December 2, 2024 • 40 mins
Comments, questions? Let's connect!
Beau Miles, the captivating adventurer and storyteller, joins us for an inspiring conversation that challenges the norms of achievement and the fear of life's wasted moments. Beau's philosophy encourages us to find extraordinary value in ordinary experiences, and he shares with us his secrets to challenging the way we see our world and what we can create from what we already have.
Together with his business partner Mitch, Beau navigates the world of filmmaking with a unique approach that values fluidity over rigid scripting. As Beau shares tales from his adventurous projects, we explore how overcoming fear and assessing risks can teach valuable lessons both in life and business. From the seas to the screen, Beau's stories reveal the essence of human nature and offer a fresh perspective on embracing imperfection and authenticity in a world obsessed with perfectionism.
This episode invites you to discover the power of authenticity, the joy in imperfection, and the endless possibilities that unfold when we stay true to ourselves. Join us for an unforgettable journey into the creative mind of Beau Miles.
Checkout Beau's Work
https://www.youtube.com/@BeauMiles
https://beaumiles.com/
https://www.instagram.com/beauisms/
💖Love the podcast?💖
You can pay it forward by:
- Rating and Reviewing wherever you listen
- Sharing it with others!
Ready to level up your impact?
➡️Book a complimentary mini-strategy session and I'll help unpack one of your current challenges
➡️Join our Masterclass Waitlist and get practical tools to level up your impact
Let's connect!
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolynne-rydz/
https://www.instagram.com/jolynnerydz/
https://www.facebook.com/brillianceinspired
I am a Confidence and Success Coach for leaders, Organisational Development Consultant and independent Leadership Circle Profile® Certified Practitioner. Information shared about this tool is courtesy of Leadership Circle®, all rights reserved. www.leadershipcircle.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Jolynne Rydz (00:00):
I am so excited to announce our next guest on this
episode because it's been aboutsix months since I first had
the idea of I would love to havethis person on the podcast, to
getting over some of myvulnerabilities, working out a
way to connect with them andgetting creative about how to do
that.
(00:20):
So, six months down the track,here we are, and I am so excited
to welcome Beau Miles onto thispodcast.
And Beau Miles, for those ofyou that are unfamiliar with his
work, is what I like todescribe as ordinarily
extraordinary.
He's really relatable, he'sfunny and a master storyteller,
(00:42):
and storytelling I I believe, isa vital leadership skill that
we need to have for impact.
Through his award-winning filmsand his latest book, the
Backyard Adventurer.
What I admire most about Beauand his work is that he gets his
audience to look at theeveryday of life in new and
fascinating ways, and so much ofleading in life is about
(01:06):
getting people to think, see anddo differently.
So let's dive into today'sepisode.
Welcome into the podcast, beau.
I'm so excited to have you here.
Beau Miles (01:17):
I'm excited to be here because I've eaten your
homemade licorice, Jolynne, andit was good and you came to my
show.
So I'm very loyal to peoplethat have paid probably too much
money to come see me at a show.
So, thank you, it's good to behere, mate.
Jolynne Rydz (01:32):
It was really worthwhile and I'm so excited to
have you here because for me,you are the walking embodiment
of what magnetic authenticity is.
You just show up as you andpeople just get drawn in and
want to hear more about you.
And I don't know if you knowthis, but the moment I first
found out about you was when myhusband was sitting on the couch
(01:53):
watching YouTube and he said,hey, you should watch this guy.
He runs and he's funny and I'mlike, oh okay, what does he do?
And his response was he justdoes stuff.
And I think that's kind of thecrux of what you do and it's so
fascinating because I feel likewe're living in this world where
there's so much conditioning todo more, to be more, to achieve
(02:14):
more, and you're sort ofopening this perspective where
we can do really fascinatingthings with less or with what
other people don't want, and wecan turn this ordinary into
useful.
So I'm really curious, beau, tofind out where did this
perspective on life come from?
Beau Miles (02:35):
Well, it's a good setup in that?
I'm not sure I'm.
In fact, I think I'm the mostambitious I've ever been right.
So it's just the packaging thatI've put that ambition the most
ambitious I've ever been right.
So it's just the packaging thatI've put that ambition because,
fundamentally, I want the mostuse out of my time and so I want
to be able to action things andturn them around, turn around
an idea in the quickest possibleformat with the most amount of
(02:58):
impact, and that's the mostamount of impact for me, for the
people that might be watching,for my family, for my body, for
my health, for the dirt that Ilive on.
I just basically, I want to tryand maximize my next 40 or 50
years and I want to put myambition across that, because
for the first 20 years ofadulthood I was a bit flippant,
(03:22):
like most 20-year-olds, olds andmaybe 30 year olds.
You're getting here, you'rejust sort of whittling away and
you're doing an okay job atthings and you're making
advancements in your own kind ofworld of whatever they might be
.
So I'm I'm fundamentally andthis is a flaw, this is my main
flaw I'm fundamentally petrifiedof death and not being here to
(03:46):
do stuff right.
So your husband's kind of right.
I just do stuff because I don'twant to be not busy and I see
great wealth in that.
You know, I get stick all thetime from people saying or from
people saying oh Beau, you'vegot to chill out, mate, you've
got to smell the roses a bitmore.
But I kind of call bullshit onthat, in that I'd rather smell
(04:07):
the roses whilst running up aroad.
You know, because I'm doing twothings and, look, to be honest,
I tend to rest well, but I restbest when I know I'm full for
the day and I just love that.
I love going to bed tired, thatI'm tired from using my body
and my brain, and so that's allI'm doing.
(04:29):
So the identity crisis in thatand I don't mean to make too
long of this question, but theidentity crisis in that when you
just do stuff, sometimes youwater yourself down so much that
your identity lacks identity,and so that's kind of where I'm
at at the moment, because I'm abit of a jack of all trades and
I never really thought of myselfas that and I've become it.
Jolynne Rydz (04:52):
Yeah, that's a fascinating answer and there's
so much in that answer that I'dlove to unpack, and the first
one is impact.
I think that's incredible thatyou're so focused on impact and
in so many different areas.
Do you define, like, what youwant to impact in that message
that you want to have, or doesit kind of just come to you in
the spur of the moment?
Beau Miles (05:14):
Jelen.
I think that maybe it's amisuse of the word impact.
That's maybe a hangover from myuniversity days, when
everything you know, everyarticle you ever write or a
class you teach, has to haveimpact.
Some of the great philosophersand the great creatives out
there you know the Rick Rubinsof the world.
(05:34):
They would say don't worryabout impact, don't worry about
the others, worry about yourself.
And I believe that to an extent.
But I also really like well, Ireally respect the idea that
other people are spending timeon your content and so I don't
want to waste their time.
I do not, you know.
Going back to that firstquestion, if time is of the
(05:56):
essence, then I don't want towaste people's time, nor my time
.
So the best use of my time, Ithink, hopes to be the best use
of other people's time.
So I'm always thinking of myaudience and what other people
are taking from it, and thatmight not just be other people.
That might be okay.
How do I make this best?
How do I plant out this chunkof forest that's not just bloody
(06:19):
pine trees and things thataren't supposed to be here?
Let's put things that aresupposed to be here.
So there's kind of multipleways of thinking of it, but
fundamentally, impact is doingthings thoughtfully, with
urgency, and that you enjoy, butyou think others might as well,
(06:41):
and I think that's just a nicelittle formula to start with.
Jolynne Rydz (06:44):
Yeah, I love that.
It's so simple.
Beau Miles (06:46):
Simple, yet complex.
Yeah, I mean, we're only evergood at things when they're in
their most simple form, but itoften takes us years to figure
that out too, you know.
Jolynne Rydz (06:57):
Yeah, and a nice segue into figuring it out.
Can I read a section of yourbook?
Is that okay with you?
Beau Miles (07:07):
Sure, there's some shoddy sections in there, mate,
so as long as it's okay.
Jolynne Rydz (07:11):
Yes.
Beau Miles (07:12):
Yeah, go for it so this book is incredible.
Jolynne Rydz (07:14):
It's called the Backyard Adventurer and highly
recommend it to anyone becauseyou just pick it up and it's so
you on a page.
So the quote I wanted to pullout was it starts with I was, in
fact, on the comfortable sideof an identity crisis, having
come to terms with the fact thatI was not the man I thought I
was.
Such a breakthrough in thinkingis to acknowledge that I have a
(07:37):
uniqueness born of influences.
And then you go on to list tosome of those influences which I
won't share here, because maybethat's some of the shady stuff,
I don't know, but I think Iwanted to read that out because
I feel like a lot of people aregrappling with this who am I
versus who should I be and I'mcurious to know what is it that
(07:58):
brought you to that moment whereyou were okay to step outside
of the shoulds and just show upas you?
Beau Miles (08:07):
It was through a process of filmmaking actually,
that for the first five or tenyears of carrying a camera
around doing things trying to bea hero, that I was trying to
shoot things more in the camp ofwhat I thought other people
liked to see heroic, incredible,quite outstanding things that
(08:31):
were difficult, they were longrange and that they were
skillful.
