Transcript 0:00 [upbeat music] We're gonna help get Jamie out. 0:11 Okay, guys, it's time to get a little energy for the night, and I gotta make sure that I'm drinking some water, so we're just gonna try and bang them both out at the same time. Today, I'm going to be reviewing 0:24 Hydro Rush. Time to get up and start moving. Gotta reach out and grab my Crypto Rush from Hydro Rush. Let's go. We've gotta get this generator started, and we're gonna need the energy to do that and to go exploring. 0:37 Vibes up, fam. Give it a good shake first. All right. That rush is so you're not rushing. Cheers, fam. Okay. 0:52 You guys have magnesium in here, 66 milligrams, sodium, sea salt, 1,000. All right, that's pretty high. 1:01 You got some potassium, keeps you nice and invigorated, keeps your bones and your joints going good, muscles from cramping up, and then creatine. 1:10 Um, a lot of people have been telling me about creatine, you know, um, very good things from, uh, from the weight training community. Yeah, let's see how this tastes. Okay. Not bad. All right. This is Hydro Rush. 1:20 [upbeat music] Andy, thank you so much for coming on 111 Pod. Um, how are you doing today? 1:37 And, uh, would you mind introducing yourself and a little bit about what you do? Yeah. Look it, thank you very much, Donald, for having me here. Uh- Of course... 1:46 I must say it's, it's, it's a privilege, you know, and, like, I'll be straight up and honest, it's me first time doing one of these, so I am just- Awesome... gonna go with the flow of it all, [laughs] like, so yeah. 1:57 Uh- Let's go. Let's go. Yeah. Like- Yeah... a little bit about myself, I suppose. Yeah. Like, look it, I'm just another regular guy with a, a troubled past- Mm... from Ireland who just decided, do you know what? 2:10 After eight years, y- you're clean now. Why not try and, and give back, not just to people who suffer with the same, 2:18 you know, mental illness as you had, or disease, or whatever you wanna call it, uh, but, but for everyone. Mm. Do you know? Basically like... So that's essentially why I just built Groundwork, you know? 2:29 Like, I, I feel that not just me, like, but there, there's an awful lot of, uh, there's an awful lot unspoken of within the, m- not just in Ireland, but in, in, in every society in the world, where 2:45 people mask their feelings. People close themselves off to just perform for everyone on a daily basis, but they're not being real. Mm. And, uh, do you know, I suppose, can I unlock everybody? Not really. 3:00 I mean, look, I'm, I'm not gonna set a such a high bar [laughs] like that, like, but if I can start somewhere, do you know, a- and build from there, do you know, who knows, who knows what could happen. Yeah, yeah. 3:10 So let's take it back a little bit. Um, your origin stories, how did you get into mental health? Um, I assume, you know, you had some of your own mental health struggles. 3:19 So yeah, tell me a story about how you, how mental health first affected you, and tell me about, like, how did you, how did you conquer that? How did you overcome? 3:28 Because I feel like a lot of people resonate with dealing with mental health challenges or they've seen others deal with these mental health challenges, and that's one of the biggest reasons you came up with Groundwork. 3:38 But before we get more into Groundwork, let's dive a little bit deeper into your story. 3:42 So yeah, share me a little bit more about your mental health struggles in the past, and tell me about how you overcame those challenges. [laughs] So, I, I know we've only got an hour. 3:55 I could probably go on for a week with this- [laughs]... so I'll, I'll try my best to give the, the short and version. [laughs] Ooh. Yeah, yeah. 4:01 Well, yeah, yeah, just, just whatever comes to mind, I guess, or whatever that you- Yeah, yeah... you, you, you find the audience can learn. Look, I, I suppose, look, I could take it back. Like, look, I was a- Mm-hmm... 4:13 young teenager growing up- Mm... you know, suffered past traumas w- within me early age, and I feel obviously that had played a massive part in how 4:27 I became so involved with the drug addiction. Mm-hmm. And, uh, a- and, like, I've, I've often said this before, like, I, I've spoken at different, different, uh, 4:41 you'd say events around, and I won't, I won't name places as such, but, uh, one thing I've always said was, like, throughout my time 4:51 of actually taking drugs, I actually felt like they were saving me at that point in time. Mm. And some people might think, "Oh, you know, what, what do you mean by that? 5:00 Like, you're slowly killing yourself," or, do you know? It's, it's, it's, it's, it's not. No, it's like my mind suffered on a daily basis where, like, you would wake up first thing in the morning 5:13 and all you could think of, you had, like, the most racing head possible. 5:17 Like, you had a million and one things to try and do all at once, and you couldn't do any of them because you're laying in the bed, do you know, suffering withdrawals. 5:27 The only way you could conquer that is actually by feeding yourself drugs. Uh- What, what, what kind of drugs were you addicted to when you were a teenager, specifically? Uh, a teenager, I would've smoked a lot of weed. 5:38 Okay, so mostly weed. I would've, I would've smoked a lot of cannabis. Yeah, so like- Okay... 5:41 do you know, a- and for me that was, it was more so to be a part of something, like something that I now know obviously does not, it doesn't, it doesn't mean anything really. 5:52 Like, I, I suppose I was one of those kids where I always felt I was left out, or I was always looking at people's outsides and trying to compare them to my inside, which- It, you know, I know today is not the case. 6:06 You know, like, I, like, the way I look at it today is, is that we don't know, or nobody knows, and I certainly don't know what goes on in people's lives. But back then, I didn't understand that. 6:15 So for me to be looking at myself at an internal basis and thinking, "Oh, God," like, do you know what? I, I've really messed up. Like, I, I've gone too far gone here. I... And he's got, like, a... Do you know what? 6:29 He's, he's becoming... He's going on 18 now. He's got a car. He, you know, he's got a nice girlfriend. He's got, he's got a good job. A- and I'm sitting there, uh, do you know what? 6:39 Looking at myself going, "Oh, well, the only way I can deal with this," and sort of calm me head down was look at just, just grab some cannabis. Let's smoke some weed. Let's smoke a joint, you know? 6:46 Like, or we'll just find the rest of the guys to do this stuff, and we'd all sit there and talk absolute nonsense to each other, like. But it just felt normal. 6:55 It felt good because, oh, I felt like I belonged here because me head just stopped. It just stopped. Mm. And, uh, you know- So, like, peer pressure- Yeah, peer pressure... from your friends. 7:07 If peer pressure could definitely be one. Mm-hmm. Uh, do you know what? You're, you're looking at other people. They mightn't necessarily have asked me- Mm... 7:13 but I just felt like, oh, if I'm sitting in your company, I need to be doing this. Right. There's, I've no other option here. I can't just be the odd one out like I already feel. Uh- Okay... so it went from there. 7:27 A- and the way I could see it, it was like I quickly realized, I suppose, well, I say quickly, I suppose, over a next sort of few years it, it just, it spiraled. It progressed. It just got really, really bad. Like- Hmm. 7:41 What do you mean, like, you had to use all the time? You couldn't do anything else or...? So, like, to, to put it like this, like, so towards the end of my using, you could say, like, back eight years ago, 7:52 I ha- I could have four, four different substances in my body- Hmm... depending on what I'm actually doing. So I could wake up in the morning, I'm feeling sick, so I would take a hit of heroin, do you know? Okay. Or 8:04 I would sniff some coke or, you know, if I'm maybe a bit too fucking, bit too fucking high in myself, and apologies for cursing, but I might- There you go... 8:12 uh, I might get a bit emotional as such, and I might just slip out, uh- Okay. I'd be nearly trying to balance my body out. Sure. That's how I feel it. 8:22 I, maybe I'm up too high here because I've got cocaine in my system and I'm, do you know what, ready to run a marathon there, and me heart's ready to b- about to pump through me chest and- Yeah... do you know what? 8:31 So I tone it back down. Maybe I'd cook, take a couple of Xanax or smoke a, a, a line of, of heroin and s- or maybe smoke a joint. Just it was just, I was just like this. I literally did not know where I was. Mm. 8:45 And all I know was that I wanted to stop. I really couldn't figure out how to stop. 8:53 Do you know, like, I, I had been to treatment centers on a number of occasions, and I kind of just done it for other people to, to say, you know, "Just get off my back." 8:59 Like, "I will stop when I'm ready to stop, but I'll just go in here for a few weeks and sort of dry out." Mm-hmm. And, uh, do you know what? [laughs] It never really was the case. 9:09 I just came back out and just started all over again. But, uh- Hmm. So like- So how many years did you struggle? Sorry? How many years did you struggle with this addiction? Like, in total, do you know, 10, 10 years plus. 9:26 Okay. Okay. Do you know, like, from the age of 16 right up to 26. Oh, wow. Do you know what? I mightn't have been, I, I might not have been 24/7 active using for those 10 years, but a, a good 9:40 five, six years I was actively using 24/7. Uh, I would've classed myself as nearly a functioning addict because I was able to hold down a job. 9:48 Bear in mind, the job was working in the hospitality industry, so I was always upbeat, you know, always ready, up for a party, and do you know what? I- in, in the, in the long run, like, I was just really dead inside. 