April 21, 2025 • 37 mins
John Brink shares his extraordinary journey from surviving Nazi-occupied Holland as a child to building the largest secondary lumber manufacturer in Canada with just $25.47 and a dream. He reveals how discovering his ADHD later in life helped him reframe what others saw as a limitation into what he now calls his "superpower."
• Surviving in war-torn Holland during Nazi occupation as a child, witnessing Allied bombings and suffering through hunger and cold
• Arriving in Canada with virtually nothing and working his way up from cleaner to mill superintendent in just 18 months
• Building Brink Forest Products and expanding into four business "silos" including lumber, logistics, real estate, and media
• Discovering his ADHD at age 57 and embracing it as a strength rather than a limitation
• Becoming North America's oldest competitive bodybuilder at 84 while continuing to lead his companies
• Taking a controversial stand against fraudulent industry practices that nearly bankrupted him
• Finding fulfillment through giving back to the community and creating opportunities for others
Follow, subscribe, and leave a review to help us get this content to more people. Visit johnbrink.com to learn more about John's books and businesses.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast with your
host, chris Anderson.
In this show, chris and hisguests will share their
knowledge and experience on howto go from zero to successful
entrepreneur.
They have built theirbusinesses from scratch and are
now ready to give back to thosewho are just starting.
Let's get ready to learn, growand elevate our businesses.
And now your host, chrisAnderson.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Welcome back to another recording of the Elevate
Media Podcast.
I am Chris Anderson, your hostToday.
We're going to get intosucceeding against all odds and
you're going to hear why we aretalking about that in a little
bit.
We've got a great guest comingon today, john Brink.
He's an extraordinary man whowent from war-torn Holland as a
child to building the largestsecondary lumber manufacturer in
(00:46):
Canada, all while living withADHD and PTSD.
And that's just super, superhigh level of what John has done
and the accolades and theexperience and the successes
he's had in life.
So I'm excited to dive into hisstory more, hear from him,
learn from him, and I know youguys are as well.
So, john, welcome to theElevate Media Podcast today.
(01:08):
Nice to be here, chris,absolutely Looking forward to
chatting with you, excited todive into your life, your
journey and help myself andothers listening to this learn
from that.
I would love to dive in, ifyou're open to it, kind of at
the beginning.
So growing up I was a big fanor not a fan, but a big history
(01:29):
buff or not buff.
Even I really liked World WarII and learning about it and
things of that nature.
So what for you like growing upin that time frame.
You know, nazi occupation,holland, like what.
Like just kind of help us wrapour head around, like what that
would even be like.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Yeah, I like that question, Chris, because it's
kind of a unique time period forme right now and the next week.
Okay, we will.
I was born in 1940, novemberthe 1st 1940.
So I'm 84 and a half yearsyoung, I say.
(02:10):
And we were liberated on Aprilthe 12th 1945, by the Canadian
Army as part of the Alliedforces that landed in Normandy
June the 2nd 1944, pushed theirway through France, and then the
(02:30):
Canadians went north to Belgium, western Holland, and I was
born 15 minutes from the borderwith Germany, in Northeastern
Holland, and so that's exactlynext week, 80 years ago, and I
remember it well, uh, so, uh,and again, to put it into
(02:54):
perspective to your viewers, uh,with all due respect that a lot
of people that may think thatwar is, uh, you know once, once
the wars are over, things goback to normal.
Well, they don't.
In a lot of cases it will takegenerations before they ever do.
And how precious it is to livein democratic rule, as we do in
(03:20):
North America, in both theUnited States and in Canada,
north America, in both theUnited States and in Canada, and
so for me it's always importantto share with them at least
part of my history.
And the first thing that Iremember is you know the Allied
bombers bombing the Germaninfrastructure in the
(03:41):
northeastern part, northwesternpart of Germany that touches on
the North Sea, where all theinfrastructure, wherever they
build the weapons for the warWilhelmshaven, hamburg, bremen,
emden, all those places.
We were only 15 minutes fromthe border.
And now my mom and dad weremarried in 1938.
(04:02):
They were in love andeverything was paradise for them
.
And then out of Hitler, thedictator, decided that Poland
should become part of Germany.
And then there was a danger,you know, that the rest of
Europe would be attacked.
And then my dad was draftedinto the Dutch army on April of
(04:27):
1940.
And for the last time that theysaw him was just before the
bombing of Rotterdam.
The Adolf Hitler didn't findthat Holland capitulated quick
enough, so he bombed the centerof Rotterdam.
That killed thousands of people.
(04:47):
That's the last place thatsomebody saw him.
For five years they wouldn'tknow if he lived or died.
And so my mom, on her own shehad then two kids was pregnant
with me.
I was born November, the thefirst 1940.
But I remember is alliedbombers overhead in 1943, 44
(05:08):
that region, when they werebombing that infrastructure of
germany.
Hundreds of bombers, hundredsof them, and the sound of that,
uh, is the sound that I still,even now, still remember as a
three year, three and a halfyear old little kid well, that's
what I was gonna ask.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Like how did like that?
Immediately my mind went tolike, like you being that age,
that being that close, like whatwas the sound like?
What do you?
How do you describe the soundof that happening?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
I can't, I will never miss it and I will never hear
it again.
I know that and I'm a pilot.
I was in the Dutch Air Forcedraft that entered when I was 17
, 18.
But that sound I will neverforget again, and my mom would
take us out on the flat roofbehind the house to look in the
(05:58):
distance.
We saw the sky was red, fromall the cities that were being
bombed in the process.
And the reason she took usoutside she felt safer outside
than inside, and so that's whywe were there.
And there was always anxiety.
And so the next thing I rememberis that hunger is that in 1944,
(06:21):
hitler decided to cut off allthe food supply to Holland and
other places and we were withoutfood.
And the kids myself, my brother, my sister, the three of us
would go every morning withgunny sacks into the railroad
yards, pick up anything edibleand burnable.
And the reason that we did askids, they wouldn't shoot us,
(06:44):
but they would put us one in theback.
But then we were back thefollowing morning and then the
next one was that the winter of1944-45 was the coldest on
record in Northern Holland, andso I remember sitting in a
little room in our house that wecould heat only that little
room and we sat around there andit was very, very hot close by
(07:06):
and very cold.
I still remember the cold, thehunger and all of those things.
And then we saw far too much in1945 when the Canadian army
started pushing out the Germanforces.
We were 15 minutes from theborder, eastern Holland and the
north, and they pushed themthrough.
We saw far too much that weshould not have seen People
(07:30):
being shot, people being draggedout of their houses and never
to return.
The 12th 1945, 80 years ago now, that the Canadian forces
started liberating our region ofHolland, and that made such an
(07:52):
impression on me as a littlefive-year-old that I knew from
that point forward I would go tothe land of my heroes when I
grew up in Canada and I did, andI've been here now in Canada
for 60 years and so.
