Fueling the Future: Navigating Nutrition, Hydration, and Performance with Mark Rushmore

13:41Jeannette:Yeah, it was.

13:42Mark Rushmore:And now where are we now three years in?

13:44Jeannette:Yeah. So it was the two of us. And we are now, I think, 45 people. Yeah. We have four in China and then 41 of us here. but we're recruiting a lot right now to help with growth. So it's really wild. And actually, I know it sounds kind of funny, but I always thought the company could be large. And I think, honestly, I think it's at 1 % of what it's going to be. We're babies, do you know what I mean, in terms of what we're doing and how we're learning.

14:19Mark Rushmore:So before we continue, I want to speak directly to those of you who are listening and thinking, I know I'm capable of more, but I need structure. I need some help because here's what I've actually learned after, gosh, more than three decades in business. You know, ambition without clarity creates frustration and motivation without structure. It really does fade very, very fast. So that's exactly why we created Rise Academy. And Rise Academy is not theory. It isn't fluffy motivation, although you will be motivated. And it certainly isn't another online course that you never finish. It's actually a fully structured growth environment for ambitious entrepreneurs, leaders and founders who absolutely are ready to do all of these things.

15:16Mark Rushmore:Sharpen their strategy, elevate their leadership, increase revenue with intention and build businesses that actually support the life that they want. And inside Rise Academy, we focus on the foundations most people skip. Leading yourself, leading your teams and leading the business. It's about clarity, standards, decision making, commercial intelligence and execution. Because scaling, it really isn't about doing more. It's actually about doing the right things and doing the things right consistently. So if you're serious about stepping up into your next level of your leadership, your business life, and not just consuming content, but actually implementing it, then Rise Academy was absolutely built for you.

16:04Mark Rushmore:So you can find all the details on our website. Go to www.brave-bold-brilliant.com. And now let's get back to the show.

16:16Jeannette:But, and this is going to sound so silly, but I never sort of mentally considered the fact that at some point we wouldn't all be able to sit in one room together. and we've now run out of space for us all to sit in the same section and so part of our team are going to have to sit in an area where we can't see them yeah which I mean obviously aside from the team in China like it's quite like this mental hurdle that I just I know I just hadn't really sort of considered but it feels quite quite significant to me like yeah oh wow like yeah you're not you know all just you know sat together because you know the previous years it's been like you know four of us in a room 10 of us in a room like 15 20 um and you can very much feel you know like what's happening with each person and you know just shout over the desk but i think we're we're just crossing that threshold now in the next few weeks into this new world of not sitting

17:12Mark Rushmore:within eye eye shot of each other yeah yeah and that requires a change in leadership as well i mean even if you're physically in the same office and you've got as i say you can walk around the corner and say hi and make a cup of tea for the team or whatever you might be doing as you're chatting and catching up. But of course, as you scale even further, and you have more remote locations, which you will have to do with the great plans that you've got, that requires a change in your leadership as well, doesn't it, with the teams?

17:42Jeannette:You're spot on. And it's an interesting one as well, because you're absolutely right. You know, when you're sat together, your leadership is very much like that daily interaction um and you you kind of have a really good sense of each person and you can spend some good quality time with each person whereas you know we've grown quite a lot even in the last um six months and there are people on my team who i haven't been involved with hiring and there's the hiring managers etc and so the way i communicate I realize really does, you know, you do need to change and, you know, how you present at, you know, bigger team meetings.

18:22Jeannette:You have to consider like a very different style of leadership as you write.

18:26Mark Rushmore:Yeah. Yes. I mean, it's fantastic for you as well. Right. In terms of your development and your leadership capability, it's going to it's going to stretch you in a different way, as well as all of the commercial aspects of running the business. I think, you know, people, people are the core, aren't they, of any organization?

18:43Jeannette:Totally. you know and I think what will be interesting for you is keeping the the DNA if you like yeah

18:50Mark Rushmore:and the culture that you've created as you scale that that's that's a challenge and an opportunity when you can't be everywhere you cannot be in the weeds it's impossible totally I think we're

19:03Jeannette:really lucky because we have some great mentors we learn from lots of other people and you know we have this sort of experience from beforehand but we have a set of four values that are central to everything we do. We use them in the hiring process. We use them in our onboarding process. People's annual performance reviews are based on those values. So some of them are, you know, we're caring and respectful. We do more with less. That's really key, you know, as a small company to be very resource efficient. We're hungry for results and we're always innovating. and we we actually have like a monthly award which is based on one of those values everyone in the team nominates and it's beautiful because you know one person wins but and then throughout the week all the nominations for each person is shared through our uh slack channel and so you just see how people are you know baking up their peers and showing like loads of respect and love for you know maybe this this month is hungry for results and you know people just sharing results But I think something else that's really like, you know, I was mentioning about people being out of eyeshot yesterday.

