Overland Journal Podcast host Scott Brady interviews Jeremy “Thor” Bergh of Alu-Cab about building his South African export-driven business and supporting over 600 employees. Bergh shares a deeply personal account of his health journey, beginning with a seizure diagnosis and a brain tumor (glioma) near critical brain regions. He details the immense challenges of managing seizures, vision loss, and stress through surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Bergh credits stabilizing his condition to lifestyle adjustments—including swimming, meditation, and diet—alongside medical treatment. Reflecting on his experience, he discusses the importance of being present, appreciating the beauty of Cape Town, and focusing on family, teaching, and storytelling.
Overland Journal Podcast Episode #314
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Guest Bio
Jeremy Bergh
Jeremy Bergh, entrepreneur, outdoor enthusiast and founder of Alu-Cab. Started his career path in business as a plumber but he really considers himself a creative entrepreneur. Founded Alu-Cab over 20 years ago when he realized there were no ideal products available that suited both his business needs and my adventurous spirit. This was when he saw a gap in the market for a lightweight but strong canopy or “topper” as some call it. It’s from here that the journey began.
20 plus year later…..A staff of over 600 employees, supplying close to 70 countries around the globe. Jeremy has now moved to the position of Chairman of the Board. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor 6 years ago and handing over the CEO reigns to Warwick Leslie, our partner and MD, earlier this year has given him the time and commitment required, to focus on his health.
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Transcript
Scott : [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the Overland Journal podcast. I’m your host, Scott Brady, and I’m here with Jeremy Thor Bergh. And Jeremy is from Alucab. He’s been a longtime friend, a longtime member of the industry. we’re gonna talk, not only about South Africa, we’re gonna talk about his adventures, talk a little bit about what we’re seeing come out of South Africa, but we’re also gonna talk about Jeremy’s journey of health over the last couple years.
We’re all so grateful in the industry that you’re still with us- … because, Not as
Jeremy: grateful as me, man.
Scott : Yeah, I’m sure. I’m sure. Hi
Jeremy: there, everyone.
Scott : But thank you so much for being on the
Jeremy: podcast with me today. Ah, it’s really cool to be here, actually. I’ve, been waiting for a moment like this-
just, to tell the story, Yeah, absolutely. it’s, everybody’s got an adventure.
Scott : and life is an adventure, and it’s filled with so much uncertainty. So let’s talk a little bit about, what you’ve gone through over the last couple years.
Jeremy: Where do we begin?
Scott : Yeah.
Yeah.
Jeremy: you wanna jump straight to where it got a little-
Scott : Yes … a
Jeremy: little sketchy?
Scott : Yeah, sure. Yeah. I think, so m- many [00:01:00] people have had, you know- Worries about family members, their own health, cancer, other diseases that can all of a sudden show up in our life and, you have always been this pillar of health.
You’re, you’re this strong South African adventurer, and then next thing tell us what happened.
Jeremy: Lying on the floor, Yeah, yeah. Just quick as that. the fact remains is that, through life, so I lost my dad as a young boy. Six years old- Yeah … he died of cancer. And, you don’t realize what a hole like that in your life makes- Yeah
until you look back and you’re a dad yourself. Yeah. so it’s interesting to carve your path in life without those. There’s a certain, I, if I can jump onto this, but- Yeah, please … you, your, a mom and their son-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: they protect inwards. Yeah. They look after their kids inwards, and your dad, he’s got to push you out there.
Yeah. The love’s no different-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: but the methods are different. Yeah, sure. and the son, you have to teach him the hard way. Yeah. go and bump your head. Cut your finger. Yeah. And your mom’s saying, “Put the knife away.” You’re [00:02:00] saying, “Hey, if you shave it that way it’ll work better.”
Yeah. So those kind of things you lose out on. So I was a little derailed as a young kid. Yeah. Didn’t realize I had a couple of challenges anyway. I have, a bit of attention deficit disorder.
Scott : Yeah, join the club.
Jeremy: yeah. and then of course I’m a little bit, dyslexic. Yeah, sure. and nobody really caught on, I only discovered that in my health challenges, actually- Yeah … to start analyzing myself. I just went for it. Yeah. I was just like, “Go for it.” Yeah. I did really shit-job at school, had fun-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: but was useless. Came out of there feeling like a bit of a loser. Yeah. So I had something to prove,
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I’m not a loser. just like that doesn’t work for me. Yeah. and everyone thought I was, but maybe that’s your own impression.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: So I went at it, I went at it. I started plumbing. Went at that hard. It’s a stressful com- business.
Scott : Yeah,
Jeremy: sure. you make a mistake, the house floods- Yeah
Scott : and you- Yeah. You have a big
Jeremy: expense. The one really good thing that I learnt is-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: own your responsibilities.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: so it’s when you make a mistake you don’t disappear, you stand up, you face it-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: and you take it on.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So [00:03:00] that’s always been my kind of motto. It’s everything that we’ve done behind our brand.
Warwick, my partner, has been the same. Yeah. We’re like, “That’s how you build your brand.” But it comes with a lot of pressure.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And, we got into export unwittingly maybe. Yeah But, we Our European partners spotted a special thing that I built that came off the roof, and so we went straight into the German space first off, out the blocks.
So you need to understand, plumber, like structure, no, none of that. It was a lesson, man.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: It slapped us in the face so hard we didn’t know what hit.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: I’m like a creative, crazy person that wants to build everything and find solutions for everything and- … so we went into that, and the pressure came.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Like I’ve never experienced. Like-
Scott : and the expectations of those customers, ’cause, Germans are prolific travelers, travel around the world, And they have really high standards of finish- They- … and product and that … they
Jeremy: are actually, they’re actually remarkably good.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: they were remarkably good with [00:04:00] us.
Our, our partner in Europe is not German.
And he is crazy. He is. But the beautiful thing about that is he just pushed us like we’ve never been pushed.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: so- To get better, yeah … no, just to do it better. Yeah. Yeah. so he actually helped us to get to what we are today. Yeah. And he still does.
Yeah. And he shouts and screams, and we shout back- … and we love him. but you need that. Yeah.
Scott : Yeah,
Jeremy: sure. You need people to encourage you, Yeah, you do. and but the pressure came. Like we grew, we didn’t know what we were doing, we hadn’t been in that space. It was easy when we… We were building really crazy custom stuff.
I’d developed canopies, and that was going. Yeah. but the export side, the systems, the packing all the bolts, the… My week would end curled up in a chair- … on the brink of tears.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: Daily. And you don’t realize what it’s doing. Yeah. You just don’t. Yeah. You’re just like, you fight it.
You’re just trying to, get your shit together.
Scott : That’s the nature of being an entrepreneur. you can never [00:05:00] stop pushing. As soon as you do, either your competition passes you by or you lose that momentum. And unless you got a bunch of money in the bank, which none of us do, No,
Jeremy: man, I started poor.
Yeah, me too. You
Scott : know? Yeah. You know, I was making $900 a month in the Air Force- Yeah … when I got out of the military. Wow. So it’s just like you gotta just, you gotta put all of yourself into it.
Jeremy: That’s all you got.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And, and, um- I- it’s called responsibility
Scott : Yeah
Jeremy: It’s a beast of a thing
Scott : Yeah. Tak- taking ownership over everything you do
Jeremy: It’s, it’s a beast of a thing Yeah.
So I’ve been curled up in my chair just about in tears continuously- Yeah … for like the last… Before I went down. Yeah. And it’s like I knew something had to break. Yeah. I just knew.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And we were in this… We, we’re like getting going, you know? Yeah. Things were going. We were coming together. We, we, we’d, we had a lot going on, and, uh, I, I, I still remember we had quite a interesting meeting coming by and it looked like we might have an investor popping in and all that- Yeah
kind of thing. And I, I said to Warwick, Warwick, I used to start, I started getting these migraines- [00:06:00] Mm … you know? And, um, I could feel one coming. Yeah. I said to him, “Look, we’ve got these people coming. Maybe you could just phone them, check if they need lunch. I need to do, go and lie down. I g- I think I’ve got a migraine coming.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So I went in the office, and that’s the last thing I remembered, man. Wow. I put myself down on a little camping mattress in the office and wake up five days later in the hospital.
Scott : Wow.
Jeremy: Like family standing around the bed. I’m like, “What’s going on?” “Uh, you had a, a seizure. You blacked out.” I’m like, “Oh, wow.”
And they asked me questions like, “What’s your name?” And-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: well, I gave them all that. They said, “Good. All right.” That’s a good sign.
Scott : That’s
Jeremy: relief. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. And then they broke the news to me. And I’m like, “You’ve got a brain tumor” You know, like your life’s been going- Yeah … you flat box. You- you know you’re l- not looking after yourself ’cause you’re just fighting the battle- Yeah
and then you suddenly hear like like the world comes in your heart, you know? Yeah. And, you know, and so they had me incubated. They’d come into my office. I was, I was wandering around in a daze- Yeah … and I didn’t know what [00:07:00] was hap- going on, so they took me to my GP, and my GP took a look at me and said, “Oh, he’s a bit stressed.
Take him home. Give him some rest.” They didn’t know I’d already had a seizure. Mm. Put me in my bed. Thank goodness my son heard me make a noise from the room, and I’d bitten through my tongue, like right through.
Scott : Wow.
Jeremy: My eyes were rolling back.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And I was just like
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: out.
Scott : Seizing, yeah.
Jeremy: Yeah. So then they, my wife
And I was heavy then. I was 112 kilos and a little bit on the heavy side. Life was like you’re just eating- Yeah … and eating crap. You can’t- Yeah … keep yourself going, and so I wasn’t in a good place. And they had to try and get me down the passage and- Yeah … into a car, and I couldn’t get me into. They got me into the car.
My wife’s car was in for repair, so they got me in the car in the backseat, and I was too long, and I was- Yeah … fighting. And so they phoned the hospital, and the ambulance didn’t come. It was South Africa, man. Yeah. They’re not coming anywhere. So the security guard, the security company got there faster, and they got me back in, in the car in the front seat.
Wow. And then they rushed me down to the hospital. I got to the hospital, and I was thrashing, and they put me on one of those gurneys.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And I was fighting [00:08:00] everyone. I had the orderlies off the ground. Yeah. I knew nothing.
Scott : You didn’t remember
Jeremy: any of this? I didn’t. Eventually, they managed to pin me down and stick a pipe down my throat, and- Yeah
it quietened me down.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And every time they tried to bring me out, I would just start going mad again. Yeah. So, so then, so then they said, “Okay, leave him there.” And they said, “Well, let’s try and understand what’s going on.” Yeah. They could … I think they slipped me into a CAT scan. They could just see there was something not cool.
Yeah. A lot of pressure in the brain. And, um, yeah, I woke up to hear that this was the news.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And I’d started getting pneumonia. Like you do, there are always bugs in the hospital- Yeah, yeah … so tube running out, pipes down your throat.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So they said, “No.” And my wife was a medical rep, and she knew a lot of doctors- Yeah, sure
and a lot of these just, they said, “Just get him out of the hospital. Whatever you do, get him out.” Yeah. You know, he’s, it’s no good. The bugs are around and … So, so they brought me out and told me the news. I’m like, I’m in a daze, like- Yeah … and then they said, “Look, we’re going home tonight. We’ll come and see you in the morning.”
Yeah. And they left me there for the night, and I lay there, like trying to work this thing out. Yeah. Didn’t know what was going on. Yeah. The- they had curtains around my bed, and [00:09:00] they got like these pleats, and then I thought I was in a slab of cheese or something. I just didn’t know where I was- Yeah, sure
what was going on. I was still trying to find myself. Anyway, and then we went. The journey began, you know? Yeah. The journey began, and that, I mean, it was a little bit scary, but I was in a daze, and I fought everything in my life. Yeah. When I say I fought everything, it’s like- Yeah … like how do we fix this?
Yeah. You
Scott : know what I mean? What, what do we … Yeah.
Jeremy: Yeah, where, where to from here? So we went in through the MRIs, and I just- South
Scott : Africans make a plan.
Jeremy: Yeah. So I mean, I’d dislocated my shoulder in the battle, so I was in agony, and they put me in, in a 45-minute MRI machine that I’ve never been, with your face clamped dead still, and, and I laid in there for 45 minutes, and like- I’m in this tube, I’m half out of it and, and, uh, um, came out of there and they said, “This is, this is a, it’s a glioma, not a glioblas- glioblastoma”, which is the most aggressive brain tumor you can get.
It’s a slow grower, but it’s challenging. It crosses the center line of the brain. There’s tendrils running through the brain. Your eyes, eye cords run through it, and it sits right up against your language center. It’s [00:10:00] one of the most complicated surgeries that you can go through And I’m like, “Okay, how long have I got?”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know? So we went to see the oncologist first, and she said, “Look, I can give you with radiation maybe 10, 12 years. Without radiation maybe eight.” My wife seems to think it was a different conversation, but my brain only heard two things. Oh. Long one, short one. Yeah. That’s all I l- honed in on.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And then we took, uh, when we looked at… We spoke to all the different specialists and the pros and they said, “Look, c- head’s gotta come off.” Yeah. “We use electrodes, and we’re gonna try and cut this thing out.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: We’re terrified about the language center ’cause you’ll s- won’t be able to speak.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Um, and, and, uh, and so, so I said, “Okay, okay, okay.”
And I’m like, “Slow down.” Like, “Let me just, let me just, like-
Scott : Process
Jeremy: this all … process.” So we went to see some specialists, and one of the guys there, thank goodness, he [00:11:00] said, “I’m a fatalist.” I didn’t even know what he meant. But he said, “I wouldn’t do anything. I would wait and see. We don’t even know what sort of cancer it is.
I’d wait and see.” So I’m gonna take that, I’m gonna take that straw for now, you know? Yeah. Like, the first thing you think is I’ve got two beautiful kids. Yeah. I, I grew up without a dad.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And it’s like, I cannot do that. Yeah. I’ve gotta be there as much as I can, and if you’re gonna… Then I’d rather just take it on- Yeah
freestyle because if I’m gonna be present, I wanna be present.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know? So it, it, uh, it was, it was a journey.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And it’s been a continuous journey, and still a journey, but, but in its own weird, strange way, it was the best thing that happened.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: Because
Scott : you- And what, what makes you say that? What…
How did that change your perspective on life? You
Jeremy: become present.
