Learn how to cook this all-time favourite Southeast Asian dish (which is almost similar to your typical chicken bbq), but of course with a special Asian twist.
What made this even more special is the addition of the delicious WARONG PEANUT SAUCE.
Yes, that’s right. Foodee Grocer now has a special collaboration with Warong (which currently has branches at Rundle Place, Westfield Marion, and Findon).
**Enjoy a 15% DISCOUNT when you order. Use HEYPAOLO15 code upon checkout.**
Foodee Grocer is Adelaide’s first online Asian grocery delivery service packed with the easiest and yummiest recipes.
ALSO, if you’re a brand and you wish to collaborate with Ethan and Margaux too, make sure you contact us so I can link you to their parents. (Again, aren’t they the cutest?) Hahaha!
Chatted with Firestarter Beverages Marketing Director Vlad Sopotsko to learn more about their products and the challenges of introducing a new brand to Adelaide, South Australia. “If you can make it in Adelaide, you can make anywhere in Australia,” he quips.
Hey Paolo:What is Firestarter Beverages?
Firestarter Beverages is a premium brand of spirits. At the moment, we have gin, vodka, and a range of sparkling wines with a colourful twist. Soon we’ll be adding tequila and rum to our range.
Hey Paolo: Who do you think will enjoy Firestarter Beverages?
Our primary target audience are the young adults who basically want to have a good time. We attract people who want to go outside the box. At the moment, our main campaign is: “premium has a new look.”
Hey Paolo: How different are your vodkas and gins?
Our vodkas can be enjoyed neat or on the rocks. The production of our gins and vodkas are currently in Moldova where our master distillers have been perfecting the recipe for many years. Our gin is the traditional London Dry Gin without the over-infusion of botanicals and other flavours. It’s a very nice Juniper-scented gin with the traditional aftertaste of a proper London Dry Gin.
Hey Paolo: What’s unique about your wines?
At the moment, we only have one line of wines called “Wine of Fire.” It’s a light, sparkling, fruity wine made from Spanish Airen grapes. In order to create the amazing pearlescent effect, you have to shake the bottle and serve it cold. Very soon, we’ll be looking at adding a selection of Australian-made wines.
Hey Paolo: What are the challenges introducing your new brand to Adelaide?
Our main expansion process started in 2020 which wasn’t the best time to start a new brand. We had a few challenges with COVID restrictions such as not being able to host tastings, parties, and be able to go out there to promote the product. But despite that, we managed to overcome those difficulties and we are growing rapidly. We are doing very well.
Hey Paolo: How receptive is Adelaide to new brands?
Adelaide is a very interesting market. But it’s just something we have to approach in a slightly different manner compared to other states which are probably just a bit larger and are more used to seeing new things come into their lives.
Gorgeous Helen will be joining The General Wine Bar & Kitchen team offering regular kitchen collaborations, cooking demonstrations, and exciting workshops for kids. Follow @thegreekvegetarian for regular updates on Helen’s latest projects.
Helen (The Greek Vegetarian) with me
Owned by Brad Rey and Anna Fisher, The General was established in 2016 and is currently the home of the authentic and locally sourced Zonte’s Footstepwines. Aside from Helen, The General also features another amazing chef, Gabriel’s Kitchen, with his special menu every third Friday of the month for a “Friday Wine Down.”
Wine maker Brad ReyAna Fisher (left)
Spoilt that day sipping beautiful wines and indulging on a culinary feast (three course meal), we also had the privilege of experiencing their “Dine Around The World” offering, a unique program where The General whips a special menu inspired by cuisines from around the world.
That day, we were “transported” to Morocco. Kudos to the team for a well prepared program, complete with cabin crew, in-flight entertainment, and a stylishly decorated Moroccan-inspired venue. I was personally impressed.
