232. After countless Coaching Programs, Eric has found his tribe in HPF

If you love the podcast and you want other valuable tools, resources and coaching that will ignite the fire in you to go to the next level, then look, make sure you jump on the other various platforms. We have absolutely our YouTube channel, Alex Ranieri, and in there you'll find the opportunity to have different coaching and resources and tools and tips, including our podcast episodes in video form, which a lot of people get value from, too. But make sure you have a look at everything that we have to offer. High performance Father is something that is a phenomenal movement that I'm very proud of. It's something that I love in this message that continues, continually grows, and it grows in more fashions and ways than just the podcast. But I appreciate you tuning into this podcast with a couple hundred thousand downloads now. It's just incredible. So thank you very much. Enjoy this episode, but make sure you do go and use the other tools and the other valuable resources that we have. We've got the European.

This is.

We should call this the European podcast, maybe. We've got a half Italian. We've got only pure German 100, Eric.

Yeah, pure, pure German blood.

Yes. Yes, sir. It's got the beard, the jawline. The man means business. So, fellas, I want to introduce you to Eric. He's one of our HPF tribesmen. He's been with us for just over six months now. Absolutely crushing it. Family, self and service. It's what we stand for. It's the embodiment of hpf. I really enjoy these podcasts. I have missed them. Gentlemen, there'll be plenty more coming your way, but not just solos by our having incredible men like Eric who are going through the journey and really carving out Eric 2.0. I think this is really important. I can speak very, very well and I know my sheet in of different areas all around fatherhood and our expertise here. However, it's messages from these fine men like Eric and how they're carving out their life, which truly, I believe, anyways, is impactful. I'm just a cog in the wheel and I love sharing stories. So what we're going to go through in this session is Eric's journey and what was happening. Eric's been in Australia for, I think just on 10 years or 10 years. This year is his anniversary, which is pretty, pretty cool. But, yeah, we're going to learn a little bit more about Eric and what he's done and yeah, some of the challenges of fatherhood, but also how he's crushing it in family self and service. But Eric, great to have you here man. Thank you for joining us.

Thanks for having me. Pleasure.

Yes man. Looking forward to this. And what I love most about this, in a selfish way too, mate, is it really gives me a lot of mindset pieces. I'm very inspired by you and the other men on the inside. It always leads to more content and material. Ironically enough, like fellas, I'm not that creative. You know, 230 plus podcasts and 600 plus videos. It's all because of men like Eric. But what I love too, in a selfish way, is there are men out there, Eric, who aren't members. And that's fine, they'll get value. But the men on the inside listen to these podcasts and like fuck yeah, Eric's a legend, man. That's awesome. Great, great share. Great story. So Eric, my man, talk to us, give us a bit of an insight about, you know, briefly your upbringing but also your journey in Australia so far. And yeah man, where things are at. We'll build from there in family solvent service and I guess what led to hbf.

Thanks Al because I was watching the HPF videos and listening to some of your podcasts maybe six or seven months ago and now I'm on the podcast here. It's pretty, pretty cool. Yes, I'm from Sydney, Australia, pretty young family, got a two year old. We are engaged. We haven't married yet because and then Covid happened and couldn't get married. So one child. I'm running a bootcamp fitness business in Sydney and also running a coaching business helping people with their mind and body. So that's in short about me in Australia since 10 years and yeah saw a lot of things on on Facebook about HPF and was doing a lot of things in personal development over the last eight or nine years actually since coming to Australia. So once I came here that was kind of my starting point of my personal transformation or journey of figuring out what I want to do in life and have a bit of a history of mental health back in Germany. So I was suffering a lot from depression and had some really dark times there and thought okay, coming to Australia and things will be different. The sun here and the beaches and all of the cool stuff. And yeah, so that was that led me to wanting to figure out a way how to get better and done a lot of things. A lot of therapy, a lot of personal development over the last years, then becoming a coach myself, helping others and then starting a family and figuring that out and there is no real, no real playbook for, you know, how to Be a good father, raised by a single mom. So I never really knew actually how to be a father because I never really had a role model around. And I think all of that things led to, okay, I maybe need some, need some extra help with that. And that's when I saw hbf.