But it was the Allied forces,the Americans and the Canadians
(08:16):
working and other countriesworking close together from 1944
forward, when they landed inNormandy on June, the 2nd 1944,
and then it took them tillAugust before they pushed their
way through the German forcesand they went east and north and
the Canadians went northobviously.
(08:36):
But to see the Allied forcesworking together was unique for
me and I have always admired theAmericans, friends, and the
Canadians in North America.
How lucky and how fortunate weare.
And obviously what happenedafter that is that a lot of
(08:57):
Europe was destroyed.
It's again the Americans takingthe lead and the Marshall Plan
in 1947, rebuilding WesternEurope together, again working
(09:26):
also closely with Canadians andother countries, but the
Americans took the lead.
That's the example of freedomand democratic rule.
And so, versus bureaucracies ordictatorships, there was a fear
in Holland in particular, butWestern Europe, that the
Russians would come in and takeover.
A lot of them left andemigrated to the United States
or Canada right after the warand so, and then the Marshall
(09:48):
Plan and then from there on in.
But they admired and I still dotoday is that the United States
, canada and other countries'democratic rule is precious,
delicate but so precious.
And what I like about theUnited States is the
constitution that protectseverybody from dictatorships, or
(10:11):
supposed to be, and it startsthere with we, the people, and
so that's where the strength is,and so that's kind of what
happened to me.
I came to Canada, started withnothing a suitcase, three books,
two sets of clothes, and I hadvery little money.
(10:32):
But I wanted to build a lumbermill and so I landed in
Vancouver and I knew all thetrees were in British Columbia
and so I went to the immigrationdepartment there in 1965, july
1965.
Could speak the language,didn't know, so didn't have a
job.
At the immigration departmentthere was a German fellow.
(10:54):
I could speak some German.
I said I want to build a lumbermill.
He said go to Prince George,that is 500 miles north of
Vancouver or 800 kilometers forEuropean trends.
And I came off the bus therewith my suitcase, three books,
two sets of clothes.
I counted my money at leastthree times I had $25.47.
(11:15):
But attitude I'm always positive, always happy.
I avoid negative Passion,whatever I do, I give it 125%
Work ethic.
I work harder, I do it.
I give it 125% work ethic.
I work harder, even still now,than anybody.
And so, and I always get up at5.30 in the morning, even now,
(11:35):
and I always make my bed and Ialways think I'm late, and so
that's what I do.
And so, yes, I did get my mealin 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 other
companies.
But it's not about that, it'snot about money, but so
opportunity and being here inNorth America and the
opportunities that we have.
(11:56):
I fly around a lot in NorthAmerica.
I do a lot of business in theUnited States, usually sit
always by the window in acommercial flights and as I sit
there, I look outside as I gothrough North America, canada
and the United States and I sayit's paradise.
It is paradise.
(12:17):
We are so lucky and sofortunate.
So that's kind of where I am.
And today 84 and a half.
I'm very active and you knowand staying physically fit.
This is my last book LivingYoung, dying Old.
I'm the oldest competitivebodybuilder in North America.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
At 84 and a half qualified for the Arnolds and
again to compete in the Arnoldsagain in 1926.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
That's amazing.
So where would you say, allthat drive, that determination,
that mindset comes from?
Is it you were just born withit?
Is it the experience you had asa young kid?
Or is it something you'velearned along the way that other
people could learn as well tohave?
Speaker 3 (13:09):
The foundation for me has always been attitude,
passion, work, ethic.
That's what it has to be.
The other part to me, which isvery, very important you relate
to already indicated it is that,fairly, it was not until 1997
that I picked up a book in astore here, and the title of the
(13:32):
book that I picked up I'vealready been here for 32 years,
I was quite successful picked up, I've already been here for 32
years, I was quite successfuland Driven to Destruction was
the title of the book written byDr Holywell.
And as I picked up the book Idon't know why, and the more I
looked at the book, it's aboutADHD and I said, oh my God,
(13:53):
that's me.
And so, and academically, I wasnot a successful story.
I failed grade three.
I failed grade seven threetimes.
So then people said to myparents, what are you going to
do with this guy?
And then, and some people said,send him to the mentally
challenged school.
They said, no, we're not goingto do that.
So teach him a trade so he canwork with his hands, you know,
(14:16):
because he's not bright enough,obviously, or something you know
so to be in school.
So that's what I did.
I became a furniture maker at 12and a half years old.
But I always knew that I wasjust as smart as anybody else
Not better than, but just smart.
But I had to start anew againand that gave me the opportunity
(14:37):
to do that when I left Hollandwith virtually nothing in 1965
to prove to me that I could doit, and you know, but ADHD
became a big part of my life.
Then in 1997, I picked up thisbook written by Dr Holywell
about ADHD and I said it's asuperpower, yeah, and that kind
(15:03):
of.
Where does the energy come from?
Partially from that.
The other one mindset, passion,work, ethic, and every day is a
great day.
And then I try to stay fit andhealthy.
My diet, exercise, sleep allthose basic elements are
critically important.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Yeah, I agree, I think those are.
I mean we just talked about inour team meeting today was you
know, the words we say toourselves are super important
too, and having that positiveattitude and speaking you know
good about yourself and whatyou're doing carries some weight
and so I like having that partof it and staying fit and taking
care of yourself.
But you said ADHD, yoursuperpower, right.
(15:46):
Explain that.
How did you go from figuringout, oh that's me, I have ADHD
to seeing it as a superpower,because some people are like, oh
sorry, I have ADHD, it's a badthing.
How did you kind of shift thatmindset there?
Speaker 3 (16:01):
I always knew I was different, right even from the
time that, uh, you know that Ifailed school, which was not
easy.
So looking back at me, uh, uh,obviously, uh, the warriors and
pgsd was a very important partof my life still is today.
The other one is the innerchild.
(16:23):
The fear of losing the onlyparent that we had during the
war years always remained partof me.
Got counseling for that when Iwas 50 years old, actually very
emotional, but even then, goingto Canada, I became very quickly
, very successful, though Icouldn't speak the language,
started as a cleaner man veryquickly.
(16:43):
I was a foreman, then a lumberpilot, then the green chain
foreman and then a mill foremanand within a year and a half it
was a superintendent of one ofthe biggest sawmills here in
northern britain, columbia, andand so and and so I did that.
That didn't go quick enough forme.
So because I wanted to have amill, so within 10 years I
(17:04):
started this company now 60years ago, bring forest products
.
That is now part of the braingroup of companies 10 other
companies and so I've alwaysbeen active.
I enjoy life Every day.
To me is precious likelybecause of what I've seen during
(17:27):
the war years.
The other part has always beenpart of me is that it took time
for me to figure out who am I,and it was not until I
discovered the book Driven toDistraction by Dr Holywell.
Dr Holywell has written 18books actually, five of them on
(17:49):
distraction.
He is ADHD and has dyslexia.
So do I.
And so, uh, actually I do apodcast on the brink and it's my
podcast number 203 with drhollywell that wrote the book.