You know the kind of thing thatpeople think of as almost like a
Red Bull athlete has a babywith an explorer from yesteryear
you know, and they do theseamazing long feats, but with
kind of, you know, no riskaversion, and so I kind of did
(08:52):
that stuff for a bunch of yearsand it just didn't work.
It was crap.
You know, you're only evershooting a third of the time
because they're the only timesyou're doing something that's a
bit edgy, and the rest of thetime you're just living and
you're just trying to make wayand you're getting forward and
you're, you know, you'rebrushing your teeth and you're
tying your shoelaces, and you'recooking and you're, and you're,
you know, packing your bag.
Fundamentally, I started torealize that all that stuff is
(09:17):
is what everyone does.
Everyone packs their bags andgoes forward and brushes their
teeth and ties their shoelaces.
So why not make stories out ofall of the in-between as well as
all of the really cool stuff?
Yeah, and so when you, when Idid that and that's what my
YouTube channel is now trying todo things that are almost every
day or could be every day itwas a bit of a hurrah moment,
(09:40):
because you don't have to go and, bloody, climb Everest or cross
the Pacific anymore and you cando difficult things in
different ways that are a bitmore relatable and you're taking
yourself a little lessseriously too.
I found myself in a genre ofadventure, right, and adventure
is kind of what a wanky thing towrite on your business card.
(10:02):
I'm an adventurer, you knowJesus.
A mother of two or a dad ofthree or whatever, that's an
adventure.
That's way harder than climbingfrickin' Everest.
And so as a parent of two now,yeah, so come on, get over
yourself, adventurers.
You're just a bloody sportperson that wants to go and do
cool stuff, you know.
So, yeah, I took a back stepfrom the thing that I found
(10:26):
myself in and thought how do Ikind of redefine it?
And that's where I find myself.
Jolynne Rydz (10:30):
Yeah, I love that in terms of just just stepping
back and reviewing, because Ithink a lot of people just keep
going forward and they don'tstop to rethink what is it I'm
really doing?
And there's so many people outthere doing the big adventure
thing, so it's beautiful to seethe everyday broken down into
that nuance.
And one of the things thatfascinates me as I watch your
(10:51):
work is how do you tell suchelaborate stories Like it's like
we're dipping into your mind inthat moment and I'm curious
about how you bring that intoyour work.
Beau Miles (11:03):
Look I'm.
I'm sometimes easy to work with,but sometimes I'm let's say,
most of the time I'm difficultto work with too.
You know, as a solo filmmaker, Ithink I can just go on my merry
way, but I do it incollaboration.
Now, and and my main, my maincollaborator is Mitch.
Him and I share the businessand so what what I tend to do is
come up with an idea and then Igo and I live this idea and
(11:26):
it's got to be a good enoughidea for me to go shoot it, and
many don't make the the, thetime of day where I actually go
off and shoot it.
So I go off and shoot it, butfor the most part, the story
comes in the aftermath with whattook place and what is missing,
and and the great thing aboutthat is that I can then value
add and layer up something thatwas an okay or a good idea, and
(11:47):
then I make it better and everyfilm has to be made better from
Ryan, whereas something like youknow Hollywood, they they have
such a rigid script and, yes,they will tweak and make changes
, but they very rarely do thebulk of the changes in post.
They make the bulk of thechanges in the writing process.
So by the time they shoot, theyshoot something and they're
(12:10):
pretty wedded to that.
They can't really go too farfrom what they've shot.
I try and go as far from whatI've shot as possible, which is
a pain in the ass, but it makesthe story more real of what took
place.
Because, you know, think ofwhen they pick all their actors
and they go out and they makethis story, those actors have
(12:30):
got to make all of the decisionsthat the writers have made,
decisions about years ago, andso there's always that lost in
translation, whereas me, as asolo bloke, far more selfish
with my storytelling, I canreally massage the message in
the aftermath.
Um, I'm making a film at themoment about worldview.
Where does my worldview comefrom, or where did it?
(12:52):
And I went back to a place thatI went as a 15 year old kid and
I think that's kind of wherethe genesis was, or a real great
moment or a week and I'm tryingto unpick my life between now
and then and it was fascinating.
But you know that's ajuggernaut of a project,
potentially or streamline it andjust pick a few themes that you
(13:15):
think you know.
So you have to be quitedisciplined in your aftermath as
well.
Jolynne Rydz (13:21):
Yeah, definitely, and I think a lot of what you
just shared applies in thebusiness world as well, in terms
of people come up with thesebig plans and strategies and
then they can spend so much timein that that when they get into
the real life bringing it tolife, they're a bit stuck rather
than adapting in the moment.
Beau Miles (13:39):
Yeah, the whole five-year thing, you know, I
think that's kind of mythicaland I get it too, while people
have a five-year thing.
But as a creative person, Idetest that idea.
I'm not really sure, like 2025is about the maximum bandwidth
I'd put on any ambition I have.
I've just got to think, becausethere's so many opportunities
(14:01):
and different ways of thinkingand different upheavals will
happen in the next 14 months andI've got to trust that because
it's always happened.
So, yeah, me thinking beyond2025 is, in some respects,
bonkers, you know, and when abusiness does that, I think, gee
, that's amazing.
Jolynne Rydz (14:19):
And when a business does that, I think, gee
, that's amazing.
Yeah Well, I love that.
I love bringing it into thisnearer focus where you can still
have massive impact, and that'swhat you've been focusing on,
as you explained earlier.
I am curious you mentionedearlier that you've got this
fear of death and yet often in alot of your work, I see you in
these situations that peoplewould like the average person
(14:41):
might not want to walk into,like when you find yourself in
the middle of a deeply pollutedriver with rubbish everywhere.
In my head as I watch that, I'mlike what if you step on
something that's rusty and youget tetanus?
And all of these things runthrough my head.
Do you ever find yourself inthese shoots in a moment where
you're panicking or where you'reregretting where you've gone?
Beau Miles (15:04):
Not in the sense that you're probably alluding to
.
I don't find myself in thesituation and think, oh gee, I
should probably overlay it witha bit more occ.
Health and safety.
Look, I'm not a man ofstatistics as such.
I live in the subjective worldmore than the objective world.
But I do probably consider thata lot of things we fear are
(15:27):
irrational, real fears Swimmingat the beach and being taken by
a shark, for example and yetthat is what most people talk to
me about sea kayaking orwhatever.
As a sea kayaker, you're goingto get killed by the wind or a
human more than you are a sharkand waves and the tentacles of a
jellyfish or sunburn.
(15:48):
You know there's so much that'sgoing to kill you in a sea
kayak more than a shark, and yetthat's what we think about.
So when I went down Cooks River, for example, and there's stuff
that could poke and prod me andmake me sick and hepatitis in
every second vial, I supposeit's very relevant, but the
genuine natures of me gettingpinged by those things are
(16:08):
pretty high, you know.
One in a thousand, one in10,000, one in a million.
I don't know what that'd be,but certainly not on my radar as
much as wearing a good hat andmaking sure I drink enough on my
radar, as much as wearing agood hat and making sure I drink
enough.
So you know, I'm very realisticabout what's going to do me
genuine harm and what issomething that is probably less
likely.
Jolynne Rydz (16:28):
Yeah, and just bringing it back to the real
basics yeah, yeah, yeah, Nicenice, I can tell you a little
story on that.
I remember I was sea kayaking.
Beau Miles (16:37):
I was guiding out of a boat shed once, and so I'm
there doing our roundup andwe're about to go out to sea and
we're all really safe.
We've got our buoyancy vests onand we're all in and they're
perfectly sized and they knowhow to use their kayaks and
their gear is beautiful andthey've got, you know, all these
sorts of long sleeve tops onand they've got zinc across
(16:59):
their nose and big hats right.
And this guy comes in and he'sa safety officer of some kind.
He was the Commodore of theclub actually, and you know, him
and I were instantly differentkind of people and he gives me
the Victorian boating guide forsafety and it's this big thing
of 80 pages, yeah, and on thefront cover is a kayaker, on the
(17:20):
front page is a kayaker in apfd without any sun protection.
So no, no, long sleeve top, nohat.
And then I read 80 pages of howthat person should be safe yeah
and it is.
And you know I had to give allof these booklets out to my
students before we're allowed toleave for the coast and I said
one I don't want your bookletsbecause they're going to end up
in their backpack sod and belandfill or we don't want these.
(17:44):
I'm more of an expert on seakayaking and I never said all
these things.
I was very whatever.
But I was so shocked that thebloody safety manual on the
front cover had someone outthere in the blazing Australian
sun when we have the highestcancer rate for melanoma in the
world.
And yet you're talking about.
You know, go left of the bloodygreen pontoon over there.
(18:05):
That's not going to kill them.
The sun is.
You know, I was wild about itas a, as a ginger, I was wild
about it.
