EVERY SPOKEN WORD
150 min read · 30,018 words- 0:00 – 3:13
Lockdown banter & recording on Skype (no more hidden reactions)
- CWChris Williamson
It's podcast time, podcast time. Johnny and Yusuf, podcast time.
- YUYusef
Some of the questions we get, and we're just like, "Sorry, guys, it's also our first pandemic, so..."
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
Yeah. We're, we're immune to this too. We're just trying our best as well. I'm just, leave us alone.
- JOJonny
I just want to say something I saw on Instagram that I thought was fantastic, which was a very Geordie man saying like, "Here, over there, I took me bin out, right? And I got a fucking round of applause."
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- JOJonny
Can you believe that?
- YUYusef
(laughs) My upstairs neighbor has taken up the drums and is having a lot more sex.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
But like, and it's directly above my bedroom, and it's at all times of the day. So I think there's a dog pooing outside. No, there's not. It's fine. It's fine.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
So that's tough, like, it's, it's going to be ... it hits so hard. But that's the choice that I've made by living here in front of a window where I can spot people pooing outside my house. So-
- CWChris Williamson
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back. It's podcast time, podcast time. Johnny and Yusuf, podcast time. Welcome back, gentlemen. Very good to see you.
- YUYusef
Good morning.
- CWChris Williamson
How are you?
- YUYusef
Good morning.
- JOJonny
Does, does Skype, can, can everybody see everybody-
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- JOJonny
... at once?
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah, man.
- JOJonny
So if when you're speaking, if I go...
- YUYusef
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah. I can see, I can see you making embarrassing reactions-
- JOJonny
Right.
- CWChris Williamson
... to what I say, yeah.
- JOJonny
Okay.
- YUYusef
So for anyone that's listening, like the, the reason Johnny's asked that is 'cause the previous episode, we were using a different bit of software where if someone was talking, the other person could be like, and it was fine 'cause you couldn't see them.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- YUYusef
Whereas now, we're all on view all at once.
- 3:13 – 6:39
What’s actually changed in lockdown: routines, coffee shops, and health anxiety
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah. It starts at 8:00 AM, isn't it? 8:00 AM for 8:30? You get formal dress. Um, so yeah, that's, yeah, so less time, but you are right, like I mean, what, what's changed in your life, Blob? Like, 'cause you just moved h- I wanted to bring this up actually. First thing I want to bring up, how antifragile is having a dog and a garden during lockdown?
- JOJonny
Yeah. It's pretty good. I mean, I still go for walks. So like, so what's changed? I suppose the, the main change, and probably the... Yeah, the main change is I would normally work somewhere else for like a few days in the week in the morning. So I'd go to a coffee shop or something like that. Um, I remember the last visit I had to a coffee shop actually. Where was it and what did you choose? I hope it was a good one.
- YUYusef
Where was it?
- CWChris Williamson
It was in, it was in Cost- Costa in town. It was average, to be honest, but really good wifi. I feel like I could write a, like a 50-page guide on like how to select your coffee shop. But anyway. I'd love that.
- JOJonny
So you walk in and everyone's like, you know, sort of... This was a night that there was talk of lockdown, talk of quarantine, signs everywhere saying, "We will not accept cash." And I, I nearly said to the person taking my order, like, "Why is that not just always the case?"
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- JOJonny
Like, maybe-
- CWChris Williamson
Fully agree.
- JOJonny
... maybe this situation wouldn't be quite as bad if people didn't like hand each other bits of paper. Like, you go to the till, you hand them a bit of paper. Like give, you give me the paper back.
- YUYusef
It'd just been like rolled up with cocaine and sweat.
- JOJonny
Well, then there-
- YUYusef
And people was like bum fingers and everything.
- JOJonny
... and then your receipt, which just bumps your estrogen up.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah, that too. (laughs)
- JOJonny
So the risk is like viral, you catch a virus or, um-
- CWChris Williamson
Estrogen.
- JOJonny
Yeah. Yeah, you get some kind of like long-term hormonal problem or just their order come.
- CWChris Williamson
100%. Oh yeah, so tell me about some-
- YUYusef
There's no one promoting, um, the oat protes? What are they called? Oat-eens.
- CWChris Williamson
Oh, yeah.
- JOJonny
Oh, yeah. When a guy like ran, ran up to me to give me an oat-ete bar in Costa.
- CWChris Williamson
So, so-
- JOJonny
You're, you're mate.
- CWChris Williamson
Threw, threw the door. Um, tell me, what has, uh, what has changed then, apart from coffee shop visits, Blob?