Uh, uh, you know against, uh,you know the difference with
(18:12):
distraction in 1993.
I bought it in january 1997.
I still have it in my studio.
I'm sure it is that thatchanged my life.
And Dr Holywell, amazing,amazing.
And if the frequency ofoccurrence much higher than I
initially thought I may bearound 8% the more I heard about
(18:34):
ADHD, what it would be, as inmy interview with Dr Halliwell,
I said it's probably around 20%.
He said no, john, it's morethan 25%.
I agree with him, and both maleand female, although females
will portray it differently thanmales, but globally that's what
it is.
The other thing that I havefound being successful in
(18:57):
businesses involved in a lot ofcompanies, a lot of boards, and
on and on and on.
I got to know a lot ofentrepreneurs, successful people
, that of the successfulentrepreneurs and the operative
(19:17):
is successful that 50% of themare ADHD.
He said, no, john, 75%.
I agree with him, and so youknow.
So that became a big, big partof my life.
And then the other part, a bigpart of my life is communication
(19:37):
skills.
I was not good at that either Iwas self-confident about you
know the feeling intimidated, oryou know, a lot of times I was
okay, interacting in my owncompanies but not outside of it,
interacting in my own companiesbut not outside of it.
And then somebody, anex-sister-in-law, said to me hey
(20:01):
, john, I want you to go with meto Toastmasters.
I said Toastmasters, what is itall about?
Well, it develops communicationskills.
And I said are you going to askme any questions?
She said, no, just go down andsit down there and listen to
what they do.
And halfway through the meetingsomebody said hey, john, tell us
all about you.
I said, no, I'm not going totell you.
(20:21):
But I stayed for 10 years andit changed my life and I wrote a
book about that as well.
That's coming out in June.
That's my fifth book and I'mworking also on the sixth, the
title of that one is this oneAll About Communication Skills,
(20:43):
all those people that aresuccessful, but drives them in a
lot of cases is thecommunication skills and the
ability to interact, articulatetheir thoughts carefully and,
first and foremost, become goodlisteners.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
So if someone's out there and they're trying to
become a better listener, abetter communicator, what are
some things they could do?
Right now Maybe they're not inToastmasters.
What could they do to startimproving those communication
and listening skills?
Speaker 3 (21:14):
It's a good question, chris.
The first thing that I say isyou have to develop confidence
and you have to become a goodlistener.
And then a lot of people thinkabout Toastmasters is that it's
all about speaking.
It isn't.
It's about listening first andthen in prompt to speaking or
(21:36):
articulating questions or makinga point critically important.
That's what Toastmasters doesand some other organizations.
But Toastmasters, for me,became very, very important
because I was there for 10 yearsand I went to the highest level
in Toastmasters, which is a DTMDistinguished Toastmaster, and
(21:58):
it changed my life and I believethat in a lot of the success in
my life, both in business aswell as in podcasting, as well
as as a writer, I became a goodcommunicator and that is very,
very important.
(22:18):
But the, for me, the biggestchallenge was to figure out who
am I, why am I different, and itwas not until I recognized adhd
as being a critical part ofthat and I.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
I think figuring yourself out, like knowing
yourself, is huge on yourjourney as an entrepreneur, but,
like for you, for instance, Imean you moved to Canada $25, a
little over $25 in your pocket.
Can't speak the language, sonot a good communicator at the
time, but yet you still wereable to start your mill and
become successful.
What, what things?
(22:56):
Or you know, is it just you, orwhat are some some things?
You did, actions that otherscould maybe follow, that helped
you become successful despiteall those odds.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
I like that question as well, because I wrote a book
about that.
I feel that I have to share myexperience, not saying hurrah,
hurrah how successful John is,but all the challenges along the
way.
That's why I wrote Against AllOdds it's all about not about
successful John is, but all thechallenges along the way.
Then the other one that I foundwas important to me is that I
(23:32):
think I heard it on a US radiostation that they said that 75%
of the people that work in theUnited States and I think Canada
is the same 75% of the peopledon't like their jobs and
probably 70% or 75% are lookingfor another job.
And then I do a lot ofpresenting to younger people in
(23:55):
uh university, uh high schools,uh colleges, universities and
and so and but one of my pointsis that find your passion as
find something that you like todo.
Say example, if you like to bea truck driver, talk.
(24:16):
Talk to truck drivers.
Find out what do they do, howdoes it work.
Do they want to own the truck?
Talk to somebody that does that.
Or do they want to own morethan an entrepreneur?
Find out what they do.
You want to be a builder or acontractor?
Find out.
If you want to build houses orbuildings, whatever you do, talk
to somebody that does that asto what are the advantages, what
(24:38):
are the disadvantages or youwant to be a lawyer, or you want
to be a doc, or you want to bean entrepreneur or all those
things, Because most of yourlife you will spend in jobs that
it makes it such a hugedifference.
If you like what you're doing,then that becomes critical,
(25:03):
because if you don't, you takeit home with you and it becomes
part of you.
So I wrote a book about thatFinding your Passion, living the
Dream and I started working.
I left school and a lot ofpeople say to me that I failed
grade seven three times and Ileft school at 12 and a half
(25:23):
years old.
Now, tone and cheek a littlebit.
People say to me sometimes areyou still feeling bad about that
, that you left school at 12 anda half and only grade seven?
I say I do.
I still do very much feel badabout it.
I should have left earlier.
But the point that I'm makingis that it becomes so critically
(25:44):
important that the sooner youhave a direction and that's what
I had.
My grandfather was a mastercarpenter.
My dad worked in lumber andthen I started at 12 and a half
years old working in a furniturefactory.
All those things helped me, andthen I had always an interest
in finding out what madesuccessful people tick.
(26:07):
So I would go all over theplace to find people that made
presentations, talk to peopleabout what made them successful,
and so uh.
So, therefore, the questioncould be that I started working
with us twelve and a half.
I'm now eighty four and a half,so for the last seventy two and
a half years that I've beenworking is saying did you find
(26:31):
your passion, john?
Yes, I did.
And are you living the dream,john, every single day?
Speaker 2 (26:36):
yeah, and so, and that part is important- yeah,
and I love that, and I thinkit's important to find that
passion.
But I think it's also importantthat people realize that even
though you find that passion andyou're following that passion,
it doesn't mean it's going to beeasy, it doesn't mean it's
going to have rough days.
It's not just going to be allsunshine and rainbows when, when
(26:57):
you find that and and so it's agood thing.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
And that's a good thing, because if you don't fall
down.
If you don't, that part makesyou strong.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
A hundred percent and I think you know a little bit
of that too is it makes youstretch.
Taking those risks make youstretch as a person and improve.
And I mean you've taken risks,you know your whole life, you
know moving out of Holland forone, I mean the risk of just
living when you're a kid.
Surviving was the risk, butlike moving to Canada and all
that like so during your journey, what would you say?
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
So what would you say ?
Your biggest risk has been andI know there's so many, but is
there one that kind of sticksout in your mind Like that was a
huge risk?
And what was that like?
Speaker 3 (27:45):
That's a very, very good question.
Probably, yeah, I don't know.
They were all in a way.
So even today, we'renegotiating on making some very,
very big deals.
We have four silos.
One silo is lumbermanufacturing.
Well, that's a real challengebecause, of all due respect to
(28:07):
our friend the president of theUnited States, we don't know
what will happen.
He put us out of business, sothat's how serious it is, right,
but I'm still excited aboutthat part.
I've been doing it for 60 years.
The other company that I have iswarehousing, distribution and
logistics.
That is a successful company.
(28:28):
The other silo is real estateresidential, commercial and
industrial very, very active.
All those companies will doubleor triple in growth in spite of
all of that, in my mind, as wego forward.
And then the fourth one ismedia, and so I'm very, very
(28:48):
active in media.
My podcasting very active, uh,be top one percent globally.
I've done about 400 uh uhpodcasts where I am the uh uh,
the uh, the actor, and then, uh,you know the.
And then another 250 where I'mthe guest, I, we are approaching
(29:11):
a million subscribers, so lotsof activity there.
And then you know.
So all of those combined areexciting and keep me very, very
active very, very busy.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Absolutely so.
With taking these risks andstarting these businesses,
sometimes you have to kind oflean into what you believe in
and challenge some norms thatare out there in the world.
Have you come across that whereyou've had to challenge some of
the norms in your industriesand maybe shake things up or
(29:48):
just stick to your guns, kind of, as they would say?
Speaker 3 (29:51):
Oh yeah, and I'm glad you asked me that question
because I have had it severaltimes.
I'm controversial, differentthan most other ones are, I
believe, in Canada, in NorthAmerica, and the forest industry
has always been a challenge.
(30:12):
I'm different.
I want to add more social andeconomic value to the resource.
I grew up in the lumberindustry in Holland, where you
don't even dare to step on apiece of lumber even if it is a
trim block.
And so now what we are doing we, particularly one of the
(30:32):
largest secondary manufacturersin Canada that's what we do add
more value to that preciousresource that we have.
And that has been controversial.
I was involved in one lawsuitand, if you ask me about it,
that put me nearly out ofbusiness.
Where I took on, there werefraudulent grading rules by
(30:54):
lumber manufacturers.
Actually, I thought it waslocal and then it was regional,
then it was the province ofBritish Columbia, then it was
Canada and it was all the way inthe United States as well, and
it cost me virtually everythingthat I have, but I won the case.
It is just like Chris was avery, very nice guy, very good
(31:15):
guy.
He walked across the street ongreen and he got run over by a
car.
Yeah, so I was right and allthe other things, but it nearly
put me out of business.
So I've been always somewhatcontroversial, have differences
of opinion, but I will say, staythe course, and so that has
(31:36):
been probably challenges, evenstill today yeah, what would you
say your proudest moment hasbeen then?
Speaker 2 (31:41):
I mean, you've stood up for things like that.
What has been kind of theyou're like I'm super glad I did
that, like I'm proud that I didthat about my kids for one,
obviously, grandkids, and thenyou know.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
And then I learned to give back to the community and
I grew up that way.
I've always done that.
I've always tried to be helpfulto others that have challenges,
and I believe in the lumberindustry and creating skill sets
, the College of New Caledoniahere I helped them with building
(32:20):
the Trade and Technology Center.
They had my name on it, so I'mproud of that and I've been
recognized for a number ofthings, but that's not what I'm
looking for.
But being part of the culture,part of communities, to me has
always been the most important.
It's not making money or havinga lot of money.
I don't need a lot of money.
(32:42):
No matter what I do, I alwaysremember that I still have
laying on the side $20.45, $,know.
So those are the things that tome are the most important.
It's giving back to thecommunity, stay active, be able
to look in the mirror and saying, okay, I think I did right.
(33:05):
Not wealthy, that's notimportant, and you know.
So those are the things thatare important.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
I like that.
I think, yeah, being able tolook at yourself in the mirror
and say like I did the rightthing, no matter what Correct,
and uh, I think that's huge.
So, um, like just kind of roundthings out with like some kind
of rapid fire sort of questions.
You know, uh, as a leader, whatwould you say is the most
important quality to have?
Honesty credibility giving back.
(33:37):
How do you get that credibilityas a leader?
How do you build that?
Speaker 3 (33:42):
I was born like that.
That's always been important tome.
It was my parents, mygrandparents.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
That's what they stood for.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
I like that, I like that so what's the biggest
misconception people have aboutsuccess?
A lot of people think thatsuccessful people, what they do
is usually be busy planningholidays and bringing money to
the bank.
The misconception is that Isuggest entrepreneurship and
(34:16):
business and entrepreneurshipvery, very rewarding at times,
but the cost can be very, veryhigh and it wasn't my life to
you know, to the people aroundyou.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Yeah, there's always a give and take on things right.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
You have the sacrifice and and things like
that.
So what would your advice be tosomeone who's younger maybe my
age or younger who's uh whomight be feeling like they're
failing right now at building abusiness or succeeding in life?
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Look at yourself in the mirror and say and I find,
with young people in particular,they always find this is wrong
and that is wrong with me andthis is wrong with me.
Look in the mirror, there'sonly one of you, only one on
this whole entire world, onlyone like you, and be at peace
with who you are.
Not saying special, but be atpeace with that, not saying
(35:10):
special, but be at peace withthat.
And then the other one is thatwork hard, attitude, passion,
work, ethic, but will follow asuccess.
And then that part those partsare very, very important and
credibility critically important.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
Love that answer.
And then the last one, john, iftoday was your last day,
everything you did was gone.
Nothing would be rememberednone of your books, none of your
businesses, nothing.
But you could pick one thingthat would be remembered out of
everything.
What would you pick to have asyour memory going forward?
(35:50):
He gave back.
I like it.
That's awesome.
He gave back.
I like it.
That's awesome, he gave back.
That's a great thing to beknown for.
For sure, I love that answer.
So, john, this has beenfantastic.
Thank you for being on andsharing everything you've done,
your insights, your story.
If people want to connect withyou, obviously you have all your
(36:10):
books.
Where's the best place peoplecan get connected from or with
you, to learn more from you,john?
Speaker 3 (36:17):
a as in adam r aaron's brink brinkcom awesome.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Yeah, so everyone, make sure you go check out
john's stuff, uh, to get acouple of his books, if not all
of them, and then just dive intolearning from him.
So much experience and such aworldview there.
So again, john, thank you againso much for being on the LV
Media Podcast today.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
Thanks, chris, my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Absolutely, and if you're listening to this, make
sure you follow the show, if youhaven't already.
It helps us.
Just get this in front of morepeople, to their ears so we can
make a bigger impact in theworld together.
And yeah, just take in whatJohn said today.
Look yourself in the mirror andmake sure you can, you know,
say hey, we're doing a good job.
