KSI: Meet The Real JJ Olatunji (E285)

0:28Watch it early on the High Performance App. I've been through traumatizing things. It's made me the person I am today. If you want to be one of the top people, you have to be obsessed. You have to love it. It's just having that mental force, being able to just say, nothing can beat me, nothing can stop me. You just heard the voice of JJ Olatunji, known to millions as KSI, the latest guest here on High Performance, a man who I have been chasing to get onto this show for so many years and I'm delighted that finally we've done it because this is the show that delves a little deeper into the stories and the ideas of some of the most extraordinary people in the world and JJ certainly fits that bill.

1:13I'm Jay Comfrey and like a lot of you I'm just fascinated by unlocking a better version of myself by discovering not just how people achieve great things but the why that drives them and how do I sum up a serial success story like KSI a man who's just been named as one of the richest gamers in the world? Well, quite simply, I believe he's a pioneer, and you can criticise or deride him all you like, but you name me someone else who's revolutionised boxing, marketed a drink that the whole world knows about, has had a number one album and collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, all whilst amassing over 6 billion, yes, billion with a B, views on YouTube.

1:54In this conversation, we're going to discuss how he's changed the landscape in boxing. And that fascinates me. We spoke as JJ was recovering from an injury, which means he can't fight at the sold out three arena in Dublin on August 31st. So what does he do? Well, he creates a moment by performing a live concert on the night. And that's the first time in two years that people will have heard music from him. And moments is what we discuss in this episode, how to create them and why they're central to his success. let's take the Dublin fight night as an example exclusively on DAZN and marking two years of the phenomenon that is Misfits Boxing well they've created moments by giving us the most incredible nights they've got Premier League winner Danny Simpson take it on social media megastar Danny Aarons they've got Prince Nassim Ahmed's son Sami Ahmed fighting as well but you're about to meet the man behind these crazy big ideas the huge success and the bulletproof mindset as we don't have a conversation with KSI, but we talked to JJ Olatunji.

2:58Do you want to know what he still wants to conquer in this world, what he makes of the rise of certain social media stars and why he believes he's been successful time and time again and the advice that he can offer you? Well then keep listening as we welcome the man behind KSI to High Performance.

3:19JJ, welcome to the show. Thank you for having me. How's life? yeah it's it's pretty good right now um obviously besides the injury that stopped me from fighting uh in dublin this month on the 31st um no everything's been good like you know obviously that was a little hurdle but i've kind of turned it into a dub by performing instead nice yeah you found a way through yeah exactly and but like yeah besides that yeah no good i'm still able to train twice a day every day and just um yeah do stuff with the girlfriend do stuff with the mates still film videos etc yeah pretty good you seem chilled yeah i'm i think for me it's funny like there was a period especially this year where i didn't really train much i kind of just enjoyed myself and like partied went to vegas went japan just really let myself go and i was i enjoyed myself but it was funny like because i didn't train i wasn't in i wasn't at this state which is quite funny i feel like now because of all the training that i've done because of all the workouts that i've done in the past with you know boxing etc i've got to a point where I need to train to feel good you know I've got a couple photos I was going to bring these out later in the conversation we've gone there early so I mean that's great like surely surely you have that one on your bathroom mirror JJ looking ripped every morning yeah what about that one oh guys yep yep that was well that was that was a few years ago in January I mean when you put those side by side it's crazy right the that's the dedication to get to that yeah tell us about that oh bro it was so during the time when i was big and heavy you know i was still drinking i was still you know just partying doing whatever but i just i didn't feel good man i i didn't feel good in myself i felt like i wasn't at my optimum level and i felt like i needed to switch this up i need to make a change So I said, you know what?

5:35Screw it. I'm going to get in shape. And with me, I'm the type of guy that if I put my mind to something, I'm going to make sure I get it no matter what. So every day I'd wake up nice and early, get a run in or go to the gym and just do certain workouts. And then after, I'd have a little break or do a bit of filming or do whatever I need to do, music, et cetera. And then I'd find time in the evening to go and do a 5K. And then I'm there like every day. constantly and then you know on the sunday i'd go okay i want to do a 10k just to switch it up uh and like you know for me i'd have no breaks it was just every day just constantly pushing my body pushing my body and it got to a point where i just shredded it all off and i was like and because i was you know looking in the mirror and seeing a change it excited me you know built gave me more confidence and then i'd work harder and harder and keep pushing myself and it was yeah it was good and then when I got to that I was like yeah this is I feel fantastic let's talk then about how you found the time to get into that kind of shape because when I was doing my research for this interview you know normally we sit and have a conversation about finding high performance in a certain field yeah but it's not possible to have that conversation with you because you found high performance in the music world in the boxing world in the youtube world you've got I've been XAX.

6:57I spotted that on your necklace when you came in.

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8:47How do you manage to juggle so many things, and not only that, juggle them at a really high level? Well, it takes a lot of time. It takes time to figure out how to get to the point where I can understand what's going on and understand what I can do and what I can't do. So, you know, when it comes to Sidemen, you know, there were periods where it was just too much, where we were doing too much filming. So now we got to a point after several years to get to a point where we're able to do certain videos at certain times and not need to do every single video. We're able to just find a good balance.

