Jacs Takeover #1: Chat with Scott
Good morning, turtles. This week, you are getting a Jackie takeover of Scott's podcast, one day at a time. I am a member of the turtle program and a huge fan of the community and all you wonderful people who help make turtle what it is. This week, we're going to be having one to one chats with the coaches about themselves, questions you've put forward, and around the theme of the Octagon Challenge. So, strap in.
Speaker 1:This is my first time leading a podcast. It is a huge fear of mine, but at Turtle, we are all about trying new things, all about pushing ourselves to be the best version that we can be. So here I am leading a podcast. There you are getting your steps in, tuning into Scott's podcast, living your best life. So let's get to it.
Speaker 1:First up is the very original, very awesome Scott Blair. So good morning, everybody. First on the podcast this week before the Octagon Challenge kicks off is one of the cofounders of Turtles, Scott Fleer. Welcome to your own podcast.
Speaker 2:Well, I've never I've never heard of this podcast. I'm really pumped for it. I'm really excited.
Speaker 1:Rave reviews. Everybody loves to wake up to the dulcet tones of your Welsh accent. So I'm sure they're pleased to hear it this morning.
Speaker 2:In a different setting. I'm you guys, I'm here for it. What's going on, Becky? Hit me with some questions.
Speaker 1:So what we're going to do guys is take you through the questions that you all submitted to me on Instagram about Scott, things you want to know, and we're theming them around the eight different parts of the Octagon Challenge sometimes themed fairly loosely. But the first question that I thought was really relevant for many of your listeners who haven't met you is what is Scott Fleer like in real life?
Speaker 2:Exactly the same as someone podcast. Exactly the same. I'd say direct as hell. Potentially, most people explain me as, I'd say it's quite intense, would you not say?
Speaker 1:We're all here for you, Scott. I'm interested in what you think.
Speaker 2:I think bit foolish in a sense, having a laugh, but also love to chat about stuff that's not superficial. So yeah, much, that's my phone. Pretty much, I would say direct, doesn't like to chat about fluffy stuff, probably will always get something deeper in real life with me in the conversation. Bit foolish, have a laugh, but still talk busier stuff. And what else?
Speaker 2:Yeah, basically same. I'm not even joking, like things are exactly the same.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree. Very consistent, very authentic person. So we've got a whole lot of really nosy people and starting with the theme of nutrition. Everyone wants to know how many breakfasts you've had today.
Speaker 2:How many breakfasts I had? I actually didn't have breakfast today.
Speaker 1:Why not?
Speaker 2:I just didn't feel okay. Actually decided today to, I went to the shop down the road, this fancy little shop called Bailey and Sage. I thought, I'll go and buy some quality ingredients. And believe it or not, Jackie, I made some pasta today.
Speaker 1:Nice, nice chef.
Speaker 2:Really quick, two minutes in frying, the boiling hot pan apparently the instructions were. But yeah, sort of massive meal pasta with two chicken breasts today, I'm big. I tend to just want to eat in big batches, so breakfast isn't really a thing for me.
Speaker 1:And then on that note then, what's your average day like? When do you wake up and when do you go to sleep and what happens during the middle of it?
Speaker 2:Wake up usually at six. But if I'm doing a live workout, which I do Mondays and Wednesdays now, which I will be doing next week from Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, I'll wake up at half five because I don't want to be looking tired on the Zooms for you guys. I don't want you to go on a Zoom tired when you see me going, Oh my God, I'm so tired. I want you to go, thanks, go energy. So I need to wake up early, get coffee and all that, but I have to read in the morning, I have to do it.
Speaker 2:I have to read for an hour or I feel really annoyed. So I wake up at six, I'll get a coffee and I'll read for an hour at least, sometimes even two hours, eight till nine, just getting ready, admin, stuff like that. And then whatever the day brings because I run the entire operation, it just varies all the time. So it'll be like getting ready for the challenge, loads of Zoom calls to the app development team happens a lot. Talking to the team, have a turtle, which is very So we've got warehouse in Wales, we've got a lot of employees also at remote workers.
Speaker 2:So doing all our stuff, we do a lot of write in. I look at loads of research studies every day and then pick out ones that are the best to get designed for Instagram and ones that I want to hold on in my bank and the brain so I can explain to people. But without going for hours, that doesn't stop. So I could do a technique all day, but my day usually finishes at 9PM. I do my voice mail to 8PM and I finish at nine somehow.
Speaker 2:And I say, six till nine is my days to be honest.