20:14Jeannette:We announced this partnership. And this was an idea that Giv and I had about, you know, what can we recycle our products into? But I can't tell you like the joy I got in that Giv and I were only involved in a very top level of this project. This was run by our amazing team, including Cora and Sarah on the sustainability team, Michelle on operations, Michael and Anna, pulling together all the assets with Darina and overseen by Kate. and it really like to see your vision brought to life without your involvement by these really high performing people who are passionate dynamic entrepreneurial delivering more with less who are

20:54Mark Rushmore:really hungry for results who care and respect you know for our planet for each other for our suppliers

21:01Jeannette:um it's just amazing and like it's kind of wild that now things are happening sort of really without us. And then I can't say who, but we'll be launching in a very prestigious UK retailer. And again, Ross and Jake have led that from start to finish, working internally with our teams, but are able to sort of demonstrate our core values and build this value without the direct involvement of, or actually more or less any involvement of Gievenhain.

21:32Mark Rushmore:Yeah, that's it, isn't it? Because I think you have to let go to grow. as a sort of a philosophy but it is hard because it is your baby you started the two of you with an idea and now you know look at look how the the business has flourished but I think that's fantastic you know because at the end of the day 24 hours in the day you know you need to sleep a little bit and um and you've got it you've got to make sure you keep your oxygen mask on as well you know because I think I think the burnout that can come maybe we'll talk about this now actually And, you know, how how do you manage to keep yourself in good shape?

22:05Mark Rushmore:You know, because you're a father, you know, you're a friend, you're the you know, you're leading the business with your co-founder. You play so many different roles. You've got so many hats on. And there is a lot of pressure that comes with that. But how do you avoid burnout? Or have you had times when actually you've not quite got it right? And, you know, physically, mentally, you paid price. It's hard, I think. in business?

22:29Jeannette:So I think there's like different ways in which like I manage that. I think one is that, you know, when it comes to burnout, like, honestly, I don't know what the right balance is. And I think we have to travel a lot because, you know, we're selling in the US and we manufacture abroad. And so there's a lot of time away from the family, which is in itself really really challenging and difficult yes um and tiring you know um and i don't always get like this week's a good example i have worked late every night uh or been to an evening event and so i haven't been home to put the kids to bed for the last four days it was really difficult and yeah i think i get it wrong all the time to be honest but but it's i think a bit like building the business, you know, we're doing loads of things for the first time and learning as we're going and making mistakes.

23:27Jeannette:And like, I'll be the first to admit, I make a lot of mistakes.

23:31Mark Rushmore:And it's how we learn.

23:33Jeannette:And, you know, I make mistakes even like with communication with the team. I think I made some flippant comment at a team meeting the other day and someone told me I was like, hey, Mark, you know, I know you didn't mean it like this, but there's a lot of people who don't know you. And, you know, when you said it like that, you know, and I was thinking, God, I hadn't thought about it like that, but you're absolutely right. You know, that could be misinterpreted and so on. And so that's a good example. But I think also with, you know, traveling and family, trying to maybe set some firmer boundaries so that when I am back as well and available, you know, I'm proactively, you know, will try and take the kids to school or when I am with them, like be even more present.

24:14Jeannette:I think actually something you said really resonated, which is like, oh, you know it's difficult because it is your baby and you know letting go but at the same time with the business and and also you know as much as you want to be with your baby all the time you also do have to trust others to free up that time and actually you know it probably wouldn't be right to spend you know all day and every day together with your child and like they're not going to grow as effectively if you don't sort of put in place ways for them to expand without you and so I think that's been pivotal for the business but also like thinking if my kids are at school because actually if they weren't and I was at home all the time I wouldn't be able to do both yeah I always

24:58Mark Rushmore:thought and it is it is I don't think balance you know the elusive balance people don't think balance is 50 50 or whatever it's not that is it for me balance is around being fully present in the moment.

25:10Jeannette:Yes, 100%.

25:10Mark Rushmore:And there will be times, like you're saying this week, where you've just got to put a shift in. There's no shortcut. If you want to be successful, you've got to do the hard things, right? And that can mean long hours. It can mean travelling. It can mean being away from the family. And if you're fully immersed and present in the business when you need to do that, but then when you're at home, be fully present with the family. And I think our phones are addictive devices. they're made to be addictive, right? Clearly. Personally. And I think this is where sometimes we can get it wrong, and I get it wrong, and I get it wrong all the time, where I'll be like, oh, I'll have a sneaky look at my emails, and I'm like, I'm not listening.

25:52Mark Rushmore:I'm not listening. Oh, you know, having dinner, it drives my husband, Chris, absolutely mad. He's always going, Janelle, because he does the cooking. Janelle, dinner's ready, dinner. And I'll always think, I'll just squeeze one more thing in, and it drives him absolutely crazy. And I now have to be much more focused and say, no, dinner time is our time together. No phones, no nothing. Leave that. But try and be there five minutes before because it drives me crazy, you know. So it's trying to just do as little adjustments and being fully present.

