291. How Phil Britten Rebuilt His Life After The Bali Bombing

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Well, I'm just going to start with this now. Today's conversation, a man who walks through something most people would not survive and then had to figure out how How to Live After It. Phil Britton is a survivor of the 2002 Bali bombings. He lost 7 of his close mates that night and was left with burns to over 60% of his body. For 12 hours, he was believed to be dead. Fuck, I'm getting chills reading this, man. Um, fuck. But this is not a survival story. Um, you guys are going to be blown away when you, when you hear and see what, what Phil has done, because this man rebuilding after everything is stripped from him is, is fucking incredible. But But I gotta say, mate, like, this is a question I've got written here that I was curious on, which I'm sure we'll dive into at the right time. You know, you went on to become a martial artist, business owner, speaker, husband, father of three, sharing your story, fuck, across the globe. Uh, pretty inspirational stuff. But underneath that, this question, which I certainly would ask myself, man: why did I survive? Um, and, and, and what do you do with that? You know, you lost 7 close mates. You've spoken, um, to me off air about like the footy club and how it rocked the community. But that's, um, that's, that's, that's heavy shit, man. But here you are, you know, 20, 24 years later, um, building, built a phenomenal life and impactful leader. But mate, firstly, welcome and thanks for giving the time and joining us on today's show, mate.

No, pleasure, mate. Thanks for having me. But, um, yeah, it's, uh, it's funny when you look back at, you know, all the things in life and, you know, that was a very big defining moment in my life. But, you know, even since then and business and family and kids and there's been so many of those those moments in life that you go, man, wow, like life really is a roller coaster. And I guess my thing that I usually say is, is, uh, I don't, don't let what happens to you define you. Let what you do with what happens to you be the person that you're going to be. Let that define you, your actions after. And it's hard when you're in there, you know, like life wasn't easy. It was, you know, initially Suicide, depression, alcohol, drugs, survivor guilt, all that type of stuff. You know, I had to go to the ditch, go to the deepest parts first before I had to rebuild myself out.

Oh man, 22 is so fucking young. Like, like we look at this, Phil, right? And that's the interesting thing. Like who, you know, quote unquote, the world at our feet. Um, you know, I was 22 looking to make a crack at first grade footy, all that sort of stuff. But you realize. And this is respectfully to young listeners too, because I'm sure 80-year-olds look at us in our 40s and say we're young, right? But it's like, life's so fucking quick, mate. It's, it's, uh, it's, yeah, it's, it's nothing. It's so fast. But man, 22, like, you've got the whole world at your feet, but it's so young. Like, what a, what a, what a burden to carry, man, for any— that, that would, that would rock me in my 40s with, with all the, all the scars and battles and stuff I've been through. So that would have been tough, man. Like, what I guess before that though, like, what was life like for you, man? Like, so you're 23, but what did you see your life becoming? Because obviously you've built some pretty impressive stuff, which we'll talk through, but where was life heading for you? It's obviously taken quite a different turn, but where did you think life was going and what it would look like and what it was like back then before the accident?

Yeah, look, you know, I grew up in a country town up north of Western Australia called Exmouth. And, uh, played country footy and football was my thing. That was where my life was heading. Uh, I moved to Perth, uh, as a, as a high schooler. My parents moved me to Perth for pursuing my football career. And really that's all that I had focused on. I'm a high school dropout. I didn't really have much going for me from an educational point of view, purely because, you know, I think people just sort of gave up on, on me. My focus was sport in general, and academics wasn't really the, the place for me. So I always believed that I was going to make it in some way, shape, or form in footy. So I left school after year 11, got a pre-apprenticeship as a fridgie by trade. And through that kind of experience, you know, I was in state schoolboys alongside with people like Ben Cousins, Tyson Stengliner, you know, I was up there with some of the guys and the age of 16 got a bit of a knee injury and doctors said you know, don't play football again. And, uh, you know, back then when you're playing and trying to compete at that level, you're playing club footy, school footy, state footy, and then, you know, you, you, you're running your body ragged. And I think it just gave up. And so at that point, I, I gave up footy. I took up martial arts, which was just a lifelong dream, you know, growing up watching Karate Kid. Who didn't want to be a karate kid themselves? So I took up martial arts as a way to sort of rebuild do something that I wanted to do. And over those years, from, uh, from '96 when I was 16 on through to, uh, the 2000s, so when I was 20, I just trained in martial arts and was a fridge by trade, letting my body heal. And then it wasn't until I moved into a house that most 22, 20-year-olds do, you know, moved into a house with 5 blokes, shared rent on the beach down in Scarborough, and life was pretty good as a fridgie. And then all the guys were like playing for an amateur football club called Kingsley Footy Club. And they were like, Phil, you used to be bloody good at footy. Why don't you come back and have a go? And yeah, you know, like after all the martial arts and giving my body a break, it felt right. It felt good. And at the age of 20, I, um, I started playing footy again for Kingsley Footy Club. And it was like, man, first game, it was like I'd never left. The, the love, the passion, you know, the skill was sort of still there. And I just, like, without blowing my own horn, you know, I teared it up. You know, it was an amazing feeling to get on the footy field and get recognized pretty much straight away. So I started playing Colts, and then I'd play the league side straight after. So like, hey, you're not going anywhere, mate. Play for the 20-year-olds, but come play for the big guys straight after. So I went from playing Colts straight into league and then captained the league side. The following year and into 2002, captain of the Kinsey Footy Club. And so yeah, at that point, at 2002, literally about, I would say, 2 weeks before the end of season footy trip with my reserves team, won the grand final, my league team, we came runner-up. I got a phone call from over here, West Perth, which is the one under the AFL. You know, the Waffle Club. And it was Darren Harris, who was the coach. And he, I just remember that click, the phone call so clearly, cause I was so excited at the age of 22, you know, having another crack at my lifelong childhood dream. And he said, mate, we've heard you back. We, you've won the Association Fairest and Best for 2 years running. You're this, you're doing that. I said, mate, I am ready. He goes, why don't you come down and do preseason and see how you go? And so I said to him, I said, mate, I'm going on an end of season footy trip in a couple of weeks. When I come back, we'll get cracking. And, um, you know, that was my path. Little, little was I to know that on that end of season footy trip, I would land myself in the Sari Club. Um, so 2002, October 12th, me and 19 of my mates and, uh, 900 kilos of explosives in a minivan blew up 20 meters from where I was.

Fuck me, that's, um, and I have to apologize earlier, I said accident, mate. That was a fucking horrific act, mate, that you survived. And, um, And it was just a horrendous shockwave throughout Australia. I remember seeing it on the news vividly, man, and it felt like yesterday. I was telling you before, um, that is insane. Jeez, I tell you what too, right, fuck, with the footy and the— isn't it crazy how life works, man? And, um, and you know, like, those who are no longer with us, those who are still here, it's such a— it's such a fucking crazy path no one can write, man. And, um, I guess before we dive into that, because that's a That, that's a crazy, crazy story. I'd love for you to share with us, man, which, which, like you've mentioned earlier, um, when we've spoken, you've traveled the world sharing a story to impact others. There's some real— yeah, we talk about rebuilding, but what I hear before this, this incident was there's some pretty cool things on, on you developing yourself as a man. Martial arts, learning and working with a trade, so developing skills in a trade. Elite sport, or sport nonetheless, as an athlete. Like, that's, um, are they core things you think shaped you as a man? Like, I look at the modern world today, right, and it's nothing against young men either, it's just like there's so much more temptation and risk with the internet and everything, uh, which we didn't have growing up, that just pulls them away from fundamental patterns of discipline, follow-through, commitment, becoming a man of your word. And like, they're 3 powerful things, man. Like, what do you think really shaped your, your mentality there's, there's got to be something pre what happened that developed you. Like, what, what was that? Did that contribute, those three things? Like, walk me through, like, your mentality, because most men aren't like that today.

Yeah, I mean, definitely. I mean, I think, you know, most people who grew up in, in the country environment, you know, tend to have a little bit of resilience about them anyway. It's challenging. And, and growing up playing sport in a country town when that's all I was ever good at, you know, I was playing against guys 5 years 6 years, 10 years older than me as a youngster. And so I get definitely growing up in an environment where you're pushed to be challenged, uh, you know, at a higher level than what you are. So, you know, that's definitely a, a part to play. Um, trade, trade school for me was interesting. I just like, I didn't even know I wanted to be a fridgey. I didn't even know what a fridgey was until I did a, did work experience somewhere. And I went, hey, these guys are pretty good. Like they get paid well, they get a company car. Sounds good to me. So I literally just, I only chose being a frugie because it felt like a good lifestyle that would assist me to play footy. But yeah, definitely getting on the tools early, learning in those early times. I remember just out of all the apprentice apprentices in the trade, I was definitely one who tried to put myself forward early, sweeping the floors, getting the tools, preempting what the tradesmen wanted. You know, and really trying to challenge myself on that aspect. Sport was always something that I think was a big part of who I was, and I think that plays into the country part, is, you know, always being very competitive. Being quite small, I always had to, you know, push myself physically and really go hard. I was an in-and-under football player, and that really shone on the field. But I would definitely say the sweet spot, or I guess I wouldn't say a magic wand, but I definitely feel like one of the reasons that I am who I am today was through my martial arts experience. And I didn't really know that until after, like, and it was from 16 to 20, I was just learning how to fight.

You know what I mean?

