Episode Transcript
Speaker 2 00:00:05 Hi everyone, Daniel Tope or here, and welcome to the inaugural Dancing With Doubt podcast, where we go deep into how leaders have overcome adversity to unleash their success, and del to why we're really here. It's a very special day for me today, being the first episode to kick us off. Safe to say it's taken many months of hard work and no shortage of my own doubt, but here we are. On today's episode, I'm sitting down with my good friend Russ Macumba. Russ is the co-founder in managing director of Impressive usa, one of Texas's top s e o PPC and performance marketing agencies. Russ is also a fellow podcast host, mentor, award-winning marketer, in demand, keynote speaker, husband, father of four beautiful kids, and all around one of the warmest, most genuine guys I've ever met. We'll be getting into some really interesting topics such as the importance of role models and mentors, the relationship between one's personal and business identity, and overcoming sometimes invisible demons to launch into a brighter future. So for me, this is a really deep dive into the notion of just not over complicating your sense of purpose, of getting back to basics, of being human and enjoying the journey in the process from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for letting me your ears wherever in the world you are. I hope you find this episode insightful and stimulating season one, episode one. Let's get into it. Russ, awesome to have you here. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 3 00:01:38 Hey, thanks Dan. Really, really good to be here. I'm pumped to be your first guest. How cool.
Speaker 2 00:01:42 Yeah, I know. It's been a, it's been a long time coming and to be honest, um, yeah, really, really honored to have someone of your caliber and, and also a good friend with me here today. So yeah, thanks heaps, man. Really appreciate it.
Speaker 3 00:01:54 No worries. Let's do it.
Speaker 2 00:01:56 So, Russ, I know that you recently moved to Texas and you've already built up an award-winning, um, American arm of your marketing agency. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> kudos, by the way, before we get into the meat, um, I do have a very important and serious question to ask you. Hmm. Does anyone actually understand your Australian accent over here?
Speaker 3 00:02:16 <laugh>? You know what? It, uh, it surprised me how tough it's been for a lot of people to, to understand me. It's, it's, it's just certain words, certainly letters. If I have to spell things out, whenever I say macumba, um, I'll go m a c and they always say M i c and I have to go E for Apple. So there's, uh, that's like just one, one little thing. But yeah, it's, it's actually been really, I mean, I guess I do have a pretty thick bogan twinge to, to my accent, so that probably makes it a bit tougher for them. And on top of that, I do look kind of Mexican, so I get a lot of like, strange looks of people thinking like, what is going on with this guy? Like, he, he's clearly like a Latino, but, uh, he's got this bizarre accent that has been, it has been tough. But, you know, I, I get to, I get to share a little bit of, of, you know, how Australians pronounce things. And I, in some of the speaking that I do, I, I run, you know, big, big groups through, you know, making sure that when you're saying any, any word with er on it, rather than say er, you say, ah, so it's not down under, it's down under not Mac, Humber, it's Macumba. So yeah, it's a bit of fun. <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:03:28 Nice, nice. Love the adjustments, <laugh>. Yeah. Yeah. And Russ, on the topic of your new home, look, I can only picture and, and imagine how challenging it has been to, to move to a new land, especially with the large family, set up a business, um, and doing that all in a covid environment. You know, obviously we've had our challenges over the past few years, um, all over the world. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, tell us how, how, how did that go for you?
Speaker 3 00:03:54 You know what, like, well, yes, like doing it through covid at, at the Australian was really tricky. Tell you what, coming over here, it was very different because, uh, Texas didn't really lock down very much. They didn't really speak of it at all from the moment we got in. We've been here for 16 months, so when we left Melbourne, Melbourne was in the midst of like a level four, level five, whatever the, the highest, you know, five kilometer radius, one hour exercise, one hour essential services, wonder if it was shopping. Um, and, you know, we hadn't seen like a, a restaurant or a bar or anything like that for months. And then you get over here and you know, people are hugging and they're shaking your hand and the bars are full. And it was like, whoa. So from a covid,
Speaker 2 00:04:37 People are being human,
Speaker 3 00:04:38 <laugh> getting out of Australia really, really tough. What's that? Sorry?
Speaker 2 00:04:41 I said people are being human.
Speaker 3 00:04:43 I missed it. Sorry. What did you say?
Speaker 2 00:04:45 Oh my God, people are being human.
Speaker 3 00:04:46 You know what's weird is you get institutionalized by Yeah. You get totally institutionalized by like that whole lockdown period. And we were like, we were like scared to touch doors and stuff. It was just strange. And then didn't take long for Texas to get into us and for us to realize, oh wow, okay, everyone's just living a normal life over here. So, um, COVID made it tough. Outside of that just, you know, the, the challenges of, of moving countries, they're both western countries. And I, I read something recently which said, you know, there's like a lot of the things that the extremes are very different. And then in the, oh, I can't remember the exact quote, but it was, it's like, some stuff you think is gonna be the same and it's not, but then some stuff is very similar. But coming over here as a family, you know, four kids, getting 'em into schools, health insurance, social security, opening up a bank account, uh, you know, getting type of finance, rent, all these different things, like, it was a huge challenge. And then on top of that, you're know, trying to get the business up and running, it was, uh, very, very tricky. First few months, those first three months especially were like pretty painful. Like a lot of life admin, a lot of business admin, and then not feeling like you're getting a lot of traction. But then after that first, you know, three months, the start of this year, January, 2022, we'd been here about four months, we really started to get into a bit more of a groove, which was good.