10:00 Like, it's just... I would never wish such an experience on me worst enemy. Like, that is the God's honest truth. Like, the, the, your morals go out the window. You do not care for anyone or anybody- Right... 10:14 especially the ones who are closest to you, 'cause they're the ones who are the easy targets to manipulate on a daily basis. Do you know I could clean bank accounts out if I wanted to? 10:23 Like, I could go in and just give a big sob story. All of a sudden, there'd be money being handed to you, and you're sort of croaked in a fetal position, j- you know, eyes going. 10:32 You don't know where, whether to come or go and just running s- score some drugs just to take that itch off. Hmm. And then, do you know, like, it's... It, it was, it was, for me, it, it was just, it was tormenting. 10:48 It was just such a treacherous time in my life. Like, even, even to this day, like, I would still think back at a time, do you know, like, uh, and that feeling never goes away. I would love to be able to go out and 11:03 go and sit in the bar. Like, I can sit in the bar, no problem, but I'd love to be able to say, "Oh, have an actual alcoholic drink," do you know? 11:09 Like, or be like some people now where they go and they take drugs on a weekend, and then they're back- Right... to work Monday morning. But then again, like, I don't know what really goes on with their lives. Yeah. 11:21 Like, they're doing that- Right... on the weekend maybe to escape something, maybe to escape some unease or discomfort within themselves, and so I can't r- like, I suppose I just made that choice for me. 11:31 I said, "Look it, Andy, you've got two options here. You continue on this path, you're going to prison or you're dead." Mm. Or the other option is to actually get yourself clean, 11:46 build a solid foundation, just give it your whole heart. None of this one foot in the door or let's just dip the toe in to see if this works for me. You have no other options. You've exhausted all avenues. 11:58 You've tried, you know, psychologists. You, you know, I tried psychologists and the only thing I did with them was manipulate them. Oh. I told them a big sob story knowing fine well that I was gonna get a big script of- 12:12 ... drugs- Mm... uh, at the end of it all and just told, "Yeah, here's what you go. Here's what you do. 12:18 You take three of these a day, two of these at night, a- and one of these in the afternoon," and you're go- looking at it saying, "Yeah, no problem, mate. 12:25 I will take the whole packet, swallow them, and I'm just gonna carry on about me day, but thanks very much. Here's, here's money for your time." You know, like, and 12:35 the other avenues where I, I had actually gone to treatment centers and, 12:39 like, the first treatment center I was in, I just used in it, and knew how to play the system and, and dodge doing urine tests to actually not be kicked out of that treatment center. Mm. 12:51 A waste of time and money, like, so... But I just felt like I just need to make a conscious decision for myself. I actually... There is another family member of mine who, who is also clean, 13:06 and the two of us are very close together, and, uh, it was actually him. You know, like, I... He got clean before me, and I was at my lowest point in life. Mm. You know, I'd multiple suicide attempts. Oh, wow. And, uh, 13:23 un- unlucky enough I'm still here to tell the tale, because life right now is a hell of a lot better. It's not perfect, but, uh, it's a hell of a lot better than it once was. And 13:37 I saw this other family member of mine, he got clean, and there was just one day I, I was just really at a low point in myself and I was on me knees praying. Mm-hmm. 13:48 Praying to God that either, one, I was just ready to end this all, or, 13:55 two, there'll be just some message out there for me, some message out there that, that, that'll hit me right at the core of me and just give me an answer. 14:06 And this family member walked in the door, and I can just remember the, the difference. He was so different to what he was, like, a number of years previous. And, uh, I just thought, it's just wow. 14:19 It's like, it's like, "How are you?" And he's just like, "I'm good, yeah." And s- and I asked him what he was doing and how he went about it, and I, I, I, I took up, I took up, uh, his, his advice, uh, 14:37 and, uh... All right, just give me a second. No, sure. No, this is definitely an emotional part of the story, something that, you know, a lot of people struggle with, so I get it. I get it. It's, um... 14:55 You know, I, I've even had some mental health issues, some drug addiction issues, and that, that was my leading next question is, you know, share the story with me of how you finally did quit because, um, I know, you know, you were mentioning before how you go back and forth to these, um, centers to try to get clean, but y- you kept falling back 15:16 to the addiction. Mm. So it's like, where was that time where you're like, "No more," you know? Like, you finally, it's done. Like, can you, I guess, like... 15:28 A- and you're just sharing this with me s- so can you continue, I guess, that- Mm... that story because, like, once, once you're committed, right? Like, there's no turning back, right? Yeah. 15:39 Once you make that commitment. But at, that's, it's taking that commitment, though, not... And everyone is scared, right? When, when we talk about commitments, right? Mm-hmm. 15:47 In relationships, in our business- [laughs]... and, and everything, right? Right? Yeah. [laughs] Like, it's, it's a scary thing because once you're committed, there's no turning back, right? Yeah. 15:58 But at the same time, it's a beautiful thing because when you're committed, you've actually made a decision. Mm-hmm. And that decision is going to move you forward in whatever direction that you chose. 16:10 And I'm a big believer there's no right or wrong. It's like what is effective and what is not effective in your life. Mm. And so when you're, um, working in your life and trying to work to, to become better, right? 16:23 Because we're all striving to be better in some way, shape, or form, um, you have to really dig deep, and you have to commit, right? [laughs] So it's like, 16:34 um, you know, so share with me a little more about this story of finally committing to, to being clean, to going through that process, because I feel like a lot of people, they wanna get to that point in their life, but they're not- Mm... 16:50 sure how to actually commit. Yeah, so, like I said, I, I exhausted a lot of avenues and- What do you mean by exhaust? Like, I, I suppose I had tried everything. Okay. 17:08 Like, any, any- Of trying to quit, you're saying? Okay. Yeah, so- Like going to the centers, talking with friends, everything. Like, going, yeah, like, like I, I'd gone to, I'd be, I've been to, what? 17:17 I've been to rehab three times and, uh- Mm-hmm. Mm... and, you know, each one of those I was doing it for somebody else. Mm. So I was doing it for- Okay, not for me... others. Yeah. Okay. That's different. 17:31 I was doing it... No, like, uh, the first one was just, it was, it was for me parents. They were, they were watching me slowly die inside, and they were on me back constantly trying to 17:44 push me to go in, so I eventually agreed. I says, "Yeah, look, I'll go in." And, uh- Mm... do you know? But the first chance I was given to, 17:53 to go back using, which happened in that treatment center, I took it straight away. Mm. You know? Like, so I knew then, right, "Okay, I'll just wait this out." But I, I knew I wasn't ready to stop. 18:05 I knew I had, I hadn't finished actually using drugs at this stage. And, uh, so I was kinda just playing the waiting game and, you know, treating it as like a holiday camp and sitting there and telling-... 18:18 counselors and, and therapists and, and group workers what they wanted to hear. Not, not the truth, like, not real honesty, not deep down inside of me, not, not any of that stuff, just pure and utter bullshit. 