ďťżResonance â Episode 30
Verbatim Transcript
Speaker: Viktoria Levenberg
Guest Speaker: Rich Strang
Rich Strang: For someone that's a perfectionist that hates failure, it's just not possible to be
perfect. We put so much on trying to do things perfectly. The only thing you need to do is turn up
and just try. But what I also realised was the growth I felt, I think as just getting older, you just
start to realise you just don't have to be that person. You can be yourself. Life is just so much
easier when you realise who you are, and you start to find the people that are similar to you. And
I said to myself, remember this, you need to remember this, because life's problemsâŚ
Viktoria Levenberg: How much more could you achieve in your life if you were truly aligned with
your purpose, you integrated all parts of yourself, and felt great while you're at it.In today's
episode, you're going to hear from Richard Strang, founder of Weeve, about what he learned
during his journey of entrepreneurship, corporate engineering, and knocking on heaven's door,
so that you can identify where in your life you might be receiving some signals that are asking
you to change direction. Let's dive in.
Viktoria Levenberg: Welcome to Resonance, the podcast for high performers and entrepreneurs
who wanna do life, work, and success differently. I am your host, Viktoria Levenberg, and I'm
obsessed with efficiency, productivity, and planning in a way that harnesses your energy and your
natural rhythms, while keeping you in alignment and integrity. Because I have figured out that
lasting success is not about the hustle, it is about being in resonance. Let's begin.
Viktoria Levenberg: Alright, so before we kick off this week's episode, I'll just give you a short kind
of intro to Rich and what you can expect, um. Rich is a dear friend of mine. We met about two
and a half years ago now, uh, through our yoga teacher training, which we went through
together. And let me tell you somethingâlike aside from school and university, I feel that like a
yoga teacher training brings you closer together than anything else. Like, you are literally showing
your most vulnerable self. You are being stretched so deeply outside of your comfort zone and
like diving so deep into your soul, um, that those people stay with you for life. And Rich is one of
them.
I'm really, really grateful to, uh, be so lucky to have him in my inner circle. And Rich is an
incredible man. He is a high performer, an entrepreneur, and he holds himself to really high
standards. So a lot of you will resonate with what he's got to say. The thing though that's really,
really important for you to understand is that Rich also opens up about the intimate and
vulnerable story of how all of these traitsâwhich are incredible strengths, right, like we high
performers love to achieve things, it is greatâbut the thing is there's a delicate balance. And
then there's this really, really dangerous tipping point where it could cost you your life.
And he was very, very, very close to that point. And you know, he obviously, as being as strong
and incredible as he is, um, managed to come out the other side. And that led him to discovering
his true purpose, which is bringing people together through shared moments, through
connection, through community.
And by the end of this episode, you will see how the firsthand cost of running your life like, you
know, that car that's revving the gas pedal, basically running on empty with smoke blowing out
fumesâI don't know, I'm probably butchering this metaphorâbut you get me, right? Like, you
will know what it's costing you if you are running on empty. So this episode will help you perhaps
catch yourself rather than like Rich ending up in a hospital bed as your only moment of peace and
quiet.
So without further ado, I'm gonna hand the mic over to Rich. Enjoy the episode. I'll see you
inside.
Viktoria Levenberg: Hello, Rich.
Rich Strang: Hello.
Viktoria Levenberg: Uh, it's always so funny transitioning from the grounding into the recording.
It's like I could just do another 20 minutes of this, but let's chat. My goodness, I mean, I'm so
grateful that you are on the podcast, that you said yes. We go way back, which I'm sure we'll dive
into, but for people who might not know you, can you just give us a bit of backgroundâwho you
are, where you've come from, and what brought you here today?
Rich Strang: Yeah, sure. So yeah, my name is Richard. What I am, who I amâuh, IâI would
describe myself as, well sort of up to now, I've been an engineer. I'm living in the world of
engineering. That's sort of always been here. And then what I've always thought is the other end
of the spectrum, uh, is also a yoga instructor. So just doing yoga for a very, very long time, and
then a yoga instructor more recently, sort of in the last two, two and a half years.
And I've always sort of put, you know, the engineering over there and the yoga on this side, and
that's always been my life. I've always sort of never really met another male engineering yoga
instructor, and I think that kind of always solidified this idea that the two worlds don't interact,
don't meet, don't connect. And that's sort of, yeah, that's kind of been my world up until now.
But I'm starting toâthings are shifting, and I'm starting to make changes, and I'm starting to see
the pieces of my life as pieces and parts. And they can shift and they can move, and I'm less
locked into things now, mm hmm uh, which is opening me up to sort of opportunity and
excitement and connecting these worlds that I just didn't think could connect. And what does
that actually mean, and what does it mean for me, and what does it mean for everyone else?
So that's kind of where I'm at at the momentâfiguring out how those two worlds can combine.
Sort of how am I unique in this world, âcause I always thought they were independent, but they
don't have to be. And I think that's my place, my bit, um. Yeah, so that's sort of where I am,
where I've come from. I mean, where are we going with this?
Viktoria Levenberg: I mean, as far as you wanna go back in 19âha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ha ha ha ha ha.
Rich Strang: Sure. Uh, yeah. I guess the engineering side of things wasâit was always kind of
clear to me. Like I was a kid thatâI see myself as being very creative, and I would gravitate
towards the Lego. It was always Lego, Lego, Lego as a child. Yeah. Lego birthday presents, Lego
Christmas presents, yeah. I built this massive box of just Lego that had to be dumped out on the
floor. Could never find any of the parts you wanted âcause it was just, you know, years and years
of presents that end up in this one pile.
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh my goodness, um.
Rich Strang: And the Legoâyou know, as you grow, the Lego then turn to different forms of
making things, turn to remote-controlled stuff. So building remote control cars, remote control
planes, remote control boats, helicopters, and all these things I'd try and build myself. So there
was always this sort of building element to them. And it's always been really cool, âcause like
remote control planes, for instance, you learn about flight, you learn about wind, you learn
aboutâso you learn about all these elements that, um, really educational just in the building,
just in the sort of building of trying to build something. You know, the building is just one aspect,
and then you learn all about all these other bits and pieces as a child, moving on.
So it was always quite clear, it seemed to me, that engineering was my way forward. Mmm hmm.
But interestingly enough, maths and physicsâthey're just not my strong point.
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh gosh, tell me about it.
Rich Strang: So yeah, so it's really pushing, you know, rubbish uphill for my whole life. You know?
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh my gosh.
Rich Strang: I'm getting extra maths lessons, extra maths, calculus, physicsâjust always just
trying to, yeah, yeah. Through high school, and then, you know, you get to end of high school,
what are you gonna do with your life? I'll become an engineer. It's a real misalignment as far as
sort of on paper what an engineer is.
And so yeah, extra help all the way through for all of those things, um. And then once I finished
universityâI got through, once I finished itâI realised, oh, well, the only one thing I don't wanna
be is an engineer. I did not like that. I hated, hated school, hated education. It was alwaysâit
neverâI neverâit never clicked. It was alwaysâit just wasn't what IâI was never good at it, um.
But then like the design stuff, like graphics or any of the technologies of building things, it was
super easy, uh.
My dad is also very hands-on. He was a builder, um, in South Africa, where I was born. And so,
you know, I had lots of woodworking tools and justâI always had tools and material. And I was
very introverted as a child, so I would spend my two weeks at home in the garage building
something.
Viktoria Levenberg: Fun!
Rich Strang: Yeah. But it also sort of isolated me from likeâI was terrified of being in front of
people. I sort of shied away from crowds, um. I always felt like I needed to be more extroverted
and be like those kids that were louder and could command the space more and got people's
attention. And when it's not you, you can't even force it.
Viktoria Levenberg: No. It feels draining, and it does. It comes across a bit disgusting anyway,
doesn't it? It's like, ooh.
Rich Strang: Yeah. And for years, you know, you're trying to beâyou want friends, but equally so,
you wanna build stuff in the garage, you know. So there's this conflict throughout the time until
you get to a certain ageâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Wow, no, noâit just clicked for me that this conflictâ
It just clicked for me that this conflict began much earlier than you even shared when you started
introducing yourself. You mentioned earlier this dichotomy of like you as the engineer and you as
the yoga instructor and practitioner, and now that you're kind of diving into a bit of your
background, like wowâthis actually started much earlier. Back when you were like trying to be
this extroverted kid and, um, then also building stuff at home. Like, so that was justâthat was my
facial reaction to it, yeah. Oh wow.
Rich Strang: I haven't actually thought of that either myself.
Viktoria Levenberg: But you hang out with me, then we go deep. We go straight to the root, you
know?
Rich Strang: Five seconds in. I think as just getting older, you just start to realise you just don't
have to be that person. You can be yourself. Life is just so much easier when you realise who you
are and you start to find the people that are similar to you, and you start to connect on a level
with them that it's just easy, mm hmm, um. And so I've always thought getting older is like the
best thing ever, the best. Everything in life is just getting better and better, sort of my
understanding of myself primarily, mm hmm uh, and where I am and what I'm doing. And it's
just, I mean, you might look older in the mirror, you know, you mightâI maybe I'm in denialâbut
I don't, I think I'm still getting fitter, faster, stronger.
