Dave POW Tabain – How He Became A World Champion

SUMMARY

Ever see yourself becoming a world champion at something?! It’s a pretty awesome title to have, hey!

In this ep we chat to Dave POW Tabain. And wow!! What a legend. His story is unbelievable. Despite all the hurdles he faced throughout his childhood, he never allowed those experiences to dictate his future. So he made a commitment to change his life for the better, and whilst doing so he also became a 3 x Kettlebell World Champion! 

But it doesn’t end there. Dave is also the creator of several books including The POW Man book series for kids. He’s also known as ‘The Challenge Guy’, speaker, entrepreneur, and coach.

Dave and Gianna chat about A LOT of things in this ep. There are loads of quotable moments including this one, “What is appreciated appreciates”.

Plus, he shares the ups and downs during his high school years, his fitness journey, how he got into business and heaps more.

So let’s Power Up Life.

CREDITS

Host: Co-Founder/CEO Happow, Gianna Lucas

Producers: Gianna Lucas, Marija Dukadinovska, Carissa Shale

SUBSCRIBE

Listen via happow.com/podcasts

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Subscribe on Spotify

Subscribe on Google Podcasts

#PowerUpLife!

ADVOCATE PROGRAM

Wanna be a Happow Advocate and contribute to our weekly talk topics and more? Email us at [email protected]. Looking forward to hearing from you!

CONTACT US

Via our email at [email protected]

Via our Happow Instagram page here

Via our Happow Facebook page here

Power Up Life is a podcast by Happow

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH OUR GUEST

Instagram: @davepowtabain

TRANSCRIPT

00:00:03
intro voice: Three, two, one.

00:00:03
intro voice 2: I’m not just happy, I’m Happow.

00:00:07
Gianna Lucas: This is Power Up Life, the podcast. I’m your host Gianna Lucas, co- founder, and CEO at Happow, the social enterprise that powers this podcast. We help you slay life in high school, uni, and beyond. Each week on the show, you’ll learn epic life skills in a super chill way.
Hear from well- known legends as they reveal their biggest setbacks and milestones to date. And you’ll find out what our Happow squad think about a whole stack of topics, too. From epic challenges, to super real moments, this show has it all. So, let’s power up life!
Ever see yourself becoming a world champion at something? It’s a pretty awesome title to have, hey? This year, I met Dave Pow Tabain, and wow, what a legend! His story is so unbelievable, despite all the hurdles he faced throughout his childhood, he refused to allow those experiences to dictate his future. He made a commitment to change his life for the better, and whilst doing so, he also became a three- time kettlebell world champion.
But it doesn’t end there, Dave is also the creator of several books, including the POWman book series for kids. He’s also known as, the challenge guy, speaker, entrepreneur, and coach. Dave and I chat about a lot of things in this episode. There are loads of quotable moments, including this one.
What is appreciated, appreciates. Light bulb moment much? Plus he shares the ups and downs during his high school years, his fitness journey, how he got into business, and heaps more.
Let’s power up life, and I’ve got him right now in his mate’s kitchen, which is absolutely glorious, might I say. Thanks for coming on the show, Dave.

00:02:18
Dave Pow Tabain: Hey, it’s great to be here. I’m excited to be on here with you.

00:02:20
Gianna Lucas: Now, Dave, I just want to go way back about what high school was like for you. Because we have a lot of high school students, and uni students tuning in, and I know that your story is an incredible one, and one that I’m sure, many young people can relate to.
Can you take us back to young Dave, what was school like? Were you like a cool kid, were you a kid that was unsure about what to do in your future, what does that look like?

00:02:44
Dave Pow Tabain: All of the above. The thing is, regardless of who you are, I think, if you’re actually thinking, you put your mind that something, to thinking in your future, there’s going to be a lot of uncertainties, especially when you’re a kid, you’re in high school. You don’t even know what the world entails, you don’t even have the slightest thing.
The only thing you can really based it off is what you have access to on the internet, your friends, and your family. If your friends and family have never traveled, and the internet side of things, you don’t know what to Google, and you don’t even know what you truly like, it’s a really big world out there.
Give you a bit of understanding is, when I was year 10, I remember some times that really shaped me, and where they were challenging times, but it’s where I chose to step up and prove, not only to my teachers, but also prove myself that I am capable of more.
In year 10 I was getting kicked out of school, because they… Or, how do you say, politely recommended not to come back after the holidays of year 10. And I was put into some programs where it was trying to get you to find jobs, and work, and I did all those programs, and I actually, met one of my best friends through one of those programs, who’s house I’m in right now, when I was 16.
His name is Brad (Booth) , and-

00:03:47
Gianna Lucas: I thought you were going to say Brad Pitt, for a second, I’m like, wow, that’s pretty cool.

00:03:48
Dave Pow Tabain: No, Brad Pitt’s a friends of our, but no, Brad Booth, and so, he came and spoke at this school event for kids who were going to workforce. Now, everyone who spoke before him, bored everyone to tears. Everyone was sitting there going, oh, is this really what life’s going to be like? This is depressing. This is bloody miserable.
And then Brad came on, and he just lit us all up, and got us all excited, and he talked about how much he loved his kids, and he works hard, but he loves what he does, he’s in business, and he makes it happen, and all these different things. I really admired him, and respected that.
It wasn’t so much that… I don’t mind what kind of business you’ve got, but I want that passion, I want that drive, and I want to be lit up like that. And so, from that day, Brad became this mentor for me, and at the start I was too shy to even bloody talk to him. I was so shy, that I wouldn’t even go… When I would go into Brad’s store, because he had a clothing store… I wouldn’t even talk, my friend did all the talking. But then after that, I remember… And it’s so much of a long story so, I’m trying to condense it.
There was this time where I just knew in my life that I needed to speak to Brad, I needed to chat to him. And I only had $ 50, and that $ 50 I was supposed to give to my mom, because my mom couldn’t afford to put me on a school trip. I had to pay $ 50 to go on this school trip to live in King’s Cross for four nights, and I got chosen as a leader to go on that program for the second time.
I walked into that shop with a mission. Two points; to talk to Brad, and try and have a conversation with him, as long as possible, because I was afraid of talking to people, and the second one was I wanted him to remember my name.
Now, the offset of that, the trade- off is, I knew that he would sell me on something. When I went in there, I had 50 bucks, I knew that I was going to buy something, ended up selling me this t- shirt, I walked out with the t- shirt feeling proud, didn’t have me 50 bucks, I spent me 50 bucks, and then I was thinking, oh no, how am I going to tell mom that I don’t have money to go on this trip? She’s going to be angry at me.
And so, I said, hey, stuff it, I don’t need to go on the trip, I’ve got a friend now… I’ve got a business friend, I was only 16 at the time. And funny enough, Brad’s one of my best friends. What’s that… 16? 15 years later.
Yeah, that was some wild times, and I actually, ended up going back to school, did 11 and 12, and really, diligently improved all my studies. I went from 52% in maths, up to 98.5% in maths. But the funny thing was, in year 12, I actually, failed year 12 English. And everyone back when we did HSC and all that, English was the most defining subject. I got great marks, I lifted all my marks in everything else, but my English, I failed.
My sister… Sorry, my teacher got sick, and we ended up having 12 teachers-