Speaker 1:Goodness, that's a long day. That speaks to a lot of passion for what you're doing, which leads us into the next theme of Octagon, which is training. Now, most businesses fail within two years from startup, but I have been a member of Turo for two years myself and I know it's been going longer than that and we've seen it go from strength to strength. What do you think has kept you guys going and succeeding?
Speaker 2:Well, it's a unique combination of one we call Louise's, we had Louise's reach and people did kind of trust her because she had her own little fitness journey. We also had that Louise and Ryan combination where Ryan was PT and had also had a trustworthy angle to himself because he'd put himself out there. And then basically my self knowledge from business to come together to make it happen. Usually most businesses fail because if you think about when they start off, you might have an idea of a product or a service, but then you go, oh, we need a marketing agency, or we need a copywriter, or we need to do email marketing, or we need to do Facebook ads. And that could be potentially three different agencies.
Speaker 2:And then you've got to do the product, and then you've got to do, you get a product design and stuff. And you've essentially got like four or five agencies on the go, or at least one major agency costing a lot per month. And that costs money, you're in net negative straight away. But luckily, all three of those skills and things come together perfectly. So when we started, I was able to do all the business sites, copywriting, product creation, like challenge design, getting manufacturing because I had that with Rugby Warfare.
Speaker 2:I had my own designer as well. So we were able to just put together everything that I learned and those two learned actually. So our costs were just our time or just my time. Then flew. But I think the reason it stayed successful is because we're very human, I think.
Speaker 2:If people don't see it, we essentially swap our time and lives for you guys during challenges, especially because that's how much we care to make it work. We bring in so many different stuff that other coaches are happy just doing Instagram posts and sitting back with a bit of cash. They don't want to get involved talking one to one to loads of random people on the internet and taking on everyone's problems. They just want kind of put a fun post up once a day, make a bit of coin, maybe send an email out and kind of keep that distance that we've gone all in. Like we know so many of you personally and we know more people personally.
Speaker 2:We know so many of you personally that other people just kind of might have seen him at events like, oh, hello. Of see you comment sometimes you're like a super fan, but actually nothing more than that.
Speaker 1:Yeah. And I'd agree with that with my own experience. You guys, because you go deep, it means that the changes in my life has been much more lasting than if it had just been you responding to an Instagram post every now and then.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:It's interesting though, one of the one of the questions that was asked, which I thought was very true for you guys, is you encourage us to recognise our achievements, but you play down your own impact in helping us achieve those things. Why do you do that, do you think?
Speaker 2:I've played it down, people play themselves down. Though I could give you the best system in the world, I could tell you, read this book, do this training system with listen to Doctor. P, but that still doesn't do anything. You still have to do the work and you still have to wake up every day and decide to want to improve yourself. So whilst the plan was we think what we're doing is like, I think the thing we put ahead is like, what I think personally is the best thing changing, like getting into a read and all this stuff.
Speaker 2:But yeah, it still takes loads of work on the other side. I think it's one of those things in there, like when you do the changes and it works for yourself, know, cause you've done the change, you go, Oh my gosh, amazing. Thanks so much for the system. And then we're like, Well, from our side, we've given you this system and you've deployed it, which takes a lot of work. So you don't need I think it's a bit of both obviously, but I think I think it only works if the person's willing to open up to change.
Speaker 2:And that's the biggest problem in health and fitness. Most people start to plan off with conclusions like, I shouldn't eat carbs, I shouldn't do this, they're so closed off. They're not open to learning. That's the hardest part.
Speaker 1:I think that's true. Also think it is a very modest answer. Going back to your earlier point, the fact that you guys bring so much authenticity and your whole selves to. The turtle program does mean that it's more than just a system that you're giving us because you give us all of you, which is pretty awesome and pretty special and and really leads the community. On the next topic, which is aligned on running now, I know that you run like Super Mario, so I won't ask you about running tips, But is there a plan to run for world domination, and how can we help you guys do that?
Speaker 2:Run?
Speaker 1:Well, take Turtle Global.
Speaker 2:Oh, how can we take Turtle Global?
Speaker 1:Yeah, so running a business into a global meter. So it was a tangent tool link.
Speaker 2:I I see. Don't know if Turtle can be global. I don't know if it can scale. I don't think it can scale more maybe than it does because of the human element of it. Unless we keep bringing in, this is why we've had conversations with other members in this on weekly reviews and stuff.
Speaker 2:It's like bringing in people to Turtles, experts and stuff, it's hard because if we want someone to be kind of a permanent part of the team who is world class, we're not going to be able to get them full time because they've got their own gigs going on, which is understandable. But we need someone to be able to give their time on a one to one basis with a massive Zoom call and take people's lives on board and get to know people. We need people who can commit that way, which I'm saying? To find those people, if you could help us find 10 more people like that, then you could potentially scale. But I think the way it's going to scale is through the macros app.
