DOUGIT

"Careers are over now. I don't want to have a career. I want to have

some kind of life. I want to be alive while working." 

- Darren Smith

La bienvenida a gente guapa! Welcome beautiful people to episode #11 of

#DOUGIT with Darren Smith. Truth be told, this is actually the first

episode of the podcast. Darren was kind enough to sit down for a chat with

me over a cup of tea and toast at the start of the year as a trial

run/chat. Recorded this bad/interesting boy on the iphone off the cuff

after a yoga sesh with the man himself. 

D-Money, aka Darren, is a very smart dude of a dude and his story parallels

mine quite closely. We grew up together going to the same primary,

intermediate, and high school and spent much time battling on the chess

board and cricket field. And ended up both transitioning to teaching Yoga

at the same time after much time apart and corporate careers...

"If it doesn’t touch you. Then change it." 

- Vincent Bolletta - 

Welcome to episode #10 of #DOUGIT with Vincent Bolletta - yoga superstar

and teacher to the stars and non famous people who are also stars in this

crazy galaxy we reside in that has provided plenty more questions than

answers which is a great theme for this episode - accepting the unknown and

riddle of life. 

This episode is so much more than yoga. It's a philosophy on life, art,

eating chocolate, living out of car and everything in between. Vincent is a

wonderful teacher, creative, comedian and artist and his philosophies and

insights transcend far beyond the mat.

One smoothie at a time, we are on a mission to inspire and empower New

Zealanders to realize the age old truth – food is medicine. 

- Graedon Parker/Organic Mechanic - 

Welcome to episode #9 of #DOUGIT with Graedon Parker - smoothie rockstar

and one of the founders of Organic Mechanic.

I feel so lucky to have met this guy and his extended Organic Mechanic

family and to now have the chance to share his story the OM amazing Organic

Kombucha! Using the promo code "DOUGIT" you wonderful listeners will get

20% off your first subscription of this delicious elixir of health - Order

here.

“The greatest wealth is health”

Virgil

Yolo! And welcome to episode #8 with Tanz! Aka Tanya Ellison from the

Wellness Hub.

It's bananas how those who care the most about food often also stress the

most about food. During this talk with Tanya we cover off why this is, the

big food issues, the big not food issues, her story overcoming Graves

disease (an autoimmune condition of the thyroid), her health

recommendations, why you should be open in life and business and drum roll

please.... How you can win a 6 pack of Tanya's impressive cold pressed

juices from the Wellness Hub in their spritely new glass jar which are

totally Instagramable!!! #delicious :P

Not only is Hannah an amazing artist, she's an amazing Yogi, loving

caregiver/volunteer and beautiful friend. For me she is the definition of

success - she works hard, she does what she loves with such beautiful

energy, she loves the process, her smile is vibrant, her heart is kind and

she knows how to have fun. Even singing Karaoke for fun, and weight

loss... believe it or not, but a good excuse to sing more.

Her story is enthralling. Her art practice fascinating. Her morning routine

uplifting. Her energy contagious. She is well traveled, honest, and a true

world changer, adding a little bit of joy to everybody and every moment

that she meets...

There is no end, there is no destination, there is only the journey. - Jay Goodey Apa Kabar!? (How are you in Indonesian) Welcome to episode #6 of #DOUGIT with Jay Goodey from ONCEIT. This episode is brought to you from the beautiful beaches, waves, beers, yoga studios, sunsets, and dragonfruit bowls of Bali. Jay, my brother Harry (who features on Piano during the intro) and took a little week escape to Canggu to escape the NZ winter. It's a magical place to spend sometime, living like a king for a week for the the price of Ponsonby haircut. Jay is an old young friend from New Plymouth, #Taradise aka Taranaki. He has always been an entrepreneurial man of many talents dabbling in painting, fashion design, writing and playing music, editing film, surfing waves and just being a super humble and genuine nice guy. The kind of guy who when my brother was sick dropped what he was doing and took a week off work just to be by his bed side. I am very grateful to have him as a friend, a sounding board for ideas, and as a reliable friday night burger and beer and now bali buddy. It was a pleasure to sit down with him for a quick chat, sacrificing some surf and Bintangs in paradise, to share some of his ideas, stories and inspiration on his fashion rags to online retain riches. In this episode we cover off how he got started with Onceit - which is now one NZ's fastest growing businesses, doubling year on year in size and now with over 250,000 members - why he wanted to quit everyday for the first year, to his daily rituals, company culture tips, favourite vegetable, a book about frogs (reddit ;), how to dream big by thinking small, working backwards to go forwards, and how Tony Robbins is much more than a Memphis Meltdown parody. I hope you get plenty out of this episode, make sure you check out Onceit, think of three things to be grateful for, think three things you want to achieve today, and enjoy riding the wave on board and in life where ever you may be. As always any reviews, comments, shares would be much appreciated. Hope you dougit and terima kasih (thank you in Indonesian) for listening, it means a lot to me. Think less, experience more, : Doug References: Eat that Frog Tony Robbins - Hour of Power.

