Unstagnate: Live an Unconventional Life | Expand Your Comfort Zone | No-Nonsense Personal Growth

I put time and effort into learning Salsa, but it didn't go anywhere. Why do some people learn dancing better and quicker than others? A few months back, I got to see my Scottish friend, Murray dancing with some of my female friends in a house party. They weren’t experienced Salsa dancer, and yet, he made them feel great and look great while he was doing it. Everything he did was smooth, effortless and graceful, and he was having a ball. And to top it off - 12 months before, he had no clue how to dance Salsa, let alone teach and lead a partner. Wow. This is exactly what I wanted when I took Salsa lessons in Colombia when I lived there. And yet, despite spending 20 hours in one-on-one lessons (and even focussing on leading), I never got to the point of feeling comfortable walking into a club and dancing with someone. Salsa seemed complicated, and got me in my head. I definitely wouldn’t have it in me to take a non-experienced dancer and create a great experience for both of us. I’ve also seen other friends of mine who spent a lot of time learning Salsa the same way I did, and they did get better. But the skill they developed was “professional dancing". If they had a trained dancing partner, they could put on an impressive show. But just walking into a club and dancing with a partner, regardless of her skills? Nope. Did they seem smooth and effortless? Nope once again. So I wanted to chat with Murray about what he did differently. Murray is a true artisan, and quite masterful at quickly learning new skills. He was a university boxing champion, has spent long stretches of time sailing at sea and worked at being a pearl diver. Those all represent skills that he learnt “on the job”. And in this chat we talk about how he took his dancing from awkward Gringo to smooth Salsero.   What was his motivation for improving his dancing Where did he go to learn Salsa, and what did he do differently Why dance teachers usually focus on teaching beginners more moves Why you should - instead - focus on perfecting the fundamentals How were his skills and results different from his friend who spent as much time learning Salsa, but focussed on learning more elaborate dance moves? How to make your dancing looks look more smooth Why Murray recommends focussing on giving your dance partner a good experience beyond everything else How Murray’s background in Boxing helps him with dancing How to use group lessons with other beginners to test and improve your leading skills How long it took Murray to “get good” and how did he know he was How positive momentum take over once you start enjoying dancing Why you have to know you’re going to suck for a while, and how to get past that period How Murray thinks about “collecting skills” and why he enjoys it so much I had a great chat with Murray, I think you'd enjoy it. If you have any questions or want any tips regarding dancing, Murray would love to help - free of charge and with no business intentions. Drop him a line - [email protected]

  This is a very special interview for me - with one of my favourite people in the world, who had a big impact on my life. At age 35, Troy had been backpacking the world for 13 years, living in various countries and working odd jobs.  And yet, with no affinity for computers or the internet, he ended up starting an online SEO marketing agency. 10 years later, the agency is serving 70 clients a month, with 3 full time staff.  Even though the agency, its staff and clients are located in Melbourne, Troy recently relocated to the Sunshine coast - 2000km or so away. He still works on the business - around 1 hour or so a day - and the business is thriving more than every before.  What I enjoy about this interview is how atypical Troy is for an online marketer. He's not motivated by money at all, he barely spends time on computers or the internet. And yet has managed to create a greatly successful business that runs without him. We'll talk about his story: How he got his first SEO jobs How he started his first business with a partner, and why that broke off Hiring his first employee (me!) and what that taught him about running a business How he bought a competitor SEO agency for an incredible price, and why his ability to create deep trusting friends is responsible for having gotten him that deal Why he got burnt out in his business, almost sold it and how he eventually - and hilariously - backed out by sneaking out of the sales negotiations Finally getting a business coach to put his business in order, get the processes working smoothly without him and removing himself from the business What had to happen to allow him to move 2000km away from his business while it ran - better - without his physical presence What his current roles in the business are How he keeps his employees happy and motivated And a lot more funny stories and anecdotes Troy has genuine charm and a lovely, simple life philosophy. He truly makes everyone he spends time with a little better. Enjoy this episode with Troy.

