Lessons from a Quitter

For most of us risk-averse, type-A personalities, walking away from a multiple 6-figure career to pursue an entirely different career is a HUGE, scary step. Most can’t muster up the courage to even take that jump. But to leave such a “successful” career to just travel around the world with your family would make most of our heads explode. What if I can’t get a job when I get back? But what will we do for money? WHAT IF WE BECOME HOMELESS? You get the point. We’re crazy. Luckily, Joe Hansen is a little less neurotic than the rest of us because he did just that. He walked away from his Big Law job, making a great salary and living in San Francisco, to travel the world for a year with his wife and 2 young children. While traveling, he is pursuing his original passion of writing by working on his first novel, an apocalyptic thriller set in San Francisco. I love Joe’s story because he intentionally took this step without having everything buttoned up and planned out. As you’ll hear, he and his wife are taking one step at a time. He has back-up plans in case he needs to go back to being a lawyer but, otherwise, he’s realizing that everything is figureoutable...no matter what happens.   Here is what we chat about in this episode: What led him to law school and what his experience was like at a big law firm Why the big law firm life is not a realistic one Why he decided to travel the world for a year with two small children and how he prepared for it. How his coworkers were more supportive about his decision than Joe initially thought they would be How he’s moving through his journey without knowing exactly what he is going to do in the future Whether people can take a gap year or two and return to the law How they’re tackling world travel with 2 small children And so much more! Where to find Joe:   Website: www.backpackrugrats.com Instagram: @joseph_c_hansen Instagram: @paolabregneti Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

Well, there is nothing better to start the New Year off with than an episode all about how to get financially independent so that you can do what you want! I’m so excited to have the incredible Paula Pant on the show today to do just that!! As she likes to say herself, Paula is unemployable. She quit her job more than a decade ago, has traveled to more than 40 countries and refuses to work for anyone else. She runs the website Afford Anything, which holds a community of more than 53,000 email subscribers. She's the host of the Afford Anything podcast, which has enjoyed more than 4 million downloads. Both spread the idea that you can afford anything, but not everything.   After building financial independence through real estate investing, Paula is helping people all over the world figure out how to get out of debt and create financial independence for themselves. On this episode, we get into the details of her path to early retirement and how we can all get started on our own paths. Here is what we chat about in this episode: What the FIRE movement is really about How Paula got started on her own journey to financial independence How freelancing gave her freedom to travel for over 2 years and the skills to never go back to a “job” Where the big opportunities in freelance writing are today How she built her rental property portfolio and the resources she offers her community to do the same What some possible downsides are to the FIRE movement and how to have the proper discussions to work around those issues And so much more!   Resources mentioned in this episode: Email Series on Rental Properties: www.affordanything.com/viplist Free e-book on FIRE: www.affordanything.com/escape   Where to find Paula:   Website: affordanything.com Podcast: podcast.affordanything.com Instagram: instagram.com/paulapant   Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

Anna Lundberg is the founder of One Step Outside, where she helps people around the world build businesses and create a lifestyle that allows them an unimagined sense of freedom, flexibility and fulfilment. But that’s not how she started her career. Like most of us, Anna began by climbing a traditional corporate ladder at Procter & Gamble as a brand manager. In her 7 years with the company, she worked on high-end fashion accounts like Dolce & Gabbana and lived a glamorous lifestyle. But after leaving for a short sabbatical, Anna realized that she didn’t want to go back. She left her career without much of a plan. Through consulting and taking on clients of her own choosing, Anna created a new business and life for herself. Since leaving her corporate job in 2013, she’s now reimagining what success looks like and she’s passionate about inspiring and supporting others to do the same. In addition to her own coaching business, Anna recently launched her own podcast, Reimagining Success.   Here is what we chat about in this episode: How she got the courage to leave her job How she decided what she was going to do next after leaving her job without a plan How she pushed past her “Good Girl Syndrome” to do what she really wanted to do Why you shouldn’t tell everyone about your plans to quit in the beginning Why you ultimately have to just take action The difference between the “what” and the “how” of the next step How to find the right coach for you And more... Resources mentioned in this episode: Book - http://leavingthecorporate9to5.com Where to find Anna:   Website: onestepoutside.com Facebook: facebook.com/onestepoutside Podcast - http://reimaginingsuccesspodcast.com Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