Viktoria Levenberg: Same.
I'm like, I feel better in my body than I have when I was in my teens.
Rich Strang: Yeah, well yeah, right, for sure.
I just drinking a whole lot less, that's probablyâ
Viktoria Levenberg: itâs probably a big part of that, yeah.
Rich Strang: Sleeping, not drinking, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: You know, like eating well and exercising. I guess who would have thought
that works.
Rich Strang: Yeah, who would have thought.
But yeah, so weâI think, ohâso yeah, with the engineering. So became an engineer, didn't
wanna be an engineer, thought, so okay.
Viktoria Levenberg: Pause there for a second. So you said you didn't like engineering, you didn't
wanna be an engineer, and you became an engineer anyway. Yeah. Can you talk me through that
thought process?
Rich Strang: Basically because I like building Lego. Like, I like building, I like building things. I like
the creativeâI love, I stillâI love the creative, yeah, side of building things. But also at uni
nothing was real. Like, it was likeâI didn't, as an engineer, use a lot of CAD, computer-aided
design software. It just didn't click atâfor me at university. Until I decided I have to build myself a
racing car, um, ten years ago. It's still going, still being built. It's not running, not going, it's not
running.
Viktoria Levenberg: Not yet.
Rich Strang: It will soon. The pieces are aligning, yes. But as soon as I neededâ as soon as I
needed this computer design software to actually create something that I needed for a project
that I was passionate aboutâgeez, all of a sudden, boom. Yeah, and off we go. And now it's one
of the tools I use most in my engineering career. Yeah, it's amazing.
But so I was an engineer that didn't like to do maths or physics, was creative. I'm wondering, you
know, what do I do now? And it sent me down a path of trying to be my own boss instead of
immediately trying toâI thought, well, I'll be my own boss, I'll start a company, OK. Yeah.
And at the time, a family friend who lived in London knew I was creative, and he brought the idea
of why don't we create the world's best wooden beach bats. It's a game you play all over the
world. No net, you just have a bat and a wooden bat, and you hit a ball back and forth, like a
squash ball back and forth. Simple, but really fun.
So great, OK. This is perfect. I can build something. It can be beautiful. It can feel good. It canâI
can bring something to life. Instead ofâhe'll run the business, a bit older than me, he'll run the
business side of it, and I'll learn, you know, the business aspect. Super cool. I really enjoy building
the bats. But more importantly, I really enjoyed developing the manufacturing process to build
mini bats, uh, at aâyou know, you keep the design, you keep everything that you like about that
first bat that took you three days to build. Uh huh. You want that first bat that took you three
days to build, but you need to build a fifty, a hundred in a day, uh huh, or two days, whatever it is,
you know, uh huh.
So that's whereâ that's another skill I really like and I'm good at, is developing the
manufacturing process around this product to actually make it scalable. Otherwise, what do you
have? You don'tâyou know, you don't exactlyâyou don't have a product or a business.
Long story short, I won't say too much on the bats, but long story short, they were seen by
Chanel in Paris. The designer, Coco Chanelâthey said, we love your bats, how do you make your
bats? Our bats. So I got to work and, uh, redesigned my bats to make them Chanel bats. It's
amazing. And yeah, fast forwarding, fast forwarding again, uh huh, uh huh, yeahâI made like
three hundred and fifty of these bats. They were sent to all the Chanel stores throughout Europe.
They made it into the Vogue magazine next to Jessica Alba. LikeâŚ
Viktoria Levenberg: Look at that, yeah. How did that feel, like being like, I madeâI built that, I
designed that?
Rich Strang: It was exciting. I mean, it had its challenges being a one-man band, a twenty-one-
year-old one man band in a garage, trying to build designer products for the highest of high-end
fashion labels in the world. Kind of had to keep telling them that we're a factory, you know, just to
keep credibility. And there were a lot of, you know, likeâthey loved the wood, butâand they
wanted wood, but they wouldn't accept any of the imperfections in wood. SoâŚ
Viktoria Levenberg: Right, it was challenging.
Rich Strang: It was challenging, it was difficult, it was stressful. It wasâI stopped after I'd finished
the order for a reason, um.
But ultimately, the sad reality of it was even though I made it into this magazine and Iâand Iâ
and I made these bats for Chanel, not once did my name get associated with the bats at all. Not
once. I made them a boomerang as well, mm hmm, which you canâyou know, you can go online
and see. Sort of designed it all, sold it for basically for nothing because I had no business after.
You know, I just didn't know business. And kind of that really knocked me. It really knocked me,
âcause I tried so hard and worked for so long, really didn't make much money. I kind of broke even
at the end of it, mm hmm. And it was really tough. Likeâand I always just wished if only this had
helped my career, like as a designer in that space. It would have been great. It would have been
worth it. But the only thing it did was I could put it on my CV, and people were like, oh wow,
that's cool.
Viktoria Levenberg: Well, I would challenge that because yes, you know, in the external sense,
that's quote unquote the only thing it did. And at the same time, the lived experience that you
got through it, the things you learned about business, the things you learned about the value
that you bring to the world, what you enjoy and what you don't enjoy about the process, and
many other things and lessons, I'm sure, you know. I'm a firm believer that everything in our life
happens for a reason, and that was whatever needed to happen for you to be in this new
precipice of this new chapter that you're kind of, um, embracing today. So, um, that's just a little
kind of perspective that I wanted to share. âCause I feel like youâyou are such a bright, incredible
human, and I didn't even know a lot of this story. And you know, I know you add so much value to
the world, name on the bats or no name on the bats. Like, they are your creation, which is pretty
freaking cool.
Rich Strang: Yeah, I guess, you know, asâI agree with you completely. That's very valid, and it's
what other people tell me too. I think there's a bit of me that's still justâis a little bit cynical. I've
let it go. I have let it go. It is behind me, ha ha ha ha ha.
Viktoria Levenberg: There's a little part that's still attached, I think.
Rich Strang: Yeah. Still wants to pull the finger, you know, ha ha ha ha ha.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, that's okay. We can work on that.
Rich Strang: And then after that, that's what led to the next opportunity. A different company
from the States, uh, approached me and said we would like to make mouthguards that have
biometric sensors in them that can read an athlete's, um, all of the athlete's biometrics. So this
was before smart watches. So the idea was that, say, a coach, a trainer, physio, whatever, could
be on the sideline of a basketball game or American football game or whatever, and have a full
sort of readout of all the players' biometrics from a performance standpoint, but also a health
standpoint. Cool. And with that, you could start to predict certain metrics that might lead to
injury, and bringing a player off beforeâyes, hmmâso that the value in that company was
actually data, collecting data and understanding what the bodies were doing, you know, in time,
but also to help predict, to try and prevent injuries, but also, yeah, like I say, improve
performance.
And I was responsible for developing the product, mm hmm. And yeahâand I again, to cut a long
story short, I designed a mouthguard, 3D printed, with sensors in them that did read biometrics.
It was just, you know, a wire out of the mouth to begin with, uh huh. It's still a long way to go. But
it was about a year and a half worth of work. And that company basically sort of teased me along
the whole way with, ooh, you could be, you know, this many shares, this many shares, we could
pay you but we've got such a bright future, and we're talking to all these incredible people in this
world, you know, that are just about to invest, just about to invest. I mean, at one point I was
talking to the head doctor of the NBA, you know, at two in the morning here in New York,
Viktoria Levenberg: Casual. Yeah, yeah.
Rich Strang: You know, and you sort of think, okay, if this is happening, it's got legs. Like, this
could be it for me. Uh huh. Don't pay me.
Viktoria Levenberg: You know, didn't learn the lesson the first time around, did you? Yeah.
Rich Strang: Yeah, that'sâit was clever. I was cleverly sort of just strung along, I guess. But, mm
hmm, yeah. The company basically fell apart. Didn't get anything for that year and a half. And it
was left.
Viktoria Levenberg: Painful.
Rich Strang: It was likeâyeah. It was after you actually create something that is reallyâitâs a
success, a success from a technology standpoint. Like, you've really done your job. And then have
the rest of it just crumble and be left again with nothing.
And as a twenty-something year old now, I was justâ that's happened again, you know. And soâ
and at that time it was compounding. Those failures were sort of making things worse and worse
and worse. So yeah, it sort ofâit took me through that. It was sort of took me through, and then
a few other bits and pieces here thatâthey're here and thereâbut it sort of got me through to
maybe twenty-eight, where I was really justâyeah, wasn't enjoying life, hmm.
And I'd lost the entrepreneurial spark completely. Mm hmm, completely. I just wasn'tâI was,
yeah, I was having a tough time until I just went and got a job.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah. Which is like the entrepreneur's ultimate sign of defeat, right?
Rich Strang: Yeah, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: I feel you. My coach calls it a J O bâjust over broke. Yeah, okay. So you got a
job?
