The Derek Loudermilk Show

"Adventure is novel experiences, things that I have never done before, and finding the novelty in the seemingly mundane." -Troy Erstling On today's episode of the Art of Adventure podcast, I have with me an amazing, creative, and talented guest. I mean, seriously, you're going to end this episode asking yourself: what can this guy not do? Troy Erstling is the founder of Brain Gain, which connects top international talent to jobs around the world. Troy is a serial traveler and has been going around the world for the past eight years. He believes in happiness, creativity, and self-growth through travel. Before launching Brain Gain, Troy spent his time researching startups and entrepreneurship. As if being busy with Brain Gain and traveling isn't enough, Troy also does freestyle beatbox poetry. On this episode, Troy gives us a sample of his talent and creativity by doing freestyle poetry! What you will learn on this episode: * How to earn money while experiencing the world * The importance of following your passion and unleashing your creativity * The benefits of travel to your growth as a professional and, generally, as a person * Why he chose to nurture the startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia * His experiences before founding BrainGain.co * What is freestyle poetry and how Troy does it Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):www.braingain.coFacebookTwitter You might also like these episodes:AOA 107 | Danny Flood | Creating An Open WorldAOA 127 | Jonny Freesh | Adventurous Music VideosAOA 042 | Cal Newport | Be So Good They Can't Ignore YouAOA 121 | Cal Newport | Deep Work – Eliminate Cognitive Junk FoodAOA 113 | Jenny Blake | The Pivot Method For Career Change  

"I have control over the energy that I am contributing to the world." - Sarah Dandashy Our guest today possesses some unique superpowers: the ability to connect people and get stuff done. Sarah Dandashy, founder and creator of the web series Ask A Concierge, has been dubbed the darling of the concierge community. She's been recognized by the Les Clefs d'Or Concierge, a not-for-profit association made up of professional hotel concierge members. Being a concierge and working in the field makes sense for Sarah, as she herself enjoys traveling - plus the fact that she actually studied Foreign Service in college. On this episode, Sarah takes us back to her history, her lineage, and her experiences as a concierge. You'll be amused to learn that what The Grand Budapest Hotel portrays actually does happen in real life! What you will learn on this episode: * What it's like to be a concierge * How one's background and connections are super helpful in getting stuff done, especially in the hotel and hospitality industry * Lots of different hotel and concierge stories from Sarah herself * How the concierge community is just that: a community of individuals constantly tapping on one another's resources in order to serve clients           Quotes: "If we all inched toward [positivity] a little bit more, it will have a resounding impact." "Think about yourself and your day-to-day actions and what you contribute to the world, then try to make it positive." "I have control over the energy that I am contributing to the world." "Adventure is going outside of your comfort zone." "I keep track of new things that I do all the time." Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):Ask A Concierge websiteFacebookYouTubeTwitterInstagram You might also like these episodes:AOA 134 | Garrison Cohen | Creative Events (AKA the Art of Eventure)AOA 128 | Gunnar Garfors | A Story From Every CountryAOA 060 | Dave Cornthwaite | Say Yes To AdventureAOA 088 | Derek Sivers | Turning Observations Into Action

"When you can own who you are, then you can own how you can show up for other people." - Calvin Witcher Today's guest on the podcast is one of the most inspirational people I know. He is a spiritual coach, a thought leader, motivational speaker, and most importantly, an awesome dad to four boys! Calvin Witcher mentors and teaches thousands on family education, spirituality, and personal development. He believes in find your truth and living it unapologetically. His approach in coaching differs from others in such a way that he moves according to the client's phase. In short, he doesn't rush things. On this episode, Calvin opens up about his own family life - about his kids and how he got to adopting them. What you will learn on this episode: * How Calvin and his partner came around to adopting four biological brothers * How it's like to live in a household with young children and what keeps him balanced * Calvin's views on having multiple children versus having just one * His approach on coaching clients who are on different levels, spiritually and emotionally * Calvin's take on peyote and ayahuasca * How to find equilibrium in life * Finding your truth and living it without holding back         Quotes: "Multiple children isn't necessarily more difficult. It's just more strategic." - Calvin Witcher "I don't think you can go to a place of fully knowing without getting to a place of understanding." - Calvin Witcher "I work very intuitively, which is the foundation of my work." - Calvin Witcher "Every spiritual leader gets to a place of frustration." - Calvin Witcher "When you can own who you are, then you can own how you can show up for other people." - Calvin Witcher "You gotta start with yourself." - Calvin Witcher "At some point, we need to find our equilibrium." - Calvin Witcher "This journey is about finding your truth and doing it unapologetically." - Calvin Witcher Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):calvinwitcher.comcalvin.tvFacebook You might also like these episodes:AOA 136 | Christine Hassler | How To Beat Expectation HangoversAOA 051 | Rick Hanson | Permanently Increase Your HappinessAOA 094 | Loretta Breuning, PhD | Habits Of A Happy Brain You will also like:The Best Art Of Adventure Podcast EpisodesAOA 050 | 50 Shades Of Adventure: The Best Ideas From The First 50 Episodes