Unlike previous episodes, this episode is NOT an interview. It's also not me reading out an article that I wrote. Instead, I had some bullet points but mostly, I riffed into the microphone about what I thought were the most important elements I've noticed recurring in Unstagnate guests. If you're curious the elements were: 1. Finding Yourself 2. Having a strong "Why" 3. Taking Action Outside of Your Comfort Zone 4. Generosity and Sharing   I was pretty excited and caffeinated when I recorded this. I thought it was just going to be an initial draft - but it came out pretty energetic and I ended up liking it. If I miss a word here or there, please be kind. I've tortured myself over getting this to be perfect enough, and ended up deciding to just go with an authentic, excited, energetic and value filled episode. Enjoy!

Are you one of those people that get excited about doing something new only to cast it aside? Have you ever gone somewhere and found pure joy just in being there? Have you seen ‘signs,’ but you didn’t know where they would lead you? John McIntyre realizes self-growth is essential to building your life and your business. He went from being a teenager with no goals for career success to a successful marketing and musical entrepreneur who has a definitive plan for his future. In the past John never met a dream he could stick to, but he’s developed himself into someone who has focus and knows where he wants to be. Now he is someone who has a schedule and adheres to it so that he can make his vision come true. He learned to embrace ‘stick–to–itiveness’ to enhance his work life without worrying about what other people thought of his decisions. On today’s episode, you’ll hear John’s riveting story of how he nurtured his talents as a music producer and DJ to create and grow his business. He’ll also enlighten us with his insights about grit, sacrifice and pain because success is never free of charge. Please welcome Jmac to the show! Music started with a dream and now I’ll see how far I’ll take it.   A brief overview of today’s episode: Jmac tells us how Mark Cuban’s philosophy on life relates to his work and personal life. He talks about his experience with life coaches and describes how he felt before and after his first session with one. Jmac describes himself as a young man just on the scene and how his path changed. What is the life of a digital nomad? Jmac talks the life and how to prosper as one. What did Jmac ask himself before he made the decision to make music the focus of his life? Jmac explains his version of grit, motivation, and clarity in relation to his life and work. He shares a story describing his take on ‘deliberate practice’. He shares how he maps out his formula for his career accomplishments to predict expected future success. He travelled and cut costs by moving to a country that didn’t have high expenses, so he could focus more on his music without sacrificing too much with his music or making concessions. He talks about what he’s doing now with his music and talks about his new track, music books, and marketing. Resources Mentioned: Logic Pro Peak by author Anders Ericcson     Connect with Jmac: John Lavido - John's website John’s blog   Rate & Review the Unstagnate Podcast! If you enjoyed listening to the show as much as I enjoyed creating it, let me know by subscribing on iTunes and leaving a review! Your review will help us reach more ears, inspiring thousands of listeners to think unconventionally and develop out-of-the-box ideas for their self-development. We’d love to hear from you!

This week on the Unstagnate podcast, we’re doing something a bit different. Instead of focusing on self development, I’ll be focusing on how one small startup became less stagnant.   Today’s guest is A.J. Dunn, co-founder of Abroaders – a company that helps people get cheap international travel for pennies on the dollar. AJ will talk about how him and his business partner Erik went from being old friends to business partners, and how they went from their first business to Abroaders. But more interestingly, how they turned Abroaders from a boutique company charging $500 for their services, to a software company that charges exactly $0 to provide almost the same level of service. AJ will talk about how to business was stagnating, how they decided to change direction, and their journey to find investors, release the first software version and how they can make money without charging their customers any money. A brief overview of today’s episode: A.J. shares a story about a sales and fulfillment dilemma he and Erik encountered. A.J.  describes the signup process and who the service benefits the most. He talks about their experience with outsourcing tasks and why it’s important to employ a virtual assistant. He shares the process of how they could ease their workload while ensuring their customers would still benefit. A.J. talks about his experience with contractors, expectations, and communication. He explains how they created a minimum viable product (MVP) that would provide the same results to customers for less money. A.J. describes how he and Erik went from being a bootstrap company to finding investors so they could launch the MVP. He discusses the main challenges to developing their product. A.J. shares how Abroaders offers a competitive advantage that sets them above the competition. He talks about roles within the company, how he keeps his business unstagnated, and the company’s vision.   Resources Mentioned: Chris Reynolds from Entrepreneur House on episode 8 World Packers - exchange skills for accommodations   Connect with A.J. Dunn: Abroaders.com Abroaders Travel Podcast     Home for the Holidays Promotion:   Abroaders teamed up with Peter Shankman, Award Wallet, and Imgur to help the less fortunate fly home for the holidays. If you would like to donate your travel miles, go to http://www.abroaders.com/give/ and make a person’s dream come true.     Rate & Review the Unstagnate Podcast!   If you enjoyed listening to the show as much as I enjoyed creating it, let me know by subscribing on iTunes and leaving a review! Your review will help us reach more ears, inspiring thousands of listeners to think unconventionally and develop out-of-the-box ideas for their self-development. We’d love to hear from you!

