Hi Gus Walland here and welcome to not an overnight success brought to you by Sean partners financial services in this podcast
We sit down with some very successful people from the world of business entertainment and sport to chat about their life's journey
And how they became the success that they are today in today's episode
We are chatting to Carl Stefanovic
Carl is one of the most well-known journalists and television presenters in the country
And while it's likely that you've heard his voice many times
Today's interview will most likely show you a side of Carl that you haven't seen before
Carl is never going to be a person that didn't do stuff
He's always been driven and willing to jump in the deep end
He's certainly not lost his larrikin, cricket-loving, Queenslander attitude
But he has learnt to delve into the deeper parts of emotional connection
In our chat we speak about Carl's career and whether there were any paths that he considered going down
His experience both positive and negative
Having in the public eye and the upheaval of course
And the fallout from the Today Show
And how much pressure that put him under
As well as his return
Carl has spent his life following his mum's advice of work hard, play hard
And has certainly found the balance of when it's time to work and when it's time to play
Carl is uniquely driven and compassionate
We sat down together at the end of last year
And I felt lucky to be the person that Carl wanted to share his stories with
As for all these podcasts
Shaw and Partners Financial Services have generously donated $10,000 to the charity of the choice of each of our guests
We'll discuss who that money goes to in the chat
The executive producer of this podcast is Keisha Pettit
We couldn't have done it without our great mate Kelly Stubbs
Let's get into our chat with Carl Stefanovic
So big fella, what were you like as a kid?
I think conscientious
I applied myself at sport and multiple sports
That was my biggest thing growing up
Was to be good at everything that I possibly played
Growing up on the outskirts of Brizzy
In a place called Capalibur
That's all we had was sport
We'd literally go from 5 in the morning until 5 at night
And come over for dinner
And we'd be golfing, cricketing, playing soccer, rugby league
Absolutely everything
I worked reasonably hard at school
But I was just sort of naturally okay at it
So I didn't do anything more than I had to
As my son now tells me
Please get degrees dad
So for me it was a priority
Because my dad came from Germany after the war
He instilled in us a pretty strong work ethic
Across even sports
It's that typical WOG thing
If you do something you do it well
And work hard, work hard, work hard
He didn't have a WOG accent
I just threw that in there
That's what I imagine he would sound like if he was born in Italy
But he was born in Germany
And he came out to Australia when he was 2
But it was that kind of thing
My grandfather came out here after the second world war
Built his own house in Bolambi and Wollongong
And dad kind of grew up with that whole thing
And then dad actually went and played soccer for West Ham United
So the sports side of things came from him
And other than that
I've always been a great lover of people
And that started when I was a kid
I remember in year 1
I tried to impress the year 1 teacher
Because I thought she was really good looking
But even in year 1 I remember getting a kiss off her
And no one else could get a kiss off her
I genuinely think that was part of
What ingrained in my personality
This desire to win people over
From an early age
And as you get older
You realise that's virtually impossible
But it's something that's been inside me
For as long as I can remember
In saying that though
You've won many more over than you haven't
Do you know what, you get to the age though Gus
Where you just go, no you can't
The moment you stop trying to win
Masses of people over
It's just too taxing
And it affects your own personality
And mental health in a way that I don't think is healthy
So I think you've got to pair it back to being yourself
And you've got to work hard
At the things you can control
And not so much at the others
I mean because if you spend time wasting time
Thinking about the things that
You could do that you can't control
Then it's like a big cavernous hole
That you're not going to be able to climb out of
And you know I'm all about
Lighter and brighter and being connected now
And that just comes with maturity
Which is the same thing I guess
It's hard though not to want to be loved by everyone
Yeah, for me it's
The personal relationships
With kids and with friends
Deep friendships and
Going through some really
You know kind of heavy times
At the end of the day sometimes
Just being you falling to sleep
With your own company at the end of the day
Is pretty lonely but you have to
You just have to realise that
You have to have someone around you all the time
To pick up the pieces
I think the moment I realised that
That I had to start going about rebuilding things
And stop blaming everyone
And start really focusing
On what I did wrong or how I can improve
It was the biggest
Change point in my life
So there's no longer any blaming
What did I do? How did I control that situation
Or not control that situation?
And what can I do about it now?