- JOJonny
So just, I suppose, like I would, you know, in the evening, Becca and I would sometimes have plans. Like, obviously we would be doing these on a sofa in your house. Like, this would be happening on an evening for like three hours, loads of bright lights. Um, but that doesn't happen anymore. Um, but like not, not much really. And I feel like a bit of a twat saying that 'cause everyone's like, "Oh, it's worked for you, mate." But like, I suppose, I, I feel like... So two, two really interesting things. One is I, I'm normally pretty bad for like worrying about my health. Like, if I think I've got something wrong with me, like it consumes my thoughts for weeks. Um, and I always assume the worst. So if it's like-... I have something tiny wrong with me, I assume it's horrendous. But at the moment, like, I just, I'm not that worried about this, but a lot of people I know are a lot more worried than they ever have been. And a lot of people are really struggling with being in the house and the, sort of the isolation side of it. But I, I think the way it feels is like I've been dealing with s- sort of those worries j- for like years, so now it's just like, "Well-"
- CWChris Williamson
Everyone else has got them.
- JOJonny
Yeah. (laughs) It's like, I think just, I've, I've just had practice in both of the conc- both of the struggle points, which is like worrying about your health and being at home on your own-
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- JOJonny
... dealing with work just by yourself in front of a laptop. So-
- CWChris Williamson
The, um-
- 6:39 – 12:35
Survivor guilt, lifestyle trade-offs, and ‘you fall to the level of your training’
- CWChris Williamson
... the, the guilt or whatever it is that you're referring to there, the feeling a bit like a twat, is something I've been dealing with as well. Um, it's, I don't know whether it's like a survivor, a survivor guilt or whatever it might be, but the fact that it doesn't feel painful to me to live the life that I've always lived, or have done-
- JOJonny
Mm-hmm.
- CWChris Williamson
... for the last few years. Like very little, for me, has changed. Um, I did a-
- JOJonny
Yeah. Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
... did a poll on my Instagram asking, or like ask people for questions, and there's definitely some people out there that are struggling a lot more. I mean, there's some people who message saying that they live on their own. This one girl, um, said, "Me and my partner are going through a really difficult time at the moment and we're self-isolating in different houses." So like imagine trying-
- JOJonny
Oh no.
- CWChris Williamson
... to negotiate a relationship, like a bad relationship, when you're both locked down. Another person said-
- JOJonny
Mm-hmm.
- CWChris Williamson
"... I'm really extroverted. I, I get super depressed when I'm on my own." Uh, and I'm, there's me, l- loving life. Like no longer-
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
No longer having my sleep routine messed up. Like don't get me wrong, I miss all my mates, I miss getting to see you guys. I miss going to work. I miss actually being at work and seeing the nightclubs and, you know, j- getting that buzz and stuff. But there's part of me, the just the novelty of doing more of stuff that I like to do is cool. And it'll wear off, but I, there's, there's a guilt. There's like a, I don't know, I just feel like, um, I shouldn't be this, that, that, it should be harder. I should be suffering-
- JOJonny
Mm-hmm.
- CWChris Williamson
... more for being at home. And then there's the complete opposite end of the scale which is Dr. Scone.
- JOJonny
(clears throat) Es- Esconda.
- CWChris Williamson
Esconda.
- YUYusef
This is a really ... Well this is a really interesting point that not only the three of us are experiencing, but it's, it's totally universal, and that is, the lifestyle choices that you've made have consequences. Like as obvious as that sounds, like you pay your money, you take your choice. And whatever, whatever way that you've set up your life, it has advantages in some circumstances, and disadvantages in others. So-
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- YUYusef
I think there's a dog pooing outside. No there's not, it's fine.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
Fine.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
It's, it's
- NANarrator
(laughs)
- YUYusef
But that's the choice that I've made by living here in front of a window where I can spot people pooing outside my house. So- This is the, this is my point, that you guys have, you've set up your life in such a way that during normal, non-pandemic times, you have insecurity of income. You have lower scope for social life than, than others because of the hours that you do, or, um, the people that you live with, you know, that's, that's a choice that you've made and you have to be with them through thick and thin. And so, what the advantage might be in one circumstance could be a disadvantage in the other and vice versa. So your friend who's extroverted and needs human company, the way they've set up their life normally means they, they reap the advantages of that, but then when they're in lockdown, it's a bad thing.
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- YUYusef
Vice versa for us. Like equally the job of a junior doctor can be a bit rubbish at times (laughs) . Um, but what I have got is the job security during a pandemic that someone who works in graphic design doesn't have.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- YUYusef
And so I don't see any of these things as an advantage or disadvantage, they're just the consequence of the decision that we've all made. (sniffs) And so I don't think you should feel guilty about it because-
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
... there will certainly be a time where you experience the, the blunt end of it as well.
- 12:35 – 16:05
Home gyms, dog ownership, and improvised ‘Pikey Lifting Club’ training
- YUYusef
You've got a dog, which most of the time can be a ball ache, but during a pandemic, demand for dogs has gone up so much. Like, all the dog adoption centers have completely-
- JOJonny
Yeah. It's crazy.
- YUYusef
... maxed out.
- CWChris Williamson
Is this true?
- YUYusef
You hedged against that.
- JOJonny
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- YUYusef
Like, yeah. Like, people are just desperately looking for, you know, the, the home gym. Like, yes, that's a ball ache to set up, and it's expensive to, to get, and it, and it's cold and ... But now, like, you're the winner with, with a home gym 'cause-
- CWChris Williamson
You've just described-
- YUYusef
... you know, training-
- CWChris Williamson
... Jonathan Watson.