But I think it's a greatexample of where real and
perceived risks are and how weshould question them at all
times.
Jolynne Rydz (18:19):
Yeah, I love that perspective, questioning what's
real and what's perceived soimportant.
One of the most recent pieces ofyour work that I watched was
the one where you're out in themiddle of this beautiful forest
and someone's made a poor choiceto dump a lot of rubbish there.
(18:40):
Made a poor choice to dump a lotof rubbish there and in
organizations I see a lot ofpeople making at times, as
people do in broader life makepoor choices, and I see a lot of
people fearing letting go andholding onto perfection, and
whether that's for themselves orwhether that's the system
they're in, requires perfectionto be adding value.
And when I watched this pieceof yours where someone had made
(19:02):
a poor choice, they dumped somerubbish in a beautiful forest
and then you've come and lookedat this pile and seen a picnic
table in there somehow, and soyou're sitting there, got your
tools out, just making a picnictable in the middle of a road,
in a forest, and I'm justcurious to know your perspective
If more people were willing tomake something meaningful out of
(19:26):
other people's poor choices orjust give things a go and let go
of that perfectionism, whatimpact do you think that would
have on our society?
Beau Miles (19:35):
I don't know.
Yeah, I mean, look at the USelection, and I don't mean to be
political at all, but I thinkpeople are driven.
You know they voted based on,in many respects, fear or a form
of fear, I suppose, rightly orwrongly.
I think, yeah, and the reasonI'm here talking to you today
(20:00):
too, you're a great thinker, youknow.
You've put things into, you'vegot a good way about you in
terms of how you structure yourthinking and your philosophies.
I, you know, even someone havinga poor choice that's a good way
of putting it they probablycouldn't afford the tip fees for
(20:21):
that particular idea and that,and so I was really reluctant to
just unload on them with, youknow, because half of me is
violently angry that someonewould dump a big trailer load of
crap in the bush.
But then I also realized thatthey've probably never had the
opportunities I've had either,um, and they've probably done it
bloody way tougher.
And they're pissed off withtheir shire, as am I for lots of
(20:46):
reasons, that is, theirgovernance.
And so, you know, there was alittle bit of, I suppose,
animosity in me for the peoplethat dumped that stuff, but for
the most part I kind of get ittoo in this horrid kind of way.
(21:08):
I would never do it, but I kindof get it.
So I essentially just try andput myself in the feet of others
more I essentially just try andput myself in the feet of
others more.
I'm quite sympathetic toassholes in some respects
because they've probably had ashit childhood, you know, and
that breaks my heart too when Ithink of little.
(21:29):
You know.
You see a little tough kid atfive or six years old.
They're bloody tough as nailsbecause they probably just
haven't been loved right andthey're going to make some shit
decisions probably in the next10 years because they're just
trying to survive yeah so.
So I hope to think I'm quitesympathetic to that, uh, because
I know I've been really lucky,right.
(21:51):
So yeah, I'm not.
I've wavered so far from yourquestion, but you triggered a
thing there that um was quitemeaningful and that, yeah,
people dump rubbish for manyreasons and they're not good
reasons, but they're complex.
Jolynne Rydz (22:05):
Yeah, and I love the wavering you've taken it,
because I think it's somethingthat we deal with in the world
is these polarities between you?
Know you might be really angry,but you also kind of have some
compassion for someone'ssituation and then realizing
your own privilege in all ofthat.
There's so much complexity inour world.
Beau Miles (22:25):
What do you think?
Jolynne Rydz (22:27):
if I bring it back to the willingness to give
things a go, letting go ofperfectionism and compassion.
Really, what do you thinkleaders in business and
community could learn from this?
Beau Miles (22:43):
the word perfect is a really good, uh is a really
good word to unpack, becausegenius humans want to know
everything to an objectifiabletruth.
And and I have trouble withthat too, because we it changes
so much.
Look look at the, look at diet.
Right, and I'll come back toyour, your business and politics
(23:04):
thing in a minute.
For perfection, sure, um, thinkof how much the science behind
food continues to change and howmuch we, we, we seem to or or
say we know about what we shouldeat and what we shouldn't eat.
You know, years ago it wasdon't touch butter or fat, and
now it's about salt and plasticsand it's you know it constantly
(23:30):
shifts, and how many grams ofprotein we're having as opposed
to.
You know, the science of themolecular thing that we put in
our mouth just keeps changingand the truth of food keeps
changing.
And so what is perfection?
Perfection, you know.
I did a PhD in sea kayaking andone of the components of that
(23:50):
was looking at what the seakayak is and this craft, what
makes a sea kayak a sea kayak?
And the sea kayak is one of theoldest vessels in the world
it's about 4 000 years old andit really it looks very similar
to what it has for thousands ofyears now.
It's a bit like the bicycle.
The bicycle keeps changing itsmaterials, but it looks like a
(24:11):
bike.
You know has a triangle betweentwo wheels.
So it's reached this kind ofdesign perfection In many
respects.
There's kind of few things thatcan say that, that it reaches
this zenith where you can keeptinkering on its materials, but
fundamentally the design's in.
No doubt it will change, nodoubt you can ride a bike in
(24:34):
thin air one of these days andthey'll get rid of the triangle
in the middle.
And you know it will continueto evolve.
And I suppose that's the point.
Perfection is probably a totalbloody myth, and so I'm a I'm a
real um exponent of the 80 20kind of thing.
You know.
Get, get pretty close yeah andand and be close, be a
(24:55):
perfectionist on the things thatmatter, but you've got to learn
to let go on the on the stuffaround the edges you know.
So, yeah, you get your stuff,that you want 100%, right, sure,
or what you think is 100, butthe rest can't be that, because
you'll just be bogged down in itfor bloody ever.
Jolynne Rydz (25:11):
Yeah.
Beau Miles (25:13):
So that's kind of how I run things these days In
terms of how a government wouldrun that.
Oh geez, bureaucracy runs theother kind of way they want to.
You know, 100 people are put inthe same email train for
something that really shouldnever be put across.
100 people One person can makethat bloody decision and just
move on.
So I think there's a hugeamount of time, wastage and
(25:37):
taxpayer dollars get churned upin just over-communication
because we're nervous now thatenough people aren't put into
the conversation.
Jolynne Rydz (25:46):
Yeah, again coming back to that fear.
Beau Miles (25:50):
Yeah.
Jolynne Rydz (25:51):
Yeah, wasting time .
Beau Miles (25:54):
Yeah, there's probably only two things that
are going to come out today, andthat's probably the main one,
yeah.
Jolynne Rydz (26:00):
Is there a question that you wish someone
would ask you?
Beau Miles (26:04):
Look, there's some sort of as a student of Freudian
thinking in a sense, that Ithink we're all animals.
You know, I think we oftendon't get right down to the
basics of animalistic thinking.
I play on the idea, for example, that I'm unhygienic and that's
(26:25):
complete bullshit.
I just don't think I am Meshowering two days a week.
People are shocked.
They're shocked that I showertwo days a week and I think,
well, you know what, it's justbullshit to think that I'm not
unhygienic for showering, somuch less.
But in fact I think it's.
You know, I'm more attracted tomy wife the more she goes and
sweats and does stuff, you know,and, and and this animal, you
(26:48):
know, she becomes moreattractive to me the more hot
and sweaty and dirty she becomesphysically.
And I and I think we've kind ofpaired all this shit back
because of we think we need tobe clean and neat and smell like
chanel number five and reallyum, um, you know, these kind of
things, I think, dictate a lotof our world around us and yet
we kind of we go through themotions of you know today I
(27:09):
kinds of things, I think,dictate a lot of our world,
around us, and yet we kind of wego through the motions of.
you know, today I'm going to awedding and the people inside
the house that I'm looking atthey're going to be preening
themselves for six or eighthours and I will take six
minutes to get ready for thisbloody wedding.
You know, I just think.
I just think what a waste oftime and yet.
And yet it's not about thehygiene and the looking good,
(27:30):
it's about the.
They're all having a ball doingit and that's fantastic right.
But in some respects it's havinga ball and being social over
something I just don't believein.
And then part of me just thinkswho gives a shit if they want
to look so fantastic, if they'rehaving a wonderful social
interaction?
Stand down, vote that.
(27:51):
You know you don't have to berighteous about that.
Just do your five minute thingyourself and move on.
But coming back to time, I justthink, yeah, we, yeah, yeah
that that may be.
I maybe have just made theweirdest question answer I've
ever answered when I talkedabout being attracted to my wife
when she's really sweaty, tothe waste of time at weddings.
Jolynne Rydz (28:12):
I love it.
And as you were talking, thismemory came to me.
When I was in primary school, Ihad a diary and it had stickers
in it, and on the sticker sheetthere were a whole page Well,
not a whole page, actually, Ithink there was only a few but
the sticker said Bath Day and Iwas like, oh, do people live in
a world where they don't showerevery day?
(28:33):
That was my first exposure toit, so I just thought that was
fascinating.
That was common enough thatit's in a diary, and then people
would sticker in Bath Day.
Beau Miles (28:42):
Oh, totally yeah, just make sure it's in the
calendar.
I worked at a summer camp for10 years, yeah, and on Wednesday
we had to do shower skits toremind the boys to go to the
shower, cause they don't.
They go on school camp, they'renot going to go for a shower,
and I totally think it's soawesome, these boys, they don't
give a shit about show and theywant to do stuff, and I think
(29:03):
hallelujah, you know.
So every Wednesday I would getthe guitar out and say you've
got to shower, you've got totake a shower, otherwise your
parents aren't going to send youhere next year.
Jolynne Rydz (29:13):
I love how it's a skit too, otherwise it won't
sink in.
Oh, you've got to entertain it.
Beau Miles (29:18):
Yeah, that's right.
Jolynne Rydz (29:20):
So, before I bring us into our wrap-up questions,
there's one question I'd like toask you, which is, ultimately,
with the work that you'reputting out into the world.
Beau Miles (29:41):
So your films, your books and all the other stuff
that you do, what's the ultimate?
What do you want people to walkaway with as they experience
your work?
Look, I suppose you knowtrusting people to be.
I really trust people'sintelligence if they trust their
own intelligence.
You know you've got to really abit like everyone saying how
hard a marathon is.
You know how bloody easy amarathon is.
You could run one tomorrow.
You've just got to plug away.
You know it's about speed.
(30:02):
I really trust people to maketheir own connections between an
idea or a story and their ownlife.
I don't have to talk inmetaphors as much, so I just I
hope people walk away with justoh yeah, that's just a story.
He just told me a story, but mylife has comparable things and
(30:24):
I don't have to tell them that Inever want to.
Ever want to be righteous, andI get that a bit.
You know that latest filmyou're talking about making the
picnic table out of rubbish.
There's the odd comment thatsays oh, beau, you jerk, you
bloody righteous prick.
You know you're trying to makeyourself look holier than thou
and I think they've got it wrong.
(30:46):
I don't think that's why I madethat story at all, but there is
something in it.
You know, why show something ofthose sorts of things?
I suppose I'm making films andwriting books because it's a job
and I like telling stories andI think it does have currency
(31:08):
for being humans.
It's really what sets us apart.
We are, we're we'restorytelling animals and there's
very few storytelling animalsout there as far as we can
gather.
So it's a, it's a real humanthing that is special.
You know, yes, think of ourscience and our and our
curiosity.
Other animals have tools andcuriosity to some degree as well
(31:31):
, whereas the storytelling thingand this whole idea of sitting
down and watching something orreading something, you know that
sets us apart.
So, okay, that's a job for me.
You know I'm happy to do that.
Jolynne Rydz (31:45):
I love that and I've never actually heard anyone
say that that's so human, sothat's a great perspective.
Thank you so much.
And I completely agree.
Storytelling is so powerful andsomething you do incredibly
well, so I'd love to bring usinto our seven swift questions.
So these are quick answers,first thing that comes to your
head.
Don't need to overthink.
Beau Miles (32:03):
Fun.
This could be dangerous.
This is a little dynamitesection.
Jolynne Rydz (32:06):
Yeah, so they're easy questions.
Beau Miles (32:14):
So the first one is in your view.
What are three words thatdescribe an ideal leader?
Humility.
Jolynne Rydz (32:19):
Humility.
Beau Miles (32:22):
Curiosity and decisiveness.
Jolynne Rydz (32:26):
Yeah, I love it Number two, I had to think about
those.
Okay, I love it Number two, Ihad to think about those.
Beau Miles (32:32):
Okay, yes, shut up, let's go Good.
Jolynne Rydz (32:36):
Look, I could talk to you all day, but I know
other people won't want tolisten to you all day.
I'm going to dig myself in ahole.
I'll stop talking.
So number two fill in the blank.
Magnetic authenticity is.
Beau Miles (32:51):
Given by someone else, I can't call myself
authentic, you can.
Jolynne Rydz (32:57):
Yes.
Beau Miles (32:59):
I said that in a keynote this week and I thought
oh, that's true, you can't callyourself authentic.
I think it's bullshit.
Jolynne Rydz (33:04):
Yeah, love it.
Nice Number three.
When you notice yourself tryingto fit in, what is the first
thing you do?
Question it yeah, number four.
What song gets you reallypumped?
Beau Miles (33:21):
I think it's called mr magpie by radiohead.
It's full-on, or it might beseparator by radio head.
They're such think tanks,they're bloody full-on.
Tom york's, you know he'sfull-on.
Jolynne Rydz (33:34):
So yeah, radio head, radio head, songs, all
right, I have to go listen tothose two.
I don't know them.
Uh, so number five what's themost daring thing you've ever
done?
Beau Miles (33:46):
when I first lost sight of land in a kayak by
myself, where you are in a bigold ocean and you cannot see
land.
The accountability wasfantastic and, yeah, I liked it.
Jolynne Rydz (34:02):
There's something about being in the middle of the
ocean which makes you feelsmall, which I actually really
like.
You're just like I'm tiny rightnow.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, there'snothing, I actually really like.
Beau Miles (34:09):
You're just like I'm tiny right now.
Yeah, yeah.
Jolynne Rydz (34:10):
Yeah.
Beau Miles (34:11):
There's nothing like it yeah.
Jolynne Rydz (34:12):
Thanks for sharing .
So number six do you have afavorite quote or mantra that
you live by?
Beau Miles (34:22):
There's so many brilliant quotes, let's just go
with monkey.
Jolynne Rydz (34:25):
See, monkey, do Just get busy my best parenting
is just do stuff, talk less, domore.
Yeah, love it as we talk on thepodcast.
Yeah, that's right.
Beau Miles (34:39):
Um, so you can listen to this whilst doing cool
.
That's why test cricket's sogood, for five days, you can
listen to the cricket whilstpainting your house.
That that's fantastic.
What an excellent sport and anexcellent use of your time.
Jolynne Rydz (34:56):
Maybe I'll get you hooked on podcasts, because you
said you don't listen to them.
But yes, I listen to podcastswhile I'm doing things because I
can absorb things while I'mdoing.
It's brilliant.
So final question for you iswhat's one small thing that
brings you incredible joy?
Beau Miles (35:14):
I really like breakfast with my girls.
So you know the morning, thatmorning, half an hour, and it's
often horrible in terms of it'smanic or one kid's sick or
whatever, but just thatloveliness of sharing breakfast
together because we're allhungry, we've all got this
potential of the day and I lovemorning light.
You know, it's just.
I love the half an hour ofwhenever I travel.
(35:38):
I've just done a big stintoverseas, and big for me is a
couple of weeks nowadays, butthat's two weeks not seeing any
of my family being reallyimmersive in a project, and the
thing I miss the most isbreakfast with the girls and so,
yeah, that's the best part ofmy day.
Jolynne Rydz (35:52):
That's beautiful and thank you so much for
bringing us into your world ofwhat you're creating, who you
are and the incredible thoughtsthat you have that run through
your work and this conversationtoday.
It's been fantastic having youhere.
Where can people connect withyou if they want to learn more
about what you do?
Beau Miles (36:09):
uh, youtube's probably the best.
Uh, Beau Miles, on youtube.
I've got uh 80 or 90 films upthere and, um, yeah, there's a
film every sort of 20, 20 daysat the moment that I'm trying to
ratchet down to 14.
So, yeah, Beau Miles, onyoutube.
Otherwise, my website isbeaumiles.
com Beauisms on Instagram.
They're all a bit of fun.
(36:30):
So, yeah, there's enough foddercoming out occasionally, but
not too much to make you sick ofme.
So that's kind of the aim.
Jolynne Rydz (36:39):
Good balance to have.
Well, thank you so much onceagain, and I look forward to
seeing more of what comes out ofthis wonderful brain of yours.
Beau Miles (36:48):
Thanks, Jolynne, it's been great.
And thank you for yourpersistence and generosity too,
with making stuff for me andsending me things and being here
so good on you.
Jolynne Rydz (36:58):
You're making me sound like a stalker
Beau Miles (37:00):
, that's a good thing, but you were a very
generous stalker you gave melicorice and generous with your
time and creativity too, sendingme a great proposal.
It's awesome.
Jolynne Rydz (37:14):
Cool.
Thank you so much and have awonderful day.
Beau Miles (37:17):
Enjoy the wedding.
Bye, thanks, see you Bye.
Jolynne Rydz (37:20):
I trust that you enjoyed today's episode and
there were so many goldenmoments in there.
And there were so many goldenmoments in there and for me some
of the key points that stoodout was the ability to really
trust that you can be in themoment and bring that long-term
view really into the short term,because so much can change that
(37:41):
if we spend too much timeplanning far out, we're spending
time on scenarios that maynever eventuate.
So really recognizing when thatlong-term planning is becoming
more of a security blanket thana value add and being able to
flex there.
