Carl talked to big-time entrepreneur Paul Giobbi about what it's like to build a company into a high tech power house, sell the business interest and then face a midlife retirement. It sounds easy but it's not. Paul has been on an amazing journey for the past 4 years and we take you with us on the ride.

It all started when Paul was 11 years old and he went to work in the family publishing and events business. Instead of participating in school sports, he spent his time working. He eventually left the family business and worked in tech. In 2000, he co-founded Zumasys, a fast-growing technology company. 

Over two decades later, Paul sold off his business interest. Like many people, the transition has not been an easy one for him. "When you decide to step away from your primary act in life, it challenges your relationships, your identity, your ego." He tried to find a peer group for mid-life advice to minimize the sudden isolation and lack of purpose but couldn't find one. So he started "The Exit Club", to connect with others going through the same transition. 

Paul reflects on it all and says, "It took a while to learn who I am was not my business".

• More about Paul Giobbi:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulgiobbi/ 

• More about Paul Walks: https://paulwalks.com/ 

• Episode Content:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Paul-Giobbi-High-Tech-Entrepreneur-Starts-The-Exit-Club

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/ 

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage:  https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/ 

• I Used to be Somebody World Tour:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/ 

• Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe 

It took Carl 89 episodes but he finally found a former doctor who has created an amazing second act. Not just any doctor, "Doc G" has a super popular podcast (Earn & Invest) and is a best-selling author. His story is a dramatic one. After 15 years of being an internal medicine doc he found himself totally burnt out and had some sort of breakdown.

He found his passion and voice in becoming a podcast star, talking about investing and giving people life advice on how to find true happiness and purpose. 

He shares some of the best (un)retirement advice we've ever learned on the show gleaned from his new book "The Purpose Code". Great episode to end 2024!

• More about Jordan (Doc G) Grumet:  https://jordangrumet.com/    • Doc G's Book The Purpose Code:  https://jordangrumet.com/#bookrelease    • Episode Content:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Jordan-Doc-G-Grumet-Interview-Hospice-Doc-Shares-How-to-Live-a-Regret-Free-Life 

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage:  https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/ 

 • Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die:  https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/     • I Used to be Somebody World Tour:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/    • Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe 

How does a Tax Preparer from Minnesota end up moving his family to a little village in the French Countryside end up becoming an award-winning food writer and publishing his memoir about the experience with a big-time book publisher?   

Today's guest Steve Hoffman's story is so unlikely. Back in 2012, Steve dreamed of living in France with images of swimming in the ocean on the coast and then sipping with a wonderful glass of Rosé. The reality was that he brought his wife and two children to a hard-working, hot and dusty winemaking village. No one spoke English. To say the beginning of this adventure was rocky is a understatement. 

Once Steve and his family stepped back and let their French experience evolve on its own, it was transformative. It's all shared in his memoir, "A Season for That, Lost and Found in the Other Southern France". 

Steve still lives two lives. For 6 months a year, he runs his self-stated "boring" job of tax preparation that pays well and the other half of the year is devoted to his creative life, winning a James Beard M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award.

• More about Steve Hoffman: https://www.sjrhoffman.com/

• Steve's book "A Season for That": http://tiny.cc/z37uzz

• Episode Content:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Steve-Hoffman-Interview-Food-Writer-and-Author-of-French-Countryside-Experience

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die:  https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage:  https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/

• I Used to be Somebody World Tour:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/

• Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

We've gone CAT crazy this month on the podcast. They say cats have 9 lives. Our guest Suna Kneisley is probably on life #5. Her story starts in Korea where she was born. She was raised in a small town in the Midwest where she was the only Asian kid in town. At 12 years old, she helped run her family's 24-hour donut shop.

In her 20's, Suna lands in Silicon Valley as a marketing exec at Intuit and Oracle. Eventually, she launched her own real estate investment company. And this is when things get even more interesting. She sees an opportunity and pounces on the Cat business, running a non-profit and buying a successful boutique Cat Hotel as a third, maybe 4th act. It's a super fun story full of lots of twist and turns. Suna is full of optimism and has some great (un)retirement advice for you!