Deep emotional turmoil is awful
It's like swimming in a deep ocean
That you can't think
You can never get out of
And there's little bits and pieces that float along
And I think I'm going to hold on to that
And keep myself alive
But unless you're addressing some of the core
Thing that you as a person
Are responsible for
And can control then I think
You can only tread water for so long
And it's going to manifest itself in a much deeper way
That you're going to have even more
Difficulties getting out of
So for me it's like the little warning signs now
As I go along it's like
This is happening, that's happening
Oh you know what, I'm getting really busy now
At the end of this long year of COVID
People have been through a lot
I've had a really reasonable year
Where I've just punched into work
And dealt with all this stuff at work
But I'm really tired
And so I've just got to go
I've just got to get through
So I limit the amount of things
That I do outside of work
To things that I really want to get right
And things that I think are
The most important for my well being
And for my family's well being
So that's one of the things I learn along the way
Before I just like, you know what, I'm just going to toast myself
You know, I'm going to be everywhere
Things are going so well
And then in the end something happens and you go
What the fuck just happened
I was the king of the world
And then literally the next day
Because I thought my shit didn't stink
It's like, you know, after that 2011
Logie, I remember getting up there going
Pretty sure you're the fucking king
Pretty sure, like Burt Newton
It's not something you think about all the time
But it was definitely in my head
I don't know what could happen here
To stop me from winning four or five
And it's just the lessons that you need to
Because no matter how well you think things are going
There's always something that's going to come along
My dad always had this great saying
It's like, ride the highs and ride the lows
The same, but try and
Stay in the middle there
So that your emotions don't get too heavy
Either way, and I think it's good advice
I think, yeah, every person I've spoken to
On the podcast so far
It's either been all the mum or the dad that had quite a
Strong influence on people that are successful
So differently my dad was
Not a really hard worker, but he instilled in me
The belief that I had to work hard
In a kind of a sporting way
I've got all of mum's sensibilities
And mum, she has this great
What people are going through and what people are feeling
And mine's more heightened than hers
So I can have people walk in a room
And I know something that's going on with them
Not, you know, obvious ways
So empathy and... Completely
And I can read people
In a really incredible way if I plug into it
And that's handy for the job
But, you know, at home
It can be really distracting
Because someone can walk in the house like the garden
And I go, bro, there's something really
And it's not the worms
But I do plug into it like that
That it can be draining
I'd prefer to have that than
I've got to switch it off though, because if I go to a party or something on a Friday night
I can be there for hours talking to people
And just annoying the hell out of them
Are you the deep and meaningful guy?
Yeah, like the Anthony Robbins guy
I'm like the Anthony Robbins
That can be annoying
I find it annoying
Are you apologising as you're doing it?
I'm sorry, mate, but I've got to tell you this
And this is how you get out of that
So if you walked into a room
Normal people would be excited
But within 20 minutes of chatting with you
They're looking for an excuse to get away from you
Pretty sure, yeah
Unless I've identified some significant trauma
Or a relationship they want to get out of
Or actually, you know what, that's just about everyone
Give them the confidence to give them the flick
No, it is painful, but as I get older I'm doing less of that
Because I like to go to parties
And I haven't been invited to some for some time
We're going to leave Carl off the list
Remember what happened last time?
It just gets a little bit out of the top
Tell us about your family
I was born in Brisbane
My sister Tissie is older
Lisa is her name, but she got the nickname Tissie
Is she the top child now?
I reckon probably my youngest brother
Would be the top child
We lived there for 15 years
Perfect upbringing really
Dad was pretty dominating as a person
And I was probably scared
Through any form of physical abuse
You've got to stay on this path
Otherwise there could be
So it was more a mental
And don't get me wrong
Loved and I was never abused
But I always felt like a little bit scared
And I think that in a way
Kind of inspired me on to
To be motivated in that particular way
Normal upbringing
And then when I hit high school I was going through
Year 10 and I was playing first 11 cricket
At a pretty young age
And I remember dad
Got a job offer in Cairns
And I was going to this private school in Brisbane
But dad said do you want to stay at the private school in Brisbane
Where I was going to really work cricket
And I said no no I'm going to Cairns
I just didn't, I hated private school
Just the structure around it, the regiment
The boulder blazer
They wanted to turn you into
A cookie cutter kid you know
And I was just never
I hated that kind of
I hated authority
That wasn't earned
Just for authority's sake I couldn't stand it
I always hated it
So we moved to Cairns
By then I had my brother Pete
Who was 7 years younger than me
And my brother Tom who was 10 years younger than me
So we all drifted up to Cairns
And we stayed there until I finished high school
And then I went to uni
The Queensland University of Technology and did journalism
When did you give up on the dream of the baggy green
Because I can remember
My afternoon playing
Combined Associated Schools
Against the combined high schools
And they had a bloke called Mark Waugh
His brother Steve Waugh
And another guy called Michael Slater
They were one for 343 off their 50 overs
Mark Waugh got out
Because he was bored
To let the other two, Mark Slater come in
To then smash 100 off about 30 balls
And we were all rolled over for 80 odd
And I remember my mate Andy Mater
Actually ended up making Australian Schoolboys
He and I, getting back to the showers
Putting on our black tie because we were going to a formal
That's all we could think about was going out with the girls
We drove out of the car park
With our P's on our car
And we saw Steve Waugh
Mark Waugh and Michael Slater practicing in the net
So I went, that's the day I knew
That I wasn't going to be a baggy green wearer
Because I sort of developed later
I started playing Australian Schoolboys in year 12
And I made that from Cairns
And I was in the same side as Jimmy Ma
Martin Love, Andrew Simons
And a host of really good cricketers
And I became very close to Jimmy actually
Jimmy and I got on really well
In fact we hit the pubs before we played New South Wales
So we were kind of going, okay, house on fire
And then when I came back to Brisbane
I started playing first grade
In and out of first grade, second grade
And then the Queensland University had this
Terrific side who ended up winning
The shield, not the shield, the local competition
In the same years
That Queensland won the shield
So there was a very good competition
And some of these players, Jimmy, Martin
And Andrew Simons, they all played
In that shield winning side
So I was on the fringes, and then around about that time
I became friends with Damian Martin
And I was at Damo's place on the Gold Coast
And I said, when did you know you were
Elite? And he goes, well
I was sitting around one day with
Matt Hayden, Glen McGrath
Ricky Ponting, right?