26:20Jeannette:Totally. And for me, it's like I don't want to rely on willpower for it. So like a few things I use is there's this app called Opal.

26:27Mark Rushmore:Oh.

26:28Jeannette:And it locks your phone at certain times automatically. And then you can also give your partner the password or something. And that way you don't even know the password. So you literally cannot undo it.

26:43Mark Rushmore:For real addicts.

26:45Jeannette:Yeah. So that's one. But then this is the next level is you can also get a lockbox from Amazon and you set a timer on it. So I don't do this all the time, but I bought one. And so I'll get home. I'll have Opal on. I'll put it in the lockbox, lock it, put it in a drawer. and that way it's like so between the hours of six and eight so when I'm you know get home and with the kids it's like it's just impossible for me to be on my phone at that point yeah um again I I that's that's best practice I would say maybe do that 50 percent of the time but still

27:16Mark Rushmore:you know you're conscious and aware aren't you which is half half the battle and and you know when you're going at such pace you're building a business huge success do you enjoy the ride

27:27Jeannette:you know well it's a great question and before this company had another business and you know i was a bit younger in my in my 20s and at that point it was like i was just so focused on the end result right you know i want to scale this company i want to sell it and i think when we did sell it at the end i was just a bit like i was a bit burnt out for sure if I was very burnt out. And it just sort of dawned on me that I spent so much time mentally looking forward to being in that moment that I'd sort of missed so much of the joy and being present in the remaining moments. Ultimately, for this outcome that was great, but it was maybe not the sort of the defining thing that I thought was going to make life perfect.

28:23Jeannette:And so this time around, I am trying to be more present and just enjoy it. Like I feel so grateful to be able to build this business with a great co-founder who I really deeply trust and, you know, and, you know, we fight all the time about different things and have different opinions. But like the underpinning of that is trust. And then also to see like great people in my team and to have these moments, you know, to, you know, oh, wow, we've launched in this retailer or oh we've launched this great new product from our recycled heads because kind of regardless of ultimately what happened with Suri like it's like time I think is our probably our most precious commodity really and like trying to enjoy as much of that and be present when you're with your family do I get this right all the time absolutely not do I forget of course I do but I think I'm much more present now maybe being older and having kids maybe because of my past experience either way I really try and enjoy as much as I can yeah that's great and it's great

29:24Mark Rushmore:advice for anyone watching listening you know because I think I've been guilty of it where I've been so focused I mean my background is very different to yours I was always in sort of big large global corporate organizations you know running businesses all over the world and stuff and as much as I mean I just think about some of the places that you know and where I did business you know in Russia in Ukraine in China in India or Brazil and all these amazing parts of the world that I had my teams and I used to travel to and whilst I did enjoy it when I look back I think did I really did I really soak it all in as much as I could and should have done no I didn't and I you never get you can't get those times you know so for anyone that is in this sort of whether you're in a corporate career whether you're you know whatever you do in life right I think it's a real big lesson if you can learn it earlier on that's it then actually you're going to have a much more joyful experience in life and more fulfilled and also you'll be a better leader because you're going to notice things yeah right and you know what like I think

30:32Jeannette:I'm not sure what the right word is but you're gonna be able to soak in more of life in a way do you know what I mean and like it might not always be joyful like being present doesn't mean this like joyful presence but i do think you can like kind of get more value from time yes do you mean then yeah and like totally i think something that really hit home with me um was you know someone said you know warren buffett's one of the richest people in the world um but i'm pretty sure he would give away like someone said would you would you trade your life currently to have whatever 50 billion or whatever and be Warren Buffett's age and I don't think you would do you know what I mean like like having lots of money do you know what I mean but not not much time is um a trade-off that I think few people would make and yet sometimes I think we can all delude ourselves into thinking like oh having more is is what you know is important when actually

31:32Mark Rushmore:it's probably enjoying time yeah no totally I mean look at us I said we weren't going to get or deeper meaningful but here we are mark um but it is true and and obviously i mean you're a lot young a lot younger than than i am but when you get when you get that bit older as well and you get into your 50s and into your 60s even again your perspective changes completely i would say so i'm i love business i love people i you know we're growing our business we've got incredible clients and i absolutely adore it i love doing what we do and we say no to a lot as well you know

32:00Jeannette:can i just say like i meet thousands of different people across business i i've you know from my time at P &G and my other business, but you are hands down one of the people with the most positive energy just emanating. For every interaction, you're just overflowing with this drive and energy, which is so infectious. And I think it's no surprise that you've had so much success in your career, but you're also doing your podcast. You've got your real estate, you've got your business. You're an absolute force of nature. And where does that come from when you were born?

