Is modern society making us soft?
Former Royal Marine and police officer Simon doesn’t hold back as he shares his unapologetic take on parenting, discipline, fitness—and why your morning routine might be holding you back.
The discussion covers his recent observations on the physical state of men, his opinions on vaping and his approach to raising his 11-year-old son Charlie. Simon and Kat discuss discipline versus motivation, screen time, parenting approaches and what Simon sees as society's increasing softness.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Morning routines can become counterproductive and Simon argues that obsessive morning routines harm more than help when people focus more on the routine than actual productive work during the day.
• Exercise can easily be integrated into daily life, Simon demonstrates fitting training into everyday activities like doing dips while cooking or pull ups during screen breaks, making fitness accessible without gym memberships.
• After 47 years of training, Simon feels motivated only 50% of the time, but still trains daily by making it non-negotiable and asking "when will I train" not "will I train." Discipline matters more than motivation.
• Children shouldn't be pacified with screens, Simon never gives his son screens at restaurants or when crying, instead engaging him in conversation and teaching him to interact with adults and handle boredom.
• Simon judges people's ability to protect and help others based on basic physical tasks, viewing fitness as functional rather than aesthetic.
• Self-esteem comes from achieving goals, confidence is built through "an undeniable stack of evidence that you are who you say you are" rather than positive affirmations.
• Modern society promotes instant gratification. From Amazon Prime to dating apps, Simon sees society losing the ability to wait, creating what he calls "the Amazon Prime Society" where everything must be immediate!
• Simon views vaping as "an adult dummy" that shows lack of self-control, comparing the constant use to pacification rather than the occasional nature of traditional smoking.
BEST MOMENTS
"If Instagram disappeared tonight, I'd be in my garden tomorrow morning training. Nothing changes for me."
"A man should do what he says he's gonna do. That to me is the mark of a man."
"Self-esteem isn't chanting mantras in the mirror in the morning. It's building an undeniable stack of evidence that you are who you say you are."
ABOUT THE GUEST
Simon Martin. Father first, always. Follow on instagram Old_School_Strength_Coach
ABOUT THE HOST
Kat started her career as a teacher, before moving into Tech where she worked in different executive roles within teaching and consulting working across the globe, both in the public and private sector. Despite appearing 'successful' on the outside, she paid a heavy ‘life’ price. In 2016, her whole world collapsed. The reason? The compound effect of years of unhealthy and toxic habits that destroyed her health, relationship and career. She suffered a severe breakdown and lost everything. In the middle of this she got headhunted for her first CEO role. She rebuilt herself by changing just one small habit, and built a series of positive habits which has transformed her professional and personal performance, resulting in becoming the healthiest and happiest version of herself.
She is a positive habits international keynote speaker and teacher, giving talks and delivering high impact programmes to organisations across the globe.
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