business, and for several years has been getting by as a lab rat in

medical trials. She talks about what it's been like being a study Guinea

pig, and how it's helped her support both herself as well as her partner and son.
She's participated in studies not only in various parts of the U.S. but even a few abroad as well.

it's also been consistent with her penchant for living an alternative lifestyle,

new people that it's given her.

follows a version of what's referred to as F.I.R.E., or "financial

independence, retire early." She's transitioning from her brief career

as a speech therapist into a new career working for the government, and

saving her money both thoughtfully and strategically. She's based in

northern Virginia near D.C., and is living with her mom until she can

buy her first home - probably a townhouse - by the end of next year. At

25, she was making six figures as a traveling speech therapist, but the

job came with a lot of stress, and with her new government contractor

job, her stress level drops from a 7 out of 10 to a 2, and with it a

better life. She plans to move towards an even lower stress lifestyle by

setting up several passive income streams - mainly buying properties

and renting them out - over the next decade.

his full-time day job, he happens to work at one of the most renowned

improv schools out there: Upright Citizens Brigade theater, or UCB. Dave

talks about what it's like having a job working for an institution he

also performs at, his cost of living in the big city, and some of his

perilous prior jobs.

substitute teaching, hedonism, her past work in real estate, her

tendency to go with the flow, and why she's chosen a lifestyle that's

both carefree but still not without hard work.
The episode also includes a recent follow-up conversation, about a year after the

original one, in which she doubles down on her position of prioritizing a

stress-free lifestyle.

hiking and caving) and days jobs, mainly including working for

AmeriCorps in Arizona, eliminating invasive species. He also talks about

how and why he chose to live primarily out of his car. In a follow-up

call a year after the first, he also talks about doubling down on his

independent, adventure-based lifestyle, the mixed dynamics with his

family, and what it was like going to a Rainbow Gathering in northern

Minnesota mid-summer.

Marti is a travel agent who lives in Thousand Oaks, California. After 10 years in the travel business, the coronavirus pandemic rapidly put the brakes on it- there were virtually no trips to plan. Fortunately, she was beginning a transition into wellness coaching, and with the pandemic she’s pushed her new career into overdrive.

Nick Morof works for an architecture firm in Paris. Just a year out of architecture school at USC, he’s already established a solid career path, thanks to strategic internships in Detroit, Tokyo and the one in Paris that led to his current full-time salaried position. He talks about the strict Parisian quarantine protocol he lived through (fortunately his roommate has parents they escaped to outside the city), living in tiny apartments, and the self-driven qualities that served him well in getting through a rigorous architecture program. He also discusses how he’s been a careful spender, and why he moved abroad for work (which has a lot to do with the way that aspiring architects in the U.S. are offered a pittance for full-time work).

Christy works at a grocery store - part of a national chain - in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A recent college graduate, she talks about what it's been like as the Coronavirus pandemic sent shoppers into panic mode, navigating customers who don't follow public health guidelines, and the empathy involved in her job, one which she compares to being a therapist. She also talks about her mature financial strategies which allow her to start building a 401K with under $2,000 in take-home pay, and the possibility of transferring to another store, maybe in Colorado, where she may begin grad school.

Phillip P. is a Santa Barbara-based landlord and project manager who works with multi-millionaires and billionaires. He talks about maintaining a minimum standard of comfort when he travels – which he does often for work –including everything from where he sits on the plane to where he draws the line when it comes to the quality of his hotels. He also describes how and why he expanded his work life into commercial real estate, the risks he took early on, and how he’s responded to the Coronavirus pandemic as a landlord.

Ethan Herschenfeld is a standup comedian and actor (his acting credits include: Girls, Boardwalk Empire, High Maintenance, and the Plot Against America) living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He's managed to reach a level of financial security that's very unusual for a creative type. He talks about how he's managed to do it (hint: real estate), his various early gigs including opera singer and college prep tutor, and, eventually, how much he spends, and even his ballpark net worth.