You know we're being kind,we're giving back, we're doing
(37:02):
our best and keep moving forward, but until next time, go out
there to continue to elevateyour life, elevate your business
, and we'll talk to you againsoon.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Thank you for listening to the Elevate Media
podcast.
Don't forget to subscribe andleave a review.
See you in the next episode.
Welcome to the Elevate Media Podcast with your
host, chris Anderson.
In this show, chris and hisguests will share their
knowledge and experience on howto go from zero to successful
entrepreneur.
They have built theirbusinesses from scratch and are
now ready to give back to thosewho are just starting.
Let's get ready to learn, growand elevate our businesses.
And now your host, chrisAnderson.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Welcome back to another recording of the Elevate
Media Podcast.
I am Chris Anderson, your hostToday.
We're going to get intosucceeding against all odds and
you're going to hear why we aretalking about that in a little
bit.
We've got a great guest comingon today, john Brink.
He's an extraordinary man whowent from war-torn Holland as a
child to building the largestsecondary lumber manufacturer in
(00:46):
Canada, all while living withADHD and PTSD.
And that's just super, superhigh level of what John has done
and the accolades and theexperience and the successes
he's had in life.
So I'm excited to dive into hisstory more, hear from him,
learn from him, and I know youguys are as well.
So, john, welcome to theElevate Media Podcast today.
(01:08):
Nice to be here, chris,absolutely Looking forward to
chatting with you, excited todive into your life, your
journey and help myself andothers listening to this learn
from that.
I would love to dive in, ifyou're open to it, kind of at
the beginning.
So growing up I was a big fanor not a fan, but a big history
(01:29):
buff or not buff.
Even I really liked World WarII and learning about it and
things of that nature.
So what for you like growing upin that time frame.
You know, nazi occupation,holland, like what.
Like just kind of help us wrapour head around, like what that
would even be like.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Yeah, I like that question, Chris, because it's
kind of a unique time period forme right now and the next week.
Okay, we will.
I was born in 1940, novemberthe 1st 1940.
So I'm 84 and a half yearsyoung, I say.
(02:10):
And we were liberated on Aprilthe 12th 1945, by the Canadian
Army as part of the Alliedforces that landed in Normandy
June the 2nd 1944, pushed theirway through France, and then the
(02:30):
Canadians went north to Belgium, western Holland, and I was
born 15 minutes from the borderwith Germany, in Northeastern
Holland, and so that's exactlynext week, 80 years ago, and I
remember it well, uh, so, uh,and again, to put it into
(02:54):
perspective to your viewers, uh,with all due respect that a lot
of people that may think thatwar is, uh, you know once, once
the wars are over, things goback to normal.
Well, they don't.
In a lot of cases it will takegenerations before they ever do.
And how precious it is to livein democratic rule, as we do in
(03:20):
North America, in both theUnited States and in Canada,
north America, in both theUnited States and in Canada, and
so for me it's always importantto share with them at least
part of my history.
And the first thing that Iremember is you know the Allied
bombers bombing the Germaninfrastructure in the
(03:41):
northeastern part, northwesternpart of Germany that touches on
the North Sea, where all theinfrastructure, wherever they
build the weapons for the warWilhelmshaven, hamburg, bremen,
emden, all those places.
We were only 15 minutes fromthe border.
And now my mom and dad weremarried in 1938.
(04:02):
They were in love andeverything was paradise for them
.
And then out of Hitler, thedictator, decided that Poland
should become part of Germany.
And then there was a danger,you know, that the rest of
Europe would be attacked.
And then my dad was draftedinto the Dutch army on April of
(04:27):
1940.
And for the last time that theysaw him was just before the
bombing of Rotterdam.
The Adolf Hitler didn't findthat Holland capitulated quick
enough, so he bombed the centerof Rotterdam.
That killed thousands of people.
(04:47):
That's the last place thatsomebody saw him.
For five years they wouldn'tknow if he lived or died.
And so my mom, on her own shehad then two kids was pregnant
with me.
I was born November, the thefirst 1940.
But I remember is alliedbombers overhead in 1943, 44
(05:08):
that region, when they werebombing that infrastructure of
germany.
Hundreds of bombers, hundredsof them, and the sound of that,
uh, is the sound that I still,even now, still remember as a
three year, three and a halfyear old little kid well, that's
what I was gonna ask.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Like how did like that?
Immediately my mind went tolike, like you being that age,
that being that close, like whatwas the sound like?
What do you?
How do you describe the soundof that happening?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
I can't, I will never miss it and I will never hear
it again.
I know that and I'm a pilot.
I was in the Dutch Air Forcedraft that entered when I was 17
, 18.
But that sound I will neverforget again, and my mom would
take us out on the flat roofbehind the house to look in the
(05:58):
distance.
We saw the sky was red, fromall the cities that were being
bombed in the process.
And the reason she took usoutside she felt safer outside
than inside, and so that's whywe were there.
And there was always anxiety.
And so the next thing I rememberis that hunger is that in 1944,
(06:21):
hitler decided to cut off allthe food supply to Holland and
other places and we were withoutfood.
And the kids myself, my brother, my sister, the three of us
would go every morning withgunny sacks into the railroad
yards, pick up anything edibleand burnable.
And the reason that we did askids, they wouldn't shoot us,
(06:44):
but they would put us one in theback.
But then we were back thefollowing morning and then the
next one was that the winter of1944-45 was the coldest on
record in Northern Holland, andso I remember sitting in a
little room in our house that wecould heat only that little
room and we sat around there andit was very, very hot close by
(07:06):
and very cold.
I still remember the cold, thehunger and all of those things.
And then we saw far too much in1945 when the Canadian army
started pushing out the Germanforces.
We were 15 minutes from theborder, eastern Holland and the
north, and they pushed themthrough.
We saw far too much that weshould not have seen People
(07:30):
being shot, people being draggedout of their houses and never
to return.
The 12th 1945, 80 years ago now, that the Canadian forces
started liberating our region ofHolland, and that made such an
(07:52):
impression on me as a littlefive-year-old that I knew from
that point forward I would go tothe land of my heroes when I
grew up in Canada and I did, andI've been here now in Canada
for 60 years and so.
But it was the Allied forces,the Americans and the Canadians
(08:16):
working and other countriesworking close together from 1944
forward, when they landed inNormandy on June, the 2nd 1944,
and then it took them tillAugust before they pushed their
way through the German forcesand they went east and north and
the Canadians went northobviously.
(08:36):
But to see the Allied forcesworking together was unique for
me and I have always admired theAmericans, friends, and the
Canadians in North America.
How lucky and how fortunate weare.
And obviously what happenedafter that is that a lot of
(08:57):
Europe was destroyed.
It's again the Americans takingthe lead and the Marshall Plan
in 1947, rebuilding WesternEurope together, again working
(09:26):
also closely with Canadians andother countries, but the
Americans took the lead.
That's the example of freedomand democratic rule.