00:06:25
Gianna Lucas: Ah, 12!

00:06:25
Dave Pow Tabain: Over 12 months, and so, we always-

00:06:27
Gianna Lucas: That’s crazy, because in year 12 I had two teachers, because one of them had to leave the school, because I think she was a new mom, and that was difficult. But you had 12, and I thought I was unlucky having two, but you had 12.

00:06:41
Dave Pow Tabain: Seriously, 12, all these different substitutes and so, I failed English. I thought I aced it, I failed it. I remember siting in the classroom, and I got the red dot. And the red dot means you really didn’t do well. You did so low, that you didn’t even get a number. So, got this red dot-

00:06:57
Gianna Lucas: I didn’t even know that was possible, I didn’t know you got a red dot.

00:06:59
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s possible, and I’ve proved that it was possible.
I got this red dot, and I remember sitting in that classroom, and at the time, my dad got quite sick, as well. Life was getting really real for me at the time, it was a lot of external forces that were coming down, you could say.
Where everyone else has gone to uni, and partying, and all this stuff, I had these things go on, and I remember looking up at this point, when I got this red dot, and I remember looking up, I looked out the window, and I looked up, and there was this quote on the wall, it was by Robert Frost, saying, the roads diverge, and I chose the one less traveled. There was a book after it. And I remember reading that, and I remember looking outside, and just going, you know what, this whole pathway of school, university-

00:07:40
Gianna Lucas: Sucks?

00:07:41
Dave Pow Tabain: Not sucks, it’s great for some people.

00:07:45
Gianna Lucas: Yeah, yeah. It wasn’t for you.

00:07:46
Dave Pow Tabain: It’s not for me.

00:07:46
Gianna Lucas: Yeah, you knew it wasn’t for you.

00:07:46
Dave Pow Tabain: I just knew in that moment it wasn’t for me, and it just happened to be that Mark, the guy off the kettlebell… I was chatting to him at the time, and he started training me, we had a jujitsu, where we were doing mixed martial arts at school-

00:07:58
Gianna Lucas: Hang on, let’s quickly rewind this so, obviously, you’re a three- time world kettlebell champion, and you’re saying that… You mentioned a guys name there, was he… He was obviously, very significant. Was he the first guy to bring kettlebells in Australia, is that right? Is that the right fun fact?

00:08:15
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah. Mark Elliot was one of the very first kettlebell owners in Australia, and he introduced me… Excuse me… To the kettlebell-

00:08:23
Gianna Lucas: And how old were you, again? You were 18.

00:08:25
Dave Pow Tabain: 17.

00:08:25
Gianna Lucas: 17.

00:08:26
Dave Pow Tabain: 17. Whilst I was doing my HSC and that, is we started training, and by the time I got the red dot, I’d already been training kettlebells. And for me, that was just my vehicle, and something within me just lit up, and I just knew that this was a tool that people could use. Because at the time it was only body building and marathon running.
For me, it was a tool that I could work on myself, it was something that I could do that no one else could have an opinion on, and tell me what’s right or wrong, or force me to stop it, or whatever it is, in that sort of sense.
It was an outlet for me and so, and I started training my sister. I annoyed my sister to come and train with me, and she-

00:09:03
Gianna Lucas: Is she older or younger?

00:09:04
Dave Pow Tabain: She’s older…

00:09:04
Gianna Lucas: She’s older. Awesome.

00:09:05
Dave Pow Tabain: She was actually, one or two years out of school, and she just transformed herself, she was really good at it, her confidence went through the roof, and that’s what my 30 day challenge program is about is, helping people transform, and unlock their confidence within.
That’s where all that comes from, the essence of it. And I also do that program, because I wish my parents had it…

00:09:21
Gianna Lucas: What is this 30 day program? For those who don’t know, because I know that it’s a challenge that you run, but what does this 30 days entail? Is it something that anyone of any age can do?

00:09:33
Dave Pow Tabain: Correct. Anyone, right? Right now… It’s five key points of that. You can improve the way you eat, think, and do, your environment you’re in, and also, the choices you make.
A lot of people make choices that hinder them in life, where I challenge people. I say, for 30 days, you consciously improve the way you make decisions on what you eat, think, and do, your environment, the choices, all that kind of stuff, to be better and to actually, help yourself, and be the one that helps yourself. Because, the reason why we feel like we’re helpless is, because we’re putting the help in other people’s hands. How about you grab the wheel by your both hands, and actually, go, no.
If I’m going to drive this in a direction I want to go, I’ve got to be the one steering, and applying the accelerator, and removing those hand brakes, because I do believe that everyone who… People who get the furthest in life, aren’t the most talented.
Most skills in life, (inaudible) people, they can remove the hand brakes that get applied on from other people, or other experiences, or trauma, and all these kind of stuff, we all have these things happen to us.

00:10:30
Gianna Lucas: Yeah.

00:10:30
Dave Pow Tabain: And so, it’s being consciously aware to actually, release those hand brakes and move forward, and that’s… It’s just an opportunity, and what I do is, I create a space for people to bond together, and actually, give themselves a chance to change, because that’s really what people have to do.
Because when we feel like we’re out of chances, that’s when we feel like we have less opportunity, and that’s where there’s less hope, and all humans need hope. What I do in that is, I give people a chance, I may get an opportunity, and I reinstall people’s hope and belief, even if they need to believe in my belief in them. Because I know how powerful it is when people believed in me, when I didn’t have the belief in myself.
Resharing that light with people, is what really reignites their flame within to actually, start-

00:11:09
Gianna Lucas: Yes.

