Welcome back to another episode of the podcast episode 2 with Glenn Richards was the reason why I started this podcast to show you guys that the world is your oyster and that you can achieve anything you do if you have a desire and will to get there and to not let Society to tell you to play it safe this episode. I'll be interviewing Nick Marshall the co-founder of surf life physio. This was the most free. Flowing interview I've done since beginning this podcast. It was filled with so much gold and Nick talks about all the amazing experiences over the years and how your network is your net worth. So without further Ado here it is. Well, welcome to the podcast Nick. Thanks for jumping on Leisure. Absolutely. How's everything been going? Yeah, really good really good. Look would you always want to be busier? So I guess yeah. I mean we are really busy but you're always looking for some sort of more opportunities or you know, I don't know wish injuries on people but more you know sports that have to be involved in order bits and pieces. So yeah, we're busy but you know, yeah like busier. Well, maybe I might be seeing you soon. I'm running the marathon. I've seen that part ways people here that are doing I think they just doing that maybe the half. Yeah, we've already spoken about yeah. Oh really? He said if you see you later. Come party in Dickey. So my I've already got Budgy Smuggler teamed up with me. But this time I'll show you after their good advice is all happening. So I'll delve into it and we're like to break the ice is by asking something that knowledge people know that you like that quirky thing whether it's like your sucker for peanut butter or you love cold showers or just something out there that know a lot of people would know about you. All right. Well, okay. I don't think many would know this obviously people know that a lot of junk food why so fast food probably like a four. Yeah. It'll be like a weakness but I've never ever had Cave City in my whole life. Never never had it never had a year, even though there's one literally across the road across the road from us. Yeah. Yeah never had it and I think I got 220 and I've never had it and I really like over 40. Yeah, and it was the I see things that I tell people I'd say I've never owned KFC. It's a now my wall. I can't have it. It kills me because I only had enough she said it was amazing, but maybe that's right. Hello. So moving on to the next bit. I'll be interview. I like to talk about let's say around you 11 year 12. What did you want to become like understand used to be a swimmer back in the day? Like, did you want to become professional swimmer or was ago? Yeah. Look high. At school probably swimmer or an Ironman or then in fully season. I might have convinced myself that I was better than what I was actually a footy player both my parents were lawyers. So they probably that was probably always at the back of my mind that maybe that's what I would do. Yeah, and I think blast and I should probably say I think everyone thought that's what I was going to do, but I'd probably never really given it much thought. And I don't know what there was was immature in grade 11 and 12, but I really had no I had no plan great. You know Mosey is probably towards the end of grade 12. Everyone said you just got to go to UNI doesn't matter what you do? Yeah, which I kind of wasn't it a struggle to probably get my head around like why would just be going to UNI? Yeah, if I didn't know what I wanted to be and I literally I went to an all-boys private school in Brisbane, so It was kind of unheard of to not put something down on your qtac form or something. So yeah, yeah obviously had to put law down with my parents. But yeah, I you live in a 12 man. I had no plan. Yeah, everyone tells you you need to know what you want to do or yeah, and even that even before that in grade 10 when they're saying pick your subject so that you can do it for the rest of your life. I yeah that for me was just and I would say to young people now that's just pointless like you no one knows what they want. Great team, you know, I think my grandparents maybe were in the one career from school on words, but I certainly don't see myself just doing the one thing. Yeah, he when I want to do as much as I can. So yeah, I had no plan. Yeah, are you it were your parents like pushing you to go a certain way because I know like parents can influence like yeah restrictive or with a all of my I think My mom was obviously a lawyer but she's a uni lecturer. So she was big on you just got to go to UNI and make your mind up their dad probably was more sporting supportive. He's so for now, you've got your whole life to do your career, you know, Chase the swimming or chase the Iron Man or the surf dream and and it'll happen. So I've probably very lucky that way. Like I didn't have a mad parent that was saying Sports. The only way to go or mad parents say You know, you got to get great marks or uni that they I mean they were great parents. I just gave me the skills to pick and choose what I wanted to do and supportive but at the same time they are very big on I couldn't do nothing. So I had to do something other than just going to go off and do nothing. Yeah. So yeah and then hold it and unfolded. Yeah, and then so you're at University. I believe you studying physiotherapy. Yep. What? Was that like and was that something that you are grateful that you've done now and also funny I am I actually did a year of uni and then had a year off because I wasn't convinced it was for me. So I had that kind of I guess Gap year, but after after a gap and that I've I mean there were Times Obviously in that Gap year that my parents were onto me like you can't be doing nothing about it. Um, and and probably that that was probably the thing that kept me in check, you know that I couldn't just go out partying all the