Elevate Your Life: Transformational Journey

In today's fast-paced world, finding the path to personal success and self-fulfillment can often feel like a daunting task. On a recent episode of the Dead America Podcast, host Ed Watters sat down with Adrian Knight, an acquisition entrepreneur, business turnaround expert, and endurance athlete to discuss his extraordinary journey and the transformative power of the Elevate Your Life program.

 

## The Genesis of Elevate Your Life

 

Adrian Knight's story is nothing short of inspiring. Speaking with Ed, he recalled his early struggles and the pivotal moments that led to the creation of the Elevate Your Life program. Knight shared how people often ask him about his business success, particularly his children's education group that skyrocketed to a multimillion-dollar enterprise in under three years.

 

"But the secret sauce," Adrian insisted, "is not just about the business strategies; it's about the Elevate Your Life principles."

 

### Overcoming Adversity Through Education

 

Ed Watters opened the conversation emphasizing the importance of education and conversation in overcoming life's challenges. Through educating oneself and others, barriers can be broken down, and personal growth can be ignited. Adrian Knight echoed these sentiments but added his unique twist.

 

"My education started after formal education ended," Adrian confessed, highlighting his initial struggles with academics and his eventual realization that self-education and personal growth were key to achieving his dreams. From buying his first personal development book with a ten-pound voucher to creating a daily routine focused on self-improvement, Adrian outlined how consistent effort and personal investment can transform one's life.

 

## Key Elements of the Daily Routine

 

Adrian's daily routine is the core of the Elevate Your Life program. He shared how waking up early and dedicating the first hours of the day to personal growth activities like reading, meditation, exercise, and visualization has enormously impacted his life. This routine elevates his energy and focus, setting a positive tone for the rest of the day.

 

"I get up at 4 a.m. every single day, seven days a week," Adrian shared. "I go straight into a routine of reading, meditating, visualizing, practicing gratitude and affirmations, followed by a workout. It’s about investing in oneself."

 

## Escaping Negativity and Establishing Boundaries

 

A significant part of elevating one's life involves escaping negativity and establishing boundaries. As Ed and Adrian discussed, creating space in one's life to reflect, think, and engage in self-improvement activities is essential. Adrian advised starting by waking up slightly earlier to create this space.

 

"Even if it's just 15 minutes earlier each day, that time becomes extremely powerful," Adrian remarked. "It’s about carving out time for yourself, free from external influences."

 

He also emphasized the importance of setting boundaries to protect one’s mental and emotional well-being. This requires confidence and clarity, which, according to Adrian, can be built through consistent practices of self-care and reflection.

 

## Transformative Success Stories

 

Adrian has not only transformed his own life with these principles but has also helped others do the same. He shared the story of a woman in dire straits who completely turned her life around within six months of starting the Elevate Your Life program. She went from living in a shepherd's hut with heavy debts and a dissolved partnership to becoming financially stable and empowered.

 

## The Role of Endurance in Personal Growth

 

Adrian’s passion for endurance events also plays a significant role in his life philosophy. He described how pushing physical limits through events like multi-day Arctic expeditions, running across Northern England, and preparing for a coast-to-coast trek in Panama helps break through mental barriers and build resilience.

 

"It's about pushing past perceived boundaries," Adrian stated. "Physical endurance challenges are as much about mental strength as they are about physical ability."

 

## Looking Forward: The Elevate Your Life Program and Podcast

 

The Elevate Your Life program, initially developed for Adrian’s personal use, is now accessible to others through an app. Adrian posts daily about his routine on social media, particularly on Instagram, offering inspiration and guidance to those who follow him.

 

In addition to the program, Adrian is launching a podcast aimed at showcasing ordinary people living extraordinary lives. By sharing stories and insights, the podcast aims to demystify success and personal growth, showing that anyone can elevate their life.

 

## Call to Action

 

Adrian Knight is active on social media, especially Instagram, where he shares his journey and daily routines. To learn more or get in touch with Adrian, follow him on Instagram @AdrianJKnight and join him on this transformative journey.

 

If you are seeking ways to elevate your life, overcome negativity, and achieve your fullest potential, the Elevate Your Life program offers a structured and proven path. Whether you're an entrepreneur, a fitness enthusiast, or someone seeking personal growth, Adrian Knight's insights and methodologies could offer the breakthrough you need.

 

Stay tuned for more inspiring stories and practical advice by subscribing to the Dead America Podcast, and remember: the journey to a better self begins with that first step.

