Unlocking Potential: A Journey to Health and Happiness w/ Nathan Francis

In this conversation, Nathan Francis uncovers the journey towards health, spirit, and personal development, emphasizing the importance of unlocking one’s potential for a happier life. The episode provides deep insights into how early influences shape our habits and the power of mindfulness in overcoming challenges.

• Nathan's transformative life experiences 
• Discussing the impact of societal influences on personal choices 
• The importance of mindfulness and meditation 
• Daily habits that promote health and well-being 
• Inspiring success stories of personal transformation 
• Engaging youth through open conversations 
• The interconnectedness of health, spirit, and happiness 
• Practical tips for self-reflection and authenticity 

This episode encourages you to take charge of your life by prioritizing health and understanding what truly matters to you.

https://mindforcepodcast.buzzsprout.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to Mindforce
• 1:37 Guest Introduction: Nathan Francis
• 1:57 Nathan’s Journey to Health and Happiness
• 3:07 The Impact of Alcohol and Social Influences
• 4:52 The Role of Mindfulness and Spirituality
• 6:07 Daily Habits to Boost Health and Mood
• 7:37 Helping Youth Reconnect with Themselves
• 9:27 Success Stories of Transformation
• 12:17 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:01

Hi everyone, I'm Nate Shearer and this is Mindforce, a podcast for love, life and learning, because your mind matters most. Today we have Nathan Francis and today we'll be talking about his journey in health, spirit and personal development how people can live happier lives, particularly our youth. I gotta say Nathan's probably my favorite guest so far because he has the best name Love that. So we'll start with the warm-up, the who, the what and the why. Nathan, who are you, what do you do and why are you here?

Speaker 2: 1:31

Oh no, thank you for having me Nate and, yes, very awesome name too. I'm Nathan Francis. I'm from Australia, I'm 30 years old, I've been on quite the journey, as I'll share in the next little bit, and I'm here to help as many people as I can unlock their innate human potential and become the best versions of themselves and step out into the world as their authentic self. And I've really narrowed that into the youth of today. I feel like, with the social media and all of these things that they're distracted with, there's so many that we can talk about as we go through. It's just empowering them that they have the power and the innate human potential inside of them, that they can do and be anything and that they don't need to distract themselves with all of these things. So, yes, looking forward to the conversation today and that's a bit about me and who I am Looking forward to delving deeper into that as we go.

Speaker 1: 2:20

Awesome. I got some good questions for that. That sparks a whole lot of things. We'll start with a few warm-up questions. Get the conversation going. What's a childhood memory or experience that inspired your focus on health and happiness?

Speaker 2: 2:32

That's an interesting question. I read your email earlier and I wanted to answer this one. So for me, as a child, I always knew I had gifts and different things inside of me, but I was always told that I shouldn't do this or should shouldn't do that. It was the moment that, well, what inspired the health journey was the moment when I was 19,. Actually, I wasn't 19, I was 26.

Speaker 2: 2:53

And I lived a very you could say, a very Australian lifestyle the drinking, the partying and sleeping around and doing those things. And I remember I had the moment on a plastic fold-out table talking to three young girls and I fell through that table and that was my moment of are you going to continue down this road or are you going to grow? And that was. I know I was 26, but that was a very profound moment. But the childhood moment I'll go with was when I was at school. I used to always ask questions and I used to always question things that were getting taught in that and, yeah, I didn't really buy the whole food pyramid thing. So that sort of started the health stuff. But as I sort of grew up, I just sort of followed what everyone else was doing and didn't really delve into that space too much until I was in my late 20s. So, yeah, I've got a lot of childhood memories, but that's always one that I was always wanting to question everything.

Speaker 1: 3:45

Okay, good stuff. What's one piece of life advice you'd give to your teenage self, going back to when you were younger?

Speaker 2: 3:53

yeah, another good one it would be. I love you and that you are safe and that you are very powerful and you can do some pretty awesome things with the right mentor, the right help and with everything that's been going on in your life. You are worthy and you are enough is what I'd say to that teenage self.

Speaker 1: 4:13

So, as you were drinking and things like that, was it to have fun or do you think it was a deeper root cause, where you were drinking to try to avoid other things, or what do you think that was for so long?

Speaker 2: 4:26

Well, it's a good question because when I was younger, it was all about having fun. Alcohol was a very prominent thing here in Australia all the sports stars. It's a good question because when I was younger, it was all about having fun. Alcohol was a very prominent thing here in Australia all the sports stars, it's all on the TV and all in the sporting arena, and I watched a lot of sport and they were all doing their thing outside of that. So there was that programming as well. There was also surrounded by people within my family that drank a lot, so that was always a big program for me too. But it started off as fun when I was 18, but then it became an escape and then it became a bit of a problem. So, yeah, it started off fun and then it became a problem, and that problem came to a head in 2021 and I looked myself in the mirror and said no more, and I haven't had a drink since and my life has only gotten better since.

Speaker 1: 5:11

Yeah, I always wonder. So I'm military and so we have a lot of things that revolve around it and just so interesting because it's based on history and culture and things like that, and I think there's you know, some good about it coming together and having a drink together and whatnot. But it is odd to me that there's so many things like every promotion, every ceremony, everything like has to start at the bar. It's like could we just, you know, focus on the people that were there to talk about and, you know, congratulate, and does it really have to be all about the drinking all the time? So sometimes I wonder if we should take a step back and I'm sure that's probably blasphemy and people would be mad that we would drink less but like that's not the reason you're there.

