Lessons from a Quitter

Latest Episodes:

How Tara Laferrara followed her passion and is creating a fitness empire Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

It's not uncommon for people to stick with careers they're unhappy with just because they aren't sure what else they'd do, especially when it comes to "finding your passion". But what if you know what you're passionate about but you're still unsure about taking that path? On today's episode, Tara Laferrara found herself caught in that very dilemma. She knew she was passionate about fitness but didn't think it would become a viable career and make enough money from it. She initially started teaching classes on the side because that's where she felt lit up, that's what she loved. But through the programming in society, from her family, and from others, she didn't think you could just teach classes, so she went the traditional route into the corporate world. She decided she wanted to climb the ladder in advertising. She ended up quitting that job only after 3 days because she just knew that path wasn't for her and she decided to dive in head first into her love of fitness. Now, in under 3 years she has gone on to co-own a brick and mortar gym, Compass fitness, in Colorado. She also does online training through her TL method and program and has amassed over 100k followers on Instagram. She's been featured in Shape, Women's Health, Redbull, Finish Line, among other notable brands and publications. She is a testament to the fact that there is so much opportunity out there now and there are so many ways to do things. You really can create a career out of the thing you love!

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How EVERYONE has doubt and imposter's syndrome.
Why you should just get started where you're at.
Why it's important to have a good support system.
And so much more!

Where to find Tara:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/taralaferrara/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taralaferrara
Twitter: https://twitter.com/taralaferrara
Youtube: https://youtube.com/taralaferrara

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You're never too old to start over with Paul Tasner Sep 17, 2019

Show notes

If you've ever told yourself that it's too late to start over, be prepared to face the truth: you're just making an excuse. After spending 40 years climbing the ladder in corporate America, Paul Tasner was laid off from his job at 64 years old (all while casually eating an apple during his surprise exit interview!). A few years later, at 66 years old, Paul decided to take a leap of faith and try his hand at entrepreneurship. To combat the amount of plastic that companies used, he founded Pulp Works and set out to create safe, eco-friendly packaging for consumer products. PulpWorks uses paper and agricultural waste to mold compostable packaging and thereby diminish the waste deposited in our landfills, waterways, and oceans. Paul was selected as a TED Resident in 2017. His TED Talk on sustainability, entrepreneurism, and ageism has been seen by more than 2 million viewers and translated into 29 languages. As if he wasn't doing enough, in 2018, Paul, with colleagues in San Francisco and Mexico City, founded Sort, a company using artificial intelligence, the IoT, and computer vision technology, to solve the contamination challenges facing the plastics recycling industry today. He is doing such incredible things and inspiring so many others! He is a real testament to the fact that it is truly never too late to start over. There are tons of things we can all do to pursue our dreams!

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How it's SERIOUSLY never too late to start over!
How there is no such thing as security.
Why you should get clear on what you want.
And so much more!

Resources mentioned:

Paul's TedTalk

Where to find Paul:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paultasner/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paul.tasner
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PulpWorksInc
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulietaz

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How Kelsey Murphy walked away from a great career to build an even better life Sep 10, 2019

Show notes

How would you feel about leaving a job that took you to places like Italy and let you work with well-known people like Bono? Most people would have a really hard time walking way from something everyone else considers a "dream job". But Kelsey had a little feeling in her gut that there was something better out there for her. (Yes, even better than working with Bono). It wasn't until her own dealings with a life coach that she began to consider a career change. She is now an in-demand life and business coach working with some big hitters like Marie Forleo as well as Fortune 500 companies like Facebook and Twitter. She now has a dream business where she brings in more money than her previous career while only working three days a week. And when Kelsey's not coaching, you can find her hosting the Whiskey & Work Podcast where she gives her wise (and sometimes comical) advice on navigating the waters of business, life, and relationships. Kelsey's story is an amazing example of what is possible if you're willing to step into the unknown and to really go after what you want!

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

Why you should stop ignoring that feeling in your gut.
How you should follow your curiosity instead of your passion.
How that perfect job for you exists, really!
And so much more!