• More about Suna Kneisley:  https://patsplaceforcats.com/about/meet-the-owners 

• Pat's Boarding House for Cats: https://patsplaceforcats.com 

• Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Suna-Kneisley-Interview-Kitty-Hotel-Second-Act-Success-Story 

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage:  https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide 

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die:  https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die 

• I Used to be Somebody World Tour:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/all-tours 

• Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe 

Carl interviews "Stacking Benjamins" host Joe Saul-Sehy. Joe is a former financial advisor and has represented American Express and Ameriprise in media. He left his financial advisor career at age 40 and reinvented himself into what he truly wanted to do. He was the "Money Man" on WXYZ-TV in Detroit and has appeared in countless newspapers and magazines, including the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Detroit News and more.  And now, his award-winning podcast is one of the most listened to in the personal finance sphere. Plus, he's funny as hell! (Full disclosure: Carl is a total fanboy of the show.)

Joe's show Stacking Benjamins has the same tone as the former NPR show "The Car Guys". With Car Guys, you didn't need to be a car person to love listening to the show. Same can be said about Joe's show. You don't need to be financial investment aficionado to love listening. Joe and his cast of characters make it entertaining to listen to a subject matter that is generally perceived as dull to the general public. "Stackers" (reference to the listeners of the show) are anything but bored listening to him and his sidekick Josh Bannerman (AKA OG), Doc G, Paula Pant and of course Mom's Neighbor Doug. Oh, the running gag is that the show is produced in Joe's Moms basement.

Joe is a perfect example of an (un)retirement success story. As a young man he was personally a financial disaster. Ironically, he became a very successful financial adviser. But at 40 he realized he liked his job but didn't love it. He sold his business. And 18 years later he's become a financial media star. Helping hundreds of thousand listeners stacking benjamins one at a time!

• More about Joe Saul-Sehy:  https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/about/

• Joe's Book STACKED:  https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/stacked/

• Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Joe-Saul-Sehy-Interview-Stacking-Benjamins-in-his-Moms-Basement

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die:  https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage:  https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/

• I Used to be Somebody World Tour:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/

• Subscribe to "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

THREE for the price of one! What a deal. Yes, we're shaking things up in this episode with a little different format. Instead of just one guest who's had a really interesting second act, we're talking to 3 great minds in the (un)retirement world. With a little twist is that they are from three different age perspectives. 

Meet Paul Long a former TV newscaster, weatherman, film content creator who just created a movement "New Way Forward" (1:58). Gary Sirak is an author, speaker and financial advisor best known for writing How to Retire and Not Die (30.12) And Dr. Ron Kaiser a psychologist, coach, keynote and TEDx speaker, podcast host and author of REJUVENAGING. (51:04)

• More about Paul Long: https://www.newwayfwd.com/story/

• More about Gary Sirak: https://garysirak.com/about-gary/

• More about Dr. Ron Kaiser:  https://thementalhealthgym.com/meet-dr-ron-kaiser/

• Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Meet-the-Unretirement-Experts-Interview-Paul-Long-Gary-Sirak-and-Dr-Ron-Kaiser

• I Used to be Somebody World Tour: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/

• Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

Meet the remarkable Edward Hechter, a high school dropout full of surprises. Edward started his career in the high-tech world at 17 years old. He rose through the corporate ranks to executive level and ultimately played a key role in helping this company Website Pros go public. And retired.

He missed the challenge of solving business problems but this time came back to the working world as first-time entrepreneur where he and his wife re-launched one of the first online party supply companies out of their garage. Starting with two orders a day, the company eventually grew into a $5 million dollar a year business. And he retired again.

The next time he re-entered the biz world was a deep dive into the exploding sport of pickleball. He eventually served as CEO of Pickleball Central, the world's largest pickleball company. And Edward's story takes off from there!

