#E45 What Makes Briar Prestidge Tick? Understanding the Mindset of a Futurist

Read the HYPERSCALE transcript.

[00:01] Briar: Hi everybody and welcome to this episode of Hyperscale. But this time it's a little bit different. I'm going to be doing a Q&A. We made a few posts on social media, we rounded up questions from my team, friends, associates and you guys really asked me some tough questions, but I'm looking forward to answering them all today. Alright, let's dive in.

[00:31 Q: First question, you create a lot of content about technology through your podcast on social media and in your documentaries. What got you into tech? 

[00:43] A: That's a good question. So I never thought that I would be the type of person to be into technology. When I was growing up my worldview of myself was always someone who was into fashion and beauty and was never someone who thought of themselves as being a whiz around a laptop or a phone or a piece of software or anything like this. So I think my love of technology started when I started Prestidge Group, our executive branding and PR agency. It was a little bit before its time. I could see the fashion and beauty bloggers on Instagram building their brands and getting media opportunities, awards and building this huge following and community on social media. And executives weren't doing it at this time, CEOs were not doing this. 

[01:33] But I could see how the industry was changing and I thought to myself, well surely CEOs will want to have a personal brand or an online presence someday. Now because it was a little bit before its time, the first kind of clients to sign with me were often technology experts, so people who were into artificial intelligence or digital transformation. And I think part of the reason why they were the early adopters into personal branding was they could see the likes of Elon Musk, really creating a lot of controversy and building a huge following and generating all of this press for himself. I also think another reason was because they're just used to the online world. They're used to new and emerging ideas and things. So that's really where my love of tech started. 

[02:21] I loved creating content for the CEO. So back in the day, it was me, myself and I, the business started on the dining room table. It started from very humble beginnings and I was doing a lot of the work myself. And what I loved most about technology is it's kind of like a bit of a mystery really. It's something you can really dig your teeth into and really enjoy, and I loved it. I loved how it was always ever-evolving. It was always changing. It's complex. Nothing is ever black and white and I think that's really where my love of technology started. 

[02:59]Q: You said recently you like to think of yourself as already dead. Why is this?

[03:07] A: I do like to think of myself as already dead sometimes. Now this might come as a little bit surprising, but what I mean by this is sometimes when I feel I'm not quite present in the moment where I could be a little bit more grateful and appreciative of what I've got in my life, I do, I like to imagine myself as already dead. And of course it's a super upsetting and horrifying feeling to think of yourself as already dead. So then I take that feeling that I get inside and I go out there and I live my life with so much more passion, excitement and appreciation for what's going on around me.

[03:50] Q: Are you not scared about getting a microchip and about your adventure to become a cyborg? 

[03:57] A: Well, I think I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. Of course I'm scared. I'm planning on going out there and signing up for cryonics to freeze my body so that I can be revived in perhaps 100 or 200 or 1000 years if the technology becomes readily available, which it will. They can already unfreeze small animals, so it's just a matter of time before they can unfreeze bigger things such as humans. But I had Bob Ginsberg on my podcast recently and he had gone from being someone who definitely does not believe in an afterlife to going through a very tragic personal experience where his daughter passed. And then since then he's had over 40 visitations from her in his dreams and he now very much believes that there is an afterlife.

[04:53] So something that does concern me by wanting to very much prolong my life on this earth is am I missing out on seeing all my friends and family and am I missing out on the thing that comes next? Will I forever be stuck in this little canister and unable to escape and my soul is just stuck there forever? Like these are all very real concerns that I have. Regarding the microchip though, I think of it as almost like getting a little piercing. I've had lots of piercings in my ears before. I'm prepared it's going to be painful. I've spoken to people about it. Lots of them said that they passed out. They have a little scar. I'm well aware of the pain that it will cause on the day, but I don't think it'll be too bad. Some people have asked me, oh, but what happens if you like smash your hand against a wall, won't the glass capsule that it's inside break? 

[05:52] No, I've to spoken to lots of people about this and they said it's not going to be an issue. Some people have also asked me, well, what about like the radiation effects of it being inside your hand? Well, it's in a glass capsule. I'm going to be protected. It's not going to get into my bloodstream. It's not going to be causing me any more damage than even holding my phone in my hand will. Some people have also asked, well what about your data? Like you're going to get controlled by the government. Like all of these crazy things. No, my data is mine to control and it's hardly like I'm going out there and getting a Neuralink at this stage. 

