The Pathless Path with Paul Millerd

Wade Foster was graduating during the worst recession in the past 100 years and traditional employers were simply not hiring anyone. He reached out to a local software company in Missouri and talked them into hiring him to work on marketing. The experience "opened his eyes" to the digital world and the enormous opportunities that were beginning to emerge. He also tapped into a "thirst for developing new skills" that pushed him to learn how to code.The idea for Zapier emerged from some work Wade was doing with his friend Brian to connect different apps on the internet. They brought the idea to Startup Weekend in Missouri and ended up building a prototype of what would later form the foundation of Zapier. By Monday morning, they were committed to spending time on it and seeing where it would go.Seven years later, Wade is the CEO of that company and he is leading it as a remote company. Wade shares reflections on building a remote company and the fact that you have to default to trust and be very intentional about building a connection between people. In traditional companies, he notes that "The default for most companies is that they don't trust you."Connect With Wade & Zapier:I highly recommend checking out the resources Wade and his team have put together on running a remote company:The Ultimate Guide To Remote WorkZapier WebsiteFollow Wade on Twitter & LinkedInWant To Work For Zapier? They are hiring!Connect With Boundless:Join 65+ people in the slack communityCarve A New Path With Paul 📘 GOOD WORK: LIVE! => Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here

Nemo Ashong's bold vision is "a truly inclusive and empowered world" He helps people to be fully expressed and to be more authentic, be more unique and be more powerful.This conversation brought out some vulnerability in both of us and we barely scratched the surface around some tough topics like diversity, & inclusion. I live for this type of tough conversation and appreciate that podcasts give the kind of space to explore topics with nuance. I'm not sure we ended up with any clear answers, but I think had the type of conversation filled with respect and curiosity that can enable us to go deeper with each other and with other people.Connect With Nemo:Empjoyment1-On-1 Coaching With NemoWorld Joy Movement------BoundlessConsider supporting the podcast on PatreonJoin 110+ People Carving Their Own Paths In The Slack CommunitySet Up A Curiosity Conversation With PaulJoin The Free 3-Week Self-Employment ChallengeSign up For The Strategy Toolkit - Learn The Secrets Of Strategy Consulting 📘 GOOD WORK: LIVE! => Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here

Ervin Ling followed the default path as an actuary, passing test after test. After passing all the tests, he found himself working harder than he was ever working. As he stared at the television and saw his friends on TV during a weekend trip to the Final Four, he realized he didn't want to keep doing this. He declared (after a few drinks, nonetheless) to his friends, "If UConn wins the national championship, I'm going to quit my job."As any good number-driven actuary would, he didn't quit his job immediately. He took about 18 months to plot his escape from the corporate world. During this time, he re-thought his relationship with money, his possessions and his relationships with friends and family. He ended up traveling around the world for 12 months. Here are some stats from his trip:Total USD spent: $24,740Total days on the road: 338Total countries visited: 38 (including the USA)Most days in a single country: 30 (Vietnam)Total number of miles traveled: 68,307 (109,925 km) – equivalent to circling the earth 2.7 timesAir Travel: 51,044 mi (82,143 km)After this trip, he still felt a pull towards living abroad and now lives and teaches English in Taiwan. This journey has helped him discover and invest a life he could be proud of.Link to Video Version Of Interview (Dumplings Included)------------------For More With Boundless:Consider supporting the podcast on PatreonJoin 110+ People Carving Their Own Paths In The Slack CommunitySet Up A Curiosity Conversation With PaulJoin The Free 3-Week Self-Employment ChallengeSign up For The Strategy Toolkit - Learn The Secrets Of Strategy Consulting 📘 GOOD WORK: LIVE! => Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here

Ted Bauer is a freelance writer and content strategist who writes prolifically about the future of work. In this episode, he talks about some of his experiences in the corporate world. He shares a story of how he broke the record for the number of story ideas when he first joined ESPN which both captures his frustrations with the corporate world and also illuminates his process of how he generates new ideas for his writing.  We talk a bit about technology and his view is that people are using technology not to engage with people but to hide from them. His view of the future of work is simple - it's about moving back to in-person, human to human engagement and questioning a lot of the things we take for granted in modern organizations.Twitter: @tedbauer2003Ted's Writing & Blog: The Context Of ThingsJoin The ConversationJoin the exclusive Slack Boundless Community & engage with other people carving their own pathSignup for the newsletter 📘 GOOD WORK: LIVE! => Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here