Another key point I took awayfrom today was the irrational,
(38:02):
real fears that we all have,fears that are real, but it's
about questioning what's realand what's perceived and what
are the likelihoods of thosefears actually turning into
reality and really having abalanced approach at how we look
at those fears and whether itstops us and whether it should
(38:24):
stop us from doing what we'redoing.
And the final point I wanted tobring to people's attention is
the storytelling.
Please do go and check outBeau's work because it is
incredible.
He's a master storyteller and Iloved what Beau said about it
being an incredibly human traitthat we have to tell stories
(38:45):
because, I completely agree,stories are key for making sense
of the world, for bringingmeaning to things, to
understanding our purpose, toconnect with each other and
really to be memorable in whatwe do and what we share.
So I trust that this episodehas been memorable for you.
(39:06):
I would love to know.
So reach out and connect withme and let me know what you
think.
And remember to take a look atBeau's incredible work.
I am so excited to announce our next guest on this
episode because it's been aboutsix months since I first had
the idea of I would love to havethis person on the podcast, to
getting over some of myvulnerabilities, working out a
way to connect with them andgetting creative about how to do
that.
(00:20):
So, six months down the track,here we are, and I am so excited
to welcome Beau Miles onto thispodcast.
And Beau Miles, for those ofyou that are unfamiliar with his
work, is what I like todescribe as ordinarily
extraordinary.
He's really relatable, he'sfunny and a master storyteller,
(00:42):
and storytelling I I believe, isa vital leadership skill that
we need to have for impact.
Through his award-winning filmsand his latest book, the
Backyard Adventurer.
What I admire most about Beauand his work is that he gets his
audience to look at theeveryday of life in new and
fascinating ways, and so much ofleading in life is about
(01:06):
getting people to think, see anddo differently.
So let's dive into today'sepisode.
Welcome into the podcast, beau.
I'm so excited to have you here.
Beau Miles (01:17):
I'm excited to be here because I've eaten your
homemade licorice, Jolynne, andit was good and you came to my
show.
So I'm very loyal to peoplethat have paid probably too much
money to come see me at a show.
So, thank you, it's good to behere, mate.
Jolynne Rydz (01:32):
It was really worthwhile and I'm so excited to
have you here because for me,you are the walking embodiment
of what magnetic authenticity is.
You just show up as you andpeople just get drawn in and
want to hear more about you.
And I don't know if you knowthis, but the moment I first
found out about you was when myhusband was sitting on the couch
(01:53):
watching YouTube and he said,hey, you should watch this guy.
He runs and he's funny and I'mlike, oh okay, what does he do?
And his response was he justdoes stuff.
And I think that's kind of thecrux of what you do and it's so
fascinating because I feel likewe're living in this world where
there's so much conditioning todo more, to be more, to achieve
(02:14):
more, and you're sort ofopening this perspective where
we can do really fascinatingthings with less or with what
other people don't want, and wecan turn this ordinary into
useful.
So I'm really curious, beau, tofind out where did this
perspective on life come from?
Beau Miles (02:35):
Well, it's a good setup in that?
I'm not sure I'm.
In fact, I think I'm the mostambitious I've ever been right.
So it's just the packaging thatI've put that ambition the most
ambitious I've ever been right.
So it's just the packaging thatI've put that ambition because,
fundamentally, I want the mostuse out of my time and so I want
to be able to action things andturn them around, turn around
an idea in the quickest possibleformat with the most amount of
(02:58):
impact, and that's the mostamount of impact for me, for the
people that might be watching,for my family, for my body, for
my health, for the dirt that Ilive on.
I just basically, I want to tryand maximize my next 40 or 50
years and I want to put myambition across that, because
for the first 20 years ofadulthood I was a bit flippant,
(03:22):
like most 20-year-olds, olds andmaybe 30 year olds.
You're getting here, you'rejust sort of whittling away and
you're doing an okay job atthings and you're making
advancements in your own kind ofworld of whatever they might be
.
So I'm I'm fundamentally andthis is a flaw, this is my main
flaw I'm fundamentally petrifiedof death and not being here to
(03:46):
do stuff right.
So your husband's kind of right.
I just do stuff because I don'twant to be not busy and I see
great wealth in that.
You know, I get stick all thetime from people saying or from
people saying oh Beau, you'vegot to chill out, mate, you've
got to smell the roses a bitmore.
But I kind of call bullshit onthat, in that I'd rather smell
(04:07):
the roses whilst running up aroad.
You know, because I'm doing twothings and, look, to be honest,
I tend to rest well, but I restbest when I know I'm full for
the day and I just love that.
I love going to bed tired, thatI'm tired from using my body
and my brain, and so that's allI'm doing.
(04:29):
So the identity crisis in thatand I don't mean to make too
long of this question, but theidentity crisis in that when you
just do stuff, sometimes youwater yourself down so much that
your identity lacks identity,and so that's kind of where I'm
at at the moment, because I'm abit of a jack of all trades and
I never really thought of myselfas that and I've become it.
Jolynne Rydz (04:52):
Yeah, that's a fascinating answer and there's
so much in that answer that I'dlove to unpack, and the first
one is impact.
I think that's incredible thatyou're so focused on impact and
in so many different areas.
Do you define, like, what youwant to impact in that message
that you want to have, or doesit kind of just come to you in
the spur of the moment?
Beau Miles (05:14):
Jelen.
I think that maybe it's amisuse of the word impact.
That's maybe a hangover from myuniversity days, when
everything you know, everyarticle you ever write or a
class you teach, has to haveimpact.
Some of the great philosophersand the great creatives out
there you know the Rick Rubinsof the world.
(05:34):
They would say don't worryabout impact, don't worry about
the others, worry about yourself.
And I believe that to an extent.
But I also really like well, Ireally respect the idea that
other people are spending timeon your content and so I don't
want to waste their time.
I do not, you know.
Going back to that firstquestion, if time is of the
(05:56):
essence, then I don't want towaste people's time, nor my time
.
So the best use of my time, Ithink, hopes to be the best use
of other people's time.
So I'm always thinking of myaudience and what other people
are taking from it, and thatmight not just be other people.
That might be okay.
How do I make this best?
How do I plant out this chunkof forest that's not just bloody
(06:19):
pine trees and things thataren't supposed to be here?
Let's put things that aresupposed to be here.
So there's kind of multipleways of thinking of it, but
fundamentally, impact is doingthings thoughtfully, with
urgency, and that you enjoy, butyou think others might as well,
(06:41):
and I think that's just a nicelittle formula to start with.
Jolynne Rydz (06:44):
Yeah, I love that.
It's so simple.
Beau Miles (06:46):
Simple, yet complex.
Yeah, I mean, we're only evergood at things when they're in
their most simple form, but itoften takes us years to figure
that out too, you know.
Jolynne Rydz (06:57):
Yeah, and a nice segue into figuring it out.
Can I read a section of yourbook?
Is that okay with you?
Beau Miles (07:07):
Sure, there's some shoddy sections in there, mate,
so as long as it's okay.
Jolynne Rydz (07:11):
Yes.
Beau Miles (07:12):
Yeah, go for it so this book is incredible.
Jolynne Rydz (07:14):
It's called the Backyard Adventurer and highly
recommend it to anyone becauseyou just pick it up and it's so
you on a page.
So the quote I wanted to pullout was it starts with I was, in
fact, on the comfortable sideof an identity crisis, having
come to terms with the fact thatI was not the man I thought I
was.
Such a breakthrough in thinkingis to acknowledge that I have a
(07:37):
uniqueness born of influences.
And then you go on to list tosome of those influences which I
won't share here, because maybethat's some of the shady stuff,
I don't know, but I think Iwanted to read that out because
I feel like a lot of people aregrappling with this who am I
versus who should I be and I'mcurious to know what is it that
(07:58):
brought you to that moment whereyou were okay to step outside
of the shoulds and just show upas you?
Beau Miles (08:07):
It was through a process of filmmaking actually,
that for the first five or tenyears of carrying a camera
around doing things trying to bea hero, that I was trying to
shoot things more in the camp ofwhat I thought other people
liked to see heroic, incredible,quite outstanding things that
(08:31):
were difficult, they were longrange and that they were
skillful.
You know the kind of thing thatpeople think of as almost like a
Red Bull athlete has a babywith an explorer from yesteryear
you know, and they do theseamazing long feats, but with
kind of, you know, no riskaversion, and so I kind of did
(08:52):
that stuff for a bunch of yearsand it just didn't work.
It was crap.
You know, you're only evershooting a third of the time
because they're the only timesyou're doing something that's a
bit edgy, and the rest of thetime you're just living and
you're just trying to make wayand you're getting forward and
you're, you know, you'rebrushing your teeth and you're
tying your shoelaces, and you'recooking and you're, and you're,
you know, packing your bag.
Fundamentally, I started torealize that all that stuff is
(09:17):
is what everyone does.
Everyone packs their bags andgoes forward and brushes their
teeth and ties their shoelaces.