Scott : Yeah. Every
Jeremy: moment’s- You know, we chatted about this a while back- Yeah … about being present.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I heard a brilliant thing the other day. The guy was sort of thinking about s- an old man, and he [00:12:00] said there’s, um, yesterday, which is gone.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I, I, I look at that as a lesson.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: There’s now, which is present. I look at- That’s all
Scott : you have, yeah …
Jeremy: I look at that as beautiful.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And then there’s tomorrow, which we don’t know what it is, so I look at that as adventure.
Scott : Yeah. So- I like that …
Jeremy: so you got lessons-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: you got beauty, and you got adventure.
Yeah.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: And, and that’s why we, how we need to live. And every moment that you spend, and you meet somebody, and you connect with somebody- I like to make a mark.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: I like to leave a mark.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: I need to… I like to embrace. I need to touch your heart-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: and see if I can touch mine.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And you- It’s been… That has been beautiful.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: There, there’s nothing more special.
Scott : And you’ve been able to, like, at least your daughter’s much more involved with the business now, so you’ve been able to travel with her more now and-
Jeremy: Listen, it’s like the cobbler’s shoe. [00:13:00] That’s what I always say.
Like, it’s always broken.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Everyone thinks I’m this massive adventurer.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: If only.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I live through your dreams. I live through the XO dreams. Yeah,
Scott : sure.
Jeremy: You know what I mean? I get the short privileges every now and again I love the wilderness.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I love the wilderness.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: But you can find it anywhere.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You don’t have to go too far. You can get it in the bottom of your garden if you want to.
Scott : You know that place that we went and had pizzas overlooking the Southern Ocean?
Jeremy: And that’s a busy space.
Scott : It was a very busy s- but it was beautiful.
Jeremy: Dude-
Scott : It was beautiful … I
Jeremy: like, like, you black out the rest-
Scott : Yep
Jeremy: you turn the phone off-
Scott : Yep …
Jeremy: and you’re present, little piece of heaven.
Scott : Yeah, it was a piece of heaven, for
Jeremy: sure. They’re in every corner- Yeah … if you look for them. Yeah. And that’s why I always say, we always think we have to head out and go a long, long way- Yeah … to find that. Yeah. You can find it in your backyard if you-
Scott : Yeah
Jeremy: explore. It’s just about being there.
Scott : Yeah, we were, you know, 30 minutes from your office looking at, out on the Southern Ocean. Hey, listen- It was [00:14:00] just beautiful …
Jeremy: I have to say, we, I live in the most beautiful city in the world. There’s
Scott : no question. I’ve done a fair- Cape Town? No doubt in my mind … I’ve done a
Jeremy: fair whack of traveling, and there are not many that come close.
Scott : I would agree. Yeah. In fact, it, you know, many times in the last couple decades, Cape Town’s been rated as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
Jeremy: Yeah.
Scott : And every time I go there, I am shocked with how incredible it is.
Jeremy: Yeah, and I, and I, I mean, the thing is, the
Scott : fact that many- South Africa in general, uh, and every country has its challenges, no question.
Even, even the United States, but if you’re gonna live anywhere in the world, to be able to live in a place that looks like that with the history that that has, the wildlife that you have, the roads that you have, incredible. The quality of life-
Jeremy: I mean, I mean, it’s, it is exactly that. Yeah. You know?
So, so money’s not a thing for me. Obviously we need it.
Scott : Yeah. But,
Jeremy: but that’s why this whole business thing for me is a weird thing.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And it’s, it’s actually not about, definitely not about the money.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: But it’s vitally important because [00:15:00] our business now serves so many.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: Here and everywhere else.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So, so it is a huge, huge responsibility.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: 600 plus people.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Okay?
Scott : A lot of families count on you guys. Yeah.
Jeremy: And I mean, you have no idea how much material we move through our business in order to be able to deliver products around the world.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And in order for that to be achieved, we, you have to take it seriously.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know?
Scott : I cannot imagine the amount of aluminum you guys move through there.
Jeremy: I don’t like to talk about it, but at least it’s a recyclable commodity. Yeah. Yeah, sure. You know what I mean? It’s like y- we, like we’re such big consumers, the world, you know? Yeah, sure. So, and, and it’s a big bag there for me.
Yeah. Like how do I find the balance? That’s why I’m always trying to see if I can help or give or share. Yeah, sure. My wife hates me for it. Like, you can’t afford to do that.” I’m like, “I don’t care.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And it’s like this is important. Yeah, sure. You know? That’s always been part of my journey. Yeah.
So like from the first moment I had a voice, I was trying to help rhinos. Yeah. And so it’s gone… It’s just, if I don’t give back-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: I [00:16:00] can’t take.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And we’re taking all the time.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Like nature, nurture, love Yeah You know, like that’s where-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: those are our roots, man.
Scott : Yeah
Jeremy: You know? And we, we’ve so lost our way and we’re so- And
Scott : your, and your country has so much to offer the world.
I mean, um- … every t- every time that I go to Southern Africa, it changes me in some way. It’s just unbelievable where you live.
Jeremy: It is. And, uh, you know, sadly for me, we don’t take it seriously enough. We don’t- Mm … we’re not grateful enough. You know, humans really aren’t, you know?
Scott : Yeah, it’s, uh, it’s, that’s true.
We take so
Jeremy: much for the gr-
Scott : for granted, you know? That’s true. That’s true. So, so- Y- y- you normalize to whatever is going on- Completely … and it g- you always think it could be better when- Yeah … sometimes you forget to look around and see how well-
Jeremy: Right where I live- … how good you have it … on the m- up the mountain, I ha- I’m in one of…
I’m right down near the bottom of Cape Town. Yeah Like Cape Point.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Simons Town, up the hill.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I mean, I look over the bay. I get home, sit on my patio, sip a [00:17:00] beer, put my feet up. I look at the view, I just breathe the air, and I’m like, “Man- Yeah … lucky to be alive,” you know?
Scott : Incredible.
Jeremy: And, and it’s beautiful.
And I, baboon’s raiding me, and everyone’s, “Kill them.” Yeah. And I’m like, “No, man. Leave them alone.” They, we’ve taken over their space.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: We burnt half of our mountains with- Yeah … with crazy stuff, and they got nothing to eat- Yeah … and so they’re knocking on my door. I had a break-in just before I came.
Scott : With a baboon?
Jeremy: Yeah, I know, and they had three eggs everywhere, and I got home from a trip away, and I’m like, “Oh, no, man.” My alarm had gone off, but somebody had forgotten to double latch the door- Oh … and they pushed them in. And when I go- and f- few days later I was there, he wanted to come back for lunch again.
And I c- caught him slamming on the doors, and I ran at him. I said, “Hey, get away.” He’s like… So I opened the door and then i- for women it’s challenging ’cause they don’t listen to the women. Yeah. They’re not scared of them. But if a man comes out, he’s, “Man, I’ll bark like a baboon,” and that kind of thing- … and then they go like over the balcony.
