I attended Motov8 Gippsland with my reluctant son and I’ll begin with his honest and ground-breaking review…. “It wasn’t as boring as I thought it would be” (with a smirk on his face).

‍‍The reality was that he was just as inspired and engaged as I was.Rev, you have this ability to draw the boys in effortlessly with your air of “cool confidence” that is backed up with a solid capacity to deliver a genuine and lived account of experience that is relatable, honest and thought provoking. The emphasis on problem-focussed strategies, rather than emotion-focussed strategies, is the pro-active approach to life that teenage boys, girls, adults need to hear. Rev’s presentation is not hinged on clichés or’ kitchen wall mottos’, but on the harsh realities that life throws at us all; he provides practical ways to build resilience and grit. Rev advocates attacking life with tenacity, purpose and accountability…..thanks for a great evening....value added

"Brilliant...John's direct, no holds barred approach is awesome. Speaking from experience about his tough journey through adolescence, the choices he made from the hand he was dealt and the magic of clawing back. Honest and confronting at times, John has a gift at being relatable to kids... it was great to see them so engaged! With parents and kids with varying degrees of needs in the room l'm sure his presentation prompted some great conversations on the way home".

"All four of us (Mum, Dad and two boys 12 and 10) really enjoyed listening to you speak.

‍‍I had no idea how the boys would go, sitting for 2 hours and listening, but what you spoke about definitely hit a chord with them, because they didn’t budge, and took it all in.‍‍

Our youngest, said ‘that was really cool!’.‍ Both our boys are dyslexic and school is a hard place to be for our eldest. It really helped him to listen to your story and hear that he isn’t alone in his struggles.‍Thanks for spreading your inspiring message and motivating our kids to be a person of purpose, and helping us to have the tools to support them to do this"

I can not speak highly enough of your event and how you deliver your message in a way that resonated deeply with my son. I could see throughout the night Leon looking at me and hugging me, especially when you spoke of the impact your choices had on your mum and those around you.

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I am that mum that is constantly at the school picking up the pieces, and Leon the boy who fidgets, disengages and is disruptive. I know he can't help it most of the time and he requires a lot of support in the school environment. In saying that... over the weekend following your event I noticed some favourable changes in Leons behaviour, he has been more helpful at home (he has finally cleaned his room after 3 weeks of asking him to do so) and owns his shit when he stuffs up. He has identified where he struggles the most at school which is his reactiveness to bullies and kids that trigger him.

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On Monday morning we went over the strategies to deal with this both in the yard and in the classroom and I can confirm his strategy 100% worked, he was triggered and teased and followed his plan and able to remove himself from the environment in a respectful manner. Without a doubt as Leon grows through the different stages from boy to teen and teen to young adult, we will be attending your events. Thank you so much for doing what you do and sharing your story.

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Thank you for running the event in Canberra. We are deeply grateful that you came all the way from Melbourne.

We loved that you shared your personal journey as it was truly inspiring and moving. It reinforces to me that despite hardship and struggles, humans have the power to change for the better and that my son can transform too. I was also very touched by the love that you have for your mother. She would have been undoubtedly so proud of you.

We could easily relate to a lot of the things you said. It almost felt like you were in our shoes even though we had never met. Even though you came across firm and tough, we felt that there was so much love and compassion of a kind heart that emerged from your presentation. Thank you again for your bravery, understanding and determination. You have made a difference in our hearts and we know that you will continue to do so in many teenagers' lives.

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My son is 15 years of age and came home on the night of the event and gave me the biggest hug that I have had in a loooong time. I asked if he had a good night & did, he get anything out of the night he said, “yer I did Mum” What did you take away from it? He said Mum I need to listen to you more and do as you ask when asked and not make excuses. I want to respect you more and I didn't realize by doing those things I was disrespecting you, I'm really sorry and I will try to do better. Then hugged me again. Yes, if you are asking yourself has he stuck to what he said he was going to try absolutely he has maybe a couple of slip up but all in all amazing. Thank-you for the service you provide it is amazing and so beneficial to young people to hear from someone like yourself that life can be hard, but it is how you deal with it that makes you a better person, and everyone can get through those tough times if they just make the right choices and lean on there support systems.

Cannot recommend these events highly enough! Do whatever you need to, get your kids in the car and at these events! My son was “not a willing participant” initially but at the end is the night he wanted to meet Rev and ask him questions.