Yeah, awesome, man. It's, it's quite an incredible thing, isn't it? Fatherhood and the game just changes and it keeps changing. And we've got men. Our oldest member, John's 68, but you know, typically our men will be in their 30s, to 40s, and then a fair few of our salt and pepper statesmen in their early and to mid-50s. But typically by then when men hit their 50s, it's almost too late. They're pretty fucked and broken, which is sad and that's unfortunate. But I do love the older bulls that take that step and they realize that the secret to cracking the code in life is continually cracking the code, which is continual growth and pursuing that growth and development. And you need the right environment and people around you. So what fascinates me most about you, Eric, is yes, the game keeps changing with fatherhood. However, you were seeking personal development before you became a father and that's quite rare. And make no mistake, men members, non members, listening to this, the reality is this is one of the hardest businesses in the world in hbf because you're trying to help instill a level of self value and worth and you could be a successful man. I don't give a fuck. We've worked with nine figure businessmen who still lack confidence. These are men who don't understand the value of investing themselves to be a hundred so they can give a hundred. And it's, it's, you know, trust me, this isn't easy. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done. And there are, there are much easier ways to make money. That's not why we're here. But it's a big impact. It's a big mission, man. It's something that's very important for us. So I love that about you, Eric, because I remember watching your session with one of our coaches and for you it became a case of it just looked like, hey, this is a no brainer, I'm in them all. And you just had that growth mindset about you because obviously I like to make sure that my team and the coaches were always conducting us, ourselves at the highest level. We don't, we'll just sell anyone. We're not, we're not short of work. That's that's for sure. So when I saw you really being proactive, I was like, here's a man who's actually going to create some changes because it's already instilled in him. So tell me, man, why? Why? Like, what's. I guess two things, right? Because you're a coach and you're in this professional field as well and helping many, many people's lives. So firstly, what was it that led to you? Was it because you had the spiraling down with your own personal challenges back home? Like, what. What was the catalyst that led to you going, hey, you know what? Fucking, if I'm better, everything gets better in my life. Like, it's right there. Like, be better. You can have more if you become more. You know, if you want things to change, you need to change. But what, what led to that being your pathway and what you decided to do even before you became a father? And what do you see in other people now you're working in this space that holds them back from doing that and seeing that they're the prize.

Great question. I think, you know, trying to do it by myself first, you know, and reading books, listening to podcasts, you know, even going to events, but then realizing that the information itself, it's not what really brings the change. And you know, I would say I'm quite an intellectual person or academic person, so I'm civil engineer degree back in Germany, always good in school, really good in math and all of that stuff. So. But realized that with life and with my communication, with my confidence, that was not really at a. At a good level. And I think we never been really taught in school about this kind of things. And even though from the outside everybody would always say, oh, Eric, you have so much potential. You're amazing, you know, you will have a great life. But internally, I. I certainly didn't. Didn't feel like that and interesting enough. Then start working with people. It's a common theme. It's a common theme of a lot of people. And as you said before, there are some people who are making a lot of money, but they are still broken on the inside and they have bad relationships or not great relationships and the health is really bad. Or you maybe have someone who is a really great family man, but their business is not doing well, or the job is not doing well and they can't provide for the family. So I think there is not really like a program or like some guidance or support to help especially men to get their life together and to, you know, it always feels like there's not enough time, there are so many demands and then throw family in there and then sorting or figuring that out. I think that led for, for me to go down the path of personal development and looking for answers actively and then understanding I need to invest time, energy and money. Right? There's no other way. I can't just, you know, listen to like a little podcast. I actually have to invest and done this heavily over the last eight or nine years and got great results from that, you know, from being really depressed, being on a lot of medication and therapy, you know, to really feeling more in control of my life. And that's what I certainly see for my, for my clients as well, you know, so people, people just putting something to the outside world, but they are not really, they're not really feeling it or they're not really having the results that they want in their life.

I think you really hit a good point there as well with applying things, not just getting information like little podcasts. And there's a few key things. I mean, people can do whatever they want, but in terms of driving success, definitely investing because there's a high level of buy in and commitment that's really important. Otherwise time and energy alone, you need all three. Like what you mentioned. I completely agree. Typically when you do invest, there's some level of accountability, at least to yourself and the money you've paid, but definitely to others around you if you're investing in the right things. And then also it's yes, action is the answer, but what type of action can I get granular? Can I really get specific around the types of actions and habits I can implement? And that's only achievable through someone who's got what you want or is doing what you want to do, AKA the right environment, personal people, right? Obviously there's both. There's your tribe and then there's your coach who you're accountable to. So I get it, man. And I really see that. And the hardest part with a lot of people is they typically seem to assume that they'll just figure out certain areas of life, but then want help in other areas of life. AKA if I got a job somewhere, I would expect someone to onboard me, to train me, to give me my scorecard, show me what I need to do, what are my targets, what are my KPIs. This is how you do it. Run training, all these things in a professional life. But then when it comes to motherhood or fatherhood or other areas, how we conduct ourselves through health and fitness and Wellbeing, communication, a member of society, how to act accordingly, be courteous in public, which is. These are all rare things, weirdly enough, in today's world. Simple but rare. Oh, I'm sweet. This is just how I fucking do it. And it's crazy. It's like out of 8 billion people, they'd be lucky to be a couple hundred million that have got their shit figured out. It's mind boggling. And I remember having this chat with Lyn, who's my. He was my mentor and business partner now for many years. And he's like, what do you want to do? What do you see yourself doing? Where do you shine? I'm like, well, I don't know, man. Is it coaching? Maybe, maybe not. Is it sales? Like, I'm a phenomenal salesman. If there's something I believe in, I can paint perspective. I can be very genuine. I can help promote the opportunity without pushing people. And it's always their decision. You know, I'm not the boss of anyone. And is it that? Do I train that? Do I. Cause obviously we work with a bit of business stuff on the inside with HPF too, with our business boardrooms. And he's like, man, he's like, you're a trainer for dads. I was like, fuck. And I've never seen that title anywhere, like, anywhere, Eric. And I'm like, that's so true, man. Like, and ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to be a father. I remember it vividly. I was literally like 5 years old. And like, I just want to be a dad and be a phenomenal dad and help other dads and connect with other dads. And I'm really big on that. And I think for a lot of us, mate, we just assume that we'll figure out the answer because of a title that becomes inherently ours once we have a baby pop out of the. Out of our partner and that's it. It's like, nah, man. Being a father or a high performance father, there's so much more to it. But what was it that you. So you got a little. You got a little Bubs, man. Beautiful little one too, mate. You know, I love following you on social media and seeing your journey as well. But what, yeah, what led to you pulling the trigger with hpf because you've done other personal development. Was it. Did you see this as different to either business coaching or mentoring in those. Like, what. What was it that drew you in, man? And I guess, yeah, Eric, how's your journey been so far, mate? Like, how have you found it being someone who's actually getting guidance and coaching on, hey, this is how to fucking do life. This is how to live life as a husband, father, man. Like how. Yeah. What led you to reaching out to us, man? And what have you found the journey so far?