That's all I was doing. Um, but it wasn't until I nearly died. It wasn't until I had to recover that I realized that all those times that I got punched in the face and I kept going. All those sort of tips and colored belts that I got, all the times that I learned that I, you know, I couldn't do more than 20 push-ups, but if I wanted to go for a black belt, I had to do 100. So learning to push myself past where I— the glass ceiling that we all perceive for ourselves is— and martial arts definitely taught me that, um, in those early years. And I think I definitely believe that I probably wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't have survived, probably not just the actual incident itself, but in the, the months and years of recovery without that that sort of mindset and emotional resilience that I received through martial arts training.

It's a funny word, isn't it? The word mind, you know, like it's what you're sharing that I, um, the word that came to me was steeling, like a steeling, like just the necessarily hardening, but just being, being hard or reflective against what gets thrown at you in life. And I mean, fuck mate, what, what, what better pathway or equally one of the top pathways to that would be martial arts. Um, in, in prepping all of us for anything in, in life— fatherhood, marriage, and everything else in between.

You'll probably know that, you know, like, one thing that society's, you know, losing now for us men especially is that sort of— and I wouldn't say fighting, but I would say, um, being physical with each other in a competitive environment, uh, is something that we— you can get punched in the face and then hug the guy for doing it for you because of the lesson that we're both teaching each other, do you know what I mean? Like the analogy of, you know, your guard dropping and then getting a punch in the face was going to teach you to put your guard up. And those are physical lessons that we have to physically learn to be able to, uh, to obviously not get punched in the face, but then take that lesson into life as well.

Oh, of course, mate. And painting a brush or tying in something which is negative to a source of energy is fucking disgusting. Like, and that what I'm saying is the term toxic masculinity. Like, there are so many women out there who express masculine energy. Every single female officer out there, every single fucking female police officer can't not express masculine energy and think she'd fucking survive in an environment, um, where there's conflict. So, so when you talk about that, yeah, well, yeah, it's primal power, man. Like, as men, that's absolutely missing today, just tapping into those primal roots in a genuine fashion where, like you said, you know, yeah, gloves on, yeah, well, yeah, wrestling or whatever it might be. It's like, yeah, we— I appreciate Footy, right? Like, as much as you want to beat the other side, you've got to respect them because if they're not on the field, well, then there is no game, you know. Is there, Phil? You've got no one else up against. So that's what I used to always respect, uh, the opportunity my competition would give me, whether it was footy or cricket, soccer, CrossFit, anything, right? But, um, I hear that, man. Mate, what, what was that moment that, that I guess you'll, you'll remember forever, like, fuck, 900 kilograms, 20 meters away. Like, what was that moment where everything changed? You want to like walk us through that, man? You're there, you're at, you're at the nightclub, like, um, I don't know if he lives the term, but yeah, what, fuck, what happened, man?

Walk us through that, like, and, and, and, and, yeah, I mean, look, you got to remember, you know, it was a footy trip and, you know, by the time we left, by the time we left Perth, you know, as youngsters and football guys, we were already drunk. And so the drinking continued and not to encourage that, but that's just a fact of what it was. We were 20, 22, some older, some younger, and we were out to have the time of our lives. And so by the time we got to Bali, let alone the Sari Club, you know, we were all pretty pickled. And I just remember so clearly leaning against the bar, one of the bars, and I'm looking over the dance floor, like I can actually picture it right now, seeing my mates dancing with girls, you know, the bass just pumping, the humidity, the heat, the smiling faces. Like, I just remember leaning against the bar and for me in that moment, I'm having this internal conflict because I'm looking at my mates, many of which I went to school with, played footy with, and I'm also thinking about leaving my mates to pursue this AFL career. And I'm literally feeling like I'm torn. Like on one hand, I don't want to leave my friends. On the other, I'm concerned of what this life might bring if I pursue this lifelong dream. And I had this mate, Laurie Kerr. Laurie was probably about 40 at the time, and I really looked up to him, sort of like a father figure. I didn't grow up with a dad around. And over the years, he played a pivotal role in just mentoring me, I guess, a little bit through the footy club. And I remember he came up to me, he comes up and I remember so clearly he was, he was pretty drunk himself. He liked, he liked a wine or two or 10. And he came in and he whispered something in my ear at that time. And he said, what's up, little buddy? You know, what's going on? And I told him, mate, I'm torn. I don't know what to do. On one hand, I've got this opportunity. On the other, I've got this lifelong dream. I'm, I'm feeling a little bit at the crossroads, mate. And I don't know. I don't know what I'm going to do. And he leans in and he says, he says, Phil, always take your opportunities, but more importantly, mate, always follow your heart. And at the age of 22, I wouldn't have had many of these heart-dropping moments where the weight was lifted. And I turned to Laurie and said, mate, hold that thought. I'm going to come back and buy you a beer. I'm just going to go to the dunny. And so I stagger off. In my new direction of, yep, I know what I'm doing. I'm clear. I get across the dance floor. I high-five my mate Corey on the way through dancing with some girls. I hear this sound over the corner of my shoulder, which what I later found out was a backpack bomber who lit up the Paddy's Bar. And at that time I was thinking, ah, it's just a firework or something. And then literally seconds later, Boom! Like, I don't know, like, just imagine the, the biggest force of power you could ever imagine. It was like, it's hard to describe, like a bowling ball of power, like, just hit me and launched me into this back bar. Uh, I remember having roofing all over me, uh, like the roofing battens or the, the wooden battens. I remember having bodies laying all over me, and I'm, I'm in this wedge position between this bar and the roofing, and I'm just looking at my— pain in my mouth is excruciating. And as I sort of push the, the roofing and the bodies, it's pitch black, black. My ears, I can't hear a thing. It's silent, like eerie silent. And as I get to my, my feet, blood's in my hands, and I'm like, Fuck, where's my teeth? All my teeth had been blown out either from a head or a bar or something. And, uh, and when I'm looking at my, the blood and my teeth, I hear this one sound from a broken English, probably a Balinese guy. He said, stay calm. It's just a gas bottle. But I, uh, I just remember like in that moment, the hearing starting to come back a bit more, the, the, the the smell of the chemicals from the chemicals they use in the bomb. I could smell the chemicals. I could taste chemicals as well. And then literally the next thing was walls of fire, like instant, like walls of fire everywhere. The heat was so, so hot, so quick. Alcohol bottles are popping. Um, imagine sitting front row at a bonfire, but the bonfire's as big as a footy field. The heat was so intense, like you could feel your skin starting to blister from it. And in that moment with fire just engulfing everywhere, I looked to my left, still dazed and confused from a head concussion, teeth missing. I'm barefooted. I got my shorts and a singlet on. I trudge to this wall on the left, which was the only place I could see not on fire.

I look up.

It looks impossible. I find like a milk crate or something to stand on. I jump on the crate. I jump as high as I can. I got my fingertips just on the top of the wall. And as I've like gone to pull myself up, I've slipped and fallen back into the fire. Um, I, uh, I remember peeling myself off of the ground, looking at the wall, looking at people starting to push and like push me down. Uh, I corral myself back to the wall. I give it another crack. I jump as high as I can. I've got the wall now on my chest. I've like pulled myself up. I'm here. And then I feel hands grab my hair and then hands grab my shoulders and I'm being used by a ladder by all these other people trying to get over me, over the wall. And at that point, I'm like holding myself up, holding everyone else up, and I'm, I let go and we all fall. And at that point. You know, it's, it's pretty cliché, but it's bloody true. At that point, I laid there curled up in a fetal position, like the same way I came into the world is the same way I'm leaving. I curl up in a fetal position, literally about to give up. I'm dying. I'm done. I've got nothing else. I've failed this wall twice. There's nothing else I can do. I'm going out of this world right now. And the cliché part is your mind, when you're about to die, your mind drifts and it's like this, this video play reel of like the life that was, the life that could be, and your mind's drifting to regret, not meeting the wife of my dreams, not being able to get married, not having the car, the house, the kids, teaching my little boy to kick the footy. These things are just going in my head in, in like seconds and then something I don't know what it was. I can't explain it except the emotion and the regret turned into a determination that I never knew I had. I have, I have no description other than I literally get to my feet. I look at the wall and in my exact words, I said, I'm getting the fuck out now. And I literally just jumped as high as I could. I don't really remember the details of how I succeeded. Whereas I remember clearly how I failed, but how I succeeded is the next thing I know I'm on top of this wall, I've launched like a rocket, and I've crawled across the neighboring roof with all the roof tiles blowing off it, and I get to the top of the neighboring roof, and that's where I felt my burns for the very first time. And for the, for the listeners out there, uh, just imagine your whole body like third degree sunburn, like as sunburnt as sunburnt can be. And your mate comes up and slaps you in your back. It's like, oh, that, you know, that feeling of just instant excruciating pain. And in that moment, at the apex of the neighboring building, in my extreme pain of realizing, hang on, my back is on fire, I rip my singlet off and all the skin off my back comes with it. Throw it to the neighboring, to the, down into the fire, crawl across the neighboring roof and dangle my legs over the neighboring roof where I'm just yelling for help. I'm yelling for help. And, uh, there's a photo, um, in my book, uh, of me escaping. Someone actually took a photo of me on this roof, blood all over my face, blood on my feet. and I'm sitting there begging for someone to help me get off this roof and no one would help. Man, it was a miracle that anyone got out of there. And I, I don't know, you know, I was not definitely, I was not a Christian at that point. I'm a born again Christian now, but when you look back in your life and you think of moments you can't explain, you can only put it in God's hands. That was definitely one of them.

