Your Next Chapter

EP 017 – Michael Muscari – Allowing Yourself to Be Enough the Way You Are

Who is Mike?

Mike is my first returning podcast guest. In our first episode we talked about how to improve communication in intimate relationships, which to date is still one of the most highly downloaded episodes.

Mike is the founder of a nutrient supplement company called Nano Nutra. Nano Nutra uses the bodies natural agents (liposomes) to help increase the amount of nutrients that reach our blood stream, many supplements do not use these agents thus reducing the health benefits of taking supplements. 

He is an entrepreneur, master NLP practitioner and has a flexible lifestyle due to the web-based nutrients business he operates. 

Why did I bring Mike onto the show?

I brought Mike onto to show for sooooooo many reasons!!!

First, we got to record the episode in his fully loaded RV van in Venice Beach, California. I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to do a “van episode.”

Secondly, Mike’s supplement company allows him to operate his business remotely from any place that has a cell signal! I wanted to dive into this business more and talk about the lifestyle he’s been able to create for himself as a result of this. 

The flexibility in his business recently allowed Mike to buy a fully functional RV van, throw some solar panels on it and spend the last 6 months travelling the west coast from one surf break to another. 

Lastly, Mike set off on this journey to do some self-reflection, rediscover himself after his last relationship and to explore surf breaks on the west coast. After spending 4 days with him in Venice Beach and hearing his stories, I couldn’t help but bring him back on the show.

What will you learn in this episode?

- How Mike’s people pleasing impacted him personally in his last relationship and the impact this had on it 

- Why he was continuously stumped when partners asked him what he liked 

- How we escape from our emotional pains 

- About the Ken Wilber Shadow Repression method & the importance of taking the time to connect with our feelings 

- Steps to micro-dosing and psychedelics 

- How we are all enough the way we are 

- How to set out on your own van journey 

- Resources for the van life 

Contact Info

Mike can be reached via facebook if you have any questions about Nano Nutra, the van life or places he travelled to. I did not list all of them but I did list the one’s he highlighted below in the notes. 

Podcast Notes

Time Notes

- How Mike lost part of his identity in his last relationship @2:30

- How would you respond to the objection that you don’t know yourself at 31? @4:30

- Why he enjoys surfing – an example of enjoying the subtleties of life @5:25

- Partners would ask him what he likes but he never had a good answer…why? @6:30

- Mike’s realization that he’s repressed a lot of sadness – “it’s easy to get over your sadness by surrounding yourself with people” @8:00

- Being present with sadness @8:50

- The Ken Wilber Shadow Repression method and how Mike reconnected with his emotions (the hyperlink is a great step by step for anyone look to dive in further) @10:50

- “focused on feeling his emotions as opposed to running from them” @11:20

- Breakdown of micro-dosing @ 12:45

- Consciously choose not to judge his feelings as good or bad @14:20

- By going on this journey he was able to get to know himself more @16:00

- Doing one thing every day that makes Mike feel alive @18:00

- Learning to be content @20:00

- Mike’s surfing metaphor for accepting yourself the way you are @21:10

- The hardest part was being alone but made the most growth @24:15

- About the van @ 27:00

- People’s perception of him for living in a van@ 29:00

- Mike business – Nano Nutra @ 30:20

- Tim Ferriss is one of his greatest mentors @34:50

- Where Mike went on his trip @36:48

- Mike’s accessories for the trip @ 40:30

- Mike’s wild road stories @ 41:30

- Mike’s second blowout @43:30

- Journey from Venice Beach, California to Vancouver, BC @45:10

- Resources available for the Van Life @49:00

Mentioned in the Podcast

Ken Wilber – Shadow Repression

Psychedelic Explorer’s Guide

Micro-dosing

RoadTrek 170 – Mike’s van

Nano Nutra – Mike’s business

Thomasnet.com

Alibaba

Tim Ferriss – 4 Hour Work Week

White Sands, New Mexico

MC Yogi

Big Sur, California

Coos Bay, Oregon

Van Life Diaries - @vanlifediaries

RVtraders.com

Freecampsites.net

Roadtrek.com

EP 016 – Investment Strategies with a Stock Market Expert

Who is my guest for this episode?

