out hearing from both of you on how you got started in the military, like what what what into your decision to join and make this your career and your life, and what was your family his take on it as well, because my son is contemplating going into the military. He actually is considering Navy Seals and so it's kind of part of my life. So I'd love to know your backgrounds in getting into it right.
Well, last start, so I was born in UK into a family of five, not really a military family, although my grandfather was in the RAF and he was actually a guinea pig on Christmas Island when they dropped the H bomb.
Whoa Yeah.
Anyway, so that he was in the RAF, My uncle was in the RAF, and another uncle, my dad's brother, was in Borneo in the war and was taken well, not taking prisoner, but ambushed and most of his patrol were killed and he went missing for something.
A jungle fight.
Yeah, And so my sort of family link with the military wasn't great if I'm honest, and my dad wasn't really didn't really want anyway his siblings to go into any of his children to go.
Into the military.
However, for me it was a lifesaver because as I was growing up, I was a bad child. The age of eleven, I was in a gang, was in juvenile court for fighting, and I was gone wrong.
I had to.
I've got an older brother, older sister, younger. I'm a middle child, and middle child was slightly different, and that's a fact, and I was different. It was a loving family, a very poor family, but I gravitated the wrong sign and went towards gangs. Now I always say, you know I was led by somebody else.
I knew what I was doing. I was a bad child.
Eleven years old. Thirteen, I got thrown out of school. The glue in the mass, Yeah, yeah, because I thought it's funny and it wasn't.
What did you do?
I glued the mathematics teacher to the chair.
Yes it was funny at the time, but it wasn't. Oh yeah, he didn't take too lightly to that. I got now spelled from school, So I had no education after really thirteen, and I started working out illegally at the age of fifteen, and then at fifteen my whole life turned upside down. The gang warfare, fighting got crazy and I got stabbed and nearly died. I got stabbed
in the back. And anyway, when I came round in hospital and realized the pain I was causing to my family because they were all at my bedside thinking I was going to die, and I thought, got to change my life. I've got to do something and get away from this lifestyle. And I hold my hands up, you know, I you know, like you mother will say, he got in.
With the wrong people. I was the wrong people. We all knew. I knew what I was doing.
Anyway, I joined the cadets, the military cadets, at the age of eleven as well. So all through this time I was boxing, I was getting trouble, I was in trouble with the plane, nearly died, and I thought, right, I need to get to the military. And at the age of seventeen, I joined the parachute regiment. Seventy seven zero of us turned up on day one, and I was the youngest, the skinniest, and the cheekiest. And by the end of the training there was only seven of
us left and I was one of seven. And then in that you know when people say what did you learn, I'll learn respect, I learned discipline. I remember on day one looking at the instructor in front of me and thinking, wow, I had so much respect for him already he hadn't even opened his mouth, just the look of him and knowing what he'd done. And I said to myself, this is going to be hard, but there's no way I'm going out that gate unless they've throwed me out or
I die. I want to be like that man there. And that was at the start of my journey. So I did nine years in the Airborne Infantry, the parachute Regiment. I started to climb the ranks. I've been in conflict, I've been tested, and I loved the job. I loved what I was doing, you know, And I thought, where don't go next? And then after nine years, I went on what they call Special Forces selection sas selection Special
Air Service. Two hundred and eighty three of us started on day one and that looking number against seven of us finished and I went to my squadron, be squadron and did amazing things all over the world. War fighting and military is not all about fighting wars, you know, you know, believe it or not, very small percentage of the military do fight wars. But I was in that small percent. So from ninety two all the way up to you know twenty ten. Really I was warfighting in
places all over Europe, Africa, Middle East. I know I say war fights. I was stopping conflict because that's what our job was, to stop being suffering.
And I loved what I was doing.
I loved the fact that I was sacrificing myself for the benefit of others to give them a life and give our people back home a life without the trauma that we could and problems we could have had.
So I love the job. I love what I did.
Got decorated by the Queen, did amazing things. You know. It was a crazy I described as a crazy train that goes across the globe doing amazing things in war and conflict and natural disasters. You get off, you do amazing things, you get back on it, you never talk about it, and then go again and hopefully you step off the crazy train at the end and walk out the games and go, oh, that was a life, that was a career or Unfortunately a lot of my friends
didn't get the opportunity to do that. They yeah, would sacrifice. But that was the world I was in and I loved it. And then I left that and then went in after the military and then went into bodyguard in this crazy world.