[06:29] The way that I also see my adventure as well is being bigger than myself. So we very much do live in an age of of technology. There's so much technology at our fingertips and I believe there have to be pioneers. There have to be people that are prepared to go out there and explore and take that next step into the future because if we do guide technology, then we really do have an opportunity to create a better world for ourselves. I honestly do believe that.

[07:01] Q: Briar, why are you talking about all of this future stuff if a majority of people out there find it difficult to exercise and difficult to even leave their couches, don't you think you have your priorities all wrong? 

[07:16] A: Well, I think it is a good question and I think it's something that I often think about. It's how can we be thinking so far ahead into the future and thinking about downloading our minds into the clouds and thinking about using [epigenetics] to help fix or cure any kind of diseases that we have when we're being born. Like there's a lot of really great things that technology brings and I think you're right, part of the problem that we do have these days is we're almost controlled by social media and by technology. I just even speak from a personal experience. I always have to make a really conscious effort as to how I'm using my time.

[07:59] I had to quit reality TV. I was so obsessed with, it's almost embarrassing to admit, Love is Blind and Keeping up with the Kardashians and all of these other ridiculous drama-filled pointless shows. I was hardly learning anything while I watched them. Not only that, but I was speaking to somebody on my podcast recently, Chris Marshall and he's a behavioral change coach and part of what he was telling me is that when we're watching these reality TV shows and we're watching the drama and all of this, like we get a real kick out of it. It gives us a real dopamine hit, but it's not a real sustainable dopamine hit. It's a little fake dopamine hit. Our brain is getting it without even earning it. And when we are getting so used to this kind of drama, he said to me that we will actually actively go out there and seek this kind of drama in our lives.

[08:54] It will feel like our lives are quite numb and boring and mundane. So I was thinking, well, those are obviously not the best things for me to be watching while I was getting ready to go to sleep. And I'm a very all or none person, so I just quit cold turkey. Yeah, I think it is actually a real concern and I think in the future we will look back to this moment and think, damn social media is kind of like the new cigarettes. Generation Z also has me thinking quite a bit lately because they've been the first generation to really grow up using their phones all the time. And I remember, so I was probably on the cusp of being the last generation. I was about 14 when I got my phone. My peers had all gotten theirs when they were 12 and I was like begging and begging and begging my family. I was like, guys, I'm literally the last person in my class to get the phone. Like, it's embarrassing by this point, like help a girl out, I'm trying to be cool here and finally got my phone and it's just crazy how it's been almost such an obsession for me since then. 

[10:00] And I'm speaking on behalf of everybody. I know that all of my colleagues, my friends, like we very much are obsessed with our phones. We use it to live, to socialize, to work, to find our way, to get somewhere by using our maps, like we use it for everything. It's completely changed our lives. And I sometimes think about Generation Z and I love to read articles about them. I love researching, I love learning. It's one of my favorite things to do. And it's really both fascinating and sad to read about how much nihilism they are experiencing. And nihilism essentially means when you feel like life has no purpose, which can be both nauseatingly depressing and also very freeing at the same time. I've also had situations before in my life and certainly around that age actually, where I was also experiencing these sorts of things. 

[10:59] It can be very difficult when you're going through that transition of being a university student to suddenly being out in the real world and realizing, “Damn, this real world is actually so much harder than what I was expecting.” And I think part of the reason why they're experiencing so much nihilism is because of social media. One week it's trending to do clean girl makeup and the next week it's blooming trending on TikTok to be the mob boss's wife kind of look, like that's hard to keep up with. Part of me also wonders if perhaps fashion these days would be quite different if we didn't feel the pressures of social media. I love fashion. I think of it as being a way to express myself and things like this, but is social media really making us feel like we're inadequate and that we're trying to keep up with appearances all the time? 

[11:59] Not only that, but we can't get away from the media these days. It's constantly bombarding us with all of this information and the media love fear. Fear create clicks to headlines, clicks to pages create revenue. But back in the olden days, we could just shut our newspaper or we could turn off the TV or we could turn off the radio. So I think we have to be so mindful these days as to how we are using our technology and give ourself the time and the space to do things that get us real dopamine, such as cooking a meal or working towards a long-term goal or going to the gym and building muscle and abs and really doing things that are going to help you towards achieving your goals, your lifelong goals and creating a future that you want for yourself. I believe this is very important. 

[12:50] Q: You recently closed your suit label. What were the reasons for this? 

[12:56] A: Yeah I've never spoken about this on camera. So I took some time to dig deep and I realized that my heart wasn't in it and there is courage in quitting. I think entrepreneurs need to remember that when you're running a business, the cost can be astronomical. And I'm not even talking about wealth wise, I'm talking about your time, your energy, the sacrifices you have to make in life to get the business off the ground. And not only that, this is time that you could be spending on another business or doing something else that you really feel that passion for. Over the past couple of years, Prestidge Group has grown by 40%. We've got offices in Dubai, we've got offices in New York, and the team is growing. I'm traveling a lot. 

[13:49] Over the years. I've really had to evolve my sense of self as an entrepreneur. Quite quickly it went from being me, myself, and I on the dining room table with the business to managing a large international team. I've had to go from saying yes to everything to no to most things. And that's perfectly okay and you should do that. Our time is literally the greatest asset that we have.

[14:18] Q: How do you juggle running a business, your work projects, and all the other things that you do? I always see you traveling on social media. How do you stay consistent at the gym and with your diet?

[14:32] A: Yeah, so when traveling a lot it can be so much harder to keep consistent with your lifestyle and taking care of yourself. Some things that work for me are when I'm traveling, I always still go to the gym, so I make it my non-negotiable. And I sometimes think that once you are exercising, it is quite easy to keep exercising, but once you're not exercising, it is quite difficult to get back into the swing of things. So when you're exercising it just becomes your standard way of life and almost a routine for yourself. So when I'm traveling I sometimes go to a Soho House to the gym, or I might find a local chain nearby or even just workout at my hotel gym. I have this longevity exercise routine which I've created, which is literally like a 30, 45 minute workout only using your body and dumbbells.

[15:32] And I'm going to be creating a YouTube video about this soon. But sometimes I like to do that, we don't have to make exercise this massive deal. It's best just to be small and sustainable with what we're doing. So I do my quick exercise, I might go for a big walk and explore the city. Putting on my sports shoes and exploring the city is literally like my favorite pastime. I love doing it. In New York when I'm there, it is so easy to rack up 25,000 steps. I just put on my shoes in the morning and walk and experience all the city and the smells and the energy around me and come back to my home at dusk. Food-wise, it can be quite challenging. I do most of the time try and eat a very low inflammation diet. I'm gluten-free. That's out of choice. 

[16:30] It's been probably about three years I think since I've eaten gluten. I was speaking to a longevity clinic a few years back and they said that a majority of people have intolerances to gluten these days because of the way that they prepare the seeds. I'm not sure of the absolute specifics about it, but the way that I see it it's not good for my body and I can really feel when I've eaten gluten as well. I feel like super lethargic and sluggish. I think my face even goes a slight shade of gray. So I can see the changes that happen in my body. I also don't eat dairy except for the odd piece of cheese because cheese is amazing, but other than that I like to drink almond milk latte, so they are sort of my go-to thing when it comes to a milk substitute. 

[17:24] In New York, I really do struggle with eating. I think that the food doesn't taste very flavorful and fresh. I'll go to the supermarket - and bear in mind I go to a nice supermarket as well - like Trader Joe's, and I'll get some berries and I'll eat the berries and they literally just taste like spray and water. Like it's disgusting and it's very disappointing. So I think we're quite lucky in the UAE, we ship produce from all around the world, we've got hydroponic farms, which is technology-controlled farms where they get to perfectly grow the vegetables. And oh my god Pure Harvest, whatever you put in your cherry tomatoes, I swear those things have some kind of like, the food quality is difficult these days. 

[18:10] I try to cook most of my meals when I'm in Dubai and I have this kind of thing where I like to get in the kitchen and then get out. So I kind of get into the kitchen and throw some things in a single pan or make a bowl of something so there's not as many dishes or just chop up a whole bunch of vegetables and throw them in an oven tray and put some crushed tomato on them and shove them in the oven and make a ratatouille. So I try and eat more than 30 different types of food because I've heard from speaking to the likes of Sebastijan Orlic who works for GlycanAge, he said that so you have a healthy gut microbe, it is important to eat many different kinds of food. So until I spoke to him, I was only eating the same sort of thing all the time. I love avocado, I love cherry tomatoes and I was often just making myself the same meals, but now I'm making a real special effort to eat a variety of different vegetables, all different colors. Sauerkraut is meant to be very good for you. Meat, I'm eating a lot more lamb and steak and things like this and I've always loved seafood. 

[19:29] Q: You recently started brain training. What's been your experience of it and what exactly is it? 