Yeah, I mean, I've done a lot of personal development and that was more like channel things, you know, figuring out things about my mindset, learning some tools and techniques, really channel things, which is important, I believe, you know, that's the, that's the foundations. But then, then I became a father. It was kind of okay, cool, I'm, I'm doing all right. Life is okay. Relationship is okay, health is okay, business is okay. And I think that's the answer. Life was okay, you know, and I knew that there is a next level. And I, and I had these moments and these phases in my life. I was really crushing it. And then a lot of times I didn't crush it. And I felt like there's more in me. And since I was exposed to personal development and joining courses and other masterminds and seeing what is possible. But I was feeling frustrated a lot of the time because I, I couldn't reach this level because I knew. Think it's like in the Matrix, once, you know, the, Once you have the red pill, right, then, then you can't go back. Right. And I thought, you know, there's so much more that I could be, you know, more potentially could be a better father, a better, a better partner, could be a better son, could be a better business person, could be a better member of community. And that's when all the HPF things popped up in my newsfeed thing. Huh. That's interesting. You know them. It's about high performance, it's about fatherhood and what I said before, I never really had a father figure in my life. And when I was looking back, I always tried to surround myself through sports and even through other masterminds with like father figures. But I guess the message that you shared, and I guess a lot of people who are actually everybody will see it on their Facebook feed. I will see. Oh, that's interesting. It's about fatherhood and something really specific and that really intrigued me because I think that's what I really needed at this time. And when I said life was okay, of course there were some challenges, there are some health challenges with Sophia, with my 2 year old when she was born, and then also in the relationship. Right. Figuring all of that out in this new dynamic and becoming a mother and you know, in our family dynamic, very different to before and we relatively only five years together. So if I compare the first two or three years and then when Babs was born, very different, you know. And even though I. I knew a lot of things, but I couldn't really apply it or I felt like I didn't really make enough progress in all of the things that I wanted to achieve in family, self and service. And I guess that's when I, when I reached out and you know, on the, on the application call, there it all made sense and that's why I jumped on board straight away.