I am right now.
I love that your story. I mean, that makes me respect you on a whole other level. I've told you, I told you, you know, during the experience learning just the teeny tiny, the teeny tiny taste that I got of what you both have given to your countries, your world, my respect is was just elevated.
And just hearing your story.
And I know, like my mom wrote me, I had q on the show and he shared a bit of his story, and my mom texted me yesterday, I think, and she's like, I finally got to listen to qes interview and I loved hearing his story.
So thank you for sharing that. Rudy, what about you?
You know, some of the great things that Billy described, I think they're kind of eternal to all the men and women that serve. We believe in something bigger than ourselves, something about a culture that has ethics, our core values. In the Marine Corps, they are on our courage commitment when you're a young man. I think we are designed
and pulled to believe in something bigger. It's the kind of thing that happens because the right of passage, we chose to find a right of passage and submit to something bigger than ourselves so we could be something more than ourselves. I have to tell you, I love my country so much, and I love the Marine Corps so much, and I love my veteran community because without it, I would not be here. They gave me the greatest training,
They gave me the greatest confidence. They instilled a level of discipline and toughness that you can get nowhere else. And you know, the Marine Corps is renowned for doing two things, winning battles and making marines. That's all we do, winning battles, making marines. So of the US military forces, we are the aggressive shock troop. We're much smaller than all the rest of the forces, and we're used to doing things on our own expeditionary. They did not send
the US Army to go fight the Japanese. They didn't send the Air Force or the Navy. It was the US Marines that had to fight the Japanese because the Japanese with bushido, would fight to the death from that esteemed culture. Also, what makes our branch of service so special too, is it is our history. It's not our equipment. For the most part. I was an infantryman before I tried out for reconing it through selection and became you know, high speed low drag as they call us high speed
low Drag. It's not the equipment. We get most of our stuff from hand me downs. Actually it's a lot like when Billy describes in British military and specifically even the sas they got a beg, borrow and steal to make things happen. That's the Marine Corps. We don't complain, we make do so that kind of can do attitude. We create something called gung Ho, which means in the spirit that actually comes. Everything in the Marine Corps is about history. That history is what makes us special. It's
not the equipment. We do have a gorgeous dress uniform, but it's the history. And gung Ho was from the Box Rebellion when the Marines were fighting the Chinese turn of the Sentry, and it means in the spirit everything that ties us to a connection of bravery and history. My personal hero is John Bassalone. He's an Italian American. He was a soldier first in the army and he started a truck driving business in the Philippines as a soldier. Well World War Two started off, and so he wanted
to get his truck driving business again. But the only place that would take him to Philippines was the Marine Corps. Joins the Marine Corps. He fights the Japanese. He has the Congressional Medal of Honor. He's being overrun and with a water cool thirty cal machine gun in the cover of darkness because there's mud and blood and charging Japanese bonds. I charge after charge. He has to pick up the gun with his arm and it melts through his flesh down to his book. And he's got a rock and
roll and kill wave after wave of enemy. And when the smoke clears in the morning, he runs out and is pulling the bodies out of the way so he has a clear sector of fire because this was going to go on for days and weeks. So it's so badass. I'll tell you what. I'm so proud to be a recon marine. You know, all of us in the Special Forces world, we're close air support cats. You know, I controlled the jets and the rotary wing and the helicopters.
We're paratroopers, we're combat divers, we're explosives experts, we're scout snipers. We've got all these things that we do that we bring to bear, to manicure the battlefield and the kick ass. But boy to me, having the bravery to fight side by side with your brothers, seeing all comers and taking them down and never giving up and keeping in the spirit. I'll never have an ego about some of you know, all the metals on my chest and fighting in Afghanistan, Pakistan,
I rack Northeast Africa. I always look up to the generation that came before. So you know, even in our program, even here for sas and special Forces, reason why we push ourselves so hard and give you everything we got and why we're so hard on you, It's because we love you and we love the process and we know it makes good strong men and women. That's what the military means to me.