On episode 16 I have Dave Barr, the CEO of PenderFund Capital, as my guest. Dave is the co-chief investment officer at Pender and manages 4 investment portfolios. He was awarded the Lipper Award for best Small Cap Fund in Canada in 2015. 

Why did I bring Dave onto the show?

I brought Dave onto to the show because I had the pleasure of working with him for 2 years prior to launching this podcast. In the two years I worked at PenderFund Capital, Dave instilled a lot of knowledge to me about the investing that I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I thought it would be useful to have him on the show to share some of wisdom with you. 

Dave was awarded the Lipper Award in his category, which is the most prestigious investing award you can receive in Canada.

Dave is a regular guest on the Business News Network where he provides advice on Canada’s small cap technology stocks. He’s been featured in Canada’s top newspapers and has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to investing. 

He’s passionate about his craft and having him on the show was an opportunity to share some of his expertise with you.  

In this episode you will learn:

• Dave’s investment strategy
• Why you need to be adaptive because things aren’t going to go as planned in business
• The value of having a contrarian mindset
• Looking at investing from the standpoint of a business owner
• The importance of patience

“A lot of people will stick to a plan, go down a course for too long, where all the evidence is banging them over the head saying this isn’t going to work. You have to be very self-aware, you have to be honest and you have to evaluate the information, to know when it’s time to fold up shop or pivot into a new direction.”

- Dave Barr

Dive into the episode to hear more.

Time Notes

How Dave’s science degree helps with investing – 4:13

Why you need a vision for your business and why you need to be adaptable – 5:28

Assessing early stage companies from a risk standpoint – 6:13

Why being a contrarian is important to Dave – 7:04

TIO Networks – 8:55

Entrepreneurs are contrarian by nature – 10:30

Looking at businesses from an owners standpoint – 14:55

Why Dave invests in technology – 16:00

Value investing and Warren Buffett – 18:15

Keys to Buffett’s success – 20:11

The importance to having balance – 23:00

Be patient – 27:28

Contact Info

Dave can be reached through LinkedIN or on Twitter @PenderDave

For more information on the portfolios he manages check-out the following links:

Pender Small Cap Opportunities Fund

Pender Value Fund

Pender Canadian Opportunities Fund

Pender Select Ideas Fund

Mentioned in the Podcast:

TIO Networks – one of Dave’s investments that went from $0.20 to $2

The Intelligent Investor – the investment book Dave recommends to everyone starting off class

Warren Buffett

The Warren Buffett Way – the first investment book Dave

Espial

Ben Graham – author of the Intelligent Investor

Charlie Munger – Buffett’s business partner

The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success

Steve Jobs

Elon Musk

John D. Rockefeller

EP 015 – Body Dysmorphia & Starting A Loving Relationship with Yourself

Who is my guest for this episode?

On episode I have the fortunate pleasure of sitting down with Ally Pintucci. Ally is one of the founders of When in Doubt Love and in this episode we dive into self-love.

Why did I bring Ally onto the show?

I brought Ally onto to the show because she is an incredibly beautiful human being who like all of us has had her ups and downs.

Ally discusses how she was able to lose 70 pounds through a determined lifestyle change. She focused on eating better and incorporating a variety of workouts into her daily life. Though having a lot of success physically, mentally this took a toll on her.

She talks about how the sudden drop in weight caused her to have body dysmorphia. Ally gets raw and shares her personal inner demons along with how she continues to cope with them.

Ally has used her experiences to help with the creation of When In Doubt Love, whose goal is to make us all realize that love and doubt can co-exist. It's to remind us that we can't control necessarily how we feel - but we can choose how we react towards ourselves and others, and hopefully it's from a place of love.

Dive into the episode to hear more.