Rich Strang: Yeah. It didn't make sense to me. Like obviously the money, âcause when you don'tâ
when you don't have a job, you're notâyou're trying to create all these products, you're trying to
create something in the world, you're hoping to get paid and just not. And then you start thisâ
you start to compare yourself with the people around you and people that have jobs. And then,
you know, they're going on holiday, and they've got purpose in the day, and they're going
somewhere and doing things. And I'm stuck at home, you knowâhome, family homeâmm
hmmâwondering why the hell, what is going on with my life?
Like, I feel I've always felt like a powerful car that's just spinning its tires, making a whole lot of
smoke but going nowhere.
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh my God. That is such a powerful metaphor.
Rich Strang: Yeah, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm hmm.
Rich Strang: That's the engineering metaphor for you.
Viktoria Levenberg: That isâthat is really good.
Rich Strang: Yeah, yeah. And thenâand, and, andâand it'sâand it'sâit turns on you, right? Sort
of seeing all your friends and start theâthe comparison is just comparing yourself to others
progressing in life and you're not. It's justâit getsâit's hard, it's hard. I'm sure a lot of people can
relate. I'm sure everyone can relate in some form.
Yeah, and then I went and got a job. I went and got a job and it didn't make any sense to me. It
seemed like a waste of time. Like, what am Iâwhy am I here? Like, this isâI'm not creating or
growing or I'm notâwhat's the purpose of this? I'm sort of just clocking in, clocking out for
someone else's silly thing. Like, it justâjust didn't make sense. But I was getting paid. Yep. And
that was a really important thingâmoney that I needed at that time. And that was about, yeah,
twenty-eight years old.
And from twenty-eight toâwell, I'm thirtyâjust turned thirty-six nowâI've been employed. And
the career that I have wanted, hoped for, IâIâve managed to get. It'sâit's been engineering. It's
beenâI had something to prove, really prove.
So when I was thirty-twoâthirty-one, thirty-twoâI got a job with a New Zealand space company.
Umâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Haha, it's okay. We don't have to name names.
Rich Strang: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: And I've learned that lesson the hard way, trust me. Haha.
Rich Strang: And it wasâIâI wasâit was right place, right time. Like, I tried to get a job with
them previously. That was, you know, denied. Uh huh. At this time, yeahâgot through. Right
place, right time as far as they startâthey were starting a new program. And I came in just at the
right time, wow, in the right role. Everything just aligned.
And I had, for twoâtwo and a half years, I had just this vehicle that I could put everything. And I
did. I put everything I had into this job. Uh huh. A real point to prove to myself. All those years,
those twentiesâIâIâuh huhâthis is it. This is my moment, my chance. Uh huh.
And it felt great. Like, it was great. And I look back at that time as being very positive. And itâit
completely changed my life. But there's a danger in putting absolutely everything you are and
everything you have into a job, you know. Yeah. Start working at six. Yeah. Start work at six. Get
up at four forty-five to get there. And then work through eight, nine, ten, elevenânearly every
day.
Viktoria Levenberg: Wow. Did you take weekends?
Rich Strang: Took weekends, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay, always took weekends.
Viktoria Levenberg: Good, at least there's that. That's probably how you did it for as long as you
did.
Rich Strang: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, but IâI was driven by this point. I hadâI hadâit was sort of the
grassroots ofâof something very exciting. And I was there for it. It was the small team really just
moving mountains. And it was tight-knit. And the guys and girls were really great. And we were
all just doing what hadâwhat had to be done. And we did. And it was amazing.
But you get to a certain point where your body just goes, I can't do this anymore. Yeah, yeah.
Yeah. I know you've got a similar story.
Viktoria Levenberg: Well, not as intense as yours. So pleaseâI think you've gotâyou've got a big
story to tell ifâif you feel so inclined.
Rich Strang: Yeah, sure.
Yeah. So I think after sort of a yearâyear, year and a halfâit was basically working towards one
deadline. The delivery of one big component. The day came where theâyou knowâthe deadline
was met. I met my deadline. I met myâI hadâI hadâI had done it, yeah.
And the very next day, I get the flu. Uh huh. The very next day I get the flu. Yeah, okay. One week
class having the flu. And then straight away, just coming out of the flu, my tonsil puffs up. Mm
hmm.
Viktoria Levenberg: I'm likeâin your throat?
Rich Strang: Yeah, in my throat, yeah. Just one tonsil. I don't think anythingâoh no, it was a
scratchyâscratchy tonsil. Like five or six at night, still at work. Scratchy tonsil. I'm like, oh, this is
odd. I betterâbetter go home. Mm hmm. After doing, you know, a big day anyway, I'm gonna go
home.
So it's funnyâ
Viktoria Levenberg: After being here since six in the morning, like twelve-hour dayâbetter go
home, I guess.
Rich Strang: Well, you start to feel guilty if you do an eight-hour day. It feels like a half day. It's
such a skewedâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes existence.
Rich Strang: Yes, yes. Yeah, yes. Yeah, it's like, oh yeah, half day. It's like, oh no, not really.
Anyway, so IâI have this scratchy tonsil. I don't think anything of it. Wake up in the morning and
it's sort ofâwhoopâitâs much bigger. And now I can barely swallow. Not thinking, I think, oh, I
should probably stay at home. This is probably just tonsillitis. Never had tonsillitis before.
Mm hmm. You can't just rushâyou don't just rush to the doctor as soon as, you know. We'll give
it a day. We'll see what happens.
Viktoria Levenberg: Especially like, you know, you live in New Zealand, so we just take like a
concrete pill and get over it, right? And like, she'll be right. Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine.
Rich Strang: I took a day off work. That'sâthat's, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Exactly. That's like a holiday for you, yeah.
Oh yeah. Especially sick leave, likeâthat's like admitting defeat, right?
Rich Strang: I had a lot of it, yeah. I had all of it, yeah, exactly.
Viktoria Levenberg: It was like, why would you take it? It's like, whoaâthat's naughty.
Rich Strang: Yeah, but the good thing was I had myâI hadâI had delivered what I needed to
have delivered. So, you know, I had takenâI was able to take my foot off the gas. And I think, you
knowâanyway, I'llâIâll loop back to that.
So then, yeah. So I thought I will wait a day. Woke up the next day and all of a sudden, now my
whole face is puffed up outside. It equally goes the same distance inside. So now you can't close
your mouth. Your throat's blocked. You sound like Donald Duck.
Went to the doctor. They said, go to the hospital immediately. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. So driving to
the hospital, a bit woozy, like whatâwhat's going on?
Viktoria Levenberg: You drove yourself to the hospital?
Rich Strang: Well, you still don't thinkâyou still think tonsillitis. Never had it. Ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Itâs just, you know, yeah. Uh huh. Itâs justâyou knowâitâs justâitâs just tonsil, yeah.
Anyway, long story short, it turned outâI got to the hospital. They couldnât drain the tonsil, so
they had to take it out. I think itâs called a hot potato when you have to take your tonsil out when
itâs inflamed and infected. Okay. Yeah. Uhâitâs aâitâsâthey typicallyâit was supposedâyou
normallyâitâs a fifteen-minute procedure to take a tonsil out. This was like an hour and a half.
Viktoria Levenberg: I thinkâoh wow.
Rich Strang: So it wasâit was more involved. Um, took it out. I was there for another two days
while I was sort of recovering. And then they took me off the steroids and said, you can go home.
And I sort of thought, ohâcan I just stay one more night? Just because I want to make sure this is
okay.
Uhâand it was that night. It was that night everything turned for me. And I can only describe it
asâwhen you are just dimming a light. Letâs say, you know, in your house you just dim a light
down, and the light goes down in the room, and it goes to darkness. That night, it just felt like my
body was justâjust winding down, and everything was gettingâ
I was in immense pain. Like, it wasnât peaceful by any means. But justâthe overall energy of my
body was just depleting. Justâjustâjust running out of me. Um. That was a horrible night.
Woke up in the morning. Doctors came and wentâoh shit. Got a CT scan. Turned out that the
infection that was in the tonsil had jumped from myâuhâtonsil, gone into myâuhâthe side of
my cheek, down my neck, into my chest, up to the base of my skull. All over.
But the major thing was it had wrapped itself all around my, um, jugular vein. So at that point,
you know, youâre essentially septic. Uh huh. Your jugular vein is surrounded by infection. Uh huh.
Things arenât great. Uh huh.
So I was, yeah, in hospital. I actually found hospital peaceful. I actually quite enjoyed it. Mm
hmm. Just because I didnât have toâthere was no expectations on me. There was noâmy mind
was at ease. Even though I was, you know, mm hmm, knocking on deathâs doorâI didnât know it
at the timeâbut my mind was at ease.
I didnât have to do anything. Foodâyeahâbrought to me. Like, I could watchâ
Viktoria Levenberg: no deadlines, no emails.
Rich Strang: It was just a complete holiday. You know when you go on holiday and your brain is
still likeâyour bodyâs on holiday but your mind isnât? Yeah. And itâs really tough to justâit takes
time toâto quieten that mind. Mm hmm.
Well, for me, when I was in the hospital, it was like just peace. Hmm. No expectations. Nothing
from yourself, from the external world. Itâs just peace. People think thatâs quite sad when I say it.