Okay, leave me alone for a while. Those are big
Scott : animals when you see
Jeremy: them up
Scott : close.
Jeremy: They’re big. But you know, the thing is that I’m so accustomed to them, it’s, it’s, it’s animal kingdom is very much like show fear- [00:18:00] Yeah … they’ll come at you.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Tell them you’re the boss, they’re not questioning themselves.
Scott : Yeah. No, they’re like, “
Jeremy: Oh, maybe not.” And when you see the little hesitation in them, you go after. You know what I mean? Then they know they’re on, you know they’re on the back foot. But when he stands his ground and he comes at you, and you go, then I grab a chair. Like, “Okay, buddy, back off.”
Scott : You really- And you see how big their teeth
Jeremy: are- Oh, dude
and everything. Unbelievable … they are so unbelievably strong. I’ve seen them diving off a cliff. So I’m lying in the wilderness and the, I see the baboons right up in the cliff, like hundreds of feet up. And they’re looking over and checking it out. And the next minute I see a guy launch off the cliff head first, dive down, grips a little ledge, and swings around, and then scurries across.
I’m like- Wow.
Scott : Yeah. Could you imagine trying to
Jeremy: stop yourself? I mean, hanging my fingers and all that all day. I mean, and, uh, Tarzan, you know what I mean? Serious stuff, but it’s beautiful, yeah.
Scott : Yeah,
Jeremy: it really is. So, so, so here we are, you know? Um-
Scott : So how do y- how do you feel… I think this is such an important lesson-
for people, ’cause I’ve known you for so long now, like when you met- I
Jeremy: remember when I met you- Yeah … if I can interject.
Scott : Yes, [00:19:00] please.
Jeremy: We were at Vegas.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: Jim had said, “Come over to Vegas and let’s chat,” you know? ‘Cause I’d been having communications with him- Yeah … and I’d seen you around. Yeah. You know, you had a little bit of a rep already.
Yeah, dirty… They said, “He’s a dirty bugger.” Man, I walked out and I bumped into you. I said, “Hey, Scott Brady. I’m Alec Irvin. We’ve been doing these things.” He says, “Yeah, I’ve heard of you guys, and I’ve seen you around.” And we ac- we got chatting about adventure biking.
Scott : Yes,
Jeremy: that’s right. Second love of mine, okay?
That’s right. I got a few things to show, like steel plates here. Bumped collarbone. Yeah. Dislocations here. Yeah. Holes in knees. So we were talking the language, you know? And we sort of… And that was where we first chatted.
Scott : Absolutely. Yeah. I, I do remember that. Yeah. Yeah, we were talking about KTMs.
Jeremy: Yeah, and, and you’re a BMW fan.
Scott : I am now, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I started off on a KTM- Yeah … and I still love
Jeremy: them, but… Yeah, we’ll make a
Scott : plan, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. But well, I mean, that’s another great way to see South Africa-
Jeremy: Yeah,
Scott : yeah …
Jeremy: is
Scott : on
Jeremy: a motorcycle, for sure
Scott : Not a week goes by that someone doesn’t reach out to ask how they can help support the podcast.
Uh, we are supported entirely by Overland Journal, [00:20:00] the magazine. So when you become a subscriber to the Overland Journal print magazine, you get this beautiful book, uh, that comes in five times a year. It also gives you access to our digital archive. And it’s well over 100 pages of gorgeous images and detailed testing and adventures from around the globe.
So if you go to overlandjournal.com and you subscribe to the magazine, use the code OVERLANDPODCAST, and that’ll get you 20% off. It’s only available to our podcast listeners. We don’t advertise it anywhere else. And then you help us to maintain that independent employee-owned journalism, um, that we have been famous for.
So it allows us to conduct those tests without any advertorial. Another way you can help out, too, I produced a book, uh, last year with Simon & Schuster called Overlanding 101. You can find it on Amazon or Barnes & Noble or even your local bookstore, and that encompasses my decades of travel around the world, all of my mistakes and failures and, and the [00:21:00] lessons that I’ve learned in traveling around the globe.
Um, many of those, um, that you hear on the podcast have been distilled down into print form with great lists and beautiful imagery. Uh, so you can find that, uh, at your local bookstore. Overlanding 101. And thank you all for listening and for supporting us so much throughout
Jeremy: these years.
Scott : For sure. So, you know, w- when you look at, you know, facing…
looking at death’s door, looking at an uncertain future, how do you find that that changed you, uh, professionally? And then what did… what were some of the things that you changed personally? I mean, you look a lot healthier. You’re leaner. H- have
Jeremy: you ch- I’ve actually picked up a few kilos because I’ve been really deep in the work again.
Yeah. And, and this kind of travel is easy to- Yeah, eat too much … it’s difficult to lose your routines, and yeah.
Scott : So have you been exercising or-
Jeremy: I, I w- I swim. You swim? Okay. So, so I live right at the ocean.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Every morning, rain or shine, I was in there.
Scott : Okay, good.
Jeremy: In my boardies, man.
Scott : Okay.
Jeremy: Uh, and a few ear plugs because my ears started to grow closed from the cold water and- Oh,
Scott : [00:22:00] sure
Jeremy: could never get the water out- Yeah … and that kind of thing. But I swam every day. The… When I was in my really lowest places, I was just swimming. Mm. It’s like my meditation.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Kilometer in the sea, back.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: 10 degrees to… And that’s cold, you know? Yeah, it’s cold. And it was cold. It’s a cold, it’s a cold plunge,
Scott : yeah.
Jeremy: I’d sit there for two hours afterwards just shivering and trying to get- Yeah … get my way back. Yeah,
Scott : yeah.
Jeremy: But, but it saved my life.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: That, and then I chose my path. Like, I went all the naturalist routes, and it’s such a s- it’s such a challenging journey because it’s your journey.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Like, people come to me and say, like, “I’ve, I’ve got cancer.
What do I do?” I never quite know how to answer
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: Because I tried everything.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know? I always wanted to try and keep it the natural route- Yeah … find other ways The internet is a really interesting thing, but it’s very confusing ’cause you’ll be listening to somebody who’s telling you, “This is the best way to go”, and, and two days later [00:23:00] another one will flash up and it’s like, “Do not do this, whatever you do.”
Yeah. Like, “Ah.”
Scott : Yeah. Okay. Oh, no. Yeah.
Jeremy: Yeah. So, so I mean, have we tried-
Scott : And I would, I would suspect that that, that specter of that surgery was terrifying. You know, to get in there and try to-
Jeremy: Yeah. So I mean, if you think about it, the guy, the specialist was about 77 years old, and he was… Everybody said, “That’s the guy.”
They take the top of the head off, they got electrodes, and they say, “Okay, we, we’re gonna cut this piece. Let’s see what happens when we ask you a question.” Yeah. And they shock it, and they say, “Jeremy, what’s your name?” And they go, “Pff.” And if you can’t answer them, then, “Well, okay. May- maybe, maybe we don’t touch that.”