Isn't it crazy, man? Like when you become like when we say the game changes, it's also recognizing what we could get away or what we could do before we become fathers. And what you mentioned with Tiff then and just me thinking about my wife, I've been with her 21 years now. It's like I look back to memories before are so easy too in so many ways. You look back, you're just like. I get tired just thinking about how much I wasted compared to how much I've got on my plate now. And I can still perform at a higher level. It's so funny, man. And it's just time you never get back. I feel blessed that I didn't have to wait till I was like 50 to figure that out. But like a lot of men unfortunately do who go it alone. But man, I. I look back before children and this is the thing, like you said with the dynamic, you can be so much more selfish. You can be so selfish, man, and just do you so much in your relationship when it's just you and your misses, Just you and your partner. Why? Because after that there is nothing else. It's just everything's you and then the Mrs. Whereas if you are extremely selfish and you've got a baby or kids, and that's something that the mother typically the maternal responsibilities more often than not is she's carrying the load. So it's not only that she can't be selfish anymore. You're still being selfish and you've got this responsibility that's draining her physically and mentally. That is part of you that you're connected to. That's where it's like this whole world collides and then these worlds collide and. And you realize that, hey, before kids we could just do whatever. I'm not going to see. We're not going to go out for a few weeks because I'm going out with the boys here doing that, doing yeah, all good. Why? Because you'd still catch up during the week, all weeknights or next weekend or. And you're fine. It was so easy to be more self centered, so to speak. And then we think we flip the script and go for 180. And then all of a sudden with children, we end up in this, this, this whirlwind where we're actually working more, doing more, trying to provide, doing everything. But then unfortunately, we're being selfish again because we stop investing in ourselves completely. So then our family gets a lesser version of us and then you still don't see the misses when it's with the kids, we're typically a bit more irritable or cranky or grumpy. It's like, fuck. It's like, how do I win, man? And it's just this weird, it's this weird game where we've gone from being really dependent when they, when we're kids to them being really independent when we're young adults to then entering this phase where most men still remain as children, they're completely dependent on others around them. And most men still remain as adolescents, as spoiled brat teenagers and young adults. I'm completely independent. I don't need anything. But the real gift here, gentlemen, is not so much being completely dependent when you're young and completely independent when you're older, but getting to a stage of maturity where fatherhood brings this opportunity where you actually can look at someone and say, hey, you can depend on me. And that's the gift, man. Not I'm dependent on you or I'm independent. It's like, no, you can depend on me. So I'm fucking all in on this journey and the family nucleus, that's a big thing, man. What have you learned so, so far? What have you learned in your journey with hpf? What are some of the big, the big winning plays for you, Eric? What are some of the biggest things you've learned since being in hbf? And, and how's this helped you with your life in family self and service?

Huge. Definitely what you just said about being the provider and the people can depend on me. So maybe it's because I raised by a single mom and was the only child. So mom always took care about a lot of things, even though I'm the big, tall, hairy German. Yeah. So. But you know, I think mom took a lot of things off my, of my, off my plate, you know, And I was very independent, but I never really had a lot of responsibility in my life. Yeah, just doing my thing. Studying, working hard, always. But then becoming a father, you know, it's obviously a different level of responsibility. People really depend on me, like Stephen, Sophia depend on me. And there was always this underlying thing that I don't really feel that I'm the strong man in the house. I knew it. I knew it intrinsically, even though, you know, to the outside world, maybe people didn't really realize, but definitely I realized it. And we had this conversations about. And it came up and that was a big thing when I joined and I. And I felt in like the form that we do, our fourth method about being the provider and the protector of my family. And that's the biggest difference over the last six months. Where before, you know, I was feeling like I'm here and they're doing my thing. But over the last six months, maybe the biggest changes. I can see it in the, in the eyes of Tiff and see it in the eyes there before I think, you know, you become parents and just do your thing, but you're losing the respect a bit and the admiration and the fire in the relationship. But over the last few months, and I will share that with Coach Ben on the, on the inside, maybe two months ago, that I could see disrespect and this admiration in Tip's eyes again.

Yeah, it really is. It's. It's such an interesting dynamic with the opposite sex. And a lot of people will put their children first even though their wife came first and even though they came first before their wife. And people get it in such the wrong order that it's just creates this turmoil and chaos. I'm putting my children first, I'm putting myself last, and I'm trying to slot my wife somewhere in between. It's like, nah, man, now you're first, your wife's second, your children are last. Because if you're 100, you can then contribute and lead and influence as we should as men. Why? Because children are emotionally volatile. Because they're growing. Women are emotionally volatile. It's how they're white. It's on us to fucking lead the end. So when we do us first properly as a true leader, not narcissism, but as an actual leader, we're going to give our wives the best anyway. And then together, integrated, as the parents, you are creating the conditions in the environment that raises the children, that fosters the experiences and the growth that they have. But so fucking simple, man. But we just. We just forget that. And the craziest part too, Eric, is a lot of the times most men unfortunately do the opposite of what you did. They go and escape and they run away. And it's just these coping men who make reality war. Taken from someone who's had 10,000 conversations over the years. Reality will always catch up to you. The truth always wins. You cannot escape. And when you kick the can down the road and it becomes extremely rusty with lots of edges and sharp bits and pieces, you eventually have to pick it up, it's going to cut you a lot more and a lot worse than if you just got the fucking job done and got on with it earlier in the piece. Now the crazy part too, Eric, is a lot of men don't like, they think they're doing their best, but it's not doing your best. It's doing what's required. And what's required is always continually growing and becoming more and becoming better. Not doing more, but becoming more. Right now I'm in the middle of 75 hard, which you've. You've done it, have you? You've done the, the challenge two years ago.

Yeah.

Okay. How was it, man?

Yeah, was. Was really, was really good. Really a test of discipline and consistency, but got a lot of more momentum and quite pretty fit as well from it.