While Shayne has built a successful marketing consulting firm, there was no "plan" to do this. His first exposure to marketing was out of necessity - his professor let students boost their low economics grades by joining the marketing group he ran. Shayne quickly applied the lessons to his DJ gigs on the side in college and became more interested in how to build real relationships with people through incredible experiences. He brings this same passion to his work today.Shayne has had many "dumb" ideas, but he would argue that most ideas (good and bad) start out as dumb ideas. The difference is the people with the courage to keep moving and respond to feedback. He has called the entrepreneurship journey "one of the most humbling things he has done in his life." From this humility and willingness to stay vulnerable, Shayne has been able to build a successful digital marketing firm. So what's his secret? He shares four key steps to turn your own "dumb idea" into something that might work:Write down the ideas, make it realShare your dumb idea as widely as possible (don't worry if people steal it)Get as much feedback as possible (even the negative!)Continue to tweak and re-work the dumb idea (don't get too tied to the original idea)Shayne wants more people to follow their silly ideas and see what they can make of it. In 2010, he decided to start his own business during a recession and with no money to his name. Eight years later, he has no regrets and couldn't imagine taking a different path. It may not have made sense at the time - but its the decisions that don't make sense that often turn into something meaningful. If it made sense, people would already be doing it!Dumb Idea ProjectShayne Spencer (LinkedIn)Boundless Links:Subscribe to the newsletterSupport On PatreonFreelance Consulting Playbook 📘 GOOD WORK: LIVE! => Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here

Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here

Jacqueline Jensen has been a digital nomad for 3.5 years, living and working globally. It might surprise you to find out then, that she's written a book called "Travel Isn't The Answer." While counter-intuitive, she argues for a return to awe and wonder with what is already around us. She talks about different moments of wonder she has experienced (including a breathtaking view in Montenegro) and different techniques for how people can "Live With a Sense of Curiosity, Passion, and Awe Anywhere and Everywhere" (the subtitle of the book).Last year, in a planned sabbatical she came face-to-face with the fact that work was the center of her world. While she almost "quit" the sabbatical, she pushed herself to redefine her day and time to claim back some of herself from a sole focus on work.  She provides many actionable tips and perspectives that can help people question the role of work in their lives, take steps to increase the amount of awe in their lives and connect with people that matter to them.More About Jacqueline:TedX TalkTwitter: @JackieMJensen & LinkedIn: Jacqueline JensenBook: Travel Isn't The Answer (Amazon)Recommendation on getting outside of your comfort zone:Check out local music: sofarsounds.comGo to an art museumTravel-as-a-service recommendations discussed: Hacker Paradise, Recess Labs, Roam, OutsiteApp for re-aligning your day: Today------------------------------------------------Boundless Links:Subscribe to the newsletterSupport On PatreonJoin The VIP Facebook Group (upcoming book club on Bullshit Jobs in September 2018) 📘 GOOD WORK: LIVE! => Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here

Dr. Laura Gallaher joins me from Serbia, where she is part of Remote Year, a community that travels to twelve locations within a year with a cohort of people working remotely. Laura is an organizational psychologist who studied humor and communication in the workplace and notably completed a dissertation with "that's what she said" in the title (office fans, anyone?). With a title like that it was probably clear that Academia would be too limiting for her. We talk a bit about humor and how it can be helpful or destructive in an organization. She first points out that "aggressive" humor - even if you mean well is rarely a way to strengthen bonds. We then talk about how leaders can embrace humor, especially to show their vulnerability, and give their teams more freedom to make mistakes, be open and be themselves. After getting her Ph.D., she worked with NASA after the Columbia explosion and worked on some of the toughest "they fell victim to the same thing that could happen in any organization." She notes that these factors are prevalent across many organizations, but the stakes are often not life or death. Her work with a small tech company found that two key elements can help companies transcend hierarchy. First, the leader is willing to be vulnerable and second, the leader demonstrates both through words and actions that they care deeply about all the people in the organization. "We hire people for what they think....what we care about is your ability to learn, your ability to think, your ability to grow...creating an environment where the employees opinion and input has value and you ask for it and you seek it out and you actually listen to it, this is where really, really engaged organizations are born and powerful cultures are created" Links: Check out Laura's Free 3-Part Culture Course Gallaher Edge TEDx Talk:  How to Feel at Home Anywhere - Dr. Laura Gallaher Travel the world with Remote Year ------------------------------------------------ Boundless Links: Subscribe to the newsletter Support On Patreon Join The VIP Facebook Group (upcoming book club on Bullshit Jobs in September 2018) 📘 GOOD WORK: LIVE! => Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here

