Please note, this is an automated transcript so it is not 100% accurate.

Guy (00:10):
All right. We, we, we are live, we’re recording. And already Matt’s just been, um, giving me stick about my, my podcast set up here. Let me just bring that mic in a bit closer. So, yeah, the picture on the wall behind me is Tom Blake. And you are, yeah.

Matt (00:26):
<laugh>. Well, I thought it was Tom Carroll. You got this, uh, these big wood surfboards behind you. It looks like you’re Yeah.

Guy (00:31):
Got the, no, it was taken in Hawaii in 1928, that photograph.

Matt (00:36):
Oh, were you there?

Guy (00:37):
Believe it or not, no, but it, it’s, it, Linda actually brought, brought it in when we moved in together. This, this big picture came in and, um, and we’ve ha hung it up everywhere. And I love it. I actually, I actually give him a nod every, every day I come in to do a podcast. When I stage the room, I actually blow sage to him and welcome his energy. And he looks so happy. And content in that photo. Yeah. It’s like he’s as free as you could ever be. So that’s it. I just, I really enjoy it. There you go. I, I’ll have to look him up. If there’s anyone listening to this who knows of a surfer called Tom Blake in 1928.

Matt (01:14):
Well, they have a picture like that. He, he must have some story behind him. He must be some legend.

Guy (01:20):
I think so. He looks like a legend. He does.

Matt (01:22):
He’s he’s ripped like a legend.

Guy (01:24):
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Matt (01:25):
Yeah. Well that, that just, uh, drops into the whole theme of today, like freedom and, and travel. Doesn’t it?

Guy (01:31):
It does <laugh>. That, that picture makes me think of these things, <laugh>. It’s like, wow. You know? Hence why I live in Yamba. That’s one of the, you know, surrounded by 13 beaches. I just don’t surf enough. <laugh>

Matt (01:43):
<laugh>. That’s it.

Guy (01:45):
You know. But yeah, we wanted to record a podcast one, mate. I, I can’t tell you how many emails and Instagram posts I’m getting off people constantly. Where’s Matt? Where’s Matt <laugh>? I’m never on the podcast

Matt (01:57):
<laugh>. They’re like, thank God that guy’s not on there waffling about who knows what,

Guy (02:02):
You know, it’s a tall order maker. Cuz some of the guests I’ve had on at the moment in the conversations have been blowing my mind, you know?

Matt (02:08):
Right. It’s insane. You, you’re going next level. Yeah, I’m in. I’m inspired just watching.

Guy (02:13):
But, uh, you know, in our busy lives is if, believe it or not, it’s really hard for us to pin a time down to actually do, do a podcast.

Matt (02:22):
Well pin a time. It’s also the location, which is part of the reason I was giving you hell for your backdrop there, mate, because we’ve tried how many times to do this at one of our weekend workshops, right?

Guy (02:32):
Yeah, exactly.

Matt (02:32):
Whether it’s the, the lighting’s off or there’s a Nazi, uh, manager at this space that doesn’t let us actually record be more than an hour of what we paid for <laugh>.

Guy (02:42):
I know. If people only could see the workings, uh, the inner mechanics of the, the workshop being set up.

Matt (02:49):
That’s right. You

Guy (02:50):
Know, getting there. Well, here we

Matt (02:51):
Are.

Guy (02:52):
Yeah. And we wanted to speak about, cause obviously, um, we’re running a retreat in Portugal this year, and this is my first time to leave Australia since lockdowns. And same, I’m getting very excited, like airplane tickets are booked. I know accommodations are starting to get booked. Things are lining up. Oh,

Matt (03:12):
You step ahead of me. I I guess I should find a place to stay while I’m over there. I thought I’d just get there and just let it roll.

Guy (03:19):
Even better. Even better. But you’re going on your own. See, I’m going with a wife and a child. And that’s interesting because I, I, I would often think about, cuz naturally we want to talk about the benefits of travel and how it can for spiritual growth, soul growth, mental, emotional, everything. Right. I mean, I, I know when we look back upon our lives, I have some of the, my, my fondest memories of the, the travel and the adventures, the challenges and everything that come across. But it’s interesting you say that because I’ve been wanting to lean back into that full surrender. But my, my mental aspect around it has changed now that I have deeper responsibilities with a two and a half year old that I’m taking traveling. Cuz I used to just get on a plane. Yeah. I’m not even with a backpack. And just turn up and, and see what happens. <laugh>,

Matt (04:12):
<laugh>,

Guy (04:13):
I’m not sure if they’ll let me get away with that now.

Matt (04:16):
<laugh> Well, you might get more mileage with a crying baby on your hip, mate. So

Guy (04:20):
This is true. Right? This is true.

Matt (04:22):
<laugh> <laugh> people will take you off the streets, say, help this poor family out.

Guy (04:28):
Exactly. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I would lean, I’d lean heavily into my Welsh accent, you know, if I was trying to, trying to

Matt (04:34):
Get a room with these days, I don’t get very far with an American accent, so I, they wanna just like kick me to the curb. But, uh, back in the day it was, all right, I do have my, my tickets. I’ve, I’ve got a hard copy of the tickets of in this day and age, can you imagine? Um, wow. Sitting by my, on my bedside table and every morning I just, I catch a glance glimpse of that and I’m like, oh. It’s just, cuz like you said, I haven’t been out of the country for, what, three years now? 2, 2, 3 years. Longest that I’ve been in one place probably since I was 18.

Guy (05:08):
<laugh>. Yeah. Wow.

Matt (05:10):
Yeah. So yeah, it’s exciting. It has this sense of freedom and it’s like, wow. Let’s, let’s go. What’s next? What opportunities Exactly.

Guy (05:20):
You know? Well, let’s talk about then we thought we’d reminisce a little bit on our individualized journeys about travel. And there’s been moments I have no doubt you can reflect upon that have, you know, have been defining moments in, in life, really. I mean, I can, I can think of many that have actually con supported the tra the trajectory that I’m now on. You know? So, do you wanna start? My phone was ringing. I’m just making sure it’s on silent. <laugh>. There you go.

Matt (05:53):
Oh, was that like a, a a vague constructed question? I thought you, it

Guy (05:57):
Was a question. So sh sh share a moment with us. Something that, wait.

Matt (06:02):
So many things come to mind cuz as you’re talking, I’m just like, wow. My whole, my whole life. If I, if I didn’t have access to travel and to, to different experiences outside of the, you know, corn fields, pickup trucks and, you know, shotgun Midwest lifestyle that I, I lived in as a, as a child, as a teen, I wouldn’t be doing this work. I wouldn’t have access to these things that actually light me up and set my soul on fire. You know, it’s like wow. Like, because I had to leave Indiana, I I cruised across the states to Los Angeles of all places and then bounced around California before I settled into, uh, sleeping on a, on a, a couch on the, on the veranda of my mate’s, uh, apartment, um, overlooking the, uh, Redondo beach pier listening to seals barking and waves crashing as I fell asleep every night. And that was for three months as I started to find my feet and get my life together. And it’s like that, that initial experience of getting out of the every day and my lifestyle that I knew it was so familiar to me then opened my mind and my life to so many other possibilities and so many other experiences. And from there it started to lead into wow, what, what creative spiritual experiences can I have outside of the, the box of what I know?

Guy (07:24):
I do have a question for you that’s popping in there. Like, cause do,

Guy (07:30):
Reflecting back as when, when we’re younger we tend to be a bit more gun gung ho don’t, you know, a bit more fearless dont things through. And I’ve even seen now when we talk about Portugal or people, cuz generally our demographic that comes up above 40. So 40, you know, fifties and seven sixties and some even in the seventies, right? Yeah. And we get like, it’s almost like we, we lose that, that essence of that that use, you know what I mean? That that just, you used to trickle through to a degree. But, and I say this cuz I ponder on these things. I’m like, wow, am I being a just an older funny daddy in the way I’m looking? You know, I’m making sure all the ducks are in line or am I still being that free spirited guy and allowing for the growth to happen And just be aware of the things that arise when we look to make these decisions and lean into those aspects. Do you know what I’m saying? Like Yeah. Where where are you at right now when it comes to these things? Because I know you were, you were very gung home mate. You know, <laugh>,

Matt (08:41):
It’s still in me, right? In

Guy (08:42):
Your approach. I, well I know, I, I see the way you bloody just walk up at, you know, <laugh> when we’re traveling a couple hundred Ks, mate.