18:34 And I suppose, look, I, that was my pattern for the next two treatment centers. Go in, play the system, uh, have a great time, a great laugh, make the most of it. 18:43 It was really like a break from society, a break from the real me- Mm-hmm... that still needed to work to, the, the work to be done on. But just, uh, I was just putting that to the side every time. 18:55 But I suppose when I got to that real low point in myself, and I mean, like, the, the only thing I wanted was either to die or go to prison, but I just, I just, I also wanted to stop. I just didn't know how. 19:07 And, and a family member walked in, and I just saw, like, it was like an aura. He just radiated, like a, a beam of light came out of him, and it was hard to actually distinguish. It was... 19:18 The first thing I said was just like, "So how did you do this?" Like, he was, he was six months clean at the time, and he had said to me, "Look it, Andy, I went and got myself a day program." 19:31 I, I needed routine again, where I can sort of get up in the mornings, 14, bring myself to this, uh, y- you'd nearly call it secondary treatment. It's not a residential treatment. 19:42 You're, you're going in, you're connecting with guys who are all on the same level as you. They're all clean, and you're doing real deep work. Do you know- Yeah... 19:52 like some of these, like some of the guys that worked in these sort of, uh, secondary treatment centers, I mean, they're, they're the best of guys. 19:59 They, they won't take bullshit, and when they know you're talking bullshit, they'll call you on it straight away. They'll make... 20:05 It's not that they make you feel small, but they want you to really just let it out, open up. Mm-hmm. They want you to do well. Mm-hmm. And, uh, I done that for a number of months, and 20:17 I suppose, like I, I, I actually never mentioned it funny enough, like I suppose a big, uh, a big motivator for me is actually that I have a seven-year-old son. Mm. Now, he's never actually seen me usin'. That's fair. 20:32 He's, he, he's never known me to be that person that I once was. And, uh- Mm-hmm... but that's a big motivating factor for me also. Uh, do you know? 20:42 Like, so I knew at this stage, right when I got clean this time, that I knew that there was a son on the way. There was a, a little boy on the way that, that was gonna need me, and I just kept going. 20:54 I, I made that, like you said, like, I just made that commitment. I didn't want to turn my back. Mm-hmm. I was done with the, the lies, the cheats, you know, everything that comes with active addiction. 21:07 I was just done with it all. Chaos. I, I was fed up. I just wanted to live peacefully within myself a- and to start 21:15 being there for me son and being there for myself and actually trying to make a life for me, do you know, instead of wasting years away. 21:21 Like, there's, there's so many guys that I know that I've met in the last, you know, since I was, started using back, what, when I was 16, that's a long time ago, uh, that are, they're not here anymore. 21:36 Like, they're, like- Mm... especially in my hometown, there's so many guys that I do, they're just not there. They're just dead, do you know? And, and it was addiction that, that got the better of them. And, uh- Right... 21:49 so whenever, uh, like I said, look, the two motivating factors, I was done. I had a son on the way. Right. And making that commitment, it was scary. 22:02 Do you know, you know, me as a person, I don't like dealing with, uh, fears, but there was a- Yeah... there was a mantra put to me. It was like, uh, oh, God, you could look at the word fear in, in two different ways. 22:17 I know one way was, you know, face everything and run, or, oh, no. Okay, it'll come back to me. It'll come back to me. [laughs] I can't think of it. No, you're sure. Yeah, yeah, you're fine. You're fine. 22:29 So- So is it fear regardless? I, yeah, like I, I hated that sense of fear or having to... Like, and don't get me wrong, I still feel that today, and I understand now that these are just normal feelings. Mm. 22:40 I don't need to cover them. I don't need to mask them. I just need to be me. When I walked into this secondary treatment, I didn't know anybody. Well, no, sorry, I knew two people out of probably 40. And, uh- Mm-hmm... 22:56 do you know, like for, and that was scary, you know, walking into the new center and you don't know what to make of it, and you just said, "Look it, Andy, what have you got to lose? Why can't you just sit down, 23:07 be honest, say where you're at, and, and just put honest work into yourself. Build a solid foundation where that..." I suppose I realized that life, life is gonna come at you regardless if your, 23:22 uh, goo- if your mental health is good or if it's bad. It's gonna come at you, and you need something there that's solid, that will hold you together, and you can withstand anything. Mm-hmm. 23:33 Withstand absolutely anything. And I just put me heart and soul to it. Put me heart and soul to it. So I started the secondary treatment, and then obviously I took everyone else's, uh, 23:47 advice that were, had been there before and were calling in to see how, what their experience was getting clean. I, like, I went to 12-step, uh, a 12-step meeting. Mm. And I, I traveled around. I went to different, uh, 24:02 meetings. 24:03 Do you know, I, I was able to build a solid network from within those meetings, and, like, there's some of those guys today that I, that I would still talk to on a, on a, maybe on a daily basis or maybe every second day just to check in, see how we are. 24:16 Do you know, like, and-[clears throat] And it's a very simple thing, like I suppose, like from, from there, it's like the work never stops. Yeah. You're always learning something new about yourself. 24:29 You know, you, you can choose to be scared and, and not face the world. It- you won't get anywhere. It's a very simple... 24:37 Like, like people that I have met, I've come across, like they'll come in and they're using this sort of comparison where they walk into the room, "Oh, like I haven't done this," or, "I haven't done X, Y, and Z." 24:49 Uh, "I haven't done- taken this drug," or, "I've never committed this crime." And it doesn't matter. Mm-hmm. Just, just come in and sit down- Mm-hmm... and, and be you. It doesn't... Like 25:01 I pass no judgment on any- on anyone. Like even today- Mm-hmm... I, I pass no judgment. I am in no space to pass any judgment. And 25:10 like the odd time, like people would still come up and ask me, "Do you know, how did you do this?" Or, "What, what do you think of maybe like, I'll go back to treatment." 25:19 And like, even just recently, like when I'm walking and there's guys that see me on the street and they would ask me, they'd know my story- Yeah... and they're like, "Andy, like, you look great. 25:27 Do you know, how did you do it?" I would tell them, "How I done it." Mm-hmm. And they'd look at me as if I had six heads and be like, "Oh no, that's not for me." Do you know? I'm like... 25:37 So maybe one day I hope these people just do, just- Mm-hmm... come to their senses that you do not have to live in such a, you know, toxic and unhealthy environment. And- Yeah. 25:51 So would you attribute the 12-step to helping you with recovery, or was it like a mix of things? It was certainly a solid foundation for me. Okay. Do you know? Like, and it's like, I won't name any 12-step programs. 26:05 It, the 12-step program is definitely a major help. Okay. The program itself, I would say the program itself. Sure. Not everyone within those 12-step programs have the, 26:17 let me say they wouldn't have their, their best intentions for everyone. And but, but by being there and, and going through their programs, you're able to understand a- and see that for what it is, do you know? 26:30 And, and just again, it's facing those fears. Do you know, like, or maybe just, just go in and see how you feel about it. Do you know? 26:37 Like, you'd be, you'd actually be surprised how you might feel after going in and hearing similar stories from similar people on how you felt or what you did or what they're doing to continuously try and stay clean, 26:51 a- and to just keep going. Mm-hmm. Uh, I myself now at the minute, I'm not, like I'll be very honest, I haven't actually been at a 12-step meeting in quite a while. I will go to them if I really, really feel I need them. 27:04 Now, I wouldn't- Mm-hmm... I wouldn't advise that for anyone. I suppose that's, uh, that foundation that I built, it's still solid. Mm-hmm. Do you know? Like I can't sort of, how would you say? I can't, uh, 27:19 push onwards in my life if I was to continuously keep going in those circles, you know, going to a meeting every day and, you know, even like, I just don't get that time. 27:29 I have a, you know, I'm a, I'm a full-time parent as well, like, and I just don't have the time. Mm-hmm. 27:34 I just, not every day I get to be like, "Yeah, yeah," uh, you know, call someone there and be like, "Yeah, could you just mind my son?" Or do, do you know? Mm-hmm. 27:42 I don't have that luxury, but like I'm healthy enough for myself. I have a, a better understanding now today of what to expect in life. Mm-hmm. Do you know, not everything is fair, and, and that's okay with me. 27:57 Do you know? I'm, I'm not gonna win every day. I'm not gonna be happy every day. There's gonna be days where I am genuinely ready to just say, "Right, fuck the world. I'm going back to bed." Do you know? 28:09 Like, that's- [laughs]... that's the God's honest truth. Like, but- Mm-hmm... the, the only reason I got to that s- that sort of mindset in myself is, is actually a 12-step program. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Okay. 28:22 Yeah, we all have our ups and downs, you know, in life, and it's just like, you just gotta take it one day at a time. That's what I've noticed. You know? Mm-hmm. We all go through emotions, feelings. 28:34 Uh, we're human, right? We're not always- Yeah... gonna have, um, super positive days, right? We're gonna have negative days as well. It's, it's all about attitude, right? 28:44 How you show up, just not for the people around you, but also for yourself. Um, that's what I found anyway. And so, um, how many years have you been sober? Uh, eight years. Uh, yeah, it's over eight years. 28:59 I was eight years- Wow... clean on the 2nd of June. So before your son was born? Yes. I got clean- Wow... six, uh, five months before he was born. Wow. That's amazing. So he was definitely a, a big motivator 29:14 since you were- Oh, he is... expecting and everything. He, he, he was, he was then, and he still is today. He, he's, he's such a great little kid. Aw. Do you know? I've been able to watch him grow up and- Well-... 29:25 do you know, uh, don't get me wrong, he pushes boundaries with me. He knows how to push the buttons. Sure. But- Of course. [laughs]... like, like on any given day, like, he just... 29:36 Like, I had to laugh, like he, like- Sure... it's those little things. Like, I was in work, uh- Mm-hmm... there over, like the weekend just gone, and I got a message on my phone like, uh, just saying, "Love you." Yeah. 29:48 And I was like, it's [laughs]... And so going like, "Did he just write that?" Mm-hmm. 29:51 And I actually, I, I had asked my, uh, I'd asked my partner, and she had actually said to me, she was like, "Yeah, no, that, that was him. He actually asked me to spell it out for him." 29:59 I was like, "You've got to be kidding me." [laughs] Like, it's just a simple message that says, "Love you." Mm-hmm. That's great. Do you know? Like, it's those, it's those feelings for me that- Yes... 30:10 that keeps me motivated. Like, he, he has no understanding of the big, bad world. He, like, he, he just asks silly things like, um, about like, oh, dinosaurs and football. He's, he's so crazy about football. 30:21 I know it's soccer in, in America, like, but- Right. Right... he's just [laughs] yeah. But- I got you Like, him, like, that guy from, that little guy for me is just a massive motivating factor, I suppose, like, for 30:36 where I'm at now and, and how and where I wanna push for- push forward in life, basically. Yeah. Yeah. Let's pivot a little bit, uh, talk more about Groundwork since you've been eight years sober. 30:48 Um, share with me a little bit about how Groundwork got started and, um, yeah, we'll just, we'll start there. Yeah, so do you know what? 30:58 I started, like, I got into that whole AI phase, craze there a few months back when everybody's talking about, like, Claude or Anthropic or... And everyone's, you know, so I kind of just was looking. 31:09 I would be sort of nifty enough with a computer, do you know? Like- Uh-huh... if I don't know how to do it, I will, you know, I would sort of teach myself how to control a computer so- Uh-huh... 31:20 like, I suppose I was building little small apps as such, and just nothing major. I wasn't really doing anything with them. I was just sort of, like, uh, educating myself and, uh, 31:32 do you know, and then it was like just maybe I could do something, you know, build something out of this. And, uh- Mm-hmm... and then it was like it was, I was look, look at these. 31:41 These are, these are one of the 2:00 AM thoughts that I would have. It's like, "Andy, what could you do? You've no, you've no, uh, educational background. 31:49 You're, you know, you've, you dropped out of college and stuff like that, so what can you possibly do?" And I said, "You know what?" I says, "What did I live with the most? I lived with addiction." 31:58 So I says, "Lookit, I just, I'll build something, not just in regards to that, but more so for, for everyone, because everyone suffers with mental health." Mm-hmm. And, 32:09 and I, I suppose that's how it came around, is this, I would be, I would be very... I would a lot of, I would have a lot of observation. Apologies. So, uh, 32:20 I've noticed that, like, everyone is their, in their own little routine and such, and like, a lot of people are generally not happy. They're really- Mm-hmm... really, I j- I would feel. 32:31 I could be totally wrong on this, and, like, it, it could be people that come back at me and say, "Andy, we're okay. We're all good." But, you know, I says, "Right, well, that's fair enough." 32:39 But I just feel on, say, like, a global basis, everyone is just sort of shrouded in chaos. Okay. You know? Like, so look, and, and maybe you disagree with me. 32:48 I don't know, like, but- [laughs] Well, it depends who you talk to. I feel like there's a lot of people that are unhappy, but then there's a lot of people that are happy. I guess it just- They are happy. Yeah. Look... 32:56 kind of depends what part of the world you're in. I don't know. So, but yeah, continue. Yeah, so it, it all depends. Continue. [laughs] It is. 33:00 It, it does all depend on where you're living, what your living situation is- Sure... you know, and, like, and, uh- [laughs] Yeah. 33:09 But lookit, I suppose, like, I just made this app, and essentially it was just, like, lookit, it's like 33:15 build a, like a small commun- like, try and build a small community for where people could just join, say, on anonymous basis. They don't have to paint their story like Instagram- Mm... 33:25 or Facebook or, or TikTok and to where- Yeah... it has to be highlight reels and, do you know? Mm-hmm. 'Cause I feel like the, that sort of stuff is just, is- Performance?... performance, yeah. Mm-hmm. 33:38 Like, you're looking at- Yeah... somebody's highlight reel, and it's literally- Yeah... 33:42 20 seconds of their life, and all of a sudden you have dissected it, and you're looking at this at 1:00 AM, and you've dissected that your life is an absolute failure- Mm... judging on this person's highlight reel. 33:54 And I feel like so many people do that, especially young people. Now, I won't say, like, I won't target, I wouldn't target people under 18. That's, that's not for me to decide just yet, I suppose. Like, but- Yeah... 34:05 like, I see it myself where there's so many young people and kids who are just flicking through TikTok first thing in the morning, and their brains are scrambled, and you're like, "Wow, geez." 34:15 They're like zombies come 2:00 o'clock, and like, holy God, like. But yeah, like, I've had conversation with young guys who would sit there and be like, "Andy, like, I feel like my, my life is falling apart here. 34:26 I just have so much." I'm like, "But dude, you have so many years to give. What are you talking about?" Mm. Just really think about it. 34:34 Like, people don't actually realize, like, the stuff that, like, social media is putting out. It's just, it blowing their mind. It's nearly, it's overstimulating their mind. Mm. And people have nowhere to talk. 34:46 They feel like they have to perform or compare themselves on a daily basis, like, and, like, I'm not saying people shouldn't do that. People have to do that. It's a marketing strategy. I get it. That's fine. Mm-hmm. 34:58 Uh, I've had to do it myself on my own Instagram, [laughs] like, but- Right... I feel like it, you know, maybe people need to just look at themselves for a minute. Mm. Uh, do you know? 35:09 So the, the whole concept of Groundwork is that, that there, there's four pillars. Okay. You show up for yourself. Mm-hmm. You find your own voice. Mm-hmm. Build something, be it internal or external, 35:23 and, and connect with other people. Mm-hmm. Do you know? A lot of people are all like-minded, if they actually sat down and talked to each other instead of actually gossiping about X, Y, and Z and, and whatnot. 35:34 Like, "Oh, he's not got the best jacket. My jacket's better than his." And- Right... 35:38 but, like, if the, they were to sit in the same room and actually have a proper conversation, they realize they're actually, there's so many people that are so, that have so many common, common goals but are too afraid to ask for help, or too afraid to sit there and say, "Right, lookit, why don't me and you build something?" 35:53 Mm. Do you know? Like, so I suppose as well as that, like, it, I, I put it, like, a, an AI life coach in this groundwork also. So I did, like- Uh-huh... I named him Chris. I don't know why I named him Chris. 36:07 It was, like, a first name that popped into me head. I just said, "Lookit, we'll just call him Chris." So- Sure... but- It's a good name. Strong name. Yeah. [laughs] Yeah. It's a sound name. Yeah. [laughs] Solid. 36:18 So, like, yeah, I, I just sat there. I says, "Lookit," and it just... I just started coding, like, doing coding. I was working with, uh, Anthropic on this is what, like you're working with, how would you say? 36:29 Working with Claude. Mm-hmm. Not directly Anthropic. [laughs] Right. And I just kept building away, and, you know, b- for me it was nearly like, "Oh, hold on Andy, like, this, this is challenging." 