You can find the full episode description and show notes at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp27/

"Trusting someone else is more of a reflection of whether or not you trust yourself to overcome any adversity." - Erin O'Neil, Author of Gui Ren.

On this episode of the Edge of Comfort Podcast I talk with Erin O’Neil, world-traveler and first-time author of the book, Gui Ren. Erin and I discuss her unexpected experiences from living in China, lessons from the Chinese phrase Gui Ren, and how a new side of life opens up when you are vulnerable and trusting.

Many recent university graduates feel immense self and external pressure to immediately go into the workforce and begin climbing the ladder of corporate America. Heck, getting a professional job and setting yourself up for new opportunities in life is the reason most people go to a university.

In other countries, people are encouraged to delay their entrance into the workforce to travel for an extended period of time, often referred to as a gap year.

People take these periods of exploration to experience more of the world, break from the bubble of their life and culture, expose themselves to new ideas and possibilities, and catalyze internal change and growth.

This doesn’t always happen and if it does, it happens in various degrees for each individual. But, most people feel some sort of change, growth, or self confidence from an extended journey.

My guest today, Erin O’Neil (@_itsonmylist), decided to adopt a variation of the gap year mentality when she moved to China right after graduation for what was supposed to be a 6-month work experience in Shanghai. I say supposed to be, because things didn’t quite go as planned.

Erin O’Neil is an enthusiastic digital storyteller and conversationalist with a serious case of wanderlust. By the time she turned 23, she had visited 22 countries on 4 different continents.

But, perhaps the most life-changing adventure for Erin was living alone in China for 6 months.

Despite the culture shock, severe language barrier, and struggle to figure out how chopsticks work, Asia taught her how to trust herself and create a world in which authenticity, mindfulness, and vulnerability were the only survival tools she needed.

Upon returning, Erin devotes her time to sharing stories from abroad and life lessons in travel. She is currently finishing writing her first book entitled, Gui Ren. Gui Ren is a written Chinese phrase that encompasses the right people coming into your life with synchronicity to help guide and inspire you.

Her book Gui Ren, which her editor described as an Eat, Pray, Love for millennials, is a narrative devoted to illustrating moments of phenomenal connection and celebrating the lessons learned through travel. It’s an immersion into the comedic reality of navigating a world without verbal communication, finding stability and routine in an unfamiliar world, and abandoning comfort zones to catalyze personal growth and adventure.

Erin writes about many of her adventures and lessons of Gui Ren, including topics like trust, vulnerability, friendship, and connection, on her blog Out Collecting Stamps. Erin also speaks about her experiences at local libraries near Columbus Ohio and gives helpful tips for traveling and navigating life abroad.

You can also watch these talks on her website, OnMyList.org.

You can find the full episode description and show notes at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp27/

You can find the full episode description and show notes at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp26/

On this episode of the Edge of Comfort Podcast, I share stories, lessons, and insights from two of my recent life challenges: staying completely sober for 90-days, and completing a 30-mile trail run.

"Use your sober period as an opportunity to become aware and understand what you use alcohol for…I’ve used it to cover up weaknesses, pain, or other areas of my life I know I should work on but ignore."

In the past few years of my life, I’ve held two beliefs that I rarely, if ever, questioned:

• Alcohol is a necessary part of weekends and social life

Inspired by recent podcast conversations and listening to other people’s stories of their challenges, I started to think of ways I could challenge myself and seek discomfort.

Two possibilities popped into my head right away.

The first was my relationship with alcohol and how abundant it is in many of the social situations I engage in and seek. Nearly every weekend involved drinking. I felt I was becoming disconnected and distracted from some real personal and professional work I wanted to do.

Previously, I did two separate months of sobriety and enjoyed these experiences, but they felt too quick. Like I was just scratching the surface of a different form of introspection. I thought this could be an interesting area to explore more.

The second area I wanted to challenge involved the physical realm and my commitment to truly testing myself, finding and breaking through my perceived limits, and learning to not give in to bullshit excuses. In September and October of 2018, I completed my first two half-marathons and felt like I was beginning to go down this road. Similarly to my month periods of sobriety, I was just scratching the surface and had a lot to discover and learn.

What really moved my commitment to these challenges took shape in the form of the question, “What would happen if…?”

What would happen if I was completely sober for three months? Not a drop of alcohol (or any other drugs, for that matter). What would happen to my physical, mental, and spiritual health? Would I still seek the same experiences, activities, or people? Would I be more productive? Gain more clarity and connection to my self?

What would happen if I set out to run a distance I had previously thought unimaginable? Would I stay committed to the process and training? Would my body even be able to handle that amount of distance? What the hell would I think about during a 30-mile run? Would I experience pain and adversity, and be able to push through it, like so many of my idols?

Once these ideas came into my head I couldn’t shake them. I didn’t want these ideas to be another “What if” in my life instead of actually trying.