That's, um, I wouldn't even know what the word would be, mate. I was going to say incredible, but that's just, that's fucking crazy, man. That is so crazy. Um, you know, and, and, and then the craziest part, Phil, is it's not the only time there's been a public fucking explosion or bomb or something go off in the world, right? And this is, this is what people who, this is what people experience, is what they live, this is what they go through. And that's, um, Fucking kudos to you, man. And like you said, the higher power, mate, there's a— because that's a, that's a pretty, that's pretty savage how you're able to survive. And, um, and just all of those— I wouldn't even say emotions— those, those processes as a human in one go. That's it, I'm done, this is it, no, I'm gonna get out of here, fuck, someone give me, help me, who's there, there's no one there. And then you were— no one knew where you were, you were presumed dead. Like, how— like I'm guessing then those other people who were pulling you down to try and get up, it sounds like they, they didn't get out at all, mate, as well.

Yeah, look, um, 202 people died, 88 Australians, and 7 of my, 7 of my best mates. Um, now I, I stand, sit here now, and, and, uh, after being burnt to 60% of my body, front teeth completely blown out, I had shrapnel wounds all over. In recovery, I had over 40 blood transfusions. I nearly died in several of my skin graft operations. My whole back was burnt, so 60% of my body. So literally the 2 times that I fell back, I literally, I call them fire angels. You know the snow angels you do in the snow? I literally did fire angels. My whole back of my arms, my back, my back of my legs, they're all burnt. And yeah, it was just another one of those moments, right? So no one came to my help at that point. I jump off this building and land in this muddy alleyway. I run out the alleyway and I look to my right and I see the bomb, you know, the 900 kilos minivan explosion, big crater in the ground, screaming, people dying, people getting dragged out, like the craziest horror story you probably would have, or movie you would ever see. And I looked to my left and I see none of that. So I run left. I run left as fast as I can. It felt like the faster I ran, the less it hurt until I got about 50 meters up the road. And I realized that it was the first moment after I'd saved myself. I was like, fuck, where's my mates? And I'm looking back at the bomb. I'm looking away and I'm thinking, I've got to go back. And it was at that moment that, um, 3 expats, Mira, Tansen, grandparents, and Sai, the grandchild, um, he was like 20s at that point. They were at a shop opening. They'd lived in Bali for a while. They were at a shop opening 50 meters from the bomb site. They were out the front having a smoke and got hit by shrapnel. All the cars on the street were all on fire or damaged. Except for theirs. When they got up out of being hit by shrapnel, they got in their car, they did a U-turn down that one-way street in Bali, and in the grandson's words, their headlights shot on me. And he said that I had, I stood there with sheets of skin 30 centimeters long hanging off my arms, and I looked like a blood-covered zombie beast. And he said, we got to save this kid. Um, I just remember this young guy. Like literally, I think about this for a moment. I've just been blown up. I've just survived. And now this young guy jumps out of his car and trying to take me into his car. I think I'm getting bloody kidnapped. And as he's grabbing me, my skin's coming off. I'm like a wet fish. And he's like, mate, I'm here to save you. And I'm fighting him. Fuck off. Get away. Get away. Leave me alone. Cause I'm trying to go back to my mates. Eventually he calms me down. I realize he's here to help me out. He goes, mate, we're going to help you. We're going to help you. We're going to get you in the car. We're going to take you to the hospital. I'm like, They threw me in the back. Uh, it took half an hour for them to take me to this sort of Balinese clinic off the beaten track because they were locals. Uh, I turned that interior into that car completely red. Bang on this, uh, Bali clinic door, all the lights were off. I'm banging, it's just me. I got out of the car, I'm banging on this door. Light comes on like the front porch. This little Balinese girl and this other guy opens the door and their faces just drop. They've, they're just seeing me out of nowhere. And, uh, all I hear is Balinese going on. The expats are speaking Balinese. They finally get me into the clinic, sit me on the stretcher there. They're all talking. They're all confused. They don't know what to do. Um, one of the nurses gets like a bottle of saline and a cotton bud and there's like dabbing at my burns. The grandfather, uh, Tansen, he grabs the bottle and pours it over my body. And that was like the first sign of relief that I got. Uh, at that point they realized that they couldn't help me there. So they said, oh, we've got an ambulance. We've got an ambulance. I'm like, oh, fantastic. Uh, you know what we think an ambulance looks like? I'll go outside. I help them open up the garage door. It's stuck. And it's this green bongo van. They wheel it out. I open the door. I look in the back. It's a metal floor with a yoga mat on top of it. Someone who's got their whole back sunburned, they're like, get in, get in, get in. I'm like, are you kidding me? I've got nothing else to do. So I lay for another 40 minutes in traffic in this bongo van on my back, burnt back on this metal floor yoga mat, all the way to Sangla Hospital, where I'm thinking, oh, this is it. I'm going to get sorted. Medical attention, pain relief. I get out of the ambulance. I'm thinking I'm going to walk into an organized, clean facility. The doors open and it's a war zone. There are dead bodies everywhere. There's blood on the roof. There's blood on the floor. There's chaos everywhere. No one's even paying attention. I'm walking in like, like this. And I'm like, someone help, help, help. Someone grabs me and goes, get on this bed, get on this bed. The bed was covered in blood. Every time I pushed it away, like a car going through a puddle, the blood would come back. I just sit on this bed and I'm literally like getting, uh, getting my bearings and just sort of coming to my thoughts of what, what the hell's going on here. Um, I did see out of the corner of my eye, uh, one person that I knew. It was Laurie, LK, the guy I spoke to just before. And I remember he was so far away, we couldn't speak. We had smoke inhalation, chemicals and stuff like that. But I remember seeing his eyes and he was a little bit burnt, not as bad as me. And, uh, it was like, I know, like we saw each other, but, and there was nothing else after that. I got put in a half mummified, still no pain relief. I got pushed into this little tiny room in Sanglah Hospital with this Balinese person. And that's where I laid until about 10:30 the next day. So, uh, 8 past 11 Saturday night, the bomb went off. And, uh, at about 10:30, I would say, this guy, this Australian guy comes into this room and he's, he asked me if I was his friend because I was unrecognizable, sort of bandaged up and stuff. He goes, man, are you so-and-so? I'm like, nah, man. Like, he goes, does anyone know you're here? I'm like, I don't even know what happened. Like, I don't know. No. He goes, can I call someone? And I gave him my mum's phone number and he called my mum here in Perth and he said, ma, I think I've got your son here. Uh, you know, can I put him on? She's like, she's just waking up. She actually was asleep, didn't know what was going on. So she woke up to my phone call and I'm saying, mum, I've been blown up. I'm a little bit burnt. I knew it was a lot worse. But I'm coming home. Please tell the boys I'm alive. And, uh, part of me, part of me sort of had a feeling that I wasn't coming home. But, you know, so it's emotional just thinking about it. But the other half was like just giving my mum hope. And I think just giving my mum hope gave me hope as well, just to keep, keep pushing, keep surviving and So that guy, my mum got the phone call back to the coach who was in Bali, said, Phil's alive, he's in the hospital, bloody find him now. And so it wasn't until midday Sunday that one of the boys in the footy team actually found me. And they took me from this little room, chucked me on a stretcher, wheeled me to this big room. It was the Australian ward or the Western ward. And this is where all the medical help was happening. This is where all the pain relief was being given. It was the first time that I actually got any pain relief. Since being blown up.

I respect most about you, Phil, man, isn't what you've gone through and everything you shared, despite that being a fucking horrific encounter and something you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. But what you've built in life despite every fucking reason not to, man, and every excuse you could hold on to, you know, that's, that's fucking incredible, mate. And we'll talk about what you've built since, but fuck me, man, not many people come back from that. alive or not and actually build a life that thrives. Um, that's fucking incredible, man. What, um, what was that part? Like, what was that path to recovery like for you, man? I guess physically first, and then what happens after survival that most people don't talk about?

Yeah, man. I mean, look, I spoke to one of my physios who I bumped into the other day who looked after me when I, when I finally got back to Perth. And, um, I remember saying to him, I said, I remember laying out just to catch everyone up. So by the time I was, I left Bali on the last Hercules. By the time I got to Darwin, which is where they were, um, exiting everyone, Perth Hospital, which is where I'm from, from, which was where the the most successful burn surgeons were, was full. And so I had a doctor on the tarmac in Bali, in Darwin say, you're coming with me. And I'm so blessed that he did. He grabbed me, he put me in another little Cessna plane and I flew to Royal Adelaide Hospital, which funny enough is where I'm born. Anyway, I'm, I mean, I'm, I'm in an induced coma for a little while and I remember waking up in in hospital in the burn, in the emergency room. I'm crucified in this bed. I've got pipes and tubes everywhere and I've still got the mud and the dirt in my toenails from, from Bali. And I remember just laying there literally so badly injured that I couldn't even move any part of my body. Like it was just excruciating. And so why I say that is because in the, in the early parts of my recovery, I literally wanted to die. I literally wanted to give up. It was like, who survives something like this and actually has a decent life? Like, is this, is the fight worth it? And, uh, all I wanted to see, I wanted to see proof. I wanted, where's the proof? Like, show me someone who, I'd never seen anyone burn in my whole life. Like, you know, a little superficial burn, but nothing like me. And I just remember, like, what is life going to be like? And to me, it probably, it wasn't worth living. And when I finally, you know, I guess 2 and a half months after being in burns unit, I was 2 months in Royal Adelaide Hospital. They told me that I, uh, I wouldn't leave Royal Adelaide Hospital until I could walk 2 laps of the of the hallway. And I was like, oh, hang on, you've just given me a challenge. The martial artist and the footballer of me, uh, said, right, well, 2 laps it is. And so I remember in the 2 months that I was there, I went from not being able to move one piece of my body to slowly moving a finger to slowly sitting up, getting dizzy. To eventually being able to walk and do 2 laps of the, the, the hallway. I was in 2 weeks in Royal Perth Hospital and they sent me home on an early release program. They want to get you home, they want to get you moving, reintegrated into society as quick as possible. Um, but what comes with that is, is being alone, um, being internal. And, and starting to, to feed the, the side of the voice that we know we shouldn't be feeding. And, and so in the months and the years, uh, survivor guilt, wanted to give up, uh, resorted to alcohol, just getting drunk to escape, um, drugs, drug abuse. And it kind of was a bit accepted because me and the rest of the survivors, we were all doing the same thing and was like, well, You know, we're all doing it to escape what's just happened and what we've been through. And so not only did I have the physical scars and the physical injuries, which took, I was in a Burns pressure suit, attractive thing. Think of wearing a, a full length wetsuit, but I had gloves, only fingertips showing, toes showing, crutchless so I could go to the toilet. And I had to wear that for 12 months for 23 and a half hours a day. This, then it was tight and itchy. Um, still had no teeth, you know. It's like that first year and a half was the worst. Being burnt, the actual injury itself does not compare to the aftermath of, of recovery, of the physical and the mental and emotional that you have to go through. And literally, there were so many times that I wanted to give up.