 

Adrian Knight

[00:00:00]

[00:00:00] Adrian Knight: So Elevate Your Life is a, uh, it's a program that I live on a daily basis. And a lot of people look and come up and ask me questions about, like, the success that they're seeing from the business side of things. Uh, so my children's education group, for example, that has grown into a multimillion group within like, like well under three years.

[00:00:27] Um, it's grown incredibly fast and it's, and I mean, we're currently educating 10, 000 under five year olds every academic term. And so I have a lot of people come up to me and say, How are you doing this? And they want to talk about how to buy and sell businesses. But I always say that, Look, we can look at that and I can seriously sort of show you how to buy or sell a business, but the secret source is this stuff. It's the Elevate Your Life stuff.

[00:00:53] Ed Watters: To overcome, you must educate. Educate not only yourself, but educate anyone seeking to learn. We are all Dead America, we can all learn something. To learn, we must challenge what we already understand. The way we do that is through conversation. Sometimes we have conversations with others, however, some of the best conversations happen with ourself. Reach out and challenge yourself; let's dive in and learn something right now.

[00:01:50] Today we're speaking with Adrian Knight. He is an acquisition entrepreneur, a business turnaround expert, he has the Elevate Your Life life coaching Program. Also, he's an endurance athlete. Adrian, could you please introduce yourself? Let people know just a little more about you, please.

[00:02:13] Adrian Knight: Yes, absolutely. Hello, Ed. It's, uh, it's lovely to, uh, yeah, I'd love to be on here. Thank you so much. Um, as I'm sure you can tell my accent is a little funny. Uh, that's because I'm based over in the not so sunny UK. Um, I live just outside of London with my wife and four year old daughter. Um, I come from a background in buying and selling businesses.

[00:02:38] So ,um, I typically look for businesses that I can add some value to. So buy some value and then either, um, sell those businesses to a management team who will sort of be with them for the long term or ,um, keep them. And in that, uh, over the last few years, I've, I've, I've sort of used my skillset to build up a small group of companies in the children's uh, education space, which has been more of a passion project than anything else.

[00:03:09] Um, alongside my, uh, professional activities, I, uh, I'm very much into my, uh, endurance events. Um, they've been getting quite extreme. So in March of this year, I was in the Arctic Circle on a multi day endurance event. Uh, in June of this year, I ran across Northern England, um, next month, uh, which is November 23, uh, 2023, I'm in Sparta, Greece for the Spartan race world championships. So, uh, yeah, I like to keep myself active and keep myself busy.

[00:03:45] Ed Watters: That's always good because it'll help you keep that youth about you. If you don't use it, you lose it. Remember that. It's, it's one of those things. As you age, you really understand that. So passion, education, I love it. Because really that's what life is about, educating ourselves. Because if we're just stumbling along and we're not aware of what's going on, we're not living life to its fullest. And I remember when I was young, education was scary and I didn't like it much because there was so many people I had to deal with.

[00:04:31] And I really had to dig deep inside of myself to understand why I did not do well in school, early. And I had to challenge myself to read and write and understand this is part of life. You use education every day and it's part of fulfilling yourself, to be educated. So you're, everybody's at different levels, but it's part of that self help, you know, self preservation period of life. When we start digging in. When did that occur for you and how did that occur for you?

[00:05:15] Adrian Knight: Yeah, yeah. So my education started after my formal education finished. And what I mean by that is, I also struggled with, um, academics as well, Ed. And I, for want of a better phrase, I just couldn't see the point. I was incredibly bored at, uh, the schools I went to and the higher education I've done, um, I always done enough to sort of keep my head floating above water, but I'd never really do anything more and I didn't want to go any less. I just, I couldn't understand the practical applications of, um, for example, learning algebra and going into, like, deep levels of algebra. And I'm not saying it's not relevant, but I couldn't see

[00:06:06] it being relevant in my life. For me, it was when I, uh, was really coming out of education. When I've always harbored aspirations of being an entrepreneur. I've always had this idea that I wouldn't necessarily work like a nine to five job. I'm certainly not saying there's anything wrong with that, I just never saw myself living that life. For me, I always wanted to live life to its fullest and really live it to its fullest. And those two didn't quite, again, in my mind, um, again, I'm not saying I'm right or wrong, um, but they didn't quite go together. Um, so yeah. So when I came out of education, I had all of these aspirations, all of these ambitions. But the biggest bottleneck I've, I've, I've found and what I constantly came up against was myself.

