Anthony Hartcher ​​​​​​​Joyful Journey Mentor

Welcome to Exit the Matrix Stories of Success with your host Jane Slack-Smith, where we celebrate the incredible journeys of individuals who've transcended their limitations and achieved extraordinary success.

Hello and welcome to Exit the Matrix Stories of Success podcast, and I am your host Jane Slack-Smith, and today I am especially excited to introduce to you Anthony Harcher. Not only is he an incredible person with an amazing sliding door moment that I have to say, even though I've known Anthony for maybe 20, 25 years, I never even knew about this sliding door moment. But he's a true pioneer in holistic health and wellness. And as the founder and CEO of Me and My Wellness, Andrew takes a revolutionary approach to healing by combining food as medicine with a balanced lifestyle-driven philosophy. With an impressive background that includes 3 degrees in complementary medicine, nutrition and dietetic medicine, and chemical engineering, which is how I know him, Andrew has a unique ability to bridge the gap between science and well-being. He's also trained in the Demartini Method, helping individuals unlock their potential and live their best lives. Well, Anthony, food, mindset, lifestyle, all of the things that we can discuss with— welcome to the podcast.

Thank you, Jane, and hello listeners and people watching this. I look forward to having this conversation with you, Jane.

Well, I guess we should just do a big reveal. We have known each other for a while. Do you want to go down memory lane with me?

Down to back to the explosive days, back to working with Orica? Sure, absolutely.

Well, we crossed paths when I was an explosives engineer, mining engineer, and you obviously did chemical engineering, and we ended up with the big chemical company and working. And it was— it's interesting because I look back at it and sometimes people just didn't fit in. And I don't think we naturally fit into that culture. We tried, but, you know, I think we've now developed into where we really need to be.

Absolutely. I, I, yeah, I felt like that round peg in a square hole. And it was the same as school, actually. So yeah, school, university, and my start of my career, just, uh, I didn't fit in at all and really struggled to find myself in the process because I was very much, I guess, directed by those that were influential around me and just thought I was doing the right thing and living the best life by getting a degree, going to a big company, a well-known company, successful company, and working hard at the company. And yeah, little did I know that that was just going to tear at my heartstrings more and more by, you know, every year I spent there till eventually I decided to leave.

It is interesting, isn't it? Because people who are listening to this might have that. I think we started this awareness process that, you know, there's a misalignment or I'm uneasy or I'm in a matrix, you know, which is where we kind of get to the awakened stage. We're like, wait a second, you know, the society is me, go to school, go to university, get a good job, work for the corporate, save some money, buy a house, get married. And then you're like, doesn't really feel like I'm doing like my heart's joy here. So I wanna, I wanna go to, I guess, um, where you are now is a long way from, from that chemical kind of industry that we were in. And you obviously had a sliding door moment. So I'd love to throw it to you and just for you to share that with the listeners of what what changed everything too for you?

Yeah, I think it was just the journey, like, and the journey really shaped and led me to where I am today. Like, if I look at my career, like, all at school, I didn't do well at school. I just didn't like the curriculum, didn't like what I was learning, and didn't pay attention as a result of that. And so-called ADHD, right? I just, it just wasn't interesting, right? It wasn't me. And Same with university. Turn up to lectures, lecture was boring. I thought, why turn up to lectures? So I decided not to turn up to lectures and of course failed subjects as a result of not turning up to lectures. And but I, you know, just kept pushing and this is the right thing to do and go through, complete the degree and then go and work in a company. And I was working in the company and there was aspects of the job I loved and I, you know, got into it. You know, I love being in the laboratory playing around with explosive formulas and going out and blowing them up at the army range. It was a dream job.

Who wouldn't?