36:43 And it was really stimulating me mind, where I was sitting up at 3:00 o'clock in the morning trying to figure out how to integrate what I want Chris to be like as an AI life coach. 36:52 I, but I kept going anyway, and I kind of just kept proving to myself, you're well able to do anything you want if you- Yeah... put your actual mind to it. 37:01 Now, you might need a bit more sleep while doing this, but you know, y- you catch the drift. Right. And, uh, so- But that's- I, I just felt, look, from all my experience, I suppose all the sort of 37:14 therapies and, uh, techniques as such that I have learnt throughout, say, my therapy in the last, say, eight years, I just put it all into, into, into Chris itself, into the AI coach. 37:29 And, like, it, this isn't a thing that I would stop people from actually going to an actual counselor. You know, human-to-human connection is, is very important. 37:38 I would just want this to be seen as another tool i- in, in someone's, uh, little toolkit that when they're in the really deep end of the struggles, they could pull this out and be like, "Look, it's 2:00 o'clock in the morning, no one else is awake. 37:52 I, I'll just try Chris here, and we'll just bash away and see what he thinks." Or just type or post into the, the community, uh, forum and say, "Look, it..." Whatever the case may be. "I'm not feeling good. 38:04 It's 2:00 AM," blah, blah, blah. You know, I guarantee you there would be loads of people that would resonate with that, that would be like, "Yeah, yeah, I'm not good, too. Let's talk about this stuff," like. And, uh, so 38:18 maybe it's... Am I actually, like, trying to point my narrative o- onto other people? Possibly, but I'm not saying I'm perfect, but I'm saying th- some ways that people are living now, like, they, they could change. 38:30 I see a lot of people with a lot of potential, and they're just wasting it. Hmm. Definitely. So with Groundwork, it's a web application, correct? It's not, like, a mobile app? No, it's not. 38:41 Do you want it to be, like, a mobile app in the future, or just stick to web-based? Yeah, so for now it is just a web app. Uh- Okay... hopefully, you know, further down the line I, I could, uh, 38:57 get that into an actual app that you can download off the, the Google Play Store or the App Store itself and- Mm-hmm... and just see where it goes. Do you know? 39:06 [laughs] Like, I am, like, I, like, I have to say, like, I have done this all literally by myself. I have no one in the background, no team. Mm-hmm. Right. I'm literally doing this w- by myself. Like, I actually laughed. 39:17 Like, I asked for help off, uh, certain institutions or would I, would I be a fa- you know, would I, uh, match the criteria for them? And they turned around and said no. [laughs] And it's... 39:28 And I kind of says, "Oh, okay, fair enough." But, like, I wouldn't... You know, at that point, like, what I used to do was like, "Oh, so I just give up." I kind of just said, "You know what? So be it. 39:38 I, I'll just keep going. I'll keep going." And here I am today, I'm sitting with yourself talking about this, and, uh, [laughs] who would've thought- Yeah... that, like, [laughs] you know? Right. 39:48 How long has it been online? How long has the website been live? The website has been live, uh, oh, about a month. Oh, so it's very, very new. 39:58 And I assume you've done, like, market research or some type of research to see if there's any kind of other websites similar to, like, what you- Yeah... built or is there anything like it? Yeah, so 40:09 there is, like, you've got the likes of, uh, Headspace, uh- Right... Calm. Right. You have, you've got a lot of meditation apps. Y- you do have- Sure... you know, a lot of journal, AI journal apps and, uh, 40:21 a- and that's fine. Look, it's, I, I suppose I just says, "Look, I'll just put my own, what my experience is, is into this and, uh, and just see where it goes," basically. I'm not... 40:34 I think for me it was more like, [laughs] and this might sound crazy, I suppose, but I did some market research. I kind of looked at it and says, "Okay, right." 40:43 And, uh, I says, "I'm not digging too deep into them because if I look into them and what their revenue is and how they came about and how they formed 10 years ago," I says, "I, I'll, I'll, I'll put, uh, 40:54 I would put the fear of God into myself. I would, I would turn away and, and leave it as it is, or I'll try something different." I kind of just said, "Look, it, just build up on it and, uh..." Oh, there we go. 41:05 [laughs] Yeah, I was gonna bring it up and kind of show people because this is a video podcast, and I was like, why don't we just bring up your website and you can- Yeah. [laughs]... share a little more about, 41:15 um, the app and how it's gonna help. So you're comparing it to Headspace, and I'm sure you know, everyone's well aware what Headspace is. It's quite one of the bigger meditation apps. Yeah. 41:25 But this isn't just a meditation app, right? Like, this is- No, no... more than just meditation itself. There's no, there's no actual meditation in this. Okay. So- Gotcha. Right... 41:35 no, so basically, like- So I'm gonna hit this, come inside, so I type my name in, right? Yeah, yeah. Okay. I continue. All right. So what, what's this about here? Well, look, are you- So choose your spirit. Yeah. 41:48 So spirit, are you a climber? Are you a grower? Uh- Are you a fighter? Are you a builder? Like, which do you- Um-... think would resonate the most with you? I love mountains. 41:58 I like to climb them, so I would say a climber. [laughs] Yes, I'm right next to some mountains. You love a good challenge. You love a good challenge. I do. I guess so. All right, and then I'm building toward... 42:11 Could this be something about productivity? Like, could I say something about my business- Well, it could be-... or-... you know, some- it could be something personal for you. It could be- Okay, so personal... 42:19 something that, maybe a, a goal or a business idea. It could be anything. Okay. Um, I'm building towards a six-figure business right now. Let's say that. Yeah. Perfect. Okay. Okay. And then start climbing? Yes. 42:35 You work away. Perfect. Day one, you showed up. This is how every real thing starts, not with a perfect plan, just by showing up. Build something real. Okay. Cool. So, look at- So is this the dashboard or... 42:49 Yeah, share with me a little bit about- Yeah, look, it's just a simple dashboard, you know, like you can, uh- Mm-hmm... as you can see here, you've got the check-in today at the top of the screen. 42:55 Literally, small little things of maybe how you're feeling, you know, maybe rate your, uh, rate your feelings on 1 to 10, if you're feeling good, happy, sad. Do you know? You've got a... Let me see. 43:09 Uh, you're back in the daytime- Oh, wow... so in the evening time, it'll come up again. I suppose, and ask you, did you show up for yourself? Were you honest for yourself, or, 43:18 you know, could you have done something differently when you look back? And it's- All right. Okay. So I hit check in. So every day you're supposed to, like, check in, right? Yeah. Of, like, how you feel. 43:29 You're supposed to be honest with yourself. Energy level. Today's question- Yeah... what does the real you need today? Okay, cool. Like, you're the, you're the only person that can, that can see this information here. 43:41 Oh, okay. Yeah. Okay, no one else but- So whatever you put in is, is, is, it's your information. Okay. Do I have to fill all these? 43:49 Are these required or can I skip them or- No, no, look, you can, you can if you want, like, or you can- Okay... leave it or, you know, have a click around- Sure... something else, like [laughs] Sure. 43:59 So this is supposed to be really personal for people when they sign in and whatnot, so. Yeah. Look at, at this- You can do that. Okay. And then, okay, cool. So I don't have to answer that question. I could just skip it. 44:10 Okay, cool. Awesome. So daily check-ins. So community, I'm looking at these different tabs. Do you wanna walk me through these different tabs of, like, how- Yeah. So community, I suppose, look, we just have like a, 44:25 you'd say, like a, a common theme that you have in social media apps where you would- Right... post something, like, but this is it. There's just, it's just words. There's no images, there's no comparing. Uh, 44:37 you, you don't get that feeling that you have to post some images of yourself or, "How was my day? Here's my coffee. Look at what I'm eating today," or, "This is what mountain I'm gonna climb." 44:47 It's just very simple stuff- Mm-hmm... where... Oh, sorry. Yes. [laughs] Oh, no. Do I have to re-sign in again? Oh, my. No, no. So certain aspects- I thought I might sign in or continue without an account, maybe. 45:00 I thought I had created an account now when you sign in, or is that something that- No. So when you sign in, you could actually roam around for free. There are certain, uh, 45:11 certain tabs that when you go to click them, they will ask for your, uh, email address. There's no- Hmm... there's no payment. It's just that you, like, it's the same there. If you hit the AI coach- Okay, AI coach. 