time there had to be some kind of ticket that I was on but that first year of uni, I just didn't really want to be there. Yeah, and and I think I really attribute the Gap year to being the thing that maybe at least put my future in a bit of focus because I think if I just floated through uni continuously Probably wouldn't have passed and I probably would have thrown it in. It really meant after a gap year and admittedly eyelid. I have quite happily I think it in that Gap you had another Gap year and then probably still being get Ewing now, but my parents were very big like a so, that's your Gap year, you know, you know what you want to do now and and I'd made up my mind then that physio was of thing. So and probably it sounds crazy but apart from You know, maybe a lawyer fizzy. I was probably the only thing that I really knew about because as a kid, I had a lot of injuries. Yeah, and and fizzy as I had what I thought was pretty cool people. So I thought I want to be cool. So I'm going to do that. Yeah, Sophie. I mean look uni with uni was fun and it was a fairly full on degree. And then everyone in that degree was very competitive and marks driven, and I'm probably At the time was just happy to make sure I passed and your family and obviously but so it was fun. Mmm. I probably not until the end of the degree so sort of four years into it. Did I realize You know this the enormous amount of opportunities in physio, but I pretty much stayed true to what I wanted to do, which was this sort of setting and in sport. Yeah. Awesome. And we're you always passionate about physiology yet to the fourth year and you're like, yeah, I want this now or was it like progressively throughout your career sort of the yeah, probably not. I probably wasn't passionate. Yeah. I got to the end of it and looked at it as though it was I did not bought a job. But my degree had given me a occupation to look in the paper for jobs if that makes sense. Yeah still very much throughout uni. Wanted to be a sports person. I wanted to be an Ironman or a swimmer. And and so what is certainly wasn't my focus at all and I and I probably would say that's actually stood me in really good stead because you know, I wasn't a great Sports person but being involved in sport at the same. Mom is having a physio degree meant that I got opportunities with teams through just connections as opposed to just being a super physio. Yeah, and now sort of 20 years down the track that's its kind of helped me and over as i gaze sport away. I then really did become passionate about physio. But the time I was passionate about you trying to be a sportsman. Yeah, I think that's it. You know that like Network because I hear a big saying that you know, your network is your net worth so absolutely. Yeah, absolutely and Moving on to the next segment of how you got to where you are today, obviously through hard work ethic and all that. Tell us a bit how you found it. So if I physio, yeah, look it it's one of those things where you're you look back now and I was using was just a whole bunch of kind of crazy connections your interactions and things just seem to fall into place. But so very early on obviously was racing in the surf and Surf Club stuff and was a And got an opportunity to be the Queensland team Physio. And now I think it was the first-ever Physio and still the only one that ever used. So that's over 20 years ago. So went away with these State teams and New South Wales had a Physio and you that he's name is Troy 80 and he's now my business partner. So he was the team for the New South Wales. He was physio. Sorry for New South Wales team and I was the physio the Queensland team and every year once or twice a year. We come across each. Each other and we talked and we chat and he and he's probably almost like a mentor to me a little bit older and he had a business in New South Wales. So we got chatting and then he was at the time the Australian team physio for the subtraction life-saving team, and he sort of said do you want to have a crack at that as well? And you know, I wouldn't mind spending more time with my family. So I had a crack at the Australian team probably again, you know those crazy kind of interactions. Most people don't get a chance to be with an Australian team in there first. You're four years as a physio. So I'm just like really accelerated and all the guys on the team on you are swimming with or training with yeah. So um and then ultimately after about five or six years Troy sort of said, look, I'm going to move to Queensland should we start a business together and and because he had up into that point probably 15 years. I'd had close to 10 years of surf lifesaving physio experience and little both Club. He's he used to race as an Iron Man himself. Yeah, we decided to call it. Surf life Physio. And then and then from there I continue to coach so kids that I was coaching and I was still floating around in a few events and Troy was coaching and he's lived sort of always down by Iran area. So we were very entrenched in Surf life saving and also just people talk about starting a physio business around a footy Club. No, I guess we started around Surf lifesaving and then you do people came to us because they perhaps knew that we knew the sport or we Somebody within the club and that's how we met. Obviously I barely survived Club so that it says connections and then people realize he's someone that hopefully they can trust whether you're good physio or not. Yeah. He's you know, depending on someone that is fixed my slipped disc in the back. Here we go fix it. So obviously there's been those hard days. Can you sort of say that there was really just like one day where you like or I know if I can do this anymore what? You learnt from that day the whether it was the importance of always looking on the positive side or some sort of having to take a step