Speaker 2 00:06:09 Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And speaking of groove, I, I did see that you recently won a, an award or two. Um, tell us a little bit more about that.
Speaker 3 00:06:19 Yeah, that was really cool. So we, I mean we, this just for full transparency, this agency started a couple of years ago, but I was running it from Australia, the, the US Army of this agency. And, um, that presented challenges. We were supposed to be here couple of years earlier, but Covid happens, so you know, that that happens. Um, but then coming here, the, the agency that was being run remotely and through a shit load of challenges and like staff issues and client issues, we basically had the staff in scratch this year. So to come out at the end of 2022, yes, we did win a couple of awards. We were named a top five agency by Clutch, uh, in the whole Texas, uh, top five as an seo, PPC performance agency. So that was, that was huge for us. Um, and then at the recent Austin Business Awards, we won the award for, um, best company culture.
Speaker 3 00:07:10 We bid out like Accenture and some other, you know, pretty big players. Um, so that was again, just another like, wow, we've, we've really, you know, shaken some things up and, and done some pretty cool things. We've signed a big client just before the new Year started, so, um, fuzzies Tacos, they're owned by Dine Group, which is like Applebee's and ihop, like, they're now within, you know, the impressive stable of, of clients. So it's been, uh, it's been a, a really big, huge 12 months. It's funny cuz as you're going through it, you're like, oh, I just wanna grow quicker. I wish this was working this way. I wanna do things differently. But then you, you look back after 12 months and you go, holy cow, we, geez, we did a, we did a lot.
Speaker 2 00:07:51 Yeah. That's, that sounds huge, man. And to have done it in a new land with obviously, you know, a large family and, and, and all the settling in an adjustment period that's, that's really momentous. Um, yeah, massive kudos. That's, that's, yeah, very respect that <laugh>.
Speaker 3 00:08:07 Yeah. Cheers, Dan. It's, uh, it's been a big year and we're looking forward to another, another huge year this year. And just more and more growth. I feel like we've got a bit of a, we, we understand that here now. The biggest thing for us was, you know, are they gonna, are they gonna get our product? Are we gonna be able to connect, we gonna able to make them see the way we, you know, the way we market, the way we do performance marketing, are they gonna understand us? Um, and you know, the all signs are pointing in the, a really positive direction for our growth and, and, you know, future plans.
Speaker 2 00:08:38 Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and the, the sort of way that you do bi that you did business in Australia, how have you found, do people warm up to it quite nicely? Is there a massive difference between doing business in, in America versus how you did it here?
Speaker 3 00:08:55 Yeah, that's a good question. Interestingly, when I, when I speak about people not understanding me, that's not so much in a business context. Usually in business, I, it's been, if anything, the Australian accent's a pretty big bonus. Like it's a point of difference. Um, I do keynote speaking around the country and the accent straightaway is just like, it's something to remember me by. And if I'm being honest, I think they prob I probably sound a bit smarter than I am because they just think, oh, it's a bit exotic. You know, it sounds a bit different. He's saying stuff a little bit differently to how we usually hear it, and he's got some ideas which are maybe a bit different. So there's definitely a competitive advantage in being, uh, just that little bit different over here. The, the, the challenge with the accents, funnily enough, I tends to happen more in like further out from the city and um, uh, like service based businesses and the like, potentially people who just aren't, you know, across accents as much.
Speaker 3 00:09:47 But from a business perspective, um, we've had, uh, a really strong year and the Australian accent and just even the Australian way of doing business, I think is refreshing in a lot of ways. Like, I'm, I'm not big on, um, yeah, I'm not big on doing business with people that we can't actually help. So I'm pretty honest upfront and I'll point people in another direction and I'll, I've had people, you know, try really hard to get us to work with 'em. And I've had to tell 'em, I just, I can't take your money. I just, we just, we are not a good fit for what you want. What you need is this type of agency. In fact, I know a guy who does this, you should, I'm gonna email you, you know, an intro to him straight after this call cuz he's gonna be way, way better for your business.
Speaker 3 00:10:27 And that kind of approach, which I've always had because I've worked in sales and in marketing for a long time. And it's a, it's a long career and I don't know, I like to sleep at night. I just, it, it just makes for a, uh, more peace within myself. But it also, you know, it's a long career. As I say, you know, I've had people come back to me five, 10 years later, go, oh, you told me to go and speak to someone else. And you said maybe when I get to about this stage, I can come and see you. Well, I'm there now. I'd love to work with you. So, and people hear about that. So I think that that approach, it's sort of, um, transparent, candid casual, quite candid upfront. And not always, just not always looking for a sale. Like I'm, I'm more looking for long-term relationships gonna work, that are gonna work really, really well both sides.
