Hi, I'm Keisha Pettit, executive producer of this podcast, and this is Not an Overnight
Success brought to you by Shure and Partners Financial Services.
In this podcast, we sit down with some very successful people from the world of business,
entertainment and sport, and we chat about their life's journey and what got them to
the position that they're in today.
I'm just jumping in for the intro here as unfortunately our man Gussie has been a little
bit unwell, but he will be back with you next week.
And luckily we got to record this episode with Cam and Jules beforehand.
So in today's episode, we are chatting with Cam and Jules.
Now, you might know Cam and Jules from where they've met and fell in love on our screens
on Married at First Sight.
But now five years later, with a legally binding marriage, a son and multiple businesses,
this couple have shown us that both relationships and businesses are not built overnight.
In this chat, we talk about their love story and the realities of reality TV.
Jules and Cam give us a bit more than a peek behind the curtain to let us know what actually
happens behind the scenes.
I found that really interesting, to be honest.
We speak about their upbringings and how they each found their purpose, as well as
where life is headed for them in business and as a family.
Something that I didn't know before this episode was Cam's story of his very dark
days. And in this episode, he spoke really vulnerably about his struggles and what led
him to be a part of the Gotcha for Life family.
As for all these podcasts, Sure and Partners have generously donated $10,000 to the charity
A Choice of each of our guests.
And we'll talk about who that money goes to in this chat.
A big thank you to our production assistants, Kelly Stubbs and Brittany Hughes.
Now it's time for me to hand it over to Gus, where he'll get into the chat with Cam and
Jules and Cam, welcome to the podcast.
Fantastic for you to be here.
Well, we're in your home.
Thank you for having us.
Beautiful family home on the northern beaches of Sydney.
And I've got to say, Jules, I'm assuming it's yours.
Beautiful touch around the place.
Thanks to the assumption, mate.
I appreciate that.
I've had nothing to do with it.
But no, Jules has done a magnificent job.
Everything she's done.
Thank you very much.
I have put a bit of effort into the house and we're getting there slowly but surely.
Like any family having their first time, it takes time, doesn't it?
Of course it does.
Of course it does.
But this is beautiful and you're in a great spot.
I want to talk to you guys mainly because Cam and I have been friends for a long time.
You're an ambassador of my Gotcha for Life.
But Jules, you came into his life through a strange sort of way of doing it, I suppose.
The TV show MAPS, which is the number one show, I think, in Australia, probably the
last series where it actually was about love.
Can you talk us through the experience of going to get into the show rather than actually
So I actually auditioned.
So I actually made a video of myself.
I wasn't scouted like Cam and many people that are on it.
I actually did a video of myself and was like, I am a catch.
I've looked around the whole world and I can't find my guy.
So that was basically it.
The application process was really interesting because you asked yourself some really deep
questions and I was very honest and I was quite vulnerable and I just really was who
I was and I didn't go in there going, oh, I'm this and I'm that and I'm super confident
I just wore my heart on my sleeve and luckily they matched me with someone who understood
So it was incredible.
We look back now and we both say we were so naive to think that we went in with this positive
mind and my game plan, if there is such thing, was if I don't like him, I'll just leave
I mean, you see what happens on that show.
It can really not, you know, it can ruin some people's lives for a while.
So we have nothing but, you know, we're so fortunate and look back on it as a magical
time to now show our child and our children one day how we met, which is we have on High
Definition from Channel 9, which is amazing.
When we got married for real, we had our own video man doing our wedding video for us and
then we watched it back and we were like, oh, it looks a bit odd and I'm like, we're
We've had everything in High Definition and yeah, but they're really beautiful.
They gave it to us on a hard drive.
So we've got that to show our family one day, which is incredible to look back on.
And it was a great experience.
So as I said, very fortunate.
Well, we saw it through the eyes of Cam, of course, you know, a bloke that we knew and
really a cricketer, you know, and all of a sudden he's on this TV show and it was actually
So I didn't know, mate, that they sort of handpicked you or handpicked you to be in
I didn't know that.
So what was that process all about?
My process was a Wednesday night down at the Stain, no, sorry, down at the Wharf Bar,
having a couple of froffies with mates.
And funny enough, they were all lined up just along the table, three mates, all married,
And it was just me.
So it was just, and then he had a couple of producers that came along said, excuse me,
guys, is anyone single here?
And my mates all pointed me, yep, that bloke and I said, oh God, here we go.
And they said, are you interested in a dating show?
And in my head, I'd watched the season before, and for some reason I thought, I reckon you're
about to start filming, and I said, is it married at first sight?
And they went, yes.
Are you interested?
And I went, oh, jeez, watching it, yes, being on it, not so much.
So you go through this.
A few questions they asked.
They take a photo.
They said, love your, okay, love your story.
Producers will be in touch.
And it sort of rolled from there.
But I was in a time in my life where I'd literally, I'd come back from Canada, Toronto, I just
received my first professional coaching gig as a professional coach, my first real tour.
I mean, I was coaching alongside, I was assistant coach to Waka Yunus, and I was coaching alongside,
I was working with Davy Warner at the time, and Ben McDermott and David Miller from South
Africa, and life was great.
I just really tipped off something really special that I've worked towards for a long
You meant to say life's better now.
Yeah, eventually.
We'll get to that, honey.
My life was amazing then.
We'll get to that.
I came back, and the producers continued to, I guess, just call me and say, Cam, we love
Can you get in touch?
And I was like, well, everything's good.
I think it comes in life with anything.
If you're not desperate for it, well, then it sort of just naturally flows with effortless
ease type of thing.
And that was one of those.
I wasn't going in it for anything other than, well, okay, if you've figured out that you've
genuinely got my perfect match, well, then I'll believe you.
That's one thing that did happen, which we've obviously chatted about.
I remember they called me on a Wednesday.
I was in the Apple Mac shop.
It was about three o'clock, and they were like, we found you a match.
We're going to call him now.
And he may say, look, I've changed my mind.
And if he does, then you're not on.
So they generally, and they came and I've chatted, it was like they called him about
So they did actually go, they didn't just match me with anyone.
So which is a good, which is a nice thing.
I figure at the end, they have 10 couples, five that are 50% chance of, there are a chance
Five a car crash.
Five a car crash.
That's exactly right.
The ratings need to be right up there.