Matt (08:52):
I know. Yeah. It’s all disarray, isn’t it? But it’s, um, I I, I, I wonder that too, am I, and actually that’s one of the things with the work, isn’t it? That I just kind of, I just like to blow things up and then, then put the pieces back together. Cuz I, I get uncomfortable being comfortable. And I think that’s, uh, I think that a lot of people are the other way around. And um, and I think that that’s also been one of my gifts is this ability to just kind of leap into the unknown and see what happens. Like, I just get so excited when I, when plans fall apart and it’s like, well, what, what’s next? I freak out like I’m <laugh>. You see me in the retreats, I love the chairs in a certain order, but then to actually, um, that have that space to be like, well wait, the chairs are all mixed up. How can I be, how can I find order in this disarray in this disorder?

Matt (09:53):
Hmm. And so the kids, the kid, I think there’s, it’s a, it’s a double-edged sword though, isn’t it? Because I know that with my kids coming in, I’m quite tethered now to them, right. As you would be. And so they’ve created a sense of stability and, and a sense of grounding in my life that I never had before. And I think that grounding has allowed me to then actually, um, form a foundation that allows me then to travel and experience things further than before where I was just kind of a, a leaf in the wind and nothing really, this is true landing, you know? Yeah. And so I think it’s, and I see this in a lot of wayward spirits that I, you know, meet along my journeys of doing this type of work is that people will get so far off the planet and just really be striving to have these experiences, but they don’t ground it into the form, into physical, into their lives, into practical, um, uses.

Matt (10:53):
And I think then, then it’s like that’s the other extreme. They’re missing it. Whereas, you know, a lot of people get really anchored in and grounded and then their, the malleability of, of who they are and who they could be becomes rigid. And they then, they don’t have this capacity to start to make the changes that become often a distant memory for them of these childhood like dreams and, and, and desires. And it’s like we just, we become resigned to this rigid structure that we actually have created for ourselves. You know? I don’t know what do, what do you think? I’m just go, I’m going, I’m you

Guy (11:33):
Guys. Yeah, no, a thousand percent. It breaks patterns, travel breaks, patterns, like if you, if you like, we guess sudden, right? But a couple of things I, I feel as well sometimes that we get so comfortable we are actually uncomfortable, but we haven’t identified it as discomfort. And, and then it manifests in many areas of, in our life, it’s just we haven’t been able to, uh, become aware enough of certain things or why we do certain things and question the fundamental reasonings behind the things we do, what we do. And yet I think it’s the boiling frog syndrome then where you put, put the frog in the sauce and we just, oh, it’s warm, it’s comfortable, you know, and then, but there’s a point where it’s like, why, why is my skin falling off? Exactly. Exactly. But if we are of course, exposed to the sharp pain instantly, we, we will jump right out of that water as opposed to just boil away in it.

Guy (12:29):
So I’m very aware of that and I think, you know, being able to reflect upon many travel experiences is, has been a great way to anchor that in, to stay self-motivated in terms of knowing when you are need to shake it up and, and do some travel. I mean, we had this Portugal retreat actually booked in 2020, didn’t we? April, 2020 and then the world just started locking down and planned where you mark <laugh>. Yeah, I know, right? And, um, and you know, Enrique, uh, and Rina, you know, the beautiful souls that all the, uh, own the retreat center in Portugal, you know, we’ve been worked with them ever since. We like hold the deposit. We are coming like, it’s actually been a, one of these things where no, it’s happening. You know, even if it was lockdown for 10 years we’re coming kind of thing.

Guy (13:19):
So coming back into that, it’s nice to be able to reflect upon that. You know, it’s interesting as well, in my own journey, travel was escapism for me for a while, you know, when I was younger, yeah. It, it was avoiding the very things that I needed to address, but at the time, I didn’t underst I didn’t know how to articulate that or understand it. I hadn’t been given any guidance or mentoring of people that had the experience who had gone through everything that I was going through. So it was almost like you’re fumbling around in the dark until you finally stumble across something. And that led led a bit of light in, you know, um, which in reflection a lot of growth still came from that. But it was challenging cuz I knew deep in my heart I was running Yeah. Away from the very things I wanted to address, you know.

Guy (14:15):
But, um, you know, what difference does that make for today? I guess the fact is leaning in older and wiser, well, you could say a little wiser, um, it’s like fine wine, you get to appreciate it more, I think. I think I’ll, I’ll go into these adventures really wanting to absorb the, the, the things and the adventures and the, the unknown that will come our way through that time. And ideally see everything as an opportunity for that growth. Going to a different country that’s a foreign language that they can’t speak. Like we are gonna spend a couple of days in Tokyo and on the way over, and part of my brain’s like, oh my God, they’re all gonna do speaking Japanese. How am I gonna, you know, how am I gonna get from A to B? What am I gonna do? Am I gonna, you know, am I, you know, the, the the monkey and the other part’s like guy you’ve traveled, like how many countries have you been to?