- YUYusef
Like, like his training is just unaffected.
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- YUYusef
Like, the other day, he was like, "Oh, Yousaf just did a heavy Berghain-style deadlift session the other day." It's like, how many people, uh, can say that now?
- JOJonny
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
That is-
- JOJonny
The thing is-
- CWChris Williamson
... that's-
- JOJonny
... even, even when you do the maths, like I, I don't think a home gym makes financial sense. Like, when you add it up, like what it costs to sort of get what you need to train normally, you wouldn't... I think it takes like 10 years to recoup it.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- JOJonny
But you have the, you have the ability to sort of control this little environment that you can manage.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- JOJonny
No one's ever using your barbell. Like no one's ever, like, wants to squat rack. You know what I mean? Like-
- CWChris Williamson
Is that my barbell over there?
- YUYusef
(laughs)
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
Excuse me.
- YUYusef
There's always the alternative of what every ... (laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
You got mine.
- YUYusef
... what every fit pro on Instagram is doing, which is jump squats in their mom's conservatory and like-
- 16:05 – 20:47
Frontline reality: applause for NHS, PPE shortages, and empty perks
- CWChris Williamson
So, um, Sef, like you are ... As frontline, you're the vanguard against this current situation. Tell us, tell us what it's like, man.
- YUYusef
Literally the, the frontline. It's g- ... It's quite nice to see the, um, like the, the applause the other day out in the, out in the streets. Like that, that was quite sweet, quite heartwarming.
- CWChris Williamson
I was gonna say-
- YUYusef
I only realized that-
- CWChris Williamson
... do you feel that? Do you feel ... Do, y- as a health worker, do you feel that?
- YUYusef
It, so it ... There's, there's two, two parts to it. So the, the applause, like that was, that was nice. It's nice to hear that the public appreciate it. I, ironically, I only realized what it was about in retrospect because I was between night shifts and I was just like, I w-
- CWChris Williamson
Annoyed at being woken up-
- YUYusef
Yeah. (laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
... by all these fuckers clapping outside. (laughs)
- YUYusef
What's all this th-
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
Yeah. Like you, you're actually, you're too busy to-
- CWChris Williamson
Emotion.
- YUYusef
... to like be able to take notice of it. But on the other hand, (clears throat) it's really nice to see that people actually do have some level of compassion, at least where we are. I'm sure there's like dicks in, in London though, whatever, that are just still ignoring the whole isolation thing.
- JOJonny
In London.
- YUYusef
(laughs)
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- YUYusef
It's always in London, isn't it? (laughs)
- JOJonny
It is.
- YUYusef
Um, but, uh, but it's nice that everyone's actually been like, "You know what? Yes, this is an illness that probably won't kill me. But for the sake of grandma, for the sake of the NHS, the old- the older populations, all of this, we're gonna pile together and actually do something proper about this." And so seeing people observe a, uh, isolation quite strictly is quite nice, quite heartwarming to see. And it's not something I, I'd expected. And it seems like the UK, we did flatten the curve enough for us not to have this absolute mad spike that the likes of Italy are seeing, you know. We're, we're not, we're not having to just like, you know, put people on ventilators in the car park and, and that kind of thing. So, um, from that perspective, it's lovely. The other perspective, like we ... A lot of company, we get like 5% off Pizza Express or whatever, and you're like, "I could ... I prefer a pay rise rather than just ..." Like, or, or 10% off Subway. The Costa in the hospital-... started offering free coffees for staff. Do you know how long it lasted for? 24 hours.
- CWChris Williamson
Oh, my God.
- JOJonny
Yeah.
- YUYusef
And then they were, like-
- CWChris Williamson
Why, because they got, they got pounded?
- YUYusef
I, I guess so. Or just they were, like... It... 'Cause I... But. Whereas my perspective is like Costa, if, if they know they're going under, they should just be like, "Let's just go out with a bang, let's go out doing something." Like, "We're making a massive loss anyway, let's just give NHS staff a free drink," and then it at least looks good for PR on the way out.
- CWChris Williamson
Um, I want to just sort of interject there. I think... I know that it must suck right now, and if there's NHS staff listening, um, I apologize for how poorly you're being treated and paid at the moment. Uh, but thank you for your service.
- YUYusef
That's the annoying part. 'Cause like we're, we're being... The, the hours and the nights and everything, they're only gonna increase.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- YUYusef
We're putting ourself at a very high risk of additional viral load, plus the combination of being rundown between nights, like sleep cycle being-
- CWChris Williamson
Perfect storm for you to-
- 20:47 – 21:48
Social media comedy, ‘Karens/Sharon,’ and the absurdity of pandemic culture
- JOJonny
Just before we go further down this, I just want to say something I saw on Instagram that I thought was fantastic, which was a very Geordie man saying like, "Yeah, the other day, I took me bin out, right? And I got a fucking round of applause." Can you believe that?