Your style, your approach and your messaging for teens and parents is brilliant! You have a special gift of being able to connect to both generations and say it like it is and offer real solutions that we just can’t get anywhere else out there. You are so very much appreciated!

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Just wanted to say thank you for Wed night. It was a great session and I really think my boys have got a lot out of it and we haven't even implemented your stuff yet. Thank you for talking to Blake. You sharing your bullying experience has helped him realise it is not only him that this happens too.

You must have made a real impression as his teacher rang me today to tell me that he openly spoke about last night and how cool you were. We have referred you to other family members who are struggling with teenagers.

Thank you again.

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I took my three boys. Two didn't want to go, after going said they thought it was really good. The third shut down after and when we got home broke down and told me so many tough things he'd been holding onto. Then a few days later said I should tell one of his friends mums to take his friend. Well worth it.

We attended the event as a family of 4. 2 boys aged 14 and 16 Our eldest is ASD, ADHD, Sensory and Intellectual disability. He has a lot of trouble regulating his emotions which can often get him into trouble. He thoroughly enjoyed the session and could not stop talking about it all the way home, even though you said not to but he instigated the conversation.

My 14 year old is a little bit more reserved and not motivated, with the typical teenage attitude appearing. But the talk has now lead him to think about his choices and certainly is showing more respect towards us his parents.

What we also got out of the session was we found that it opened up more conversation in our household. Things like “what was your schooling like?”, “how was your childhood?”These are questions that our boys have not asked us before, so it was nice to have some open conversations.

Thank you and all the best with future events.

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Rev, we’ve just left your Townsville talk tonight. WOW

10 mins down the road…..
My 12 yr old states;
Mum, I think I get it!?!?
I have just realised that if I get up and do what you’re asking me to do, you won’t ask me again & again.
Mum; Yes son & more hands make the jobs lighter & we can & do fun stuff together sooner!

Another thing he realised;

Difference between COMPETENCE & CONFIDENT. Like when I first couldn’t ride my bike, I kept at it and that made me competent and from not giving up I then built confidence from being competent. YES! I can see his cogs turning.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
You are a wonderful human giving back to our youth.

Rev, we’ve just left your Townsville talk tonight. WOW...Mum, I think I get it!?!?Difference between COMPETENCE & CONFIDENT...

Absolutely loved it!

Been to a few seminars but this was different.It wasn't by the book, it was Real, Honest and Raw as hell.

WE laughed and cried and had a lot of 'yep, that's me/you moment's'. I tell my kids to think outside the box - and this was all that!

Thanks Rev - you're an absolute Superstar - I'll definitely be buying tickets to your adult session coming up!

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Thank you so much, we attended your event at Penrith and found so helpful to start conversations with our 3 young boys but this video on how to get our strategies started is very very helpful

THANKS REV

You are so deserving of acknowledgment Rev.

I brought my son to your boys event in Melbourne (he's 14). Since then he's saved $$$$, bought himself a dirt bike and now so driven and striving for his next purchase.

I then brought along my daughter to your girls event and she was so anti about coming but left saying "omg that was amazing". She came home and talked to her brother about you and they often reference your talks.

We will definitely come again the next time you're in Melbourne.Have the best day, keep loving life and thank you for helping my teens.

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This guy is world class, I strongly strongly strongly recommend getting your kids there. Was an amazing event for myself and my son.

My 17 yr old attended a Motov8 event in Mackay last year with myself and his Dad and the impact it had on all of us was nothing short of amazing.

We arrived with a kid looking for a free ride in life, entitled and unmotivated. He nagged in the session but I left happy that he went. Changes weren't immediate but over time they were obvious. He graduated Year 12 and started working full time. He no longer expects things to be done for him, he sorts himself out. And I learnt to take a step back and allow him the opportunity to forge his own path.

He approaches life with a new level of maturity and I can't be any prouder.

Hi rev my name is Cody and I’m 15 years old and I live in Adelaide. I came to your event last year when I was going through a really difficult time at school with boys who bullied me because of my autism and how angry I would get when they would tease me and call me names.

I would get angry at my mum as well swearing at her and sometimes pushing her. I just wanted to let you know that it’s been six months since I swore at my mum or did anything to make her feel uncomfortable the way I used to. I got myself a mentor like you said I should and they have helped me to deal with the teasing and name calling at school.

I’m not proud of what I was like, but I am proud of what I am like now. Thank you for coming to Adelaide to talk to me. I have a question I would like to come again the next time and get a photo on a bike with you. Would that be ok?