32:33Mark Rushmore:has that been what you've been like it's interesting because you know as you do a little bit more sort of reflection as you get older and I did a Tony Robbins thing in December actually

32:41Jeannette:I went and did Date With Destiny that's what set me up to do Surrey at the end of my last business I was burned and I was like oh what am I gonna do I went on Date With Destiny and had what felt like a total spiritual like like like like like realization and that is what set me on this path to like be much more present but i also wrote down like a list of 15 things i wanted to do with my next company yes and i'm not kidding i had no idea what it was going to be

33:11Mark Rushmore:and so far i've crossed off 10 of them like and it was just written on a list you know one day i

33:16Jeannette:want to do this and that and this and then i want this to happen and and that's all coming true

33:19Mark Rushmore:yeah wow how did you find it well life changing life no way oh my goodness i can't wait to chat

33:28Jeannette:Wow, were you in Florida for it?

33:31Mark Rushmore:Yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, West Park Beach.

33:32Jeannette:No way. So I went on to do the Platinum Year.

33:35Mark Rushmore:Did you? Yeah. I was really tempted, actually. I did. Still thinking about it, yeah.

33:38Jeannette:In fact, like, you know, I've got some unbelievable friends around the world as a result who really have inspired me in business. And so, in fact, I was in Seattle a couple of weeks ago meeting with some retailers and another friend lived in Canada and was able to take a seaplane just to meet for the afternoon and brainstorm and talk about business and life. And yeah.

34:02Mark Rushmore:That's so funny, isn't it? Like different times, different backgrounds, but real life changing. Absolutely. And I think, you know, to answer your question around where does the drive and the energy come from? I think a lot of it comes from childhood, doesn't it? You know, the things that we have kind of carried with us. And I had a great childhood. Don't get me wrong. I had a really good childhood. But I think I always because I'm one of three. I was the youngest of three daughters. And I think I had this deep rooted belief, which was a story I would tell myself, you know, for years, years. Oh, you know, I'm not the favorite.

34:37Mark Rushmore:Right. Let me just say I'm not the favorite. And it wasn't the case. We weren't loved. I mean, this is probably complete bullshit. Right. But everyone gives meaning to things.

34:45Jeannette:Everyone gives meaning.

34:46Mark Rushmore:So I was always incredibly loved by my parents. Don't get me wrong. And I had a great family life. But I think inside me, there was always this. Look at me. Look at me. The search for significance. Right. We talk about the six human needs that Tony teaches us, etc. So probably that need for significance was there from a very, very young age and carried me. So the positive about that was that it's made me very, I've made a load of mistakes as well, Mark, let me tell you. But generally, I've been very successful in my professional life. And I've got great friends and, you know, a lovely life. I've got no complaints at all.

35:24Mark Rushmore:So that's fantastic. But the downside of that, if your main thing is significance, as you know, then you're never quite fully fulfilled. so it gives you the drive yeah and the energy to kind of keep pushing forward because almost i'm like that little girl in front of mom and dad going look at me look at me give me some you know attention um even though i had lots of attention so it's helped me reframe all of that totally all of that and so i recognize you know the old um effective blaming and all of that kind of thing

35:55Jeannette:yeah so i recognize and the question that you're asking yourself primary question

36:00Mark Rushmore:um so so yeah it's helped me really drive me forward so that's where I think the drive comes from but I think the being coming from it from a you know a pretty working class family you know very not not short of money I won't say we're like you know we always had had had a really good life but pretty pretty grounded you know my dad was a plumber mum was the secretary market trader that kind of thing um so that sort of those values around respect uh being kind to people being interested in people so I think that's probably that combination is what's stood me in good stead and but I also just think if you don't life is too short and if you don't love what you're doing what what's it all for yeah um so I now I I try to really pour my heart and soul into people business things that I think I that where I can help and guide and support it drives everything that I do now and yes of course we you know we're a commercial venture we we you know we we're not a you know a charity but at the same time it's about profit for good you know if I can help people whether it's one-to-one mentoring whether it's an executive board session that we're running whether it's our Rise Academy we've launched it really all comes down to helping other people be the best version of themselves and that's why I do everything I do everything and it took me a while to understand that but it's so aligned like it's so congruent

37:27Jeannette:like what you're saying like how you come across your end like like i can tell like you're you're like you genuinely want to help yeah and and i think i think anyone who interacts with you feels that too um which is such a such a gift to give to everyone else but then you know like how you nourish yourself then is also like i my hallucination would be that like you you know you're always putting out for others um yeah but you might you know might not put yourself first yeah I think I don't I don't know if you touched on business mastery at all

37:59Mark Rushmore:I haven't done it but yes I yeah but one thing from that which I think is relevant to this

38:04Jeannette:conversation is um there's this like phrase that like um business is business is a spiritual game measured in zeros and actually in order to you know expand your business you're going to have to like um expand your your sort of um yourself it's kind of what you said earlier like your type of leadership you know you need to like like let spiritual in the respect like you need to learn to like let go of certain things or you need to learn to stand firm on certain boundaries and and make tough decisions even though you might want to be kind and it's and it's very much like i think there's the evolution of your character um and learning new things about yourself but also overcoming certain things that maybe you haven't you know had before like maybe you know you don't want to be you don't want to hurt people's feelings but you also need to have a tough conversation