45:25 Oh, I see this... down the bottom. Down the bottom. Okay. So if you were to input- Oh, it pops up... say, your email address, password, sign in- Okay... you could use that coach. 45:32 And with that, you could have, say, a full hour session. If you were to sit there for a full hour back and forth with this AI coach- Okay... that's fine. 45:40 It's just once you close that down, you'd have to wait 24 hours for that to reset again. So people actually do have this, and they can use it for free. Uh- Cool... 45:50 obviously, if people wanted more, then they would have to just pay for premium prices. Gotcha. Gotcha. Um, so what's up with Campfire? What's that? So, yeah, Campfire is basically, it would... Finding someone. 46:07 Yeah, so basically, it's just like a random, how would you say? A random, uh, other users where if they were to be on that, they would appear up here saying, "Finding someone." 46:21 You can write a message to them, you know, a sort of a, a, a simple chat bot with one, or a, a chat message board with one another. Okay, cool. So messages, connect, and then build. What's that? 46:38 Uh, yeah, so that's basically, it's your personal progress, do you know? So- Mm-hmm... what would you like to do this week if fear wasn't a part of the equation? Uh- Oh, okay. Yeah. 46:51 Lookit, I suppose this is just sort of your own sort of personal diary as such. Now, I'm actually gonna be honest, you can edit this part. I don't know if I have finished that part just yet. 47:02 [laughs] That's something I needed to work on, so. Oh, wait, so the, the website's not finished yet. You're still working on it. No, it is live and active, right? Like, people can use it. Right. Uh- Mm-hmm. 47:12 Just like I'm using it. Yeah, straight up. Okay. I actually, I'm gonna be straight up, I cannot fucking figure for the life of me what I did for this part. [laughs] Okay. Okay. Uh, yeah. Look at today's prompts. Yeah. 47:30 [laughs] So, look, click on something else here. I'll come back to that. Okay. No worries. Um, and then we have my profile as well. Yeah, so, uh- So I've got a plan feature here. 47:44 So this is mostly for the AI coach, I assume. Yeah. Look, if you were to click on that, it gives you the, there's three options. There are free option- Okay... premium level, which is... It is there in euro. 47:56 Now, obviously, that would, it can- Thanks. Yeah... uh, that would change, that would change to US dollars if you were to pay for it, if someone in America was paying for it. That, uh, sure. Sure. 48:07 So premium, premium plus, you know, so it's just- Cool... sort of simple add-on features that you'd see on every sort of social media app. I do feel that the price for it is perfect. It's only paid on a monthly basis. 48:23 Like, you pay more for cups, like two cups of coffee on a daily basis. Right. So- So I guess, what would you compare this to, if not Headspace? Maybe another app that kinda keeps you, 48:39 like, a maybe habit checker, something like developing- Yeah, like-... good daily habits or something like that? I would say, I, I, look, being honest, I don't think I could compare it to- Mm-hmm... 48:53 anything really as of yet. Uh- Okay... what I actually am hoping for is that like, you know, if it does pick up, if the traction does come, if users start landing, that 49:07 people could use this as another tool to actually build something for themselves. Like I- I've used this per- like, a lot of times myself. Like, I do st- still deal with, uh, different situations in me life 49:20 on an ongoing basis. Mm-hmm. Like, it's, it's not as if like my life has just become all nice and there's just loads of, uh, roses in the garden growing. 49:30 So I've actually used this meself where I've sat down and said, "Look, I've laid out my complete issue, and how long it has been ongoing." And I took the response on board, and funny enough, it's, uh, [laughs] 49:47 it's actually been quite helpful. Mm-hmm. I can... Like, 49:53 I would just feel that if people were to use this and actually see the benefit of it, and to actually sit down and not just listen to the first thought that comes into their head to deal with stuff- Mm... 50:04 they would actually have a chance of creating something better for themselves. Mm-hmm. Yeah. What I th- see is, like, it's a, it's a journaling app almost, like a self-reflection kind of application- Yeah... 50:17 that you go and you reflect, and it's like you would add it to part of your morning routine, let's say. Yeah, like first thing in the morning. 50:24 And as one of the first things instead of- It takes two minutes to just, uh- Yeah, yeah... yeah, it could take two minutes in the morning to just fill out- Mm-hmm... daily check-in. What are you- Yeah... 50:31 what's your common goal? What do you want, what you, what do you want to achieve- Mm-hmm... in this day? Yeah, like realigns you. Are you reassured for yourself? Yeah. 50:37 Yeah, like realigns you to, it's like instead of going on TikTok, you go on this, right? Yeah. 50:43 And it's supposed to recenter you, reground you, um, do all the things to kind of give you that focus that you need to show up with your best self moving forward. That, that's what it reminds me of. Yeah. 50:57 Um, so which I think is really great, and something that could potentially be turned into some type of mobile application if you could just like, um, even just add it to your home screen. 51:09 I know a lot of websites do that now. Like, you don't need to have a full mobile app, but it needs to be like, I guess, mobile friendly. Yeah. So you can do it that way, too. I know that's... 51:18 I, I don't think that'll cost you anything extra. And, and, and you did this all through Vibe Coding, right? You did this all through Claude, you mentioned that earlier? Yeah. 51:25 So, like, I know like at the minute, if you were to go on, like it is actually mobile friendly also as well. Oh, cool. Obviously you have to use your... 51:32 Yeah, you do have to just use your, like a, your, your Chrome or whatever browser you're using. Sure, sure. Uh, so I, I actually surprised meself with that, because I didn't realize while I was doing it that 51:44 it was actually mobile friendly. [laughs] So, but, uh- Oh, so it automatically converts it into mobile friendly? Okay. So if I go to Groundwork on my phone, it's groundwork.a-io, right? Yeah. Groundwork.io. 51:56 Mygroundwork.io. Oh, mygroundwork. Okay. I'm just curious, yeah, how it shows up, because you know, a lot of people are u- using their phones these days, um, for- Yeah... to surf the internet. 52:07 Not everyone has access to a laptop. This is true. That's another thing, right? So mygroundwork.io. 52:17 So I could simply just do this, and I know, you know, since we're kind of in the same crypto circles, um, I'm not sure if you're familiar with the ARENA at all, so it was a AVAX platform. It was, um- Yeah. 52:30 Oh, I have heard of it, yes. I, I wouldn't be- Yeah... I wouldn't really be, uh- Oh, cool... I suppose, yeah. [laughs] Yeah, it does, it does look nicely, the interface. It does lay out really nicely. 52:42 So yeah, it does look like this, and how people would get around this is, yeah, they'd have to hit the three dots. Um, and then you could just add it automatically 52:53 to your home screen as an app potentially, or open app this way. I think that's how you do it. I'm not sure. You add it to bookmarks, or no, maybe it's share tab. I know every... 53:05 Oh, I think, yeah, you go to share, and then from share you can add it to home screen. There we go. Add it to home screen, and then there we go. Now it's an app. 53:18 It doesn't have a picture, but now it looks like an app on my phone. [laughs] So I'm just saying that's one way you can get around it. 53:26 But a- and that, what, what I was saying before is the ARENA, uh, this AVAX SOFI platform, that this is their workaround. Right. 'Cause they don't have a full application, so they just told people to do this. 53:38 They would, they would bring up like a little page of like, "Hey, you wanna put this as a mobile app?" And they'd walk you through the steps of how to do it. So now I've got- That's cool. That's actually pretty neat. 53:46 Yeah. That's pretty neat, man. Yes, I have Groundwork as an app, yeah, on the phone right now. 53:49 So it, it's just, it's standard G, but I would, I would just hit that, and it would just take me automatically to the, to the website. I don't know if you can see that, but yeah. 53:59 So, um, but anyway, um, I was gonna ask you as we're kind of wrapping up here a few, um, questions on dealing with your marketing, uh, some ways to get the word out, distribution. 54:10 Have you thought anything about, like, in terms of this and how you would go about that? Uh, like, I suppose I'm in that, like, sort of predicament, like where- Okay... 54:24 obviously, yeah, look, for me, it's like, oh, yeah, we'll start local. Hit my local community up, you know, spread the word around, uh, pass flyers around the different gyms in my local areas. Mm-hmm. 54:35 Do just talking to people about it. Mm-hmm. And, uh- Show where the, where the app at... some people are on their phones and, and, and, and just- Mm-hmm... trying to go from there. Like, 54:44 and at the same time it's like, but there's so much of a world out there. You can literally just go onto your Instagram, and there's people from all over the world watching your reels. 