9:32Same with the music. I'd go in the studio and just go in there for, what, 12 plus hours. I hardly eat properly or I didn't really take care of myself. And it got to a point where I was making music, but I was really treating my body terribly. So I fixed that up, figured out a way to make it work. For example, if I made a song, I'd do the verses beforehand so that whenever I just go to the studio, all I'm doing is singing or rapping and that's it. and I'm not wasting time trying to figure stuff out, etc. And then, yeah, when it comes to the boxing, again, there's times where I push myself too much, where I just train way too much, I'll get sick or injured, and I've learned to find a good balance between all of that.

10:33So, ultimately, what I'm trying to say is balance is the most important thing, And I've got a schedule on Excel, not Excel, on Sheets, Google Sheets, which has my whole calendar of like everything that I've got going on. And, you know, that is like my Bible. Whenever I need to know what's going on in the next few weeks, months, I look at that and go, OK, cool, cool. You know, I try to plan things. You know, I've got a PA to help make sure I'm not overdoing certain things. you know even with like uh podcasting you know me going on podcasts you know i'm very selective of you know what i say yes to you know it's i don't just say yes to everything you know there was a period where i used to say yes to absolutely everything but i mean you know especially for someone who is starting out in this industry you you kind of have to to figure out what you like what you don't like and then eventually you know i've got to a point where i'm just happy to say no and yeah now I'm just in a really good spot after what 31 years to know that okay this works this doesn't I enjoy this I don't enjoy this etc I think it's great because I think that some people make the mistake of thinking high performance means 100 % 100 % of the time on every project the truth is that's not sustainable it's not sustainable it's not it doesn't make sense really you don't want to do that because then you're not able to put 100 % into everything.

12:06It's kind of like 10 % into everything. So, yeah, for me, I've definitely now got to a point where I've just found the right balance and I know, okay, if I want to put in more percentage into something, I know how to do it. Same with, you know, whatever I do. Tell me if this question doesn't make sense, right? Okay. Are you KSI less often now? Like, I assume I'm talking... Do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, I'm talking to JJ right now. Yeah, 100 % me, yeah. This is the man behind KSI. So with this sort of newfound approach to life, are you KSI less often? Yeah, 100 % because I feel like KSI is quite draining.

12:48Being KSI, it's just... Is it tiring? It's a lot. It's a lot, but it's entertaining though. I know when the cameras are on and I need to play up, I know how to do it. And then as soon as the cameras are off, I know how to just, you know, reduce my energy and just be me again and just essentially be in sleep mode until I need to be KSI again. So, like, for me, I take a lot of naps. Like, I could literally sleep anywhere, but I feel like it's needed, especially whenever I need to just find time in a busy schedule just to refresh myself. the truth is there's also a cost I think to being a character all the time like we had Ryland on High Performance and he had a real mental health crisis because Ross which is who he really is was neglected because everyone loves Ryland Ryland gets all the work Ryland makes all the money Ryland's the megastar Ryland has the millions of followers can you relate to that?

13:51um no great question but I think do you know what I mean though? but I think the reason why is because I've I've been quite smart to make sure that people know of JJ and of KSI. So people see KSI, you know, whenever I'm doing music, boxing, et cetera, they're like, oh, he's being that guy. But then on my YouTube channel, you know, my YouTube channel is called, my second YouTube channel is called JJ Olatunji. And it's just me just being me. You know, it's not like I'm going crazy all the time, but like it's a lot more real a lot more human where people can actually relate to it a lot more compared to how i was for example when i was fighting tommy fury and i was there like i am the nightmare ksi like no one can defeat me basically like i'm an anime character but like that is what i need to be to get into the boxing mode if that makes sense to be like no one can defeat me and it's quite delusional of anything but you have to be delusional in the boxing ring to make sure no matter what goes on you're there like i will win i'm going to beat anyone and have no fear have you seen our conversation with tyson fury no no where he says he says the gypsy king is fearless strong undefeated powerful tyson fury is a flawed individual that makes constant mistakes and he spoke very similar to you really that you always have to become someone else going in the boxing room with someone else is not a natural thing to do it's terrifying, getting punched in the face having a guy being able to knock you out there's a lot of fear behind that but if you're a certain character that has no fear, a character that doesn't care what the opponent is and will defeat whatever is in front of him.

15:53That's powerful. And, you know, I like to tap into that a lot whenever I box. So does KSI believe he can beat anyone? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, of course. Like, you can put anyone in front of me and, you know, the KSI character would just be like, yeah, I'm obliterating. Like, I've trained too hard. You know, you ain't trained as hard as I have. Da, da, da, da, da. Like, I just know, Like, it's just having that mental force, being able to just say, nothing can beat me, nothing can stop me. It's just so powerful. It must be so lovely to have that to tap into. Oh, yeah. Obviously, it's, you know, again, it's draining as well.

