Charles Mills On Silence, Discipline and Starting Again

Few modern founders speak about reinvention with the credibility of Charles Mills. Once known for his reality television days and a life lived loudly in the public eye, Mills has since stepped away from visibility as identity and rebuilt himself with a level of clarity that cannot be manufactured. Today, as the founder of GELIDA, he represents a different kind of success. One rooted in calm discipline, longevity and responsibility.

This conversation is not about reinvention as a headline moment. It is about the quieter work that follows when the cameras switch off and reality sets in. Mills speaks with rare honesty about stepping back from the spotlight, confronting unhealthy patterns, and learning that speed without structure leads nowhere lasting. His story moves between personal accountability and professional integrity, revealing how rebuilding a life and rebuilding a company often require the same principles.

What emerges is a portrait of a man who has learned to slow down in order to build something that endures. From mental health and discipline to trust in wellness technology, this interview captures a founder no longer chasing attention, but purpose.

When you look back at the man you once were and the man you are today, what feels like the most meaningful change in how you move through the world now?

Honestly, calmness! I used to believe momentum meant speed, the faster thoughts, faster decisions, faster lifestyle. But I learned the hard way that speed without clarity doesn’t take you very far at all. These days, I move with much more intention. I listen more. I react less.

Having ADHD, slowing my thoughts down felt impossible for a long time. Now I’ve learned how powerful it is to pause. Meditation, training, getting outside, spending time in nature, all of that helps me work with my energy instead of fighting it. I don’t feel like everything has to happen right now. The quiet works counts, and it compounds.

You have lived a very public life at times. What did stepping out of that spotlight teach you about identity, self worth and what actually matters?

Attention is a drug! Visibility is a fragile place to build identity! When your life is being observed and commented on, it’s easy to start performing instead of living, without knowing!If you’re not careful, you start confusing visibility with value and that’s very a very dangerous place to be. Most people don’t know you, they only know a version of you someone else has written. Taking back my privacy gave me more clarity! It helped me reconnect with what actually matters and who I am when no one’s watching. Self-worth is internal, not external! I don’t pretend my past didn’t happen. It shaped me. It humbled me. It taught me that resilience isn’t about never falling, instead it’s about how you rebuild yourself when you do! Coming back from a rough chapter gave me a level of clarity and discipline that you simply cannot fake. You’re allowed to change, you’re allowed to outgrow old versions of yourself, and you don’t have to rush the process!

There was a period where your lifestyle was fast, loud and unrestrained. What was the quiet moment that made you realise something had to shift and how did that realisation shape your approach to life today?

There wasn’t one big dramatic moment, it was more an accumulation of consequences! As you know, I’ve fallen down a few times and unfortunately a lot of that played out very publicly in the press! I was struggling, coping badly, using alcohol and substances as coping mechanisms and living in a way that wasn’t sustainable. Without that shift, nothing I’d build would have lasted.

You often talk about discipline, longevity and the work you have done on yourself. What does working on your internal world look like for you and how has that shaped the way you lead and create?

It looks like forgiveness and consistency.Growth isn’t linear, and punishing yourself for past versions doesn’t move you forward. I’ve learned to respect the process and to keep showing up even when progress feels invisible. I care less about visibility and more about sustainability. Whether it’s people or products, I want what’s built to last.

People sometimes assume transformation is a single decision, but it rarely is. What have been the hardest truths you have had to confront about yourself during this personal evolution?

That real success can’t be rushed!Overnight wins usually don’t last and I’ve learned that the hard way. Building something meaningful takes time, not just to build the business, but to become the person who can actually handle that level of responsibility. You have to learn, unlearn, mess up, rebuild, and keep going. Accepting that timing is part of the process was tough but also freeing!

GELIDA today feels very different to the brand it was in its earliest form. What did you need to learn, unlearn and protect to rebuild the company with a clearer sense of purpose and integrity?

Rebuilding GELIDA happened at the same time I was rebuilding myself. I stripped everything back to the foundations, credibility, integrity, long-term thinking. In the early days, speed felt like success. But clarity comes from having more structure. It meant returning to fundamentals which were credibility, trust and long-term responsibility. Protecting the vision sometimes meant choosing what was right over what was fast!

You have spoken about a new category of luxury wellness tech. What does that term mean to you and why do you think people are now seeking treatments and products that sit between clinical performance and a more elevated lifestyle experience?

To me, luxury wellness tech is about not having to compromise.People don’t want to choose between results and experience, they expect both. They want technology that actually works but also fits into a high-end lifestyle and environment. Wellness has shifted. It’s no longer reactive, it’s now preventative, intentional, and aspirational. It’s about caring for the future version of yourself and choosing things that support longevity rather than quick fixes.

Many wellness devices over promise and under deliver. What frustrated you most about the market and what responsibility do you feel when you introduce something new into that space?

What frustrated me was how much hype there is and how little accountability. A lot of products look great, but they don’t deliver consistent results. 

I take trust very seriously. If something carries the GELIDA name, it has to be backed by real testing, real data, and real transparency. I’d rather launch later than compromise on that!  For example, we use the exact same stringent process on our soon to launch at-home products as we do for our professional grade equipment!

When you compare the technology behind these products with traditional professional devices, what makes this new range different in terms of performance, consistency and credibility?We didn’t try to shrink a clinical grade machine and call it a day. These products are specifically designed for safe at-home use while maintaining high-performance standards. That’s not easy! That’s why most brands don’t do it properly. Credibility comes from doing the hard work others avoid, even if it ends up taking longer than you’d hoped. 

As you look ahead, both personally and professionally, what future are you building towards and what does the next chapter of GELIDA reveal about the man you are becoming?

I’m building towards longevity, of health, values and impact!The next chapter of GELIDA reflects who I’ve become. Calmer, more intentional, more aware that how you build something, matters more than how fast you build it! 

In this interview, Charles Mills reflects on the most significant shift in his life, moving from urgency and external validation to calm, intention and internal self worth. He discusses how stepping away from a highly public life helped him separate identity from visibility, allowing him to rebuild himself away from public judgement and performance.

Mills speaks openly about the accumulation of consequences that forced change, acknowledging unhealthy coping mechanisms and the discipline required to rebuild sustainably. He explains how working on his internal world through forgiveness, consistency and patience has reshaped the way he leads and creates, with a strong focus on longevity rather than short term wins.

The conversation also explores the evolution of GELIDA, rebuilt alongside its founder with a renewed commitment to credibility, trust and long term responsibility. Mills outlines his vision for luxury wellness technology as a space where performance and experience coexist without compromise, and why accountability and evidence must replace hype in an often overstated market.

Looking ahead, Mills frames the future in terms of health, values and impact. The next chapter of GELIDA mirrors the man behind it calmer, more deliberate, and deeply aware that how something is built ultimately matters far more than how quickly it arrives.