Aidan
00:00:08 – 00:00:41
Hello and welcome back to episode five of the Ideal Nutrition podcast. I am one of your hosts, Aidan Muir. And I’m once again joined by my co-host, Leah Higl. And today we’re going to talk about or we’re just gonna do a getting to know us kind of episode because we’re five episodes in. We haven’t really talked much about our lives. Why we do what we do, how we got here and everything like that. So, I think it’s time that we do an episode on that, really. Just a bit on a background story. So did you want to keep things off Leah and just share your background story and why you care about nutrition?
Leah
00:00:41 – 00:01:36
Yeah, totally. So in preparation for this specific podcast, we were laughing because I really couldn’t figure out what my background story was getting into nutrition. And it’s something that I still I mean, I’m not so positive of why I started to care about nutrition, but I have, I guess, a theory. So, growing up my mom was a bodybuilder. She only competed a couple of times, but her life was very much based around like, strength training and she always had a six pack. So nutrition was huge. I mean, I remember, like weighing out and tracking, like weighing out my food and tracking my macros from the age of 14, which is ridiculous. I would not advise that for a teenager. So, unfortunately, I feel like my passion for nutrition started in maybe not the best place in that. It did come from
Leah
00:01:36 – 00:02:02
this kind of point of disordered eating, unfortunately. Which a lot of teenage girls experience. And that was within my household. And it wasn’t super healthy. But in saying that, as I became a strength athlete and I started powerlifting, my relationship with food became a lot better. I appreciated nutrition as a science, and that’s realistically why I care about it now.
Leah
00:02:02 – 00:02:03
So very different
Leah
00:02:03 – 00:02:06
to what I started out as. But how about you?
Aidan
00:02:06 – 00:02:47
Yeah, So it’s interesting because, like, I still care about it for a lot of the reasons I started caring about it. But there is a few changes along the way as well, so I suppose, starting with the background stuff. Uh, it’s hard cause I’ve told this story so many times and so many different podcasts and stuff like that. The, the, the basic summary is that I was very skinny as a kid. I didn’t have any form of disordered eating or anything like that. I wasn’t bullied or anything like that. I just have a like I was pretty happy. But I liked sports, and outside of that, like I thought, getting jacked was going to solve a lot of problems, like I didn’t really have problems, but like I was like, I’ll just be so much more confident if I’m like muscular or whatever. And
Aidan
00:02:47 – 00:02:48
I come from a
Aidan
00:02:48 – 00:03:07
pretty strict household like from a food perspective is fine. I think my parents did a great job from relationship with food perspective like there was no dieting or anything that was going on. They didn’t talk about food negatively or anything like that very much. But my strict household in that I wasn’t allowed to go to the gym. It’s a bit of a weird be a bit of a weird, really
Leah
00:03:07 – 00:03:08
interesting
Aidan
00:03:08 – 00:03:24
Yeah, but like I was always too young and then when I by the time I turned 17, my parents were really big on HSC, and they were kind of like if you get injured and you can’t do your HSC like that’s gonna affect your future. They were basically like, you can’t play sports, go to the gym for a year like I was not allowed to play sports
Aidan
00:03:24 – 00:03:45
in case I broke my wrist or something like that. And like that, like that, I know that triggered me. Was that frustrated me a lot. Still frustrated, They really, honestly to stay. But, like, basically, I wasn’t allowed to go to the gym and a lot of things I do in my life. Even now, I feel like stem from stuff I was allowed to do as a kid, like, I still play guitar every single day, pretty much,
Aidan
00:03:45 – 00:04:04
And my parents like set limits on how much I could play a guitar. I play basketball. I love basketball, and they stopped me from playing basketball when I was 12 years old for, for a couple of reasons. I don’t wanna go too much into it, but they stopped me from playing basketball. That made me want to do that. They didn’t let me go to the gym so I started to, like fall in love with the gym because there’s something that’s held back from doing.
Aidan
00:04:04 – 00:04:06
And I started sneaking out when I was 17 years old to go
Leah
00:04:06 – 00:04:07
to go to the gym.