Becoming a creative entrepreneur can be hard.  You may have this intense passion to draw, paint, write, or create beautiful pieces of art… but finding your niche, finding your voice, and finding the right clients can be a big challenge. My guest on the show today is Mars Dorian, creative brand specialist, consultant, and author of three Sci-Fi books. Mars has an interesting story about his journey into finding his creative voice, capturing the audience he wanted to target, and building a successful creative business from virtually nothing. It all started with a Wacom tablet – a device that allows creative artists to draw and illustrate digital artwork directly onto the computer. On today’s episode, Mars shares his creative journey into entrepreneurship, how he discovered his true life mission, how he works with clients to develop creative branding services, as well as how he found his “voice” and incorporated it into his writing and his artwork. Please welcome Mars Dorian to the show! A brief overview of today’s episode: How Mars Dorian’s blogging, creative nature, and being introduced to the Wacom tablet inspired him to launch his successful illustration and brand specialization business. How he found his “voice” in the writing and art industry. How he consults other creatives to find their unique style and voice. Why he believes imitatingrole models within your industry can help you find your voice and improve your skills. Why his motto this year is that “growth and comfort can co-exist.” His creative process for writing and drawing. How he incorporates authenticity into his writings and drawings. Why he believes being authentic helps build deeper relationships with your clients and people around you. How he created his personal brand and what the “Mars Dorian Dictionary” is. Why he strongly believes that your output should differ from your input. His daily habits and rituals. What is the Pomodoro strategy? “To find your purpose, your mission in life, you can’t just think about it. It comes from life experiences.” – Mars Dorian   Resources Mentioned: Anki – digital flashcard app Reflect and Benefit Journal Connect with Mars Dorian: Mars Dorian website The Outstander book by Mars Dorian Twitter Facebook Instagram   Rate & Review the Unstagnate Podcast! If you enjoyed listening to the show as much as I enjoyed creating it, let me know by subscribing on iTunes and leaving a review! Your review will help us reach more ears, inspiring thousands of listeners to think unconventionally and develop out-of-the-box ideas for their self-development goals. We’d love to hear from you!

Many people around the world struggle with staying focused and concentrating on specific tasks throughout the day – especially boring, mundane tasks – but people with ADD and ADHD typically struggle a lot more than most people. My guest on the show today, Grant Weherley, founder of Monetize Your Expertise, is one of the thousands of business owners and entrepreneurs who struggle with symptoms of ADHD. At the age of 18, he was diagnosed with ADHD and has dedicated countless hours to figuring out how to manage his symptoms to lead a more productive life and career.  On today’s episode, Grant shares his diagnosis story, shares tips and tricks he has found that has helped him stay more focused, improve his concentration, and reduce his impulsiveness to enable him to not only allow him to grow a successful online course creation company, but also lead a healthier, more fulfilling life.  Please welcome Grant Weherley to the show!    A brief overview of today’s episode:  Grant shares his journey from childhood through adulthood of living with ADHD, coping mechanisms he has learned, and how he has helped others learn to cope and manage their symptoms.  He explains how he learned that proper nutrition, exercise, and getting good quality sleep can significantly impact ADHD symptoms.  We talk about the differences between Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Trait.  We talk about dietary supplements and what types of supplements often work well for people with ADHD.  We discuss the effects of caffeine on people with ADHD and how the body metabolizes it differently from person to person.  He explains how exercise is not only good for your whole body, but it also helps improve your neuroplasticity – which helps improve your ability to focus and concentrate.  He shares his insight on circadian rhythm, blue light, and sleep patterns and how they affect each other.  He explains how alcohol affects sleep quality and how the body naturally metabolizes it.  He shares his insight on how he manages technology and social media distractions.    “Set up your environment to do the right thing and you will automatically do it.” Grant Weherley    Resources Mentioned:  Faster Than Normal  Examine  23andMe  Drug Half Life  Facebook Newsfeed Eradicator  Freedom  Self-Control  Toggl  Rescue Time  Chrome Web Nanny  Inbox Zero    Connect with Grant Weherley:  Monetize My Expertise  GrantWeherley.com    Rate & Review the Unstagnate Podcast!  If you enjoyed listening to the show as much as I enjoyed creating it, let me know by subscribing on iTunes and leaving a review! Your review will help us reach more ears, inspiring thousands of listeners to think unconventionally and develop out-of-the-box ideas for their self-development goals. We’d love to hear from you!

