Discipline Gets Easier When You Practice Gratitude with Rhys Thurtle

Discipline Gets Easier When You Practice Gratitude with Rhys Thurtle

A lot of people talk about discipline like it’s a motivational quote. We wanted the real thing, the kind forged when the stakes are life and death. Rhys Thurtle joins me to trace how discipline starts young, gets tested in army training, and becomes a survival skill on the front line in Afghanistan where every step can carry the threat of an IED.  We get honest about what happens after war, too: PTSD, flashbacks, hypervigilance, and the quiet damage of survivor’s guilt. Reese shares how purpose can disappear when you return to civilian life, how addiction can fill that gap, and why elite self-talk and gratitude aren’t “soft” ideas, they’re tools that keep you moving when you feel broken. We also dig into accountability, trauma, and the subconscious beliefs that shape money, risk, and the way we see ourselves.  Then we bring it back to the everyday battles most of us face: food, energy, and consistency. We talk whole foods vs processed food, sugar addiction, inflammation, keto, and why a lot of fitness marketing (especially protein hype) misses the point. We close with environment, vibration and resonance, meditation, journaling, and how to build a life that matches the person you’re trying to become.  If this hits home, subscribe to Will’s Way, share it with someone who needs a reset, and leave a review so more people can find it. What’s one discipline habit you’re committing to this week?

Connor Brunning Explains How He Turned Viral Giveaways Into A Real Business

He went from sleeping on a living room floor to posting million-view giveaways and building a business that can hit million-dollar months. Connor Brunning returns to Wheels Way to tell the full story behind Cosmetic Competitions, including the unfiltered early phase: 18 months of losses, pouring rent money back into the company, spending big on ads that did not work, and the mental strain of pushing forward while the internet calls you a scammer. We dig into what actually caused the growth: the pivot from “selling a product” to selling a personality people trust, then building a Facebook group that compounds through community, winners, and daily visibility. Connor also breaks down a hard truth for modern social media marketing: attention is easy, monetization is the skill. We talk conversion tactics like trigger words, chatbots in DMs, rapport-building flows, email capture, and why a million views might still mean only a handful of customers if the funnel is weak. The conversation goes deeper than tactics. We cover platform dependency when reach collapses overnight, the need to own your audience through email lists and multi-platform distribution, and the real cost of scaling through payroll, software, and stress that never switches off. If you’re trying to grow a business, build a community, or turn content into revenue without getting crushed by the mental tax, you’ll get a blueprint and a reality check. Subscribe, share this with a founder friend, and leave a review with the one lesson you’re taking into your next week of work.

Your Network Is Your Net Worth

Austin gave me something I didn’t expect. It wasn’t one big moment. It was the conversations in between everything else. The ones after the panels, when people stop performing and start being real. The late nights where people actually tell you what’s working, what’s not, and what it really takes to build something that lasts. And I came back with one thing that I can’t get out of my head. Your network is not built on how many people you know. It is built on how many people trust you. In this episode, I talk about what that actually means when you’re in it for real. Not just adding connections or sending messages. I’m talking about how relationships actually form in business and why the people who win long term are the ones people believe in, not just the ones who shout the loudest. I go into the stuff I see all the time on LinkedIn. Cold messages that go straight into a pitch without even trying to understand the person on the other side. No context, no effort, no care. Just hoping something sticks. It doesn’t work. And if anything, it pushes people further away. We break down what I call the shift from cold to warm. That moment where someone stops seeing you as another message in their inbox and starts seeing you as someone worth listening to. That only happens when you bring something to the table first. Real value. Clear thinking. Proof that you can actually solve problems, not just talk about them. I also get into how being in the right rooms changes your direction completely. One conversation can save you months. The right partnership can move you forward faster than trying to do everything on your own. When you stop competing with everyone and start building with the right people, things start to open up. This one is about playing the long game. Showing up properly. Doing what you say you’re going to do. Building a name that actually means something when you’re not in the room. If you’re building a business, this is the work that sits underneath everything else. If it resonates, share it with someone who’s on the same path, and leave a review so we can get it out to more people who need it. And have a think about this while you’re listening… Where are you trying to force results instead of building real trust?

Rewiring Your Beliefs About Money And Energy

Right. Let’s talk about money properly. Not in a flashy way. Not in a look at me way. In a real way. Because most people treat money like it’s something you don’t talk about… while it quietly controls decisions, stress levels, relationships and freedom in the background. We open this one up from the start. The stuff we absorbed as kids.  Don’t talk about wages.  Always pick the cheapest.  Money doesn’t grow on trees.  Be careful, be safe, don’t risk. Those lines don’t just disappear. They become programs. And without realising it, you either avoid money, obsess over it, or sabotage yourself the minute you start earning more. Two people can be in the same role, same industry, same hours… and one earns double. It’s not just skill. It’s not luck. It’s perceived value. Clarity. The way they carry themselves. The way they ask. The way they position what they do. Money responds to confidence and direction. But earning is the easy bit. Keeping it. Growing it. Using it properly. That’s where most people fall down. So we break it down simply. A clean allocation structure.  Cover your costs.  Pay yourself.  Invest.  And still have money to actually enjoy your life without guilt. We talk about spending for return. Skills. Health. Tools. Environments. The things that multiply you, not drain you. There’s also a quick self check in there.  Are you avoiding your banking app?  Or refreshing it every five minutes? Both are signals. And here’s the shift that changes everything. Money isn’t just a number in an account. It’s stored effort. It’s choice. It’s options. It’s time. When you connect it to a real reason, more time with your family, travel, building something meaningful, creating without pressure, the numbers stop feeling heavy and start feeling purposeful. This episode is about balance. Not chasing.  Not hoarding.  Not pretending it doesn’t matter. Using money to expand your life, not define your identity. If you’re ready to stop reacting and start choosing, listen in. Take notes. Run the audit. Drop one old belief about money this week. Build a better story. That’s how you change the outcome.

Starting a business - Your Inner Hater Doesn’t Pay Rent, So Evict It

Most businesses don’t fail because the idea is bad. They fail because year one is harder than people admit. In this episode, I talk honestly about what it really takes to get through that first year and actually grow. Turning down the voice in your head that tells you you’re not ready. Building something people will pay for, not just say they like. Protecting your cash when invoices drag and reality hits. We start with mindset, because fear turns up for everyone. You can’t get rid of it, but you can learn to act anyway. From there, I break down how to build a value proposition that makes sense in the real world. Time saved. Risk reduced. Money made. If you can’t explain it simply, pricing will always feel uncomfortable. We then get practical. How to look at competitors without copying them. How to find your angle. How to set payment terms that don’t choke your business. And the small habits that make a young company look serious and trustworthy. Branding comes into it too. Not logos and colours. Trust. Being clear on who you are, what you do, and why someone should believe you. Showing up like a professional and then backing it up with delivery. We also talk about going all in versus easing in. Why runway matters. And why grit, consistency, and humility usually beat waiting for the perfect moment. If you’re good at what you do and you know there’s more upside than where you are now, this episode is for you. Subscribe, share it with someone who’s sitting on the fence, and leave a review with your biggest question about year one. I’ll cover it next.