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- JOJonny
I think the, the thing that... Like the silver lining of all this stuff is there's a few people, like a few very dry, very sarcastic people on social media who just spot these opportunities. Brilliant.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
Yeah. The-
- JOJonny
What?
- CWChris Williamson
What?
- YUYusef
The... Have you seen the one of the guy who was like, "I was, um, out in Tesco today, and there wasn't much food available on the shelves. And I went to this, this couple and, and th- their trolley was absolutely full of stuff and I, I said, 'Excuse me, would you mind awfully sparing a couple of items for...' And it was great. And they gave me some hummus and some..." And he's holding a gun.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- 21:48 – 29:19
Bidets, Wim Hof belly-button myth, and companies pivoting to PPE
- YUYusef
"And some tomatoes and some lemon juice. Absolutely lovely." The, the other thing I feel so smug about is having the bum gun, the Shotofo. Bless you. Bless you.
- CWChris Williamson
Man, you... It's, you've, you've got scalable toilet paper.
- YUYusef
Oh, my God, it's incredible. So, you have a... I think toilet roll is back in.
- CWChris Williamson
You have a... Just, can you describe briefly, briefly describe what it is you've got in your bathroom for people that didn't listen to that Lifehacks episode?
- YUYusef
Wall mounted high pressure hose that you can spray at your bum. Not in your bum, at your bum, to reduce the requirement for toilet roll.
- CWChris Williamson
High pressure hose makes it sound more rudimentary than it is. It's actually, it's real nice. Chrome with a pressure... What? What's happened, Johnny? Have you had a... Are you having a stroke?
- JOJonny
I've just remembered something. No, no, I've just remembered something. It's related to that, about Wim Hof.
- CWChris Williamson
In the bum?
- JOJonny
Have you seen a photo of Wim Hof? Yeah, so have you seen a photo of Wim Hof's belly button?
- YUYusef
No.
- CWChris Williamson
No.
- JOJonny
Right. So I- I'm doing his ten week course at the moment, guys.
- CWChris Williamson
Oh, right. Cool.
- JOJonny
Which involved yesterday, as well.
- YUYusef
Stand out.
- JOJonny
Stand out.
- YUYusef
He's not Fool you.
- CWChris Williamson
You know how I fixed my scoliosis?
- JOJonny
72 hours of yoga per day.
- CWChris Williamson
72 hours of holotropic breathing per day.
- JOJonny
(laughs) I mean, that would be, you know, tricky.
- CWChris Williamson
Yousef did that, he held a German lady's hand.
- JOJonny
For hours.
- YUYusef
Three hours. What... I mean, what a listening experience this must be. People are just like-
- CWChris Williamson
"What?"
- YUYusef
... "This must... This word salad."
- CWChris Williamson
Well, no, but if people... All of this has been... All of this is referenced in previous episodes, and if you don't know what... If you don't know why Yousef held a German lady's hand, if you don't know why Johnny had an out of body experience, if you don't know who Wim Hof is, just go back. Go back, listen to the whole catalog and you'll know what we're on about.
- JOJonny
Anyway, so I was wa- I was watching this video and I was like, "He's got a really weird belly button. I'm gonna find out why." So I Googled, "Why does Wim Hof have a weird belly button?" And someone's written a really long answer. I don't know how, I don't know whether this is true, but the guy claimed to be like involved in writing his book. But he didn't go too much into the story because when you hear, you hear why, it's like, "Oh my God, that's mental." So apparently what happened was-
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- JOJonny
... there's a fountain, right, where Wim often swims in, and he gives himself an enema on the fountain. Um, and he was gonna go do it again, but the time that he did it again, they'd turned the pressure up on the jet, and so it like cut through his whatever bits and he needed like major surgery and stuff. So-
- 29:19 – 31:02
Online business plug & the online-coaching gold rush
- CWChris Williamson
I'm just trying to do me, trying to do me job. Um, in, I, I wanna briefly segue here, PTs, any fitness pro that's listening, obviously now is the perfect time for you to actually learn how to run a business online. Propanebusiness.com/
- JOJonny
No. God, Chris. No, no, no, no, no. Chris.
- CWChris Williamson
Which one is it?
- JOJonny
Don't get it wrong. Propanefitness.com/modernwisdom.
- CWChris Williamson
That's it, propanefitness.com/modernwisdom.
- JOJonny
Easy.
- CWChris Williamson
And you will get a free ... Is it still the seven step thing, the seven step PDF or have you changed it?
- JOJonny
It's, yeah, so it's just the, like, the exact seven steps you would need to start a, a really, like, highly systematized functional online business. So, like-
- YUYusef
That, that little bit-
- CWChris Williamson
No big deal.
- JOJonny
Just the seven steps. And it's just free as well, so.
- CWChris Williamson
Go and, go and sign up, man. Honestly, like-
- JOJonny
It is good. We've had some really good feedback from Modern Wisdom listeners about it, so.
- CWChris Williamson
Amazing, man. I, um, I got a bunch of messages about the how to become an online coach thing again. If you haven't heard that, that's f- unbelievable. In fact, just go and listen to that.