Aidan
00:04:07 – 00:04:31
Yeah, so funny. Like I tell like I have a free period at school at the end of the day and I wouldn’t tell my parents about it. So, like, go and go to the gym, start lifting weights and stuff like that. I started programme called starting strength, which is a solid, like beginner programme. But as, you know, like I, I, was like, very skinny or 67 kg and I lost weight when I started lifting and like everybody else gets like, newbie gains in life is Really
Leah
00:04:31 – 00:04:32
Yeah,
Aidan
00:04:32 – 00:04:42
yeah, And I didn’t. My strength was going nowhere. All those kind of things. And that really bothered me. So I started learning about nutrition
Aidan
00:04:42 – 00:05:05
and I started just like Googling and I had a mate who just got into the gym at the same time, and he basically like he asked me one day, just like so many messages like “Hey man, what’s your programme?” And I told him. I was like bench for five sets of the side of the workout, and then I do like 100 sets of arms. And then I bench at the end of my workout for another sense. And he sent me a programme from bodybuilding.com,
Aidan
00:05:05 – 00:05:34
and that sent me down the rabbit hole of bodybuilding.com. And that’s how I learned about nutrition. And because, like it was, it was always hard for me to gain size, gain muscle, and even to some degree, like stay lean while gaining muscle. Once I like, figured it out like it wasn’t like a great ratio. Um, that’s why I started learning as much as I could about nutrition. And I was spending a couple of hours a day on, like bodybuilding dot com, another kind of niche body building forum as well, which no longer really exists. And I, I spend all my time. So I was like, Well, what am I going to start at university?
Aidan
00:05:34 – 00:06:15
To be honest, I saw university is my way out of that strict household like I didn’t really have any passions, but I was like I should go to uni and that’s a way to get centrelink $$ at minimum. Yeah, And it’s funny because I didn’t get a job for my first year. Uni and I, I was so obsessed with saving so that I wouldn’t have to go back home. I love my parents. Like if they ever listen to this like, I love you, mom and Dad. But, like, I was so obsessed with saving because I didn’t want to risk having to go back home that even on some link, whatever the money was like 10,000 or 13,000 or something like that for you. I saved money like I made money only on that over a year. Yeah. Um, so anyway, so, like,
Aidan
00:06:15 – 00:06:34
university was my way out. And I’m like, I’m learning about nutrition and training and all this stuff anyway. Um, back to the strict parents, saying I kind of wanted to exercise science. My dad said no, that he vetoed it, which would have meant he would not sign the stuff I needed to get centrelink. So, like, I had to do something that would make them happy, and he’s like, Oh, there’s jobs in dietetics.
Leah
00:06:36 – 00:06:36
That’s funny
Aidan
00:06:36 – 00:06:39
for us because there’s not jobs in dietetics.
Leah
00:06:39 – 00:06:41
There are no jobs in dietetics.
Aidan
00:06:41 – 00:07:03
My future kind like of shaped a little bit in that way. It’s funny in hindsight, but anyway, I’m stoked with what I do now. I was like, I spend all my time on nutrition and training anyway, So I was mmm, we’ll learn about nutrition. So that is how I got into university. Did you want to talk about your next kind of steps in the nutrition journey? Going to uni and that kind of stuff?
Leah
00:07:03 – 00:07:47
Yes. So I went to QUT here in Brisbane. And it was a four year bachelor’s degree. So bachelor of nutrition and dietetics. And then in the fourth year, you do your honours research project and then pretty much a full year of placement. So the first three years? Pretty simple, very standard, um, kind of bachelors degree? Obviously it was hard, Um, not simple in that way, but simple and how it worked. And then the final year was majority placement. I remember like living off baked beans and toast because I couldn’t work and living in someone’s basement uh, so it was a rough year. Um, but overall, I did. I did really, really enjoy my degree.
Leah
00:07:47 – 00:08:15
Even though there were several times and things like biochemistry. I’m like, can I actually do this? Can I pass these subjects in order to get through this degree? Uh, but finally got there in the end, Did all four years. Um, it did take me a couple of years kind of to get into working in dietetics. Cause unlike what they tell you at uni, there aren’t many jobs in this space, and it is a really hard thing to get into. So I think the leap from uni to a career was the hardest part about it.