Yes, well, mate, I'm already. So I've done. I've got a. I've got a personal 21 day challenge that I've done several times. Got me in phenomenal shape and I'm about to roll that out, which is pretty exciting too. But so what I've actually done is I've stacked that with 75. There's a couple of similarities, but. But I'm already training, I'm already getting out and about. But anyway, really cool. But point is, huge commitments every day. I've got three kids. My wife's currently in hospital right now. She fell and landed on her head. She's possibly got a torn ligament which might have ripped some bone off. She's lucky she's not paralyzed. I'm looking after the kids all day. I've committed to this podcast with you and held through with you. I've got training two times today. I've got my nutrition dialed in already squared away. Be looking after kids all day, including swim schools and other things because we're currently in holidays. Like, you step the fuck up and you just get the fucking job done. The end. Now a lot of men will do that operating at 30%. How fucking sloppy of you. Disgusting. Step the fuck up and be 100% so you can give 100 the reason why I can produce and perform. My wife looks at me the same way that Tiff would look at you is because you step the fuck up and you do what's required. I'm physically fit, healthy and strong. I've got the communication and skills to apply the right energy. I discipline my children today. I've highlighted and rewarded them with my time, energy, and experiences today. Not fucking lollies and toys with me. And I play the game with them of what they need to give them the freedom to do what they want, but also in a container where it doesn't come at the cost of themselves or personal integrity that I can see better than them. And these are just skills, skills and capacity and structuring things where, you know what? I didn't give a fuck about social media. I didn't give a fuck about all these other different things and people messaging me and other people wanting a piece of me. Today I've got Eric. Today I've got my fucking family. I've got my personal health, and I've got my wife in hospital. The fucking end. People just want bits of everything, man. Like, they think because you can access it, you should access it. It's the biggest trap. It's the biggest lie of all because of social media and because of the Internet and because of our phones. Instead of tripling down on the few core things, what do you. What do you see in terms of. And look, there are men who'll hear this, and I'll think, oh, that's a bit far out. Well, good for you, man. Like, you live your fucking 80 years how you want to. I'm sure it'll never be the greatest it can be, if that's your mentality. The reality is, though, there's always a choice. What do you see with HPF and the tribe and the standards and the mentality, Eric, what have you seen that has helped lift you and your game? And also what's some of the success that you provide, man, in your life professionally and how you're. How you're traveling from having that environment.

I think what you just said, that's the perfect example about high standards and concurrency. I think that's the right word being congruent, that concurrency, like, about the things that you just shared. And I think that's the biggest difference that I see in HBF compared to other programs that I done, that you and the coaches and the community, they're actually doing the things that you teach, right? Because I went to a lot of programs where you learn all of these principles and all of these amazing Tools and strategies. But then I think everybody can smell if it's not real, if it's just in concept somebody speaks about and like a principle and something that you learn somewhere else. What I really connect with an HPF is is that you actually going walking the talk and that's something, something really rare. And that helped me to raise my standards. But because I see you pushing hard, I see you getting up at 3am in the morning. So damn it, 3am is really, it's really early or 4am or what it was okay. So I get up at 4:35am and that made a huge difference. You know, even though I had this phases in my life before. So getting getting up early again standards around my own health. So I'm teaching people about health. But then I noticed since I had a baby, my health wasn't that great. Put on a bit of weight, didn't train regularly, Food wasn't that great, sleep wasn't that great. Didn't really track all of the things. So I was sharing all the things with others, telling them what to do and people got results. But what I noticed now over the last six months is I really dialed it in for myself, the results of my clients going through the roof because now I'm also congruent and not just sharing one of the things that I've heard somewhere or maybe that I used to be that type of person or that. Or that worked in the past. So I think that's about standards and then seeing it and you seeing it and the coach is seeing it in the, in the, in the, in the whole tribe and being in this ecosystem maybe constantly push each other where we constantly hold each other accountable and where people reach out. So I think that's, that's another thing where I had other programs before where then you're being sold into the program. You're getting all of these promises, you know how amazing the program is and what it will do for you. But HPF is the real deal because you got the knowledge, you know, like all of the courses that you have in there, amazing. You know, like cutting edge of like the things that are, that are working, that are learned everywhere else as well. So the knowledge, but what we said before, the knowledge is only one part. The other thing is the accountability. It's the high standards, it's the coaches, it's the tribe, it's the quality of people that are in the tribe. So I think I never seen something like this before.