It's Channel 9's baby.
So they need to look after it.
And then twos that could go either way.
And I just assume that they happen to see us in that bracket of these two could work.
Let's go with them.
They wanted me to walk down the aisle and go, oh, you're so short.
They did want me to do that.
Like I'm convinced they had Cam in a ditch because I came down.
His best man was six foot seven and he was just so low.
And I was like, oh my God, because I made a big song and a dance that I wanted a really
So I think in a way they did want me to be a bit superficial and go, no, like I'm just
not, I've got my blinkers on.
I know what I want.
But we both were open to the experiment.
We were open to it and open to getting to know each other.
They put me in a ditch.
They cut a hole and then they put a rug, a big rug over where I was standing and then
I'm convinced they did.
And you were such a nice person.
You just rolled with it.
I just rolled with it.
I rolled into it.
That's what I did.
Jules just didn't, you know, I'm six foot two and a half.
So just thinking if things don't work out.
What were you like Jules as a kid growing up?
What was I like as a kid?
When you say that, I think of as a teenager, I was a terrible teenager.
Like I would say to my mum, like, you know, she'd go, I hope you have a daughter just
And I'd be like, yeah, she'd be really cool.
Like I was a terrible teenager, like just 13 year old hormones, like just awful.
And I probably will be blessed with if we have a daughter just like me too, because
I probably deserve it.
But growing up, I mean like not blessed.
But I was middle child syndrome.
I got an older brother, younger sister, and my dad has always said always have an even
number if you have kids, because there's always two picking on the other one and it's not
always the same too.
But I had a I had a great upbringing, you know, was always very lucky with our life
and how we led it.
Great family, parents still together.
Yeah, no, but I was a terrible teenager.
I'm an only child.
So that that has its different that has its advantages, that has its disadvantages.
I would have always loved a brother or sister because I see, especially when I play cricket,
some of the brothers that play together.
And I think of that bond that I see, geez, it looks very, very special.
So it's something I never got to see or feel.
But I did have a one.
I was very blessed. I had a wonderful childhood bring up in Kalani Heights.
Loved my footy, loved my cricket, had my ball in front of my stocking.
I think it was just your natural sort of Australian youngster growing up in the backyard and have
his barbecues and dad had taken me to the footy, mum and dad had taken me to the footy
and we'd support the Eagles and and we just have a really good time.
I think I grew up dreaming of being one day a cricketer and you is knew what you wanted
to do. I did too from the age of five.
I got photos of me painting my mum's face, doing a hair like I in my blood hair and makeup
beauty. And so when I was just turned 15, when you were old enough to I left school
and I got my apprenticeship and did all that.
So I was always very focused about what I want to be and what I want to become as well
from a very young age.
I wasn't just a terrible teenager.
I did have a drive and we'll click into how you've taken that drive to another level too
with your own business.
In a moment, Cam, I remember the moment where I played in a New South Wales cricketing week
for the CIS schools and we played against a bloke called Stephen Mark War.
There was a couple of brothers, pretty good players.
Michael Slater was in that team as well.
Neil Maxwell was in that team.
So if people don't know them, very famous cricketers, and they beat us so badly that
that was the day I put the peas on the car to drive home.
And on my drive home, my dream of a baggy green just left me.
And I went, I can still play cricket.
I love my cricket mates and I love the whole being part of a club, but I will never play
for Australia because they're the people that will.
You are much better than me.
You are. You actually had a chance.
Was that that moment for you?
Did you have a moment where you go, you know what, I'm not going to wear the baggy green?
I did. And that moment turned to, oh, you'd be playing professional cricket.
And it was a time when New South Wales cricket was so strong.
And I was playing first grade at the time and doing quite well.
But, jeez, it was hard to get in.
I was very lucky enough that that was always still my dream and to be a professional
cricketer no matter what it was.
And I was lucky my mum's from New Zealand.
So I had a Kiwi passport.
And at the time, the World Cup was happening and they, we sort of got in touch
and they scouted and said, well, are you interested in coming over here to a couple
of provinces and giving it a go?
And I said, absolutely.
It was just my drive.
Otherwise, I just felt that I would have been because you had at the time, I think,
Dean Hills and there were some fantastic cricketers that were scoring runs in first
class cricket for fun.
And I was like, oh, they're not even getting a look in for Australia.
Yeah. So I took another road and all I wanted was an opportunity to play and to test
myself the best ability I could full time and potentially be paid for it and things
like that. But give yourself the best opportunity.
And New Zealand was that place.
And I went over there two years at Northern Districts and two years at Wellington.
I had four years and I loved it.
I fulfilled my potential of and my dream of becoming a professional cricketer.
And my first class debut was with Cain Williamson.
And he was a 16 year old kid at the time.
And I just went, this kid is another level.
And Trent Bolton, some of the superstars of New Zealand cricket, of world cricket.
And I played with those guys and learned a lot from and taught a fair bit to as well,
So that instead of just falling away by the wayside, it was just another avenue.
How can I do this?
And I think that was always in me, that drive to find a way.
Not just a cover drive, huh?
Now, for you guys now, like the show MAPS, I've had a crack at people in radio shows
that I've been in, especially for, I think, not looking after the contestants.
And I call them contestants, but I suppose the people that are involved in the show,
not looking after them enough, too much focus on ratings, too much focus on that moment
where people can be super vulnerable and they're not looked after.
Did you feel that way?
Do you feel the show might have gone down that path since you guys finished?
I mean, even when we were on it, there was a moment where we felt a bit vulnerable,
where we were like, we're in a circus.
We do not know what's going to happen.
And whatever happens here, our opinions don't really matter.
Someone cheated on our series and it kind of was like they're asking us what we thought
and should they stay or not because they cheated.
And really, it didn't matter what we thought.
They were going to do what they wanted to do.
And it was at that moment we were like, what are we a part of?
We were a bit like, let's just say we're going to go.
And the show was like, you can't, you're the anchor of the show.
You cannot, because we were going to just get on the couch and say, look, we're done.
Like, we're both saying no.
Leave, leave, and we're out.
And they're like, but hang on, aren't you guys in love?
But we're going to continue our love halfway through the series on the outside.
But the thing is, I mean, we can only speak for ourselves.
Like people do come off there saying that they were a bit, you know,
I guess influenced by producers and not.
I mean, I believe you can't be forced to say something.