[00:07:00] And to this day, that's still the case. And that led me down a path where I recognize that if I wanted to achieve or experience these different aspects of life, then I, the starting point was me. I had to first become the person who could achieve that, um, if that makes sense? So it always started with, I had to become that person to be able to go and do X or, or to go and do Y.

[00:07:28] And when I first started, I mean, I love personal growth and personal development. And when I first started, I can remember very vividly going into the bookshop actually coming out of my, um, uh, over here, it's college, but it's, um, uh, not college as it's known in the U. S. Um, and I remember walking out and walking to the bookshop because I'd won a ten pound voucher and I was looking at the personal development section and it was literally one shelf in the entire bookshop. And now when you go into bookshops these days, they've got sections and sections dedicated to particular aspects of personal development. So it's been wonderful to see it, to see it evolve so much.

[00:08:08] Ed Watters: Yeah, yeah. I've watched that growth myself, you know, because there's been a stigma throughout time that , especially for men, you don't want to touch on your mental health. And that's part of this personal development, self help thing, is understanding that mental health is so important to have good health. So doing research on you and watching some of the videos, there was a point in time in your life where you were standing before your boss and you had a choice to make.

[00:08:48] Do you want to dive in the crap hole and clean it out and pursue that life? Or do you want to say, No, I don't think so. I'm going to do something different with my life. I feel that that is so important because so many of us climb into the crap hole and start cleaning it because we're so worried about making that living. And you know, we don't think beyond that moment. But I think it's critical that we take a short moment and examine why you chose to go that different route. And I often wonder, is that the unique part of a great entrepreneur?

[00:09:36] Adrian Knight: Yeah. Um, I'm so grateful that you've, that you've sort of found that because that was such a pivotal point in my, in my journey. So just to, uh, uh, a brief bit of context, um, I was working as an apprentice bricklayer when I was, uh, nineteen years old. And, um, I, I, in [00:10:00] hindsight, I understand why I was now because I've always felt this strong urge to build, like, I just want to build.

[00:10:07] Um, and so as a, as a, you know, someone in their teenage, well, your teens, going into the bricklaying profession seemed like a very logical thing to do. So that, that certainly makes a bit more sense to me now, but I absolutely hated, I hated it. And I hated it for a variety of different reasons. Like I liked the physical aspect of it, um, and I liked the seeing something sort of build and materialize, but there was a lot of things I didn't like. And, and I gradually got myself into a place where I started to slide downhill mentally. Um, and yeah, I mean, I was getting quite depressed. But that sort of snowballed even further to the point when it actually evolved,

[00:10:52] um, actually, that was the precursor to having a nervous breakdown. I was just so unhappy doing it. But that point there, I was on a, I was on the building site and the site foreman hated me. He did not like me, he, he never liked me. And, and yeah, probably still doesn't to this day. I haven't seen him since.

[00:11:12] Um, but we were all packing up, it's a Friday, all packing up, um, to go on the van to make the, the hour long trip back to the yard. It's where all our cars and that were parked. And, um, one of the other builders, this was a large building site, uh, there's a good couple hundred people on there and it's a private residence of all places.

[00:11:32] Um, uh, one, someone had used the toilet and they shouldn't have used that toilet and, um, the output of them using the toilet had gone down into this, uh, into this drain and it had to be cleared. And the site foreman, uh, decided that I was the person to clear it. And he stood in front of me in front of, I think it was around like eight, nine other people there,

[00:11:56] and he said, You go down there and clear it out. And that was the moment, that was the moment, to your point, Ed, when, you know, I, I just, like time almost stopped. And it was like there's two very clear paths, one going left, one going right. And I looked at him, I looked him squarely in the eye and I said, No.

[00:12:16] And he couldn't quite believe it. I remember his reaction because I don't think he was used to being told no, especially by a nineteen year old. And he said, Go down there and clear it. And I said, No. And then it was starting to become a bit confrontational to the point that the person I was apprenticing under, uh, sort of my mentor, he could see that the situation was escalating and he sort of looked at me and said, Don't worry,

[00:12:42] I'll do it. And he jumped down there before anyone could say anything. And it was that moment when, um, we were, we then left to sort of pick up our tools and go to the van. I picked up all my tools because I knew I'd never be going back there, I just knew it. And I sat on that bus and for the first time in quite a long time, I actually had a smile on my face. And I felt secretly, uh, secretly pleased even though I still felt dreadful. But I was, I was pleased that I wasn't going back there and I was pleased that there was clearly change happening, although that was incredibly scary and I didn't know what that looks like.