That's right. And so that was, you know, exciting. But then all the admin and the bureaucracy and getting all these approvals. And I just wanted to do what I love doing. I just didn't like doing all the other aspects of corporate. And then you'd have varying bosses that, you know, some aligned to like, I like the freedom. I had a boss that didn't like giving freedom and like micromanaging. And I didn't, didn't like that period. But, you know, when I had a boss with freedom, I thrived. And so I started to pick up on all these areas where I was tapping into my superpowers and they sort of accumulated over time. But I got to a point where I was getting paid well and, you know, just, you know, I was saving a lot of money and I was, well, I had a relationship and got married and that broke down. So that broke that fantasy. So I thought, Okay, well, you know, it's not happy ever after. It's, uh, you know, you could have divorces and, uh, still recover. And I think it was in that recovery journey that I started to really look at myself and I didn't blame my partner. I looked at what I contributed and I looked at my profession, what I was doing and what I liked about it and what I didn't like about it. And so I had a real deep reflection as a result of getting separated and divorced. And it was in that process of finding myself in those years after the separation and divorce that I really came— like, I was thinking, what do I like doing? Because obviously, once that fantasy was busted, I, you know, you felt low and felt like a failure. And so I got quite depressed. And so I was thinking, what, you know, what excited me when I was young? And I started to think about, like, I love being active, I love doing healthy things, I love eating well, and I, and so I started to reconnect with what I loved and I started to do more of that. And so when I was working for the corporate, I was really deeply involved with doing Ironmans and marathons and, and that was the thrill was the training and getting back into competing and I really loved it and watching what I ate and all that. And so I was able to keep going with corporate and then it happened to be a moment where I was in New Zealand and a friend of, uh, it was actually someone that was working there, their sister said to me, I'd, you know, have you met this guy? Because I was talking, I kept talking about health and how I was into health, and he's going, I think, you know, I think you should go and meet this guy, he's a naturopath. And I said, oh, what does a naturopath do? Who the hell is a naturopath? Yeah, yeah, you know, I was brought up with doctors in the medical system, I had no idea that it was alternative medicine out there. And so I said, okay, I'm open. I'm open to seeing someone that's a naturopath and finding out what they do. And I went along and had this consultation, and I thought, wow, you're interested in who I am. Wow, you're interested in my health history, the bigger picture, and we're talking about food and lifestyle to help me achieve my health goals. Thinking, wow, this is profound. This is really, uh, you know, a holistic approach. Absolutely holistic. And that really was a light bulb moment, was I love this conversation. I could have this consult all day. Can we, you know? So I kept booking in and kept booking in and kept doing the consults and kept seeing the naturopath. And however, obviously life went on and, you know, continued to travel with Orica and got back to Australia. And then, but it's sowed a seed within me and the seed was that 'Okay, there's alternative medicine out there. I've always been interested in doing alternative medicine. I didn't know you could make a career out of it.' And so I started to think about it as, well, maybe that's my sliding door moment, is, you know, the, the appointment. But there was many, like, so I, I guess ignored it and thought, 'No, I've got to keep working and, you know, keep earning the money.' And you, you get this sort of attachment to the the security of having that constant income and the fear of letting go of it all. And so, uh, and then I happened to visit a chiropractor over here that then the chiropractor was putting on a talk for all their clients. And I was— I went to the talk and it was Damien again, the guy I met in New Zealand who was back in Australia. He was practicing as a— well, he was studying chiropractic when I met him in New Zealand, but he was a naturopath. And so he was up on stage and that was the moment, the real big sliding door. So I guess the initial moment was just a spark where it slightly opened, but it slid open full, in full, full range was, was the moment I saw Damien up on stage, had the whole audience engaged. He was sharing his story about his health journey and how he got into, like, he was an accountant that was studying accountancy and then he got really big and large and hated the way he looked. And so then he started to look at health and then he really got into it. And, and so I just saw him up on stage and I actually, that moment, I then saw myself doing what he was doing. And that was really the moment I had the conversation with, I think it was my partner at the time. I don't think we were married. Adriana, who you know. And I said, I can see myself doing that. And she really then, you know, got behind me and supported me in the pursuit of doing what Damien was doing up on stage. And yeah, so then I started making small steps. It was like, okay, I'm actually going to talk to Damien after this. And I, you know, I did after this and I just said that was a great talk. And, but then I didn't do much, but I then decided, like, I think I was off to Perth the next day or something, flying around again. And then I text him and said, I really want to catch up. I want to find out how I can get in and learn more about what you do. And so it was at Perth at 4 AM in the morning. I'm, you know, he said I'm only available at 6 AM. He lives in Victoria and I was in Perth anyway. So I'm getting up at 4 AM and having a chat to David on his way to work because he's super busy and And yeah, so he told me about the college to go and study at and it just cascaded from there. And so I started doing full-time study, full-time work, and that was hard. That was really difficult, but I loved the study and it was the first time in my whole life that I actually enjoyed what I was learning. I hated it at school, hated it at uni, but I was now back at school and I couldn't get enough of it. And my marks started to excel and I was getting great marks and I started to, um, really think that I had a bit of intelligence. Like, because at school I thought I was dumb.

