SSP 073: Damon Wilkes - Measuring Self-Worth

Guys, it's Jordan Kanlish. Welcome back to the Stage Shifters podcast. It's a real honor to have you with me. I really want to make an effort to express my utmost gratitude for you, the listener, for taking part in really this journey in which we're all on, where we're all trying to become a better version of ourselves, but ultimately learn how to connect back with our truth. And it's the purpose of this podcast is really to bring on guests and share my insights and my perspective so that hopefully you can formulate an insight or have a breakthrough or have that life changing moment or that piece of information that kind of propels you along on your journey. And I'm a true believer in the more perspectives we can allow in the greater that allows us to expand our awareness and discover unique ways of thinking. And with that being said, today's guest is a longtime family friend who's ventured out and crossed into numerous worlds of self education and learning. And he's kind of blended finance therapy and coaching in one here. His name is Damo Wilkes and Damo and I, we met as we were young lads growing up here in Perth, Western Australia. Our families were close friends and as you do, as you grow up, you kind of part ways and go separate directions. And while I was in Canada, Damo, you know, saw some of the posts I was sharing on social media and he reached out to me as he was studying psychology at the time and, and he's in a therapist and worked as a psychologist for a while and he's, he's had a transition where he's now moved into trading, financial trading, and he's now married. These two, two worlds, understanding the mind and how to understand the markets. Because ultimately like we, like we discussed in the podcast, life's an inside out game and if you can master your internal world, a lot of the times you're able to master the external world and in this case his world being financial trading, which is pretty intense. But you're about to find some of the insights and some of the big breakthroughs he's had along that journey. And there's such a wide ranging conversation and I'm excited for you guys to, to get some perspective from it. So without further ado, this is the episode with Damo Wilkes.

Welcome to the State Shifters Podcast, a show dedicated to helping you discover your true potential through connecting the mind, body and soul.

Okay, Damo Wilkes, how are you, mate?

I'm fantastic.

Really, really well, mate, we've got you here in an in person State Shifters podcast. It's a rarity these days, mate, because of the global situation. Most of these interviews are usually on Zoom. So it's a. Yeah, it's a pleasure to have you here, mate.

Thank you so much for having me, mate. That's such a good point. And yeah, I really do appreciate being here.

Pleasure is all mine.

Yeah.

And I've been looking forward to sitting down and having a conversation with you, man, because you've been up to some really amazing things. And I'm excited to share with the community some of the lessons that perhaps you've taken from your journey. And this is sort of the purpose behind the podcast. I like to just bring on people who have really inspired or crossed paths, and me who I feel like could have something valuable to share to hopefully support someone else on their journey. But, man, I'd be curious to know, like, tell me a little bit about what's led you to where you are right now. What's the short story of Damo Wilkes up until this moment in time?

I love that. I love that, mate. Yeah, a short version. It's such one of those, like, sort of explorative experiences that I've chosen to have over the years. Anything from like traveling to different career paths to always having, with the shorter version, just the same intention to explore versions of myself. And then I found passion to the point in that where I wanted to give people those experiences. So, you know, starting from leaving school and then going into a trade and then finding myself in roles where I was, you know, they're that person. You know, anything from being an inspector that was very involved with people and how they're doing and their work and their progression, and then moving from there, leaving that field and then training up to be a practitioner in modern psychology, which is based more around, like the unconscious side. So anything from strategic coaching to hypnotherapy. Fell in love with that because I found that the most helpful for me. And then I wanted to give that to others and do that in a professional way and moving forward and then exploring that and seeing clients and growing and then wanting to go online. So, yeah, my next phase through coming through the journey to now was I went online and starting to discover the finance world and learning how to trade the markets. And it's been something I've found passion in for now years and found consistency in, especially through the trading group I go through now and then helping them out as well by sharing these skills online. And I wanted to combine the two. That was always a passion of mine. Cause I Wanted to be online from being able to travel. Cause I spent a few years over east of Australia and then, you know, overseas when I had the chance. And then now moving back here to wa, there was that gap. If I set up a local business, I would have to set it up again. But I want to be able to share on a larger scale. So I've been able to link the two now. So that's where I'm at. And this is like, you know, I appreciate being here and I love being able to share this experience because now I'm doing everything I can to live link through their guerrilla trading. So I do my mindset mentoring, which is purely like psychology based through, you know, experiencing finance and experiencing psychology. And then people do the same thing. So where I'm at now is I take them through that journey. You know, they're learning a skill in finance which is like strategic. And then I coach them through what they've been through in the past to what they want to do moving forward. And combining all of my experiences and what I've learned through the professional world, it gives them that and it's something I'm really passionate about and I love sharing. So that's essentially making a short version where I'm at now. I'm combining the financial world with the, you know, the sort of the Eastern approach, the unconscious approach, the psychology world. I just love that.

Yeah, yeah, man. Epic. And I'm gonna dive into that with you because it just really fascinates me. And I believe that's where we've really crossed paths and aligned so, so fully on the journeys we've both taken. Because, mate, we grew up together as wee lads, you know, like 10 years old, you know, our families were, you know, great family friends. So we'd been around each other then obviously gone off and done our separate things. And now, you know, just seeing each other online and seeing what we're doing, we go, hey, wait a second, we've kind of been there, we're on the same vibe here. And since I've returned to Perth, I've been so fascinated to learn more about what you've been doing and how you found that intersect between, you know, the psychology and the therapy. Real, really now crossing that over into coaching and the finance world and being very successful at it.