You can't, you know, you can't edit what you say.
You can't, you can obviously edit how people's facials are or whatever.
So, I mean, and on our series, what you saw was what you got.
You know, so I'm, as I said, it's a hard one
because I can only talk about our personal experience, which was great.
But I know many people do come out of there.
And I don't think there is a duty of care sometimes with some people.
When you see them that they're from the first place,
chosen for television, like they're a little bit broken
and they've got a history that put in a situation when it comes to love,
which is a vulnerable thing anyway, then everything's heightened.
And you see the wheels fall off and you see these people get more hurt.
And it's from the beginning choice of, I always say,
you just wish that person had a mate that was like,
you know what, babe, I think this one's for you.
Like step this one out.
It is a hard thing.
And even, you know, from ourselves going on that show,
it doesn't come with all, you know, rainbows and butterflies.
Like it does come with some hard things.
And that's from coming, getting the dream and getting what we wanted was finding love.
So it is a tricky one.
And I just think anyone going on reality TV,
you have to have a good network around you.
You have to like who you are and have integrity with all your choices
and be happy with how you behave because everyone's going to like you
and they're going to make sure they tell you that as well.
Everyone's a journalist now, aren't they?
Everyone's a photographer.
It's all around you.
It's a whole different world.
And there were so many circumstances that can make that experience what it was.
And we were lucky that we were from Sydney.
We'd actually had a great relationship with each other.
And we sort of had family and friends around.
So we could stay sane.
When guys are coming in from Perth or another state,
so they haven't got friends or family around them.
Plus they're in a relationship that's just doomed.
So they haven't got anyone to sort of talk to.
Then you've got curfews and you're actually not allowed to speak
to any of the other contestants unless it's on camera.
Which is a fair call.
And we respected the sort of rules because it makes sense as a viewer.
If you have an argument, you and I have an argument on camera
and then you sort of resolve it off camera.
The next time you two are together, we're best buddies again.
The viewers are like, I don't get...
Didn't they just try to rip each other's heads off?
The last two years has been a guessing game.
And I think that's why our series was such a success not just here
but in so many countries because you saw it all unfold
because every contestant, as we're calling it now,
respected the madness of the show, which is what Cam's saying.
And now at the moment, you're a bit like, did they kiss?
Did they not? Did that happen?
And because everyone does all their wild parties off the curfew
and they're doing whatever.
And then as I said, it's just a guessing game
of like what's real and what's not.
And on our series, I said, you saw all the madness.
You saw it all happen.
Now, life has moved on for you guys now.
And I mean, your social media is fantastic.
Numbers are amazing.
So when people look at you and go, right,
they're actually a success story.
Do you see yourself as that now?
Are you still a contestant in people's eyes
or are you now just Cam and Jules who love each other
and have a beautiful boy?
At what point did it click to you to be just...
Because we were together on the weekend
and everyone's looking there and taking photos
without you even knowing.
Remember, that's that girl, that's that guy.
Do you get used to that?
Is that still who you are?
Like, where are you now?
I'll tell you where we are now.
We did have a moment where a girl stopped Jules.
You go, oh, there they are.
Jules, I love you so much.
I can't remember your name.
I was like, unbelievable.
It's really funny, actually.
What about Chop Liver?
Cam's mate, he's one of his best friends
who's in cricket as well.
He always has this joke.
This is a few years ago now.
And he used to...
The equivalent of how many cricket stadiums
follow me more than they follow Cam on Instagram.
A couple of big stadiums.
It was a couple of...
No, it was one MCG at one time.
So it's 100,000 more than me.
I think it might be a couple of MCGs now.
So there was a joke.
Okay, so we're going to pack the whole MCG out
of Jules' followers.
And I'm going to go in the middle
and then just tell everyone
why I think they should follow me as well.
And then they started to really get the...
Obviously, we're completely joking everyone.
It's just become this ongoing joke.
And then I thought, okay, the line outside
is getting a bit longer.
And then all of a sudden there's a couple...
There's Eddie Hadd Stadium
and then there's another MCG.
And I'm just like, no, shows are often done.
You can do what you want to do.
So how does it feel?
Like, how does it actually feel?
These people aren't interested in you.
Yeah, that's not true.
So we obviously found one of those the other day.
Jules, I love you so much.
You're doing incredible things.
You're such an inspiration.
What's your name again?
It's like, hang on.
What story are you following?
Yeah, it's Jules and...
It's Jules and Cam, right?
It's not Cam and Jules, but it is Jules and Cam.
But talking about those numbers,
what is it, 750,000 roughly?
I think, yeah, around...
I think it's a bit lower than that.
And how much yours, mate?
You're about 400 or something?
Oh, I don't know, mate.
492 and 614, something like that.
Jules, the thing I love about you
is that you came in through the process.
And I didn't think...
Were you both together at that time?
I can't remember exactly because breakfast radio,
you tend to sort of switch off a little bit.
But you came in and you were just so natural
and so beautiful that Moonman and I,
who were interviewing at the time,
actually couldn't speak.
Can you remember that?
That was really fun.
I had to walk in there and just pick...
I'm not talking to you.
I'm talking to Jules.
I had to pick your jaws up off the floor of both of you.
That was a fun morning.
That was great fun.
But then we were together,
but obviously on the timelines and the show,
it's like, are they still together?
But just going back to what you said before,
we are now, like, it's just how we met.
Like, it's the most mental way,
but it's just how we met.
And it's even on Sunday when we were hanging out
just walking along the road with our pram, with our baby,
we had about four people come up to us
and people were just only ever being lovely, you know?
And you don't get bored of it
because it's just people coming up.
And for me personally, it's when a woman comes up to me
and I'm like, oh my God, do I know you?
Because they talk to me like they know me.
And to say, you gave me hope that I'm going to find the one.
You gave me believe that I'm going to get everything I wanted.
And yeah, and it just, to me, that fills my heart to go,
if that's what I've done in this world to so many women,
that makes me so happy.
And that's something I would never ever get bored
of people coming up to say to me.
That is beautiful.
And I guess when you talk about the numbers, mate,
not that we're ever counting, 492.
But it's, I mean, obviously people come and check in
for the reality show that they've watched, right?
So then they have to have an investment.
But I think it's moved past that
because Australian public of the world, they aren't stupid.