When you align your interest with something when you're studying, right?

Absolutely. Like, and I, I didn't have any ADHD. It disappeared. Like, it was— I, I couldn't get myself away from papers on nutrition and health and all that. And, and even now I still don't. And so even talking about it, like, there's no distractions. I can just talk for hours. And hence you're going to have to rein me in because I will. Don't you worry, I'll keep talking.

But this is interesting, right? Because we talk about alternative medicine and we— there's a bit of a woo around it, but we don't realize that traditional medicine was the woo 100 years ago, right? They're all practicing, they're general practitioners, like they're not cracking it. And it was interesting, I met with one of my mentoring clients just recently and he's a GP in Newcastle, and I was saying, you know, what are the what are your challenges at the moment? And he was saying, time. I get up at 4 o'clock every morning to review client files. And I said, what do you mean you're reviewing client files? He's like, so I'm prepared to see my clients during the day. I was like, I see my GP and I have to remind him that I did— he gave me a blood test last week, that I'm here for the results. He's like, oh no, all doctors, they, they really go through their client files every day. I'm like, I don't think so. Like, you're actually above what most of— most of them are in that the, the business of sickness. You're in the business of wellness, which what you've jumped into, right? You've, you've jumped into looking at the whole person, that holistic kind of experience of, of how they can turn up. But if I bring you back to this sliding door moment, obviously Adriana was supportive, but your parents were like, was there a big obstacle to you going, by the way, I'm out of here?

Absolutely. Because I got a lot of praise from my, or certainly my father, in terms of, yes, you've got to a, I guess, a degree that's recognized and it's a profession that's, you know, reputable and respected and— Respectable. Yes, yes. And so that was a real hard thing was to tell my dad that, hey, I'm not going to do— because he was very proud saying his son was a chemical engineer, you know, he used to tell all his friends he's a chemical— and the funny thing was that when I start, well, actually when I finished my degree as a nutritionist in the end, I, you know, call myself a nutritionist, but Dad would still introduce me as the chemical engineer. And so it was— that's actually taken Dad years to really come to that. I'm a, you know, this is what I love doing. And, and, but I mean, Dad was just coming from a place of heart because he, he wanted me to earn good money and, and have a respected, you know, profession where you, but and to him he didn't have a high value on health. And so I think he was sort of seeing it from his lens and I could, I can see it from his lens. He was doing it, you know, in the best interest of me so that I, you know, I could, you know, create a good living, which, you know, it did help me. There's no doubt about that. However, it wasn't something that would, you know, I'd jump out of the bed for, right? I wouldn't jump out of the bed to, to do. Oh, I mean, I did enjoy working for Oracle. No issue there, but I had a good time there. There was good and bad.

It wasn't like a consistent, I I can't wait to get to it.

Yes, yes, yes. And that's what I've got now is that consistent can't wait. And so the obstacles were breaking the news to my dad and fearing the loss of love or loss of connection with dad. So that was a big obstacle for me because I had a, you know, I looked up to dad, I really did. And so that was a journey in itself was the relationship with dad and fostering that. Mum was into her health. And mum's a nurse, right? So mum could better see it from my perspective and she embraced it a whole lot more. And again, you've got that nice balance between mum and dad. Mum's supportive, dad's a bit thinking, I don't think you're making the right move. And yeah, so I had that obstacle, had the support of Adriana. The other obstacle was, you know, as we spoke about before the podcast, was imposter syndrome. Yeah. Like, who, you know, you're, you know, who are you? You know, who would want to listen to you? Like, You know, your background's sort of a bit of chemical engineering and now you're saying you're a nutritionist and a healthy guy and all this and, you know, who's going to want to come and see you and all that sort of stuff. And then you're comparing yourself to people like, you know, my mentor Damian, who's, you know, got double degree in health and he's up on stage, he's on radio, who's on, he was on the, you know, that we had a slimming show here in Australia.

The Big Loser. Biggest.

Yeah. So he was the host in New Zealand for The Big Loser. So, you know, he'd really created a reputation. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. And so I was in awe of Damien and constantly comparing where Damien was at and where I am.