Speaker 1: 5:52

You're there for the people that are promoting or winning an award or you know whatever it is, and the first thing is like when are we going to hit the bar? So it is an interesting thing. I think it is fun, but I wonder, like you said, like when does it switch from fun to being, you know, more of a problem, where it's like in every single thing that we do and we have to go do it. Maybe it should be something separate, but I don't know. What are your thoughts on that?

Speaker 2: 6:15

Well, I believe that it starts when we're young. In that age group of zero to six, we're picking up a lot of oh not a lot of our subconscious programming. And if alcohol was a very prominent thing inside our household and on the TV on a repetitive level I always talk about it's like going to the gym. If you want to build muscle and build strength in your arms and your upper body or anywhere in the body, you need to do the reps and go there consistently. It's the same with your mind too.

Speaker 2: 6:40

If you've been programmed and you've been watching movies like American Pie and watching Charlie Sheen in Two and a Half Men, all these drinking TV shows and movies, and then your parents and your friends of friends parents, friends are all drinking alcohol, then you're being exposed to that on a subconscious level. You're watching people drink, you're hearing things and you're downloading that as a program and you're going to play that card as a safe card in society. When you grow up, you're going to be surrounded by a very similar tribe to your parents, because we're pack animals. We mirror, mimic and copy each other. If the people around us are doing those things, we're more inclined to do those things on a subconscious level, because we're all about finding safety and comfort inside the tribe and doing things to fit in, to blend in, to go along and get along.

Speaker 2: 7:28

That's why we do it Then it becomes a problem because if you watched your parents deal with their problems, deal with their stress and deal with their stuff and they were doing it through alcohol and through all these things you're more inclined to deal with those problems the exact same way. Why? Because you're exposed to that as a child. You are watching that, you are hearing that it's a safe card for you to play. We'll just deal with that over here the same way my parents did. That's how this all works, and if you're watching TV shows and moves with it in as well, you're just getting more reps, more repetition and more safe cards to play in society.

Speaker 1: 8:05

That's interesting because it's just so deep rooted in there You're like oh no, I don't. I don't have a problem, I don't have this. But, like you said, it's going all the way back through that childhood. So even though you don't, you know, believe it, or it's not the forefront of it, it's there all the time, sinking in farther and farther. So that's, yeah, that's pretty powerful. The last question I had for you is what's a simple daily habit that instantly brightens your mood or boosts your health?

Speaker 2: 8:32

I have two. I've narrowed it down to two so I always do a meditation when I wake up in the morning and be grateful for where I am and be grateful and be open to whatever the day is going to bring, and then I go down to the gym and that's been a really good habit of mine, too is really building my physical strength and building my physical health, because that's one of the main pillars of strength that I always focus on. Health is the foundation of all life success. If you're not healthy, you don't have the energy or the vitality to do the things you want to do each day. If you can get your health right, then the rest of the pillars will follow. Health is the foundation. I do that physically and I go in the gym and I'm always testing myself and pushing myself through my own limits and through my own blocks to continue to grow and evolve.

Speaker 1: 9:17

Yeah, that makes sense. I think that's perfectly in line with what I'm trying to do on the show and why I named it like mental fitness and things like that. I love that you combine the meditation with the physical because I think for the longest time it's been a separate thing, which is just so bizarre to me because the brain resides within the head. You know it's part of the body, but it's for some reason we've seen mental health as this you know, separate part, and it's like, okay, well, I'll work on that at a later time, or most of the time I feel like we wait and only work on it when it's the worst, you know, the worst that it's ever been. We wait for the worst day.

Speaker 1: 9:53

And it's just so bizarre to me because exactly what you said like you work on your buys and tries and work on that because you want to consistently get better, and so the same way we should be working on our minds, if that's meditation or journaling or you know, you know pushing through and trying something new. But it's weird that we'll just wait until it's a really bad day and then go to, you know, the counselor. But we need to do that consistently. It shouldn't wait until it's the worst day. You need to be offloading and getting rid of some of that stuff as you go. So awesome, awesome advice between the balance between physical and mental health. Well, uh, uh, before we jump into the interview, I wanted to see if you had a question for me, and then we'll get started on the rest of it yeah, what inspired, what's what's been your biggest inspiration in your life?

Speaker 1: 10:40

or who's inspiration? I'm sure it's going to sound like a pretty cheesy answer, but I'm in like a leadership position at work and so my, my inspiration is always the people, and it's the people getting things done that they never thought they could, and it's just so powerful to me. I know that, like it's supposed to be mission first and getting the mission done, like I want to get the mission done, but that's not what's really cool and inspiring. It's usually like something that a person a certificate, a degree, they tried to adopt a kid or get married or you know, fill in the blank of all these life changes, something that ultimately changed that person's life forever that they thought never was possible.

Speaker 1: 11:21

You know we sit down, figure it out, work through it, you know, build up finances to accomplish it or whatever it may be, but watching people accomplish things will always be, you know, the number one motivator for me, cause in those leadership positions you have to deal with some of the negative stuff people getting in trouble and things like that and so those will kind of pull you down a little bit.

