Free Your Mind With LKJc – Mark Pooler, Part 2 – Drug Addiction

Hello and welcome to this week's edition of Free Your Mind. Let's talk about it. My guest this week is part 2 of the story of drug addiction, abuse, domestic violence, and a gentleman that turned his life around. So the second part of this is a very positive show that is going to show the listener that when you do fall, there is no shame. Putting your feet onto that ground and standing and walking again and learning to walk this new journey and the determination is the strength and courage that marks the Steven Poole had embarked on, and now an inspirational gentleman that is there to encourage. So on that note, I'm going to bring straight in Mark this morning to speak to you listeners after listening to part 1, to now take the final part of this journey. Hello, Mark. Steven Pule. Are you there? Hi, Lady Kendall. I'm really looking forward to a wonderful conversation with you today. You know, it's my pleasure to have you back on the show, and I know, um, your first interview had left a lot of, um, footprints in many people's hearts of the journey and the struggles, the emotional and mental trauma, just the pain. I mean, the pain was so immense to go through. And when we last left the interview, we were saying how you had turned this around and you'd done hairdressing, etc., and now you are very successful. Could you explain to the listener what and where you stand now in your journey, who you are now. We've seen who you was in the past, let's hear about who you are now and take us all on freeing your mind on this positive show for the listeners to hear on how to turn your life around. Yes, it's a great conversation today and you mentioned trauma there, Jags, and You're absolutely right, I did suffer with stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, lots of trauma where I have had to do a lot of inner work on myself with personal development and self-improvement. But there's always light at the end of the tunnel. Today I'm following my dreams, my passions. I'm creating a great life for myself. I am a radio and web television host. I'm also a PR expert and support entrepreneurs with digital media. I have a premium PR agency. I'm also an international best-selling author. And I'm also an inspirational speaker, and I do also speak in schools around the topics of bullying, drug awareness, mental health, body image issues, and sexuality. As the audience will know, all things that I have overcome in my own life. Yes, and that has been an immense journey. So for the listeners that can see, that is some turnaround from somebody that fell so deep, basically burnt yourself out, and there was nothing left of Mark Stephen Poole when he was 21. Took almost 7 years, you know, to come through the addiction, which wasn't easy. And then to turn around and what you have created, your legacy, is very, very remarkable and very inspiring for the listener and for all the listeners that are listening. You can do this. You need to want to do this. There is help there. There is support. And as Mark is, you know, reaching out to the audience today is that slowly, step by step, you can just— so can we— I want to touch, Mark, if I may, on, um, each section of your businesses that you do. So can we start with your inspirational speaker, um, when going to school? Can we you know, spend some time, you know, talking to that and how you manage with your mental health going through that to bring yourself out and to express yourself. Do you feel nervous when you go on stage? How do you cope with that? How do you plan? How do you address people to connect them with you? Because it's, you know, I do feel when you've had this spiritual journey when you nearly lost your life and you were nearly going the other side, that there was a spiritual essence that was put around you, an aura, and that aura protects you and you guard yourself now. But when you are speaking to the school or children at DARE, can you just, as I said, can we spend a little bit of time on that part of who Mark Stephen Puller is? And how you would speak to somebody who are suffering or in this. Could you just take us as if we were on that stage in that speaking, and can we hear you in your inspirational speaking? I would love that, Jags, definitely. Firstly, that is a wonderful question. I don't think I've been asked this question before. When I'm speaking in schools, it's a secondary business which I am doing totally for service. I really get satisfaction knowing that I could be really helping children not have to go through some of the things that I have been through, so I do it for service. I would like to add people can go to schoolspeakers.co.uk, that's schoolspeakers.co.uk, and type in Mark Stephen Poole if they are interested in school speaking. I was also recently booked by HMP, Her Majesty's Prison Service. Unfortunately that got cancelled due to the pandemic, but that will happen in the future. As well. Now, getting to your question, I remember one of my first times speaking in a school. I was petrified, Jags, purely because going into a secondary school, my past of secondary school was traumatic. I was heavily bullied to the point I had to be taken out of school