"The reason I became an entrepreneur is because I felt I had this mission that I was not being able to do because I was spending 50-60 hours a week working for someone else." - Dale Thomas Vaughn   Today's guest is a "return guest." He was previously on episode 66 of the Art of Adventure podcast, where we talked about adventure and healthy masculinity. This time around, he is back to bring us tons of value - and we'll be discussing the importance of media in entrepreneurship. Dale Thomas Vaughn provides media training for entrepreneurs with a mission. He is focusing on helping business-minded individuals maximize their efforts by providing top-notch advice on traditional media marketing methods. Dale stresses on the importance of stories and how these stories fuel media outlets. What you will learn on this episode: * Social media looks much easier to use - but there is more to it than meets the eye * The current US statistics on media consumption * How to book yourself on the different media platforms * How you can get through to the producer for your pitch * The importance of your stories' headlines * How your content affects the shareability of your story         Quotes: "The more media you do for your work, the more engagement you get." - Dale Thomas Vaughn "There's a massive need for stories on a daily basis."- Dale Thomas Vaughn "Pick one platform where you feel most comfortable."- Dale Thomas Vaughn "Your headline is the most important thing about you being read."- Dale Thomas Vaughn "Your content is the most important thing about you being shared."- Dale Thomas Vaughn "Pitch one day at a time."- Dale Thomas Vaughn Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):www.dalethomasvaughn.comFacebook Twitter: @NextGent You might also like these episodes:AOA 066 | Dale Thomas Vaughn | Purposeful MasculinityAOA 056 | Michael Margolis | Storytelling For BusinessAOA 031 | Shane Snow | Smartcuts and StorytellingAOA 037 | Louis Jebb | Virtual Reality and Immersive News You will also like:The Best Art Of Adventure Podcast EpisodesAOA 050 | 50 Shades Of Adventure: The Best Ideas From The First 50 Episodes

"You need some type of chaos to achieve creativity." - Michael Spencer Bown Today's episode is one of my all time favorites because today's guest is known as the "most traveled man," and is big hero of mine. Mike Spencer Bown has not only visited every single country in the world, he has also immersed into some cultures by living with tribes. One thing about living with the natives is that he did not expect how good the people were. They took him in, welcomed him to their community, taught him local customs like hunting, and took care of him. What is amazing about Mike is that he does all this traveling to share with everyone he meets. There was a even a time when somebody asked him to tell a story about his adventures; three weeks later, he was still going! Adventure to him means freelance traveling - going in and not knowing what to expect, what's going to happen next. Stories you will hear in this episode: * Battling a Mountain Lion * Hitchhiking through Iraq during the war * Spending 90 days alone in the wilderness * Making coffee tables out of coffee wood and earning a huge profit * Explanation of how world religions interact * How Mike carried $80,000 USD on his person * Learning to hunt with natives when he couldn't speak the language * The philosophy of capitalism vs. feudalism         Quotes: "I consider the wilderness more dangerous than traveling" - Mike Spencer Bown "Nepal is good for spiritual experiences - you can see deep time"- Mike Spencer Bown "Try to work the people, not the system"- Mike Spencer Bown "Learn to adjust to the culture you are in"- Mike Spencer Bown "Try to meet interesting people and they give you ideas"- Mike Spencer Bown "My stories have deviated from reality over time"- Mike Spencer Bown "Conservative countries are family oriented"- Mike Spencer Bown Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):www.mikespencerbown.com Mike on Facebook You might also like these episodes:AOA 128 | Gunnar Garfors | A Story From Every CountryAOA 055 | Ladan Jiracek | Travel Wisdom From 80 CountriesAOA 118 | Chris Guillebeau | Born For This - Find the Work You Were Meant to DoAOA 052 | Ben Keene | Creating Tribes Around The World You will also like:The Best Art Of Adventure Podcast EpisodesAOA 050 | 50 Shades Of Adventure: The Best Ideas From The First 50 Episodes