If you're not adding, I guess, a sincere or value
to what's happening, what they're checking in on.
And I think we've moved past that maths part
where it's not just we did this on maths.
Jules is incredibly inspiring mother and woman
and entrepreneur and business woman and body positivity,
the message that she's sharing.
So it's like people forget, oh, that I don't even have to,
or I didn't even watch maths.
This is something completely different
that I love aspiring to and you give me hope
or you do inspire.
And I feel I'm the same where my message every day
is very close to your heart mate, gotcha for life
or mental health and knowing,
especially going through COVID at the moment,
fuck, we've gone through some hard times.
Everyone is going through some shit.
And I've been lucky enough to go through my fair share of it,
but to come out the other side of it.
And I wanna share that story and share that hope
that happiness can continue.
And if you can just hold on, it can be.
And that's why I think this continues to work
and why people, we get in touch with them.
And we're very blessed to have that foundation,
that template that we can share our story with people.
Yeah, and I think you're absolutely right.
And let's talk about your business, Jules,
because we were sitting here sort of setting up
and you're literally down there,
putting beauty products into bags
and then putting that bag into a huge big Santa bag
with a Australia Post spot on it.
And you're like, yeah, it's going really well at the moment.
I feel when I see you on telly and so forth,
you are inspiring now to the curvy model,
to the lady that can just get up and have a crack.
Do you feel that pressure of being that person
or you just love in the process?
Because you just won like some awards and stuff.
Can you tell us about that?
Yeah, I did, which I'm super, super proud of.
So the Osmo Entrepreneur, which is an Australian wide,
it's an awards for moms in business.
It's been around for about 12 years
and it's quite prestigious.
And it's a way to celebrate moms in business
because unfortunately, when you have a baby,
sometimes workforces don't suit you anymore
because you've got a child
and you've got so many other things going on.
Mummy businesses do put a lot into the economy.
They employ other moms and it's just this little bubble.
And I think it's a really great way
to acknowledge moms in business
because the struggle is real.
But also when you have had a career your whole life,
it is accepting that, of course,
I always wanted to have a baby,
but I personally, as a woman,
need something else going on at the same time.
Like that makes me feel whole.
And I do all of it really well.
And sometimes it gets really hard
and I couldn't do it without my husband.
But it was just, yeah, really honored to,
I won Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year
and also my products,
which is figure, which is shapewear,
came third in product design.
So yeah, it was really amazing.
And I don't feel,
I always believe that saying of credible brands
are made from staying true to who you are.
And that's one thing that I have
never not tried to be anything I'm not.
And that's where my messaging of figure comes into,
is it's shapewear because I believe
that body positivity is just working what you got,
being happy with where you are.
It's not about being plus size
or being overweight or anything like that.
It's about just being content in your body.
And as a woman, just as say, giving it a go.
And that is my messaging with figure.
And that was creating a bit of pain into purpose
from going on a platform like Maths
and being judged before I even spoke.
From a TV ad for people going on,
she's fat and she's ginger and she's ugly and all that.
Before I could even show my character,
I was judged for the how I looked.
So, but then on the flip side,
having so many amazing women reach out to me and say,
God, I love seeing a curvy woman on TV.
Oh, God, you remind me of me.
And I didn't, I always said,
it was either the curves or the fashion
or the looking for love or the all three.
But so many women said that to me.
And then I put it all together
and also wearing shapewear,
which is really annoying on TV for three months
and it constantly rolling down
and being uncomfortable and taking off my clothes
at the dinner party to go to the toilet.
I was like, I'm gonna make the most kick-ass pair
of shapewear that doesn't roll down and it's amazing,
but also have a really strong message of body positivity,
which is, as I said, just work what you got.
And also it's about fashion and it's just,
it's amazing that everyone's getting it.
Everyone just gets what I'm saying.
So I think it's because you're authentic.
I think people now are sort of going, you know what?
You've moved from whatever you had to be in the show
to actually being who you are.
And that comes across.
And I think once people think you're authentic,
then everything else is forgotten.
And you go, right, well, that's who I believe in her.
And it's only when you look back
and you connect all the dots,
you're like, okay, it all makes sense.
But in the moment, like anyone that knows me wholeheartedly,
I went on that show to find love.
Never once did I think,
oh, I'm going to create a shapewear business.
It just all made sense when I put it all together.
And yeah, it's just been awesome, hasn't it?
But as I say, I couldn't do it without Cam.
Like he helps me so much in everything that I do.
And you're a partnership.
You're a proper partnership.
We've got that recorded, yeah.
Yeah, I'll send that to you as a snippet, mate.
Soundbite, beautiful.
As your ringtone.
He'll take the post out for me soon.
Yeah, I'll take it out of my way out.
Cam, at what moment did you absolutely know
that you loved Jules?
It wasn't just, gee, she's beautiful.
And this could work out.
When was the moment you went, you know what?
This is actually it.
How far in from that moment where you were first saw her?
On the show, it looks like it's about three episodes deep.
And everyone went, is this like kidding yourself or what?
We often talk about that.
I mean, it's such a deep, intense process.
And it's like you spend three months with someone
or two weeks with someone full-time.
You've moved straight in.
You've got on honeymoon.
I mean, that's accelerating your dating capacity like no other.
So you're either going to figure it out or not.
And we just had this incredible connection.
On our honeymoon the next day, our producer was genuinely like,
are you taking the piss out of us?
You thought we'd stitch them up.
Are you stitching us up?
That was how good our sort of chemistry and our bond was.
And she just kept double-taking us like,
no, you guys know each other or something's not right here.
We were like, no, we're just having a great time together.
And I think it's when about, it was about two weeks in.
Again, 24-7, you're spending a lot of time together.
And we were sitting at the airport.
And I think a little one, a little girl just ran past.
And we both sort of melted and said,
what do you think our children would be like?
And I think we just had that envision then.
And we both just dropped and thought, this is it.
Did you feel that?
So that's, if I'm looking at a moment, I'm a bloke, right?
So I need a day, like 14 days.
You were pretty much besotted.
You just said you could picture me having your children.
That's when you're like, yeah, I love this woman.
Like, you had that thought as a man.
And that was a feeling.
That would be a big moment.
Yeah, that was a feeling.
You know, I think through so many relationships within yourself,
something just doesn't feel right,
whether it's tingles or heart palpitations
or just something just in your mind, body,
and only you know that.