Speaker 3 00:11:12 And if I can't find that early on in the conversation, I'm pretty quick to kill it. So I think that's been, um, been something which has been quite refreshing over here. Um, and then another difference, this is probably more, I, I don't know whether this is more just my own, um, way of doing business, but I I I have found that there is a, I guess there's a transactional way of doing business over here. It's transactional. It's quite often, um, you know, we have a conversation with someone and I'll send you a contract straight away. Like it's, it can be quite, it can move quite quickly. Um, and I guess I am just more, more about just confirming that, you know, this is, this is a good fit, this is a long-term relationship potential. Um, you know, those types of things have, have worked quite well for us. And I think they've, they've definitely helped us stand out a bit.
Speaker 2 00:12:02 Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And look, Russ, I've, I've known you for, for many years and I know that you are got massive, massive high amount of integrity. Um, and, and just the way you conduct yourself is, is just Yeah. Tr truly awesome. Um, what you've highlighted there is actually in, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful traits that a human can have. Honesty, integrity, and understanding the importance of authentic long-term relationships. Do you feel that more broadly in the business world or, or even in your own industry? Is that, is that a common feature? Is that being commonly applied?
Speaker 3 00:12:38 No, and that sucks. There's, that's not to say it's not being applied by a lot of people. It is a lot, my, most of the people that I, or anyone that I'm gonna refer work to, for example, is someone who I know is, is has got that very honest approach with integrity, who just wants to look after people. Um, is it broadly applicable across all business? No, it's not. Which I guess makes it a competitive advantage, which kind of sucks a bit. Just, you know, being a good person makes you stand out. But it does. Um, I think especially over here, people are very commercially driven. You know, there's, uh, they can be quick to try to close. So, um, that said, you know, I've, I've got a pretty good network of businesses here in Austin. So we're, we are in Austin, in Texas. Um, there's a huge startup culture here. I'm in a group called Entrepreneurs Organization, which I was in Australia as well. Um, and you know, the, the businesses that I, um, you know, mix alongside within eo, 90% of those, 95% of those are very similar in, in terms of that approach. But, you know, we only make up a small percentage of tho of the overall, the overall economy.
Speaker 2 00:13:47 Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and Russ, obviously you've, um, you know, you've set up, um, I'm aware that you've set up quite a few businesses in Australia and, and many of which have been very successful. Um, and obviously you've, you've got a, a large family, beautiful wife, uh, beautiful kids. Has it always been, I guess, an easy road for you? Or have you found that there have been various bumps or certain things that you've, you've had to overcome as part of your broader journey?
Speaker 3 00:14:15 Oh look, I've definitely taken, I like to tell people I've taken the scenic route, that's for sure. <laugh>. Like, I, uh,
Speaker 2 00:14:21 Good
Speaker 3 00:14:21 Answer, certainly not smooth. Um, yeah, not, not smooth. And, but I, but I wouldn't, I wouldn't change it necessarily. You know, like I got booted outta uni for rocking up to the final straw, cuz you, this is in the late nineties. I was doing an arts degree and uh, I'd been asked to show, cause a couple of times, I don't even know if they still do this, but show cause is basically you're failing two or more your subjects. You've gotta sit before the panel who run the course and show cause as to why they should let you stay in. And I've done that twice in like two years. So I was like on the edge and then, uh, I rocked up to an exam, barefoot and drunk. And, uh, they didn't ask me to show cause again, they just said, you're out. So, um, from that point I started working in pubs and a lot of this just comes back to just being an alcoholic and, you know, into, into all sorts of stuff that I shouldn't have been into partying and girls and all sorts of stuff and other stuff.
Speaker 3 00:15:15 Um, but, uh, you know, in terms of, you know, the, the, the journey, like from now I worked in pubs for years. As I said, I started DJing. I met, uh, a very close connection to both of ours, um, uh, DJing and did that for quite a number of years. And then I worked, uh, I was a copywriter. I was, I sold experiential events, uh, experimental. I worked for an experiential event agency selling those services. So I've been in and around marketing, sales and marketing. Cuz when I was in pubs I was looking after marketing for, um, entertainment in pubs, um, for a good 20 odd years. Um, and over the journey I owned and, and run a, a number of different companies. So I had a, an events business back in the early two thousands. Uh, I've had a, had a little fashion business, which didn't make it on my LinkedIn profile.
Speaker 3 00:16:07 It, it sort of started and stopped. Um, and also had a, a pretty successful settlement, uh, wedding business in Australia as well. Um, so there's been lots there. But the common thread, the red thread has sort of gone through it all has been that sort of marketing. I've always loved marketing. I've loved advertising. Um, so the, you know, the copywriter in me and the, and the kid who used to love watching the, the TV ads between, between, uh, each, each of the shows as has been pretty consistent throughout my career. So to be able to land, um, you know, in another country to be able to work in a field that I've been passionate about for a long time is something I consider myself. I don't know if it's lucky, cuz I did take the Snic grid, as I said, but it's definitely a place that I'm really comfortable and, and really happy to be.
