EP 3: Turning Pressure Into Leverage

Complete the Six Vector Diagnostic.Visit: https://sixvectorassessment.com/Join the Protocol One community.Visit: https://www.skool.com/protocol-oneLearn more about what Philippe is building with Oneka Elements.Visit: https://www.onekaelements.comIn this episode, James Neilson-Watt sits down with Philippe for a wide-ranging conversation on discipline, business, resilience, AI, and the personal growth required to build something that lasts.Philippe shares how growing up on a family farm, playing professional hockey, and transitioning into entrepreneurship shaped his view of work, pressure, and persistence. He opens up about the identity shift of leaving hockey behind, building Oneka Elements into a natural personal care brand, and facing a major production crisis that nearly broke the business.Together, James and Philippe explore how problems can become gifts when they force clarity, stronger systems, better leadership, and real profitability. They also dig into the role of AI in modern business, why operators need to rethink outdated software and manual processes, and how entrepreneurs can use technology as leverage instead of noise.The episode lands on a simple but powerful personal protocol: use a daily hard practice, like an ice bath, to train state, discipline, and the ability to choose discomfort before life chooses it for you.In this episode, James and Philippe discuss:• Turning pressure into leverage• The discipline learned from professional hockey• Leaving an old identity and building a new one• Why business problems can become gifts• Profitability, systems, and stronger leadership• Building teams that create real leverage• Using AI to replace manual work and outdated systems• Why people skills matter more as technology gets stronger• The ice bath as a daily protocol for state and disciplineChapters00:00 Welcome to Protocol One with Philippe00:40 Growing up on a family farm01:20 Hockey, discipline, and early lessons02:20 From professional hockey to sustainable business05:00 State management, passion, and success13:00 Leaving the hockey identity behind17:00 Hockey, connection, and leadership20:00 Handling failure and setbacks24:20 The production crisis that changed the business26:00 Profitability as the only way forward29:00 Choosing a story of victory36:20 Building a stronger team38:40 Why clarity changes everything40:20 Raising capital, discomfort, and growth47:00 Strong people, better systems, and real leverage52:00 AI as a thinking partner54:40 Rethinking outdated software and manual work1:00:00 Using AI to remove waste1:04:20 Technology, kids, and people skills1:13:20 Oneka Elements and the ice bath protocol1:16:00 Closing thoughtsDon’t Settle.