54:53 Do you know, like where it's, the link is in the bio? Like, I know like this- From the reels that I put up on me Instagram, like, the people have looked. 55:01 I know there's about, I know 100 people have actually gone in and actually looked at the website, and- Oh... well, look, it didn't convert to any users, but they know it's there. Look at- Oh, wow... 55:14 maybe they're not ready, maybe they're just not ready to be honest with themselves. [laughs] That- But-... or maybe there's an incentive or some type of lead magnet that you can get them to, to use it, you know? 55:26 Maybe that you haven't thought that far in your marketing campaign when you're- Yeah... trying to find ways to implement to actually onboard users. 55:35 And I, I think a really great question, this is what I have with a lot of my clients, I, I run a creative agency on the side too where, you know- Mm... I help entrepreneurs like you try to figure out how to get users. 55:46 And I know this is- Yeah... 55:47 like the number one problem a lot of people have when they make applications, when they, you know, when they create these, these beautiful works of art through, you know, AI, then they're like, "Okay, how do I get people to use it?" 55:59 [laughs] And then you, you know, you're kinda like strumming, you're kinda just thinking to yourself, and sure you can ask AI, AI could, you know, you could a- prompt AI of, like, use cases, right? 56:10 But then that's gonna take time, it's gonna take energy, right? But at the end- Yeah... of the day, you still have to do the work, right? AI will give you- Exactly... 56:17 some great ideas or, you know, people like me can give you great ideas on implementation. But I think more than anything, there's gotta be an incentive, right? Mm. There's gotta be a reason. 56:26 You have to be solving a problem to- Yeah... those people of wanting- Yes... for them to actually use it. So my question to you would be, like, what problem are you solving to- [laughs]... 56:38 the people that wanna use the app? Like, what, what problem do you feel like you're solving at the end of the day when you created this app? 56:45 Look, I, I suppose for me it's just giving people an actual mental health tool- Mm... to be able to, to, to feel comfortable to sit there and be honest with themselves, to themselves- Mm... 56:57 and to use the app, and to put in... I'm not saying you have to put in your deepest, darkest secrets, or if you've committed a crime or stuff, you know, I'm not asking people to do that. It's like, 57:07 but if people are feeling uncomfortable, bec- there is obviously something making you feel uncomfortable. 57:11 Like, you, you should not be afraid to open up and, and, and talk to this thing or, or just put in a simple, "I'm feeling bad today," "I'm feeling rough" or "I'm feeling strong." 57:22 You know, people should put these things in and actually be able to look back and see that, "Oh, hold on, like, I'm actually, you know, working towards a, a, a nice goal here, that I'm actually good on myself." 57:32 Like, I suppose my hometown has got like, you know, there is sort of mental health, uh, units, there's mental health services- Mm... 57:42 but I just feel like there isn't enough because there is a lot of people that suffer badly with mental health, and wait lists are, you know, maybe very long and, and some people mightn't get in as quick as they would want. 57:55 So why not just be able to use a, an AI tool or a, or a web app and, and just sort of comfort you until you get to that human connection, like- Mm... and get actual proper help or proper help for, uh, 58:11 for whatever problem you might be facing. I- I do like... Mm, sorry. Yeah. I can't sit here and s- I couldn't sit here and say, "I am going to solve mental health as, a- as, and it won't be a crisis anymore." 58:23 Like, that's, that's just off the charts insane. Like, it'd never happen because, well, look, I have me own reasons as to why it would never happen. [laughs] Like, but- Mm... 58:31 and I won't sit here bashing media or the, the boys sitting above everyone else, the 1% dictating how the world works, but- Yeah... like, 58:42 I can't solve everyone's problems and I ne- like, I know that myself, I never will. But if I can build a tool that 58:48 can help people, can just help people, I'm not saying I'm going to solve everything for you, but if you've got something there that you can pick up and put on your phone and talk away privately, uh, with yourself 59:00 and, and feel good about it, and do you know? Like, that's, that's a win for me. Like, I've gone through the, the, I've gone through serious trauma in my life and, and I've come out the other end, and, 59:13 you know, like, maybe this is my calling, that I can help other people in, in other ways to, to, to come back to themselves, to their real selves, and, and fulfill their potentials. Mm-hmm. No, I think that's great. 59:26 I think it's good to have something like that because in the end, you know, a lot of people are on their phones. Mm. A lot of people, they don't have these centers to go to or they're not in proximity to them. Mm. 59:37 But like you said, everyone's got a phone, right? Yeah. 59:40 So if they knew about this app, knew about a place that they could go where they feel safe and where they could journal, um, I think that would really help benefit them and, um, and figure, figure it out with the community, right? 59:56 Yeah. So it's like getting connected through this app is huge, you know? 1:00:02 And it's something that I think more people need to hear and share, and this is one of the biggest reasons we're on this podcast is so you can- Mm... 1:00:09 share a little bit about your story, but also the inception of this app and why it's so important for people struggling with mental health to, uh, be a part of. And, um, and, and just to use it, you know? 1:00:21 Just to use it just for the use case of using it. 1:00:24 But maybe being, uh, a little more apparent with, um, your verbiage when it comes to the app itself of, like, um, with people that are struggling with mental health or struggling with something. 1:00:35 I don't know if you want to self-identify or, like, make that more apparent in the app, because the app itself seems just like a journaling app. Like, oh, if I need help, you know, holding myself accountable. Mm. 1:00:46 That's what I feel. It doesn't really pinpoint, oh, I'm struggling with mental health, I need to download this app. Or was that, like, or, or, or was that, like, supposed to... Like, what, what, what were you going for? 1:00:59 When you were creating the app, I guess. Like, is it supposed to solve that issue? Because if it is, it's supposed to make that more apparent, and within the app it didn't feel like it was that apparent. Right. 1:01:08 Or am I missing something? No, I, well- It's double... I suppose, maybe you're right. Maybe you've picked up on something that I haven't actually picked up on. Yeah. Yeah, because it's- Maybe I just, like-- 1:01:24 I know for me, like, I can be really busy. Sure. And I, I, I feel like I've, I've done something right, and maybe I have actually- Mm-hmm... missed something. Uh- Mm-hmm... and, and that's fine too. 1:01:35 I, I'd prefer if somebody said something that, like that to me instead of just saying nothing. I love honest feedback. [laughs] No, I will be as honest to you as, as I, as I can, because- Yeah... 1:01:45 you know, if we wanna de-stigmatize, you know, mental health, we wanna de-stigmatize. Mm-hmm. We gotta, we gotta be a lot more, you know, straightforward with the- Yeah... problems we're trying to solve. Yeah. 1:01:55 So even working with your marketing or your advertisements when it comes to struggle with mental health- Mm... download this app now. [laughs] It's something as simple as that, you know? 1:02:05 So, uh, I, I'm just like, I, I'm, I'm trying to understand, I guess, more of your app, because your app, to me, when I first go on it, it doesn't, it doesn't scream, "Oh, I'm gonna help you solve your mental health issues," or, "I'm gonna, like, make you feel better when it comes to your mental health." 1:02:20 And your whole story was around mental health, so I'm like, okay, it should tie in somewhere, right? Yeah. But to me it was more like, um, to me it felt more like, um, accountability app, right? 