Speaker 2 00:16:52 Russ, thanks very much for, for sharing that little snippet of, of your journey. Um, I love the reference to Scenic Roots. Um, I think that's absolutely appropriate because in my view, a lot of people think that the journey to success and they, and they look at these really successful people and they probably think it's quite linear. Um, you know, one thing builds upon the other and then, you know, off we go. But a lot of the time, life is complicated. You know, it's, it's not a linear journey. There's ups, there's downs, there's trials, there's tribulations. So I think it's really important to, to celebrate that and, and honor that the fact that it isn't just a linear journey, it isn't necessarily that easy and people do have to overcome a lot of pitfalls a lot of the time. And one thing that actually caught me, one key words that, that you mentioned, um, just before was your reference to, to alcoholism. Um, if you're comfortable to speak, could you maybe eLab elaborate a little bit further on,
Speaker 3 00:17:49 On what happened there? Yeah, of course, of course. I'm a piss end <laugh> and I can't drink. I'm terrible at it. So, um, I, uh, like, like most Australians, I think the Australian drinking culture is pretty, like, it's pretty average, like if I'm gonna be frank. Um, and I, I fell into some really, really bad habits early on. I was, I was pretty good footballer growing up. I played senior football, um, at 16 and you'd finish the game, get off the field, and there'd be a can of EB there, you know, and that was like one of the hallmarks of, you know, of, uh, achievement and of success and oh bang, you know, slam it down. And, um, yeah, I just drank a lot for, for a long time, sort of 15 years. And I didn't realize, and it was just part of it wasn't any difference to anything.
Speaker 3 00:18:39 All my friends have you said, you know, but they seemed to be able to get forward in life in a way that I wasn't so much, but it didn't really register at the time. Um, and, uh, but you know, as I mentioned before, it, it, uh, it got me built outta uni and, you know, working in pubs from uni potentially not the best, uh, the best place to, to be for someone who does, uh, like the taste of it. But that's where I, that's where I ended up. Um, and DJing again, potentially not the best environment for the environment for someone who does have a problem with it. So, um, you know, I kind of, through my copywriting and then working in experiential events and dabbling in marketing here and there, i i, I never really took that leap forward in my career. And I didn't realize it at the time, but alcohol was holding me back a lot.
Speaker 3 00:19:23 You know, like, it was just something that, you know, if I've had lots of friends over the journey who've partied, you know, and you know, you've got friends as well that you know that you party with them and then all of a sudden you see them and there's been all these amazing things with their career and their life and they're traveling and they're buying stuff. And I'm like, that's weird. I was just at res with him at, you know, 10:00 AM on Sunday and, and, uh, you know, he's off doing these things. I wonder why I'm not doing these things. And it was just, it wasn't until afterwards that I realized that it, I was just drinking a whole lot more <laugh>, you know, and I just was not holding it anywhere near as well as, um, as those people. So, um, it actually took my wife Angelique, who you know very well, um, to, um, we, we'd had one child and was my dad's 60th birthday 2012, and I had a future many, and she basically just said, you know, um, it's, uh, and she was pregnant with twins as well, and she said, it's either alcohol or your family, you choose because you can't have both.
Speaker 3 00:20:21 And that was the 20th of October, 2012. And I haven't had a drink since. So just ticked over two years, just recently. Um, but you know, speaking of that kind of unknowingly stalled career all that time, um, pretty much as soon as I stopped, I had a lot of health problems as well. Like, it was really, really bad for me. I had high blood pressure, I was borderline diabetes, I had hypertension. That was terrible. Um, and then, but I was quite fit growing up. So then as soon as I stopped drinking, I got back into fitness, my career, weirdly, some correlation there, started going up, I started making more money, started managing teams, started doing all sorts of things, keynotes speaking, built, built a successful wedding business, all these things when I stopped drinking, and I just realized how much it had been holding me back. And it was just little things like I just, I was like the king of absentminded things.
Speaker 3 00:21:15 Like I'd just lose my keys, I'd lose my wallet i'd, where did I park the car? I don't know. Like I just, my memory was shot. And then, you know, off the back end of just a year or so, not drinking, all of a sudden I just was sharp, you know? And it was like, and it felt like being a kid again. I was like, oh, that's right. I was a smart kid. <laugh>, I just doled it for like 15 years. Um, so yeah, I remember like saying, Anne, so just ask me a question. Ask me like where I left something and I literally, I go, okay. So I was in this room, this is like a week ago, two weeks ago, I was in this room, sorry, this is back in 2013, I'd say to ang, watch my memory, ask me a question about something that happened two weeks ago. She'd ask me the question, I'd go, okay, cool. So I was in this room, I was sitting next to the lordie and he was wearing this, and here's what he said about this. And that's where the lighter is. Like, it was just like all of the signups is going poo p po <laugh> again. Like the brain had, uh, been, uh, reactivated after 15 years in a, in a dormant state, <laugh>.
Speaker 2 00:22:14 Wow. Wow. Russ, thank you so much for, firstly for, for sharing that really intimate personal story. Um, you know, that's it, it sounds like you've definitely gone through quite a bit and, and to share that publicly is, um, yeah, it's well done. Thank you. Um, because I think a lot of people need to get the permission to understand that you can be human and things do happen in life. Um, but also it's never too late to change and never too late to, to get yourself back on track. Hmm. Um, and, and to, to hear it coming from a role model.
Speaker 3 00:22:49 And I think like also, yeah, sorry. I was just gonna say, I think also like what's lost in that is aunt my wife, who's the real hero. Like she's the one who pulled me, like, I used to joke that she pulled me kicking and screaming out of a revolver, very famous club in Melbourne to be a, to be a dad, you know, into adulthood. And that was the first thing. And then she, you know, reached me into line and like, she's the one who had to deal with the, with drunken rust in the aftermath. Everyone else got to see the fun stuff. Oh, Rossi's been hilarious. Oh, whatever. They didn't get to see me ugh, at home, you know, not so fun. So there's that, but you're right, like people don't talk about it enough. I think so, and I, I think especially in Australian culture, so I've, I've tried to be pretty open about it.
Speaker 3 00:23:34 Whenever people ask me, why, why don't you drink? I'm terrible at it, <laugh>, I'm really, really bad at it. So, you know, I just try to give people permission, as you say. That's a great way to put it, to just let their guard down. And, and also, I don't know, I just think there's probably heaps of people out there who just don't even realize they've got a problem. I didn't, uh, maybe I did, but I would've liked to have heard more people like myself saying it, it probably would've made me feel a bit more open to, to following down that path. You know, like I tried AA that didn't, didn't work for me, but I through with, through Andrew's support, I got there myself. Yep,
Speaker 2 00:24:12 Yep. And, and it sounds like, you know, from what I'm hearing, the importance of role models is, is really sort of yeah. Underestimated. It's, it's so important to have good role models both in the business world, but but also in the personal world. And the two don't have to be separate in the end, one was affecting the other for you. Yeah. And I think a lot of the time for a lot of people, um, that they do affect each other, um, would you agree?
Speaker 3 00:24:38 Oh, a hundred percent. A hundred percent. And I think you're right, like in terms of like, I guess that's a thing too. Like you, you know, there's, there's lots of cheesy sayings around this. Like you are the average of the five people you spend the most time around. You know, you, have you heard that before?
Speaker 2 00:24:51 No, not that one.
Speaker 3 00:24:52 And if you think about, I think about myself, like, oh, that's, just think about that, think about those five people that you spend the absolute most time about. Cuz you are pretty much, you know, the average of those. And I think about 2003 revolver, like the five people I was spending all that time around versus, you know, potentially who, who I am now. And especially since Ang came into my life. Like that's just, you know, makes you kind of lift, lift your own levels of, you know, standards of, of how you wanna be and how you want, you know, what you wanna become, those sorts of things. Um, but yeah, you know, on role models, like I guess you can either reactively or proactively seek them out, you know, like maybe that maybe you're just in the wrong scene and, and they're just the people that you look up to because that's where you are.
Speaker 3 00:25:39 Or maybe there's something else you wanna be, you wanna be proactive about it. I had really good advice. I'm, I'm a big fan of like actually having official mentors. I, I've, I kind of unofficially mentor. I try not to, and I've very, very time for, but I always end up, I've, I've got probably a half a thousand people right now who, uh, would consider me that to them. And we, you know, we connect on LinkedIn and we chat and stuff, and I just talk to 'em through bits and pieces and try to just, most of it's just going, oh, here's how I fucked this up. Don't do this. Well, here's, here's what I wish I might've done a bit differently. Here's how I would've approached that conversation, you know, here's another time that I screwed it up. And I think like, just being able to share the 15 years of just, of, of learning fumbling along the way just gives you a whole lot to be able to share with other people.
Speaker 3 00:26:27 Yeah. But then in terms of proactively going out and see, seeing nos, I had really good advice from someone who quite a few years ago that you should, if, if you are quite career focused, um, personal growth focused, to be honest, like you should look at, look for someone who's five years ahead of where you are, and also someone who's 20 plus years ahead of where you are, right? That five year person is someone who they, they need to be able to get in the nitty gritty, tactical stuff with you to help you navigate through whatever rut it is you're in, whether it's personal, personal, whether it's fitness, whether it's career, whatever it is, you know, it's close enough in their rear view mirror that they can get right in there and they can pull out and give you good insights. And they can be really frank about it too, because you don't want a mentor who's just gonna, like, it's nice to be positive, but if it's just someone who's gonna push you up and say yes all the time, uh, sometimes you need someone to give you just a whack on the back of their head and just go, uh, don't be like that.
Speaker 3 00:27:19 But then if you can get someone who's also 20 plus years ahead, but they, they're looking for someone not just from a, for me, it was trying to find someone who wasn't just in a position business-wise, but someone who I, uh, aspired from their, um, you know, what they've done with their family and from a wealth perspective and a lifestyle and those sorts of things. If they've got that amazing career and they've got that balance of all those other things that I think makes them a successful person and, and, you know, contribute comu to community, that's the sort of person that I'm, I'm really happy to, to have in my life and to, to meet with. And I, I remember I had a guy back in Melbourne, I haven't got one of those further ahead ones you now, I, I really need to seek one out.
Speaker 3 00:27:59 And, um, a first couple of catchups, all he was asking about was Ang and I was like, it's weird. He was just asking, you know, so he was asking really, like, personal stuff, and I'm like, oh, yeah, you know, like, but then like after a couple sessions, I realized he's like, that's the, like, that is literally the like, most important thing in your whole world. So what you're focusing on all these other things, Russ, and I know you're meeting with your other guy and you, you chat about like career moves and all sorts of stuff, but like, what, what does it matter you? You're not happy at home and if you, if the future that you're gonna build is not being looked after properly. So he, I find that long-term mentor really good for just aligning with your, what's really, really important to you, those rocks that are really important to you or that rock. So do you, what about you, Dan? Like, do, do you actively seek out mentors like that? Or is that something that, is that something anyone's ever spoken to you about?