I'm thinking, like, his last chapter and your first chapter. You're like, oh my God.

Yes, correct.

Don't we all do that?

Yeah. Yeah.

But you had your own case study though in health. That you could use as a how you turn your health around, didn't you? Now, a quick word from our sponsor, Your Success Club. Your Success Club is a group of vibrant abundance seekers. If you subscribe to exitthematrix.io, we are going to drop you into the club room, which has lots of goodies, resources, and a free gift just for subscribing. Now back to the podcast.

Yeah, but it's interesting. So I, like, I did, um, it took me a while to find it, but that's the thing. I used to always be inspired by other people's story and then thinking, I don't have a story, and who wants to listen to me? Like, you know, what sort of— my story is not as good as their story, you know, like that comparison, you know, they've got such a better story, you know, they were harsh on ourselves.

And but you had the heart story.

Yes, yes. So that was recent, hence why you aren't aware of it. Uh, you know, it happened last year. Uh, it happened with no symptoms. Okay, so it was just a, a routine checkup, but the goal was— of the routine checkup was to get approval to say that I'm physically fit and able to complete the karate camp. And that's where I was doing my grading for karate, was at the karate camp. And I thought I'd just turn up and I'd get this sign, you know, saying, here you go. And the interesting thing is I was seeing a family like Adriana's uncle, and I know Adriana's uncle retired the year before, and I think he actually gave me a medical approval the year before because he said, you know, you eat well, you don't smoke, you don't drink, you run, and all this sort of stuff. And he's saying, I know you well, so therefore I'm prepared to sign off. And there you go. 'But this doctor said I don't know you, I'm not going to take any.' And so he was actually doing really good due diligence, and he said, 'I'm going to run you through all the tests.' And so he did, he ran me through all the tests, and he goes, 'Okay, you got high cholesterol. I'm going to check your calcium score of your heart.' I thought, 'Okay, you go for it.' You know, I'm feeling great, like I'm fit as ever.

Um, bring it on.

Yeah, bring it on. Like, I feel like I'm fitter than when I was in my 20s, and And then I go back to get my results and he looks at it and like just the look on his face and I'm thinking, yeah, this is not good, right? This is news I don't want to receive. And I was in shock. So I was in the 99th percentile of— in not a good sense, right? So this is not like academic sense, which I strive for when I was doing studies.

You're the 1% we don't want to be with.

Yes, exactly. Exactly. And I'm high risk. High risk. So super high risk. And it started to raise the plaque that closes around the arteries.

And, yeah, okay. And the calc— as opposed to the plaque that can break off, this is the calcium that kind of is like a fossil that closes off and there's no blood and you're out. Like, one day you're good and then you're gone.

Yes. But the thing about the hardened or the fossilized plaque is that it's stable. And the bigger concern from a medical point of view is the soft plaque that's not— and that can form clots. Um, so the body's very good. And, you know, when I— the more and more research I did into this, I, I just really, I, you know, you— the more you study your body and your mind, the more you just can't believe it in terms of what it is.

It's a miracle. I can have a miracle every day. Like, my gratitude is of a miracle.