00:11:10
Dave Pow Tabain: Understanding that they can… They might not have been in control of things that happened to them… But they can start to take and be in control of the things beyond it.
And… Right now, think about how young you are, and I would rather of learned this now, than any other time moving forward. Yes, you might’ve had an intense life to this point, going, fuck, why me? Sorry, I didn’t mean to swear. Why me? Why me? Why does it have to be like that? But guess what, it was you, that’s how it rolls, and I’d rather learn it now, and have the rest of my life amazing, due to choice of choosing the amazing in every single day, and the opportunities that do lie.
It’s not always that easy, I’m not saying it’s easy, but what I am saying is, is it worth it? And that’s the real conversation you need to have with yourself.
That’s a long story about high school. The biggest thing about high school is, I had friends across every friend circle, and I would always help people that got picked on, and things like that. In high school, I wasn’t perfect either, I think we all can be the bully, or the people… Sometimes you don’t know the weight of your words…

00:12:09
Gianna Lucas: That’s so right.

00:12:10
Dave Pow Tabain: And how vulnerable some people can be.

00:12:12
Gianna Lucas: Yeah.

00:12:13
Dave Pow Tabain: We all have that capabilities, and in the books and stuff that I talk about is, once you know that you said the wrong thing, and you behaved the wrong way, and that sort of stuff, for that person, you just apologize. Let’s not carry that guilt forever in life, just because it happened.
Let’s heal it, or let’s do your best to heal it. Doesn’t mean you need to be friends with that person, but let’s just bring light to it, give an apology, and move on, and at least, try and repair these things moving forward.

00:12:40
Gianna Lucas: Believe it or not, I feel like I could talk to you for 3000 years. You have said so much good in 10 minutes, it’s unbelievable, but just on what you’ve said there, I mean, it’s so important, and because usually in life, people are scared of vulnerability…

00:12:57
Dave Pow Tabain: Yes.

00:12:57
Gianna Lucas: Because we are afraid of showing up completely ourselves, because why? We’re afraid of rejection, where you are afraid of people saying, you’re a loser, you’re an idiot, or whatever it might be, and we just want to be loved, and accepted for who we are.
And showing up like that, especially, if you have accidentally said something wrong to somebody else, and you may or may not be aware of it. Once you do recognize it, you’re right, the next step is to apologize, but sometimes people never get there, because of their own insecurities, and fears.
And I think it’s so powerful that once you let go of that, you literally shake it off, and you go, what is the worst case scenario right now for me? And often, it is never, ever as bad as we think it actually is inside our head. And often, it’s the complete opposite, it’s actually, awesome.

00:13:40
Dave Pow Tabain: Right.

00:13:40
Gianna Lucas: Because in the end, the person’s going to probably be shocked, going, did they just apologize to me? But they’re also going to be super grateful. They may not process it straight away, because the hurt might still be there, but in the long run it’s going to make them feel a lot more comfortable, and you, also more comfortable, as well.

00:13:55
Dave Pow Tabain: Totally, because at one point, if there was hurt there, it was because there was care.

00:13:59
Gianna Lucas: Yes.

00:14:00
Dave Pow Tabain: And maybe the care was abused, in that sort of sense, or whatever. Having that to come back is… There are some people not worth caring about, you can’t control them, they’re going to keep causing trauma, and all that sort of stuff, and that’s their karma, you could say.
Yeah, always apologize fast once you do… Are aware of that. So, anyone out there right now, you might be worried about… Oh, I did some not nice things in high school, whatever it is. Look, we all get stuck in these different things. Maybe, it was the fact that you were just a bystander in certain things. Maybe, you didn’t stop enough things, you could say. But things happen how they happen, and the thing is, right now, is just go off with an apology. Get it done, mean it. Mean it, and work on moving forward and being the best you can be.
Because we find out in life, through knowledge or through pain. That’s how we learn, as a baby we hit the hot plate, and some people need to burn to learn, a lot of us do. And so, once we burn to learn, we go, hey, I’ve learned this sort of stuff. It’s a lesson, and the wisdom comes out of it once you remove the emotional trauma, or attachment to it, which then makes you sad about it.
Instead of getting sad, which is the default, we need to create a new default, and that takes time, that takes effort, and that takes talking, being vulnerable, all that sorts of stuff, to reprogram yourself, and recondition yourself. And then at least, move on, going, hey, I’m proud of myself that I did address that, as uncomfortable as it was, and move forward.

00:15:22
Gianna Lucas: And it’s about rewriting your story, and I think, sometimes we get so caught up in our story, in our past, being our story, that we just think, well, that’s going to define me for the rest of my life. I might as well throw in the towel, and go, I’m just going to give up, who cares.
But the reality is, that there is so much more to life, and that if we tell ourselves that, that’s our destiny, it will likely be our destiny. But if we choose to go, you know what, my past doesn’t define me, my past doesn’t make me the person I am tomorrow. I choose, however I am right now, I decide to do X, Y, Z, to change my life, and I’m going to create a life that I’ve always dreamed about, and I can, because if it’s going to be, it’s up to me.
And I think, sometimes, we get so caught up in our past, and the pain of that, often, that comes with our past. And also, we see ourselves as a victim. If we see ourselves as always the victim, we will always be the victim, and I think, it’s about reframing our situation to go, even if you’ve had some really horrible things happen to you, to go, actually, how am I the victor in this circumstance? How can I be victorious, and how can I change my life? Because that’s exactly what you’ve done, Dave.
You’ve obviously, become this person that a lot of people look up to, want to hear from, want to hear your story over and over again, because it continues to empower, and create change in people’s lives. And like you said much earlier in our chat, that you say, oh well, if I just believe in one person, or if that person believes that I truly, believe in them, then they’re going to be empowered to keep going, and eventually, they too are going to believe in themselves.
And I think, you’re 100% right, because I’ve always had the belief that, as long as you have one person that believes in you, even if you don’t, it can change the course of your life forever.

