46. Mountain Man From Bright

Welcome, everyone, to another Real Dad Movement episode. I'm Al and I've got a very special guest, Mr. Paul Garrett. We're just talking about the weather, mate. How's everything going down in beautiful sunny, chilly, bright.

Yeah, well, no, it's great, mate. We've had a fair bit of rain, but now the autumn's really kicked in and starting to get a few frosts and. Yeah, that's some beautiful sunny afternoons. It's a cracker down here at the moment.

Pretty, pretty famous, I think you're telling me it's famous for. Is it the trees or.

What's the autumn leaves, mate? Autumn leaves? Yeah, it's a big draw card. Well, it used to be the only main draw card to the area, but now people seem to get here all year round. It's a very busy, busy community.

Yeah, unreal, mate. And you rake it into big leaves and let dogs just dive into it or how does it all.

Yeah, well, one of my kids, a couple of weeks ago, we raked up a big pile of leaves and he hid inside it and we called the other kids out and he scared the shit out of them as they walked. We told our daughter to go and pick them up. Madeline's gone in to pick them up and Dane's just roared out of the leaves.

That's so good. I love it, mate. We'll definitely have to. When all the travel and everything lifts up, mate, we'll definitely come out for a visit, that's for sure.

It's a good spot, mate.

Six hours drive, mate. That's nothing from where we are. Yeah, it's easy.

That's right.

Thanks for joining us, mate. Look, what we want to do, guys, is really the point of today's session or episode is to dive into the background of Paul Garrett and his life and what he's done, his achievements. I guess pre rdm, post rdm, this is never a sell or a push. I don't do these to try and get other dads to join. We don't need that. Without being rude, it's about helping connect with fathers who are listening to this and actually resonating with a lot of the. The personal circumstances, challenges or pitfalls that you might find yourself in that Paul might share with us and then seeing that there is a way out, you know, mate, love to start with, I guess you, Yeah, a bit of background, mate. You know, all the way up to where life is now and some of your story.

Yeah, well, I grew up in this area and went to school in Bertleford and went Right through there to year 12 and then went down to Melbourne, lived down there for a few years and then come back up here and have done various jobs like from working in the timber industry to working up in the snow fields driving trucks and all sorts of different things. Working in the casino when I was in Melbourne and yeah, and then when I was about 35 I decided to have a bit of a career change and, and did an apprenticeship as an electrician.

35 year old apprentice.

Yeah, yeah, it was good. I've always, always, always enjoyed the challenge. But yeah, I really, I really enjoyed doing that and it's a good industry. It really keeps you thinking all the time and yeah, it's been a great experience so far.

That's awesome, mate. Good on you. You wouldn't see that too often, you know, like men, dads, putting food on the table, just doing what we can to earn a crust. You would see that a lot. There's a pattern of, well, this, this makes money. So I'm just going to stay there. I'm not going to change or seek that. What was the catalyst for you, mate, at 35 to seek that change and look to, you know, find something that you wanted to do?

Well, I don't know, it was more about having a crack at a different opportunity. But. I was driving trucks at the time and I didn't really enjoy it. I was getting out of bed sort of fairly early in the morning and getting home late at night, not really seeing the family that much and I just needed something and I didn't want to just have, I wanted to challenge myself. I didn't want just the run of the mill while going stack shelves or woolies like always. Yeah, I'd like to sort of test myself and in the end, yeah, I found myself doing electrical and yeah, it's been great.

It's awesome, mate. And you, you have your own business now, do you? Or where are you up to with that now?

Yeah, that's good. Now I've got two staff members. Yeah, it's going along nicely.

Yeah, unreal, mate. And what, I mean, active growing up, always active. Like what, what changed for you heading into. How old are your kids at the moment?

Well, I've got one. 11, 10 and 8. So. Yeah, well look, as far as just before I joined rdm, like I was finding that, you know, I was just in a groove. Get up, go to work, come home, be tired and yeah, I just didn't feel I could snap out of it and I was just in this same groove all the time. But, yeah, but since joining RDM and changing a few little tweaks and not having any excuses to doing something for myself and making it happen, it's just all really turned around.