In this episode you will learn:

• how to respond positively to adverse feelings
• how to identify why you don’t feel well
• what is body dysmorphia and how Ally is dealing with it
• the importance of being your #1 fan
• the thing holding you back from loving others
• the first step to having a more loving relationshipwith yourself

“You can’t give love, affection and supportto everyone else if you can’t love yourself.”

- Ally Pintucci

Contact Info

Ally Pintucci – Facebook

@allypintucci – Instagram

When In Doubt Love –Facebook

When In Doubt Love – Website

@WhenInDoubtLove - Instagram

Mentioned in the Podcast:

Chasing Sunrise

Time Notes

• Ally’s definition of success @3:17
• How to identify why you don’t feel well @7:30
• What is body dysmorphia @12:37
• The importance of being your #1 fan @ 15:18
• The thing holding you back from loving others @17:25
• How to respond positively to adverse feelings @29:17
• There is no such things as diets, it’s how you live your life @34:14
• Set yourself up for success @42:23
• Ally’s involvement with Chasing Sunrise @43:04
• It’s not about quitting your life, but it is about being happy @47:59
• The first step to having a more loving relationship with yourself @52:12

EP 014 - Finding What You Love, Boundaries & Why Being Picky is Good with Jordan Gray

Who is Jordan?

Jordan is a sex and relationship coach. Jordan has published several books on Amazon which have become Amazon best sellers.

Why did I bring Jordan onto the show?

I brought Jordan onto to the show due to his outlook on emotions, relationships and people. I knew that having Jordan on the show would lead to a rich conversation that would provide listeners with valuable insights about how to live a more purpose-filled life.

Jordan’s work has been featured on BBC, Entrepreneur and Business Insider.  Jordan launched his consulting business 3 years ago and now does over 6 figures in revenue annually via his coaching and blog. He has millions of monthly visitors to his website and has illustrated the content he creates is having a positive impact on people’s lives.

Jordan specializes in providing relationship advice, with everything from improving how long you last in bed to what everyone needs in a partner. Recently Jordan has taken a step away from relationships and has been writing more about living a deliberate life. In this episode, we dive into living intentionally, what sparked Jordan to move into his Next Chapter and much more.

What’s in this Episode for You?

Finding What You Love (4:04)

Early in the episode we discuss how Jordan knew becoming a sex and relationship coach was something he always wanted to do. Let’s say the fact that his room was filled with psychology, relationship and sexuality books was a slight hint.

We discuss the importance of feeling fortunate to do the work you do each and every day and how Jordan first discovered this by interning for free at a company for over 100 days.

What’s Holding You Back from Going after Your Dreams and How to Overcome It? (8:11)

Jordan talks about how the only thing holding people back from pursing their dreams is fear. Fear of not being good enough and lack of self-worth are the two biggest factors that hold people back.

We talk about overcoming that fear and some mindsets to help you move forward by tackling the obstacles that are standing in your way.

Jordan shares his personal story about how he moved from Vancouver to Thailand with no real “business plan” and only an idea to build a business. He talks about how we was able to overcome his personal fears and what he did in order to be able to make a living abroad (19:22).

He opens up about the selfie video that he took in the Vancouver airport where he’s bawling his eyes out before boarding the plane and how he keeps this video on his desktop as a reminder to how far he’s come. This is truly an inspiring story about the fears we all have to tackle in order to build the life we dream of (25:10).

How to Create Healthy Boundaries and the Importance of Having Them (38:21)

We dive into boundaries and how I believe this is one of the most critical things that Jordan teaches. We discuss how anger is an emotional barometer that we need to utilize to create healthy relationships with ourselves and others.

We talk about outgrowing friendships and how to move away from relationships that are no longer serving you. We also discuss the importance of honoring your core values and recognizing that you’re allowed to say “no” to anything in this world, including family.

One of the most interesting points in the podcast for me was when Jordan brought up a reframe about time. Jordan believes that people typically view time as easily expendable. Jordan suggests that we view time as money. When your friends or family ask for your time, ask yourself is this how you would want to spend your money?