16:41Like, it's a lot. It's a lot in the body. Like, especially after, you know, once the boxing fight is done, you know, after, I'm just like, ugh. Do you know, is there, like, when you're stepping in the ring, though, and KSI is saying, I'm going to just beat this punk, does JJ not pop up going, mate, look at his six-pack. He's got huge guns. He's undefeated. No, no, no. So there's no voice. There's no JJ in your head. No, no, no, no. JJ is long gone. JJ's in the back, yeah. He's back hiding. Like, yeah, it's all KSI at that point. Yeah. and because I've done it so many times it's I'm able to just you know block that the human side of me that goes oh fuck this is ridiculous I'm like in front of all these people and I'm fighting they all want me to knock this person out you know can I actually do it you know am I actually good enough to do this and then I don't know it's cool I feel like I'm able to rely on KSI because I know with him I don't have to worry it's like boom I know I'm just I'm going to succeed So how does KSI not JJ manage to succeed in all these areas because it's massively impressive to look at boxing and want to shape it up and then to do that and do what you've done to try and change the drinks industry and to sell millions of bottles of your energy drink are so incredible to be one of the pioneers of YouTube I don't really think that you get the credit for being a pioneer in all of these spaces it's not like I don't really need the credit I feel like my success is proof essentially I don't really need to be in your face like guys respect me look at what I've done that's just not the type of guy I am I'm quite low key like a lot of people when they you know meet me or know me like they know I'm not I'm not really a guy that's out there but KSI is like KSI is in your face KSI would do crazy stuff KSI would do whatever and that is like the alter ego that just is doesn't care whereas me I'm just you know very to myself you know I hardly ever go out you know I'm not a guy that you know needs the fame I'm just there like you know I'm happy just with my cats with my girlfriend with my family that's it that sounds blissful yeah yeah but that's it like simple it's so simple and it's so basic but it's just beautiful that's just what I love do you get energy though from people going he's not a credible music artist he's not a proper professional boxer he's you know that great phrase he's just a YouTuber well I think it used to be the type of thing where oh i love to prove people wrong whereas now it's like i don't even need to prove people wrong now i'm just doing it for myself now it's just okay how far can i go what can i do to excite me to you know to push myself to the next level etc uh i think you know before it used to be when people were saying oh you can't do music you're not good at rapping uh you can't even chart and then i chart and they're like oh well you can't get a number one album oh then i get a number one album or you can't get a top five and then i get a top five or oh you can't beat this person in the boxing ring and then i do etc like it's just you know after a while i'm there like okay i the proof is in the pudding i don't need to keep on proving people now it's just okay, what can I do to prove to myself that I can do more and see how far I can go, what level I can reach, etc.

20:40So do you feel that you know a secret to success? Do you think there's something that you've been able to repeat in all of your different endeavors? I think to be successful in something, first of all, it's dedication. you need to just be at it all the time you also need to be quite obsessive to the point where it just takes over your life and you just want to know everything about that thing give me an example of that in your life i think when it when it came to like music i was just like you know how do i chart what can i do or what what you know what things do i need to do in order to charting in in terms of like okay what type of chorus would make sense uh to to chart and you know i knew especially during lockdown that there was a little gap in the market there was a lot you know a lot of musicians were kind of they didn't know what was going on they were like you know there's a lockdown the whole covid thing and i was like this is my time to just strike and go ham so you know i just went studio worked on several choruses you know catchy how did you know that though like how are you gaining that information well it's it's just repetition just constantly studying everything about music just you know like i i'm a type of guy that i don't put myself in one lane so with music i you know i like rap when you know i personally like Rap, R &B, a bit of rock.

22:22That's about it. But in terms of what I do musically, I can do whatever. If it's pop, hip-hop, just rap, R &B, Afrobeats, anything, any genre, I go, okay, I can adapt and then be able to attack and go, okay, cool. let me make this type of song or this type of song etc and i think that's what gives me a bit of an edge you know with with me people don't know what to expect and i think that's what excites people like with music you know i could just come through and hit people with um there's a song that recently leaked uh i saw that and i felt sorry for you that was so it was so annoying but yeah it happens but there was a song that people heard and they were like i didn't know case i could do this and i've heard this so many times they're like oh i didn't know case i could do this i didn't know case i could do this genre etc and that is just what i am you don't know what to expect and i like being able to just be free and i think that's what is also another thing from determination, being obsessive, but also being able to adapt.

23:46Because things change. The world is always changing. And a lot of times I'm just watching. I'm just looking at what's going on. Every now and then I comment, but a lot of times I'm just staying in the background and I'm just watching. I'm going, okay, cool. This is what is trending. This is what's doing well. Cool. I need to adapt. I need to maneuver in this way in order to do well. Okay, so TikTok is popping. Okay, cool. I need to start working on TikTok more. Okay, with YouTube videos, it needs to be a certain way, a certain length, et cetera. You know, there's always just certain things and I'm just able to just adapt, but that's just through me being obsessive with everything I do.

24:37and I think that is definitely one of the key things and obviously it's hard to adapt to everything because there's times where you could be doing something and it's working, it's working and then it changes and because you're so comfortable in doing the one thing you just go, you know what, I'm just going to stay in this lane and you're just going to ride it out but eventually you just get forgotten whereas for me, I'm there like oh okay, the tide is changing I'm going to start changing as well and I'm able to just do it and I feel like I can tell when things move and when things are hot and you just stay on that lane that's what I think is one of your superpowers realising what is needed what is lacking I think boxing is a fascinating example of seeing an opportunity that no one else saw I just felt like for me, especially with Misfits I felt like there was an opportunity to do influencer boxing because no one in that space was doing it no one in boxing is doing influencers fighting each other.

25:49But did you not then think well no one's doing it so maybe it's not possible? No, no, no, with me I'm there like cool, this is an opportunity, let's go so me and my manager at Mams we just went yeah let's create this misfits company and let's just have fun with it let's just see how it goes and uh yeah and then you know obviously i'd be fine on the cards here and there or performing on the cards and yeah just make it work that's just how how i am like i i just see opportunities and i go okay cool this makes sense let's do it and i've had so many opportunities to do certain things and i just go hmm that won't make sense i'm not gonna do it and so is that based on gut feeling or is that more related to the kind of algorithm that you've used in a lot of your areas to drive success?