That's outstanding, mate. What were the big problems, though? I guess, like, you've got three kids, I've got a third on the way, so I'm about to find out all about being outnumbered. But what were some of the pressures, stresses, issues that you were facing, mate, that, I don't know, I guess felt you felt the need to reach out or look to turn it all around when a lot of people might not, they might just accept, like, what were you going through? What was happening?

Well, it was just me. I needed to change. I needed to improve myself. I needed to be a better father for my kids. Instead of coming home from work and just going, oh, you know, I'm having to have a 15 minute power nap and then coming good, but, you know, instead coming home and trying to be a part of their lives all the time.

But.

Pre rdm, yeah, like, I just come home and all I want to do is go to sleep.

Tough, mate. I think a lot of men that I speak to, obviously I work with a lot of fathers and most of them are older than me and I've had the issues being in my mid-30s of being tired and wanting to sleep in the afternoon. So Jesus, mate, I can't imagine early 40s, late 40s. We had a few dads in their early 50s. It just seems to become the norm, though. What was it inside you, though, that clicked and wanted to change? Because a lot of people don't, and that's not judging, but a lot don't.

They just accept, well, well. So, like, your information was coming to me and I sort of engaged with you. But then I had a crack at something else and it just wasn't going to work and it wouldn't suit me. And I just had my second corneal transplant just before we actually spoke for the first time. And I was like, this is it, this is it. I've got to change or else I'm gonna die. I've got one foot in the grave. I was 44 years old, high blood pressure, you know, poor diet. Yeah. Everything else around me was fine except for me. I had to rebuild myself. Like, I just, I'd focused on everything else too much and not me. So then once, once, you know, I reached out to you and like to this point, the rest is sort of history. It was just that, you know, hard work over summer and dropped 17 kilos in the first two and a half months. And. Yeah, and just really noticed the difference.

Looked different as well, mate. Looked completely different when you started.

Yeah, look, I'm really looking forward to this summer. Like, it's hard to get out of bed at the moment when it's minus one outside.

But.

Yeah, it's been a great journey so far. And the team, just the other blokes, the other fathers that I've met and exchanged conversations with, and it's just awesome. Really is.

It's an incredible tribe we have, mate, and it's something that we really pride ourselves on, you know, getting the most out of you as an individual by being in the right team environment. You can't. You can't buy that, mate. You see sporting teams try, don't you? They try and buy premierships. Doesn't happen. But what are some of the biggest. Because we had a chat and you're like, al, love to do this with you, but I want to do another one in summer. Which is awesome, because obviously we'll see the progression of you continue on that linear graph. Heading up, mate. Growing in the life that you want and living the life that you want. Entering or into the second half. But what have you noticed so far? What are some of the big changes, man, that have happened for you, mate, and the big, big shifts for yourself personally? Family, kids, relationship, work, everything. Like, what. What's better now? What's changed?

Just better energy levels. I feel that I'm more involved with everything and in control of everything. Like, instead of feeling pressure, like, it's just like, all right, let's go. Let's deal with this, let's deal with that. And your decision making seems to be a lot clearer. And, you know, like, the kids, like, I'll come home, they'll be mucking around. That's it. Come on, let's go for a walk. You know, get them out, let's go. Because I'm more than happy to go for a walk. Whereas before, you know, I will go inside and just have a bit of a rest.

It's a fascinating thing, mate, when I talk about. Everything we do physically affects us mentally, Gaz. Because it's the truth, right? Like you say, just then taking the kids out for walk and doing that might not have had the energy to do that. You're right, mate. Everything's energy. So why not want to have more? Why not try and get more and be more and do more? And, you know, what's the biggest pitfall that you find as a father is it that we don't look after ourselves. Like you said, we don't focus on ourselves as we get older. What's some of the biggest challenges that you see or you've seen with other dads that you were there not that long ago that they seem to go through?

For me, the biggest change was nutrition. Even through work, like, I'm fairly active. So once I got nutrition under control and going in a better direction, it made a massive difference to me. But then with engaging with the group and doing the challenges that are set weekly and general exercise and movement myself made massive inroads in every direction.

It's one thing to get the information, isn't it? It's another to have a platform to consistently take the action you need to. And that's the big thing that I just got from you. Then it's great that we've got the nutrition dialed in for you. Your lifestyle, roadmap, it's all personal for you, but how do you keep doing it? You know, the tribe, reengage yourself. The environment.