[00:13:19] I just knew that that was a pivotal moment. And yeah, in many ways, that really has shaped a lot of what I've done, has made me realize and certainly made me question apparent authority. You know, the fact that someone's telling you to do something when you have to do something, you know, like inverted commas, I always just think, Well, do you and why? And I suppose that's where some of the entrepreneurial spirit starts to come in because you just, you question more, what may be the norm.

[00:13:53] Ed Watters: Yeah. I, I really think that that's so important for especially young people to figure out early. If, if you choose a life of the brawn and using your muscle instead of your brain, it's a tough life and you're going to do some tough things. And you know, like you stated in that interview, it's not that it was beyond you,

[00:14:24] it's just, you felt, I didn't want to pursue this in my life. And if more of us can get that early and start educating ourself towards something greater than, and it, I don't want to belittle anybody because it's a needed job when something like that happens, but, not everybody is suited for that. And I think everybody should take that in context and say, Am I suited for a life like that? If not, take that meaningful step and do something about it. It's so important. So part of that is a negative lifestyle. A lot of people get put in there because they experienced negativity in their life. They're just bombarded with, people around them might be negative or they're in a negative situation. How do we escape negativity in our life? And propel ourselves to a greater life by escaping the negativity.

[00:15:38] Adrian Knight: Yeah. And I fully appreciate and recognize that, um, it can be very hard to do that when you're, or you could be in a situation where you're surrounded by, um, yeah, sort of people and an environment. Um, the trick to it, I think is, and always the starting point is you have to create some space in your life.

[00:16:00] You have to create some bandwidth, which just starts to make a little gap between that negativity and yourself. You see, you can't start to escape that if you're constantly immersed in it. You quite simply have to create a bit of, a bit of space and a bit of time for you that you can use how you, uh, how you choose without the influence of anyone else.

[00:16:25] And, by far, the best way of creating this space is by, by getting up slightly earlier. And, uh, some people wince when they, when they hear that and they don't like the idea of early mornings, but it's a, it's a gift. It's a gift that you give yourself. And even if it's fifteen minutes earlier than you normally wake up to sit down. And if you're able to create even more space in your day and do it on a daily basis,

[00:16:57] so if you got up an hour earlier, for example, then you can use that time to invest in yourself. So whether that's reading, whether that's going out for a walk, or, um, home based exercise, meditation, visualization, that time that you have becomes extremely powerful. And when you do it day by day, like, it is, it really does change things. Like, really does change things and it compounds. So I always, always, always suggest that people start there.

[00:17:35] Ed Watters: So, with the negativity comes depression, of course, you know, because we get inside of ourself and we don't let ourselves have that time to examine what's actually going on. I think that's important that you say we need time for our thoughts because that is where we get lost a lot of the time. Uh, when we're thinking, we have to change our thoughts and we have to realize what's causing those thoughts. Identifying those trigger points, those people, those things, and then addressing those and setting boundaries for whatever's triggering us.

[00:18:24] How do we approach setting those boundaries? So we can oftentimes help ourselves by understanding, hey, what this person is doing to us or what this place is doing to us is not good for me. And I don't want to offend this individual or whatever, organization, how can I put myself in front of that? And let the individual or people understand, hey, I need some quality about myself and you're not bringing that quality to me. And that's not because I'm better than you, it's just, I feel that I want to be better than who I am. How important is that?

[00:19:19] Adrian Knight: Oh, it's so important. And people can really struggle with putting up boundaries. And the, and I know because I did for years with this. And you think that by putting up boundaries that people are going to start hating you, they're going to start attacking you even, whether that's mentally or physically, verbally.

[00:19:43] Um, it can be a very scary concept of quite simply standing up for yourself, because that's essentially what you're doing when you put boundaries in place. ,Um, but the remarkable thing about putting boundaries in place is that when you [00:20:00] do, you, you realize that it's not as big as you may have thought

[00:20:06] initially. Sometimes if you've got a certain character you're dealing with, then it, yeah, I'll come on to that in just a moment, but the large majority of times it's not as big a deal as you may think it is prior to putting up those boundaries. And what you quickly realize is that the people worth keeping in your life, because it is your choice,

[00:20:29] you know, how much you see of someone, associate with someone, those people will respect the fact that you've put up boundaries. And if anything, they will respect you more for it. Um, the people who don't respect that, they are the relationships you really have to, to question. And by putting up boundaries, you can start to identify those relationships quite quickly and where the, where the motives of that person or people even may be. And if they are putting up a lot of resistance, because the very fact that you're putting up some boundaries yourself, then you really have to start to think about is this the environment I want to be in and getting yourself out of that environment could be probably one of the best things you could do for yourself.

[00:21:17] But I also want to say here, that putting up boundaries, it does require you to have confidence in putting those boundaries up. And this is where I've seen some people fall short, is that they know they want to put boundaries up, they understand intellectually, but they just can't seem to muster the inner strength and the confidence to be able to do that.

[00:21:43] And this ties back to creating space in your life. And particularly if you're able to, you know, carve out half an hour or an hour each day. Which is for you, because that's where you, that's where you start to build this confidence. That's when you start to give yourself like the clarity and the follow, the confidence to follow through that.

[00:22:04] Yes, putting up boundaries in this particular scenario is absolutely the right thing to do. There's not a doubt in my mind and I'm going to do it. Um, but yeah, it's, I think we have a lot of people when they've done it a couple of times, all of a sudden, the next time, it's just got a bit easier and a bit easier, until before you know it, you're starting to see yourself transform before your very own eyes.

[00:22:32] Ed Watters: Yeah, it's that first step. And,

[00:22:34] Adrian Knight: Yeah.

[00:22:34] Ed Watters: and the power that you receive, like you stated, is just immense.

[00:22:38] Adrian Knight: Yeah.

[00:22:38] Ed Watters: And, and once you do it the first time, it's kind of like a, uh, game to you in your own mind. Like, I'm going to do it here next time and I'm going to set these boundaries. And you start identifying because once you do it the first time, that feeling, it is like a drug and, and people have to realize that. So instead of spending your time avoiding, because avoidance is one of the heavy things that holds us back, we avoid things, it changes your whole life. Your, you change, your personality changes, you get happier, and you don't see as much negativity in your life. Always look for the positive first in any situation and your life will get better. So let's talk about the Elevate Your Life program and what you have in store for people with that. What is your plan and how do people. get in touch with you about that?

[00:23:59] Adrian Knight: So Elevate Your Life is a, uh, it's a program that I live on a daily basis. And a lot of people look and come up and ask me questions about, like, the success that they're seeing from the business side of things. Uh, so my children's education group, for example, that has grown into a multimillion group within like, like well under three years. Um, it's grown incredibly fast and it's, and, I mean, we're currently educating 10, 000 under five year olds every academic term.

[00:24:34] And so I have a lot of people come up to me and say, How are you doing this? And they want to talk about how to buy and sell businesses. But I always say that, Look, we can look at that and I can seriously sort of show you how to buy or sell a business, but the secret source is this stuff. It's the Elevate Your Life stuff

[00:24:52] and this is how I manage myself on a daily basis. And this goes back to, um, the, like those whole, uh, like sort of the morning routine, but everything that sort of comes with that. So, so it's the, um, creating space in your life to be able to start focusing and working on you through a combination of looking at your habits, taking out negative habits, bringing in more positive, like high leverage habits, focusing on getting exercise in because one of the quickest ways to change your mindset and certainly to, uh, to sort of move through negativity is through how you move your body.

[00:25:36] And I'm certainly not saying, you know, become, you know, sort of like a, you know, down to the gym seven days a week. Um, for some people it could be walking for thirty minutes. But it's, Elevate Your Life, essentially, a culmination of all three. So the fitness side, um, being more conscious about what we're putting into our body with food and also the habits, um, that we're utilizing. And I run the whole thing on an app

[00:26:01] that I've had created. Originally, I had this app created purely for me. Because this had been so transformational, like this, this sort of, um, morning program that I was, uh, running through every single day. And I'll, and I'll explain what that is in just a moment. I'll tell people what my program is so they can get a better sense for this.

[00:26:22] Um, but it was so transformational for me, like my life, I didn't even mean for it to happen, but it just, turbocharged, it just like shot through the roof and I couldn't understand it for a long while until I linked it back to this through a series of different events. Um, uh, yeah, and so I had this app created and, um, I've had some people join up to that and I've seen their lives start to transform in, in fairly significant ways.

[00:26:50] I had, um, one lady, really lovely lady, she was in dire straits with her business. She had heavy loans, she, um, had just, uh, broken up from a, of, of, of her partnership, uh, like a personal relationship of ten years and was living back in a, uh, shepherd's hut in her mom's garden. Um, she had no money, she couldn't afford to pay herself, and she got onto the program and she has just gone great guns from this.

[00:27:22] She's managed to get out of her business. She's making money, like, she is a completely different person now. And it's been less than six months. Like it's just been, uh, just been amazing, really. Um, so, so the program that I follow, and people can, if people are on Instagram, then this is the best place to certainly, to contact me about this. But also to physically see this because I post through, uh, like my morning routine every single day.

[00:27:51] Um, so personally, and I'm not suggesting this, this is for everyone, but I get up at four a. m. every single day, seven days a week. And I go straight into a routine of reading, meditating, visualizing. I do a number of things with gratitude and affirmations, and then I go straight into a workout. And what it's done, Ed, is that, previously I was waking up like everyone else and I was tired and I was a bit grouchy and I was probably like a level two, level three version of myself.

[00:28:29] But by spending a bit of time focusing on me and investing like, in myself in terms of like, just simply like, giving myself some time to focus on my own growth and development. What tends to happen is that when I come back from the gym, because I like to go to the gym early in the morning, I walk through the door, my wife's up, my daughter's up, and I'm stepping in straight into dad mode, into family mode, but I'm like a level seven, level eight version of myself.

[00:28:57] Because I've spent that time working on myself. And so I'm going into the day with a much higher degree of clarity, a much higher degree of confidence, and it has just changed everything. And so Elevate Your Life is about the same program, but it's customized to everyone because not everyone will want to get up at four a.m., not everyone will want to, or can go to a gym, uh, you know, sort of like before, um, like early. And so, yeah, it's been, yeah, it wasn't something I was intending to offer, but it's been so transformational for me, I just felt like, yeah, I just had to, yeah, make it accessible to other people.

[00:29:38] Ed Watters: Yeah, a lot of that is habits. You know, uh, uh, you bring up the habit, you know, changing these habits, that is personal development. And, you know, some of the habits that we actually acquire in our younger days, it, it's not, that we even realize [00:30:00] what we're doing, it's just, we're mimicking what we've been taught throughout our childhood and, you know, those formidable years are so important. So working with children, now you're going for the adult education because that's what truly this is, is educating yourself about all of this crap. It's very important what you're doing. Uh, you've got a podcast coming out, what, what is the plan for that podcast? Is it going to be an interview style podcast or is it going to be, uh, inspirational, elevation? Tell us about this and what is it about?

[00:30:49] Adrian Knight: Yeah, absolutely. So it's a combination of both really. Um, like from a personal level, I've been very fortunate and blessed to have lived quite a full life so far. But that has come from, uh, overcoming a lot of inner demons, um, alcohol, drugs, addictions, like they have, certainly my earlier years, really held me back. And it was by overcoming those that things started to move forward.

[00:31:18] So, um, I certainly want to share more about those experiences and the insights gained from that. But I'm also, uh, very much looking forward to, uh, interviewing people who are, um, on the surface at least, like living, like ordinary people living extraordinary lives. Like, what are they doing? And I'm so keen to dig into that and to make people realize that, you know, they're no different, they're no different from someone living a truly life. It's no different from you or I or anyone listening to this, we're all the same. But understanding what's allowing them and facilitating them and supporting them and being able to, you know, live the lives that they're living. Whether they be,

[00:32:07] uh, yeah, you know, in the business context or, uh, you know, health, or relationship, spiritual, I'm, I'm really keen to get a, a nice, uh, yeah, rounded view and speak to a lot of different, different characters from around the world. So I'm especially excited by, by that, by, uh, yeah, sort of introducing new people to be, to the, to the audience.

[00:32:31] Ed Watters: It's an adventure in itself. You know, it's fascinating, you know, diving into others helps so much identifying yourself. And then just listening to people, you can sit there and say, Oh, that's why. And that is so fascinating to me. This, this podcasting journey is a helpful thing for so many. And I don't see why it's not everywhere, and it's getting that way, so that, that's a good thing. We, we all need help, and sometimes that's hard to ask.

[00:33:17] Adrian Knight: That's just it. That's such a key point there because what drives me mad is, um, when, yeah, like when, like when people come up and they see the nice car or when they, uh, or, you know, when you see, you know, all of these surface tokens of, whether it's success

[00:33:38] Ed Watters: Amenities.