Yeah.

And I guess that's where like my journey ties into that because having gone into business and sport, playing sport at a high level, ultimately I started to join the dots that all of it was an inside game first.

That's it.

And I think that's what you're cracking the code here with the finance stuff as well. Like, it's an inner game first.

Yeah.

Then the external results show up around that. So I don't know. Would you be able to speak to that?

Yeah, absolutely. And I love that you've expanded on that level, because that's where I'm really finding that connection through other people and through clients is that we have such similar journeys in our life and if we use our growth through even metaphors in the, you know, say someone. I was chatting with someone the other day about tennis, and then we could link so much into their progression in this finance world, which is very strategic or known as like the West End or it's money, but we can link it with like, you know, probability, like what's. What's something that, you know, will work most times. And for him, he was saying it's the overhand shot in tennis. So, you know, that was an experience he had as a younger man and now he's still doing it to this day. But, you know, that's something that. Linking those in and experiencing people's journeys and finding resonance, like you're saying. Yeah, I really appreciate that approach because that's something that I do so passionately and that I sort of, in a way, work with. It's almost like there was a lot of theory and helping people through the theory. But when you really dive into, you know, growing up and experiences and what do you see or what your beliefs were, that's when we see the differences. And that's what I love diving into with people.

Amazing. Yeah, amazing. And since you've dove into that, you know, around maybe first of all, explain a little bit about what were some of the main things you had to overcome in yourself when.

Yeah.

You know, I guess transitioning from studying psychology.

Yeah.

Hypnotherapy. And then deciding, right, I want to move into the finance world.

Yeah.

And then bringing that that wisdom and I guess having to learn a bunch of lessons along the way. What were some of the main things you had to overcome to. To be the success that you are now in that process?

Man, that's powerful because honestly, the two things that pop straight to mind, like there's so many things that I could dot point that I went through, the biggest things were owning who I am and as my identity and not finding myself being known as just the one thing. So the biggest transition was when I really started off as the electrician and then becoming a therapist. It took me a lot to own Doing both. So, you know, I went through a phase where it was like, I'm the therapist here. And then I was like, I'll put that hat on the shelf. And then I'm the electrician here. Or, you know, with the finance world, it's like, I'm doing the finance, I'm doing the trading, but, you know, I've got to put that hat now. I'm going to be the therapist. It's the biggest lesson I learned as an individual is finding yourself in all of those and being comfortable expressing through all of those. Because that's the core thing I learned for myself, was I found myself through multiple things. So by learning that and owning that, I've realized it's helped so many other people because they can own who they are consistently, and I love that. And another big lesson was getting over my drive. I guess being human. Sometimes the greed or the excitement or the fear or the progression of like, oh, I can't do this, or I can do this. There was so much I had to get through. A lot of growing up and, you know, a lot of expectations or, you know, even just growing up and loving people around you and hearing what their views are on life. There were so many of those sort of beliefs and opinions that get broken. Especially diving into, like, the finance world or even becoming, like a therapist and really loving that and owning that you've got to really take on. Or, for example, keeping it on me, I had to really, really take on all of my beliefs in so many areas and really look at them objectively is like, observe them. Like, is this really serving me? And that took a lot of work. And it took me, you know, still getting the work done on me, even through all this journey, even to this day, because I just find that's the beauty of being human. And when I try and own it as if, like, you know, I've made it, I find that I have to reel myself back. It's almost if I feel like I have made it or I haven't made it, I'm not present enough to continue that beautiful flow through life. If I try and make it linear, which is my biggest lesson, if I try and make it so linear and focused, even just daily tasks, sometimes, you know, they don't get done. So, yeah, finding that flow and being comfortable to flow and leave things or even doing the practices that I preach, you know, going for the walk, going for the ride, doing the meditation, doing the breath work, eating well, they're such key things. I learned from a larger point to even the small daily things.

Yeah, well said. With the. The linearity, like, the. Sometimes if we're too linear and we're too, like, structured and disciplined with our practices, we cut ourselves off from receiving, like, the guidance in subtle ways or opportunities to come in. In ways in which, you know, we can't see mentally. Yeah, yeah. So, like. Yeah, I agree with you on that. I've experienced that too. Just the flexibility. Being open. Yeah, being open.

Such a good way to put it, bro.

There's something I want to mention because I feel like a lot of people listening will get some value from this journey that you've taken around. You mentioned the different hats that you've. You've worn throughout this process. Right. Therapist, psychologist now and trader.

Yeah.

And coach.

Yeah.

Like, for some people, man, they may be at a point in their journey where they're ready to put on a different hat. Like, yeah, they're done with this identity that they've worn for however many years. Like, for me, it was the identity of, like, the accountant studying four years, working in the industry for two years. I'm like, fucking. This is the only that I have.

Yeah.

I don't want to do this anymore. How do I then now adopt and sculpt a new identity for myself? And that can be a scary and daunting task. Right. Because that's where we are now. And then there's this, like, future where we want to be down the line, and that's a whole different person. And that gap is that, like, kind of identity crisis that we go through, like, the chasm that we have to cross to get to where we want to be. And you've done that. Yeah, numerous times. So, like, what. What, I guess, did you. What advice would you have for someone who maybe is looking to make a similar transition? Could be a career, could be a relationship, could be trying to transition out of and into that you've been able to take from all your transitions.