"Your biggest enemy is obscurity"- Jeremy Ryan Slate Jeremy Ryan Slate has the mindset and philosophy of an individual who is geared toward success. He is the host of Create Your Own Life, a podcast aimed at helping entrepreneurs break through barriers and live the life of their dreams. During the interview, Jeremy talks about his struggles in the beginning, as well as his adventures that have greatly contributed to his mission. He emphasizes on not being afraid to fail in the beginning, as he himself has also “screwed up royally” when he was starting out. This episode is something you wouldn’t want to miss, as Jeremy gives us the importance of always bringing value to everything you do - and that is how you create your own life. On this episode, you will learn: How Jeremy started out and who his inspirations were How to connect and get high-level guests What he does to sustain his podcast and business How he uses traditional marketing techniques and incorporates them into his current business, which is mostly done online The importance of “value exchange” Quotes from the Episode: "Podcasting helped me be me again" - Jeremy Ryan Slate "A press release is like a Tarantino movie - you write them backwards"- Jeremy Ryan Slate "Make the shift to be a more valuable person"- Jeremy Ryan Slate "Your biggest enemy is obscurity"- Jeremy Ryan Slate "Adventure is doing something that scares the hell out of you and forces you to grow"- Jeremy Ryan Slate Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):Create Your Own Life Connect with Jeremy on Facebook Click here to thank Jeremy on Twitter You might also like these episodes:AOA 122 | Yann Ilunga | Podcasting SuccessAOA 082 | Jeff Brown | Read To LeadAOA 034 | Jordan Harbinger | The Art of the Interview and Networking Like a ProAOA 062 | Jason Zook | Exercise Your Creative Muscle To Make MillionsAOA 020 | Scott Morrison | The World Of Sponsorship You will also like:The Best Art Of Adventure Podcast EpisodesAOA 050 | 50 Shades Of Adventure: The Best Ideas From The First 50 Episodes  

"The spirit of entrepreneurship is innately human"- Dougan Sherwood Dougan Sherwood is a visionary. He looks into the future and imagines what an innovative ecosystem looks like for universities and businesses. Our guest today, Dougan Sherwood, is the co-founder of Cambridge Innovation Center St. Louis, and the current global director of expansion. CIC is a real estate services company that takes pride in their culture and how they’ve built a “community for entrepreneurs.” CIC has been the home of fast-growing companies since its conception in 1999. During the interview, Dougan shares about how exciting it is to see people start from concept to actually realizing their full potential and landing venture capital that ultimately gets their business models off the ground. It’s quite inspiring! CIC in also the home of Venture Cafe, the weekly networking and business training that so many people attend here in St. Louis. Check out our interview with Venture Cafe's Travis Sheridan On this episode, you will learn: What CIC is and how it works How cities can take advantage of startups How coworking spaces have made an impact in today’s business arena All about venture capital and how one gets it The risks and costs of starting a business and how CIC can help you beat those Why customer service is the most important aspect of any business Quotes: "When you design and build spaces, the look and feel is important" - Dougan Sherwood "CIC is a platform - like your smartphone"- Dougan Sherwood "I see this challenge the fundamentals of commercial real estate"- Dougan Sherwood "I'm a bit of a hotel manager/mayor/executive"- Dougan Sherwood "Companies are best served by delaying as long as they can before funding"- Dougan Sherwood "Adventure is facing true risk and significant fear and having the willingness to walk towards it"- Dougan Sherwood "The spirit of entrepreneurship is innately human"- Dougan Sherwood   Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode): Email Dougan directly: dougan@cictr.com Dougan’s Twitter: @dougan2 Cambridge Innovation Center website You might also like these episodes:AOA 148 | Travis Sheridan | Create an Environment for SuccessAOA 083 | John Corcoran | Turn Your Relationships Into RevenueAOA 034 | Jordan Harbinger | The Art of the Interview and Networking Like a ProAOA 036| Judy Robinett | How To Be A Power ConnectorAOA 072 | Jason Treu | How To Build Extraordinary Relationships You will also like:The Best Art Of Adventure Podcast EpisodesAOA 050 | 50 Shades Of Adventure: The Best Ideas From The First 50 Episodes

“Adventure is following the whims of your heart and soul, being spontaneous, and not letting anything get in the way of the things you want to do.” - Emily Utter Today on the podcast is my good friend Emily Utter. We met in Bali a year ago and since then, she has been a great advisor and is currently my business coach (yes, us coaches have coaches too!). Emily wanted to take control of her life and go where her passion dictates her to, and that’s why she became an adventurous entrepreneur. Her goals are simple: to help those with the same drive, passion, and aspirations to succeed in becoming coaches and healers. She wants you to break loose from the chains that the usual 9-5 have restricted and let you choose how you want to live your life. She believes that the only way to do something well is to actually DO it. Emily is all about upleveling and healing on an emotional level to better help others. Emily's area of genius is sales and relationship building, and we are going to dive specifically into those topics, so that you can generate consistent monthly income! On this episode, you will learn: How to create a career while living your best life Why it is important to live your life according to what drives you How to price your coaching business What to do when you don’t know what to say during a pitch How to make use of email and ask your friends to help you land clients What a warm letter is Quotes: "There is something deeper going on when there is a money objection" - Emily Utter "Stretch beyond your current level of comfort with your ability to help"- Emily Utter "You need the skills to back up your gift"- Emily Utter "Stop worrying about your website and business name, just tell people about your business"- Emily Utter "Generosity is non-linear"- Emily Utter "Take a stand for who you are supposed to help"- Emily Utter "Adventure is following the whims of your heart and soul"- Emily Utter Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode): Emily Utter’s website Free Sales Script for coaches here Click here to thank Emily on Twitter You might also like these episodes:AOA 110 | John Williams | Start A Business In 30 DaysAOA 042 | Cal Newport | Be So Good They Can't Ignore YouAOA 048 | David Wood | Get Paid For Who You Are: Part 1: CoachingAOA 088 | Derek Sivers | Turning Observations Into Action You will also like:The Best Art Of Adventure Podcast EpisodesAOA 050 | 50 Shades Of Adventure: The Best Ideas From The First 50 Episodes