[00:33:38] Adrian Knight: or whatever, but, exactly that. But when you start to dig underneath the surface of it, and you didn't even have to dig that deep, and you realize like, wow, like these people are really struggling. Like they have all of the stuff that so many people aspire to, but they're struggling just as much, if not more, um, because they have the heavy burdens of, you know, of these responsibilities, or material items, or whatever that may be. And that's the bit, like under the surface, that's the bit I'm most interested in because I'm the same as everyone else. Like I, I, and I still, you know, have my demons and struggle with them and work through them every single day. So,

[00:34:15] Ed Watters: Yeah. Yeah, that's fascinating. And progression is life changing but it's also for life, you'll always be doing it. These peaks and valleys, it's an ebb and flow, it just keeps going like that. So enjoy the highs and really examine the lows because that'll get you back to those highs.

[00:34:44] Adrian Knight: Yeah.

[00:34:44] Ed Watters: And once we get that cycle, it's really cool. I enjoy life so much more now than before I got that. I was just a different individual. You do a lot of events for your endurance and all of that. You've got fourteen days coming up in Panama?

[00:35:11] Adrian Knight: Yeah, yeah.

[00:35:13] Ed Watters: What, what is this like? Just going to Panama and, uh, are you hiking the Panama? Is that what your event is?

[00:35:24] Adrian Knight: Yeah. So, so the Panama event is next March and that is a, yeah, it's a two week event where we are going from the west coast of Panama, uh, trekking through the jungle, going all the way through to the east coast. So it's like a coast to coast trip. Uh, I am under no illusions, that's going to be the toughest, um, trip, like physically, mentally, emotionally, that I've ever been on. And that's exactly why I like to do stuff like this because it's about pushing your, it's about pushing past those perceived boundaries that we, that we, that we put up.

[00:36:05] Um, and funny, actually, though, when I was running across Northern England back in June of this year, I've, I've, I sort of captured the whole thing on Instagram, again, like in stories. And I can remember, you can still see the story on my, on my profile, um, I can remember one clip where I'm talking, saying, right, you know, we're, we're fifty-five miles into the trip,

[00:36:27] like physically my legs went at around eighteen, nineteen miles, which a lot of people do if they're running a marathon, like that's when your legs tend to physically go, like all about the muscle stores. So, so technically, from that point forward, it becomes a mental game, you know, the physical side of things, like your legs have gone, like they're concrete, they hurt, they're painful, but it becomes a mental game.

[00:36:53] And it was just amazing documenting and then rewatching that journey. It's, um, like twenty-five miles, I really struggled around there and then all of a sudden it was breaking through and it was a little bit easier. And then it was, you know, another barrier came around forty-two miles, I believe, and then it was fifty. And, and you just see yourself sort of cycling through these mental barriers, and that's why I love to do them.

[00:37:18] And yeah, Panama, I'm just under no illusions, that is going to be a tough, tough, tough trip. And there's no, there's, there's like no middle ground, there's no escape. Like if we, if something happens halfway through, the only way out is helicopter evacuation. Like it's that, like there is no way back type thing.

[00:37:38] And, um, yeah, I can't wait. I'm, I'm equally scared and excited. So, and I suppose after that, the question then becomes sort of like, What next? Um, I've, I've just turned thirty-eight years old. I've always had it in my mind that I'd go to the South Pole for my fortieth. So, um, I'm just seeing, we're starting to think more about how can I make that happen? Because, uh, yeah, it's just trying to push through to the, to the next level. So,

[00:38:10] Ed Watters: Yeah, that's so awesome that you can do that. And endurance, it's a mind game, like you said, I really enjoy that. And, you know, once we figure out that our mind is stronger than we think it is, it pushes our body to its peak performance. So I, I loved it when I was younger, I would be out doing things like that all the time. That, that's part of the, why, part of the reason I'm broken now because I loved it too much and I really went too far. So how, how important is that to understand not to push it too far and know your limits and boundaries?

[00:39:02] Adrian Knight: It's a really interesting question because I've always enjoyed my endurance, like my endurance races. I sort of stumbled into it and I've, I've never competed for times, that's not why I do any of this. I've, I've, it's always me versus me, every single race and always has been. And I, and I really believe it always will be. Um, but someone said to me last year, the start of last year, it was a therapist I've seen actually, and he said to me that, he's like, Look, Adrian, I can't go into any details, but I have a number of people sitting in the chair that you're sitting in.