Yeah. You know? So, so, so, um, I chose no-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: and see what happened, and that kind of thing. And I got some good years out of it. Yeah. Like, uh, early part I didn’t change life much.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Everything was okay. We’d check it out every now and again, and I sort of got… I was very disciplined and then I got a little naughtier- Yeah
and then, and then one day I fell off my [00:24:00] bike and bounced my head. And but what had happened was that- I knew I was deteriorating. I had to do this little test here-
…
Jeremy: To see if I could see my fingers.
Scott : Ah, sure.
Jeremy: And I kind of … My wife would give me shit. Yeah. Like, she’d pass me something in the car and I didn’t take it, and then she’d say, “You didn’t see me.”
I’d say, “I did see you. Like I did see you”, because your, your brain is an incredible thing. Yeah. There’s so many things that I learned about the brain that I didn’t know- Yeah … prior to that, that what it’s doing in any given time. Like, there was a brain movement.
Scott : Okay.
Jeremy: You saw a little, little thing out the corner of your eye- Yeah
your brain immediately wanna check in on that. Yeah. Okay?
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: And
Scott : we- The person that just walked into the door,
Jeremy: yeah …
Scott : yeah,
Jeremy: we interpreting information- Yeah … at every and any given time- Yeah … that we are completely unaware of.
Scott : Sure.
Jeremy: We’ve lived through it. Yeah. Okay? I lost left side peripheral.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: From the middle of the eye here was black. Mm. When they did the eye test, there was nothing. No vision. But I didn’t really know.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: I mean, they knew that I was, it was going, ’cause I couldn’t see this.
Scott : [00:25:00] Right.
Jeremy: But the brain immediately starts to adapt. Yeah, and compensate for it. The peripheral here starts to pick that up, but there’s a black spot.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: There’s a spot that you don’t see.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And I was pushing the limits a bit. Mm. Like, I still riding my Vespa to work, and then one day I just took a taxi and I … Bam. I’m like, “But I didn’t see that. What the hell?” Mm. You know? So I thought … I went back to the wife. I said, “I don’t think I can take the Vespa anymore.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And, um, and, and then … And yeah, so it just, uh, like it went on from there and it got worse. Bounced my head the one day. Went in for my MRI. They said, “This thing’s been quiet for now, but now it’s getting aggro.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And I could feel it. The seizures- Yeah … you, you gave me a hard time, I’d have a seizure.
Mm. Like, it’s a mini migraine seizure. Yeah. And I was pumping drugs to keep the seizures down.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So they … Epilim, which keeps the seizures away and that type of thing but if I got too stressed, if anything got me too excited, I’d get this funny taste.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: Then I’d get this euphoric feel. Oh. Like a deja vu thing.
Oh, interesting. And if there was a picture that was taken by [00:26:00] my brain on something on the left, it would start, I’d start … My wife would always know it’s coming. I’d start looking up to the left, ’cause I’d see this flashing coming through on the left, and that came on more and more and more. Mm-hmm. And then they said, “Whoa.
Hang on. It’s growing.” And early, early days I’d gone to a naturalist, spoke different language, quite a hippie, but-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: also a doctor, qualified- Yeah … but he’d gone into the natural route. And I went back to him And he was a crazy guy. I mean, it’s like you- problem with medical is that you’ll put anything you’ve got, everything you’ve got- Yeah
into it. Like, keep a little bit to keep the family fed and, and try and fix you.
Scott : Yeah.
You’re trying to survive, yeah.
Jeremy: And you’re at their mercy.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You’re at their mercy. They … “Hey, Jeremy, we can take a sample of your cancer. We’ll send it overseas. Give me another 100,000 here. Give me another 100,000 there.”
Hours of, like, writing checks. My wife’s trying to keep me from writing too many, you know? Yeah. And, um, half the time you don’t know if you’re being taken or, or [00:27:00] not. Yeah. And like I sent off samples, got all the feedback, paid the money, never got the … They were gonna make a serum, and so it went on. Yeah.
And it … But the pressure started coming. It got to getting worse and worse. Yeah. And then when inter- then we intermixed uh, like standard praxis-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: along with health- Yeah … and then meditation- Yeah … and just positive thinking, and swimming, and diet. Like, diet is, like, one of the number ones.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Dump anything that converts to sugar.
Scott : Yeah,
Jeremy: sure. Like, any of that, you know?
Scott : So you went almost completely away from sugar. I
Jeremy: dropped 25 kilograms, but not like I’m sick 25. Yeah. I was lean. I was strong. I was fit.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Um, but it was … and, and, and then it, and then they said, “Okay, now it’s causing too much pressure.”
Scott : Mm. “
Jeremy: We’re gonna have to go to radiation.”
And I, I met a really nice oncologist. So through my naturalist, he put me onto an oncologist. And, um- You’re kind of at their mercy now. Yeah. You kind of, you know, gotta make some proper decisions. I said, [00:28:00] “Okay, let’s go.” Yeah. “Let’s do it.” I owe it to my family.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: Like, the most terrifying thing for me is the kids.
Yeah. Like, if I talk to that, to you about that- Yeah … too much- Yeah … I’m gonna cry.
Scott : Of course. ‘
Jeremy: Cause they’re like my world.
Scott : Yeah, yeah. Yeah, of course. You
Jeremy: know what I mean? No, your daughter’s
Scott : incredible. It’s, it’s, it’s like they’re both.
Jeremy: Incredible. All of them. Yeah, incredible. I like… And my wife, you know? Yeah.
It’s like, uh, I’m responsible to them.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know, you just, it’s not all about you.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And then I’m responsible to my team. Yeah. And I’m responsible to everybody, you know? Yeah. And so, so I thought, “No, I gotta do it. I gotta give it a go.” Yeah.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So they put me on radiation. They mold a mask to your face to lock you down 100%, ’cause they’re gonna put a laser in your brain, they’re gonna fry your brain.
Yeah. Okay? And they, they can’t make mistakes. So you have little holes in the mask. I still got it. Strap that locks you into place, but it’s like a five-minute session.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: I come in every day. I came in there not being able to see. Somebody had to drop me off. By the time I finished, I can’t remember if it was three weeks, four weeks, I was driving home.
Scott : Wow.
Jeremy: I could see.
Scott : Wow. It
Jeremy: was brilliant.
Scott : So it was shrinking the [00:29:00] tumor?
Jeremy: That, they shrunk it. They- Yeah … actually, they just kill it. They stop it from growing.
Scott : Yeah. ‘
Jeremy: Cause it’s creating pressure.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: And when they f- prior to that, they’d done a biopsy, taken a- Yeah … drilled a little hole in the brain, drop a needle in, which they always, like, nobody’s quite sure whether it’s a good idea to disrupt the cells, ’cause they’re like, “Hey”- Yeah
“this guy’s trying to get in here. Let’s fight back.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So, so, and but you only learn a lot of this after you’ve done it, you know? Yeah. And when they did that biopsy, wow, the brain pressure like I’ve never had.
Scott : Oh, wow.
Jeremy: Like, like I was t- my w- they told me I can’t do anything. Like, I can’t walk. I went, “No, man, I’m, you can’t put me in my chair.”