I guess it is. Ha ha ha.
Viktoria Levenberg: No, itâsâitâs understandable. Like, given your circumstances at the time.
Yeah. Itâsâitâs just the reality of it. And to be honest, most likely the people who think thatâs
sadâthatâs probably their own projection onto you of their reality that theyâre not willing to face.
Sorry to say it, but like, if weâre judging others, thatâs usually because thereâs something theyâre
reflecting back at us that we donât wanna see for ourselves.
Rich Strang: Hmm, yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm hmm.
Rich Strang: Iâm gonna remember who said it was sad now.
Viktoria Levenberg: Thatâs it. Be like, wellâwell how many hours did you work?
Umâandâand so that feeling of peaceâwas that the first time that youâve truly felt at peace
inâin all those years?
Rich Strang: No, Iâve had a fewâsurgeries before.
Viktoria Levenberg: So have youâhave youâjustâokay. Interesting. Soâso on an unconscious
level, in some extent, it was like yourâyour unconscious mind was like, hey, if we get him there,
then heâll finally slow down and we can just let go. Likeâlike Iâand correct me if Iâm wrongâbut
like in my mind, the way I compare the feeling that you had when you were in hospital toâlike
Shavasana.
Rich Strang: Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Is that it?
Rich Strang: For eighteen days.
Viktoria Levenberg: So good.
Rich Strang: How good.
So many American movies you can watch.
Yeah, but yeahâso thatâI mean, itâsâthatâsâthatâs the truth, actually. That the only times my
mind was truly quiet was the times Iâve been inâand I had five operations on my left knee. Soâ
wow. Iâyou can say Iâve had lotsâlotsâlots of peaceful moments, but they were unfortunately
allâall in the hospital. Mm hmm.
But yesâso yeahâlong story short, I had something called Lemierre syndrome, which is
extremely rare. Uhâand it is thisâthis infection around the jugular vein that just spreads out.
Um. I had two operationsâI donât know if you can see throughâthrough theâthrough my neck
itself.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm hmm, yeah.
Rich Strang: So cut from there all the way to there.
Viktoria Levenberg: Wow. And your jugular veinâthatâs like your main artery, right?
Rich Strang: Yeahâto the brain. Yeah.
So yeah. It wasâit was only after the doctors sort of saidâhmmâitâit was close. We were
running out of options. Mm hmm. So theyâtheyâbasically all they could doâwell, I had a
biopsy taken when I first arrived, and then it took about a week, um, for them to realise whatâ
what antibiotic actually worked.
âCause I remember them at first kind of goingâthis antibiotic, this antibiotic, this. They werenâtâ
they kind of just having to guess. Mm hmm. And it probably wasnât the right one to begin with.
And then a week later, I mean, I had the head of infectious diseases come inâthis quirky guy
with this little bow tie and a fun shirt. Like, you know, it was like really quite funny. Yeah.
And yeahâa weekâand theyâthey altered the, uh, antibiotic that I was on. Mm hmm. And after
the third surgery, and lots of flushing and cleaning andâahâit was just like someone was turning
the light back on again. Whooâexactly the same thing, but in reverse. Yeah.
Every day, and the doctors would walk in and be like, wow, youâre looking great. And I was sort of
like, ha, thanks. You knowâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Like that achiever in you is like, yeah, look at me recovering. Ha ha ha.
Like starting to get a bit antsy now. Like, I wanna build something, guys. Iâve got all this energy.
Rich Strang: I was watching my boss board and I had aâwhat did I have, yeahâso my flatmate at
the time brought in the Spice Girls Lego kit.
Viktoria Levenberg: So thereâs a Spice Girls Lego kit.
Stop it. Spice Girls?
Rich Strang: So I built them, and they were sitting on myâthey were sitting by my window. At the
time, I was like, Iâll take it. So they goâthis is great.
And then my boss at the timeâhe came in and he, uhâhe bought me something a little more
aligned withâI mean, I loveâdonât get me wrongâthatâs part of myâhey.
Viktoria Levenberg: I would want Victoria Beckham on my windowsill, you know. Ha ha ha.
Rich Strang: But he bought in a truck. And I was like, great. Great. This is great.
Viktoria Levenberg: So nice little masculineâfeminine balance of the Shiva and the Shakti you had
going on there.
Rich Strang: Yeah. I think I hadâI think I had Baby Spice, uh, with her microphone in the back of
theâin the back of the house, singing to the rest of them. Uh huh. Ha ha ha.
Hey, youâve got time, yeah. Youâve got a lot of time in there.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm hmm. I love it.
Rich Strang: But what was interesting through that wholeâlike, I look back at that experience
and that, manâit was so valuable. Incredibly valuable.
Like, I remember coming out of hospital. I thought I was strong in hospital. And you get out into
the real world, and you walk out the front doors, and youâre like, whoa. This isâthe cars are
moving really fast. Like, itâs a bit overwhelming.
But at the same time, all these likeâyou know, the memes and that go aroundâhashtag grateful,
gratitude, hashtag messageâyou knowâall these sort of things that youâwe should beâ
I justâI looked at thisâI looked at the sky. The windâthe wind blowing through the trees. And I
just thought, wowâthatâs amazing. And then I saw the rain started to fall, and I was like, wowâ
that is incredible.
Like, I really, on a deep level, felt just the beauty of the world around me. Andâandâand just
the gratitude of just being there was so powerful.
And I said to myself, remember this. You need to remember this because lifeâs problems are
gonna trickle themselves back in. And you need to remember this moment. Because I knew that
thoseâthose feelings would, you know, reduce or subside. Mm hmm.
And I think fundamentally there has been a shift. Lifeâs problems have definitely trickled back in,
mm hmm, umâas they do. But one of the strongest learnings was that all those problems IâI
thought I had before getting sick, the day I got sick vanished. Yeah. Vanished.
Like, how could they have ever been problems in the first place if they vanished? And I think
thatâs probably theâthe single biggest lesson that I consider takeaway from the experience is
that everything that we worry about is so inconsequential. Yeah. Itâs justâit doesnât matter.
Noâit doesâI mean, it still does to me. Like, I still get stressed as hell now.
Viktoria Levenberg: But yesâand you know, when you zoom out a little bit, it takes perspective.
When I think, you know, what youâre starting to scratch the surface on is this difference between
being the problem versus being the perceiver ofâyou witnessing the problem. Yeah. Two very
different experiences.
Rich Strang: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, for sure. Yeah. And I do haveâthatâs the wholeâI canât tellâsort
of, as you know, you know, thereâs conscious and subconscious. And I know observing your
conscious with your subconsciousâwell, by first, youâre observing your subconscious with your
consciousâthereâs a lot of that going on in here.
And thatâs really great. That was sort of my introduction, I guess, toâhe was my introduction to
that way of thinking, which wasâyeahâa few years ago now. Mm hmm.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah. And wow. Mm hmm. Itâs likeâI mean, Richâthat story in itself isâI
feel so lucky, obviously, to hear. I feel so lucky that you are here, umâthat you are here, full stop.
Right? BecauseâI mean, when you said that piece around, I donât know, I think I should stay
another nightâimagine if you had gone home. Imagine if you had gone back to work.
And like, I donât know whether you can even articulate it in words, but I wonderâwhat was it in
you that probably wasnât that consciousâyou know, tough guy, Rich entrepreneur dudeâit was
something else, much deeper, thatâlike a little quiet inner knowing within you that was like, just
stay one more night. Likeâwhat wasâhow did you know? Iâm really curious.
Rich Strang: I think it was a conversation I probably had with my mum and dad at the time. âCause
they say, lookâyou canâweâyouâre cleared to leave, you can leave. But if youâif you want, you
can stay one more night. Uh huh.
And it wasâI donât know. I donât know. I mean, IâI decided to stay âcause Iâthat there was aâ
yeahâlike you say, there was the belief that I should. Mm hmm.
But at the time, youâyou also sort ofâeven though I may have been enjoying my stayâyouâre
kind of like, Iâm ready to go as well. Like, this isnât a place for me. Mm hmm, mm hmm. You just
donât hang out at the hospital on a Saturday night, you know. I donâtâyeahâexactly, exactly.
Wellâactuallyâanywayâstory for another dayâbut youâyou also justâI meanâyouâre not
right. Your bodyâs not right. Youâre not right. You knowâyou stillâyou stillâI mean, you looking
like a potatoâitâs likeâit wasâit was a surprise to hear that they wereâthey would say, you can
go. Uh huh.
But often, you know, someone says thatâyou got great, Iâm off. But yeahâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Theyâre doctors. Theyâve got white lab coats. They know better than me.
Rich Strang: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. But noâfullâthank goodness. Yeah. Thank goodness I didnât,
âcause that wasâthat was the night it allâallâall changed. So yeah. Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Andâand thatâs what IâI actually spoke about this on aâon an episode
recently as well. Itâs just likeâIâm such a big proponent of us staying in our agency and staying in
our power. Because no doctor, no professional, no policeman, no presidentâno one knows you
better than you. No one has that inner knowing, that inner sense of whatâs right for you in that
moment.