The “Dine Around The World” program is an innovative initiative to recreate the experience of traveling to a destination especially during this time when we’re stuck in our little South Australian bubbles. Designed for a group of eight to 20 people, the menus are normally offered AU$99 per pax (Premium Economy: three course meal + four glasses of Zonte’s Footstep wines), AU$110 per pax (Business Class: three course meal + four glasses of Limited Release Zonte’s Footstep wines), and AU$125 per pax (First Class: three course meal + four glasses of Limited Release Zonte’s Footstep wines + Anna Fisher or Brad Rey providing your in-flight entertainment).
Our chef for the day, Gabriel’s KitchenRoasted Cauliflower with Tahini and Dates + Zonte’s Footstep 2019 Shades of Gris Pinot GrigioChicken Kefta with Chermoula, Green Olives and Basmati Rice + Zonte’s Footstep 2018 Love Symbol Grenache
The team also launched an interactive and educational game perfect for parties called “Taste The Regions.” This blindfold wine challenge features bottles sourced from Langhorne Creek, Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale, and the Barossa.
Special mention to The General’s passionate owners, Brad and Ana — they were fun and extremely generous. Loved both of their vibes! Loved this place! I wish them continuous success with all these initiatives.
The General Wine Bar & Kitchen. 55a Main Rd, McLaren Flat SA 5171.
For Adelaide-based joinery/kitchen/interior designer Stefan Vignogna, clean lines, texture in materials, and functionality are the most essential elements in his designs.
Hey Paolo: What inspired you to become a joinery designer?
As a kid, I was always a creative child. Growing up, I never really had a specific career that I wanted, but I always knew it’ll be something in the creative field.
Hey Paolo: What’s your design style like?
In my designs, I tend to use a limited range of colours and materials like black, white, or even warm colours. I use simpler colours and more organic textures. I also tend to stick to a monochromatic palette.
Hey Paolo: What’s one project you’re most proud of?
I’ve done restaurant interiors, kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations, etc., but it’s hard to say which one is greater compared to the other. As long as they end up as a good functional space for the client, then they’re all pretty good for me.
Hey Paolo: What’s your dream project?
I would love to do the interiors of a hotel because of their volume of rooms and spaces. It will be really nice to have more people experience what I try to convey in my designs.
Hey Paolo: What are the main challenges in your line of work?
Budget is a very common thing in every project, whether it’s getting the client to commit to a steep budget or for me to stick to a budget that’s affordable for them.
Hey Paolo: What was it like designing your own house?
I started building my house a few years ago. It was a lengthy process, but I had a good team around me. My architect gave me a fantastic floor plan to work with. But what I did was to put my own natural spin from the inside. A lot of what you see inside is my own style. It’s really important that it reflects my own personality.
Hey Paolo: What are the key elements that you like adding in your designs?
Lines, texture in materials, and functionality.
Hey Paolo: Who is Stefan when he’s not working?
Funny enough, I’m pretty much the same whether it’s at work or at home. Being a freelancer blurs the lines between personal and work life.
Hey Paolo: Recommendations where to purchase furniture/supplies?
Hey Paolo: What’s the future of joinery design in Adelaide?
Adelaide has talented designers. There’s a lot of people nowadays trying to push the envelope a bit more. With a lot of businesses moving to online, it opens up the Adelaide designers to interstate enquiries and projects. It’s really exciting to see the future of Adelaide design.
Hey Paolo: What is “home” for you?
It’s more of a feeling that I have as opposed to a general practical space. I try to find home wherever I am.
Hey Paolo: Why is there a need to create beautiful kitchens?
A kitchen is a unique space for many. It’s not just a space where you can cook; it’s also a place where work and where you gather people around. It really gives me pride to help people create a really good space to facilitate growing relationships with their family and friends.
For cafe owner and head chef Silas Ulbrich of The Pantry On Egmont, kindness and giving back to the community are as equally important as great food and excellent service.
HeyPaolo: What is the The Pantry on Egmont?
We are a small suburban brunch cafe in Adelaide. We have a strong focus on giving back to the community and serving quality food & drinks.
Hey Paolo: What’s on your menu?
Our menu is eclectic. We have the classic brunch staples like eggs, burgers, and our house specialty (gnocchi). Most of our specials draw influence from the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Hey Paolo: What are the key changes in your cafe over the years?