00:16:58
Dave Pow Tabain: Hugely.

00:16:58
Gianna Lucas: Yeah.

00:16:58
Dave Pow Tabain: Hugely. And that’s why I do the books, and do the talks, because I know how powerful that is. And I love that you used the analogy of, be the victor, not the victim. I’ve got that in a new book I’m writing.

00:17:11
Gianna Lucas: Maybe I checked out the book.

00:17:11
Dave Pow Tabain: That answer, it’s a very common theme…

00:17:16
Gianna Lucas: Yeah, it is, it is…

00:17:16
Dave Pow Tabain: I hear a lot, and then you got things like, choose to get better, not bitter in life, from your circumstances.

00:17:24
Gianna Lucas: Yeah, they’re the best sayings.

00:17:25
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, and they’re great little analogies, and they’re good mindset shifts. And the thing is, with what you just touched on then, about the past equaling the future.
Because most people can only base their future off their past (inaudible) . Because we are past… We are actually, past- driven through school, because we always get the marks, and then decide what to do next.

00:17:45
Gianna Lucas: Yes. Say that again, my friend. No, you better repeat that.

00:17:50
Dave Pow Tabain: I’ll repeat this, we are programmed through school to live in the past, because we get the marks first, and then we decide what we’re going to be, what we’re going to do, we’re past- driven.

00:18:00
Gianna Lucas: Yeah, we’re not future- driven! We’re not future-driven.

00:18:03
Dave Pow Tabain: No one. What class in school goes, hey, let’s imagine what we can be, and focus on a vision, write notes down…
Yeah, Happow’s going to do that.

00:18:12
Gianna Lucas: Yes, yes, 100%, but I think, the only time I really did that… And I loved school, don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy high school but, I have to say, the only time I really got to think about that, was when we had a guest speaker come in, and they were like… Yay, awesome, exciting. And we’re like… Yay, awesome, excited! And then eventually, it wears off, because we’re not feeling empowered constantly.

00:18:33
Dave Pow Tabain: You’re not conditioned.

00:18:33
Gianna Lucas: No, you’re not.

00:18:33
Dave Pow Tabain: You’re not conditioned. You’re not repeating it.

00:18:34
Gianna Lucas: Exactly.

00:18:34
Dave Pow Tabain: Repetition. Repetition is so key.

00:18:35
Gianna Lucas: Or, when we’d go to our career counselor for that one meeting, as we choose our HSC subjects, and that’s it. End of story. You’re so, so right, I love it. You’re so right.

00:18:49
Dave Pow Tabain: Think about how many lessons you have on past base, versus how many lessons you have on future base. It’s like 99. 9. 9999% compared to that.

00:18:59
Gianna Lucas: Yeah.

00:18:59
Dave Pow Tabain: That’s where… The thing is, because our life on a daily basis can come down to a few things, the words we speak, the visions we have, and the actions we take. And so, in regards to that, a lot of people don’t believe in they can create (inaudible) , because they haven’t done it yet, and no one else is showing them the way.
And so, anyone who’s achieved anything of great substance knew that they could outthink, out- vision, out- act their current environment, their current situation, their current experiences, their current living conditions, all these kind of stuff. And these are in books, and all that kind of stuff… Sort of thing.
And the other thing is, a lot of these actions can feel very lonely when you’re doing them, because everyone else is going in the same direction, they’re going with the grain. And we are herd animals so, our primal nature is to be accepted, to be loved, not to be rejected, because rejected means death. And all these different things, back when we were living in caves.
We’ve got to go against those primal things, and understand we’re not in those caved life anymore. And the thing is, you can always find new people, new experiences, new environments, all that sort of stuff, to support where you’re moving now.

00:20:05
Gianna Lucas: And you’ll be happier. And you’ll be happier, because you’re right, it’s like… If any of you are listening right now, if you’ve been in a relationship, whether it be at uni, high school, whatever. You break up, you’re like… For that period of time, you’re a little bit upset, you’re disappointed, because suddenly there’s a detachment there, you’re no longer attached to that person, you’re no longer in tandem.
But eventually, it wears away, because you feel free. You’re like, I’m actually, finding myself again. And you’re exactly right-

00:20:28
Dave Pow Tabain: That’s amazing.

00:20:28
Gianna Lucas: Yeah. It’s like, yay…

00:20:28
Dave Pow Tabain: It’s hindsight. We have the break up, in the time we’re sad, miserable, and disappointed, and maybe we’re disappointed in the fact that we went there-

00:20:37
Gianna Lucas: Delete all the Instagram photos where they appeared in.

00:20:40
Dave Pow Tabain: All that sort of stuff, and then you getting in, then six months later you get the hindsight, going holy shit, I’m lucky I’m not in that anymore. It goes from the worst thing, to the best thing.

00:20:49
Gianna Lucas: Yeah.

00:20:49
Dave Pow Tabain: And so, the sooner we can appreciate, and get hindsight in the moment, the less damage these things do, and less time its wasted. Because that’s truly the biggest damage, because time wasted… We only have a finite… We have finite time. That’s the thing, is we have limited time, to a degree.

00:21:06
Gianna Lucas: But we don’t think we do, that’s the thing, because we have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, blah, blah, blah, I don’t know how many minutes, I’m not good at maths, but anyway, the point is, is that we think we’re being conditioned to think that we have to get everything done, and we have to be amazing by 25, and we have to have our whole life together.
And even now, I’m 28, and I look at my life, and I go, okay, I actually, am really proud of what I’ve achieved. And if I thought about myself when I was even 18, I thought by this age I would’ve had to have everything together… I don’t. But the reality is, is that I’m glad I don’t, because none of us ever get to that point, I don’t think, where we absolutely are 100% perfect. It doesn’t exist.
And I think, we’re always learning, and I think that we’re always growing, and we’re always going to create little challenges, and goals for ourselves, even if we’re… I reckon, even when I’m 70, I’m still going to be creating goals for myself, that’s just the way I’m wired.

00:21:59
Dave Pow Tabain: I hope so.

00:21:59
Gianna Lucas: And there’s this saying… Don’t know who said it, you might know… If you’re not learning, you’re dying. Is that a saying? I think it is.