Aidan
00:08:15 – 00:08:36
Yeah, we’ve with my education pretty similar for your degree. Um, obviously started it. Not super nutrition. Based towards the end. It is placement. I was lucky enough to work during placement. Um, I developed my love of money around that time. More than I’ve got now, to be fair. And I would, I would work 24 hours every weekend, so I’d work back to back 12 hours shifts.
Leah
00:08:36 – 00:08:36
During placement?
Aidan
00:08:36 – 00:08:37
during placement.
Leah
00:08:37 – 00:08:38
How did you not die?
Aidan
00:08:38 – 00:08:44
So, like, I think the only time I’ve ever gotten sick from, like, overwork and that kind of thing was then
Aidan
00:08:44 – 00:09:22
Okay, so we just had some technical difficulties, So I’ve got lost. Where up to? I think we’re talking about my education now, where I studied all those kind of things. So I studied at Charles Stuart University in Wagga Wagga, and similarly, two layers, like the first few years of uni, weren’t really nutrition focus. The last couple ones were, um, same kind of thing placement for a year and everything like that. I was fortunate enough that I was able to work during placement, though, and it was around the time where my love of money kind of developed even though much more back then, than it is now. And I was working 24 hours every weekend
Aidan
00:09:22 – 00:09:49
as well. So, I got to do placement five days a week, and I’d work 24 hours in the weekend. Um, learned that I’m at low risk of vitamin D deficiency because I barely saw the sun and I got a blood test and I was still high on the levels of vitamin D. So that’s funny. Like, um, probably got, like, less than five minutes of sun per day for 20 weeks straight. Um, but yeah, and I think that’s mostly it. Like I suppose you want to go with, like, the next kind of step in the career after university. For you?
00:09:49 – 00:10:37
Yeah, So after university, I did go more into, like, a retail product management position. Uh, just because at the time I had a lot of family stuff going on. It was just not the time to embark on a new career endeavour, particularly in something like Dietetics, where it’s so hard to get paid work initially. Like there’s such a big thing, where a lot of dietitians will just do internships and, and work for free for a long time. Unfortunately, wasn’t in that position. But after a couple of years of kind of having a full-time job setting myself up to finally embark on that endeavour, I, I did was able to get, um, some positions in, in dietetics. So currently, obviously, I’m working for Aidan here at Ideal Nutrition, which has been awesome. So that’s been since February,
Leah
00:10:37 – 00:10:38
Yeah,
Leah
00:10:38 – 00:11:25
around February. So that’s been great. That’s mainly in a content creation role. Um, as I am doing more stuff with another company called Plant Nutrition Wellness. So that’s run by a lovely dietician named Kiah. Um, she’s been the best. She’s going to be my mentor ever since. Kind of I started trying to get into dietetics. Um, she’s plant-based on plant-based. So a lot of our values fit together. So it made sense for us to work together. Um, I am in a practice. I work predominantly online at the moment, but we do have a clinic, which I do work out of, as well. Um, practise mainly as a sports dietitians. They’re seeing athletes, and then most of them are plant-based. So really in a very specific niche of
Leah
00:11:25 – 00:12:06
kind of plant-based vegan sports nutrition, which I found has, has really worked to me and is truly my passion. Um, work with a range of sporting backgrounds. So powerlifting is definitely one. I compete in powerlifting something. I’m super interested in strength sports in general. Although I do work with a lot of combat athletes, predominantly boxers, um, and endurance athletes as well. So I do like having that full mix. Um, outside of that, so I do both of those simultaneously. And then outside of that I do run a coaching program for Biker Biddie, who’s like an Instagram influencer Paige Mills. And that’s just been an interesting addition recently.