No doubt. And even then, despite that, did you find yourself struggling with why, why you lived and others didn't? Like, what was— yeah, what was, what was that like, man? Like that, I guess, like you said, the internal, the, the, the mind, that inner dialogue, I guess, in a way.

Um, yeah, yeah, there was— I mean, I, I would say there was a defining turning point probably 6 months after. And, um, because those first 6 months was, was hell. I remember closing the curtains because I didn't want sun inside the house. I used to lay in the lounge room, literally just wanting to give up. Didn't want to see anyone, didn't want to be around anyone, didn't want anyone to see me. You know, you gotta remember, I went from this young, bronze-skinned, long-haired, surfy, athletic football player to this complete opposite. And, uh, you know, it was really hard. I remember clearly my grandma at that point, 6 months after, she came through to my house. I remember it so clearly, she burst through the door. I remember the screech of the flywire, and she comes in and she's a bit angry. We all need those grandmas, right? We call her Commandant Rosengrant. She's short, stocky, tough as nails, heart of gold, but she grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, uh, and pretty much slapped me silly and said, Phil, you've got to fucking talk about this shit. You keep bottling up, you're going to dig yourself deeper into this hole. And she said, why don't you come down to one of my Lions Club meetings and just come and share your story? Like, you need to get, you need to get off this bloody couch. You need to get out there and you need to just talk about what you've been through. And as any good grandson does, they say yes just to shut their grandmother up. But as, uh, as she left, I was like, You know, she, you're right. She's right. I've got to, what the strategy that I'm using is not working because if I continue down this path, I won't be here. And so, uh, if you're with me that night, that night that I, I committed to speaking at a Lions Club. I'm, by the way, the only public speaking I'd ever done at that point was being a captain of a footy side, smacking a few butts on the footy field and, you know, given the motivational chat on the field. And so there I am, I'm in this little room. If you know where RSLs and Lions Clubs gather, they all gather in the same looking place. And there's 12 wrinkly old faces all sitting around this sort of, you know, they're eating their food. And the speaker, the host says, we've got a special guest. We've got some Phil, Phil, survivor of the Bali bombing. I have no idea what to say. I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know what's happening. Um, I really felt like running away. I didn't want to be there. Uh, they call my name. I walk up. I'm standing in front of a podium. I feel a little bit protected because I've got this thing in front of me and them. And I just speak. I told them everything that I've spoken to you about, but probably a lot more raw, a lot more real. I was reliving it right there and there. And after about an hour of going through everything, I was shaking, tears were coming down my cheeks. And, uh, and I remember that, that room of 12 wrinkly old faces, many of which probably would have saw more war or death than I ever have or will. They, they stood and they clapped louder than a room of a thousand. And I just remember at that point, I was like, this was that pivotal moment. It was like, I had that voice. Remember, I was feeding the wrong voice and I had this voice and I said, Phil, maybe this is why you survived. Maybe, maybe this is why you're here. And then as always, that positive voice gets back and you hear that other one and says, who the fuck do you think you are, Phil? Get back into your house, get into that corner and shrivel up and die. And as I'm walking away. This old guy on a Zimmer frame, he looks super frail. He comes up and he's got his hand shaking for a handshake. He grabs me. His handshake is as strong as a 35-year-old bricklayer. He pulls me in and he says, keep speaking up, son. I hope one day my kids and their kids can hear your life story. Mate, keep doing that. And, uh, on the drive home, I was driving home and I was just thinking about what had happened. And I remember thinking, or coming to the realization at that point, why I was actually failing. And the reason was because I was trying so hard to be the Phil Britton that I used to be. But I realized that night that I had to become the Phil Britton that I am. And that Phil Britton is a person who has scars. He's not a Bali bombing victim. He's a Bali bombing survivor. And those scars, although at that point, you know, in my head, I was looking at the ugly scars that no one would ever love or ever want. And I looked at my scars a little different that day. I looked at them as a badge of honor about someone who's been through some shit. And then the, uh, the, the other side, the funny side of me says, and chicks dig scars. So I just got lots of them. And that there began the turnaround of me doing what every digger probably should have done, which was speak about what they'd been through.

Mm. And that, yeah. Oh mate, no doubt. And fuck, isn't it powerful when you have those moments where, like, old mate pulling you in and just— because you're right, we all have that, we all have that inner darkness, mate, that pulls us away, the self-critic that tries to just push us down and keep us in the fucking pit in life, you know? And those moments, mate, it's no such thing as coincidences, right?

You don't see them in the moment, right? But you can only look at them in retrospect and go, they are those moments. And I was literally just, uh, I'm sure we'll talk about it a little bit later, but you know, after receiving some pretty serious news about my wife, I was just literally thinking and walking the dog today that there are moments in life that you look back on that without them, you wouldn't be who you are. And that's not. And we don't ever want to take away the hard moments, the moments that challenge you, the moments where you think you've got nothing left, because those moments are actually the ones that, that strengthen you for the next moment.

Yep. 100% agree, man. You know, 100% agree. Uh, not that HPF Coach Coach is ever about Alex, certainly not anymore, but, um, it was born off the back of my personal life falling apart. So funny, man, how it all works. So that was a proper So what, probably about a year and a half then until you sort of reached— was it when you did that speech at the Lions Club? About 12, could that— fuck, 12 months with that wetsuit, man. Jesus, that's, um, it was hell.

Like 6 months in, I did— I, 6 months after the bomb I spoke, 6 months after the bomb I played my first game of footy in a full-length pressure suit, no teeth. Um, it was— I had a bit of a challenge with Jason McCartney, the guy who came back from North Fremantle AFL footballer. So he was pretty badly burnt too. But, um, you know, he, he came back 6 months after and he called, he called me, um, and he goes, mate, I'm having my comeback game. I really want you to come out and flick the coin. I said, mate, I'm having my first comeback game this weekend. So I buckled and let him have his and, uh, flicked the coin on the, on the field for him. But yeah, the next week I I managed to play football 6 months after, still with open wounds, and I remember pouring blood out of my football boot after the game.

Wow, would have been a, uh, would have been quite a lengthy process though, man. Like, when you talk about rebuilding, I mean, that's, that's, that's fucking crazy. But, um, so well done on that. But like, what, what did you do? Like, how did you actually rebuild physically, mentally, emotionally? Like, what What did that look like? What's that? What's that? What was that runway over the following 12, 18, 24 months, you know, and the ups and downs?

Um, full circle moment. Um, because after all that and yeah, okay. Uh, speaking helped heal, but I still had no freaking clue what I was going to do with my life. I was a frigie by trade. I couldn't go out on a roof or be in the sun anymore at that point. Uh, football was off the cards. I had no idea what to do with my life. I remember crying in my bed. Uh, and even though on the surface, and some of the guys might be able to relate, on the surface I looked like I had it together and things were looking good, but on beneath the surface, it was probably just as bad as it ever was. Just holding things together. And I remember, like I said, crying at night, uh, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. And, um, I just thought, you know what, I just got to get back to the environment that I know is positive. And that for me was training in martial arts. And so I went back to my martial arts school again, full burns, pressure suit, couldn't really do too much, but you know, I was there. I was in the environment, um, and, you know, I went from watching to doing the warm-up to participating to training. And that process, uh, of getting back to, or getting you back into the environment, which I knew was positive, was one of the keys to, to my survival in those moments because I was challenging myself again. I had, you know, physical goals like tips, belts, progression, getting better. I had community around me. So I had other people supporting me, high-fiving me, and I was supporting them, like the environment of a martial arts school. Um, and, and then, uh, you know, the, the next, the next part of the piece of the puzzle was obviously, you know, I said physically challenging myself and rebuilding myself physically. Being around supportive people who are going to pull you up, not pull you down. And then it was meeting my now wife. Uh, it was the person who saw more in me than I saw in myself. And that was really the turning point of my whole life is, is my wife, having someone side by side, shoulder to shoulder that saw, we saw more than the scars. Uh, and then putting myself in those environments, not getting caught at the pub where everyone else was, not putting myself, uh, in environments that are negative and disempowering. It was just like, I need to be in the right environments and I had to seek that out. And the martial arts school was that initially. And then one of the instructors couldn't make his shift and my instructor said, hey Phil, why don't you fill in and be an instructor for a day? And I bloody loved it. Like, I, the feeling I got of imparting my experience, my knowledge, my know-how as a martial artist. Knowing that there was a deeper benefit of learning martial arts. Now, that feeling of teaching a 5-year-old, a 55-year-old, or whatever it may be, um, how to defend themselves, but more importantly, the values that, that learning those things help within your life, uh, those, those are really the elements of success. So I believe that you got to get moving, you got to be in good environments, and you need a good, you know, support team around you.

