Episode 52 Transcript

Heather:

Hey guys, welcome back to episode 52. So I was just interviewing this incredible guy named Darren Stevens, and this guy has transformed like the lives of millions of people from all walks of life, from Fortune 500 CEOs to celebrities to presidents, members of royalty, authors, speakers, and athletes and champions, like he knows this stuff. And in that interview,

 

He reminded me of the time I was in Cambodia. And I wanna share a story with you on that. By the way, that interview with Darren is coming out in episode 61, so like 10 away from now. So make sure you subscribe to this show. You wanna listen, you wanna hear that interview with Darren. So the reason why I thought of this story that I'm gonna tell you is because of the caliber of people that he hangs out with all the time.

 

And it got me thinking around some of the most successful people I've also hung out with in my life. One of them in particular rings the bell. So I want to tell you about this time I was hanging out with Dermot, an Irish guy in Cambodia. And something that Dermot said to me that I really want you guys to know about. So here's what happened. I was in Phnom Penh. Or Phnom Penh, I think some people pronounce it.

 

Phnom Penh in Cambodia near the Royal Palace. I don't know if you guys have been there before, but it is incredible. There is a royal palace that the building is phenomenal. It's like kind of white and gold and just all these incredible shapes on the roof. Beautiful. So we were in Cambodia near the Royal Palace and I was there for the billionaire adventure club. So it's a club that I co-founded with somebody else and I ran for about four years.

 

And what we did is we brought entrepreneurs to different countries to work with social enterprises, charities, basically give our time, our resources, and sometimes our funds to assist. So this particular time, there are roughly around 30 of us that came to Cambodia together, and we were working with an enterprise called Friends International.

 

By the way, what an amazing organization, Friends International. So they kind of had two tiers, at least they did when we were back there back in the day. One was to educate tourists on not to do handouts to begging children because it perpetuates the cycle of poverty. And the other one was the education of street kids in trades and also like beauty and hairdressing to lift them out of poverty and then place them into jobs.

 

They even had this like on-site restaurant that we went to and I still own the cookbook. So they basically had an on-site restaurant and then they funded or they trained the kids to work in the restaurant as chefs and servers and you know all the different roles and wrote a cookbook and you could go and actually buy the most beautiful food from there. Amazing organization because they basically funded themselves so they didn't see themselves as a charity but more of a social enterprise. Anyway we were there doing work.

 

for this amazing group. And on the side, part of the Billionaire Adventure Club is we would actually go on adventures and see the country that we were in. And so this particular evening, I want you to picture Cambodia. Anywhere in Southeast Asia, if you've been, it's like it smells different. It's like the air is different, the coloring of the sun. Everything's just kind of sticky and intense and just beautiful. So we're there.

 

And we're sitting on this rooftop next to the Royal Palace, the group, the billionaire adventure club members and myself. And we're there on the top of this roof and the sun was starting to set and we were having drinks and canapes and just having check-in and conversation, networking. And gosh, it was good. It was such a beautiful night. I'm just remembering it right now. I'm talking to you guys. It's just the smells and everything, the food, beautiful. So anyway, I was chatting to Dermot and

 

This guy had or still has potentially I haven't talked to him in a while Successful business a real estate portfolio and you know, he knows him his stuff. He's successful Let's say quote unquote in the definition of Western culture. He is a successful individual and I really love talking to successful people and finding out what makes them tick part of the podcast Obviously is doing that I can reach out to really incredible people bring them to you guys and also learn a lot by talking to them

 

So I'm sitting there with German and just hanging out and I asked him what is a deal breaker when it comes to hanging out with people or bringing in new people into his peer group? What's the deal breaker for the people he hangs out with? So you guys wanna know what he said? Well, this is what he said. He said he won't entertain a relationship or go into a new relationship with somebody.

 

If they like to say the words, I already know that. I already know that. You see, he said, the more experience in life you have, the more you have to learn. The more you live, the more you actually have to learn. The more you grow and stretch yourself, the more you want to do.

 

the more things you want to see and experience in the world. The more you experience different cultures and countries, the more you want to know about people and what make them tick. The more you connect with new people, the more you appreciate life.

 

And the moment you say the words, I already know that, you shut down your mind from being open, from embracing how other people live, from seeing decisions and opportunities in a different angle, and from staying curious. And he said, those are the people I don't wanna be around. See you next time, you guys. Have a beautiful rest of your week.