Aidan
00:12:06 – 00:12:37
Cool. So my kind of, I guess background Post University. I was pretty lucky in that directly after university, I was able to get a role in a gym, and I don’t really have ambitions of starting a business at the time. But to start, to start that role, I needed to be a sole trader. I needed to have my own business. It was it was my business, basically was just inside of a gym, and it was an interesting one because it was like a large gym in Wagga Wagga. So it had 3000 members, which is as Leah and I was speaking about earlier. It’s crazy because
Aidan
00:12:37 – 00:12:42
There’s a lot for a gym. Yeah, it’s a lot for a gym, and Wagga has only got 60,000 people or so. People were so like
Aidan
00:12:42 – 00:13:02
the guy who was running was like a bit of a savant. When it comes to like business and gyms and stuff like that really shaped how I view my own business now as well. A little bit, Um but yeah, pretty crazy. But like that was it was such a good opportunity because I was like, that’s always what I wanted to kind of do anyway, like all those people in bodybuilding.com and stuff like that who had been following and learning about nutrition from
Aidan
00:13:02 – 00:13:41
they were kind of in that space. And I was like, Well, that’s what I want to do. it It’s just lucky that I, I lucked into that role. Um, so same business that I’ve got now. So it’s Ideal Nutrition, and I did that for, like, three or four months, and I had, I had a bit of a lead into that period where I was just, like working um, unpaid. But I was working as a receptionist at the gym to kind of build relationships with people and stuff like that, set the business up, learn how to run a business, all those kind of things before I actually started it. And I remember, I, like, plan to kick things off in January of that year. Of that was 2017, it’s 2016 when I first started working there, and Week one
Aidan
00:13:42 – 00:14:16
nobody wanted to book in like one or two people booked. And I was like, Oh, my God! As I said, I liked money at that time and I was like, not much coming in. And yeah, it was pretty scary and I lucked into some, like I ran a competition on Facebook, and it was basically like giving away a fruit basket in Wagga to just residents of Wagga. Like whoever won that. It was like a like and tag your friend kind of thing. And it just blew up like I boosted it for, like, $20 or $30 on Facebook. And it just, like, literally went up to 15,000 people in Wagga, Wagga and
Aidan
00:14:17 – 00:15:00
everybody who commented on it. I would then DM them through the business being like: Hey, just to let you know you’re the runner up of this competition, I’ll give you a discounted consult (at my actual price, which was an introductory offer) so booked in like 20 or 30 people for like the next couple of weeks. Um, but like it was pretty, it was pretty clear that, like I needed more experience like I, I’d, I’ve been speaking to a few people, have been in the dietetics game for quite some time and like hearing stories like, there’s some people who were saying stuff like, Yeah, I saw 20 people per day when I was your level of experience. And I had been seeing like four people in a week.
Leah
00:15:00 – 00:15:01
20 is a lot of the day.
Aidan
00:15:01 – 00:15:27
Yeah, like I know that’s like, messed up. That’s like too much. But, like, I was kind of like I could get better so much quicker. I was really ambitious at the time. I was like, I want to get good. So I went to work for a large dietetics organisation for about 2.5 years. Um, and during that time, I was working around 50 hours per week for that company, Um, sometimes 60. But I kept the social media. I kept the social media stuff that I’d started when I started the business um, because I always
Aidan
00:15:28 – 00:15:53
saw potential in that. I didn’t think I was good at it. I, I struggled with it. I took a long time to build traction. It actually took me three years to get a client through Instagram. Um, I’ve got a few through Facebook, as I mentioned, but it took me three years to really figure out Instagram, which is now, obviously my big thing. Um, but I saw the potential. That was like, If I figure this out, if I put effort into it, it will turn into something. I always had that as leverage. That was like, If I want to do my own thing down the line,
Aidan
00:15:53 – 00:16:27
at least I’ve got something set up. So I continued doing that continued posting on it three years, and I think about like 3000 followers or something like that. Three years of consistent posting. It’s crazy to me when I meet people who can get there so quickly. Um, anyway, so I’m doing that for a while. And then I left that business for a variety of reasons. I didn’t even have ambitions, honestly, starting my own business again like I was just kind of like I was just done with that role, like funny. I don’t think I’ve ever said this to you, but when I was leaving that business, I was kind of like I want to live so badly that I’d rather get a job at Subway again.