1:02:30 Taking your, um, not just your health, but also, you know, your productivity into account, and keeping- Yeah... 1:02:36 that in check, and keeping yourself accountable on the things that you need to get done to make, to create y- uh, a better version of yourself than, than you were yesterday. Um, I don't know. 1:02:46 So there, there might be some messaging that you could possibly work on. Um, but you know, that's, that's kinda what I found when I came across your app initially. Yeah. No, no, that's, that's, that's fine. 1:02:58 I like, I suppose, I suppose the whole mental health, I, obviously that's, that's my experience. It's a lot of people's experience. It's, it's your health, it's your, your own experience, and- Mm-hmm... 1:03:10 everyone's sort of mental health experiences or decline in mental health experience is obviously different as well, like, and- Mm-hmm. Hmm. I suppose, like, yeah, maybe the message was a bit mixed up, and that's fine. 1:03:25 Maybe. I, I, and maybe I have to relook at that and tweak up the little things where, I suppose, where you want... Like a lot of people, I suppose, these days, they wanna just get better. Mm-hmm. 1:03:36 And everyone has their own idea of what better is. Uh- Right. Right... so, yeah. So maybe it is something I need to look at. Yeah. And that's, and that's fine. I like that. I like that. And- Oh, good. Good... 1:03:49 'cause nobody has actually, nobody has actually said that to me. I know people have looked at this, and they've said- [laughs]... "Oh, Andy, it's great." 1:03:55 Like, I, I actually had like, uh, one of my former, uh, addiction counselors look at it- Mm-hmm... and he said nothing like that. Like, he didn't say, "Oh, this wasn't screaming, you know, accountability" as such. 1:04:08 It was just, or, "It's not screaming mental health at him." 1:04:10 It's like, he just literally said, "I liked everything," 'cause I did ask him to test AI Coach and to just literally put his heart and soul, different scenarios, maybe what he, not might necessarily he came across, but- Right... 1:04:23 stuff that he knows, and just punch it in, see what answers he gets, and he, he literally said, "Look, I cannot fault it for what the, the techniques it's given," 1:04:32 uh, in regards to life coaching or you say addiction struggles or, or mental health struggles. It's, it's got an awful lot, like. Mm-hmm. Uh, so- 1:04:43 It's not, it's not- So maybe being really clear in your messaging on- Mm... what problem are you solving to a specific target audience, because then- Yeah... you could create marketing around that. That's what- Yes... 1:04:54 that's my suggestion. Like, is it a life coach? You know, like, help, help me? Is it supposed to replace life coaches? Like, "Oh, get this app, it's gonna be better than life coaches." 1:05:04 Is that your messaging, or is it like, no, this is, you're struggling with your mental health or your physical health, or who knows what kind of health you need work on, go download this app, right? 1:05:13 So it's like there's different ways that you could approach this, but it's like- Yeah... whatever your messaging is, like, keep it aligned with your ultimate vision. Keep aligned with like, do you want this to be 1:05:26 s- like a, a self-productivity app, right? So it's like- Mm... you have to come down to what, who's it really for, right? Because it's not for everyone, obviously, right? Yeah. 1:05:37 It's like, it's for a select group of people that have some struggles in dealing with their mental health or physical health or spiritual health, let's say. I don't know. 1:05:47 So it's like getting really clear on that is my suggestion on your messaging. And also when you do start marketing it, that's, that's what, that, that's the target audience that you're gonna focus on, right? So- Yeah... 1:05:59 um, but you gotta think, to me, you gotta think a little more about, you know, who that certain person is. You gotta identify that person. Yeah. 1:06:09 And you have to be really clear on that, that messaging before you can really start pulling, you know, all the stops out when it comes to the, the marketing aspect. But yeah, yeah. 1:06:19 You know, it's a work in progress, right? I, I think that's, um, what you have is definitely a good foundation, you know, something that you can work with. It's not like you're starting from zero, right? You're- Yeah... 1:06:29 technically you're starting from one now, because you have something. 1:06:33 Now it's just to get a little more clear on the vision, um, and having clarity, uh, will give you the confidence to, um, show up, and to actually clearly communicate your, um, your messaging to- Yeah... 1:06:47 the people that will want to actually have this app. Like, if this a- if I knew this app really helped me and was really going to help overcome my addiction, let's say, um, I would wanna download it ASAP, right? Mm. 1:07:02 No, definitely... see what I'm saying? Like, it, it would help me. And, and putting, like, even a, a paywall on it is a smart idea, because now you're instilling value- Yes... on the product. You see what I'm saying? 1:07:14 So it's like having a paywall, especially when it comes to the AI, or even getting to the point where since you've overcome this addiction, you could do, or maybe if you don't feel comfortable yet getting some coaching yourself, to actually be an actual life coach. 1:07:29 You know, you could use this- Mm... as a, as a way, that you could- Yeah... really reach people, because, you know, people buy from other people, right? So- Yeah... 1:07:36 um, connecting with real drug addicts that have a problem, and you could sit down with them, and this could be your gateway, so to speak, to your community where you do masterminds, group calls, right? 1:07:48 And eventually if they wanna do- Yeah... one-on-ones, you know? So I think this is a great start to something really beautiful that you have. 1:07:54 So if you wanna take it to the next level, you can, but I think it first starts with actually getting people interested in, in the app itself and- Yeah. 1:08:03 No, definitely [laughs] And that's, that's definitely- Boom, and finding that, right? Yeah. So. No. Yeah. I, I, I will say one thing, though. I, I, uh, 1:08:12 the, the, uh, I never actually said I would target people with addiction. Uh- Yeah... one, it was given to me for free. Mm-hmm. So I know obviously 1:08:26 12 Step meeting so-and-so, they, they're, they're all free, and I'd never, like- Mm... never dis- I'd never disown them. The, the, the program- Mm... itself is very good. Mm-hmm. 1:08:35 Uh, not everyone likes to go to them, that's fine. Uh, I just have to obviously focus [laughs] I need to refocus on who my, uh, target audience is gonna be now. [laughs] Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah, definitely. 1:08:48 But anyway, so we're wrapping it up here. Sorry, I think it turned into a little bit of a strategy session towards the end there. [laughs] Yeah. But it's all good. It's all good. 1:08:55 Um, was there anything else you wanted to share about Groundwork or anything else personally, um, that you wanted to share, uh, before we leave today? 1:09:04 Anything that we didn't go over that you wanted to share, maybe a story or something to kinda leave the audience with? Because, you know, you definitely have... 1:09:12 Like, your story, it's, it, it will resonate with a lot of people, because I know a lot of people struggle with drug addiction- Mm... with mental health issues, and it's, it's hard to talk about that, too. So you're de- 1:09:25 stigmatizing this story that you have, because, you know, let's be real, it's, it's hard to talk about this stuff, too. 1:09:33 And so is there anything else that you wanna leave with that you haven't mentioned that you wanna share with everyone? Uh, one thing I will say- Hmm... is that whoever is actually going to listen to this, 1:09:51 to, to never give up hope. Mm-hmm. Really and truly never give up hope, and do- does not matter how low or how far you think you have fallen- [background voice]... but the, you can pull yourself out of it. 1:10:05 I fell down many's a holes. I should be dead, to be quite honest. Mm. But lucky enough I am not. I am sitting here talking with you. 1:10:15 [laughs] And wherever this goes, I'll talk to wherever it go- like, whoever's going to listen to this, the only message I would give them is that there is hope. Mm-hmm. There is hope. 1:10:26 It doesn't matter who you are, where you come from, what you struggle with. It doesn't matter if it's addiction or if it's mental health or- [background voice]... just anything in general. But there is hope. 1:10:38 There's always light at the end of the tunnel. Hmm. I love that. Yeah, there's always hope. There's always another day, you know? So I'm a big believer in that as well. 1:10:48 Uh, where can people find you, Andy, if they wanna contact you? Or do they just go- So-... to the app, or what's the best way to reach out to you? Yeah. Look, they can go to the app. My email is in the app. 1:11:00 I also, I am on Instagram, the handle is @mygroundwork.io, the same as the actual website itself. So yeah, if anyone wants to reach out, they're more than welcome to hit me up. Awesome. Awesome. 1:11:17 Well, thank you so much for your time again, Andy. I really appreciate you and, um, yeah, thanks for coming on One Eleven. Brilliant. Thank you very much for having me, Donald. Hey, guys. I hope you enjoyed the episode. 1:11:29 If you wouldn't mind liking, subscribing, commenting, sharing, rating, reviewing, it would mean the world to me and Stella here if you did that, and it really would help support the show. 1:11:41 Thank you so much, and stay grateful. Right, Stella? Stay grateful? [laughs] [outro music]
