Mile High FI Podcast

They trade food origin stories and memorable cultural meals. Gourmet hiking sandwiches and layered chili techniques get kitchen nerdy attention. Conversation covers leftovers, batch cooking, and reducing waste. They explore cooking as a mindful, flow-inducing practice that builds community. Practical gear picks and tips for improvising with limited ingredients round out the chat.

Carl Jensen, a personal finance blogger and house-builder behind the 1500 Days to Freedom project, talks about his journey of tearing down a problematic house to build a new one from scratch. He dives into his unique financing strategy, using margin loans, and shares tips on managing risks. The discussion also features Rusty, who shares insights from his own renovation experiences, emphasizing the balance between investment returns and personal enjoyment in home projects. They explore downsizing challenges, the reality of second homes, and the emotional aspects of housing decisions.

In this conversation, early retiree Kevin Sebesta shares his unique perspective on 12 years of life after FIRE. A community organizer and founder of the Slackers group, he emphasizes the importance of friendships formed through travel. Kevin introduces his 'Fun Bucket' concept for guilt-free spending on experiences. He reflects on the child-free lifestyle's influence on finances and discusses how curiosity drives fulfillment in retirement. Balancing financial optimization with enjoyment, he encourages testing retirement ideas before fully committing.

Rebecca Herbst, an early retiree and founder of Yield & Spread, shares her journey of exploring community and identity after financial independence. She discusses the challenges of finding a suitable place to live, their road trip experiments, and the transition from a scarcity to an abundance mindset. Rebecca highlights her nonprofit’s mission to promote high-impact giving within the finance community, emphasizing the importance of community connections and identity post-career. Tune in for insights on lifestyle choices and redefining purpose after work!

Doug chats with Kristen Knapp (FI Friends Travel) about the challenges of unwinding deep-seated frugal habits and learning to spend at the “right level” after achieving FI.  Inspired by a recent blog post from the Mad Fientist, Doug & Kristen explore the nuances of maintaining a balance between saving & spending and discuss why many people struggle to actually spend money once they hit their financial goals.  They also emphasize the importance of spending on what brings joy and the necessary shift in mindset that’s required to enjoy financial freedom without guilt. Do you like the podcast and want to support the show?  Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/ Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses?  Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you! Guitar Accessories Hiking & Outdoor Essentials for Sleep Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers?  Of course you do!  We ALL do!  Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington Links FI Friends Travel Mad Fientist, “Learning How to Spend Money” Mad Fientist on MHFI episode 048 CampFI Bill Perkins, “Die With Zero” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook MHFI Facebook group Doug’s site Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey — Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com 0:00 Introduction 2:19 Frugality 9:02 Spending after FI 16:43 Reframing expenses 24:41 FI Friends Travel 31:44 Award travel using points 37:05 The Fun Fund 44:18 Balancing present & future spending 51:25 Shared experiences 55:39 Soundcheck – Winter weather

Nik Johnson, a financial independence advocate and creator of Everyday Money Heroes, shares his inspiring journey to financial freedom, sparked during the pandemic. He discusses the emotional toll of running a failed used car dealership and how it reshaped his financial strategies. Nik emphasizes the importance of community, using his CENT framework to align financial goals with his wife's support. He also highlights his commitment to volunteering, advocating for financial literacy, and balanced living post-retirement, reminding us that wealth is more than just money.

Doug chats with Rusty about an intense neighborhood dispute involving prairie dog conservation, highlighting how ethical frameworks and philosophical approaches can guide community decisions.  Doug shares his experience working through this issue while emphasizing the importance of patience, humor, and effective communication in resolving disputes.  Rusty provides additional philosophical and ethical considerations while touching upon related communication strategies & improved community engagement. Do you like the podcast and want to support the show?  Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/ Interested in a pair of Xero shoes so that you can be just like Doug & Rusty?  Check them out here: https://milehighfi.com/shoe Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses?  Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you! Guitar Accessories Hiking & Outdoor Essentials for Sleep Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers?  Of course you do!  We ALL do!  Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington Links Amy Karofsky, “Philosophy Through Film” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Michael Schur, “How to be Perfect” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Oliver Burkeman, “Four Thousand Weeks” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Oliver Burkeman, “The Antidote” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Lucius Annaeus Seneca, “On the Shortness of Life” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audiobook Marcus Aurelius, “Meditations” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Aristotle “The Nicomachean Ethics” Kindle Hardcover Paperback Audio CD MHFI Facebook group Doug’s site Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey — Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com 0:00 Introduction 1:53 Philosophy & ethics background 7:27 The prairie dog situation 14:27 Exploring people’s intentions 23:17 Levelheadedness 29:17 3 main schools of ethics 36:20 Contractualism 41:45 The Trolley Problem 46:12 Aristotle’s 12 virtues 54:18 Stoicism & communication 58:28 Philosophy & ethics resources 1:04:19 Prairie dog outcome 1:09:01 Soundcheck – Shoes