back to take two steps forward. Yeah, definitely. Look I can pretend to be someone that struggles to say no to things. Yes, I take on far too many things and that's probably my personality. But and and look I think it I think it's a good trait to have no I think your life's entertaining there and it can be exciting but I think you also get to certain points where you like spinning plates and his plates that are about to fall down and break and there's been a couple times certainly business-wise where yet there's been a whole bunch of other stuff going on and I probably at those times that I probably do it more now of tend to sort of compartmentalize things and just be content when that Parts done and then leave it alone. I'd be going home at night and you know, I wouldn't sleep at all. Because I'd have my mind racing about a thousand different things and it's money and how we're going to pay certain stuff and rent. And yeah how we're going to do this and pay off that and keep running our remaining busy. And so it's not without its stress, but I guess the big difference and though, you know one particular time I'm thinking about is I just had to almost cap it and sort of say when I shut the doors on that day. I'm going to leave that there. Yeah. I'm going to come back to it and I at the time I had a I've got a mate he's a sports psychologist and he sort of saying it's almost like you've just got to imagine all those thoughts and worries concerns being like your breath and just going to blow them up into a balloon tie the balloon off leave the balloon at work, but I will be there for you tomorrow when you really do it alone and that's probably made a biggest difference because obviously when you take that sort of stuff home and if you've got young kids or family or wife you end up getting short with them and you it affects A whole life. So I just tried to do that. So if my strategy was certainly kind of compartmentalize different components deal with that at the time when you're finished filling out and move on to that sort of next bit. So is that like through meditation? Did you do any meditation or no? No, probably meditation. Although I would I would have liked to have done something like that. Yes. Certainly. I think that would be yeah quite worthwhile, but I know it was probably more just Move over planning people would be guilty. I'd be guilty of that but probably talking to people about strategies of how I could deal with that. So your again because I had a connection and a friend who was a psychologist from a sports way. We approached it because I enjoy that kind of element and that is how I did it. But but that was just a strategy for me. It might not work for everyone. Yes Ali. Yeah hundred percent and now I obviously there's been some awesome opportunities having this. Life is your business of seeing you on the footy field Broncos and then obviously the Commonwealth Games so tell us a bit about those opportunities that arise and how much they excite. Yeah. Yeah. Look I think for me when I say it to all young physios is that there's kind of there's two elements to the profession. There's the people that are going to make a lot of money and that's great and there's nothing wrong with that and then there's a people that are going to have those amazing experiences and unfortunately, You probably can't have these amazing experiences and still get remunerated an amazing rate. So I've always chosen the experiences you have and sometimes that's to the detriment, you know, the business or your ability to build four things or make money. But yeah, but yeah, it was absolutely right. So I've had amazing opportunities that are literally have come through connections and not yet. Not necessarily job interviews or that sort of stuff. So yeah, I work. In our oh, yeah referees. I'm at all Broncos and Titans games state of origin tonight we call well that's exciting and as a kid, you know that I think I like any Queensland kid. That was my absolute number. One thing. I wanted to be was that guy Queensland state of origin player. So those sort of things we sitting sideline and you get to run on the field during the game in origin unlike sort of wow moments amazing. So opportunities. Yeah. But they obviously have a you know, a detrimental effect sometimes to the business because you're not there and people want run a ring up and see you and then they can't because you're away and then they might see somebody else or what. Have you say you are and then the Commonwealth Games is very very similar. Just somebody approached me about doing that that role that medical roll. Yep. And again those opportunities don't come very often. So you have not kind of put the business a little bit on the back burner to take those opportunities. Yeah, and then I'm working with Doing Australian now again, another opportunity out of the Griffith uni. And yeah, so I guess it's that's where I've always wanted to be of want to just stay in sport. Always wanted to be a sportsman. Yeah, and now I'm just trying to capitalize on that Jersey. Oh, I guess yeah the old saying it's not what you know, it's who you know, he's totally used and I think that's in all professions. I think, you know, you can be exceptionally good at what you do and that's always your goal, but I think It is your connections Europe that they're laid to get jobs. I mean I've had I was I won't say which sport but I went for a job in a certain sport. They said no to me and they said no no. No, you look we want somebody with more experience and I just thought okay. Yeah. I had the time I'd been on three different Australian teams in different sports. Yeah, and this was a quite a lower ranked sort of job. Like it wasn't like a national job. Yeah, I don't want to go like a key. Can I got some and then 12 months later that that same organization rang me for the top job and