Good team.
It's a very cheeky lineup I have today. It's The You Project. Craig, Anthony Heart reporting and for Judy, Tiffany and Cook. I just noticed has got the wrong trademark behind her. We might have to get rid of it. Oli Olaton is joining us. Also, tiff of you. I know you've had a busy day, but it's the first time on this show I'm chatting with you.
How are you? I'm good, I'm good. It has been a chaotic little day, hasn't it.
Well, it is a chaotic day because Easter is upon us, the bunny comes and I've got six podcasts today and I'm am not even saying this because of the man that's on, but I feel like this is going to be my favorite because I feel I've connected with a kindred spirit. But it's been a busy day all round. Olli Olerton, welcome to The You Project, my friend.
Thank you man. It's a pleasure to be on here.
We've already had a little warmer little chat, so I'm really ready for this podcast.
Ready to go?
And you started sharing the goal and I had to say, pick the brakes on the breaks on Champ, don't share that and stuff to.
By the way, we're pretty sweary here.
So feel free to open all leave the swearing door closed.
It's up to you. Yeah, my mum does listen. They keep that in mind. Yeah, level three swearing level three.
So I know the answer to this. But tell our listeners where we find you at today.
I'm actually in the UK in a place called Shropshire, which is in the hills, the best place to be in the UK.
And yeah, it's early, early and early ish in the morning. What time do you get up normally five o'clock.
Do you just roll around the backyard like a ninja doing weapons drills and kicking trees and shit pretty much.
Pretty pretty much that kind of stuff. Obviously doing a perimeter patrol, make sure there's no enemy, that kind of stuff.
You know, it's just just standard stuff.
Yeah, Are you just like an urban ninja? Do you call yourself that? Do you just like like a cat? Like a cat with you now?
Absolutely? Yeah, I find it hard to see myself sometimes you're so quick. They're actually very funny. That's good.
Even if you can't fight, you'll disable me with bloody humor or disarmy. We were talking just before we came on, let's keep that going. You were talking about an interest you've got in neuroscience or neuroscy.
Just continue that because I want to learn about that.
Yeah. No, it was something I did when I came back, when I was first starting to you know what, when I first started to realize that happiness and fulfillment was not an external fix, it was an internal an internal.
It's internal.
You've got to look internal to find the happiness, to find fulfillment, to understand.
Who you are.
I actually started getting interested in neuroscience. I actually did a it's called PRISM. It's like it's a character assessment tool and it's based on euroscience, a very individual to the person, and I actually went through that to I
actually became a practitioner. I was so impressed with it because it you know, I did the test and afterwards it was like it came up with something that I have been I thought I never was, and it basically, you know, at the end of the test, I was like, no, that it's obviously broken, and they were like, nah, it's not only that is you. And it was like it said that, you know, for all my career, because I'm an ex special Forces soldier. I've always thought, well, you know,
there's four different in this particular model. There's four different characteristics, and that is empathetic, that is analytical, that is driven. This is very generalistic view of it. And creative. Now, obviously coming from the Special Forces and asking anyone what they thought I would be, everyone would say, well, you're a red your you know, focused, direct, let's hit the target, don't need.
Can I guess what you are?
Go on?
Creative?
Yeah, yeah, exactly, creative, we believe it or not a bit of empathy thrown in there, Well.
You're going to make a shit soldier then yeah, that's why I left. That's why you know what I do.
And I'm probably the first soldier that I've heard, especially from the Special Forces, say this that I didn't fit in when I was there, you know, and I just couldn't understand that.
I thought that was something that was that was wrong with me.
It was just the fact that I didn't fit into that box, if you want to call it that.
And it took me a long time to realize that.
When I did that neuroscience a test that was that was only seven years ago, you know what I mean. So I've spent all my life trying to be someone I'm not and struggling against the grain. And it wasn't until I actually did that test I then understood the true character of who I was, beyond the facade of who we pretend to be for everyone else's for everyone else's happiness.
And that was such a powerful thing.
It was so powerful to actually understanding who I was, what my strengths were, why I struggled with certain things, and that's because my character wasn't really tuned for those certain things. So, you know, especially when it came to starting my own business, because I'm the I am. When I look back, I'm like, I've come up with so many business ideas. It's not funny. I've had more failed businesses than I've had, you know, ones that have succeeded.
But when sas who does When's the program came onto the UK the UK screens. When I first got that opportunity, I knew I had a window of opportunity, or thought I did at that time. I thought I had a small window of opportunity. So I thought, this is where I launched my business from. You know, this is going to give me the exposure and I had to then push myself into being analytical, into.
Being driven all the things that didn't come naturally.
And that really, for me typifies the ethos of everything I do, which is my company called Breakpoint. And that is the short term step into discomfort for long term gain. And that really is you know, sometimes when you want to achieve anything in life, well, I'd say all the time, when you want to achieve anything decent in life, you
are going to come up against resistance. You're going to have to push against the grain, and you've got to learn to understand that you have to embrace that and not not be pushed back into your comfort zone and that repeat habit loop of nothing.
Yeah.
So, and the irony is ali that so many people like the thing which actually empowers you and give helps you develop strength and insight and awareness and resilience. Is pain is discomfort, is unfamiliarity, is uncertainty? Is they not knowing all of those uns And they're the things that we avoid, but they're ironically the things that make us better if we approach them the right way.
And that is you know, it's like I'm I'm very big on everyone should have goal, we al, should we're all driven by goals, whether people liked to liked, whether they believe it or not, we're all driven by goals. Our subconscious mind is a goals driving, goal getting machine that stops it nothing until it gets what your dominant thoughts focus on. So, whether you think you know, that's why the language of the mind is so important in
a very sort of toxic and negative world. It's easy for people to then end up in a place that's not a very happy place, and that is because they don't have to take any directive action on their thoughts and their goals. But really, it's not about the goal. It's not what you get who you become in the process.
You know, how did the dude who's sorry man?
How did the guy who's high and empathy and creativity get through the most grueling fucking selection process and being one of one of five out of two hundred and fifty candidates that started.
How did that guy?
Because clearly you also had a work ethic and mental toughness and aptitude and skill and resilience as well. But I'm thinking empathy isn't held in super high regard when you're being trying to kill people.
Well, first of all, I'll answer the first question, and that is that's a really good question because when I look back now, I realized that I was driven by ego. Ego was in the driving seat, and I would not would not allow that. I would not allow that selection process to beat me because I was so shit scared of looking like a failure.