Leah
00:16:27 – 00:16:29
You just rather than what you would do
Aidan
00:16:29 – 00:17:03
anything else like I was just done, um, which is, it’s funny that I got to that point cause I’m a pretty happy person. Like I really let things like just slide to the point that I, um, just lost my passion for what I was doing and I left there. But it’s like I got an Instagram profile. I put some feelers out there and be like, Hey, does anyone want to see me through my business? And a couple of people said yes. At this stage I was turning a little bit more cautious with, like, I was a bit less ambitious in this space. I wouldn’t say burnt out. But I was just kinda I was like, nah money, ain’t it. I don’t I don’t really care about money that much anymore. I’d rather a job that I enjoy, um,
Aidan
00:17:03 – 00:17:34
so, like, I was like, ready to just work like, 20-30 hours per week for a little bit, just figure out what I wanted to do. So I was like, I just have the business just under that ambition like not to actually build a business. And because I was cautious, I was like, I got a part time job on the side in dietetics, and I got a job. That company, Bayside Health Nook. So they’re on the south side of business of Brisbane, and it was a really good job. It was like an allied health clinic. Everything was perfect. The boss is super, super nice, like it was, It was great, but I was just done. It was just done working for other people. Like, if I, If I, like,
Aidan
00:17:35 – 00:18:02
got a suggestion from this well meaning boss, um, that had worked for the business previously, but I, for whatever reason, thought it wasn’t gonna work. It just frustrated me. And if I was like, sat with a client who I didn’t really want to see, it would frustrate me because I’d always have in the back of my head and like, it’s my business. Like, if I don’t really want to say something, it’s my call. And that just changes things. Because I’ve never actually turned away a client, um, in my own business or I can’t remember doing that any time recently but at least the choices.
Leah
00:18:02 – 00:18:06
It changes your perspective when you have some choice in seeing.
Aidan
00:18:06 – 00:18:40
Yeah, so like I stayed in that job for about six months. But the moment I um, I was in a position where I was like, Hey, the business is good enough that it’s, I’d rather make I know, like whatever the money in my mind was like $1000 per week, that was my number was like, If I make that number, I’m set, I’m happy. Um, so once it was clear that that was going to be kind of consistent or like at some stage, it looks like there’s gonna be consistent was like, I’m just gonna do my own thing for a little bit, um and then eventually offer a little bit of time. I was like, Okay, we’ll start taking it seriously. I decided to rent a room out of Valhalla strength, which is where we both trained. So it’s a powerlifting gym
Aidan
00:18:41 – 00:19:00
and obviously it’s like a bit full circle because it’s kind of like the place I want to be like. It’s just like that first job I got straight of, you know, like I’m doing what I want to do now. Like there’s the same thing. There’s no, like real ambitions is just, like, just continue doing what I’m doing. Just slightly larger, like That’s really the goal. And, yeah, pretty, pretty happy with things right now. Um, yeah,
Leah
00:19:01 – 00:19:04
Yeah. I remember you starting at Valhalla and at the time has gone really quickly.
Aidan
00:19:04 – 00:19:09
Yeah, it’s been a while. Yeah, it just fits like it’s such a natural fit to me from my perspective.
Leah
00:19:09 – 00:19:11
Yeah, It fit so well, you already worked with a lot of
Aidan
00:19:11 – 00:19:12
that were
Leah
00:19:12 – 00:19:15
training there, just made a lot of logistical sense.
Aidan
00:19:15 – 00:19:16
Yeah, 100%.
Leah
00:19:16 – 00:20:03
And obviously, that’s how we met. So that’s what that was nice to me. Yeah, I got this gig out of that, so that’s good. Um, so I guess we’ll kind of discuss a little bit about ourselves personally. Like what we do outside of work, because I think that can be interesting for people to know, obviously both power lifters. So I’ve been powerlifting for a few years now, but strength training, as I mentioned at the start of the podcast since I was quite young, so I’ve always had an interest in strength sports and power lifting has definitely become one of my, my main hobbies. Um, outside of that, to be honest, like working power lifting the main things I do. Uh, but outside of that music is huge for me. So I’m like, wearing a death shirt. Now I love heavy metal. I love pop punk.
Leah
00:20:03 – 00:20:11
So music is a huge part of my aesthetic and who I am, and I think everyone is pretty aware of that by now. How about you?