38:59Mark Rushmore:yes yeah yeah and actually i mean that's an interesting one because i think having you know difficult conversations fierce conversations we none of us enjoy doing that clearly you know but but and a lot of people avoid don't really avoid having the tough conversations and think about how many relationships could have been saved how many businesses could have been saved how many you know um opportunities people could have gone on to do if maybe they weren't right for your business so actually you're doing a you're doing damage by not having the conversations but how do you approach that then mark if you've got to have a difficult conversation either personally or professionally how do you normally tackle it well it's almost as though you need to be

39:37Jeannette:brave yeah uh bold um you know what i mean brilliant and and and you know and if you are i think i think you can like try and try and move towards brilliance and brilliance you know is like a i don't think it's like an end goal it's like a it's like something that you're constantly trying to like it's a moving target i like like you know brilliance like like i don't think i you know will ever achieve brilliance but like we can work towards trying to achieve this like top top level And I think that's where the whole like business is a spiritual game measured in zeros. It is hard to be brave, to have courage.

40:13Jeannette:And I think it's easier to sort of shy away and, you know, avoid certain things. That's something I certainly took out of the course was like, like having a bit of courage. You know what I mean? And I probably thought I was a little bit courageous and brave beforehand. And I was in certain areas, maybe, but it sort of really opened my eyes to actually, you know, in other areas, maybe I needed to be more. And so how I approach those conversations, I think, again, I'm learning and I've definitely got those wrong at times. I've put off conversations hoping that things would change or, if I'm honest, probably to avoid the discomfort.

40:54Jeannette:Yes. in having that conversation but i've definitely learned the hard way the consequences of not you know openly having a tough conversation and what i found as well you know i've had a couple actually in the last um few months with my team is that when you do have um a tough conversation saying this is not up to standard i think you can achieve more and this isn't really where it needs to be they often in my experience feel relieved they're like I feel the same way yeah and I know but I've struggled with this but like I can do better you know and then actually it sort of clears the air yeah and and then you know like you see this massive up level in performance and then that level makes them happier makes you happier and like yeah I don't know you kind of

41:40Mark Rushmore:solve the problem together yeah yeah and you're right actually so nine times out of ten I think people they know something's and it's there if it is that kind of you know listen this isn't working out and and often even if that means someone leaving the company um very often I mean I've had to say farewell to many people in in in my professional life you know for various reasons but years later you know so I will often get messages from people saying you know what actually it was the best thing and you know it might not be in the moment um and you just try and do it and be kind and respectful and as much as you can don't you but um i think you're right to have those tough conversations personally and professionally is so important but as human beings we try to avoid that discomfort so we put it behind but then it normally explodes yeah so it's going to happen anyway right it's not going to go away um and and and mark with your i think it's fantastic that you did tony robbins i didn't realize we had that in common so personal development is obviously really important to you.

42:41Jeannette:I'll tell you why.

42:42Mark Rushmore:Tell me why. What was the catalyst? This is

42:44Jeannette:a wild story.

42:46Mark Rushmore:This is the scoop people.

42:48Jeannette:Well and this is where all came from. So my parents grew up in a kind of very very humble beginnings in a very impoverished part of Wales and you know generations of their family had lived you know in the same housing on the same street and I worked as casual laborers and my father for whatever reason was like you know actually I want to do something slightly different so he went to work in the steelworks you know still in manual labor but you know and then gradually you know took a few risks and bits and pieces but he left school with no qualifications and you know he sort of took a few gambles a few times to try different jobs much to the disdain of his family and peers but you know he just thought you know I want to do something different and you know him and my mum met and got married very early and um so he ended up taking a job at this corporate business and he'd had you know a tough time as

43:48Mark Rushmore:a child and had a very bad stammer okay and you know i remember growing up you know we'd go to a

43:53Jeannette:restaurant and someone would ask you know what do you want and you know he really couldn't really say it and you know it's obviously awkward for him and and for you know um it was difficult you know for us um but you know he really suffered with that all his life and you know obviously it affects your confidence if you're unable to communicate and he has this is this real thing and he went on this course um called the pacific institute it was right at like the early days like the very very start of uh like neurolinguistic programming nlp which had just come out as this thing and um his company sent him on this course i'm like hey you know with this we can change your life anything you want you you know you can believe if you follow these things you know we want you to visualize we want to draw a picture we want you to imagine this life we want you to repeat these mantras to yourself etc we could cure your stammer in a week and my father's like there is no way like i've tried everything you know he's in his late 30s by this point um but He also had nothing to lose.