Glen McGrath goes, oh I knew I was elite
Because I got 55 wickets in first grade
Marto goes, I was playing in Perth
When I was 13, first grade, scored a hundred
Hados goes, I scored
First grade or Sheffield before I
Made the Australian team
And Ricky Ponting goes
I don't know guys
All I know is that between the ages
To this day I don't know whether it was true
But what it said to me was, I'm a good cricketer
But I'm not elite
Has even got categories
So even the guys like that
They were looking at Ricky Ponting going, he is
And so I just thought, I didn't give it up
But I just thought
Also I started getting, the days
Started getting longer, the fielding days when I was
At uni started getting longer
The nights started getting longer
And I was really enjoying journalism
And so for me it was just a simple
Kind of decision that evolved
Over a three year period
I still played, like I remember going, when I started
In the media, I was in Rockhampton
For a year and then I went to New Zealand for a year to work
And I played first grade over in New Zealand
And I just had a lot of fun
You know I scored 180
In a 50 over match
The Kiwis are hopeless though
They were hopeless
But I still love my cricket
And I still dream about it
I dream about playing
And when something weird is going on
In my life, I'll dream them out in the middle
And I can't hit the ball
And it's all this manifesting stuff going on
That I read too much into
It's like going to a party and talking to myself
I'm exactly the same
And to be honest, I miss playing it now
Obviously I've got a busy life
But I'd love to play a bit of park cricket now
10-10 is a big game for blokes that have no time
10 overs bowled in 45 minutes each
It's all over in two hours
Maybe we could get out there together
And open the batting
So I love the fact you loved your cricket
So you're at university
You're not going to be a baggy green
What steered you in that direction
And what made you the man you are today
In those early years
Mum always said to me when I was growing up
Find something you love doing
See if there's a job in it
Because she saw my dad kind of struggle
Dad was incredibly smart
But he just moved from job to job to job
He didn't really hold down a job
For whatever reason
And so as well as this work ethic
I grew up thinking I've got to find something I love
And so I went to college after I saw Top Gun
Like every kid in the 80s
And then I started Maths 1 and Maths 2
And it was an abject failure
So I had to go okay
That's one of the prerequisites for going to the RAAF
You've got to be good at math
The baggy green gone
It really fucked it for me
Tom Cruise, Top Gun gone
And then I remember dad
My dad in Cairns was doing
A finance segment
Like once a week because he was in finance
And he was working for the Northern Building Society
He'd go into this studio
And just do two minutes down
The barrel of finance stuff
And I remember the very first time
I walked into that studio
And I had the like, and I still get it now
Comes through my, like my hairs go on end
And I just thought
Oh my god, this is my home
And I looked at the cameras
And they were sitting there idle
Not even facing up
But I just thought
I was transfixed by the lens
It's just very weird
You know like an epiphany
And then I watched dad do it
And I thought he's hopeless
Like he's really bad
And I was 15 right
You worked out that he wasn't up to scratch
There's no connection
And I didn't say anything because I was still
Fairly scared of him
I wasn't scared of my dad
You just don't do it
Back in the day you didn't
And I loved it and I started doing work experience straight away
And all through high school
I was doing work experience, I was writing copy
Were you good at that? Were you good at English?