[19:35] A: Yeah, so I think the interesting thing about brain training… So I recently started getting biofeedback training on my brain and what I discovered is sometimes our brain doesn't know what's best for us. For instance, there might be something that's not quite right in our brain, but we might not even realize it's become our new normal over time and very gradually and issues developed that we don't even know we have an issue. So for me, I was actually suffering from chronic fatigue and it wasn't until I went and got my brain tested that I even realized I had chronic fatigue. I knew I was tired. I felt like everyday I was having to really push myself and go out there and everything just required so much energy. 

[20:27] Speaking to people, required a lot of energy and I was very busy. I just thought that because I was so busy, that's why I was tired. And when my therapist spoke to me about it, she said you know you've got like quite bad chronic fatigue. And I said, yeah, I get that I'm tired, but surely every business person is tired. And she said, you know what Briar, it is amazing how many people come and see me these days who have chronic fatigue and say the exact same thing as you. She said, I think part of it is because of the technology and the way that we're interacting with the technologies. So it almost has become this epidemic over time where we are all walking around with chronic fatigue without even necessarily realizing it. 

[21:09] And it was so interesting to receive this brain training. So all I have to do is just literally sit there, watch YouTube. So I like to watch Steven Bartlett's podcast because then I feel like I'm actually learning something while I'm there, but they've assured me if I want, I can watch the Kardashians or Desperate Housewives or something like this. But again, I've quit reality TV, so that's a no-no. And I sit there with these electrodes on my head and watch YouTube and the screen essentially shows my brain what it's doing. So if my brain does something not very desirable, the screen might go smaller, it might get a little bit blurry, the sound might decrease and it's essentially saying to my brain, hey, what you're doing at the moment, that's not good. Then when my brain does something good, it will get bigger and it will essentially reward my brain. And I only do that for like half an hour, 45 minutes. And yeah, it's been amazing to see how I felt living with no fatigue, completely different.

[22:17] Q: What's your thoughts about Ozempic?

[22:23] A: Yeah, so I am not taking Ozempic and I never will unless I need it for medical purposes. But I must say I do have quite a few friends that are taking it and only just to shed a few pounds. Dear friends, and I'm not calling anybody out in particular, and I don't mean to cause offense, but when you're not stepping foot in the gym, why are you taking Ozempic to shed a few pounds? Do you not think you have your priorities a little bit backwards? My advice and what I believe is that we can't put a bandaid solution over something. The problem with Ozempic is, sure you might shed a few pounds and feel good about yourself, but what about the long-term data or what happens when you stop taking it? If you haven't created this sustainable lifestyle for yourself full of good and conscious habits such as regular exercise and walking and eating healthily, then what's the point of taking ozempic? You're only just going to put the pounds back on. 

[23:42] So I'm a big believer in small, sustainable and healthy habits. Go to the gym, lift some weight, start small. You don't have to overwhelm yourself and go out there and do a crazy hit class where you're like thrashing your body around, but come on, go to the gym at least before you try something like Ozempic. Another issue with it is that people who actually need Ozempic, like people who have diabetes and their life depends on this they're really struggling to get their hands on it now. Part of me worries that this is just another example as to how society has become so obsessed with short-term fixes like these, these little bandaid solutions. We're not prepared to go out there and actually do the work. Not only is exercise good for our body, but it is crucial for a healthy mind as well.

[24:38] Q: Is it hard to live between two cities and where do you like living better Dubai or New York? I believe you also lived in London. 

[24:46] A: Living between two cities certainly does come with its challenges, but I kind of like it. I love the novelty, I love the fact that Dubai is so, it feels like it's always moving, it's always evolving. There's always new people coming here. When I first moved to Dubai, I felt a little bit like I was living in Sheffield, UK or it was a lot smaller than London and a lot smaller than New York. But over time I've really seen how the cities evolved and it always feels like there's something new happening here. They're big on technology, they're big on artificial intelligence, the metaverse, the leadership are amazing. So yeah, I love living in Dubai. I love driving my car. I love my quality of life that I have here.

[25:30] The food we just discussed, the house that I live in, it's got a pool, it's a really nice apartment. And then on the other hand in New York, you pay a pint of blood for a very small little studio. But again, I love it. I love walking out on, so my apartment's in Chelsea, so when I walk out of my apartment building, I'm literally there on 6th Street and 18th Street. I won't give you my exact corners, but just in case I've got some stalkers out there that's not really where I live. But I like feeling like one with the city and I love walking. That's what I love most about New York, is walking. I've got my gym there, I've got my friends there, so I kind of do live this double life and it keeps things quite fresh and exciting, but it's not the closest. 13 hours is a long plane ride, so yeah, certainly comes with its challenges. 