I'm excited to have my new friend Matt Bailey is on the show today! Matt is a Canadian adventurer extraordinaire - he's done so many cool things that I wonder how he fit them all in to his life Matt is a "life-long learner and explorer." He believes in crushing limits and living fearlessly - and he wants everyone else to do the same. So he started Live Limitless, a website where Matt shares his experiences and more importantly, his travel hacks. Matt is also the founder of Canadian Free Flyers, democratizing cheap travel! We start the episode with a funny connection - I was a speedskater growing up and Matt tells us the great story about how he tried out for the Canadian Olympic speedskating team. On this episode, Matt and I talk about earning miles on your credit card, how to get the most out of your travel budget, choosing your accommodation, and couch-surfing. On this episode, you will learn: * Travel Hacking basics * How to apply for a credit card with no annual fee * How to get the most out of your credit card miles * Matt's travel adventures and other epic experiences * How Matt tried out for the Canadian Olympic Speedskating team * Couch-surfing! * How to live limitless! Quotes: "I started to believe I could do anything" - Matt Bailey "Little things build up your confidence, its a snowball effect"- Matt Bailey "Adventure is exploring things that make you excited"- Matt Bailey Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):Live LimitlessCanadian Free Flyers Talking Adventure: Derek on Matt's podcast Live LimitlessClick here to thank Matt on Twitter You might also like these episodes:AOA 055 | Ladan Jiracek | Travel Wisdom From 80 CountriesAOA 128 | Gunnar Garfors | A Story From Every CountryAOA 118 | Chris Guillebeau | Born For This: Find the Work You Were Meant to DoAOA 052 | Ben Keene | Creating Tribes Around The World You will also like:The Best Art Of Adventure Podcast EpisodesAOA 050 | 50 Shades Of Adventure: The Best Ideas From The First 50 Episodes

Get Real, the game of asking questions, was developed by David Wood and Sarah Gajek with this sole mission in mind: to create deeper and more meaningful connections - be it in romantic relationships, at work, or friendship. David and Sarah are currently in Australia to work on their app called Get Real which gives you 450 questions to ask when you want to spark a deep conversation. At first, David said he was a bit doubtful but eventually “fell in love with my own app.” If there’s anyone else who can create something very meaningful out of just asking questions, it’s David. He talks about how to become a coach and create a business on episodes 48 and 49 of the podcast. I got to know David and Sarah better as we played Ultimate Frisbee together and hung out for months in 2016 in Bali. On this episode, we take turns asking one another questions off the app - and I have to be honest, I got amazed with how much these questions got me thinking and reflecting. Get Real is indeed a sure-fire way to learn more about the person in front of you, or the person you work with. On this episode, you will learn: How you too can create deeper connections by asking important questions and actually listening to the other party’s answers What the basis is for the questions on this app How David and Sarah work as business partners Samples of questions from the app How to market an app or other offering How better questions enhance business events About my struggles as a new father and how I feel about it How to program a feedback loop into your product Quotes: "I've been asking deep questions for years as a life coach, but not with my friends" - David Wood "People are missing an opportunity to be heard"-Sarah Gajek "I listen for what people want to be asked"- Sarah Gajek "As I get to know about other people, I get to know about myself" -David Wood "It doesn't make sense to do things (marketing) in small doses"-David Wood "We are up to helping you deepen every human connection" - David and Sarah "Ban small talk at your event" - David and Sarah Continue the Adventure (Resources from this episode):The Get Real App You may also like these episodes:AOA 030 | Dave Booda | Exploring Creativity and RelationshipsAOA 042 | Cal Newport | Be So Good They Can't Ignore YouAOA 088 | Derek Sivers | Turning Observations Into ActionAOA 049 | David Wood | Make Money While You Sleep: Creating Products (Part II) You will also like:The Best Art Of Adventure Podcast EpisodesAOA 050 | 50 Shades Of Adventure: The Best Ideas From The First 50 Episodes