Lessons from a Quitter

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

As Inc. reported, “ISAAC  LIDSKY may possess the most eclectic resume in business.” Series regular “Weasel” on Saved by the Bell: The New Class, he graduated from Harvard College at 19 (cum laude) and from Harvard Law School (magna  cum laude); served as a Supreme Court law Clerk (to two Justices); was a Justice Department litigator (undefeated); and worked for an elite international law firm. He had a legal resume that most lawyers could only dream of. But after having his triplets, who required over 70 days in the NICU, Isaac re-evaluated what he wanted out of his life. He left the law to buy a failing construction subcontractor in order to try his hand out at entrepreneurship.   Though originally the jump seemed to be a failure, Isaac turned the company into a highly profitable construction services company (ten times larger) that now boasts annual revenue over $250 million.  I got to talk to Isaac about how he was able to walk away from law, after building such a prestigious career, to follow a path more true to himself.   Isaac credits his experience going blind in his early twenties from a rare genetic disease as being the reason he is able to create his own reality and live Eyes Wide Open. He gave a main stage TED Talk on the subject of living Eyes Wide Open that was viewed more than a million times in its first three weeks. He also has a book by the same name, “Eyes Wide Open”, that is a New York Times, USA Today and Indie bestseller, and was named one of the Washington Post’s top 10 leadership books to read in 2017.   I got to find out what it means to live Eyes Wide Open and how we can all strive to live that way. I’m endlessly inspired by Isaac and hope to live my own life with Eyes Wide Open.   Here is what we chat about in this episode: Why he walked away from the glamour of Hollywood after finding success on Saved By the Bell: The New Class. How he dealt with being diagnosed with a rare genetic disease as a teenager, knowing that he was going to go blind. How going blind taught him about the subjectivity of sight and how we create our own reality How fear replaces the unknown with the awful and how it keeps us stuck Why Isaac left the law, after an incredibly prestigious career, to run a construction company How he determined what was important in his life and how that changed his decision-making process How we can all live our lives Eyes Wide Open   Resources mentioned in this episode: Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl Where to find Isaac: Website: www.lidsky.com Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @isaaclidsky Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast

Matt & Alli were both working as engineers, hating their jobs, and yearning for more freedom when they learned about the FIRE community (Financial Independence Retire Early). The premise of FIRE is to focus on reducing spending and increasing investments with the goal of living off those investments and, thus, not having to work anymore. The idea is that you buy your freedom instead of buying things. Matt & Alli started saving up to 70% of their 6-figure salaries and within 3 years quit to work on the 2 online businesses they had created.   In addition to quitting, they converted a sprinter van (they named Clifford) and started driving across the Americas and running their businesses from the road. They balance their time between helping millennials get out of debt through their coaching services and education programs at Owen Your Future and helping people treat themselves on the keto diet through their baked goods company Primal Noms.   Here is what we chat about in this episode: How they realized that they didn’t want to just change jobs that they hated but completely change their lifestyles. How they learned about the FIRE movement and started on their journey to saving. How they dealt with other people’s opinions of their decisions What is the 4% rule? How they started their 2 side hustle businesses How they decided to quit their 6-figure jobs to travel the country The best and worst parts of traveling in a van How to be a part of FIRE even if you want to live off of a higher salary every year How Alli & Matt help millennials deal with their debt and budgeting How you can be a part of their live webinar on financial planning!   Resources mentioned in this episode: https://www.physicianonfire.com/ https://earlyretirementnow.com/ https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ Where to find : Webinar: ownyourdebtcourse.com/webinar Website: ownyourdebtcourse.com   Follow along for more: www.lessonsfromaquitter.com https://www.facebook.com/lessonsfromaquitter https://www.instagram.com/lessonsfromaquitter/ https://twitter.com/quitterpodcast