Everyone says they want to travel the world, see new places, taste new foods, and experience new things, but most people consider this a pipedream – a thing they add to their bucket list but rarely ever set a clear plan to follow through. That’s not the case with today’s guest, Scott Brills. Scott is a traveling entrepreneur and philanthropist who has experienced more out of life and the world around him than most people ever dream about.  Just this year, Scott has traveled to 15 countries, visiting – on average – approximately 30 countries every year. His passion in life is finding the perfect balance and blend in combining the three things he loves – traveling, philanthropy, and building a successful business.  His journey started out at a young age when his interest in traveling the world grew from seeing pictures and hearing stories from others who have traveled to the other side of the world. In high school, he had the opportunity to study abroad in Japan and the experience only further solidified what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Today, Scott is the owner of Pamoja Safaris, an African wildlife safari & tourism company in Tanzania. In this episode, he shares many stories of his incredible journeys through various parts of the world including Israel, Japan, China, and Africa as well as what inspired him to create his current company.  Please welcome Scott Brills to the show!    A brief overview of today’s episode:  Scott explains what life experiences and stories he has heard that has inspired him to extensively travel the world.  He talks about his first business venture – a website design agency.  He explains what the Mongol Rally is and his experience while competing in the race.  He explains what makes him want to continue taking risks and seeking adventures.  He talks about cultural differences throughout the world and how experiencing life at the world-level has helped improve his social skills.  He shares why he felt he had to “fake it til he made it” when communicating with people in a language he didn’t understand.  He talks about how he approaches and meets new people in different areas, cities, and countries of the world.  He shares what he believes traveling extensively has taught him and why he believes most people – despite which country he’s in – are very similar to one another.  He explains why his number one piece of travel advice is to “meet the locals,” and why doing so can transform your traveling experience.  He talks about the Rickshaw race & charity rally and what it was like participating in the event.  He explains what inspired him to create his new business – Pamoja Safaris and the challenges he faces.    Scott’s advice to those wanting to travel more extensively:  Realize there will always be excuses for you to not do it, or not do it right away.  Don’t do it without a plan. Just plan to do it.    Ways to Save Up to 75% on Travel Expenses:  Frequent flyer miles  Credit card flight rewards  Couch surfing    Resources Mentioned:  People to People Student Ambassadors   Mongol Rally  Rickshaw Run    Connect with Scott Brills:  Scott Brills website  Pamoja Safaris  Follow Scott on Instagram  Follow Scott on Twitter    Rate & Review the Unstagnate Podcast!  If you enjoyed listening to the show as much as I enjoyed creating it, let me know by subscribing on iTunes and leaving a review! Your review will help us reach more ears, inspiring thousands of listeners to think unconventionally and develop out-of-the-box ideas for their self-development. We’d love to hear from you!