Yeah. Just, you know, when you start studying the brain and, and the, the amount of, you know, how it processes information and, and, and what it can do. And same with the body in terms of how it can adapt. Like, the adaptability of the human body is just incredible. Uh, it's, it's remarkable. And, and so, but yes, you're right. So I had significantly restricted arteries, but as you know arteries can be flexible or stiff, right? And so I'm asymptomatic, so I haven't gone in with saying— like, so it would have been different, I went to the doctor and said, hey doctor, I walk up a hill, I'm out of breath, you know, I'm gasping for air. Hey doctor, I'm getting headaches all the time. Hey doctor, my energy is low. And, and, and so that's, you know, symptomatic and of a heart issue. But I'm completely asymptomatic, no issue. In actual fact, my cardiovascular score is through the roof. And so this is the thing that, and it really gets back to like, I did share my sliding door moment in terms of career change, but my real sliding door moment is this story in itself because when I was a little kid and I was trying to, you know, and it took me a while to discover this, but the reason why I'm so invested in my health, you know, I guess all throughout my life was because I was a sick kid. I was a really sick kid. And as a sick kid, I felt very disempowered and I was being bounced around, you know, GP to specialist, specialist, you know, to hospital surgery. And I just felt like I had no, no choice. I was just being carted around the hospital system, you know, under anaesthetic all by myself in the hospital. And, you know, tiny little kid, like I hadn't even started primary school. And so it, it, I guess, sowed a seed, a real deep seed within me that I never wanted to feel so disempowered around my health ever again. And I didn't realize that that was the seed that I'm now germinating and allowing to thrive. And it, so it drove my health interest. So in primary school, I'm dieting. I'm like, all the other kids are eating lollies and junk food. Here's me, I've got my food. I'm actually fasting as a kid, like, but not from a, not from a, you know, restricting and wanting to for aesthetics, simply from a health benefit point of view. So I'm doing what a lot of people do today. And I was a tiny little kid and well before the time of, you know, fasting was popular and eating good food. So yeah, so, and I constantly was reading books when I was young and I just loved picking up books about health and diet and nutrition, exercise and everything. And so I started to really invest a lot of time and energy educating myself in, you know, just this personal empowerment. And just going back to, you know, me getting from the GP now to the cardiologist, and the cardiologist is in front of me and going, wow, you're a ticking time bomb. You know, you're literally— you could walk out of here and, you know, keel over and die of a heart attack. Uh, you know, we have to do something, you know. So what are we going to do? First of all, I'm going to give you all these drugs. Now, now I'm going to weigh up surgery, you know, open up your heart, put stents in and all that sort of stuff. And so, but it's incredible that this whole journey I've come and I arrived at this point where I actually felt empowered. I felt like this specialist, like I didn't feel like this disempowerment, like this, like I'm looking at this specialist that's got all these, you know, multiple degrees and all this sort of stuff and and he's the expert in heart health. And, and I actually felt in a position where I could make my own decision. And so that was another sliding door moment. And it actually, you know, brings me to my whole— I actually feel tears, you know, coming, welling up— is that that just reminds, like, it just brought back that memory of feeling so disempowered. And now I'm in this position where I feel that I'm not disempowered and I've finally got to a point where I can make my own decisions and I'm not being told what to do. And I can do that with a degree of confidence. I mean, sure, I walked out of there and there was certainly uncertainty, right? Because I still respect medicine. I still have a huge respect for specialists. And I had a huge— I had a great cardiologist and, you know, we had a real open conversation about it. So I chose not to take drugs. And I said, look, I'll go along the journey with you, but, you know, I'm not taking the drugs. I'll do it my way. So just bear with me. There's got to be about another 5 more minutes of this story, right? I'm all in.

I'm all in.

So I go—

We'll take a break here and like people can go and have a cup of tea, just pause. We'll have a bit of, you know, music and we'll come back. Anthony, keep going.

Thanks, Jane Slack-Smith. And so I walk out of there and I'm thinking, I've got to break this news to Adriana. And like, Adriana is a real conservative. Her family's very conservative. My family's probably got a degree of conservatism. And here's me, this wild boy. Like, I've always been wild and went against the grain. So, um, this outlier I actually felt comfortable in this position. You know, I thought, okay, Adriana is probably going to go with the medical side. Mum and Dad will go with the medical side. Her, Adriana's parents, my in-laws will go with the medical side. And here's me, here's me right here flying the flag for holistic health and wellbeing. And I know what I'm talking about. And, and so it, it was hard. Like that was plenty of, cause I, you know, I obviously respect medicine. I have a deep respect for, you know, all the loved ones around me. And, and yeah, I was going against their wishes. And so it did throw a bit of spanner in the works because, you know, you Google this stuff and all the medical stuff pops up, all the medical research or everything, all the, you know, the 5 things around you should, you know, do if you got this with calcified heart and all this sort of stuff. And so I was thinking, now I've got to dig deeper, I've got to dig deeper, I've got to dig deeper. Um, but the incredible thing was that I actually started this journey before I actually got this diagnosis. Um, and I connected with these medical professionals who are outliers, who, who, who look beyond, I guess, the medical lens. And, and so I just, you know, connected in with them and that's where I was, you know, feeling a bit supported and that I wasn't so much against the grain. And so I thought, okay, I know what to do. I'm going to double down on what I'm doing. And so I did that and I, I had to then also go and get all these extra tests that he wanted done, MRIs, CAT scans, everything, you know, that cardiovascular stress test and all that sort of stuff. And so I then come back to him 6 weeks later. He sits down, he opens up my file on his screen, and he's just shaking his head. And I'm thinking, oh shit, here we go again. Yeah, here we go again, right? He's dumbfounded. He's doing all this computation in his head and he can't work it out. And he looks at me and he goes, I have no profound explanation for your results. I told you 6 weeks ago that you had an irreversible heart condition. Yeah, but you've managed to reverse it. I got goosebumps. And, and in that moment I thought, oh, what a sense of relief, because, you know, I was sort of dreading, here we go again, you know, like, here we go, open heart surgery.