Our dinner events have grown significantly. Our dinner events give an opportunity for me to also plan different interesting menus compared to our standard brunch food. Adelaide brunch market has definitely grown significantly in the last 10 years too.
Hey Paolo: Why do you call yourselves a “Good Karma Cafe”?
I try to operate this establishment by the Golden Rule: “treat others the way you want to be treated.” For me, I like engaging with all our guests and we treat them with kindness.
Hey Paolo: How do you support local artists?
We rotate them every six weeks by showcasing their work (paintings, prints, sketches, etc.) in our cafe.
Hey Paolo: How do you give back to the community?
We try to give back as much as we possibly can. We also have our “Pay It Forward Coffee Campaign” and people can have coffee on me.
Hey Paolo: What is your “War Against Waste” campaign?
We try to be environmentally responsible. Very little gets wasted here and food scraps go to the compost. All our takeaway packagings are compostable and anything that can be recycled gets recycled.
Hey Paolo: How important is a vegan menu?
I think it is important, but for me, what’s more important is how we can be inclusive of everyone. In our cafe, we do have a significant number of vegan options. We try to cater to all dietary requirements too as best as we can.
Hey Paolo: How important is it to be a pet-friendly cafe?
A lot of our guests bring their pets with them. We don’t allow the pets inside the cafe, but we have the outside sitting where pets are more than welcome.
Hey Paolo: What are your best sellers?
Probably our housemade gnocchi which has been on the menu for several years now.
Hey Paolo: Your personal favourites?
I really think we do a good burger here and our smashed pumpkin is also one of my favourites.
Hey Paolo: How does Silas relax when he’s not at the cafe?
It can be hard to relax when you’re a small business owner. I just like spending time with my wife and kids.
Adelaide-based baker Zak Antoniou recently joined Zumbo’s Just Desserts (Season 2) and is now back in his hometown running his own cake shop, Zacary Desserts, specializing in delectable mirror glazed mousse cakes and his signature Evil Eye cakes.
Watch the video to learn more about his baking inspirations, his baking style, his challenges as a baker/business owner, and his journey joining Adriano Zumbo’s dessert competition, Just Desserts.
ROCKIN’ UP WITH THE ROCCAS — More than the fight for legal rights, acceptance, and equality, marriage for David Rocca (34; videographer/content creator ) and Adam Rocca (26; real estate agent) is nothing but a celebration of union and love.
Hey Paolo: What were your individual “coming out” stories like?
David: I was a late bloomer. I didn’t come out until I was 23 years old. Before that, it was just one big secret. I had a big Italian and Catholic family. Back then, coming out is a scary thing to do.
Growing up, it wasn’t accepted at school. I saw a kid one day and he got extremely bullied when he came out. He had to leave school and I never saw him again. That set me back.
I was lucky though as everyone around me was very accepting of my sexuality. Even though in my head I thought they weren’t going to be…
Adam: Mine was pretty easy as I was very easy-going and I had a laidback family.
David Rocca
Hey Paolo: How did you both meet?
David: We’ve always known each other for the longest time, but the timing was never right. We were both in a relationship with our ex-partners at that point when we first met and it never really worked out. He was based in Port Lincoln while I was living in Prospect. But eventually, it all just happened.
Adam: We first met through mutual friends. We decided to have coffee one day — and the rest was history.
“We built a relationship based on coffee.” – David
Hey Paolo: How did you guys get engaged?
David: I proposed to Adam and I did it, as cheesy as it sounds, at the Eiffel Tower in Paris back in 2016. We were on a European holiday for about a month. We had a backpack then and I had the ring inside the backpack the whole time. He was carrying the backpack during the entire trip, but he didn’t even realise that there was a ring inside.
Adam: It was so funny to get engaged in Paris. You’ll think that you’re having this really unique, special moment, but when you look around, there are about 10 other people also doing their own engagements at the same time. It was nice sharing that moment with other engaged couples.
Adam Rocca
Hey Paolo: How did your families and friends react to your engagement?