The environment. Without a doubt, those messenger things in the morning. Shit, someone's up. All right, let's go.

A lot of the times it's you now, mate. The mojo man.

Yeah, that's right. That's right.

Outstanding.

Yeah, it's funny. Awesome. And, you know, like, usually if you post the first picture in the morning, it's like, oh, bloody hell. Yeah, he's beaten me again. I love it. How early do I have to get up?

That's right.

5Am is not early enough. That's awesome. It really is, like, and it's such a friendly environment. And, you know, we're all on the same path, you know, but we're all on the same. We're all heading in the same direction, but probably on a different path. But we're all there for this, you know, to support each other and work each other through any of the little hiccups that you can have. And, yeah, we all have them, you know. No, it's not. You know, you're only up for so long, and then, you know, you'll have it down, and then someone else will be up and they're little dings in the morning and encouragement. You see them out there doing it and shoot. Oh, all right, let's go right back on it. The environment is definitely the number one factor, success of the men within rdn.

And that's what I love to say, mate. You know, the reciprocal energy and nature of the group is what makes this so powerful. Because you're right. There are going to be times where you don't feel like doing it for yourself or you feel sorry for yourself. You don't get out of your own way. Sometimes we listen to the bullshit that we tolerate at times, the little version inside, but someone else is winning, right? They're kicking ass. That reinvigorates you because it's not a juice junkie or a mother. And no disrespect for those two different life types. Like you said, we're all the same direction, the same scale of where we want to go in our own paths. And there's a lot of power in that, mate. A lot of rapport and respect, I find with that which makes this so strong.

Absolutely, absolutely. And the thing is that with rdm, there's blokes all around the country, everywhere, all around Australia. There's 100 plus dads all heading in the same direction at different times of the day. Some of us are Mojo, some of us. Some of them are night riders, you know, and it's. It's just awesome. Yeah. Like you'll be going in the afternoon and you'll see. Oh, yeah, so and so's. Yeah, just done bloody 8K. Oh, that's bloody great. Or someone's just done a 400 rep workout. Legends. Great. That's the way. It's bloody awesome. Not everyone does it the same way, which is really good.

I like that it's having that individuality, but through the purpose of wanting to be the best we can and striving to change our life, it can influence all of us the right way. Even though they've got their own individual circumstances. And just for those like the reference, we've got lots of cool little, I guess, quirks with Ardea, but one of them is the Mojo men. They're the guys who get up and get it done in the morning. And Gaz is one of them. He's certainly one of them. One of the leaders spearheading that. Then we've got the night riders, which are the men who do their training and exercising the Arbo and they're chirping up and popping up in the afternoons and bringing it home strong, mate. It's quite a good cycle that we see.

Yeah, it is. It's created a little bit of rivalry there, you know, with the, you know, the mojo. There's a bit of tongue in cheek comments between the Knight Riders and the Mojo Warriors.

That's right. That is good for me. It's hard because I train at midday, so I take a little bit of Knight Rider and a little bit of mojo. So sometimes, sometimes I'm tired and sometimes I feel energized, but I'm asleep halfway through a workout.

That's awesome. That's going to be great. The sups have been great for me too. Like I've probably getting towards the end of my second month on them and just finding it's a really good balance of helping me with energy and soreness and recovery overnight. Sleeping, winding down and gone.

Yeah, they are phenomenal, man. And I found them be on a compounding level, just improving in my own life and it's something I love. Like I don't push and plug. I share some of my videos on my story. So it's up for 24 hours and it goes. But it's just, it's everything from the last 20 years of taking supplements myself, seeing the industry, seeing the pitfalls, seeing a lot of the bullshit out there, a lot of the things that just don't help anyone and then actually creating something specifically and genuine for fathers off the back of all the data I have from the problems, pains and symptoms that dads face. And here we are, man. 100%. I said it the other day as a joke, but I'm gonna keep running with it. Like 100% track record of no regrets. Hashtag no regrets. 100% track record. It's, you know, we haven't had one person get it and not like it.