And that was that was all ego. It wasn't you know.
When I look back now, it's like I now understand I didn't even understand the word purpose, what that meant. You know, when I'm eighteen and joined up, I didn't realize what that meant.
Purpose, but it was. It was, so it's so.
Apparent now when I'm looking back hindsight, it's a wonderful thing.
But it never won any wars.
But looking back, but looking back, it wasn't my purpose, you know, it wasn't my true purpose to be in the military. And that's why I went from the Rawal Marines initially and thought, na, this isn't what I expected. And that's why I then went onto the Special Forces because I was always looking for this utopia that I expected to find, and when I got into the Special Forces, that wasn't there either. And like I say, looking back now, I understand that it wasn't my true purpose being in
the military. You know, we're we're born into this world as amazing creative human beings. You know, we have all this creativity and everything else. Then we get put into the programming center, which I call school, and then all that kind of creativity and everything is drained out of is. You know, we're being prepared for the system. We're being
prepared to fit into society. We then come out, we get spat out at the back end, and we're expected to fit into a box, into a label, and you know, we you know a lot of people think that they're broken that you know, there's something wrong with them. It's the system. I really see, it's the system that's broken. We're trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. And that really was it for me. I thought the
box with the label on for me was military. I got into that, and then you know this, you know, not feeling settled, not feeling at home, not feeling you know, I did expect when I did the Special Forces selection that that would be the job that I'd be in forever, that you know, it would be the be all and end all of you know, I'd be there forever. They'd have to drag me out to leave, and it wasn't the case. And really it was you know, got me through a selection. It was it was that that pure
one ego was driving me for that. And you know, that's that's a really important point now, because ego can really sort of ego can allow you to be the byproduct of who you really are, you know what I mean. If you can't control your ego, you end up doing stuff where you're really just trying to you know. For me being a Special Forces soldier, being in the military, it looked great from the outside world looking in, but it didn't look great from the inside looking out.
Yeah, and I think that I talked about that a lot. I set up the first personal training centers in Australia Olie. I was the first trainer in I think anyway. In nineteen eighty six. I started personal training and working with clients. Opened the first facility thirty two years ago. There weren't any and by the time I was thirty, I was quite in inverted commas in a typical sense successful. I had five businesses, had over one hundred staff, and I'd become you know, on a modest level.
Successful.
You know, all my businesses were making dough and I was writing for the Herald Sun, which is the paper in Melbourne where we are, and things were going good. But in the middle of all of that, I felt
kind of disconnected. And I mean I wasn't depressed, but I didn't, like, I wasn't having the experience, the euphoric experience of success, Like my default setting was more just busyness, distraction, trying to solve problems, you know, a little bit of anxiety, a little bit of self doubt, a little bit of fear, like all of these like how come I'm doing so great but I feel so shit? And I think also for me, I.
Could do it.
I mean, I could be an entrepreneur, I could build businesses and lead people in that way.
But it didn't. And it was all right, it wasn't terrible, but it just wasn't my natural habitat you know, it wasn't it wasn't really my thing. Took me to about mid thirties to figure that out.
Yeah, and I think that Listen, the majority of people are doing exactly that, aren't they. You know, at the end of the day, you know, satisfaction, like people are programmed to believe that satisfaction is ensuring that just the money's going into account and you can pay your bills.
And there's so much more to life than that.
You know.
When I left the military, I mean, listen, you don't get paid much when I actually I don't tell many people, but when you do get paid, when you get paid in the Special Forces, you don't get paid much. So when I came out, you know, all through my career, I mean I was just fighting to pay the bills all the time. And then then when I came out, all of my mindset was money.
I need money.
I didn't really care what I did, but I was chasing the dollar. Then, you know, I said, another go back to a war zone. I ended up leaving the military trying to stop my own business, this, that and the other. Then the war in Iraq sort of well it ended when it really started in two thousand and three, and a load of us went out there. We were earning a fortune, an absolute fortune, and I still wasn't happy. I still wasn't happy, you know, I was the money
was in the driving seat. And now call that fool's gold, because I'd never go back to a war zone and work in those conditions and the kind of torture my mental health went through. My mental yeah, my mental health went through was ridiculous. But you know it was only when I was about the other side of that and I went you know, I ended up out in Thailand. I was actually living in Australia, I believe it or not. Wow, I was living in Brisbane.
Yeah.
So I lived there for ten years and I was commuting all over the world and doing stuff. But I actually stumbled across something that was absolutely phenomenal and it changed my life. And that was rescuing kids from child prostitution and slavery out in Thailand and doing that.
I had no idea.
I mean, it was obviously rewarding and humbling to be doing something like that, but I had no idea the gift that that was going to give me, and that was the power of helping people, especially when they're less fortunate. I wasn't being paid for it. I was funding the whole thing.
Wow.
And you know, although I wasn't getting any money, it was the best return on investment I have ever had. And that is something that we're losing the ability to do nowadays is all we're losing the ability to see the power of helping other people. We're looking at competition over collaboration. So really, for me, when I went out there and it came crashing down because of a political situation and I ended up back in Australia licking my wounds, but.
What I took from that was the.
Heartbeat of where I am today, and that is understanding that my true purpose was helping other people, you know, and that's I'd learned that through that experience in Thailand, and that would then become the heartbeating DNA of what I've got today, which is my company breakpoint. You know, I understood then I stumbled over that. You know, I was drawn to it because I wanted to help these kids. But what that gave me is the ability to see
the power of helping other people. And you know, I think really that's an innate thing within within every person that is innate if we can start to understand that what we do on a daily basis in the service of others. People are walking around doing their jobs on a daily basis, thinking to themselves, well, I'm doing this to pay the bills. I've got to do this, I'm
caught in this trap. When if they just reframed it and started to understand how their job helps other people and that should then be the driving force of what they do. That should be their you know, their mantary if you, if you want to call it that, that for me changed everything because I stopped then chasing the dollar, I started chasing the passion for what I did. You know that my mission is to create a globally identified brand recognized for the positive growth and development of others.
That for me, is more value than any money ever.
I love that. Yeah, yeah, sorry, go on, I'm sorry. Sorry.
And once you take the money out of the way and that becomes your driving force, the money is a buy product, you know, your your world absolutely changes.
I fuck hats off to you, man. That is unbelievable. That is inspirational. I did not know you were gonna I've got so many questions, but firstly, thank you for doing that.
Thank you. I mean, that is just amazing.
That you that you did that, that you that you think the way that you do. But I mean I was a little bit like you in that we well definitely not in the heroic sense, but in the money sense. Like, but you think about the culture that you grew up in, and I grew up in, and IF grew up in most of our listeners, which is essentially that success is about things. Success is about what you can see and what you have and what you earn and what people think are you and what you drive and where you live,
like that is success in our culture. Success like the person who's driving a ship box, living in a one bedroom apartment, who's helping lots of people and as mentally and emotionally in a great place. People don't consider them successful by and large. They consider them someone to be pitied because they live in a crappy house and driver ship box and don't make much money.
But it's funny because I think this.
I don't know whether it comes with years or having a light bulb moment or an experience or a spiritual awakening or revelation or I don't know, or it's just a download, some kind of cosmic download. But I think a lot of people get to that point where they go, ah, okay, so this is actually not it. This is not it, you know, because I've got lots of stuff now and it's okay. So I've had the fifty inch, sixty inch, seventy inch, eighty inch telly and the ninety inch Well,
maybe it's not about the telly size. In fact, maybe it's not about anything external. And even when it comes to money, I think money is not an issue, but it's about I think it's about the nature of our
relationship with money, like what money means to us. I think if money is your reason, then you're in trouble depending on what you But if money is just a resource, like for you to do the work that you want to do and help people and support people and empower others, takes money, right, But it's it's just how you're It's
not like that's your personal driving force. Your personal driving force is to help and empower and support others, and money is one of the ways, in one of the resources that can materialize no pun intended.
Yeah, no, one hundred.
You know what the majority of people just you know, the whole goal in life is to have the you know, the nice house and you know, and then when people live on an estate, well I'm talking a lot about the UK, but you know, when people live on an estate, when the houses are all the same, then their aim is to have a better car than the neighbor, you know, and that's their drive. It fits straight into that same thing,
you know, it's the perception. You know, that everyone's creating the perception of who they want to be from the outside looking in, and that the problem really stems from the fact that we are all you know, it's the way we are. We're driven by image, aren't we. We're all driven by image. And that for me is like such an important part because when I go back to my military days again, I was driven by the image of who I was going to be, you know, and we are so drawn by image and not by feeling,
and we should really start to understand that. Yeah, you're drawn initially by the image, but you then have to and get you know, what does it feel like?
How does it feel?
And that's the important part because people are so you know, people are compromising their health, their mental health, their physical health, just to create the perception of this person that's doing well, like you say, with all the materialistic things. And then they are becoming the byproduct. And that is you know, for me, when I had when money was in front of me and I was forever chasing it, I was the by product I was the bitch. I was money's bitch.
And it's the same with everything, mate. It's you know, it's when you've got a relationship that's doing the same thing, when you've got a job that's doing the same thing, when you've got an addition that's doing the same thing. When you've got and that can be alcohol, drugs, whatever it is, whatever is in the If something's in front of you and you're forever chasing it, you are the bitch.
You are. You are subservient to whatever that is.
And that was for me with alcohol, with with money, relationships, the whole lot. And it wasn't until I managed to, you know, I stopped drinking, and that for me was the biggest win of my life. And it's not just about because I stopped drinking and the benefits of me not drinking, you know, that was incredible for me. But I won such a major the biggest battle of my life. I'm putting myself in charge, in control and beating that. I now know that I can beat anything I can control.
I'm the one that's in control of everything, and we have to be in control, otherwise we are subservient to whatever we're chasing.
Otherwise.
Yeah, if we don't write the story, when'll be written for us and we'll just be a character in that story. How old are you, mate, if you don't mind me asking you, I'm fifty one. He looks fucking amazing. He looks so healthy, doesn't he look healthy?
Tip? Thank you? Very annoying.
And he's got his hair is almost all black, which is fucking annoying as well.
I know there's no dyeing there, there's no dye.
I'll tell you what you need more stress in your life, bro, Stop stop being so relaxed. Why did the empathetic, creative, easy going. Maybe I'm not sure that you were, but seventeen eighteen year old want to become a commando? What compelled you? With all of the options as you're going through school, what was the influence that led you there?
Well, mate, I don't know if you know the story about and I tell you anyway, but I blamed the chimp was ten years old, ten years old, and I found myself at the circus as they were setting up, and I ended up getting into a fight with a fully grown chimp that nearly killed me.
It sounds like it, This sounds like a setup but it's not, is it.
It's not It's not me. You know.
I've told this story before and the people laugh at the end of it and go, are you serious? And I'm like, I went to the circus ten years old, and we're looking around and I ended up going out the other side of the big top where they were setting up and baby chimp powder back there, and I was drawn to it, you know, And seeing this little chimp was like Hollywood to me, you know what I mean? It was.
It was amazing.
It was like it was like some woman seeing George Clooney naked on this open expanse if is that a good Is George Clooney a good one?
Or now of it? Patrick? Maybe Chris EM's worse. That's just me. Well, yeah, there you go.
Fucking steady on you too, how you too, get a room, take a breather, let's get through the podcast.
So I was drawn to this this little animal. It started to then pass me food from the floors. Then sort of I wasn't going to eat it. It's disgusting, So I was like pretending to go through the motions. I wasn't going to break that moment. It was unbelievable. It was timeless. So I was like this baby David Attenborough.
And then you know, the serenity, serenity of that moment was broken like a fighter jet cutting through the sky as I heard this roar that are still here to this day and that was mommy or daddy that was was not very happy. And then it's it came to me at mac ten and from the shadows behind, this fully grown chimp came at me at mac ten. It's about fifty kilograms listen. I didn't get a chance to weigh it, but it was fucking big and there are about nine times as strong as humans or something. Yeah,
they have ripped people to bits. And this thing pounced through the air, him to the floor and it was going at me like a drummer in a rock. Blood was flying everywhere. It started to bite me, rip chunks out of me. And this for me, and this is one of my company is called breakpoint because this was my first breakpoint. And that was in that moment where I knew I was going to die. My life lashed in front of me. It didn't take long.
I was ten in that moment.
I reacted, managed to dislodge the chimp, managed to get my leg up, smashed out as hard as I could into the chimp's chest, knocked it to the floor, scurried away backwards, and then it got to its feet and came at me for its final attack. It was probably an inch away when the chain caught it around the neck and I stood up. I was absolutely dripping in blood. And that was my break point, because that typifies what the ethos is all about. It's that short term discomfort
for long term gain. Short term discomfort for me was fighting the grown chimp that day. Long term gain for me was living. That was my first break point. It wouldn't be my last, but now that's the name of my company and my first book.
Wow, good for you do.
But anyway, the answer to your question, Craig is the fact that that then set me off on a path of absolute mayhem. As a kid, I had no consequence, I had no fear. I was pushing the envelope. I got in trouble with the police, nearly got a custodial sentence as a kid, and then at fourteen thirteen fourteen, my mum really started to focus on me directing my
energy in a positive way. And at fourteen I can Remember I was just absolutely in love with the military, and I remember at fourteen I made that decision where looking back now, I think, God, my son was nineteen, he still didn't know what he was doing. You know, fourteen it was quite an assertive decision. I'm joining the Rawal Marines.
That's it. I've had enough.
I don't want anything to do with the school anymore. I've got no interest. And that was it. You know, that was why that dream from fourteen that then came to fruition. You can imagine how disappointing that was for
me when I joined and it wasn't what it was meant. Well, I think I'd spent so long creating the dream of what it was going to be that I built it so big it fell down as soon as I drin I joined, really, but that's really that was the driving force for me joining, you know, is that it was the only place that I wanted to be at war every day. It is an unhealthy character trait, but I wanted to be at war every day. I wanted to
be knocking on death door. And you know, I actually, when I look at my career, the safest part of my career, my life was actually in the Special Forces because I had this structure around me, I had people
around me to keep me confined. My life was absolute mayhem either side of that up until you know, the age of forty forty three, when I actually start to sort myself out and start to look in turn for that internal fix out a breakdown, and you know, but that was it, you know, it pushed me to the military. I came out the other end of that, and then
it went back, absolutely even worse into that mayhem. I was bouncing all over the world, going to war zones, thinking that was again this external fix that was going to make me happy, and it wasn't.
You know.
It's only when I, you know, I had this breakdown, I started to think about suicide and a break I've been analyzing what happens when someone has this breakdown. You know, everyone said it's like the phoenix from the fire and all this and what actually happens, and I really think there's a lot of merit in this. My thoughts about this is when you are actually broken and you've got to your lowest are, but it's the first time you
start to look in. Up until that point, everything's external, external, external, external, and when you actually have this break. For me, certainly, when I had that breakdown, when I came crashing down, I had nowhere else to look but inside. And it was that looking inside that made me start to realize that everything I was looking for was there, it wasn't outside, and that's what I needed to change.
Some people would call that a spiritual awakening, but or not, or just a recognition like yeah, because it's I think we try and resolve internal stuff, emotional, psychological whatever, sociological relationship stuff, fear stuff, anxiety stuff, overthinking, self doubt, self loathing, all that bullshit, all that very common stuff. I think we try and resolve it with external solutions and we go, well if I can, just I did that, mate, because
I was an insecure I was a fat kid. When I was a kid, I was a fatest kid in my school and all that stuff. And then I got in shape and then all I wanted to do was have this awesome body and look look freaky.
So you know, because I got my.
Sense of self and self worth and self esteem from my body, and so you know, and that again that's just a shell. That's just an external thing that people we'll see because I never felt good enough. So I thought, well, if I have a ridiculous body, then that will that will kind of distract people from the ship that is me.
You know, one totally relate to that.
I did exactly the same thing when I came back, when I first sort of sorted myself out.
And you know, that was that was the main thing for me.
I was like, I was wanting to be this, you know, it was all about the body, the image, you know, and zero percent of fat and all that, and wanted to be ripped as anything.
And it was I was, you know, you people think, oh god, look at that guy.
It looks great, but by insecurity, you know, being you know, I wanted to have that sort of and it was my ego that was really desperate, desperate to have that attention from everyone else, saying all, look how fit you are. But when I look back, you know, I think how unstable I was still at that stage.
It's funny, though, isn't it.
How Like I'm fifty eight and I know you think and fuck, you look incredible.
I'm fifty.
Idea, you're great. You look great, mate, I'm fucking with you. I look one hundred percent. I look fifty eight everyone, but I am. But I think when people think like you, okay X, you know, Royal Marine, SASSBS, Commando blah blah, Special Forces, fucking weapon, you know, and it's so nice to hear you go, I was pretty fucked up. I was fucked up, issues, self esteem, ego, suicidal ideology, ideation. I should say, not that we want you to have
any of that, but it's just true. And for you to be brave enough, I mean, for me, you talking about this shit that is courage and bravery and not
that what you did before is not. But this is a whole different level because when you the guy on the telly, the guy that's the war hero, the guy that's done all these things that most of us would never even fucking think of doing, and then here you are talking to a couple of people about your fallibility, your flaws, your issues, your bullshit, your peaks and troughs.
This is I mean, this is the stuff that people need to hear.
I believe, not some rah rah motivational, fucking short term whatever, because people see themselves in you. People hear themselves in your story. And you know, like even the fact that Tiff and I did a podcast earlier today and we were talking about, you know, being in the wrong job, and then you get on and talk about I could do it, but it was kind of the wrong job, you know, and just being brave enough and honest enough, because that must have even been And it's not that you,
I don't know. I'm sure that you still are happy with what you did, and I'm sure you don't regret it.
But there will be a lot of people who, you.
Know, their military career and the stuff that you've done that would almost be their identity until the day they die, like that's where they get their sense of self and self worth and self esteem. But when you realize that what I do is not who I am, like what I do, like my job is my job, it's not my identity. And I think one of the challenges for us is because we don't really know who the fuck
we are. And we think we're our body, and we think we're our achievements, and we think we're our brand, or we think we are the bloke on Telly, or we think we are the podcast or the corporate speaker or the whatever the fuck. But it's only when we open the door on that self kind of searching that self awareness that who am I beyond my staff? Who am I beyond what people think of me? And who am I beyond what I have thought of me? Like I think that's when the good stuff starts to open up.
Yeah.
One, but you know, and I keep going back to the majority of people, a lot of people, and they wonder why they're frustrated in life and depressed and you know they have no sense of direction and purpose and everything else is because they don't allow that realization to happen.
You know, it's such a powerful thing when that does happen, And certainly for me, you know, looking back now, if you know, if I don't know where I've been, i'd be if for me I didn't have that breakdown, I didn't start to look.