26:40I think it's partly gut feeling but it's also partly just looking at the landscape and going, does this make sense for now or the future? And a lot of times it doesn't. Yeah, and, you know, with that you just have to go, okay, cool, and just be happy to say no. There's a lot of things on the internet or in the world where people are trying to find the next best thing, next best thing all the time. But a lot of time, you know, what is happening right now is still very hot. And you've just got to take advantage of that before you adapt to the next thing. And are you someone who already has in their head the end goal?

27:22Or are you someone that focuses on the process? I'd say the process. I'd say the end goal is there to look at and be like, all right, cool. but the process is so important like you've got to be able to enjoy the process maybe it's something as simple as uh a fighting camp you know the goal is to be in shape to be a hundred percent but you know at the beginning you know you might not be as fit you might not be as strong you might not be as fast and you know it could be quite a daunting task to be like okay i've got eight to 10 weeks of just continuous training at the highest level and i have to go through it every single day can i do this and then you know you look at the end goal and you're like oh this is even achievable but like for me i'm there like i know let's bring it back let's enjoy every step you know bit by bit that's just how it is you can't just go and just look at the you know the end goal you've got to just enjoy the journey because then before you realize you're at the end and then you're like oh my god wow and then you have the fight and everything and then you just enjoy the moment and then after it's done and then it's like okay what's next and that's what happens with most things whether it's like youtube music you can have a number one this or a banger of a video on youtube and then everyone's like what's next and for some people that's that's a lot for them to take that's for a lot for them to deal with that okay i put all my effort into all of this thing and then it's done and now everyone's asking for what's next and that's why it's so important to enjoy the journey because then you people can still be at what's next but you enjoyed that time and it's you know you don't really worry about what's next you just there like you know i had a good time i enjoyed that and then if anything what's next is exciting because you're like oh cool what's the next journey that's going to excite me and then that's how you that's how i envision it anyway and have you actually taken time to stop and enjoy this journey oh yeah yeah yeah before i didn't before there was every time so i didn't and you know you'd get depressed you'd get sad um you'd lose yourself and you'd figure out you wonder like oh you know do i want to do this or why am i doing this etc as you know over the time when was that i'd say i've had a few times i'd say 2017 was a time where i had like a six seven month break on uh youtube where i didn't post you know i delete a load of tweets like if and not at the time i delete all my tweets delete all my tweets delete like almost all my youtube videos um delete all my instagram photos i didn't even archive it which is so stupid yeah yeah but like i was so impulsive i was just like i need to just leave the internet and just figure out myself and what was going on i just i got to a point where I felt like I'd reached the ceiling in my life and I wasn't able to get anywhere like I it's like I had like a midlife crisis I was like is this it is this my life am I gonna just be doing this for the rest of my life and this was before I was doing the music properly and this was before I was you know boxing etc I was like you know I was like one of the top guys on YouTube I was like is this it like I just make videos and yeah even during that time I wasn't enjoying the journey I was just alright end goal end goal end goal looking at the end goal every time and I was like oh my god is this it am I just going to be doing this for the rest of my life and then I freaked out and I was like nah fuck this I'm out really yeah and then I kind of just went on holiday travelled you know enjoyed myself tried to figure out what I wanted to do and I was like alright I kind of want to be a guy that is able to just do whatever I want and not be stuck in this lane of you're a YouTuber you have to just do YouTube and that is it so I started doing music I started properly doing music and I was like you know what I'm going to be one of the biggest artists in the world and that was that was the goal and I was like I know this is going to be a long tough journey because you know even It's so funny.

32:00Even back then, the idea of a YouTuber being able to get a number one album or a top five, et cetera, no one could even fathom it. They were like, there's no way. Shut up. What are you doing? So I used that to drive me. And then over the years, I'd just be getting closer and closer to getting a number one. And then eventually, I got one. And I was like, I did it. Holy fucking shit, I did it. and this is sick. And then I was like, okay, boxing. You know, like it kind of just fell on my lap with the whole Joe Weller thing. But I felt like this was another lane where I was like, okay, I want to test myself.

32:48I want to push myself. And then I went gung-ho on that. And, you know, then the music and then YouTube. And then I kind of just was able to just get to this point where I was never just in one box. So has all of the areas that you've got going on now stopped you going back to that dark place in 2017? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, I'm never at that spot now anymore. And, you know, every now and then it can happen. I can feel like it's coming. But then I just know, okay, there's something not right. There's something not right. And then I'd go see a therapist, talk it out, figure out what I need to work on and then yeah after that I'm able to you know I'm a guy that's I like likes to be quite logical and go okay I need to do this and this to make this work and I don't know I just feel like I don't know I feel like there's algorithms in like everything we do as humans so I know I'm not happy right now why am I not happy?

33:58it's because I'm not training enough or I'm not doing enough exercise I'm not seeing my family as much as I want to see them I'm not spending enough time with my loved ones or I'm not able to enjoy my life i it's just what what what what what and i'm able to you know figure that out and go okay let me make a change let me sort that out let me do this do this cool now i'm happier i feel better cool and that's just it and you know a lot of times with a therapist it's like an extra an extra mind to you know unlock something which i you know i see is really important it's not like i see a therapist you know all the time every week it's like whenever i feel something is happening or I'm not in the good spot I go okay let me message my therapist book in the session work it all out sometimes it could take a few weeks a few months could take a week and I go okay cool figure it out boom and then I'm back to being me again being happy and blessed was 2017 the first time you saw a therapist did you see one then no so it's funny like in 2017 like Like the idea of going to the therapist, I felt weak, if that makes sense.