- JOJonny
Yeah, there's bits that works for that.
- CWChris Williamson
Go and listen to that, and if you don't like the sound of being an online coach, don't do it. But, um-
- YUYusef
It is brilliant. Everyone came out watching that like this.
- CWChris Williamson
Yousa have to put a banana up to his face.
- YUYusef
Big smile on the face.
- JOJonny
Needs a tattoo, doesn't he?
- CWChris Williamson
Big smile.
- JOJonny
There is, there is this weird ... I got asked yesterday by, uh-... I think someone who found us through Modern Wisdom, actually. But he was saying, um, "Surely it's never going to work because everyone's trying to be an online coach and, like, like, everyone's using a live video, everyone's doing a story."
- CWChris Williamson
Just, just, just so you know. S- s- just-
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
Uh, all right, man. I'm, I'm not being funny, right?
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
I'm not, I'm, I'm not being... Um, honestly, I'm not being funny. But, uh, how, how, how the fuck's this all gonna work? Oh my God. Sorry.
- YUYusef
He knows. He knows.
- 31:02 – 34:04
When boredom nukes a career: Billy Joe Saunders scandal
- CWChris Williamson
I need to, I need to interject here. Have you seen... Have you looked at the complete torpedoing of his life that Billy Joe Saunders, the boxer, has managed to do in the last seven days?
- JOJonny
(laughs) No.
- CWChris Williamson
Right, so Yusuf, you might not know who Billy Joe Saunders is. British boxer-
- JOJonny
I, I don't know.
- CWChris Williamson
Okay, British boxer.
- JOJonny
Billy?
- CWChris Williamson
Billy Joe Saunders, boxer. Um, so he was lined up to have a huge fight, absolutely massive fight, which has been rearranged. In the time over the last couple of days, he rang an airport that his friend was flying out of to tell them that his friend had coronavirus while he was on the plane. So his friend then got pulled off and detained with his other buddy, and Billy-
- YUYusef
What, just to grass up his mate?
- CWChris Williamson
Just 'cause he thought he'd be funny, 'cause he's bored.
- JOJonny
Oh.
- CWChris Williamson
Um, and so that's, that's the first one.
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
That's the first one, right? Remembering this guy's a fucking professional athlete. That's the first-
- YUYusef
Mid-flight they detained him?
- CWChris Williamson
No, no, no. So it's b-... On the runway. So he rings him and he's-
- YUYusef
Okay.
- CWChris Williamson
He FaceTimed-
- YUYusef
That's even worse. (laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
He FaceTimed his friend while his friend was sat in the passenger seat, knowing that this was going to happen, and heard the "Beep boop, can, uh, Derek Knowles please come to the..."
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
And it's like... And so that happened. And then, then first off, you've done that, right? Like, awful time to do it, and that got... That was in the press. And then he's boxing in his garage with a punching bag and he's saying to the punching bag, "So guys, you might be at home and your old lady might be giving you a bit of stick and you might be getting a little bit sort of annoyed by it. So you know, what you want to do, yeah, she's coming towards you, she's, she's riled up, yeah, she's, she's angry, what you want to do, you want to bop!" And he throws a punch at the bag and he goes, "So she's stunned, right? She's going, 'What the fuck's going on? W- oh my God.' And then what you want to do, you want to just turn and bop and you finish her off, and then you've got the rest of the afternoon in peace."
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
This video, it was a video-
- JOJonny
Oh my God.
- CWChris Williamson
... and it got leaked, and, and now he's banned from boxing for life.
- JOJonny
Oh my God.
- YUYusef
That's like somebody, um, he, you know, like the... So well, the equivalent of a Frapers but in someone's body. It's like if someone woke up and had like 24 hours-
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- YUYusef
... in that man's body to be like, "Right, how can I just-"
- JOJonny
"What could I do?"
- 34:04 – 36:32
Good pivots: Eddie Hall’s YouTube success and strongman culture
- JOJonny
Just a, just a total segue, someone who's really pivoted their brand really well, I'm really impressed, but I'd highly recommend everyone go and watch a couple of his videos, is Eddie Hall's YouTube channel.
- CWChris Williamson
Unbelievable.
- JOJonny
It's fantastic.
- CWChris Williamson
Man, he's nailed it.
- JOJonny
Fantastic. I just love how he doesn't take himself s-... Like the one with him and Ross Edgley, have you seen that, where they go swimming in the lake?
- CWChris Williamson
Mm-hmm.
- JOJonny
I just love how, uh, like Eddie just walks out like in Budgie Smugglers. He's huge, but quite lean now-
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- JOJonny
... but just throws himself into anything.
- CWChris Williamson
He's really-
- YUYusef
Is he not younger than us as well?
- CWChris Williamson
He's our age.
- JOJonny
Yeah, he's our age.
- CWChris Williamson
He's in between our, all of our ages. Yeah. He's I think 31-
- JOJonny
Right.
- CWChris Williamson
... maybe. And, um, despite when he was, um, at the peak of Strongman, he looked like 50. Um-
- JOJonny
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
But yeah, you're, you're totally right, man. There's one with I think, uh, either Nile or his buddy that he did-
- JOJonny
Nile the gymnast.
- CWChris Williamson
Yep. That was awesome.
- JOJonny
Yeah, yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
He did one with Jamie Johal, um, about bodybuilding goes... Does Strongman. Um, that was really fun. He's sponsored by, uh, Boohoo Ma-... Like he's so trendy. Apart from the way-
- JOJonny
I know, he's so trendy.
- CWChris Williamson
... that he looks and the way that he sounds, he's so trendy.
- JOJonny
Mm-hmm. Yeah, that's really... So he's got like a proper intro... Uh, he's clearly got someone to help him do it.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- JOJonny
Prop... Like he's made a proper go of it with Groom.
- CWChris Williamson
Did you see him do... Sorry, did you see him do... Was it Grace or Isabel?
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
At the European Championships.
- 36:32 – 46:59
What to watch/listen to: Tiger King, Ozark, Apple TV+, and news synthesis
- CWChris Williamson
What else have you been, um... So one of the most common questions I'm seeing posted online at the moment is any good...... books, podcasts, Netflix series/movies-
- YUYusef
Yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
... to watch or whatever else. What have you guys been consuming? I guess you, Sef, must be just get home, sleep-
- YUYusef
Consuming nothing. (laughs)
- JOJonny
Normal life, yeah.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah, well just desperately trying-
- JOJonny
Medical, medical information.
- CWChris Williamson
... to survive.
- YUYusef
(laughs) Yeah. So for, for me, I, I've not got a very good answer to that. I've, I've seen half of an episode of Tiger King.
- CWChris Williamson
Brilliant.
- YUYusef
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
Brilliant.
- JOJonny
Not Lion King.
- YUYusef
Which wh- which Chris mentioned yesterday, he said, "Yusuf, that's the equivalent for you of watching" (laughs) -
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
... "watching a back-to-back Lord of the Rings triathlon."
- CWChris Williamson
Marathon. Yeah. (laughs) It is. Watching half an episode, I'm surprised that you got through half an episode. But it is brilliant. You haven't seen that yet, have you, Jonny?
- JOJonny
So, so ha- I got that message from ... So, so Becca and I tried to watch it like a week ago, got like half an hour in and we were like, "This is a bit weird. Might, might give up on this."
- CWChris Williamson
Mm.
- JOJonny
Kept seeing stuff on Instagram about it, kept saying to her like, "There's a lot of stuff about this series, like, it, it is number one in the UK." Then you sent me that message and I was like, being like, "Yusuf's watched half of it, like wi-
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- JOJonny
... if Yusuf watched a bit of it, we're, we're gonna have t-
- CWChris Williamson
And did, and what did she say? Did she say-
- YUYusef
Absolutely canaries in a coal mine.
- CWChris Williamson
... "What? Oh, my god."
- JOJonny
She was like, she was like, "Oh, fine."
- YUYusef
Yeah.
- JOJonny
So like last night, we, we like made it through like I think we're on the second episode and I think-
- YUYusef
He's a good marketer.
- JOJonny
... slowly it, sort of the curtains, and I'm like, "Oh, okay. Felt like fair enough." It's just-
- 46:59 – 50:13
5G conspiracies, dangerous misinformation, and healthcare’s coming IT shift
- YUYusef
Mi- So my brother sent me a WhatsApp voice message. It was 30 minutes long. It wasn't him, it was like forward from something and it was like, "Listen, brothers and sisters in faith. This is really important scientifically, logically, and practically because what is happening here is a huge cover-up and you need to know this as people of faith we need to raise our vibrations because the setting up of 5G is what is calling, causing the coronavirus. There is no such thing as contagion. There is no such thing as virus. When the 5G comes on, it releases toxin in, out of your cells and it has to come out of your mouth."
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
"And nobody has ever proven that a virus can be contagious. We even took the s- the, the sputum, the phlegm out of someone with flu, injected it into someone else and we could not reproduce it. I- i- it is 5G, it is causing our cells to, uh, and, and it's like, i- i- to make the people more obedient." And you just, so like I started playing it in the doctor's office and everyone was just like, "Keep that on." No, no. (laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs) Just slowly riling everyone up and getting them really, really angry.
- YUYusef
(laughs)
- JOJonny
I've seen quite a bit, I've been sending it to Yousef, like there's a few guys that we vaguely follow who are, um, coaches but have a certain set of beliefs, um, that aren't necessarily very evidenced-based. Um, and they say, they're saying things-
- YUYusef
That's very, very diplomatic, Johnny. (laughs)
- JOJonny
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so h- yeah, he's, he's been saying like this is all just, it's 5G. And like we saw the same guy say if you, if you like get ill, don't go to hospital, like go into the forest and let nature heal you and all that sort of stuff. Like I think I'm a- I'm all up for everyone having an opinion unle- until it's dangerous.... and then I think it should just, should just be regulation to stop.