Speaker 1: 11:41

But every time you get someone that wins something or accomplishes something, like it just fills you all the way back up and you're able to kind of press on. But definitely when people are accomplishing things. There's just so many things I've seen where, when the good news comes across like Facebook or wherever you see it you just are completely filled because you know that person, you built a relationship with them and once they're like accomplishing things that they wanted to, sometimes even like move bases you know we go in different directions or different states, different countries, but I still know them and a couple of years have gone by and you see something like hey, you know, I was a part of their journey along the way and now they're getting stuff done. So there's just nothing better than that.

Speaker 1: 12:18

Love that answer yeah. So we'll transition into your journey in health. So can you share a pivotal moment in your health journey that reshaped your perspective on wellness?

Speaker 2: 12:33

I love that Good question. So the pivotal start of my journey through that space was 2020. And I know a lot of people that work to the truth of the world and sort of learn about what's really going on here, and I know I'd went down those rabbit holes myself not sure how or where or what level your listeners are on, but I went down most of them and it was like wow, okay, they're really going after us here on our health level and I just made that transition from buying the crap food to buying the organic, fresh, farmer's market food and I made that conscious choice and it just gave my body more of a chance to reset itself, eating that more quality of food. And I worked out that it's only a dollar or two extra a kilo and he added up over time. If you're treating your body that way this is what I always say if you're treating your body like a garbage bin, well then eventually that's going to cost you more over time as you get sicker and sicker. But if you can take care of your health as of right now and make that switch, you're actually saving yourself thousands of dollars down the road, and I know a lot of people in society aren't thinking about long-term, it's all about short-term.

Speaker 2: 13:45

It's like if we can change our and expand our minds and our consciousness and think about the long-term, that's when we're going to have some real shifts here, Because at the moment everyone's just in this box, focused on the here and the now, not focusing on two, three, four, five, six, 10 years down the road, and that's on all levels of life, not just health. But for me it was making that conscious choice of hang on a minute. They're spraying this food with herbicides and pesticides that aren't really good for us. I'm just going to go over here and see what these farmers markets are doing and buying some fresh organic produce and then supporting those local farmers that are getting shunned by the big companies, like here in Australia it's Coles and Woolies, America's Costco. It's like turn your back on those supermarkets, on those big chains, and go down to your local market and support your local farmer that's getting shunned by those people.

Speaker 1: 14:36

So that's what I do. Yeah, that makes sense. So what was that change? Was it someone that was also doing it, or did you see something in the news, or what was it that you're like, hey, I'm going to go to the farmer's market. You just woke up one morning.

Speaker 2: 14:48

I read a book called how to Eat, move and Be Healthy. It's the Bible of Health by Paul Cech. That's C-H-E-K. He runs the biggest holistic wellness institute in the world, based in LA, california. If any of your listeners want a copy of that book, I suggest going on and putting in the Google C-H-E-K Institute and you'll find that book and all of the programs. Paul Cech is awesome and reading that book changed my whole view on the physical health and what we should be putting in our bodies A lot of muscle testing. In that book you can really train your body to understand what sort of food that it wants and what it needs. And if you need more protein, you need more da-da-da-da. That book is the Bible of Health and I suggest everyone reads that book and that will transform their health on the physical level. So I read that book and that changed my life.

Speaker 1: 15:38

Hey, it sounds like a good book. So did you see a change in energy levels and things like that? Was it immediate? Did you have any sort of like you know? Did it feel bad to switch over initially? Or what was that transition like when you switched over to better whole foods?

Speaker 2: 15:54

I could instantly feel a shift in my body. I could instantly feel that what I was eating was growing with love and growing with a lot of love. And I could feel that energy as I was consuming that food, because I feel like we're all energy and food's energy as well. If you're walking into a, into a big chain supermarket, a lot of people that are putting the food out and they're working there don't like their job, so they're pouring that energy into the food, so you're eating that negative energy at a very base level.

Speaker 2: 16:23

Then you got those farmers that are probably getting on and getting paid and being told to poison their food and all that. So you're eating, eating this real negative energy. You switch over here and you do this. Those farmers are loving their job, they're loving what they're growing, they're loving coming to the market every Saturday morning. They're all bright and cheery. They're all saying, hey, how are you going? Asking about your day? And you're eating that vibration, that energy. You're eating that consciousness. You're eating a better energy rather than going into a place where no one likes their job, and that negative energy. So for me, I was feeling more vibrant, feeling more vital on a physical level, just from making that one switch.

Speaker 1: 17:04

Yeah, it's wild how like perspective can change so much. There's a short book I read called the Fred Factor and the guy talks about how when people look at you, know their jobs and how they feel like things are completely different. One of the examples he uses I love it's a guy that's in the Solastic, so it's like a big book bookstore or whatever, over in the United States and kids go there. There's like a Selastic book fair, so it's like once a quarter or whatever, like the kids stop, they go to the library and there's books everywhere and the kids love it and it's crazy.

Speaker 1: 17:35

But he's talking to a guy that drives a forklift in the warehouse and he asked the guy what he does and you would think he would say oh, I'm just the forklift driver, oh, I just do this, and kind of downplay it. And I guess he asked the guy and, without you know, skipping a beat or anything, he says I deliver the ability for kids to read, love that. It's like he is making that happen. He could have downplayed it. I hate it. Like I'm just a forklift driver, but no, he knows that he's a piece of the larger thing and he's getting books to kids and so connecting yourself to like what you're doing. I think is is really important, definitely. Next question is what's a challenge you've overcome in your health journey and how did it impact the way you help others?

Speaker 2: 18:19

it's interesting, this is more of a mental health here. So I watched a lot of porn when I was growing up. I started watching when I was about 8, 9, 10 and that took a long time. That's a lot of programming as well on a sexual level. You could understand the way I was treating women and what I was doing in my life from about 18 to 26. That's the lifestyle I lived.

Speaker 2: 18:45

The root of that was the porn. The amount of porn I was watching. That was my biggest challenge to overcome, because that's the place where I ran to and I wasn't feeling great. It wasn't the alcohol, it was the porn. I'd just go there and just I'd go okay, I'm going to shut everything out and just go and watch that and consume that content, because the internet girlfriend is just the. As a young boy it's like look at that beautiful woman on your screen and as a young boy you're drawn to that. So that little child in me would always feel safe and comfortable doing that rather than facing anything that was going on in my life. It was easy to quit the alcohol. It was easy to quit the casual sex lifestyle. It was easy to quit all these things. But the one thing. The one thing that I had was the porn. The moment I made that conscious choice to quit that, to harness that energy and to transmute it out into the world and into my life was the biggest growth moment for me, was turning my back on that.

Speaker 1: 19:47

So what was the transition point for that? I'm curious. Always in that transition point, like cold turkey, just never again. Or how did you transition, or what was that transition point?

Speaker 2: 19:58

good question, because I called turkey everything else and it was so easy. It was so easy to call turkey alcohol and casual sex and all these things. Porn was hard because I was always drawn to it on it, like there was a beautiful woman on instagram, a beautiful woman on facebook or I'm watching it somewhere and I'm like for me it was. It was allowing myself to let that resistance get longer and be okay with the fact that I may go back at some point. So early on it was, if I can just get through a week, give myself a pat on the back, awesome. And then it just grew from there progression or perfection. I just kept inch by inch, little by little. Yeah, there were moments where I'd just binge on it and just watch two or three videos a day or whatever. But over time the resistance got longer. So a week turned into three weeks and a week turned into a month, and then it turned into two months and then, inch by inch by inch by inch, it got longer and longer and longer. That was the way I could break it. But then I was also asking myself the questions Okay, so I've lasted this long, so why did I go back?

Speaker 2: 21:00

What was I drawn to what was going on in my life around this time that was drawing me back into that content and it was asking myself those deeper questions to get the answer. And it was always the same answer each time. It's like you're seeking safety here. That little boy just needs a bit more love because something's going on in your life and that's what you're used to doing. That was comfortable. For me, being uncomfortable is something that I have now embraced. I'm embracing being more uncomfortable in situations in my life so that I can grow more. I find that a lot of people, including myself. I was very comfortable in the lifestyle I was living and I took that all away and was very uncomfortable, but it allowed me to grow and start what I've started. If I didn't do that, I'd still be who knows where. So that's the answer to that question.

Speaker 1: 21:50

Spending a lot of time on something you don't need to be using. Using that time a little more wisely now, correct? I wanted to ask. This is going all the way back, but I was curious. You said you would tell your younger self that they are loved. Where does that stem from? Throughout childhood, did you not feel that love? Because so far you've you've dropped the word love a few different times, so how does that play into you know, your childhood?

Speaker 2: 22:17

well on my journey. I went on a trip up the northeast coast of australia about two and a half years ago and I was on a kinesiologist table and she, she saw me and she saw me and she said something happened to you when you were six and I went straight there. So this part of the mind, the subconscious, remembers everything and I always say it's the greatest love story ever told. This part of the mind wants to keep you safe and it loves you. Doesn't matter whether your content's positive or negative, it can't tell the difference. It will just find a safe card for you to play and for me. Card for you to play For me. I was playing Lego on the floor.

Speaker 2: 22:50

My parents were in a parent-teacher interview with my teacher. I was in probably grade one or grade two. She was saying Nathan shouldn't be writing about the things he's writing about. I'd write fantasy, comic stuff. I'd write being a hero, kicking goals after sirens, hitting the winning runs in cricket, being that hero. I used to write that all the time. She said Nathan needs to be writing what everyone else is writing, the handwriting on the board and all that rubbish For me. That shut off my ability to write and to express myself.

Speaker 2: 23:18

For a long time I didn't do that, I just conformed with everyone else. I didn't know why. It was the moment in time when I went back to that child and said Nathan, that's one person's perception of who and what you can be. There are six billion people on this planet, Nathan, there's one person that's going to resonate with you, there will be one. I told him that and that shifted so much on all levels of my life because in the next six weeks that followed from that moment I wrote my book. That book was there.

Speaker 2: 23:47

I just had to unlock that by telling that little child something else, because the teacher put a block there On an energetic, subconscious level. I went right, we're going to tell that teacher to go jump because we're not taking that story on anymore. That's not my story, that's her story. I played that out in my life. We're just going to forgive yourself for allowing that teacher to do that to you, to say that to you. Now we're going to go over here and write your book. And I did that in six weeks. And then from there started the podcast, started the business, found my voice, I found my writing ability. It came back online and here I am now. That little child just needed to hear something else, so I told it a different story.

Speaker 1: 24:25

That's so crazy that one moment all the way back then is so pivotal and can change the trajectory of everything. That's wild. So what's the name of the book and what's it all about?