and going to home and hospital tuition because the bullying was so bad. I refused to go to school. I got kicked in the back, had to run 2 miles home by one of the hard lads in class, like I shared on the first show. So when I was going into my first speaking gig in a school One, I was really excited, but the fear— I was so nervous because of all of that trauma of going into a school knowing how I'd been bullied. And I remember when I got there as well, they said to me, "Oh, it's an all-boys school," which I didn't know. I thought it was a mixed school. So again, that brought the fear up even more because it was mainly boys that I got bullied by at secondary school. I got on with a lot of girls, so when they said, "Oh, you're speaking today, it's an all-boys school," the fear really kicked in. But once I got on that stage, I just really firstly be myself. And I walk onto the stage and my opening line that I open with is, I can show you what rock bottom is. Rock bottom is being on your hands and knees picking up fluff off the carpet. Thinking it's a crack cocaine rock that you have dropped. That's rock bottom. I then go on to talk about how I was always the guy at school that got bullied about the way I looked and about my sexuality. And then I will say, big chin, big ears, gay. Queer, you name it, I was called it. But I do have a funny story to share with you. 5 years old, there was a knock at my mum's front door. It was the next-door neighbours bringing me home. They had found me walking the streets. Hand in hand with the next-door neighbours, my mum answers the door and the neighbours say to my mum, Susan, we thought we'd better bring Mark home, we found him walking the streets. I was wearing my mum's nightie and high heels. Even at that young age, I was just Being myself. Always be yourself, no matter what. So I open the speech with something really traumatic to grab the audience, but because it can bring the mood down a little bit, I then lift the audience back up with a little bit of humour. Yes, like you've just done with your story there. Which is saying, you know, because you pictured yourself back, and we're going back now to that knock on the door and stood in your mum's nightie with your high heels on, and this is where you felt comfortable, and you have every right to feel comfortable. This is you, this is who you are, and you're entitled to have that. And no matter how you go out dressed, It's— our body is our vessel, it's our house, and how we dress our house, and we all have different views and our own creativity within us that creates the colours in our house and what we do. This is exactly the same with what we do when we create and clothe our body and our minds and However we choose to dress that, the brightest colours, the dark colours, that represents us, that represents you, and when you are going and walking on that freedom that your mind felt, the comfortableness that you could walk along, you know, the passion of creativity that was in you, that you could stand tall although you needed a pair of high heels to stand tall in. That gave you the thing to pull your shoulders back, stand tall, and I'm comfortable like this, and I don't care who sees me like this, but this is who I am. Accept me for who I am. It doesn't matter whether you're thin, you carry, you know, extra pounds, we all have different views on how we wear our hair, long, short, whatever. This is us. Everybody is equal. We were all born with a face, eyes, nose, mouth, and the vessel, our body, our house, that's been done. But inside that, the muscle of the brain that constantly needs feeding and doing, our heart that needs to understand true love, and it will get hurt. Because how do you know true love is real unless you know the feeling of pain? So you can differentiate between that. And bringing that in, what defines us as a person isn't the clothes we wear, isn't our sexuality, isn't whether we wear high heels, low heels, whether you're Polish, German, what defines us is inside that house, where in our house we have electricity to light things up, we have gas to heat it. Our heart keeps the brain and that pumping, the exploring of our minds that empowers, that grows our personality, that grows our character. And kindness, and what we have in our inner core and our soul is what comes out that expresses the person who you are. And there is nothing, nothing more beautiful than the inside of pure essence of empathy, emotive language, kindness and expelling that, you will be the most beautiful person on this planet. And to be that person, like my grandmother said to me, you know, we can have many associates in this world, but to have 5 true friends in your life, Josie, you have been gifted and loved. And to do that So yes, you know, when you are there and you're inspirational speaking to these people, that yes, when you're down and to be at rock bottom, you was looking for the fluff on the carpet thinking it was, you know, a rock, you know, heroin or crack cocaine, and you're looking for that to have changed, coming in to stand in that fear that you had But inside your house, you had built that up to be strong. The armor now, you had armored gates of steel put around your vessel, your house. And inside