David: My parents knew as I told them prior. When we first posted on social media about our engagement, some people got really shocked while the rest were really excited for us. Although same-sex marriage wasn’t legal yet here in Australia at that point, I still wanted to go ahead with our marriage anyway. I wouldn’t let anyone stop me from doing what I wanted to do.
Adam: We were really lucky as we have very supportive families and friends. I personally don’t know any other gay couples who have been engaged prior to ours. Five months before our wedding, same-sex officially became legal here in Australia and it got us really excited. We got married in April 2018.
Hey Paolo: What’s the importance of same-sex marriage?
David: For me, it’s about commitment, love, and building a family. I wouldn’t want to share my life with anybody else.
Adam: Marriage for me is about being able to go through life together and to have that recognition that you’re just one unit as a couple.
Hey Paolo: What is LGBT PRIDE for you?
David: Being me, being loved, and equality in all forms. Having that freedom not to ever worry about where I go, what I do, and what would other people say. It’s about acceptance.
Adam: It’s about feeling safe and being truthful to who you are.
Hey Paolo: What’s the future for LGBTs here in South Australia?
David: It needs to be more openly celebrated. It needs to be more than just a gay club or some gay festivals. We need to have more gay-friendly places. We have to move more freely within the community without worries. I feel in certain places like Queenstown, New Zealand, everyone’s welcome. When we were there, I can hold Adam’s hand down the street without any hesitations, but here in Adelaide, I couldn’t really do that here…
Adam: Adelaide is always quite conservative — it will always be. I would like to see more diversity and LGBT faces in our government who will help form legislation so that everyone’s spoken and accounted for.
“I feel everyone’s more open-minded during the Adelaide Fringe festival in March, and when that’s over, everything’s back to the way it was.” – Adam
If you think having a single puppy at home is already hard work, you have to meet Claire Peterson of The Little Animal Co. Growing up with pythons, alpacas, emus, among many others, Claire has her heart firmly set ever since she was a kid to raise, rescue, and love animals and to also give them a safe place they’ll all call home. Now running her own business, Claire found a new calling in providing pet services for weddings and events.
Hey Paolo: How did you start The Little Animal Co.?
I’ve always been a big animal lover. As a zookeeper, wildlife keeper, veterinary nurse, and conservation educator in the past, my world has always revolved around animals. I’ve also forged a career around something I love and something I’m passionate about.
When I had my wedding six years ago, I wanted to include my pets in the ceremony too, but unfortunately, there was no one who can look after them and there were no companies/businesses that offer these kinds of pet services during weddings back then.
I had a koala, Edmond, who has lived with us as an orphan for some time and during my wedding day, he was also there at the venue to act sort of as our “best man.” I made sure he will be present at my wedding and that guests will have a chance to have photos taken with him too.
My business started from there. Since 2014, my network of friends started asking me to help them with their pets and how they can incorporate them into their weddings. Now, my services range from pet pickups, chauffeurs, pet limo services, and even cafe hangouts/day outs with their dogs before the wedding, etc.
Hey Paolo: How did your love for animals begin?
Growing up, we used to live in the city and had a massive backyard. My oldest brother also loves animals. I used to bring and rescue animals back home. I almost had a mini zoo in the backyard. That kept me busy and entertained.
Hey Paolo: What animals do you have now?
I have a farm at home. We’ve had two cats (but sadly one passed away last year), chickens/roosters, a pair of rescued cockatoos, an Amazon greet parrot and a few other parrots, quails, rescued lorikeets, goats, sheep, a rescued alpaca (but has already passed away), two ponies, and an emu. I also had a cycle of rehab animals coming in and out of the farm at different times and we release some of them back to the wild.
I’m a bit of a bird nerd. I probably have more birds than anything else…
Hey Paolo: What’s your typical day with your animals like?
Given that I was a zookeeper, I pretty much do “zoo rounds” at home too. I get up really early before I get ready for work. I usually feed my dogs and cat first, and then I go to the different areas of the farm. Daily, I do constant rounds of feeding, watering, and monitoring.