And soâI mean, yeahâjust thank goodness you listened to that. Andâand thatâs what sort ofâI
guessâshifted the trajectory for you. And tell meâlikeâwhatâs changed since then? Likeâ
âcause, you know, as you mentioned, thatâs been a few years ago now. And Iâm sure that came
with its own set of learnings and journeys andâand experiences. Yeah.
Rich Strang: For sure, yeah. After that, someone said at workâsaid, I guess youâre gonna leave
the company now. And I said, no, no. Iâm just gonna leave on time. And that wasâooh. That
wasâyesâthat was my new thing, you know. Uh huh.
And I did my best. I did my best. But againâthose full eight-hour-half daysâit startsâthere was
a shift. Like, I just donât do that anymore. And thatâs just a rule of mine. I just donât giveâI donât
give everything to one thing anymore at all. Um.
I alsoâand then a year later did another yearâthen a year later I changed jobs. Umâmuch
closer to home. So, you know, instead of an hour drive, itâs a five-minute driveâwhich is justâ
yeahâitâs good. Just really taking backâtaking back time. Time for me. Um.
And I quiteâa strongâyeahâlike I saidâa strong rule that IâIâm basing myâthe time itâIâll do
eight hours. Iâll do myâIâll obviously do what Iâm contractually supposed to do. But I am basing
myselfâmy performanceâon performance.
You knowâlike, yeahâIâm only thereâand Iâand myâand my bar is high for myâmy
performance. Itâs not like Iâmâuh huhâslacking at all. But yeahâyou knowâyou canâyou can
be highly successful without having to just try and achieve thisâan open-ended ceiling. Like, itâs
justâthereâs nothingâitâsâtheyâll takeâitâllâtheyâll take forever.
Viktoria Levenberg: I get asked by high-performing women and entrepreneurs how to get more
done in less time all the time. And that is because I have been able to master productivity,
efficiency, and planning myself. I am known both in my professional and personal life as the
Productivity Queen.
And for the very first time ever, Iâm going to be teaching a small, select group of students how to
use cyclical alignment, energy management, and high-performance structures so that you can
finally have a personal operating system that makes progress towards your big goals feel
inevitable and easy.
Imagine getting more done in less time. Imagine structure and consistency in your life. And
imagine knowing how to work with your body to optimise your productivity. That is all much
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So if you are done constantly pushing through exhaustion, feeling tired but wired, and you would
like to be part of this special training, make sure to join the priority waitlist today. The link is in
the show notes below and at viktorialevenberg.com/success. Iâll see you there.
Viktoria Levenberg: And thereâs noâthereâthereâthereâsâit didâitâthereâitâs not there.
Like, it doesâitâs not gonna take forever. Itâs gonna take likeâitâlimitless infinite times. Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rich Strang: So IâveâIâve drawn this line where Iâmâyou knowâstill performing well. Like, Iâm
meeting the requirements of the company. Uh huh.
Viktoria Levenberg: And I probablyâI wouldnât be surprised if youâre, like, exceeding them, to be
honest, knowing you. You are highly capable. Youâre intelligent. Youâre a high performer. So your
performance is probably still in the top tier of, you know, the average workforce. IâI guarantee it.
Rich Strang: Yeah. Iâyeah. I mean, the role I have nowâitâs a management role. And itâs more
demanding on different levels. More people-focused, which is really cool. Which is really great
because IâmâI would say Iâm muchâI am definitely a lot better with people than I am with
maths and physics. Soâhallelujahâfaked it and made it to a place where I canâI have people
that are good at that and enjoy it. Thatâs the main thing. Likeâgive that stuff to someone that
enjoys it. Uh huh.
Andâand you focus on the things that you enjoy because theyâor whoever, you knowâweâre
allâitâsâitâsâweâwe need to come together to create amazing things.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yesâand be in our zone of genius.
Rich Strang: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So thatâs sort of my engineeringâ
Thatâs the engineering world.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes. And now tell me the other world.
Rich Strang: The yoga.
Yeahâwell, the yogaâthe yoga side of things has been an incredible journey. Um. As you know,
we did our yoga teacher training together. Thatâs how we metâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Thatâs how we met.
Hmm. Best day of my life.
Rich Strang: Ha ha ha haâyeah. Yeah.
And it was funny because I had done yoga for maybe ten to fifteen years prior. Okay. So I was
confident in my ability physically. But I want to just go a little bit further with my understanding
aroundâwhat is yoga? And I want toâI want to go further with yoga.
So I booked myself in this yoga teacher training. But my brain completely blocked out the teacher
side of teacher training. Reallyâit didnât want to know. âCause thatâs a total fear of mine.
And then day oneâyou knowâitâs an aggressiveâitâs an aggressive training because two
hundred hoursâbut day one, youâreâyouâre doing it.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah. Andâand likeâyou knowâour teacherâsheâsâsheâs out there.
Rich Strang: Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
And I found her incredible.
Viktoria Levenberg: But sameâit was exactly what I needed. But itâs stretching you, right? Itâsâ
itâs a growth edge.
Rich Strang: Well, day oneâthatâyou knowâeven just that sharing circleâIâm like, oh. I knowâ
you knowâI have to talk. Thereâs peopleâlike, as a kid, I wasâI cried my way out of school
speeches becauseâ
Viktoria Levenberg: And you were the only guy as well, by the wayâwhich we can touch onâ
What that was like for you too, right? You were the only male holding theâtheâtheâlike sacred
masculine in the room.
Rich Strang: Yeah, that was interesting. Hmm. I felt like I didnât belong in the space. Like I was an
intruder inâin the feminine sort of space that wasâthat I was, you know, sitting within.
And I felt that for about two days until I shared it. Yep. And one of the girls said in her sharing
circle how nice it was to have a guy there. Mm hmm.
And then I kind ofâeverything was like, oh okay. Yeah, Iâm not an intruder. Iâm notâpeople
arenât upset that Iâm here. This isâmm hmmâthis is okay.
Viktoria Levenberg: I belong.
Rich Strang: Yeah.
Yeah, wellânot really. âCause I still had to speak in front of people. And we had toâwe had to get
up and try and, you know, speak in Sanskrit. Hahaha.
Weâve so many different elements together. And for someone thatâs a perfectionist, that hates
failure, itâs just not possible to be perfect in a task like that. So I found it incredibly challenging.
But what I also realised was the growth I felt after each day was more immense than anything
Iâve ever hadâever done before. And I was like, ahâit was frustrating âcause itâs like, I know I
have to keep doing this, but Iâm really terrified.
Properly terrified. Likeâyou knowâall the symptoms. Physical symptoms that you could have.
Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Really? Well, yeah. I didnât know that at the time, so thank you for sharing
that. âCause he clearly masked it quite a bit during our time there. Yeah.
Rich Strang: It wasâit was terrifying. It was terrifying. And Iâve always saidâlook, the day I stop
teachingâthe day I can stop teaching yogaâis the day that doesnât scare me anymore. Uh huh.
And thatâs always been a rule.
But Iâve sort ofâso I guess fast forwardâIâve taught in quite a few studios. Nice studios around
Auckland, which has been really great. Um.
Studios areâtheyâre a really lovely place to be. Yoga studios are a special place with a special
energy. Mm hmm. You know, I like to thinkâspecial peopleâmm hmmâjust come if you knowâ
visit them. And youâyouâre surrounded by lovely, lovely people that are there. Like, itâsâitâs a
really great place to be. Yeah.
As aâas a teacherâtheyâre a terrifying place to be.
Viktoria Levenberg: Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha. Ha ha. Yeah.
Rich Strang: All in the sameâall in theâweâve been together, but yeah.
Yeah, soâand just this ideaâjust the mental growth. Theâjust the growth that I went through
forcing myself sort of day in, day out through the course, and then weekly from that point
forward, to be in front of people and share something that youâve created.
âCause I didnât realise howâhowâhow creative yoga actually needs to be. Hmm.
Viktoria Levenberg: And I wanna sayâoh yes.
You go first.
Rich Strang: No, noâgo on.
Viktoria Levenberg: I just wanted to kind of enter time in there. As someone who witnessed your
teaching from day oneâwell, day zero basically, right?
Um, Iâve got to sayâlikeââcause you just said youâre creating something, and itâs so creativeâ
and immediately my mind went to, like, youâwhat you love about engineering and creating
something from scratch.
And you know, there wasâwhatâlike maybe twenty of us or something in the teacher training.
And your practices were some of the ones that I resonated with the most because of the
creativity that you put into it.
Like the care that you take into your sequencing, into the storytelling, into the jokes, your
humour, the way that you show up as your authentic self. I just kind of wanted to sprinkle that in
there.
Because when you say creativityâlike, yesâyoga demands you to be creative. And I also want to
say that Iâve been to many yoga classes that are, like, boringâas yours are not at all. Likeâyours
are a full-spectrum kaleidoscope of experiences.
Rich Strang: Oh, cool. Thatâs nice to hear. I just wanted it to be fun.