If the answer is “no” you have a clear indication of how much time you should be spending with that person (44:41). It may not mean totally cutting someone out of your life but it may mean reducing the amount of time and activities you do with that individual.

Dive into the episode to hear more.

“To be able to crave our, honor you core values by saying ‘no’ to these things, ‘no’ to most things, which gives you the space to say ‘yes’ to the things that actually matter to you.”

- Jordan Gray

Time Notes

The microphone of society has never been more available – 3:59

All the greats effected humanity because they were “playing” – 6:03

Find work you would do for free, that you can’t not do – 6:30

What holds people from taking the leap? – 8:06

Worst case scenarios – 10:00

Laying on your death bed and looking back – 12:22

Jordan takes off to Thailand and sells 95% of his possessions – 17:25

Figuring out what he wants to do – 18:06

Building up courage – 23:09

Coping with his own personal fear – 24:56

That is the name of the game, constant experimentation 26:05

Breathing through fear – 28:52

Succeeding using your own personal gifts – 29:55

Major growth in his blog happened by focusing on his talents – 33:15

What sparked Jordan to pivot and move onto his Next Chapter – 35:01

Honoring the creative impulses that emerged from him – 36:06

Quieting the lizard brain – 36:54

BOUNDARIES – 38:21

Anger is a healthy emotion for boundaries – 38:57

Honoring your values – 39:18

How to look at your time – 43:48

Outgrowing relationships and friendships – 45:53

What is the most important skill for humanity?  – 50:27

Spending more time with people who magnify your well-being in the world – 54:30

Jordan’s favorite books – 55:45

Jordan’s favorite blogs – 57:54

Contact Info

Jordan can be reached through his website and all his books, courses and blog posts can be found there as well.

Mentioned in the Podcast:

Brene Brown

So Good They Can’t Ignore

The Alchemist

Six Pillars of Self Esteem

Mastery of Love

Mark Manson

Ben Greenfield

EP 013 - "My Tell All" - My Pains and Why I Created this Podcast

On this episode I come clean by talking about the things that have troubled me. I’ve suffered with some personal pains over the last few years and wanted to talk openly about them on this episode. I hope this episode will shine some light on my pains and the motivation for creating this podcast.

In the episode I get into my sexuality, I talk about how I’ve wrestled with dating men and women and not knowing where I stand on the sexuality spectrum. I talk about how I’ve recently come out to family about identifying myself as bisexual and the shame, guilt that I’ve lived with for too many years. You learn some things about me that you may have never thought or expected.

I let it all out; I get raw, authentic and vulnerable because I want to create a podcast that is centered on authenticity.  When we are authentic that’s when our truth shines and we allow others to see us who we truly are. As long as we continue to hide and suppress parts of our true personality we will only continue to inflict more pain on ourselves.

I hope this podcast encourages others to be their most authentic self. Regardless of what you’re pain or suffering is know that you’re not alone. Know that others are suffering with you and only through opening up can we start to heal. It is our darkest shadows where we can have our richest strides.

Check out the podcast to hear more, it’s 13 minutes in length. 

Referenced in the Podcast:

Brene Brown - Shame and vulnerability researcher

Contact Info:

You can contact me through my website or email me at fil(at)filipsierpinski.com

Following Little Bits of Happiness & Trying Things that Scare You

On episode 12 of 'Your Next Chapter' I have Amy Elderkin on as my guest.

Who is Amy?

Amy is the co-founder of Popcorn Media. Popcorn specializes in social media marketing, along with providing PR and traditional marketing services. Amy co-founded Popcorn with her two business partners five years ago.

Why did I bring Amy onto the show?

Amy is the embodiment of an individual who has been able to create a lifestyle true to her nature by taking on challenging aspects of her life. As an example, she didn’t go to school for marketing, but has been able to build a successful social media marketing company through listening to past experiences and taking deliberate action.

In the podcast Amy explains that she found her path by following little bits of happiness. She went through several jobs and eventually landed in the hospitality industry doing sales and marketing. The job required her to use social media to promote a hotel and she soon found herself really enjoying Twitter as a platform.