You backed yourself, right, against everyone else. You backed yourself.

Yeah, yeah. So, um, incredible. And then, like, he, you know, analyzed all the information he had, and, and he, he said to me, look, you don't need to— he thought I was taking the drugs, but, you know, he gave me the scripts and everything. I didn't, didn't fill the scripts. And he goes, you don't need to take the aspirin anymore, like, you know, you're good from that, but I still want you to take the cholesterol medication. And I, I still haven't taken that, but, um, uh, but the— for me I wasn't like, I backed myself, but there was still that element of doubt and element of insecurity. And I think that was a bit of confirmation that what I was doing, because he then said to me, he goes, whatever you're doing, keep doing it. And so that was, that was really warming. And then the another sliding door moment, this is incredible, was, can you tell me what you're doing? And I think, yeah, you're going to make the whole shift.

Big conversation. Like, it's a, it's a big revelation when someone who has those credentials and that's their way are open to actually having a conversation of someone doing and still learning. Someone's doing this differently. I want to learn how. That's amazing that you were working with someone like that.

Yeah. So it was, yeah, such a journey, but total about time.

Is he sending all of his clients to me and my wellness now?

I was hoping too. I was hoping that would be my breakthrough. but I think the risk for him is his practicing license, right? And knowing how I'm doing it. And look, the science— there's emerging studies and it's growing. This body of evidence is growing, but the medical evidence is overwhelming for him. And he would be really, you know, going against the profession and potentially risk losing his license to practice as a cardiologist. So I can see his point of view. It's, it's a risk.

So that brings us to now, like, you know, you're a chemical engineer, you, you struggled with learning, you found a passion for learning, and you've created this incredible business where you have that holistic conversation with people. Tell us a bit about how you now have taken all of that to Me and My Wellness and what you're doing.

Yeah, so it does. It's very individualized. So I don't do anything like, here's a diet off the shelf, or here's Andrew Huberman's protocols, go and do Andrew Huberman's protocols. I see everyone as completely unique and special, and I tailor my services to them and who they are. So for me, it's, you know, collating as much information about them, knowing their preferences, their loves, and their interests, and all those things, their health history, and bringing it all together, and then coming up with a plan, working through with the client the plan. So we're workshopping the plan. Yeah, this will work, this won't work, and all this sort of stuff. It's very empowerment-centered. So I'm passing on education. So a lot of it's around empowering them to the point that some people just want to know what to do. So I, you know, I understand that and others are really into it. And so I do both, you know, obviously there's an element I explain why I'm recommending things. So that they feel a bit of understanding.

So they're empowered in part of the decision rather than just someone giving them a, you know, here's the prescription.

Yes, correct, correct. And I still work with medicine. I, like, I send, you know, clients if I'm a bit, you know, thinking that let's get something checked here, there's a few red flags, you know, I'll send them off to the GP, I'll communicate to the GP, you know. So I still got 100% respect for medicine. I like working, you know, I think, you know, if we work together, we're so much more, you know, get better outcomes for the clients if we work together. So that's my view on health and wellbeing. And it's very much how I practice. And I like, you know, for me, it's all about the individual and seeing the transformation and the growth and seeing them get the results that they desire and the health improvements that they're looking for. And feeling empowered. Like my ultimate aim is to get them so empowered that they don't need me so that I want to make myself redundant ultimately.