Like, I did yoga with the old ducks down in Devonport for years. Mm hmm. And didnâtâand then
it was only, you know, ten years in that I realised you could doâthere was so much more to it.
Like, you could doâyeahâyou go on your hands, and you could do balances and inversions, and
it could becomeâyou could make it a very, very powerful practice. Mm hmm. And a very fun
practice.
And it didnât need to be serious. You could play and joke and fall andâyeahâlook at your
neighbour. And, you know, itâs not like thisâlikeâ
It can be so much. And I think itâs so muchâI miss what it canâwhat the potentials of what it is.
And I think, yeahâIâveâIâI mean that you justâyou just teachâyou teach the class you wanna
do, right? Thatâs kind of where you gravitate.
And Iâve always just taught the class that I wanna teach. And itâs become a class that flows from
beginning to end. Thereâs so little static holds or movements in it. It just flows.
And itâs completelyâlike, the flow is guided withâby your breath. Constant. Itâs just breath,
movement, breath, movement, breath, movement.
And I get a lot of people saying, wowâIâve never done a class like that. That was an amazing
class. Thatâsâthat was really great. Mm hmm.
And when they sayâand they sayâI just really love the movement and the flow and theâand I
think justâIâI throw a few static things in there only to make the flows feel more flowy. To give
you that contrast. Yeah.
Thereâs very few. And so thatâs where my teachingâs at at the moment. Iâm really enjoying it. Iâm
getting really great feedback from it now. So itâs cool.
Itâs a complicatedâitâs a relatively, I think, complicated class to teach because thereâs a lot going
on. Probably fifty poses in a class, more. But it doesnâtâthat doesnât necessarily needâdoesnât
need to be complicated for the person attending the class by any means.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, exactly.
Rich Strang: Because if you can linkâI think people get lost when you donât link one pose to
another pose.
Like, I want zero reshuffle of your body between pose to pose. So from one pose to the next
pose, your feet, your handâwhatever it may beâtheyâre in the right position. And youâre only
changing something slight.
And then the next one isâyouâre only changing something slight again. So thisâitâs actually not
that hard to follow because your body is in the right place for every transition.
Itâs not like thereâs no wastedâokay, make your way up yourself orâyou knowânothing isâ
yeahâunguided or, you knowâjust take a seat. Itâs notâyouâ
If I say take a seat, your bumâs hovering off the mat. Really, you knowâdoing something
different. Yeah. All you gotta do is go bonk and youâre there. Yeah.
Likeâ
Viktoria Levenberg: And that is so precious because it is such a testament to the thoughtfulness
and the architecture that you put into the blueprint of your sequencing, you know.
It isâit is a creative process. And, you know, you said at the beginning of our episode that youâve
been kind of keeping these two worlds apart quite a lot.
I wanna challenge you that maybe, without you consciously knowing it, you were already
weaving in some of your engineering skills and creativity into that.
Maybeâyou knowâagain, our brain loves to compartmentalise, and there was probably a lot of
reasons for that. But thereâs definitelyâlikeâyou are you.
And what really came up for me when you started introducing yourself and you were talking
about how, likeâyou knowâyouâve always felt like you had this, like, engineering side of you and
this yoga side of you on these two different spectrums, and you had to keep them as far apart as
possible.
Was something that I also felt for a really long time. You know, as you know, I also juggle many
balls. And itâs likeâall these thingsâlike throwâthrow them up in the air and take care of this
one, and throw that one up.
And yeahâI felt the same way. I felt like I was walking through the office buildingâokay, itâs like
now I gotta be corporate Vik. I was doing thisânow I gotta be coach Vik. Now Iâm gonna be yoga
teacher Vik.
You knowâitâs likeâand what I realised throughout that time, and Iâm curious if this is the
journey where youâre on nowâI realised I was like, actually, can I just be Vik?
Can I not associate myself with any of these labels and any of these boxes that Iâm trying to put
myself into? And can I just bring it all together to be me?
And so Iâd love for you to share, like, what that is like for you now. âCause thatâs kind of the sense
Iâm getting of this new chapter that youâre building. Umâthat Iâd love to hear more about.
Rich Strang: Yeah, absolutely. And thatâthat is it. Thatâs likeâwho am I in all my parts? And how
can I be one rather than split down the middle?
Because IâveâIâveâthe engineering has been this career that Iâve chased and developed and
grown for so long. But the yogaâs always been this sort ofâtheâthe passion side of it.
Likeâwhat am I really passionate about? Uh huh. Iâm passionate aboutâIâm passionate about
elements of engineering for sure. The building side of things. The creative side of things.
Which I hadâitâs very interesting that you say youâve made theâthat connection because that is
the connection that I have recentlyâonly recently.
Likeâhow long does it take to figure these things out? They seem so simple once you get there.
Viktoria Levenberg: It takes as long as it takes, Rich. Albert Einstein said, you cannot solve a
problem from the same level of consciousness that created it. So it takes as long as it takes.
Rich Strang: But you can also be told it, and it just doesnât go in untilâŚ
Viktoria Levenberg: It doesnât click there yourself. Yeah. Because of theâyour consciousness is
just likeâmeow. Itâs like the same thingâlike how your brain filtered out the whole teacher piece
of the yoga teacher training.
Rich Strang: Yeah, yeah. Iâm glad it did, âcause itâsâyou knowâit wasâhahaâwouldnât be here
now. Yeah.
So yeahâso now myâmy journey now is likeâthereâs two parts to this.
Thereâs still a sort of heavily sort of yoga side of things âcause I found real purpose in creating a
space for others to connect within.
And yoga is a beautiful tool for people to turn up and participate in. Yeah.
So when youâso when you combineâsayâsoâso where Iâm at now, I have a companyâjust
launched a company called Weeveâ Yeahâso you canâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Congratulations.
Rich Strang: Yeah. Weeve.peopleâour Instagramâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Weeve.people love it.
Rich Strang: Weeve.peopleâyeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: So weâdo you have a website? Heyâdo you have a website?
Rich Strang: No, no website. Thisâthese last couple weeks have just been boomâtrying to
emerge, yeah. Push thisâyeah, yeah. And build this and create this and sort of moving the big
blocks and then realizing theyâre allâthe little ones are important in between.
So putting little block toâto try and piece it together and make it fit and flow and work.
Viktoria Levenberg:
And I feel you. If you want to chat entrepreneurship anytime, IâmâIâm there for you.
Rich Strang: I promise youâloveâlove to hear your view and advice. Ha ha.
And the idea behind Weeve is to weeveâitâs W-E-E-V-Eâbut to weeve. And the logo is thisâ
yeahâthis W that interlaces in the middle.
And itâs to weeve everything. Itâs to weeve my engineering and myâand my yoga together. Itâs to
weeve elements of sort of hot and cold andâand yoga and cold water immersion and saunas.
And the biggest one being connection between people to create this beautiful community.
So now I hold this outdoor spaceâa yoga spaceâevery Saturday morning. Umâwell, three
Saturdays, and I have one Saturday off.
Viktoria Levenberg: And look at you learning from your past lessons.
Rich Strang: Oh yeah. One Saturdayâone Saturday off.
And itâs funny âcause I still, likeâyeahâI put so much effort into these things. And still the days
leading up to holding the space, two years later, itâsâitâs still daunting. So much better, butâbut
stillâstill. Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: I know what you mean. Itâs likeâyou look at someoneâs facial expression and
youâre likeâare they just, like, you know, having a hard time because of the pose, or do they hate
me right now? Is it me?
Rich Strang: Yeah. And then you goâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Silly ego brain.
Rich Strang: They have this veryâvery simple reason that has nothing to do with you.
Rich Strang: Yeah. And youâre likeâoh, myâmy damn brain.
Viktoria Levenberg: Oh. Who would have thought the world doesnât revolve around me?
Rich Strang: Exactly. Exactly.
What a surprise.
Soâsoâso yeah, thatâs right. So Iâve got thisâthis morning ofâitâs basicallyâtheâitâs cold.
Itâsâitâs yogaâfifty minutes to an hour yogaâand then itâsâitâs cold immersion or just going for
a swim at the beach together.
And itâs amazing because yoga isâwe sort of drop into the space and into ourselves, and we
connect with our breath. And thereâs people around you, and I make it fun. And thereâsâthere
are interactions with your neighbours in the yoga.
But itâs amazing, but people donât properly interact in that moment.
But when groups of people go into, say, cold water togetherâmm hmmâitâs amazing how
quickly they become friends.
Like, all the barriers ofâof, you knowâwhatever it is toâto meet new peopleâyeahâjust
poofâdrop.
And so, capitalising on that, we then have coffee afterwards.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, yeah.
Rich Strang: And people can continue this connection that they create with each other and just
the greater community thatâthat turn up.
Viktoria Levenberg: So I love that so much. And whereâwhereabouts is it? And, like, what times
do you normally meet? You said three timesâSaturdays.
Umâyeahâfor my Auckland local listenersâI know it wonât be everyoneâbut there is a few
people whoâwho might be cool Weeve community members. Who knows? I hopeâlike, hello.