35:23I felt like, oh, you know, I'm not man enough to just figure it out myself. So I didn't see a therapist in 2017. Yeah, it was only around, I think, 2020, 2021 when I actually started to see a therapist to really like figure out what's going on in here. but you know I feel like a lot of people have this stigma or is this yeah it's this stigma to do with you know seeing a therapist they're like nah you know it's I don't want to be seen as weak you know I have to go to someone to try and figure out my problems but like it's I see it as like this hack of being able to advance yourself and you just need a little helping hand to get to that point and you know with everything i've done like especially throughout the years i've always you know promoted seeing a therapist if you know mentally it's just not working and like you know so even you know like we were saying at the beginning something as simple as exercising can make such a difference.

36:33But then, even if that helps, but it's not, you know, the real solution, then yeah, so maybe sometimes you need to go into your past, you know, figure out what your trauma is and attack it head on and deal with it for you to be able to, you know, be able to move on. You know, I feel like a lot of people get stuck in the past or have this victim mindset where I'm in this position because of this person or I'm in this position because of that person and they never let that go. And sometimes you just have to go, okay, that happened, but it's all right. I'm going to make it work. I'm going to fix this.

37:24I'm going to sort this out myself and I'm going to use this to make me stronger. And that's pretty much what I've just done. Yeah, amazing.

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39:42Are you happy to share with us what you found when you looked and tried to work out? Yeah, well, I mean, you know, something... With me, you know, having African parents, It's a lot of pressure. So as a firstborn, pressure to be the best, to be a doctor, lawyer, etc. Pressure to be the breadwinner of the family. The pressure to just do well all the time. Yeah, it's a lot. And it gets to a point where a lot of times I just hate just life. I'd be like, this is not fair. you know my bro has got such an easier time what you know why do i have all the pressure etc and you know even you know back in day when i would get like beat and stuff like that and yeah sometimes i get beat for misbehaving or being a dickhead but then there's times where i'll get beat but it wasn't my fault or you know i didn't deserve to get beat and then i'd always hold that and i would always hold that anger you know towards my parents and i'd just be like oh this is not fair and you know even the idea of saying no i'd be afraid to say no because you know if i said no to my parents i'd just get beat so like i'd i'd be like okay i'm saying yes to everything and you know it gets to the point where i never i wasn't caring about myself it was always just making sure i please everyone please you know just like i'd always want to try and please my parents i'd always try to want to please everyone in like the industry i'm in just to make everyone else happy but then i was never making myself happy so you know i'd see a therapist just to you know attack all of this head on and it got to a point where you know it's you can see like i actually released a documentary on amazon where you see parts of it but you know with the therapist i was able to really like you know see my parents in different light and go you know see well see it from their point of view you know how life was for them because you know they it's not like they were super rich.

42:08Like we, you know, they were struggling a lot. They were in so much debt, but they were happy to put themselves in that amount of debt just to try and give us an opportunity, just to try and get us into private school, just to try and, you know, the amount of times they would like remortgage or just take out loans just to try and be able to afford whatever school, whatever thing I'm doing, just to give me as many opportunities as possible. And I remember when I failed my A-levels, they lost their shit. And at the time I was like, why have you put so much pressure on me? I didn't even want to do any of this anyway.

43:01and then you know looking at from their point of view it's like they just put all this time and effort into making getting me into this position and for me to just toss it away like it's it's i guess devastating so yeah it's you know i was able to throughout my life you know see from their point of view see their background and see how their parents treated them and it's just way way worse because you know they were what one of like nine kids and their parents just hardly gave a shit like at least my parents gave a shit you know what I mean whereas you know there's just hardly all they did was just take take from them so yeah you know i i you know before i used to always have this like mini hatred towards my parents so it's now i'm just like that's all gone you know i absolutely love my parents you know love and adore them and you know i understand their point of view and they're on you know understand where they came from and you know Even the idea of making them proud is just like so sick.

44:14So, yeah. Mate, thank you so much for sharing that. No, no, it's all good. And I've got something I'd like to share with you because we were sent a message from someone who wanted to tell you this, which is related to what we're talking about. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Here's your dad. Oh, wow. Hey, big boy, it's your dad. I have a hog waiting for you. Oh. Throughout your younger years, I've always wanted to instill these three qualities in you. These are discipline, loyalty, and respect. You have always been performing at a very high level because of your family and friends. Your hard work and your never give up attitude is what makes you an other twinji.

45:02I'm so proud of you and I love you. Wow. that's not even my dad and it brings tears to my eyes. Oh my gosh. It's so funny. My dad is such a guy that he like, he doesn't say much, but you know, when he does say stuff, it's really dope to hear. How do you feel when you see that? It's just lovely, man. It's just, I like, that's why I'm like, why not? I'm just in such a good place where, you know, I'm just so happy with how everything is going. You know what? On a human level, I'm so pleased that it's something that you've managed to resolve and to deal with? Because I think that one of the really big lessons for a lot of people listening to this is they might be in a not dissimilar position to you, right, with their relationship to their parents or your former relationship to your parents.