Amy started building her own Twitter platform and soon found herself exploring events and meeting new people. She ran a campaign called "Tweet to Eat" where for 2 weeks she sourced all her food and meals through the generous donations of Vancouverites over Twitter. She became an influencer on Twitter in Vancouver and realized if she could do this for herself, she could do this for businesses.

She would eventually meet her future business partners through Twitter and they began to collaborate on what is now Popcorn Media.

Amy said she choose marketing because it was what she enjoyed from her last job. By following little bits of joy and taking on things that challenged her growth, she was able to build a business and career she enjoys.

Amy’s Mindset

Try things that scare you – The things that Amy likes to says yes to are the things that scare her. An interesting point that surfaced during the podcast is that at one point, Amy read that men are much more likely to say yes to opportunities in jobs that they aren’t qualified to do than women; thus they get more opportunities.

Amy decided that was not going to be the case for her, “I say yes to things I probably shouldn’t say yes to.” When we say yes to the things that scare us we step into an opportunity for growth.

Balance – There is no such thing as balance in Amy’s world. She says there is always something out of balance in her life and it’s a constant juggling act. There are times where she will be a complete introvert staying in and other times where things are going at 100 miles an hour. You learn to balance the variety in each day.

Her life motto – Interesting life; interesting marketing.

Amy’s core belief is that if she lives an interesting life that will carry over into her career (this is a perfect example of flow). Amy actively embraces her personal life which allows for her career and personal life tohave a blurry zone in the middle.

The more guests I interview, the more I recognize that blurring the two areas between your career and personal life is a repeating pattern among my guests.

We discussed numerous other avenues on the podcast which you can listen to and hear more about:

• When Amy knows she needs to make a change or pivot in her life (3:23)
• Life motto - Interesting life; interesting marketing (9:07)
• How to improve your business and personal social media campaigns (17:57)
• The most important thing to do on social media (and it’s not what you would expect) (22:40)
• The best platform to practice your social media listening skills (27:28)
• Meeting new people is in your DNA (38:53)
• The questions Amy asks herself when making life decisions (43:56)
• Why you should try things that scare you (45:07)
• What Amy tells her employees when they say they can’t do something (53:40)

 “I’m making this choice for the rest of my life. Which is not true. Your life changes all the time but you don't know that at 21... It’s about passion and not knowing what you’re doing. Just going with it and just living life being happy as much as you can and being okay not being happy. And that’s my thing. That’s my favorite thing”

- Amy Elderkin on public speaking to students

Podcast Notes

Marie Forleo – YouTube Inspiration for Amy

Ola Volo - @olavolo Instagram

Dj Khaled - @djkhaled305 Snapchat

Fascinate – 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation by Sally Hogshed

The Art of Living, Mentors & Decision Making

“A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether is he working or playing. To himself, he appears to be doing both.” 

- Francois Rene August, Vicomte de Chateaubriand

This is the quote Nick Seddon wrapped up the podcast with and is an embodiment of how Nick lives his life. 

Nick comes from a successful soccer pedigree; he played professional soccer for two seasons with the Vancouver White Caps. Nick knew that soccer was not going to be an end point for him and so he attended dental school at University of British Columbia. 

Today he is a cosmetic dentist with two practices, one in North Vancouver the other in downtown Vancouver. 

I met Nick this summer after he finished the Whistler Grand Fondo, which is a grueling 122km bike ride stretching from Vancouver to Whistler through the Rocky Mountains. That wasn’t enough for Nick though. Upon completing the Grand Fondo, Nick joined a group of us to go bungee jumping because biking 122km wasn't enough for him.

I brought Nick onto the show because he’s an example of someone who has been able to achieve his vision by taking decisive and purposeful action in the direction he wants to live his life.

Though he is a dentist, he considers himself more of an entrepreneur. Nick has discovered that building businesses is something he enjoys. He recently opened his first Freshii location in Kitsilano, diversifying his business ventures away from dentistry.  

