Performance Intelligence #96 Greg Page (Yellow Wiggle) - Creating The Wiggles & Achieving Global Success, Dropping Dead at 48, Crusading with Heart of the Nation
Greg Page, famously known as the original Yellow Wiggle, spent decades spreading joy through music. He contributed to multiple albums and touched the hearts of children worldwide.
In 2020, during a live Wiggles performance, a sudden cardiac arrest changed the course of Greg’s life. Thanks to his fellow band members, a wonderful nurse in the audience, and paramedics, Greg survived this frightening experience. Prompting him to establish Heart of the Nation, dedicated to improving systems geared towards finding, accessing and using AEDs when someone is in cardiac arrest.
Greg is a songwriter, cricket fan, devoted family man, and an avid music collector, once owning the fourth largest Elvis memorabilia collection in the world (which he donated to a museum in country NSW).
In this episode Andrew and Greg discuss:
4.40 How The Wiggles picked their iconic colours and yellow is not his favourite colour.
5:15 Greg’s love for being on stage performing, and some of his experiences in live performances growing up.
9:30 Being a blend of introvert and extrovert, attending events for a purpose, and the diversity in the new Wiggles.
13:30 How Greg met the rest of the band and formed The Wiggles, why their early childhood education was so important to overall success and Anthony’s passion for teaching children.
19:40 The Wiggles first ever concert, Anthony’s struggles with mental health, and the moment Greg went all in on The Wiggles.
25:00 Educators, musicians and then entrepreneurs, in that order. Delivering something unique to young children through music, and the naysayers during the early years who said it'll never work.
31:30 Greg's reflections on his impact on children’s lives, in the early days sharing equal equity with other members of The Wiggles.
33:30 Finding a balance between your personal identity and your performance identity.
36:50 Using Dr Google to get inaccurate medical advice, talking to Jonathan Edwards, a psychic medium, to help understand who you are and redefining spirituality.
43:50 Surviving a near fatal heart attack on stage, having your life saved by total strangers (while other band members were singing Hot Potato), and waking up to discover the full story of what happened on the morning news.
51:15 How the rest of the band reacted, fighting to give others the same chance, and the difference between cardiac arrest and a heart attack.
56:30 Frightening cardiac arrest statistics and low survival rates, how the Danish government are making strides towards dramatically improving survival rates, and who is most at risk of having a heart attack.
1:01:00 Anyone can use an Automated External Defibrilator (AED), the importance of putting your hand up to help in an emergency, and why Greg’s personal experience has made him so passionate about his crusade.
1:06:15 Your body keeps a score, putting 400 AED’s in service stations around Australia, and Greg’s vision for Heart Of The Nation in 10 years.
1:10:30 How you can support Heart Of The Nation, the importance of community in preventing heart attack deaths, and trying to improve the 5% survival rate for cardiac arrests.
1:15:45 Why trying to prevent heart attacks isn’t the only solution, how this is fully aligned with Gregs personal purpose.
1:23:00 Why Greg doesn’t take a salary for his work with Heart Of The Nation, some of the famous people Greg has met along the way, Andrew and Greg singing 'Rock A Bye Your Bear.'
You can find Greg at his Instagram: www.instagram.com/greg_page_yellowwiggle/
Or at the Heart Of The Nation Website: https://www.heartofthenation.com.au/
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