is the softness and the beauty that lies within that house, which you're expressing, and that you've learned and you've healed. You've felt pain. You felt pain so raw, so deep, immense trauma psychologically, mentally, and then to walk onto a stage of an all-boys school and stand against all this, that your house had been knocked with its storms of bullying, people trying to break your house down, your body down, and more importantly, get in there and flood your brain with the water to smash you out. You rose from that to be on that stage to inspire people that are sitting there saying, no, this isn't right, I'll show you rock bottom. But your positivity coming out to leave that a hall where all these boys were sitting in, to perhaps if you saved one of them to understand. Yes. You climb that top of that mountain because as we climb up our mountain, as we're gathering, be careful that you don't trip and fall on the way back down. You're showing them if you do trip and fall, it's fine, we dust ourselves off, we go on. But teaching them how that hurts somebody inside, to understand what this pain does. So your response, Mark, can you explain that part as you've gone in, you know, how did you feel when the audience, they were being drawn into, you know, this isn't a joke, this is real life, and for people sitting in that audience in that all-boys school. That are thinking, this is happening to me, how do I speak out, where do I go, will someone listen at me, will the boys kick me enough if I come out and do that, can I be brave, can I put the armour around my house and come from that. So your inspirational speaking that you do and encouragement, can you then just tell the audience from that part where you've lifted them, and at the end of that, the feedback you got, you know, and engagement, if you may, and the impression. So firstly, I'd like to add, at the age of 5, wearing a nightie and high heels, I had no idea of my— excuse me— sexuality at that point. I was just different. I just liked playing with my mum's clothes. Makeup, and maybe I was born gay, who knows. There's a big debate about that, but I know from a young age I was always different, and that is what initially started off me getting bullied. So I just wanted to add that. When I first got on the stage, obviously there was a little bit of fear But then as I shared my speech, because I'm an ordinary guy from the West Midlands, I keep my speech so real about every single thing that I have been through. I share the good, the bad, the ugly. But then at the end of my presentation, I show them what I have gone on to achieve. I share tips of how to control their mindset. The importance of gratitude, visualization, meditation. I share it real to them kids, and that's what school needs. Some schools can be a little bit protective of over the information that you're sharing with them because sometimes they might think it's a little shocking. Actually, what I am sharing with the children, that I'm— was a crack cocaine addict, a heroin addict, collapsed and died, shockers used on me to bring me back to life. But I know kids need the truth. That's what they need to hear, to show them that you don't need to go down this path. You can create a life and not make all of these mistakes. Mistakes that I have made, and I get the children involved, asking them to ask me questions, to go into groups and tell me what they have learned and where they're going to take action. And I tell you something, Jags, those kids were laughing when I was sharing what I've gone on to achieve and how I've turned my life down around, those kids were all shouting, cheering, clapping, and the way I was responding to their questions, they were just clapping me. That then really made me think, wow, I had all these fears coming into this school. They've been really polite, they've been really courteous, they've showed me admiration. It was just empowering, and I left that school thinking, wow, I was just on a high from going in and giving a presentation knowing I could have really have made an impact on anyone struggling with sexuality. There were drug problems in the school. Not only were they having problems with cannabis. It was house parties and Class A drugs like ecstasy. So I know I could have made a big impact in that school, and that really, really makes it worthwhile and the reason that I go and face my fears and deliver presentations in schools. Jokes. Yes, when you're touching on, you know, that there was drugs in the school, which is, you know, unfortunately we're hearing a lot more of. The same as out of school when you're going on and these house parties they're going to. There's a big talk at the moment about the nightclubs, etc., drinks being spiked and going in there. I saw that on the news and they're using injection Yeah, do you explain that to people when they're going to these house parties? Is that something that you have already addressed, you know, in your speaking to them, that, you know, about your drink that's going out there? Be careful because, you know, you did take ecstasy at one of these parties that you'd been to, and you didn't know where you was, you ended up in the hospital. With your mother and you died, you know, almost that