Very good at English, yeah
And always good with words
And feeling words
And the right kind of line for the right circumstance
When I started university
I started doing, I remember
I started doing the graveyard shift at Channel 10
I'm at university with like 180 chicks
And everyone's doing
The best degree ever
I say chicks because it was like 180 girls
It was like the best course ever
All the doctors, they all wanted to do journalism
Doing something I love
Everyone was so good
And I was just so
Intent on having a good time
But I was doing Channel 10 work at night
I was doing the graveyard shift listening to Scanners
From 11 o'clock at night until 7 in the morning
And then going to uni
And just loving, absolutely loving life
I remember having a great time
Being tired but just going
This is going to be the best thing ever
We had a little tiny group of us
So it was like 10 girls and two of us boys
Who were in this really small group
And everyone went on and did stuff
So everyone was doing work experience
Everyone was doing all these things outside of university
So it was a great little group
You all went on to careers
But it starts from hard work
It starts from plugging in
It starts from seeing
What you need to do
University is about learning from theory
And a little bit of prac
But I just went, you have to learn on the job
It's like a trade
It's whether you're in theatre or whether you're a pilot
It's the flying miles
And so when I first started
That's all I had to do
I have to go up there
Channel 10 had me on for work experience
Plus the grave shift
I started writing TV copy
I started going and doing interviews
And this is all the while I was at uni
I'd say to every kid out there
No matter what you want to do
While you're doing a university degree
Just hammer someone until they let you into their workplace
And work for free
For as long as you can
I spoke to Ben Fordham the other day
And Ben said the same thing
I remember when the grill team started
And he said I'm going to be coming a week
And I'll bring in some interesting stuff
And look where he's going now
Well, he's doing alright, Benny, I guess
I think I did work experience with Benny once
He's a great story
And I was very good friends with Benny
We started around about the same time
And probably the closest in contemporaries to me
And he was at the current affair
And I was up in Queensland
And we came down to Sydney
To find contemporaries who are really good at what they do
But also that you're friends with them
And you can talk to them
That's why I think it's so important to be generous with people
Whether they're starting out
Or whether they've been around and they ask you for advice
I think that's a really important part
Of being good at what you do
Because the more you listen to people
The more you explain it
It's just a good feeling
And if you have a good feeling about something
Then you're going to be better at what you do
People talk about networks and stuff
It sounds too businessy or too sort of clinical
But it's just a real, like with this podcast
It's like, who are the people that I've met
In the last 10, 15 years
That people I can have a beer with and ring up and ask advice
And you write down and they just go
It's a really interesting group of people
Guys and girls that have just gone off their arse
I did not want to be a person
Who didn't do stuff
I've done the Today Show now for 16 years
When I started I had a terrible time
From anyone from Sam Chisholm who was the CEO
Through the press
That was just relentless
It was a really tough time
It nearly broke me
It was as close to being broken
As I've ever been
From a professional point of view
I remember Sam Chisholm would ring
I'm at TV station in the sky now
I mean he was a tyrant
Right, he was the man of his time
No disrespect now
It's like times have moved on
And I realised what he was doing
But at the time it was like every second day he'd ring me and go
What the fuck was that interview you just did with so and so
You're a disgrace
It was relentless
For like 6 months
And then I remember
I woke up one morning
I woke up one morning and I said
I'm not going to take this anymore
And so I said listen, if you've got something constructive to say to me
Then say it, otherwise
Get me off the show
Pack me up, I'll go back to LA
I'm a good correspondent
I'll be good at this job too but I need time
What do you mean?
And I said well what I'm telling you is that I'm sick of the bullying
And he goes it's not bullying
I hear what you're doing, it's full on
And if you're trying to break me you're close to it
But no more, I'm not going to get broken
So just make your decision
And he went, oh no
You've got a lot of ability
But he had never said that
No, no, no, overnight
In a nanosecond switched it
And I was like what?
And so I hit 31 and I've had all that kind of
Experience on the side as well
Which I didn't think I would
But that's rebuilding a belief in yourself
To a point where you know
Someone can't shake it
No matter how much experience they've got
There are certain things that I can do that I know I do well
And you start there
I have an ability to interview
I can have a laugh, I've got a weird sense of humor
I mean Tom Malone who was my EP years later
Said you've got the weirdest sense of humor in the fucking world
It's going to take them years
Because I was just
Growing up, a bloke doesn't really
I don't think mature in many ways until they get to their mid 30s
Anyway, so I'm doing all of that
And it just was going to take time
And I thought I will get here
Because I see moments
I know what to do
But it's this stuff in the middle
It's not the interviews, it's none of that
It's like a normal conversation with someone
It's not normal when you're on TV
You've got these cameras
Until I get to that point
That's when I will know that I'll be moving forward
And that really didn't happen until I got to
It was really easy to talk
For me with Lisa, there was a huge turning point for me
When I was working with her
Because she gave me
The confidence and the ability
To talk like I do off camera
There was a big enough safety net for me there
For me to really learn and prosper out of
And then once I had all those ingredients
From my point of view
I sort of see you as
Like a normal person on telly
Like Koshi in the morning
He's just not my sort of guy
He might be a nice person
He rang me up once to be
I don't think he looks like a nice guy
Okay, he's not a nice guy
But you know what I mean
Coming back to today's show
The ratings are so much better now
Do you worry about those?
Do you care about those?
How important is it for you
To be number one?
It was important for me many, many years ago
I think when I was 30
It was definitely important for me
I think where it really changed for me was
I wanted to be good at it
And I wanted to be perceived as being good at it
More than I wanted to be loved
I followed journalists and I wanted
You wanted respect
Yeah, complete respect from everyone
And not long after
Maybe two or three years after that
I knew I couldn't achieve that either
Because it's subjective
And it's competitive
And it's all these things again that you can't control
And I really went back to the
And went, okay, what are you doing this for?