Guy (15:12):
How many foreign countries have you been to? Why is it any different now? You might be a bit rusty. So I get excited then by leaning into those smaller challenges to allow me to shake up the patterns that, that I’m living on a daily basis. Because you’ve spoke about different things. You know, the one that I always love is the Camino. And when you did that, or Yeah. Why did you end up going, that was a pivotal point in your life? The fact that you lent in Yeah. The people you met, the things you did.

Matt (15:46):
Yeah. Well, the Camino is a, is a trek across Spain basically. And it’s just a pilgrimage the people have done for, for many years. Um, and I, I had no idea about it until I was, uh, turning 30 and <laugh> being, being 50. Now I’m like, God, why was I so worked up about turning 30 and feeling like that was old <laugh>. Um, <laugh>, that was a pivotal point for me. I’m like, wow, I’m over the hill now. I’m 30. And I thought, well, I wanna meet that milestone with, um, with something new, a new, a new way of looking at things. I, I was, um, yeah, doing massage work in, in Los Angeles and catering to, um, the rich and famous and, um, it was like, it, it was, it was rewarding in one way, but it was also, uh, exhausting and, and not fulfilling.

Matt (16:36):
And so I’m like, well, what else is there? There must be something beyond the, the, the hype of Hollywood. And, um, and so that started my, my curiosity and I was just started to lean into then more spiritual travel and what, what can I do? What, what’s out there? And, uh, St. Francis really appealed to me as somebody to connect with and go to a sisi in, in, in Italy. And so that was my initial plan. I’m gonna go to Rome for my 30th, uh, spend some time there and find my way up to a Sisi and have like a few days and, um, a typical American traveler, let me, lemme just take a weekend <laugh> and see seven countries. Um, so, but in that moment it’s like, this is the beauty of travel. This is the beauty of actually setting an intention setting, setting yourself to, to find more beyond what you know and to explore and to, to see the vastness of this world.

Matt (17:35):
And, and so it was like in that moment, I, all of a sudden Shirley McClain’s book, um, on the Camino fell into my lap. And as I was planning this trip to Rome and reading her book cover to cover in like two days, I was just consumed by it. And it just inspired this seed of opportunity. I was like, wow, I could actually walk the Camino if I extend my trip a little bit and go from Rome over to Spain and then start walking. And I figured it’s gonna take me two months to get all this in. And at that point in my life, just being a massage therapist, I wasn’t really financially secure. And it was a bit of a stretch to get a week off. But within a day of reading that book and having that idea that I want to try walk the Camino, my, uh, roommate came to me and says, Hey, I’m moving out.

Matt (18:23):
You’re gonna have to leave <laugh>. I’m like, what? And that, that sparked the idea, well then I don’t have to pay rent while I’m away. So I checked out of the, um, moved everything into a few bags, left the remaining stuff at a friend’s house, had two months free rent open up. So that allowed me to pay for the trip. I was able to change my tickets and away I went that I spent like 40, 40 to 50 days of that two months was walking. And it’s the amount of insights I dreamed every night on that track. And those dreams actually correlated to like historical events. And I, I, I believe it was past life things that were coming into focus for me. And it ignited all kinds of different things. I met some incredible people that I walked with and started to learn more about helium, more about spirituality, more about myself.

Matt (19:25):
And I, I come out of that, I was fit as a fiddle <laugh> after walking 40 ks a day for, for a month and a half. And the insights that I had, the inspiration that was there, the direction that my life took from that point on was like a 180, completely different. And I never would’ve got there if I didn’t say, Hey, I want to leave this comfort zone when, leave what I’m familiar with and see what else is out there. And it’s like, then the universe met me and it revealed to me what I was searching for, but didn’t know what it was and didn’t have access to from the vantage point that I was sitting in, in my everyday life in la. So yeah,

Guy (20:11):
It’s huge, isn’t it? Like the key points that again, already come for some, but having an intention behind it, like you, it’s like taking that inspired action,

Matt (20:20):
That’s it.