was it, you were out, you didn't bring back. So when we're looking at the extent where we are at the moment with these drugs being spiked and everything, you know, what do you— what is your belief is what's happening in the world of drugs at the moment? If I, you know, get your up-to-date concept on, you know, how can we get people to understand the damage that they're doing? And with now people who don't take drugs that are going out, Mark, and for a nice evening and find, you know, they've got pins and needles in their hands, they're in a terrible state, you know, where people are doing all this. What do you think that person that's in their mind is doing, because they're taking the control from somebody who has control that wouldn't have this, you know. Where do we lie with that? I would say, Jags, when I go into schools, I would never say to children, "Don't do drugs," because I think if you tell people not to do something, They will rebel and they will want to do it. What I do do, I educate them on what I have been through and the damage that led to me going on to have in my life, because I just think if you say don't do this, they will want to do it. So I just show them you could end up like me. Also, I share with them that cannabis is very bad for mental health because unfortunately, even myself when I was younger, but kids, they just think cannabis is not that bad. But let me share that cannabis does a affect your mental health. It makes you lazy, you don't want to do anything, you don't think well, you sleep far too much, it makes you really tired. And I let them know that it can lead to other drugs as well. So I would then go down an approach of sharing all the great things that you can do to rebuild your life, like gratitude, visualization, meditation, eating better foods that are healthy for you, have an impact on the way you feel, drinking clean fresh water, getting a bit of— little bit of exercise. I share really motivational things, but I also share don't make the same mistake makes I made, because you could end up in hospital collapsed and dead like I did. I think when people do take drugs, it's because they are insecure inside. Maybe they're trying to mask confidence issues, they're trying to fit in with other children or other people that they look up to who are taking drugs. They're trying to fit in. It's a lot harder and a lot more discipline to say no, but I'm a big advocate of being confident enough to say, 'No, I don't want to do that,' and just showing them that there is light at the end of the tunnel. But I would never recommend trying to say to them, 'Don't do that. And also, I think the area that you are based in— I know when I was heavily on drugs, drugs were rife around the Dudley area at the time, um, so your environment is really, really important. Does that answer your question, Jags? Yes, it does, and a very, very good answer for the listeners that are listening, and then, you know, for people that are parents going through this with their children, to go, you know, because some child can be easily led, as we were saying, that's gone through school and they're being bullied, etc., forced to do this to try and be in the crowds to stop the bullying, to go. And as you said, it kind of leads on to mental health. And as you said, they then will try another drug because where it's making them lazy, this is their downer. At first it's funny, they get the initial kick from it, so laughing like that. But then comes the paranoia and the drop down, and where they're tired to get up, so they'll try something else. Where they have cameras to relax, they have to take ecstasy to boost them up. So uppers and downers, excuse me, you know, is what they're playing with. So their blood pressure, their heart, everything is going, you know. And the pressure of drugs it puts on your heart, you know, the effects from that. Again, that some are forced to take this. And as we say, when people, their drinks being spiked, which is out of their control. You know, and obviously— Jags as well, if I could just add, you did touch on something that's not talked about enough, the effect it has on parents. A lot of parents don't know how to deal with people that are going through addiction. The worst thing you can do is keep on going on at them. The worst thing you can do is shout at them, fall out with them. I would say just support them, be there and listen to them. Don't tell them, "Don't do this," because they will rebel. Just be there to hold their hand when they need it, when they're going through those difficulties. Be their friend. Through it. I think that is really great advice, because if you're a parent that's constantly asking them what they're doing— why are your eyes so big?