So I got on my bicycle and went to get a coffee down the road. Yeah. And I saw this pole up ahead, and I’m like, I got it, it’s there. Wa- what happened? I rode straight into the pole. Yeah. The pressure was so hard and I c- Yeah … I was like, I’m probably blind. I said, “Okay.” Yeah. Quietly- … trundled home.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Torn jeans.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And then I told the, uh, uh, domestic helper that comes in once a week that, “Mm, uh, yeah, [00:30:00] don’t tell, don’t tell them”-
Scott : Yeah, sure … “
Jeremy: I hit the pole.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: She came up, “What? What are you doing riding a bicycle?” And then I go, “I won’t do it again.” Yeah. And I, I mean, I remember getting one of the most brain-splitting migraines I’ve ever experienced.
Oh, wow. Like, I’d vomit, just came. I just couldn’t take the pain. Yeah. I’m just like, “Aah.” Yeah. Just in agony. The pressure on the brain was next level. They- Yeah … I was vomiting, and they raced me off to the hospital. They put me in a CAT scan machine. They, they tried to get everything out of me as quick as we can, and they just doped me with morphine, and I lay there for a few days just trying to- Yeah
like, get back from that.
Scott : Trying to survive.
Jeremy: Yeah. That was, that was horrible. Like, and the migraines are bad-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: but that was like, I thought, “If this is what a brain tumor means”- Please, just- … give me a gun.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Honestly.
Scott : Sure,
Jeremy: sure. You
Scott : know? Sure.
Jeremy: But the radiation worked.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: It worked. Brilliant. And
Scott : is that-
Jeremy: Brilliant
Scott : that’s where you’re at right now
Jeremy: with the process? No, so then, no, then, then it
Scott : [00:31:00] was chemo.
Jeremy: Yeah. So we’re gonna hit you with this now. And, and I took a capsule chemo, temozolomide. It’s in lower dose. It’s not like they sit you on a machine. Yeah. You just live on it.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I lived on it for two, three years.
Scott : Okay.
Jeremy: It didn’t really bug me.
I like, I would still swim. I would drop off… You go, like, week sessions, and you have a week off- Yeah … and then you’re back, and then it’s… I can’t remember the day, uh- Yeah … days and how many. But, um, it, it- It, um, I dr- my appetite dropped a bit more Mm-hmm Um, but I got through it, no problem.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And, and it stopped. It stopped growing.
Scott : Incredible.
Jeremy: Yeah. And so… But he said, “This is fantastic. We didn’t think we’d be able to pull this in like this.” He said, “I don’t know what you’re doing. Keep it up.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know? And I’m, I’m like a, like a half full glass- Yeah, sure … not a half empty.
So I go in there and tease them and bullshit them, and so we go- Yeah … I like, these guys, this is your lifeline. Yeah, sure. These people are important to you. You know, you’re trying- Yeah, they’re trying to [00:32:00] save your life, yeah … you’re hanging on them.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And, and so, and I always try and, like, I always try and put my best foot forward.
Yeah. Like, make people laugh. Yeah. You know? And don’t, I, I don’t like sympathy.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know? I really don’t enjoy that. Yeah. And, um, so, so I try to be positive, and I suppose that helps.
Scott : I believe it does, yeah.
Jeremy: This is… Cancer is a mental game. Yeah. There are ways to beat it.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: But you just gotta, you just gotta stay…
You, I have been in for so many, “Oh, shits.” My wife and I crying in the doctor’s chair, and he’s- Yeah … what a shit job for him. Yeah, sure. You know? So I try to make him feel better.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So, like, sometimes you just can’t help, you fall apart a bit. Yeah, yeah. And then you gotta just like, “Okay, I got this. We’ll try again.
We’ll try this. We’ll try that.” And eventually it was going so well that about six or s- six to eight month ago, he said to me, “Jeremy, we’re gonna make some choices here. You cannot live on this drug. It’s gonna give you a d- different type of tank cancer.” He said, “It’s no risk, but…” [00:33:00] And I said to him, “Okay, Doc, I hear you.”
I went away. We were sailing in the mid, uh, and put the pills away. So no more seizure pills, noth- I mean, I was… I’d gone through a lot of stuff, which you can fill in between. But, but- Yeah … but I dumped everything, and I had a MRI scan. Uh, actually, doc appointment first. They always check the bloods, and then- Yeah
talk to me, and we chat a bit. And I had one planned, and he wanted to book a MRI. And, and so I came in, and, uh, and he said, “So how was, how was the last session of chemo? You still okay?” I said, “No, Doc, I stopped.” I said, “I stopped everything, anti-seizure, everything.” “You can stay off your drugs, but I’m gonna look at your brain every three months.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I said, “Let’s do it.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And that’s what I’ve been doing.
Scott : How’s it going?
Jeremy: Great.
Scott : Wow.
Jeremy: So he said it’s, nothing’s happening.
Scott : Wow.
Jeremy: And that’s where we’re at.
Scott : Jeremy, that’s incredible.
Jeremy: No, it’s, it’s brilliant. It’s brilliant. So, so actually what’s happened, though, is that- The, the radiation was a different [00:34:00] experience Mm.
So I mean, I’d lie on this chair and this little laser, you can’t really see, but there’s a little dot, and you can hear this noise, and you almost taste burning in your mouth-
Scott : Okay …
Jeremy: and a weird smell. Uh, but, uh, nothing’s coming out- Yeah, sure … you know, it’s, it’s all happening in here. It’s happening in the brain.
Sure. Maybe psychologically- Yeah, sure … but, but it’s happening. You can taste in the back of your throat. And, um, so I came out of thinking, “Okay, I can see again. This is cool.” Like, “Hey, there’s my hand.” You know? “This is really cool. I hadn’t seen that for a long time.” Yeah. I mean, my wife and I would be walking, and she’d turn left.
I’m like, keep walking, and like, “Where am I?”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: But little did I know, I didn’t know what the job of the brain was actually doing, you know? So I walked out of there. I could see, and I could think better and… But not think that much better, and I couldn’t hold any information. Yeah, sure. And, and, but, but, uh, I could not do what you’re doing all the time.
Uh, that- Mm … person coming into the room, I, I didn’t know was… Uh, I just couldn’t process it. My brain- Sure … had to focus on completely what I’m seeing-
Scott : Mm … ‘
Jeremy: cause they cooked [00:35:00] some of the rest.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: And so I was lacking. And the stuff that was normally doing that job was gone.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know? So, so, so I had to come back from that.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So I was driving, but when you driving, Scott, you don’t know what your brain’s looking at, and interpreting, and anticipating, and all- Yeah … that kind of thing. You know, like back here at home, we have people that beg at the lights. We have people that sell papers. Sure. We’ve got things going on, people cutting your lanes.
Right. Cities can be busy.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And your brain’s going, “That’s there. That’s gonna happen.” And I could only see here, man.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I can only see here. And if you’re talking to me from the back, I’m like, “No, don’t talk to me.” You know? I stopped listening to music even.
Scott : Yeah,
Jeremy: sure. You know? And, and, and I could only focus from there.
And I was talking to a psychologist and her friend, and she said, “How do you feel about psychedelics?”