Guy (20:21):
To, and then once you, once you’re in, you’re in. That’s the thing. And like, you always say, you can’t be half pregnant. Right? You’re, you’re like, and, and, but sadly as human behavior, and I’ve been guilty of this in the past, is that we, we love the idea of doing something. We daydream about the idea or something, but we allow and we allow the mind to create reasoning and rationalizing and, and we impose upon all our past experiences upon that, which then cuts off any kind of new possibility or opening to just to, to lean into, into that unknown. And I think like, how, how many people have you spoke to say, I’d love to come to Portugal, but I can’t because of this or that, or, or whatever. And I think, wow, imagine. And you can see they love the work, they love the, the idea of being coming to a new country, love the idea of meeting all these beautiful souls, but yet we don’t allow ourselves. And the thing that frustrates me about human behavior is like we, we live like every day is a given. And,

Matt (21:30):
And

Guy (21:30):
Life is,

Matt (21:32):
That’s

Guy (21:32):
Infinite

Matt (21:33):
<laugh>, right? But the thing like, nothing’s gonna change unless you change the way you do things. Like it’s just like, we have this, I wanna change, I wanna transform. And like, oh yeah, same coffee, same job, same relationship, same story, same sob story, same pain point. Yeah. Over and

Guy (21:50):
Over again. Everything. We don’t shake it up

Matt (21:52):
Now look,

Guy (21:53):
And there’s nothing go

Matt (21:54):
On. Well, I, when you said that, like we, we act like, oh, tomorrow is just given like, oh yeah, maybe not today, but next week or next year or maybe five years from now, and we just like assume that every day is given. I saw this thing on, um, Insta the other day and this dude was saying, if I was to give you, um, 10 million, would, like, would you take it? Would you take 10 million? Would that help you? Would that be good? Right. And of course you’re gonna say, yeah, I’ll take 10 million. Yeah, no, like, that’d be incredible. That would change my life. Like, that’s so valuable to me. Right? And then he says, well, if I gave you that 10 million, but you’re not gonna wake up tomorrow, would you still take it? And it’s like, oh, wait a minute, <laugh>, you know, how valuable is my life? And these every days that I have compared to that, you know, 10 million mark. Hmm. And it’s like that, that kind of, so we should be waking up every day saying, oh wow, I’m, I’m a I’m alive. I’ve got another day. What can I do today? Because I don’t know if I’m gonna have tomorrow. It’s worth more than 10 million today, this moment.

Guy (23:03):
And we see often think of people that come in to our workshops and retreats that have had the diagnosis, they’ve had the, the scent almost like the, the wish, the death, where is it? The death bone or whatever. I’ve been pointed at ’em from saying, you’ve only got X amount to live or this and that. And, and then upon reflection, I mean, I used to work with people with cancer. I used to see it a lot. And it’s, I think that was one of my huge realizations in life to get outta my own story in my early thirties was like, wow, like health is true. Wealth and, and the life that we have is yeah. Is not a given. You know, I think, um, but we procrastinate. I, I’ll never forget going off on a different tangent, but why ins where an inspired action comes from me and me and what I enjoy doing.

Guy (23:58):
Back in 2015, what’s that, eight years ago now? Yeah, yeah. <laugh>, there you go. Time’s flying, right? Yeah. Eight years ago, I, um, I had Wim h on the podcast and I think, I think I was the first one in Australia to have him on a podcast. It was literally just beyond Joe Rogan, I think. He was just about a take off. Nobody had really, he wasn’t, you know, he wasn’t like this household kind of name speaking to opera, Oprah, whatever he is dancing since or whatever. And at the end of the podcast, and I, at the end of the podcast, he goes, oh, I’m coming to Australia soon, you know, to run a retreat mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And I was like, huh, maybe I should come to that, you know? And then he sat with me. So I started flirting with ice baths, right? Yeah.

Guy (24:49):
And just doing it. But the thought was terrifying. There, there was a part of me that was like, oh, I wanna get so excited about this. I understand all the health benefits. I wanna do it. I’d been down in a cold showers for a couple of years after the back of Tim Ferris and his four hour, four hour body book. And, but I’d never like taken any of this kind of that seriously. Mm-hmm. You know, and then the moment I’d booked in for his retreat, everything changed <laugh>. Like, it was like, it’s three months away. I i, and it wasn’t cheap, you know, I, I parted with a bit of coin to do it, but at the same time I didn’t mind that because it’s like, well, are you serious about this? Or are you just gonna be procrastinate? You know, this is just another thing, another one day.

