Do The Work Coach
If you know me already, you’ll know that I love a challenge. In fact, I’d go as far as saying I need challenge in my life. I think we all do. A life without challenge lacks meaning. I feel at my best in terms of energy, motivation, mood and mental health when I’m on a mission, whether that be in my own fitness journey, with my business or a particular life goal.
Today I was joined by none other than Paul Mort – Paul is the current UK Master Coach of the year. He is a parent, a husband, an author and a coach of married businessmen who need to get their sh*t together.
Back in 2014 Paul was suffering with depression and bipolar and found himself on a cliff edge ready to commit suicide. Since then Paul has turned his life around. I interview Paul asking questions on his experiences and also seeking out how he coaches people to make real change in their life. It’s a no-nonsense approach and he speaks truly from experience.
This is a fantastic episode for anyone who is looking for a little bit of tough love and inspiration to make change in their life.I can safely say that Paul inspired me to step forward in my life after witnessing his seminar last year. You may feel like he is calling you out in this one but this is the exact approach that Paul needed and what worked for him when he was struggling himself.
You can find Paul on social media under the tag @PaulMort1 or simply by searching Paul Mort. Paul runs two programmes – Unstoppable28 and also Unstoppable Bastards.
You can find out more info at https://www.paulmort.uk/ where you can get a copy of his book.
Please leave me a 5* review and to contact me directly with feedback on the show, requested topics, or to get a question answered on the listener Q&A, please email me – info@dalewallacept.com
SOCIAL MEDIA – @thedotheworkcoach
Today I was joined by Jakk Gerard – Jakk shares his incredible story from being at an all-time low of being suicidal in 2017 to achieving the incredible feat of training for 1000 days in a row.
This is an incredibly deep story of which Jakk is sharing because he wants to be able to help those that are in a position that he was back in 2017. This episode is jam packed full of useful tips, motivation and also deep details about Jakk’s story.
I’m super grateful that Jakk reached out to me and felt this was the right platform for him to be so open about his story. I left the recording feeling fired up and motivated so I know it will help you too. Mental Health is a prevalent topic right now and it was incredibly humbling to hear Jakk’s story.
You can find Jakk on Instagram @jakk.gerard – On here you can see lots about his story and his journey over the 1000+ days, especially on his story highlights so make sure you follow him and continue to follow his incredible journey. He has no intention of stopping!
Please leave me a 5* review and to contact me directly with feedback on the show, requested topics, or to get a question answered on the listener Q&A, please email me – info@dalewallacept.com
SOCIAL MEDIA – @thedotheworkcoach
As I write this, it is #mentalhealthawarenessweek which is of course a fantastic cause to help raise the awareness on this subject which unfortunately is so rife in the world we live in right now.
If you have never been close to someone who struggles with poor mental health – by the way I don’t mean someone who has the odd bad day, I’m talking about someone who has been diagnosed with anxiety, depression or bipolar etc – you will simply never understand what it’s like to be close to that until someone you love encounters that and of course that can only make it more real. The real challenge is for those right in the thick of it.
Now, this is not the place for me to tell you what to do, or how to avoid it or how to fix it. It’s not my area of profession. I do believe that the things I do and the way I live my life supports my mental health and I am lucky to say that I do not suffer with poor mental health. I have bad moments but I am pretty good at changing my state very quickly and I am grateful for that.
One thing I think that is important regardless is to have a high self-worth and to be able to appreciate what you love about yourself because…
Without loving yourself you will never be able to be truly happy in life.
Over the past 12 months I have developed a huge interest in hiking and I want to share with you why I believe everybody should give it a go. I will be sharing the positives that I get from it but also the benefits that it has given those that have attended with me.
I, amongst others that have joined me have conquered the following over the last 12 months Coniston Old Man, Snowdon, Scafell, Pendle Hill as well as a couple more. The first thing that I love about hiking is that I see it as an achievement, I see it as that I have conquered something. I make it competitive, in the sense of it is me against the mountain, my full attention at that time is on exactly that and nothing else. I can look back on those events and know that I achieved something that isn’t related to work, family etc but it is something absolutely personal to me. Having achieved that gives me positive energy which lends to improving the other areas of my life, if I am feeling fulfilled then the rest of my life will follow, it helps me be better for those around me. I fully believe it is important to achieve things that do not involve work or mundane day to day activities and you can do this through hiking. That of course is the long-term feeling but the short-term euphoria once you get to the top and then back down is worth every step of being out of breath and feeling uncomfortable, not to mention the pint in the pub at the end!
A knock on effect of having your attention solely on defeating the mountain also means that your mind gets a break from all the other stuff going on e.g. work stresses, family issues, relationship worries and even anxiety and depression. I am not saying it cures any of the above but what it does do is take your mind elsewhere, it diverts your attention onto something else giving you total reprieve of all of those things. I promise you that when you are working hard to climb the mountain whilst engaging with other like-minded people that you will not worry about any of this, that is the beauty of it.
Speaking of beauty, of course a benefit of hiking is that you get to see some spectacular views, you really get to see what this planet has to offer, away from the four walls of the office and your house. You get to experience something different, it can be breath-taking at times. On a similar subject, most of us do not get enough fresh air and sunlight because we spend our lives in air-conditioned environments and away from the sun. The majority of the western world are deficient in vitamin D and although the UK weather doesn’t always lend well to support this, we can certainly do more to get outside. I bet there are days go by that you do not step outside for any more time than getting in and out of your car? Hiking provides a huge opportunity to change that.
On the subject of the great outdoors, it is absolutely free, all of the above benefits you can get for free, what else in life could you say is true to that?
Then of course there are the health benefits that come along with it, what better way to improve your heart health, lung capacity and therefore improve your fitness than in the great outdoors with beautiful views? The bonus is that along the way you will burn a fair amount of calories too which will more than make room for the post hike pint!
The final brilliant thing about hiking is that it gives you a new challenge every single time, because as soon as you have completed one, it leaves you wanting more, it leaves you wanting a bigger more challenging climb next time, which is why my walks have progressed to the biggest in the UK. On March 28th myself and a bunch of people will take on Helvellyn ahead of Ben Nevis in June. Once that is complete I know that I will want to venture further afield hiking in different countries around Europe and beyond.
I am not saying you have to be the person that spends hundreds of pounds on a Rab jacket and the best hiking boots nor am I saying you have to come with me into Europe (of course you are most welcome if you wish to) but I am saying that you should give it a go. As humans we are not designed to be cooped up in an office slouched into our computers, we are not genetically engineered to do that so if you haven’t tried it, maybe it’s time to get out of your comfort zone and use your body for what it is perfectly designed to do. It is going to be tough at first, I wouldn’t lie to you about that, but it is worth it and like with anything you only get better by doing and taking action. Maybe it is time you did something just for you, something that challenges your beliefs, something that challenges you both physically and mentally, something that pushes you out of your comfort zone but something that is so rewarding that you will never look back. And the thing is, if you don’t try it, you will never know…
“A life without challenge is not only a life not worth living but also a life devoid of meaning.”
To check out some pictures from some of my previous hikes click the links below…
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