There are a couple of things that I think are important to take away from this podcast. When Nick finished dental school at UBC he knew it wasn’t going to be easy starting his own practice. There is a lot of competition in the field of cosmetic dentistry. He knew it was going to be a challenge if he wanted to succeed and excel in the industry. So what did he do? He knew he had to find a way to rise above everyone else.

He started by gaining as much information as he could to get a competitive edge. He created a list of books. He created a list of mentors. He created a list of business coaches. And then he started absorbing as much information as possible from all these sources. 

He didn’t stop there. He traveled to Dubai and Brazil to learn from some of the best cosmetic dentists in the world. He surrounded himself with the best to learn from the best, so he could be the best… this is very familiar to what my previous guest Wayne Benson did as well. 

There is a timeless adage; the five people you surround yourself with are a direct representation of yourself. Nick took this to heart and you can see the impact it had on his life.

During the interview, I asked Nick when he first knew he wanted to be entrepreneur and his answer surprised me a little; he said he didn’t know. All he knew was that he liked management, leadership, and coordinating things and that’s what an entrepreneur is to him. So he gravitated towards that. 

Sometimes we don’t have all the answers in front of us. Sometimes we only have little bits and clues. It’s our job to use those bits and clues to come up with a solution based on all the information we have at hand… and that’s all we can do. We make the best possible decision at that time with the information we have. 

In the podcast we really dive into the mentoring and coaching Nick has received. Nick gave some interesting advice on knowing when your mentoring or coaching time is complete.

“You can only gain so much from one person along your journey. When the learning is done you need to move forward.”

He went on to say that as soon as he is no longer inspired or challenged by the work he’s doing with his coaches or mentors, he takes this as a clear indication that it is time to move forward. 

One of the parts that I found most interesting about our conversation was when Nick and I started talking about what keeps him going. Nick had a pretty simple answer, “fill your schedule with things that excite you." As soon as they don’t, it’s time to find something else. 

He lets his emotional energy guide him. He lets the things that bring him joy and happiness lead the way to where he wants to go. From the business ventures he undertakes, to the day to day activities that fill his calendar, he uses excitement as his guiding principle.

It’s like we talked about in the last post about finding your passion. Nick has found his passion and lives it every single day. 

Nick’s embodiment of this strategy reminds me of a blog post by Derek Shivers called “Hell Yeah or No.” When Derek is asked to do something, he asks himself whether it’s a “Hell Yeah.” If he’s not “Hell Yeah” excited to do it, his decision is made. It’s a no. You can imagine how many “no’s” this leads to. 

In the post, Derek talks about how the “Hell Yeah” concept has helped to free up a lot of time in his life and cleared him of all the things he felt “he had to do." His newly found time allowed him to focus on all the things he had wanted to do but never felt like he had the time to do. 

Nick’s decision making is governed by similar motives. He uses his excitement to govern his day to day. That’s the philosophy that governs his life. It’s a leading principle. If something doesn’t bring him excitement, he doesn’t do it. It’s that simple. 

How does he keep up with 14-15 hour days? It’s because he loves what he does. It excites him. It’s that blurry line between what we consider work and what we consider play. For a master in the art, living has no distinction between these two.

You can see why I choose to start this post with the Francois Rene August quote and why Nick chose to end off the podcast with it. The sentiment it conveys and the lesson it teaches is timeless. Live your passion every day and in every way. 

If you want to hear more from Nick, check out the podcast.

Podcast Notes:

Nick’s Contact Info - Nick has been kind enough to share his email for anyone who wants to ask him a question. You can reach him at nseddon@gmail.com or you can also contact him on Facebook. 

Books, Things, People Mentioned in the Podcast worth exploring…

Talent is Overrated by Geoffrey Colvin

Dear Life - Amanda Botic (Nick's Goal Coach) 

Chasing Sunrise

ManTalks

Subscribe on the Apple Store to get the latest podcasts when they’re released. 