And at the end of the day for me
I want to be the voice for people
That's the most powerful thing about
Is if you talk for people
If you make things happen for people
If you can change someone's life
If you can do those things
And start with one person
And build up around that
A reputation for helping people
It's pretty hard to penetrate that
That's what I did
And I set about doing that
One interview at a time
And I built up a bank
And once you've built up a bank
The only thing that can really
Effect that is stuff outside
Personal life stuff comes into it
That can erode into what people
People's perceptions are of you
The way that's reported
Can also erode that more significantly
And that was hard
I think that was a difficult time
I didn't realize why people
When this kind of stuff happens every day
And I think that on reflection
I could have handled a bunch of things differently
But I also did things the way
I never tried to be anyone other than myself
And so when you go through
Any kind of thing publicly
Is it easier now for you to deal with it
Or is it still hard
You have to compartmentalize
And you've got to try and protect
And there are things that I wouldn't
I won't talk about
What they all may not have been through
I just don't think that it's anyone's business
And we want them to
Go and have a great life
Away from this kind of intrusive stuff
And some people say hang on a second
You ask people these questions all the time
But for me it's a greater thing
To protect rather than to share
There's a certain part of my life
That I have to share
There's a certain part of my life that I want to share
But there's a certain part of my life that I have no desire to
I can just read it in the newspapers anyway
Why do I have to ask you
I was literally at Coles the other day
And this glossy magazine told me exactly what's going on
I think that stuff's grating
It must be for you
You've had it up 40 times
This week it's not happening
I think it's harder for
Jazz and anyone who's not used to it
When you grow up you think these magazines are true
It has to be said
There are members of the public who do believe it
And so you've got to try
And especially when they start writing a narrative
You've got to be on top of it
But I've also got lawyers
Nothing stops a narrative quicker than a lawyer
Giving them a tingle
I hate doing that but it's like I'm sorry
There is a line that needs to be drawn here
And it needs to be stopped
Nine especially recently have been
Especially good at doing that too
I think when all this stuff happened at first
It's not a normal situation
And it went like wildfire
And I think even for the experienced people
They're scratching their heads going why is this
I still don't know why it was such a big thing
Hardest of all for me to reconcile
There was times when it was very difficult
And I still get a bit upset about it
Because there's a shot at my wedding with
My brother Sylvia, Tim Gilbert
Dickie, and I can't remember who else
But it was like the red wedding in Game of Thrones
Everyone got totaled
Everyone got taken off the show
And I was like that was my fault
And I've never had to explain myself to them
Because they're lovely people
But why did that happen?
Why is it on me that this has happened?
I'm in love and I'm getting married
And my kids are here at the wedding
But when I look back on it
I see where everyone's gone
And everyone's had incredible careers
And it was difficult
But I'm glad that everyone's gone on
It was terribly difficult that pressure
And the more I've got to know you is I've got to
Spend some more time on The Today Show
Which I love by the way
Can't wait to be able to get back into studio
And have a proper cuddle every day rather than
Down in the warehouse
Me too mate, I love it
And sometimes I go can you not mess with Carl
Because we've got him all sorted the way he is
And also with Ali as well
But I noticed a change
Today in the last
Since you've been back with Ali compared to
What it was before
You've built that again haven't you
That feeling of fun around a very important show
I think for me what happened was
Towards the end, even with Lisa
Towards the end it was
We've been together 10 years
You have 10 years of
Wonderful broadcasting
And amongst the 10 years there's also
There's going to be some ups and downs
It reaches an end however
It's not planned or planned or whatever goes on
You're certainly not controlling that
But you have to move on right
And there was a lot of the time there
I think that I was focused on
To just try to be the best I could be right
And so I wasn't really focused on
The team, we had a team of outstanding broadcasters
Around us, around itself
And you know you're just there for the cream on top
And bang, but then there was an upheaval
And then there was personal stuff
And then suddenly you're in a new
Team and then the team's changed
And I realised for the first time
That I needed to work
Using all of my experience and using
All the little pieces of the puzzle that
I've picked up and making something
To put this team back together
And I worked incredibly, you know when I came
Back with Ali, I worked incredibly hard
At doing that from
Alex to you know Ali
And we're not talking about people who need
To be constructed from zero
These are amazing broadcasters, I'm
And so for me it was a priority
Everyone be the best they could be
Probably that's the right word
But I prefer to think of it as
You know just a bit of guidance
And everyone when you start out
You like each other and you love each other
But when you get to broadcasting
It's different, how that meshes
And how that goes is a journey
It's a terrible cliché
But it's a journey on how everyone
Gets to work with each other
Because it can be fantastic and it can also be
Horrific, but to be comfortable
In those moments no matter what happens
