TSH S3 E05 | Paul Gerritsen - Firefighter Entrepreneur, Rowing Across the Atlantic Ocean, Life as a Professional Athlete for New Zealand. A Journey of Discipline & Growth

“Anything becomes boring or difficult, but those are often the times you are making gains towards where you want to go”

Paul Gerritsen is one of the most mentally tough guests we have had on the show. After Rowing for New Zealand Paul joined the New Zealand Fire Service, serving for 12 years before starting Purpose Fill - a waste and skip bin hire business that recycles 40% of what would have ended up in landfill. Oh yeah, and he also was a part of a team that rowed across the Atlantic, but he had no preparation or training. If you are interested in inspiring stories showing grit, discipline, and curiosity this conversation is for you. 

#Grit  #RowingAcrossThe Atlantic #PurposeFill #HardChoicesEasyLife #NZFireService #podcast #LIVESMARTER #thestoryhub #Entreprenuer #Careerjourney #Growth #RowingNewZealand

Time Stamps:

1:09 Entrepreneurial Early Family Life 

4:27 Discovering Rowing, Being Coached by Ex-Olympian Ian Wright

7:08 Culture of Winning at St Pauls

9:29 Trying to Become a Professional Athlete and Row for New Zealand

14:54 Toughest Race Rowing in the U23 World Rowing Championship

18:38 What the Best Coaches Did

22:04 Life in the New Zealand Fire Service

23:33 Saving another Fireman as the Building Collapsed

26:35 Career Progression in Fire Service

29:53 Sudden Opportunity - Rowing Across the Atlantic

34:58 The Boat & The Goal

39:45 Running Out of Food, the Dangers of the Crossing

50:40 Fire Service & Dealing with Stress

54:20 The Quick Growth of Purpose Fill - Saving Waste from Landfill

59:01 Leaving the Fire Service to Lead Purpose Fill Full-time

1:04:29 Paul’s Favourite Achievement

1:05:55 Thoughts on Resilience & Discipline

1:08:38 Final Thoughts