Speaker 2 00:28:51 Um, to be honest, uh, it's the, the company I currently work for, they do have a mentorship program. And I'm, you know, as, as I sort of, you know, rise up through the ranks, I, I have increasingly, um, seen the value in having a mentor. Um, I have had several mentors over the years. Um, yeah, because you don't always have the answers, right? So you might be really good at what you do, you might have great core skills, you might even be a balanced person, but in the end, if you can get wholesome advice from people you trust about their journey, um, and just take, take the bits that you need from there, um, I think there's, there's real value in that because you don't always have all the answers. Um, but I think just coming back to one thing you were saying before, the alignment of your personal values and your professional values, I reckon that is so incredibly important because both a part of your identity, right?
Speaker 2 00:29:46 There's no point of pretending that whatever you do at work, um, doesn't affect your, your overall psyche and your overall identity. It's a part of you, it's just a different shade. So it's so important for those things to be aligned. Otherwise, um, otherwise you're basically just splitting your personality and acting like two different people. And I think maybe in the past, particularly with yeah, you know, certain things that you do on the weekends and extracurricular activities, people would hide it. But these days it's all a part of your fabric. It's all a part of you. And if you're not celebrating that authenticity, I think you're not doing justice to yourself personally.
Speaker 3 00:30:24 I think you've hit the nail on the head. And I also think like that whole com compartmentalizing of I'm this person over here and I'm this person over here. Then what you have is like, I don't know, one of those groups of people is getting in inauthentic version of yourself. Like, if you can't be really open, can I ask you a question just quickly? I'm sorry. Just gonna rack up with your post. Can you hear that as a, someone mowing a lawn? They're
Speaker 2 00:30:43 Literally just, it's all good right
Speaker 3 00:30:45 Now.
Speaker 2 00:30:45 <laugh>, I had a garbage truck that pulled up just before. So no stress. We live in the real world. Right? Okay.
Speaker 3 00:30:52 <laugh>. Alright. Right. Cool. Yeah. Okay, cool, cool, cool. Um, yeah, so I think like as I've gotten older, I've gotten much more comfortable. I, I can tell you straight right now, like in my twenties when I was partying really, really hard, I felt like way too hard. But, and having a lot of fun, I literally put that person in another box in my life, in my head that never ever showed their face at work. And I tried to keep it completely different, you know, at work, I, you know, I just never spoke about it, never. It was just something which was just never part of me. And, and it wasn't until I've got gotten got older that I realized, oh, wait a sec, they can, they can coexist. Not only can they coexist, it makes for a richer, more like, um, uh, more authentic and just a, what's the word?
Speaker 3 00:31:36 More interesting person, to be honest. You know what I mean? Like, it, it makes for someone who is gonna be able to connect with people a lot more freely, both colleagues, clients, whoever. Um, and I think that it's something that if I could go back and tell Russ, there's a lot of things I would tell, actually, one thing I would tell Russ most is just stop drinking. Just, you'd be terrible at it. But other than that, it would be, you know, just try to bring more of your authentic self. And I, the funny thing is that there's, but there is a, just come to something in my head now that for me though, was alcohol was like, you know, I can go and be this big loose rust, you know, and get out there and, you know, I'll do all those different sorts of things.
Speaker 3 00:32:13 And then when I wasn't drinking, I, I tended to, you know, be really kind of restricted and, and live within this realms of what sober Russ is. Like, not realizing that they're both just rust. And I can, I ne I never used to be able to public speak unless I'd had had a few drinks. Like, that's just seems the fucking most ridiculous thing because when I drink, I slur my words and I ramble. And it's not the good tr not good traits for a public speaker, but, you know, it's just funny the way you, you, uh, on reflection you realize how, um, you know, certain viewpoints you had. Were perhaps just a little bit off.
Speaker 2 00:32:47 Yeah, yeah, mate, I can, I can so relate to what you just said. Um, I used to have basically the, the corporate den, the one with the mask, the one with the, the sort of the, the scripted persona, the, the, the polished. Um, and then I'd have the dan that would go out on the weekends like, like we used to back in the day. And I would keep the two completely separately. And I'd have one group of people that I would interact with at work and they were awesome in, in their own right. And then I'd have a completely different set of group of people that I'd interact with on the weekends. Totally different conversations, totally different views of Dan and, and, and how I express myself. And then I thought, this is just, this is ludicrous, like you said, this is a part of me. And I started basically losing some of that filter at work and, um, and talking a little bit more about, you know, work life in, in my personal life and the way that I learned to interact with people. It was just like, I, I just can't put it into words, the change in my interactions, particularly in the corporate world, um, seeing the authenticity come through.
Speaker 3 00:33:53 Yep.
Speaker 2 00:33:53 You can see the effect on people and you can see how much they're, they're put at ease. Like, I would never be doing a podcast if it wasn't for, for this change that I've made. Um, this is something that's very foreign to me. Yeah. And, uh, and, and still quite new, but there's just such value in it because it's, it's a part of your personality, so let's celebrate it, let's develop it. And it's amazing how much your interactions day-to-day can change once you do start fusing the two mm-hmm. <affirmative> and, and and applying the, the good sides from, from both of
Speaker 3 00:34:23 Them. A hundred percent.