Merry Christmas!!! Happy Holidays friends!!   Thank you so much for tuning in to the show. I can’t tell you how much it means to me! We’re almost at 6 months and already have over 10,000 downloads! I’m honestly so grateful to be able to do this podcast and I can’t thank you guys enough!!   While I usually only do interviews, I wanted to take this holiday episode to talk a little bit more about the new year and goal-setting so that hopefully you can get closer to your goal of quitting whatever is making you unhappy. Now, I know that the whole “New Year, New Me” gets a really bad wrap and people roll their eyes at resolutions. But setting goals is not the problem. Not following through is the problem. We should all be re-evaluating our lives and what we want to change all the time!   “Most people overestimate what they can do in a day, and underestimate what they can do in a month. We overestimate what we can do in a year, and underestimate what we can accomplish in a decade." This quote by Matthey Kelly sums up exactly what is wrong with how we usually set goals. We’re an impatient bunch and we want change now. But that sets you up for failure because we typically only stick to things that we can turn into habits and keep up with in the long-term.   So this year, I don’t want you to focus on what you can do in the next 2 months. I want you to focus on what you can do in the next 2 years.   I talk all about why the approach in the book, The Compound Effect, by Darren Hardy is the best way to approach goal-setting. In this book, Darren Hardy talks about how making little, small changes will completely change your life. You don’t need to lose 20lbs in a month. You need to cut 100 calories every day. And over time, that 100 calories will transform the way you look, feel, and act.   Make sure to check out the whole episode before you start writing your goals!   We’ll be back next week with an all-new interview episode! Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast  

At this point, we’ve all heard about digital nomads and remote living. There is a huge movement of people who are forgoing the traditional lifestyle in exchange for freedom and travel. But, because of the rise in popularity, there is a huge framework built around the digital nomad lifestyle with freelance websites, co-working spaces, shared housing, blogs, books, etc.   Just 4 years ago, the digital nomadic lifestyle was in its infancy and there wasn’t a ton of resources providing guidance on how to navigate it. It was even trickier for families who wanted to travel with small children to figure out all the logistics.   But that did not stop Daniel Prince. After ‘enduring’ an 18 year career in Finance, Daniel recreated his life by leaving the corporate world to travel the globe with his young family (4 small children!!) via the sharing economy.   His popular blog ‘Princes Off The Grid’ drew attention from the global press leading to his appearing in many newspapers, magazines, award winning blogs and interviewed on Podcasts.   After his own experience, he wrote the book “Choose Life” to inspire other people to follow in his footsteps to adapt, create and lead a more fulfilling lifestyle.   An advocate of the sharing and gig economy, Daniel is an investor and startup advisor focusing mainly on businesses that seek to disrupt legacy business practices. Daniel is also part of a team building Zyngel, a social impact platform that aims to help businesses grow by offering the opportunity to connect with highly qualified, experienced and skilled professionals. Here is what we chat about in this episode: How his career led him to Singapore How the 4-hour Workweek by Tim Feriss changed his life Why Daniel and his wife, Claire, wanted to pick up and travel the world with 4 kids How he got over the fear of leaving everything to pursue a dream How he figured out how to create a living on the road Why they decided to finally settle down in France and what the future looks like How meditation helped Daniel quiet the critical voice in his head to push through the doubts What his new startup, Zyngel, is all about.   Resources mentioned in this episode: 4-Hour Workweek, by Tim Feriss Ted Talk by Choose Life, by Daniel Prince www.Zyngel.com Where to find Daniel: Instagram: @76Princey Twitter:  @princey1976 Website: www.princesoffthegrid.weebly.com Email: 76princey@gmail.com   Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

If you’ve listened to the podcast, you’ve heard me say (a million times) that you can make a living doing what you want if you take the time to think outside of the box and take advantage of the resources on the internet. Well, my guest Kelly Nugent is the perfect example of someone who did that (and basically proves me right...so there).   Kelly Nugent is an actor, voice actor, comedian, internet nerd thing doer, and lady of too many podcasts! She can be found doing nerd stuff on Saving Throw Show and HyperRPG. She hosts the podcasts Teen Creeps, Public Domain Theater, Same Day Shipping, and Thank You For Questing! She also loves cheese and cats.   What I love about Kelly’s story is that when Kelly wanted to quit law in order to jump into the world of comedy, she didn’t just try to go the traditional route by finding an agent and going to auditions etc etc. She started doing voice acting, created podcasts, worked on shows on different platforms like Twitch. Basically, she figured out a way to make a living doing creative, fun things she loved instead of waiting for her “big break.” Her story offers the perfect example of how to turn your passions into a career.   Here is what we chat about in this episode: Why she went to law school and continued on even though she didn’t like it How listening to podcasts sparked her own interest in jumping into the world of acting and comedy How she turned acting into a career through voice acting, podcasts, and Twitch How those non-traditional roles led her to getting more traditional gigs What Twitch is and how she got involved with that platform How you can turn your hobbies and interests into podcasts and other paying gigs   Where to find Kelly: Instagram/Twitter: @kellynugee Website: https://www.kellyknugent.com/   Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast  