Where to find Kelsey:

Website: KelseyMurphy.com
Passion Planner: www.kelseymurphy.com/passionplanner-download

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How AI is changing work and how to own the AI revolution with Neil Sahota Sep 03, 2019

Show notes

In honor of Labor Day, I invited Neil Sahota on the show to talk about the AI revolution and how it will affect the working landscape. Technology is developing at such a rapid pace and it is really important to pay attention to how it will change work as we know it.

Neil Sahota is an IBM Master Inventor, United Nations (UN) Artificial Intelligence (AI) subject matter expert, and Faculty at UC Irvine. He is also the author of the book:

Own the A.I. Revolution

. With 20+ years of business experience, he works with clients and business partners to create the next generation of products and solutions powered by emerging technologies. If you're a regular listener of the show, then you've heard from many of our past guests that are now doing things that didn't exist as careers 5-10 years ago. These new industries, such as social media manager and online educator, are but a few examples of the changing landscape of work. While most people (or the media) tend to focus on the negatives that can come about from these changes, I think Neil's book does an incredible job of showing all of the amazing things that can happen as a result of these technologies. His book does a wonderful job of addressing important issues like the speed of change that we're experiencing, how to utilize emerging technologies to disrupt our own industries, understanding the kind of careers that are on the horizon, and how we can either rework our skills or come up in a new profession. There is a tremendous amount of opportunity and if you pay attention to what's coming next you have a chance to build the career or business that you want. Neil is just the person to help us figure out what we should be doing with all of these emerging technologies and how we can better prepare ourselves for the working landscape in the future.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

Why it's important to start learning about AI now.
Why you're in the right position to disrupt the system with your current skills.
Why you should learn to embrace change and learn how to better position yourself for it.
And so much more!

Where to find Neil:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-sahota-%E8%90%A8%E5%86%A0%E5%86%9B-028143/
Website: https://neilsahota.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/neil_sahota

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How Lindsey Schwartz quit the corporate world to become a Powerhouse Woman Aug 27, 2019

Show notes

Lindsey started out like many people pursuing a career in the corporate world. Even though she was doing great at her job, it was during the 2008 recession that she realized this wasn't a stable path. She then decided to enter entrepreneurship part-time through a company called Isagenix, a network marketing company which she still currently works with. From that company, she then created Powerhouse Women, an online community, a yearly event, a book, and a podcast. (Whew!). After seeing numerous women in her life stop short of pursuing their own entrepreneurial dreams because of fear and self-doubt, she saw the need for more honest conversations about the ups and downs of entrepreneurship in order to show women that they don't have to have it all together to get started. What I love the most about Lindsey's story is that she sets an example for her community. She didn't wait around for a huge social media following or to have some kind of star-backing, she wrote a book because she wanted to write a book and became a best-seller. She created an event because she saw a need and now it's growing year after year! If you take away one single message from Lindsey's story, let it be this: just start. Whatever it is that you want to do, just start doing it. You never know where that path may lead!

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How no one actually knows what they're doing and you don't have to do it alone.
How fulfillment comes from giving yourself time and space to do the things you want to do.
Why it's important to think about the limitations you're arguing for.
And so much more!

Where to find Lindsey:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/llindseyschwartz
Instagram: www.instagram.com/powerhouse_women
Website: www.powerhousewomen.co

Resources Mentioned:

5 Steps To Finding Your Calling PDF

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How Peter Glatz quit his dental practice at 65 to start a second career in one of America's Best Restaurants Aug 20, 2019