44:57Jeannette:And, you know, maybe 100 people went into the course, but my dad did exactly every single morning, every single evening, these practices. And sure enough, in five days, his like, more or less like the stammer was cured.

45:11Mark Rushmore:Wow.

45:11Jeannette:Then he was like, well, if this works, I'm going to go full into this. And, you know, he drew a picture of the sort of house you'd want in the future, the kind of job, the kind of car, the kind of lifestyle. and every single day he you know visualized things was said positive affirmations to himself you know taught us positive affirmations with children and I saw like my whole family's life change in sort of in front of my eyes my mother then went on the course and then they went on to teach the course and then it's funny because for years afterwards we'd have people coming up to us like in the supermarket or at the airport or be like you know you know peter you changed my life like you know i left that job or i set up a business or i got married or i got divorced um and it was just incredible to see like how a mindset shift a shift in your belief system in your language in in the way you frame things how it could have such a profound impact on not just your own life but on those around you and so i think from that time i've been like well this is really a thing like this whole like yeah how you think and and and the words you use um so that that set me on this kind of course to like embrace personal development wow gosh and and that

46:36Mark Rushmore:entrepreneurial spirit that you've got you know we talked about this as well you had all those years at png you had you know great role models in your parents and seeing that turnaround it must been like watching a movie almost playing out in in front of your eyes as you know as you're seeing the the change but also the impact right you know because i think when you it's almost like dropping a pebble in a pond right and then that ripple effect so your dad going on that course originally then your mom and then then them actually sharing that knowledge with other people and how that's transformed other people's lives and then their families and then their net you know you actually just see this whole kind of metamorphosis around and i'm with you 100 and you know one thing that i i firmly firmly believe that every single person has got greatness in them but it's how you unlock it and sometimes a lot of people have unfulfilled dreams they go to their they go to their deathbed full of regrets i could have done this i should have done this and actually you know just bloody give it a go give it a go and whatever it is and and you know You don't have to necessarily be a corporate CEO or an entrepreneur, whatever good looks like for you in your life.

47:45Mark Rushmore:Just do it. And I do genuinely believe that when you've got the right people around you to guide and shape and influence you in the right way, you can achieve anything. But that inside job is everything. It starts there, doesn't it? And then the rest will follow. But if you're not in, if you've not got the mental inner game sorted out, then you're not going to be able to put good out in the world and to achieve what you want.

48:15Jeannette:A hundred percent. And look, I want to be really clear about this because like, you know, I've been able to build everything I've done off a position of privilege because my parents had some level of success and worked really hard to kind of provide a platform. And there's a lot of people where maybe they don't have the same starting point. sure um and it's not that you know it's just you know be positive and you're going to be 100 % successful but I do think that you know I know one of your questions is like when I've seen your

48:49Mark Rushmore:other podcast is like what's one bit of advice yes please that that's really helped you and I

48:54Jeannette:read this book I think it was a Richard Branson book um but then it turns out lots of other people who are successful have this same mantra which is like if you can always in life try and minimize your downside and maximize your upside a bit like a casino like you maximize your your chances of success like if you you know i think one reference says like don't lose money do you want to mean yeah um as long as you're not you want to mean if you can de-risk yourself somehow like for an example you know um it might be that rather than quitting your job to set up a business you do you keep your job and you work on weekends to set up your business so you're like minimizing your financial risk but you know giving yourself this shot that might take off yeah you know and and i think the combination of the mindset and trying to unlock you know this this like i i can try these things i believe in myself or whatever you know you don't need like for me success isn't uh wealth or being the like the ceo of a company like that that's one form of success but you know there's many people in service industries or any industry who could probably have like a more rewarding fulfilling life by you know seeing if there's like a like maybe a belief that would be more empowering or or like language that they talk to themselves you know or you know communicate which would be more empowering and more fulfilling and more enriching and I don't think that's like a a binary thing like you either have it or you don't like i've got many negative beliefs many negative habits like and i'm constantly working on it but i i through seeing like the power it can have um on people actually i think my long-term goal would be to provide that sort of same like empowerment and trying to help more people um sort of see how shifted mindset could help them have maybe a more fulfilling, rewarding life in the long run, regardless of where you are economically.

51:00Jeannette:I just think what a gift to be able to share if it makes anyone's life even 5 % better.

