Vulnerability: Your Superpower | Travis Cochran

Every entrepreneur knows this feeling—running a business is like carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.

And when that weight piles on? Anxiety’s right around the corner, ready to mess with your head and your hustle. That’s where a mental health coach can make all the difference.

Travis Cochran knows firsthand what it’s like to battle those demons. After stepping away from a promising pro rugby career, he spent the next 10 years mastering how to handle stress, anxiety, and fear.

Now, he’s using what he learned to help entrepreneurs and young people who are facing the same challenges in his podcast ‘The Technician’, now a top podcast show in Australia.

We also talked about:

• How anxiety can sabotage your success—and how to knock it out
• How podcasting helped Travis build a powerful network and business he didn’t see coming
• Why authenticity in your content is the ultimate advantage

Get ready for a raw, real, and relatable chat about the mental side of entrepreneurship. You’ll thank us later.

Follow Travis Cochran at:

https://www.instagram.com/thetechnician__/
https://www.instagram.com/thetechnicianpodcast/
https://www.facebook.com/traviscochran1112
https://www.linkedin.com/in/traviscochran360/
https://www.youtube.com/@thetechnician33

Follow Ken Okazaki at:

https://www.instagram.com/kenokazaki/
https://www.youtube.com/c/KenOkazaki
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-content-capitalists-with-ken-okazaki/id1634328251
https://open.spotify.com/show/09IzKghscecbI7jPDVBJTw

Content Capitalists YouTube

Transcript

Ken: Hey guys, welcome to another episode of the Content Capitalist podcast. Today I have a guest with me who is really talented at one thing, probably a few things, but the one thing we're going to focus on today is how can we deal with anxiety as CEOs, as entrepreneurs, when we've got so much going on and everybody expects everything from us all the time. Yesterday, there's no way to stay out of anxiety unless you have a few tactics, a few skills, and some help to deal with this at times. So, uh, I want to welcome Travis to the show.

Travis: Thank you, Ken. Really excited to be here and a really beautiful topic to touch on knowing that it's what's really held back, especially as said before, me from opportunity within a professional sporting team here in Australia. And I'd love to be able to support people now with that same understanding of where the next big there, of own it's stopping them from showing up on camera, doing public speaking, or even becoming next big athlete, whatever it may be. So I'm really passionate about this brother. And, um, I'm happy to help out however I can.

Ken: That's great. Now, Travis, I really do want to get into the actual skills and the tactics to do this. But before we do that, could you walk me through that professional sports career and your experience and why it ended?

Travis: Yeah. Thank you for the question, Ken. It came to light yesterday. I spoke at a large school here in Australia, in Brisbane. Um, so I think it was about 400 students. So from year seven to 10. And essentially when the most with anxiety, people going through it's, it's very hard with bullying and exams, tests, expectations, performance. And I that that's I really started to struggle with as myself. So that might know of Australian League, it's one of the sports, in world. We don't wear big pads and stuff like NFL, um, but it came with a lot of, uh, you know, expectations on turning up for training. Very, very hard game to play. and my would just freak out before trainings and games.

So for me, um, I couldn't with that Ken. And I got to a point where I got offered a time contract leaving school to and then play with Broncos. And I turned it down because my overthinking, my overwhelm and everything that made feel the way I did anyone that does know, that, that anxiety disorder or struggles it. just couldn't handle it. So than with it, just quit altogether.

Ken: And what was the reaction of like your schoolmates, your friends, your parents, coach, like, how did, what was the, was man, I was known as the player. was known as the football player. From five years old, I was about the size I am now, which is six foot five and 140 kilos. Um, that might be in yeah, six foot five and 320 pounds something. So, a boy from growing up and away just got into football. down, I knew I wanted to do more. But society and my parents told me, no, you're a player.

So deep down, I know how to deal with those feelings. It was like this and of, Hey, I don't know if is what I want do, I'm also very good at this. I just did it. And so that decision to quit, yeah, everyone was disappointed. As you can imagine, you don't want to see someone who has so much potential something away change not only their lives, but people around them. But I know I had make a decision for myself to look after my own mental health, essentially.

Ken: If you could do it again, would you choose differently?

Travis: It's a I've ruminated on this bit and no, because I think if I didn't make the decision at that age, I wouldn't have on the destructive path I did for 10 years trying to find my identity again. Because any man, any young man, especially without purpose, I've found with lot of my clients, especially in the men's groups I run and men's work retreats, men without purpose, they just around in the wind. And in Australia, I don't know what it's like where you guys are at, but a of really bad mental health issues with our men. They don't talk about their stuff. They don't talk about their depression, their anxiety, their, their struggles.