Guy (25:36):
So I booked myself in and made the change within those three months within me, cuz I knew what was coming was phenomenal. I, the first thing I did, and I got it wrong because obviously I got a big chess freezer now. I bought a little chess freezer and I bought these, um, big Tupperware containers. So my idea was, was to make these five liter blocks of ice outta Tupperwares, right? I, I didn’t occur to me at the time to actually convert a freezer into the ice bath. And I don’t think you wouldn’t seeing them <laugh>. So I’d be go filling these bloody ice buckets up and then I’d be going up there and I’m bathing twice a week. And I thought, yeah, I’m the man I’m getting. And then I bought a moment there and realized there was only 10 degrees. And I was like, oh my God, <laugh>, this is getting there.

Guy (26:16):
But, um, but the point was, I guess the point in the story was, is that once I’d made the, the commitment, I’m like, okay, I’m in, I’m not fencing anymore. Um, everything shifted and, and I look back with such fond memories upon that time of just the playfulness and me getting it completely wrong and, and leaning into that unknown was, was, was a highlight. And the thing that came out of that was the, the people that I spent the five days with going through something together. And that’s what I’m so proud of, of what we create at the retreats. Mm-hmm. Because I could still count Now, you, you know, many of those people are still some of my closest friends today, even though I might not speak to them that often. They’ll catch up. They’re always there. You know, I’m actually be visiting one of them in Montenegro when, when we fly over. That’s right. Yeah. Because he’s over there. And that’s where I met, I met David on the, on the whim retreat, you know what I mean? So, so I think there’s all these hidden factors that we, we actually don’t allow ourselves to lean into and feel and absorb to create that, that excitement in our life. Because what do they say if you’re not excited and terrified at the same time, you’re missing the mark. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you, you kind of want both, you know? Yeah,

Matt (27:35):
Yeah. Well cuz that terrifying experience is mo is an indication you’re moving out of your comfort zone.

Guy (27:42):
Exactly. Right. Exactly.

Matt (27:45):
And that’s the only place you can find growth is outside

Guy (27:49):
Essence of our work. Surrender is a big component of it. And I think if you’re willing to surrender and become more, because it makes you, it forces you to become more present for a start. When you, the moment you leave, you, you, you’re very become very conscious of everything. Your surroundings, your actions, your interactions with people. You, you become the, um, the insignificant stranger on the street compared to the insignificant stranger that you might walk past a hundred times on your way to work every single day. And the roles get reversed in some respects. You are the person that’s out of there and the unknown. And we then get an opportunity to shift our perspective to look, can we look at these as opportunities instead of, um, obstacles. Yes. You know, the, there’s, there’s this, this fine moments and all I all I want to, I guess the other thing I wanna say in it like is that if you start to lean into surrender, start to lean into the, the very fact that we create resilience within ourselves, no matter what the external world is doing, we can then start to continue to develop that in there.

Guy (29:04):
Because, I mean, look how many people travel at the end of the day, a lot, you know, we end up in our little bubbles. You got, you know, I don’t watch tv, but I go in many houses around you that do, and you kind of get sucked into this vacuum vortex of, of one lens of what you think the world really is or how it’s being portrayed in some respects. And, and by getting out and moving around and being somewhere else, it just shifts all of that.

Matt (29:31):
Yeah. But not, not only just getting out and moving around. Cause I know a lot of people travel, but many people will travel. It’s almost like those people that will have these RVs that are like the size of their house, and then they just get everything that distracts them and that they’re attached to and they put it in an rv and then they just move their chaotic, you know, disaligned misaligned life to a field <laugh> and then plug into a socket there so they can get wifi and all the other stuff in Netflix and still have the same experience, but just in a different location. It’s like, well, can you surrender the, the distractions and the things that you hold onto? Because it’s like, at the end of the day, we, we do hold so much, you know, we, we do have so much in our hands, it’s like responsibilities, the to-dos, the, the crutches, you know, the addictions, the, the sugar, the processed food, the Netflix, the uh, Facebook, the, you know, the list can go on and on and on about all these things that we use to distract ourselves and not actually look within and what’s going on.

Matt (30:28):
And that’s then what we hold in our hands, right? And so if we have all that, that we’re holding in our hands, how are we ever going to pick anything else up? How are we ever going to be able to grab and, and take hold of something new and something something different? We can’t, we gotta actually put all that stuff down and then we have open hands and that’s where the surrender comes in. I’m, I’m, I’m open. And it’s like, you, you, you lent into this that concept of like, well then you become the stranger on the street and you’re seeking connection and, and, and the resourcefulness just goes through the roof. The, the opportunities go through the roof, the, the insights, the inspiration. Again, all that just rises because you’re wide open to possibility and, and the awe and wonder of what life is going to reveal to you.