Rich Strang: Yeahâwellâitâs aâI mean, the driver for me is not toâto grow it huge. Itâs to
haveâwhen people come afterwards and they say, that was really wonderful. Thank you so
much.
I lovedâyou knowâmaybe the flow. I loved getting in the water. I justâI just love these
mornings. They just fill my day withâI justâthey make me feel so good. And Iâm just smiling, and
Iâm happy for the rest of the day.
I mean, that is likeâhow do you compare that to anything? Thatâs such a fulfilling thing to be a
part of.
Iâm just trying to create the space for everyone else to be themselves within.
Viktoria Levenberg: Mm hmm.
Rich Strang: And thatâs realâthat for meâthatâs a real purpose.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah. Thatâs a real purpose. I can really see that. Yeah.
So if someone, like, wants to come and join youâwhereâwhere, like, whereabouts in Auckland
wouldâwould they need toâwould they need to come to? LikeâIâm assuming they canâthey
can join.
Rich Strang: Ahâabsolutely. So itâsâyeahâitâs justâanyoneâs welcome.
Viktoria Levenberg: By the way, like beginners also friendly? Because, you know, thereâs a lot of
stigma with yoga and, likeâI donât do handstand stuff. Iâm not flexible.
So tell meâis it for everyone?
Rich Strang: It is for everybody. Itâs notâbeing in a studio allows this sort of lightweight, easy
energy to the morning.
Youâre surrounded by birds and dogs and the wind and the waves. And youâre really connected
with the environment that weâre within and the people around you.
So I meanâasâas the class itselfâI try and make itâthereâsâthereâs a range for each pose.
There is sort of easy to advanced.
And so youâeveryone will be challenged to the level that they want to be challenged.
So beginnersâjust being thereâjust movingâjust tryingâjust trying and moving their body
andâandâand realising that there are different ways to move.
You know, your day to dayâyou probably donâtâyou wouldnât do any of that stuff. Yeah. So itâs
justâjust waking the body up. I mean, that is a huge win. Uh huh.
And then I haveâthereâs also really capable people that come down too who are looking forâ
and have gravitated towards my classes because theyâre looking for thatâthat sort of the
advanced poses as well.
So I offer them. But for every advanced pose, thereâs such that you canâyou canâyou can really
bring them back. Like, yoga is so versatile. It is in that sense.
Viktoria Levenberg: And itâs honestlyâI feel like more actually a mind game than a body game.
Because as you knowâsomeone who practices regularlyâumâIâm gonna be the first to put my
hands up that, likeâinversions and stuffâI likeâI still have a really long way to go.
And so it actually triggers your ego when you see other people who are further along in their
practice go in, and you gotta be likeâwell, you know whatâIâm just gonna meet myself where I
am.
So itâs actually notâno one cares how you look or what pose youâre doing. Everyoneâs thinking
the exact same thing going on in their little monkey mind.
And I would love for you just to touch on this other thing. âCauseâumâone of my listeners
whoâis a dear friendâis always telling meâoh yeahâlike yoga sounds great, but I justâI canât
do it âcause I canât get the breathing right.
And theyâre, like, hyper fixating on the breathing. So can you just talk to that as well? âCause I
think itâs obviously the posesâthe difficultyâis something that beginners tend to steer away
from.
But then people also tend to overthink that itâs gotta be like this perfect dance and arrangement.
And yeahâwhatâwhatâs your take on that?
Rich Strang: No, thatâs cool. Thatâs niceâyeah.
Well, the classes always begin with breath. Mm hmm. And itâs breath without movement.
So itâs a realâso you just focus on your breathing. Umâthereâs nothing else going on.
And so itâs an opportunity to just calm your nervous system, slow yourself down, and just
welcome your body and your energy into this space.
And I guide itâitâs guided. And even that is challenging. Even for someone that does it all the
time.
You knowâyour mind wanders. You forgetâyou this, you thatâand thatâs all okay.
I think at the start with that guided breath, I can see itâIâpeopleâs eyes open and they flick
around, and they try and come back down. And they open up againâtheyâre flicking around.
But itâs justâitâs just an awareness to what youâre trying to do. It doesnât need to be perfect.
There is no perfection. Thereâs no perfect.
Thereâs okayâthat actually feltâthat was difficult.
But then you come back next week, and you goâah. Or the week after, the week afterâyou goâ
ahâactually maybe Iâthere is something to this.
Like maybe Iâyou knowâIâI was able to focus on four, five rounds of breath there, and it felt
quite good. And my shoulders started to drop.
And we put so muchâand I do personally listen onâonâonâon trying to do things perfectly.
The only thing you need to do is turn up and justâyesâand just try. Justâjust be there and be
present in the space.
And we start with focusing just on breath. And then as we move through, IâI link all the
movements with your breath.
So anytime your body opens up, youâre taking a big inhale. And anytime you close down, your
exhaleâlike a pump. Mm hmm.
Mm hmmâyou lift the pump up. And it goesâ
Viktoria Levenberg: such an engineering metaphor. Hahaha.
Rich Strang: And then you push it down.
Hahahaâthatâs it, yeah.
And so I really like to emphasiseâlike as youâas youâre coming up, take a breath in. You knowâ
reallyâand I say it a few timesâreally fill up, fill up, fill up, fill up.
Andâandâitâs not something that you have to do through your whole practice byâby any
means.
Then IâI check in halfway through when things are getting a bit more spicy. And I goâcheck in
with your breath. See whatâs happening. Has it changed since the beginning?
Whatever it isâitâs cool.
Like, take the air you need. Donât try and follow this perceived, you know, correct breathing when
your body actually just needs more air. Take it. You need it. Do it. Exactly.
Itâs a journey. The whole thing is a journey. Yeah. Just keepâjustâjust if you like it, keep coming
back. Yes. Keep coming back.
My thing with this community is to be consistent and to give the people thatâeveryone that
turns upâthe opportunity to progress their yoga, to progress their breathing, to create these
relationships with lovely people.
Like, itâs changed my whole world. Like, I have just the most beautiful friends. Um. We all meet
on thisâon a lovely level. Like, itâsâitâs great. And yeah.
So Iâm there for the same reason that everyone else turns up. Yeah. Which I think is a beautiful
thing.
Weâweâweâve sort ofâitâs the same value. Itâs the same reason. Um. I guess Iâm just trying
toâI justâI just create the space that we can.
Viktoria Levenberg: Thatâs it.
Youâre holding that divine masculine container. You know, that healthy structure forâfor the
dynamics to unfold. And, umâI soâso itâs in Takapuna, is that right?
Rich Strang: I never answer your question. Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: Itâs okay.
Rich Strang: So IâyeahâI circle back. Donât you worry.
Yeah. Yeah. Hahaha. For the fifth time. Uhâyeah.
So the firstâthe first three weekends of each month, uh huh, down on Takapuna Reserve, which
is just in front of Regatta, next to the Surf Yacht ClubâYacht Clubâum, in front of the Takapuna
Surf Club, just on that grass there.
So typically get there about 7:50, and yoga kicks off around eight. So fine, yeah.
So you just bring a yoga mat if you have. I have spares. Um. Iâve got blocks. But I mean, if you
have a block, bring a block and water bottle. Um.
Your dog, your child, your parentsâlike, yeah. It is so accessible for everyone, and thatâthat is
the thing.
So Iâm trying to make it more accessible. So as I try and refine myâso Iâm trying to createâIâm
trying to capture what makes a studio class special, and we touched on this at the beginning, and
bring it to the outdoor environment.
And itâs quite challenging. But what itâs meant now is people have said, I have a hard time
hearing you. Mm hmm.
Because, you know, when youâve got, like, fifty people on yoga mats, itâs a big space and youâve
got wind blowingâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Outside. in your poor freaking throat.
Rich Strang: I never realised how much energy it was taking out of me holding that space, having
to shoutâuh huhâsoftly.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yeah, I know exactly what you mean. Like, my style is quite soft. And so
whenever I, like, cover a dynamic class, my throat hurts afterwards. âCause, I mean, thatâs just not
me. So IâI feel you. Yeah, yeah.
Rich Strang: So now Iâve got littleâpeople call it a Britney mic. I never said I would. And this is so
hard for someone that doesnât like being in front of people, let me tell you.
Iâve got a lovely sound systemâfour speakers that sort of surround this space. Amazing. But the
volume is on low. Very low.
So itâs creating this full sound at a very low volume. So youâre still hearing nature. Itâs not blocking
out nature. Itâs not a dance party.
Um. But itâsâitâs energetic. Itâit flows. It startsâthe soundtrack I use starts slow, and you build
yourself up. Itâs energetic, and then it drops down again.
But just trying to create this sort of low butâbut not even powerfulâbut itâs justâjust full ofâ
full of sound.
Sound thatâ
Viktoria Levenberg: Everything is vibration, right? Yeah.
Rich Strang: Sometimes I play just bird sounds, and people donât even notice. They just think itâs
just a lot of birds out today. Hahaha.
Viktoria Levenberg: I love that. Um. And I mean, like, Iâm sold. Honestly. I know Iâve been telling
you this for a long time.