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I took my son and my husband to the Pakenham session last night. Our son is 11 years old. I waited with this review until now because I wanted to see how it has affected him.

And he just told me that last night hearing about Rev's story has changed his mindset completely. He loved the evening; he was glued to his seat and both I and my husband thought it was amazing.

The way Rev talks in a language boys understand has made a big difference. Thank you so much for sharing what undoubtedly has been a difficult journey but has ended up turning you into an amazing man.

Highly recommend it!

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Absolutely brilliant. Rev spoke about issues that were relevant to boys of today.

Self esteem, respect, separated families, blended families, step parents, & so much more.

I took my 3 sons aged 13, 14 & 16 - it was worth every cent.

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Thankyou, my daughter who didn't want to attend lol left feeling empowered and more knowledgeable with insight and strategies to face the future, both of us.

We both loved the raw natural and open honesty of you and the group. It has been a great conversation starter and my daughter and I connected on a more deeper level, I thank you so much for this for it's priceless!

She said to me afterwards "I couldn't believe you put your hand up mum to feeling like you're a failure sometimes as a parent, you are not you're the best mum and I love you"

Thankyou again.

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Thank you for your kindness and time to come to Mareeba and talk to the community, the event was a big success.

What our family got out of this was the ability to reinforce the basic skills and respect can get you a long way in life.

It brought me a lot of mixed emotions that I had to deal with and face up to and shape the future for my daughter. And gave me the encouragement to make changes.

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I took my girls to this tonight and the boys to Motov8 last night. They were both awesome!

The girls were really moved with the speakers and felt sad for how much they have struggled through life to get where they are now. A little eye opener for what other families deal with and how bullying and lack of self worth affects peoples lives.

For parents, Rev gave some golden tips on how to deal with conflict, tough conversations, when to stop nagging (and so much more!) and most importantly how to be Savage Angels and Motivated Men!

Highly recommend!

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This is the first time my daughter has ever attended a personal development seminar and I think she was pleasantly surprised by it.

Her biggest take away from what we have discussed, "There are good men in the world." She was referring to you. Since then I have noticed she has opened up a wee bit more, has become more engaging at home and enjoying her drama class at school.

Thank you for showing our girls there are fathers who do love their daughters and who want to help others too.

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Absolutely brilliant, loved your talk and my son was engaged throughout, which is unheard of.

Thank you for sharing your gift of motivating, inspiring boys.

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I found the advertisement for Motov8 like it was a sign!

It came up on my feed, caught my eye and after just reading it I booked VIP tickets for my 13 year old boy, hubby and myself.

Then I looked at some YouTube footage and was so looking forward to the event.

My son is in Year 8. He had the worst time in Year 7 with bullying which destroyed his self-esteem and along with it his willingness to go to school.

I was devastated and so worried and being our eldest I was seeking help anyway I could. I got him a counsellor at school, then a psychologist, then medication.

Then the other night we went to Motov8.

Rev managed to cover everything we had experienced and needed guidance and advice on.

Through his own personal experiences and his delivery of the information he was able to tap into my son's mind and keep it brutally real, but this also kept over 100 boys that night engaged and thinking.

Two days later my son is still coming away with more strategies and confidence from all he learnt in just 2 hours from Rev.

Us parents were able to relate to his experiences as well.

He's not a preacher, he's not a psychologist, he is one of us. A parent, husband and a man who lived through a tough adolescence to turn his life around and change thousands of lives for the better.

I highly recommend you go. He touches on all different issues you may be experiencing raising a boy in this world today.

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Hey Rev we met at your Auckland talk and with my girl straight afterwards we had open conversations about a lot of things. My hubby who couldn't attend noticed a fabulous turn around in asking us mum n dad how our days were and being present while we spent time together as our family unit. loved your talk and will recommend you to anyone with boys or girls and parents navigating their ways through life. Thanks for the Tuff love I agree with you every single time!! You're awesome and are doing amazing work keep it up as we need you

“I didn’t know that when I brought my 14 year old daughter to Savage Angels, that my inner wounded 14 year old self would get so much out of it.

You’re speaking not just to the current generation of girls, but to the girls past, present and future. As I’m now over 40 I certainly didn’t expect to be impacted as much as I was.

On behalf of my 14 year old daughter, and my 14 year old inner self, thank you.”