00:22:06
Dave Pow Tabain: If you’re not growing, you’re dying. Yeah, it is…

00:22:08
Gianna Lucas: If I’m what? What was that? Growing, you’re dying.

00:22:08
Dave Pow Tabain: If you’re not growing, you’re dying.

00:22:10
Gianna Lucas: That’s the one.

00:22:12
Dave Pow Tabain: People say, oh well, I’m just staying the same. Nothing’s the same, because it’s like inflation, your dollar is not worth a dollar next year.

00:22:20
Gianna Lucas: Yeah, well, especially with the potential…

00:22:20
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, with what’s going on right now.

00:22:24
Gianna Lucas: Financial crisis, yeah.

00:22:25
Dave Pow Tabain: Correct. That’s why growth is essential in all aspects of life, and that’s also why we feel the best within ourselves when we’re making progress. Progress is the key to that. The thing is, with some processes, when you start to shift from being process- driven based on other people’s expectations, through school, and all that sort of stuff. When you get into the real world, you can actually, have a bit of a shift into being your own… How do you say, creating your own vision of things.
That’s a big, as well, especially when you get into business. When you start your own business, and stuff, and there is no… There are rules, but that’s the guidelines. There’s best practices, but there’s no, one size fits all, in that sense, and there’s no magic pill, either.

00:23:08
Gianna Lucas: And I think, the same thing goes with study, as well. I did a bachelor degree, I did a bachelor of journalism, and yeah, it was great. But honestly, let’s put the facts down, I learned so much more by actually, going out in industry, and learning, and putting myself in circumstances that pushed me.
I threw myself into the deep end, and I swam. Because of those conditions, I learned so much faster, and I moved ahead in a way that I had never… Was able to do during my degree, and I think that it’s so right.
It’s not just in business, it’s in study, it’s in life in general. Once you put yourself in circumstances where you have learn, and I don’t like using the word failure in a sense, because I believe that every failure is actually, teaching us something.
I think, it’s more like a lesson. Every lesson that we learn is actually, taking us closer, and closer to what brings us more joy, and what is aligned with our passion. Learn more about ourselves through these circumstances, and if everything was laid out in front of us on a silver platter, we would never really learn our potential, our passions, and who we are, and ultimately, what we can achieve in life, if we don’t hustle, and if we don’t feel it with every fiber in our being. And you’re a perfect example of that, by the way.

00:24:19
Dave Pow Tabain: Totally. I agree.

00:24:20
Gianna Lucas: I could keep talking to you for so long, I feel like we need 10 episodes just with you on the Power Up Life podcast. But I would love to ask you, before we go into part two of this chat. What’s one piece of advice you would give to a young person right now that’s probably, feeling a little, maybe, deflated, a little disconnected, maybe unmotivated… This year’s been a very interesting one, it’s shaken a lot of us in many ways, and some people thrive in that, and others don’t.
I just want you to… Just give some advice in somebody that just needs that little push in the right direction, or pow in the right direction.

00:24:54
Dave Pow Tabain: Pow actually, stands for power of words.

00:24:57
Gianna Lucas: I did not know that. Is that what your pow then means?

00:24:59
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah so, the power of words. The words that you speak about yourself, (inaudible) that says a lot about your character, right? Understanding that your words having a huge effect on your daily basis.
Instead of saying, I’m stuck at home, you can flip it and say, I’m safe at home. And the word you say, mean a massive difference. They reframe things. For anyone out there, stop framing it worse than it is, and start to learn how to make it better than it is, because it’s your choice.
Yes, there may be people, or situations that you don’t want to be in, but start acknowledging that’s where they are, and actually, start working to correct them, distance yourself, create boundaries, learn what’s theirs, not yours, all this kind of stuff.
Because big one in high school is, just know that they don’t want to repeat what their parents are like. And for that is, I always empower kids to understand that you can transform yourself, and not just transmit it like your parents have done.
And they would do-

00:25:56
Gianna Lucas: Transform, and not transmit.

00:25:58
Dave Pow Tabain: Yes.

00:25:59
Gianna Lucas: You’re full of quotables today.

00:26:01
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, I’ve got a whole… Wait ’til you see the next book, chance of that coming out.
But the big thing about that is, choose to transform, not to transmit. And even if that’s a saying that you hold on to, and go, no, it’s as hard as it is right now, I’m choosing this, I’m choosing to transform. You can then start to take your power back, and actually, you can start to understand that, the way other people treat you is on them, the way you respond, and the way you treat yourself is on you.
Now, that’s easier said than done, but let’s work on that. And so, right now, for these kids is, start getting busy… And you can even draw a line, old you: victim, new you: victor.

00:26:37
Gianna Lucas: Nice.

00:26:38
Dave Pow Tabain: My Dave Pow Tabain actually, is… Dave Pow Tabain is an alter ego, what would Dave Pow Tabain do? In regards… That’s what I used as a kid, because at the time when I achieved all these things, and world titles, and all this kind of stuff, me, David Tabain, living in Yanco, a town of 500 people-

00:26:55
Gianna Lucas: Where’s Yanco? Where is that place.

00:26:59
Dave Pow Tabain: Near Wagga.

00:27:00
Gianna Lucas: Oh, there you go.

00:27:01
Dave Pow Tabain: Me in that form, I didn’t have much power, in that sense. I didn’t have a lot of opportunities, what people say (inaudible) . But I’d say to myself, what would Dave Pow Tabain do in this situation?

00:27:09
Gianna Lucas: Yeah.

00:27:10
Dave Pow Tabain: And really, what I attached Dave Pow Tabain to, was myself in 10 years time. If I had to front up, and have a conversation with myself in 10 years time, what would that person say to me? What would I say to myself?
I want to be able to face that person, and have that conversation and say, hey, I chose the higher road. Because at the same time too, if I don’t choose the high road today, I’m going to face the person in 10 years time that I’m not going to like.

00:27:36
Gianna Lucas: Yeah.

00:27:36
Dave Pow Tabain: I’m not going to be happy. You need to hold yourself to accountability to that person. And it’s a bit of a crazy thing, it’s called alter ego, there’s a lot of high professional athletes, and CEO’s-

00:27:48
Gianna Lucas: And Beyonce.

00:27:49
Dave Pow Tabain: Beyonce does it with Sasha…

00:27:50
Gianna Lucas: She’s Sasha Fierce.