Well, the taste like, you know, you actually look forward to it. Like it's not that of like, ah, shit, I can't, I can't stand this. It actually, it's just. Yeah. Why do you drink it? It's beautiful.

It goes down too easy, mate.

Yeah, that's right, that's right. It's not there either. You stuff this protein and blah, blah, blah and shake it up. It's just actually, it goes down really well. It's got a nice flavor to it. You've done well.

Yeah, well, this is a movement, Gaz. That's the big thing. I want everyone, especially our fathers, listening to this. Whether you eventually or ever reach out or join vip, RDM or not, or different programs and things we offer. It's a proper movement of helping fathers. And we've got big plans. Like we've got memberships where dads stay for life. They don't pay for life, they stay for life. No one does that shit. They do 28 day dad bod challenges. Off you go. Take it before and after. Let me use that to do some more advertising to get the next dad, like, that's a fucking joke, mate. In my experience.

Yeah, well, with that 28 day, that was the one. I had a little crack before I engaged with you. And like, when I looked back at Christmas time, after doing. After doing the first six to eight weeks with you, I thought, I've lost 17 kilos. I thought that 28 day challenge, what do you do 28 days, what are you going to lose? What, four or five kilos? And then what? Where are you going? In for another 28 days. So RDM the answer for men.

I like that, mate. But that's an additional slogan underneath. The Greatest Tomorrow starts today. As well as our new shirt range coming out. The hashtag FYTDads fit dads. Not sure if I could put fuck on a shirt, but, I mean, people figure out pretty quickly what it stands for, but it sounds good. Fit Dads. FYT Dad. It's incredible, mate. No signs of slowing down, but, you know, like, it's. It's funny, just touching on. Gaz, you said you had one foot in the grave. And it's not that I want you to relive it, but. And it's not that I'm saying you glossed over it, but there are so many dads out there, man, that they're there, but maybe they see it, maybe they don't.

Well, so going back to March 2016, I had an issue with one of my eyes and I went to the doctors and I said to the doctor, you know, I had to get a referral to go and see an eye specialist. So I went, while I was at the doctors, I said, look, take your blood pressure. So she took my blood pressure and she nearly bloody fell over. She put me in a quiet room, made me lay down. I said to her, I said, oh, look, I've been getting some blood noses at night time, this and that anyway, but the real issue at that point in time was my eye. So she let me stay there for a little bit and then tested me again. Didn't really drop. And then. So she gave me some prescription, told me to go straight to the chemist, and then I went and saw the eye specialist and. And then it was like, all right, I've got a. I've got to do something about me. Anyway, so I basically tried it. Tried doing a few gym sessions in the morning and this and that, but it was just. It's just difficult. And then I think I was probably about 125 kilos at that time and basically fell off the wagon with trying that sort of stuff. And. And then they fast forward a couple of years after that or three years after that. Just had my second transplant and I reckon I was probably by 130s, maybe 140 when, when we first engaged. And yeah, there's no, there wasn't, you know, who knows? Yeah, don't know. But I knew that something had to be done and like, you know, I had a little, had a little dabble with that 28 day shake thing. But that wasn't the answer and was never going to be the answer, unfortunately for me, not in that point. If you're, if you're a bloke, yeah, only two or three kilos overweight, you want to have a crack of that. Sure, that might suit you. But if you need to shift some kilos, you need to be changing your life for the long journey, not just 28 days.

Dan, can you see the pattern there? Like what are some of the big. What's the biggest thing you see with all those pills and shakes and lose weight quick? All of them. You see the problem with them as opposed to now, what you're doing in rdm.

I'm not on my own, not on my own. I'm in it with 100 other blokes and got support staff all around me, contactable whenever you need them. And the program set up. You can't fail. If you do what you're directed to do, you can't fail. Even if you only do it 70%, you can't fail. You will get there. It'll just take you longer.

It's funny, it's almost obvious this episode has become a talk about environment and identity, mate, because you're spot on. Like it's. The environment is so important to life. And then when you couple that with what you said earlier, you needed to change, that's what you don't see. Pills and shakes and bullshit doesn't change you at all. It's a product or information, you know, and it's hard, mate. Sorry.