Yeah. And honestly, just listening to that and viewing it from that perspective, it really gets me excited because it's like, to go straight to the raw part, there will be struggles. And that's what I think excited me the most, hearing that from you, it's like, man, there were some struggles. And that was, I think, the beautiful part I mentioned about being human. It's when I own that part, I really like, hey, I'm going to struggle through this transition. It's not going to be easy. And it doesn't mean by me saying this that it's not going to be easy because it really comes down to how we're going to approach it, like you're saying. And I think the biggest key points I had when shifting hats is learning the values in what you're doing and why you're choosing to do the next things. Like what's something that you can see yourself valuing in what you do or in what you're choosing to do next that you can carry through the years and to the point where you can share as a story of your experiences. You know, for me, I always wanted to remain passionate, adventurous, caring. So I look back, you know, at times where I was say hiding my identities, I still had the same values, but I hadn't found them to the point where I would express them healthily. You know, even if people were to challenge or make comments. I think if people challenge you or make comments, sure, take note of them. But check in with yourself. There's one key thing I really loved about getting on the other side and that I could offer to anyone. Even with clients now, you know, a lot of people wanting to escape the 9 to 5 through this channel of trading. The biggest thing is find passion in what you do, in love what you do and also schedule. I think the two things is find the values in what you're doing now because they're going to have to carry into what you're doing next. So it removes that sort of like real big excitement or like I'm quitting tomorrow or if you make bit of progress in the new venture, you're like, that's it, I'm done. And maybe it was like a week or maybe a month, but sometimes it takes time. And that's something I realized that I didn't give myself enough of. And that was my struggle was I got very ambitious in time frames. So looking back, I would love to have reverse engineered a lot more. So say I had a two year goal, reverse engineer it to know the key things. Say something happened within those two years to let me know that, okay, I'm closer to that goal. Because the moment I put say that two year, it may have happened in six months or maybe it's going to take another year. But if I, you know, I didn't but now if I was to advise someone to reverse engineer it, to know the key moments of your progress, it lets that, you know, flow happen. It's not so linear now. It's not that emotionally driven, you know, I'm quitting or I'm like hiding, you know, and yeah, that's honestly focusing on that. It's almost Like, I lost track of the other thing I was mentioning because that's purely, I think the biggest moment or breakthrough I would advise anyone is really love what you're doing now. Know that what you're doing is perfectly great. Like it may be quote, unquote tough. And you know, you're doing this to say, change your experiences, but give yourself some time, reverse engineer what you've got to do so you know the stages you're going to go through because there's going to be emotions, you know, you're going to feel amazing some days and you're going to feel, you know, not so great on the other days. And you will experience that being human, you know, it's going to happen. So trying to find yourself in other things without finding a value sometimes can keep you being lost big time.

Yeah, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And well said. Yeah, resonate with that. I'll speak to the quantum growth model because we were speaking before about how like growth is not. It's not linear, it's like quantum. That's it. You can have this exponential growth and you can have a goal set and the timing of it being achieved. Behind the scenes, you can be doing all this inner work, but externally not see as much. You know, external growth. And then all of a sudden, bang. 1. Like it's that one shift.

Yeah.

And then life just goes, here you go. And things explode. And for me, that, that model that I've chose to follow, this quantum model of growth, like came from Joe Dispenza's stuff, you know, like two and a half years ago when I first came across his content. And a lot of it was wrapped around the values component, around, like, what are those driving emotions that you value? Right. You have this external, the three year vision, whatever that is. Cool. Like, get it down, create it. But then what are those driving emotions that are anchored in what it is that you value? Meaning feelings. Like, what do you want to feel when you get this vision?

Yeah.

And then your commitment, your daily commitment, you know, the identity creation process is around. How do you live by these emotions every single day without needing anything external to allow you to feel them? You know what I mean? Like saying, hey, you know what? I'm not going to wait for life to give me this goal before I feel these emotions. I'm going to show up, up and feel that now. And that's that shift that creates like magic. It creates an opening in life where you raise your frequency, your vibration just goes to a level to allow the support to come in the guidance to come in the new. The people to support you on your journey.

Yeah.

And sometimes it takes a little. Sometimes it takes a little while to adopt that new identity, Whether it be something that aligns with someone who wants to make more money.

Yeah.

You know, whatever it is, that gap between where you are now and where you want to get to within that gap, there's probably a lot of like, uncertainty that comes up for sure. And what were some ways in which you navigated the uncertainty or the self doubt or the anxiety or all the survival patterns that often kick in when we're trying to like, move into a new. A new place?

Yeah.

Like, how were you able to navigate that? Any tools that you use?

Yeah, honestly, that's the moment you mentioned. Even just the daily showing up daily that was so, so key in finding some practices that perhaps you don't do D daily. Because that's. I think the biggest thing is we can put pressure on ourselves sometimes to find these new methods. Or for example, from my personal experience, sometimes it's like I need to do my daily practice. If I don't get it done, sometimes it doesn't happen. And that's just like a side disclaimer. But to really get to the core of the message that I love sharing is find something that helps you connect, you know, consistently with where you want to be. Like, you're saying, like a lot of people, meditation is strong or breath work strong or strong. Doing a form of sometimes exercise that lets you have an experience, like say you're going to the gym or go for a walk. It's intention focused and it's like, hey, I'm committing to this self work daily. Because I know this is helping me almost be a reminder of where I'm heading. Because we can get lost in that journey. We can get lost in the data or we can get lost in. Sometimes I even found myself getting lost in spirituality and like diving so deep into the eastern philosophies and all that that I wasn't doing the grounded exercise essentially. Really, I wasn't doing the daily gym work. So it was like, I'm gonna go, you know, meditate for three hours. But like, hey, this form of daily practice was helping me find that balance. And that was. Yeah. A really. A key thing there for sure.