00:27:51
Dave Pow Tabain: Sasha Fierce, all these sort of things. It’s the phenomena. Phenomena with the human mind. Right now, create an alter ego of who you want to be in 10 years time. Forget about… Yes, you have flaws right now, weaknesses, blah, blah, blah, and all this kind of stuff.

00:28:06
Gianna Lucas: We all do.

00:28:06
Dave Pow Tabain: We all do, you could never lose it, right? There’s always going to be weaknesses, whatever it is. Start channeling all your strengths now, do a positive list, or a strengths list. Write all those things right now, and be proud of them, read over them twice a day. Then also, read over all the things that you will be in 10 years time. Read all those things, right? And then 10 years always moves, right?

00:28:26
Gianna Lucas: Yes.

00:28:26
Dave Pow Tabain: You’re always facing it, okay? But that gives you an indication on how you can transform, because then you know what to transform to. How would you respond in a situation? What would Dave Pow Tabain do in this situation? All the kind of stuff… It’s not easy, but that’s the way to create your future greater than your past.

00:28:42
Gianna Lucas: Absolutely. All right, don’t go anywhere, right after this, I’ll be asking you some of your favorite gratitude go- tos in just a sec.

00:28:51
female voice 2: Power Up Life is a part of the Happow Podcast Network.

00:28:55
Carissa Shale: This week we ask you what you would like to implement if you were the Prime Minister of Australia, and here’s what you had to say.

00:29:03
female 4: I would implement the age of license for motorbikes. One, because in my hometown from Italy, they can ride motorbikes at my age to get around places such as the beach, shops, school, and many more places. Life would be 10 times better, driving around on the road with your very own simple car.

00:29:20
female 5: If I was Prime Minister, I would love to set up time to have different consultations with different community groups. I think that it’s important that everyone’s voice is heard, and that everyone in Australia does have a say. And I think, listening to those different voices, strategies can be implemented to help everyone, and especially, those people who need it most, and who may possibly, even be afraid to speak up and say that they need help.

00:29:47
male 2: If I were Prime Minister of Australia, the first thing I would do, straight away is, work on a sustainability plan, implement incentives for startups to have a real crack, and a plan, and a roadmap, away from non- renewables.

00:30:06
Carissa Shale: I’m Carissa Shale, and that’s this week’s talk topic. Got something to share? Drop us an email: yoursay@ happow. com.

00:30:16
male 3: Want to Power Up Life? Download your free power pack wallpapers at happow. com.

00:30:24
Gianna Lucas: Dave, everyone who comes on the show, I always ask them one big thing that they are grateful for, and one small thing. And it could be small, because maybe other people think it’s (whatevs) , but to you, it means something to you.
What’s one big thing that you are grateful for in life, you’re like, I just can’t live without it?

00:30:41
Dave Pow Tabain: Well, this one… Because the first thing that come to mind is, the people who are in my life.

00:30:45
Gianna Lucas: Nice. Nice answer.

00:30:47
Dave Pow Tabain: That was the first thing, but then, when you said, the one thing you can’t live without-

00:30:50
Gianna Lucas: Can you live without them?

00:30:50
Dave Pow Tabain: Was my health.

00:30:52
Gianna Lucas: Your health, yes, that’s paramount, of course.

00:30:56
Dave Pow Tabain: Your health, and the people in your life are pretty huge things. They’re the two primary, and close secondary kind of things, because I’ve seen what it’s like when you don’t have your health, and I experienced that, and also, with people too.
Those two things are the greatest things, because that makes up your day to day.

00:31:15
Gianna Lucas: Yeah.

00:31:16
Dave Pow Tabain: And then…

00:31:18
Gianna Lucas: Something small, yeah.

00:31:19
Dave Pow Tabain: Something small. Something small is, I might just say, the internet.

00:31:24
Gianna Lucas: Yeah, I would say, that’s a good answer. I haven’t had the internet before.

00:31:28
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, well, that’s how we do all this sort of stuff, and stay connected during these times.

00:31:31
Gianna Lucas: That’s right. Yeah.

00:31:32
Dave Pow Tabain: Imagine if we’re doing COVID without the internet?

00:31:35
Gianna Lucas: Back in the stone age? Well for one, we wouldn’t be able to connect with our mates, that would be sure, and we probably, wouldn’t know how everybody’s doing. I couldn’t see what on Earth, what would happen. I think, we’re very blessed that we have technology, because it has been the best thing that could’ve happened during COVID- 19, in [iso-life 00:31:53] so, I think that’s excellent.
All right, you’ve got number one, you’ve got your health, number one. That close second’s your friends, and then, the small thing you’re grateful for is the internet. And I think it should be a big thing, as well, because without it, we couldn’t do this so, I love it.

00:32:04
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, it is a pretty big thing, when you think about all the things that it involves. Yeah, so they’re the things, thank you.

00:32:10
Gianna Lucas: Awesome. All right, and up next, we’re going to do what is my favorite part of every single interview, and that is the challenge. You’re going to love it.

00:32:19
female 7: Did you know Happow is on socials? Come and say, hey! Follow us @ happowau, and be sure to check us out at happow. com

00:32:29
Gianna Lucas: All right, Dave, are you ready for the challenge… Do you want to know what you’re in for?

00:32:33
Dave Pow Tabain: Ready to roll, you’re talking to the challenge guy, here. I’m keen.

00:32:36
Gianna Lucas: Of course, I can’t forget that you’re the 30 day challenge guy. Well, this is going to be nothing then to you. Okay, well, maybe… Maybe it is, we’ll have to see.
I guarantee you haven’t played this game before. Well, you have probably, in its original form, but not the way we like to do it. Because at Happow, we like to challenge the status quo, and we like to do things differently.
We’re playing a game called… A very famous one… Called, never have I ever. And essentially, for those who don’t know how to play it, a question will be thrown out at us, and we have to say if we’ve done it or not. It’s simple as that. But to do things a bit differently, we’ve decided to say that every time you obviously, say you’ve done something, you get a point. But at the end of the game, the person with the least amount of points at the end… The least wins. Does that make sense?

00:33:16
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, I’m in.