Matt (31:21):
And we say that all the time and in the work it’s like, you know, people come in into the, the retreats, we see it all the time. They’re just closed off and they’re like in their little bubble and they’re like on guard. And it’s like, well who are these strangers? And it’s like, well, wait a minute. They’re just here exploring too. And what beauty and what wisdom did they have to offer to me? And I think when I travel and I, and I start to experience that, and i o oftentimes when I’m in that unknown and like, you know, like you say just a backpack and let’s, let’s see where I land tonight. It’s like, then you open yourself up to having to rely or having to be vulnerable to other people. And like, and it’s like, wow, what, and then in that the synchronicity is align and you meet this person that has the exact perception or opportunity or for your, your night, for your experience, for your journey.

Matt (32:14):
And it’s like, that’s just a microcosm of was possible in life. And I always find myself come back from these trips and like ev I, I can even remember like coming back from walking the Camino and I’m back in LA where everyone’s just like, you know, <laugh> closed off. I’m like, Hey, how you going <laugh> talking to the guy, making the coffee, talking to, you know, somebody on the street. And like, and they’re just, they’re stunned. What are you talking to me like? And, but it’s like you’re that open and, and it, and in that I, I made some beautiful connections, new friends, new opportunities, new new business opportunities and things revealed themselves as I was in the everyday life with that openness from the experience of getting out of my own comfort zone.

Guy (32:58):
Isn’t that the truth? It’s like,

Matt (33:00):
Wow, it’s all right there, <laugh>.

Guy (33:02):
I, I feel like I’m reminiscing cause I, this is why I’m getting so excited cuz I remember doing a shamanic journey in England. Mm-hmm. And then we came out of that, caught the trade. Like I slept there the night then and came out that the next morning and there were three of us, we all used to live together and we’re like, let’s go, where’s the warmest place in Europe right now? <laugh>. And, and we pulled it up on the TV on the Teletext and uh, and it was the Nik in Croatia and that was Sunday morning. And we caught a flight Monday morning, let’s go to Dubrovnik. And what we didn’t know was that it was peak, peak time to go to Dubrovnik apparently. Right. <laugh>, you know, and apparently all the, the ferries come in and like 40,000 visitors just in just pouring Wow. Off the boat. Like every

Matt (33:57):
Day. Well like cruise Nik and stuff.

Guy (33:59):
Cruise ships and that. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. In the old town. Right. So it almost by nine o’clock it’s like rammed, it’s just bodies everywhere. And we’d rocked up, but I was so open, I was so in the moment, we, we didn’t have accommodation. We didn’t have, like, I had had any clothes with me. I just rocked up. And um, and we, and the next thing you know, we, we got talking to, um, someone that was working on the kayak tourist cuz they were trying to sell us a kayak, but instead of going, oh, another tower go away, we started chatting and then she got on the phone to someone and then the radio, and then this 70 odd old woman came down. She’s like, are you crazy? You come to Dubrovnik with no accommodations. She’s giving us, she’s like telling us off. And she’s like, and then she gets on the radio and she’s like, ah, would you believe it?

Guy (34:51):
I’ve got you a room now you can have this room and normally charge this much, but you can have it for this much. And it’s, and it was like 90 bucks a day or there’s something, it was ridiculously cheap, but it was smack bang in the old town. Mm-hmm. And, and then the next thing as she’s woke us up there, she’s like, ah, I’m making, what are you gonna eat tonight? Have you got food with you? And we’re like, no, she, I’ll make you some, I’ll give you some fresh fish. And I, and then the next thing you know, she’s giving us a room and a couple of hours later she’s brought fresh fish vegetables and she cooks us a meal mate. Wow. In this place. Like three, three lads just getting off. And we’re like, this is ridiculous. Like, you know what I mean? Yeah. And, and, and I remember we were telling some Germans that night, we all went out and had a, a meal and a couple of wines and stuff and we got chatting to some locals. They couldn’t believe what had happened because apparently they’d been looking for months and just trying to book this and book that and, and everything. And it turned out to be an incredible week into Nik by basically surrendering to possibility.

Matt (35:55):
You know, they couldn’t have planned it better.

Guy (35:57):
You couldn’t plan it. Yeah. You just couldn’t, like if you, if the logical brain, if you give it a sniff, they would’ve shut all that possibility down completely.

Matt (36:07):
That’s it. <laugh>, that’s what we do every day. And that it’s, it is that every moment thing exact that that exact thing that we, that gets in our way of the life that’s one in to meet us.