"We all die. The goal isn't to live forever, the goal is to create something that will." - Chuck Palahniuk' Ciao bella! Welcome to episode #5, of #DOUGIT with Camden Howitt from Sustainable Coastlines. Cam is the man, and not just because it rhymes, like "hey ho lets go", but because he is also a tip top kiwi bloke and the General Manager and Communications Director for multi-award winning New Zealand charity Sustainable Coastlines. In his (increasingly medium rare Broccoli on the BBQ) spare time he also shoots photos, writes, designs websites, crafts infographics and works on brand strategy for several organisations through his whale of good time design agency - Whale Shark In our short but sweet, Eight Thirty caffeinated conversation at their new Auckland urban refurbished, reused #sustainable, camping headquarters we dive head first mouth open into some shitty, how was single use plastic ever a good idea, problems that can't be resolved Kardashian style with a bit of surgery - #nobigbutts ifs or maybes. Truth is, New Zealand and the world has more than 99 problems, and single use plastic is a big one - I'd add turmeric to my smoothie and dairy and agriculture to the top of that list too. So much so we can't swim in half of our rivers a 100% of the time, and 90% of them when it rains, because when it rains it pours and pollutes with plastics and a variety of things all of which end up in our H2-0hhno, which is just bananas and as a percentage more toxic than Kardashians reality TV. Who's to blame? I don't know. Shaggy would say it wasn't him. Too be honest I ate all my flat mates cookies this weekend, and it's all of us. Good/bad advertising, lack of awareness, too many Kanye's rapping rubbish, too many cows, dags and Israel Dagg's repping Powerade and not enough power to the people. However it's not all Michael Jackson Bad and that movie Blue Valentine is sad. But there is a solar powered flash light at the end of the tunnel, with a BBQ, people planting trees, kids cleaning up beaches and sometimes a guy named Jack last named after your old fella, "Johnson", making every problem that seems so bananas in to "Banana Pancakes" #smoothsegue - all thanks to the Cam & Co at Sustainable Coastlines. These guys/girls and friendly volunteers for SC, like most have sexy dreams, about Scarlett Jo and Ryan Go. But also sexy sustainable dreams about a better reality. One with inspired people, healthy waters and beautiful beaches. And unlike dreams about naked celebrities this is one you can be apart of. So don't stay "Sitting, Waiting, Watching". Know that we're "Better Together". And together we can turn this problem "Upside Down", lessen the "Plastic Traffic in the Sky" and waterways, and be an "Angel" to mother nature. Because there's "No Other Way" and you "Never Know" what a "Fortunate Fool" you are and how big a change you can make - #JackJohnson. On that musical note, make sure the only thing you wrap plastic in is a penis and maybe your hands if your a doctor and doing heart surgery after peeling spuds. Let's make a lasting change and get down and dirty planting trees rather than polluting waterwas. Check out the video below of - MIDWAY a Message from the Gyre and the events that Sustainable Coastlines have coming up. And remember to do be the change, be nice to people, eat your greens and know... "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito." — The Dalai Lama Think less, and experience more, :Doug

'Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles. It takes away today's peace.' - Randy Armstrong Kon'nichiwa, and welcome to episode #4 of #DOUGIT with Tim Lepper. Did you see surfer Mick Fanning get attacked by a shark last week???!!! S&^t was bananas, scare me out of pyjamas, crazy! Check it out here if you haven't. After watching the footage I felt I had a new lease on life. A good lease, with free upgrades, regular Omega 3 oil checks and insurance for off road, in the surf, where ever in the world adventures. The world felt abundant with opportunity. And all from seeing some surfer dude named Mick be knocked off his board by Jaws and come out unscathed. Everything was better than okay, it was coconut ice cream hokey pokey ice cream, you scream, I scream, "shark"! ohh wow you're still alive, lets go get an ice cream, "okay, can I get two scoops", sure thing buddy! Funnily enough seeing Jaws at J-Bay (the surf break, not a pot smoking hang out) did not make me scared of surfing or sharks or more risk adverse, rather the opposite. To realise there's a shark potentially waiting for us everyday in the ocean of life is a liberating feeling. To feel the fear and do it anyway, that's how I want to live. It makes a rejected date, having flatulence in yoga, seeing your granddad losing his memory, and spending an hour trying to teach seniors how to use facebook all seem so small and trivial, and in the face of 800 pounds with nasty dentistry ultimately insignificant. On your death bed you wont remember the small things, but you will tell your kid about surfing with great whites. And that sharky segue brings me to my dear fear adverse friend Tim Lepper. Trade swell for snow, and J-Bay for Japan, and like Mick, Timmy recently had a life changing scare as he broke his back while back flipping on skis. No novice to extreme sports, Tim had been flipping and flopping for many years as an accomplished skier, kite surfer, adventurer, and explorer. For him the risk of turning his world around and upside down was was as routine as cooking toast, yet on this day something went a miss and the toast landed macadamia butter side down on a cold Japanese floor. Head over heels he fell, not in a good way, over rotating he landed on his back, and fractured his T-12 thoracic vertebrae. Lucky not to be paralysed, he had feelings in his extremities and balls and also feelings of "this sucks snow balls!" and "how do you say "why me" in Japanese?". Also luckily, or more accurately diligently, Timmy had off-piste insurance which after some negotiation with the insurance company, doctors who were concerned about his infrequent shitting in a bed pan, and some nurses who spoke no english but tried to spell out to him to do an Evel - f*^&^g stupid - Knievel bed to bed transfer he managed to get himself and his broken back back to NZ on business class. On his return he was carrying some extra plastic around his mid drift, plenty of stories and greeted by a happy as Larry/Lepper family. The waves of hugs and "would you like another cup of tee T?" soon faded to the reality that the rest of his travels would be put on the back burner/breaker and there was a long road ahead of not being on the road. With little to do for a guy who's used to doing a lot I could only imagine how difficult this would of been physically, and more importantly mentally. However, seeing opportunity in the obstacle, our zen master and enlightened mate Shaneo, convinced Timmy to join him for a 10 day silent Vipassana meditation retreat, after all, there's not many times in your life where your only option is to take the next 10 days and sit around doing nothing, except maybe a back to back cricket test match. To be honest, I didn't think he would do it. Unlike the happiest guy I know, Shaneo, Tim's never done any meditation or even looked into such an adventure of the inner workings of the mind. I wasn't sure he would be allowed by doctors for medical reasons, by his parents becau