I mean, what a story. Okay, So when they approached you to do the show, did either of you why are you laughing?
You know, we just love this stuff so much.
To be honest, I'm like, are you laughing at me?
Oh no, We're just laughing really at the joy that we just love so much and every time we show up. I mean, Phillie, I think this is our eleventh season coming up, Me and you together and everyone. There's a time when the aches and the pains and the arthritis and mate, I think this is my last one.
Mate.
You know what, afterwards we get wait to do it again. We're like, yeah, we're gonna go again.
But it's.
How did you guys meet.
Actually on the show.
So this show, believe it or not, we started in the UK around about two fifteen sixteen. It started off with non celebrities, just men. Then after about a couple of seasons there's non celebrities men and women. Then it went from non celebrities men and women to celebrities and then we did back to it.
So we want to.
Encourage you to see it too.
I did, I did. I watched it before.
They're not playing around. They're not playing around.
Around on yours either, So that's where it started.
So that started.
And the guy that was acting chief instructor if you like, he left, was asked to leave, and then they needed a replacement and Rudy looks a bit like him as well. Anyway, they scouted out Rudy and okay, you know him, and it made sense because a lot of the questions, well, what's that got to do with British Special Forces. Well, British Special Force American Special Forces have been side by side for the last thirty years. Find the warrant, so
it made sense. So that's where we met he. Rudy came in, replaced the guy that was moved on, and it was we're just it's a military thing. As you'll find that camarader you've built with you guys on that show. You love that forever. You'll literally be able to pick up the phone in five years time speak to one of the girls of Guys and go and pick up exactly like you were back in the accommodation.
We met him.
I've never met him before in my life. We fought on the same battlegrounds all while in the world. That never even knew that obviously, and then it was just like the Camaradi, the dark Banter, the last and it just kicked in straight away, and that's how we've met, That's how we've bonded, and it's gone forward since then. And then it was just the UK version initially. Then I'll just come to America, break into the American market.
If you like, and we make all you guys.
And so now We've got two Americans, two Brits and it works great. If you can see behind the scenes what it's really like, you would love it.
Yes, I would die. I want that so bad.
It's so deep and dark, and we absolutely bust each other. Oh, every second of every you know, you wouldn't believe it.
Oh I believe it. I can only imagine, you know.
Yeah, it makes us laugh and keeps us going too, because as hard as we're working, you all, believe it or not, we're working twice as hard. We're at that working you and taking care of you because we're your range safety officers too. You know, we're life savers as well, and we're planning course and we're observing so that we're taking notes so that we can really do the profession right. Whenever you all get a chance to lay down in
the rack, we're right at work. We're freaking running data, we're getting freaking information, and then we're going to prayer rooms and we are in it and it's.
All about giving you the best journey that we can totally every you know, it's based on all our experiences and time that was serving, all the lessons learned and failed and got right and wrong. It's about giving that to you in that short period of time. That's why it feels to you you haven't got time to scratch your ass. You like, one minute, you don't know what's going on. We haven't got time to explain it. But there's a reason behind everything that we do physically, mentally
and emotionally. We're trying to get the best out of you, guys. It doesn't feel like it. It feels like we're trying to kill you. Yeah, that's a bill at times, you know them in a scenario, which is how it has to be. Yes, But we're giving you, you know, over one hundred years of experience combined in ten days.
We haven't got time.
So everything you do, even that, the silent periods of sitting around wondering what's going on, there's a reason behind that totally to allow you to think and taking information and deal with process things. And then we again if you go again, so you know, all lot speeds will put together all the time to give you the best experience that we come.
It's right on trist The truth is at the baseline, we care about each and every one of you. It really is a point of pride and honor to give everything we possibly can to you for your self development. And it's just our process is a rough, rugged and hard process, but we care and that's why we give
you everything we got. Billy says it. Every time you will leave that course whenever that is a better version of yourself, and you will look back for the rest of your life about lessons that you learned on that course. And that's incredible. I'm very thankful that I can be a part of that. I really really love the work.
I mean, you should, you should be proud of it. It's amazing. It's such an amazing show. I am so thankful, you know, even though I was only there for two days, I really feel just grateful to have been part of it. Because when they first asked me, I was like, uh, hell no.
Like why would I do that? I'm fifty one years old and why would I do that?
So I look like a wet rat. You look like a wet rat coming off of that that beach. Her hair was.
It was like like stringy and in my face, and it was the hardest thing that I have ever done.
We thought you were done right there on that beach. Remember we were in your ass. We were in your face. You don't want to be here. Come on, gill yourself up, babe, but give me, give me the arm bend. I kept going, that's grown.
No, even though I was gonna, I was gonna faint. And I walked up to you, Rudy, and I said, I think I'm gonna faint. I My body is, you know, at its limit. I think I'm gonna fainted. To see the medic and You're like, okay, are you ready to go home? And I said, well, no, I'm not ready to go home, but I feel like I'm going to faint. And You're like, well, you have to give me your arm ban and I was like, nope, I'm keeping going and I'm a victory.
I kept going, but it was not easy.
And you know, we can get into this later, but I want to get back to the behind the scenes. So when you guys are in your accommodations, do you have access or the producers giving you like kind of snippets of our conversations that we're having.
No, you don't see anything.
Oh, we're not allowed to because it then becomes kind of biased. We only see what we see in front of us. So when you're in front of us and your reactions and I perform and that's all we see you. When you go back into your accommodations or you're not in view of us, we don't. We don't listen to you.
We don't.
We're not allowed to. We're not allowed to know what's going on. We don't know your stories, your backstories. So when we do the mirror room, that literally is the first time we get to know who you really are and what you're growing up was, like, what your problems are, you know, all your issues, all that sort of stuff. We're not allowed to know anything. If we've done a mirror room with you and you've not really opened up
or told us anything. When we've tried to answer, you've skirted around questions, we may call you in for a second mirror room, and then we do.
They do get.
Opportunity to do what they call open source, so they'll say, okay, you can have the computer for like five minutes to google their name, see what comes up.
So then the second interview, if we'd feel we haven't.
Got anything out of you, you haven't really opened up to us, and we'll we'll do that, you know, and obviously a can google anyone's name today and there's information whatever it is, you know, relationships, financial problems, whatever, good things, bad things. So then we become pretty bombed for the second interview with you, so we won't even mention it
until we fill the times right. We'll give you an opportunity to tell us about so what is your relationship with like with your family, and you don't want to, and then we'll go actually, you know from source it says that you've had it, and then it breaks down that barrier one more time and then it's that mirror room is amazing how it gets people to open up and get rid of everything that's a noise to you
and becoming a problem because we've all got it. Everybody's got different lifestyles, we've all got the same issues, financial relationships, whatever it is, and that mirror room is great for cutting that way.
Let it drop and then go feel free and step out of the room.
And then we see a different version of that person that came in the room after that, because else they can now really you know, they've dropped all the vulnerabilities.
Here we go.
Now we build up and that was it. That's the process we're trying to get not to be noisy or intrusive into your life. It's hey, it doesn't matter. No one really cares. The only the only people that person making this a problem is you. And what we need to stand that and drop that no one, no one cares about.
Let's see who the real.
You is we've got. We're now going to rebuild your character. We don't break it down.
We'll peel you back and then.
Let's say vulnerability because we only there's only one way to go, and that's up and everybody does. Now gone back to yourself, and you probably think I only lasted two days. Two days is a great journey every It's an individual journey for everybody. You've got yourself, You've got young super athletes and you know, how can that be fair? Well, it's not fair. It is fair because we expect the super fit athletes to do things quicker than you would do.
You do exactly the same as everybody else, and your journey may not be as long as theirs, but your journey is just as good. For your two days, that is, you completed the course. That's all you needed to do. You found out a lot about yourself. You did things that you never thought you could do, you know, in that short period of time. And that's what it's all about. You went physically beyond something you've probably never done for the last ten years. Mentally inside your head. You wanted
to give them all we've all got. That's natural, and we wouldn't let you give up because we knew you wasn't ready. You thought you were, but you weren't. Like you said you felt faint. You didn't faint, did you, but you and you got up and went again. You know, the image things. We're not interested in image. We're not interested as the fastest, the fittest. Now, we're interested in you, who really are you? And yes, you do find that out, whether it's in one day or ten days, that's right.
And it's like that's why I always say it's it's a great journey for everybody you do. No matter where you leave, you walk off away from it a better version of yourself and always wishing you.
Could do it again or do a bit more.
And that's that's life. And that's very much the military way of life. That's exactly one.
And the other thing you'll take from this, I think I've.
Already said, is the cameraade you've built now is exactly the same as the military. You know that we're in this together, and it's it's a great thing.
It is a Tricia. What's so rad for us professionally as directing staff and as military professionals. You know, we've worked with people all around the world. We have been in peacekeeping missions or conflict. We've been solving problems for getting a basic resources to villages, or doing medical or snatch and grab missions and direct action. We've been up and down in every way possible in the human condition, with all kinds of languages, all kinds of cultures. We
really get to know people. We're masters at people. They give us no dossier. They trust that we have the ability with our observation and our passion to when we receive you all. And you know, Billy, he's from the UK. He don't know any of you Americans, you Yanks, you know, you don't know a day. Yeah, I know some of you. I know some of you right But the whole point is that we don't care about your name, or your brand, or your background or your history. We're going to find
out who you are right here, right now. Why, because that's what you're here for. We're here for you so that you can be yourself. And how do you become yourself? We blow torch you're freaking past off of you. We put you in in We make you exhausted and tired, wet, sandy and cold. We make you failure. Pretty soon all of the masks fall away and we get to know you. It is awesome for you. It's awesome for us because we really, at the bottom line, want to see your growth.
And I love this program for that. It makes our military look formitable, which it is because what we can do we're all in our fifties and sixties now, it makes us professional and ultimately you look at the US and the UK military, you can see that we love our people and our countrymen. So I just I just adore this program. This is my right hand man. I bounce off of this guy. He bounces off of me Fox. He's always prickly, but you know, always big and strong, and Q is just happy to be there.
It's a really really awesome trist and everybody gets so much more out of it than they recognize, and it takes days and weeks months later they will reach out to us.
Oh my gosh, this really impacted me. So that's what I love it.
You know, after being first asked and saying hell no, I really was like, you know what, I need to think about this for a minute and watch the show and watch the UK versions. And one of my I mean, my goal honestly was to get to the end. I really truly wanted to get to the end. But one of the other ones was like, if I feel like, like if I get hurt or whatever, I want to get to the mirror room because I know that that's where like the the good stuff happens. You know, that's
where the growth happens. I at least that was my my perspective in watching the show was that where was where the growth happens. And I was so thankful that day to get that conversation, that one on one, one, one on one time with you guys, and you know, in hearing like it's just gonna get harder, It's just gonna get harder.
It's just gonna get harder.
And then.
Waking up the next morning and having you know, basically bombs exploding all around me, I was like, Okay, I.
Don't know that my heart, you know, I actually had.
This like peace come over me and I thought, you know what, I have gotten so much out of just my short two days that I'm okay. I don't want to be a burden anymore. I just didn't want to be a burden. I didn't want Golden to have to carry my pack anymore. I didn't want Cam to have to run after me and get my pack so he could help me into the vehicle. I didn't want Christy have to you know, blow hot, like she was literally blowing her breath on me to heat me up when I was hypothermic, and I.
Was like, you know what, it's okay.
So in those moments when we come to you and we're ready to give up, or you're seeing someone struggle, I you guys are human, you have families at home. You know you're carrying people. You're doing this to get us to be better humans. But is there ever a time where you're like, how do you handle your emotions when someone you know, like when I came to you on the beach and I'm like, I think I'm gonna faint.
I don't know if I can do it, And you're like, well, you know you want to quit, and I'm like, no, is there ever a time that or can you talk to us about how you handle your emotions when when people are really really struggling and you have to kind of continue to be that yeah, tough love. You know, you know what I'm trying to say, Like I I assume you have emotions, you know when people are struggling.
First, we're not there to break or hurt anybody. We're there to push you in order to get the best out of somebody you've got. It's gonna be uncomfortable, it's gonna hurt, it's easy. If it's gonna be easy, it's not worth having anyway. So yeah, from our side, now we have hale that emotion. I'm no fool, and we watch it and we think, you know, we know when your breaking point would be. We know if you at that moment, we'd have already discussed. We're ready for that.
Conversations take place to go. Yep, you're right, you've done.
Okay, let's did you hand your arm band to me? You did, didn't you? And if you can, I remember because remember it was early morning. Yeah, we're and we're getting our day started for training, and you called me down there. I took a moment though, I really, really looked in your eyes and asked, is just really what you want to do? Because I didn't. We didn't want you to go. We weren't ready to go at that point.
Yes, But back to the emotions thing. So, so it's based over experience. We've had a lot of experience of training people, working with people, dealing with situations that I wouldn't want anybody to have to deal.
With ever again, you know, So we've got a lot of experience.
So it's all based on the knowledge and experience that we have got of how we handle ourselves, how we sort of present ourselves to you to get to the next level or not to the next level. You know, sometimes we can be a little bit it feels a little bit brutal. Sometimes it has to be that way now, But like I say, as I've already said, it's a personal journey for everybody. And we know when you're about
to almost stop. We know what you We know and you don't is we know what's coming next, You've no idea. So we've been looking at you and thinking Christian's given all that she's got. She's physically drained, she's mentally trained, she's got as much out of this as probably she's gonna get there's no point in doing what's coming next, which you don't know what, because all we're gonna do.
Is you're going to go backwards.
You're now going to.
Go yeah, and that's and I think we're great judges of that, and that all comes down to emotion. And now we talk to you how we deal with things, and sometimes it does brutal, but sometimes it has to be. And there are times where you know, we we're human beings. We can see at that point and you need that
little bit more reassurance. Arm around the show and say hey, listen, you can go a little bit more or you can't go a little So we we're judges and that's all based on all the experiences and touch word, I don't think I've got it wrong yet, you know, I haven't screamed at somebody for the wrong reasons or give that bit of comfort when I've been played, which I never
will be, et cetera. So it's it's it's been able based on knowledge and experience, true experience of knowing when to be soft approach, a hard approach, a midway approach, and yeah, so it but you know, you know there are I don't think I don't know I've got it wrong. I think we've got it right every time. You know, I've never gone to a plank of thinking I should have stopped it there. Yeah, even the million, even the million, you know million, Yeah, no one's going to get hurt.
That's what happens. It does happen now without giving any spoilers. You know, you've got people who have smashed it out of the park and then go and trip over a wire on the way back to the accommodation, and that was their journey, do you know what I'm saying. So, but in terms of looking at you and being us, being emotional being, it's it's just based on experience and we're watching it. You know.
What you don't see.
Is like I'll be keeping an eye on twisted or keeping eyes on golden. You know, we're seeing people coming to that point there where they're about to break and we don't want to break in. But okay, so that is when we'll eave a change direction for you, make you do something different, or say something, pull you apart, or stop the exercise or you know.
So it's all rambled.
A bit there, it's but it's it's generally, it's knowledge and experience gained over thirty years of being in the military for sure.
And Tristan, we're instructors too. We have been instructors for men that are going through selection, jungle course, scout, sniper already, men that are completely physically mentally switched on and committed, and some of them don't even make it. So we learn how to observe the human experience and we can
see what's coming. We're going to squeeze every little bit out of you for your benefit and at the same time, if you're vulnerable, because every night we have our prayers where we assess every single one of you deeply, honestly, and we will manicure how we approach each and each and every recruit or what team evolutions we put together. For a reason now it seems chaotic to you all out there, there is a method to the madness. There
is a reason behind everything we do. Not to say that we not to say that we are not flexible, because sometimes storms come in, locations are washed out, vehicles breakdown. We can pivot. That's what makes us so special. But there's a method to the madness, and it must seem chaotic on your end, But yeah, how we know what we're doing.
Yeah, I mean we know you know what you're doing. I feel like I wouldn't have felt as safe as I did if I didn't feel that. You know, I have a huge, massive fear of open water in normal life, and watching the show with my husband, he was like, you wouldn't have done that with me, Like, if it was just us, I wouldn't have done it. And it's
not that I don't feel safe with my husband. I just feel like all of the years of experience and everything that you've done, I just was like, oh, sure, I'll jump from a movie boat speed boat to a helicopter.
Sure, why not?
I mean, I'm gonna end up in probably open water, but hey, why not?
Why don't we understand this? So so yeah, I.
