Lachlan McLean talk about the Australian TV series ‘Made in Bondi’

Lachlan McLean. Photo Credit: Aldrin Del Carmen

Former professional athlete, model, and social influencer Lachlan McLean chatted about being a part of the Australian TV series “Made in Bondi.”

Walt Disney once said: “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” This quote applies to Lachlan McLean.

‘Made in Bondi’

McLean shared that the show follows a group of friends in Bondi. “It follows the trials and tribulations of our lives and the drama that follows. Also, the friendships and relationships that are made and broken,” he said. “There are a lot of relationships that get damaged during the show,” he foreshadowed.

“It’s a great group of people, and I felt it was really us,” he admitted. “I am proud of this series because it is truly 100 percent me on the screen.”

He revealed that “Made in Bondi” is similar to the British reality TV series “Made in Chelsea,” which is the “mother show.” “This is the Australian version of that show,” he admitted.

“More or less, it’s the same with an Aussie flair and an Aussie touch to it. There is a cast of 15 to 18 people that viewers are going to learn to love or hate.”“I always find the start of the journey to be really exciting,” he said.

“There is something about it that makes it so special. We get to do it while showing the way we get to enjoy Sydney, which is one of the best cities in the world. People will get to see the beauty of the city of Sydney.”

“The show has been 4.5 months of grueling prep. It was genuinely blood, sweat, and tears. I am very happy with how everything turned out with it,” he noted.

“Everyone will see that my heart is on my sleeve the whole way through. Obviously, it will be released sometime in the next four weeks, and I just can’t wait. I think it really has my stamp on it,” he acknowledged.

Daily motivations

On his daily motivations, McLean remarked, “First of all, my mom and dad were big influences on me ever since I was a little kid. They instilled this idea in me of going out and getting what I want, especially since nobody is going to work hard for me. Also, for anyone who waits for success to happen will more than likely not be successful.”

“I owe it to my parents so much for keeping my head on straight,” he said. “From a young age, I was able to develop this intrinsic motivation to not need outside validations when it came to achieving my goals.”

“My brother was an incredible kayaker. While he didn’t actually get to represent Australia, he was my role model always. In my early years, before recently, soccer was my life for nearly 27 years,” he said.

“Now, I am 28 years old, and I’m done with all that, so it has been a bit of a challenge shifting where I am finding my motivation from. I was always in a world where soccer was my life, and it was always my goal. Now, I just want to make a difference in other ways,” he acknowledged.

McLean continued, “I’ve been lucky enough through soccer to have this platform that I have now to know who I am as a person, and hopefully, at the end of it all, I have people who I can inspire, especially men who are unafraid to talk about things such as skincare and looking after themselves.”

“Also, helping people with busy lives find and fit in ways to be healthy, and ways to enjoy their lives. I want to be an inspiration to people in that way, and also to hopefully entertain them along the way,” he elaborated.

The digital age

On being a part of the digital age, he reflected, “When I look back on it now, I think perspective is a crazy thing. When I was playing soccer professionally, I didn’t care about social media, and I’m very open about saying this.”

“The only reason I started social media in 2020 was because one of my teammates was doing it, and I thought if I did it, I could message good-looking girls, and get a couple of more followers,” he said.

“That’s the only reason I started it,” he admitted. “From there, I was able to find fulfillment and so much more meaning, especially if social media is used the right way.”

“I honestly think if you live in a world where you don’t embrace the digital age, you will live in a world away from everyone else’s experiences. I am very lucky with how social media fell into my lap, even though when I started it, I started it for the wrong reasons, but it has turned into the right reasons. Now, I am a part of something, which is a big part of the world,” he elaborated.

“Everyone loves to be involved in things, and it feels nice to be involved in a way that makes a positive difference,” he added.

McLean is a firm believer that adversity makes us stronger

McLean is a firm believer that it is the adverse times that mold us and make us stronger.

“The injuries are what led me to the world that I am in now,” he noted. “Things happen for a reason. If I never had those injuries, I would have never looked into the social media world, and I wouldn’t be where I am now. The injuries were a Catch-22. While they ended my soccer journey, they opened up a new journey as well.”

“I think I have been very lucky along the way, whether it is divine intervention or anything in between,” he said. “I kept my head on, I kept working hard, and every time, I feel it worked out better than the last.”

Stage of his life

On the title of the current chapter of his life, McLean said, “Discovery.”

“I would call it ‘Discovery’ because for the first 27 years of my life, the title was always soccer,” he explained.

“Now, I am in a position to discovering who I truly am away from defining myself by a sport. That’s a struggle a lot of athletes have in their lives, especially when they step away from their sports, as they try to see what’s next. I am excited to see where my journey goes,” he said.