51:06Mark Rushmore:100%. And I think it's about giving it a go. If you combine that belief, and you always have to work on it. People say to me, do you ever suffer with imposter syndrome? I say, yes, all the time. all the time you know it's something I've dealt with all all my life you know whether you label it as imposter syndrome or whatever but feelings of doubt insecurity you know every time you stand on a stage every time you do you know coming here to meet you I'm thinking oh god I'm really excited about this but I was a little bit nervous about you know having a conversation or whatever it might be or building a business so it's not that it doesn't exist you know but you see you always having to work on it but i think it's the it's the small daily actions it's the repetition repetition repetition of the boring stuff totally combined with like you know this belief and also knowing what you want being clear on your purpose and what the why and i think if you can combine that that's really where where you can start to get momentum and but you're gonna you know we all

52:05Jeannette:mess up right we fail a lot i think like that's it like the more brave and bold you are the more you're going to fail the more you're going to fail the more you're going to learn the more you're going to learn like the the faster you can iterate and i think one thing i would say about all of this though is like getting yourself around positive people like i like i've you know we've met in person now a couple of times both times i feel this like wave of like energy and positivity and excitement about what's possible um and that you know comes from from you the way you talk the way you you you know big you know like make me feel good about myself too and i think a key thing is also being around people who you can learn from who inspire you who and I'm very fortunate that I've met a lot of these people and then try to find out like how can I how can I you know add value to them or how can I learn from them in fact there's this one guy who's based in Hong Kong and he's just one of the most incredible operators I've ever met and he's hosting a like a three-day retreat for people who are building companies you know in Hong Kong and it's the people going you One of them has built a nine-figure business in 24 months.

53:11Jeannette:Another one is one of the youngest people in Asia to be the head of this famous private equity fund. And again, from a business perspective, these are unbelievable people to spend time with and be around. But conversely, business is just one part of my life. Like, you know, my family, like being around, you know, great dads, you know, and people who love their families and, you know, like spending time with, you know, people I cherish, like my wife, you know, who's like, you know, had this unbelievable career. It's currently like on a sabbatical and spending time with the kids. You know, it's like there's many forms of inspiration.

53:48Jeannette:My parents, my in-laws. So I think surrounding yourself with the right people is key.

53:54Mark Rushmore:and sometimes we have to say excuse me say farewell to some people in our lives because maybe we're on a different journey and and you know sometimes you can have what is it what is it arnie schwarzenegger says you know ignore the naysayers and i'm not sure it's exactly that because sometimes you know to get critical feedback is helpful as well right you know and sometimes people will say things because they love you right and it's a position of wanting to protect you and oh but maybe they're more risk averse um but i think you know sometimes we have to minimize the time we spend with certain people because they are more in that sort of overly cautious or more negative mindset that can really sap your energy bring you down big time um totally

54:39Jeannette:and and you have to be very brave yeah to do that like that is really brave you know because often these people aren't doing it from a place of not love actually like they love you they want to protect you and it's like because I love you like you should you shouldn't take that risk and you know it's and it's really their fear and and you know what they've learned um coming through um but that's not to say you know it's not coming from the right place but you've yeah you've got to work out you know maybe there's a balance you know it's like okay you know when we're together like we're having fun together doing all the things that are fun but when it comes to like business I'm gonna be around you know yes um brave bold and billion people who like you know meet other people who inspire us and so I think that's that's kind of a cool thing yeah yeah

55:20Mark Rushmore:absolutely this is so this is such a great conversation because we start talking about business then we start talking about kind of our mindset and and personal development and who we spend time with but it's all connected right it doesn't life doesn't fit into neat little boxes does it um and what can affect us in one one part of our life will will it will affect the other um but you're right having the right people around you having that sort of focus on personal development failing and being good with messing up um i think is the way to to innovate and of course for you with the business bringing it back into surrey you know you're you're in this massive next stage of growth right so do you want to just talk a little bit about that i know obviously huge in the uk big in the states already but what what's the what's what's down the road next yeah

56:06Jeannette:you know we've grown enormously in the first three years but it really feels like we're at like the very very beginning of like a much longer journey you know we have this ambition to really build a brand which is known for like its high quality and performance its design sustainability and we want to push the boundaries of each of those um i don't know when the podcast is coming out but

56:27Mark Rushmore:we will decide yeah it'll be out soon don't worry yes but breaking news we're about to go

56:33Jeannette:and roll out nationally in america with target and you know if you'd have asked me a few short years ago like hey you know in three and a half years you'll you'll be rolling out in one of the most prestigious national u.s retailers you know i'd have said what i mean that's wild like beyond you know we thought maybe in 10 years um so that's really exciting congratulations but also you know with that like comes lots of like challenges you know it's it's not um it's you know there's bits which are really difficult operationally or you know like making sure things work on different time zones etc um and so it's it's really exciting we also have some really great new products coming through um and yeah like it's it's an exciting it's an exciting future and we'll navigate all the problems as we come to them yeah problems are a sign of life i think well i think the problem is people don't expect to have problems yeah in fact the only people who don't have problems are people who are not alive like i think problems are a sign of life like if if you're alive you have problems it's just what kind of problems you have right and you know ideally trying to like find better quality problems to solve yeah yeah because actually with all of that comes opportunity