Show notes

How many times have you wanted to start over? How many times have you started thinking about the possibilities only to follow them up with the thought, "but it's too late in my life to do this"? If you're human, then you've probably had this discussion with yourself a million different times, and that's okay, we all have those moments. However, even though you may feel like it's too late to start over, it doesn't mean that it is. Today's guest, Peter Glatz is essentially the holy grail when it comes to that myth. At 60 years old, Peter left his dentistry career of over 40 years in order to pursue cooking. He began his journey into the culinary world by reaching out to well-known chefs offering to work for free! (Who says you have to immediately start making money off of something you love? Just start!). Listen to how his journey led him to eventually landing a dream job as a link cook at Nonesuch in Oklahoma City, Bon Appetit's 2018 Best Restaurant in America. Despite working long, 12 hour days at a physically taxing job, Peter has never been happier. I love so many things about his story. There are so many people who count themselves out when they reach a certain age because they believe it's too late for them to pivot their path. But Peter's story is really a testament to the fact that there is always time to try something new! Not only that, but he didn't let his lack of formal experience stop him from feeling confident enough to reach out to those well-known chefs. There are just so, so many wonderful lessons to learn from Peter and his journey.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How it's never too late to start over.
How if you want something different you should do something about it.
Why you should create a vision and then take action.
And so much more!

Where to find Peter:

Email: Docglatz@gmail.com
Website: berthabus.com

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How Kelsey Chapman Built a Brand and Found Her Passion While Serving Coffee Aug 13, 2019

Show notes

A common theme we've seen is that a lot of new career paths evolve out of the need to create a hobby or some kind of outlet. Kelsey Chapman's story begins in a similar place. She started blogging in addition to her day job because she was feeling frustrated and trapped. (Sound familiar?). Over time her blog built up an audience and things eventually grew into her own agency. However, after years of growing her successful agency, Kelsey made the difficult decision to shut it down because it no longer served her. We talk all about how hard it is to walk away from something that is working but you know is not the path you want to be on. What's amazing about Kelsey's story is that she used all of her newly-found skills from building her agency to land an incredible job in marketing. She really is a testament to the idea that there really is no right or wrong decision. All it takes is a leap of faith and the path will lead you where you need to go! Kelsey also currently helps entrepreneurs to build their business, grow their platform, and steward their influence in her year long program called, Dream to Done. It is her mission to help women turn their dreams into profitable ventures that can allow them to live with both freedom in their finances and their time.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

Why you don't have to martyr yourself to make a difference.
That it's okay to walk away from something that's making you unhappy even if it's making money.
Why you're allowed to pivot as many times as you need.
And so much more!

Where to find Kelsey:

Instagram: instagram.com/kelschapman
Itunes: itunes.kelseychapman.com

Resources Mentioned:

LFAQ Live Event Sign Up

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How Michelle Schroeder-Gardner makes millions blogging while traveling the world Aug 06, 2019

Show notes

You don't necessarily have to pursue a whole new path in order to make a career change. On today's episode, Michelle Schroeder-Gardner got her MBA in finance and then started working as a financial analyst. But realizing that she had never been taught about personal finance in school, she started a blog, Making Sense of Cents, to document her own financial journey. She wanted to show the different things she started doing on the internet to make some money on the side. When she discovered that she could make money from her blog, everything changed. She now makes over $100,000 a month through her blog. (Seriously, it's insane!). You can check out all of her expense reports on her website to see when she started making $5k, $10k, all the way up to where she is now. In 2015, Michelle and her husband sold their house and started traveling full time while she runs her blog on the road. They first started traveling by RV but are now living on a sailboat. You can follow their adventures on her Instagram, but be forewarned, the pictures will give you some serious FOMO. Even though blogging has been around for quite some time, Michelle's story really highlights that it never is too late to start pursuing this path.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

Why it's not too late to start!
Why it's important to stick with your side hustle for at least one year.
Why you should prioritize your time.
And so much more!

Where to find Michelle:

Website: https://www.makingsenseofcents.com/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/makingsenseofcents/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/michelleschro
Website: https://makingsenseofaffiliatemarketing.com
Website: https://www.makingsenseofcents.com/extra-income

Resources Mentioned:

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How Steve Trang Quit Engineering to Build a Real Estate Empire Jul 30, 2019

Show notes

Since we've recently gained so many new listeners, we wanted to throw it back to one of our favorite episodes!

Today, we get to talk to Steve Trang about how he made the (rather quick) jump from electrical engineer to real estate agent and how he's grown in that role ever since.

Steve started out his career earning a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and working as an engineer for Intel for 3.5 years. In 2007, Steve quit his engineering career to become a real estate agent.