Within, you know.
So yeah, it's just like you know, and that's that's really for me.
It's like everything in my book's Craig.
You know, every book I've done, whether you know I've done too self development and to fiction at the moment, but each one of those books is I'm a flawed character, and it's so important that I you know, there's a lot of people out there faking perfection. You've only got a look at ego gram. You know, I mean everyone on there is everyone on there is faking perfection. No one is prepared to actually deal with their weaknesses as well as their strength. And if you don't, it's the
ying and the gang you've got to deal. If you don't expose your weaknesses, how can you deal with them?
They're just hidden it.
It's like it's like the thief that doesn't expose, they're always going to be stealing from you.
You can't get better at the thing you want to do. You can't get better at the thing you want college one hundred percent.
Yeah, So you've really got to identify with your strengths and witnesses and work with those you know to understand who you are and what you need to fix.
One of the problems I reckon.
Is or one of the challenges is so when you talk about egogram, for example, Instagram, the truth is that that some some people can get on there. I'm I'm not saying people shouldn't do this, don't send me an email.
But.
And basically get rewarded, get their ego stroked, and also financially rewarded for putting up photos of themselves and then then I think that's that's when the identity thing becomes.
I'm not saying they shouldn't do that.
I just think there's a way that I don't know the answer to this, but you know, someone's making twenty grand putting pictures of themselves on Instagram. Who the fuck am I to say don't do that? But then or more, I mean, some people may one hundred grand, some people make millions a year.
But then on top of that, you go, at what cost does that come? Like?
How do how do I separate between me doing this thing where people are essentially they don't know me, they're just looking at my body versus who I am beyond that? And how do I stay spiritually, mentally and emotionally well when I get my sense of self worth and self esteem from what strangers think of my body.
Yeah, and I'll tell you what it's like.
I have spent a lot of time thinking about this, and it was actually when I went across to South and this is where I actually dealt with a lot of my stuff, especially I dealt with the trauma when I was ten years old, when I went to Costa Rica and I did an ayahuasca ceremony over there, which was absolutely unbelievable, a real deep dive and really start
to unravel that trauma. But another thing that happened to me when I was doing that ceremony, I started to really have this observation about how much each every I mean, for the person that's making all that money, as long as they can look at that and think, well, that is they've got to underhit that's their purpose for doing it. They've got a why for doing it. And once you once you know the why, the how, it becomes easy
and everything else. But it's I I feel sorry for the other people that then look at these people that are making money and you know, and using Instagram because
it for like for me, it's a commercial asset. So really it's it's it's the people that you know are not making the money, but then are creating this person that they're not, and they're putting so much investment into this person, building this picture again for other people's satisfaction, that they become the byproduct that is the person that's
in the shadows crying and unhappy and depressed. But they're so and they've invested so much into creating this persona of someone they're not, and that is a really I think that is so dangerous, especially for kids growing up
and everything else. You see these people on Instagram, you know, the ones that are making all the money and everything else, and then they start to compare this comparison that we do, you know, because once you start to compare, you know, then it starts to create this unrealistic world of something you want to be. You don't want to be yourself, you want to be someone else, you know, and that's
where the you know, that's corrosive. That really starts to rot away that individual and it's not a happy place to be. And I really do feel for all those people out there that are doing that. You know, they're investing everything into the person they're creating. It's like AI, isn't it. You're creating this person who you're not, you know, with all the filters and doing all this and that and the other. You know, your energy is all on that person you're not, and you become the by product.
And that's you know, it's sad when you become the by products.
I'm of the not very popular school of thought that technological advancement doesn't necessarily equal human advance I think some technology is awesome obviously, anything in the medical space, anything that helps humans on a fundamental level, but some of it it scares.
Me a little bit.
Where we're going a couple of things, I want to ask you. I want to circle back on one thing that I neglected. It was in my mind then we got caught up. First thing is half of my listeners now are going ah aahuascar.
I wonder how it was for him and half ago? And what the fuck is ayahwuasca?
We've spoken about it a couple of times, but we're eight hundred episodes deep and we're always getting new listeners. Could you give this the two minute kind of ayahuasca tutorial ten minutes whatever the fuck you want and how it was for you?
And yeah, yeah, Well, basically, iahwuasca is a plant medicine. It's a natural it's a plant, so it's an actual natural medicine.
It's sourced out in.
Well, it's Peruvian, I think it comes from basically. But basically it's a hallucinogenic and it's centuries old, you know, So basically when you go to take do ayahuascar. One thing they said to me there is when you take higahuascar, it is it doesn't go to where you want it.
It goes to where it's needed. So for me, what that did for me in a snapshot is basically when I went with a load of veterans from all over the world to a place called Saltara in Costa Rica, and that was really you imagine a lot of those guys were absolutely torn apart by PTSD and everything else. I was actually in quite a good place, but I
went anyway because I wanted to understand about Ayahuascar. It is a real deep dive into yourself, into you and for me, when you go, let me give you an example. You know, like I said, it goes to where it's needed. So for me, I didn't know where it was going to go. It went back to me as a ten
year old boy. And that is the journey I went on and understanding now that when we go through any kind of traumatic event, I feel there's a self preservation system in built within us that it locks away the intimate trauma so that we can get over the short term.
It locks it away.
But the unfortunate thing with that is people rarely go back to deal with it. They lock it away and push it under the carpet, under the under the bed or whatever.
Internally.
So for me, Ayahua Oscar was actually going back into that, unlocking that dealing with that trauma, that intimate trauma which I did on that throughout had four ceremonies and it was really unraveling all that trauma and taking you know, for me, it was about the fact that I created this whole story in my head about me being the victim and pour me and everything else, which we do
as humans. We're great at being victims. But for me, it was about going into that situation starting to have some compassion for the chimp that attacked me on that day. I'm one that went into its arena. It didn't come looking for me, you know, I was the one that was threatening. It's young, you know, and I started to have so much compassion for that chimp. It took me out of being a victim and it made me a part of the scenario as opposed to the focal point
of it. And there's a lot of things that happened in you know that that won't go into because it was a long, long journey. But for me, it was like I came out of that and I was at peace. I then started to look back at how that, you know, trauma at a ten year old when you're ten has really or any when you're young, has a very damaging effect, and it does steer and change your life dramatically. I didn't even realize what it was doing, but it was causing.