— they will shut you away. They won't want to speak to you. Be there to support them when they need it. Yeah, and that's a good question which isn't spoken about Often. And if you are that parent, the frustration that your child has taken to drugs, you fail as a parent. Have you failed? What did you do wrong? Why has my child turned to this? Reasons go, you know, to express from them, please tell me what have I done wrong, you know, what can I do to help? So this is where the anger And as a parent would come through and say, "Where's your coat? Let's have a look. Empty your coat. You've been smoking this. I can smell it all over you." And the shame and the anger. But it will make them go out and do it more, and you'll push them away. Yeah, but the parent has lost the control when a child is taken to drugs because the drug is the control. The drug is the parent to that brain. It's telling that brain, yeah, we can do this, come on, let's go off, we can do this, no, you can stay in bed. You know, when your parent that loves you with their heart that's brought you in and nurtured you, and they don't know. So yes, as you're saying, parents are at loose end to do it, and you get the rise and they start going out or they start stealing to buy the drugs. So you'll come home from work and you think, I've had that, and your child's stolen from you to go and buy this. They'll find any way if they haven't got the money to feed this addiction and to cope with that, that your child is doing this. This is why, as you said, you know, don't shout at them, don't— they'll push you away. Talk to them, be their friend so they can open up and say, I can't control this, it's just, this is what's happened. But that's where you need to go together with that support. Where there are groups for parents that if their children are on drugs, they can go and learn how to live with a child that is like that. Use that teaching in that group where you can express and offload and free yourself, enable to help the person that's on it. To find a way to show them their worth. Why did they fall? Why did this happen? Was it bullying at school? Was it being inquired? You know, what— and the question is, they have to— what made you take drugs? There is a reason why anybody would take a drug. They're blocking out their mind. You know, they need to shut their mind down, they need to shut that box down and don't let anybody in and just be away in the darkness. Come back, you know, when they come back in, say, "Oh, I don't like that, I'm going to go back." And many people will try to do that, and that's why there are triggers when people have come out and they may fall and they, you know, they've had a relapse, they've taken again. So you don't stone them, you have to start again. Yes. You know, we take the path again, one step at a time, but people will fall until they're fully, you know, the counselling and the courses that are there and wanting and working as a whole unit to get that. And for yourself, you did this by yourself and then gone on, as we've heard, a very, very inspirational speaker. And obviously you've done your celebrity hairdressing, you're now at stage of your passion in your life, and we've, we've touched on that. So these children see what you've done. So with your time that you give to schools of the people that want it, what would be your advice— I think the word is I'm looking for— to a parent or a child listening to the show and you want to change, where would you send them? Where would you direct the parents to go if they had a child that is suffering and they just don't know how to cope? Where would their first point go? How could they get help themselves to understand this with the child? Or the child is wanting help, where would they go? So firstly, I would say unless the addict is admitting that they have a problem, it will be ever so difficult until they kind of hit a rock bottom theirself to the point where they admit they have a problem. Because if they're not admitting they have a problem, they are just going to want to go out and keep taking drugs. They need to kind of hit that rock bottom sometimes. I know that's hard to hear, but unless they are admitting they have a problem, it will be very hard to help them. Also, when people are on drugs, they will lie as well, because drugs change people. So they may tell you things you want to hear, they may start pinching things, they may become a different person, but that is just the drugs and it's not the person. Deep down inside, that lovely child is still there, but it's the drugs changing them. For the child, I would say, like I said on the last show, never suffer alone, never suffer in silence. Reach out to a friend, a mentor, a teacher, a family member, someone that you feel you can trust to talk to, and really seek help there is help out there. Go to a doctor, seek medical assistance. Doctors will normally refer you to people when you need that support. For the parents, support the child like we mentioned. Don't go on at them, shout at them. It's hard, I know it's hard. I put my family through hell, but just be there as their friend because they're going to do what they want to do anyway. So it's better that you're their friend so you can support them when they need it. Again, there's no shame in parents seeking out help from a doctor, from people, from support groups, from mentors Also, a doctor will refer you to drug rehabilitation. You can get helplines. Never suffer alone, that's my advice. Get the help that is out there. It may be a long journey, but start with the first step. Yes, very powerful, strong words and advice given to the the listener, by Mark Stephen Puller, that there is support and there is no shame. Working