E139 - The Most Personal Q&A I've Done (Money, Dating & Life)

49 snips

May 3, 2026

Travel tales from Cape Town to Japan and why Dubai became a long-term base. Rebuilding a career from scratch through fitness and content creation. First experiences with peptides and how health routines stay non-negotiable. Dating, relationships and the pitfalls modern social media creates. Balancing life-maxing with business decisions and avoiding boredom by seeking new challenges.

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ADVICE

Raise Standards And Optimism To Drive Consistent Growth

Mindset drives action: optimism, tolerance for failure, high self-standards and environment upgrades propel growth.
Mike credits belief, willingness to fail, and raising personal standards (appearance, home) for sustained progress.

ADVICE

Choose Dubai Only If It Matches Your Lifestyle And Goals

Dubai suits people seeking warm weather, visual content perks and networking; it's not universally better than the UK.
Mike says personal fit matters and recommends balancing both places if possible since UK has cultural strengths too.

INSIGHT

Social Media Has Distorted Modern Dating Dynamics

Social media inflates choice and expectations, harming relationship commitment and making people replaceable.
Mike warns that constant exposure to attractive options and highlight reels reduces willingness to settle and increases unrealistic standards.

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» Produced by Hack You Media: pioneering a new category of content at the intersection of health performance, entrepreneurship & cognitive optimisation.
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From staying in Dubai despite recent events and travelling to Cape Town and Japan, to losing your peptide virginity at 35 and selling Bioniq, join me for a special Q&A filmed in the apartment where this podcast started five years ago.

I talk starting over from scratch, the balance between life-maxing and business-maxing, why investing in yourself beats everything else, and the mindset shifts that matter when nobody's watching.

Thank you to everyone who's tuned in, asked questions, or supported the journey so far.

Here's to the next chapter.

00:00 Introduction
00:52 Thoughts on living in Dubai long term
02:22 Top three favourite travel destinations
03:42 Starting over and choosing a niche
05:01 Use of peptides and personal experiences
07:14 Views on marriage and having children
08:12 Making friends in a new environment
10:16 Daily non-negotiables for health and wellness
11:17 Thoughts on diminishing returns of wealth
13:48 Strategies for avoiding doomscrolling
15:21 Evolving focus on swimwear brand
17:50 Surrounding oneself with inspiring people
19:56 Boredom and seeking new experiences
21:33 Lessons from launching a coaching channel
25:02 Navigating life post-business acquisition
27:19 Does Mike adjust his training volume according to his Whoop data
28:23 Has Mike ever worked with a performance psychologist
30:28 Mike’s experience with emotional eating
34:01 Should you help others unconditionally?
34:50 What are some non-negotiables when dealing with people in business
36:20 Who would Mike choose as my ideal gym partner
39:34 Controversial figures on First Things THRST
42:34 What if Mike had never travelled to UAE?
44:46 How to date when you're broke
46:54 What excites Mike the most
49:33 Young Financial Investments vs going out to see the world
53:35 How important is Mindset in your journey
55:36 Should you set self-standards?
58:24 Is life in Dubai Better than the UK?
59:33 Biggest Problem in Modern Dating
1:02:23 Admiration for Women with Careers
1:04:34 Mike’s Favourite Film
1:05:45 A Lesson from Mike’s Father
1:08:00 What would you have done if you were 20 again
1:12:04 Perfect Work-Life Balance
1:13:42 Mike’s Biggest Goal
1:16:04 Outro

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