Insistent impact! As our daughter was discussing the depression strategy, as we left the building.

Found a lot of value in the topics that were discussed, helpful for both daughter and parents.

Planning on attending future events when you’re back in Townsville.

We thoroughly enjoyed the event, it put perspective and onus of our actions and accountability on owning our thoughts and values of ourselves. After speaking with our daughter and revisiting what was spoken about, what we can extract from the experience and how we will implement it, this was the core of our interpretation and experience1. OWNERSHIP - of our actions - of our thoughts of ourselves - of our enabling others opinions, thoughts, judgements to derail us. 2. PEACE - To ourselves, stop speaking negatively to ourselves and letting those thoughts be the front runner. Negative thoughts will pop in to interfere - thats okay and normal- but letting them reign is not. - to our home. If I want peace I must contribute to that. Big one for the grumpy teen in the morning . No more excuses, find ways to keep the peace we ALL want 3. RESPECT - ourselves with our thoughts - each other, especially the ones closest to us - learning to dismiss the unkind words of those who don't even respect themselves and what value those words even hold. We had a great night, it was engaging the whole presentation and we are very appreciative that these events can be offered to the community - it is imperative in the world we live in today.

Thank you for coming to Shepparton, everything you said we could both relate to and some things really hit home with my daughter Lily. You gave her the tools to help her begin to overcome her daily struggles at school but you also helped me understand my daughter on a different level and how harmful negativity can be, no matter where it comes from.  Thank you again.

Wow what a night! I not only took away tips for becoming a better, more understanding mum, but also took a lot away that I can use for myself, my anxiety and my self-esteem. Stevie was struggling at school socially which led to struggles with her own mental health. She has come away from the night feeling so passionate about not needing to please those not so nice friends and that being on her own at break times is not as bad as being with mean people. Being 1 of the ushers, helped boost her confidence with meeting new people. Giving Stevie the opportunity to speak about her head shaving and fundraising at the end of the night was also a real confidence boost and having so many girls and parents come and acknowledge her for this and to say hi, made her realise that there are some really awesome people around, it made her feel very loved. Thank you Rev, we will be back next year!Bec Wilson (mum of Stevie) I LOVED it, and when i say LOVED i mean it! Rev has helped me and my mum become better at understanding each other! I have started standing up for my self more at school. I feel happier at school and have recently started think ''hey maybe it's not that bad being at school on my own, it's better than being with fake friends who gossip about me behind my back and are mean to my face", and Rev has helped me to realise that I don't need to put up with crap anymore. Rev helped me with my self-esteem and that I am worth more. I loved being part of the opening and meeting all the Savage Angels walking through the door. Thank you so much!

My wife and I took both of our daughters to listen to Rev when he was in Mackay last. An absolutely brilliant night, Rev even took time after the event to talk directly with our youngest and us about ways she could deal with some toxic friends at school. This directly led to a change in her friends circle that she was able to initiate. Definitely going again.

We have done a lot of work as a family & individuals on mental health challenges. I just wanted to thank you for giving some truth bombs and clear strategies to dealing with some of these issues & the accountability required

Hi John,
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Absolutely LOVED the session last night. I wish your program was around when I was growing up. Thank you for doing what you do, I believe you will change many lives, young and old. I have recommended you to our local primary school for the older classes.
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I wish I had known about your boys talk the night before, my 18yo and his dad would have got so much out of it.
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I didn’t take enough notes and feel like I’ve forgotten all the important things you said.

Anyway you were brilliant, it was brilliant and I will definitely see you at your next Ballarat event. Thank you

Hi John Thank you for bringing your insightful and refreshing presentation of Savage Angels to Ballarat.  My daughter got so much out of it, as did my husband and I.  “Savage Angels was a great experience for me and I realised that my parents might be having a bad day too.  This was a great thing to do” – Lara 11yo.

We loved the no nonsense approach, the honesty, the humour and the content that was covered.  We hope that these messages stay with our daughter as she begins to navigate the trials of teenage-hood!  She’s even asked us to remind her about Savage Angels if she ever speaks to us with disrespect or starts to head down the wrong path with her group of friends.

Highly recommend this to other parents who are looking to give their daughter some great coping tools to help navigate the tricky teenage years.

Hi John,I just wanted to say thank you for the seminar, it was a real eye opener and both my daughter and I really got a lot out of it.