[26:29] Q: Can you ever imagine living back in New Zealand? 

[26:32] A: No. Coffee or tea? Coffee for sure. I don't buy into these people who say that coffee isn't good for you.

[26:45] Q: Would you get a Neuralink?

[26:53] A: I would, I definitely would. I know I would. Totally, sign me up, because then I don't have to carry around my phone. We can talk to each other through our brains. I'm sure my entire life will be augmented, but would I sign up now? I don't think so. The first person just had their Neuralink put in and I don't think I'm prepared to be that much of a guinea pig. 

[27:19] Q: In your journey to become cyborg, what are you most afraid of? 

[27:26] A: Yeah, I think definitely freezing myself in cryonics is something I'm most afraid of. Of course, I'll kind of already be deadish by that point, but I do worry that I am going to get stuck on this earth in a little canister and all my wonderful friends and family are going to go to the next afterlife and I'm going to be left behind. That's a real concern for me. 
[27:50] Q: I loved your latest podcast with Bob Ginsberg. After speaking to him do you have a different perspective on the afterlife? 

[27:57] A: I think it's still something I need to explore, like these are massive decisions that I'm wanting to make. Do I freeze my body in cryonics here on Earth? Do I potentially risk it for the biscuit and go to the afterlife? I don't know yet, but I do know that I want to speak to Dr. Bruce Grayson. So Dr. Bruce Grayson, if you're listening to this, please do get in touch. I want to hear about your experiences. I've read your book about people who have had near-death experiences. I think these are very interesting. I think I need to know a little bit more about this afterlife here on earth and the technology before I make any rash decisions.

[28:48] Q: What are some things you wish you knew before you started writing your book? 

[28:51] A: I wish I knew how long it was going to take and how much energy it would take. Writing a book is hard. I kind of went into it thinking like, oh, it's going to take, I don't know, a year. And then here I am literally three years later crafting it. But it's been very therapeutic. I've loved actually going back and thinking of my early years and my career and thinking about my childhood and the perspectives that I held at the time. When I look back now older upon reflection, I view situations from a completely different perspective. I have a better understanding of myself, I know myself better now. So it's been really interesting to go back and revisit these sorts of things and think, ah, that's why I reacted in that way. What I'm most excited about my book though, is that it's all my quick healthy longevity recipes. So it's all about getting in the kitchen and getting out and I've just really loved like tinkering in the kitchen, experimenting, cooking with all different kinds of foods that I haven't cooked before and really kind of crafting these very easy recipes that busy business people can eat and really enjoy.

[30:12] Q: Do you plan to present both the positive and negative aspects of technology in your documentary? 

[30:20] A So I think with technology it's neutral at the end of the day. Technology is a tool. Of course there's the good stuff, but there's always the bad stuff. It's just like humanity. Technology is a reflection of us. We have the good guys and we have the bad guys. So naturally, of course I'm exploring both sides and I think the cool thing about me being an outsider is that I'm coming into this with literally no preconceptions about anything. I'm just going along for the ride and seeing where it takes me. 

[30:51] Q: What are your thoughts on individuals like Bryan Johnson who are going to the extreme end of their life extension?

[30:59] A: Well, kudos to Bryan Johnson, I must say he has really created a lot of conversation in the longevity space, and it was great to see when I went to Dublin recently how well received he was by the longevity community. I was really wondering if they would be like, “Oh God, Bryan Johnson, he's an outsider, like what is he doing? We don't agree with anything he's doing.” But it wasn't like that at all actually, they stood up, they gave him a clap. He was on a big screen because he at the time wasn't traveling because he’s trying to maintain his perfect sleep. But they stood up, they gave him a clap and they said, thank you for everything you are doing in this space. You are really creating discussion. You are sacrificing your life to a certain extent to be a guinea pig so that we can see what works, what doesn't work, and things like this. 

[31:57] And I think they were just really happy from, yeah, a PR perspective as well. My thoughts about Bryan Johnson and what he's doing and all of the extreme measures he's going to, to life extension are yeah, kudos to you. If that's how you want to live your life, like go out there and live that way. For me, I couldn't live like that. I do believe that when it comes to longevity, there should always be a balance. It should be sustainable. And I do wonder if now or over time Bryan Johnson will start to really feel like he wants to experience the fun things of life, his friends, traveling, happiness, like how happy can he be living this super regimented life? I don't know. 

[32:45] Q: If you had to listen to one song on repeat for the rest of your life, what would it be? 

[32:50] A: Well, I got my Spotify unwrapped results lately and they were quite embarrassing. A lot of Justin Bieber. What's that guy from One Direction? Harry Styles. I don't even want to answer this question. 

[33:09] Q: On your episode with Steve Fuller. He revealed that when he asked a class of high schoolers whether they would want to live forever, if they were able, most said they don't want to. What are your thoughts on this? 

[33:21] A: I worry about Gen Z, but I think it's common to worry about the generation that comes after you. I'm a millennial. I remember all of the baby boomers said there was absolutely no hope for us and we were terrible workers and all sorts of concerning things about us. But the data is out there and Gen Z are feeling feelings of nihilism. They are more depressed, they do feel more anxious. And to be honest, it's quite understandable. They've gone through a lot in their shorter lifetimes. There's been a global pandemic, there have been wars. They're all worried about how they'll be able to afford a house. It's kind of a hard world out there. I was speaking to Sarah DaVanzo on my podcast recently and she thinks that social media is perhaps to blame. 

[34:13] And part of the reason why she thinks this is she's got a young daughter and she thinks that because her young daughter just has so many opportunities, like she could be this, she could work as this, she could change her career six different times. That it's almost one of these situations where sometimes we feel like we've got so many options out there for us, it almost becomes difficult to take action. She also believes maybe Gen Z to a certain extent think that stuff gets handed to them. I don't know. But I do think it is interesting to think back to society and older generations. They used to be so happy just with their one job. They'd work it 40 years, they'd retire, they'd focus on their family and that was it and they seemed to be quite happy with what they've got in life. Maybe social media has just really made us want more and really made us lose track of what's important in life. 

[35:19] Q: To anyone who's thinking of moving to Dubai to start a business, what would be your advice to them? 

[35:24] A: Come. Dubai has been a great place for me to start my business. I remember when I first moved here, everyone was like, oh, you have to cover up. Women aren’t respected and said all of these really crazy things that are not the case by any means. I was 24 or 25 when I moved to Dubai and I started my business literally six months later. Everyone was like, you're going to fail. You've just moved to Dubai. You don't have a network, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And what I've found is it's been such a great place. It's a very supportive ecosystem. It's very easy to meet people. You reach out to them on LinkedIn and everyone's quite open to a face-to-face meeting and building your networks together. We are the most connected on LinkedIn out of anywhere in the world here. 

[36:13] So if I like your content, it goes out to my entire network and vice versa. And what this means is essentially it's relatively easier to build your reputation here. The market is very much based on reputations and referrals. So when you have a good product, word will get round. I remember when I first started my business in Dubai, and it's become so much easier to set up a business and the regulations and things here. It's become a lot easier of a process. But I remember when I first started my business in Dubai, I had to do a visa run across the border in Oman. And I didn't have much money at the time. I'd started my business on one month's salary. I'd moved into this little windowless maids room that barely fit my bed and I was kind of like go hard or go back to New Zealand and was eating my frozen veggies and instant noodles and rationing my toothpaste, like I was worried. 

[37:10] But I went to go do this border run, which we had to do back in the day. And when I was coming back over the border they said, you can't come in. And I was like, why? And they were like, well your visa has processed very quickly and you don't have the right paperwork to come back over the border. And unfortunately, when I went to call my visa place, they had closed down. It had rained that day. It never rains in the UAE and unfortunately, they had flooding. So I had a very joyful start to my first week of entrepreneurship and rested on a very hard wooden chair waiting until someone could come and save me at the border with my paperwork. So it was not quite the joyous start to entrepreneurship that I thought. But over time, the regulations and things have become so much easier and it's become quite easy to set up a business here. 

[38:12] Q: When you first started your personal branding journey, how did you overcome or deal with insecurities you might have had with pushing yourself out there? 

[38:20] A: The insecurities don't go, this is what people need to understand about personal branding and crafting your brand and building an online presence. The insecurities are always going to be there to a certain extent because that means that you are pushing yourself, you're stepping outside your comfort zone, you are leveling up.
Even these days when I post the odd video or I share a more personal story, it gives me a little feeling inside like, “Oh God, how will people react?” Like I'm being authentic, I'm putting myself out there. But what you find is that when you are being authentic, like that's when people really resonate with you. That's when you get the direct messages saying, hey, you really motivated me to go back to the gym or hey, I'm really inspired by what you're doing, like keep it up, like that's when you really actually create meaningful change in others.

[39:13] Q: Are you a morning person or a night owl? 

[39:15] A: I am naturally a night owl, but I am making more of an effort to be a morning person, I force myself to be a morning person. I wake up, I go to the gym at 6:45. Yes, it's early being at the gym that early, but it's a good way to start my day - the early bird catches the worm as they say. Now what I've discovered is that anyone can sit here and be like, oh no, I'm not a morning person. I'm inbuilt genetically to be a night person. That's not true. You just have to change your routine. So to wake up early, you need to go to bed earlier. To go to sleep earlier, you need to think about your nighttime routine. Are you on the phone? Are you ingesting all of this blue light and other screens? Are you watching reality TV, which is not going to be calming your brain before? So these days I like to start getting ready for bed around the 9 o'clock mark and I will spend a bit of time doing my nighttime routine, taking off my makeup, brushing my teeth, etcetera. And then I will hop into bed and read a book for half an hour. So at the moment I am reading David Sinclair's book, Solving Aging. It's very good.

[40:32] Q: If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why? 

 . Steven Hawkins.

[40:52] Q: If you could choose a superpower, what would it be and why? 

[40:56] A: I think I would almost choose a superpower that is similar to what Neuralink will allow me to do in the future. So for us to potentially talk telepathically or for me to be able to book something or communicate by using my eyes and not having to use my phone. I think when I can stop using this (holds up phone) will be a great day. I carry this around like it's an extension of my arm and it just feels like an unnecessary appendage. 

[41:25] Q: What's the one thing on your bucket list that you are determined to achieve?

[41:28] A: I really want to go to Mars. Oh my God, I want to go to Mars so bad. When there's a little bit more on Mars. I was saying to my boyfriend actually about how much I want to go to Mars and he said, why on earth do you want to go to Mars? He's like, you hate dust, how will you get your nails done? And I was like, yeah, you've got some valid points there. I do like a little bit of luxury. So guys out there, guys and girls, please start building Mars, the city of Mars for me and I will be there with bells on, or maybe I should say I'll be there with a space suit on.

[42:11] Q: How do you like to unwind or relax after a long day?

[42:16] A: I like to just do nothing. Oh my God, I love doing nothing. My favorite weekends are literally what I call couch days. So I plan for myself like massages, nails, just chilling out, blobbing, literally doing nothing. And I think it's really important to schedule times of doing nothing for ourselves because these days where we're constantly trying to fill up every single moment. I might be sitting here and doing nothing and then suddenly I'm on my phone and I'm scrolling on Instagram, that's not doing nothing. But when we actually give ourselves the space to do nothing, that's when all of the best ideas happen. That's when you make the best decision. That's when you come up with the creative ideas for your business. So yeah, give yourself the space to do nothing.

[43:10] Q: Do you have a favorite quote or mantra that inspires you?

[43:16] A: Yes, actually I do. It's on my WhatsApp. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This has been my quote since I first started my first business and I was reminding myself why I had to make all of these different sacrifices, why I had to move into a little maid's room and eat frozen vegetables and instant noodles and it's just been my mantra of life really ever since. It basically means that you have to give something in order to get something in return, in order to grow and I'm always very inspired by that. 

[43:52] Q: What's your favorite thing to cook, to have cooked for you and your favorite takeout? 

[43:58] A: So I've got a lot of favorite recipes that I like to cook. And one is these rice paper rolls I make. So I get rice paper from the supermarket and then I will get some prawns and cook them and I will put some sprouts, some capsicum, slices of capsicum, some avocado, and then I will roll them up and then dip them in sweet chili sauce. It's delicious. The beautiful part about it is you can always mix up the ingredients as well. So you can do like satay chicken or all kinds of things and they're just a really easy, easy thing to be doing and they're healthy as well. My favorite thing to have cooked for me is any kind of protein. My boyfriend is amazing at cooking any kind of steak or fish, I swear he just always gets the level of cooking just right. So I appreciate it when people help me in the kitchen. My favorite takeout would be sushi.

[44:59] Q: What is the biggest or most common objection you hear when talking about super longevity and how do you handle it?