- YUYusef
Yeah. I- I-
- JOJonny
Like-
- YUYusef
I mean, the, l- luckily, the, at the minute, I think what's happening is that unnecessary admissions are likely to drop in hospitals because current, now the risk of being in hospital is much worse than the risk of being out of hospital. And so if there's something like... And I think this is going to be a huge shift for healthcare as a whole in six months time, because now that we've got the infrastructure that has never really been used at its capacity, um-
- JOJonny
Mm-hmm.
- YUYusef
... is that there's gonna be a shift towards online consultations and away from a lot of stuff that doesn't need to be done in person. And I think this is probably the catalyst for that, where they're starting to realize that so many things, so many like inefficiencies that were previously just let to carry on, now where they're like, "Oh, actually we're, we're forced to really keep people out of hospital at any cost." It's gonna cause this huge cultural shift, like not only with healthcare but with attitudes towards, uh, you know, the obviously the... Even just socially, people are gonna come out and realize what they've, what they've been missing, the, just the social interactions that they've been having, um, and-
- JOJonny
The companies that like-
- YUYusef
... like recognizing that free healthcare is something that-
- JOJonny
... haven't invested in IT. Sorry.
- YUYusef
Oh, yeah, massively.
- JOJonny
Yeah.
- 50:13 – 52:35
Businesses trimming fat: processes, E-Myth lessons, and operational resilience
- YUYusef
And, um, what was it, uh, Naval Ravikant was talking about... I think it was him, talking about maybe 20% of the workforce... I can't remember if we said this on the last one. He said like about 20% of the workforce have just like silently been able to just get grandfathered into whatever they're doing in the company, and they're just in the corners of the offices, and they don't really do anything, but no one's ever kind of questioned it. And actually, if they were to just be eliminated from the workforce, nothing would change.
- CWChris Williamson
I couldn't agree more. There's so much fat in companies, and especially when you look at big bureaucratic organizations, probably in knowledge work, not so much in op- ops and logistics and like real shit, um, the number of team leaders, area managers, office managers, you know, like all of that sort of stuff, the people who aren't either making the main decisions at the top or nose to the grindstone at the bottom, all of those ones are going, they should really be worried. And rightly so, if you're a business who can rip out 20% of your costs during this period and really look... So I spoke to Mike Winnet. Mike.
- YUYusef
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
Uh, all right, guys, here is my contrapreneur. Um, spoke to Mike Winnet. He was a, a, imagine this, sorry. Mike was on holiday in the Canary Islands with his friends when the lockdown occurred.
- JOJonny
Oh, God.
- CWChris Williamson
So he was locked in a hotel.
- YUYusef
The Canary Islands because it's tax haven or just for-
- CWChris Williamson
Oh, it was holiday, like Easter holiday with the kids or something?
- YUYusef
Just a holiday.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah, yeah. So he's locked there. Anyway, he came back and, um, I asked him, I was like, "Hey man, like, how's everything going?" He's like, "I'm forced now to really look at the processes and the operations within my business and refine them down to their component parts." Had this guy called Mike Michalowicz last night as well, wrote a book called Fix This Next, which has just come out, and it's, what he's talking about is absolutely perfect. It's like if you don't have a procedure that is how to be Jonathan Watson.doc in your business so that you could... And you guys have been saying this for years, the E-Myth thing, I think that you always quote where it's like, if you can't exit the business and the business run without you because there's processes and procedures and order in place, like-
- JOJonny
Mm-hmm.
- CWChris Williamson
... there, there's a big hole that's missing.
- YUYusef
Well, that, well, it's just that you've created a job, not created a business.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs) Yeah.
- JOJonny
Yeah.
- 52:35 – 1:08:30
Gratitude roundtable, what they miss, and coping tools (sleep, noise, routines)
- CWChris Williamson
Um, so yeah, I mean that's, that's... It is gonna be interesting to see sort of where businesses go. So I want to... Sunny Webster asked me this on a, a IG Live the other day, and I thought it was a really cool question. So let's do a little roundtable of two things that we've been extra grateful for, that we're grateful for during this period, and one thing that we miss the most. Johnny.
- JOJonny
Uh, one thing I miss the most is just seeing people, I think, um, like spending time in person with like friends and family. Um, two things I'm grateful for, uh, it's probably because it's quite a long list to be honest. Like grateful I don't have coronavirus, grateful my, like none of my immediate family do, um, or friends. Um, but like in terms of probably what you're asking the question for, I think we've been really grateful for the way our business is set up. Like it's not, we're not... We don't have like debt. We don't have really high costs. It's all pretty easy to pivot and adapt, and it feels very much like the, as Yusuf says, said at the start, like the risks that we took several years ago, um, you know, kind of like the, the tables have turned a little bit, and actually what we're doing is now pretty stable compared to some industries, which feels like to be like-
- CWChris Williamson
So bizarre. Yeah, you're the safe, the safe and stable people now somehow.
- JOJonny
I know. Like the people, you know, like even like, um, I was hearing that like dentists, uh, uh, like are in, in quite a high risk job now, and you'd be like, "When, when in history has dentistry ever been considered to be like not stable?"