For 10 years, and then to become the, the man I today helps, you know, the technician, I don't think I could be relatable as I am if hadn't experienced it myself. when I talk to clients what they're going now, um, I that they like I've lived what they're going through I support it from that sort of space as well.

Ken: So you've gone into coaching and helping other men. That's what I'm gathering. And Like that must have been quite a step from you not being able to make a decision to move forward as what most people would expect a man to do, to now leveling up to the authority where you're helping other people to, to get there. What triggered that transition?

Travis: Yeah, I think 2020. So when 2020 happened we all know with COVID and everything like that, um, I actually was along the beach with a good friend of mine and he said to me, this is where this name came the technician. He said, the way you try to rewire my mind. You're like a technician. And that me just landed straight away. Something deep in me sort of went, I knew that.

And I've always had a passion for helping people. Can I had job where I was working in retail sales and I was, you know, just in sales and, um, people, I I had an innate ability to listen and ask questions. Deep questions. And people weren't used to that. They were, they would be telling me their deepest, darkest secrets when they're just trying to buy some shoes from me. It's kind of a space where, um, at this point when my friend said this to me, it turned very quickly into podcasting, which now I've got one of the top podcasts in Australia, then turned into coaching running events.

Because I think like yourself, Ken, the ability to ask these really intuitive questions, it can be helpful for people to feel seen, heard, and loved. and they're going through. So, and that's essentially what I do now.

Ken: I think one of the biggest misconceptions people have is that when you're a business owner, an entrepreneur, or, you know, even a, like a podcast personality that you must have so many friends and, you know, like you'd ring up whoever, and they'd have time for you because obviously you have freedom and money, but the exact opposite is true. It's so lonely and don't know who you can talk to because very few people who never had, you know, started and run a business, hired people, had to fire people, had to take on huge personal risk, like financial risk with loans. Like if you haven't done that, you will not connect with and understand the business owner. And I think that like you said, like finding the kind of people who can connect is extremely valuable. So, have you found that in your, you know, the people you help them in? Are you finding that there's a lot of people who are business owners who are seeking this? How, how varied is your clientele?

Travis: Epic question. It started out a bit different where it wasn't necessarily business owners and entrepreneurs. Then I started to naturally gravitate towards them as I am one myself. And, um, I there's some of the people that need most help, I, my mission really with people are running businesses because the see my mission here, Ken, is that I help the guys at the top who really have the ability to change the world. They run big businesses that are doing millions of dollars and they help, you know, thousands of customers.

If I get them running at a really healthy level, their mental health's on point, they're not struggling with anxiety. Um, they're healthy and they've got relationships with their family. That business benefits. And then the ripple effect is employees benefit. Then the ripple effect beneath is the customer's benefit.

At the top of the chain, if the technician is being part of that, I'm aligning my biggest wish which is leaving impact on this world. It's like, seeing that most people I work with at the moment, well, now business owners and entrepreneurs, because as you know, man, it's a, such a stressful career. It's even a it's life, it's living, right? And I know you get this is that no, you get your time. Could working all day, all night. And I think only people that do that is something they're doing something they love.

I've had nights where I'm up until in the morning editing podcast or something, but I know that if I that person that needed to hear that episode doesn't it and it stops themselves from their life or, um, that that could have changed world. So at the end, impact my work has on those types of people, ourselves, that's what drives me every day. And I'm that it's really common, man. They're into, help. They're seeing that holistic approach support with, um, shadow work, unconscious reprogramming, um, even meditation, journaling, these on and understanding that that can help them only become healthier people, but they can have more impactful businesses, which ultimately helps everyone in the world, which is beautiful, bro.

Ken: Let me ask you this from a practical perspective, because, you know, what I do is, you know, we have an agency and we create, help entrepreneurs create content for marketing, for social media ads, you name it. And I think a lot of people who are business owners or maybe even aspiring business owners, one hurdle they face is they see that creating content like yourself on a podcast or like me on a podcast or clients, they have a lot of anxiety about getting in front of the camera about, and there's, they one of two routes.

Of people who have this anxiety, they number one, they try to control everything. Everything's scripted, teleprompter, and they feel like they're safe if they stay within the confines of what they can control or that's number one. Number two is they just kind of wing it, but then they don't, have any structure or their confidence is not where it needs to be. E, both these are pretty bad ideas, right? And I think there's this level of expectation of perfection that's causing anxiety. How would you look at this from the perspective of a business owner? And how would you help them to handle this anxiety?