“I am excited to paint the next canvas in my life. The soccer canvas has been painted and hung up on the wall and is there forever in my life. Now, I am onto the next chapter,” he acknowledged.

“I am excited to see what I am able to create,” he said. “There is nothing but excitement for me moving forward.”

Best thing about being his age

On the best thing about being his age (28), he said, “You have adult money, and a more developed brain.” “You understand the world better and you actually have the means to enjoy it,” he said. “I feel that, for me, years 28 to 35 are going to be the best years of my life.”

Future plans

Regarding his future plans, he shared, “I am taking it day by day. I’ve spent the last 7.5 years of my life in America, and last year, was a bit more of a holiday for me than anything else. After football was done, I enjoyed being an adult for a year.”

“This year, with ‘Made in Bondi,’ it is really exciting to see what comes from that, and where the world takes me. I have big hopes for the show, and I genuinely think it is going to do incredible.  I think people are going to love it,” he elaborated.

“The show comes out soon, and I think it is an exciting time. I am taking things day by day, and I keep doing the things that I love, and we will see where the chips fall,” he added.

Interview with Steven Cuoco on Power 98.5 Satellite Radio

McLean opened up about being spotlighted on Power 98.5 Satellite Radio, where he was interviewed by radio and PR personality Steven Cuoco.

“Even though that feels like it was done ages ago, it was so great,” he said. “The greatest thing about being able to put words to paper or words to a show is that you can always look back at them years later and you see whether or not your perspective has changed on things.”

“Steven [Cuoco] and I had a really good chat together, and we got into a lot of very detailed things. It is always nice to look back and be proud of the things you said and see if you achieved the goals you spoke about back then. Overall, it was amazing to chat with Steven,” he elaborated.

The entire informed conversation may be heard below.

Favorite mottos to live by

“Being vulnerable is the hardest things for humans to do, but if you are not vulnerable, you can’t grow.”

McLean is also a fan of the following quote by President Theodore Roosevelt, which is about striving valiantly and daring greatly… The entire quote reads as follows:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

“I love this quote because I don’t think you grow in the world if you don’t put yourself in those vulnerable positions,” he explained. “This specific quote always resonates with me.”

“Also, the magic you are looking for is in the work you’re avoiding,” he said. “I love this quote because I’ve always been a big procrastinator in my life. This one is a good one to keep yourself motivated with.”

“I also loved Matthew McConaughey’s 2014 Oscar speech,” McLean recalled. “There are three things that I need each day. One, I need something to look up to, another to look forward to, and another is someone to chase in your life,” McLean said.

“I just loved Matthew’s Oscar speech; it is so inspiring,” he exclaimed.

Superpower of choice

If he were to have any superpower, it would be to “have a brain like Tony Stark, who is also known as Iron Man.” “Having that as a superpower would be so cool,” he admitted.

If he were to do any track and field event, it would be the “100 meter dash,” and in swimming, he listed the “freestyle” as his personal favorite stroke.

 In American football, he would either be a tight end or a wide receiver.

“I would always love to compete in the stroke or the race that everyone stops to watch,” he said.

Success

On his definition of success, he said, “Success means having no regrets. I think that’s really important, and so far into my life, I can honestly say that I’ve had no regrets, and I’ve been very happy with that. I hope I can live the rest of my life like that too.”

“There is a big part of success that revolves around happiness. Not really happiness with yourself. I am not someone to have 100 close friends, I have a very small circle of people that I love and I would do anything for them,” he noted.

“Success, for me, is living a life where I am able to share these incredible experiences with them and being able to grow old with them, and feeling like we are all being our best selves moving forward.”

“Also, when my parents are proud of my achievements, and doing what I can to help them as well; moreover, when my brothers and good friends are doing well and happy. Getting to share all of these memories with my loved ones is success to me,” he expressed.

Message for his fans and supporters

For his fans, he remarked, “I see myself as a pretty normal guy. I love people and I love hearing people’s stories. For the people that have followed my journey, a big genuine ‘thank you.’ I am so grateful to them.”

“Social media is such an amazing platform. You live your life hoping to leave a stamp on people. That validates that I am on the right path doing the things that I am doing. I am grateful that I have a place and a platform to do that for people that are willing to listen.”

“I am excited for people to watch ‘Made in Bondi.’ I think people are going to love it. If people love drama or love stories, they are going to enjoy it. I think people like getting emotionally invested in people
and their lives.

“There are a lot of emotions that are happening on this show. My biggest takeaway for this show is to expect the unexpected,” he concluded.

To learn more about Lachlan McLean, follow him on Instagram.