And so, versus bureaucracies ordictatorships, there was a fear
in Holland in particular, butWestern Europe, that the
Russians would come in and takeover.
A lot of them left andemigrated to the United States
or Canada right after the warand so, and then the Marshall
(09:48):
Plan and then from there on in.
But they admired and I still dotoday is that the United States
, canada and other countries'democratic rule is precious,
delicate but so precious.
And what I like about theUnited States is the
constitution that protectseverybody from dictatorships, or
(10:11):
supposed to be, and it startsthere with we, the people, and
so that's where the strength is,and so that's kind of what
happened to me.
I came to Canada, started withnothing a suitcase, three books,
two sets of clothes, and I hadvery little money.
(10:32):
But I wanted to build a lumbermill and so I landed in
Vancouver and I knew all thetrees were in British Columbia
and so I went to the immigrationdepartment there in 1965, july
1965.
Could speak the language,didn't know, so didn't have a
job.
At the immigration departmentthere was a German fellow.
(10:54):
I could speak some German.
I said I want to build a lumbermill.
He said go to Prince George,that is 500 miles north of
Vancouver or 800 kilometers forEuropean trends.
And I came off the bus therewith my suitcase, three books,
two sets of clothes.
I counted my money at leastthree times I had $25.47.
(11:15):
But attitude I'm always positive, always happy.
I avoid negative Passion,whatever I do, I give it 125%
Work ethic.
I work harder, I do it.
I give it 125% work ethic.
I work harder, even still now,than anybody.
And so, and I always get up at5.30 in the morning, even now,
(11:35):
and I always make my bed and Ialways think I'm late, and so
that's what I do.
And so, yes, I did get my mealin 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 other
companies.
But it's not about that, it'snot about money, but so
opportunity and being here inNorth America and the
opportunities that we have.
(11:56):
I fly around a lot in NorthAmerica.
I do a lot of business in theUnited States, usually sit
always by the window in acommercial flights and as I sit
there, I look outside as I gothrough North America, canada
and the United States and I sayit's paradise.
It is paradise.
(12:17):
We are so lucky and sofortunate.
So that's kind of where I am.
And today 84 and a half.
I'm very active and you knowand staying physically fit.
This is my last book LivingYoung, dying Old.
I'm the oldest competitivebodybuilder in North America.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
At 84 and a half qualified for the Arnolds and
again to compete in the Arnoldsagain in 1926.
Speaker 2 (12:51):
That's amazing.
So where would you say, allthat drive, that determination,
that mindset comes from?
Is it you were just born withit?
Is it the experience you had asa young kid?
Or is it something you'velearned along the way that other
people could learn as well tohave?
Speaker 3 (13:09):
The foundation for me has always been attitude,
passion, work, ethic.
That's what it has to be.
The other part to me, which isvery, very important you relate
to already indicated it is that,fairly, it was not until 1997
that I picked up a book in astore here, and the title of the
(13:32):
book that I picked up I'vealready been here for 32 years,
I was quite successful picked up, I've already been here for 32
years, I was quite successfuland Driven to Destruction was
the title of the book written byDr Holywell.
And as I picked up the book Idon't know why, and the more I
looked at the book, it's aboutADHD and I said, oh my God,
(13:53):
that's me.
And so, and academically, I wasnot a successful story.
I failed grade three.
I failed grade seven threetimes.
So then people said to myparents, what are you going to
do with this guy?
And then, and some people said,send him to the mentally
challenged school.
They said, no, we're not goingto do that.
So teach him a trade so he canwork with his hands, you know,
(14:16):
because he's not bright enough,obviously, or something you know
so to be in school.
So that's what I did.
I became a furniture maker at 12and a half years old.
But I always knew that I wasjust as smart as anybody else
Not better than, but just smart.
But I had to start anew againand that gave me the opportunity
(14:37):
to do that when I left Hollandwith virtually nothing in 1965
to prove to me that I could doit, and you know, but ADHD
became a big part of my life.
Then in 1997, I picked up thisbook written by Dr Holywell
about ADHD and I said it's asuperpower, yeah, and that kind
(15:03):
of.
Where does the energy come from?
Partially from that.
The other one mindset, passion,work, ethic, and every day is a
great day.
And then I try to stay fit andhealthy.
My diet, exercise, sleep allthose basic elements are
critically important.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Yeah, I agree, I think those are.
I mean we just talked about inour team meeting today was you
know, the words we say toourselves are super important
too, and having that positiveattitude and speaking you know
good about yourself and whatyou're doing carries some weight
and so I like having that partof it and staying fit and taking
care of yourself.
But you said ADHD, yoursuperpower, right.
(15:46):
Explain that.
How did you go from figuringout, oh that's me, I have ADHD
to seeing it as a superpower,because some people are like, oh
sorry, I have ADHD, it's a badthing.
How did you kind of shift thatmindset there?
Speaker 3 (16:01):
I always knew I was different, right even from the
time that, uh, you know that Ifailed school, which was not
easy.
So looking back at me, uh, uh,obviously, uh, the warriors and
pgsd was a very important partof my life still is today.
The other one is the innerchild.
(16:23):
The fear of losing the onlyparent that we had during the
war years always remained partof me.
Got counseling for that when Iwas 50 years old, actually very
emotional, but even then, goingto Canada, I became very quickly
, very successful, though Icouldn't speak the language,
started as a cleaner man veryquickly.
(16:43):
I was a foreman, then a lumberpilot, then the green chain
foreman and then a mill foremanand within a year and a half it
was a superintendent of one ofthe biggest sawmills here in
northern britain, columbia, andand so and and so I did that.
That didn't go quick enough forme.
So because I wanted to have amill, so within 10 years I
(17:04):
started this company now 60years ago, bring forest products
.
That is now part of the braingroup of companies 10 other
companies and so I've alwaysbeen active.
I enjoy life Every day.
To me is precious likelybecause of what I've seen during
(17:27):
the war years.
The other part has always beenpart of me is that it took time
for me to figure out who am I,and it was not until I
discovered the book Driven toDistraction by Dr Holywell.
Dr Holywell has written 18books actually, five of them on
(17:49):
distraction.
He is ADHD and has dyslexia.
So do I.
And so, uh, actually I do apodcast on the brink and it's my
podcast number 203 with drhollywell that wrote the book.
Uh, uh, you know against, uh,you know the difference with
(18:12):
distraction in 1993.
I bought it in january 1997.
I still have it in my studio.
I'm sure it is that thatchanged my life.
And Dr Holywell, amazing,amazing.
And if the frequency ofoccurrence much higher than I
initially thought I may bearound 8% the more I heard about
(18:34):
ADHD, what it would be, as inmy interview with Dr Halliwell,
I said it's probably around 20%.
He said no, john, it's morethan 25%.
I agree with him, and both maleand female, although females
will portray it differently thanmales, but globally that's what
it is.
The other thing that I havefound being successful in
(18:57):
businesses involved in a lot ofcompanies, a lot of boards, and
on and on and on.