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: I’m like, “Man, I’ll do anything to get high right now.” No, no, it was quite a traumatic thing.
Scott : Yeah,
Jeremy: sure. You know? So they dumped like a hero dose on me, [00:36:00] and-
Scott : There’s been so much development in that area, though.
Oh, man,
Jeremy: I’m seeing-
Scott : Like, it’s making a huge difference for our veterans …
Jeremy: dude, I have told
Scott : everybody. Yeah.
Jeremy: E- anybody tells… asks me what saved my life-
Scott : Okay …
Jeremy: because you… it, it helps you to create new neural pathways.
Scott : Okay.
Jeremy: Okay? And those new neural pathways are vital.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: I heard the best description of psychedelics, and that is that if you live in the mountain and you go down to the trading post every day on your skis, and you take that path- Eventually you can just like push off and the path’s all there.
Yeah. You don’t even have to lean into it- Yeah … the skis. Yeah. It’s the same with driving in the dirt. Yeah. You know, the tracks are there. Yeah. It’s difficult to get out of the tracks.
Scott : Yep.
Jeremy: And, and, uh, a psychedelic journey is like a big snowfall.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: You gotta cut a new line.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: You gotta create those pathways.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: That’s what it does to your brain.
Scott : Amazing.
Jeremy: Locks in on a new space. Ego goes a little lay- lower.
Scott : Yeah. [00:37:00]
Jeremy: You connect to the dirt,
Scott : brother. Yeah.
Jeremy: You understand how every little bug, every little bird, every little leaf-
Scott : Mm …
Jeremy: is one thing. Yeah. Interconnected by energy and- The most beautiful
Scott : thing. Yeah.
Jeremy: I have a god.
It’s Mother Earth.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: That’s like, that’s my god.
Scott : And that’s easy to, to come to terms with in Africa, ’cause it… You feel it. You feel it there. It’s here
Jeremy: everywhere.
Scott : Yeah, for sure.
Jeremy: I mean, it’s a little muffled over by concrete and tar-
Scott : Yeah, yeah, sure …
Jeremy: buildings.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: But in amongst that, that little tree out there-
Scott : Yeah
Jeremy: is life.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And, uh, that’s what mushrooms
Scott : do for me. I’m so glad that it’s helped you.
Jeremy: I really wish Trump, now that he’s given a law that we can use it, take a little yourself, buddy. Dump the ego a bit. You know what I mean?
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Because we think… So my path now is about learning, [00:38:00] teaching, and loving.
Scott : Yeah. It is… Isn’t it incredible though that like… And I’ve s- I’ve spoken to many friends of mine that have been through a similar experience that you have, and they all come out of it with a totally different perspective of like every day is an absolute blessing to have it at all. Um, but like why do we, why do we have to get so sick or even face the specter of death very immediately
Jeremy: to change?
So here’s my, here’s my kind of take on it in that regard. So I mean, you, you’re a young man. You’ve gotta get out the nest as fast as possible, okay? Some of you are forced- Mm … and some of you choose.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: We play rugby back home, like football- Sure … but a different one. It’s a bit more kind of like- I always
Scott : wish I could have
Jeremy: played rugby-
Scott : yeah
instead of football.
Jeremy: Yeah, ’cause the American though, you’ll get beaten up and cry and all that kind of thing. So it’s… No, so, so, so, so, so, and I still remember taking my boy to school, and he was a gentle boy. Now he’s 6’4″ and built like a brick shit house- Yeah … and he’s confident. But when he was in there and he [00:39:00] was my little boy, I like, “Uh, okay, he wants to learn.
I’ll teach him, or we’ll teach him.” Yeah. And, and I got, I got the school telling him about what’s important, and I was standing there thinking, “Oh, man, that’s not, that’s not all. There’s so much more. Can you not give us a little bit more of more, like what is important?” You know? Yeah. Like, how do we teach our kids to nurture things?
Yeah. How do we teach them to respect one another? Yeah. It’s like my motto is, do unto others that you would wish- Yeah … to have done unto you. The golden rule. It’s the golden rule.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know? And there’s a consequence. For every choice you make- Yeah … there’s a consequence. Yeah. And make whatever choice you want.
Yeah. If you wanna go and race your car down a road drunk, go for it, but just understand that when you hit a child crossing a road- Yeah … and you were pissed- Yeah … and you live with that consequence.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So look at the consequence before the choice.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Because, because- It can change your entire life
Scott : And someone else’s [00:40:00] potentially too, yeah.
Jeremy: Obviously.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Obviously.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And, and there’s not enough… People aren’t really, like, they get away with too much of that nonsense.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: But that’s, that’s kind of it, so. But yeah, so that’s where I’m at.
Scott : What, what are you, what are you excited about next? I mean, you’ve got your daughter’s working with you more.
Oh … she’s out having adventures. Look,
Jeremy: So-
Scott : What’s next?
Jeremy: So let me tell you what’s the hardest part of my business, okay? Is it’s a big business.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Do I like that? Not really.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: I don’t. Do I love this? Oh, yes. Yeah. I love this. But, but big business, as you get bigger, it’s, uh, the fun goes.
Scott : More money, more problems, right?
Jeremy: It’s like, it’s, it’s just the fun goes. Yeah, for sure. Like I’m all about fun. And I know I’m a serious person, okay? Don’t get me wrong. But it’s gotta be… You’ve got to enjoy that journey.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: For me, what floats my boat- is creativity.
Scott : [00:41:00] Yeah.
Jeremy: Creativity floats my boat. So that’s why when I’m wandering around here and I see everybody trying their hand at something, I’m like, “Beautiful.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Give it a shot.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Like, don’t regret that you didn’t.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: That’s the worst.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Like, like, and I started my life as a plumber. Okay. Tough job, man. Tough job. Like, it’s a seriously tough job, and especially as an apprentice. We were old school apprentice. Now you can just learn textbook, you know?
Scott : Sure, watch
Jeremy: YouTube. We, we dug holes, we chipped walls, we worked our asses off. My forearms were like this- Yeah … and I could break a cannon in half in two seconds. Sure. And but it taught me so much, digging holes, i- like, getting your hands dirty.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know? People don’t know how to get their hands dirty anymore- Yeah, sure
you know? A couple of mechanics, great-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: and electricians, but that is such a life lesson.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: And you’re solving problems, and you’re working with people, and you… It’s like having that in your pocket.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I’m afraid of nothing-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: [00:42:00] because goes down, I can dig a hole. Sure. I can make a plan.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Plumbers make plans.
Scott : Yeah, that’s right.
Jeremy: So I’m privileged.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: My daughter came to me the other day. It’s … She’d joined the team. The team’s gone through a bit of change in marketing. Yeah. She’d been put behind the desk. She said, “Dad, I don’t like this.”
Scott : Mm. “
Jeremy: I don’t know if I wanna stay.”
Scott : She wants to be out in the field, yeah.