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- JOJonny
It's bizarre, but now like-
- CWChris Williamson
It's wild, isn't it?
- JOJonny
... running a fitness business on the internet is like, you'll probably be all right.
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- JOJonny
You know, it's just like, it's weird. Um, so that, and then I think just, I think hugely coincidentally for me, the start of this year was like, right, I'm gonna really like... We spoke about this in the, in the podcast, I'm gonna really like buckle down on like my morning routine every day, wake up at the same time every day, um, like doing stuff like cold showers and Wim Hof, like stuff to make me feel good. I feel like that I was doing it for like 90 days almost, and then it was like lockdown, and you're like, "Ugh."
- CWChris Williamson
Here we go.
- JOJonny
I actually feel like... I feel like mentally in, in like a better place than I have been previously and more, more consistent with stuff. So, grateful that I'd been doing that up to now.... um, because I felt-
- YUYusef
And I'm sure there's things for your HRV as well, isn't it?
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah. I'm so happy-
- JOJonny
It has been.
- CWChris Williamson
I'm so happy with watching... I'm j- happy and jealous in equal measure watching the progress that you've made over the last 90 days, especially as someone for whom I wouldn't have presumed there was lots of low-hanging fruit left.
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
It's not like this is your first foray into personal development-
- JOJonny
No.
- CWChris Williamson
... and you're like, "Oh, well, I started sleeping with me phone outside of me bedroom."
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
And I was like, "Oh my God." And then I turned the speed up on me trackpad, and I went, "I'm moving so much faster."
- JOJonny
What? (laughs)
- YUYusef
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
"And I'm loading this program called Alfred." Um, like, yeah, to see someone who you already presume is somewhere close to the top of their game make an outwardly noticeable, like, upgrade is pretty legit. So I'm, uh, I'm super happy for you man. I think that's fucking... That is cool. Really, really cool.
- JOJonny
Yeah, it's been good. It's been good.
- CWChris Williamson
Seth, what about you?
- YUYusef
So I've got, I've got lots of mini things. The, the thing I miss the most is being at home, like just being able to spend time at home, which is ironic because-
- CWChris Williamson
Well, it's all right for you, but...
- YUYusef
Yeah, exactly. (laughs) I think I'm just jealous of everyone who is able to be at home and self-isolate and has so much opportunity to do loads with it. But as you said, Chris, like the challenge then is being able to capitalize on that when you're not used to it and having to actually... You got so many hours of the day to then be able to do something with it. Many things that I'm looking forward to and grateful for, so cashless payments, as Johnny said, like it's well overdue. I can't wait for the Apple Card.
- 1:08:30 – 1:12:55
Wrap-up: links, isolation workouts, overeating confession, and ‘Train Guy’ recommendation
- CWChris Williamson
Um, look, gents, thank you so much for coming on. Um, propanefitness.com/modernwisdom for those online-
- YUYusef
Thanks.
- CWChris Williamson
... fitness professionals and people who think that they want to start making a pivot. Uh, what else should they, where else should they check out? Because we never even plug your stuff. We never even say like-
- JOJonny
Well-
- CWChris Williamson
... "You should go and check them out at this."
- YUYusef
(laughs)
- JOJonny
(laughs)
- CWChris Williamson
'Cause we just presume that they already follow you.
- YUYusef
The, well, that's-
- JOJonny
Also-
- YUYusef
... that, I mean, if, if they're not, then what are you doing?
- CWChris Williamson
Yeah.
- YUYusef
But-
- JOJonny
Mm.
- YUYusef
... we have two main audiences. So the, the, for the business stuff, anyone wanting to, to do that, forward s- it's propanefitness.com/modernwisdom. Remember, it's propane as in the gas, not stance on pain. And uh, for the fitness-
- CWChris Williamson
Pro-pain. (laughs)
- YUYusef
We are not- I get that, I get that question constantly.
- CWChris Williamson
Pro-
- JOJonny
Anti-pain.
- CWChris Williamson
Anti-pain.
- JOJonny
Yeah.
- YUYusef
Yeah.
- JOJonny
Mm.
- YUYusef
And uh, for the fitness crowd who just want to get in better shape, especially during this period, go to propanefitness.com/calculator, or just propanefitness.com. Uh, we also have a free self-isolation body weight program, which we're just, we're just giving away for free, no strings attached, just to help you guys out during this time.
- JOJonny
And crucially, we're not pivoting our entire marketing around body weight programs or live videos.
- CWChris Williamson
(laughs)
- YUYusef
You'll see no jump sports in the Modern Wis-
- JOJonny
There is.
- YUYusef
... Conservatory.
- CWChris Williamson
I love it. I love it, man. Look, boys, thank you so much. I, um, I think we should try and, we've done this, this was two weeks ago that we did the last one. If we can get another one in in a, a weekend coming up soon. You are by far the most requested, um, of, of all guests, which is ridiculous.
Episode duration: 1:16:03
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Transcript of episode 0i-YUa7oSpA