Speaker 2:Like when we do the new launch with a new design, it's not going to be just macros, it's a mobile virtual lifestyle coach. I think if that's the starting point everybody has, if if we can get millions of people in the world with our app, learning about macros, learning about flexible approach to eat and learning about their own data. If we can get lots of people involved just with our part, that will change loads. And then if they want to evolve basically to the rest of the stuff like mindset and book club and all the challenge based stuff, then happy days. But I think if you think about you, we can all think about the add ons we've got.
Speaker 2:So if I zoom back to Live Like Louise starting days, the thing that gave people freedom wasn't mindset Q and A, the thing that give people freedom mindfully was macros because they realized, oh, I can eat what I want. And I am losing weight and I'm not feeling like I'm dieting. Now I feel free. And it's not about learning about the chimp or any book club thing we did. It started off with macros, but we forget that because we've got all these things we add on.
Speaker 2:So really getting people to understand macros and eating whatever food you want is key.
Speaker 1:Sent Scott a screenshot of something a friend sent to me who's on Turtle who described macros as a gentle solution and very freeing, which I thought was quite beautiful.
Speaker 2:That is nice. Yeah, that's exactly what it is. If you could get people to learn that, I mean, it simplifies everything. Think of how simple it is. It's true.
Speaker 2:It's
Speaker 1:true. And I do think mindset did play a good secondary piece to that though. One of the questions that's come through a few times from people is, do you Scott ever fall into the valley of despair? Or do you find that now you've got the mindset and still some knowledge to prevent that even happening?
Speaker 2:I do fall into yeah, I think I am what more secure in the mind though. I remember on Saturday, I felt a bit overwhelmed and a bit. And then I went into town and I saw a table with loads of sandwiches on it, a cover garden. Was like, why is it a table loads of random looking sandwiches? And then I turned the corner and I saw this massive line of homeless people.
Speaker 2:And I was like, oh, and I thought, wow, that's put my struggles into perspective. And then I felt better straight away. I'm very good at being able to go quite extreme and go, well, there's people right now literally dying or whatever. And that helps me. For some people it doesn't help me.
Speaker 2:But for some people it doesn't help them. But for me, I can pull out in straight away and use it. And if you say that to people who are going through shit, sometimes it backfires. Someone's going through a hard time, you go, yeah, what about people in Africa? Like, no, it doesn't work.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I can do that. I do go through value despair though. Doing the same thing every day over and over in your own flat. I work on my own because I have to essentially, because if I work with other people, I can't focus, distracts me, but I am in my own head all day. So that is its own battle and I've been doing that since 2016 with Rugby Offers to go travel the world and just be on my own work in my own head.
Speaker 2:So that's where I got the skills I reckon. I can safely be alone in my own head for days. That's the main thing. I think people can't do that. People can't spend like a day in their own mind and they freak out.
Speaker 1:It's true. And you've talked to us a lot about stepping away from social media and constantly needing to report and actually being peaceful in our own minds.
Speaker 2:100%. I know post social media, like I go on it, I use it and this is true. I only use social media because of the business angle, to make sure people know what's going on about turtle. I might show some book stuff. Sometimes I think, oh, this is quite cool.
Speaker 2:Share that. Okay.
Speaker 1:That was the topic of mindset and mental health. But moving on to mobility and flexibility, we're gonna go mental flexibility with you. How has your mindset changed over the last few years, do you think?
Speaker 2:More sensitive.
Speaker 1:Since starting turtle.
Speaker 2:Been more I'm now more sensitive.
Speaker 1:Sensitive how, what does that mean?
Speaker 2:I just used to be I'm still direct. Used to be Oh my God. Some people it would really go in the wrong way. I'd be really direct because that's what think cuts through the most. If someone says something and I just go straight in the answer, like can't remember what example I brought up some the other day actually.
Speaker 2:But it's like, if someone says to me now over and over, like I'm in a calorie deficit, I don't lose weight. I'm not losing weight. And I've done it for four weeks, for example. Back in the day, I'd be like, well, you're not in a calorie deficit, are you? And if you are, and you're not losing weight, you're the abnormality to the human race, which I don't think is true.
Speaker 2:And that's kind of too direct and force it. Do know I mean? It's bit punchy. I would be like, I understand you're trying to lose weight, think you're in a deficit, etcetera, etcetera. But let me share some research with you about tracking and all this stuff.
Speaker 2:And let's go into this to see if there's any errors in your tracking, first of all, which is very normal. A lot of people have errors in their track and it could be that we're missing a few things. It could be the weekends that are a bit higher than we think, etcetera, etcetera. Let's go in and inquire about this and have a look into it as a team. Come on, you're not on a calorie deficit, shut up.