Jeremy: And I said, “George, I’m not gonna hold you back, though.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Like, like, the most beautiful thing for me was for her to join us.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Okay? But I don’t want her to… I don’t know wh- I don’t want her to start going down- Yeah … because we put her in a space. So we’ll change that, and the team didn’t understand my idea behind Ellie Cab Girls.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And they, it gave me pushback and I… Because I’ve had to hand over the torch, because I handed over the torch to the team, I’ve always tried to be quite diplomatic and- Yeah … and kind of, “I’m not gonna mess with you, but I’d like to do this.” And then they’re like… So eventually I said, “Guys, I’m gonna [00:43:00] do this.”
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: We did it with Jana-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: a while back, was very successful.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And the girls had approached me, her and her best friend, who’d studied and been through school, too, and said, “Daddy”- … you know, “We wanna do this.” I’m like, “Fabulous.”
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Fabulous. I wasn’t ever gonna push my kids, and I wanted them to come to me to say they wanna come.
Yeah, sure. And I said I’d love it, and I talked to the team, and the team were like, “Nah, I don’t know about this.” But I convinced them, and I love it-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: because I didn’t want to… i’m not into selling, but you gotta sell. But I like to sell the story.
Scott : Sure.
Jeremy: And they were doing it so nicely. Yeah. A little bit slow in the beginning, like a little bit rough, all festivals, all that kind of thing but they started to get it But we hit a s- obstacle with the rest of the marketing team, and we had to bring in new people, and they got sucked into the office.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: So I’ve gotta get back there. They’ve gotta get back there. But, um, I love it because it’s just them out there. It’s kind of like they’re just having fun, and they’re doing- Off on an adventure. Yeah, [00:44:00] sure … they’re coming out and, and it’s, that’s how I wanna sell the dream. Yeah. It’s, it’s a beautiful thing to be out there, and they talk about, and they’re linking up with tour operators that are also good people.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Good people that love the environment, that are connected.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: You know, you get the hardcore who burn wheels and drive over the bush and- Yeah … don’t give a shit, and they get people that, that are just so grateful.
Scott : You know, Jeremy, if you were to give some advice to yourself, um, if you could go back 20 years and give yourself some advice, what would you give yourself advice about now that you’ve learned all this, these lessons?
Well,
Jeremy: you know what I mean? You can’t go back. Okay? You can’t go back.
Scott : But if you could tell your son-
Jeremy: No, no, no. Yeah. I can, I can, I can… I’m gonna, I’m gonna teach those lessons. That’s the next part of my life. Yeah.
Scott : So,
Jeremy: so if you think about life anyway, and you think about where we came from-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: we’d sit around the campfire, and the elders would teach us.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: And that’s broken into internet, social media that’s fast minute. The only value that’s left now are podcasts.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: That’s our [00:45:00] fireside talk.
Scott : Mm.
Jeremy: I adore them.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I spend, I spend a lot of time on the road. I wish I’d discovered them years ago, and I wish they were more out there-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: you know? But what a beautiful, beautiful thing that people share their experiences.
I have learnt in the last two years- I’ve learned so much affirmation-
Scott : Mm …
Jeremy: because I know I’ve learned it on the way, but it was never outlined to
Scott : me.
Jeremy: Mm. You know, instinctively you’re adapting and learning- Yeah … and taking ownership of what you’re doing, but- Yeah … so, so for me, I wanna teach.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I wanna teach.
So when I walk down past a guy and he’s done built himself an awning, and he’s got black awning, and I’m like, “It looks cool. It looks cool. I’m not gonna argue, but I just, like, can I tell you that if you switch that to silver on top, because the black awning, it radiates so much heat down- Yeah, sure … it’ll be five degrees cooler.”
Scott : Yeah,
Jeremy: sure. He’s like, “Oh, cool. Thanks.” Like, that, that’s… No one ever told me that. It’s competition. Like, what happened [00:46:00] there? I’m like-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: I just wanna teach- Yeah … and share. Yeah. And, and we all, we’re all trying to make a way, you know? We’re trying to find our way.
Scott : I would agree.
Jeremy: When I see all the old boys that have been in the game, I’m like, “Fantastic.
I’m glad you’re still here,” and, and- Yeah … we never came here to derail.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: We just came here to share the love.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: We came here… Look, you gotta face it, that the American space, everybody knows the American space because we watch television.
Scott : Yeah, sure.
Jeremy: So this feels like home.
Scott : Yeah,
Jeremy: sure. You know what I mean?
Scott : Yeah,
Jeremy: sure. Like the humor, the everything, we understand. Yeah, sure. Like, Europe’s a different space- Yeah … ’cause Europe is foreign languages. We could never follow it.
Scott : And Americans love South Africans,
Jeremy: so- And if I can make people laugh- Yeah … I’m happy.
Scott : Yeah,
Jeremy: that’s good. That’s like my thing. I like…
Sometimes I get a little bit too close- … like, like, oh, that was a bit… But then I step back and- … ease off and… But I love people, and I love to joke, and I love to embrace.
Scott : Well, and Jeremy, it’s an, it’s been an honor to have you on the podcast. Your story is incredible. Yeah, thank you. Um, I, as your friend, I am so grateful that [00:47:00] you are still with us.
Jeremy: Me too, man.
Scott : So, I mean, I, I… We were all-
Jeremy: I’m a little bit more grateful than you, I gotta tell you.
Scott : We were, we were all worried, and- Yeah … you’ve come through it, um-
Jeremy: No, it’s
Scott : cool to be back … and that… And yes, and it’s great to see you here in Arizona- No,
Jeremy: it’s so good to be here … at the Overland Expo, so.
You know, last night felt like the old days. Yeah. It kind, kind of everything’s changed-
Scott : Yeah …
Jeremy: and, and it’s got a little bit more serious- Yeah … and the rules. Yeah. You
Scott : have
Jeremy: to have rules, you know? Yeah. Like, we get out of control. Me, well, I need rules, although I hate rules. But, but what I’m saying is last night I went and joined the guys on the other side, and we had some beers, and- Yeah
Jason came and they had flipped some meat.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: I was just like, yeah. And a few dogs around. I’m happy with dogs, man. Dogs are beautiful. Of course. There’s nothing that touches my heart more than a dog. Yeah,
Scott : of course.
Jeremy: So, so we sat there, and we… Brian, we spoke shit and laughed and giggled and- That’s great
it was so good. I’m so… It’s so good to be back here. I love this, this show. This is one of my favorites. Fantastic show. I mean, I know there’re lots, and I haven’t had the chance to touch them all. It’s a long way to get here. It
Scott : is, yeah.
Jeremy: And that’s expensive, man.
Scott : Yeah.
Jeremy: Like, it’s expensive, so hopefully that’ll settle down a bit,
Scott : but- But [00:48:00] we’re glad you’re here
Jeremy: uh, I’m glad to be here. It’s good to see
Scott : you. Yeah. Jeremy, thank you so much for being on the
Jeremy: podcast. Oh, man. Any, any pleasure. Any, any pleasure. We only got through, like,
Scott : a third of the stuff.
Jeremy: I’ve got lots of good stories. Well, we’ll have to have you back on. We’ll have to have you back on. No worries, man. It was good
Scott : to be here. Awesome. And we thank you all for listening- Yeah. Fantastic, man. … and we’ll talk to you next time. Cool. Thanks, Jeremy.