Me a lot of.
Pushing me into a lot of negative situations until I actually dealt with that. When it comes to trauma, people struggle actually moving forward because they're fighting to be the person they used to be and because of that traumatic incident, not that person anymore. Stop, you know, and the more you fight to be who you are, the more frustration
and confusion there's going to be. So really, for me, ayahuasca it's an ancient plant medicine used by Native Indians for hundreds of years and it really helps them to sort of have a deep dive into themselves. And for me, it was about unlocking that trauma. So, you know, I still feel I've got a lot of work to do. I want to go back and do the process again. But it is like having you know, talking to the lads and the and the girls that went there who
were military veterans. They were like this is like having two years of therapy in one session.
M hm M.
So it's incredible. There's a where where I'm studying at Monash University. There's a.
Part of I'm going to think called Brian Park, and there's a whole there's a whole team working on plant medicines and psilocybin and their applications for potentially for therapeutic.
Benefits. I think we're going to see. I think we're going to see some of.
These medicines that are not really conventional in Western countries and not really accepted. I think over time they're going to become more accepted and more understood. I think at the moment there's a lot of and I'm not I don't even pretend to understand it, but everyone. It's funny because one of my best friends comes on this show a bit. He's also he was in the military. He's Irish.
His name's Paul Taylor, and he also was in the middle of a fair bit of crap and yeah, he did the same and he speaks about it with reverence, and you know, it's there's so much much about the human condition, and you know, even even just the brain, like and I literally study in a place called which is the neuroscience department in Monash University at the laboratory is called Brain Park, and there I'm the dumbest person there, right And but and even those all those people with
three PhDs and professors and everyone's still figuring out the brain.
I mean, we think we know.
You know, we know more than we used to, but we're still fucking scratching our heads and opening doors and understanding and poking at things and trying to figure stuff out.
So and I think there's also, you.
Know, one of the pro one of the challenges I reckon to Ollie is that some things that work don't with our current level of understanding in science. They don't in inverted commas make sense, but nonetheless they work right, And so people are very skeptical. If you can't see it, feel it, touch at me, you know, analyze it, put it under a microscope, well it's it's it's you know, it's it's not real or it's not working, or it's
just it's a pluce e bow or you know. I wanted to ask you because I didn't could could you? How did you get into like? How on Earth does one come to rescue kids from child prostitution and slavery, Like, how did that even arise?
Yeah, another good question mate, But I was actually I'm a big you know this word coincidence.
I don't believe in that word.
I think things happened for a reason, and some of the things when I look back, you know, I was actually at a party in Australia in Brisbane. You know, bear in mind this is what some twenty odd years after I passed my Special Forces selection. Anyway, I was introduced to a guy that was from the UK there who used to be in the middle you know. Someone said, oh, he's in the military, you know, and come and meet Simon.
And then I went to meet Simon. As soon as he opened his mouth, I remember, it took me back to some kind of traumatic event in my life. And then I started to think, I remember that voice from Special Forces selection and he was one of my interrogators.
Oh that's great. Yeah.
So this is like twenty twenty five years later and I'm like, no way were you? And I was like, then we worked out the dates and I went Jesus Christ, you would you talk me through selection? You were one of those horrible people that you know, the final part of my selection.
You put me through and you're welcome. You're welcome, yeah yeah, yeah yeah, Now get me a beer. Yeah.
So so then it was like, you know, obviously we were connected from that moment, but he was like, then start to tell me about an organization in Australia called the Gray Man that was rescuing kids from child prostitution and slavery, and you know, I was like straight away,
you know, my ears pricked up. I'd come over to Australia, start to do working property and stuff like that, start to get this stability, and there was almost a there was the desire to sort of get back on the tools and then be the drive because it was helping kids. And then see then being told I was then went to someone's house where there was a presentation about you know, uh, the issue, which is is human trafficking, and it was like, you know the fact that these kids are sold by
their parents was just for me. Then I had to go and do something about it because you know, I complained about my dad not being that emotional as a kid, not getting a hug. He didn't sell me into the skin trade, so he's not that bad a bloke, you know, yeah, and that really that I was like driven. I feel that was almost like my destiny. You know, It's like that was the universe helping I feel my life. Looking looking back, you know, my purpose was in this straight
line moving forward to helping people in life. I got veered off, which I think it was an essential part of my journey to go off and do the Special Forces and everything I learned, all that training. You know, it doesn't matter, it wasn't my purpose. But then it took me back round. I then tripped over this thing, and that was the gray Man. It then triggered me back into driving me or making me understand what my true purpose was.
But it learnt.
It helped me to have all these skills under my belt, which without without that, I wouldn't be able to do the things that I was going to do to help these kids. You know, I wouldn't have been on that mission if I wasn't the next Special Forces soldier.
You know.
Then you know, because and that's why you said before, you know, you alluded to the fact you've probably got no regrets. I have no regrets just because I went off track a little bit. I had to do that, and I had to do that to really you know, it helped me grow in so many ways and obviously taught me a few skills that are handy.
But you know, it then brought me back to.
That that situation in Thailand and then for the TV stuff.
You know, when I came over to the UK.
You know, my sole intention was like I had nothing, I was broken, I was in a bad place, and you know, in my head, right, I've got this thing this is you know, I want to I want to start this company called break Point, And I said before the mission statement to create a globally identified brand recognized for the positive growth and development of others. You imagine what my internal brain is saying when I'm drinking too much, you know, taking valid to all sorts of abusive stuff,
you know, this self destruction. My head is absolutely look at you. Who the hell do you think you are? How can you help anyone else? And that's what we do. You know, that's what happens you if you allow that to consume you, you become a victim of your emotions, you know, and that for me was so important at that time. Yeah, okay, I understand that, but I'm casting the stone of who I want to be and not who I am, you know, And that was so important
for me to do that. And then, you know, three months, I lot myself away to change the blueprint of who I was. Meditation and visualization, everything I did on a daily basis. I switched off the TV, didn't buy a newspaper, and I just focused on me for three months. After three months, I didn't recognize myself the person I was that I went in there. And towards the back end of that, I suddenly get a phone call, do you want to be on this TV show? It was like a gift from God. It was like, oh my god,
this is incredible. That was then the platform that was going to give me a voice. It was going to create my exposure to do what I'm doing today. You know, And I look back at that, Is that all coincidence? If you think it's a coincidence in your life? Is a coincidence? And these things happen and you don't analyze them and wonder why they're happening, then you're missing out.
