Foreign.

The podcast that gets you promoted should be great when you get there.

Today, I've got Michael Fury back with me.

But I am Renee Wootton.

What am I doing?

I'm an aerospace engineer and pilot.

I'm a professional speaker.

But most of all, I'm super passionate to bring incredible content to our future leaders, to make them incredible when they step into leadership roles.

Michael, where are you calling in from today?

And how are you today?

I'm calling from these beautiful sunny coast.

You'll have to help me understand the land that I'm on.

I'm kind of one of these feel like I kind of tie myself in knots when we come to the acknowledgment country.

So I'll let you country you go.

Thank you so much.

And yeah, it's been an interesting week for us.

We've had a bunch of delivery in Brisbane, doing some really, really inspiring events, actually, and helping people see themselves differently, which I think is something which we're going to talk about on this podcast here.

Yeah.

Which I'm super excited to talk about.

The reason I'm excited to bring this to our listeners is because I think a big part of leading yourself, leading future leaders, stepping into a leadership role, is about trusting yourself.

It's about believing in yourself, and it's about the way you see yourself and the way you love yourself.

And sometimes there's this huge disconnect, particularly early on in our careers.

I think a lot of young people suffer from this extensively, but then it's also prevalent through a lot of people's careers up until the day that they retire.

So I think this one is a very relevant one for all of our listeners.

So join us today to talk through a bit of a topical conversation.

It's live, I suppose, for you, Michael, right now, and you're certainly feeling that at this point in your life.

So for me and for context, for everyone, Michael and Felicity Fury are exceptional people.

And the reason I say that is because they take dedicated time out of their day to inspire, to give support, and to build future leaders.

Michael, do you want to start with sharing a little bit about what you do at We Aspire and why you do it?

Yeah, sure.

So I think it.

It all boils down to I had a mentor called Frank about 15 years ago who, when I picked up the phone to him, I was in a sales manager role.

And my experience of life was that I was overwhelmed, drowning, and not.

I wasn't sleeping.

In fact, I was sleeping at work.

And I was sleeping at work because I was Worried I was going to get sacked.

And I was thinking, if I work really hard, they'll be less likely to sack me because I demonstrate a good work ethic, even though the output sucks.

And that was a.

That was the reality at the time.

And this guy Frank, one of the first things I said to him was I was, frank, I just need you to tell me what to say.

And he said, michael, there I am literally with pen in hand, ready to write down what the.

What the words were.

Yeah.

And he says, it doesn't matter what you say.

It's who you are which matters.

And that was the start of a very long journey with me and Frank.

Frank used to charge me $400 an hour.

At the time, I was on $726 a week.

And so paying for Frank literally hurt every time.

And we would have fortnightly calls.

It was genuinely, do I get a call with Frank, or do I eat?

And I took.

I remember the pain it caused me, that decision, because it is painful when you confront your position in life and your situation.

And I was so, like, disappointed in myself that I couldn't make more money or wasn't making more money, that I was like, I will pay more than half my salary to get out of this predicament.

And that conversation was the start of something really special, of developing a relationship with a.

What started as a mentor, he became my boss and ultimately became more like a father figure to me, actually.

Yeah.

To the point that he sits on my desk, actually here.

And he passed away about three years ago now.

Yeah.

Right.

And.

And ultimately, what we do about We Aspire is about providing a mentor like Frank for everyone.

I can't quite replicate him, but I can certainly help someone who provides unconditional love.

And part of this podcast and is about providing that at scale, because that was something which I always looked on Frank's time with me as he was.

He was so great.

He was.

Certainly wasn't perfect, but he was so great.

It was always a shame that more people didn't get to meet him, get to be impacted by his work.

So that hopefully gives a bit of an insight to what we do and why we do it.

That's an inspirational story, and I can't thank you enough for sharing it as well.

And I know that that is a.

It falls on the heartstrings for you and is really core to the leader that you are today.

So thank you so much for sharing such a sensitive story.

Now, from that I can imagine you have built this incredible sense of accomplishment Confidence and trust in yourself.