[00:39:38] And one of those people was someone, I believe they were in their, like, their sixties, seventies, um, and they had, uh, they had, like, physical health problems, like, they couldn't move, they were immobile, and the therapist said to me, like, Adrian, that person said to me that their biggest regret in life [00:40:00] was that they didn't use their body in every way, in every way they can before they couldn't do it anymore. And it really struck a chord with me because you tend to hear people say, you know, when talking about like life regrets, I wish I hadn't spent so much time working, I wish I hadn't spent so much time at the office, I wish I had, you know, remained in touch with friends and people from the earlier part of my life. But I'd never heard anyone say that they wish they had used their body while they, while they could.

[00:40:33] And yeah, I don't know. I guess because I just have this natural liking towards like fitness and the endurance side of things, that spared me. And so to your, to your question, Ed, I don't know where the limits are, and I don't know at what point it will stop. But I genuinely go into every single race saying to myself, This could be my last.

[00:40:57] Let's make the most of it. And I, I, funny, I posted about this on Instagram this morning. Um, like, I try to live by regret minimization model. So I just, all I really care about is that when I'm older. I don't care about the material, the money, like none of that stuff. It's about, when I'm older, I'm looking back on my life and I've got as minimal regrets as possible.

[00:41:23] That's the only thing that really, like, I really care about. And so, yeah, if I, if I reach a place in the next couple of years where I can't do physical events anymore, I just want to be able to look back and say, You know what? You had a great time in the times you did and you did what you could and for that to be enough.

[00:41:44] Ed Watters: I've got to get that mindset, Adrian, I'll tell you, because I, I, I miss it so much, you know, the things that I used to do. And I enjoy so much hearing about people doing it because really, when you can't anymore, you will miss it. And that's why it's so important to grab it now, man. When you have the ability to do, do it. I love it. So that was inspiring in itself. Do you have a call to action for our listeners? I can go on for hours with this stuff.

[00:42:28] Adrian Knight: Um, yeah. So I am, uh, very active on social media, most especially Instagram, which I mentioned a couple of times. So, uh, if you want to sort of find out a bit more, if you want to reach out and have a chat and talk through your particular situation, or just to find out more, social media is by far the best place, I'm on there every day. My handle is the same for all of them. So, TikTok, LinkedIn and Instagram. Uh, funny enough, I'm not that active on Facebook. I have a personal profile, but I'm not really that active. But the handle is Adrian J Knight, uh, that's Knight with a K, no S on the end. And, uh, yeah, you know, I love to speak to people, love to help people where I can and, uh, yeah, just always like to, like to connect really. So yeah, feel free to reach out.

[00:43:21] Ed Watters: So that is the best way to get ahold of you is LinkedIn or Instagram, excuse me.

[00:43:28] Adrian Knight: Yep, Instagram's the best. Um, in all honesty, I've not, I've not put together, uh, like a personal website or anything right now because I've been so busy in the buying and selling business side of things. Um, in all, in real honesty, I wasn't expecting to find myself in a place where I would be talking a lot about personal development and personal growth on like, you know, podcasts like yours, Ed. Um, but it has been so transformational for me. And for what I've sort of rolled up into, Elevate Your Life, like, truly, hand on heart, it's been so life changing that I've just felt this, almost this inner duty to stand on the rooftops and to scream it as loud as I can because this stuff works.

[00:44:20] And I'm now in a position where I've not just seen it work and compound for me, but I've, I've seen it work for the people that I've started working with. And I'm like, Wow. So, um, yeah, if that's, if you're in that, that sort of negative place, or you're just not happy with, you know, the level of life you live in and you, and you sense you can be living so much more then we should definitely chat because that's, that's exactly what I'm about.

[00:44:48] Ed Watters: Yeah, what you're doing is awesome. And you play life the right way. I'm impressed about that and I'm thankful that you're out there giving back, it's, it's awesome. Thank you for being part of the Dead America Podcast today.

[00:45:05] Adrian Knight: Thank you so much for having me. It's, uh, yeah, it's a real pleasure and honor, Ed. Thank you.

[00:45:15] Ed Watters: Thank you for joining us today. If you found this podcast enlightening, entertaining, educational in any way, please share, like, subscribe, and join us right back here next week for another great episode of Dead America Podcast. I'm Ed Watters, your host, enjoy your afternoon wherever you may be.