Felt safe the whole time and I really didn't even think about my fears, which is so crazy to me. I just got back from Orlando. I do not ride roller coasters in normal life, Okay, I just don't. I'm not like a risk taker. I'm not that kind of person. I was like, you know what, I freaking just did Special Forces. I'm going to go on some roller coasters. So I went on roller coasters and you got to experience that with my daughter. Like so there's little wins, you know, in my life because of it.
So thank you.
Sure that's a window into our world. You just really what you just described there is the life of a military man or woman when we're going through training so many of these things. I've never even seen a helicopter really, but first the first time I'm doing helo operations. I'd never been on a feaking warship before. But when we rock up, that means when we show up, we do what we're told, and we execute. We don't even think of the fear. We don't even think about anything except
checking equipment and doing exactly what you're told. And after you do that for a couple of months or years, you break down that whole element of fear. If you're prepared and you trust in your equipment and you trust in yourself, the fear is gone and you can execute. That's that's really what it's about for us. It's not like some kind of superpower. It's it's first, we believe in our training, believe in our equipment. That's the case we're executing, and and and you'll.
Do all these crazy things that you know, like you said, you wouldn't do it with your husband or your family members.
That's life. It's like somebody else will be.
Able to control your children better than you, not bring them up as parents, but you know what your children are naughty children can wrap you around the things like my kids said, they descry me, My grandkid terrorized, you know. But somebody else can control your kids. You know, somebody else will tell them and you see them doing all sorts of things for somebody else, but they won't do it for your parents. That's a bit like you and
your husband. You want you to do it like no y because you can tell him no, but you can't tell us no.
That's right, that's the difference.
So you are going to do it.
That's so true.
That's how you do grow. It's a classic cliche. Be get comfortable with being uncomfortable because it is worth doing. Really is not going to be easy. It's gonna it's gonna take some time, some effort, but it's worth it. You know the benefits of doing something that you didn't think you could do, or going through that freezing cold water and doing because you didn't want to, but.
You've done it. It's just a greatfulness ye can do that.
You know it's but when you're being pushed by somebody from the outside, it's easier or more likely to get done than it is when you know, I can't tell my wife when not tell my wife run with me.
Absolutely, I can't have my woman to do a damn thing brother.
Me.
So that's awesome. Oh, I want to meet them.
Interrogations you ought to tell you gotta see the interrogations we go through at home.
I'm sure, I'm sure.
Okay, So, is there any advice that either you've been given that was amazing advice or that you've you give to people, anyone who's watching, anyone in the future who would do the show. Any advice that you can give all of us to get through those difficult times, you know, to keep pushing forward and and survive and thrive.
Something you've heard a million times. But I've always been told, never be afraid to fail. You're only failing by talking yourself out of doing something that I have failed so many things, so many times, but by attempting to do something that you ain't really happy and comfortable about. If you don't reach that goal, it doesn't matter what you have do. He stepped over a threshold and you've opened up new avenues. So just don't be afraid and worry
about not reaching your goals every time. Still go for it. Always listen to people who've got experience and advice, and without you know, being disrespectful. Well, are hear what you're saying. But I'm going to try anyway, try and always keep trying to do reach reach something that's difficult. And as I say, if you don't make it, it doesn't matter because and that's why I end up.
I never wanted to be on TV, I.
Never wanted to be doing But by going for something else I was a bodyguard, then all of a sudden, all these avenues open up to me. You know, So never never be afraid. And actually by failing at building resilience, it's making you better. But what I would say is, when you're attempting to achieve something, if you're failing, and you're failing and you're feeling it's almost the same reason for failing, then.
That's not a.
You know, that's not a problem a mistake, then it's a real problem.
You need to stop. I can't read that, let's think of something else.
The advice is be afraid to fail and always and always go for it. Always, always go at it, give it your best shot. Never go with something.
If you want to do it, do it. Don't pretend you want to do and hope it's going to work out. Go for it.
And you know what that blends into kind of part of my mirror room with you, and you were like, we see that you're giving year hundred percent, and that's kind of what I needed to hear. I just wanted and I think that that's what we do as humans. We want to be validated, we want to be appreciated. And I felt like I got the validation that I needed that you all saw that I was trying my hardest, even though my hardest wasn't ever going to be as good as anybody else.