You're all, um, all very insightful things, man. Something to shoot for, and then your environment, both in a bigger picture but also an intimate setting. Do you— would you say they'd be like your biggest— if we're— because we'll talk about the last 15, 20 years, because you even had struggles and challenges, um, you know, very recently, or even through COVID. And but what, what, what would you say would be looking back across your whole life now, not just the bombing that happened, but What would be your biggest life lessons you would say, or reflections so far to date, mate, on this earth?

Oh man, so hard, you know, like, it's a bit of a, it's a quote that I use and I think it's so true, you know, like, you just have to look at life in a way that, you know, the shit of your past is the fertilizer of your growth. And that understanding, that realization that, that there's no one in this world that is going to be protected from the hardships of life. Some are going to have it harder than others, but I truly believe that the person I am today who faces every challenge, big and small, is someone who tries to see the good in the challenge rather than the negative in the challenge. And sometimes that's really hard to do, and especially That's hard to do, you know, when, when your loved ones are going through those challenges as well, and you're trying to be that, that person. But I truly believe that, that I, I do look at life in a different way. That, I guess, realization that you've, you've only got one. And when you, when you've been in a position where you've nearly lost it several times, you know, that you have that greater appreciation. But even life goes on after a big event like that and you start getting into just normal day life again. You, you lose. That drive or that passion or that, that grit that you want, that you attack life in the recovery to get to, to be, to, to have, you know, in your life. And you can, you can quite easily, you know, obtain those things, but quite easily go right back to just everyday living. And so I think it's important, uh, that we always live a life focused on Who we are, but more importantly, who can we be for the people around us? And for me, obviously, you know, I've got 3 kids, 16, 14, and 12. And, you know, your purpose in life initially was how can I come back for me? And then it quickly turned to how can I be the role model? How can I leave a legacy? How can I be someone that not just my kids, my family, but my community can look to that if Phil can do it. I can do it too.

What does strength mean to you now though, man? Like, I'd love to— well, I mean, the 3 kids, like, how has what you've been through helped you show up as a father? Like, we're talking fatherhood, right? HPF Coach, we, we love talking about this. It's— but it's leadership, you know? It's not, um, it's playing with the toys with the kids. Like, how's everything you've been through helped you show up as a father today, mate? And what, what would you consider to be strength? Like, what does that mean to you?

Um, yeah, I mean, look, strength comes in many, many shapes and forms. And, you know, I've, I've always— it's actually my, my eldest son, I saw it, said this recently actually, goes, you know, Dad, um, you're out there training, teaching, showing me how to live life. Like, you're not just telling me how to live life, you're showing me. By the physical things that you do. And he goes, not many dads do that. And he said, I really, I love you for that, Dad. And I was like, man, that's, thank you for recognizing. Cause sometimes, you know, you, you go about life and you challenge yourself and you, you know, I'm doing it for the kids. It's that selfishness of personal development. I know, like, I don't really like personal development, but for me to be the best I can be, I also then it then flows on to being the best I can be, not just for me but for my family, for my kids, for my wife. And that means sometimes being selfish, like, you know, training, putting your health, your fitness in, and all these things first. But I think truly being a role model and, and setting an example for your kids as a father is one of the key things. But also then not not then coming back to the nurturing side of a father. We homeschool our 3 kids. I really take the responsibility of my kids' upbringing, their education, their ability to be in this world is my responsibility and no one else's. And so I have to take that leadership role to show them how to be the man, but also how to be the kind, the caregiver. The understanding as well.

Um, yeah, I love that, man. It's, uh, it's something we call like being the chief, right? Like when to be Viking, when to be Panda. Your Vikings, your assertive dominant man, gets shit done, makes decisions. The Panda is, is the softer, the undercurrent of love, affection, emotional support. And the chief balances them both.

And yeah, I love that.

It's so funny that— not, not that we created the energy, right? It's exactly what you said, or it's the, you know, the, the the warrior in a garden instead of a gardener in a war. And there's lots of different terminologies and principles, but, um, it's so funny, man. Exactly what you said is a beautiful pathway we encourage for the men in the community. Um, when I think of strength with you, man, absolutely fuck me, like resilience is not one of the top ones, but it's interesting, right? Because what— there's these things I talk about with the men inside on, on you're not here to be a battler or just survive, you're here to thrive, you know? Um, and a lot of people battle through life, like, you know, most people in life are tough, man, otherwise Yeah, I mean, it's obviously a shocking thing, but the, the, the suicide rate will be even higher. So most people are pretty fucking tough given that most people in the world are unfulfilled and don't reach their destiny the way they, they could, um, or should, but could is probably a better word. Each their own. But you know, like, it's resilience, man. Your ability to overcome adversities and, and, and create a shorter cycle. Because you, you could overcome an adversity that takes you 50 years, uh, Phil, and then you're in your 70s and you finally overcome what happened, but shit, man, that's a— wow. Would you even have kids? Possibly not. Like, there's something that your wife saw in you, you know, but resilience for me with you, man, absolutely comes to mind. But what do you think, I guess, like reflecting, successful business owner, father, husband, like building your life in the second half in sensational form, like what do you see as like the thing that most men would miss? Like what, What, what do most men or fathers typically that you've seen like miss the mark on or don't understand? Because it's not— what you're saying is, is valuable, right? We go through hardships and then we've got to become more, but you don't have to be reckless. Um, although you can fabricate adversity, that's going to the gym or wrestling, right? But, but you know, what, what do you think most men or fathers might be lacking today or missing the mark on? You know, we talk about strength, what you just mentioned then on being a leader, but also nurturing. Like, seeing what you've seen and what you've been through, I mean, it's made you hard as fuck, but also you've got such an open heart. What do you, what do you see in the world today, man? I guess shifting to a bigger picture thing on men, fatherhood, and families. What, what do you see?

Yeah, look, I, you know, I think what I, what I've seen and what I've, what I've also lived through, I, I try to, I look at discipline, structure. These are things that most men don't have in their lives. Maybe they would have had it. Uh, most men, like you said, have, have the strength and have the ability. Like I said, there's nothing special about me. Um, you know, I've been through some crazy things, but we all have the power like that to be able to get up off the floor and go, I'm getting the fuck out of this bomb now. That determination, we all have it when our back's against the wall. It's like the mother lifting the car from the baby, the baby. Do you know what I mean? We all have a superhuman strength within us, but what we don't find is we don't find the real purpose and the real passion behind what we do. When we scratch the surface, I say, be the curious 2-year-old. A curious 2-year-old will always ask you, why daddy? Why daddy? Why? And we don't, we, men probably scratch the surface. They don't go deep. Who are they? Why are they here? What is my purpose? And there are many ways we can find this. And sometimes the answer isn't in the destination. It's the journey to the destination is the purpose. And so, um, most men, I feel like, have lived a certain life a certain way, and then things happen— marriage, kids, divorce, whatever it might be— and things slip and drift starts to happen. And that's, you know, when you, from a sniper with the crosshairs, if you drift this much here, it's this much over there. And so what I believe to be, especially people like, you know, my age, like I'm 46 this year, you know, my age, a little bit younger, family orientated, I feel like they, they drift from their purpose. They drift from being and doing the things that they need to do to be the best version of themselves. And that's, It's easy to say, hard to do. It's not easy to do the things that we're saying, but it's easy to say. But if you don't have the passion, the purpose, the drive, the want, and the desire to do it, you won't. And so really it all comes back down to that big why. I'll tie this up for you in retrospect. When I took apart my escape and I told you that I failed twice and I remember clearly how I failed, but when I survived and I jumped the wall, I couldn't remember how I did it. When I look back at that, knowing what I know now, I realize, I found out why I survived, why I jumped that wall. It was the family that I didn't have that was holding me back. The wall was a physical barrier for me to have the thing that I, at 22, I never knew I wanted. A wife, kids, car, you know, the thing I expected to have in life just handed to me. When your why is so big, the how doesn't matter. And the how was, how the fuck am I going to get over this wall? Well, my why wasn't big enough. I needed to make that powerful reason, that decision that it was worth the challenge, worth the struggle, worth the climb. And that's how I was able to get out and why I probably don't really remember how I got out because you know what, when your why is so big, the how doesn't matter. Over here in WA, we have a big mining culture and I say that to the men over here. Um, when I speak to them, I said, most of you guys have lost your reason for being out here. And they need to reconnect to why they're actually out there. And they're not out there. I went, uh, I spoke at all these mine sites. There was a big suicide, um, uh, rate going through. And so I got hired to speak at these mine sites. And I said, do you mind if I ask you guys a question? I had about 10 guys and I was like, this is going to, this is going to be hard, right? Can I ask someone a question? Who wants to help me out? And this guy at the back puts his hand up, bloody 6 foot 9 dude, probably your size, jumps up and goes, oh no, this is the wrong guy. But in actual fact, it was the right guy. I said, I'm going to find out what your why is. I didn't say that to him, but that's what I was saying. I was like, why are you out here, mate? And his response was to earn money. And I said, all right, let's be the curious 2-year-old. Why is that? I was like, well, if I earn money, then I'd put my wife and kids in a good house. And why is that important to you, mate? Well, you know what? I didn't really have that when growing up. You know, I had a pretty crappy upbringing. Put my wife and kids in a good house makes me feel like I'm doing the right thing. And how does that make you feel? And we stepped just scratching the surface. We went, why, why, why? We went deeper, deeper, deeper. We got to the real reason, which was, you know, it, it, he is breaking a generational chain in a bad, in, in, in being a bad role model for his, he was being a good role model, but he was breaking the bad link in the chain. Do you know what I mean? So he was then walking and he came up to me and said, mate, you're right. You know, this, that is exactly why I'm here. I've got deluded and now I'm just out here to make money. They've lost the reason. They've lost the purpose.

That's that last word you said, man. It's fucking massive for us. Like, purpose. We, we, we drill down on that at, um, at our, our retreat with Kosi last year. But, um, fuck me, man. Like, that's— yeah, you got people who could be acclaimed doctors, and— but the, the next certificate, the next paycheck, like, that— all these little check marks, whilst they're awesome if you have a true north that matters, that you're clear of, um, That's what gives them purpose. It's so fucking small instead of zooming out and looking at the bigger picture, albeit either a past history you're looking to erase and break chains on, or a future that you don't know exists yet that it, that could be possible because someone else has done it before and it impacts others like your wife and your kids. I love that, man. That's, um, I was writing as you said, as soon as you said that word unknown, I'm like, fuck, I've got to write this down, mate. Cause I've, man, I've, I've, I've got two pages of notes here, Phil. You've, uh, you've certainly inspired me today, bro. And, and. That one word you also said was unknown. Now I'm very aggressive with my rate of growth. I just, I just can't fucking get enough, mate. Like if you want to talk like, like happiness is cool, but like, well, what is it?

Right?

Like if you thought, if you saw it as a state, which is a combination, well, there's actually 7 things, but I'll, I won't spill it here because I'm saving it for our Victoria event next week. But there's 7 key things, but in a nutshell, a lot of them come down to your position and reflection on where am I now? Where will I be tomorrow? And am I actually heading there in that direction?

Like progress, like we are progressive beings, like we could start fire.

And now we've got, you know, Skynet's only 3 years away. So, you know, so progress isn't always good, but, but not progressing nonetheless. But fuck, man, you know what the problem is? Like, so I, I, I love the unknown because like what you said, whether you're aware of that or not at that time, at a higher sub or unconscious level, that's what fucking drove you, man. Your 3 children that were waiting for you to create that connection with your wife to bring them into this world. Like that shit is real. I didn't care. Like you guys, if you've listened to enough of the podcast, It's not fluff and woo woo. That is some real shit. You're not, you're not just fucking meat and bones. And that, that, that absolutely is true. So when you are someone who has that and you, you submit or tap into that feel, life has a funny way of stepping aside and providing too. So the unknown, if you keep growing and going and growing, it's a beautiful thing. The problem is though, most people, not just men, they allow the unknown to then correlate towards the same thing as uncertainty. So the unknown equals uncertainty. Why? Because like old mate, one of the drivers to, to what he wanted that you questioned was control over that. So a lot of people somewhere along the 5 to 7 whys, there's an element of I want to be able to influence my future. But I mean, that's the fuck, that's a given. But, but uncertainty then bleeds into doubt and fear. And then what that becomes is instead of fear becoming a natural emotional response, like I talk about being faithful. And if you're faithful in, in yourself, your life, your journey, God, whatever it may be for you, then they can't exist at the same time as fearless. So faithful equals fearless. But if you're fearful, well, then you're faithless. Like, what, what? But it's not fear-free. So whilst fear is a natural thing, people convert it, mate, from an emotional response to a decision-making process, right? Like, and that, that's what fucks most people up. They make decisions based out of fear instead of honoring the place of it, which is just a natural emotional response as humans. I, um, I feel like that little piece then was me talking too much, mate. You should be talking for about an hour and a half.

I just keep listening, bro.

It's been amazing.

I love to hear other perspectives of, you know, like, this is all— we're all, like you said, we're all learning. I learn from you, you learn from me. We're like the shark in the water. If a shark doesn't move through the water, it's going to die. And so we have to be continually growing. I think Jim Rohn or something says you're either growing or dying, right? So you choose. Are we dying? Oh, we're growing. Yes.

And I love it, man. It's been, no, it's been epic just to hear you and your story and then your, yeah, your position, your philosophy. And, um, but walk me, yeah, so that's, but that was a, that's a, that's been a big unlock for me, that whole unknown. And hopefully that helped you guys too, like with what Phil's sharing, because it's, um, that purpose, man. If you just, men without a vision will perish. All that stuff's true, as cliché as it might be, or as corny or as repeated, um, That's important. But wow, what purpose you've carved out, knowingly or not in that moment, now 24 years later. Walk me through the last, um, yeah, I guess maybe 10 years or so. Like, where did life go, man? Like, business, family, kids would have been 2, 4, 6, but now they're old. Like, and the wife, like, how has this next block been for you as you moved into, I guess, the 20s and you moving into your 40s? Like, bring us up to speed on where things are now, man, across family, self, and service and what you've been through as well, because you've still had challenges along the way, mate.

Yeah, lost loads of them. Like, yeah, uh, mate, look, life, you know, was, was banging for a while there. It was, you know, young, entrepreneur-ish. Uh, I jumped in a partnership. We built a multi-million dollar martial arts organization over here in WA. 3 schools, 2,000 students, 50 staff. Um, you know, really went heavy into the entrepreneurship in martial— building martial arts businesses. Um, traveled all over the world, you know, learned the art of speaking, like, not just to tell my story but to make impact. Um, you know, won a bunch of awards along the path, wrote my autobiography from the 10-year anniversary, and that was a really big turning point. Um, uh, you know, I think I was doing a lot of speaking for a while, so I was building the martial arts school and doing a lot of speaking, and then I realized that, you know, actually I'm getting a bit tired just saying the same thing over and over and over again. And, uh, and like, I literally was just on repeat telling the story. And this is why I sort of gave up speaking for a little while, um, and just really focused on the martial arts business. It wasn't until my, um, my then— when he was— when my boy was 2, uh, we realized that, you know, one day my kids are going to ask what happened to Dad. And, uh, I remember sitting on the couch with my then 2-year-old son Ben, he was touching my burns and his little baby blue eyes look up at me and I just, in, through his eyes, he said, why are you different than all the other daddies? And so I said that to my wife and she said, well, let's write him a letter and that way when he's old enough, we'll give him that letter. That letter turned into a book called Undefeated and it really rekindled and kicked off my speaking career again. I felt like I had, um, not at that point, I just had more to share than just the Bali bombing story rather than just repeating the thing. And now as an entrepreneur, I'd won awards, you know, I've been all over the world, all these other things that were going on, a father. I just had more to speak about than just a Bali bombing victim. And I guess it was also another like reflection point of going, I don't want to just always be, but it doesn't matter if I'm the Prime Minister of Australia, I'm always going to be Phil Britton, Bali bombing survivor, president of, premier, prime minister of Australia. Do you know what I mean? Like, I will always be that person. I have to own the identity. I own who I am. I'm not trying to escape who I am. The years, uh, went on. And so for the first, you know, like I said, success was awesome. Business is going great. The first big sort of like stumbling block was for me was COVID. We were thin on profit margins and we were about to expand. And we had a billing company that was direct debiting all our fees for our members. And 2 days in going online and teaching martial arts online, which we did a great job. We were on the news, you know, it was all pretty special. But that billing company called up and said, by the way, your contracts that you've got 2,000 members signed. It doesn't state that you can provide online classes. So effective immediately, you have zero students and we're not going to direct debit any of them. And I had 3 venues, 50 staff, 2,000 students, and that was a huge blow. They said, well, what do we do? You've got to sign them all back up with the clause saying they agree to online classes. Mate, I, uh, I had to stand down, put down staff. I had to do just beg, borrow, fight to stay alive. And we re-signed about 700 members, which, you know, sounds great, but over 3, you know, it was just nothing compared to the thin profit margins to tick things over. And from 2020 to 2022 was just a battleground of keeping my business surviving, you know, being in the top 1% in the world, we literally had one of the best, uh, most biggest martial arts organized in Australia, let alone the world. And COVID literally just stonewalled us. It was like the health and fitness industry got crushed and a lot of people were like, the bigger you are, the harder you fell. And I kind of, that was my analogy. Um, but through that, you know, um, you know, I always never waste a good crisis and like if your house blows down, well, you get to select what bricks you're going to rebuild your house with. And so through that process of of rebuilding and, you know, refinancing and doing all these things. You know, there were financial strains on us, our family. Um, my business partnership, um, 2 years ago broke down, lying, cheating, stealing, you know, all sorts of stuff after 20+ years of being in a partnership. And so, um, yeah, business, although started really well, like we, we grew in a GFC, we grew by double and we doubled numbers and tripled revenue in the GFC. And like, so when COVID happened, I was like, right, perfect. What are we going to do this time? But it stonewalled us. We just weren't prepared. Um, so yeah, I'm lucky enough, um, through, yeah, 2 years ago, my business partnership blew up. Wasn't great. You know, one of those things that when your house, the house that provides your income, your lifestyle, you know, that puts a roof over your kids' heads. Like as a father, when that stuff falls down, man, I was in so much shock, more shock than I ever was overcoming the Bali bombing. Like for me, that was just me and my own journey. But now I've got 3 kids and a wife and, you know, staff to look after, man. I was in so much shock. I really was. I was walking around not knowing what to do. Um, it was one of the most challenging times, uh, and so that was the tail end of COVID and 2 years ago. Um, I mean, there's so many things that I've had to deal with, but, and then we've got 2 big personal tragedies that have happened other than my own. Um, about 2 years before the business partnership, my middle boy Riley He was running at a, um, in his school before we homeschooled and he, uh, had a collision with this high schooler and he snapped his femur clean in half and, uh, through the blood loss, he nearly died. And that was one of those realizations at that point, because I was working so hard, you know, I was doing, justifying working so hard, traveling, speaking internationally, building the business. And why was I doing it? For the kids. Why was I doing it? For the money. But I was never there. I was absent. And, uh, and when my son had that accident, I turned the cup, the snow dome upside down completely. I was like, you know what? No more. This, this is not going to happen. I'm not going to miss out on my kid's life in the pursuant of building them something that they'll remember, which they're not going to remember the money, the cars, the house, you know, they want mum, they want dad, they want us. And so, uh, I, I took my long service leave at that point in time, unofficial. When you're a business owner, you don't get that stuff. But I took some time off and, uh, traveled Australia with my family for 3 months in a caravan. And it was that realization that, that I really wanted to change my life, my, my direction, my purpose a little bit more, less of building an empire and more of building a legacy for my family. And then, um, and then more recently, literally last week, uh, on my way to the camping store to take my, my son Riley, who injured his leg on a father-son camping trip, which, you know, all boys need to go on their rite of passage at some point. And I was about to take him off on that rite of passage, driving from here to Anaconda. And we're talking about what we're going to do. My wife in the passenger seat, Riley in the back. And, uh, literally a huge head-on car crash, wrote my Jeep off. Um, it was a miracle we walked out of there, do you mean? Like, it was a hard crash. It was a head-on, like a car hit another car, skipped the lane, jumped in our lane, hit us head-on. 2 seconds later, it would have hit the side of the car and would have been a completely different story. But, you know, we all walked out with cuts and bruises and then to get a phone call from, from a doctor, which we were expecting, but not to this point. But yeah, last week, the day after the car crash, my wife got diagnosed with breast cancer. And then just yesterday, I had surgery for a double mastectomy. And, um, and she's in recovery right now. And so, you know, these are some big things that happened to us and happened to a lot of people in life. You know what I mean? Like there's so many people who get cancer. There's so many people that break their legs. Not so many people get blown up in terrorist attacks. A lot of people nearly lose their business. A lot of people, you know, you know, nearly lose their marriages and lose their kids. And a lot of people, you know, pull it together. Uh, I, I don't think you, I, or me, anyone in this world is, is protected from those hardships in life, like I said before. Um, but what makes us different, I believe, or what we can probably impart to those maybe going through it who feel like there's no way out is just that, like I said before, is like, why is this? What, what, what has to play out here? Why am I learning this? Why am I going through this? Um, and not in a negative way, but completely in the opposite, in a positive way. It's like, what do I, why do I need to learn this? And who am I going to be because of it?

Most guys just like me would be thinking right now, how the fuck does this bloke keep going then, man? But it's, uh, surely some of you guys listening would have said that because that's, um, especially those last two, man. Well, they're this week, they're so recent. But you know, it's, um, and this doesn't take away from the hardships that we face throughout life, but it's funny that you mentioned about what people go through, Phil, because a hardship Fellas could be defined as you, and probably before this stage, but you at 73 years of age with this, this horrendous sorrow that overcomes your entire being on a life you've wasted, which is filled with— that's a real fucking hardship, mate. It's, you know, so it's not, again, not taking away, mate, bombings, skin explosions, fuck, like it's, it's, but, but it's interesting, those hardships, like people think they can get away with it, but I'll tell you, man, and it's not, it comes for everyone, it's everyone will face some kind, and you don't know what that is and what's around the corner. But you strike me so much more as a man that's just holding on, right? You strike me as, despite what you have gone through past, deep past, recent past, and even going through present, as a man who's not just holding on, you're still looking to grow, thrive, and have more. Like, what, like, like, how do you keep going and, and also growing? Because that's, we talk about keep going and growing, it's also one of our catchphrases, but How do you keep going, man? Because any one of those moments, um, from in your early 20s through to the business and COVID through to this week, yeah, the straw that breaks the camel's back, that exists for a reason, man. Like that, that saying, absolutely. However, it's, it's a, it's, it's, it's a choice, like you mentioned earlier, growing or dying, and a choice on whether the back is strong or you allow one more straw. But what, how do you keep going, man? Like, what's, what's, what's the mentality? What's the approach? What's, what's the hunger for, for life, for for leading, leadership, what that means to you. Yeah, I'd love to know more.

Yeah, man, far out. I really don't know, like, to be honest. Like, it's, it's, it changes all the time. It's that pursuit of purpose and the, when you think you've got it, you don't. Um, it's the complete hunger to continue to improve, to be the best version of myself, not for me, for my kids. Um, uh, it's, it's to the desire and the want to live the best life that I can because it can be tomorrow and it can be all gone away. Um, there's, there's many things. It's hard to put one finger, one, you know, point one finger towards what is the thing. Um, I mean, I just, you know, there was probably a time where I thought, you know what, I, I don't know if, if you know much about like your great-great-granddad, Like, I, I don't, I don't have no idea. I don't even know his name. That scares me. Like, to know that this finite moment that we have in life and that, you know, we, we could be quite easily not remembered is like, and look, I'm not here to, it's not me and my name. It's just that I want to make a dent in the world. I want to know that I, what I, what I I lived, I lived and I meant something to someone. And that story might carry on through generations. And that my great-great-granddad Phil Benjamin Britton was someone who, you know, has, has lived a certain life a certain way that has now shaped the way that we live our life. And I just really believe that I'm just on that journey to maybe, I don't know, maybe that's why I'm here. Maybe that's my God's, God's purpose for me is to to show people that it doesn't matter how hard you get it, um, that there's always a way out and it's not perfect. There's no straight line to success. You can never, you can never climb a smooth mountain. Um, and, but when we get to the top, whatever that top is for anyone, because everyone's life's different, the view is always amazing.

Hmm. Couldn't agree more, man. The, um, the men listening out there right now feel like what they're feeling stuck, uh, maybe it's purpose, maybe it's a hardship they can't quite get over, maybe it's something in the past they can't quite let go of. What would be your advice, or, um, what would you say to the men listening right now if they're stuck and, yeah, purpose, past, not carving out the future they want, they desire? Yeah, I guess, man, you know, it's been epic, um, and there's a couple other things I'd love to cover quickly as we get closer to— I think we'll do more than one session too, mate. This has been incredible. But, uh, but yeah, man, I'd love to get, yeah, some wisdom, some thoughts, advice of the men listening to this. They're stuck, they're holding on to things that don't fucking serve them, they're not living their greatest purpose. Like, what, what's some, what's some advice or, um, some guidance you'd give them, man?

Uh, you know, look, look, I, uh, you know, like you, um, have the pleasure and honor. So it's not about us either, but it's about, it's about who we can help and what difference we can make in people's lives. And, uh, you know, there's a process, um, that a guy, you know, Tony Robbins, you've probably heard of him. It's called the Dickens Process. Uh, I've done a bit of NLP training in the past, nothing too major, but a little bit of training. It was like, what I like to try and do in the beginning when I'm sitting down with someone is is almost do the, the, the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Like, who, who have you been? Who are you? And if you don't change, what is life going to look like? And are you happy with that person? And obviously understanding that, you know, if we want to make a change in our life and have to, can't change the past, we can only change the now. And so going through that process of understanding that if you want to be, and who do you, Who are you if you continue down the path? Who can you be if you make some changes? Who do you want to be? That purpose, that vision of who, what is the ideal you as a father, as a husband, as a business owner, as, as a man, as a contributor to community. And like reverse engineer that and come back to where you are today and what 1, 2, 3, 4 things do I need to work on today? You know, a friend of mine said, Phil, take care of the days and the years take care of themselves. We all look at that. I want to have the best life. I want to have the best year. Well, in order to have the best year, what does your best day look like? And just have bloody lots of those things. And so really identifying who is that you want to be, understanding that the path, the trajectory of if I don't do anything, that's who I'm going to be. And are you okay with that for you, for your family, for your kids? Who do you want to be? And then let's bring that back down to the present moment and go, well, what needs to change? Is it a mindset? Is it a belief? Is it past baggage? Is it new habits? Old habits, get rid of. And then it's just about that rebuilding. Like I said, you know, rebuilding, we're all re— we're either building or rebuilding, right? And so, um, But apart from that, I think men these days are very lonely and they feel like they're on their own and they're, and they're only going through, they're going through things that no one else is. It's, it's, it's like they've been gifted this hardship and they're feeling it, but it's not, it's because we're all doing it. And so you need to, like what you guys do with the HPF Coach, you know, to get around a community of people, like-minded people, people who were 10 steps, 20 steps ahead of me, but also people who were 5 steps behind me. It's that community of, of brotherhood, of mateship that we need to be around, you know, and as even as I'm saying this, I'm thinking about, you know, like, you know, the diggers, we're coming up to Anzac Day, right? Just like the mateship, the men who went through the worst, but they had each other's backs. They were shoulder to shoulder in the worst of times, and that mateship, you know, got them through their tough times. And I think, you know, I think that's important with, like, especially with what you do with HPF Coach Coach is that you're bringing this brotherhood together of people who are going through something together, people who are ahead and behind and collectively working through life together.

Yeah, what you shared is a, is a beautiful process, firstly. And then secondly, yeah, things like the Anzac, the brotherhood, mate. Yeah, amen, man. Like, it's a— it's got to be a given for us as men, you know. Our wives and children will never understand. Even your son, when he becomes a man and a father, he won't understand in the moment where you might be seeking someone to understand you and be on the same page, uh, you know. But that beautiful process you shared though on the advice for the men What do you, I guess just lastly, what do you think stops them from doing that though, mate? Is it the world? Is it chaos? Is it self-sabotage? Like what, because what you're saying with the clarity and alignment and like that's, it's awesome. Um, but the gift is always in the simple things, right? Sometimes maybe too simple to be seen. I don't know, but it did spit. What do you think holds the majority of men back from applying something like what you said? Cause it's a brilliant, brilliant play.

Yeah. I mean, every individual, every man, I think, and woman who's going to be in a different place at a different time, and you look at all the things that holds all of us back, and, and I'm sure, you know, you've been held back and things are holding you back now even. Like, there's always going to be things that are holding us back. Is it some men are going to have complete negative negativity about themselves, the belief that they aren't worthy, they're, they're useless, they've got nothing to offer. you know, uh, the people around them, the environment that they put themselves in, you know, like they're just, maybe they have the want and desire to do something, but they're in the wrong environment, right? Uh, you know, yeah, I don't know, like, I think I'm a little bit, there are, there are things, but I'm also one to say that just follow the strategy. There's, you know, if someone's done it before, success leaves breadcrumb trails. There's a blueprint to success. And if you want to be a great father, role model a great father. What are their habits? What are they doing? How do they think? How do they behave? If you want to, if you want to be a, an Olympic sprinter, Go, go role model what Olympic sprinter, how do they train?

What do they do?

What do they eat? What's their nutrition around? And so while I am sympathetic to the things that hold us back and they are real things, I think that sometimes you've, they have to find, they have to find a way to compartmentalize those things and just start. Just start. If you don't believe in yourself, find someone who believes in you. If you, you know what I mean? If you, you know, people come to martial arts and go, oh, I'm going to start when I get fit. I said, you get fit doing it, you idiot. Like, just start doing it. Like, be, even if you're not the person that you want to be, believe you are. And guess what? You will start to snowball the effect of believing in yourself. In some way, shape, or form, even a little bit, will roll out in your life exponentially over time. But, um, I mean, I don't know if that answers your question, but 100%.

Yeah, man, that's— it's— I mean, not that I was looking for a specific answer, but picking up what you're putting down, like, yeah, I mean, the guys who listen to this podcast, I'm pretty candid at times, but mate, full love and care for, for the men, the path, empathy for what we've all gone through in our own way, but like Fuck me, mate. Like, you've all got a choice. And, and so what you're saying is, yeah, there's, there's real circumstances, but also that word you said, you don't— I don't hear— you don't hear it that often, role model. And I'm like, what would stop someone? It can't be information or access. Fuck me with the internet. But what's, what's stopping someone from having a role model, right? You know what it is, mate? It's fucking ego. Always is. It's the identity of self. The amount of men who I've coached that are older than me that, that fucking love me and I've helped them get great results— I, we, HPF Coach— but doesn't matter, mate. They push their ego to the side. Um, growing old is a process, growing wise is a choice. Even fools grow old. I remember seeing that saying, like, that's so true, man. Like, like, so not, not that I care, like, I love the older bulls and helping them and invigorating life and learning from them. I learned so much from the members in HPF Coach. I'm, I'm, uh, you know, I'm a glutton for it and very lucky. But who the fuck would go into an old nursing home with all these 80, 80-year-olds filled with regret and draw wisdom? Maybe not. Maybe what not to do, but shit, after you hear that the 5th time, you should probably just get out, mate, and save yourself some time. But that role model, what is it like role model? You, it's, it's modeling someone who is expressing a role in life that is desirable to you. That, that's when you said the word, I was like, why does that word exist? It's such an interesting word, role model that, but so one, why don't people choose it? 100% ego. And we've all got something to learn. I mean, that never fucking ends. If you want to build a great life, you keep fucking building forever. But two, the actual term role model is you're looking to model a role that someone is expressing. Why waste time? Mate, the books are awesome. Love all that stuff. But if you could do that in real time in the flesh, oh mate, like, fuck, but you know.

Like you've heard the cliché, information is everywhere. Implementation is the key. All right. And that's where you've got to put, hey, right. How many books you want to read on getting, being a better father? How many books you want to read on eating better, mate? It's time to fucking do it. And, um, and finding someone who can keep you accountable, like a group, a person, a role model, uh, is imperative because I think that, you know, we all need coaches, we all need help, we all need advice, we all need to, to learn from someone. And, and without that, you, you're rolling solo, you know?

Yeah, absolutely. Well, just on that, yeah, it's, um, I mean, you mentioned the brotherhood too, man, which is, which is awesome, or being around other like-minded people. Um, walk us through you got. So, um, you got something coming up in May, don't you, too, man? Uh, which is, which is pretty cool. I'd love to get— we'll get the crew involved on the, on the next round. But, um, yeah, man, would love to hear about it.

Yeah, look, I started, um, funny enough, you know, and the universe works in mysterious ways, um, I used to be an ambassador for a charity called Telethon Adventurers. We raised over half a million dollars for kids' cancer. We would climb mountains, go on treks and trails, raise awareness and tick something off the bucket list. And I just, the contacts that I made, the people, the bonds that I shared on climbing a mountain with people, I was like, mate, I need to do something like that. And then I spoke at an event and this guy who is one of the head guys at the Hospital Research Foundation Group, big in Adelaide, just coming to Perth. And he goes, mate, we'd love someone like you to be one of the ambassadors for mental health, uh, under our sort of banner. I was like, man, I have been keen as since, uh, the last charity sort of stopped. I'd love to get involved as an ambassador and just maybe put something together, um, for them in raising money and awareness and, you know, this bit of give back. Um, and so I spoke to him, uh, he got me on as an ambassador unofficially. It's not public right now. HPF Coach, um, part of their, their suite of charities is breast cancer and cancer as well. So I mean, there's a connection there. Um, but what I wanted to do is I wanted to give men an opportunity with no strings attached to wear a backpack, have weight on them because we're all carrying something. Some of us can handle more weight than others, um, both actually in real life and metaphorically as well. But when we hold a pack or wait a pack for too long, it becomes heavy and heavy, heavy, just like the things in our negative things in our life. And also the whole nature thing and getting out and doing something positive. So I created a pack walk. It's monthly and, um, yeah, 2nd of May, and then it'll be, uh, monthly thereafter. We're just going to find a, a 5 to 6 or 7K hike around Perth. Wear a backpack, have good conversations, have coffee after, have community, community conversations and coffee, mate. 3 things that I think are needed, a little bit of nature as well. So yeah, that'll be happening monthly. So yeah, if anyone's watching or listening to this, you know, you can head to my website or just Google Phil Britton. There'll be some information about that and we'd love to see anyone and everyone. I'd love to do something similar all over Australia. You know what I mean? Have a pack walk in every state where it's a, um, no strings attached, a place that men can just walk, have conversations, carry some weight, and, um, offload that weight by just having good conversations.

Outstanding. I love it, man. We're heading over too, mate. Looking forward to catch up in the flesh, mate. June 27th, 28th. So looking forward to coming over to, to Perth and, uh, maybe then we can, maybe then we can film another, another episode. But, uh, or if not, well, actually we might be busy, mate. Bichon me. Show me how to wrestle, man, or something.

I'm apart from footy tackling, not your size. I'll just use my dirty boxing techniques.

I'd be so easy to flip, mate. Oh no, I don't want to wrestle you, just teach me how.

Yeah, yeah. Oh mate, crazy.

Um, love it, man. Uh, website as well for the book, I'd love to know more about that. Like, what's— where can someone get the autobiography? What?

Yeah, yeah, it'll, um, I just took it down recently, but it's back up. It'll be back up, uh, shortly. But just everything's on my website, Phil Britton. Hpfcoach.com.

Yep, outstanding, man. Mate, wow, this has been, I can't wait to listen to this one again. It's been a whole blend of emotions and inspiring and everything else from, mate, fuck, wow. It's been incredible, Phil. I hope you guys really enjoyed this and gotten value out of it as well. Yeah, thank you, mate, for giving the time and the energy. Again, like I said, look forward to catching up in the flesh, bro. And and love the initiatives, not just in what you're building for yourself and your family, but things like the pack walks and, um, and, and your, your value to society, bro. So huge, huge, um, huge thanks and gratitude to you, man. Um, and I think you know deep down why you survived and what your purpose is, bro. And that's, um, it's, it's just inspirational, mate. Not, not that, not the surviving, but what you do despite all the reasons you, you shouldn't, wouldn't, couldn't, or don't have to, you know. And that's, that's, that's what I love, man. And it's not even an underdog story. It's a, I, I get up and despite what I face, I still find my my purpose, my destiny. But, um, but it's been epic, man. I hope you've enjoyed it too, Brady. Any final thoughts, man? Anything else you want as we, as we wrap this up? Any, any, any passing comments?

Um, just, just right back at you, and I know you, you don't, you know, like hearing it, but mate, what you guys are doing, and again, not just you but your organization, um, my fathers need that. And I just really want to just give you, give you the, the high five, the virtual high five from here as well. Just keep doing what you're doing, mate. That that North Star of making a difference in the community and fathers in particular, mate. Just, it's amazing. So well done.

Thank you, man. And it's certainly a gift, like you said, mate, the gift to serve. It fills our cup so much, doesn't it? But I hope you, mate, can't wait till the next one. And I hope you boys really enjoyed this. And like always, listen to it again and get some nuggets, some takeaways, and apply action. The implementation thing, that's so true. Hey, I love some of those one-liners, man, have been rippers, you know, but absolutely information everywhere, but implementation. Thank you, boys. Thank you, Phil. Hey, man.

Thanks, mate.

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 less interested heart, and there's always something we can get from that. Maybe it's not the first time, maybe it's the second time. We've had members listen to episodes 4 or 5 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 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.