It's so true, man. What I find with a lot of. Because I've obviously done lots of different masterminds and things as well is it's like, do you practice what you preach? And it's what you're preaching. Actually the most effective answer now guys might look at me and be like, oh well, you're not a father in your 40s or in your 50s, you know, so what would you know? I'm like, okay, well fucking watch me like in 10 years time when you see me still crushing it because I'm a student of the game. We have phenomenal experts on the inside and older men. I'm always listening. I'm not above or ahead of anyone else. I'm like, no, no, I'm going to make sure I dominate this. Well in 20 years time when I'm nearly 60 and I say, hey, I told you so, I've crushed the last 30 years, what are you going to say? It's too fucking late. Those guys are probably dead anyway. So it's not about pointing fingers going, oh, you just wait. As opposed to going, well, no. What environment can I be where I can see the decades and the seasons of fatherhood and what that looks like? Some of the greatest men on the inside of HPF are the very young men that are lighting a fire in the middle age and older bulls to go, hey man, let's, let's get after, man, doesn't matter how old you are, get the in shape, let's get fit, get strong, create dadventures, blah, blah, blah. And then there's other men who are already grandparents, Eric. And like, mate, I've missed the bus with my children, but here I am as a grandfather and actually reconnecting with my children who are now adults and going to another level with them as a grandfather and a father. And I've got this whole new lease on life. This is what I would say, don't do this, this, this and this. Do this, this, this and this. So I'm learning too, man. Like after helping over 555plus year olds, I've learned a lot. I don't need to, you know, compared to one 50 year old who's saying this is my life, that's really important, Eric. Seeing, practicing what you preach, but also like yourself, you know, you're killing it, man. And seeing the tribesmen inside HPF, living and breathing, the message, that's really important. And when you raise that for yourself, despite the adversities, you face that I couldn't believe what I can't believe I'm going through right now, man. Like you just, you can't make this stuff up. These curveballs that come for you like, it's. It's crazy, but is what it is. But you get what you tolerate. So you getting back in shape, getting phenomenal. Like, how can you raise the bar in those around you, your environment or your business or people you serve and expect more of them if you don't raise the bar on yourself and the fact that you can raise that and no longer tolerate the lesser version of you, even though it's good, I want to be great. I want to be phenomenal. I want to be the fucking best. When you keep raising that, you also subconsciously raise the standards. What you do and don't tolerate in your marketing, in your message, in your environment, in your coaching or in your business, in your family, in your friends, and two things will happen. People will carve themselves away, including family and friends, or people will come on board and say, fuck, yeah, I want to be part of that. I've only got one life I'm in. And I think that's what you're probably finding as well, with your clientele base, as well as, you know, like, obviously with HPF, nothing against what was originally real dab movement in 2018. It served its purpose, but we'd be dead if that was still the standard we're upholding. We wouldn't even. We wouldn't make any noise. We wouldn't even be known. So, yeah, it's a really good point, mate. Really valid point. What. What do you see as. What, what do you see, Eric, as the future for Australia and fathers and men? And do you recognize the shit fight we're in at the moment with the attack on men, masculinity, fatherhood being one of the toughest things ever, with very little to no support. I'm very proud of what we do with hpf, both paid and unpaid. Obviously, this podcast is free, but, you know, I'm very proud of the service we provide to men all over the country. But where do you see things going, man? And what do you think is needed?

What.

What do you see? What would you say is something that fathers listening to this and how we can all step up as men and fathers to lead the country to greener pastures, man, through our own actions and how we step up as a man, husband and father?

I think what comes to my mind is definitely going back to the basics, going back to the good old times, to the good old values, where you think, like in the tribe, I think it's not that long ago, a couple of hundred years or so where people would live more in the tribe and the men would go out together, they would hunt, they would work together. And now it seems right now that everybody's so isolated, it's in their own little family unit and trying to figuring it out by themselves. So I think the answer is that men come together, form brotherhoods, form tribes, you know, like an hpf and work together, support each other, push each other, hold high standards. And I think that's, that's the future because we can't really rely on government, on social media, on, you know, other organizations or things like that. So I think it really has to start from us to make the decision, okay, I wanna be the provider and the protector of my family and step up my game, but then also come together and find your tribe, find your people. Because it's, it's crazy to me. I've done so much work and I invested, same as you, hundreds of thousands of dollars into personal development over the last years and certification and all of that stuff. And I should know it by now. I should know how to do all of the things, you know, how to be healthy, happy, strong and have my family, self and service in check. But it's not, you know, you need this, right? People around you. So I think, you know, hpf, you know, all of the things that I shared before about, about the community, about the tribe, about the coaching, about the support, something like this is what is needed and hopefully, you know, it's, it, it becomes a bigger movement, you know, and I think all fathers need something like this and eventually really big picture, we should teach it in schools. How can we get it to our young people, you know, to our young boys and give them the values and giving them the tools already and introducing them to like, you know, life skills, not just math and all of this other stuff.

Yeah, agreed, man. The education system's disgusting. You know, it's to train workers, not thinkers. Firstly. And secondly, this is a big mission for us because it is the children, Eric. It's like, how can we. But the source going to the source of what can influence and lead the children is the father, is the household, right? Otherwise, well, how could we do it? High performance children, can you imagine that? Try and have a program for 5 and 7 and 10 year olds. Pretty tough, right? How would you even get them to be able to buy in as opposed to every single day? Well, this is how the father leads and this is what they see. There's talking, there's listening. Cool. The most powerful form of communications. Example, without a Doubt that goes for adults as well. Even though we can articulate through listening and talking, it's always example. But the big thing, man, is not just that, it's all these false idols and fucking Hollywood and this Satanism which is disgustingly apparent. It's fucking sickening how much people are just accepting this like that. It's fucking disgusting. Like this isn't a religious rant, like that's for evil exists. Evil is real, man. And people just, they fucking lap it up, especially with Hollywood and celebrities is.