45:51So what do you think solves it? Success. Becoming KSI, you would have thought, and many people would have thought, well, that will solve any problems with thinking I'm not good enough for my parents. Did it? No. No? No, not at all. Yeah. And I feel like a lot of people think that. Yeah. And the way, I think for me, the way to really resolve everything is just forgiveness. I think if you are able to just, able to let go of the thing that is just dragging you down, then you will be free. Simple as that. But it's hard to forgive. You know, at times, you know, like even something as simple as someone cheating on you or yeah like or someone betraying you etc like it's hard to look past that trauma but when you do when you let go of that oh my god it's it is the best feeling ever because you're just after you know in the in the future you go oh why did I ever let that thing drag me down?

47:02Why did I ever let that thing just cloud my whole mindset? I also think that sometimes you can look at the way that you were brought up, right? Yeah. And you can see it through one prism. Yeah. But actually there's often multiple ways to look at the same experience. Yes. So I want to share with you a little bit of psychological research. So the clinical psychologist, so the clinical psychologist Meg Ray published an article in the Wall Street Journal last November. it was a study of 400 extraordinarily high achievers, right? Okay. I'm counting you in that bracket. Oh, wow, all right. When they looked at their lives, they found 75 % of them had survived critical challenges in childhood.

47:43Clinical psychologist Mark Luciano said there's growing evidence that in middle and high school kids, character strengths are a reflection of their environment. You can't teach character by saying to kids, be more resilient, deal with your problems better, be more confident, be more self-assured. the only way as a young for a young person to become more self-assured more confident more resilient is to experience those things and i think that your upbringing meant that you had to you had to do you had to be resilient yeah yeah well i guess if my parents were a different way i maybe i wouldn't be in this position almost certainly which is quite funny isn't it have you thought about it like that well i mean i yeah like Because I know their way of upbringing me, or bringing me up, should I say, meant that I was going to be a hardworking person.

48:36It meant that I was going to be a person that was able to deal with pressure. It's a lot of pressure. I'm the type of guy, if I'm going in a ring in front of all these people, there's like my heartbeat isn't going i'm just that cool as a cucumber like i am just so relaxed so chill i just know i need to do and just because i've been in high pressure situations all the time but it also has given you what i think is a superpower of any high performer yeah which is resilience yeah because i've spent years seeing resilient people outperform talented people yeah by 100 to 1 yeah and i guess you know like in the future it's like when i have kids how do i want to bring them up you know and i the thing is i feel like i'm gonna be quite a hard parent like i i i feel like i'm gonna be the type of person that goes all right you know you're never gonna be fat you're always gonna be in shape you're always gonna make sure i'm always going to make sure you're eating well.

49:47Yeah, you can have cheat meals here and there, but I want to instill quite a focused mindset. I still want them to enjoy life, experience things, because you tell a kid, don't do this. They're going to do it eventually, and then they're going to realize by themselves that they shouldn't have done that. But you can guide them, but ultimately they're going to just do what they want to do. And I feel like I'm going to just be that type of parent that will give them all the skills and then just go, all right, do you, enjoy yourself. But that's another great legacy that your parents have left. They've shown you one way and you've chosen another.

50:33I'm no expert on parenting, right? I've made more mistakes than most. I've got two kids. You saw my son. He was dragging me around Oxford Street buying every bottle of Prime that was big, priced, overpriced, by the way. Some of these shops are making a lot of money. Yeah, definitely. Of your price. But I think the thing with, I found as a parent, is to give your kids, even from a really young age, give them the information that they deserve. Treat your kids, not like adults, but tell them why you're acting in a certain way. You don't just say you can't have that. The answer is to educate them.

51:07Yeah. And realise that actually, if you tell young people there's a reason why you're asking them to do a certain thing or not do another certain thing. It's amazing how well they react to that. Whereas a lot of your upbringing was just, this is the rule, and that's how it is. I'm not explaining it, I'm not talking about it. That's the rule. It left you wondering why that is the rule. Well, it shows how important communication is. I feel like even relationships, a lot of relationships break down because the communication fails. They're just saying one thing and the partner doesn't understand why they're saying a certain thing, etc.

51:44And then eventually they just drift apart. So with my relationship, it's had ups and downs. It's just no one's perfect. We've had times where we've broken up and we've had times where it's been absolutely phenomenal. and through that you kind of just realize what makes sense, why certain things work, why certain things don't work and through time you kind of just get to this point where, how am I going to say it, I guess this paradise where at first you're in the honeymoon period where everything is amazing, everything is bliss and then after that you figure each other out and then there's this friction of you trying to communicate how you are, she's trying to communicate how she is, etc.

52:50And then there's this friction and it's just for several years you're going back and forth and then ups and downs, ups and downs and sometimes there's a breaking point. But then after, that might be it and it's done or you might, you know, after that point, realize how much you guys truly need each other. And then you both work on each other during that time, come back together, and then it just works. And then you communicate and everything. And it's just after that, once you get past that really tough period, it's just bliss and you hardly fight anymore because you just understand each other.

53:29Then you have kids and it all goes to shit. yeah well that's a whole new challenge we'll see yeah yeah that's a whole new challenge but do you like talking like this having these sorts of conversations um I mean I'm pretty blessed with anything yeah I don't mind yeah I'm pretty easy going so yeah it's I'm just yeah I'm happy to just talk good because I think I think it's important because people see a certain person when they see KSI yeah to see someone very different which is which is the real you which is JJ I think the reason why that's important is because you have an incredible reach, right?

54:05And with incredible reach comes incredible responsibility. Yeah. How often do you think about that? Oh, God. Yeah, definitely a lot. I think for me, I've definitely portrayed this a lot to my audience that I am a human being, which means I'm going to make mistakes. I'm not going to be perfect I am a flawed human being it's just how things are I'm figuring out life the same as everyone else's and through the mistakes that I make I know okay cool and I improve on that and I get better and I see myself as become a better human being because of my failures or my mistakes etc but I always tell my audience Like, yeah, there's a lot of pressure.