You know that we're not.
Interested in that.
You've got the validation at the right time.
That's right.
If we're to give you on the beach when you said off it, then you'd expect more of it.
It was the wrong time to give it.
You didn't need it.
Then what you needed was a kid on the.
Backside and aggressive. That's what you needed. That's what we all, I know different, we're all you know this.
Sometimes I need that and so you got that validation at the very very right time. Now, the other thing about all that is, remember this, there's no concessions because you're a female and you're smaller or you're older. You did exactly the same as everybody else and you always will. And that's the thing about the course, because a lot of people say to us, well, it's unfair. They're small ladies and they're big gents. So what you're stepping into
the forces world. The special Forces don't make compensation for anybody totally this way. You'll do this journey, you'll do it at this time, You'll do it at this you know, standard.
Can't.
So that's why when we explained to the audience as well, is Trista carried exactly the same as every big man. She kinded the same as Camp cam Newton. She went the same distance as Cam Newton, did the same thing, she was shouted at. She got the same ones. And that's actually the beauty of the show is it is, and it's not all. We don't make comes and we shouldn't, you know. It's that's why I'll go onto it again.
That is why it's an individual journey. Yeah, journey. You know, of course you want to get to the end, but it doesn't matter it really. It's easy to say that, but truly to take that away, your journey was the two days or two and off days you were there, and that was a lot. That was the hell of a lot, you know, that could have ended it a day before.
We've seen people even the first hour.
Yeah right, true.
Yeah, I love program Billy talks about this is a character development. It's actually not, of course, it just happens to be captured this show. Yeah right, all for your self development. What I always appreciate is this, all the recruits for the first time are in the elements, really in the elements. We take it for granted. Our whole careers have been hot, cold, miserable, sandy, filthy, and that was for every day. And we learn that it's to not even associated negative attitude to it to be happy
as pigs in a waller. We've been so filled in blood and trying to keep the optics clean as we're trying to observe. We've been in the just nasty and nasty, and we're not upset like you know, it's not even a negative thing to us. Now you people get a chance to be in this really rough and tough world that makes you cold, hot, uncomfortable. It builds character. You'll forget the.
Lordships as well.
All you'll ever figured out is the funny side of it. You know, don in there with you were just straight over your face.
Like you know, it's all good.
You know, ninety percent of being in the military special forces is actually quite boring. That's yeah, comfortable, it's miserable. You wait for that one sliver of excitement, whether it's capturing somebody, doing something, saving somebody, or whatever it is, and it takes a long long time to get You forget all that. You'll only remember that thing. You guys,
will be the same. You'll remember the funny thing said in the dormitory, the time somebody shouted at somebody else, so what you were called a name that made you laugh. They're the funny things, and they're the things you'll always remember talk about.
Yeah, I love it you guys.
Thank you or sorry Staph, thank you so much for coming on the almost famous OG podcast. I I just wish it had been in person, and I could you hug, But thank you so much for for making me a better person, for giving me the opportunity to see, you know, have a little glimpse into your world and sharing your world with the rest of us so that you know we can we can know more, we can do better, and we can be better as as our own individuals.
Much frank you stepping into our arena. That's a big bullsy call to step into that arena. What you do you really is so well done and great, and yeah, we we have to catch you up at some point.
We will, we will.
I would love that. We need to we need to create.
Like we're on a we're on a text thread with everybody and we've talked about like I want to do something. I don't know, I've been talking to publicity. I'm like, can we please just get something on the books so that we can all see each other in person. But anyway, thank you so much for coming.
Yes, maybe charity events, something for veterantion.
Yeah, oh yes, pleaseing like.
That, or even for the for the fire la.
Let's let's let's do something together.
One day of stupid it's old together to raise some money or whatever it is.
I'm all there, I'm there. I'm there.
Yes, that's our pleasure and we love that when you recruit, show up, you give it all you got and the impact you make for the audience. This show is really about. This course is really about your development and how your audience and regular everyday people can relate to what you're going through and it helps open up people's hearts, change lives, gives people help. It's wonderful. We love what we do and we couldn't do it without you.
Thank you. Thanks guys.
Be safe, bye bye,