It'd be no different if you need to submerge yourself. That's all there is to it with rdm. But if you send me, like if I fill out the stuff that you email me at the start of it and you reply to me and I don't engage in that, well, guess what, I ain't gonna go anywhere. You've got to dive in, you've got to be a part of it, you've got to want it.

And that's what I love about our process, mate, as well, you know? Yeah, you're right. All good.

It was just COVID 19 and all the homeschooling, mate, the homeschooling.

The Internet's killing. Yeah, that's right. But yeah, that's the big thing. That's what I love about it, mate. We got all the different lines of support that. It's not here to steal your time, it's here to help you get those 1% shifts the right way through. Staying engaged and like you said, immersing yourself, it. Because it's a powerful thing, man. You start to be part of something that you know will help you raise and lift your standards is why we have the process we currently do. I'm not a hard ass, but we get thousands reach out every week. And the dads that we take on board are the ones that are incredibly committed and they're ready to go and that's fine. When they're ready to go and they're genuine bloke, part of a team and committed. They're the three prerequisites.

We go back to our first call and I remember I emailed you at night and then you text me in the morning and then you sent me some more emails. I was supposed to get on and fill the stuff out, but I didn't because I was working. And then, you know, but we went on, you know, and then we engaged and then to hear you say, like later on, yeah, there's plenty of blokes that don't get on there and they don't engage properly, they don't fill out the paperwork and this and that. And I'm like, that was one of them.

I think there was something about your email when you sent it at night. It was literally like one line. It was like, okay, mate, I'm ready to go, I'm ready to do it. It was something like that. And I'd never had that email before. I get dads who might reach out and they share a bit of their story or they talk about prices or features and all the shit that doesn't matter. It's about you and your commitment and willingness to change. And when you send that one liner, I could see that, I could see the power and driving. I was like, okay, I think this guy, I don't know who he is obviously, but I think he's. I think he's ready to rock and roll, you know, which was, which is awesome, mate. Here we are, you know, the rest is history.

Yeah, no, that's right. But yeah, it's funny, like, yeah, it's just like with me, like with, with anything Just get the blade down and go, you know, that's, that's the way you got to do it. You got to go, you're gonna do it. You gotta have a good go with it.

Yeah, definitely. Well, it's those two questions we ask at times, isn't it? How much time do you think you have? How much quality do you think you've had? And the hard part is, mate, I don't say it's sad, it's sad for the man because obviously he'll have regrets. It's not my life. I don't judge him. But it's too fucking late. It's too late, mate. You don't have to be 70 to die. There are so many people in the world that are already fucking dead, but they're still breathing. Yeah, just don't know it yet, mate. That's right. Doesn't have to be that way, though. Certainly isn't for you anymore, that's for sure.

No, no, no. I love it. RDM for life.

But if they like, there's a dad listening to this, and I'm not about saying, hey, give Al a call and sign up. But if just advice, like, there's a dad, because I like it coming from other men and just giving, you know, some words of wisdom. Their advice, their story, their journey doesn't have to always be my voice. That's why we do this. But I don't know, mate, what's some advice would you tell this man who might be listening and he's struggling to explore himself or map out his vision, future? I don't know. What advice would you give a man who seems to be struggling?

Well, you need to be ready if you want to be part of rdm, you need to be ready. You need to want to do it so you can actually execute it properly. But if you feel that, That you need something different because there's lots of men that are in RDM for different reasons and it's just however you need to develop yourself, you can. But you know, as far as weight loss and control and exercise and rehabilitation, mobility and all that, like, it's all in rdm and I couldn't, couldn't have done it on my own. Not a chance. You know, I've tried it 45 years.

It's a big thing, isn't it? Like, I get a lot of strong, proud men like yourself who reach out and they've had successes in different parts of life. But the thing is, and I've got nothing wrong with personal success, mate, but self made doesn't exist. No one walks out of the womb wiping their own ass. We've all had someone look after us at some stage of our life and I think that's the big thing you touched on there. You don't have to go it alone, doesn't have to be with the rdm. Maybe there's some other mentors, coaches, programs, I don't know. But you're right, like across the board, every aspect of your life, vision where you're actually going point A to point B, nourishing, moving the body, the environment, the coaching, keeping a line, staying disciplined and building that momentum. We don't lose, man. I'm very competitive. We make sure we're the best in all that, we don't leave any holes. But it's all because we're together, not going it alone. That's a big takeaway for me, even for me with the dads that inspire me. I see your ping in the morning beauty. I'm about to jump into a session with rowing push ups and some dumbbells. Unreal. And that inspires me. Instead of pulling at a certain rate on the row, I actually pull a little bit harder, I push a little bit harder. And it's fascinating, mate, isn't it, how much we can tap into energy when we're around the right energy.