Hey Paolo: What’s the value of animals for you?
I used to be really shy and passive when I was a kid. Animals were good for me because I can talk and connect with them. They were always happy to see me. They give me confidence and with them around, I feel validated as well. It has always been a loving place for me. They also represent loyalty and unconsumed love. They’ve been my world.
Hey Paolo: What kind of services do you offer at The Little Animal Co.?
A lot of my pet services are customisable — from pet chauffeuring services, taking someone’s pet to the wedding, etc.
Hey Paolo: What are the biggest animal trends that you see now?
Dogs are everywhere: dogs at weddings, dog-friendly cafes, dog events, etc.
Hey Paolo: Recommendations for…
Pet-friendly Cafe:Argo on the Parade is one of my favourites. They have an awesome menu and their cafe also caters to dogs. They also have beautiful murals where you can also have cute little photos of your dog next to it.
Place outside your home where you love bringing your dogs to:There’s an awesome dog park at Marshmallow Park on Glen Osmond Road.
Dog-friendly wedding venues:A lot of the wineries and wedding venues in the Adelaide Hills are now pet-friendly. Maximilians Restaurant is brilliant — plus they have an emu there too! Woodburn Homesteadis also beautiful and it is an amazing venue. There are always new venues popping up everywhere.
With an impressive resume and colourful history, Dr. William Peterson’s professional body of work is as colorful and rich as his personal life story. Born and raised in America, he has worked and lived in various parts of the world but eventually landed here in Adelaide where he discovered his newfound “home away from home” while working as a Drama Arts professor at the Flinders University.
Hey Paolo: How did you start in the field of Drama Arts?
It just started with some acting classes at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco which used to do crazy Stanislavski training and it was badly taught at that time.
I also lived in England for a year in the early 80s and among many things, I’d also decided to try applying and auditioning at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). As we all know, every other famous person in the UK acting circles has gone to RADA. It was ridiculous to think I’d ever get in — I actually didn’t get in.
When I moved back to San Francisco, my friends and I started a theatre company and we started recruiting people. We did an all-male production of the lonesco absurdist play “The Bald Soprano.” It ran for weeks and I got us reviewed. We also got ourselves a non-profit status as an organization. I discovered that I was enjoying it — it was so fun. That made me think: this is pretty great. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we get paid to do this everyday?
I got Masters training in acting (M.A., Dramatic Arts, San Diego State University) and eventually received my Ph.D. (Ph.D., Dramatic Arts, University of Texas at Austin).
Hey Paolo: How did you build a career in Asia?
In 1991, not a lot of people from the West knew much about Singapore. But the National University of Singapore wanted to hire someone from overseas and I was one of probably just a few applicants at that time. I got the job and spent three years living there.
I looked at the university’s curriculum and there was no Asian content and it was very Western-focused at that time. I asked: “We’re not teaching any Asian content. If you don’t want to teach it and you don’t mind some white guy teaching it, I’ll do it.”
I would travel outside Singapore during the weekends and I’d go to nearby Asian destinations such as Sumatra, Bali, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. where I’d work almost like an ethnographer taking photos, writing notes, and meeting people. I wasn’t trained to do that kind of research but I just started doing it. Eventually, I became educated in traditional Southeast Asian art forms especially in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, etc. I’ve personally experienced all of them as a spectator while most of the time in the West, they are usually taught by people who have never personally seen them.
From Singapore, I moved to New Zealand for three years and went back to the US.
I also started doing my research in the Philippines back in 2001. It was at the University of the Philippines (UP) and connected with the People’s Educational Theater Association (PETA) where I met many cool people. I initially started writing about PETA and activism. But I thought, there’s nothing anymore new to write about. I came back to the Philippines a few years later to look at how the traditional Christian-rooted religious Senakulo ceremonies work, specifically the Moriones festival in Marinduque, Philippines.
Hey Paolo: Why move to South Australia?
The longer I stay here, the more I say: maybe I’ll just continue staying.
Aside from being headhunted to work here in South Australia, I also come here for the international festivals. Their festivals here are really interesting, challenging, wacky, and eccentric — and I like that. In some ways they’re my lifeline to a more progressive global theatre culture.
When I first started coming here in 2008, Adelaide wasn’t as green and pretty as it is now. It was all brown, flat, sad, and nothing like the present.
I love living in a neighborhood where I know the people who live here. If I see my neighbours on the street, sometimes I end up talking to them for up to 15 minutes like I used to do when I was a kid growing up in Minessotta.
Adelaide has really made me feel very much at home.
Hey Paolo: Why do you love living here in Adelaide?
The most important factor for me is feeling that I’m at home. I didn’t feel that when I was living in Melbourne. I had a great, urban, cosmopolitan, fabulous lifestyle there, but I didn’t feel connected to the place. The built landscape and environment were beautiful, but it didn’t speak to me.
Adelaide is charming and handsome, especially the big old 19th century commercial buildings. I also had that sense that this is going to be a friendly place especially since I live alone.
And the connection to the land/country, it’s very powerful here. Plus the wineries and cellar doors here, like the Barossa, are wonderful.
Hey Paolo: How do you innovate now as a drama professor in light of the pandemic?
My attitude from the very beginning is always to be honest in acknowledging the pain, discomfort, and confusion with what’s happening around us.
I always tell people that we’ll all get through this emotionally well and healthy. We’ll just survive. How do we do that? A little bit of laughter even if we’re screwing up.
I teach students who are from different cohorts including: dancers, visual artists, fashion majors, costumers, acting majors, film students, and education teachers.
Flinders was one of the first universities to move to online classes.
Even in a city like Adelaide, there will always be people who will have problems accessing the internet. We don’t have equal access to high-speed internet. We definitely can’t compete with the rest of the world if we don’t have proper internet bandwith.
Hey Paolo: Do you think there’s a creative brain drain happening in South Australia now?
We’re trying to get more and more students to work across different art forms and to deepen their collaborative relationships with filmmakers, dancers, digital media artists, etc. To create work that they can make from here.
I totally understand that some kids have to go to bigger centers. But if you are somebody who wants to develop an artistic practice particularly across art forms, Adelaide is a great city to do it. The potential here is absolutely huge, particularly now that this is becoming a center for digital media.
The city definitely has a strong commitment to the arts.
My hope is that, those who can stay, I want them to feel they can stay here.
Hey Paolo: Recommendations for…
Creative Spot: The Arts/State Theatre has a great vibe especially when things are happening there.
Dining Spot: Ding Hao at Chinatown. It’s the real deal. Good and unpretentious.
Hangout Spot: I think the most powerful place is the Flinders Rangers for me.
Knowing your purpose and setting personal goals might be the obvious pillars of “Peak Performance,” but for 19-year-old marketer, video creator, entrepreneur, and Peak Performance advocate Austin Lovell, the real challenge is applying these learnings consistently and conscientiously in your every day life.
Hey Paolo: What inspired you to become to a “Peak Performance” advocate on social media?
I genuinely enjoy helping people eliminate distractions, unlock more energy, and skyrocket their outputs and results through the content I share and the insights that I provide. Everything I talk about comes from my own experiences. I live and breathe peak performance every day.
I always push myself to try new things and to attain more in my work, relationships, and life in general. And it comes naturally to help others practice what I have already been doing.
Hey Paolo: Do you think millennials think more maturely now as compared to the previous generations when they were about your age?
I think times are very different now and the problems young people face are quite different from past generations.
I believe we are in a world that rewards “smart work.” We reward people who approach their life, health, and work methodically and purposefully. We reward people who have the drive to push themselves. I think previous generations value pure hard work more. I’m not saying that hard work is no longer valued at present, but people get rewarded more so now for bringing both“smart work” (influenced by productivity systems, environment optimisation, health optimisation, etc.) and “hard work” (day-in and day-out consistency, pushing yourself physically & mentally, high levels of drive, etc.) together. The fusion of both is powerful.
Hey Paolo: What is “peak performance”?
Have you seen the movie “Limitless” starring Bradley Cooper? That’s what peak performance is about: being limitless.
Peak performance is about operating at your very best in whatever you do. It is where your work seems effortless; you have mental clarity; you are alert and focused. For peak performers, no task is too difficult and no challenge is insurmountable. By showing people how to rewire their minds, upgrade their health, and skyrocket their productivity, I give my students the opportunity to become limitless and get the best out of themselves each day.
Hey Paolo: How do you generally achieve peak performance:
At the office:
Build a strong work environment. I think of it as a game of “snakes and ladders.” The snakes are the negative objects in your environment: those that pull you away from your goals and those that distract and push you off track. The ladders are the positive objects: the items that bring you joy, those that push you closer to your goals, and those that help you make the right decisions. By removing the snakes in your environment, you become a step closer to achieving your best.
Simple things can also be done such as: having your phone on airplane mode for most of the day; keeping it stored in another room while you work; using the Focus App to block certain websites on your laptop especially during work hours; and using simple applications like FB Feed Eradicator and ImprovedTube to eliminate the urge to use social media.
All of these can do incredible things for your focus and work output.
At school:
I see a lot of people struggle with “clarity” at school (i.e. why they were doing what they were doing and knowing what the end goal was).
For students who knew what they wanted (e.g. what to take up in university, job/vocation to pursue, where they wanted to go in their professional lives), they usually generally perform so much better in school.
I show people how to gain greater clarity by identifying their “Polaris Star” — their true north, their end goal, and the things they wish to achieve above all else. I help to structure their year/quarter/month/week/each day to move closer to their end goals.
Clarity is essential and it’s a non-negotiable. If I could give anyone a gift, it would be the gift of clarity.
At home:
When I think of peak performance at home, I think of the concept of “presence.”
I respect people who put tremendous amounts of energy and brainpower towards their work while they are working, and when work is finished for the day, they become fully present for their families, friends, and loved ones.
When you can break the constant push and pull of daily work in your life and you give your mind and body the time it needs to relax and refresh, while enjoying some quality time with your loved ones, then you will be able to perform at such a higher level in all other aspects of your life.
With your fitness and financial goals:
It all comes back again to “clarity.” You can have all the best productivity systems in the world, the most rock-solid mindset and health protocols, a good consistent sleep, excellent focus, but if you don’t have the clarity on your goals, then there’s no point.
When it comes to fitness, my goal is to increase mental clarity through exercise. I’m not trying to be Mr. Olympia, and I know that. I structure my fitness programs, nutrition and the way I approach my health accordingly.
When it comes to financial goals, peak performance is the means to reach and exceed your set goals. It’s the vehicle that will accelerate your growth as a person like nothing else.
Hey Paolo: What do you think distract people the most from achieving their peak performance?
Bad habits. Everyone has bad habits. I have them and everyone does. The challenge is how to change them. Not many people are willing to really improve themselves. That’s why for those who are willing to change their bad habits, they achieve incredible things because they were willing to push themselves to be better.
As for other distractions, for some, it could be social media, a diet they’re following that doesn’t give them the energy to focus each day, or even work with a “snakes and ladders” type of environment.
Peak performance is about overcoming all these distractions and being your best every day.
Hey Paolo: Your recommendations in South Australia for…
A good place where you can reflect and achieve peace & quiet:
Running, biking, or even just walking in the city. Having time for myself reenergises me and it allows me to reflect and refocus.
Best spot that makes you feel most creative and energised:
Adelaide CBD. I love the city and it’s the place I call home. The buzz and energy of the city makes me feel most creative and energised.
Dining area you love the most:
I love Rundle Street and Adelaide’s East End. These ones show Adelaide’s true style and vibe.
Thoughts: “In a world where there’s tons of distractions bombarding us every single day, it’s really important to set goals and timelines in order for us to complete certain tasks with a sense of joy, peace, and fulfilment. I personally use a simple whiteboard and marker writing my daily goals and I try to tick off each item one by one. It helps me prioritise the task I need to finish first.”