Travis: Such a great question. It's one of the most common things I see. And the first thing I usually do, Ken, is to really look within. Where is that anxiety actually coming from? Because it's a symptom of something deeper a lot of the time. It's a fear of judgment. which that of judgment could come from every time you tried to do something new and you failed. Um, dad said something awful about you or said, of course you stuffed that up.

And it's so much deeper, but think doing some self healing to know your fear is coming from, that feeling, that belief around, not enough or make it because if I fail, I'm not worthy. It's understanding those deep, intricate programmings that have built through our childhood or society, our peers, who we were around. Um, I find is one of the things that people can't overcome. They can, but they don't, they're not to. They just think that it's, "Oh, I just feel nervous about this. I'm not to this."

So, somebody start this journey, you know, to, and overcome these things? My, my first work would be with a coach, a coach or a psychologist something that can help understand yourself. Start to understand yourself practically. Um, most of most things can invite to anyone do is breathwork.

I've seen lot people now around the world can learn to breathe, you know, the method, things like that, where it's taking time in the moment before you even in front of the camera to spend 10 minutes or five minutes just slow breathing. It could be breathing that the Marines used it before they went into warfare to slow their body down, slow their mind down. Because when you're overthinking, you can't really do, you? So breathwork meditation, becoming present. If you're present, you can't think the future of what you can stuff up or how you, how this go wrong? All you're thinking about is presently create content that may impact my business and person watching? That's such a baseline thing to really to get to know yourself, implement breathwork, those holistic practices around meditation and journaling to understand yourself.

Ken: I think a lot of business owners, um, tend to be very neurodivergent. It's big you're seeing these days ADHD, autism, things like that. Um, and myself am bit on the spectrum and I if I can practically see my thoughts on paper, that can really help. So you might have in your mind this playing out where, "Oh, I'm not enough. No one wants to hear me talk about my thing. No one about my podcast."

Travis: I find that if you challenge thoughts you can see them physically on paper, you can overcome them. If it's in your head, tend to make overthink, try to be a perfectionist and even in front of the camera. So really challenging the thoughts can help a lot too. But there's so many different mythologies around actually understanding yourself because when you show up on camera, not concerned about how anyone perceives me.

Ken: I've seen this, Ken, you know a lot. of people with that judgment and how they're perceived on, on camera well?

Travis: Yeah, most definitely. Especially women and men, right? So challenge that thought, like, "I care about what other women think about me?" And I, I call it a process the whys deep. So the, the level thought might be, "I'm scared of showing up on camera." Okay. Why? Because I was bullied at school. Why?

It's to the depths of that, core wound that's causing the surface level symptom. Your surface level symptom is anxiety, increased heart rate, you used get really red and I'd sweat a lot before games or presentations. Your body is trying to tell you something, but also knowing that if that is a normal human experience that is preparing you something you're about, it might be a different experience than going, "Oh, why am I so anxious? I hate myself. I hate th...

Ken: That I get so stressed. If you…

Travis: That…

Ken: I'm so passionate about what I do, just preparing me to create something really beautiful for the world. It's an acceptance of the natural human experience that's happening and unfolding right in that moment.

Travis: Right. Now, you mentioned earlier, you have one of the top podcasts in Australia. How long have you been podcasting for?

Ken: Oh, what's it now? 30th August. I believe it's nearly two and a half years.

Travis: Okay. Congratulations on that.

Ken: Yeah. Thank you, bro. This is "The Content Capitalist" because I think that just... I can't count how many times I've been asked by people, like, "How do I actually make money with content? What's the ROI?" And podcasting is actually something that's very effective. It has brought me a lot of listeners who became clients, and it's got me in the door and connected with so many people. Could you tell me about how your podcast has affected you with what you do in the coaching area?

Travis: It has been the key to everything I have, Ken. I cannot stress enough to people how much podcasting can unlock because not only has it made me overcome my fears of public speaking, but just in general. I used to be so shy. I couldn't even talk to my friends, like, get words out of my mouth because I stressed about how I spoke. I had almost like a speech impediment. But through talking all the time, networking, a lot of my now friends that I have, such as people like Samantha, I only met them because I got them on the podcast. I get to connect with these people I might not have had access to if I didn't have a podcast to get onto.

Ken: So your podcast has opened doors for you.

Travis: Exactly. I run a group program where I help men with their stuff. I get experts in. I've had a hundred and something guests now that I ask, "Hey, would you do a guest session on my Zoom group program and provide your expertise?" I now give that to my community because I have access to these incredible people that came on the podcast. I have become a better person because I've made mentors and friends from podcast guests who then helped me become the person I am today. There might've been psychologists, doctors, social workers, breathwork facilitators—these modalities and tools I use now as a coach. I learned and became an expert myself through being around people.