• More about Edward Hechter:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardhechter/

• Episode Content:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Edward-Hechter-Interview-High-School-Dropout-Hits-it-Big-Time-as-an-Entrepreneur-and-in-Pickleball

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage:  https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/

• (Un)Retirement Travel with the Pro, Allan Wright from Zephyr Adventures: https://www.zephyradventures.com/

• I Used to be Somebody World Tours -- Tuscany, Portugal, Pickleball Adventure: https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/

• Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" Newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

In 1995, Mary-Lou Nash showed up in South Africa on a whim with just a backpack. And she never left. Today she is a Winemaster of her own brand, Black Pearl Wines, producing some of the best wines in the country and it's even sold in some high profile locations in the US.

She was born in England, grew up with a determined New England attitude and has thrived in South Africa. She had no experience in growing grapes, harvesting or making wine. In fact, before arriving in South Africa she was a beer drinker and who occasionally would drink cheap jug wine. 

Her story is one of taking chances, a lot of hard work and dogged perseverance. She even shares a recent harrowing experience that has led her to an entirely new lifestyle, which she explains and now loves. Mary-Lou Nash is a true inspiration!

• More about Mary-Lou Nash and Black Pearl Wines: https://blackpearlwines.com/

• Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Mary-Lou-Nash-Interview-Moves-to-South-Africa-and-becomes-a-Winemaster

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die/

• Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide/

• (Un)Retirement Travel with the Pro, Allan Wright from Zephyr Adventures and Taste Vacations: https://www.zephyradventures.com/

• I Used to be Somebody World Tours -- Tuscany, Portugal, Pickleball Adventure:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour/

• Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

This month's guest Stephanie Stuckey brings Carl down memory lane. He has great childhood memories of begging his mom for a Stuckey's Stop, a popular roadside oasis in the 60's! Apparently, there are millions of people that have the same memory. At its height, there were over 350 Stuckey's stores across the country filled with candy, novelty toys and their world famous pecan log rolls. 

Stephanie's grandfather sold the business in 1964 and over the course of time the Stuckey's stores were in a state of disrepair. The brand was practically extinct when Stephanie bought back the business in 2019. She and two business partners have totally rebranded and modernized the company.

The Stuckey's story and Stephanie Stuckey's personal life journey from a public defender to politician to entrepreneur are truly inspiring.

• More about Stephanie Stuckey: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephanie_Stuckey

• More about Stuckey's: https://stuckeys.com

• Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Stephanie-Stuckey-Interview-Rebuilding-Stuckeys-a-part-of-Americana

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die: https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die

• (Un)Retirement Travel with the Pro, Allan Wright from Zephyr Adventures and Taste Vacations: https://www.zephyradventures.com 
 • I Used to be Somebody World Tours -- Tuscany, Portugal, Pickleball Adventure:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour

• Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" Newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe

The Martinus Evans story is a very surprising one. As an adult he had many jobs, including a career  as a suit salesman at The Men's Warehouse. Being on his feet 10 hours a day caused him hip pain. He saw a doctor that said, "Your hip hurts because you're too fat. You should walk to lose weight." Martinus was shocked and angered by his doctor's words. And then he turned that into the goal to  run a marathon. He's never looked back.

Martinus launched a blog, 300 Pounds and Running, is an 8-time marathon runner, formed the Slow AF Run Club that now has 30,000+ members, graced the cover of Runner's World and is now a bestselling author of th book The Slow AF Run Club: The Ultimate Guide for Anyone Who Wants to Run. 

In his common sense, wickedly funny way Martinus inspires all of us to get off the couch and work toward for our dreams!

• More about Martinus Evans:  https://300poundsandrunning.com

• Episode Content: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/Martinus-Evans-Interview-Founder-of-Slow-AF-Run-Club 

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die:  https://garysirak.com/how-to-retire-and-not-die 

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage: https://capitaladvantage.com/promotion/retirement-planning-guide 

• (Un)Retirement Travel with the Pro, Allan Wright from Zephyr Adventures and Taste Vacations: https://www.zephyradventures.com 

• I Used to be Somebody World Tours -- Tuscany, Portugal and Arizona Pickleball Adventure:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/tour 

• Subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" Newsletter:  https://pickleballmediahq.com/contact/subscribe