55:00A lot of people see me as a role model, but, you know, don't worship me. You know, I'm just like you. You know, I'm just like everyone else. Yes, I, you know, I have fame and, you know, money-wise, et cetera. But, like, you know, when it comes deep down to the knee, really, you know, I bleed the same as everyone else. You know, I am, you know, I have ups and downs in life. and nothing is perfect, nothing is smooth sailing. But what you have that most people don't have is this mouthpiece, this ability to, you can really change the way people think, you can change the way people act, you can change the way people relate to each other, speak to each other.

55:42Is that important for you? Because I kind of feel like you can leave the world in a better place, or you can make loads of money. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But can you do both? Well, yeah, you definitely can do both. and I've got legacy tattooed on my back and that is one of the most important words for me because when I die, I want to be remembered as the guy who was like, you know what, I used to watch him and he made me laugh. Maybe at times he made me cry, but fuck me, man, he made a difference in how I felt or how I thought or just me in general. He made me believe in myself, et cetera. And that's kind of just what I want.

56:32And I say it with everything that I do or I show it with everything that I do. I started in my bedroom, this little kid, with just an idea. And then I just had more ideas and more ideas. And I just kept going and kept going and just wanted to see how far I could go. And I'm still seeing. So, yeah, I know a lot of people who've been inspired by me. And I have a lot of people who are inspired by me and want to do better than me. And I'm like, let's go. This is what I want. I don't want to be seen as the guy who shits on the younger talent or shits on the people coming up. I take in everyone. You know, I'm a guy that, obviously there's certain people or things where I'm like, I don't really want to be associated with this.

57:28But, you know, for the best part, you know, as long as it's not hurting people, as long as it's helping people and bringing people up, you know, I'm always for it. I love the fact you've lifted others with you as you've gone. You haven't kind of turned around. Let's say the Cybermen is a really good example. Yeah, yeah. Because how much of this would you have achieved from the start, totally on your own, with no collaboration, no help from other people? Oh, of course, hardly any. Like, I wouldn't be in this position at all. Life's a team sport, but you understand that. Yeah, and, yeah, I just don't understand how some people can be selfish or think about it as me, me, me, me, me.

58:08Like, I'm always a guy that, yeah, like, no matter what I do, like, I'm always trying to just bring my friends or family in. and I just feel like when you're at the top isn't it better to be with everyone rather than just yourself and for people that doubt the power of collaboration yeah whether it is creating prime yeah whether the bottle you're drinking from today is a collaboration yeah tell us about the power of collaborating with others oh bro I've been collabing from the beginning I remember even with FIFA videos I would collab and I would collab even when it doesn't make sense I would still collab because that's just how I am.

58:48Like, I understand how powerful collaborating is, how, you know, uniting with another person can make such a difference and, you know, how powerful that can be. Why is it? I think because it's just, how can I word this? It creates something that's unexpected. It creates something that no one knows what could happen, but it's exciting. It creates moments. And I'm a guy that is always trying to create moments with whatever I do. And even me going on this podcast is creating a moment. Or me collaborating with an artist creates a moment. You know, me collaborating on a YouTube video, you know, it creates moments.

59:44And these are all very special. And, you know, if I want to think of it from a business point of view, oh, it's just, you know, it's getting my name out there more. You know, you want to be, especially if you want to be in this industry, you want to put yourself out there as much as possible. And that's a great way to do it, just collaborate, collaborate, collaborate. See, sometimes I think some of the best collaborations that you've created have basically been beef with people. In the early days, I remember thinking, who's this guy that just roused with everyone and everyone loves him? And I think there was a power in that, wasn't there?

1:00:21Yeah, collaboration through hatred. Yeah, oh my God, yeah. I guess even with boxing fights, I guess with Joella, there was beef. But that's collaboration of us battling each other, creating a huge moment that I guess started Influencer Boxing or launched it to the masses or you know with me and Logan you know even from like even when I was doing like diss tracks you know like this collaboration there of me just rapping about someone or clashing with someone yeah like well I watched the Sidemen doc and you were talking about when you were writing diss tracks about each other yeah but you're still talking about that years later yeah Because it was a moment.

1:01:06It was a moment, that's it. And when I'm old and grey, I'll be able to look back and go, that was a cool moment, that was a cool moment. Look at all these stoke moments. I'll be like, you know what, I had a fucking sick life. And I feel like I've made an impact on this world because of it. But with all these lovely conversations we're having about leaning into other people, empathy, understanding, Like, why still have an issue with someone like Jake Paul? Why not lead in again? Let's just be friends. Let's get to know each other. I think for me, with me and Jake, I mean, you never know what can happen in the future, but I feel like, you know, there's this competitiveness between us where he thinks he can beat me, I think I can beat him, and it's just been unresolved and you know I guess with me and Logan you know we had that and then we create Prime so like I know like everyone's been waiting for the fight between me and Jake but it's you know it's one on ones where he is too heavy I'm too light and we're just not agreeing but I'm at a point where I'm just gonna I'm just going to wait you know like I'm at a point where I don't need to chase I can just wait wait it out like eventually he's going to have to come to my way eventually he has to come you know say what's up I am I love the fact that you're you're proud of what you've done yeah and you're proud of what you've left behind so far how do you feel when you see because I think you know there's a lot of luck in what you've done right because you were born you were born at a time where technology allowed this to happen all of your knowledge all of your power all of your skills 50 years ago were worthless because the internet didn't exist I don't even know what I would be doing so how do you feel when you see people let's take Andrew Tate as a good example who see the technology and decide to use it for their kind of message I see a lot of the power that he has he just uses it for hatred like a lot of hatred and I feel like that is just negatively hurting the world because of it.