And the way I see you.

You're laughing, so we're going to come back to that.

The way I see you and your wife, Felicity, is you are both continuous learners, you know, to your core that in order to be the best, you need to surround yourself by the best people possible in life.

And you.

You prioritize that.

That story alone with Frank is a great recognition to the constant and unwavering support you've always sought to be, the best person you can ever be.

And I know for me personally, you've inspired me to take action in so many aspects of my life.

I'm doing a property course right now for everyone that knows because I want to retire early.

And, you know, Felicity and Michael have, you know, set themselves apart and invested in their future and, you know, sought education to support.

And you guys do that in every aspect of your life.

I remember speaking to you about parenthood and relationships and work and career, and now education around property, like you've always sought support.

So the conversation I wanted to have with you today is, you know, the way I see you is you're incredibly resourceful.

You always know how to solve big problems.

It doesn't mean that you don't avoid them, but it means that you come to them and you're so resourceful to seek the right support, to be able to get through them the quickest that you can.

And as part of that, I look at you because of the time you've afforded me and my family in solving my own problems.

But then the work that you've done and the parents that you've become, you've built your own businesses.

Time after time, you surround yourself by the most exceptional people, and you're building the next generation of future leaders.

And your kids, your kids are absolutely outstanding and a testament to the parents that you are.

So I look at you, Michael, and I go, wow, one day I hope I can be like Michael.

Now, today, when we jumped on, just before we pressed record, you made a comment to me which was, I don't always see myself the way you see me.

And so I wanted to dive into that because that, to me, is such a foundational thing that I hear so often.

And it's.

I don't see my potential, or I'm trying really hard to build a mindset, to trust myself, or, you know, I have so many people come to me, and they're like, wow, you're amazing.

And for many years, I didn't understand why people said that to me.

And it was actually last Year that I figured out why I know I'm special and why I've been able to succeed.

And I say that in the most modest way because finally I was able to rationalize my success.

And for many years I couldn't because I didn't see myself the way people saw me.

Because I couldn't understand why I was being so successful.

I'll come to my story soon, but Michael, I want to hear from you.

Like, why do you think that there is a gap between the way people see you and the way you see yourself?

We're starting with the hard hitting questions today, everyone.

Four o'clock.

Perfect time.

Friday afternoon record.

Let's roll.

So my initial, my initial response is I don't know.

Actually, I don't know.

And I would ration.

If I think a bit more about that question, I would go.

It would have something to do with that.

I have to live with myself 24 7.

Right.

And I see myself, I see me lazy.

Right.

I see me break my diet.

I see me not go to the gym when I want or think I should.

I see me turn up late to meetings when I'm, you know, one minute, like two minute late compared to what I want.

So I, I live with all of me.

And those examples are not what I do all of the time.

But I see the exceptions.

Yes.

And I think more often than not, because we live with ourselves 24 7, we tend to look on that stuff rather than being like, I'm 30 outstanding and 70 just pre average human.

I think it's easy for us to, I think, I think as you become more successful, perhaps that your benchmark changes and that what you thought, okay, I'll.

When I get a house, I'll be successful.

When I've got a second house, I could, I'll be more successful like when I, when I can do this, when I've got a bigger team and I can hire someone.

Finally at that point it's like that Jim Carrey clip.

Yeah, yeah.

You know, like I'll be, if I get three golden, Golden Globes, I'll then be successful.

You know, like it's that.

Yeah.

I think essentially it comes down to that and then this perpetual concern.

If I'm really open about people thinking I'm not that and people who look at me in previous roles, how they've perhaps known me.

Right.

So I think about me in a sales role and I think if I think about where I, and where I am and what I do now in terms of contributing to others and helping them be Better leaders.

I sometimes dwell too much on thinking about what they might think.

But Michael was a so and so.

You know what I mean?

He was a bdm, and I did better.

I got more sales than he did.

You know, like, who's he to do this?

And I think that that bit I struggle with, actually.

