Boiling Point - Episode 016 - Boyd Sharpe

Introducing Boyd Sharpe

Boyd Sharpe is the true Renaissance man.  As a young man, and graduating with a degree in theatre arts and a bachelor of education, his father asked him whether he was prepared for a career as a teacher.  Boyd thought about it and responded that he wanted to have 10 jobs across five career paths over the following 30 years. 

He’s definitely on his way.  Boyd was a teacher for six years before he retrained in IT.  He was a web designer and systems analyst, and then retrained as a project manager.  Most recently he trained to become a professional MMA fighter and a producer with Greg Hemmings in their recent series Cubicle to the Cage.  All of the above, plus becoming a basement quail farmer, boat builder, and podcaster on the BS Show.

Boyd is the type of person who is constantly looking for a new challenge and has to move on from situations after they become easy and boring.  He has a drive to push himself to his limits and to move past fear.  What inspired him to do this?  When Boyd was working in IT within the health care system, he became introduced to Dr. Rob Rutledge, who is an oncologist and head of the Healing and Cancer Foundation.  Dr. Rutledge believes in a holistic approach to cancer treatment which includes medical intervention but also technique to improve mind, body, and spirit.  Boyd made a website for Dr. Rutledge and for five years filmed the doctor during talks and interviewed terminal cancer patients.  What was ingrained in him during this process was Dr. Rutledge’s teaching of being mindful, reducing stress, reframing negative thoughts and how to make the most of life.  He also learned from the patients that only by facing your greatest fears could you transform yourself as a person.

What did he fear and how was he going to face it?  He was scared of being beat up and of being in a cage with a trained fighter and defending himself publicly.  He teamed up with Greg and produced and starred in Cubicle to the Cage, which is a series that took ordinary people with “normal” jobs and within 14 months Boyd was in a professional MMA battle.  Training for MMA is in complete contrast to the way people normally live their lives.  Most try to live avoiding conflict, struggle, pain, and suffering.  MMA training is completely opposite; everyday is sacrifice, pain, defeat and training at techniques you perform the worst in.  This taught him to treat challenges as opportunities to become better and creative. 

In this episode

We hear about Boyd’s exploits as a man of many talents.  We learn from his experiences in MMA and from his current attempt to boycott technology including TV and social media.  Boyd tells us why he thinks the people over 40 years old were more successful in gaining a pro fight in CTTC.  Greg is inspired by Boyd’s energy and the concept of pushing himself to become better as a person.  Dave appreciates Boyd’s “practitioner” mentality, which keeps him off the sidelines and in the game.

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