On this episode of the active CEO Podcast, Craig Johns and Ben
Gathercole speak with Garry Mills about lessons from the police force; being a
Bodyguard for former Australian Prime Minister John Howard; and being a mental
health advocate with Beyond Blue and Blokepedia. We also talk about learning to
live and cope with depression; living a playboy lifestyle; staying in the
moment; setting social media parameters; the importance of situation and self-awareness;
and helping people improve their lives.
Garry Mills is a resilient, determined and trusted freelance entrepreneur, facilitator, Keynote Speaker and Trainer. He is a former bodyguard for the Australian Prime Minister and other dignitaries, an executive level Australian Public Servant and former police officer. Making a difference in other people’s lives is his passion and has recently joined Blokepedia as a Director and continues to be an ambassador for Beyond Blue.
As a devoted father he loves the challenge of being an Ironman triathlete. He is an entrepreneur with Garry Mills Peak Performance, as well as a very talented TV actor and corporate video/podcast presenter and has spent time on the radio. In 2017, he became famous for finishing second with Team Australia in the Photonis Ultimate Forces Challenge, an international outdoor sports and survival competition & reality TV show.
Garry talks about:
- Dreaming of being a fighter pilot and police officer
as a child. - Working in the wool industry as a Jackaroo, before
joining the Victorian Police in 1996. - Fears around presentations and speaking with lots of
eyeballs looking at you. - “I am” rather
than “I want to be” - Enjoying the moment when on the start line of a
triathlon. - Being reactive as a policeman, versus being proactive
in the background as a bodyguard. - Your communication goes to a whole new level as a bodyguard
for the Prime Minister - Leaders need to be adaptable and flexible, because
of the rate of change. - Living someone else’s life as a bodyguard.
- Learning to know when you can relax and when you can
be on. - During the 2,000’s his mental health started to
deteriorate and work becoming his only focus. - Hitting rock bottom in 2012 and the decision to seek
help for his depression. - Being present in the moment. Not worrying about what
happened yesterday and what is going to happen tomorrow. - Working with Josh Cornby, who started Blokepedia in
2017. - “Conversations that matter”
- Breaking down barriers and providing a safe and open
place for men to be honest about how they are feeling and supporting their
mates. - There is so much serious stuff in the world and
laughter is the best medicine. - Being part of the Photonis Ultimate Forces Challenge with his wife in
Bali. - Eating a bowl of silkworms in the food markets.
- His wife Nicole having the greatest influence on his life.
Active
CEO Wellness Tip
Energy Management – Most CEO’s and Leaders spend time focusing on
managing their time rather than managing their energy. If you focus on managing
time you will tend to create overload and over time you will run out of energy.
You have to manage your energy and productive down time as it will allow you to
maintain a higher threshold of performance over a longer period of time.
Tweets
“Having a close network of friends, who all look
after each other. We will all reach out. You don’t have to have gone through it
to help somebody.” Being there for friends who have depression with Garry Mills,
on the active CEO Podcast.
“Why cant we just make happy films?” Garry Mills has one question he would
like to solve, on the active CEO Podcast.
Resources Mentioned in this show:
Garry Mills LinkedIn
Garry Mills Peak Performance www.garrymillscoach.com
Garry Mills YouTube
Blokepedia www.blokepedia.com
Blokepedia Facebook
Blokepedia LinkedIn
Beyond Blue www.beyondblue.org.au
Beyond Blue Facebook
NRG2Perform www.nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns craig@nrg2perform.com
Craig Johns LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole LinkedIn
Ben Gathercole Performance Coaching www.bengathercole.com.au
Recommended Reading:
Better Than Winning – Ben Gathercole
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