I struggle to Interesting compartmentalize that because I haven't been in knockout success in every role that I've ever done forever.

Invite in sales, where I've spent a lot of my time.

My experiences perpetual frustration about being not great at it, actually.

And.

Yeah, and I continually struggle with.

Because I don't think I'm a natural salesperson or particularly good in many ways that I.

That's why.

And what about when you think about your strengths?

What are your strengths?

Talk to me about them.

Live coaching.

This is what I do for other people.

Be honest.

Look, I think I can be.

I think one of my biggest and easiest strengths which comes to mind is I can be a great demand on others.

I can be a great demand on myself.

I can.

I think.

I think there would be two things I think I've always experienced.

I can kind of help push people.

And when I was in the army, it's an environment which invites that and encourages that.

And pushing is kind of part of a job.

And pushing in the army can be very kind of like, directive, you know, come on, guys, let's do this.

That.

That kind of flavor.

As I've matured, I would say since 18, I've developed a softer side and perhaps a side which I used to shut down a lot.

So as a kid, when I had a strongly held view and I was arguing with, let's say, my parents, I would often cry.

And I found this super frustrating because I didn't want to cry.

I just wanted to be, like, eloquently open, angry.

Eloquently upset.

Yeah.

But I would just blubber.

And it used to just drive me up the wall.

And I feel like that.

That side of quote, unquote, being a sensitive guy is something I've always struggled with.

But actually, it's enabled me to be very powerful as a.

As someone who demands and coaches people now such that I can empathize.

Like, if you started to cry right now, Renee, I would cry.

Like, there's no doubt about it.

Yeah, right.

It's just.

It's.

It's like instant.

I have deep empathy.

Like, I.

I watch movies and I.

Yeah, I make waterfalls look kind of like, you know, whatever.

I'm just like, I will.

I Will sob at some kind of classical music, you know, Sweet.

That's really nice.

And I don't say that in a patronizing way at all.

It's so nice to be able to empathize with people.

And it is a superpower of yours, by the looks of it.

I think.

So I think it gives me some great compassion and then it allows me to go to some of the.

Some of the depths that people struggle to go, I think, and then.

But also encourage them to go beyond that.

And so that's where I.

And I think increasingly I.

I'm exceptionally proud of my ability to be inconsistent, to keep going even when you face multiple false starts.

I've had numerous unsuccessful businesses, setbacks in business.

And, you know, I think you often think that when you start out, you're going to be, you know, a knockout success.

And if you're not, that, that can be so frustrating, you know?

Absolutely.

So again, coming back to this, conversations around, we look at ourselves as a whole self, and we've now recognized in Michael today that he has strengths, he has weaknesses.

And it sounds like you're incredibly hard on yourself with what your perceivable weaknesses are.

And so from my side, years ago, so growing up, I was bullied quite a lot, particularly by my family.

And the day I graduated university was the day that I realized everybody has an opinion and I will never meet everybody's needs.

And the reason I had that epiphany on the day I graduated was because I was always made to believe that I was never smart enough for anything in life.

I was always told, you're so stupid.

You're so stupid growing up.

And so the day I graduated aerospace engineering, I was like, well, I can't be that bloody stupid, can I?

So.

And you know what?

I think that me trying to.

I don't think what motivated me to.

To.

To graduate was trying to prove those people wrong.

But certainly, you know, when things got really hard, there were those moments I had to sit with myself and be like, am I going to give up?

And therefore, the result of me giving up would be living a life similar to the people that I grew up around.

Or am I going to push through, stand, stand back up and keep going?

And every single time, even when given the option to give up, I constantly stood back up and kept going.

And so that level of resilience I see characterized in youth, but I see characterized in a lot of very successful leaders throughout any job I've been in or anyone I've met.

Now, what I'm trying to draw out here is there is so much power in just owning your whole self because you will never be good enough at everything.

You will never satisfy everybody's needs.

And if you constantly try and flex and validate external opinions and preferences on who you are and what you're good at and what you're not good at, you will literally never be happy.