How to Find A Mentor and the Importance of Having One

In this episode, I feature Wayne Benson, one of the owners/operators at Amico. Wayne and I get into the value of mentors, most importantly discussing how to find a mentor to help get you where you want to go in life.

Wayne has considered himself an entrepreneur ever since he was young. The first company he was involved with was a computer company, based out of the USA that went on to be wildly successful. He then went on to own a spa business, before settling down at Amico which manufactures equipment for hospitals all around the world. Amico crossed the $100 million dollar market cap this year, which speaks to the size and intensity of this business. 

Wayne first realized he wanted to be an entrepreneur when he took a job working at sporting goods store and found that he could get paid for selling things he loved. At this point he began to understand that if he built something he was passionate about that he could sell it - and his path as an entrepreneur began. 

Early on Wayne didn’t have a clue how to build a business, but he quickly realized that where he worked didn’t matter, rather it was who he worked with that would make the difference. He set out with the intention to learn the attributes needed to succeed in business.  

This is one of the most important things to take away from this podcast. Wayne recognized he needed to latch on to someone who was living the life he wanted. He needed a mentor. Tony Robbins talks about this all the time, he calls it learning to model success. 

In the podcast we discuss the ups and down of the entrepreneur lifestyle. Wayne talks about how entrepreneurship can be challenging and that some days will be really tough; those are the days that will show your true colours. The way Wayne learned to overcome problems was to isolate problems into their individual parts and resolve them one by one.

Elon Musk frequently talks about how he's been able to succeed by distilling problems down to the fundamental physics principals. Distilling things down to their simplest forms has been Wayne's recipe for success as he’s able to resolve problems one by one at this stage. He talks more about this in the podcast, you can find it around the 26 minute mark.

Amico has been able to create 12 companies and 12 product lines over the last 12 years. They have something called the "Jockey System". The Jockey System, is a program that identifies entrepreneurs within the company and gives them an opportunity to start their own company/product line under the Amico umbrella. You can find out more about the qualities they look for in jockeys at the 45 minute mark.

Wayne talks about how they've been able to design incredible products using a concept they call "Overwhelming Force" You can learn more about this concept around the 34 minute mark of the podcast. He also talks about the importance of reverse engineering sales calls and how critical that has been to Amico’s design wins.

In the podcast we also discuss karma and how this is a value that flows within Amico. Amico was actually instrumental in saving the lives of 33 Chilean miners back in 2010 by sending source equipment to the miners who were trapped underground. Their equipment was able to provide clean air to the miners while the rescue mission to reach them was conducted. 

Wayne ends the podcast by talking about self made people and by saying no one is self made. Everyone has help along the way, they all learn from someone and this why you need a mentor. 

If you wish to contact Wayne, you can reach him through LinkedIn. Wayne is all about helping people, so if you wish, feel free to reach out and ask him a question.

If you enjoyed this, share this with someone who may be looking for a mentor. Remember to go to the Apple store and subscribe to the podcast to get episodes as soon as they are released.  

Thanks for tuning in, love you guys, and I hope this helps you grow and develop... and most importantly that it helps make you a better human being. I'm always happy to hear any comments or feedback so hit me up at fil@filipsierpinski.com.

Thank you.

Authenticity and Overcoming Addiction with Connor Beaton

“Have faith that you can turn the corner. No matter how dark or lost you feel, or how out of control you feel, you can turn it around. That starts with being real with people, by having real conservations that are tough, that sometimes hurt.”

- Connor Beaton

 In this episode I have Connor Beaton, founder of ManTalks, as my guest. Connor has built an incredible community for men to connect. ManTalks creates a space for men to evolve through authenticity, community, purpose and accountability. A place where men become better husbands, fathers, boyfriends and leaders.

Connor is one of the most open and caring human beings I know. He is open-hearted, clear with his communication and as authentic as a human being can be. These qualities shine brightly through in this podcast.

In this episode we talk about Connor’s early childhood struggles with “focusing” and how he was diagnosed with ADD. He talks about the impact this had on his life and how it created a part of his identity that he carried with him for a long time.