Like, what the fuck?

This is the. You're letting your children get access to. It's disgusting. So mate, I look at this and it's like, wow, we're really the good old days is, is absolutely needed. I agree with you, man. And these traditional values, you know, like the harder part is men didn't need as much emotional intelligence back in the day because 100 years ago their wife knew 10 to 15 other women in the local knitting club and that's all they did throughout the day. And there wasn't all the social media promotes in feminism and purple colored, purple haired people and the Alphabet people and all this stuff that just distorts and taps into these emotional things that Silicon Valley is well aware of. There are books with this stuff where they're manipulating emotions to create a grass is greener perception that then says, hey Eric, you and I are not good enough. Just as great stable fathers providing for the family. That's why as men in the modern world, we need the old guard of 100 years ago on that spine and Viking, but also the new age emotional awareness and intelligence so we can help lead our children and wives out of the pit that they get lured into. Right. It's, it's quite a seductive and, and disgusting thing across social media. So I hear you, man. And I think the only way that's really achievable, Eric, is you know, having a collective of men who are on the same page. And that's what I'm very proud of. Both in the work that you do with your people. I think it's phenomenal. And, and, and I love that man. And I also love what, what HPF represents because you can get an arrow and break it in half quite easily, but if you got a bunch of them made, it won't even bend. And that's the power, that's the power of, of the people. But what people? You know, not just people getting together, talking on some sort of social, social media group. It's like, no, no, people who are doing something Learning and then applying that action and doing something about their lives and their position in true, in true fashion to grow and lead. What. What are your thought? Like, what would be your biggest piece of. Yeah, what would be your biggest piece of advice, mate? Like, how would a. A father who's trying to navigate the world, he's not happy with what he sees too. He's like, man, I'm up against it. I've got to try and make money, provide for my family. There's all this going around. I don't quite like what, what my wife sees and shares at times. Same with my kids. Like, what would be your advice, man? To a man who's. He's out of shape, he's not given to himself, he's a bit stuck, big, stagnant. Like, what would be the most core piece of advice? This isn't a call to arms. Join hpf. It's just like, you're a brilliant mind, Eric. I want to get your advice. What would you suggest to a man who's sitting in front of you, who's stuck and needs some help? What would be like your one to three core pieces of advice or action steps you'd give him?

I think number one is understanding that everything in life is a choice. So if life is like it is, then it's because of the choices that, you know, that we, that we've done in the past. And if that's the case, then we can do different choices that will lead to a different outcome in the future. A really understanding choice which plays into responsibility, knowing it's our responsibility. You know, we can play in the government, we can play in culture, we can play in all of the things that, that you just mentioned before, and I certainly were at this place, especially during COVID you know, it was quite obvious and it was. All of the things were coming more into our awareness, saying, ah, something is not right. You know, with the education system, with the entertainment system, with the, you know, food, you know, like, big part as well. So. And people are more aware now, but then people still feel a bit helpless about it because it's tough. There's a lot of programming, a lot of propaganda, a lot of brainwashing or whatever you want to call it. And it's tough. And then you're by yourself, right, and how, how you want to figure that out and you still have to make some money and provide and feel a bit helpless sometimes, I think choice, responsibility. And once you understand that and really step into that, then just looking for answers and being proactive, you know, maybe it is okay listening to some hpf podcast episodes. You know, it's doing like the 21 day challenge that you run out. It's just reaching out to other fathers who are, who are like minded and just having more conversation about and starting small, starting to make some, some small changes and really understanding, you know, if we want to see a change, then we have to change. It's as simple. It's as simple as that. Yeah. So we can't give the responsibility to our, to our wives or to our kids or to our parents, you know, because they done it and then my boss done this and the marketplace and the economy is spread into recession and the housing market and all of this blaming and giving away the control. So what we really can control is ourselves and really focusing on, you know, on ourself, on our health and making ourselves more capable and more skilled. It's focusing on our family. So which is our relationship, our marriage and on our kids. And it's in our service, you know, either in our business or in our job or in the charity work or like other things where we serving the community or the planet, like that's what you really can control. And then thinking, okay, what are the few things that I can do today that I can do this week to make some progress there?