Ken: That’s incredible.

Travis: If people are wondering whether podcasting is worth it, I’ll say this: I’m now speaking on stages in front of hundreds, potentially thousands soon, because of podcasting. It’s about leaning into that fear. Podcasting provided my ability to speak not only on camera but also with people, to connect. And it’s about becoming a dot connector, like yourself, where you have access to so many people because of the network you’ve built. The old saying is that your net worth is your network. The people you know are what’s going to get you ahead.

Ken: It’s definitely a powerful medium. Why do you think your podcast is as successful as it is when you think that probably 80% of podcasters will not get more than a thousand monthly downloads? Nowadays, it’s so flooded. You started not too long ago, and you said it’s doing really well and getting traction. Do you feel it’s got to do with the subject matter? Has it got to do with the shadow work you’ve done on yourself to present in an authentic way? What are your thoughts?

Travis: For me personally, I believe it’s my relatability. I think I don’t try to be anyone else other than myself. Authenticity, I find, is the highest form of energy. And people relate to that. People want to hear someone that’s like them speaking with someone they might perceive as an expert, or someone in their area of genius that they don’t think they could ever relate to. But because someone like myself speaks like most people—I’m just one of the boys, you would say.

Ken: Like Aussie culture.

Travis: Exactly. It’s a man that just is himself. I might swear a little bit here and there. I do on my podcast, for sure. That’s how I show up. But then I have the ability to sort of speak at a high level as well. So I think it’s the relatability factor. It’s my level of effort into my content. It’s not just, "Oh, I’ll just slap something up and put it out." It’s like, "How can I make that clip land the right way?" I take the time and put in that passion because, as you said, Ken, attention is everything. This is where attention is the biggest asset. How are you going to get it unless you make something that’s worthwhile watching and listening to?

Ken: I love how much effort you put into the quality of your sound, your audio, your video, and all those things because at the end of the day, that’s showing you as a quality human and what you do. I think a lot of people just slap something together, and they don’t stress too much about, "Oh, how’s the audio quality? How does the conversation run? What are the tangibles for the listener?"

Travis: Exactly. Those little tangibles are what I find make the best podcasters the best podcasters. One of my guests that I got on—and you might get him on yourself—Chris Griffin, went from 6,000 followers to 50,000 followers in a few months. Because his thing is, "There’s a difference, Trav, between good and great." And his podcast is only a few months old, and he’s one of the top 10 podcasts in Australia now because his content quality is amazing. His guests are huge, and the types of conversations he’s having, he’s getting answers from his podcasts because he’s taking the time to think about and ask those important questions.

Ken: Now, you know how you said that we’re so afraid of being ourselves, our raw selves, being raw to the core? That’s what we need to do. I think that raises anxiety amongst business owners because they’re representing not just themselves, but their employees, their business. If they have a political or religious view, no matter what your stance is, half of your audience isn’t going to like it. Maybe a quarter of them will even leave, including clients and business. How do you navigate that anxiety? What’s the insight we should filter this through?

Travis: Yeah, that’s a great question. Personally, knowing the day and age we’re in, where things get taken out of context, I probably keep some of those things to myself. Like, I will give my opinion if I’m asked about it, but when it comes to things that may affect people outside of me, I’m conscious of how my actions impact others. If being authentic is going to hurt people around me, like partners or team members, I need to think twice. It’s not just about what I want. But can I share my truth and still be authentic enough to not offend too many people? There’s a fine line there.

Ken: It’s a hard question to answer in this day and age, knowing how political or sensitive people expect us to be, right? There are so many different things now.

Travis: So true. I think it’s about being authentic while understanding that we live in a human world with consequences. You don’t want to do anything stupid either. But the key is being prepared. I’m sure every time you do a podcast or anything, you’ve got some sort of framework to work within. That framework lets you feel safe, like building a home. As long as the framework’s there, you’re safely able to build that home correctly.

Ken: Yeah. I do have a framework. I use it more as a backup in case the conversation gets lost. Somebody who’s quite famous in Australia, Jim Penman from Jim’s Lawns, was on the show. One thing he shared was that the more controversial he got on social media, the more his business boomed. He was very vocal against government actions during COVID lockdowns. He has strong opinions about politics. I’m not sure if he touches on religion, but he strategically took the side of his audience and customers. That’s why it worked. It’s about picking battles that build your brand and further your message. Avoid battles unrelated to how you help people. That’s the rule of thumb I’ve been going with. If it supports what I believe and my business, I’m going to jump in, whether controversial or not. But if it’s against my personal brand or morals, I leave it.