What are you? Was that? Mate?
Well, they're coming back into Yeah, there are three months and then the t they offer, Yeah, twenty fourteen, I came back. I put myself into I've got a job as soon as I came back, and then I doing some stuff in London and then went right I was getting lost into it and in living, you know, and I said, right now, I'm going to stop this. I put myself in the house in December twenty fourteen, and it was it was February twenty fifteen when I actually sort of left left the house. I'd left the house
to go out of exercise and buy stuff. But it was two, you know, early twenty fifteen in February when I left and got the opportunity to start the TV show Did You?
And it was just you didn't do that as part of the program. You did that by yourself. I did that by myself.
But I basically I was I was pulling in all kinds of resources, you know, it was my I was pulling all kinds of stuff, so all my visualization and everything. I was learning from different parts of you know, I found on Google and stuff like that.
Bob Proctor, who was I don't know if everyone I know who Bob Procter is. He's old school, yeah but great, yeah, yeah.
So Bob proc to I, you know, I invested heavily, and I still I'm actually trained to be a Bob Proctor consultant almost. I think next week I'll get my final assessment. And he was massively incremental in everything, you know, just having that positive mindset, understand that we are energy, Understand that visualization the power positive thought. You know, I've had some crazy experiences in my life to prove that that power of visualization, that power positive thought has so
much merit. You know, it's not voodoo, it's not woo woo, it's absolutely you know, a lot of people go through life being negative. Everything, every word that comes out their mouth is negative, and they have ended up with negative outcomes and everything. And then they look at people like myself and probably yourself, Craig, who do you know, believe in the positivity and visualization and say, oh, that's a load of rubbish. I'm quite happy, like you know, having
this repeat habit loop of absolutely nothing. But for me, anyone out there that doesn't believe that yet absolutely missing out.
What was it like opening the door on because obviously it didn't set out to be a TV star And I mean I wouldn't really call you that like a TV personality because I think you kind of pretty much, you know, as close as you can on a reality in inverted commas. Like I said, I was watching you before. This is me pumping up my own tires here look at me. But before it used to be on SBS in Australia at like some weird time right, like I don't know eleven o'clock when it because nobody had heard
of it. It got no promotion and I stumbled across it and I'm like, this is fucking great, Like this is this is like actual reality TV. And I know there's still an element of whatever, but it to me, I loved it. I loved you, I loved all of the boys.
It was great.
And what was it like? Did you have to was there any instruction? Was there any like how I mean.
I'm sure you've been asked this a million times.
I don't want to ask it, but how how much influenced did directors and producers and lighting people and all that shit have or were you Well did you kind of do your thing and they just worked around you?
Yeah, well the latter of what you've just said there really, I mean, they came in, they did the framework, they sourced everything from the internet, which is important because we've signed a disclosure agreement, which is the Secrecy Act, so it's important that they built that framework. Then they approached they looked out in the world for Special Forces ex Special Forces soldiers and came across myself and the other
three lands. But really that was the beauty of the show initially in the UK that sas who des Wins that you know they did. They were the experts at filming and doing the edit. We were the subject matter experts when it came to the content. So really for us to go in there, we've got to make it as authentic as possible. Otherwise we would not be on that show. We wouldn't do it.
So it's do that.
We're going to do this a little bit differently, however, we're going to do it. So we had so much input in the early days. When I say the early days, as time went on with Sasuds winds in the UK, that slowly got drawn away from us. We slowly got pushed further away from the narrative. And that really for me is when I started to lose my interest in it.
I was not enjoying it. I was enduring it, and that really was you know, it's like had no. I almost felt like when I was going away to do the film and it was like I was like, well, this is like a month or two months out of my business. You know, my business would sit still, and that's always the focus for me. The TV stuff really is a sideshow. But that is why it's been so brilliant to come over and be in Australia, because the Australian one goes back to those early days of what
we did initially. You know, it's such a marriage. Now, it's such a great partnership because they absolutely love the content that we bring. We help direct everything. They listened to us, We listened to them. They come up with some great ideas and we reject some we don't and it's a real you know, at the end of the day, we come up with something that's absolutely amazing, and the show like that has to have that relationship. You can't have one side, either side saying this is how it
must be done. But really the show itself is I don't think there's many shows like it. It is the fly on the wall, you know, with the cameras. The cameras just work around us and there's a real relationship we have, you know, an ant. It's really strict. It's you know, making sure that the TV crew and everyone and the media people do not enter that bubble. We call it that bubble. You know, we've got to make
sure it's clinical, it's sterile. You know, these celebrities that turn up, it's so funny when you see them on day one and looking over their shoulder for makeup and a latte and it doesn't turn up.
I'll tell you what.
Some that come on, I'm like, fuck, you're going to last to a lunchtime if you're lucky and invariably. I mean, has there been And for people who don't watch the show, this will be a redundant question, but yeah, has there been one person in all the series, the series Comma that you've done that you think that that really stood out as being genuinely mentally physically tough.
And if the answer is no, that's cool. But was there a person or a couple of people that were legitimately like really hard asses?
Yeah?
I mean the Badger he was absolutely incredible. The Honey Badger. Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Honey Badger he was brilliant.
You know, he was one of those guys that you knew, unless he has an injury, is going to absolutely smash this, you know what I mean. It's like, but you know, there's been lots of lots of people that have have that show is amazing.
And I'll tell you why.
The reason I love the celebrity version is the fact that we create or we have you know, this is then fueled by the media as well. But we and themselves of course, we have a perception of who that celebrity is, is how they operate, how they you know, what their what their characters like, everything else. They then come onto that show and that show is probably the first time, especially as a celebrity, you haven't got the ability to design the perfect outcome. That's taken away from you.
They're put into a sense of vulnerable situations where they feel vulnerable. They've got this you know, this this sense of anxiety because they don't know what's going on. And when that happens, ego is gone. It's like ran out of there as quickly as possible. So what then, what then happens is their thoughts, their feelings, their reactions become extremely organic, they become raw that then they start to be able to look at themselves who they really are
without the influence of ego and designing that perfect outcome. Now, that's why you get so much emotion on the show, and that is so relative to Special Forces selection that that is the most parallel thing that there is on that show. You know, it's the fact that we strip them down. They're beare naked when it comes to who they are as a person. But the reason I like the celebty version is because we know what we think they are when they come in. They they think there's
something before they come in. That process absolutely rinses and changes them. They come out the side a different person and people can see that transformation happening. And it's absolutely incredible how that works. And the only people that do get through that show are the ones that drop that ego or you have no choice but to drop the ego. But they're there for themselves. They're there for themselves and
no one else. You know, they might turn up on day one think I'm going to smash it on the alpha male or you know, a female, but you know very quickly, A they understand they've got to work with everyone else around them to get through this, and B you've got to forget the outside world because you're so under pressure that becomes irrelevant.