Speaker 2: 24:37

So it's Breaking Free. It's a teenager's and young adult's guide to identifying their addictions and overcoming them. It's a lot about my story from well. I wrote it two and a half years ago, so it was from my life until 28. So I wrote that for that time of my life. I put in there why people necessarily do those things and how their subconscious works, and then I wrote how I did it and how it affected my health and the tools that I used as resources that helped me in that time. There's obviously more now, but I wrote it for that time and those tools in there really helped me through that period of my life. That was a bit of a struggle, but I'm very grateful for that time in my life as well.

Speaker 1: 25:20

Yeah, it's always good. I mean, sometimes we look at these negative situations, but it plays out for the reason that it's supposed to, you know, Correct? I wanted to ask about the drinking being in the military. Like I said, you know, there's a lot of social gatherings, a lot of things like that. Have you found trouble with it? Like now that you don't and people cause, I feel like people always want to be like, oh no, just have one, or they make you feel some type of way. Have you found like?

Speaker 2: 25:53

you know actionable tips and tricks to kind of not make that as weird sometimes, yeah, so for me, I surround myself with people that drank. So I took myself out of those environments and out of those places to work on myself. And when you work on yourself, we're all energy and people are energy as well. So when you expand your consciousness, you work on your health. You then meet people that are on the same wavelength, the same vibration as you and you'll find people aren't doing the things that you used to do. And for me, I was surrounding myself with people that were taking care of themselves, that were fathers and that were husbands, and that's the life. That's where I want to go now. So I chose to surround myself with people that were building what I wanted to build. So I just took myself out of one tribe and allowed myself and be open to expressing and meeting a new one.

Speaker 2: 26:41

Because we're pack animals so we're going to find a tribe that suits us. But once we're consciously aware of the people that are around us, I often ask in my questionnaire when I send to clients is who are your five best friends? What are their weights and what are their habits? Because you are who you surround yourself with. If you're surrounding yourself with drinkers, smokers and partiers, you're the drinker, smoker, partier too. If you're surrounding yourself with people that are sober, that are taking care of themselves, then you're more inclined to do that as well. You are who you surround yourself with. People that are sober, that are taking care of themselves, then you're more inclined to do that as well. You are who you surround yourself with.

Speaker 1: 27:10

It's not just you, it's the people around you oh yeah, that's powerful, and especially the temptation I mean you're removing it pretty much all together, like if people are all on the same page. You don't even have to think about getting pulled back because that's not even in the in the room and not talking about it but what really helped me in that time though because I was still playing some sport and drinking was a big thing.

Speaker 2: 27:32

so for anyone listening out there, a big thing that helped me was that by me being different and by me not drinking, I can help those people, because when people are drunk, they open up to you. So I thought, well, I can go in there and help people. Yes, I can answer the question what I don, why I don't drink anymore. I walked in there. It was the first question I asked first moment I walked into the career club function. It's like I don't drink anymore. Why don't you drink anymore? Well, these are the reasons why this is the life I was living. I was open about it and said look, I used to do these things. I didn't like the way I was acting when I was drunk. I didn't like the way I was acting full stop. So it was partly because of the alcohol that helped them. They're like oh, wow, that's really awesome. But then I was able to connect with them. I was just drinking water, they were drinking beers and stuff, but then, as the night would go on, they'd tell me stuff, personal stuff.

Speaker 2: 28:28

It's like well, I'm sober enough to be able to help them in that moment. I'm not I'm not drunk with them.

Speaker 1: 28:31

Huh, that's interesting you were able to find that way to connect. Yeah, so you said that was pretty well received. Everyone was all on board.

Speaker 2: 28:35

They weren't like, oh, you're just being a sissy and this and that there was a few of those comments, but as you sort of go on this journey, you develop a thick skin and those comments just wash straight off you yeah, and especially if you're helping people, I feel like even you get some comments, but you help a couple people like the helping already makes you feel better and you're just right back on track.

Speaker 1: 28:53

So even if you do get a little negative like hey, I helped three people tonight like I don't care the two comments along the way I say to people too is that you're gonna have negative nullies out there, but you're also gonna have positive.

Speaker 2: 29:05

It's like focus on the people that you're changing. I know that when you put yourself out there, you're opening yourself up to comments online. It's like, well, if they're commenting on your stuff, think about it like this the friends of the friends of that person is seeing your, they're coming on your post. So if it's not helping, tom down down the road who said, oh, you just being immature, go get a beer in you, or whatever they say. It's like, well, tom's friends are saying that, so what if that helps one of Tom's friends?

Speaker 1: 29:34

Yeah, helping people along the way, Absolutely. The next question I have for you how do you define a healthy life beyond just physical well-being?

Speaker 2: 29:45

This is a good question because I was talking about the pillars before. So once you get the physical pillar right, then you can focus on the mental, emotional and spiritual. So the mental part is going into the mental gym and finding content that inspires you rather than makes you go and do the things that you don't want to do. So finding empowering content. Listening to my podcast, listening to your podcast, is a good way to start. And going into the mental gym and figuring out other things that you're watching and listening to. Are they making your life better or are they making your life worse?

Speaker 2: 30:17

The mainstream music is all about bending girls over. It's all about sex. It's all about money. It's all about that lifestyle. So if you're listening to music that's all about that, then that's the lifestyle you're living lifestyle. So if you're listening to music that's all about that, then that's the lifestyle you're living. Maybe find some empowering music. Listen to some 5-2-8-Hertz, listen to some empowering podcasts, listen to some empowering stories, and then that will change.

Speaker 2: 30:37

The TV shows you're watching are all about rape, torture, kill, murder, sex, lying, cheating, stealing. If that's the TV shows you're watching, that's what you're going to act out in society. Maybe turn your back on those TV shows. That's the mental gym. Then you need to go to the emotional gym. Allow yourself to feel the sadness that you've held on to for such a long, long, long, long time. Because there's a real big program out there amongst the men of today's society, around the age group of my father, of don't ask for help's not courageous, it's, it's not bold, it's on a weakness, crying's weak. Well, we're here to flip that script. Asking for help was the best thing I ever did. Crying was the best thing that I ever did. Feeling my emotions was the best thing I did, allowing myself to be like where's this sadness? Why am I sad? I'm gonna feel it, but then feel the other emotions, allowing yourself to to feel gratitude, to feel joy, to feel excitement. So you're feeling all of the emotions. You're coming in tune with your body.

Speaker 2: 31:37

That's the emotional, then the spiritual. What are your boundaries? Are you allowing people to influence you? Like you're going to the pub, you're saying you aren't drinking, yet you find yourself drinking because Joey said you should be drinking tonight and that you're weak if you don't. So you leave your car there and you get your car the next day. How many times does that happen? So what are your boundaries? How powerful is the word no to you? If you're saying no and you're going against that, think about it. That's the spiritual on some level is using the word no and then sticking to it, setting yourself some goals and then achieving them. That's the spiritual on one level. If you can get those pillars all going in the same direction, that success mountain doesn't look as hard anymore.

Speaker 1: 32:23

Yeah, which one do you think was the most difficult for you to get in balance, mental and emotional?

Speaker 2: 32:29

well, mental, for a start, because of what I was talking about before, but also the emotional, you know, feeling. I was often, always angry. I just didn't know why. So allowing myself to feel that anger and understanding why I was so angry at the world. But it wasn't just angry at the world, it was a mirror, like the universe the world is. But it wasn't just angry at the world, it was a mirror Like the universe, the world is a mirror. Right, I was angry at myself. Because I was angry at myself because I allowed all of these things to happen in my life that I didn't have control over. So I went on a journey of self-forgiveness and forgave myself for allowing all this to happen, to then move on and to allow myself these opportunities to grow and evolve, to allow myself these opportunities to grow and evolve.

Speaker 1: 33:09

Yeah, that makes sense. I want to jump into the living happier lives. I think this is an awesome one of your three main topics. So what's one actionable tip you'd recommend to youth today who are struggling with stress or uncertainty? It's a good question.

Speaker 2: 33:27

It is. If you can find just five minutes in your day to switch off that phone, to switch off that TV, to take your headphones out and just be still, that's a good place to start, because you have computers, you have video games, you have TikTok, you have phones, you have all of these things that will just keep distracting you. If you can just find five minutes to just ask yourself how you're feeling, how you're going, and just connect with yourself, take three deep breaths, that's a good place to start. Or find something that brings you joy and just do that a little bit more. Whether it's reading that book, whether it's doing some writing something creative, just do that more, rather than sifting through TikTok videos about cats and dogs and all this meaningless that you're consuming.

Speaker 1: 34:24

Yeah, it's wild how much we consume that doesn't really do anything. I saw a study where they were talking about scan people's brains as they were watching tv and while they were staring at a blank wall. And your brain lights up more when you're staring at the blank white wall, because it starts to think about patterns and what's going on and how you're feeling and all those things is you don't have something provided. But once you have something provided, your mind almost entirely shuts off because it's providing all the plot, the show, the whatever. And so just staring at a white wall on the side of your house or whatever actually activates your brain more than the TV show. So, yeah, pause and take a moment. I think that's one thing that's so difficult right now. We got Google. You can get any answer you want in a matter of seconds. You can drive through food you get in a matter of minutes. Everything is faster and faster. But I really think we need to find better ways of slowing down. Do you have any other ways of slowing down? And self-reflection?

Speaker 2: 35:23

Yeah, get a journal or get a book or just start writing. Just write or sing or just express yourself, because our youth are very under the influence of being someone that they're not to fit in. If you can just let those influences go and just be you, you'll still have the right people come into your life. Just find something creative and just go and do it and that makes sense.

Speaker 1: 35:56

I wanted to ask, when you first started talking about social media, how do you talk to people and coach them through like not believing everything? You see, because I feel like right now, the way that we're set up, you show the family trip, you show the highlights, you show all the good stuff. I don't think very often we throw up any negative or the struggles or the challenges that get to stuff. You show the success, struggles or the challenges that get to stuff. You show the success. So how do you you know, as you're working with youth and things like that, how do you get them to understand?

Speaker 2: 36:25

that what they see is probably not accurate. Yeah Well, that's the thing is having those conversations with them and saying, well, not everyone's life is what it seems. You know, social media can be very fake and a lot of people live double lives. So it's like some of your influences, how are they going on the inside? They might look good, they might present themselves in a certain way, but how are they going in their personal, private lives? And just having those conversations?

Speaker 2: 36:49

But also for me, allowing myself to let them talk and let them express and then having that open dialogue, because I find it really important that with our youth, there's a lot of people that they go and see, whether it's friends or whether it's therapists or counselors or whatever it is. Not many of them actually listen to what they're saying or listen to their views or listen to how they're feeling. It's all about oh, here's some antidepressants, go and take them and just see you later. It's like I share my story and my trials and my tribulations and my failures with them, to allow them to share theirs, and I hold that space for them.

Speaker 2: 37:31

I've jumped on many calls with youth and all I've said is hello and goodbye. They just needed someone to bounce things off. They needed someone just to listen to them, because a lot of people out there aren't listening to what they have to say all their feelings. So I just sit there and say hi and bye sometimes, and that is a very profound thing, because they feel like someone can finally listen to them and not have any judgment. I don't judge them for what they're doing, I'm just there to help them.

Speaker 1: 38:02

Yeah, and I think it's important to meet people where they're at. I think that's something that's commonly not done very well, like when I have a flight or I'm in a position of leadership at some point along the way. I don't do it initially because I don't want to freak everybody out, but a few months into having the flight, I talk about how, you know, I've gone through a divorce and I co-parent and I lost my dad a few years ago and you know, both my grandparents and I bring up these things and it's I'm like I'm not trying to be negative and pull things down, but I want you to know that at any given time, if you need to come to me like I've been through some stuff, not saying I've been through the same thing, that's a whole. Another thing I think people do Like I'm not trying to, you know, say I've been through the same thing and compare. That's not the thought. But the gap is not too big. Bring me something, let's figure it out. Either do you want me to try to fix it or do you want me to just listen.

Speaker 1: 38:50

I think that's important to like figure out what, because some people just want and other people you know the others don't want you to solve it. They want to work through it and process it. But I think you know, being a normal person that's been through some stuff, I think some people. I know I've had leaders where they're like oh, open door, you can swing by any time, but from the outside it always felt like they were perfect. I'm not bringing my problem to someone that's perfect, like you've got it all squared away, and so I intentionally bring up some of the negative things that happen throughout my life and I hope when someone does have their bad day, like they're coming right in, they're not thinking a second. You know about it. Hey, nate's there. You know we'll try to figure it out and move forward, but it shouldn't be, you know, a big. So I'm glad you brought up that. You know bridging the gap and meeting people where they're at, I think that's super important.

Speaker 1: 39:44

How do you encourage younger generations to build habits that promote both physical and mental well-being?

Speaker 2: 39:51

It's, as I said before, finding those five minutes to just to shut out that technological world, and I encourage them to go to the gym or to exercise and to move their bodies Because, as I said, we're all energy, we're designed to move. We aren't designed to have our heads down with this poor posture from looking at our phones all day. We aren't designed to sit at school all day and learn things that aren't necessarily things that we should be learning and we don't want to learn. So I try and encourage them to get outside and move, just for five or ten minutes a day, if it's, and then building those habits from there. But it's also about asking them why aren't they moving? Why are they choosing to do these things and having those conversations and asking them why, putting the spotlight back on them and saying, well, okay, why aren't you moving? Why don't you want to move?

Speaker 2: 40:38

And then getting to that issue and then ripping that route out and going well, you actually can move and you can do some pretty awesome stuff.

Speaker 1: 40:46

Yeah, that makes sense, Solving it at the root. I mean, if not, it's just going to keep going or become some other, you know negative thing.

Speaker 2: 40:54

Unfortunately, fortunately out there a lot of uh, a lot of the youth have to have a lot of parents that aren't moving either. So they're not. They're not around people that are exercising. As I said, you are who you surround yourself with. If you're raising a family that don't move, you're 80 to 90 percent more likely not to move too, given the way the subconscious mind pathway works yeah, what you're used to.

Speaker 1: 41:16

Absolutely. I love stories. I think you know back to caveman days. That's how we passed things down, and so I'd love to hear a success story of someone you helped and then you know how their life was transformed for the better.

Speaker 2: 41:29

Yeah, I've given out any personal details, of course no, I pondered this question today, so we'll call this client of mine joey. And he was on the brink of going to that place, of not being him any longer, and in six months he has a full-time job and has found love. He's only 17, because all he needed was someone to listen to why he was angry, to why he was sad, but then having someone allow him to feel that. That's all I did. I just listened, yeah that's interesting.

Speaker 1: 42:05

You just open up when you work with me.

Speaker 2: 42:06

I show a lot of affirmations. So I wrote him some affirmations that were a lot of I love you in there and unfortunately he wasn't able to find those words to say to himself. But six months later he said that to himself and to a girl of his age and he rang me and said I've just told those three words. I said how's it feel? He said I feel I just feel love and he said it's such a beautiful thing. But all I did was listen. That's all I did.

Speaker 1: 42:38

Yeah, and one of my favorite quotes. She says we're having conversations all the time and sometimes they involve other people, so there's just that inner dialogue is going all the time. You're talking to yourself all the time, like you do have conversations throughout the day with other people, but from the moment you wake up, you're talking to yourself, no-transcript. What role has spirituality or mindfulness played in your personal growth and happiness?

Speaker 2: 43:26

Well, when I fell through that table, that was the start of the physical journey of okay, why am I doing the things that I'm doing, what are my boundaries, what's the life I'm living? And I'll never forget the day after I fell off that table Actually it was 5 o'clock in the morning, so it was actually a few hours after that incident that I listened to a podcast that my mentor was doing, talking about self-sabotage and the subconscious mind and how we're influenced and how we're programmed, and I resonated with that and I labeled myself the king of self-sabotage. Like anything good in my life, I'd push that self-destruct button on an unconscious level conscious level because I didn't feel like I was worthy of anything or anyone in my life. So it was that podcast that I listened to really changed my life, because four months later I did his coaching program and I was learning about the subconscious and going on that healing journey of the self-discovery of why I was the way I was and how I was able to navigate and reprogram and change the trajectory of my life.

Speaker 2: 44:21

But it was also around that time where I dabbled in some spiritual modalities such as Reiki and quantum healing and all these things, and I was getting all of these things coming to me. All this energy, all these past loved ones, all these past relatives, all these things were just coming back to me, and that opened up the spiritual side of my life of being okay. Well, there's some energy here. There are some things going on that I've had going on since I was a child and I shut that off because I was scared. Well, I'm not scared anymore. So, for me, meditating and slowing my mind down allowed me to connect with myself and connect with spirit.

Speaker 1: 45:00

Yeah, that makes sense. What's a mindset shift or practice that you found most effective in fostering resilience and balance?

Speaker 2: 45:08

It's a good question. For me, just having a vision board of where I want to be in six months, where I want to be in 12 months, and looking at that every night and every morning kept me focused, because I wrote on there why I'm doing what I'm doing, who I'm doing it for, and that reminded me of my why and why I'm getting out of bed at 5 am to go to the gym, why I'm doing the things I'm doing, why I'm speaking on platforms like this.

Speaker 2: 45:45

It's to help inspire others, but also to help inspire those people that were just like me four or five years ago. So I have that written on my wardrobe and I look at it and go well, if I'm feeling a certain way, I'll just go back and read that and go hang on. This is why you're doing what you're doing. It's not just for you, it's for the collective, it's for humanity. There's a bigger picture here. You're here to do some pretty cool stuff, so let's refocus back onto what you need to do.

Speaker 1: 46:07

They got the good too, because I think motivation will come and go, but consistency has to be there, so you can't have motivation every day, just not the way it works. So having that goal, I think, is really powerful. Some of my best, some of my best.

Speaker 2: 46:20

Some of my best gym workouts have been where I've been feeling just like rubbish because I'll go in there and I'll move the body, I'll lift heavier weights and I'll walk out feeling like a million bucks. Or I'll just go for a bike ride, or I'll go for a walk, or I'll go swim excuse me, I'll go swim in the ocean, or I'll go just take my shoes off and walk out in the bush, like that all just calms me down.

Speaker 1: 46:43

Yeah, you never know which one it's going to be. There could be a good one out there. You have to put those shoes on and take the first step Correct, get out there. So, wrapping up, I want to try to connect some dots. So how do health, spirit and personal development come together to create a foundation for long-term happiness?

Speaker 2: 47:02

That's a good question, so we'll break it down. So if you can get yourself into a point where you're feeling vital, feeling energetic, feeling healthy, then the rest will take care of itself. So you'll be able to have energy to connect with spirit. You'll be able to have energy to connect with your own spirit, to connect with yourself on a much deeper level. Then you'll have the ability to rediscover and remember who you truly are, because you're more than just that job title. You're more than just that label you have on yourself. You're a soul having a human experience here and you're here to do some pretty cool things, and it's remembering that.

Speaker 1: 47:35

Remembering that that makes sense. With those building blocks, build the foundation and go from there. So what's the one piece that's always tough, right. One piece, what's one piece of advice you hope listeners take away to live happier, more fulfilling lives.

Speaker 2: 47:50

If you've listened to this podcast and you aren't taking care of yourself, just remember you were not born this way. You were born pure love. You flew out of the womb and you had all of these influences parents, friends, tv, music all these influences shaped you. Even the school system shaped you and molded you into who you are today. And just ask yourself one question Is that true to you? Because, as I said before, you weren't born this way. You were manufactured this way. The system did this. You didn't do this. You allowed them to do this.

Speaker 2: 48:28

Forgive yourself, find out what's true to you and whether doing those things are actually what you truly want to do at heart. And is it? Is it due to the programming that you've had? Did you, did you have that alcohol program as a really big one in your life? Well, you didn't do that. You allowed that to come in and then you acted that out, that you weren't born that way. So it's untethering from that and being like okay, who am I? What's true to me and why am I here? If you can answer those three questions again, that success.

Speaker 1: 49:13

Mountain looks pretty good, Dang. What are those three again?

Speaker 2: 49:15

Those three questions are is this true to me? Before you pick up that bottle or put your hand down your pants, or put your hand in the chip packet, is this true to me? Am I doing that because my parents did that, or because my mates do that, or because da, da, da, da, or because I'm watching it all the time? And then what's? And then, hey, what do I say? What's true to you? Who am I and what am I doing here?

Speaker 2: 49:39

you can answer those three questions and untether look out again that success mounds looking pretty good that's awesome.

Speaker 1: 49:48

well, nathan, thanks for coming out like to ask the listeners for feedback. This, this podcast, will be even better with your feedback. Drop your thoughts or questions on instagram, facebook, facebook, tiktok, youtube or Buzzsprout and thank you for being part of the Mindforce journey. I love you all. See ya, see ya later, thank you.