they said are you interested in this top job? And I said I'll look I actually put a CV in last year for one of the lower rank physios just because I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and now you run me to be the boss. Okay. I'm kind of at a bit of a loss and and they kind of laugh and they said look. Look, you know those a lot of the time it's just connections that we ringing you because you know, the boss knows you the doctor knows you they think you'd be good fear. Yeah, obviously when you went for the job interview last year probably just another CV, you know, I don't like everyone else and so I sort of thought well that's incredible. But you think that's what life's about your take your opportunities and and your roll with the punches if they don't come your way you don't want to lose and I think you touched on a little bit there. You said going outside your comfort zone. That's a big one. Like I tried a lot like seeking discomfort because when you're almost in that black area of like we're not comfortable. It's where you grow in like I was an idiot. What are your thoughts on that? I absolutely look at I mean, I probably don't I wouldn't be a thrill seeker. Yeah, but I love the opportunity while of the opportunity to be involved in a job that's new for a start so and something that's brand-new where you can bring your knowledge and experience to develop something and I think that's where you added comfort zone where you live, you know if things go bad they're on you and that's probably where I think I'm at my best because I like to be able to not be a control freak or anything like that, but be able to be in charge of my own destiny you are which I think scares a lot of people a lot of people like to have that that comfort of for make mistake that somebody above me that's going to check on that and there's somebody below me that's you know going to help me but Probably much preferred to being you know on my own and doing something. Yeah, obviously that means you can overcome it yourself and sometimes not delegate enough work. Yeah, but I totally agree. I think that's where you really realize where your strengths and weaknesses are and where your force yourself to learn and grow. I think you can you can tell yourself that you're going to go home every night and learn more about money and tax systems and billable. Al's or any of that sort of stuff but until you actually forced into it and you have to do it he probably wanted and so I love it. I love that opportunity to just have to run with it. Yeah, there are times when you're in it that you might put me, you know get stressed when you think I'll have I done this. Yeah, but I think at a certain point if you can take a step back in a deep breath and look look at everything you've been able to do by being out of your comfort zone. Yeah. It's a really positive thing to do a hundred sad. And now going on to the next question I'm talking a bit about how do you manage to stay? So motivated? I believe it's all about knowing your why and also like doing certain activities that will drift away from the business like you said before switching off. So what do you do for that? Yeah. Look II guess it's again that we spoke about IQ in terms of personality. I love to have a thousand different things on the run on the go and I think It keeps me quite fresh. So it means I never doesn't mean you never get bored of something. But if you get bored of something, there's always something else that in the short term you can turn your attention to because it's now the time was boring you, you know, you refreshed a little bit and you get that sort of stuff done. So I do tend to have a whole bunch of things on the go. Which understandably for the people that work for me or that live with me is annoying because they're like, you know just do one thing and stick with it. But I think you are personality and what I enjoy that works for me. It means that I don't get stale. I do I do I do stay really super positive and in the moment on one thing and then like I said earlier with that sort of compartmentalizing or cut compartmentalizing things once I get to a point where I might write okay, that's a good level or you know, I'm going a bit tighter that I'll fix up the other things and yeah. Oh, I stay active. I totally agree with the why like I think when you've got like a whole most but it's a mentor or you know Central sort of idea you of who you are and what you want to do when you do stay focused and positive on stuff. It's when you're not really sure why you going to work or you're not really sure why you're doing this you're not really sure but I think people, you know not go off the rails, but they sort of they tend to get lost. I guess. It's Say and sure we talk about it here with the staff that I've got and certainly in other areas where I work. He said, you know if you know your why and obviously it helps sometimes if I know they're why you're doing something then it's easy, you know, we can tailor jobs and tasks and fun stuff around what they want to do as opposed to Simply things that I don't want to do with that money. So there's always things that I think God. Why would anyone want to do this but somebody loves doing that? So yeah, and and so that yeah, I mean, I think you know and I It's probably a little bit of a buzz term but I think if you do know your why then you certainly give yourself a chance to have more purpose and meaning in what you're doing and Direction. Yeah, that's what you're after for. Sure. I know I think it's a big thing when you come out of school, you get all this pressure to swim know what you want to do and you can lead you to just going into University like you said but blind and I think that should be something out there where like the first man. Three months you don't go to university and you figure out what you lie is I