- Ex-AFL star Joel Macdonald was seemingly living the dream
- Recently launched a YouTube channel for life ‘rebuilders’
Former AFL star Joel Macdonald has revealed why he turned to magic mushrooms after losing $200million following the dramatic collapse of his global tech business.
MacDonald, 40, previously turned out for the Brisbane Lions and Melbourne Demons before turning his attention to the ill-fated GetSwift start-up in 2017.
A luxurious lifestyle followed, before it all came crashing down, with a Federal Court judge stating the defender turned entrepreneur was focused on his bank balance, not ‘his legal obligations as a director.’
‘A few years ago I lost 200 million…it was f—ing brutal,’ Macdonald said in a recent YouTube interview.
‘I was 30, I was on top of the world, I was one of Australia’s youngest public company CEO’s, first class (flights), best restaurants, young rich list and then BOOM! everything vanished.’
Macdonald was ultimately was out of his depth, and in 2018 Get Swift’s swift demise began.
Former AFL star Joel Macdonald has revealed why he turned to magic mushrooms after losing $200million following the dramatic collapse of his global tech business
Macdonald (pictured right) previously turned out for the Brisbane Lions and Melbourne Demons before turning his attention to his GetSwift start-up in 2017
A luxurious lifestyle followed, before it all came crashing down, with a Federal Court judge stating the defender was focused on his bank balance, not ‘his legal obligations as a director’
The Australian Securities Exchange suspended the company’s trade over allegations Macdonald misled the market by overstating forecasts and failing to disclose the loss of major contracts.
A record penalty of $15million followed in court, and Macdonald was also ordered to pay $1million in damages.
Additionally, he was disqualified from managing corporations for 12 years.
At the time, the court described GetSwift as a company that ‘became a market darling because it adopted an unlawful public-relations-driven approach to corporate disclosure instigated and driven by those wielding power within the company.’
Justice Michael Lee – who presided over the Brittany Higgins defamation trial – said Macdonald was trying to make money with ‘little understanding or regard for his legal obligations as a director’.
Macdonald admits his professional reputation was destroyed, and he turned to alcohol and anti-anxiety drugs as coping mechanisms.
‘The rage I felt inside of me that it was all over was insane,’ he said in the YouTube clip.
‘There were dark moments when I just wanted to end it all. That was the only way I could see that the pain could go away….I don’t wish that darkness on anyone.’
A magic mushroom retreat, daily journaling, meditation and therapy followed, with Macdonald determined to become the best version of himself.
And despite his wealth, Macdonald has conceded he wasn’t happy at the height of his financial success – and now his focus is a freshly launched YouTube channel.
‘If you’re someone who’s been beaten down, in a dark spot, rebuilding or just wants to have a massive crack on a global scale, then this channel is for you,’ he says.