So why not make stories out ofall of the in-between as well as
all of the really cool stuff?
Yeah, and so when you, when Idid that and that's what my
YouTube channel is now trying todo things that are almost every
day or could be every day itwas a bit of a hurrah moment,
(09:40):
because you don't have to go and, bloody, climb Everest or cross
the Pacific anymore and you cando difficult things in
different ways that are a bitmore relatable and you're taking
yourself a little lessseriously too.
I found myself in a genre ofadventure, right, and adventure
is kind of what a wanky thing towrite on your business card.
(10:02):
I'm an adventurer, you knowJesus.
A mother of two or a dad ofthree or whatever, that's an
adventure.
That's way harder than climbingfrickin' Everest.
And so as a parent of two now,yeah, so come on, get over
yourself, adventurers.
You're just a bloody sportperson that wants to go and do
cool stuff, you know.
So, yeah, I took a back stepfrom the thing that I found
(10:26):
myself in and thought how do Ikind of redefine it?
And that's where I find myself.
Jolynne Rydz (10:30):
Yeah, I love that in terms of just just stepping
back and reviewing, because Ithink a lot of people just keep
going forward and they don'tstop to rethink what is it I'm
really doing?
And there's so many people outthere doing the big adventure
thing, so it's beautiful to seethe everyday broken down into
that nuance.
And one of the things thatfascinates me as I watch your
(10:51):
work is how do you tell suchelaborate stories Like it's like
we're dipping into your mind inthat moment and I'm curious
about how you bring that intoyour work.
Beau Miles (11:03):
Look I'm.
I'm sometimes easy to work with,but sometimes I'm let's say,
most of the time I'm difficultto work with too.
You know, as a solo filmmaker, Ithink I can just go on my merry
way, but I do it incollaboration.
Now, and and my main, my maincollaborator is Mitch.
Him and I share the businessand so what what I tend to do is
come up with an idea and then Igo and I live this idea and
(11:26):
it's got to be a good enoughidea for me to go shoot it, and
many don't make the the, thetime of day where I actually go
off and shoot it.
So I go off and shoot it, butfor the most part, the story
comes in the aftermath with whattook place and what is missing,
and and the great thing aboutthat is that I can then value
add and layer up something thatwas an okay or a good idea, and
(11:47):
then I make it better and everyfilm has to be made better from
Ryan, whereas something like youknow Hollywood, they they have
such a rigid script and, yes,they will tweak and make changes
, but they very rarely do thebulk of the changes in post.
They make the bulk of thechanges in the writing process.
So by the time they shoot, theyshoot something and they're
(12:10):
pretty wedded to that.
They can't really go too farfrom what they've shot.
I try and go as far from whatI've shot as possible, which is
a pain in the ass, but it makesthe story more real of what took
place.
Because, you know, think ofwhen they pick all their actors
and they go out and they makethis story, those actors have
(12:30):
got to make all of the decisionsthat the writers have made,
decisions about years ago, andso there's always that lost in
translation, whereas me, as asolo bloke, far more selfish
with my storytelling, I canreally massage the message in
the aftermath.
Um, I'm making a film at themoment about worldview.
Where does my worldview comefrom, or where did it?
(12:52):
And I went back to a place thatI went as a 15 year old kid and
I think that's kind of wherethe genesis was, or a real great
moment or a week and I'm tryingto unpick my life between now
and then and it was fascinating.
But you know that's ajuggernaut of a project,
potentially or streamline it andjust pick a few themes that you
(13:15):
think you know.
So you have to be quitedisciplined in your aftermath as
well.
Jolynne Rydz (13:21):
Yeah, definitely, and I think a lot of what you
just shared applies in thebusiness world as well, in terms
of people come up with thesebig plans and strategies and
then they can spend so much timein that that when they get into
the real life bringing it tolife, they're a bit stuck rather
than adapting in the moment.
Beau Miles (13:39):
Yeah, the whole five-year thing, you know, I
think that's kind of mythicaland I get it too, while people
have a five-year thing.
But as a creative person, Idetest that idea.
I'm not really sure, like 2025is about the maximum bandwidth
I'd put on any ambition I have.
I've just got to think, becausethere's so many opportunities
(14:01):
and different ways of thinkingand different upheavals will
happen in the next 14 months andI've got to trust that because
it's always happened.
So, yeah, me thinking beyond2025 is, in some respects,
bonkers, you know, and when abusiness does that, I think, gee
, that's amazing.
Jolynne Rydz (14:19):
And when a business does that, I think, gee
, that's amazing.
Yeah Well, I love that.
I love bringing it into thisnearer focus where you can still
have massive impact, and that'swhat you've been focusing on,
as you explained earlier.
I am curious you mentionedearlier that you've got this
fear of death and yet often in alot of your work, I see you in
these situations that peoplewould like the average person
(14:41):
might not want to walk into,like when you find yourself in
the middle of a deeply pollutedriver with rubbish everywhere.
In my head as I watch that, I'mlike what if you step on
something that's rusty and youget tetanus?
And all of these things runthrough my head.
Do you ever find yourself inthese shoots in a moment where
you're panicking or where you'reregretting where you've gone?
Beau Miles (15:04):
Not in the sense that you're probably alluding to
.
I don't find myself in thesituation and think, oh gee, I
should probably overlay it witha bit more occ.
Health and safety.
Look, I'm not a man ofstatistics as such.
I live in the subjective worldmore than the objective world.
But I do probably consider thata lot of things we fear are
(15:27):
irrational, real fears Swimmingat the beach and being taken by
a shark, for example and yetthat is what most people talk to
me about sea kayaking orwhatever.
As a sea kayaker, you're goingto get killed by the wind or a
human more than you are a sharkand waves and the tentacles of a
jellyfish or sunburn.
(15:48):
You know there's so much that'sgoing to kill you in a sea
kayak more than a shark, and yetthat's what we think about.
So when I went down Cooks River, for example, and there's stuff
that could poke and prod me andmake me sick and hepatitis in
every second vial, I supposeit's very relevant, but the
genuine natures of me gettingpinged by those things are
(16:08):
pretty high, you know.
One in a thousand, one in10,000, one in a million.
I don't know what that'd be,but certainly not on my radar as
much as wearing a good hat andmaking sure I drink enough on my
radar, as much as wearing agood hat and making sure I drink
enough.
So you know, I'm very realisticabout what's going to do me
genuine harm and what issomething that is probably less
likely.
Jolynne Rydz (16:28):
Yeah, and just bringing it back to the real
basics yeah, yeah, yeah, Nicenice, I can tell you a little
story on that.
I remember I was sea kayaking.
Beau Miles (16:37):
I was guiding out of a boat shed once, and so I'm
there doing our roundup andwe're about to go out to sea and
we're all really safe.
We've got our buoyancy vests onand we're all in and they're
perfectly sized and they knowhow to use their kayaks and
their gear is beautiful andthey've got, you know, all these
sorts of long sleeve tops onand they've got zinc across
(16:59):
their nose and big hats right.
And this guy comes in and he'sa safety officer of some kind.
He was the Commodore of theclub actually, and you know, him
and I were instantly differentkind of people and he gives me
the Victorian boating guide forsafety and it's this big thing
of 80 pages, yeah, and on thefront cover is a kayaker, on the
(17:20):
front page is a kayaker in apfd without any sun protection.
So no, no, long sleeve top, nohat.
And then I read 80 pages of howthat person should be safe yeah
and it is.
And you know I had to give allof these booklets out to my
students before we're allowed toleave for the coast and I said
one I don't want your bookletsbecause they're going to end up
in their backpack sod and belandfill or we don't want these.
(17:44):
I'm more of an expert on seakayaking and I never said all
these things.
I was very whatever.
But I was so shocked that thebloody safety manual on the
front cover had someone outthere in the blazing Australian
sun when we have the highestcancer rate for melanoma in the
world.
And yet you're talking about.
You know, go left of the bloodygreen pontoon over there.
(18:05):
That's not going to kill them.
The sun is.
You know, I was wild about itas a, as a ginger, I was wild
about it.
But I think it's a greatexample of where real and
perceived risks are and how weshould question them at all
times.
Jolynne Rydz (18:19):
Yeah, I love that perspective, questioning what's
real and what's perceived soimportant.
One of the most recent pieces ofyour work that I watched was
the one where you're out in themiddle of this beautiful forest
and someone's made a poor choiceto dump a lot of rubbish there.
(18:40):
Made a poor choice to dump a lotof rubbish there and in
organizations I see a lot ofpeople making at times, as
people do in broader life makepoor choices, and I see a lot of
people fearing letting go andholding onto perfection, and
whether that's for themselves orwhether that's the system
they're in, requires perfectionto be adding value.
And when I watched this pieceof yours where someone had made
(19:02):
a poor choice, they dumped somerubbish in a beautiful forest
and then you've come and lookedat this pile and seen a picnic
table in there somehow, and soyou're sitting there, got your
tools out, just making a picnictable in the middle of a road,
in a forest, and I'm justcurious to know your perspective
If more people were willing tomake something meaningful out of
(19:26):
other people's poor choices orjust give things a go and let go
of that perfectionism, whatimpact do you think that would
have on our society?
Beau Miles (19:35):
I don't know.
Yeah, I mean, look at the USelection, and I don't mean to be
political at all, but I thinkpeople are driven.
You know they voted based on,in many respects, fear or a form
of fear, I suppose, rightly orwrongly.
I think, yeah, and the reasonI'm here talking to you today
(20:00):
too, you're a great thinker, youknow.
You've put things into, you'vegot a good way about you in
terms of how you structure yourthinking and your philosophies.
I, you know, even someone havinga poor choice that's a good way
of putting it they probablycouldn't afford the tip fees for
(20:21):
that particular idea and that,and so I was really reluctant to
just unload on them with, youknow, because half of me is
violently angry that someonewould dump a big trailer load of
crap in the bush.
But then I also realized thatthey've probably never had the
opportunities I've had either,um, and they've probably done it
bloody way tougher.
And they're pissed off withtheir shire, as am I for lots of
(20:46):
reasons, that is, theirgovernance.
And so, you know, there was alittle bit of, I suppose,
animosity in me for the peoplethat dumped that stuff, but for
the most part I kind of get ittoo in this horrid kind of way.
(21:08):
I would never do it, but I kindof get it.
So I essentially just try andput myself in the feet of others
more I essentially just try andput myself in the feet of
others more.
I'm quite sympathetic toassholes in some respects
because they've probably had ashit childhood, you know, and
that breaks my heart too when Ithink of little.
(21:29):
You know.
You see a little tough kid atfive or six years old.
They're bloody tough as nailsbecause they probably just
haven't been loved right andthey're going to make some shit
decisions probably in the next10 years because they're just
trying to survive yeah so.
So I hope to think I'm quitesympathetic to that, uh, because
I know I've been really lucky,right.
(21:51):
So yeah, I'm not.
I've wavered so far from yourquestion, but you triggered a
thing there that um was quitemeaningful and that, yeah,
people dump rubbish for manyreasons and they're not good
reasons, but they're complex.
Jolynne Rydz (22:05):
Yeah, and I love the wavering you've taken it,
because I think it's somethingthat we deal with in the world
is these polarities between you?
Know you might be really angry,but you also kind of have some
compassion for someone'ssituation and then realizing
your own privilege in all ofthat.
There's so much complexity inour world.
Beau Miles (22:25):
What do you think?
Jolynne Rydz (22:27):
if I bring it back to the willingness to give
things a go, letting go ofperfectionism and compassion.
Really, what do you thinkleaders in business and
community could learn from this?
Beau Miles (22:43):
the word perfect is a really good, uh is a really
good word to unpack, becausegenius humans want to know
everything to an objectifiabletruth.
And and I have trouble withthat too, because we it changes
so much.
Look look at the, look at diet.
Right, and I'll come back toyour, your business and politics
(23:04):
thing in a minute.
For perfection, sure, um, thinkof how much the science behind
food continues to change and howmuch we, we, we seem to or or
say we know about what we shouldeat and what we shouldn't eat.
You know, years ago it wasdon't touch butter or fat, and
now it's about salt and plasticsand it's you know it constantly
(23:30):
shifts, and how many grams ofprotein we're having as opposed
to.
You know, the science of themolecular thing that we put in
our mouth just keeps changingand the truth of food keeps
changing.
And so what is perfection?
Perfection, you know.
I did a PhD in sea kayaking andone of the components of that
(23:50):
was looking at what the seakayak is and this craft, what
makes a sea kayak a sea kayak?
And the sea kayak is one of theoldest vessels in the world
it's about 4 000 years old andit really it looks very similar
to what it has for thousands ofyears now.
It's a bit like the bicycle.
The bicycle keeps changing itsmaterials, but it looks like a
(24:11):
bike.
You know has a triangle betweentwo wheels.
So it's reached this kind ofdesign perfection In many
respects.
There's kind of few things thatcan say that, that it reaches
this zenith where you can keeptinkering on its materials, but
fundamentally the design's in.
No doubt it will change, nodoubt you can ride a bike in
(24:34):
thin air one of these days andthey'll get rid of the triangle
in the middle.
And you know it will continueto evolve.
And I suppose that's the point.
Perfection is probably a totalbloody myth, and so I'm a I'm a
real um exponent of the 80 20kind of thing.
You know.
Get, get pretty close yeah andand and be close, be a
(24:55):
perfectionist on the things thatmatter, but you've got to learn
to let go on the on the stuffaround the edges you know.
So, yeah, you get your stuff,that you want 100%, right, sure,
or what you think is 100, butthe rest can't be that, because
you'll just be bogged down in itfor bloody ever.
Jolynne Rydz (25:11):
Yeah.
Beau Miles (25:13):
So that's kind of how I run things these days In
terms of how a government wouldrun that.
Oh geez, bureaucracy runs theother kind of way they want to.
You know, 100 people are put inthe same email train for
something that really shouldnever be put across.
100 people One person can makethat bloody decision and just
move on.
So I think there's a hugeamount of time, wastage and
(25:37):
taxpayer dollars get churned upin just over-communication
because we're nervous now thatenough people aren't put into
the conversation.
Jolynne Rydz (25:46):
Yeah, again coming back to that fear.
Beau Miles (25:50):
Yeah.
Jolynne Rydz (25:51):
Yeah, wasting time .
Beau Miles (25:54):
Yeah, there's probably only two things that
are going to come out today, andthat's probably the main one,
yeah.
Jolynne Rydz (26:00):
Is there a question that you wish someone
would ask you?
Beau Miles (26:04):
Look, there's some sort of as a student of Freudian
thinking in a sense, that Ithink we're all animals.
You know, I think we oftendon't get right down to the
basics of animalistic thinking.
I play on the idea, for example, that I'm unhygienic and that's
(26:25):
complete bullshit.
I just don't think I am Meshowering two days a week.
People are shocked.
They're shocked that I showertwo days a week and I think,
well, you know what, it's justbullshit to think that I'm not
unhygienic for showering, somuch less.
But in fact I think it's.
You know, I'm more attracted tomy wife the more she goes and
sweats and does stuff, you know,and, and and this animal, you
(26:48):
know, she becomes moreattractive to me the more hot
and sweaty and dirty she becomesphysically.
And I and I think we've kind ofpaired all this shit back
because of we think we need tobe clean and neat and smell like
chanel number five and reallyum, um, you know, these kind of
things, I think, dictate a lotof our world around us and yet
we kind of we go through themotions of you know today I
(27:09):
kinds of things, I think,dictate a lot of our world,
around us, and yet we kind of wego through the motions of.
you know, today I'm going to awedding and the people inside
the house that I'm looking atthey're going to be preening
themselves for six or eighthours and I will take six
minutes to get ready for thisbloody wedding.
You know, I just think.
I just think what a waste oftime and yet.
And yet it's not about thehygiene and the looking good,
(27:30):
it's about the.
They're all having a ball doingit and that's fantastic right.
But in some respects it's havinga ball and being social over
something I just don't believein.
And then part of me just thinkswho gives a shit if they want
to look so fantastic, if they'rehaving a wonderful social
interaction?
Stand down, vote that.
(27:51):
You know you don't have to berighteous about that.
Just do your five minute thingyourself and move on.
But coming back to time, I justthink, yeah, we, yeah, yeah
that that may be.
I maybe have just made theweirdest question answer I've
ever answered when I talkedabout being attracted to my wife
when she's really sweaty, tothe waste of time at weddings.
Jolynne Rydz (28:12):
I love it.
And as you were talking, thismemory came to me.
When I was in primary school, Ihad a diary and it had stickers
in it, and on the sticker sheetthere were a whole page Well,
not a whole page, actually, Ithink there was only a few but
the sticker said Bath Day and Iwas like, oh, do people live in
a world where they don't showerevery day?
(28:33):
That was my first exposure toit, so I just thought that was
fascinating.
That was common enough thatit's in a diary, and then people
would sticker in Bath Day.
Beau Miles (28:42):
Oh, totally yeah, just make sure it's in the
calendar.
I worked at a summer camp for10 years, yeah, and on Wednesday
we had to do shower skits toremind the boys to go to the
shower, cause they don't.
They go on school camp, they'renot going to go for a shower,
and I totally think it's soawesome, these boys, they don't
give a shit about show and theywant to do stuff, and I think
(29:03):
hallelujah, you know.
So every Wednesday I would getthe guitar out and say you've
got to shower, you've got totake a shower, otherwise your
parents aren't going to send youhere next year.
Jolynne Rydz (29:13):
I love how it's a skit too, otherwise it won't
sink in.
Oh, you've got to entertain it.
Beau Miles (29:18):
Yeah, that's right.
Jolynne Rydz (29:20):
So, before I bring us into our wrap-up questions,
there's one question I'd like toask you, which is, ultimately,
with the work that you'reputting out into the world.
Beau Miles (29:41):
So your films, your books and all the other stuff
that you do, what's the ultimate?
What do you want people to walkaway with as they experience
your work?
Look, I suppose you knowtrusting people to be.
I really trust people'sintelligence if they trust their
own intelligence.
You know you've got to really abit like everyone saying how
hard a marathon is.
You know how bloody easy amarathon is.
You could run one tomorrow.
You've just got to plug away.
You know it's about speed.
(30:02):
I really trust people to maketheir own connections between an
idea or a story and their ownlife.
I don't have to talk inmetaphors as much, so I just I
hope people walk away with justoh yeah, that's just a story.
He just told me a story, but mylife has comparable things and
(30:24):
I don't have to tell them that Inever want to.
Ever want to be righteous, andI get that a bit.
You know that latest filmyou're talking about making the
picnic table out of rubbish.
There's the odd comment thatsays oh, beau, you jerk, you
bloody righteous prick.
You know you're trying to makeyourself look holier than thou
and I think they've got it wrong.
(30:46):
I don't think that's why I madethat story at all, but there is
something in it.
You know, why show something ofthose sorts of things?
I suppose I'm making films andwriting books because it's a job
and I like telling stories andI think it does have currency
(31:08):
for being humans.
It's really what sets us apart.
We are, we're we'restorytelling animals and there's
very few storytelling animalsout there as far as we can
gather.
So it's a, it's a real humanthing that is special.
You know, yes, think of ourscience and our and our
curiosity.
Other animals have tools andcuriosity to some degree as well
(31:31):
, whereas the storytelling thingand this whole idea of sitting
down and watching something orreading something, you know that
sets us apart.
So, okay, that's a job for me.
You know I'm happy to do that.
Jolynne Rydz (31:45):
I love that and I've never actually heard anyone
say that that's so human, sothat's a great perspective.
Thank you so much.
And I completely agree.
Storytelling is so powerful andsomething you do incredibly
well, so I'd love to bring usinto our seven swift questions.
So these are quick answers,first thing that comes to your
head.
Don't need to overthink.
Beau Miles (32:03):
Fun.
This could be dangerous.
This is a little dynamitesection.
Jolynne Rydz (32:06):
Yeah, so they're easy questions.
Beau Miles (32:14):
So the first one is in your view.
What are three words thatdescribe an ideal leader?
Humility.
Jolynne Rydz (32:19):
Humility.
Beau Miles (32:22):
Curiosity and decisiveness.
Jolynne Rydz (32:26):
Yeah, I love it Number two, I had to think about
those.
Okay, I love it Number two, Ihad to think about those.
Beau Miles (32:32):
Okay, yes, shut up, let's go Good.
Jolynne Rydz (32:36):
Look, I could talk to you all day, but I know
other people won't want tolisten to you all day.
I'm going to dig myself in ahole.
I'll stop talking.
So number two fill in the blank.
Magnetic authenticity is.
Beau Miles (32:51):
Given by someone else, I can't call myself
authentic, you can.
Jolynne Rydz (32:57):
Yes.
Beau Miles (32:59):
I said that in a keynote this week and I thought
oh, that's true, you can't callyourself authentic.
I think it's bullshit.
Jolynne Rydz (33:04):
Yeah, love it.
Nice Number three.
When you notice yourself tryingto fit in, what is the first
thing you do?
Question it yeah, number four.
What song gets you reallypumped?
Beau Miles (33:21):
I think it's called mr magpie by radiohead.
It's full-on, or it might beseparator by radio head.
They're such think tanks,they're bloody full-on.
Tom york's, you know he'sfull-on.
Jolynne Rydz (33:34):
So yeah, radio head, radio head, songs, all
right, I have to go listen tothose two.
I don't know them.
Uh, so number five what's themost daring thing you've ever
done?
Beau Miles (33:46):
when I first lost sight of land in a kayak by
myself, where you are in a bigold ocean and you cannot see
land.
The accountability wasfantastic and, yeah, I liked it.
Jolynne Rydz (34:02):
There's something about being in the middle of the
ocean which makes you feelsmall, which I actually really
like.
You're just like I'm tiny rightnow.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, there'snothing, I actually really like.
Beau Miles (34:09):
You're just like I'm tiny right now.
Yeah, yeah.
Jolynne Rydz (34:10):
Yeah.
Beau Miles (34:11):
There's nothing like it yeah.
Jolynne Rydz (34:12):
Thanks for sharing .
So number six do you have afavorite quote or mantra that
you live by?
Beau Miles (34:22):
There's so many brilliant quotes, let's just go
with monkey.
Jolynne Rydz (34:25):
See, monkey, do Just get busy my best parenting
is just do stuff, talk less, domore.
Yeah, love it as we talk on thepodcast.
Yeah, that's right.
Beau Miles (34:39):
Um, so you can listen to this whilst doing cool
.
That's why test cricket's sogood, for five days, you can
listen to the cricket whilstpainting your house.
That that's fantastic.
What an excellent sport and anexcellent use of your time.
Jolynne Rydz (34:56):
Maybe I'll get you hooked on podcasts, because you
said you don't listen to them.
But yes, I listen to podcastswhile I'm doing things because I
can absorb things while I'mdoing.
It's brilliant.
So final question for you iswhat's one small thing that
brings you incredible joy?
Beau Miles (35:14):
I really like breakfast with my girls.
So you know the morning, thatmorning, half an hour, and it's
often horrible in terms of it'smanic or one kid's sick or
whatever, but just thatloveliness of sharing breakfast
together because we're allhungry, we've all got this
potential of the day and I lovemorning light.
You know, it's just.
I love the half an hour ofwhenever I travel.
(35:38):
I've just done a big stintoverseas, and big for me is a
couple of weeks nowadays, butthat's two weeks not seeing any
of my family being reallyimmersive in a project, and the
thing I miss the most isbreakfast with the girls and so,
yeah, that's the best part ofmy day.
Jolynne Rydz (35:52):
That's beautiful and thank you so much for
bringing us into your world ofwhat you're creating, who you
are and the incredible thoughtsthat you have that run through
your work and this conversationtoday.
It's been fantastic having youhere.
Where can people connect withyou if they want to learn more
about what you do?
Beau Miles (36:09):
uh, youtube's probably the best.
Uh, Beau Miles, on youtube.
I've got uh 80 or 90 films upthere and, um, yeah, there's a
film every sort of 20, 20 daysat the moment that I'm trying to
ratchet down to 14.
So, yeah, Beau Miles, onyoutube.
Otherwise, my website isbeaumiles.
com Beauisms on Instagram.
They're all a bit of fun.
(36:30):
So, yeah, there's enough foddercoming out occasionally, but
not too much to make you sick ofme.
So that's kind of the aim.
Jolynne Rydz (36:39):
Good balance to have.
Well, thank you so much onceagain, and I look forward to
seeing more of what comes out ofthis wonderful brain of yours.
Beau Miles (36:48):
Thanks, Jolynne, it's been great.
And thank you for yourpersistence and generosity too,
with making stuff for me andsending me things and being here
so good on you.
Jolynne Rydz (36:58):
You're making me sound like a stalker
Beau Miles (37:00):
, that's a good thing, but you were a very
generous stalker you gave melicorice and generous with your
time and creativity too, sendingme a great proposal.
It's awesome.
Jolynne Rydz (37:14):
Cool.
Thank you so much and have awonderful day.
Beau Miles (37:17):
Enjoy the wedding.
Bye, thanks, see you Bye.
Jolynne Rydz (37:20):
I trust that you enjoyed today's episode and
there were so many goldenmoments in there.
And there were so many goldenmoments in there and for me some
of the key points that stoodout was the ability to really
trust that you can be in themoment and bring that long-term
view really into the short term,because so much can change that
(37:41):
if we spend too much timeplanning far out, we're spending
time on scenarios that maynever eventuate.
So really recognizing when thatlong-term planning is becoming
more of a security blanket thana value add and being able to
flex there.
Another key point I took awayfrom today was the irrational,
(38:02):
real fears that we all have,fears that are real, but it's
about questioning what's realand what's perceived and what
are the likelihoods of thosefears actually turning into
reality and really having abalanced approach at how we look
at those fears and whether itstops us and whether it should
(38:24):
stop us from doing what we'redoing.
And the final point I wanted tobring to people's attention is
the storytelling.
Please do go and check outBeau's work because it is
incredible.
He's a master storyteller and Iloved what Beau said about it
being an incredibly human traitthat we have to tell stories
(38:45):
because, I completely agree,stories are key for making sense
of the world, for bringingmeaning to things, to
understanding our purpose, toconnect with each other and
really to be memorable in whatwe do and what we share.
So I trust that this episodehas been memorable for you.
(39:06):
I would love to know.
So reach out and connect withme and let me know what you
think.
And remember to take a look atBeau's incredible work.
Popular Podcasts
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
True Crime Tonight
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com