Since then, Steve has gone on to create Stunning Home Realty, a real estate brokerage in Phoenix, Arizona that he has grown to 60 licensed agents, selling over 100 houses a year and creating some of the top producing teams in the valley. He's also gone on to start his own Title company and develop a real estate app. Steve is not only committed to building his successful real estate empire but he also believes in helping others build their dreams too. He recently started a podcast called Real Estate Disruptors, where he interviews other real estate experts on how they're disrupting their markets.

Here is what we chat about in this episode:

How getting his Masters degree in Electrical Engineering is really taking the easy route because "someone else lays out the plan and you just follow it"
How he always knew that he would eventually leave his engineering job but why it happened so much faster than he expected.
- How his irrational confidence allowed him to meet a real estate broker and, within 2 ½ weeks of that meeting, get his real estate license and quit his engineering job.
"Real confidence is knowing you'll figure it out" - Brandon Burchard
How the fall of the real estate market in 2007 almost sent him back to his engineering job and how he continued to push through.
How he uses self-help to continue to grow his business.
How he went from being a real estate agent to owning his own brokerage, title company, real estate app and podcast.

Upcoming Events:

Resources Mentioned in the Podcast

Tony Hsieh, Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose.
Micheal E. Gerber, The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It.
Pat Flynn's Smart Passive Income
Darren Hardy's Darren Daily

Where to find Steve

Why you don't need passion to scale a successful creative business with Pye Jirsa Jul 23, 2019

Show notes

Since we've recently gained so many new listeners, we wanted to throw it back to one of our favorite episodes! I love this conversation with Pye! It was such a raw and in-depth conversation about the illusion of stability, the origin of most people's fears, and the importance of developing a learning mindset. What is so fascinating about Pye's journey is not just that he jumped from being a CPA to becoming a founder of an award-winning, multi-million dollar photography studio, it's that he did that without having a passion for or knowing the first thing about photography. Like most of us, Pye started going down the traditional path. He became a CPA and worked for Ernst & Young before realizing that he did not like what he was doing. He quit, along with his two best friends Justin and Chris, in order to start a tech startup. When the funding for their startup fell through, the friends took on web development clients. One of their clients needed photographs taken and Pye assured them that they had a photography department that could take care of it! What I love about his story is that most people would not only shirk at taking on a task that they don't know how to do but also avoid a "creative" profession that they are not skilled in. Pye, realizing that photography was a skill that could be acquired, looked at entering the wedding photography industry as a business and not a passion. That eye towards business has led Pye, and his partners, to create Lin and Jirsa Photography, a boutique Southern California wedding and portrait photography studio composed of an incredible creative team of 50 people that shoots over 300 weddings each year, with nearly 1,000 yearly client commissions. He is also a founder and partner in SLR Lounge, a premium educational community geared towards providing photographers with real-world shoot education with nearly a million monthly readers.

What You'll Learn in this Episode:

My experience with launching this podcast! Specifically, how taking a risk in my own life led me to realize the opportunity in doing so.
The breaking point that led Pye to quit his job and take a risk on himself
How failed attempts at funding projects and business ventures became opportunities for exploration, self-discovery, and ultimately, success
How he created a multi-million dollar business in photography with a positive "learning mindset"
Why Pye has a "passionate dislike" of the word "stable" and the illusion it creates
Where Pye believes most fear comes from and why it limits your opportunities and potential
How developing a "Learning Mindset" allowed Pye to turn quitting and "failing" into growth, opportunity, and success

Upcoming Events:

Resources from the Show:

Visit Lin and Jirsa Photography and explore his phenomenal photo blog

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King, ebook
Listen to more inspiring quitters on my webpage!

Where to find Pye Jirsa:

Instagram:@pyejirsa
Photography Instagram: @linandjirsa
SLR Lounge Instagram: @slrlounge

If you were inspired by this episode of "Lessons from a Quitter" with Pye Jirsa, I know you will find inspiration in other lessons from quitters on my website. Enjoy listening!

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