Yeah. Yeah, dude. What I've learned, you know, within. Within this process over the last couple of years of getting really rigid on like, my. My routine, my habits and rituals, and realizing that, you know, within that rigidness that I'd created for myself, I became very like, like stuck on, like, okay, if I don't meditate today, if I don't exercise today, I'm not going to be my best.

Yeah, I've been there.

Yeah. And I had a lot of growth from that because what I realized was when I didn't adopt these practices, like a couple of years ago, I was trying to get the business up and going. When I didn't have these practices, all of a sudden I felt like I wasn't doing enough. Felt like I wasn't accomplished or wasn't growing at the rate I wanted to grow. And I was like, this isn't sustainable. This is like a little bit dysfunctional, you know? So it actually became, I noticed there was sort of like a high level coping mechanism.

Yeah.

When you're too dependent on meditation, too dependent on exercise.

Yeah.

Too dependent on having your green juice every single day, you're fasting, whatever. It may be that if you don't have it, what comes to the surface is the part of yourself that you're afraid to face. And what I noticed was like, okay, like, I want to be able to chill out some days and not do anything and be able to sit and chill out in nature and not feel guilty for not doing enough. So for me now, what I've, what I've noticed is constantly changing up my routine.

Yeah.

Keeps like things fresh and allows me to notice, are there parts of myself down there that I'm not looking at, that I'm masking, that I'm covering up because of my structured, rigid routine every single day. So for me, like, some days looks like today, for example, last couple of days, I'm going to the gym.

Yeah. Yeah.

And you know, previously I'd be like, okay, you know, I've got worked out today, like, and I'm gonna be, I'm not gonna be myself.

Yeah.

But I noticed, like, hey, I was going to the gym. I was going to gym every day last week, and now all of a sudden I noticed my body saying, hey, slow down, you're going too hard.

Yeah. Yeah.

And it was this, these subtle, this subtle awareness that I wouldn't have picked up on early on. You know, I was in my corporate job. I remember just like every day.

That's it.

And. Yeah. Have you been able to, like, sharpen your awareness to a point where you know what you need in specific core moments in time? Whether, like, you're coaching someone, you're doing some big trades, like, there's some, you know, the heat, man, the intensity of the work, you're in. We were talking about this before. You're dealing with constant fluctuations in market, making big trades. Your routine's probably getting like shifted because you're up later and late at night. You know, what have you been able to notice and acknowledge within yourself to have that level of awareness be like, hey, right now I just need to sleep, or I know you have a walk right now I need to just like chill out and do nothing.

Yeah.

Yeah. What's helped you with that?

Yeah, the biggest thing that jumps out at me is when I really started to loving a lot more of time blocking. So respecting my time a lot more in smaller blocks. I found that was amazing because the routine does naturally change and it took me a while to sort of own that and then also accept that in the form of two sides. Like say, it's time to sleep. Okay, it's time to sleep. Not, oh, I might go watch a YouTube video because, you know, the other night I was up at 2am so it's okay to be up at 2am but actually I needed to be because there was something aligning on the charts that required me to do that, you know, so the biggest thing for me was loving my routine and having one consistent, then looking at more as small little blocks that are flexible because of anything that could happen. Anything from, you know, getting, getting a call where you're needed, you know, having that flexibility of working for myself to address that, or even from the required trading side of things, or you know, seeing clients if they want to reschedule, they're all small enough that I can adjust them over the larger time of the day because I've been so guilty of that too. Next thing you know, there's like six hours gone and you're just doing. Oh, for me, I was just doing the one task and then I had so many other things to do that I almost felt as if the same approach, like you were saying it was like a negative thing. Oh, I didn't do this or I didn't do that or I didn't do the simple tasks. So for me, really doing my daily commitments to, you know, just being as progressive as I can, making sure I'm doing it in almost recorded blocks and having breaks. So say I need, you know, say I choose or need to do three hours of some kind of work or some kind of enjoyment or going down to the park, even having break, especially with work focused stuff like do 25 minutes and then have a five minute break and then get stuck in for another 25 minutes. So it Lets me keep on top and also lets me really dive in because it's not like a lost moment of just because it happens, I find it. I don't know about you, man. One hour sometimes feels like five hours. I'm checking the time. I'm like, no way. It's dark outside.

Yeah.

Yeah. That was a really big one for me. Is that's it really just noticing smaller blocks of time and using that sort of tool.

Hey, man, I want to switch gears a little bit.

Yeah.

I'm curious to know with the psychology background that you have. Right. And now I'm moving into like a really unique space of coaching that you're in coaching aspiring traders, right?

Yeah.

That's so interesting. And what have you noticed around some of the main blocks that other people are experiencing as they move into this world? And how have you used your psychology background to support the coaching process?