Guy (36:19):
Exactly.

Matt (36:20):
It’s, oh, I can’t go. I don’t have the time. All the kids, all the money, all work, all this, all that, all my hip, all <laugh>. Get over yourself conscious and get on with that.

Guy (36:32):
Exactly. Geez. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So anyway, to, to bring the podcast to a close, I’m, I’m genuinely cannot wait to, to lean into this, this adventure. And the one thing that fills me up no end as well is not only are we doing our first retreat in Europe, obviously cuz Petra’s from Croatia and is our turn to get over there. But, um, so no, with all the, my own travel and, and uh, taking Ava for the first time aside as well, um, is bringing people together to do this work. Mm-hmm. And it’s gonna be an incredible experience cuz everyone’s gonna be traveling from all of the world, from all different nations, from you know, different cultures, different people, and a

Matt (37:17):
Handful of people that we know from our online programs. Yes. Like we’ve done ’em for years. Yes. And they finally can come in and like, meet us in person. They’re just over the moon.

Guy (37:27):
I know. It’s incredible.

Matt (37:29):
<laugh>, it’s

Guy (37:29):
Over. We, you know, and to bring a body of people together like that mm-hmm. <affirmative>, that that doesn’t matter how much money you earn, what you do, what culture are you from, whatever it is, you know, we get beyond all that nonsense and really connect back to the heart and soul of, of what it means to be human and, and hold a space and the, the every time what comes out of that blows my mind. So to be doing this in Portugal, which I’ve never been to Portugal mm-hmm. <affirmative> as well. So, you know, it’s why, why wouldn’t you want to do that and get excited.

Matt (38:06):
Mm-hmm. <affirmative>

Guy (38:08):
Any words of wisdom to finish, mate? You’ve said a few today, <laugh>.

Matt (38:21):
Yeah, no, <laugh> <laugh>. I think I’m tapped out, son. Done. I’m just excited. I don’t, I I, yeah, I, I can’t understand why, why I can’t understand. I mean we’re all, we all have our reasons. We all have, you know, responsibilities. We all have of course going on. It’s like, but I look back on my life and I’m like, I wouldn’t be where I am today doing the things that really make my heart sing if I hadn’t have just stepped out and then stepped out again and like traveled and met new people and experienced different cultures. And I mean, to me being an American, it was like, what? There’s, there’s another planet besides Planet America <laugh>. And in that awakening, I’ve met some beautiful souls and some of the most poverty stricken places in the world that are more happy and more fulfilled in their lives than some of the richest people that I’ve met. And it’s like, it brings things perspective and it brings a richness to life that many people will never have the opportunity to experience. And man, I wouldn’t try that for anything. I’m so excited that we get to open that passport up again and, and, and meet some new people and have some new experiences. So yeah. I’d love, love everyone to join us. It’s gonna

Guy (39:48):
Exactly. Incredible. Yeah. Well if you feel like a, you’re a stagnant stone, just cover it with moss growing all over it and you’re ready to shake things up. <laugh> a

Matt (39:58):
Stagnant stone <laugh>,

Guy (40:03):
Somebody said that to me once in Thailand. It’s like everyone around you is like stagnant stones covered in moss. They just get caught up in it all. You’re gonna shake it off and roll around. I was like, yeah, fair enough. <laugh>.

Matt (40:16):
That’s it mate. I’m not gonna be a stagnant stone for the next 50 years of my life. We’re gonna start rolling.

Guy (40:21):
Totally. Exactly. Yeah. Not only will you get to travel on the adventures, you’ll have the adventure of a lifetime with us at the retreat as well.

Matt (40:30):
Oh yeah,

Guy (40:30):
Yeah. Anyway, links will be in the show notes if you join us, let us know. Reach out if you come in. Amazing. We’re excited.

Matt (40:39):
Thanks mate.

Guy (40:40):
Thanks! Great to have you back on the show, mate. <laugh>,

Matt (40:43):
I can’t, I can’t tell you how excited I’ve been <laugh>. I’ve been suffering withdrawals, having shakes and stuff. Haven’t been on the camera. It’s really painful.

Guy (40:51):
I, I’m sure you lost sleep last, last night knowing that you’re coming on today

Matt (40:55):
Now. I’ll see you in a couple weeks in uh, Newcastle, mate.

Guy (40:58):
Yeah man. Sweet. Thanks.

Matt (41:00):
See You mate.