I was also excited because I felt these two challenges would help me better understand myself. My thoughts, habits, stories I tell myself, beliefs I hold, and my perceived limitations. They would rip me out of my comfort zone and force me to look at things in a way not previously possible.

In late 2018, I decided that from January 1st to April 1st, 2019, I would remain completely sober. I also decided I would train and attempt to run 30-miles in one shot by the end of March.

My sights were set, I was excited for what was to come and what I would learn along the way, and the challenges began.

Thank you for listening and enjoy!

You can find the full episode description and show notes at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp26/

You can find the full show notes and description at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp25

On this episode of the Edge of Comfort Podcast, I talk with Elisa Kurylowicz of the blog and podcast, Elisa Unfiltered: Living Life Out Loud. We talk about her life on the Canadian Freestyle Mogul Team, how she gained and then lost 85 pounds, identity, how to develop awareness and live in alignment with your essence instead of ego.

Elisa Kurylowicz (IG / Blog) is a former elite skier turned entrepreneur and founder of the blog / podcast, Elisa Unfiltered: Living Life Out Loud.

For 8 years, Elisa was a member of the Canadian Freestyle Mogul Team on the World Cup Tour. For as long as she could remember, her dream was to compete as an Olympian. She spent her youth traveling all over the world to ski, and spent 11 years of her life in hotels.

In 2006, Elisa narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympics, shattering her Olympic dream and identity. This subsequently sent her into depression, picking up some unhealthy habits and gaining 85 pounds in a year.

I’m happy to say this is not where her story ends. Elisa was aware of the dark place she entered, knew she needed help and was determined to change her life.

Over the following years, with a lot of hard work and other techniques, Elisa turned her life around and started anew. She lost the weight, unlearned beliefs and habits that were not serving her, began to talk to herself in a more loving and worthy way, and not let fear or her comfort zone determine her path.

Elisa founded her blog and podcast, Elisa Unfiltered, where she shares life experiences, challenges faced, and inspirational stories from her discovers in life. She also shares stories of other fascinating people (like Julian DeSchutter from episode 22) to help and connect with people who feel stuck and want to make a shift in their life.

Elisa helps people live their best life and learn how to make good decisions for their unique situation. She believes you don’t need to take over the world, but need to find inner peace within you and the world is yours.

You can find the full episode description and show notes at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp25/

You can the find the full episode description and show notes at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp24

You can find the full episode description and show notes at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp24/

You can find the full episode description and show notes at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp23

“Right now, we are living in the golden age of cheap flights. It has never been cheaper to fly from the U.S. over to Europe or Asia than it is today.” - Scott Keyes, Co-Founder & CEO of Scott's Cheap Flights

On this episode of the Edge of Comfort Podcast I talk Scott Keyes, the Co-Founder and CEO of Scott’s Cheap Flights. We discuss how he scaled Scott’s Cheap Flights, future areas of focus, how to find cheap airfare, mistake fares, and everything else cheap flights we could fit into an hour.

Most travelers today spend hours and hours scouring the internet for good flight deals. At some point, you've been told Tuesday is the best day to buy flight tickets. You’ve probably found extremely cheap airfare, only to have it disappear 30 minutes later.

Overall, travelers encounter many unexplainable or frustrating experiences when finding and booking flights.

On today’s episode I talk with Scott Keyes (FB / IG / TW), who is the Co-Founder and CEO of Scott’s Cheap Flights. In our conversation, Scott helps debunk some of these rumors and explain different details, best practices and other tips for cheap flights in today’s airline industry. 

Scott’s Cheap Flights is not a travel agency or search engine, but a membership service that alerts you through email every time crazy flight deals pop up. 

A team of flight experts are located around the world constantly finding cheap flights. When they do find these fares, they email them to members along with departing cities, destinations, dates, how long they expect the deal to last, and how to book.

To date, they’ve helped members save over $100 million dollars on airfare. I’ve received their emails for the last few months and can definitely attest to the fact they find insane deals.

Scott started sharing flight deals in 2013 after finding a roundtrip deal from NYC to Milan for $130. He started sending deals to a few friends, who added their own friends, and eventually he was sending emails to around 5,000 people. He realized he had something special and decided to go full-time with Scott’s Cheap Flights.

Today, Scott's Cheap Flights sends deals to over 1,600,000 free and premium members.

Scott has traveled to 45 countries and 45 U.S. states. He has lived in Mexico, Mozambique, Chile, all over the U.S. and currently lives in Portland. He was featured on Entrepreneur’s 50 Most Daring Entrepreneurs of 2017 along with people like Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk.

Thank you for listening and hope you enjoy!

You can find the full episode description and show notes at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp23

You can find the full episode description and show notes at https://edgeofcomfort.com/eocp22/