Yeah, that's it. So having obviously the background and doing the hypnotherapy and then the NLP and then the coaching using those three which trained in and having them flexible has been unreal because approaching that field, say, if I went in with too much like in depth hypnotherapy, I was realizing it was too focused on the healing. Because sometimes people come to me as a client when they're ready to go. They're now. And progress, which took a lot more of my training and the coaching and the strategic sort of blueprint to success. So finding all of them, merging and then sort of having that as my grounding point and then seeing what the client needs and going from there. Because honestly, the most common terms in the trading world is sort of like fomo, fear of missing out. And then just almost like. It's not like another term. It's just everyone's so keen to leave their nine to five or find reasons or set expectations for themselves, which is beautiful because that's what, you know, we can do or we can have those opportunities to do it. Just the biggest ones were diving in with the clients was when it comes to fear of missing out, we're diving really into how they're experiencing a moment and how are they choosing to act in those moments. And that choice they make, are they going to then move forward and go, yep, that's in alignment with who I am or say, for example, in that. Well, it's based a lot of the times around a plan or a trade plan, which is almost just a combination of what you've learned through the past in the markets, as well as a checklist in the now that, okay, if these are aligned, I'm getting in. So the most common thing for people with FOMO was like, they're having a fear that if they don't enter, they're going to miss out. But a lot of the times when we dive into that, that's so subjective, and that's the power of this work, is sometimes someone's fear is naturally that, but when we dive into what they want instead, it's like they actually want to feel confident, or one person wants to feel happy, or one person wants to feel at peace. And the experience of missing out is sort of like the Hinds, like, oh, I wish I was in that. So there's a level of checking in to make sure they're doing the technical work. And even if they're not doing that, the whole experience of exploring, like, what's going on and diving into now, this gets more into the nlp, hypnotherapy, their past or their beliefs, or, like, how they experience, you know, all of those common combinations and then giving them experience of themselves. So the best way to summarize this, because it's so expansive and this is what gets me excited about this field, is I really check in with everything they're choosing to do and then giving them the chance to observe it and then giving them a tool chest. And I dive into sessions with them to create more choice, like, what is it that you want instead? So, you know, we can have the struggles, or we can go into the fomos, or we can have these terms, but what are you doing as yourself that you want to be doing instead? And the beautiful questions I love asking in those sessions with clients are like, what resources do you need? Or like, what needs to happen now? So if we dive into what resources we need, maybe it's like, okay, I need to learn a bit more of a skill set, or I need some more daily practices, or I need more of a daily routine, or I just basically just need to switch over to what needs to happen now. And sometimes it's just I need to trust myself more because we're diving into a field commonly with, you know, clients of they were working for someone, or they had a manager or they had someone to, you know, always sort of give them guidance of how to do their work. A lot of this is very much I need to decide myself in the moment. You know, we've got amazing mentors, like the one that taught the technical skills, Josh Bunker, amazing. You know, and the way he can teach and deliver that level of professionalism consistently to the point where people can pick it up and learn. That's the key point. And they have to learn for themselves to act in that moment. And I think that's what gets me so passionate about what it is that makes that this work, really work, is we give them that responsibility or in this scholar practice and then so when to it comes, comes to the moment, they act as themselves. They don't act as like what their boss used to tell them or the manager used to, to like.

Yeah, yeah, that's powerful man. Yeah, that's powerful because yeah, there's probably a bunch of survival patterns that kick in when someone starts very true acting out on like FOMO and very true things.

Yeah, yeah, for sure.

So I guess there's, there's an opportunity when you move into trading, like when you start a business. Yeah, I guess it is a business in a sense.

That's it.

You, you're faced with a lot of these, these destructive patterns that have been down there all along. Yeah. Were there some main ones that you had to move beyond like that you mentioned fomo, but what else came up for you throughout that man?

My personal one is I love sharing the most and I find it resonates with so many people progressing. It, it's a level of self worth, like finding worth in yourself to say, for example, you want to take on if we're sticking in the trading world, say you want to take on some investors or, or you want to start earning a certain amount of percentage every month. Like for me personally, it was about owning that I was okay to do that and not, you know, having these underlying sabotages going on. So say I start making it, it's like, yes, I've made it. So now I can, you know, take these extras because it's like I know how the market's going to be. Now that was a really common one learning and that's such a common thing for people. And a lot of it dives into, from my experience, my belief to share it. But it could be slightly different. But for me it was really a self worth thing. It's like when I really started making it, it's like, oh, are you really worth that much money? Or it's like when you weren't doing well, it's like, oh, you know, it was like a seesaw effect for a long time until you start really finding that consistency and finding that belief that you are worth it. Now I think that's what is something I really find a lot of passion too is helping people Find their worth and not having to seek it elsewhere. You know, even with the markets, don't seek your worth in the markets. Don't think you need to leave what you're doing. And the markets is going to give you that experience. Like, I want people to find their worth as who they are, and I think that's a big part of why I want them to experience themselves. Because it's like, hey, you are good enough. You know, you're worth it. Like, you even how you're breathing and functioning right now, this is where we start. We don't start once you consistent or once you've got the capital. And I feel I personally experienced that a lot too. I was very guilty of that too. It's like, you know, always going, which is great. You've got the ambition and the drive. And I find that with clients, it's like, that's a compliment. But don't let that be who, you know, judge yourself on depending, because that can be daily. And that's the beauty of this field and in being in business. So true. I love that you mentioned that. And it's. If you start seeing anything as a form of business and then you take it further, it's like you're really doing the personal work, you know, your business. For me, I find even when I was doing the electrical business stuff or even the therapy business stuff, if I was having a rough day or I wasn't doing really well, like a lot of the times that resonate through your business and you couldn't really. For me, when I was doing pure 9 to 5, I couldn't hide behind the desk or I couldn't call in sick. It's like, you are that person and it's so important to check in with that for sure.