My daughter remarked on the way home that it felt like you had been watching us for the past couple of years as you captured her life and challenges so well.  We are excited to use the skills taught moving forward and we can already see a change in the way she is approaching life.
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Thank you again and we will be recommending you to all our friends.

Thank you for an amazing night.

While Ashleigh hasn’t voiced much about the night, she has been a dream at home. Bedroom door had been open, blinds up, coming out and talking to us.

So we have definitely seen some changes since your seminar. Thank you!

Ashleigh was bashed badly by a local girl in June last year.

She has been very isolated since then but thanks to your event she seen she isn’t alone.

My 12 year old daughter didn't really want to come and acted disengaged the whole workshop but I want to report a win:

When we got in the car I told her I would honour not asking her takeaways for 72 hours. Mic drop - she WANTED to talk to me and rattled off all the things you had said. We then spent the whole hour drive home chatting about stuff. She asked me to do a vision board, researching jobs to apply for and wants to watch my Tony Robbins videos docos with me. Thanks again - even though she acted like she didn't enjoy it,  her actions tell me otherwise.
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Won't forget that one anytime soon!  (and we discussed how it works both ways).

Good afternoonI’ve really taken my time to process and think about what I would like to write. Firstly, wow! What a spectacular event! It was eye opening and really helped to see things through a different lense. Although I work with children every day, I am still learning and the biggest thing my daughter and I have taken away from this night is a newfound level of respect. Coming home from school now my daughter stops, gives me a hug and asks about my day before continuing with her own. This doesn’t in any way feel forced and for a 13 year old - it’s nice to be able to hug her again without being “cringe”.

Thanks heaps for the session last week, both my daughter and I got a lot out of it. Here's what Jess wanted to feed back to you and others looking to join: Jessie E "It was great, it really made me rethink, I've learnt to brush things off. I'm focusing more on myself and not whether people are judging me. It really helped me with improving my mindset, knowing in any situation there might be someone who might try and push me down, but I can ignore that and just do what's best for me." Sandy (parent) "I wasn't sure what we were getting into, but I'm so glad we came to this session. Rev combined empathy and first hand experience with a touch of tough love for both parents and kids, and practical things we can implement at home together. I think all of us can benefit from this message and highly recommend! If you come back to Canberra, we'll be coming back." Thanks again, you're doing fantastic, vulnerable important work and wishing you every success in reaching as many people as humanly possible :) (no pressure)

My daughter & I attended one of your workshops in Rockhampton last year. It was raw & real & to be honest I think it was better because you were a male!Thank you for all that you do for our beautiful young people!

50min before the event at home my daughter screams from her room “I’m not going mum and if you make me go, I’ll hate you for it.  This is so unfair, you didn’t even ask me if I wanted to go”.  Then to make things worse she starts with the tears as well. But I was determined as you said in the email not to let any words or facial expressions and objections get in the way of coming to the event.
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In the car immediately after the event “mum that was really really good, so much he said made sense to me.  “Can we please go get something to eat and talk”.
My 16yr old daughter Kelly & I came to your event in west Sydney last week and this is just what happened before and afterwards. I’ve been wanting to come for so long but there’s always been something on. And to be honest she’s been against it and anything I suggest.  I ignore it most times, but she was super nasty on this occasion. I said nothing on the way out, but we got in the car, and we ended up talking for 45min. Thanks for having the courage to do these events John, they are very important.

Last Wednesday night was met with I don't want to go, why? Exactly as you know it does. And we all know being a teen can suck at times, but my girl has the double whammy she's losing her dad to cancer. Her spirit, confidence and sense of adventure has mostly gone. I'm doing anything I can to put her in front of people who just may help. And you John are one. After your event our half hour drive home became an hr going into the city to sit under the harbour bridge and talk, and cry and laugh. She said your words were reminiscent to things her dad and I already say to her. She knows her confidence is fading in most areas except school work, which is great  but she hyper focuses on exams and being good enough for two parents who just ask to do her best. She now says out loud competence =confidence and her catch phrase, "it's a John thing" lolSo thank you for putting yourself out there to do these nights, it is soooo worth it. You may have seen her sad, seemingly not interested but she listened. You may have seen me tearing up that's because you hit home. We will look at online ones in future and one day I hope to bring a healed girl to your event.We thankyou from our hearts

You do an amazing job we have only attended one session with our two daughters ( who didn't want to go at the time) and I can say we all left better for it.Keep doing what you're doing. Thank you