Travis: I agree. Especially as a man in Australia, if we can stand by our values and beliefs, people respect that. They want heroes who stand for the people. When I feel strongly about something, like racism or bullying, I’ll speak out. I can’t tolerate injustice, especially against Indigenous people. Even if it costs me, I’ll still stand up for it.

Ken: That’s powerful. Here’s a question. Is there something you’ve ever wanted to say but decided not to, for whatever reason? Something you’d feel safe saying here?

Travis: Oh, I like this. I don’t like how opinionated or combative the professional system is in regard to mental health. Therapists, psychologists, psychotherapists—they talk a lot of shit about coaches, bro. A lot of these people might have a piece of paper that says, “I can do this, this, and this,” but I can connect with people on a deep level because I’ve lived through the experience my clients have.

I come from a place where I’ve been through what they’ve been through—laying in bed, not wanting to get up to go to work because they’d rather kill themselves than go to that job they hate, right? Meanwhile, a psychologist might be sitting there with all this academic knowledge but no compassion or heart for the human being in front of them. To them, it’s just another client walking into the room that they get paid $200 for, to ask the same fucking questions for the next two years.

For me, I want to help my clients by giving them the tools and resources so they can be self-sufficient and not need me anymore. But what I see in the system is that it’s designed to keep people unhealthy so they stay in the system, on medication, and in darkness. That way, the system can profit off them.

Ken: That’s a strong statement.

Travis: Look, I’ve used psychologists before, and I’m grateful for mental health services. But the system has a lot of flaws. Instead of offering nature, healthy food, and personal growth tools, they’re just handing out pills. It’s like they’re trying to keep people trapped in jobs they hate, away from friends, and disconnected from what makes us human. I’m super passionate about this, man. I’ve copped a lot of shit from those types of professionals because I didn’t go to university. But I’ve lived life differently, and I’ve learned differently.

I respect doctors, neurosurgeons, and others who’ve spent years mastering their craft to save lives. But there are roles in mental health where I don’t think you need to spend years in a classroom to make an impact. The world is changing, and the system is outdated. We’re still trying to force people into molds they don’t fit. That’s something I’d love to say here.

Ken: You should say that on your channel. Use an analogy like, “If I saw a house on fire with a kid inside, should I wait for a licensed fireman to arrive, or should I run in and help?” No one’s going to care if you’re not wearing a uniform. It’s the same thing with coaching—you’re stepping in and helping when people need it most.

Travis: Exactly. People resonate with me because I’ve been where they are. It’s about connection. Some professionals feel threatened because they lack that connection. They might have the qualifications, but they don’t have the same impact because they don’t bring their whole selves to the table.

Ken: That’s such a key point. People connect with authenticity. The principal of the school where you spoke yesterday told me how many questions the kids were asking after your talk. She said, “They don’t talk like this. Something has changed.”

Travis: Yeah, man. Those kids could see themselves in me. I’m relatable. I wear Jordans, Nike hats, and casual clothes. I speak like them, I get their humor, and I understand what it’s like to be a kid. Even though I’m 34, there’s still a 12-year-old in me who loves to laugh and have fun.

Yesterday, a boy came up to me and said, “Thank you. All the middle school boys love Andrew Tate and that sort of thing. But you showed us what a real man is—what real health and confidence look like.” That hit me, man. These young boys are figuring out who they want to become, and I get to show them another way. One of the boys even left a note on my car saying, “Thank you so much for today. It helped me a lot.” That’s why I do this. Knowing I’ve impacted even one kid makes it all worth it.

Ken: That’s amazing. No degree or money can buy that. It’s real, authentic connection. As we wrap this up, Travis, what’s one question my listeners can ask themselves to unlock something in their lives? To get out of anxiety and into authenticity?

Travis: I’ll share something that changed my life recently. A coach once asked me, “How dare you let your own shit get in the way of showing up for those who need you?” That hit hard. It made me realize that my fears were stopping me from helping others. So I’d ask your listeners: What are you letting stop you from helping someone who needs you? Overcome that bullshit and show up. That’s what I’d say.

Ken: Could you rephrase that into one succinct question?

Travis: Sure. What are you letting stop you from being the person those people need?

Ken: Beautiful. Thank you, Travis. That’s something I’ll reflect on myself. Let’s wrap this up. I’ll put your link in the description for anyone listening on YouTube.

Ken: If you're on the podcast, listening with audio, go to the show notes, and you'll find Travis's information, his podcast, and how you can get in touch with him. And Travis, thanks so much for spending your time with us. For everybody else, I'll see you next week.

Travis: Thank you, brother. Love this. Thank you.