I got to know a lot ofentrepreneurs, successful people
, that of the successfulentrepreneurs and the operative
(19:17):
is successful that 50% of themare ADHD.
He said, no, john, 75%.
I agree with him, and so youknow.
So that became a big, big partof my life.
And then the other part, a bigpart of my life is communication
(19:37):
skills.
I was not good at that either Iwas self-confident about you
know the feeling intimidated, oryou know, a lot of times I was
okay, interacting in my owncompanies but not outside of it,
interacting in my own companiesbut not outside of it.
And then somebody, anex-sister-in-law, said to me hey
(20:01):
, john, I want you to go with meto Toastmasters.
I said Toastmasters, what is itall about?
Well, it develops communicationskills.
And I said are you going to askme any questions?
She said, no, just go down andsit down there and listen to
what they do.
And halfway through the meetingsomebody said hey, john, tell us
all about you.
I said, no, I'm not going totell you.
(20:21):
But I stayed for 10 years andit changed my life and I wrote a
book about that as well.
That's coming out in June.
That's my fifth book and I'mworking also on the sixth, the
title of that one is this oneAll About Communication Skills,
(20:43):
all those people that aresuccessful, but drives them in a
lot of cases is thecommunication skills and the
ability to interact, articulatetheir thoughts carefully and,
first and foremost, become goodlisteners.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
So if someone's out there and they're trying to
become a better listener, abetter communicator, what are
some things they could do?
Right now Maybe they're not inToastmasters.
What could they do to startimproving those communication
and listening skills?
Speaker 3 (21:14):
It's a good question, chris.
The first thing that I say isyou have to develop confidence
and you have to become a goodlistener.
And then a lot of people thinkabout Toastmasters is that it's
all about speaking.
It isn't.
It's about listening first andthen in prompt to speaking or
(21:36):
articulating questions or makinga point critically important.
That's what Toastmasters doesand some other organizations.
But Toastmasters, for me,became very, very important
because I was there for 10 yearsand I went to the highest level
in Toastmasters, which is a DTMDistinguished Toastmaster, and
(21:58):
it changed my life and I believethat in a lot of the success in
my life, both in business aswell as in podcasting, as well
as as a writer, I became a goodcommunicator and that is very,
very important.
(22:18):
But the, for me, the biggestchallenge was to figure out who
am I, why am I different, and itwas not until I recognized adhd
as being a critical part ofthat and I.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
I think figuring yourself out, like knowing
yourself, is huge on yourjourney as an entrepreneur, but,
like for you, for instance, Imean you moved to Canada $25, a
little over $25 in your pocket.
Can't speak the language, sonot a good communicator at the
time, but yet you still wereable to start your mill and
become successful.
What, what things?
(22:56):
Or you know, is it just you, orwhat are some some things?
You did, actions that otherscould maybe follow, that helped
you become successful despiteall those odds.
Speaker 3 (23:07):
I like that question as well, because I wrote a book
about that.
I feel that I have to share myexperience, not saying hurrah,
hurrah how successful John is,but all the challenges along the
way.
That's why I wrote Against AllOdds it's all about not about
successful John is, but all thechallenges along the way.
Then the other one that I foundwas important to me is that I
(23:32):
think I heard it on a US radiostation that they said that 75%
of the people that work in theUnited States and I think Canada
is the same 75% of the peopledon't like their jobs and
probably 70% or 75% are lookingfor another job.
And then I do a lot ofpresenting to younger people in
(23:55):
uh university, uh high schools,uh colleges, universities and
and so and but one of my pointsis that find your passion as
find something that you like todo.
Say example, if you like to bea truck driver, talk.
(24:16):
Talk to truck drivers.
Find out what do they do, howdoes it work.
Do they want to own the truck?
Talk to somebody that does that.
Or do they want to own morethan an entrepreneur?
Find out what they do.
You want to be a builder or acontractor?
Find out.
If you want to build houses orbuildings, whatever you do, talk
to somebody that does that asto what are the advantages, what
(24:38):
are the disadvantages or youwant to be a lawyer, or you want
to be a doc, or you want to bean entrepreneur or all those
things, Because most of yourlife you will spend in jobs that
it makes it such a hugedifference.
If you like what you're doing,then that becomes critical,
(25:03):
because if you don't, you takeit home with you and it becomes
part of you.
So I wrote a book about thatFinding your Passion, living the
Dream and I started working.
I left school and a lot ofpeople say to me that I failed
grade seven three times and Ileft school at 12 and a half
(25:23):
years old.
Now, tone and cheek a littlebit.
People say to me sometimes areyou still feeling bad about that
, that you left school at 12 anda half and only grade seven?
I say I do.
I still do very much feel badabout it.
I should have left earlier.
But the point that I'm makingis that it becomes so critically
(25:44):
important that the sooner youhave a direction and that's what
I had.
My grandfather was a mastercarpenter.
My dad worked in lumber andthen I started at 12 and a half
years old working in a furniturefactory.
All those things helped me, andthen I had always an interest
in finding out what madesuccessful people tick.
(26:07):
So I would go all over theplace to find people that made
presentations, talk to peopleabout what made them successful,
and so uh.
So, therefore, the questioncould be that I started working
with us twelve and a half.
I'm now eighty four and a half,so for the last seventy two and
a half years that I've beenworking is saying did you find
(26:31):
your passion, john?
Yes, I did.
And are you living the dream,john, every single day?
Speaker 2 (26:36):
yeah, and so, and that part is important- yeah,
and I love that, and I thinkit's important to find that
passion.
But I think it's also importantthat people realize that even
though you find that passion andyou're following that passion,
it doesn't mean it's going to beeasy, it doesn't mean it's
going to have rough days.
It's not just going to be allsunshine and rainbows when, when
(26:57):
you find that and and so it's agood thing.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
And that's a good thing, because if you don't fall
down.
If you don't, that part makesyou strong.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
A hundred percent and I think you know a little bit
of that too is it makes youstretch.
Taking those risks make youstretch as a person and improve.
And I mean you've taken risks,you know your whole life, you
know moving out of Holland forone, I mean the risk of just
living when you're a kid.
Surviving was the risk, butlike moving to Canada and all
that like so during your journey, what would you say?
Speaker 3 (27:30):
Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
So what would you say ?
Your biggest risk has been andI know there's so many, but is
there one that kind of sticksout in your mind Like that was a
huge risk?
And what was that like?
Speaker 3 (27:45):
That's a very, very good question.
Probably, yeah, I don't know.
They were all in a way.
So even today, we'renegotiating on making some very,
very big deals.
We have four silos.
One silo is lumbermanufacturing.
Well, that's a real challengebecause, of all due respect to
(28:07):
our friend the president of theUnited States, we don't know
what will happen.
He put us out of business, sothat's how serious it is, right,
but I'm still excited aboutthat part.
I've been doing it for 60 years.
The other company that I have iswarehousing, distribution and
logistics.