00:33:17
Gianna Lucas: It’s a bit random, but all right. Okay so, we’ve got (Brendan) here, he’s got a whole lot of questions. He has 10 questions for us, we both have to answer the questions together.
Okay, Brendan, come to the mic, and deliver us question number one.

00:33:29
Brendan: Here we go, question number one, never have I ever broken a bone.

00:33:34
Gianna Lucas: No, never. Never?

00:33:35
Dave Pow Tabain: Yes.

00:33:35
Gianna Lucas: You have? How did you break a bone?

00:33:37
Dave Pow Tabain: Lots.

00:33:37
Gianna Lucas: Lots of times.

00:33:38
Dave Pow Tabain: Arms, ribs, fingers, shoulder…

00:33:40
Gianna Lucas: Really?

00:33:41
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, I used to race motocross so, there’s lots of broken bones in that.

00:33:45
Gianna Lucas: And you still live today, excellent.

00:33:47
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, that’s why I got one long arm, one short arm.

00:33:51
Gianna Lucas: Is that legit?

00:33:51
Dave Pow Tabain: Legit, yeah.

00:33:53
Gianna Lucas: Oh, my goodness me.

00:33:56
Dave Pow Tabain: Like a yabby.

00:33:56
Gianna Lucas: That is amazing. That is so cool, oh my goodness, that’s awesome. I would not have known if you didn’t tell me.
All right, number two.

00:34:03
Dave Pow Tabain: You win that round.

00:34:03
Gianna Lucas: I do win that round, all right.

00:34:05
Brendan: Never have I ever dyed my hair a crazy color.

00:34:09
Gianna Lucas: Okay, well, I’m a brunette, and I dye my hair red, but I wouldn’t say that’s a crazy color. Would you say that’s a crazy color, Dave?

00:34:16
Dave Pow Tabain: Oh, well, I’m brown, and I dye my hair blonde.

00:34:19
Gianna Lucas: And there’s total regrowth there.

00:34:21
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, massively regrown, I need a cut.

00:34:24
Gianna Lucas: I reckon, both of us.

00:34:25
Dave Pow Tabain: We have, yes.

00:34:26
Gianna Lucas: Yeah, we both have.

00:34:27
Dave Pow Tabain: Yes, we’ve dyed our hair…

00:34:28
Gianna Lucas: We’ve dyed our hair crazy colors, all right.

00:34:30
Dave Pow Tabain: I was purple once, for everyone out there, with my first ever job. First ever job, I got my sister’s brown hair dye, and I (inaudible) , I put some in my hair, and it turned my whole head purple.
I rock up to my first job in a IGA Supermarket pushing groceries… Trollies for old people, and my hair was purple, and they just thought I was the craziest person ever.

00:34:50
Gianna Lucas: I love it. That is the best fun fact ever, thanks for sharing, that is great. Oh, you have to dye it purple again to reminisce the old times, I think.

00:34:57
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, we’ll get there.

00:34:57
Gianna Lucas: All right, what’s the next question?

00:35:00
Brendan: Number three, never have I ever written a fiction novel for adults.

00:35:04
Gianna Lucas: No, but I am planning to. How about yourself, Dave Pow Tabain?

00:35:10
Dave Pow Tabain: I’m in the exact same situation for adults, yeah.

00:35:13
Gianna Lucas: Same situation, okay. We haven’t, but we’re planning to. Well, you’re more ahead of me, I haven’t started writing, I’ve only been planning it. Whereas, you’re in the middle of writing it, correct?

00:35:22
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, it’s called, Cancel That.

00:35:24
Gianna Lucas: It’s called, Cancel That? I love it. It’s like, you don’t want to be canceled, I like it.

00:35:29
Dave Pow Tabain: How to develop a mind that helps you rather than hinders you.

00:35:32
Gianna Lucas: Nice. When’s that coming out?

00:35:34
Dave Pow Tabain: ASAP.

00:35:34
Gianna Lucas: ASAP, nice. Nice answer. All right, next question.

00:35:38
Brendan: Number four, never have I ever bungee jumped.

00:35:41
Gianna Lucas: No.

00:35:41
Dave Pow Tabain: I have.

00:35:41
Gianna Lucas: Gosh, when did you bungee jump? You’ve done everything.

00:35:44
Dave Pow Tabain: In New Zealand, in New Mexico, in Vegas…

00:35:47
Gianna Lucas: What?

00:35:48
Dave Pow Tabain: And somewhere else, can’t remember.

00:35:50
Gianna Lucas: Three places? Okay.

00:35:52
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, Mexico was wild, it was over the top of a nightclub. We were in the nightclub, then we went there, it was after I won the world title, I went to Mexico for 16 days, and then we jumped over, and my cord actually, curled. And so, I twisted, and if I had actually, asked to be dipped in the water, I would’ve hit the floor.

00:36:10
Gianna Lucas: Are you joking?

00:36:12
Dave Pow Tabain: No, serious.

00:36:13
Gianna Lucas: What year was that?

00:36:13
Dave Pow Tabain: That was 2012. And so, I jumped out of a giant Coke bottle. It was this massive Coke bottle…

00:36:21
Gianna Lucas: Yeah, like human size, obviously.

00:36:22
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, no, like massive, like a big building, which was a big Coke bottle, and it had a big arm off it, and then you jump off that.

00:36:28
Gianna Lucas: Wow. This is incredible, you’re losing, but you got the best stories. I like them.

00:36:32
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah.

00:36:33
Gianna Lucas: All right, next.

00:36:34
Brendan: Never have I ever learnt another language.

00:36:37
Gianna Lucas: Yes.

00:36:37
Dave Pow Tabain: I’m trying, I’m working on it.

00:36:39
Gianna Lucas: What are you learning?

00:36:40
Dave Pow Tabain: Dutch.

00:36:41
Gianna Lucas: Dutch, is your background Dutch? Are you from-

00:36:43
Dave Pow Tabain: No.

00:36:43
Gianna Lucas: No.

00:36:43
Dave Pow Tabain: No, I’m just trying to learn it.

00:36:46
Gianna Lucas: My family are Italian so, I guess, since birth, I’ve been having to learn another language. I haven’t mastered it, but I’m okay. I’m okay. It’s conversational. All right, should I give you a point for that or not, because you’re trying?

00:36:58
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah.

00:36:58
Gianna Lucas: Yeah, all right, he wants a point. You want to lose, don’t you?