57:46Mark Rushmore:doesn't it it's going to stretch and grow you and I think you know also if you if you get to one level like you're saying you could never have imagined that you would be rolling out in target in such a short space of time I mean this is huge it's like wow you know and um but but actually you get to a certain level and then you raise the bar again don't you raise your standards as good old our good old friend tony robbins always says we raise our standard again which coming back to what we were saying earlier is if you don't enjoy the ride and you're only focusing on getting to that destination because when you get there you go oh yeah that's great and you'll celebrate for a while and then it's like okay what next right if you're an ambitious person that's normal for someone like like us right but therefore if you've not enjoyed the ride then you get there you forget it you're on to the next thing and then you're like okay when you're ever going to feel satisfied actually

58:35Jeannette:that that is one of the key takeaways I took from Tony Robbins I met lots of very successful people uh who are miserable like it like you know you get these people who've been like all their life

58:48Mark Rushmore:rewarded for you know um like material success yes and and they've they've got it and then you

58:57Jeannette:they might be the CEO, they might be the millionaire, whatever. But then they're like, oh, why do I not feel so happy? Or why is this not really working for me? And I think actually getting to spend time, I mean, I wouldn't say I'm particularly successful in relative terms to them, but it was eye-opening for me to meet these people and to see like, oh, hold on a second like that that that's not it you know like and actually there's so much more um and in a way that was probably the greatest gift from from that time for me and learning was that's not you know it's like you can climb a ladder and get to the top and then realize you you climbed the wrong ladder or the wrong mountain you know what i mean and then you're like oh what i've spent all this time trying to get to the peak and actually this wasn't this wasn't the right mountain is that one over there that's really gonna make me happy so trying to learn from that um and sometimes sometimes failing sometimes succeeding yeah well this is it

59:59Mark Rushmore:and we're all perfectly imperfect that's what i always say but we're all human aren't we totally that's where the joy is really so massive success honestly i'm so i'm so delighted for you and the team it's like it's just a joy thank you to say and i'd let you say the best is yet to come right you're in the foothills still you know and uh and you're on this amazing journey and will continue to be successful so I'm delighted for you and you've already given us sort of best piece of advice that you've received which is great so thank you for that if you could describe this year in one word what would it be Mark and why?

1:00:32Jeannette:Exhilarating because exhilarating because that that encompasses like it's like it's fun it's scary it's it's fast-paced um it's immersive um and so yeah i i would say exhilarating is is probably the right word um because it can both be good and bad but like either way it's it's full-on yeah yeah i can see that electric your

1:00:57Mark Rushmore:energy it's phenomenal and we have a spotify playlist from guest favorite tracks to the playlist from you, Mark, song and artist.

1:01:10Jeannette:Great question. I've been listening to a lot of Fred again, but I really like the song by Radiohead, Everything in its Right Place. I think it's quite like a calming song, but I think it kind of draws us back to that whole thing around presence and actually often, you know, part of my job is to try and change how things are in the future or whatever. But I don't know, for whatever reason, that song rounds me and it reminds me it's like actually maybe everything is in its right place at its right time like nothing needs to change by this moment do you know what I mean like it sounds cheesy as hell but like this is all we really have like the future's on you know you can't change the past the future may things may or may not happen but like right now is true and so maybe everything is in its right place and happening exactly as it was meant to

1:01:57Mark Rushmore:so great song and a great sort of philosophy behind everything we've been talking about perfectly encapsulated thank you and final question what's brave bold brilliant mean to you mark i think brave bold and brilliant means leaning into things that maybe like you're a little bit scared

1:02:18Jeannette:of and and you know minimizing your risk maximizing your upside by by leaning in to things that push you just slightly out of your comfort zone so that you continually expand that that comfort zone and I think it's not about you know being successful I don't think brilliance is about um you know external validation success for me brilliance is about you know challenging yourself to grow and and to do things that you know maybe you wouldn't have done yesterday or the month before you know and to take those steps and be willing to learn and fail well what a way to end

1:02:59Mark Rushmore:Thank you very much, Mark. I've loved having you on. What a great conversation.

1:03:02Jeannette:Yeah, thank you very much. It's a wrap.

1:03:04Mark Rushmore:Cool. So I really hope you enjoyed the interview with Mark Rushmore as much as I enjoyed having the conversation. There's so much in there, not only about how to create a standout brand and starting a business from scratch to taking it global. I mean, distribution in Target in the US is huge. What a fabulous achievement. And of course, you know, when your product and brand is absolutely loved by celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Cumberbatch, Kardashians, you name it. All of these people love Surrey. But it's not because they're famous that counts. It just shows how great the product really is.

1:03:45Mark Rushmore:So I hope you enjoyed the episode. If you did, you found it useful, share it with people in your network that actually could do with some inspiration around how to build and scale a really, really great brand. And of course, come and join the community of Brave Bold Brilliant. You know, hit that subscribe button on YouTube, on the podcast, and check out www.brave-bold-brilliant.com because that is where you're going to find an absolute showcase of tools, assets that are going to help you with your business and your career journey. And remember, it is by being brave and bold that you will unlock your brilliant.