Please support the show if you like it! I play a couple of highlights from Mad Fientist and Mr. Money Mustache after my pitch. Mile High FI stats and a correction: Spotify is 28% of the audience, so that’s grown in 2025 and higher than I said in this episode. If you extrapolate the Spotify year end review data to the total downloads, here is what you get… Mile High FI is a: Top 5 podcast for about 5,000 people! #1 podcast for about 740 people! I don’t have ads anymore so I want to cover production costs. Most of the costs are related to software and tools and hosting. Many other podcasts have sucky ads every 15 minutes. I don’t want to do that. Producer Chris volunteers to edit and produce the show. We’re not trying to get rich doing the show, but it takes a lot of time, effort, and planning. You can donate via Buy Me a Coffee. You get extra content and know that you’re making the show possible You can also check out the affiliate offers here, which are products that I recommend. Mile High FI usually gets a small percentage, say 1% to 15%, depending on the arrangement. It helps, but direct donations are the best.  

Justin David Carl, an entrepreneur and coach from Fit Rich Life, shares his remarkable journey from a high-paying tech sales career to semi-retirement. He discusses the challenges of financial independence, identity struggles after leaving a six-figure job, and his healing process in decoupling self-worth from income. Justin highlights the importance of building community, finding joy in activities like pickleball, and balancing part-time work. He offers practical tips for anyone considering a similar transition and emphasizes the value of defining personal success.

Doug chats with Pete Adeney, Mr. Money Mustache, about how to ensure a good life by tracking daily habits while comparing Cal Newport’s “The Good Life Algorithm” to Pete’s own Badassity-tracking system.  They discuss the concept of shifting identities after retirement, emphasize the importance of finding purpose beyond traditional work roles, and the value of nurturing friendships.  Pete also answers a few listener questions from the Mile High FI Facebook group. Do you like the podcast and want to support the show?  Follow the link to find out how: https://milehighfi.com/support/ Curious to know exactly what products Doug uses?  Check out his Amazon lists below. *Affiliate links below, so if you buy something or spend money, we might earn a commission. That helps the show and doesn’t cost you anything extra. Thank you! Guitar Accessories Hiking & Outdoor Essentials for Sleep Want to order MHFI stickers/temporary tattoos or create your own custom stickers?  Of course you do!  We ALL do!  Order them here using our affiliate link so that we might earn a commission: https://www.stickermule.com/dougcunnington Links Pete Adeney/Mr. Money Mustache Badassity Tracker (Original) Badassity Tracker (Updated) MMM post “How to make a 400K impulse purchase” Cal Newport, “The Good Life Algorithm” Tim Ferriss, Jim Collins interview MMM on Tim Ferriss (2017) Culdesac MHFI Facebook group Doug’s site Check out Producer Chris’s blog: Epic Financial Journey — Join the Mile High FI Club – It’s the email list! Get MHFi Merch – It helps support the show. Get t-shirts & more **Disclaimer: The podcast is for informational purposes. Maybe entertainment but we won’t even make such a claim. You shouldn’t take the info as financial, legal, or tax advice. We aren’t certified financial planners or advisors. We’re not qualified for much. So get advice from professionals.** Brought To You By: The Doug Show, aka Affiliate Marketing & Side Hustles Email the show: doug@milehighfi.com 0:00 Introduction 2:38 Badassity Tracker 8:29 The Good Life Algorithm 13:38 Social overload 18:24 Eating, sleeping, & colonoscopies 26:36 Identity (crisis) after quitting 33:36 Curiosity & lifelong learning 38:23 Tips for finding identity after retirement 42:42 Productivity & purpose 50:53 Question: Margin accounts 55:31 Question: Culdesac 59:45 Question: Gravel bikes & bikepacking 1:03:22 Soundcheck – Electric vehicles