Speaker 3 00:34:26 A hundred percent. And I think I, I, I spoke quite a bit about how more, you know, from an external perspective, like how much more interesting it makes you, how much easier you connect with people, build relations to rapport, all those sorts of things. But it just makes life better <laugh>, you know what I mean? It's like, it just makes your own experience so much more rich and so much more full. So from a selfish perspective, it's just so much nicer. You'll just have your guard down and just be yourself 24 7. What do you get up to? Oh man, here's a hit hard. Did this, did that on, we went here, we went there. Like, yeah, it, it's, it just, it's freeing, don't you think?
Speaker 2 00:35:02 Absolutely liberating.
Speaker 3 00:35:06 Yeah. Totally. Totally. Yeah. Yep. What's interesting on that front is like, and I, I, I'll keep bringing her up, but she's like, she's a, like the like ultimate role model for me. But like, and that was one thing that always got me, like when she was sober around people, she was just bubbly, vivacious self when she was drunk, she was bubbly, veracious self. Like, it was just kind of, it was just, there wasn't two versions of Andrew. You're not the same person, you know, and the, the, for me it was like two very, very different people. And it took me years to get to a point where I was like, I can be whatever. I wanna be sober. You know, it's really just a choice. It's not, it's, it's nothing other than that. So being able to have, you know, back on role models, a role model, like in my wife, who I just see be so amazing with the kids.
Speaker 3 00:35:50 So we're out there and we're big on just making sure the kids know that they can be themselves and they can let the goddamn they can feel joy and be, you know, that, you know, be the light that shines for people. Do you know what I mean? Like, that's what we really wanna instill in our kids, but they can't be that unless wear that. So they see it from Anne. So it's really incumbent on me. We went to the, the, uh, we went to a Spurs game at NBA just the other day, and you know, they've got the dance camp and Covid, my son's like, come on, dad, get up. And he's like dancing, going crazy, like sat at the camera will go on him and closing my head, I'm like, oh my God, this is the last thing in order I wanna do, but I can't, I I've gotta show him that. Yes, it's okay. So I'm up there, I'm just getting, you know, getting loose and just trying to get on camera. But, um, yeah, and of course they put an on camera because she was somewhere else with Sierra at the time and she was just going nuts. And so she went up on the big screen. So anyway, it's just good to have good role models.
Speaker 2 00:36:42 Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And Russ, I think, um, we, we've spoken a lot about role models and about sort of overcoming, uh, our personal demons and, and also fusing, um, I guess our, not not fusing, but let's call it integrating the various personalities that we have inside and outside of work. Going a little bit deeper now, do you feel like you were put on this earth for a particular purpose?
Speaker 3 00:37:13 Uh, yeah, I guess, I mean, my purpose is, is my, my kids. It's my, it's my family that's, that's like the only thing that, that sent that is, that seems remotely important to me. <laugh>, you know, like building the business, doing all these other things. Yes, great. And I wanna achieve stuff and I want to be able to have impact and influence and help businesses and do all these different things. But like, that sits, sits like a, a fairly distant second to being a good dad and being, um, being a good husband. I'd like, I like those things to, to align, like, I like my kids to be proud of that. I like Anne's to be proud of what I'm doing in, in the, you know, in my career, in business as well. But it all starts and ends with m I present with the kids when I'm with them.
Speaker 3 00:38:04 Am I, like, we we're just going for goal tracking now for, for 2023. We're a few days behind, but we're, we're nearly, we're nearly finished. But, um, you know, we started with the, the personal, the family relationships and making commitments there because all of the career stuff and everything else financially has to work around that for us, that is literally our purpose. So it's like, okay, how can I, for me, one of my things is I wanna have at least, this doesn't sound like much, but when you've got four kids and you've got a business, you've got all these other things, it, it's gonna take some doing. But I wanna spend, I wanna have at least one hour alone, one-on-one with e with each of my kids each week. It doesn't sound like much 168 hours in a week, just one. But, um, it's not something I've, I've ever done previously. It's, it's gonna take some shuffling of my, my calendar. I'm literally gonna block it out of my calendar every week so that it can get done. But, um, in terms of purpose, that's, that's, that's it for me. Just being a great husband, great father, and building just happy, building a happy family, building happy kids who feel like they can achieve anything with hard work.