Oh, it's awesome. It's unbelievable. Like you just. Yeah. Like there's blokes you've never even met but you engage with every day. That's phenomenal. It really is.

Yeah. Something I'm blessed to be part of, mate, as well, you know, we all are. It's incredible. No one man, including myself, is bigger than what this is, that's for sure. What lies ahead. We're going to catch up in six months and have another chat at Christmas time. My man. What's. What lays ahead for the rest of the year, mate, for yourself to achieve. And any final thoughts?

Oh, well, I survived the winter, survived the cold winter and then launch, launch, launch into spring and. And really, yeah, get down to around my goal, which is not 100% certain what that is, but probably at least another 15 to 20 kilos and yeah, and just keep improving myself.

Outstanding, mate, and it's been awesome having you on. Gaz, thanks for giving us your time too, mate, and sharing some of your thoughts. I really love the ones you're talking about. Changing yourself and environment. There's some massive things, mate, and how it's helped you with your life as well. It's been unreal.

Absolutely. And mate, I really appreciate the opportunity and thank you.

It's great. Men like you that make RDM what it is, mate. That's something that I say every single day and it humbles me. No room for ego or bullshit on my end, otherwise we'd lose. I love being part of the journey, man. It's so good. It seriously gets me up, like seeing. It's like these dads winning. It's unreal. It really is, mate. It brings its own level of fulfillment for me, mate, that my children can't bring. You know, there's different areas we talk about it, family, self and service. And it's a different type of fulfillment and significance in seeing other men and men in the tribe and dads win, you know, and that's what I love, mate. It's something that doesn't feel like work for me. Even though I bust my ass, it's good. It's worth it. I enjoy it.

That's awesome. It really is. The environment, you just can't compare it.

We'll get that camping trip down. Yeah, we'll get down to bright soon, mate. We'll get that. I wanted to get the fellas together in April, but it didn't happen, unfortunately, because of the COVID But I'll definitely be there soon. As soon as we're allowed, mate. You knock.

That will take you up in the hills.

Yeah, we'll do some hiking. I'll need some hiking boots. They look pretty flash, mate. Very flash.

Got some good grip on them?

Yeah, absolutely.

Plenty of traction down the hills.

Yeah, I was going to use one.

Bring another pair of footy boots.

I was going to say old footy boots. Use my genetics, mate. Just use the old barefoot. You reckon that won't work?

They cut the shreds. Than the people that used to walk around the hills in bear feet.

Sorry.

We're a bit softer than the people that used to walk around in hills in bed.

I think so, mate. I think so, absolutely. But that's been awesome having you on, mate. Thanks again for joining us.

No worries, mate. Absolute pleasure.

It's been an awesome episode. I hope you guys got a lot of value out of this. It's great to hear from some of the other men and dads inside of RDM and their story, what they've gone through, what they're living and breathing. Living and breathing. Real men, real fathers. Like, this isn't about Stage Ready or Mr. Olympia or, you know, no disrespect, mate. Trying to get movie actors on board. Although Gaz looks better than him anyway, mate. Nicely polished with that beard and that hair, but it's something with you. This is three weeks. Look at me. Three weeks growth. Those listening on the podcast don't look up the video. You'll be disappointed. I barely have a moustache. I'm half Italian. My ancestors will be rolling in their graves. It's been awesome having you on, mate. Thanks, guys. Hope you enjoyed this episode and we'll see you next time. Any passing dad jokes, mate? I can't think of any off the top of my head. I'm having a bad day.

Yeah, being Friday, we should. Hasn't been any flying around today.

We'll have to jump on straight after this, mate, and roll some out.

That's right.

Outstanding. Thanks, guys. Thanks for joining us. And tune in for next time on another episode of Real Dad Moom. We'll see you soon. Cheers. Sa.