We talk about his first career after graduating from school and the conversations with his dad that led him to a new career path. A path that would bring him more fulfillment; that would take him to the University of British Columbia where he would study classical music and launch a career performing around the world on stage as a classical opera singer.

One of my favorite moments in the podcast is around 14:40 when Connor says,

“People will deprive themselves of the things that feel good because they don’t feel like they deserve them.”

This spearheads a conversation where Connor talks about starting to do the things that he really loved and what impact that had on his life.

He started to break down his own limitations. He started listening to that little intuitive voice inside him that said, “You like this. You’ve always enjoyed this. Why not go for it?” Once he tapped into that voice his life came alive. This voice pulled him out of the dark place his life had become.  

And it was pretty dark. Connor opens up and talks about his past struggle with sexual addiction. He talks about what he did to get himself out of his greatest hour of despair.

By listening to his intuition, Connor started to be more present and honest with his true self. This meant having some really difficult conversations and being authentic to everyone around him. He shares how this authenticity lead him to quit his job, start living out of his car and eventually move back to Vancouver to live with his ex-girlfriend.

Through all of this Connor was able to draw light and inspiration for ManTalks.

This episode is packed with nuggets of wisdom and knowledge. If you want to hear more about Connor’s story and how he was able to turn a corner I recommend you check out this podcast.

To learn more about ManTalks, visit www.mantalks.com or check out some of their incredible interviews in the Apple Store under the ManTalks podcasts.

If you wish to touch base with Connor, you can reach out to him on Facebook or via email at info@mantalks.com.

Notable mentions in the podcast:

Ten Tree
Victor Frankl - Man's Search For Meaning
The Alchemist
The Artists Way
The Wisdom of Insecurity - Alan Watts

The Importance of Failure with Jonathan Becker - Founder of Thrive Digital

"That is the wrong way to approach starting a business. You don't sit down with a bunch of like minded people and say 'Hey, we're going to quit our jobs and launch into something that we've never done before.' You find a problem, or you fill a need, or you find a solution to something and that's when things really work."

- Jonathan Becker

On this episode I have Jonathan Becker, founder and director of Thrive Digital. 

Thrive Digital plans, builds and optimizes online advertising campaigns on ad platforms such as Google, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter and mobile ad networks. Some of their clients are Lululemon, UBER, Whistler Blackcomb, Wilson and Steve Job's wife.

Jonathan is 33 years old and has built four businesses already. In this episode he shares with us some of the lessons that have come from the businesses that have succeeded and the one that has failed.

We dive into the importance of failure in this podcast as this is something Jonathan loves to talk about and has done public speaking on this topic.

Avoiding failure can be one of the biggest barriers to building the business we imagine or executing on the life we want. 

Understanding that failure is something that we all as human beings will face is an important step in making strides towards creating safe and healthy environments where we can discuss our personal failures with one another.

We discuss different communities where failure is becoming a more common topic and is becoming socially embraced, almost to the extent of being encouraged.

We get into the necessity of failure and how it is essential to our growth as human beings. Jonathan shares his point of view on how we should reframe failure and challenges the commonly accepted status quo motto "Failure is not an option."

In the podcast Jonathan mentions meeting Matt Cutts from Google at the TED Conference in Long Beach, California. Below is the wide grin photo Jonathan spoke about and how meeting the impossible is quite possible. Check out the podcast to hear more.

Photo compliments of Jonathan's LinkedIn profile. 

You can reach out to Jonathan on Twitter @jzbecker or send him a message on LinkedIn. To learn more about Thrive Digital you can visit their website.

Businesses, books and movies mentioned in the podcast:

Warby Parker 
Casper 
QHR
Medeo
Thomas Crown Affair
Losing My Virginity

If you enjoyed what you heard subscribe to the podcast to get the latest episodes when their released. To see more of my work check out my blog at www.filipsierpinski.com where you can find written posts to help you get the most out of your life and all my podcasts.