Love it, man, love it. I think they're all top quality points of advice. You know, there is always a choice and the responsibility is something that if we take it on as men in what we can control and then be proactive with others and applying that with the smallest steps, you just see huge change. And I love that. I think it's really important. And then you look outwards like what does the rest of the world want? They just want you to consume. Why? Because you become a product. It's all money. I'm gonna fucking make money off you because I can control you and turn you into consumer and turn you into a product that just gives me what I want and doesn't have your best interest at heart because they don't. It's about. Okay, well that's the truth then, hey, what am I going to do about it? Choice and responsibility and connecting with others. Love it, man. I think my final thoughts, men listening to this members and non members would be asking yourself this question, what am I doing today that's going to help me become better than what I was yesterday? Because at the end of the day, Eric, if you can ask that question 10,000 times, that's nearly 30 years. And you even hit the mark half that amount of time, your life will be wildly successful, wildly successful in family, self and service. Not just about money, careers, or business. But a lot of men can genuinely sit back and ask that question and be like, al, it's probably been like 3,000 days where the answer is nothing. That's right. The last eight years, you've done all you've produced. You've gotten money, but you've stayed the same. You've stayed the same even though the landscape keeps changing. Kids get older, wife gets older, you get older. All these other things change, but you hold on to one thing that makes you feel significant. Could be money, could be your house, could be whatever it is. What are you doing today that's making you better than what you were yesterday? And that's a real, like, that's something that. Mate, I'd love to. I've got a big wall right in front of me above the. The TV here. I'd love to put that in a big thing because it's like, it's. It's such a proactive, productive question that gets you moving. And they're. They're the real questions to ask. Not just statements and not just pity parties. The things that evoke a resourcefulness and a drive for action to claim and capitalize on the limited gift that we have here, which is life and time that we have on this earth. What are your final thoughts, man? It's been phenomenal, Eric, having you on, mate, and love, love seeing your involvement in hpf, obviously, and it's great to have you on this podcast, hopefully inspiring men inside and outside HBF to continue to build. But what final thoughts, man. Final thoughts on yourself, the journey, you know, anything else you want to share, mate, as we. As we wrap this up? I really enjoy this, man. It's been great.

I enjoy it as well. I think the change is possible. So when I was growing up, you know, you think that's just how it is, that just how life is, because that's what you modeled by my. By my mom and by my grandparents that I was really close to, you know, then through culture or through, you know, certain friend groups. And it's just. Think that's just. That's just how it is. Nothing I can do about, but I think, you know, really knowing that change is possible and you can turn your life around, you know, now we have beginning of the new year. New year. It's everywhere, but it's actually possible. And I think, like you said. Exactly, it's the small things every day. What can I do today? To change and then get help, you know, whatever it is. Like, it's, it's, it's. It's bloody hard by yourself. So think, you know, like, believe that it's possible to change because it is, you know, and if you need inspiration, then just look at all of the HPF stories. So it is possible. And the other thing is to just get started, you know, just take this first step, do something. What is it that I can do today to. To be a bit better than yesterday. That's really what it is. And you do this like, you know, for like 21 days. You do this for six weeks, you do this for six months. Wow. Maybe already a different person.

Yes, Agreed. Agreed. Love him in some great. Some great advice. Awesome having on. Eric, thanks so much for joining us, man. I hope you always got some huge value out of this. I certainly did. I've written several notes, mate, which I'm going to be using for some daily revelations inside the group and our Facebook stories and other things. Because it's just awesome to be in a space where you just continually reminded of a lot of the times they're simple, but things that are just really going to put the power back in your hands and give you that opportunity. And I think what you shared them and is awesome. And make no mistake, there are definitely things that I address by myself. I need to square away by myself. But I'll never go it alone. Never, never. And I think there's value in what you said then by having the right people around you and not going it alone. Of course. Personal success, personal things we need to address. But then, yeah, man, I love hpf and being part of the tribe keeps me straight. Right. Keeps me honest, which. Which is awesome. Thanks again, Eric. It's been unreal, man. Appreciate having you on.

Thanks for having me.

Well, that wraps up another episode and just as we wind this down, I want you to just reflect and think back through some of the golden nuggets. Some of the revelations, some of the sore points, some of the things that might have hit home with you. And then just look at ways that you can apply a different set of actions to change your position, change your circumstances, change your feelings and change the facts. These episodes are done with your best interest at heart. And there's always something we can get from that. Maybe it's not, not the first time, maybe it's the second time. We've had members listen to episodes four or five times and then it finally clicks. But either way, I hope you got a lot of value out of this. And also if this is something that you really want to solidify inside of your life, repetition is the key. You've listened to it. Write down your revelations, think about them, read them, speak them. Believe in the changes that you will carve out in the action plan of those revelations to create change in your life. And then share. Share that. And when you teach, you learn the second time, right? So teaching and showing this to others you love and care about is the greatest way that you can remember. And make sure you consistently learn and relearn what is it's true and what is it is important to you in your heart. Take care. Have an amazing day, night, weekday weekend, and I'll see you for another one soon. Cheers.