Speaker 1:I think the problem is people really believe that they are. I mean, I know, as you know, they're better than they weigh for years. When I thought I was eating 1,200 calories, I actually would I think I eat more now than I did when I was desperately battling losing weight. But it wasn't that I didn't think I was telling the truth. It's just that I didn't have the tools.
Speaker 1:So I think you being kinda gives people permission to learn and grow rather than being told off.
Speaker 2:No, no, exactly. If you keep answering back sharp and direct like that, our people then get scared to even ask questions because they feel they get cut down.
Speaker 1:You mentioned we'll turn up, but Scott's telling off every week.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly. It's not a good place. And who am I to tell people off? As if I'm a perfect angel type of thing. So, yeah, I think that's the biggest change.
Speaker 1:Well, terms of who you are and on the topic of reading and learning, rumor has it that you're the direct descendant of Marcus Aurelius. That's true. Napoleon, you're like there you have a child somehow. When did your love of you and math custodians begin? Stoicism really?
Speaker 2:I think it was when I was listening to like Jim Rohn a lot. People have listened to him as like seminars and I was on my way to work. I used to drive from Cardiff to Bristol to work every day. I was working as a head of SEO in Bristol when I was like in 2014 and I used to drive an hour, an hour back, so two hours a day of listening to audio books. I was listening to Jim Rohn who was really good and he mentioned the stoics in one of them.
Speaker 2:Was like, what's stoics? What are the stoics? And I remember listening then to, I thought, okay, I'll get this number one stoic book, which is meditations and I put on order book and it was terrible. I was like, what is this nonsense? It sounds terrible.
Speaker 2:I didn't understand it was the personal notes of Marcus Aurelius. I thought it was meditations as in like yoga stuff. I was confused like, what is this book? But then I think it was like Tim Ferriss maybe spoke about Seneca and then I read about Seneca, then I read about Ryan Holiday, Daily Stoic, about Marcus Aurelius. And then I looked into Max Release more as the character.
Speaker 2:And then that's when I realized who he was and all the sayings and quote from him. But I didn't go back to the meditations for years. So I people dissecting it for me back in the day. So I was like, don't know what the meditations is a bit difficult to read, but then more translations came out then with better translations, like easier to read. And then when I read it again, with way more understanding who the guy was, what stoicism was as a whole, what stoicism did for modern day CBT and all this stuff, how it all connects and all this, reading about Epictetus as well.
Speaker 2:Then when I read them again, I was like, well, this is amazing. This meditation is unbelievable piece of work. Took years though. I it's hard sometimes you go into stoicism and you're like, what is it? And you're like, Marcus Aurelius, and it gets confusing.
Speaker 2:But once you learn about the stoics and how they started to today, you see it as a wide bird's eye view, you appreciate it way more. So ten years ago, probably we started.
Speaker 1:It's a long time to follow something and to continually get value and growth out of it and to be sharing that with all of us. Pretty lucky. It's like a doctorate without that fancy hat.
Speaker 2:Therefore
Speaker 1:Thinking of fancy hats, a chef hat, the last topic of Optagon is cooking. So everyone wants to know where you cook up all this energy to be able to do everything you do. You run multiple businesses. You bring your best self in the mornings to train us. You're working insanely long days.
Speaker 1:How do you do it all, Scott? I
Speaker 2:don't know. I've always wanted to do I'm not going to say that, that's not fair. I come from a very working class background. So like council estate, nobody really had money around where I lived. It was a nice place or like people always say like, I'm from this place.
Speaker 2:Like, will never change my upbringing ever. But looking back at it now, we're going home now and looking at it for different lens, wow, there's not much opportunity back here. Is a bit on the lower end. So I always think about that where I could be back home. So I think I'm in London, in a flat in London, I can wake up and read, I can wake up and help people.
Speaker 2:And I just learn appreciative and I keep like, obviously, I keep thinking sometimes like, oh, I got to get up and I go, come on, so I'll like, it could be way worse, are where you are now because you've done things that you wanted to do. Do know I mean? So let's bring it back to that all the time. And then what excuse do you have? What have you got back to that Complaining.
Speaker 2:Some people will complain about everything forever in their life. Sad, I think it's normal to complain like an automatic reaction because it's quite inner, it's like a thing we do. Brent for you to drag her out and then let us sap energy from you.
Speaker 1:Is there something or someone that's inspired you to think this way? Because it's, I agree with your attitude, but most people have gone through some pretty tough times to value what you seem to value instinctively or through learning. There something that shaped you particularly or just your upbringing generally?