Speaker 2 00:39:10 Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I wanna just celebrate and pause for a second about the simplicity of, of what you've just mentioned, um, and, and the beautiful, the beautiful nature of the simplicity that you've mentioned. I think so many people, particularly in the business world, um, aspire to be something monumental, something amazing. You know, I wanna make millions of dollars or have a million followers on Instagram or make this gigantic global impact. And, you know, hearing, hearing what you've just said there, it's, there's something just so prehistoric and, and, and just simple about it. And, and it's, it's amazing because, you know, why else are we on this world for our family and our tribe? And to express that publicly and, and give people the permission to, you know, not necessarily just need to hit such ridiculous heights. And, and look, if you do wanna hit those heights, that that's fantastic and, and we'll celebrate that as well. But I think hearing a leader such as yourself express that, um, I think we need to celebrate that. And, and thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 3 00:40:15 No worries. I mean, that's, I guess the thing is people might think that they're mutually exclusive, but they're not. Like, I do want to build, oh, I'd love to build a billion dollar company. I'd love to be on the cover of Forbes. I'd love to do all these things. They're just not as important to me as being a really great dad. And if I can do both unreal, if I can make my kids proud while doing those things, amazing. But, um, the, the priority, the purpose is family and the other stuff makes me really, really happy. And if it aligns with making my family happy and, and healthy, and, and proud, unreal, if it doesn't align, that's when I've gotta start looking at choices. You know, like I, I need to be able to build a life that is successful on all fronts, most importantly on the family front.
Speaker 2 00:41:01 Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And, and it sounds like without that family side, without the family front, without the backing of, of your mentor and, and, and your beautiful kids, you probably can't build a successful business anyway, right? Cuz it's so fused with your personality.
Speaker 3 00:41:15 Well, I, I know, yeah, I know that I wouldn't have the drive just with, for me personally, I'm trying to think if I was just like an individual guy, yeah, I don't think I'd have the drive to do this type of thing. I think I, I could maybe be successful doing other things. I'd probably be like a, I'd honestly, I'd probably just be working sales, selling someone's product and making good money and buying lots of shiny, shiny things. But I wouldn't be thinking much more impact outside of that. Whereas right now, I, I mean, if I'm being completely honest, I could, I could go back to Australia and make a lot more in sales than we're making now building a business. But it's, it's about, part of coming over here is also about giving the kids this experience that I never had growing up, you know, growing up in another country, learning about, you know, learning that you don't live this bubble that you live in is just one of 7 billion bubbles in the world.
Speaker 3 00:42:08 You know, giving them that perspective. Cuz I know myself, like when I started traveling, I didn't start traveling until I was number twenties. And then you start realizing, oh wow, there's, there's all this stuff going on. Why do I worry about such dumb stuff? And I'd love to have kids grow up and just be worldly and just have that perspective a lot sooner than I did. So in terms of like making them work together, as I said, having the kids come over here and experience this and a big part of being over here as well, we wanna experience as much as possible, you know, get as much traveling as possible. We, we, we have seen so much of the US already and we, we, you know, we're gonna do South America and Caribbean and all these different things, um, in large parts so the kids can, can experience stuff that we just never got to experience while we're making the most of, of, uh, this adventure.
Speaker 2 00:42:54 Amazing. Amazing. And Russ, I know, um, we've, we've gotta wrap it up in a sec. Uh, cuz I know that you are super busy running, running that household of yours and, and the business. Um, final question, if you could sit down with your 20 year old self, what would be the top insight you would share?
Speaker 3 00:43:12 Yeah, as I said before, I would, I, the funny thing is because if I said this to my 20 year old self, maybe my life is different to where it is now because the first thing that comes into my mind is to just tell Russ, Hey Russ, just maybe don't drink <laugh>. Maybe just put that beer out. Try so try something else. But then, you know, if that happens, I probably don't meet Andrew Revolver, so maybe I can't say that. I'll tell you what, I would talk probably more around what hard work actually looks like because my 20 year old self didn't really have much clue about what putting yourself out there, what grit, what determination, pushing to the edge outside of, you know, playing a pretty good standard of footy and, and training. As, you know, as hard as, as hard coaches will train you, I've never had that internal motivation to work hard either physically or career-wise. So I'd probably like to be able to have a conversation just around what hard work really looks like. Doesn't necessarily mean long hours. It, it, I mean, probably long hours are gonna come into it, but what are you doing with those hours? How are you actually impacting, you know, the place of work where you're at or your, your health or your fitness or whatever it would be hard work. Yep.
Speaker 2 00:44:29 Excellent. Thanks very much. Well, Russ, thank you so much for, for coming on the show with me today. Uh, episode one, I think it's been incredibly valuable hearing your, your insights, your journey, um, and your learnings. Um, where can the audience find you if they want to connect?
Speaker 3 00:44:49 No worries. Best place to find me is LinkedIn. I am, uh, pretty active on there, so just search for Russ Macumba on, uh, on LinkedIn and um, you'll find me there. Um, yeah, that, that's the easiest way to catch me. I want a bunch of other platforms too, but that's the one that I'm most active on.
Speaker 2 00:45:06 Excellent. Well, yeah, thanks again, Russ. Um, yeah, it's been been awesome to, to do this with you and uh, yeah, I wish you wish you well for the future. No doubt. We'll, we'll catch up in, in a different forum, <laugh>.
Speaker 3 00:45:18 Awesome. Dan, thanks for having me on. Really appreciate being your first guest. This was really fun. I can't wait to hear lots more episodes.
Speaker 2 00:45:26 Sounds good. Well, fantastic though. You have a dear listeners. Um, that's a wrap on our inaugural episode one. If you found value in the show, I'd really appreciate your feedback. Uh, like, subscribe comments and spread the word, spread the love. It would actually mean the world to me. And thanks for lending me your ears, wherever in the world you are. Um, till next time, go in peace and, uh, and may success be with you.