And I grew up around absolutely surrounded by other people's perspectives and opinions of me to the point when I graduated university, I was finally able to let go of that completely.

To the point now where unless you are the closest person in my inner circle who gives me constructive feedback, I go, you know what?

I love myself.

And what you've just said to me does not align with my values and the person I've constructed myself to be.

Therefore, thanks for that opinion.

I've had many of them like that in the past and I don't care at all.

And it is a superpower of mine now, that is.

And I recognize I am not good at everything.

So I walked out of university with second class honors.

I studied in groups with people that got the highest marks in first class honors.

I never thought I was smart enough to graduate from the University of New South Wales in aerospace engineering.

And I did it.

I did it through the.

The most amount of grit and resilience I think I've ever seen.

I still look back on those days and I don't know how I got up every day, but I did because the right people around me and the right motivation and so those were skills and motivators that not everybody gets to experience or gets to build in their life.

And that can be the difference between somebody who grows super quickly and becomes a leader very early in life and the people that, you know, sit around and wait for success to come to them.

Perhaps there's a lot more involved in it, too.

I think there's a level of passion, capability, natural skill, but also grit and resilience that truly defines someone's success.

So for me, my superpower is self acceptance and self love.

Now, I know I'm not the smartest kid in every room.

Everyone.

I can't tell you how many times, Michael, I've got a poster on the back of my wall.

It is.

It's a redheaded indigenous woman in a spacesuit.

For those listening, it may or may not be me inspired by me.

And I think this represents that other people see me going to space and to the point where I'm now on a poster for a program that sends students to NASA, jpl from Australia.

It's crazy.

Like, how did the regional kid from Imbul in the Sunshine coast end up on a poster for NASA jpl?

Like what?

I wasn't the smartest kid in my course and I will never be the smartest person in the room.

And I think that what I know about myself is where my strengths truly lie and the fact that I have good values and I care about people and I want people to succeed and that is enough for me.

That is self love.

So when I stuff stuff up or I forget something or I lose something or I fail at something, I go, that's okay.

You can't be good at everything.

I don't really care what other people think of me because I've been battered so much growing up that it's literally I'm able to have an internal voice in my mind that goes, it's okay that that happened.

I still love myself.

And it's, it's truly, it's been life changing for me and I, I hope that I'm able to impart that onto you, Michael, or at least in spite, inspire you to think a little bit differently about truly loving yourself and you know, trying to spend time spending time on the things that truly ignite you, make you happy, or making steps towards building the skills that are going to unlock an incredible future for you.

No matter what that looks like.

Stop playing into external perspectives.

Rely on your core people, your mentors, the people you truly trust that guide your decision making.

And you can't control what's out of your control.

So why spend time worrying about past people's perceptions of you?

Spend time focusing on today and where you want to go tomorrow is the easiest way I can imagine that.

Because otherwise you're expending mass amounts of energy trying to, Trying to what?

Validate someone's external perception of you when that person probably doesn't think about you at all anymore?

If they, if they are thinking about you, they've, they've literally, that's, that's sad.

Like they've got their own concerns in life, they're battling their own internal demons.

They don't have time to think about you and the fact that you're trying to meet then their needs and their expectations of you.

You have to worry about you.

I'm going to wrap it there.

I reckon that's been a pretty deep and meaningful conversation.

We really hope you walk away today having a new perspective.

I think that's where I want people to think internally about who they are and think about loving themselves.

And what motivates you and let go of the things that are outside of your control, negative energy.

And move forward into being a future leader for you so that you can help other people be future leaders.

Michael.

Anyway, closing thoughts?

No, just a big highlight.

Hell yeah.

Hell yeah.

I love that.

Well, you've had it here today.

Again, thank you, Michael, for being here while Felicity's out.

It's.

It's actually magical to hear your stories and to have you here as part of the Promoter podcast.

Thank you for joining us all today.

If you haven't already, please subscribe to our podcast so that we can bring you more incredible stories and help you get promoted and be great when you get there.

Have a great day, Michael.

See ya.