And that to me has been probably
One of the things I'm most proud of
Is that we've got this team
Together and we're humming
Reflected in ratings
Plus we've had this huge new stuff going on
And to have got tone right
During a very difficult year to get tone right
In the country market for us to be going really well
In Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne
Even Perth and Adelaide now looking at
To have people coming back to you
Is a sign that what you're doing is
It's a reflection
You asked before how I feel about the ratings
I don't agonise over it
But if you've got a trend it means that you're doing
Something right rather than isolated
Pockets of ratings
And we're doing something right
Now it's the priority to keep it going
And what happens outside of COVID
How can we get better and how can we
And all those things
Reconnecting with people
It's an exciting time but it's a really good point
It's an incredibly proud moment for me this year
I haven't had a day off all year
A week off all year
I've had the odd day
But to end the year having done so well
For me has been an incredibly proud moment
And I'm proud of every one of those people honestly
Even behind the scenes
I work really hard at getting the vibe right on set
Even for the cameraman
Our floor manager Abby
Who's been with us 15 years
If everyone's right, the vibe's right
People walk in and they'll sizzle
They'll feel part of it
And that to me is my soul
Maybe it's not the sole job
But it's one of the most important jobs I do
Absolutely, let's talk about you being a celebrity
Can you have a bad day
I've asked all celebrities this
Can you give someone the bird in traffic
Are you on all the time
Because you know what will happen if someone
Everyone's a journo, everyone's a photographer
There's no way you can
And it's no good Gus
Because I remember
Like a couple of years ago
I was at the airport
And a lot had been going on in my life
And this guy was there with a lens
And I've just gone off my chops
What are you doing?
What are you doing? Why are you shaking?
Why are you shaking? Because you're an animal
It was an all time
No, it was terrible
Part of me is like wants to stand up
To these people and give them
What for? Because I'm a man
But every time you do that
You just look like a dick
And there's no one who's going to feel sorry for you out there
You get paid good money
You got a great job
You got a full income
You've got a great family
So what actually do you have?
Oh, you've got a camera in your face at the airport
Oh, you look hungover because you are
Oh, they took a bad photo, whatever
It can be intrusive
To constantly have a camera on you
So much so now that I don't even worry about it
You know what? They aren't there very much anymore
But when you're under the pump
It's like every minute of every day
It just reduces anxiety
Tremendous anxiety
But still you can't
Let that on with the public
First world problems, you know?
The benefits far outweigh the negatives
Like by a country mile
I'm the luckiest guy in the world
Luckiest guy in the world
If you go outside thinking that
You're not going to have a problem with the camera
I've just started meditation after years
I've just started meditating after years
All the old school stuff
And I started doing it
I did a five week course
I do it every morning now, 20 minutes
And you know what? I start every day with
What an opportunity
I'm going to go and see Carl Stefanovic today
He's a mate of mine
I'm going to go and do this podcast
Which I really love doing
We're going to have a nice chat for an hour
What an opportunity
I'm the same with you
I was looking forward to it
This stuff's not work
It still surprises me
People want to find out
But I do have things I want to say as well
Not everyone's going to be the right person to tell
There's got to be trust there
Because there's intimacy
In what I'm saying
I really do believe that
Things like meditation
What's it called?
One of my best mates, Rob's mum, still does it
It's an energy thing
Because I do have huge amounts of energy
And I need to disperse it
Ali calls me an energy shifter
Because I can shift energy
I just think she's giving me shit
Well, Matty Johns is similar to you in a way
He's an energy shifter too
He could walk around the corner
Yes, he's on today
Or he's really tired
He'll always get there
But it's not 6 o'clock
It's going to be 7 o'clock
But I have to work on myself to get there for 7 o'clock
At 5.30 there's no shaking it
When you wake up at 3.30 in the morning
Some mornings you're just
Not going to be bouncing
So it all depends on your sleep
And the night before
And the shit that's happening in your life
Energy is the most important part of what I do
The most important part
And managing energy
Through the course of my work
And also outside of that with my family
Is the most difficult balance
But it's also the most important to get right
10 years of waking up at 3.30 in the morning
My wife said to me I was just jet lagged
I was there but I wasn't present
Because the kids are talking to you
They were literally like dad, dad, dad
And mum's hearing everything of course
Plus multitasking
And I'm just sitting there like
I'm in a lounge somewhere not quite knowing what I'm doing
Just thinking I've just got to get to work tomorrow
And be on fire because I was the third wheel
I wasn't the star
I hadn't won any premierships
And played State of Origin or Fort Wally Lewis
So that took an enormous toll on me
I look at you and I go
You have unique skills
You have unique skills that they don't
You're a broadcaster
I find that pretty incredible
Because it's the facilitators
Of these things that make
And if you don't have that self worth
Or you didn't have that self worth
Or they didn't give you the acknowledgement for that
Probably more accurately