You know, it's interesting that the journey that we've, we've had together over the last 20+ years and, you know, being with one of those big multi companies and, and you leaving to pursue something that no one could get their head around. And I left to become a mortgage broker and people were like, Where did that come from? Like, you know, sometimes that shock and awe that we create, it holds people back. Like, you know, because it is, you know, you're, you're definitely exiting the matrix. And that, I love the fact that you had someone, a mentor, a coach, but you had someone that you could look to and go, wait a second, if he can be on stage doing this, I could be on stage doing that. Like, I think often you can't be what you can't see. And, and the purpose of this podcast is really around people going, God, if that was an exit the matrix moment for that person, what are the moments I'm missing? Right? Because we do, we do miss these things. And the absolute transformation that you've had from logical engineer to, you know, still in that detective mode of working things out, but working them out in line with the body and nature and holistically, I just— it's extraordinary transformation. I'm just so— I'm so glad that, that you took that step and, you know, really pursued and had the support of Adriana and everyone, but pursued, you know, your own desires of backing yourself because a lot of people don't.

Yeah, it's, I guess it's good with my, because as a kid I never fitted in. Like I was sent out of the classroom, I was locked up in storerooms and, you know, I guess embarrassed in front of the class, but getting the, you know, the whip or Yeah, yeah, yeah. So yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was never on stage for the right reasons. I was on stage because I was bad and they wanted to make a point of it. So I never felt like I fitted in. And I think that upbringing has really served like— and as much as people could say, oh, you know, you abused and bullied and all that, it served me for where I am today because I'm willing to I'm willing to speak out when I feel it's justified and I'm willing to be a voice on a podcast and I'm now getting to the point where I'm very comfortable on stage. But yeah, as a kid, all these little moments have all served me to where I am today and I'm grateful for being kicked out of the classroom. I'm grateful for being told that I've got an IQ of a dead plant and all this sort of stuff. Because like being told you've got an IQ of a dead plant makes you thirsty for learning, right? It made me thirsty and hungry and that thirst and hunger has never stopped. And even today I'm still learning. So I thank all those teachers and all those people that could have, you know, you could have said that, you know, today they would have been classified as, you know, bullying and abuse. But it served me so well because I'm really resilient. I'm very adaptable. And it's thanks to all that bullying and challenging that I received as a kid.

What an incredible way of looking at the world. Well, Anthony, I always ask my guests for a funny anecdote or something that people don't know about them. So do you have something that you can finally just pull out of your pocket to share?

There's not much because I'm so comfortable being me, like, and, oh, I mean, that's evolved over time, but I'll give you a story from COVID that, you know, COVID people were, I guess, you know, there was aspects that were really challenging and I just thought, how can I put a spark into people's lives? And so I thought every time I go out, I'll dress up as a superhero and wander around the streets and helping anyone I could. And I remember this lady that was out shopping and she didn't have her children with her. And I don't know whether it was a numbers restriction or whatever. So she didn't have her normal teenage helpers. And she's really struggling with this trolley and navigating this hill. And along comes American superhero Captain America. And she sort of looks at me and goes, like, am I dreaming? It was a real profound moment where I really lit up her day and she wanted to have photos with me and share them with her family and on social media and all that. And it was thinking like, I don't have much my teenage strong son's with me, but I've got this superhero that's come out of nowhere. And so that was a funny moment, I thought.

Absolutely. Well, you're obviously a superhero to the people who you work with as well. So I really thank you so much. And Anthony has generously offered the listeners of this podcast— so if you're listening to this in 5 years' time and he has no availability, Oops. But for now, at least for 2025, very generous opportunity to have a discovery call with him and obviously completely complimentary. He'll get to know you and you get to know him. But I really appreciate you making that offer, Anthony. And if people want to go to exitthematrix.io/s/anthony, then you can go and book some time with Anthony. I think I might even have to click into one of those too. And, and yeah, make a time. And talk about your wellness and your wellness journey with Anthony. I'm sure that having heard him today, he has inspired you as he's inspired me with his story. So thank you so much for sharing, Anthony.

Uh, thank you, Jane, and thank you listeners and viewers.

Well guys, that is a wrap for ExitTheMatrix.io this time. As you know, we're always trying to hack the algorithm, so go ahead and leave a review, go over to YouTube, subscribe, so that we can get this message out to more people. And if you go to exitthematrix.io and subscribe there, I have got a free gift for you as well. So as always, I hope that this little story, which is actually a big story and a few sliding door moment stories, has inspired you to look at your own life and take inspiration from it and possibly exit the matrix and go for your heart's desire as well. As always, here is to your success. Bye for now.

Thank you for listening to Exit the Matrix Stories of Success. Make sure you subscribe to future episodes at www.exitthematrix.io. Until next time, here's to your success. Wow!