Aidan
00:20:11 – 00:20:44
Yes. So a few things. Powerlifting, obviously saying, Like, I was always interested in strength training, stuff like that. Before joining Valhalla, I joined Valhalla when I moved to Brisbane from Wagga. So that’s about two years ago. Now, um maybe a little bit over I joined Valhalla because I was like, I just want to surround by strong people. And getting surrounded by strong people was really good because it opened my eyes and like, I actually made the best progress in my life. I joined Valhalla and I don’t know, being surrounded by all these people who wanted to powerlift made me want to powerlift as well. So I started getting into that, Um obviously a lot of basketball as well. That’s something that
Aidan
00:20:45 – 00:21:22
I want to do for as long as I can. Um, I want to keep playing I’m 40 is the goal, and I don’t know. I just I just enjoy it as a different release as well. Like, it’s kind of like if no, I don’t care about work as much or anything like that. Now it’s kind of like. That’s the time when I’m not thinking about anything apart from the game like it’s like it’s no 40 minutes of just like pure joy. That’s why, um does that the other thing. As I said, like I think around my second year of uni, I started really like developing an interest in money like I kind of like I read this. It’s funny now, but like I read this book, “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and like, it’s funny because it’s like it’s not even a real story.
Aidan
00:21:22 – 00:21:51
It’s some guy who’s like amalgamated multiple stories in his life to kind of like make a book. But he made it off like it was like a real story. But it’s funny that, like he, he mentioned stuff about, like passive income and like financial independence, like games. Have you got enough passive income that you don’t have to work? You could choose to continue working, but like you’ve got this passive income built up and I don’t know, my thoughts are not now, but like that got me into investing. So even though I don’t care about money as much now I care about investing, cause it’s like a game, like it’s just like a keeping score kind of thing.
Leah
00:21:51 – 00:21:55
Yeah, you like stocks and crypto and all that stuff I find so confusing, but you’re super into it.
Aidan
00:21:55 – 00:22:28
So super into stock, super into crypto, um, and a few other things like that. So those are interesting, I suppose. The other things guitar like I play guitar most days. I don’t care about getting good like I’ve played since I was, like, 14 or something like that. Um, and that’s just like another hobby. That’s like not something where it’s like a competition to get good. It’s just like probably when I feel like it. So that’s cool as well. But yeah, the other thing we were talking about, I guess, is current plans. I guess if there’s any or goals to the podcast is anything you want to touch on that. Do you have goals for the podcast or is it just more me?
Leah
00:22:28 – 00:22:46
Goals for the podcast? I’m just here to learn new skills, you know, try to produce the best podcast we possibly can. Um, it was interesting in setting up all the equipment because I know a lot more about Tech now than I did two weeks ago. So that’s nice. Uh, but yeah, I guess the big goals of the podcast live with you, man.
Aidan
00:22:46 – 00:23:25
Yeah, so that’s the thing. There’s not really big goals like I, we were both just thinking about this earlier on today. About it’s pretty intimidating to a podcast like, we both listened to some high level podcast like the one that shoutout Sigma Nutrition radio. Yeah, like we were listening to Danny Lennon’s fame, and we’re like, No, we can’t do that. There’s not a chance and like that’s gonna help me off from doing a podcast at ages. Like I’ve always been like I’m gonna do a podcast. I’m going to do a podcast. It’s the first time I’ve just been like I don’t really care like the whole, like all I want to achieve with this is like trying to put out some quality nutrition information. And it’s easy to consume format, just like there’s some like influences or whatever on social media who I follow.
Aidan
00:23:25 – 00:23:48
But I don’t care. I don’t follow the Instagram. I don’t follow their other stuff. I don’t spend time consuming their content. But when I’m driving, I listen to their podcast and enjoy it. And that’s basically all I’m trying to achieve it basically putting out something that’s easy to consume for whether you’re driving, training, walking, whatever. And if you like it, that’s sweet. And I’m stoked to contribute in some way. But that’s really the goal of no major ambitions. Um, there anything you wanna add?
Leah
00:23:49 – 00:23:51
No, not really. Just happy to be here.
Aidan
00:23:51 – 00:24:03
Happy to be here. That’s it. Well, once again, thank you for listening. If you could please rate and review us on iTunes, that would be really appreciate it as well. And thank you for listening, I guess.