And I think Iâve just beenâIâm gonna call my BS out hereâIâve just been, like, saying all these
excuses of like, oh, I take Piper out in the morning for a really long walk, it means I have to wake
up early, blah blah blah, whatever.
Itâs likeâI will make this happen. I really wanna be part of this experience. Youâre creating
something so magical.
And I think anyone who is lucky enough to be in Auckland and have the courage to show up if itâs
their first time, then, umâtheyâre in for an incredible, incredible journey.
And, umâyou knowâIâby the wayâthank you for your extra time, âcause I donât even know
where the time went. We just kind ofâweâre in this flow.
And, umâas we prepare to wrap things up, I have this one signature question that Iâve been
asking every guest on the show since I started Resonance.
And Iâm really curious to your take on it, which isâwhatâs one thing that you hope a listener will
take away from todayâs episode long after it ends?
Rich Strang: Hmm. Itâs a great question. Iâve been thinking about it.
And for meâpurpose. A career has always been whatâs required, but purpose has always been
what Iâve really desired.
And itâs always been really overwhelming. Likeâhow do you find your purpose? Where do you
begin? LikeâI feel like I haveâIâm finding my purpose now.
But the biggest job has been just figuring out what your purpose is. Mm hmm.
I think onceâonce you figure out what your purpose is, you can actually put an actual,
actionable steps in place and start building something that meets it.
And itâs amazing the energy you find when you find your purpose. Itâs incredible.
Viktoria Levenberg: I Right? Itâs like you plug into this infinite source.
I know exactly what you mean, Rich. Yeah. And, like, thank you for sharing that because it is so
potent.
And, like, whatâs coming up for me as well is, like, a lot of our thinkersâyou knowâpeople who
are in their head now might be like, oh, Iâm just gonna get stuck on thinking about my purpose.
But something that was really potent for me is that actually a lot of the action comes from clarity.
Like, sometimes youâve gotta turn the wrong corners to get back on the right track.
And obviously you can hear that in your story. You can hear it in my story.
Iâm going through that same thing right now where, you know, I just, like, had this major
epiphany of how everything Iâve been doing was just a couple of degrees off.
But, you know, this metaphor of, likeâif you flyâas an engineer who did, like, remote flight
control, you probably know this, right?
If your plane departs LA and itâs going to New York, and itâs only a couple of degrees off, by the
time it lands itâs gonna be, like, in Canada, right?
Rich Strang: Sure. Yeah.
Viktoria Levenberg: So itâsâbut itâs likeâonce the game, I really do believe, is of our life is, likeâ
youâyou chip away. You chip away at the wood until you find that alignment.
And then once you find it, you just know because, as you say, itâs likeâwhoaâthatâs it. Iâm on
superpower.
Rich Strang: And Iâd like to say that shouldnât stop you taking off.
Viktoria Levenberg: Yes. Yes. Exactly.
Hence, the clarity comes from action.
Yes. Yeah, yeah.
Rich Strang: You need to take off and then adjustâadjust the course. Adjust, adjust, adjust.
Viktoria Levenberg: Thatâs it. And thatâs exactly what flight captains do. Thatâs exactly what ship
captains do.
What do you do the whole time? Youâre just adjusting course, right?
Rich Strang: Yeah. Ohâthereâs a storm. Weâre gonna have to adjust.
Viktoria Levenberg: Thatâs it. âCause we donât know what lifeâs gonna throw our way, right?
Like, all we know is that weâre hopefully gonna become better humans through that.
Viktoria Levenberg: And I mean, obviously you are. Youâre incredible. Iâm so grateful to have you
in my life.
And, umâfor this conversationâlike, thank you. I donât hold this lightly.
I know how much it takes to put yourself out there, umâespecially now that I also have the
additional background context. Uhâlikeâthat times a hundred.
So, umâyeah. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here.
And if people want to find you, if they want to connect with you, how can they do that?
Rich Strang: So the yogaâuh huhâthe yoga morningsâand thatâs gonna be a vehicle that Iâll
explore all of my sort of community offerings and yoga through.
So thatâll be a cool space to follow. Thatâs weeveâW-E-E-V-Eâdot people (weeve.people). Mm
hmm.
Uhâand Iâll be responsive there. Otherwise, my personal one is rich underscore strang
(rich_strang)âS-T-R-A-N-G.
Viktoria Levenberg: Perfect. And Iâll link both of those in the show notes for people too.
Rich Strang: Yeah. Cool.
Viktoria Levenberg: Great. Amazing. Yeah. Thank you so much.
Rich Strang: Noâthank you.
Viktoria Levenberg: Wow. Wow. Wow. Oh my gosh. This conversation lit me up. Phew.
I mean, I know this went a little bit longer than our normal episodes, but I think, likeâjust like
meâyouâll be like, where did the time go? This is incredible.
Um. There is so much gold and wisdom in a lot of what Rich shared with you today.
And some of the big things that resonated with me were the guilt of the eight-hour day feeling
like a half day.
Like, I can so remember back when that was the same for me. Like, I would begrudgingly look at
people leaving at five oâclockâlet alone earlyâand Iâm like, oh my god, what is wrong with
them?
Um. And I found that really powerful.
To hear Richâs transformation of, you know, after he came out of the hospital being like, no, this is
just not what I do anymore. Um. Iâm not leaving the business, but I will leave on time.
And that is an identity-level shift, you see. Like, so many of us are so focused on what weâre doing
and the results that we wanna get, but the problem is most of us are missing the key ingredient,
which is who we are being.
And once we shift at an identity level, everything else follows.
And, umâyou knowâI found that Richâs final words of wisdom around career is what is required,
purpose is what is desiredâhmmâI just love that so much.
And yes, like, you gotta take the plane off. So get started. Do something, right? You gotta be in
action. Clarity comes from action. And then course correct, right?
Just because you are going in one direction doesnât mean you canât pivot or shift or adjust.
I mean, likeâlet me be your living, breathing example of me doing exactly that in real time.
Umâoften it comes with a little ego death. You know, often weâve gotta let something go to let
in. But thatâs just part of the journey. Thatâs part of life.
And often once you let go, what you let in is like twenty million times better than you probably
could have even ever imagined.
Umâso lookâI really hope that you enjoyed this real-life story of the real struggle of balancing
high performance and wellbeing.
And if anything, I think you can now see that it really is a journey for each and every single one of
us, right? Like, we are all unique and different, and it comes with its challenges.
And itâs also so freaking rewarding, umâbecause if itâs possible for people like me and people
like Rich, then itâs possible for you too.
And so, you know, Iâm curiousâdo you have a story that you would love to share? If you do, let
me know. Letâs bring each other closer together through our shared experiences.
And if thereâs one takeawayâone action stepâthat you take away from this episode is I just
really encourage you to have a look at your life and look at how youâre showing up, where youâre
showing up.
Is there a particular area where youâre maybe giving too much of yourself? Um. Is there maybe,
like, a particular box youâre just limiting yourself to? Or, like, an identity that youâre attached to, to
the level where itâs almost codependent and unhealthy?
And just begin to ponder on that. Um. Youâve heard me say it before. Youâll hear me say it
another million timesâawareness is always the first step towards change.
And for my Auckland locals, if you are keen to join me, I will definitely be joining Rich and the
Weeve community for their Saturday morning yoga and cold plunge and coffeeâeven though I
donât drink coffeeâbut anyway, semantics.
So, umâIâll put all the notes and details in the show notes below. I would love to see you there.
Otherwise, until next week, have a fabulous week ahead. Bye for now.
Viktoria Levenberg: How valuable would it be to get more done in less time while having more
energy? Imagine the things that you could achieve if you finally stopped running on empty and
learned to cultivate peak performance in your work, life, and business for the first time ever.
I am going to be teaching a small, intimate group of students the exact systems, tools, and
processes that I use to run my life.
And if you donât know it yet, I am known as the productivity queenâso you are in for a goodie.
So lookâthis is for you if youâve got big goals and a full schedule, but you are trying to achieve
them through this forced productivity model.
Maybe youâre physically exhausted, but your mind wonât stopâconstant racing thoughts, right?
Or perhaps you have that low-grade anxiety throughout your day, even when youâre trying to
rest.
And maybeâmaybeâyou spend the day reacting to pings, emails, and demands, and by the
time you get to the end of the week, youâre basically just moving the same to-do list items all the
way back over to Monday.
If any of this applies to you and you would like to be part of this special training, make sure to join
the priority waitlist today. The link is in the show notes below and at
viktorialevenberg.com/success. Iâll see you inside.
Viktoria Levenberg: The views and opinions expressed by guests on Resonance are their own and
do not necessarily reflect the views of me, Viktoria Levenberg, LVNHealth, or anyone working
within the LVNHealth brand.
This space welcomes a diversity of ideas, experiences, and stories. And part of Resonance is
learning to take what aligns and gently leaving the rest.
Also, while I am a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and deeply passionate
about wellbeing, this podcast is intended for educational and inspirational purposes only.
Resonance does not substitute personalised medical, psychological, or therapeutic advice. Always
seek guidance from qualified professionals for any physical, emotional, or mental health
concerns.