00:37:00
Dave Pow Tabain: Maybe half a point there. (inaudible) So, yeah.

00:37:03
Gianna Lucas: All right, okay, so we both are, next one.

00:37:05
Brendan: Never have I ever been to a country in Africa.

00:37:08
Gianna Lucas: No. I’m guessing you have?

00:37:09
Dave Pow Tabain: No.

00:37:10
Gianna Lucas: No, oh, we finally got a no out of Dave. Great.

00:37:13
Brendan: Never have I ever been asked to be on reality TV.

00:37:17
Gianna Lucas: I have not, but then again, I have been on a lot of reality… Well, I haven’t been on a lot of reality TV, but I did do a lot of TV when I was younger, when I had a recording contract as a teenager.

00:37:28
Dave Pow Tabain: Cool.

00:37:29
Gianna Lucas: I got to go on a lot of shows, but they weren’t necessarily, reality. How about yourself, Dave? I think I know the answer to this.

00:37:34
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, I’ve been on reality show, and also, asked to be on a few.

00:37:40
Gianna Lucas: Which reality show were you on?

00:37:42
Dave Pow Tabain: I was actually, on First Dates when I launched POWman, the first book.

00:37:45
Gianna Lucas: Really?

00:37:46
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, I was on that.

00:37:46
Gianna Lucas: On channel seven?

00:37:46
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah it was a joke date. They just made total fun of the whole Pow thing, it was hilarious. And then, The Bachelor, was the most recent one. But I’d love to do Survivor so, anyone out who’s listening to this who is part of Survivor, I’d love to do that.

00:38:00
Gianna Lucas: I know someone who was on Survivor, and now she’s on House Rules. There you go. All right, next one.

00:38:05
Brendan: Never have I ever binged a Netflix series in one sitting.

00:38:08
Gianna Lucas: Oh, yeah. I’ve done that before. Stranger Things.

00:38:11
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah.

00:38:11
Gianna Lucas: How about yourself, what did you binge?

00:38:14
Dave Pow Tabain: It was actually, a World War II one.

00:38:15
Gianna Lucas: Oh, wow.

00:38:17
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, I’m not into the whole… All the new ones, I just watch the old documentaries, and stuff.

00:38:21
Gianna Lucas: Nice, nice, nice. All right, next.

00:38:23
Brendan: Never have I ever sung at a karaoke bar.

00:38:26
Gianna Lucas: You go first.

00:38:27
Dave Pow Tabain: Yes, of course.

00:38:29
Gianna Lucas: I thought you wouldn’t have done this, man!
I have also sung at a karaoke bar over in Tuscany, in Florence. It was a double story karaoke bar, and it was the best night of my life. Where did you sing in a karaoke bar?

00:38:41
Dave Pow Tabain: It was on a cruise ship. It was on a cruise ship, I can’t remember where we were going, but it was some… Hey…

00:38:47
Gianna Lucas: It was a great night.

00:38:49
Dave Pow Tabain: New Caledonia, it was on a cruise ship, and I sang Michael Bublé’s… One of his songs.

00:38:56
Gianna Lucas: Oh, one of his ones, Just Haven’t Met You Yet, or one of them. Nice. Very nice.

00:38:58
Dave Pow Tabain: Yeah, something like that.

00:38:58
Gianna Lucas: Awesome.

00:38:58
Brendan: And finally, never have I ever won a world championship for anything.

00:39:05
Gianna Lucas: No, I have not. Although I… No, no, no actually, no, I have, definitely haven’t won. I was going to say, I have won an Australian competition, but not an international, not a world one. How about yourself? I’m guessing you have, right? Is that correct?

00:39:18
Brendan: I have, I have. I think, these are rigged.

00:39:21
Gianna Lucas: Look, I didn’t make the questions, Brendan did. If you want to crack it, crack it at him. All right, I hate to say it mate, you have lost, you got eight points, and I got four. But even though you may have lost this game, one thing you have won is a number of world championships, and also, you are just an all round legend, and therefore, you are a winner.
So, congratulations.

00:39:43
Brendan: Thank you, there’s no way to lose?

00:39:44
Gianna Lucas: There’s no way lose. No one can lose in life, because there’s always a lesson to be learned, isn’t that right?

00:39:47
Brendan: Yeah, totally.

00:39:48
Gianna Lucas: Thank you so much for coming on the show, I should say. How can people get in touch with you, and follow what you are up to?

00:39:55
Brendan: I think, the easiest way is through Instagram or Facebook, Dave Pow Tabain. Reach out through those social media channels, and I’ve got a new website getting built at the moment, which is www. davepowtabain. com, as well. And jump out there, or visit the POWman book website.

00:40:11
Gianna Lucas: Thank you so much.

00:40:12
Brendan: No worries.

00:40:12
Gianna Lucas: Have the best day, my friend, and thank you so much for coming on the show. As always, you are full of wisdom.
He sure is. I really loved chatting with Dave. I could seriously, talk to him for hours, and I honestly can’t wait to see what he does next.
Talking about what’s coming up, and what’s next, we have a little announcement at Happow. Season one of Power Up Life is wrapping up on Monday, the 21st of December, just in time for the Christmas holidays.
Now, I can promise you our final three episodes of season one are going to be amazing. So good. Stay tuned for these in your favourite podcast app, and also, at our website, happow.com.
Loved this episode at Power Up Life? Let us know, by leaving us a rating, and review. By doing so, it helps us reach even more legends like yourself. Want to be a Happow advocate and contribute to our weekly talk topics, and more? Email us at [email protected].
Don’t forget to follow us on socials, too. Simply search for Happow, A, U, to follow us, and stay in the know. Want more Happow? Sign up to our free life skills platform to get access to our on- demand, expert- lead, video masterclasses called, Life Lessons. Quizzes, blogs, and more. Simply visit happow.com.
This episode of Power Up Life was produced by me, Gianna Lucas, Marija Dukadinovska, and Carissa Shale, for the Happow Podcast Network.
Thanks for tuning in to this week’s episode of Power Up Life, a Happow podcast. If you loved this episode, be a legend, and leave us a quick rating, and review on your fav podcast app. Dive into the show notes for all episodes on our website. Catch you next time, and remember to power up life!