That is a successful company.
(28:28):
The other silo is real estateresidential, commercial and
industrial very, very active.
All those companies will doubleor triple in growth in spite of
all of that, in my mind, as wego forward.
And then the fourth one ismedia, and so I'm very, very
(28:48):
active in media.
My podcasting very active, uh,be top one percent globally.
I've done about 400 uh uhpodcasts where I am the uh uh,
the uh, the actor, and then, uh,you know the.
And then another 250 where I'mthe guest, I, we are approaching
(29:11):
a million subscribers, so lotsof activity there.
And then you know.
So all of those combined areexciting and keep me very, very
active very, very busy.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
Absolutely so.
With taking these risks andstarting these businesses,
sometimes you have to kind oflean into what you believe in
and challenge some norms thatare out there in the world.
Have you come across that whereyou've had to challenge some of
the norms in your industriesand maybe shake things up or
(29:48):
just stick to your guns, kind of, as they would say?
Speaker 3 (29:51):
Oh yeah, and I'm glad you asked me that question
because I have had it severaltimes.
I'm controversial, differentthan most other ones are, I
believe, in Canada, in NorthAmerica, and the forest industry
has always been a challenge.
(30:12):
I'm different.
I want to add more social andeconomic value to the resource.
I grew up in the lumberindustry in Holland, where you
don't even dare to step on apiece of lumber even if it is a
trim block.
And so now what we are doing we, particularly one of the
(30:32):
largest secondary manufacturersin Canada that's what we do add
more value to that preciousresource that we have.
And that has been controversial.
I was involved in one lawsuitand, if you ask me about it,
that put me nearly out ofbusiness.
Where I took on, there werefraudulent grading rules by
(30:54):
lumber manufacturers.
Actually, I thought it waslocal and then it was regional,
then it was the province ofBritish Columbia, then it was
Canada and it was all the way inthe United States as well, and
it cost me virtually everythingthat I have, but I won the case.
It is just like Chris was avery, very nice guy, very good
(31:15):
guy.
He walked across the street ongreen and he got run over by a
car.
Yeah, so I was right and allthe other things, but it nearly
put me out of business.
So I've been always somewhatcontroversial, have differences
of opinion, but I will say, staythe course, and so that has
(31:36):
been probably challenges, evenstill today yeah, what would you
say your proudest moment hasbeen then?
Speaker 2 (31:41):
I mean, you've stood up for things like that.
What has been kind of theyou're like I'm super glad I did
that, like I'm proud that I didthat about my kids for one,
obviously, grandkids, and thenyou know.
Speaker 3 (31:55):
And then I learned to give back to the community and
I grew up that way.
I've always done that.
I've always tried to be helpfulto others that have challenges,
and I believe in the lumberindustry and creating skill sets
, the College of New Caledoniahere I helped them with building
(32:20):
the Trade and Technology Center.
They had my name on it, so I'mproud of that and I've been
recognized for a number ofthings, but that's not what I'm
looking for.
But being part of the culture,part of communities, to me has
always been the most important.
It's not making money or havinga lot of money.
I don't need a lot of money.
(32:42):
No matter what I do, I alwaysremember that I still have
laying on the side $20.45, $,know.
So those are the things that tome are the most important.
It's giving back to thecommunity, stay active, be able
to look in the mirror and saying, okay, I think I did right.
(33:05):
Not wealthy, that's notimportant, and you know.
So those are the things thatare important.
Speaker 2 (33:12):
I like that.
I think, yeah, being able tolook at yourself in the mirror
and say like I did the rightthing, no matter what Correct,
and uh, I think that's huge.
So, um, like just kind of roundthings out with like some kind
of rapid fire sort of questions.
You know, uh, as a leader, whatwould you say is the most
important quality to have?
Honesty credibility giving back.
(33:37):
How do you get that credibilityas a leader?
How do you build that?
Speaker 3 (33:42):
I was born like that.
That's always been important tome.
It was my parents, mygrandparents.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
That's what they stood for.
Speaker 3 (33:53):
I like that, I like that so what's the biggest
misconception people have aboutsuccess?
A lot of people think thatsuccessful people, what they do
is usually be busy planningholidays and bringing money to
the bank.
The misconception is that Isuggest entrepreneurship and
(34:16):
business and entrepreneurshipvery, very rewarding at times,
but the cost can be very, veryhigh and it wasn't my life to
you know, to the people aroundyou.
Speaker 2 (34:29):
Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 3 (34:31):
Yeah, there's always a give and take on things right.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
You have the sacrifice and and things like
that.
So what would your advice be tosomeone who's younger maybe my
age or younger who's uh whomight be feeling like they're
failing right now at building abusiness or succeeding in life?
Speaker 3 (34:48):
Look at yourself in the mirror and say and I find,
with young people in particular,they always find this is wrong
and that is wrong with me andthis is wrong with me.
Look in the mirror, there'sonly one of you, only one on
this whole entire world, onlyone like you, and be at peace
with who you are.
Not saying special, but be atpeace with that, not saying
(35:10):
special, but be at peace withthat.
And then the other one is thatwork hard, attitude, passion,
work, ethic, but will follow asuccess.
And then that part those partsare very, very important and
credibility critically important.
Speaker 2 (35:28):
Love that answer.
And then the last one, john, iftoday was your last day,
everything you did was gone.
Nothing would be rememberednone of your books, none of your
businesses, nothing.
But you could pick one thingthat would be remembered out of
everything.
What would you pick to have asyour memory going forward?
(35:50):
He gave back.
I like it.
That's awesome.
He gave back.
I like it.
That's awesome, he gave back.
That's a great thing to beknown for.
For sure, I love that answer.
So, john, this has beenfantastic.
Thank you for being on andsharing everything you've done,
your insights, your story.
If people want to connect withyou, obviously you have all your
(36:10):
books.
Where's the best place peoplecan get connected from or with
you, to learn more from you,john?
Speaker 3 (36:17):
a as in adam r aaron's brink brinkcom awesome.
Speaker 2 (36:25):
Yeah, so everyone, make sure you go check out
john's stuff, uh, to get acouple of his books, if not all
of them, and then just dive intolearning from him.
So much experience and such aworldview there.
So again, john, thank you againso much for being on the LV
Media Podcast today.
Speaker 3 (36:40):
Thanks, chris, my pleasure.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Absolutely, and if you're listening to this, make
sure you follow the show, if youhaven't already.
It helps us.
Just get this in front of morepeople, to their ears so we can
make a bigger impact in theworld together.
And yeah, just take in whatJohn said today.
Look yourself in the mirror andmake sure you can, you know,
say hey, we're doing a good job.
You know we're being kind,we're giving back, we're doing
(37:02):
our best and keep moving forward, but until next time, go out
there to continue to elevateyour life, elevate your business
, and we'll talk to you againsoon.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
Thank you for listening to the Elevate Media
podcast.
Don't forget to subscribe andleave a review.
See you in the next episode.
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