think it would probably take more people in University and like you said, you know, just keep people motivated when they do know they were absolutely and I'm and I'm Testament to that. I absolutely I mean, I think there is his focus at this is what you got to do, you know, you get to year 12 and then you got to go off and do this and you're either going to get a trade or you going to get a degree you're gonna go work and then you just get caught in this sort of rot. And then You're right. Like if you knew what your why I was and whether that has to happen the year after school and never might be an evolving Dynamic process. But I think that gives you that purpose and then you find that if you those people at work that maybe don't have the direction or the purpose or you know, they don't know their why then they're the people that you don't want to work with because they're a bit negative and it's not really but they're trying to be like that, but they just there have been lost. I don't know what they're doing to do and then I think workplaces. You know put more positive and more driven if everyone knows what they want to do and certainly in that grind at Uni, you know, I mean obviously it to a certain point everyone has to go to school but at that you anywhere. Yeah are there hopefully at the your choice, you know, not your parents choice, but so many people are just they're just going through the motions. Yeah. Just getting a degree as opposed to being motivated to be that At that person at the end of the degree. Yes. Oh for sure. Absolutely. Yeah, I understand and now I'm moving on to the next segment. It's more about mentors and all about people who have had a significant so that aspect in your life and then also about giving back in the community. So I have you had like like you said your business partner was a bit of a significant Mentor but have there been certain mentors for different aspects of your life. Like you said that Psychologists and all that. So yeah, look II think anyone who's done in sport has been exposed to coaches and I think what I've been so lucky that in swimming. I was exposed to some really fantastic mentors and probably always had coaches that were older, you know, and so from a very young age I swung with mr. Kerew. It's crazy that That even my dad called him. Mr. Kerew. No one ever called him John. It was always mr. Kerew. It's a brand-new suit teachers on the street. You don't know whether the court first name or last name? Yeah, and I'm fortunate. Mr. Cruz passed away now, but he now in our swim Squad, you know, we had for a period of time there we had obviously kieren Perkins was there through his whole career is one of the greatest of all time. Everyone called. Mr. Cruz Ted Cruz really respectful sort of coaching environment and I felt like we learnt For people and how to communicate how to talk to people in that sporting environment. And so I'd always you know, whether my kids are at good at sport. I think sometimes I really good early Mentor is that kind of sports coach providing you get the right one? Obviously, sometimes you can fall into some bad coaches, but and then you know, I've had surf coach has the same who were and swam with Dennis cottrill and Rayleigh and Ryan. Here who have fantastic mentors as well. And so we're really lucky through sport in just to sort of see and have people that you can kind of obviously you're looking to in your sporting sort of stuff, but they are also show you how to interact with people and and I guess you learn Without Really realizing that your as you can hear the audio sadly cut out it was due to my camera actually not being fully charged. So My hand up it is all my fault. Nick goes on to speak about the significant figures that have shaped him into the person who he is who he is today through mentorship. Obviously, he's co-founder and certain individuals in the sporting industry. And then he goes on to speak about his charity that he started which is the albatross Nippers. So he's helping reduce blockages in the sport of surf lifesaving and making a more inclusive sport for all. To enjoy if you want to check him out on these social media. It's the underscore Ozzy underscore Sports underscore physio that's on Instagram. And if you want to check in on Facebook just gone surf like Physio and that's his physio practice. Well tune in next time as I interview Dave Gardner. The owner of Gardner cars. He started this with one car and now he's turned into a hundred car business hear his story and how he Dated it. Thanks for listening. I'll see you soon.
This episode was the most free flowing interview to date. I spoke with Nick Marshall, the co founder of surf life physio. We spoke about your network is your net worth, and how compartmentalisation has helped nick handle tuff situations and leave them in the office and not worry about them when he spends time with the family or does other tasks. Nick learnt this off a psychologist that he is forever grateful for. Then we spoke about how the expectations you have on you when your 16-20 expecting to know what your "why" is or at least thinking you know what it is and then realising first week of uni wtf am i doing here this is not what excites me. Alot of teenagers believe its a race to finish there degree and they just want to get out in the workforce and they think it will be awesome, take a step back and really ask yourself "are you happy" are you excited to wake up or are you dreading to get up for the day. Society will tell you that your best days are when you are at uni or school but i don't know about you but i reckon that's bullshit and you should look for different people to look up to. If you want to see more of nick here is his instagram and facebook; IG: The_aussie_sports_physio FB: Surflifephysio If you enjoyed the podcast don't forget to give it a share and tell a friend. 