Today we have our first novelist on the show!! Mamta Jain Valderrama received her bachelor's degree in journalism and worked as a healthcare reporter. She went on to get her MBA from USC where she was considering starting a company based on medical tourism. But in her research, she realized the huge issue with black market organ trafficking schemes and realized that she couldn’t contribute to such an industry ethically. After working in corporate life for many years, Mamta left 5+ years ago to pursue her dream to write. Her debut novel, A Girl In Traffick, is an Amazon bestseller that chronicles a story of human kidney trafficking.   After writing her novel, Mamta was also thrown into the world of international PR in order to get publicity for her novel. Realizing that she actually loved that aspect of the work, Mamta now offers PR services to authors and small business owners. She is also in plans to write her second novel.   Here is what we chat about in this episode: How she made a decision to leave the corporate world to write her novel Why she felt compelled to tell the story of human organ trafficking How she got through the low moments in writing How she learned to do her own PR for the book How doing her own PR led her to freelancing as a PR agent How to get started in publishing   Resources mentioned in this episode: A Girl in Traffic, by Mamta Jain Valderrama   Where to find Mamta: Instagram/Facebook: @mjvaldy Website:  www.mamtajainvalderrama.com Email: mamta@mjvpublicrelations.com   Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

Ep. 22:  Lawyer & Interior Stylist- How Sara Rezvanpour Rose created her dream job as Creative Counsel at the Jungalow   Have you ever felt like you want something more but you don’t know what you should do? Well, if so, this is the episode for you! Sara Rezvanpour Rose is a unicorn full of inspiration and provides so much wisdom for anyone stuck in a career they hate. Though she may not know it, her own path provides such clear guidance for how to approach finding your next gig. It includes: perseverance, hustle, creativity, courage, humility, and faith in yourself.   Sara is a graduate of UC Berkeley Law School and a former big law attorney. After being laid-off during a merger, Sara left big law to join her brother’s small private practice law firm where she honed her entrepreneurial skills as well as her legal chops. However, after a couple of years, Sara still found herself unsatisfied in the grey world of the law. She quit, without having a plan, to find a career with more creativity.   After deciding that she wanted to be in the interior design space, Sara reached out to people in the industry, worked for free, and hustled her way into a dream internship with renowned interior designer, Justina Blackeney. From that internship, Sara created her own dream position at Justina’s business, Jungalow.   Sara is now Creative Counsel at Jungalow, a bohemian lifestyle brand & home decor online shop. She left the gray world of law in search of color, creativity, and a place where she could be her wild self! Now she spends her days creating spaces that she hopes inspire a sense of magic in people’s hearts & homes. She also negotiates contracts, and still does lawyerly things but in a much more fun & chill setting.     Here is what we chat about in this episode: Why she felt morally obligated to go to law school Why she felt like she didn’t belong in law school How she ultimately decided to walk away from a traditional law practice How she figured out what her next step would be after law How she hustled her way into her dream job at Jungalow How she now spends her days doing part legal work and part interior design.   Resources mentioned in this episode: Women Who Run with the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes Big Magic, by Elizabeth Gilbert Magic Lessons, by Elizabeth Gilbert   Where to find Sara: Instagram: @sararezrose Jungalow Instagram: @thejungalow Website: shop.jungalow.com   Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

Happy Thanksgiving, folks! This week we're going to do something a little different and, instead of an interview, I'm doing a solo episode. We'll be back with another inspiring interview next week.  I wanted to take this week, because of Thanksgiving, and talk about how a gratitude practice is the easiest way to change your life. That might sound like hyperbole or exaggeration but it's not.  Now before you roll your eyes and think I'm trying to sell you some woo-woo magic, there are decades of scientific studies that show how a simple gratitude practice can:  - Create stronger relationships - Strengthen your immune system  - Increase your enthusiasm, optimism, and alertness - etc, etc, etc.  Why does gratitude work so well? Glad you asked.  1) It fundamentally changes your perspective. You can see the silver lining in most situations which helps you bounce back after setbacks much faster.  2) It is impossible to feel anger/fear and gratitude at the same time.  3) It helps you enjoy the journey and not just look forward to the destination. 4) It makes you a more pleasant person and creates stronger relationships.  So if you want to change your life in 5 minutes every day, take a listen! Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

Drew Morgan is a stand-up comic, writer and actor.. Drew and his two comedy partners, Trae Crowder and Corey Forrester, wrote the Liberal Redneck Manifesto and tour the country for their WellRED comedy tour. His comedy draws upon his upbringing in rural East Tennessee as well as his experiences living in Australia, Boston, Miami, and New York.   But before becoming a comedian, Drew was a public defender in both Miami and Knoxville, Tennessee. I got to talk to him about how his upbringing in a rural Southern town influenced his decision to go to law school and why he ultimately left the law to pursue his dreams.   Here is what we chat about in this episode: How his upbringing in rural Tennessee affected his decision to go to law school. How his path led him to be a public defender in both Miami, Florida and Knoxville, Tennessee How his wife got him started in comedy by signing him up for a competition How he supported his dream of stand-up comedy by working as a freelance attorney doing document review How years of hard work finally led him and his writing partners, Trae Crowder and Corey Forrester, to become “overnight successes” The journey to the WellRED comedy tour and the Liberal Redneck Manifesto And why it’s worth pursuing your dreams even if it’s difficult   Where to find Drew: Website: http://www.wellredcomedy.com Twitter/Instagram: @drewmorgcomedy   Facebook: @drewmorgan     Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast