Hello, I’m Caleb.
I’m a physiotherapist turned Entrepreneur, Content Creator and Muay Thai Enthusiast.
YOUTUBE
It all started with “What If?”
The year was early 2023, when Instagram reels finally caught my eyes 3 years after they were introduced to the platform.
This was the same year I started my self-development journey and as a result, my Instagram feed primarily comprised of motivational and self-development content.
I remember laying in my bed one night watching these reels and a thought popped into my head - “What if I tried creating similar reels?”
On 25 April 2023, after battling through a period of self-doubt and fear of judgement, I took a leap of faith and posted my first reel on Instagram.
I wish I could say “The rest was history”, but it wasn’t.
My journey of creating content has not been straightforward. It involved a lot of experimentation, enduring judgement from others, and accepting that I was different from the majority of people.
It was grit, sheer perseverance, and a love for the art of videography that allowed me to keep creating content until today.
After 10 months of creating content on Instagram, I arrived at the difficult conclusion that the content I wanted to create, in the format that I wanted, was not well-received on this platform.
During my trip to Phuket in February 2024, I decided to experiment with switching over to YouTube where I finally saw a little bit of success.
From this moment forward, I decided YouTube will be the platform I utilise to continue creating content and build a loyal following.
THE BEGINNING OF SOM APPAREL
The year was December 2021.
I had just come out of a serious relationship and was reeling from a heartbreak. I was, for the most part, coping with this breakup in a healthy manner.
The loss of this relationship meant I could now spend more time with my friends, family, and search for a new relationship which I thought I was ready for.
This all but lasted 2 months.
From February 2022 onwards, I started spending most weekends drinking, partying and doing everything related to the scene. I hopped on dating apps and it wasn’t to search for a long-term relationship, but a one-night connection to restore my ego and belief that I remained an attractive man desired by women.
The rest of 2022 was a blur. I honestly could not remember much of it. If I had to guess, it’d be that I worked my 9-5 from Monday to Friday, hit the gym most nights, then proceeded to spend my weekends drinking my life away and used Sundays to recover.
My life really had no purpose. I refused to admit this at the time, but I had truly lost my mission as a person and as a man.
MUAY THAI
My Muay Thai journey started in May 2023 when I decided to try out martial arts for the first time in my life.
Stepping into a local gym at 6AM on a slightly chilly autumn Monday morning, I had absolutely zero clue on what to expect.
In the first few weeks of training, I realised how uncoordinated and tight my entire body was, but I started falling in love with the difficulty of this art yet how it rewards you if you choose to put in the effort required.
By regularly completing my hip mobility and stretching routine, I started seeing improvements in the form and the height of my kicks.
Fast forward to February 2024, I took my first solo trip to Phuket and enrolled myself in a 3-week Muay Thai training camp. Each session was arduous and extremely difficult, but I felt a sense of achievement at the end of each session as I laid down on the mat, soaked in sweat, catching my breath.
Coming back home to Melbourne, I developed a newfound confidence in Muay Thai and signed up for my first inter-club fight in August 2024.
Although I didn’t get the outcome I wanted, my first fight taught me many important lessons which I will take into the next one.
At the time of writing this in September 2024, I had just completed a 2-week training camp in Chiang Mai and I’ll be signing myself up for the next inter-club fight once I complete all my travels.
I’m not exactly sure where this journey will take me. I know I definitely want to progress to fighting at an amateur level. I think I want to possibly have at least one pro-level fight. We shall see.
One thing that I do know is that the decision to take up Muay Thai has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life.
This art has taught me so much about discipline, resilience, hard work, humility, respect, courage, and it has allowed me to meet so many amazing people.
I am eternally grateful for this beautiful art of 8 limbs.