In a predominantly extroverted culture, Introvert Expert Michaela Chung has always felt “a little different” compared to her peers while growing up. Throughout her childhood and early adulthood, she has tried to be more extroverted, but found that, at the end of the day, it left her feeling emotionally exhausted.  While in college and taking a psychology course, she realized why putting herself “out there” seemed so hard, uncomfortable, and exhausting. She learned, after taking a personality test, that she was an introvert – and that being an introvert was okay!  In 2013, she went on a mission to find her purpose in life. And, due to one experience while travelling, she discovered that her purpose was to help other introverts realize that being introverted was okay, help them understand their feelings about it, as well as help them claim their “alone time.”  Today, she explains in depth what it’s like being an introvert, how society and cultures tend to respond differently to introverted personalities, and what extroverts can do to help introverts “come out of their shell” enough to open up and get to know them. She also shares some amazing dating and relationship advice for introverts and extroverts that can help both personality traits communicate and connect better.  Please welcome Michaela Chung to the show!    A brief overview of today’s episode:  Michaela explains why it is important for introverts to take time to “recharge.”  She explains how an emotional breakdown while travelling has led her to find her purpose in life and build her business.  She explains how overstimulated social experiences can affect the creativity of an introverted person.  She shares her thoughts on whether being introverted is due to a person’s psychology, if it’s inherited, or if it’s caused by social upbringing.  She explains how an extroverted person can detect tell-tale signs that someone is an introvert.  She explains what she means by a “social introvert.”  Can you be shy and an extrovert?  She explains the introvert-extrovert personality spectrum.  Can your personality change across the spectrum over the course of your lifetime, or does it remain consistent?  She explains why she believes our culture glorifies being extroverted.  Studies have shown that introverts take longer to refocus after being distracted than extroverts.  She explains that introverts are always open to making friends and building relationships, but most of the time, they are not usually the ones to initiate the interaction.  She explains how introverts can show people that they are open to communication and socialization.  She shares dating and relationship advice for both introverts and extroverts.  She explains how she manages her energy and talks about her most memorable client success story.    “Going into a conversation halfway cuts off connections.” – Michaela Chung    Resources Mentioned:  Michaela’s book: Irresistible Introvert: Harness the Power of Quiet Charisma in a Loud World  Michaela’s article: 6 Signs You Are An Extroverted Introvert    Connect with Michaela Chung:  Introvert Spring  Join her mailing list    Rate & Review the Unstagnate Podcast!  If you enjoyed listening to the show as much as I enjoyed creating it, let me know by subscribing on iTunes and leaving a review! Your review will help us reach more ears, inspiring thousands of listeners to think unconventionally and develop out-of-the-box ideas for their self-development. We’d love to hear from you! 

My guest on today’s show is entrepreneur Karsten Aichholz. Karsten is the founder of an online gaming business who helps casual gamers achieve maximum in-game results with less time investment. Growing up, Karsten has experienced the effects of online game addiction. During high school, he dedicated an average of 6 hours of online play time to games on top of going to school and completing his homework.     Today, Karsten talks about the behaviors that can cause people to become addicted to digital habits, various triggers that are often associated with online game addictions, as well as what inspired him to overcome his addiction and how he did it. We discuss the business ethics within the online gaming industry and he explains why he believes his game addiction throughout high school was the “most productive thing he did” while in school.  Please welcome Karsten Aichholz to the show!  A brief overview of today’s episode:  Why does he believe he was so addicted to EverQuest? What features of the game triggered his addiction?  Were there any effects to the other areas of his life when he was heavily addicted to the game?  He explains how his addiction affected previously established relationships and friendships before he began playing EverQuest.  He admits that it was difficult to break his addiction to online games and shares his story on how he slowly overcame the behavior  He talks about how he turned his enjoyment of playing online games into a freelance business  He explains how he branched his online game guide writing business to write guides on other games in addiction to Ever Quest.  BJ Fogg’s behavior model – Behavior = Ability x Motivation x Triggers  Karsten shares what he believes his triggers were that called him back into EverQuest  We discuss internal and external triggers associated with Facebook addiction  He shares his thoughts about the gaming industry business ethics and his beliefs on whether or not gaming companies should regulate the amount of time people spend playing.  We discuss how the gaming industry is transitioning from “fun” to “fun and healthy” in various ways, including technology and products like Fitbit  We talk about personal responsibility and awareness  I share how I personally have combatted my digital addiction with Facebook through various tools and plug-ins that help me monitor my time and activity. These include:  DF YouTube (Distraction Free)  News Feed Eradicator for Facebook  Nanny for Google Chrome    Karsten’s Takeaway:  We are not always fully in control, but we can be aware of circumstances that will make change easier. We can recognize when these circumstances crop up and take action.    “It’s good to recognize weaknesses and want to change them, but it is also okay to be a less-than-perfect human being.” – Karsten Aichholz    Connect with Karsten Aichholz:  www.KarstenAichholz.com  Thailand Starter Kit  Travel Oak