Speaker 2:Upbringing, I'm trying to think, I've always Do you know when you think is in nature or nurture? I've been the same person, I swear Don, I've been the same person since I was 10. I feel like I'm the same person. I used to have conversations with my mother. I remember conversation with my mother all the time being like, As long as you got a roof over your head, blah, blah, be happy, all this stuff.
Speaker 2:And you just talk about stuff. So I always used to have those conversations there. I don't think I've changed much, but then I think, yeah, like back home maybe wanting to prove myself probably pushed me a lot. I think I remember when I first started a fitness website at like 16 or 17, It was terrible, I went to learn to do it and I eventually sold it. I remember some boys being like, they make jokes about it and they're Oh God, just complete a new website boy.
Speaker 2:Go and play a new website. And then I started rugby off. I remember going Cardiff back. So I was living in Bristol, went back to Cardiff for rugby game. And one of the boys, I don't like this group of boys, they're just there.
Speaker 2:And they were like, Oh, what are you doing? I'm printing t shirts. As if they simplify it down to the most bit as if it's nothing. It's like building a brand. So when I realized that I was like these goons back home.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I just didn't want to be like, and I just knew what happened to reading. I remember reading Alan Sugar's autobiography was one of the first major books I read non fiction when I was younger. And he came from a really poor background and reading his story was amazing. So when I read that, my girlfriend at the time basically finished me because I was reading a book all the time. I was literally reading a book all the time and always on my was saved up to get an Apple Mac and I was always on the Mac all the time as if it was my kid.
Speaker 2:He basically is like, yeah, you just on your MacBook all the time read now and show this geography. So you came over and you didn't speak to me. I was like, sounds about right. Sounds about right to me. So I've always just been, I've always wanted more on it.
Speaker 1:It sounds like you're bit of a dreamer, which is part of it too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, then do what I realized as well, I never panic, don't panic even in the worst scenarios when I was in loads of debt. I remember rugby warfare had a bill of like $42 from DHL. One point just came out of nowhere. And I was like, well, I don't know if it's $2 right now. The first half an hour was like a bit of a panic, oh, shit, what I'm going to do?
Speaker 2:But what I always found that I do is I always write the problem out and get a plan in place. I'm like, right, I've got a plan now. And if I just execute this plan, I'm doing the best I can and it'll work out somehow. Maybe if it doesn't, doesn't, but this is what I have to do. And I just don't panic about it.
Speaker 2:Just do it.
Speaker 1:Nice. I mean, that's what resilience is all about. Lots of people have to go through the pain in order to be able to recognize that they can't control it and therefore need to work on that. But you've shortcut that.
Speaker 2:Also like I said, got involved a lot of online communities back in the day as well. Kind of like you guys got involved with fitness. I got involved with a lot of marketing ones and business ones online when I was younger. And I helped me with the mindset stuff. Was always learning and stuff.
Speaker 2:So being part of a community was huge.
Speaker 1:Yeah, community is everything I think. And learned Thanks to you guys. Yeah. Last question. And this was a question that was given to me in a Google interview, and I thought it would be perfect for you, Scott.
Speaker 1:You've been given a turtle. You can't give it away or sell it. What are you gonna do with the turtle?
Speaker 2:So I've been given a turtle. I can't
Speaker 1:Give it away or sell it. What are you gonna do with the turtle?
Speaker 2:Help nourish it, help it live its best life.
Speaker 1:Perfect. What's it going to be called?
Speaker 2:Tophono, maybe Totilius. Totilius Fleer.
Speaker 1:Totilius, he lives his best life. Awesome.
Speaker 2:Question, what is the answer gonna be for that then?
Speaker 1:I don't know, it's meant to be an assessment of how creative you are and how outside of the box you can think. And I mean, I think it pretty much you just spoke to your true self. Spoke directly to the mission of Octagon. It's all about helping us all be our best versions of ourselves. And also, think you're committed to doing that for you as well, which is wicked.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well, I'm not doing that, well, can't listen to me, I'm really keen.
Speaker 1:Imagine
Speaker 2:I'm just like doing the opposite of everything I tell you to do. And you see me one day and you're like, you're smoking and you're eating six donuts outside and you're on your own, you're doing anything and you're not reading. And then just what are you doing? And I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm just telling you guys what to do. I'm doing it myself.
Speaker 2:Don't be silly. What's that phrase? Do as I say, nor as I do. Exactly. I think about that.
Speaker 2:I'm like, you can't be that person. You can't.
Speaker 1:Role model. Gotta be the best.
Speaker 2:Gotta be the best.