Before you and I went live, we chatted a little bit about my study.
You asked me a couple of questions and what was I going to say?
Yeah, I explained to you what external self awareness is, you know, your ability to kind of understand what it's like being around Oli. What do you what do you think the OLLI experiences for others? How do you think it is to be around you? I know that's a loaded question, and by this, I don't mean do you think people like you?
I don't mean do you think they like you?
And I mean what do you think the because part of this comes from, like I used to think people saw me a certain way, and I discovered early on that they actually a lot of people saw me a different way. So I had to be not changed who I was, but be aware of because I used to get with you. I don't know if you've got I'm sure you have with your background. People used to tell me a lot that I was intimidating, and I'm like,
but I don't at all. I've never felt intimidating. If anything, I've felt intimidated like I've felt insecure and people like, no, you're intimidating. I'm like, how the fuck am I intimidating? Like I just want everyone to love me. I'm seeing scure, Like I'm not scary at all, but that, And when i'd lecture university students or whatever, which I did a bit of that, you know, I'd get that, yeah, like
they like you, but they're a bit scared. Have you have you had to adjust or have you had insight into you that shocked you?
Yeah, a little bit, mate, But I mean I think related.
That's an interesting point, you know, because I find that interesting that It's like we become the mirror image, don't we of ourselves?
You know?
We we put out there, you know, like you said, there, you've you've you were the one that felt intimidated, but you outwardly put the intimidation out to others. It's all almost like a mirror reflection what's going on insides. It's really interesting that. But you know, when I I've always thought,
and I know this throughout my career. You know, obviously I've got the wealth of experience behind me now, but is the fact that I've always so so resonates with me when I when I say to myself that I am not everyone's cup of tea, I'm you shot of whiskey, and that when I say that, I know that I am fairly intense. I also, you know, I'm quite sure as well a lot of you know, sometimes a lot of a lot of people feel like I'm straight to
the point. I can't be doing with the bullshit, you know what I mean, I can't be doing with the fluff around the situation or something that needs doing. So I'm very direct when it comes to, you know, everyone, When I send some texts out to the people that work with me and don't I even get.
A good morning, I'm I'm just trying to get something done, you.
Know, tips like that, I've got to butter up. I've got to send a three or four compliments exactly right.
It's a warmers before. But yeah, I'd say that I'm extremely to the point. But really, I honestly, and I think this comes down to, you know, I look at leadership and stuff like that. I think it's I saw something the other day that really resonated to me, and that's the fact that some leaders think that the best thing that they've got to do is get everyone to think how good they are. And that is to some
respect true. But someone is someone that's an exceptional leader has got to get the people around him to think of how good they are themselves, you know. And I am always trying to get the best out of people, you know. Anyway I've you know, since I've had a business, I've fallen out with more people than I've ever fallen out within my life. And it's like anyone that comes into the fold with me, I want to get the best out of them. I want to really drain, you know,
show them the opportunities. Because I've in the last what seven eight years, my life has changed dramatically, you know. And before that, I was bouncing around all over the place, not having a clue where I was going, what I was doing, or who I was. And now I've you know, this awakening that I had in twenty fourteen, I now wanted people. When I see people and I know that they're in that same place I used to be, I
want to help them. I want to get them out of that and shake the Some people aren't that way inclined, so that when I've tried I can be a little bit intense, I can expect too much of people. I know that, but really, you know, at the end of the day, I also and someone that I just want to have a lot of fun, and that is why I create around me. I don't call it work as such. I create an environment. I don't have people working for me.
They work with me. And yeah, I just if anyone thinks I'm a pain in the ass and they're in the wrong business.
We have.
We have a guy on once a fortnite called David Gillespie who's actually a lawyer by qualification, but he's a researcher and he does a lot of It's written about twenty books over here, a lot of best sellers. Really good dude, And every fortnight he comes on and talks about a range of stuff. And last time, not last time, the time before, we spoke about sociopaths, and which I'm sure you've dealt with quite a few on both sides
of the fence. He suggested that I just want to know how you feel about this number I'm about to wheel out whether or not you think it's over or under or right. So he said that the average percent about three percent of the population are sociopaths, not psychopaths, but sociopaths as in don't really feel anything for people, have no compassion, no empathy. It's about three percent of
sociopaths the average. The percentage in prisons generally is closer to twenty percent, and the percentage of leaders and CEOs is closer to twenty percent.
I'd say that's about spot on, But I reckon, I reckon, to be honest, there's more sociopaths than three percent out there. I think a lot of people just sugarcoat who they are. Yeah, you know, when the ship hits the fan and the pressure is on, they become sociopaths.
Well, I think the thing too, is oli And we'll wind up on this because I know you've got to go, but we you know, some some sociopaths are really charismatic and charming and highly intelligent and gregarious and they can fucking turn it on.
Yeah.
Well, I'll tell you what, mate, I've heard this before that you know they relate to good people of a good number of people in the special forces as that narrative.
But yeah, there you go.
Well, we appreciate you, sir, so thank you so much for your time. Now the name of your company is don't tell me Breakpoint.
The name of your book is Breakpoint. You've written a.
Couple How do people find you, follow you, connect with you. We have quite a few listeners in the UK as well, but I'm sure you can do online stuff around the world or at least connect with people.
Yeah.
No, that's a big thing we're engaging in now. We're actually taking everything online. So you know, if anyone, I think the best place for anyone to go is to Google. Google putting Oliolton, s A s, whose airs wins or just Oli Olton. You'll find me on there. But Instagram Oli dot Olerton and yeah you'll you'll find all the channels there, all the website Oliolaton dot co dot UK.
Perfect. Stay there.
We'll say goodbye off here, but thank you so much for your time, mate.
We appreciate you. Thank you, it's been a pleasure talking to you great and to you tiff thank you, thank you, Thanks Tiffany and Cook. Thanks everyone,