Oh, man. I just resonate on all levels with that.

Yeah.

Because it's the exact same crossover with some of the coaching stuff that I've been doing. You know, with the self worth, it's everything, you know, it's everything. And I know, I know most people, a lot of people struggle with this as well, you know, because we're so used to defining our worth based on an external measure. How much money we've got in the bank, where we live, what car we drive, who we hang out with, what clothes we wear, how many followers we have. And if you're measuring your worth on an external measure, then. Then you're set up for failure. Right. And same thing with coaching. I remember because you go into conversation, you start talking about money and your voice starts Shaking. Oh, it's. It's $2,000. And it's a sign that, like, a part of me didn't believe I was worth that much. A part of me was attached to whether they're going to say yes or no.

Yeah.

Because now when I have a conversation about this is how much it works for me. And it's just like, I say it with like full detachment and I haven't mastered it yet. But like, usually it's like, okay, I'm not attached to whether someone works with me or not because my self worth isn't tied to whether they work.

Love that, man.

And it's taking me some time, but like, as everyone progresses along, like a business journey, their own personal development journey.

Yeah.

It's a realization that your self worth isn't based on the opinions of others, how much you own or what you do.

That's it.

It's just based on your level of connection with who you are.

Yeah.

You know, sure, man. That once that got anchored in me, like I have. Right. My self worth. Worth is how connected I am with the truth of who I am.

Yeah.

Which is beyond an identity, beyond a. Beyond the clothes that I wear, the body that I buy. And I think that realization is what supports any decision in business. Are you attached to the outcome or are you just attached to the constant growth and evolution of this version of yourself?

Yeah.

So, yeah, I really like that. I like that you brought up self worth because it's a massive one.

Yeah.

What has been some ways in which you've helped people start to like, do exactly that, like, dial up their self worth? Obviously make a ton of mistakes and same with me, have a ton of no's when I'm coaching. It's just a part of it and you learn from that. But like, has there been some ways you've helped someone speed up the self worth or even in yourself? How were you able to speed up that. That process?

Oh, it gets me so passionate. And to put it into words of tools, to really be those key breakthrough moments, there's two things that popped up for me. It was like connecting in with this, say this, let's call it the higher wisdom or the higher knowledge or like your higher purpose in the sense that sometimes it's even journaling what's going on for you and reflecting on that. And it helps you connect in with where you're going and who you are and not be so focused on the outcome. It's almost like a tool to see where you're at and trust that higher Self or ask the right questions for me. I love that question because it removes my such. My outcome focus. And it makes me go like, reel it right back. It's like, okay, my worth and everything is good now. What needs to happen now, you know, and if there's still a bit of distortion, that next question I mentioned, well, I love, like, what resources do I need now? Like just reeling it right back and like, because, you know, I've been so guilty of it too, being like, you know, it's all going to work out, it's all going to be good. It's still so outcome focused, even responding to some people, you know, even, you know, I find being real as well. Like, that's been my still my growing point. Like when someone asks how you are, like, yeah, I'm good. And you just brush it off. I think that's another key point, especially with loved ones, like telling them how you really are. And that removes the sort of, that, I know, sort of that blanket. Like, it's all outcome focused. It's all ahead of me. It's like the same as accepting a no. It's like, like I find knowing who you can have these conversations with, I think that's another. I love the little side disclaimer. Like, you know, you don't have to tell everyone absolutely everything and that's okay. It's not like you're. You're lying to people or anything. It's just like, you know, find that circle or who you can or like your accountability partner or people you're close with and practice this level of like, authenticity and just tell them how you are. Same thing. And then it finds more comfort in the external. No. Like, someone comes up to you, says, no, you're like, that's cool because I know I'm grounded enough. I know I've got, you know, my accountability partner or I've got my journal to reflect on. Like, I can take that and not let it decide who I am, you know, and it's the classic thing, you know, I've been. I love a bit of YouTube here and there. There's a lot of education there. But every single video I'm on, there's always thumbs down no matter what. You know, there is. I've not found one video yet where there's not a thumbs down ticked.

I think some people just must be on, there's no thumbs. Yeah, fuck it.

And I think it's true, man. Even that has been such a key. Learning with this concept is no matter what you do or how beautiful it is. Or how strong it is. Like you're coaching, like such valuable things that connecting with people, help with people and take it to that next level. Someone's going to click thumbs down, you know, and even if sometimes more thumbs down than the thumbs up, maybe that thumbs up did something like a domino that was never going to do anything to those thumbs down, even if they took it on. So even if you still to connecting with who you are, you've done your journey, you've done your work, you've shared honestly with people so you can share honestly with others without that fear and. No. And then you get that one. Yes. And you give them everything. And then it's like that flick of that domino. It's not just like a little line. It's like one of those crazy YouTube clips again, where it's just like this crazy pattern comes out and it's just phenomenal. I think that's really it, if that makes sense. And I've explained that part because that, that is definitely a key thing is owning the nose through practices like that and even sharing with the right people to the point where you feel vulnerable. And that's okay because that means they're going to be vulnerable with you. And it's such a beautiful thing because why not don't just say good to everyone. Tell some people how you really are.

Oh, man. Beautifully said.