1:03:33And it's, you know, taking people down like a horrible path. I don't want to get into details, but I just feel like his messaging, you know, at first when it came to like bringing up young boys who felt lost, felt like they weren't being heard. You know, he was the guy that was, you know, giving them guidance, you know, letting them be heard. But now he's just twisting that power that he's created. And it's just making people hate one another. And he's just pushing people down this whole agenda of like the whole, you know, the Matrix this, Matrix that. You know, the Matrix is trying to get us, da, da, da, da.

1:04:22It's just, I don't know, clouding a lot of people and just creating a lot of tension between people. And, you know, I'm just not for that. You know, I'm always pushing, like, we can be peaceful. We can all just, you know, get along to a certain degree, you know, by just communicating our issues, our problems. And, you know, not everyone's going to agree. You know, there's going to be problems. you know everyone's got their own idea of how things should work how things should be run but you know maybe it's okay to just hear everyone out and then figure out what is the right balance for everything what's it about though why be like that is it power is it fame is it notoriety i think it's a benefit i think i don't know maybe him maybe it's the thing is it's like Some people can just have a power complex.

1:05:17Some people just like the idea that they're able to create something crazy or just do something to an extent where everyone is just going crazy because of that one person. And they just like that. It just boosts their ego, makes them feel good. They like to just see how powerful they truly are. you know it's just it's just how humans are like not everyone's gonna be a good person you know even if you have uh good intentions you know it could still be bad you know a lot of times you just need to step back you know avoid all the noise and just try and be like clear and see all sides and then make a decision from that rather than just blindly following someone.

1:06:13And that's why I tell my audience, don't just blindly follow me. You know, listen to what I have to say, listen to what someone else has to say, and then make your own decision. Look, before we wrap up, and I've really enjoyed this. Yeah. What do you still want to do? Well, I still want to do, oh, bro, I want to have kids, man. I want to have kids. You know, I want to get married. I kind of want to just live that life. You know, like, I feel like that's the next step for me. You know, I also want to, you know, release an album. Also, you know, I still want to fight. I still want to do sidemen videos, YouTube videos, et cetera.

1:06:51But, like, I think for me personally, I think, you know, having kids and, you know, marriage and everything, I think that's, for me, the next step, and that's something I really want to do. That's the real legacy. Yeah. Right, quickfire questions. Yeah. Ready for them? Let's do it. What are the three most important non-negotiable behaviors? I'd say obsession is one. Like, no matter what you do, if you want to be one of the top people, you have to be obsessed. You have to love it. I'd say love as well. You have to love what you're doing. If you don't love it, there's really no point in doing it because you're not going to enjoy it.

1:07:33If you don't enjoy it now, you're probably not going to enjoy it in the future, etc. So find something you love. Find something you love. Obsess over it. obsess over it and then never be super comfortable i never never just stay in one lane or never just be like oh this is it you know be ready to adapt at all times what's your biggest strength what's your greatest weakness biggest strength is probably my mindset i'm able to just understand things or you know know when it makes sense to do something when it doesn't make sense to do something I'm able to just even like high pressure situations I'm able to just lock in and just do what I need to do my weakness being taken advantage of yeah I'd say that happens a lot but I'm the type of guy that I'm just like okay like I just brush it off and just move on but yeah i'd definitely need to improve on not letting people take advantage of me yeah what's the best bit of advice you've ever been given when you don't feel like doing something is the best time to do it because it's so crazy how powerful the mind is if you're able to trick this then you'll be able to just do so many things and you won't even realize your potential from that are you happy yes very happy yeah yeah yeah i'm like you know i'm happy just being me you know i'm happy with everything that has happened in my life from the ups and downs i'm happy with how my life has gone like i'm happy that my life wasn't smooth sailing I'm happy that you know I've been through hardship I've been through traumatising things because it's made me the person I am today and I feel like yeah a lot of people can learn from that and the final question after this amazing conversation yeah what would you like to leave ringing in the ears of the many people that will listen to this in terms of finding their own version of high performance ultimately find what brings you joy in life and if you don't know what that is just throw yourself into things just throw yourself into random things see what you like, see what you don't like that's the best way I feel like a lot of people feel like they can't get anywhere or they can't do things and it's just like, well then, just YOLO into it.

1:10:35Just try stuff. Try stuff, see what happens. Brilliant. Thank you, man.

1:10:45And that's it for today's show. You know, I was thinking of other guests that I could recommend based on the life that JJ has lived and I thought, well, okay, let's do both then. You could maybe listen to some of our boxing guests. We've spoken to Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou on previous episodes of High Performance, or maybe you just want to focus on the music. Well, Chase and Status, who've just hit number one in the UK, have also been on the show, and we have a great conversation with them. Look, I'd love to hear from you. Tell me what stood out to you from this conversation with JJ. What have you learned that you can put into your own life?

1:11:18And finally, I just want to say a big thanks. A big thanks to you for growing and sharing this show among your community. Please hit the follow button if you haven't already. it allows us to make high performance bigger and better than ever before. I'll see you soon.

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