Hola amigos! Welcome to #DOUGIT episode #3 - Train Your Brain with Ryan Everton. What are 10 ways bananas will become extinct tomorrow? I don't know, one idea I had was that slipping on a banana would become a crime punishable by death. The risk of eating bananas would then be too high that supply and subsequent demand would dry up. Sounds a bit bananas doesn't it? Well that's the kind of question Ryan Everton asks of himself and others everyday. Who is Ryan don't you ask? He is a self described performance freak, blogger and entrepreneur. He is someone who lives an unconventional life. Some people say he's an idiot. Other people say he changed their life. I'm certainly in the later. A few months back Ryan visited New Plymouth, to help out his friend Toby Dixon create his own sustainable retreat in #taradise/taranaki, which we talk about in the podcast. A day or two before we recorded this conversation we all got together for what was to be an delightful dinner of unconventional thinkers over an unconventional banana curry recipe I got from my recent trip to Kerala, India. As the curry was a bit bananas so was the conversation. As two future guests of the podcast, Tim Lepper and Shaneo, as well as Ryan, Toby, Toby's Cousin, and my family got together to share stories and exploits on living a life less ordinary. Tim had recently quit his job and gone skiing in Japan but had broken his back in the process, Shaneo had just Kayaked from the North to South Island of New Zealand for kicks; Toby had quit his job as an engineer to build his Eco retreat; my dad had just returned from his length of Africa bike ride (Episode 1 - A Life Less Ordinary); I had come home with a new third eye from surfing into rocks in India, see blog post here; Toby's Cousin had just left a very lucrative project management roll to get a dog and build things; my brother, the piano man on the podcast, had returned from an epic fishing adventure guiding in the South Island; and mum had just said "au revoir" to Paris after spending two months there learning French with my sister - she had also supplied half the dinner from her own organic garden and as usual brought all her amour and hospitalité to the table. At one point during the dinner, courtesy of Shaneo, the happiest person I know, I had to leave the table and lie down in the room next door as I was suffocating under my own laughter and Ryan wasn't fearing much better. It truly was an exceptionally bananas, delicious and magnificent evening and one for a later podcast conversation with Shaneo. Speaking of bananas and exceptional, that brings me back to Ryan. Ryan is a big man, he's six foot 5 and some, who takes big strides towards to big dreams. He is also a quitter which is no Oxymoron, nor is he a moron. He had a scholarship to Berkley that he left, a Law Degree that he doesn't use, leaves his family and friends when they make him feel average and had a French girlfriend he left who also left him with an idea he used to build his Eco cup business Globelet - supplying festivals around New Zealand with a sustainable reusable cups that look pretty nifty when you're getting tipsy. When he's not helping people get sustainably smashed at festivals he is traveling the world doing what he loves, picking up girls, putting down books, picking up tips, putting down a lot of food on a cheat day (see the video here) writing insightful provocative blog posts, being mentored by John Romaniello who heads up Arnold Schwarzenegger's fitness team, and helping people quit their job and realise they are already, like Dorothy, wearing the magic slippers and only a decision away from doing what they love. One thing that impresses me with Ryan is his perspective. To view the world and himself with a critical and discerning eye from 6 foot 5+ in the sky. To realise that we must make plans to achieve what we want, we must rise above our default setting/the lizard mind, we must break the shackles of societal norms a