[45:06] A: I would say the most common thing that I'm coming up across is people thinking that the reason that I am taking care of myself and trying to extend my health span or prolong my life is because I'm selfish. You know what, I guess they're probably right. It is selfish to take care of yourself, but it's also important. It's like putting the air mask on the plane. If you don't take care of yourself, how are you expected to take care of other people? And I believe we all have a responsibility to take care of ourselves. I would actually argue that happiness is taking care of ourselves and giving ourselves what we need so that we live a long and healthy lifespan. 

[45:54] Q: I want a BTS from pre-production to post-production. Really impressed by the creative output from your team.

[46:02] A: How can I do BTS? I guess I could do like little dance. Maybe I could do like  BT, this is the behind the scenes. Here's your behind the scenes. (Briar dances) What's this dance move called? This is the floss. I've been practicing this for like two years and I finally mastered it after doing it in the metaverse. You like it?

[46:24] Georgia: Maybe let's explain a little bit about the process of pre-production,

post-production. 

[46:32] Briar: You're recording Georgia. This is the BTS.

[46:37] Georgia: So all the stuff that goes into episodes of HYPERSCALE.

[46:43] Briar: Yes, we are doing more BTS Thank you for your question/statement. We are doing a lot more behind-the-scenes of hyperscale. It is a big passion of ours this year. We're filming every single week. We've got some amazing guests coming on, aren't we? 

[47:00] Georgia:  Yeah. And we've really ramped it up, I think with the trailers and just the marketing and everything like that. I feel like our trailers, like little movie trailers now, so we're very proud of that.

[47:13] Briar: Yeah, we are. And that's one of my massive goals for this year is we are very determined to keep bringing great guests, great discussions to our listeners. So thank you everybody for supporting us. 

[47:31] Q: Given the ever-evolving nature of cyber threats and the inevitable progress in technologies such as quantum computing, which will make said threats even more advanced, do you really believe that linking people's minds to a global brain cloud would be a good idea? Isn't it better to keep AI external to the human body?

[47:57] A: Well, I like to think of it a little bit like this. AI and robotics are developing at a dizzying pace and I worry if we do not look at venturing beyond our traditional organic meat sack, then are we doing enough to keep up with it? The way that I see it as well is this (holds up phone) already has all of my data. My data is already all over the internet. I'm already at risk of being hacked. Technology is neutral. There's always going to be the good stuff and the bad stuff.

[48:57] And if we fear technology and if we're not exploring out of fear, then that's not the right way to go about it. AI is going to bring amazing things. It is going to potentially allow us to spend more time being creative and doing the things that make us fundamentally human by doing a lot of the mundane tasks that we presently do. Humans weren't designed to sit 8 hours entering data on an Excel sheet. No. Humans weren't designed to be walking around carrying this thing in their hands day in and day out. I'm sure we're going to look back in the future and think how weird it was that we were walking around on the streets with our heads bent not speaking to each other. I believe we have a duty to go out there and experiment. Historically, people have always feared things. People used to worry that TVs would stop us from doing things. People even used to be worried about books when they first came out. I believe it's just the next evolution. 

[50:03] Q: Any ideas or suggestions to raise and stimulate more techno-positive transhumanist voices and movements globally in times where there's a lot of tech and transhumanist ideas that are perceived quite negatively? 

[50:18] A: I think this is a very good question and is often something that I'm thinking about as well. I was also speaking to Natasha Vita-More last night and she founded the Transhumanist Manifesto. She has been so pivotal and historical in creating the transhumanist mindset and movement and her and I are often talking about this. How can we encourage people to not fear the future or fear change? I guess it's a very natural part of being human. When we think of our lives changing and we think of change, yes it's so scary, but we always have to remember that with change comes opportunity and part of our discussions that we've been having is how can we just even pull things back to a day to day perspective? How can we think about how we're interacting with technology today and how the transhumanist values of actively creating and guiding a life for ourselves fit in our day-to-day lifestyle? And so that's something her and I have been discussing more in depth and we're planning on doing a podcast on it. I'm also very much looking forward to go staying with her in Arizona in March and living her transhumanist lifestyle. So I think more will be revealed on this question in the coming months. 

We’re done! We’re done? Thank you everybody for sending in all of those questions. I’ll admit, some were quite surprising, and some were quite hard, but I did really enjoy answering them. And I hope you all got a lot out of this podcasting session. I’m really looking forward to this season of HYPERSCALE. We’ve got some amazing guests that we’re bringing you. Keep the questions coming. Drop me a direct message, comment on my social media, email my producer Georgia. We’re always so happy to hear from you, and really do want you all to be part of this journey with us. 

Thank you all so much.