Yeah.

And it's almost like when you feel upset by a. No. Or you feel upset by the opinion or judgment of someone else, it's actually a wonderful opportunity to look at the part of you that feels like it needs the validation from them or.

Or.

Yeah. Or needs their approval from someone else.

Yeah.

So it's almost like when. Yeah. Then we kind of need the nose.

Yeah.

Oh, and you know, you sure. You know, you know you've leveled up when you're no longer phased by it.

Yeah.

And same thing on social media, man. Social media is like a black.

Yeah.

It's an. It's a. It's a battleground of validation, external validation. And like, it bothers me sometimes how often I check the phone because I know I don't care about what people. But I'm like, there's a part of me that still wants to check and yeah. See how I am commenting on this post. But if you're not careful, social media becomes that, like, you're in pursuit of like. Oh, yeah. Wow, you're amazing.

You're.

You're doing great.

Yeah.

And I reckon social media is the perfect place to start to check in with where you're at on your self worth measure.

Yeah.

You know, if you're posting and you get upset if your photo doesn't get as many likes, for sure nobody viewed your video. I do Instagram lives every Monday now.

Yeah.

And when I first started out doing them, I thought, what if no one shows up? What if it's just me speaking? I said, everyone's the worst nightmare on Instagram. No one shows up. And it wasn't until I decided, you know what? I don't even care if no one shows up. I'm gonna get on there and just speak my truth because I love doing this.

There we go.

And whoever needs to hear this will hear it.

Yeah.

And since doing that, man, it's been a beautiful practice for me because there's always that little voice that says, oh, what if no one shows up? Or you're on there and you see like one person dying?

I'm like, that's fine. That's so cool.

It was just a little practice of just leaning into, hey, if my self worth is not determined upon who shows up on my Instagram live.

Yeah.

It's just based on am I loving the process of just sharing truth?

Yeah, man.

So it's the same thing with the business, same thing with your relationships, your work, you know, if you're just loving what you're doing and you're enjoying the process, then it's all good.

That's it. You know, it genuinely is, man.

Yeah.

That's so powerful. And, and that's that beautiful thing is I had such a similar experience even like putting content out because it's. That was a lot of my work to get through and such a key moment. And it's kind of cool, isn't it? We can do these formal measurements and check ins even by this thing that sits in our pocket, like trying to help my nan and granddad about this, you know what I mean? Even when they were our age, like, my nan used to take a horse and cart to school and you know, she's, she's living healthy. You know, we catch up. It's this progression we've made. There's been two sides we can go down, isn't it? And just how we're expressing it, how you express that, like, for me, it's just like, that is so mind blowing and so powerful. And whether that happened, literally, we could have had those experiences in this room together with our phones, and each Monday we could have caught up. And that Monday with the same thing in your pocket, it's just gone, man. I just Realized something of myself. I think that's so cool. And that back then. And yeah, I would love to have known or I would love to have more conversations with people from those times and eras. Because how did they have this level of progression that we have these opportunities to do now? Like, I didn't, for example, in the online learning content or connecting with people around the world like I do now. How did they have those levels of progression? Or, like, is that why now when you tell them about technology and stuff? I'm finding a lot more of the younger generations, they're very open and they're projecting things that are, like, out of this world. You know, they're like, cloning humans and all this stuff, and they're comfortable or excited where it's like, you tell, you know, people, I can only assume, and I'm just going on a bit of a tangent here out of excitement, that that's kind of the progression we're having as humans. And if we share these progressions with generations that didn't have these opportunities, it's almost like the father flight kicks in and it's almost like, well, it's too much. Whereas now we're like, like having these beautiful opportunities of growth all the time. And even just on the Instagram thing, we can be so lost in our followers or lost in the likes or lost in the comments or the views, or we can just go commit weekly because of the same deal. Like, no, I want to deliver this. I want to give back. I want to serve to people in a way that we all grow. Because that's almost like it's a big thing right now, right?

It really is.

It's a big thing.

It really is. And I think a part of that collective process is bringing us all back to, like, union. You know, the more, like, you step out, even just saying that's what you're saying right now, like, helps us feel more connected with other people because other people feel the same thing. So, like, sharing. I just think that the union back in the old days probably would have just been different. Someone preaching bound on the side streets. That's his platform.

Yeah, it's amazing.

Hey, we just preach on our Instagram.

And there's so many preachers, though, you know what I mean? Like, I swear, every thought you have these days, I can go look up or search it, and there's some powerful leader, influencer that can make me go down that belief. I think that's really it too, isn't it? Make sure we're checking in with our belief systems. And is it in alignment with our beliefs and our values? Because they can change. But sometimes making sure we don't get lost in the influence. There's some amazing speakers out there. Amazing influences. And sometimes it's four the greater good and a larger perspective. Or sometimes it's. It's not so great. Yeah. Legit, I think. Yeah, yeah. It's a big sort of a check in too. I've been down. Yeah. Through just life experiences. Like you can go down something, you feel so right and you find that like, whoa, I was, I was in a risky situation there with these, these people and I was convinced that this was a good thing because of what was going on.

Great point. Like, dude, there's a strong chance a lot of the. That I've been talking about on my podcast in 10 years time, most of that was rubbish. Information's coming out. One of them is, is dieting is a great example. The other day I listen to podcasts about the carnivore diet and I'm like, holy. Like, I actually feel great when I just eat meat.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

And my girlfriend was vegan. I think on some of my podcasts I was talking about how veganism is great and how I actually think I'm starting to think the opposite. Well, yeah, I think eating good quality meat is probably some of the best things we can do. And maybe vegan is a bit of an agenda that's been pushed.