Andrew is a Practical Philosopher who believes that "there may be no greater vexation in our time than the question of how to make a living in a manner that accords with leading a good life." We dive deep into the questions of "what is the good life?" and what he means by "sustaining life." He also shares his perspective on the concept of "Total Work," a phrase first put forth in 1947 by the German Philosopher Josef Pieper and shares how that phrase became central to his current writing on the topic and conversations he has with business leaders and executives.We also dive into his dichotomy of the three modes people could think about to make a living:Use what you've gotExchange what's in handOffer what you canHe reflects on our modern cultures over-reliance on exchanging our time for money while ignoring how we can live off the land and operate within the gift economy. Next, we talk about some of the different modes of living (whether it be a "settler", nomad or somewhere in between) and the implications for the community in society as a whole as well as how has dealt with that with his wife.Finally, Andrew offers three practical steps people can take to re-engage with life and trying to understand what "a life worth living looks like" that does not include the advice to just quit your job.Dis-identify with the identity of the worker: Questioning whether you truly only are a worker, a CEO, a marketing manager, an accountant, etc...Begin an inquiry into the question "If I am not a worker, then who am I?": What else is worth living for? What practices do I want to have in part of my life? What relationships and conversations nourish me?The question whether or not the life you have defined is "sufficient": Are you thinking deeply enough about the question of who you are?Andrew's Writing & Site:Andrew's Newsletter On Total WorkIf Work Dominated Your Every Moment, Would Life Be Worth Living (Aeon)Andrew's WritingOther Writing Mentioned:Josef Pieper's Leisure, The Basis Of CultureAndre Gorz, Reclaiming WorkDavid Graeber, Bullshit Jobs------------------------------------------------For More With Boundless:Consider supporting the podcast on PatreonJoin 110+ People Carving Their Own Paths In The Slack CommunitySet Up A Curiosity Conversation With PaulJoin The Free 3-Week Self-Employment ChallengeSign up For The Strategy Toolkit - Learn The Secrets Of Strategy Consulting------------------------------------------------Detailed BioAndrew Taggart is a practical philosopher. He asks and seeks to answer the most basic questions 📘 GOOD WORK: LIVE! => Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here

Paul provides a summer update:Shifting the podcast from making sense of the future of work => "The Human Side Of The Future Of Work"Early lessons from the digital course experiment, Solopreneur ShiftI'm moving to Asia...Boundless LinksMy article on beanie babies and doing things that don't make sense = > yes, pleaseCheck out the latest tools, including the Freelance Target Income CalculatorWant an e-mail of 5 good reads every Sunday? Subscribe to #boundlessreads**This podcast is supported via micro-donations. Consider supporting the 10+ other patrons on Patreon** 📘 GOOD WORK: LIVE! => Learn More📕 Buy Paul’s Book (50k+ Sold): The Pathless Path😁 Join Hundreds On Unconventional Paths: Pathless Path Community📲Connect + Follow PaulTwitter: @p_millerdInstagram: @pathlesspaulPaul’s Newsletter: Subscribe to Pathless (23k+ People)Paul’s YouTube: Subscribe🙏Further Ways To Support The Podcast:Accounting, Taxes, And Payroll For Your S-Corp (Ideal for $60k+ income): CollectiveLooking for alternatives to traditional health insurance in the US? Check out CrowdhealthI use Transistor to host this podcast. It rocks. Launch Yours HereI record high-quality videos using Riverside: Sign Up Here