But you know when everything just feels like it's just effortless
and it's just going and it's flowing,
you're like, nothing's holding me up here.
There's no hurdles.
I'm not trying to convince myself of something.
It's just happening.
And I just went with it.
And when I asked Jules that question, she's the same.
So we just aligned.
Were you about the same, Jules?
To be honest, like, obviously, I'm a romantic woman.
On our wedding night, the first night that we met,
we were so exhausted.
I hadn't slept for a week.
It's why I had a meltdown on that morning.
But we talked till 2 a.m. in the morning and it felt different.
Like, it was like, this feels really good.
It was just like we'd known each other for our whole life.
That's how it felt to me.
So it wasn't like I fell in love,
but it definitely had that feeling of like,
this feels really different.
This feels like something I haven't had before.
So for me, that was there.
It was pretty soon.
And I think that came across.
And we were getting the whispers through,
you know, the cricket club saying,
well, you know, Cam could be on here.
And everyone's like, he's punching and all that sort of stuff.
And I know that you joke, but you're a good-looking man.
Jules is a good-looking woman.
So there was girls thinking that you're a catch
and blokes thinking you're a catch and stuff.
Was there any outside stuff that ever made you sort of question it?
People saying, oh, you can't marry a girl you met on a TV show
or something like that.
Did you ever have any of that coming from friends and family?
I lost a friend over it.
That love you, you know, and they're concerned about you.
Yeah, I mean, I did lose a girlfriend who was a girlfriend for 20 years.
She was just so judgmental of the whole thing.
And I got to the point where I was like,
I'm not asking you to agree with me.
I'm just asking you to support me.
And she just didn't get what I was doing.
And she was very judgmental of Cam.
And I was like, you know, I'm done.
Like, I just want you to support me.
Don't you have to agree with me?
And I just want you to be my friend.
But yeah, so I lost a friend over it because it hurt.
I was like, this is my choice and respect my choice
because I'm telling you how I feel.
And it's not what, you know, you don't think it's real world.
This is my life now.
So it's a hard one.
But we've got amazing foundations of friends
that we've had for a long time.
And Cam's friends now become mine and vice versa.
And it is a difficult thing because unfortunately,
when some people comment on Instagram,
they're like, don't ever change.
And it's like, well, unfortunately,
like the being of us will never change.
But you have to change in this industry
because it's really fucking tough sometimes.
And you've got to have a thick skin.
And you've got to change.
Otherwise, you'd be eaten alive from horrible words
and comments and people thinking that they know you personally.
And as I said, 90% of it is beautiful.
But that 10% can be really hard.
So you do have to change.
And when you've got your friends that have known
and love you your whole life, and you're just Jules and Cam,
and then this whirlwind that you could never
prepare yourself for happens.
Yeah, they find it a bit strange sometimes, don't they?
In our second wedding, in our real wedding.
I said in my speech, guys, all we want to do is thank you
because not all of you are ever going to understand it
because it's a hard world to understand.
Like I still, if I'm in the street or things happen
and people come up and chat or whatever it might be,
your friends are just sitting there going,
is this, I completely forget.
Like you're just Cam, my best mate, cricketer.
But then they forget there's this whole new world.
And I said to them, I said, guys, I know you don't always
have to understand it, but all we ever ask and thank you
for that is that you all supported it.
And that's all it was, wasn't it?
They just, and they said it to themselves.
They were open and honest.
I don't know what's going on in your world.
I don't get it, but I'll support you.
And they were always going to be there.
And when I said I was going onto the show,
yeah, there was a lot of fear from all my mates I said,
because they thought I'd be stitched up with some
of the other storylines that were supposed to be.
And they were worried for my mental health
and my mental wellness that they wouldn't know
if I was going to get through that.
So when I think Jules walked down or they saw their chemistry
and they just thought, oh, geez, he's genuinely happy still.
And the six degrees of separation at the wedding.
So then I think, because when you meet someone's friend
is a good representation of who they are as well.
I think why they ruined our music at our wedding,
because it was going too well.
And it was almost like a real wedding.
And all the tables were mixing and intertwining.
It felt like a real wedding.
And then his best man knew one of my oldest friends.
And it was just, yeah, it was like, OK, this is good.
They're the same kind of people in the same world
and knew each other.
So yeah, no, but we've been so fortunate.
I've got amazing girlfriends that just have my back from day
one and supported me through the whole thing.
And we've met some amazing people, I guess, in that world
that we've only met from doing what we're doing.
And they have become the most beautiful friends ever.
And one of them is Josh Horner.
We only met him through a charity event with neurofibromatosis.
And he was the emcee that if we hadn't done that,
and he's now Ollie's godfather.
Yeah, he was a judge on Dancing with the Stars many years ago.
So he understood that world as well.
Plus, he's just a genuine human being.
And so he helped us support that through that time,
And again, new friends can be the best friends.
You don't have to have known you forever.
Just quickly interrupting the episode,
to say a very big thank you to the sponsor of this podcast,
and that is Shure and Partners Financial Services.
Shure and Partners are an Australian investment
and wealth management firm who manage over $28 billion
of assets under advice.
With seven offices across Australia,
Shure and Partners act for and on behalf of individuals,
institutions, corporates and charities.
For more info, you can check out their website
at shureandpartners.com.au.
That's S-H-A-W for sure.
Shure and Partners Financial Services,
your partners in building and preserving wealth.
And let's get back into the episode.
Ollie, let's talk about him just briefly
because we saw him just next door neighbours now,
but he's so cute.
What does the world look like in the next five years for you guys?
Are you thinking more family, Ollie, brother and sister?
Yeah, we hope to have...
We're manifesting having a little girl,
hopefully in the next two years or so.
Yeah, and we've actually spoke about moving to Queensland,
haven't we, in the next five years or so.
We did our first family holiday a few months ago
in between the lockdowns,
and we drove to Queensland.
We were like, we're that family.
We're driving to Queensland.
And it was wonderful.
And we just loved it up there, didn't we?
Well, Ken loves his son.
He's son 24-7, aren't you?
Yeah, and I never thought I'd be that person,
but I think, I mean, I'm really happy in Sydney right now.
There's so much going on.
But I think in the next five years or so,
I do think we'll be up there.
Yeah, I think it's just a different perspective.
Sydney, how it's hustle and bustle.
It's just where you get your drive, where you focus on.
And I think once we...
And I lived up in the Gold Coast for four years,
from 16 to 20, and I did finish my schooling there.
And you sort of enjoy it, but Sydney was always my place.
And we obviously both came back.
Jules lived in London for 14 years
and came back to Sydney.
But I think now, as you get older, you appreciate,
especially going through COVID,
you appreciate, I guess, the simple things.
And there's definitely an intensity
that sort of falls back a little bit at the Gold Coast.
And we just want to enjoy that a little bit, potentially.
So, or maybe we just need a goddamn holiday,
I think, like everyone around us.
I mean, the world is a very small place at the end of the day.
You're like, we spent 10 years, my wife's English,
10 years in England,
and my kids are about to go off again now.
The world's opening up, and they'll be in London.
And you just don't know, they'll fall in love there, perhaps,
like I did when I went to England and met Vic.
So, at the end of the day,
you've just got to have these wonderful open minds
to everything, right?
That's exactly it.
So a little daughter would be perfect.
You've got a glow in your eye when you think about that.
Weirdly, when we had the conversational maps,
we were like, yep, we're done.
We're going to have a baby.
We came up with our daughter's name then,
and it's still stuck, and that's it.
No one knows who it is.
Two weeks in, I had a name, and I said to Jules,
this is daughter's name, and she went, yep, done.
I'm happy with that.
And then, but funny story really quickly is that
when we didn't know the sex of what we're having,
so we didn't know it was little Ollie,
and we told the nurses, please don't tell us.
That'll be me to reveal it to us.
So Ollie came out, and there was a little bit of a hiccup,
and there was no movement, no sound or whatever.
And it was obviously the most panicking moment of your life.
Like it was shattering.
And anyway, he or she started crying at the time,
and everything's okay.
She actually called the emergency.
You went, oh, get the emergency,
and that put panic through us.
And then he came to, started crying,
and then the nurse goes, oh, she's okay, she's okay.
And we went, oh, well, thanks for revealing it.
We appreciate that.
And I remember looking around and sort of-
And I was like, I see a big pair of gonads right there.
I'm not sure what you're seeing,
but I'm pretty sure we've got a boy.
And she goes, oh my God, I'm so sorry, it's a boy.
I was like, oh, well then.
So I literally had a girl, had a daughter,
and then lost a daughter, and then had a son.
But also on that note, we, with the whole of Australia,
thought I was having a girl.
Like everyone was telling me I'm having a girl,
I'm having a girl.
And I guess we started to believe it.
And then we had one of those 4D scans, which are incredible,
and it just oozed, like it looked like a little boy.
And then I, on my baby shower, I don't know if you guys,
we get a piece of your hair and your wedding ring,
and you put it across your belly,
and it either goes circle back front.
Anyway, so when I did that, it said I was having a boy.
And then Cam was like, I've just lost a daughter.
Like I just, I can't deal.
Let's just wait until the day.
That's the thing.
For that, be prepared.
You had a bit of gender disappointment, didn't you?
I was like, oh, we're having a daughter.
We're having a daughter, having a, great.
Okay, and I'm accepted, and I love it, and I can't wait.
And then Jules goes, no, sorry, we're having a boy.
I'm like, I just lost a daughter.
What's happening to me?
It's a real thing.
Well, for a bloke who's got a son first and then two daughters,
believe me, it is well worth the wait.
And they have got me wrapped around their little finger,
just as they will with you.
And that, you know, the mum and the daughter,
but they always come to that at the end.
We tend to let them off.
It's very, very cool.
And they grow so quickly.
So enjoy all those moments.
So you're up there in Queensland.
You've got your couple of daughters as well as Olly.
That sounds like it's going to be a pretty good life.
You're going to be doing what you're doing.
You're going to continue to do, you know,
in terms of just inspiring and the curves and the businesses.
Yeah, so figure is to shape her at the moment,
but that's going to eventually become swimwear and activewear.
And then I actually launched my own fashion label,
That is purely a range for, as I said,
another the word Maura is means fate and destiny.
And that is because I believe everything I'm doing right now
has a bit of that to it.
And then Muse is just all the women of Australia
who've inspired me to create this fashion line,
which is because so many women do ask
for about how I dress with the curves and everything.
It's very exciting.
She's a machine, mate.
Like, honestly, what she does that I see day to day in
and being a full-time mum, like next level,
like I would love to multitask or any, like a-
I think it's just a woman thing, not me.
I'm so proud of her, that the work ethic and her drive
and she just keeps going.
Has her breakdown for a little bit
and then we sort of just pick her up
and she goes, whew, does herself off
and she just goes again and it just doesn't stop.
And it's all for either inspiring other women around her
and she just keeps going, man.
You can see that as well when you're chatting.
Okay, let's talk about each other's personalities
Is there something you go, oh,
I'd like to change that a little bit.
How long is the list for Jules?
We've only got a couple of minutes, Jules.
When we really got married in my vows, I did say, like,
I promise to accept that you take three times humanly long
to do just really basic things.
Example, please, Jules.
A male thing, isn't it?
Well, I kind of call it Kat and Dory a bit
because he sometimes just gets a little bit like,
hey, guys, what's going on?
Like, he just kind of just-
It's like Dora the Explorer.
Yeah, well, no, Dory, you know, from Finding Nemo,
he forgets everything.
It's just a bit like-
I got it, I got it, I got it.
I got it, I got it, I got it.
So just, but that, you know, in a way,
that's what I love about him too.
So it's a bit of a catch-22,
but he just takes forever to do the smallest things.
Like, I used to hate Cam going to cricket all the time.
I'm like, no, long-term gain here.
When Ollie's like eight, he'll be gone all day.
Yeah, absolutely right.
And you'll be at ballet with the girls.
I'll be having a long lunch now.
I'll be like, see ya.
What about you, mate?
Mate, I think there's a part of Jules which I absolutely love
and it's obviously her standards and her expectations
and everything like that is so ridiculously high
and incredible and that makes her, her.
But sometimes the, I guess the reality of it
is that we are a family and there's shit everywhere
and there's dishes to be done.
And it's just like, okay to just sit in that for a second.
I get a bit hung up and it's the acceptance
of when you have a child that things don't get done.
Yeah, we're thrown away perfect.
Yeah, but for me, motherhood, it's learning acceptance.
That's what it is.
And Cam's happy to just leave a trail, you know,
and I'm a bit more.
You know where I've been.
You know where I am.
Yeah, I know everything.
And it will get done.
It will get picked up, but she's just like on it, bang.
This is not here now.
I need clean to focus in and work, you know,
so, but we're very different in that aspect.
But I'm getting better.
Like I am really trying.
Like there will be days where I'm like,
oh, it doesn't matter.
Let's just throw things on the floor.
Yeah, I got to love those days.
Great days, really turns me on.
You know, I guess what happens in parenthood,
you get turned on by the weirdest things
that really gets me that.
And one of the worst dishwashing packers I've ever seen.
Everything's meant to be in its right spot.
The other day I saw, I found cutlery in the top shelf.
He's so hung up on it.
Like, I just do it bad so you do it for me forever.
Like you just place it and I found it
and I couldn't believe it.
I was like, okay, you've gone to new levels.
But look, if that's the worst thing that's happening,
I think I've done quite well.
I think you'll be able to get over that quite nicely.
What have you learnt the most as I sort of wrap up this chat?
What have you learnt the most about yourselves
over the last couple of years?
I think my resilience.
I think resilience is something that I didn't,
I've always knew I was strong,
but I think, I don't know, as a woman,
I like to be strong and I like to be vulnerable.
Like I feel like that's a really nice balance for a woman,
but I've got good resilience.
As Cam said, like I'll keep on going and keep on going.
And I may have a little fall and I'll crumble and I'll have a cry,
but pick myself up again and I keep going.
So that's something I think in the last few years.
Yeah, and you've been doing that under pressure too.
Whether you knew it or not, people are looking at you.
What about you, Cam?
I think the resilience part of it,
I think certainly spreading that hope and that sort of light.
I came from a place where once I finished cricket
and I went through a horrible, horrible time where you,
once you lose value and you lose purpose that is a cricketer,
you completely lose everything that you sort of wake up for in the moment.
You lose purpose.
And I think if anything, I continue to break new ground,
get to a happy place, which, and I thought, okay, I'm fine.
And then I just continue to surprise myself probably.
And that's the probably message I love talking about my story
because anything's possible.
And you genuinely, I know it sounds corny as it sounds,
but if you put your mind to something, anything is genuinely possible.
And did I think this would happen?
Yeah, there's a part of me that did.
I remember sitting in a, funny enough, in a hospital bed,
in mental rehab, trying to go through it.
And I remember thinking the only thing that's going to keep me going
is that I haven't been married yet and I haven't had kids.
And that was then, and that was eight years ago
when I was in the worst possible place you could potentially ever dream of being.
And it just kept driving me.
And I find myself almost pinching myself talking to you, Gus,
with my beautiful wife, I'm here like in our home thinking,
shit, that happened.
There was a lot of shit that went in between to get there,
but it was just one step every single day.
Maybe one step back every once in a while, no problems.
But I continue to surprise myself that you just keep going
and some amazing stuff's genuinely possible.
Eight years ago, where was that moment?
Like, where was that hospital?
And that was at Palm Beach, Karambin.
What took you there?
I think an array of things.
Like, yeah, I'd finished cricket profession
and I think a lot of sportsmen today, when they finish up as their profession,
that's all they've known since they were a young kid.
They finally achieved that dream and then it's gone, it's done.
And then there's no fallback plan or no idea of what's going on past that.
And when, like anyone, it doesn't have to be cricket,
but if you, whether you retire or whatever it might be,
you lose purpose, you lose value and you lose your why to wake up every single day.
And then this cloud of emotions just drains you
and you think, well, what am I doing here?
What am I supposed to be?
All I've known is that.
And it just got to a place where all at once, cricket was lost, salary was lost.
I'd just broken up with a long-term relationship at the time.
I came back, I ended up living, I was in Vancouver airport,
homeless for four days in the airport, on my own living.
And mate, I couldn't put pants on and I was mentally and physically crippled.
And that was at a time where I was like, oh, this is quite close to the end.
Like, this is not a great place.
And I managed to get myself back to Sydney,
staying on a mate's couch for a couple of weeks.
And then I thought, I need proper professional help.
And I found myself at Palm Beach Corumbin Mental Rehabilitation Centre.
And I sat myself on a bed and it was a line in the sand.
It was genuinely, okay, you've got two choices here.
Either you're done or you've got an opportunity to still be happy.
And I still genuinely believe that.
And my why was, well, you've achieved everything you want to do,
but having a wife and having kids is something you've always dreamed about as well.
Don't give up now.
Keep striving for that.
But I was never going to be grey area in between.
I wasn't going to be like, oh, I might be sort of done.
I wasn't going to be that victim to say, oh, there's a bit of suffering here.
This is not my time.
Half and half, I was like, I'm going to be 100% happy and go for it.
Or one or the other.
It was not going to be, oh, poor me.
And I made that commitment to learn everything I could about mental health,
everything I could about myself and triggers
and understanding why this has happened to me.
Why, what have I gone through right now to lead me to this point?
And I backtracked and led it all and understood it.
And now, one step at a time, one small step.
And it just started with just doing small things like I knew.
Okay, let's just coach cricket.
Let's just do what you love.
And then open doors from that lead to new things and continue.
Like I said, I land myself here today, go, shit, it's been a big journey.
Because a lot of people think it was just overnight.
Oh, he was just a bloke that, you know, everything was great for him.
He was a professional cricketer and this and that.
And he just went on a show, he got married.
Jules and I often talk about that.
We both had our life experiences that we both went through
that helped us get to that point of where we're just genuinely happy within ourselves
and love ourselves for what we've been through
that we could end up loving someone else.
And that's where it sort of ended.
And that's where my thought and my love for mental health to say,
fuck, I went through it.
Trust me, if you're going through something at the moment,
I promise you, it can get better.
Just one step at a time, we can do this.
So that's my story.
That's where I want to, that's where I see myself in sort of five years time.
We'll continue that down that path.
Thank you, brother.
Thank you for sharing.
Jules, your moment, did you have a moment as sort of big as that,
that you went light in the sand moment?
No, I mean, that brings me, like whenever I hear Cam say you talk about that,
like it just, it doesn't break my heart.
It makes me feel very proud to, you know, when I look at Cam,
I can't imagine him being like that.
And as you said, it's very easy to look at Cam and think he's so happy-go-lucky.
He's just, you know, lights up a room when he smiles,
but it hasn't always been like that.
And I just, yeah, I mean, yeah, I've had some tough times in my life,
but nothing that Cam's gone through, which is his purpose,
which is to share light with other people going through hard times.
And that is what Cam does.
And that's why he does share what he does.
And I couldn't be prouder of you.
Oh, that's beautiful.
Okay, let's lighten the mood.
Last five questions.
You're both tearing up.
Okay, here we go.
Oh, that's so hard.
I've got so many.
Give us your top three then, Jules.
Ghostbusters, he's going to say.
Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters.
Okay, I'm turning his mic off.
Are you kidding me?
He's such a loser, isn't he?
The original one?
Ghostbusters, 84 came out.
When you talk about nostalgia, I obviously watch that.
I don't talk about nostalgia, I talk about like the Godfather.
This is my happy place, Ghostbusters.
No, I read things that I'm like...
Hungry Caterpillar.
No, I read baby books, I read baby books,
but I'm more of a self-help thing, like inspirational kind of books,
not like pick up a novel.
Yeah, and podcasts and stuff are a big thing now, aren't they?
I've got a few I do love reading.
They're all sort of self-development, self-help.
Currently, I'm reading The 5am Club, Robin Sharma,
like sensational book, really good touch.
Power Now, Eckhart Tolle, great, you know,
just mindfulness really bringing you back to what helps,
I think is my bag anyway.
Favourite holiday destination.
Anywhere in Europe is fabulous for me, yeah.
Anywhere with a pool, beach, where do we go?
Yeah, beer, yeah, really sit back and read a book.
That's my happy place.
No, where do we both go, but separately?
Many places, honey.
Yeah, more places than not, you'd think.
Where do I run a muck?
Oh, you went to the Greek islands.
Oh, Greek islands.
He had a lot of fun, guys.
Let me take a picture.
Can't go back there.
Have you got a quote that you live by,
or is there a favourite quote of yours that you live by?
You don't have to have one, but if you do.
Yeah, I've got so many of them.
Yeah, I was thinking about this the other day,
but my specific one is, again, on the back of the story that I told that is me,
is that life isn't a race.
And when I, I don't know where I heard it or if I just figured it out,
but when I started to stop comparing to what all my mates were doing,
because I came out of rehab really quickly,
and all my mates were married, houses, kids,
and I'm thinking, shit, I need a corporate job.
I've got to catch up.
I've got to catch up.
And then once I sort of tailed it back and went, no, stuff that,
like, this is my, this is my path, this is where I'm at right now.
And when I stopped that and just went, okay, life's not a race,
I'll make up for it, or I'll just find my way.
You can catch up quick.
You can catch up quick.
Yeah, exactly right.
So that's, I was thinking about the other day,
that is definitely my one that, that kicks.
Life is not a race.
What about you, Jones?
There's something I do share a lot is like inspirational quotes.
I share on figure one thing that's come a bit of a tagline with that.
I'm actually having made into some stickers that go on the mirror,
so you read it back to yourself as an affirmation.
So sexy isn't a size, it's a mindset.
So that's something I think all women should believe, but just-
As a curvy man, I'd like to say that.
No, I absolutely love it.
One last question.
We've got $10,000 to give away to a charity of your choice.
Who would you like to give $10,000 to?
That's amazing by the way.
And you can split it up.
You can split it if you like as well, but however you'd like to do it.
First of all, thank you very much.
So much for having us.
This has been brilliant.
For me, I couldn't go past, but obviously I'm wearing the actual t-shirt.
Just this old thing.
Mate, I'd love to and continue to be a part of Gotcha for Life.
So I'd love to donate my half to Gotcha for Life.
Just on the quiet.
It's not just because we've got a relationship.
It's purely because I have experienced the Tomorrow Man program.
And without doubt, if anyone's listening, which I'm sure that a few are,
the Tomorrow Man program was one of the most powerful
facilitations I have ever been part of.
And I brought it up to our Manly Cricket.
And there were 60 young boys up there at room at the top at Manly.
And I've never seen something so incredible
where these youngsters had changed their life.
They were hands up.
Once we sort of broke through that.
And when we talk about mental health, about breaking down the stigma,
it just opened the door for these youngsters to think,
shit, I was thinking that, but I wasn't sure if it was normal.
And now I see that I told my story.
And then everyone just continued with that.
And it was by far the most, like I said,
most powerful facilitation I've ever been part of, mate.
And it's changing genuine lives for us at Manly,
for the Northern Beaches and for people all over the world.
Australia, rural, everywhere you want to go to.
So huge congratulations to you, mate.
And it is working and you're doing a fantastic job.
So I'm more than happy.
Thank you, brother.
What about you, Charles?
I would like to donate my $5,000 to Share the Dignity,
which is my chosen charity.
So figure my business is actually a partner
and I donate from every sale.
So Share the Dignity is for period poverty.
And I have to say, when I first heard that word,
I was a little bit naive and I didn't know.
I don't know what that means.
So yeah, period poverty is for,
there's so many women in Australia who actually,
unfortunately have to use a piece of newspaper
or a sock or a piece of material for their monthly period
because they don't have money to do that
or they're from a broken family
where there just isn't budget to have that done.
So they also support domestic violent victims.
So it's not, I mean, in a way,
it kind of potentially could save lives,
but it's a charity that creates dignity for women
and just something that all women should not have,
you know, should always have in their lives.
So, but yes, I'd like to donate it to them.
Wow, that's beautiful.
Well, I never knew any of that.
So you've educated me today
and I'll see if we can do something about that as well.
Thank you so much again for your time.
A big thank you to Shaw and Partners Financial Services
who have generously supported this podcast
and also donated $10,000 to the charity of choice
of each of our guests to thank them for their time.
Shaw and Partners are an Australian investment
and wealth management firm
who manage over $28 billion of assets under advice.
With seven offices around Australia,
Shaw and Partners act for and on behalf of individuals,
institutions, corporates, and charities.
For more info, you can check out their website
at shawandpartners.com.au.
That's S-H-A-W for Shaw.
Shaw and Partners Financial Services,
your partners in building and preserving wealth.