together, you will find an answer or solution, hopefully, as long as, as Mark was saying, the addict themselves need to want to do this. So for Mark, as the listener is hearing, as an inspirational speaker and obviously with the advice of Gaila did change his life. He did work hard and he did finally come the other end. And Mark, you know, you also have, you know, we've talked about the inspirational speaker, so you changed that, and then now you have your premium PR agency. Can you tell us what that part is? And at what stage did you do that and what made you do that? Because we're looking now how you've changed stuff. We see that your service to speak and help people, that you always have that dark side of the drugs and speaking out to encourage it. And if you can help somebody or, or guide them and, you know, to look at you and what's happened, that you have changed. So now with your speaking, we understand why you do that. That's your service now. You feel it's your duty after being in the dance hall to try and help to do that. So then, you know, from your work side, where obviously you didn't take, um, you didn't have very good exams, etc., when you left school, where you became a celebrity hairdresser to the stars, but it still wasn't you, um, it wasn't feeding you enough. Although it was fantastic and you've done some wonderful celebrities' hairstyles and looked after some of the most famous people in the world and doing that, but it still wasn't you, still wasn't who Mark was. So we've got where you've opened the— was it because you worked with celebrities and seeing like that that you saw how their PR agents looked after them, it wasn't quite right. You felt you could offer something because you have no training in this area. How did you train yourself then to open? And obviously you freed your mind. You are Mark now. You, you've come into the light and growing to express yourself. And obviously PR people are there to help people. Again, it's another arm off of your speaking what you're doing to help people and get the PR, everything correct, or things go wrong in that person's life, how to address the PR. Discuss that part of your life in here and what made you do this. You know, the question was there about, was it doing Celebrity Hair that lent that to you? So the question is Why did you do PR and got your own company and that? What drove you? Great question. So when I was younger, I did drama for a little while, dancing. I did a little bit of television extras. I also did theatre shows. I also auditioned for Coronation Street when I was 15 years old doing drama. And when I was leaving school, I really wanted to get into television, but my mum and my family, we were never overly rich. They were hardworking, but we were never rich. And my mum said, "Mark, drama school's really expensive. You need to get a proper job." And that was why I originally went into hairdressing. So what I am doing today, I just feel like I'm following my passions and my purpose. I have a radio show, a web television show. That's what I always wanted to do, be a television presenter. So I feel like it's never too late to follow your dreams. So to answer your question, when I started speaking, I had no experience in speaking, I had no profile, no one would book me as a speaker, so I spoke all over the UK for free. I didn't earn any money, I didn't make a penny, And also I had to create my own event and put myself on stage with other high-profile speakers in order for me to be able to become a speaker like I am today. I was then interviewed on a radio show. They asked me to come back and co-host the radio show, and that gave me a taste of the world of media and PR. Little by little, I started co-hosting a show. I then become, become part of a bigger agency in the USA where I started doing press releases, doing radio interviews on my own radio show. And little by little, I've built a huge database of connections. I launched my own PR agency and my own publishing platform, MSPNewsGlobal.com. I just went in feet first, Jags, and built it step by step by step over the last few years. And today I have got access to some of the biggest publications in the world. I can get people published in the Daily Mail, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider. I have levels of 3— uh, level Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 publications. I have hundreds of publications where I can spotlight my clients. I also have my own radio and web television shows where I can spotlight my clients, but I can also give my clients access to other people's shows to really spotlight their success. So to answer your question, the reason I do it, I just love being able to build my clients' profiles really quickly and not having to go through to go through the struggle like I did at the beginning of my entrepreneurship journey, not having any profile, making lots of mistakes along the way. I feel like I've made all those mistakes so my clients don't have to. I can build their profiles, get them in magazines, in journals, in print, in media, on radio. On television, they don't have to make the mistakes. And again, I just love serving. In the beginning of my entrepreneurship journey, I wanted to be the one on