Then that's difficult
But I look at you now and the way that you move
As a communicator and it's tremendously
Interesting to me
I put that up as high as it goes
Because it's you sitting there and you
Having a look, making an assessment
Going with the right tone
Making the right call on something
And just being yourself
I think you're much more powerful than you were
A few years ago doing that
Probably because you're not with all that
You had to do it yourself
Thank you mate, I appreciate that
That's his way of saying it, I don't really believe it
You know what, it's one of those things
I'm definitely better now than I was
I think the Man Up program for me changed my life
Five years learning about mental fitness
Learning about how people have
Struggles and trying to give them
The emotional muscle to be able to
Just talk and explain so they don't worry
Alone has made me a better
Father, better hubby, better mate
And like you say, a better communicator
So I feel much more relaxed
About doing it now anyway
There's stuff that I won't talk about
Deep pain in relation to
Certain things in my life that no one knows about
And I won't because
It's a betrayal of that person's trauma
And my association with it
And helping them through it
And being present for it
Is enough, but it still
Took a long time for me
Through some of those
Very extreme emotions
It gave me an insight into it
And it gave me an ability to
Comprehend how others go through it
I can help people when I see them
In trauma, like at a party
Come through the door
Empathy, we're back, we're back
And I think I shut it off for a while
I think people that get to know you
And understand that you'd be a really good friend
You know, and if they didn't know you
And just saw you as a broadcast
Then you'd get the fun bit as well
My ability to have a grandiose
Time out and about
Is somewhat limited
Through the advent of phones everywhere
Everyone's a turn-o, everyone's a cameraman
Well, it's shocking really
You know, and I have been very
Disappointed with some of the stuff the public
Like in men's toilets and stuff
Like taking shots of my willy
Mate, I'm completely oblivious to it
Mate, that guy's getting shots of your willy
I'm not at my best, man
Go again, I'm going to warm it up
And then I went outside and I said
I went to the copper, right
There was a copper outside, I was at this place
And I went, Mr Police Officer
And he goes, this guy got a
In the toilet and he goes
Are you joking, what did he look like
And I turned around and was at the Gold Coast
So everyone had these
Cut-off singlets on and tats
He had a cut-off singlet on
And he goes, you're not helping
So I had this paranoia
For weeks that Carl's little
Dick pic was going to be everywhere and I was like
Did it ever come out? No, I guess he couldn't
Or there's no way of actually saying it was you either
That's the other thing
If he's down there, you can't get the full body shot
Well, let's hope so anyway
He needed a wide angled lens
Do you ask if you're on speaker now with all your
Do you know, I think that was
That was pretty traumatic for my brother
That stuff, you know
Who by the way is one of the nicest people on the planet
I mean we talk probably three or four times a day
And that should have been
Something that was just
But it's a sign of how
Much under the pump
Who would have thought an Uber driver
How unlucky can you get
When you're trying to
When you're trying to sandbag and you don't even know what a
There's stuff, there's leaks everywhere
It's not the main one that you see
That the water coming out of that's going to break you
It's going to be the one around the corner
That you can't see that opens up
It's like you can't control everything
You can't live your life like that
And so I don't ask
I don't ask him anymore
Because I don't want to live a life like that
Like I've been at pubs and stuff
And people have been recording conversations
I've been at people's own homes
And they've been recording conversations
But it's like I'm not going to stop and say
Would you mind deleting that
Or I'm going to leave now
That was fun, whatever
It's like it's going to be funny for my mates or whatever
But for me, I'm always aware
No matter how drunk I am
I'm always aware of stuff that's going on now
And yes, I do temper it
And I do alter it a little bit
And I change it a little bit
And I do ask my brother occasionally if he's in the back of an Uber
Just occasionally
Just a bit of a laugh
For whatever reason
People will utilise
Who have a public eye
And you're just another thing you've got to be aware of
Is there a place where you can completely relax?
I just take my own cabs now
Because I don't want to be
I think this is an accurate reflection of what happens
But most of the cabbies
Aren't really interested in what's going on in the back of the car
I don't know who they're on the phone to
They're always chatting away
Not a lot of time left
So I want to ask you
Our Fast Five, which sort of ends our podcast
Your favourite quote
That you live your life
My mum's, I think, mantra
Work hard, play hard
I think you've taken that on
I've worked hard and I play hard
And I just don't tell anyone where I'm playing
Yes, well she knows
What's your favourite destination?
Well, I've recently bought a place in Noosa
So it would be Queensland
But Sunshine Beach at Noosa is
I think, and the walks around the headlands
And everything is spectacular
I just love the smell of it
And Port Douglas in Cairns
I just literally get off the plane up there
And it's the aromas, it's the humidity
It's the courthouse hotel
Where the beer is the coldest in the world
The songs, it's feeling sweaty
In every part of you
And yeah, it's Queensland for me
Queensland's my home state
But it's also my favourite part of the world
I like that. Favourite book? Are you a reader?
Now I find it hard to read
Because it stimulates me
And it's the time
I can be in bed and if I read I'll put the book down
And I think this is proven medically
But it stimulates the mind
So I'm all about sleep
I can sleep anywhere
I can sleep on a plane
I can sleep on a train
I can sleep on a lilo on the water
And I just want to get to sleep
But my favourite book, I think
I love the Anthony Keaties autobiography Strangely
Under the Bridge, I think it was called
So thinking books, not
No, there was a great book
A few years ago called The Apothecary
I don't even know who wrote it
I remember that when I was at uni
I was voracious at university
I read everything
And also I loved the escape part of it
But I haven't read anything for a long time
I'm much more into Netflix and space things
Star Wars or Star Trek
Or you're talking actual proper space
Where someone goes
Even that terrible movie with Brad Pittman
People are in space
I find it therapeutic
And there's not much going on except
And my wife hates it
She just goes, not another one
There's one on Apple now called Foundation
Dan McPherson's in the other Aussie guy
Which is fabulous
I love that sci-fi stuff
That takes you into another world
Gets you away for a few hours
I loved the Godfather trilogy
Is my favourite actor
And Robert De Niro
I just love that whole Woggy thing
It was like living life
The salami at school
The dead horse head
Who didn't do that?
And favourite charity
I'd like to give 10k to
For me, I've done
A lot of work with different charities
But I love Young Care
And the idea of being unable to move
Or having something seriously wrong with you
Either mentally or physically
And to be in a place where
It's all older people
Would be even harder
So Young Care do this fabulous work
With putting young people into young homes
There for the start of Young Care
And we used to do these great little fund raises
On the side of the Story Bridge
In Brizzy and raised 15k
And now they've got homes everywhere
And they're doing really well
So for me, I think every little bit helps
And if I was ever incapacitated
I would love the idea of
Not being in a facility
Where everyone was over 100
Unless of course I am
I'd be tearing it up
Well that's beautiful
So 10k is going to go to them
Sure and Partners
So Earl and Al who are great supporters of Gotcha for Life
Have put this series together
And they just wanted to help
People that they loved and respected
That was really important for him
And for them to do that
One question I forgot to ask though
Was what's the best
Interview you've done
Because you do your Today Show stuff
But you're away for a little while
I love doing all that stuff
I love doing, I have to be honest
Big breaking news stuff
Is something that I love doing
I love being able to be away anywhere
And tell Australia what's going on
As a communicator I feel very keenly
That sense of responsibility
And because I'm a great former
Of the right information
And I don't mean that to be arrogant
But that's just my, I have that ability
That innate ability
I remember like 2011
I mean some of these big things
Christchurch earthquakes, the tsunami in Japan
Queensland floods
I did the terror attacks in Paris
And Brussels and I've done a whole lot of that
And I feel really
That that's an important part of what I do
The lighter interviews I adore as well
So this is why this job
Has become my greatest
Passion because it looks after all
The weird elements of my personality
But I think it's just
Just these massive laughs on set
And it can be any particular guest
But for me it's the stuff
That happens every day
On the set with everyday people
That I just find, you know, the guy
Who stopped a robbery on the Gold Coast
And you know, or the Del Alarm
Or whatever, this guy stops this
This robbery with a thong
And at the end of the interview
He says to me, Carlos, do you mind if we
Get a plug in for my club?
I said, no problem
I said, what's it called? And he goes, the Mutt Dangers
Mate, I've gone, what?
You can't say that
It's like disgusting
But Lisa didn't get it because, you know, Lisa's from Sydney
And this was in Queensland
I got it, I'm from Sydney
Well, for whatever reason Lisa didn't get it
She goes, what do you mean the Mutt Dangers?
What's a Mutt Danger?
Does anyone know what a Mutt Danger is?
Obviously didn't get it
That's just funny shit
And I love funny shit
I just love it, but mostly it comes from
Everyday fucking Aussies
That's the worst, I can't stop my language
You know, I saw John Laws the other day, right?
And he goes, you've got terrible language
And I sound like Sean Connery
And I said, no, no
When I'm talking freely, I swear
But I've never sworn on air
It's funny, MG never ever got dumped
I got dumped many times
Maddie every now and again, MG never
As soon as that song goes on, he'd be swearing
He just had something in his head that he just knew
I think it's a luck thing too
Yeah, a bit lucky maybe
Well mate, it's been wonderful chatting to you
So thank you very much
Goodnight everybody
And I suppose that's the side of him
That we don't see as much when he's hosting
Things on telly in his own TV show
So I hope you enjoyed that side of him
Coming up next on
Not an overnight success, it's a chat with
Freddie Fittler, of course, Brad Fittler
The New South Wales state of origin coach
As well as NRL legend
And this was actually a chat
That we had outside at his place
He decided to eat breakfast all the way through it
It's Freddie, authentic
And absolutely down to earth
I'm sure you'll love it
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