Wow.

Yeah, yeah, that, like, that is how rapid information is changing. And I'm so open and willing to be like, yeah, cool. Yeah, I have a different perspective, different view. So, like, I'm not attached to any perspective that I used to have or any perspective that someone else has. Because as we grow and evolve, like the way we see the world changes.

Yeah, for sure, man.

And the len, the lens just changes for the better.

Yeah.

You know what I mean? If you look back to where you were like, like a year ago or even, like, even three. Three years ago is such a great measure to think about.

Three years is cool.

How was I seeing the world back then compared to how I was now? The beautiful part about having content online is I can go back and watch my videos.

That's cool, man. Reflecting is even powerful in itself.

That's how much you can change. Like, your lens just broadens and back then you're convinced. Oh, I know. I know what I'm talking about.

That's it.

Listen to my podcast. I know what I'm talking about. We really don't. None of us do. We're Just trying to give our best attempt at trying to describe what life means.

To connect on that as a personal experience, which I'm sure some people could resonate with. I found that not so much through nutrition and I've always been open to it, but when I went through my bodybuilding phase, that was such a coming out of it. I'll start with the lessons was it was my way of actually expressing my anger and releasing, but it wasn't in a healthy way. And then it was at the same time giving me so much opportunity for mindset and discipline. But that in that same time, I went through so many transitions. I was convinced, like, even this protein shake was the one. And then it turns out that dairy is not so great for me. So I spent, you know, months pumping all these dairy shakes, getting. I didn't see even that growing back, reflecting on that. Like, I still saw great results, but reflecting on what I know now, even through nutrition, having that openness. I didn't have that openness back then. I was like, nut you need those three shakes or not, you need your chicken and rice and, you know, greens, nut that's less carbs, like, get me back on the road. Yeah, I really resonate with you. And that's reflecting on that. It was a great channel for me, but I still use the gym daily now, but more as like a mindset, like a release, as a focus, a recalibration and it's. Yeah, reflecting on that year span, that's what bounced in my head. I'm like, that. Yeah, I had a period of that too where that was dead set. But now I'm like, like I'm very open to that experience. Not trying to deadlift to the shins of bleeding and stuff. Yeah, mate, it's. It's powerful stuff.

Well, mate, this is. It's been a really enjoyable conversation for sure. And I really want to, I guess, put it out there to people who maybe someone has resonated with what you've been saying or we've been saying. And if someone wants to learn more about. Because you said a lot of people are trying to get out of the nine to five.

Yeah.

They're trying to break free from a job that doesn't align with them in. Finances is the key thing that keeps people stuck.

That's it.

At least it keeps us stuck in the mindset that we don't have what we need to take the next step in our journey. So stuff you're doing with the coaching and the trading stuff, if someone resonates with that and what you've been doing, how can they learn more about that?

Yeah, absolutely. To reach out there. So I'm learning the strategy through guerrilla training, learning through them. And that too with the psychology stuff. When people need to dive in deeper with a mindset, that's where I'm there. But yeah, and it's amazing strategy for that level. There is. They teach so well and Josh is amazing. And that's what's got me to my point. And I'll always be a student there. I'm really passionate about that. And I'm also passionate about psychology. So if people are interested, obviously reach out to me or check out their content for the strategy. And that's something for sure. But that's honestly it in a nutshell. And then. And always remaining open and just checking in with what you're doing and give things a try. But if you do resonate with it and you are giving things a shot, the biggest thing I can say is commit to it for a while, connect with it, Reflect on what you're going through as a person more than you are reflecting on your outcome or your results. Especially if you're seeing people getting results. Don't take that as once again a work thing. Just commit to something. Like, for example, if you go through this trading journey or even through the mindset journey or like the coaching journey, like just reach out, go for it, that's the opportunity to do it. But keep going through what you're going through with an open mind. And if people are doing it, reach out to the right mentors and, you know, follow people that are succeeding in it. For sure.

Fuck yeah, man.

Yeah, sure.

If someone is eager, that's it. I can speak to the fact that you're a fantastic mentor.

Thanks, man.

I really appreciate that experience, man.

So thank you.

You, what's your Instagram handle, man? Just so people know.

Yeah, so it's at Damonj Wils and that's it. And you'll jump on, you'll see me. I'm pretty sure I'm sitting on a mountain. There's a picture. Cuz sometimes there's two or three of you, isn't there? So I'm pretty sure I'm sitting there with my hand out. So yeah, see me, his hand out, hand out. That's it. It's ready to go, mate.

Thanks for coming on conversation and yeah, it's been a joy.

Thanks so much, bro.

Hey, there we have it, guys. Thanks so much for listening to this episode and yeah, look, if you made it this far, cool. Here's my voice again in your ear. And I'm gonna make one more request for you is go ahead and subscribe and leave a comment on the podcast page because I'm really putting a lot of focus and attention on getting this podcast out to more people because I know what I'm putting in here can serve and bring value to people. And it would mean a lot if you got value from this to leave some feedback and subscribe. So you stay up to date with what's coming up and as always, follow me on Instagram and love hearing from you. It's at State Shifters until the next episode. Guys, thank you so much and I appreciate you.