the stage taking the spotlight. But as soon as I got into PR, I just got more satisfaction about giving my clients the spotlight. That really fills me up, to answer your question. Yes, and very high profile in what you're doing. Again, when we look at the inspirational speaking, when you're standing there and explaining all your journey that you went through in that part, the failings, the hardship, and clawing yourself out the ground and rising from from these ashes where you're completely burnt out to rebuild. Then as you were saying about your PR, going through that for your clients and struggling, not being noticed, the fight, this fight that you have that I am not going to fail, I haven't done all this to fail and come through. And with all that journey that you have done, and it is difficult, it's very, very difficult to be published author, to get people to do without recognition. You know, you need recognition, you need to have credibility, and without credibility it's very difficult. And like I said, once you step on the ladder and you start building credibility, it gets easier as you go up. But remembering who you are, who was first took that step to climb the ladder, and where you want to be. And like yourself, saving— life is very short, we only have a short time here, And like you're saying, helping your clients that they don't waste this time. Time management is important, whatever we do in our daily life. So if following your PR and doing this, their time management is dealt with by yourself, so they do become successful. Where for you, the greatest gift that you have is not where you wanted to thing, or I want to be on that stage with the spotlight on me because this was— this where I was meant to be. You're actually standing on the side, and the joy you get is from the ray of the light as it comes down on your client, thinking, I've done that. That gift, that gift inside, inside your house, your vessel, your body, those armor gates that we've taken into Mark Stephen Puller, inside his deep core is the core of kindness, love, and to help and service. And by expressing by— with your wonderful PR company and that you have, it's very, very successful and as such an achievement to yourself what you've done on regarding that to be so successful. Going around and being not paid, saying, I want to do this. You didn't earn anything, but you just wanted to show people who you were, and you were good at this, and you were extremely good at this. No, you didn't have any teacher, but you taught yourself. You were teaching from when you couldn't do this at school, although you had the love of drama and you were doing that, and your expression through the creativity of that was that you were going to succeed. Your mind was so powerful and strong that you were going to succeed, and you have succeeded. And getting to that point, and as we say, with time management, not to let anybody else make this long, painful journey. So for all the listeners, if you do feel, you know, you're wanting your book to be published, you know, Mark Steven Fuller, we have different social media angles on the interview where you can contact Mark, or simply by putting Mark Steven Fuller into the Google, it brings up several profiles on him with his entrepreneurship, and be able to contact Mark, who is, as the listener is noting in both part 1 and part 2 of this Free Your Mind with LKJ, as the sincerity and honesty and the kindness of Mark expels throughout. You are the rainbow after a dark sky, you really are, Mark. Thank you so, so much, Jokes, for this incredible conversation. I've thoroughly enjoyed our two episodes. And also, if people would like to connect with me on any social media or their interested in PR services or my speaking services, they can simply go to www.contactmark.me. That's www.contactmark.me. Contactmark.me. All my social media links are there, and also there is a button to schedule a meeting with me. Thank you so, so much for this amazing opportunity. No, it's amazing, you know, when we're looking at everything that you've done, because sometimes when you are younger, you're not mature or confident to follow your dream, but your dream is there. You have a legacy. Yes. Your legacy is important. Never too late. You wasn't born to come onto this earth and be nothing. There's a simple nothing. It's why our roads take different journeys. We experience different roads, some bumpy, some smooth, some glorious, profitable orchards of full fruit, but others are very scarce. And, you know, quite fair, but that's part of the journey of learning. Learning The essence of balance. What we have to have is balance in life. Yes. Without the rain, things can't grow. We can't learn. Flowers won't grow. The plants won't— you know, the vegetables that won't grow. We need the rain sometimes to fall for days, which does bring us down from mood. But then the rainbow appears and the sun shines again. So for our minds, we do have times and triggers that will take us down, and we have to rest. Our body needs to rest. We need to nurture and feed our brains to move on. It's why rest is important, diet is important, hydration, exercise. And if you need to speak, speak out. These are all elements that we need as a human being to go through. And like we were saying, you know, with what you've done, um, can you just, um, you know, we were saying about the entrepreneurship where you're going in and going through. So do you do publishing? So if somebody was As you know, I'm a published author and there's lots of vanity publishers out there which people are using to get their books published rather than self-publication. You know, the Beauty and the Beast Publishing are very, very good and I know them and they work very hard in their teachings of journalism, in how to write their book and express and get their journey out. On that side. Do you offer anything like that? I do. To give you a quick overview of what I do, I do lots of written credibility articles, radio, web TV interviews, press release, press publications, also publishing of books and getting authors to bestseller status on Amazon I also do Instagram engagement so that you build the credibility of your Instagram pages as well. I also do social media graphics, especially mini video clips so that you can repurpose content. And yes, we have lots of media services available, Lady Kendall. Yes, which is very good. As you know, um, with my own book. I've wrote one of four in a journey, the first one, The Broken Girl in the Red Shoes, which has gone out and overseas with my New York publishers and out on Amazon. And I'm very, very proud that I got best in the long list of best non-fiction author in the world. Congratulations! But how do— but the book's not a bestseller. This is what I don't understand, which you could help me, as with the viewer. You know, I wrote this book, it's, you know, I've got this wonderful award, you know, it's with the publishers and which is going out on Amazon. But how does that— how do I as an author make that a bestseller if I've got all that? Which is going to be a film, it's going to be turned into film. But how do you make it a best-selling book? So to make a book a bestseller, the way we do it through our agency, we in our agency, we put the book into the correct categories for the book, slightly less competitive categories on Amazon, because some categories are really, really competitive and difficult to get the book to bestseller, but we market the book, we get all the sales for the book, and we get it into best-selling category on Amazon so that you then get the bestseller title, so that if you're ever speaking, you can call yourself a best-selling author. However, I do know fiction books are a little harder to get to bestseller seller than non-fiction. So we predominantly work with expert books, product service books, as in business, entrepreneurship, where it's like an expert position books. We can guarantee to get those kind of books to bestseller status. Well, great, because that just clarifies for listeners that, you know, may ask that's the question, but this is what you do offer. But, you know, it's more, as you were saying, on the business side, and explaining to the listener on that, where like for my book is non-fiction, so it's, you know, you've got a bit of romance, fantasy, it's, you know, going, it's not the real world, you know, and but that's when sometimes people like to write and just, you know, for myself when I write, I like to get off into another planet sometimes. I mean, you're shutting yourself down for that. But yes, fantastic again what you're doing, and you're just amazing in having this second interview, which I'm so grateful that you came on the show after opening up. The first one was very dark, deep, taking the— this one we wanted to be very positive and show people who you are, where you stand now, and what a success story, amazing success story, I must say. Obviously coming from the past of bullying, the sexuality, what happened in school, then what happened, you know, where you started on softer drugs like speed, amphetamines, and cannabis, and by the age of 21 you was addicted to crack cocaine and heroin. But you have built yourself with such confidence, but still very aware of the deep cuts and scars that you have inside. But to dream a dream is to dream, but putting it in reality is the best reward that you've possibly given. And so for myself, Seeing a gentleman like yourself that had fallen so deep, that now offers his service to help others. The kindness, the love you have, expressing about sexuality who you are, being able to be exactly who you are. Is a trait of a legacy. Your legacy is so great, Mark, so great and inspiring to so many people that have listened to this show. So don't be frightened, don't be scared, speak out as Mark has said. Humanity is fragile and we do suffer through this you know, through schools, even parents trying to deal with, you know, the barrage of bullying that is out there. So don't feel alone. Pick up that phone. There is support. Look on the internet, or, you know, for Mark, speaking out is to reach out and touch. So on that note, mana sis, thank you for listening to Free Your Mind: Let's Talk About It Part 2. With Mark Stephen-Pearce. Thank you, Mark. Thank you so much, Jags, for this incredible opportunity. Everyone listening, just remember, there's no such thing as the end. Every end is a new beginning. Thank you. Thank you.